The Widow and the Parrot Essay Example

The Widow and the Parrot Essay The Widow and the Parrot Virginia Woolf Author’s Background (1882-1941) British writer. Virginia Woolf became one of the most prominent literary figures of the early 20th century, with novels like Mrs. Dalloway (1925), Jacobs Room (1922), To the Lighthouse (1927), and The Waves (1931). Woolf learned early on that it was her fate to be the daughter of educated men. In a journal entry shortly after her fathers death in 1904, she wrote: His life would have ended mine No writing, no books: inconceivable. Luckily, for the literary world, Woolfs conviction would be overcome by her itch to write. Virginia Woolf was born Adeline Virginia Stephen on January 25, 1882, in London. Woolf was educated at home by her father, Sir Leslie Stephen, the author of the Dictionary of English Biography, and she read extensively. Her mother, Julia Duckworth Stephen, was a nurse, who published a book on nursing. Her mother died in 1895, which was the catalyst for Virginias first mental breakdown. Virg inias sister, Stella, died in 1897; and her father dies in 1904. Virginia Woolf died on March 28, 1941 near Rodmell, Sussex, England. She left a note for her husband, Leonard, and for her sister, Vanessa. Then, Virginia walked to the River Ouse, put a large stone in her pocket, and drowned herself. Children found her body 18 days later. Virginia married Leonard Wolf in 1912. Leonard was a journalist. In 1917 the she and her husband founded Hogarth Press, which became a successful publishing house, printing the early works of authors such as Forster, Katherine Mansfield, and T. S. Eliot, and introducing the works of Sigmund Freud. Except for the first printing of Woolfs first novel, The Voyage Out (1915), Hogarth Press also published all of her works. Virginia Woolfs works are often closely linked to the development of feminist criticism, but she was also an important writer in the modernist movement. She revolutionized the novel with stream of consciousness, which allowed her to depict the inner lives of her characters in all too intimate detail. We will write a custom essay sample on The Widow and the Parrot specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Widow and the Parrot specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Widow and the Parrot specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In A Room of Ones Own Woolf writes, we think back through our mothers if we are women. It is useless to go to the great men writers for help, however much one may go to them for pleasure. Character Web James the Parrot James the Parrot Mrs. Gages Mrs. Gages Joseph Brand Joseph Brand Shag the Dog Shag the Dog Mr. Stacey Mr. Stacey Mrs. Ford Mrs. Ford Rev. Samuel Tattbogs Rev. Samuel Tattbogs Messrs. Stagg and Beetle Messrs. Stagg and Beetle Plot Conflict Author’s Style Symbol Used Theme Moral Implication

WATCH How working harder not smarter can jump start your start-up

WATCH How working harder not smarter can jump start your start-up Nationally acclaimed chocolatier and Forbes â€Å"30 under 30†Ã‚   entrepreneur Alex Clark sat down with Daily Fuel at her Bon Bon Bon production facility and described how one of her â€Å"awful tendencies† has actually played a prominent role in the success of her business. Listen to Alex describe how at times our perceived deficiencies can actually be our most beneficial attributes.

The History of Gravity and Aristotle

The History of Gravity and Aristotle One of the most pervasive behaviors that we experience, its no wonder that even the earliest scientists tried to understand why objects fall toward the ground. The Greek philosopher Aristotle gave one of the earliest and most comprehensive attempts at a scientific explanation of this behavior by putting forth the idea that objects moved toward their natural place. This natural place for the element of Earth was in the center of the Earth (which was, of course, the center of the universe in Aristotles geocentric model of the universe). Surrounding the Earth was a concentric sphere that was the natural realm of water, surrounded by the natural realm of air, and then the natural realm of fire above that. Thus, Earth sinks in water, water sinks in the air, and flames rise above air. Everything gravitates toward its natural place in Aristotles model, and it comes across as fairly consistent with our intuitive understanding and basic observations about how the world works. Aristotle further believed that objects fall at a speed that is proportional to their weight. In other words, if you took a wooden object and a metal object of the same size and dropped them both, the heavier metal object would fall at a proportionally faster speed. Galileo and Motion Aristotles philosophy about motion toward a substances natural place held sway for about 2,000 years, until the time of Galileo Galilei. Galileo conducted experiments rolling objects of different weights down inclined planes (not dropping them off the Tower of Pisa, despite the popular apocryphal stories to this effect), and found that they fell with the same acceleration rate regardless of their weight. In addition to the empirical evidence, Galileo also constructed a theoretical thought experiment to support this conclusion. Here is how the modern philosopher describes Galileos approach in his 2013 book Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking: Some thought experiments are analyzable as rigorous arguments, often of the form reductio ad absurdum, in which one takes ones opponents premises and derives a formal contradiction (an absurd result), showing that they cant all be right. One of my favorites is the proof attributed to Galileo that heavy things dont fall faster than lighter things (when friction is negligible). If they did, he argued, then since heavy stone A would fall faster than light stone B, if we tied B to A, stone B would act as a drag, slowing A down. But A tied to B is heavier than A alone, so the two together should also fall faster than A by itself. We have concluded that tying B to A would make something that fell both faster and slower than A by itself, which is a contradiction. Newton Introduces Gravity The major contribution developed by Sir Isaac Newton was to recognize that this falling motion observed on Earth was the same behavior of motion that the Moon and other objects experience, which holds them in place within relation to each other. (This insight from Newton was built upon the work of Galileo, but also by embracing the heliocentric model and Copernican principle, which had been developed by Nicholas Copernicus prior to Galileos work.) Newtons development of the law of universal gravitation, more often called the law of gravity, brought these two concepts together in the form of a mathematical formula that seemed to apply to determine the force of attraction between any two objects with mass. Together with Newtons laws of motion, it created a formal system of gravity and motion that would guide scientific understanding unchallenged for over two centuries. Einstein Redefines Gravity The next major step in our understanding of gravity comes from Albert Einstein, in the form of his general theory of relativity, which describes the relationship between matter and motion through the basic explanation that objects with mass actually bend the very fabric of space and time (collectively called spacetime). This changes the path of objects in a way that is in accord with our understanding of gravity. Therefore, the current understanding of gravity is that it is a result of objects following the shortest path through spacetime, modified by the warping of nearby massive objects. In the majority of cases that we run into, this is in complete agreement with Newtons classical law of gravity. There are some cases which require the more refined understanding of general relativity to fit the data to the required level of precision. The Search for Quantum Gravity However, there are some cases where not even general relativity can quite give us meaningful results. Specifically, there are cases where general relativity is incompatible with the understanding of quantum physics. One of the best known of these examples is along the boundary of a black hole, where the smooth fabric of spacetime is incompatible with the granularity of energy required by quantum physics. This was theoretically resolved by the physicist Stephen Hawking, in an explanation that predicted black holes radiate energy in the form of Hawking radiation. What is needed, however, is a comprehensive theory of gravity that can fully incorporate quantum physics. Such a theory of quantum gravity would be needed in order to resolve these questions. Physicists have many candidates for such a theory, the most popular of which is string theory, but none which yield sufficient experimental evidence (or even sufficient experimental predictions) to be verified and broadly accepted as a correct description of physical reality. Gravity-Related Mysteries In addition to the need for a quantum theory of gravity, there are two experimentally-driven mysteries related to gravity that still need to be resolved. Scientists have found that for our current understanding of gravity to apply to the universe, there must be an unseen attractive force (called dark matter) that helps hold galaxies together and an unseen repulsive force (called dark energy) that pushes distant galaxies apart at faster rates.

'The significance of Wang Kar-wai's films often derives from their Essay

'The significance of Wang Kar-wai's films often derives from their coplex and highly creative treatment of time.' Discuss using detailed examples from Chungking - Essay Example To understand how Wong achieved this cult status and why certain elements of his films such as time bear significance, it is important to discuss the history from which he grew as they are both linked. Collaborating with well known directors such as Patrick Tam in the early 1980’s, writing scripts and assisting in direction, Wong learnt from his masters and established himself as one of the second new wave of Hong Kong filmmakers living at a time when issues such as Hong Kong’s transfer to China were foremost. Back in 1984 when the Sino-British agreement was drawn charting a plan to handover Hong Kong to mainland China, the uncertainty surrounding this issue forced Hong Kong’s residents as well as its filmmakers to examine this subject in depth. Rather than condemning the take over, the filmmakers sought to explore this previously un-chartered subject, seeking to introspect instead of criticizing. This was the moment when Hong Kong cinema matured and carried forward to the second new wave of filmmakers. In his films Wong essentially captures the cultural identity of Hong Kong which was dual in nature. â€Å"The cinema of Hong Kong reflects this notion of a du al identity, combining to create a third, localised identity (Wright 2002).† This duality arose from Hong Kong’s close proximity to China whose cultural identity is vastly different and bore a significant impact to Hong Kong. But Hong Kong’s history of being associated with western culture, absorbing the western way of free life, gave it a new identity which tried to mingle and sit well with its old identity. And Hong Kong films particularly from directors such as Wong Kar-wai, echo this dual identity. â€Å"Hong Kong released a few art films that found their way into film festivals. Chungking Express (1994) directed by Wong Kar-wai, became a cult hit (Bordwell 2000).† Hong Kong cinema is both a popular cinema and a cinema of auteurs

Business Research Methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Research Methods - Assignment Example These forms of study are mainly undertaken before conducting a more extensive study that will provide concrete answers to the researcher’s questions. Utilisation of this research design, therefore, is limited to areas in which there is limited knowledge as the researcher seeks to develop background information on the topic being explored. Within the business profession, exploratory research focuses on discovering business ideas rather than provision of statistically accurate data. It can provide a company with a definition of issues pertaining alternative courses of action and even prioritization of areas for further research. This design mainly utilises open ended questions and can be able to provide ideas that might not have been thought. The utilisation of the open ended questions however becomes a basic shortfall of the research design since the information collected could be extensively varied and analysis becomes difficult as it cannot be grouped. Description research seeks to provide information and describes situations based on scientific observation (Saunders & Lewis 2012). The fundamental reasons behind utilisation of scientific observations are the provision of accurate and precise information on the topics being investigated. In seeking to get this level of accuracy and precision scientific methods are utilised in statistically analysing the collected data. This research is limited by the complexity of the processes involved in undertaking the analysis of data being presented. Unlike the exploratory design, descriptive study is generally structured and pre-planned. This ensures that the information gathered within the process can be statistically inferred on a given population like the workforce of the company. The fundamental idea behind the utilisation of descriptive research design is defining, opinions, attitudes and behaviours of a group of people in a better and more informed manner

Husserls Phenomenology Essay Example for Free

Husserls Phenomenology Essay Why is phenomenology such an important branch of philosophical thought in terms of understanding media and its social, political, and technological impact? Phenomenology is the philosophical thought that focuses on the structure of subjective human consciousness. This philosophical movement was founded by Edmund Husserl who â€Å"wants to describe our experiences as they are given from a first person perspective† (Zahavi, 2003, p. 13). Husserl describes the conception of reality in 3 parts. Firstly there’s the world and its external beings, this being the world around us made up of other things and other people. Secondly we have ourselves, and thirdly we have our subjective consciousness, the way we perceive the world around us. Husserl divides phenomenology into two parts, the noesis and the noema, the noesis being the part of an experience which explains the activity, be it an emotion, perception, judgement, or imagination. The second part is the noema, which is the way we perceive the experience, our own meaning of it, the way we conceive it. This study can be differentiated from Kant’s method of analysis which focuses on reality consisting of objects and events as they are understood by subjective human consciousness. The two main divisions of Kantian phenomenology are the noumena and the phenomena. The noumena are things independent of the mind; an object or event that exists without the use of human senses, while the phenomena are any observable occurrences. Kant theorises that what we experience through our senses questions what roles we play in terms of truth and reality. Both Kant’s and Husserl’s interpretation of phenomenology are important branches of philosophical thought when understanding media and it’s social, political, and technological impact. The political impact that media has is stretched further than the democracy of governments. The politics that media focuses on can vary from contestants on a television show to the Presidential debates of the United States. When we watch any form of politics on an edited television show, all we’re seeing is what’s presented to us; the phenomena, we experience what is given to us. It is only by our senses that we’re able to perceive what’s happening on the show. This relates to Kant’s method of analysis which states that what we experience through our senses allows us to question truth and reality. Only what we see on television enables us to question this. What is edited out or what happens back stage is the noumena, it’s not perceivable by our senses and therefore according to Kant we’re unable to comprehend it. The X Factor relies heavily on humiliation in its audition process to get viewers. Many of the advertisements for the X Factor auditions show hopeful contestants being booed or laughed at on stage by the audience. Spin off shows called â€Å"The X Factor: Best and Worst Auditions† are created purely for our entertainment. Although it may seem that the media is using a contestant’s pain for their own gain, it is argued that â€Å"by now, those appearing on reality TV should have acquired a basic understanding of its textual codes and mode of production, and should therefore be prepared for any possible outcomes†(Watts, 2011, p. 36). When schadenfreude, â€Å"enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others† (Merriam-Webster), is shown on television, the audience is faced with an ethical dilemma. They have to decide based on the phenomena around them what is right or wrong. It is up to the individual audience member to decide whether they feel the contestant is able to understand the codes of reality TV and whether the humiliation is acceptable or not. One contestant on the 2012 X Factor auditions, Zoe Alexander, was highlighted in the media due to her vulgar outburst on stage after the judges slammed her down for singing a song by an artist (Pink) for whom she had previously been a tribute act for. After saying she wanted to move away from being a tribute act and focus on her own career, she went on to sing a song by the artist Pink. According to what was shown on television, the contestant made a bad choice and was ridiculed on stage for it. She was jeered at and this resulted in her swearing at the judges and throwing her microphone on the ground. The audience were left with feelings of embarrassment for her; from what was presented to them the audience could only see her outburst. The political division of the show was between this contestant and the X Factor, and the audience had clearly picked a side. After the audition had been aired on television it soon came out that the contestant had been told to sing a Pink song by the X Factor production team prior to her audition. In interviews after the show Alexander stated â€Å"When the judges rejected me I realised I had been manipulated by the X Factor for the previous six weeks. They lured me in, coaxed me and even chose my song all with the intention of setting me up for a fall. †(Daily Mirror). It was only after the audience had become aware of the back stage antics that they were able to switch their political viewpoint to that of the contestant. The impact that media has on politics is shown through the way the media is able to influence the minds of audiences by only showing certain parts of the story. Parts of the show were edited out in order to create a political imbalance between the show and contestant. After the contestant told her side of the story, the audience realised that â€Å"There is now good reason to believe that there is a surprisingly vast range of ways the scene around you could have been visibly different from the way it actually is†(Noe, 2006, p. 191). The noumena, which was not something the audience could understand, was what was edited out of the show, as we could not sense it, it was independent of our minds. According to Kant, as soon as we become aware of it, it becomes a part of our phenomena and is now an observable occurrence. By understanding phenomenology it’s clear that it is an important part of the political impact that media has. Kant’s thoughts on phenomenology relate much to Platonism. The allegory of the cave is a metaphor to describe that what we believe to be reality may not be complete, and that illumination is needed for us to see the truth. Plato explains that the freed prisoner â€Å"wouldn’t be able to see a single one of the things he was now told were real† (Plato, 2006, p. 280). Plato gives us four levels of knowledge: shadows, objects, ideas, and forms, â€Å"in the first place, shadows, and in the second place, reflections† (Plato, 2006, p. 244) The first two levels are within with the realm of sense, shadows are things we have interaction with but no knowledge of, and objects are able to be perceived with knowledge but they still rely on senses to be seen. The next two levels eradicate senses and rely on intelligence. Ideas and forms are reflections of the lower levels and are seen as the ‘intelligible world’. In a similar way, Kant theorises that reality exists on many levels, with the phenomena being what we can sense, and the noumena being what we cannot sense, independent of the mind. Both Plato and Kant agree that knowledge is primarily reliant on sense but does not have to rely on sense alone, and that reality exists on a series of levels. The concept of realism has made huge advancements in technology over the last decade. With great progression in technology, media such as video games and cinema have transformed immensely in terms of how real they appear to their targeted audiences. New technology such as 3D cinema and D-Box enables audiences to be transported even further into the world of the film by creating a false sense of reality. By wearing 3D glasses and sitting in a stimulation chair, the cinema is able to allow the audience to be absorbed into the world of the film even further than ever before. These technological advances exhibit the power phenomenology has to intensify the experiences of watching a film or playing a game. Certain media are created to illuminate our phenomena by their transmission and the form that certain media take, â€Å"What we know of the world  (including cinematic representation) has to do with our experience of phenomena, that is, the way things appear to us. †(Casebier, 2009, p. 4) According to Husserl, knowledge â€Å"remains within experience† (Husserl, 2012, p. ), so all we know of cinema and videos games is merely a recreation of what we already know from our experiences. However it isn’t just cinema that does this, advancements in technology have enabled other media to do the same; 3D televisions and mobile phones are created for the same reason, to create a fabricated reality, a place where people can have all of the fun without any of the responsibility. Video games are created with a goal to make an interactive world which can be perceived similar to real life but without the consequences that comes with reality. Racing games are made with cars that look and sound more realistic to appeal to audiences, stimulation controllers to enable you to feel like you’re actually driving a car, but when you crash your car you’re able to start another race, when in reality there would be serious consequences. However, the question of truth and reality regarding technology can be argued against. Plato states that the representation of reality is not as clear as we may think it is. Plato states that â€Å"the quickest way is to take a mirror and turn it round in all directions, before long you will create suns and stars and earth† (Plato, 2006, p. 70). When he is told that this will only create reflections and not reality, Plato states that an artist would do the same with a paintbrush. This allegory shows that what’s real and what’s true is hard to determine because everything is a representation of the ultimate reality. Therefore the images created in technology such as video games and cinema can be seen as a construction or representation of an ultimate reality, what we perceive as real life experiences. As Husserl states â€Å"Natural knowledge begins with experience† (Husserl, 2012, p. ), it is from our experiences of real life that we’re able to even comprehend the constructed reality that is shown in media such as video games and cinema. However, being too involved in these types of simulated realities can be dangerous, they can distort our minds by making us confused between the difference of what’s true and what’s real. What is acceptable in a simulated video game such as Grand Theft Auto, such as beating people up, shooting people, stealing cars, woul d not be acceptable in real life. A distinction is needed in the mind between what is real and what is true. These experiences show the importance that phenomenology has in terms of understanding the impact media has on technology. Husserl states that human experiences are subjective, and this is true especially when referring to photography and the social impacts that certain media have on the world. Photographs are a special type of image, one that holds a subjective experience personal to the people who are in them and the people who took them. â€Å"It is not merely the likeness which is precious in such cases – but the association and the sense of nearness involved in the thing. (Sontag, 2001, p. 183) Instagram is a social networking app which allows users to upload pictures onto a database which is viewable by ‘followers’. Similar to social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, users can follow each other and comment on pictures that are uploaded. With the invention of such social applications personal photographs no longer serve as just memories or subjec tive images, they also serve as a way to exhibit your experiences to your social circle: your friends and family. The way we communicate and share with each other has been changed. No longer do photographs have to be developed and stuck in an album for everyone to see them, now you can upload a picture onto Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any similar social networking sites and it can be viewed by hundreds of people from your social circle at the same time. By sharing our experiences socially we’re able to project our experiences into the minds of others; â€Å"We behold the living experiences of others through the perception of their bodily behaviour† (Tymieniecka, 1983, p. 300). Even though pictures that are ploaded onto social networking sites are able to be sensed by others in terms of being able to see them, they will be not be aware of the meaning behind the pictures. The noumena of the pictures will be the meaning behind them; the memories and emotions that are attached with the image will not be visible to everyone who looks at it, only the people who have previous knowledge of the image will be able to have a deeper understanding of what it’s about. No matter how much you look at a photograph it will have different memories and connotations for each person who views it. The way we communicate with each other has changed in many others way than just photography. The impact media has on society is seen through the change in our communication with each other with tools such as Whatsapp and Skype. With the use of just a mobile phone you’re able to communicate with other people in so many different ways; We’re no longer limited to just calling or texting each other, now we’re able to video call, send pictures, on Facebook people are able to send each other virtual animals to each other; media has impacted the way we communicate so much so that the levels of communication are unlimited. Through doing so we’re expanding our experience of communicating with each other and therefore according to Husserl we’re expanding our knowledge of each other. The level of impact media has on communication is clear because through new methods of communication comes more information we have of each other. Phenomenology is important for understanding media and its impact on many aspects such as politics, society, and technology. Both Kant’s and Husserl’s analysis of phenomenology are vital branches of philosophical thought when thinking about the influence that media has. Through politics, media is able to hide certain aspects of the truth in order to manipulate the minds of the public. Kant’s theory of the phenomena and noumena is shown here as what the audience perceive as the truth is merely a part of it; the parts that are kept out are the noumena. What’s not perceivable by our immediate senses becomes independent of the mind. When it comes to technology, the impact that media has refers mainly to realism. The question of what is true and what is real comes into place. Media such as video games and cinema are able to create other worlds of reality in which people are absorbed into. Husserl states that it is through experience that knowledge is made, so media takes the experience that we have in the real world and build upon to create realities that are more idealistic to live in; Worlds in which people are free to do as they choose without any consequence. The only consequence of this is if people become so involved in these created worlds that they’re unable to distinguish between reality and constructed reality in the form of games or cinema. Through social issues it’s clear that phenomenology is an important issue in terms of how much of an impact media has. Social network sites enable people to share their experiences with their friends and family. Photographs no longer have to be shown to others in a physical album, now they’re visible all over the world. Husserl tells us that it is through others being and their bodily behaviour that we’re able to understand them. Therefore it’s clear that the impact that media has on society is the change of how we communicate with each other. By having new ways of talking to other people, there’s also new ways of understanding each other. Phenomenology shows that with a wider experience of communication, we’re gaining knowledge of whom and what we communicate with. Kant and Husserl both have different methods of analysis according to phenomenology, but ultimately they’re both concerned with the way the world appears to us and our subjective understanding of the world around us.

Coduction Convection Radiation :: essays research papers

Conduction, Convection, and Radiation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heat transfer is the way heat moves through matter to change the temperature of other objects. There are three types of heat transfers, Conduction, Convection, and Radiation. The first kind of heat transfer, conduction, is heat transferring through direct contact of materials. This would be the same thing as a pan on the stove. The heat from the stove touches the pan directly, therefore making the pan hot. The next type of heat transfer is convection. Convection is heat transferred by a gas or liquid. Such as dumping hot water into a cold glass of water, making the water overall warmer. The last type of heat transfer is radiation. Radiation is when the heat energy travels in actual waves. The suns energy gets to earth because of radiation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These three types of heat transfer can be easily found in the activities we have been doing the past couple of weeks having to do with a universal dwelling. They can mostly be seen when we are trying to test the heating and cooling capabilities of our universal home model. Conduction can be seen when the ice touched the cans full of insulation. The cooled cans touched the installation inside the can making it cooler. Convection can be found al over the place in our experiments. When we heated our model dwelling with the heat lamp the outside of the house heated. This in turn heated the air inside making the air temperature rise. Also, when we put the insulation cans in warn water the water heated up the can. And lastly, in the insulated can experiments, both cooling and heating, when the cans temperature was changed it in turn changed the air temperature