Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band are both examples of the murder mystery genre Essay Example

Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band are both examples of the murder mystery genre Paper The murder mystery genre always includes four main ingredients. These are the crime, the villain, the victim and of course, the detective. Usually, in classic examples of this genre, the detective finds out what has happened and solves the crime. However, the above mentioned ingredients can be mixed together to create different recipes for murder mysteries. Whereas in most stories in this genre the villain is caught or killed, in a small minority, the villain gets away with the crime, making the detective look unprofessional. I have read two stories which cover both of the endings in this genre. These are Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl and The Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle. I am going to explain in detail how these two short stories are both similar and different. As I mentioned before, every story that has a murder mystery theme, involves a crime. In Lamb to the Slaughter, the murder is totally unplanned. It happens on the spur of the moment. Mary Maloney, the so-called villain, kills her husband using a frozen leg of lamb. As I found out whilst reading this story, this is an unusual kind of weapon, but effective nevertheless. Mary Maloney is a typical housewife from the time of when this story was written, circa 1950. We will write a custom essay sample on Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band are both examples of the murder mystery genre specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band are both examples of the murder mystery genre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band are both examples of the murder mystery genre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer She works at home all day, doesnt go out much and hasnt even an ounce of a social life. Shes also married to a senior policeman, Mr. Patrick Maloney. On the night of the murder, Patrick has just come home from work. Mary is just about to make dinner. She is being very nice to Patrick as usual. We find out that Mary loves Patrick to bits and cherishes every moment she spends with him. She adores every little thing about this man, She loved him for the way he sat loosely in a chair She loved the intent, far look in his eyes. After the couple have their usual drink, Patrick explains something to Mary. As the readers, we dont get an insight to what is being said, but we do get a picture of what it is about. Of course Ill give you money and see youre looked after, Patrick says. We come to the conclusion that whatever Patrick has said, really shocked and bewildered Mary. She shows this not by having a temper tantrum and yelling at Patrick, but by whispering, Ill get the supper, and walking out of the room. To us, it feels as though Patrick is telling her that he is leaving home. This is because we are told that she was, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away with each word. In my opinion, it is not a very good idea to leave your wife especially when she is pregnant with your baby. Mary walks down to the cellar to fetch the meat. She pulls a frozen leg of lamb out of the freezer and carries it back upstairs. As she enters the room, her husband hears her and says, For Gods sake. Dont make supper for me. Im going out. At this point, I think the last, tiny piece of string holding Marys brain together just snapped. She walks up behind Patrick, who is standing facing the window, and whacks him on the head with the leg of lamb. In The Speckled Band, the crime is carefully planned and breathtakingly complicated. It is also safe to say that the victim is not killed using a dead, frozen animal limb! The person who dies in this story has fallen victim to a crime that been organized over a lengthy period of time. Dr. Roylott, the villain and man we are supposed to loathe by the end of this story, wants to kill both of his two step-daughters. The murder takes place in the bedroom of one of the daughters, Julias. The bedrooms are placed like this, Dr. Roylotts is first in the corridor, then Julias in the middle and then Helen, the other daughters, is last in line. All three rooms are built facing the garden. As I have already explained, the crime is very complex. Dr. Roylott has rigged Julias room with a fake air-vent system which is connected to his own room via the wall. On Julias side, the opening of the vent had a dummy bell-rope hanging from it. At night, according to Helen, Julia heard, a low clear whistle. Every night, Dr. Roylott would send a snake, trained using a whip-cord, a bowl of milk and a whistle, through the ventilation system into Julias room. He did this in hope of the snake biting Julia, as her bed was bolted to the floor under the vent. Helen explains that on the night of Julias death, Julia had asked her sister, Have you ever heard anyone whistle in the dead of the night? After a brief conversation between the two sisters, Julia returns to her room and locks the door shut. The windows are also very small and too narrow for anyone to pass through. This shows us that it is impossible for anyone to enter Julias room at night. We are told by Helen, that there are some gypsies that are staying in the grounds behind the house. We expect the gypsies to have something to do with the murder. However, Sherlock Holmes immediately discards this theory after inspecting the windows. This makes the gypsies the red herrings in this story. The reason the girls kept their doors locked at night was because Dr. Roylott was a wild animals enthusiast and kept a cheetah and baboon in the grounds. On the night of the murder, Helen says that she has an uneasy feeling, A vague feeling of impending misfortune impressed me. She also tells us that the weather is very bad outside. This makes the whole atmosphere of the story even tenser, which in turn makes it even more of a classic murder mystery, where everything is dark and bleak. Helen heard the wild scream of a terrified woman amidst all the noise of the rain and thunder outside. As Helen ran to her sisters bedroom, she hears the same low whistle Julia was talking about earlier that night. She also heard a metallic clanging sound. As Helen approached her sisters room, the door was open. Julia appeared at the opening, her face blanched with terror, her hands groping for help. Julia is convulsing all the while, and Helen explains that it was not easy to understand what she was saying. Julia managed to gasp one final piece of vital information before she perished, Oh, my God Helen! It was the band! The speckled band! We can see that The Speckled Band is a more mature story. The crime is much more dramatic. The main difference between the stories at the moment is that one has been planned carefully and other is just something that happens at the last minute. The crime in Lamb to the Slaughter is quite humorous, whereas the crime in The Speckled Band is very serious. We expect killers, murderers and rapists to be men. It is just something we have come to believe. Whether we are watching television, reading a book or looking at a wanted sign in a shop window, out first conclusion is that the bad guy is actually going to be a guy. What do we expect a villain to be doing in his or her spare time? Washing the dishes? Cooking the dinner? Dusting the furniture? Having a baby? Well these are just some of the routine jobs that the killer in Lamb to the Slaughter does. Surprisingly, this kind, gentle and loving woman, isnt all what she is made out to be. Although she doesnt mind being classed as a domestic creature, Mary shows a quality most other 1950s housewives dont. She shows that she really does have a brain and that she can use it. She shows her quick-wittedness and that she can work way out of problems herself. It comes as a shock to us when we find out that the killer in Lamb to the Slaughter is a woman. But not only is she just a woman, but she is an expecting mother. We would never even dream that she would be the murderer by the way Roald Dahl describes her at the start of the story. Mary is just one of those average 1950s housewives that stay at home all day, cleaning up and getting the dinner ready. What makes it even harder for us to believe that she would kill Patrick is that she loves him so much. Dahl says that she loved to sunbathe in the warm, male glow that came out of him. Mary knows every little thing about this man. Exactly what time he is going to be home, exactly what drink he is going to want and even how he wants it. There is a point when Patrick has finished his drink and about to get another, when Mary suddenly shoots up, Ill get it! she cries, jumping up. This shows just how much she cares for him. She knows he is going to be tired, so she does every little thing for him. We can see that Mary is anything but the stereotypical murderer. She just doesnt have the characteristics. We start to wonder, was what Patrick said so unimaginably terrible, that it provoked Mary to kill the man she undyingly loved? Another thing we have to take into account is that she is not just an average housewife; she is a very clever housewife. After killing Patrick, lots of thoughts start crossing her mind. She thinks that she will face the death penalty. She knows she must save her child, so devises a plan to get out of the murder. She touches up her lips and face and goes to the grocers. When she speaks to Sam, the man who owns the shop, she acts very normal. I want some potatoes please, Sam. Yes, and I think a can of peas. She had already rehearsed these lines beforehand at home. What Mary is doing here, is creating an alibi. The villain in The Speckled Band is the complete opposite of Mary Maloney. Unlike in Lamb to the Slaughter, it isnt much of a shock to us when we find out that Dr. Roylott is the murderer. Dr. Roylott is described as being quite a fierce looking man. It is said that he is a huge man. He sounds like a killer to us already. A large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles and marked with every evil passion. This line makes it even easier for us to picture Dr. Roylott as the killer. Dr. Roylott also has history of violence. Helen says that, he beat his native butler to death, and narrowly escaped a capital sentence. Dr. Roylott is not just brawn, he also has a brain, as his title suggests. He is extremely clever. You have to clever in order to organize a crime like this one. The crime in The Speckled Band would require a man of genius to carry it out. It is in total contrast to the crime in Lamb to the Slaughter where Patrick is killed with a single blow to the head. Another reason why we come to accept Dr. Roylott as the murderer is because he is the girls step-father, meaning he is not their biological father and may not have much love for them. In Lamb to the Slaughter though, Mary soaks Patrick in her love. We feel no sympathy for Dr. Roylott because he only wants to kill the two girls for their money. Helen explains, Each daughter can claim an income of i 250, in case of marriage even one of them would cripple him to a serious extent. In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mary kills Patrick because of deeper reasons. We feel sympathetic towards her because we come to the conclusion that Patrick is leaving her. As we can clearly see now, Dr. Roylott is a stereotypical killer. He has all the characteristics of a ruthless villain. Stereotypically, the victim is the weak, fragile, little lady and the villain is the big, demented, monster of a man. Lamb to the Slaughter though, as we have come to realize, doesnt quite follow the pattern most other stories in this genre do. This is exactly the case when we come to the victim in Lamb to the Slaughter. Patrick Maloney is a senior policeman, and supposedly quite a big, strong man. Certainly strong enough to defend himself against a weak, little lady like his wife. He is not the typical murder victim. He doesnt fit the description. We would expect the scenario to be the other way round. Where Patrick would have a motive for killing Mary. We feel no sympathy towards Patrick when he dies. I think we area actually meant to be happy when he is killed. We are not supposed to like him. This is because he has apparently told Mary that he is leaving her, which to us is for reasons unknown. In fact, I think Patrick deserved what he got. I dont think Mary, who cherished every moment with him, would kill Patrick for a minor thing. What Patrick said, must have been pretty serious. Patrick did not seem to treat Mary with the same love and respect that she showed him from the start. Every time Patrick said something to Mary, it consisted mainly of one word sentences. For example, when Mary lovingly asks Patrick if he would like supper, Patrick just plainly says, No. He doesnt say Its okay love, or, No thank you dear. Because of all these things, we get the feeling that Patrick had it coming. We never at any point feel sorry for him. In complete comparison to Patrick, Helen from The Speckled Band, is the typical victim. Helen is one of those women that require a man to do everything for them. When we first read about her, we are told that she is, in a pitiable state of agitation. She is quite scared, even in the presence of the Great Sherlock Holmes. Even though Helen does not die in the story, we still feel greatly sympathetic towards her. This is because, not only has she lost her twin sister, but also because she does not have a reason to be killed. She hasnt done anything to hurt Dr. Roylott. He only wants to kill Helen because of the money she will inherit when she marries. As I have already mentioned, Helen is weak and innocent, she does not deserve to die. This is completely different to Lamb to the Slaughter, where Patrick is the wrong-doer and has it coming. Helen is the stereotypical murder victim mainly due to the fact that she is weak and fragile. Sherlock Holmes notices five livid spots, the marks of four fingers and a thumb, printed upon Helens wrist. You have been cruelly used, says Holmes. This makes is even easier for us to see why Helen is a typical victim. We now know that she has been abused in the past. We can see that both stories are opposite in two places. In Lamb to the Slaughter, the killer is a woman and the victim is a man. In The Speckled Band, the killer is a man, and the victim is a woman. Detectives are given their jobs because they are particularly skilled in their field of work. They usually show exceptional talent which is of a higher standard than that of a regular policeman. However, in Lamb to the Slaughter, the paragraph above does not relate the slightest. Jack Noonan and OMalley are the detectives that arrive to solve the crime. Although they are showing signs of being professionals, for example they take photographs and check for fingerprints, this soon changes as they begin to make gross errors. The first thing they do wrong is assume that the killer is a man. Its the old story. Get the weapon and youve got the man. This tells us that they are already confident that the killer is a man. Mary is quite safe now, due to the fact that she is no longer a suspect. The second thing that jack does wrong is quite a serious mistake. Jack drinks alcohol while he is on the job. What makes this situation humorous is that he actually knows himself that he is not allowed. Im not strictly allowed, but I might just take a drop to keep me going. The professionalism we saw earlier, was thrown out of the window the second the whiskey whisked down Jacks throat! But the amazing thing is that the rest of Jack Noonans team also join him in having a little nip. The humorous part of the story is displayed at the end. This is when Mary shows truly how intelligent she really is. After she killed Patrick with the lamb, she put the leg in the oven and began to cook it. Intending to clear her name completely, Marks asks the policemen if they would stay to eat. The ironic thing is that the detectives eat what they are looking for! This shows just how stupid these men are. Their chances of solving the crime are now slim to none. The detectives converse about the crime while they are eating: Whoever done it, theyre not going to be carrying a thing like that around with them longer than they need. Personally, I think its right here on the premises. Probably right under our very noses. At this point, Mary is probably very smug indeed. She now knows that she is out of the woods and free of suspicion. She has the right to be happy, And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle. I enjoyed this ending but it is different from the usual stories where the good people are victorious and the bad person is caught. Sherlock Holmes on the other hand, is no ordinary detective. He is a super detective. One that always solves the crime. Holmes is a super sleuth and never takes up any ordinary cases. He always goes for something that would prove to be challenging. He refused to associate himself with any investigation that did not tend towards the unusual. When reading a Sherlock Holmes based story, written by Arthur Conan Doyle, you dont expect anything besides Detective Holmes emerging victorious. Even in a time when forensic sciences were not available, the clever deductions and observations, always got Sherlock his man. During the times of Sherlock Holmes, the ignorance of the Victorian society resented any change in lifestyle. They found it hard to cope with developments and found stability in their solid living styles. If anything went wrong in their lives, Sherlock Holmes was their defender. Sherlock Holmes was to the Victorians, as Superman is to the people of Metropolis. The unalterable fact that comforted the Victorians so much was that Sherlock Holmes would never be beaten. He held all the qualities that were envied by people from the Victorian age. He was extremely boastful and enjoyed showing it to others. He was amusingly witty and used this quality to destroy his enemies. He wasnt afraid of digging deep into the darkness of Londons underground darkness; prostitution and opium dens. It was extremely satisfying for the people of London to know that the warmth of Holmes shadow was always towering over them. Holmes was the superhero of that era; always dependable in a sticky, unforgiving situation. When Holmes first meets Helen, he doesnt even have to ask about her journey. The information and the way he finds out is very surprising. From just looking at the ticket in her hand, and the state of her clothes, he depicts her whole journey. It is like he mentally scans Helen and compiles a report on her. You had a good drive in a dog-cart, along heavy roads. Holmes realizes this just by analyzing the splashes of mud on Helens clothes. Helen is very startled when she hears this. She too cannot believe it. It shows that Holmes is a very good detective. He is good at observing things and finding out obscure and inconspicuous details. Mr. Holmes knows himself that he is a very good detective. He is not at all modest and at some points even boastful. He knows that he is very clever and doesnt fray from showing it. He basically tells us that he had solved the crime before even setting foot in Roylotts room. I had come to those conclusions before ever I had entered his room. We can see just how different the two detectives are in this story. They are complete opposites. One solves the crime, the other eats the main lead! The main difference between these two short stories is that one of them has the crime solved, and the other doesnt. Throughout reading both stories, you continually notice the traditional and not so traditional aspects of both. Both stories are completely opposite, so it is easy to spot their differences. Not one element in both stories is the same. The crime in one is serious; the crime in the other is almost a joke. The villain in one is a six months pregnant woman and the villain in the other is an intelligent, fierce doctor. The stories end in different ways, but both have satisfactory endings nonetheless. In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mary gets away with murder, which is what we want. In The Speckled Band, Dr. Roylott is killed, which is also what we want. The stories are both different in the way that they are told. In Lamb to the Slaughter, we know exactly what has happened, and the detective doesnt. In The Specked Band we are kept in suspense, because we know just as much as the detective. In my opinion, Lamb to the Slaughter was a more enjoyable story. It provides a welcome twist to the genre. It contains humour, which lightens the atmosphere. I think that more authors should follow in Roald Dahls example and write murder mysteries that dont always follow the rules. It would be nice if every book made you smile as you closed it, just as this one did.

Deaf and Blind Essays

Deaf and Blind Essays Deaf and Blind Essay Deaf and Blind Essay There are many causes of blindness and deafness. Many are present and occur around the time a child is born which includes prematurity, childbirth complication, and numerous congenital syndromes, most of which are quite rare. Deafness and blindness may also occur later in childhood or during adulthood due to causes such as meningitis, brain injury, or inherited conditions such as Usher Syndrome that causes hearing loss and progressive vision loss. Education is the most important treatment in helping the deaf and blind. Children who are deaf and blind require special teaching methods.These methods are taught in special education classrooms, separate schools, or residential facilities. Each state has federally funded technical assistance programs that provide training and support to families and educators with the assessment and education of infants, children, and youth who are deaf and blind. Technology has the capacity to help and enrich many lives especially those who are blind and deaf. Audio books for the blind are just one example on how it helps the blind. These books allow the blind community to obtain information, hear stories, and stay current with the world’s news.One of the most exciting advances in technology for the blind comes in the form of new and better voice recognition software. There are also new breakthroughs in the medical science field that can help people see better and function in everyday life. The type of surgery available depends on several different factors, including the age of the patient and their level of blindness. With surgery, perfect sight may never be achieved, but new modern measures put in place can help people see better than before. There are also many technological and surgical advances in dealing with deafness.From computers to cochlear implants to hair cell regeneration, technology that assists people with hearing loss has grown in recent years and will continue to grow in the future. I chose to research and write this report as my mini project because I wanted to see how far we have advanced since Helen Keller’s time versus how we deal with the deaf and blind now. The best part of the research was finding out all of the new technology and surgical advances. Hopefully, someday they can cure deafness and blindness completely so that no one has to struggle like Helen Keller. Peter Piccirilli

Using Shelve to Save Objects in Python

Using Shelve to Save Objects in Python Shelve is a  powerful Python module for object persistence. When you shelve an object, you must assign a key by which the object value is known. In this way, the shelve file becomes a database of stored values, any of which can be accessed at any time. Sample Code for Shelve in Python To shelve an object,  first import the module and then assign the object value as follows: import shelve database shelve.open(filename.suffix) object Object() database[key] object If you  want to keep a database of stocks, for example, you could adapt the following code: import shelve stockvalues_db shelve.open(stockvalues.db) object_ibm Values.ibm() stockvalues_db[ibm] object_ibm object_vmw Values.vmw() stockvalues_db[vmw] object_vmw object_db Values.db() stockvalues_db[db] object_db A stock values.db is already opened, you dont  need to open it again. Rather, you can open multiple databases at a time, write to each at will, and leave Python to close them when the program terminates. You could, for example, keep a separate database of names for each symbol, appending the following to the preceding code: ## assuming shelve is already imported stocknames_db shelve.open(stocknames.db) objectname_ibm Names.ibm() stocknames_db[ibm] objectname_ibm objectname_vmw Names.vmw() stocknames_db[vmw] objectname_vmw objectname_db Names.db() stocknames_db[db] objectname_db Note that any change in the name or suffix of the database file constitutes a different file and, therefore, a different database. The result is a second database file containing the given values. Unlike most files written in self-styled formats, shelved databases are saved in binary form. After the data is written to the file, it can be recalled at any time. If you want to restore the data in a later session, you re-open the file. If it is the same session, simply recall the value; shelve database files are opened in read-write mode. The following is the basic syntax for achieving this: import shelve database shelve.open(filename.suffix) object database[key] So a sample from the  preceding example would read: import shelve stockname_file shelve.open(stocknames.db) stockname_ibm stockname_file[ibm] stockname_db stockname_file[db] Considerations With Shelve It is  important to note that the database remains open until you close it (or until the program terminates). Therefore, if you are writing a program of any size, you want to close the database after working with it. Otherwise, the entire database (not just the value you want) sits in memory and consumes computing resources. To close a shelve file, use the following syntax: database.close() If all of the code examples above were incorporated into one program, we would have two database files open and consuming memory  at this point. So, after having read the stock names in the previous example, you could then close each database in turn as follows: stockvalues_db.close() stocknames_db.close() stockname_file.close()

The Internet Revolutionized Traditional Methods Research Paper

The Internet Revolutionized Traditional Methods - Research Paper Example It may also be automated, in that an avatar or some other form of artificial intelligence guides the user through the system, giving responses based on their specific need. The exponential growth of social networking sites has also led to companies establishing their presence on sites such as Facebook and Twitter in a bid to reach more people. Internet-savvy people are therefore able to get rapid responses to their problems through companies’ online support. Online blogs and forums are another networking option where companies can engage with their clients. Customers can also interact with other users, learn from them, obtain solutions to their problems and gauge the quality of services offered. The internet is thus changing the way companies relate to their clients and bringing customers together. The quality of online support of two major companies is discussed below: The Apple online customer support department is easily accessible on its homepage. The placement of the link on the homepage was a plus because it not only made it easier for customers seeking help but also made visitors to the Apple website aware of this service. The online customer support landing page contains a variety of options. Users click on the icon depicting the product they need help with. Icons depicting products include; Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iTunes. Clicking an icon leads to a support page with detailed information about the product. If the pre-recorded information fails to satisfy the customer’s requirements, there is a contact support button that a customer can use to get in touch with the Apple technical support staff. The customer is required to input their hardware serial number to access the support staff. Though an effective security measure, it may inconvenience a customer who is unaware of their serial number or not physically close to their produ ct at the moment.

Marketing strategies analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing strategies analysis - Case Study Example Despite this factor, it is also imperative to know that the company has retained and even accumulated a high number of customers that have remained loyal and this is owing to the appropriate customer service they get from the company and the long services that they get from these commodities. There are many existing opportunities for disruptive innovation in this particular market and Apex has really integrated them and thus come out as strengths.. All these developments receive appreciation and are recognized as milestones in the contemporary technology environment. It is important to understand that coming up with a new technological marketing device in the company, such as a watch, where it is directly connected to the phone, the operator can directly hear the conversation between the seller, and the buyer has it leading in its industry. The connection is in a manner that the user does not require to get into the pocket to communicate with the head office regarding the pricing but rather just presses some buttons on the device and talks freely is a bold move that can revolutionize the technology world. This one disruptive innovation will work effectively in the contemporary world. Another strength is regarding the fact that the company has earned many loyal customers over the years and thus it is difficult for other companies to attract them. Competitors are very critical in any business. In order to understand the weaknesses presented by the company, it is important to put oneself as one of the competitors and show the various ways the competitor can beat Apex due to its weakness. If tasked with the role of bringing up a rival company, an effective strategy would ensure that the strategy was quite different from that adopted by Apex Foods. As opposed to Apex Foods’s strategy of marketing commodities to high-end customers only, the commodities produced would be of high

Weimar Constitution Essay Example for Free

Weimar Constitution Essay To what extent was the effective government of Germany in the years 1919–33 handicapped by the nature of the Weimar Constitution? It is for certain that the Weimar Constitution had an impact in the effective government of Germany in the years of 1919-33. However, it can be argued from both sides whether this constitution had a negative or positive impact on the effective government. One could say that the constitution was a dominant factor in the ineffectiveness of the government, while on the other hand it could be argued that ineptness of the government is due to other external factors such as defeat and the depression A major flaw in the Weimar constitution was the proportional representation electoral system, which was an attempt to become more democratic. Democracy comes at the price of a strong government as it is usually difficult to form a stable government in a democracy. This can be manifested by the fact that in the mere period of 14 years, there were 21 different governments and 13 chancellors. This shows that the Weimar government lacked stability and strength which would make it almost impossible for the government to be effective and tackle the problems. How could the government solve the difficult troubles that Germany was facing, when they could not even manage to cooperate and unite? Since, proportional representation is one of the fairest electoral systems, it was impossible to form a strong single party government who had a good hold in the Reichstag and only weak coalitions which could not agree upon a decision was formed. Weak coalitions meant ineffective and incompetent governments. On the other hand, it could be said that the Weimar governments were not as unstable as it is claimed to be. The Weimar constitution has produced effective and stable governments such as the grand coalition which was seen as a strong government and it stood for the longest amount of time. Also, despite the numerous changes in government, the base parties of the coalition has remained the same as the Z, DVP and DVP provide the foundation of the coalition most of the time. This exhibits stability among the governments as the coalitions do not go thr ough drastic changes in the parties. Therefore, it could be claimed that the Weimar constitution did not handicap the government from being effective. Fair representation of the votes meant that extremist parties thrived under the PR electoral system. Votes translated into fair representation of seats in the Reichstag which enabled the extremist parties such as the Nazi’s to have the majority of the  seats from the July 1932 elections. This made it almost impossible for the government to be effective as they could not pass legislation through the Reichstag as they did not have the co-operation from the largest party. However, it could be argued that the rise of extremism was due to the Wall Street crash in 1929. There is a key correlation between the economic crisis and the successes of extremist parties. Indeed the Nazis only achieved 3% of the vote in 1928 yet in 1933 they received the majority of seats in the Reichstag from any lone party, over 200. If the depression had not occurred, then extremist parties would not have thrived electorally which in turn, would mean that the government would not have been handicapped in the Reichstag. Hence it could be argued that the ineffectiveness of the government towards the late 1920s was due to an external factor as up until the depression, extremist parties were not a problem to the government. The Weimar constitution did not handicap the governments in the sense that it granted Article 48 which the president could use to pass through any decrees in an ‘emergency’. The governments used this to their favour and passed through many legislation and decrees. Since the chancellor had the support of the President as he was appointed by the President, the governments used Article 48 to be effective. This can be seen when Bruning used it to pass his finance bill in 1930, without him using the Article 48, he would not have been able to pass his finance bill or be effective. Henceforth it could be argued that the Weimar Constitution actually gave the governments a chance to be effective in a difficult situation. On the other hand this constant use of the emergency presidential powers in 1930-33 led to the rise of Hitler as the chancellor which spelled doom for the Weimar government. This extensive use of the emergency presidential powers also displays the ineptness of the government as they could not do anything on their own and had to keep relying on Hindenburg. To avoid this constant use of the Article 48 and produce a truly strong government, Hitler was appointed as his party had a majority in the Reichstag and so the government would be able to pass legislation through their own strength. So, the Weimar constitution could even be credited with the fall of Weimar Republic along with the government as it was unable to produce a string of consistent strong and stable governments. In conclusion, I think that the Weimar constitution played a significant role in the handicapping of the governments as under the PR  electoral system, it was impossible to produce a stable single party governmen t. The electoral system only produced coalitions with uncooperative parties which made dysfunctional governments. This meant they had to rely upon Article 48 too much which led to the rise of Hitler and end of the Weimar era. On the other hand, it could be claimed that the coalitions were not as unstable as they were claimed to be with the base parties almost always being the same. Also, I believe that the depression was the most imperative factor in the ineffectiveness of the government as their support was sapped by the extremist parties which led to the rise of Hitler and also it created an impossible situation to get out of for the governments. Without the depression, it is most likely that Hitler would not have risen to power.

How I Learned to Love Community Service :: Essays on Volunteering

"He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own." - Confucius "Caring has the gift of making the ordinary special." - George R. Bach Filing. The word itself made me shudder. The hours spent kneeling at the cabinet searching for folders, the monotony of sorting hundreds of papers into piles, and the sharp sting of pain as my finger hit the edge of a peer at the wrong angle – it was tortuous on so many levels. It had only been 3 months since I’d started volunteering at the hospital, and already I was sick of it. The copious amounts of paper cuts I’d compiled, the long drab hours of staring at the clock, the days of filing, filing and more filing – this was community service? This was not helping anyone – it was busywork. The more time I spent filing, the more my attitude became sullen and negative. Two weeks later, I was sent to work at the pediatric ward. Instead of the usual papers, I was handed a baby! Gently, the nurse said that the baby was ill and never had any visitors – in order to get better, he needed to be held, and would I mind holding him for a few hours? So it happened that I spent four hours rocking a newborn baby, scared that I would somehow accidently break him. In those hours of feeling the warmth of a neglected child, of looking into his innocent, pleading eyes, I realized that this was the essence of community service: helping those who couldn’t help themselves and giving time to those who truly needed it. The satisfaction and contentment that washed over me were worth every minute I had spent filing, every paper cut that I had ever received. My mind more open, I understood that even filing helped people, and as such, hadn’t been a waste of time. Since that bout of epiphany years ago, my volunteering has expanded. I hold a weekly class at my church teaching children about the bible. This experience has transformed nearly every aspect of my life. Designing craft lessons has increased my creative sense – something that I’d sorely lacked before. My planning and organizational skills augmented due to the time management that’s required. My presentation and speaking skills have drastically improved – from being an awkward, mumbling speaker, I have become more eloquent and confident.

The Origin of Rice Tagalog Version

Long ago, people did not plant crops or raise animals for food. They relied only on nature and their surroundings. They would live in places where they could find food. Some stayed in caves and lived on fruits and animal meat. Some stayed by river banks and the sea, so they could fish for their food. They would stay in a place until food got scarce and then move to another place where food was bountiful. The couple Bang and Danna belonged to a group who used to live near the sea. They were looking for a new place. A fierce storm had destroyed their houses near the sea. They feared the coming of another storm.Why do we always move our home? † Bang asked Danna. â€Å"l am tired of this kind of life. We cannot even have children because we keep moving. † Bang wanted to separate from the rest of the group and stay behind in a pleasant place. â€Å"l want to bear our child there. † Danna gave in to his wife's request. They chose a nice place in the mountains and built a simple house there. Their new home was tranquil and food was bountiful. Nearby was a clear stream where Danna caught many fish. But then came a drought. For a long time, no rain fell, and the earth dried up. Plants and trees died,and birds and animals and disappeared.Fish perished in the dried stream. Danna traveled far to look for food. But the drought was merciless. He traveled until he reached the next mountain. Still, he could not find food. Exhaustion caught up with Danna in the middle of a vast field. He lay among the grasses and fell asleep. Suddenly, the wind blew, and the grasses danced and sang. Danna woke up surprised. Danna listened to the song of the grasses. â€Å"We are the hope of the people, Danna. Gather our grains. Our grains are good food. † Danna noticed the head of the grains of the grasses. Each head was full of golden grains. He picked a grain and bit it.Pound our grains to remove their golden covers, † sang the grasses. â€Å"Cook the white k ernels inside the grains to soften them. It is good food. † Danna gathered the grains until his bag was full and then hurriedly went home to Bang. â€Å"Now we have food,† he happily told Bang. He removed the golden covers of the grains, as the grasses had instructed him, cooked the grains, and then ate them. The next morning, Danna returned to the field, â€Å"plant our grains,† sang the grasses. â€Å"Plant them on land softened by rain. They will grow, and you will take care of them. When you harvest, save some grains to plant again.

Improvements in Public Health

Between 1840 and 1900 living conditions in towns improved. How did the work of government, local councils and individuals bring this about? In this essay I will discuss the conditions in towns between 1840 and 1900 and the improvements in Public health since 1840. While doing this I will link reasons together to achieve my final conclusion. I will begin with an explanation of living conditions in towns and cities in the early 19th century. Living in the early 19th Century was very tough for most people. At least 80% were working class. Houses where small and over crowded allowing diseases to spread easily. The air was polluted, poor and environment unhealthy because the people did not know about the causes and consequences of pollution. For example, coal burning from houses and factories was polluting the environment, but it was the main source of fuel. The environment was not just damaged by coal burning and the resulting sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide, it was also unbearable because of the terrible smell and insanitary living conditions. The smell was caused by the lack of sewerage system, public toilets (as only rich people could afford a toilet in the house), dirty water; unhygienic disposal of waste and the fact that cleaning methods were inadequate – no reliable products. The filth was particularly bad in the Soho district of London. In the late summer of 1854 there was a sudden outbreak of cholera. Dr John Snow quoted that it was â€Å"the most terrible outbreak of cholera which ever occurred in the kingdom. † Over the first 3 days of September 127 people died that lived on or near Broad Street. In some parts of the city the mortality rate was just 12. 8%. Nobody knew were it came from. The city stunk of human waste and the river Thames was a sewer. As the city grew the waste was increasing. When there was heavy rain the basements were flooded. This meant that people living in the basement and the rest of the house were in contact with raw sewerage and this would also attract disease and vermin and spread infections. Everyone wanted a clean fresh city where they could breathe clean air, drink and wash in clean water and live and keep their belongings in clean houses. I believe that people's ignorance to the effects of their actions and the fact that they had no alternatives had a big impact on the living conditions in the early 19th century. This is because many people were so poor and uneducated; they had no choice but to live in these conditions. This was particularly relevant in London and main industrialised towns and cities where people moved from the country because many were losing their jobs. This was because the invention of machinery on work and therefore forced people to evacuate to bigger cities with more work needed. In the country they may only have been able to get seasonal work in the fields and they dreamt of a better life in the city where there was more regular work available in the factories. They needed to live in the bigger towns to have the opportunity to earn money in factories and workhouses. As London was rapidly growing, the health conditions got worse. Streets were filled with rubbish and dead animals and never cleaned. Street cleaners only clean roads with people living there who could afford to pay their wages. The fact that there was little public services for example there was no national health services and you had to pay for the health services, there was no clean running water, poor structured houses full of people, filth and germs round every corner and the fact that the homeless children and even some adults, as seen in the cartoon bellow, where rolling around in the waste on the streets. The picture is a cartoon drawn at a time when the government believed that looking after the poor, the old and the sick was the job of individuals and their families. They also believed in individualism and self help believing that if the government did too much for people they would become weak and dependent. This was named laissez faire. This is French for do little or nothing. It was there duty to make laws and deal with wars, but not to ‘babysit' the community. At the end of the 19th century, the city life was improving little by little. New laws, such as the 1875 Artisan's Dwelling Act, meant that better housing was being built. It was an act of the parliament designed by Richard Cross, Home Secretary. The Act made the owners give their slums to the council so they could demolish the areas of slum housing to be redeveloped by commercial builders with low interest. The Artisans Dwelling Act of 1885 was considered one of most significant acts of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli's presidency. The improvements to public heath brought real benefits. By this time cities had facilities to meet all kinds of interests, from dance halls to chapels. People joined together in a wide range of clubs and societies. There were nearly 700,000 allotments by 1881. Allotment holders held competitions for flowers and vegetables. Enthusiasts, usually men, took time to trouble over breeding birds such as pigeons or canaries. Choirs were very popular, usually as part of church or chapel life. Many played in brass bands, often sponsored by a factory-owner. By the end of the century, cycling had become a popular hobby with both sexes. Thousands began to spend their Saturday watching sport. Various kinds of football had been popular for centuries. They were crude rough games, with few rules. Now people lived in clean houses and apartments. In Birmingham Joseph Chamberlain made calls for slum clearance, improved housing, municipalisation of public utilities and higher taxes for the rich. He was elected as mayor of Birmingham in 1876. The middle class of Birmingham adored chamberlain. They all voted for what he fought for. He soon became Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone's lieutenant in the House of Commons and later in 1882 was appointed president of the Board of Trade in Gladstone's second ministry. The Municipal Corporations Act of 1835 was an act of Parliament that rehabilitated local government. It split the country into districts. Each district was responsible for running local services such as housing and education. They had commissioners to be in charge of each local council. The royal commission had eighteen members, two members for each district. A new law was made so middle class people were aloud to participate in the local council. They had annual elections each year, were a third of the council members up for election. They also elected aldermen to be part of the council with a six year term. Towns were divided into smaller areas were they had a local person to represent them on the local council. As previously highlighted in the early 19th century overcrowding, poverty, dirty environment and insanitary housing lead to disease. In 1843 Edwin Chadwick argued that poverty was caused by disease and that by curing diseases poverty would be reduced. Joseph Bazelgette who designed the sewage system, made sure that the flow of foul water and underground rivers was diverted along new sewers and taken the sewage treatment works and then pumped into Tidal Thames where it would be carried out to sea rather than stay in the previous â€Å"open sewer† of the Thames. His design was so good it has stood up to increases in volume of raw sewage. In 1848 the cholera epidemic spurred the government into action through public health measures followed by health measures for individuals. Many people thought cholera was air bourn but John Snow thought it entered the body through the mouth. He investigated a cholera outbreak in 1854 and carefully plotted all cases on a map of Soho where the outbreak occurred. He managed to identify a water pump as the source of the disease. When he removed the handle the causes of cholera immediately declined. It took another six years before this theory was more widely accepted. John Snow also made development in anaesthetics and made them safer and more effective for use on humans. Public health measures included: – The public health of 1888 gave all towns the right to employ a public health officer. – In 1853 public vaccinations against small pox were made compulsory. – In 1854 influence by Florence Nightingale and other campaigners, hospital hygiene was improved and hospitals became much cleaner places, helping to prevent the spread of disease. The 1875 Public Health Act required the clearance off slums, the installation of sewers, clean water supplies and better environment to live in. This was very successful as public health improved and local councils competed to be the best public health provider. This lead to the individual health measures introduced in the early 20th century e. g. free school meals in 1906, medical examinations for all children in 1907. Old age pensions introduced and in 1911 National Insurance (free medical treatment for workers. During the 19th century knowledge about the ways bodies work increased. William Beaumont (1822) studied the digestive system. Theodor Schwann (1858) realised that animal tissues were made of cells. Henry Gray (1858) wrote Grays anatomy and people started to have a broad knowledge of how their bodies worked. Louis Pasteur discussed that germs can cause disease rather that's the previous theory of spontaneous generation where diseases cause germs. This also led to the pasteur isation of milk. Robert Kock studied bacteria further and identified bacteria specific to the diseases septicaemia, TB and cholera and others discovered the bacteria that caused typhoid pneumonia and the plague. Patrick Manson 1879 discovered that diseases could be spread by vectors such as flies. Charles Chamberlain (1884) discovered viruses. Therefore understanding of disease was improving rapidly and there were some inventions that helped the treatment of disease also, e. g. multi lens microscope (Lister 1826) kymograph to measure pulse (1847 Ludwig) and x-rays (Roentgen 1895). At the beginning of the 19th century doctors would only provide comfort but by the end they could treat diseases and heal some patients with surgery. I believe the living conditions between 1840 and 1900 did improve. The government and local councils brought this about by clearing slums and areas of bad, dirty housing, supporting improvements in biology knowledge cleaning up sewers and improving local government, encouraging people to help themselves and no longer accepting poverty as something that can not be dealt with.

The Legitimacy of American Democracy essays

The Legitimacy of American Democracy essays In any system which claims to be democratic, a question of its legitimacy remains. A truly democratic political system has certain characteristics which prove its legitimacy with their existence. One essential characteristic of a legitimate democracy is that it allows people to freely make choices without government intervention. Other necessary characteristics which legitimate government is that every vote must count equally: one vote for every person. For this equality to occur, all people must be subject to the same laws, have equal civil rights, and be allowed to freely express their ideas. Minority rights are also crucial in a legitimate democracy. No matter how unpopular their views, all people should enjoy the freedoms of speech, press, and assembly. Public policy should be made publicly, not secretly, and regularly scheduled elections should be held. Since "legitimacy" may be defined as "the feeling or opinion the people have that government is based upon morally defensible p rinciples and that they should, therefore, obey it," then there must necessarily be a connection between what the people want and what the government is doing if legitimacy is to occur. The U.S. government may be considered legitimate in some aspects, and illegitimate in others. Because voting is class-based, it may not be classified as a completely legitimate process. Although in theory, the American system calls for one vote per person, the low rate of turnout results in the upper and middle classes ultimately choosing candidates for the entire nation. Class is determined by income and education, and differing levels of these two factors can help explain why class bias occurs. For example, because educated people tend to follow politics more, they are more likely to vote. People with high income and education also have more resources, and poor people tend to have low political efficacy. Turnout, therefore, is low and, since the early 1960s has been de...

Application Of The Behaviourist Perspective Psychology Essay

Application Of The Behaviourist Perspective Psychology Essay Operant conditioning is a process of learning, it was found by Burrhus Frederic Skinner BF Skinner. Skinner invented the operant conditioning chamber, also known as the Skinner Box. He innovated his own philosophy of science called radical behaviorism, and founded his own school of experimental research psychology – the experimental analysis of behavior. His analysis of human behavior culminated in his work Verbal Behavior, which has recently seen enormous increase in interest experimentally and in applied settings. Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which an individual’s behavior is modified by its consequences; the behavior may change in form, frequency, or strength. Operant conditioning is distinguished from classical conditioning in that operant conditioning deals with the modification of voluntary behavior or operant behavior. Operant behavior operates on the environment and is maintained by its consequences. Classical conditioning (also Pavlovian condi tioning or respondent conditioning) is a form of learning in which the conditioned stimulus (CS), comes to signal the occurrence of a second stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus (US). (A stimulus is a factor that causes a response in an organism.) The conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. The US is usually a biologically significant stimulus such as food or pain that elicits a response from the start; this is called the unconditioned response (UR). The CS usually produces no particular response at first, but after conditioning it elicits the conditioned response (CR). Classical conditioning differs from operant or instrumental conditioning, in which behavior emitted by the subject is strengthened or weakened by its consequences (reward or punishment). This perspective is most useful in explaining our different ‘Learned’ behaviours. It lets us look at a specific behaviour and see where we got it from and how we got it. Changing behaviour is where we change our behaviour sometimes because of maybe a fear or phobia. Classical conditioning is used for explaining these but it is also good for helping us change these behaviours. There is a method to change phobic behaviour, this is called ‘Systematic Desensitisation’. You would put together a list of things that relate to the fear, and relax to the point where you are comfortable enough to look at the thing without being scared. Then you would move up to the next level of it. For example, if you were afraid of spiders, you would get comfortable with seeing a picture of a spider, then the next level would be having a spider in the room with you but in a cage, and this could progress up to you being able to hold the spider. This is called a ‘Hierarchy Of Fear’. Classical conditioning has also been used to treat other things like alcoholism, they are given a drug, when that drug is mixed with alcohol it causes them to feel sick and be sic k. They then associate alcohol with sick and unpleasantness. Application of the Social Learning Theory Social Learning Theory suggests that many things can influence our behaviour. This could be things like; Peers, Siblings, Parents, Television, Sports, Personalities and celebrities. If we see someone we admire behaving in a certain way, we are more likely to imitate them. Albert Bandura is a famous Psychologist at Stanford University. For almost six decades, he has been responsible for contributions to many fields of psychology, including social cognitive theory, therapy and personality psychology, and was also influential in the transition between behaviorism and cognitive psychology. He is known as the originator of social learning theory and the theory of self-efficacy, and is also responsible for the influential 1961 Bobo doll experiment. He felt that learning did not have to be conditioned or reinforced all the time. New behaviour could be could be learnt by observing others. Observational Theory refers to learning of a new behaviour through watching someone else perform the behaviour. This behaviour can be learnt but does not have to be reproduced unless the individual is motivated to perform the new behaviour. Role Theory suggests that because we live in a certain culture, come from a certain religion or are friends with certain types of groups, we adopt certain roles as we are expected to live up to certain expectations. It also suggests we change our roles to suit our environment. Bandura also thinks that our behaviour is influenced by the presence of others.

Shakespeare, Richard II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shakespeare, Richard II - Essay Example He also was able to take over his troops and part of his staff. Richard II said that if Bolingbrook served God that Richard II would serve Bolingbrook but if Bolingbrook did anything wrong to the people that Richard II couldnt make peace with the taking of the crown. "Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay: The worst is death, and death will have his day" (Richard, III, ii)Â  Loosing his subjects was doing wrong by them. Richard II was giving an ultimatum to Bolingbrook that he could never take over. In the following soliloquy, he speaks of all his had lost. He used the metaphor of what he had lost is as though he and the few people who with him were in their grave. "Lets talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs" (Richard, III, ii)Â  All they have left which belongs to them is death. This is an oxymoron. We all face death whether we are rich or poor. Shakespeare is showing the stupidity of the rich and of royalty. As with other kings, each has his own personal story of death. Each king is human. "For Gods sake let us sit upon the ground / And tell sad stories of the death of kings!" (Richard, III, ii)Â  He shows that he is discouraged and intimidated by the events that have happened. He is also showing another side where he is comparing the godlike quality of kings. He is saying that even though they are kings they still have a specific story related to death thus making them human. Thus, it can be assumed that they are human as all classes of society. Shakespeare is making another comment about the different social classes "My father hath a power; inquire of him and learn to make a body of limb" (Duke of Aumerle, III,ii) This is a metaphor used to indicated family lineage and then that the body can be bent. His fathers power can form him into anything. "To insinuate, flatter, bow, and bend my limbs."(Richard,IV,i) The tree has limbs which are bent. A body has limbs which can be bent.