Gender roles in language acquisition Essay

We reprimand our daughters for being â€Å"bossy† and praise our son’s for showing such assertiveness. These were the sentiments expressed during Sheryl Sandburg book promotion tour in early 2013. Mrs Sandberg is largely accepted as one of the most successful female businessperson in modern society. During her many lectures and academic interviews she essentially cited her success as the result of ‘going against the gender norm’ for women. Although specifically referring to the business world, does Sheryl have a point? Are we reinforcing gender roles in the words we promote and discourage our children to use? It is largely accepted across both linguistic and psychology fields that girls develop their language skill in: understands, quantity, quality and range of vocabulary acquired at an earlier age and faster rate than their male counterparts. A very recent study by Rikard Bauman in 2010 (Stockholm University Press) explored vocabulary growth and language production in pre-school children. It is suggested that at 22 months girls have a more extensive vocabulary than boys due to capacity differences; however, at 34 months such a pattern cannot be found. Furthermore it is suggested that gender affects language production in the sense that male and female speakers will prefer to produce words that are associated with their culture’s definition of masculinity and femininity. The study on vocabulary growth is based on the assumption that TTR (type/token ratio) reflects vocabulary size and it proves that, at 22 months, girls have a more extensive vocabulary than boys; however, at 34 months such a pattern is less obvious, if any conclusion can be drawn it is that boys have a slightly larger vocabulary than girls. The study on language production is focused on verb production and it shows that boys and girls prefer verbs that are associated with common stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. It seems that these gender distinctions are not unique to the English language or the Western world as †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Found when examining the Japanese language. according to Eleanor Harz Jorden, when learning language in Japan children learn that there are some words and some grammatical constructions that are associated explicitly with men or boys, while others are associated with women or girls. Such differences are sometimes called â€Å"gendered language.† In Japanese, speech patterns associated with women are referred to as onna kotoba (â€Å"women’s words†) or joseigo , â€Å"women’s language†). In general, the words and speech patterns associated with men are seen as rough, vulgar, or abrupt, while those associated with women are considered more polite, more deferential, or â€Å"softer†. Some linguists consider the rough/soft continuum more accurate than the male/female continuum. For example, Eleanor Harz Jorden in Japanese: The Spoken Language refers to the styles as blunt/gentle, rather than male/female. There are no gender differences in written Japanese (except in quoted speech), and almost no differences in polite speech (teineigo), since males take on â€Å"softer† speech, except for the fact that women may be more likely to use polite speech in the first place. The word onnarashii , which is usually translated as â€Å"ladylike† or â€Å"feminine,† refers to the behaviour expected of a typical Japanese woman. As well as behaving in particular ways, being onnarashii means conforming to particular styles of speech. Some of the features of women’s speech include speaking in a higher register, using more polite forms and using polite speech or honorifics in more situations, and referring to themselves and those they address more formally. Some linguistic features commonly associated with women include omission of the copula da, the use of personal pronouns such as watashi or atashi among others, use of feminine sentence-final particles such as wa, na no, kashira, and mashoo, and the more frequent use of the honorific prefixes o and go. According to Katsue Akiba Reynolds, ladylike speech is instrumental in keeping Japanese women in traditional roles and reflects Japanese society’s concept of the difference between women and men.[4] For example, there is the potential for conflict for women in the workplace in that, to be onnarashii, a woman must speak politely, submissively and humbly, yet to command respect as a superior, she must be assertive, self-assured, and direct, even when dealing with male subordinates. Actual language used by Japanese-speaking women differs from these ideals. Such onnarashii speech is a norm that institutions such as education and media encourage women to adopt. Similarly, these forms may be prescribed for women learners by Japanese textbooks and other materials. There are, however various deviations from these norms in conversation. Although Japanese women may not follow the gender norm in speech, some linguistic studies indicate that Japanese women tend to use more honorific language than men do, which reinforces the idea of onnarashii and traditional gender roles.[5] Traditional characteristics of Japanese men’s speech [edit] Just as there are modes of speaking and behaviour that are considered intrinsically feminine, there are also those that are considered intrinsically masculine. In speech, being otokorashii (â€Å"manly† or â€Å"masculine†) means speaking in a lower register, using fewer polite forms and using them in fewer situations, and using intrinsically masculine words. Research on Japanese men’s speech shows greater use of â€Å"neutral† forms, forms not strongly associated with masculine or feminine speech, than is seen in Japanese women’s speech. Scholars argue that men use typically masculine forms to â€Å"assert their own authority and knowledge of themselves†. Some studies of conversation between Japanese men and women show neither gender taking a more dominant position in interaction. Men, however, tend to show a â€Å"self-oriented conversation style†, telling stories and expressing their expertise on topics being discussed, than is typical of women in these studies. Gender differences in modern society :- As women gain an increasing leadership role in Japanese society, notions of onnarashisa and otokorashisa, that is, what is deemed appropriate behaviour for men and women, have evolved over time. Although comparatively more extreme movements call for the elimination of gender differences in the Japanese language (gender-neutral language), convergence in usage is considered unlikely and may not even be desirable. Instead, trends in actual usage indicate that women are feeling more comfortable using traditional characteristics of female speech (such as wa) while still maintaining an assertive attitude on par with men. In other words, there is a gradual decoupling of language forms and traditional cultural expectations. Although the characteristics of Japanese male speech have been largely unaffected, there has been an increasing sensitivity regarding certain usages (such as changing the terms used to refer to mature women -chan) that may be considered offensive. Regional dialect may often play a role in the expression and perception masculinity or femininity of speech in Japanese. Another recent phenomenon influencing established femininity in speech is the popularity of Okama, very feminine men as popular Geinoujin (television personalities). While homosexuality and transgenderism is still a fairly taboo subject in Japan, lesbians with male traits, or cross-dressers, are referred to as onabe or tachi. Problems for Japanese learners [edit] Without the proper instruction by fluent Japanese speakers and/or teachers, non-native persons risk learning and expressing themselves inappropriately to native Japanese. Compounding the difficulty of language acquisition, formal instruction may emphasise learning the polite forms of expression (that favour female students) while glossing over informal expression (that favour male students) and honorifics (distinguishes natives from foreigners). It is important for non-natives to be instructed by members of the same sex or be aware that mere mimicry may not have the expected results. In addition to the use of pronouns to refer to oneself and others, the use of titles also is strongly influenced by gender-based overtones and is another source of potential problems for the non-native speaker. The situation is further complicated by regional variation. For example, in many regions of Japan it is common for older men to refer to themselves as boku or older women to refer to themselves as ore. How does this relate to language spoken in the Western world? Opinion is, as is often the case, divided. AGAINST 1) other major influences Mahsa Saligheh ‘Revisiting Age and GenderInfluence in Second Language Acquisition’ 2012 states, † There is no doubt that language acquisition process is a complex process which involves several factors, and that this process is highly influenced due to plasticity of the brain. Furthermore, the types of memory systems involved in females and males are also have a pivotal role that makes the genders distinct. The researchers claim, age and gender, are among the factors that run in parallel with other factors that deeply influence language acquisition process such as motivation, personality, styles, strategies, gender and age. The present study attempts to investigate the last two factors: age and gender. Given the importance placed on the role on age and gender, the researchers hold they are not the necessary conditions for second language acquisition. However, the writers claim that genetically there are some benefits that can be reaped for those who begin L2 acquisition early. Furthermore, both males and females are equipped with some predetermined tendencies that would be helpful for them to acquire some aspects of language much faster and easier. 2) biological basis Mar. 5, 2008 — Although researchers have long agreed that girls have superior language abilities than boys, until now no one has clearly provided a biological basis that may account for their differences. For the first time — and in unambiguous findings — researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Haifa show both that, areas of the brain associated with language work harder in girls than in boys during language tasks, and that boys and girls rely on different parts of the brain when performing these tasks. â€Å"Our findings which suggest that language processing is more sensory in boys and more abstract in girls could have major implications for teaching children and even provide support for advocates of single sex classrooms,† said Douglas D. Burman, research associate in Northwestern’s Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences The researchers measured brain activity (using functional magnetic resonance imaging) in 31 boys and in 31 girls aged 9 to 15 as they performed spelling and writing language tasks. The tasks were delivered in two sensory modalities – visual and auditory. When visually presented, the children read certain words without hearing them. Presented in an auditory mode, they heard words aloud but did not see them. Using a complex statistical model, Burman and Pepper accounted for differences associated with age, gender, type of linguistic judgment, performance accuracy and the method (written or spoken) in which words were presented. The researchers found that girls still showed significantly greater activation in language areas of the brain than boys. The information in the tasks got through to girls’ language areas of the brain (areas associated with abstract thinking through language). And their performance accuracy correlated with the degree of activation in some of these language areas. To their astonishment, however, this was not the case for boys. Boys’ accurate performance when reading words depended on how hard visual areas of the brain worked. In hearing words, boys’ performance depended on how hard auditory areas of the brain worked. If that pattern extends to language processing that occurs in the classroom, it could inform teaching and testing methods. Given boys’ sensory approach, boys might be more effectively evaluated on knowledge gained from lectures via oral tests and on knowledge gained by reading via written tests. For girls, whose language processing appears more abstract in approach, these different testing methods would appear unnecessary. â€Å"One possibility is that boys have some kind of bottleneck in their sensory processes that can hold up visual or auditory information and keep it from being fed into the language areas of the brain,† Burman said. This could result simply from girls developing faster than boys, in which case the differences between the sexes might disappear by adulthood. Or, an alternative explanation is that boys create visual and auditory associations such that meanings associated with a word are brought to mind simply from seeing or hearing the word. While the second explanation puts males at a disadvantage in more abstract language function, those kinds of sensory associations may have provided an evolutionary advantage for primitive men whose survival required them to quickly recognise danger-associated sights and sounds. If the pattern of females relying on an abstract language network and of males relying on sensory areas of the brain extends into adulthood (a still unresolved question) it could explain why women often provide more context and abstract representation than men. Ask a woman for directions and you may hear something like: â€Å"Turn left on Main Street, go one block past the drug store, and then turn right, where there’s a flower shop on one corner and a cafe across the street.† Such information-laden directions may be helpful for women because all information is relevant to the abstract concept of where to turn; however, men may require only one cue and be distracted by additional information. Conclusion Alongside most if not all empirical and theoretical evidence involving human beings it is impossible to make concrete and definite conclusions. Having extrapolated the information the most obvious conclusion can only deduce Is this only evident in childhood, does the distinction disappear by adulthood or was Sandberg right in stating that the division in language between the sexes continues through life. References Burman is primary author of â€Å"Sex Differences in Neural Processing of Language Among Children.† Co-authored by James R. Booth (Northwestern University) and Tali Bitan (University of Haifa). Jorden, Eleanor Harz; Noda, Mari (1987). Japanese: The Spoken Language. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-03834-7. Siegal, Meryl; Okamoto, Shigeko (2003). â€Å"Toward reconceptualizing the teaching and learning of gendered speech styles in Japanese as a Foreign Language†. Japanese Language and Literature 37 (1): 49–66. Retrieved 2013-4-26. Kazuko, Ashizawa (1998). Mangajin’s Basic Japanese Through Comics. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0452-2. Reynolds, Katsue Akiba (1990). â€Å"Female Speakers of Japanese in Transition†. Aspects of Japanese Women’s Language (Tokyo: Kurosio). Tanaka, Lidia (2004). Gender, Language and Culture: A Study of Japanese Television Interview Discourse. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 978-90-272-3079-9. Sreetharan, Cindi Sturtz (2004). â€Å"Students, sarariiman (pl.), and seniors: Japanese men’s use of †²manly†² speech register†. Language in Society 33 (01). doi:10.1017/S0047404504031045. ISSN 0047-4045. ^ Itakura, Hiroko; Tsui, Amy B. M. (2004). â€Å"Gender and conversational dominance in Japanese conversation†. Language in Society 33 (02). doi:10.1017/S0047404504332033. ISSN 0047-4045.

Mark Rydell’s “On Golden Pond” Essay

Mark Rydell’s â€Å"On Golden Pond† is a drama that emphasizes the stages people of various ages endures. Utilizing Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages as learned in class, each of the main characters can be placed within a stage and their age-related crises analyzed. The film being so close to a family’s life, it becomes relatable to the audience, prompting personal reactions as well as implementing life examples of some of the theories studied in class. As there are plenty of characters that all develop changes throughout the movie, the most influential would be the main character, Norman Thayer. Throughout the movie Norman shows many prime examples or physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. All of these are tied into Norman’s challenge of accepting the fact of his own age and maybe the idea of death. On Golden Pond is based off of accepting the fact of age, family, and dying. With this being the main focus the story goes deep and wraps around Norman’s physical state. Norman is approaching his Eightieth birthday, and one can only imagine a person’s physical appearance at this age. He is wrinkled all along his body, kind of like a shriveled up prune. Glasses rest upon his face, and he has very little hair, which he hides with a fisherman hat. Norman has many health problems such as arthritis and palpitations, but his most pressing health issue is his slow mental decline. He knows he is not at the top of his game anymore so grumpiness and a sharp tongue is his cover. According to Erikson’s stages Norman would be considered in the Late Adulthood category. The physical state of people in this category is everything that Norman is facing. Vision becomes worse, hence why Norman wears glasses. The skin starts to become wrinkled and tough, hair loss occurs a lot faster. When this point in your life is reached the person is supposed to take the time and find meaning and satisfaction in their life  rather than to become bitter and not resolve the conflict of integrity versus despair. When a person is unsuccessful at doing so they tend to feel as if their life has been wasted and will go on with many regrets. They then will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair. Norman faces this problem because he cannot find it in him to love his life, or to accept what is happening to him as he ages. Along with physical changes throughout a person’s life comes cognitive development. These are the strongest developments and changes a person goes through in their life because they affect the person the most, without us realizing what’s actually happening. Throughout the movie Norman experiences cognitive development and it really shows through. When a person enters their Late Adulthood cognitive development includes many things. McGraw-Hill (2006) states the following: Some aspects of memory, such as sensory memory, semantic and procedural memory, and priming appear nearly as efficient in older adults as in younger people. Other aspects, mainly the capacity of working memory and the ability to recall specific events or recently learned information, are often less efficient. This information goes along perfectly with the character Norman. One of Norman’s toughest challenges is his loss of memory, and he is in denial about it. A scene in the movie where this is present is when Normal proceeds to tell his wife Ethel that he has gotten lost in the woods. While Norman is on his walk he becomes disoriented and scared, wandering off the trail and into the woods. After a short run that causes him to pant heavily, he finds his way back to the cottage without giving Ethel any suspicions of the incident. He then soon begins to confess to Ethel that he got lost on his walk and needed to rush back to her. She embraces him and reassures him they will go on that same walk together to regain his memory. He wonders why she loves him so much. Norman throughout the movie also has other incidents of decline in his memory. Throughout all the years he was known for taking his boat out on the pond and going fishing, this year when he tries its almost like he forgets how to steer it. It gets so bad that Billy takes over the boat, and Norman actually leads him into a patch full of rocks, which  damages the boat and throws Norman overboard. â€Å"Women’s childhood relationships with their fathers are important to them all their lives. Regardless of age or status, women who seem clearest about their goals and most satisfied with their lives and personal and family relationships usually remember that their fathers enjoyed them and were actively interested in their development.† (Chess, Stella). Among from all the other twists and turns a person goes through in their lifetime, emotional development is by far the best and the worst. In this movie an emotional relationship is what it’s solely based off of. Norman has lived his whole entire life without having a relationship with his daughter Chelsea. In fact she hasn’t seen him in years and for the first time she is coming to spend time for his big birthday. When Chelsea arrives the tension and resentment is so present with both the characters. Norman’s problem is that he doesn’t realize his words and actions strongly affect Chelsea in more than one-way. One scene that really shows how Norman feels about life and that can really affect Chelsea is when they assemble for his birthday cake. He states that he has little to say for living for four score years. Instead of expressing his love to his daughter he makes her feel as if she has had no impact on him what so ever. That very next day Chelsea tells her mother Ethel that even though she is all the way in Los Angeles he makes her feel inadequate from a distance. Now every person knows that in order to build a relationship it takes two. Another relationship Norman builds throughout the movie is through Chelsea’s stepson Billy. Billy gives Norman a run for his money and shows him that not everyone will take his negativity. Norman and the boy slowly begin to bond and share laughs with each other. Their biggest bonding experience is when they go fishing out on the lake to catch the big fish they call â€Å"Walter†. These experiences that Norman shares with Billy make him rea lize all he has missed out on with his own daughter Chelsea. Rougemont-Bucking (2013) research states the following: In particular, it focuses on the fact that the limited capacity of the working memory to process now-relevant information can be turned into an advantage, when the individual is occupied by dealing with unpleasant emotion. Based on a  phenomenon known as dual-task interference (DTI), this emotion can be chased by intense arousal due to clearly identifiable external stressors. This research on emotional development fits perfectly with Late Adulthood and maybe as to why Norman is so distant with his daughter. Since his memory is going slowly declining, his mind doesn’t find it hard to deal with unpleasant emotion. Norman is kind of like a rock he is just there and doesn’t feel much. To go back to the quote from before â€Å"Women’s relationship’s with their fathers are important to them all their life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This quote ties my paper together perfectly. As much as it is a quote more to Chelsea than Norman it strongly shows how a daughter can be so affected without a father’s love and support. This movie is not only based off of Norman’s aging and one of his last summer’s but it is about the growth of a daughter and father’s nonexistent relationship. Throughout the movie Norman shows many prime examples or physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. We as an audience go into the mind of Norman Thayer and learn that even as a grumpy old soul, somewhere deep down in there is a huge heart with lots of love to give. WORKS CITED Gilbert B. (Producer), & Rydell M. (Director). (1981) _On Golden Pond_ (Motion Picture). United States: Universal Pictures Papalia, D. E. Olds. S. W. Feldman. R. D (2006). Physical and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood. _Higered.mcgraw-hill_. Retrieved November 28, 2013, http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com. Rougemont-Bucking, A: Grivel J. (2013). Risk Perception and Emotional Coping: A Pathway for Behavioral Addiction?. European Addiction Research (20.2), 49. (November 28, 2013) from Proquest on the World Wide Web: http://proquest.umi.com/pdqweb

Multicultural Literature: “Poisoned Story” Essay

Latino culture, specifically Puerto-Rican culture has changed through the course of history. Puerto Rico has witnessed a fusion of races and cultures spanning over many years, starting in 1898, after the Spanish-American war. Ultimately, Puerto Rico was annexed to the United States, the Puerto Rican people made United States citizens with limited restrictions and granted commonwealth status. The changes made during those eras did not come without consequences to the Puerto Rican culture. In â€Å"Poisoned Story†, author Rosario Ferre depicts the political and economic changing norms and tensions between the social classes of the Puerto Rican’s culture. In Ferre’s story â€Å"Poisoned Story† several major themes are prevalent through the story: opposition between the aristocratic and working class, literacy, interpretation of historicity and magic realism. The overriding structure of the story is based upon a narrative conflict between the characters which dramatizes the issue of the actual â€Å"writer† within the story. The reason this is important is because the concepts of the Puerto Rican history is based upon experience of the individual Puerto Rican. The class structure between rich and poor at one time was clear. During this story, the class structure and culture of two generations against the backdrop of the United States relationship is developed. The characters within the story represent several classes of people in the Puerto Rican society. Also, Ferre uses a narrative style in the story that introduces different â€Å"writers† within the story or shall we say different perceptions of occurrences of history based upon personal experience within the Puerto Rican fusion of culture. Read more: A depiction of a fantasy city. The Puerto Rican economy was disturbed with the United States intervention which led to classes of people being displaced within society, as was the case with the character of Don Lorenzo. Don Lorenzo was Rosaura’s father. After the death of his first wife, Don Lorenzo married his second wife named Rosa. An important issue of this story is the masculine character of Don Lorenzo represents and the fact that he married out of his class when he married Rosa, leaving behind his traditions and some of his culture. The character of Don Lorenzo transitions through the story. In the beginning, Don Lorenzo is viewed in high regard, with pride for his land and culture.  As the story progresses Don Lorenzo looses his land, his home, and his heart as he and his aristocratic culture deteriorates before his very eyes with the help of his new wife Rosa and changing social structure. Rosa is an antagonistic source and character in the story. Rosa is the representation of the lower class of society, or the â€Å"working class†. Good with her hands, the character of Rosa is represented as being cunning and resourceful by one of the writers, and bitter and cruel by another. Depending on who is writing the story, there is a like and dislike of this character on several levels in regards to the interactions with both characters Don Lorenzo and Rosaura. Rosa is described as being from the working class, much different from Lorenzo’s first wife. The physical description describes Rosa as having â€Å"broad hips with generous breasts† who â€Å"reestablished† Don Lorenzo’s domestic comfort after the death of his first wife (p.9). Rosa is also described as coming from a different class background when being described by her customers: â€Å"Whoever would have thought it; from charwoman to gentlewoman, first wallowing in mud, then wallowing in wealth. But finery does not a lady make.†(p.8). This class jumping is important to recognize in the fact that Rosa was once Don Lorenzo’s wife’s caregiver, and now she has replaced the aristocratic mother and wife, defying the social system of poor vs. rich. Rosa’s character transitions from poor to rich, similar to a creative Puerto Rican rendition of a Cinderella story: rags to riches. Rosa is also instrumental in leading, or forcing the characters of Don Lorenzo and Rosaura to evolve or assimilate into the then current Puerto Rican culture. The character of an aristocratic daughter named Rosaura is introduced in the first paragraph. Rosaura was the daughter of a once wealthy sugar cane plantation owner named Don Lorenzo. It can be assumed that Rosaura was fairly young at the onset of this story, but old enough to read and attend  school. Her mother had recently died (reason is not specified) and her father quickly remarried to Rosa. This young girl loved to read books in a â€Å"dense overgrowth of crimson bougainvillea vines† (p.1). It should be noted that the color of crimson and red are repetitively used to describe associations with Rosaura. The red association is first in the flower on vine, then in the bloodlike guava compote which gets spilled on Rosa’s dress. The story represents Rosaura as an educated daughter, a part of the â€Å"aristocracy† who was described to possess the ability to read in a country where the illiteracy rate was very high. It can be assumed through Puerto Rican history and through the narrative description in the story, that unless you were of the wealthy class, education was not an option: â€Å"†¦she was forced to leave school because of his poor business deals† (p.9). The literacy rate was very poor in Puerto Rico which was a farming country. The characters that were literate in the Poisoned Story also represent the idea of who usually writes history, which is the literate, or the rich. The structure of the story is centered on the narrative theme of the concept â€Å"poisoned story†. The introduction starts with an excerpt from a book or story by A Thousand and One Nights, author unknown: And the King said to Ruyan the Wise Man: -Wise Man, there is nothing written. -Leaf through a few more pages. The King turned a few more pages, and Before long the poison began to course rapidly through his body. Then The King trembled and cried out: -This story is poisoned. This poem sets up the overwhelming major theme of the writer being in control of the story, and those words or interpretation being poison. The rising action of the story is centered around the different perspectives of the interpretations of the â€Å"history† of the story that is being commented on through the writers. Within the story there is the perception of several writers. Several parts to the story are written in a fairytale manner, with eloquently chosen words and beautiful descriptions of days past when the aristocracy led the social class structure and everyone seemed magically fantastical. Exquisite dolls, fancy dinners and luxuries were of the excess for the aristocracy while the working class struggled to put food on the table. The opposite perception of that same time is written in a language that seems to be sympathetic to Rosa and her hardships as being from the working class, trying â€Å"honestly† to work her way up the entrepreneur ladder in the fashion industry. The third voice in this story is that of Rosa herself who discriminates what is being written, the historicity and the interpretation of the situations being described within the story. Rosa’s voice is harsh and cutting, with a choice of very expressive language that invokes a cynical commentary on the para graphs written previously. All three voices within the story represent different views of the same situations or conflicts within and through the relationships of the characters. The conflict within the story is the relationship between the two classes of society making the adaptation to the changing societal norms. The concepts of the societal system have been shaken with the changing Puerto Rican political commonwealth. Don Lorenzo has been taken from his days of glory, with â€Å"patriotic zeal† and diminished to a â€Å"small town-writer† through the course of the story. What is interpreted by one is a fairy tale, is interpreted by another as a lie. The climax in the story is when Don Lorenzo agrees to allow Rosa to burn Rosaura’s books, after the sale of the plantation and house. Don Lorenzo had sold the house and plantation to benefit the dress shop opened by Rosa in  the house. As the shop put them into more and more debt, Lorenzo was forced to sell the plantation and then his land. When he sold the house, he was under the pretense that the mayor was going to â€Å"restore the house as a historic landmark, where the mementos of the sugarcane-growing aristocracy would be preserved for generations†(p. 15). Lorenzo had sold his home, then his heart when he conceded in allowing Rosa to burn his daughter’s books, the last tie he had with his culture that he seemed to value in the story. The last part of the story and resolution depicts the funeral of Don Lorenzo and Rosa finally reads the poisoned story at the end of Rosauras book. The book was the last gift given to Rosaura by her father. The resolution is in the reading the poisoned story by Rosa. Through out the story, Rosa never reads anything, as it was not in Rosa’s culture, most of the working class was illiterate. The shifting political powers and class jumping has brought Rosa to a new level in the culture of the aristocracy, education and the power of the written word, or better known as the poisoned story. The story has come full circle with Rosa’s character progression and metamorphosis to the upper class. Don Lorenzo lived by the romantic ideas and notions of an aristocratic society: A man could sell everything he had-his horse, his cart, his shirt, even the skin off his back- but one’s land, like one’s heart, must never be sold. (p.8). Symbolically, Don Lorenzo had sold out the culture he had for so long cherished and been proud of. He had lived through the first changes in hi s heritage when he began to work the plantation, and his house became decayed: It was there that the criollo’s first resistance to the invasion had taken place, almost a hundred years before. Don Lorenzo commemorated the day well, and he would enthusiastically re-enact the battle scene as he strode vigorously through the halls and parlors†¦ thinking of those heroic ancestors who had gloriously died for their homeland†¦however he had never  considered selling the house or the plantation (p. 13). After Lorenzo moved to the city, he began to write a book on the â€Å"patriot’s of our island’s independence† (13). The interpretation of the â€Å"history† of the invasion in 1898 is recollected by both Lorenzo and Rosa. Lorenzo describes the Civil War between the plantation system and slavery, but Rosa describes the same situation in terms of disregard. Rosa interprets the truth of the history in a different light, describing the rich of the island as a â€Å"plague of vultures† (14). The relationship between Rosaura, her father and Rosa weave magical realism through the interaction. Fictional and historical happenings are mixed with the fantastical in Poisoned Story. Examples of the magical realism start with the introductory poem where the set up to Rosa’s possible demise is introduced. The beginning of the story begins with a story about a poisoned story, or story book that poisons the reader. As the story progresses Rosaura reverts to an almost fantasy every time she indulges in her stories. The vivid description of the â€Å"fantasy world† that Rosa claims Rosaura lives in produces elements of fantasy mingled with realism: The house, like Rosaura’s books, was a fantasy world, filled with exquisite old dolls in threadbare clothes, musty wardrobes full of satin robes, velvet capes, and crystal candelabra which Rosaura used to swear she’d seen floating through the halls at night, held aloft by flickering ghosts (9). The author also uses repetition to create a tension around this story book, fantasy focus. Rosa is continually referring to Rosaura as a girl who does not â€Å"earn her keep† and who â€Å"lives in a storybook world, while she had to sew her fingers to the bone in order to feed them all† (12 & 16). The only time Rosaura is not referenced to her storybooks is when she cooks her father a meal and after they move to city. It is ironic that Rosaura stops reading her stories after the move to city which would symbolize Rosaura and Don Lorenzos paradise lost. The impression you get from the speaker is that Rosaura has stopped reading  her birthday present storybook because she is busy with her friends. However, as the story progresses, Rosaura has a dream about a tale of a poisoned story which has the mysterious power that would immediately destroy its first reader which is described to have frightened Rosaura. Yet, when the poisoned story is discovered, it is discovered by Rosa and written in a â€Å"thick guava-colored ink†, the same guava based ink Rosaura had spilled on Rosa’s dress. It should be noted that a wealthy man would have built up his library in that last century of Puerto Rican history. A culture that values education would have a strong tie to the impact of books. Coincidentally, Lorenzo agrees to give up his daughter’s books and last ties with his aristocratic culture at with Rosa’s insistence. The spilling of the compote symbolizes two things: the aristocratic culture that Lorenzo cherished so much and the death of that culture. In comparison, Rosa is never used in any whimsical or fantastical terms unless referring to her outward appearance and dresses or when she is referred to selling the â€Å"family heirlooms† (10&11). Rosa in presented much like the evil stepmother in fairy tale literature which adds to the dramatic effect and magical theme. The marriage between Lorenzo and Rosa is not based upon love on her part as she describes marrying him â€Å"out of pity† (9). The evil stepmother is also referred to as miserly, unless it has to do with her own dressings and wardrobe. The appearance of richness is far more important to Rosa than self worth. She also uses the appearance of education to further her desires in the story as she calls her store â€Å"The fall of the Bastille† and pretends to read at the funeral (10 &17). The success of Rosa’s store fulfilled her wishes of becoming an entrepreneur. She describes herself as being rich, yet she was very much in debt. Her idea of being rich could very well be interpreted as being â€Å"a free woman† as described on page 11. The mythical tone of the story is even carried over to the â€Å"salvation through style† philosophy, where the writer compares her work to a possible religious experience (11). The lavish materials and designs Rosa is described to put together are compared to the style and design of her pompous clients who dress like â€Å"witches† (12). Lastly, Rosa incorporates the fairy tale or magical qualitative of ultimatums which further the action of the story. Lorenzo on several occasions is co-coerced into doing whatever Rosa wants. The lust and bountiful bosom is a safe haven for Lorenzo, but in return Lorenzo must pay with his life. Lorenzo pays with his honor, plantation, home, and then heart. The end result is the poisoned story, a story whose interpretation is subjective, not necessarily objective. A story based upon history, written by an unobjective writer may write a â€Å"poisoned story†, with the possibility that truth in writing is subjective.

Winter Olypmic Games - Snowboard Halfpipe Research Paper

Winter Olypmic Games - Snowboard Halfpipe - Research Paper Example in this text is directed towards revealing the concepts of science as applying in the sports, and goes into depth of describing each aspect’s role in them. It also brings in a close relative of snowboarding halfpipe, that is skiing, which is seen applying the very similar concept as snowboarding halfpipe, differing in only that owing to its use of double boards, its effectiveness in terms of speed and achieving height is better. The study in addition to the above highlights some of the most successful athletes in the sports, including Kelly Gallagher and Shaun white, with their experiences in the sport. Finally, there is the highlight of the potential dangers of the sport which include minimal control when one achieves high speed and height, and can result in major fractures or fatalities. â€Å"Snowboarding is a winter sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow while standing on a board attached to a riders feet, using a special boot set into a mounted binding†(Snowboarding†, 2014). Snowboarding was developed in the United States, which was inspired by surfing and skateboarding in the 1960’s by Sherman Poppen, the snowboards inventor. He designed a snowboard called a snurfer in 1965. To make it Poppen, bolted two skis together and attached a rope to help the rider keep balance and to steer. In 1979, a man named Jake Burton Carpenter began to make snowboards out of fiberglass. Moreover, he decided to add some bindings to help control the snowboard easier. In the 1980s, people started adding steel edges to the sides of the snowboard, resulting steadier snowboard appeared. Snowboarding is the leading trend in today’s world of winter sports. It not only requires athletes’ extraordinary skills, but accurate and precise judgments are essential as well. The snowboarding athletes make a separate twist, or flip, grabbing the snowboard and other extreme movements in the air, through controlling the direction and velocity. The height

English literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

English literature - Essay Example both Oedipus from Oedipus the King by Sophocles and the character’s daughter Antigone from Antigone by Jean Anouilh are each protagonists driven by the passion of pride and how this largely contributes to their own downfall. The opening actions of both tragedies illustrate this pride. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is approached by plague-stricken masses asking help from him. When he sees his people gathered around him like a god, his response to them is â€Å"What means this reek of incense everywhere, / From others, and am hither come, myself, / I Oedipus, your world-renowned king†1. Although the people of Oedipus’ day did turn to their kings to cure all societal ills, Oedipus here is taking on the persona of a god. His pride in his role is evident in the words he speaks. His last line, referring to himself as the â€Å"world-renowned king† helps to underscore that streak of pride. It is also obvious, with a touch of foreshadowing, that he is not secure in his position by his tendency to repeat his greatness. Personal experience has shown when people insist on being known by their title, they are not overly secure about its authority. Antigone, on the other hand, enters the scene in a rage after learning that the new king, Creon, has forbidden to allow one of her brothers to be buried. She decides to go against the king’s orders, arguing that burying the dead is the right thing to do. Her pride in family makes it impossible for her to drop the issue. It is clear she’s outraged that the king would tell her what to do when she is talking to her sister at the very beginning of the play: â€Å"That’s what people say the noble Creon / has announced to you and me – I mean to me†2 . The repetition of â€Å"I mean to me† indicates she cannot believe someone else would tell her what to do, showing excessive pride in her own judgment. As her sister reminds her, women do not have any power in their culture, but Antigone does not listen. In the end, it

Quantitative Research Tools Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quantitative Research Tools - Assignment Example These quantitative analyses develop trends for future and guide strategy development and employment. The application of quantitative techniques in providing solutions to identified problems of a case study also validates the theory used to make any suggestion; unlike, qualitative research provides responses based on researcher’s biases (Dul, and Hak, 2008). Â  Since techniques under discussion are objective in nature, application in case study provides results leaving no or least room for subjectivity as for the questions. Hence, providing responses with defined scope of variables involved conclusions and recommendations. Â  Quantitative research is based on the cause and effect relationship. Testing of propositions in the context of the case study is also developed with logic and theories in deductive form. Therefore, instances of the case study are the only factors to impose the effect on the results. This also separates a researcher from posing any influence on the outcome, defining and explaining the variables of the case study under analysis that are usually prone to an extensive deviation on being explored with theory only or even using the qualitative research techniques (Gerring, 2005). Â  The exploration of a case study using mentioned techniques also provides evidence of the level of impact of uncontrollable variables indefinite terms. For instance, application of regression analysis to forecast the trend of sales in two branches of a company in distant areas but with almost identical operations and the most accounted variables would still not yield identical results. This difference in trend provides evidence related to the level of impact arising from differences in scenarios.

Malcolm X Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Malcolm X - Assignment Example The essay deals indepthly the acting, the film directing, and the historical accuracy of the film. The film Malcolm X is a film produced in the year 1992. It is essentially a biographical film that dwells around the African American activist Malcolm X. The film is co written and directed by Spike Lee, the actors and actresses who feature in the film are Denzel Washington who plays the role of Malcolm X, Angela Basset who plays the role of Dr. Betty Shabazz, Albert Hall who plays the role of a tough and strict muslim leader, Al Freeman Jr. who plays the role of Elijah Muhammad and Delroy Lindo who plays the role of West Indian Archie among others who play supporting roles. The Warner bros was the company involved with the production of the film. The essay deals indepthly the acting, the film directing, and the historical accuracy of the film. Denzel Washington who plays the main role of Malcolm X which is quite a huge role to play, but he brings out the effects quite effortlessly and still remains convincing enough to bring out the real character of Malcolm X. In all the scenes in the movie he seems natural and easy where he manages to fit perfectly in the nightlife of Harlem and later still effortlessly fits into the crowd of pilgrims in Mecca. Washington is an attractive and congenial actor and thus he is quite good in showing the unbending dogmatic side of Malcolm and his anger side. Al Freeman Jr. plays the role of Elijah Muhammad in an amazing way, in that, he behaved, looked and sounded like the real Muhammad fulfilling the screenplays delicate balance between the characters essence and the flaws of the character. Albert Hall is also an amazing and effective actor, taking the role of the tough and strict Muslim leader who takes time and lectures Malcolm on the aspect of self image and guides him into self awareness, but later on gets jealousy of Malcolm’s influence in the movement. This he brings out quite impressively in the film. Delroy Lindo brin gs out a two part powerful performance, as West Indian Archie, moving Malcolm by his weaknesses and impressing him with his power. Thus, it can be summarized that the actors did quite a good job in playing the roles of the characters they were assigned. The director of the film spike Lee has done a combination of several forms of narration. With skill he has conjoined them together to enhance the ideology of equality. As the movie unfolds, a structure that lacks linearity is utilized, thus, Malcolm Xs double life as an upcoming civil rights activist and a demoralized African American is shown through flashbacks to his rough childhood, and moving forward to Malcolm’s adult life and the other instances in between. In addition, voice over’s, using Malcolm X’s own audio voice, implies that he is narrating a story about some other person but in the real sense he is the subject. Also, Lee utilize the documentary footage about Malcolm x into his film skillfully so as t o make the art imitate life and the opposite too. With one crucial twist lee drives the plot by combining historical records and political ideologies. These different methods used in directing by Lee are quite effective in the narration of the story, as every viewer of the film can sympathize with Malcolm x and the African Americans with him and still comprehend the historical importance of the acts that he

Assignments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Assignments - Assignment Example Therefore, involves fallacy of equivocation that encourages equality of parties. From the two argument presented by the pair, Zhou is self-centred as he tries to evade paying taxes by opposing government tax policy despite being wealthy enough to pay the taxes that can be distributed indirectly to help those who are poor to ensure equal distribution of wealth . However, despite existence of tax policy, there exist get-outs where wealth people go free without paying taxes hence measures such as follow up should be implemented to ensure everyone pays tax to facilitate the fallacy of equivocation. Third passage in the pair (Crittenden and Mirza) argument involves why American public school should shape up? Therefore, involves fallacy of slippery slope that is contradicted by the evidences provided by Mirza by providing an incidence of Continents such as Europe and Asia by displaying good student performance compared to students in America. Additionally, this can be evidenced by the history of industrialization where Europe became industrialized before

Types, Purpose and Historical Background of Bridges Research Paper

Types, Purpose and Historical Background of Bridges - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the building of the bridges could be traced back to the thirteenth century when the wooden logs and stones were used to cross the stream or river. In fact, the basic idea of the bridge has been bestowed by nature in form of simple logs fallen across a stream or river. The human mind gradually refined the idea and employed its creativity and architectural skills and capabilities to give this idea an enhanced and modified form. The human beings started building the bridges using the cut pieced of wooden logs and pranks. After which they started using the wooden stones to support the crossbeam arrangements. The use of trees and bamboo poles was also started by the Americans for crossing the small caverns and well that allowed them getting one place to another. The proper bridges were started building in the 13th century BC by the Greeks however, the ancient Romans gained proficiency in the building of the bridges by constructing various arc hes and aqueducts. During the Greek Bronze Age, an arch bridge was constructed between Tiryns to Epidauros in Peloponnese named Arkadiko Bridge. This old arch bridge still existed whereas several other intact arched stone bridges built during that era could be found in different locations in Southern Greece.  The Romans built numerous bridges that were constructed using the techniques to overcome the problems faced with the early bridges.  

Knowledge Development in Nursing Essay Example for Free

Knowledge Development in Nursing Essay A philosophy of nursing should be all encompassing, with its foundation based upon core values and beliefs, while building upon experience. Medicine is often comprised of controversial ethical dilemmas where we must be advocates. In a study that examined the relationship between nurses and physicians it was determined that â€Å"Differences in values, communication, trust, and responsibilities can precipitate conflict between nurses and physicians over ethical components of care. (Corley MC 1998) Developing ones theoretical knowledge and learning how to apply it successfully into their clinical practice is part of the evolving process. The evolution that occurs over the course of a career can be empowering. Hence, it is important to develop positive nurse-physician relationships to bolster confidence and grow from those interactions. The importance of positive nurse-physician relationships has been widely acknowledged (Baggs, 1989; Baggs Schmitt, 1988; Eubanks, 1991; Fagin, 1992; Mechanic Aiken, 1982; Prescott Bowen 1985). Therefore, it is our obligation as professionals to mentor our peers, not only for ourselves, but our patients and families, as well. In an interesting illustration of self disclosure (Kim, H.S., 1999) a practitioner was able to identify the needs of a patient, but clearly had difficulty communicating the needs of the patient to the physician, although some of the difficulties appeared to be cultural in nature. The way we communicate with one another as practitioners, in addition to, how we collaborate and communicate with physicians has a direct impact on patient outcomes. As practitioners we are restricted in performing our jobs if we can not effectively collaborate with the physician. It is herein that the problem lies. The inexperienced or less assertive practitioner will often find it difficult to approach a physician when faced with perhaps the â€Å"Do Not Resuscitate† order that has yet to be signed. With that being said, approaching a family that needs to be educated on the implications of G-tube placement on their family member with prolonged intubatation and no signs of improvement can be daunting without interdisciplinary support. The more experienced practitioner’s clinical judgment is more easily verbalized  because he/she is comfortable in interdisciplinary collaboration, therefore the physician is more likely to involve them in the decision making process. For example in an ICU setting where often times the physician does not involve the practitioner in the decision making process or inform them when a decision has been made it generally creates one of three things. A. the nurse will continue to aggressively pursue the physician until an order is received B. resort to â€Å"slow codes†, or C. resuscitate all patients until told otherwise by the physician (Michael I Rauchman, BA). All of these things lead to negative outcomes for both the families and patients, and we as practitioners. â€Å"Future directions of the discipline are revealed when these linkages between philosophy, disciplinary goals, theory, and practice are strengthened† (McCurry, et al). It is for these reasons, we as practitioners must continually grow and develop through our experiences, always expanding our knowledge in the ever-changing profession we have chosen. Corley MC (1998). Ethical dimensions of nurse-physician relations in critical-care (The Nursing Clinics of North America) 1998 Jun; Vol. 33 (2), pp. 325-37. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.maryville.edu/ehost/detail?vid=19sid=78745a3b-d950-4ea0-890c-4ee4ab4c4b46%40sessionmgr112hid=101bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=cmedmAN=9624207 ISSN#0029-6465 MICHAEL I. RAUCHMAN, BA Medical student McGill University Montreal, PQ RABKIN MT. GILLERMAN G, RICE NR: Orders not to resuscitate. N Engi J Med I 976; 295: 364-366 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.proxy.library.maryville.edu/pmc/articles/PMC1875656/pdf/canmedaj01406-0055.pdf Expertise in Nursing Practice Caring, Clinical Judgment, and Ethics

An Analysis Of Fractional Distillation

An Analysis Of Fractional Distillation Describe, with the help of a diagram, how the different hydrocarbon fractions in crude oil are separated by fractional distillation. Identify the main fractions by name and according to the approximate number of carbon atoms in the molecules. In the world today the primary source of fuel for most of our needs come from fossil fuels. These are in the form of coal, natural gas and crude oil. In the petrochemical industry the crude oil is refined through a process of fractional distillation. This breaks apart the larger hydrocarbons into their smaller fractions at varying temperatures in the distillation tower. The heavier fractions containing the most carbon atoms are drawn off at the highest temperatures and the lighter the hydrocarbons the lower the temperature needs to be to draw off the fraction. The process of fractional distillation provides the following groups of products: 1. Liquid petroleum gas 2. Naphtha 3. Gasoline 4. Kerosene 5. Diesel oil 6. Lubricating oils 7. Fuel oils 8. Residues 8. Residues Furnace Liquid petroleum gas id the lightest fraction and is drawn off as a gas from the top of the distillation tower. It contains between 1 and 5 carbon atoms. It is the lightest fraction and is not very dense, because of this it can be drawn off at a temperature of 20 °C. It is used as an alternative to petrol in cars following a conversion. FurnaceNaphtha is a fraction that contains between 5 and 9 carbon atoms, with this increase in carbon atoms the density and boiling points increase. This means that the fraction will come off at a higher temperature of 70 °C. This fraction can be further broken down in the process of thermal cracking to produce ethylene and benzene which are important in the plastics and pharmaceutical industry. Gasoline contains between 5 and 10 carbon atoms and is drawn of at a temperature of 120 °C. This is the lightest fraction of the liquid grade fuels that are commonly used. It is what we know as petrol and widely used in cars and small 2 stroke engines. Kerosene contains between 10 and 16 carbon atoms and is drawn off at a temperature of 170 °C. This is the principal fuel in the aviation industry where it is graded further depending on the final use. It is widely used for powering gas turbines and other internal combustion engines in propeller driven aircraft. The use of kerosene to fuel aircraft is because it must have a high specific enthalpy of combustion per gram as this will release a lot of energy when it burns this means it will also have a high enthalpy density. This is important as the fuel must be stored. A less dense fuel will use more space and provide less energy for the space it takes up on the aircraft. Diesel oils are drawn off at a temperature of 270 °C and contain between 14 and 20 carbon atoms. This is very similar to kerosene and has a similar consistency with the increase in viscosity and increase in boiling point it become necessary to keep the fuel warm in cold environments as the fuel becomes thick and refuses to flow through fuel systems, this problem if needed can be solved by lighting a fire under the fuel tank to bring the fuel up to temperature and enable it to flow. Also as this fuel is not dissimilar to kerosene some gas turbines like the Rolls Royce Pegasus 11-61 turbofan will operate with no appreciable loss of power or function. Lubricating oils come off at a temperature of between 300 and 375 °C and contain 20 to 50 carbon atoms. This high content of carbon atoms gives the lubricating oils their high viscosity and high melting point making them ideal for this use. Fuel oil is the heaviest of the fractions to come of other than the residue and is drawn off at a temperature of 600 °C and has between 20 and 70 carbon atoms, this is a very heavy thick fuel which often requires pre heating before use in the fuel system. The main uses for this fuel are for large diesel engines in ships trains and factories. It is also used as a reserve supply for power stations at peak demand when gas supplies are limited. This fraction is also used to quench the residue in the process of thermal cracking to produce heavy fuel oil. This is also known as bunker oil, the lowest grade of fuel oil for use in the shipping industry as a cheaper alternative to fuel oil. The residue from the distillation process is drawn off from the bottom of the distillation tower and contains a high number of carbon atoms >70 this carbon rich mixture is washed in fuel oil in the steam cracking process to make heavy fuel oil. This process leaves the residue coke. The raw residues are used in the manufacture of asphalts for road surfacing and bitumens for sealing roofing materials that also may be made from this residue sold as roofing felts. b. Why might fractional distillation be carried out under reduced pressure? Fractional distillation is carried out under reduced pressure because when the pressure of the substance is reduced the intermolecular forces between the molecules become weaker. These molecules are then able to escape as vapour more rapidly and means that the process of fractional distillation can take place at a lower temperature which both reduces the energy needed and ultimately cost. c. Some heavier fractions are processed using cracking. Explain what is meant by cracking and why it is carried out. The term cracking is used to refer to the breaking of larger hydrocarbons into smaller constituent parts to produce the smaller and more useful alkanes and an alkene and to further process the residues from fractional distillation. This can be done in several ways, and can be split into thermal cracking and catalytic cracking. Both of these processes are used in the petrochemical industry to process some of the heavier fractions of crude oil further into gasoline and other useful products the lighter fractions of naphtha and butane are also processed into compounds of ethylene and benzene for use in the pharmaceutical and plastics industry The demands of consumers for large amounts of gasoline for cars means that over 50% of the crude oil has to be turned into gasoline to meet demand and as this fraction only forms 30-40% of crude oil the demand has to be met by way of other processs . d. Distinguish between thermal cracking and catalytic cracking. Give examples of products formed by each method. Thermal cracking of hydrocarbons is done in 3 ways. steam, vis breaking and coking. In these processes the hydrocarbons are heated to a high temperature until they break into there component parts. Steam cracking is where the hydrocarbons are briefly heated with high temperature steam to 816  °C Ethane and Naphtha produce light alkenes such as ethylene and propylene the heavier naphthas are cracked into gasoline. Benzene comes off at the higher temperature of around 1000 °C and is an important molecule in the pharmaceuticals industry. Ethylene is used in the manufacture of plastics Vis breaking is carried out to process the residues from the distillation process. This is done by heating the residue to 482 °C and then quenching it with fuel oil. This then poured down a distillation tower and then flashed without oxygen. This flashing of the residue produces the product heavy fuel oil and tar. Coke is the final residue from the process of steam cracking and is deposited on the sides of the furnace which is then periodically cleaned off in the process of decoking the furnace. This coke is then sold on for use in industry as a fuel. Fluid catalytic cracking is the most important process of converting the fractions of crude oil into the more valuable gasoline, olefinic and other products. This process has largely replaced the thermal cracking process as it yields a higher return of gasoline with a higher octane rating. This process of fluid catalytic cracking runs as a continuous process in the refinery without interruption 24 hours a day for a number of years without before routine maintenance. The modern fluid catalytic cracking is a complex process in which the recycled fractions are injected into a riser with a high boiling point stock which is at a temperature between 315 °C and 430 °C and a pressure of 1.72barg. This vaporises the larger hydrocarbons and on contact with the catalyst it cracks them into smaller hydrocarbons. The catalyst that is used in the process is then cleaned of the hydrocarbon deposits and then recycled back through a regenerator. This is done by blowing air into the regenerator an d burning off the coke deposits. This regenerator operates at a temperature of 715 °C. The burning off of the coke from the catalyst is exothermic a heats it up. This recycled catalyst is then returned to the process and provides the heat to vaporise the stock and residue mixture and provide the energy for the endothermic cracking reaction. This process is dependant on both the physical and chemical properties of the catalyst. There are four main components to the modern catalyst in the FCC. These are crystalline zeolite, matrix, binder and filler. The zeolite is the main provider of catalytic activity. The matrix contains amorpous alumina which also provides some catalyst activity within the sites of large pores. This enables the cracking of larger hydrocarbons than the zeolite alone. The binders and fillers of the catalyst provide the physical strength and maintain its integrity. Contaminants in the stock from metals all have a detrimental effect on the catalyst which can be mit igated in some way by avoiding stock with contaminant, fresh catalyst, demetalisation though this is expensive, and by adding other metals to form compounds that are less troublesome to the catalyst. e. Write a possible equation for the cracking of dodecane, C12H26. Heat + CH3(CH2)10CH3 CH3(CH2)4CH3 +H2C=CH(CH2)3CH3 Dodecane _ hexane 1-hexane. The thermal cracking of the dodecane is exothermic and the heat that is used in the process is largely taken up by the catalyst in an endothermic reaction. This heat energy is then partly recovered in the re use of the catalyst up until the point it requires cleaning or replacing. 2 a.(i) Define what is meant by a catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that alters the rate of a chemical reaction without being changed chemically or consumed in the reaction. They can however change physically. Catalysis is the process of increasing or decreasing the rate of a reaction. These can be both positive and negative. The catalysts that speed up reaction are called positive catalysts and ones that slow down reactions are called inhibitors. There are also substances that increase the activity of the catalysts which are called promotors; the substances that deactivate the catalysts are called catalytic poisons. The use of catalysts is a means of making the process viable if it would not happen without it and also as a means of making the process cost efficient in terms of energy use and cost. The ability of the catalyst to be reused in most cases reduces the cost further. a.(ii) How do catalysts work? During chemical reactions the addition of a catalyst will increase the rate of the reaction at a lower energy level than the reaction without an addition of a catalyst. The combination of product and catalyst reactants raises it above the activation barrier and raises the potential energy of the reactant molecules as they come together. The energy of the activated complex reaches its maximum and form an activated complex, this activation energy then falls and the product forms and the molecules of the catalyst and product separate. This means the catalyst can be recovered from the product and used again following some reprocessing in some instances. The use of catalysts can be for both cost saving and also as some reactions may take a long time or not even be possible without the addition of a catalyst. b. Why is it important that catalytic converters start working at as low a temperature as possible? It is important for the catalyst converter to work at as lower temperature as possible as reaction rates are almost always increased when the temperature rises. This is because as the temperature increases so do collision rates of the molecules between the catalyst and exhaust gases. To ensure that the rich mix of gases emitted by a cool engine is converted fully at low temperatures it is necessary for the catalyst to be active at a low temperature. This also means as the temperature increases the reaction rate will increase too. c. Why do you think the catalytic converter is sited close to the engine? The catalytic converter is sited close to the engine to ensure that the exhaust gases are as hot as possible before entering the converter. By keeping the gases hot it will increase the catalysis rate due to the molecules being more active as the temperature is increased. d. Why are harmful emissions on short car journeys or in cold weather particularly high? Short journeys will not raise the temperature of the engine block or manifold assembly, this leads to the hot combustion gases being cooled in the short journey to the converter. Operating in low temperatures will also cool the manifold assembly on a continuous basis as cold air passes the manifold leading to the cooling of the exhaust gases If the temperature is consistently cold the injectors or carburettors can be retuned to burn a leaner mix which raises the burn temperature in the cylinder and reduce the emission of un burnt fuel and rich exhaust gases into the catalytic converter. The burning of a lean mix at normal temperature will raise the cylinder temperature and cause pitting on the piston head and possible damage to the cylinder which in time will cause oil to pass into the cylinder producing soot and partially burnt oil into the exhaust system. e. Explain what is meant by poisoning a catalyst? The catalyst converter can be poisoned by containments in fuel and by burning the wrong type. This leads to the coating of the catalyst with contaminants like lead from leaded fuels and manganese which is used as additive to gasoline. Gasket failure in the cylinder head will lead to oil and coolant entering the cylinder and being ejected out in the exhaust gases. Depositing partially burnt oil and silicon from the coolant in the converter. This reduces the contact between the catalyst and exhaust gases. Some of this reversible over time but the catalytic converter will be less effective in the mean time and may never fully recover its full working capacity. f. What is done to the catalyst metals to increase their efficiency? The catalytic converter is made of several components witch all have important roles to play in the functioning of the catalytic converter. The core or substrate in modern catalytic converters is made up of a ceramic honeycomb or a stainless steel foil. This is so that it doesnt react with the catalyst and also providing an extremely large surface area to support the washcoat. This washcoat is to make the converter more efficient and is often a mixture of silica and alumina. This provides a rough surface area on the substrate which greatly increases the surface area compared to the honeycomb structure alone. The catalyst and washcoat are mixed and then added to the substrate. This catalyst is made up of precious metals such as platinum which is the most widely used metal as it is the most active catalyst but not necessarily suitable in all situations. There are several different metals used as catalysts as some are more suitable than others in certain circumstances. To reduce the cos t and reduce unwanted reactions palladium and rhodium are also used. Platinum and rhodium are used as a reduction catalyst; platinum and palladium are used as an oxidising catalyst. There are several other metals used in catalytic converters though their uses have limitations and legislation also prevents use in certain countries due to the toxicity of the substances they produce. g. What is meant by homogeneous catalysis? Is the catalysis taking place in a catalytic converter a good example of homogeneous catalysis? Discuss. Homogeneous catalysis is when the catalyst is in the same phase as the reactants and product. The homogeneous catalysts are more selective for a single product, more active and easily modified for optimising selectivity. Though these catalysts are more prone to permanent deactivation and are difficult to separate from the product so the catalytic converter is not a good example of a homogeneous catalyst. The catalytic converter in the exhaust system of a car is a heterogeneous catalyst as the catalyst product and reactant are not in the same phase. As the metals are coated onto a ceramic honeycomb surface the gases from the engine must diffuse to the catalyst surface and absorb onto it. This is why the catalyst needs to be coated thinly onto the honeycomb structure to increase the chance of the molecules coming into contact with the catalyst. The 3 main reactions that take place in the converter are as follows. 2CO(g) + O2(g) → 2CO2(g) 2NO(g) + 2CO(g) → N2(g) + 2CO2(g) 2C6H6(g) + 15O2  Ã¢â€ â€™ 12CO2(g) +6H2O(l) h. Suggest a reason why the catalytic converter has to be replaced eventually. The catalytic converter will eventually have to be replaced as the physical structure and catalyst will become worn out and polluted by contaminants. This will reduce the capability of gases to be converted as there will be less contact both from soiling and reduced surface area due to physical and chemical degradation of both the substrate and the catalyst. As this catalyst is coated onto the substrate in the manufacturing process it is not possible to reuse the catalyst and a new one will be required. i. Catalytic converters convert the pollutant gases carbon monoxide, C7H16 and nitrogen monoxide into harmless gases. However, this is still only a partial solution to the emission problem. Explain why. Even though the catalytic converter converts the more harmful gases into carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas and waters it is only a partial solution to the problem of huge amounts of waste gases being emitted into the atmosphere? This is because the carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases are both pollutants that both contribute to the problem of global warming and in the case of CO2 a contributor to the acidification of the oceans. This latter problem could have far reaching consequences in relation to marine life for which 2 billion people rely upon for protein and the associated industries that harvest the sea for commercial gain. j. An. oxygen sensor monitors the oxygen flowing through the exhaust system and feeds back to control the fuel-air mixture entering the engine. Why do you think too little oxygen flowing over the catalyst would be a bad thing? Why do you think too much oxygen flowing over the catalyst might be a bad thing? The sensor in modern cars monitors the oxygen that flows through the catalytic converter. This provides the information for the engine management system to feed oxygen into the exhaust gases when insufficient oxygen is present from either cold starting or fuel rich gases being emitted this ensures the catalyst can completely react and convert the gases. If there is insufficient oxygen the gases will not be completely converted leading to the emissions of the more harmful gases. The presence of too much oxygen will cause an increase in temperature and also oxidisation of the catalyst which will cause degradation from heat or corrosion. k. It has been suggested that battery-powered cars, which do not emit pollutants, are a solution to the problems of environmental pollution. What effect would the increased use of battery-powered cars have on the demand for electricity? What would be the consequences for the environment of this demand? The global car count to date is approximately 600 million and is expected to double in the next 30 years to a huge 1.2 billion cars. This is clearly going to cause problems both for the demand of fuel to build and power them and also in the pollutants they emit. The use of gasoline and diesel oils to fuel this demand is eventually going to rapidly deplete world reserves at an ever increasing rate. This will happen even if car numbers stayed at todays level as extraction is almost at its peak level. The current theories on how much is left is a secret closely guarded by opec and the oil rich nations like Saudi Arabia who for the last 30 years have never changed the forecast for the reserves they hold. This is clearly untrue, and in the future will cause a sudden collapse of the availability of oil. It has been suggested that electric powered cars could be a solution to the problems of both pollution and consumption of one of the most valuable resources mankind has. As a solution is th is possible? There are a number of factors to take into account. Cost of replacing 600-1 billion cars in both raw materials and energy to make them and scrap the old one. Increase in the demand for electricity and can this demand be met without a net increase in global emissions from power stations without burning huge amounts of carbon fuels. Will the electric car be able to meet the demands of the travel hungry consumers? Is there the global political will to address the issue? Resistance of the world population to change there ways, this is important as all the thinking in the world is of no use if nobody will do anything. On the cost of replacing 600-1.2 billion cars, it is going to cost a huge amount of money, approximately 12 trillion pounds for the new ones and 3 trillion for scrapping the old ones. This is a total of  £15 trillion. An estimate on the total amount of dollars in the world is 908 billion in use as of 2009 (source: Federal Reserve). In addition to this there is $1,655.6 billion in current accounts, $8,326.8 billion in savings and approximately $10 trillion in bank deposit certificate and stocks. As this latter one is money that is not freely available it could be said there is approximately $8.3 trillion of accessible cash. This is a huge amount of money, far short of the money needed to replace the global car collection. Although this is not all the money in the world it is a considerable amount of it and can be taken as a fair marker of how difficult it is going to be to fund the change. Although the electric powered car is efficient at approximately 40% compared to gasoline at15%. Could the demand be met from the electric industry without increasing emissions? The answer to this is yes at a cost. global electricity production annually is 13.7 trillion watts. The requirements on demand if we were all to go electric would be approximately 60.44 billion watts though the annual cost of charging the cars up would be cheap compared to the use of gasoline. There needs to be a global political will to change and this may not come until problems from global warming have started to have an economic effect Last of all will the people of the world do the right thing for the good of the planet and make the change, it would be nice to think they would but this will be the most difficult challenge of them all as most people are not keen on a change.

Surveillance And Dataveillance in governments

Surveillance And Dataveillance in governments Introduction It has become very common practice for the Governments to keep and use public data for the betterment and quality of services provided. Different information systems are in custom which involve data about the people. For better use of public data, it is necessary to reliably associate the data with specific persons. An effective and efficient identification system should be established and maintained. Information technology has remarkably progressed in human identification system. It is very easy to identify and monitor a person with the help of modern IT tools. They key challenge for the supervising authorities is to develop identification and monitoring program which should be practicable and economic to address the issues. These programs should have high integrity to solve the problems faced by the governments regarding human identification and monitoring. The special concern in this regard is the threat to personal privacy that the human identification and monitoring programs presents. If these programmers are introduced energetically, the reaction of social fabric may be threatened. Surveillance and dataveillance What is surveillance? Surveillance involves keeping constant watch over individuals or a premise, the purpose of this activity can be to spy, supervise or to control. It assists in collecting information about the individuals movement, contacts and activities (Clarke 1988, p.499). The main form of surveillance is known as physical surveillance which is ultimately watching and listening. The current technologically advanced world assists greatly in surveillance, as it provides top monitoring devices such as infrared binoculars, field glasses, light amplifiers satellite cameras, and sound amplification devices like directional microphones to easily monitor from a greater distance and at any time of the day. There are also some well-known ways such as communications surveillance which involves taping the phone or bugging a premise, which allows you to listen and be aware of the individuals whereabouts and their associates and intended plans (Clarke 1988, p.499). Surveillance these days provide profound insight into ones life and by collecting data from other sources as well a complete history of past and present of that individual can be created. This gives the holder of this information such as the government or an agency great control over the individual (Clarke 1988, p.499). What is dataveillance? Surveillance involves the monitoring of an individual through watching and listening using modern technology. Dataveillance on the hand is monitoring by accessing and reading through personal and confidential data of an individual by using advanced information technology tools. This involves accessing their bank account details, credit card purchases, GPS on their cars and mobile, emails and internet browsing to get an insight into their personal lives. Dataveillance is the result of evolution of technology, as we become more and more dependent on technology it is creating an opportunity for others to invade our privacy and monitor our every move (Clarke 1988, p.499). Government agencies often use dataveillance to prevent terrorist attacks and other heinous crimes. There are two types of dataveillance that are common:ÂÂ   personal and mass dataveillance (Clarke 1988, p.499). Personal dataveillance its benefits and dangers Personal dataveillance is the monitoring of a targeted individual for a particular reason. This can involve monitoring by a government agency like the police or tax department to find evidence of crimes committed or where stolen money is hidden. This evidence can be then be used in court to prosecute the individual. This form of dataveillance is valuable to the authorities as it provides them with evidence and information that cannot be easily obtained through manual investigation and interrogation techniques. (Clarke 1988). Dataveillance is used heavily in chasing fugitives, prosecuting criminals and tracking terrorists. A current example is how dataveillance was used to eliminate Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden. While Osama Bin Laden was aware of dataveillance techniques and avoided all activities that wouldve led to him being tracked, his associates used technology and were able to be tracked. That is how one of his couriers was tracked when he made phone calls on behalf of the Al Qaida leader. This led to his demise and highlights the importance of dataveillance in tackling terrorism.ÂÂ   From identifying terrorist cells around the globe to using high tech drones to monitor Afghanistan for terrorist activities, it is a valuable ally to the government. It also helps local authorities hunt down cyber predators and bullies as well as identity fraud. This was the case in America when a high earning Wall Street employee was caught for insider trading. Dataveillance not only is used by authorities but also by businesses and individuals. Businesses can track employees activities such as internet usage and time checks to ensure employees are working efficiently. It can also be used in risk management to detect and prevent errors and fraud to better safeguard their business. Individuals can also use dataveillance to a degree such as using GPS on a car to see where a family member has travelled and what websites the kids are browsing. It offers families a form of security and control. Businesses and individuals will not all use the personal dataveillance in the right manner. Personal dataveillance is also a powerful weapon that can be used to gain power over another entity. Confidential secrets can be uncovered and be used to blackmail an individual. It can be used to stalk a particular person or locate someone to hurt physically. In the wrong hands it can becomes a great tool to continuously have access to the intended target and that thought alone is frightening (Clarke 1988). Since dataveillance is more in terms of monitoring data then the actual person, it provides room for wrong identification.ÂÂ   If wrong identification isnt detected then an innocent person may be prosecuted or much worse if there were bad intentions for monitoring that individual.ÂÂ   If there are errors in the personal dataveillance technique then it would lead to ill-informed decisions (Clarke 1988). Dataveillance can be used negatively by business in certain areas such as hiring employees. Sometimes to better know the candidate, they can view social network sites such as Facebook to understand the candidate. This can lead to a false reading of their character and can result in not being hired. Facebook is used by millions of people and it has access to each of their personal details and lives. If this database isnt protected someone can come in and access these valuable information and exploit them at will. (McIntosh et al). An example is that of Julian Asange who had used dataveillance techniques to monitor and retrieve high level government documents and made them public. Furthermore personal dataveillance of an individual without their consent is illegal. While the government agencies are excused as they perform these monitoring techniques to ensure our safety. However for businesses and individuals if caught tracking an individual without their consent, it can be punished by law as it is a breach of ones privacy. Mass dataveillance its benefits and dangers Mass dataveillance is monitoring of a certain large group in order to identify an individual who belongs to that certain group. It is controversial as it is a form of profiling based on race, gender and religion and all are targeted, even though there is no suspicion to justify monitoring them. It involves identifying members of the entire population that belong to a specified group and then using techniques similar to that of personal dataveillance except all data trails despite them being not important are followed up in the hope it could lead to someone of interest. (Clarke 1988). The benefits of this form of surveillance is that it is most likely that the person of interest will belong to that group hence monitoring just that group will be more efficient then looking through the entire population. It is used by authorities such as the government and police as well as some businesses. Mass dataveillance can be summed up as a witch hunt while personal dataveillance is more targeted to an individual and does not affect other people. Mass dataveillance leads to discrimination and false accusations. Businesses may target a certain group of their employees as they suspect they could be up to some wrongdoing. Individuals can be closely monitored simply for the fact they belong to certain group of people. This type of surveillance has been used heavily in certain eastern countries but now it is also seen in western countries as a result of increased terrorism. However this shows how ones privacy can be invaded if necessary by higher authorities even when they maybe innocent. Instead mass dataveillance is used to arise suspicion rather than monitor individuals of suspicion like personal dataveillance. (Clarke 1988). The first and far most threat of dataveillance is to the privacy and identity of individuals and as a society as a whole. Mass surveillance has been criticized on many grounds like violation of privacy rights, illegality and for prevention social and political freedom. Importance of Privacy Privacy can be defined as a persons right to be left alone and one of the most valued right by free people (Craig 2006). Privacy is peoples right to make their own decisions regarding private matters and it is peoples right to live their lives secluded from public inquiry (Craig 2006). Privacy is important for different perceptions. They are Philosophically This is the concept of human dignity and integrity, as well as the notions of individual autonomy and self-determination. This is the notion and importance of Human rights. Psychologically The peoples need for private space. Sociologically The peoples need to behave freely and to communicate with other people without having the threat of being observed. Economically The peoples need to invent without surveillance. Politically The peoples need to be free to act, think and argue without surveillance. (Clarke 2006) Broadly interpreted privacy is an individuals integrity and therefore includes every characteristics of an individuals social need (Clarke 2006). Using Maslows Hierarchy of Needs privacy can be illustrated in the following categories (Clarke 2006): Privacy of the person It is also known as ‘bodily privacy. It is the integrity of a persons body and comes under the Physiological and Safety needs in Maslowian Hierarchy. It is broadly known as a persons freedom from torture and his right to medical treatment. Privacy of personal behaviour It is also known as ‘media privacy and comes under belonging and self-esteem needs in Maslowian Hierarchy. It relates to peoples personal lives and not to be observed. Privacy of personal communications It is also known as ‘interception privacy and comes under belonging and self-esteem needs in Maslowian Hierarchy. It is an individuals right to communicate with other people without being observed. Privacy of personal data It is also known as ‘data privacy and comes under belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization needs in Maslowian Hierarchy. It is an individuals right to control over his data even in the hands of a third party. (Clarke 2006) All means of dataveillance deter the concept of privacy of individuals and society as a whole. One cannot perform well if he is being watched all the time. People do not feel themselves safe as this watch over can be used in a negative way. Dataveillance can harm the privacy and identity of the individuals and the society in the following ways 1. The main and direct threat of dataveillance is that no actual people are always observing our data. It is mostly computer systems that collect and link the relevant data. Also it is very likely that computer systems can make mistakes and give information that is incorrect. These mistakes are mostly overlooked as there are no people monitoring this data. This can create a range of other problems like identifying wrongly people into different categories according to his data collected. For example a person using his personal computer to research on terrorism for a project can be categorised into a group of highly watched individuals. In this example the individual is incorrectly identified and will have problems trying to oppose being branded as a terrorist. 2. The next threat of dataveillance is the quality of the data. Currently there are no standards concerning the quality of the data that are collected in the dataveillance systems. People or companies that collect data usually use cheap and easy forms dataveillance technology to reduce their costs. This is due no standards on the technology used for dataveillance. The data collected by these cheap technologies are usually low quality data and therefore may contain many errors and could put an individual in unnecessary dangers. Also most individuals are unaware that their data is collected and therefore will not be able to oppose these facts. 3. Another important threat is that the data collected on an individual can be misinterpreted and is more likely if all the relevant data is not thoroughly checked. People or a computer system is not going to do extensive research as to whether the data collected is correct in that circumstance and therefore will only show the immediate facts. These days online marketing technology instantaneously collects, enhance and aggregate the data. This creates lots of problems for consumer privacy. (Donahue, Whittemore, Heerman) Conclusion Dataveillance has two sides; on one side, it apparently offers speed, security, and safety; on the other, it unnecessarily exposes individuals to potential threats for privacy. Privacy is a privilege that most people take for granted. It is simply thought of as a source of God given right that we, as human being, are entitled to, the right to have our own space, to be safe, and to be left alone. The increased use of dataveillance has been found very useful on many occasions and no one regret the positive aspects of dataveillance. For example as mentioned above it was most probably dataveillance techniques that led to the killing of Osama Bin Laden which reflects the positive highlights of dataveillance. However the main concern for the use of dataveillance technology is that it has no standards or regulations. In addition, because of its perceived benefits, the worrisome aspects are usually overlooked. This perhaps sheds light on why resistance is often lacking or simply fails. It is important in the early stages of 21st century, for citizens to ask collectively whether the negative aspects of dataveillance are likely to be mitigated or eliminated if present trends continue. If as a concerned citizen, we feel the negative effects of dataveillance will not be mitigated if we continue on the current path; then we must move collectively away from trying to maintain an ever-weakening illusion of privacy, and shift to offensive, by demanding accountability of those whose power is enhanced by dataveillance. Therefore it is only when standards and regulations are adopted will individuals be able to enjoy privacy and freedom.

The Life Behind Things :: Psychology Technology Personal Narrative Papers

The Life Behind Things Free: this is how human beings living in democratic societies describe themselves. The general idea, nowadays, is that as long as you are considered equal and are able to voice your opinion and defend your own beliefs, the power is in your hand. Gone are the chains of repression and tyranny that permeated ancient times and enslaved whole societies in the prisons of silence and immobility, forcing them to surrender all of their power to the ruler. All that is left now is one word, resounding gloriously in the back of our minds every time we compare our current situation with that of the past: freedom. I used to feel that liberation every day, especially when I learned about foreign societies that had "remained" imprisoned by unscrupulous leaders who refused to relinquish their power and wealth to the people, however needy the latter were. Political police, torture, propaganda: all these horrifying stories whirled in my head and inevitably brought me back to the same evident conclusion, the fact that I was lucky to inhabit a "modern," "Western" country, and that my freedom, both compared to these unfortunate people and in absolute terms, was unlimited. Indeed, I had never felt any pressure of any kind to act a certain way, or hold specific beliefs at the expense of my own ideas. The origins of such a view of the world were the innate thought that only another human being, especially a man-have we ever seen a female dictator?-could take away my personal power and control my actions. For what else could? Such had been my state of mind when I came to NYU-sixteen years spent holding the firm belief that I had control over my actions, probably silently injected in my mind by my proud parents, as well as by the French society in general and all that it entails: the media, school, politicians. It pervaded my mental life, and I whispered this doctrine to myself, as though humming a baby nursery rhyme, probably pacifying my unconscious claims the way the soft lullaby would console a newborn baby, making his tears subside and causing him to forget why he was weeping in the first place. I had never considered and thought about my life in other terms. Originally not wanting to question this whole system of ideas, which would unavoidably cause great chaos in my mind, I started thinking about the recent turn that my life had taken, a few weeks ago.

Exploring the Digital Age Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Exploring the Digital Age On January 10, 2000, the largest merger in history was conducted between Time Warner and American Online. On a surface level, this merger could be seen in light of its combined resources, or even its large market value. However, the merger between these two companies has repercussions in the life of every person who uses the Internet. Undoubtedly, the Internet has emerged as a leading technology poised to change the way the world will revolve. The Internet has ushered in the Digital Age where information is king and mass customization is possible. Even the current economy, investors have recognized this and are heavily investing in companies that are a part of this Information Technology Industry. The logic of any merger is that with its combined resources, the new company would be able to exploit opportunities that by itself it would not be able to. Many companies in history have missed these opportunities and have paid dearly for it. IBM, for instance, lost its position as a market leader when it failed to understand the potential of the personal computer. Xerox did not recognize the potential of a graphical user interface. Both these companies are examples of successful firms that missed the imminent arrival of a technology, and the prospect of taking advantage of the opportunities created by it. However, AOL made significant steps to acquire Time Warner, and through its strategic moves, it has shown clearly that it understands the significance of the emerging Internet technology. The merger of AOL Time Warner is still currently in the process of being fulfilled. Through the analysis done of the merger, and of the individual organization and their past mergers, it is lik ely that the AOL Time Warner merger will, in time, prove to be a successful move by both companies. America Online—Context, Structure, Performance In order to predict the outcome of the merger, it is important to look at each organization separately. America Online incorporated under its original founding name, Quantum Computer Services, in May of 1985. After its first online service, "Q-Link" was launched on Commodore business machines, AOL went on to launch America Online for DOS, Macintosh, Apple II, and Windows. Over the next decade, it went on to acquire many Internet-related companies, from developers of Internet applications to Interne... ...ong cultural element, and an aggressive management team will have great opportunities. Bibliography: America Online, Inc. Cha, Ariana Eunjung and Walsh, Sharon. (January 12, 2000) "Merged Firm To Have New Look Restructuring Called ‘Significant’." The Washington Post (E1). Davis, Stan and Meyer, Christopher. (January 24, 2000) "Inventing the digital future." U.S. News and World Report Pg. 34-40. Henry, Shannon. (March 25, 2000) "AOL to Lay Off 700 to 1,000, Reorganize Into 4 Units." The Washington Post (E1). Hofmeister, Sallie. (September 26,1995) "Better the 2nd Time Around? Will Time Warner’s rocky Marriage Affect New Spouse?" Los Angeles Times (D1) Holstein, William J. and Vogelstein, Fred. (January 24, 2000) "You’ve Got a Deal!" U.S. News and World Report Pg. 34-40. Maney, Kevin. (November 30, 1995) "Is Time Warner impossible to manage? CEO Levin grapples with a house divided?" USA Today (1B) Okren, Daniel (January 24, 2000) "Happily Ever After?" Time Pg.38-43 Time Warner. Time Warner 2000. Zaret, Elliot. (March 8, 2000). "The Rise and Fall of Netscape." MSNBC.com. Retrieved April 19, 2000 from http://www.msnbc.com/news/379409.asp