Louis MacNeices and Thom Guns poems Essay Example for Free

Louis MacNeices and Thom Guns poems Essay Louis MacNeices and Thom Guns poems use the first voice to look at birth through babies eyes. They help us see that babies, unborn or newborn, are living but powerless beings. They can think and feel but cannot make decisions or changes in their lives. MacNeices piece is burdened with desperate pleas from the womb for a chance to live while Gunns poem takes on a lighter tone towards a newborns protest to leaving the comfortable and familiar womb. Written in the form of a prayer, the Prayer Before Birth addresses God as its audience but the poets intention is really to decry the horrors of abortion to the reader. The poem takes on a troubled tone of one who is facing death sentence. The effects of its tone are made stronger through the use of the first person in the impotent unborn baby to dramatize the fact that it is alive and not given a choice for its life. Each stanza repeats the fact that it has yet live. This set the reader into the speakers deepest burden as it reveals its concerns. The poem also uses images associated with pains and fears the speaker faces to communicate its tone of deep depression. The first stanza shows us a childs nightmare of bat, rat and ghoul; followed by equipment of torture such as walls, racks and drugs; then criminal acts of treason and murder; men in authority as in old men, bureaucrats and manwho thinks he is God and finally the vivid description of the brutal act and the detachment of the speaker from its source of humanity. All these depressive images are interrupted only in the third stanza, with a sense of longing and in warmer tone, to experience life from childhood (being dandle) to death (being guided by a white light). It brings images of nature and life and all that we take for granted. Even the poems structure supports the tone. The long sentences and heavy-sounding words (dragoon, dissipate and bloodsucking) communicate a heavily laden heart. The poem moves slowly with increasing length at each stanza and that tells of a deepening sense of hopelessness. The sixth stanza is very short as if to communicate the end of the hope. The last stanzas lines shorten with each subsequent plea as if to signify the shortening time  left. The poet chooses words that support the deeply burdened tone and evoke the readers emotional response. This is especially so when an innocent unborn has been subjected various agents of abortion in the form of creatures of the night (bat, rat and ghoul), equipment of torture (walls, racks and blood-baths), criminal acts (treasons and murder) and unloving human (lovers, beggars and bureaucrats). They communicate uncaring, cold and relentless in achieving their ends without regard to the subject. Many rarely used heavy-sounding and multi-syllabus words add to the ominous mood as they dragoon, dissipate and engendered the speaker. And then the word thistledown also helps add the finality of the act as we picture the foetus as unattached weed just go directionless and lifeless (hither and thither) to be [spilled] like water into the drain. The use of the word me gives a picture of helplessness to be subjected to other peoples direction (think me, beyond me, live me, curse me, lecture me and hector me). The sum effect of the dramatic play of words is designed to create the dark, troubled mood of one facing death sentence and to draw a response from the reader. On the other hand, Gunn also uses the first voice but he gives the protesting baby a less intense tone. His intention is to explain the babys first cry and he thinks that it is from its reluctance to leave an environment of security and warmth for a strange and cold world. The poem carries an angry tone of complains (Things were different inside)and warm tone of memories (The perfect comfort of her inside). Like the previous poem, the effect of its tone is made stronger through the use of the first person who shares its experience first hand. Yet unlike the first poem, the tone it carries is not as overwhelming as to evoke a respond from the reader for it hints that it is only temporal (I may forget). Gunns poem also uses images but those of contrasting scenes to communicate its objection to the changes. One can hear the warm and longing tone as the baby thinks of the snug and secure jolly and padded and [the] perfect comfort of her inside. Otherwise, the poem moves in exasperation as it compares the warm and wet and black womb with a rain of blood and the discomfort of the lighted outside world, the exposed and spacious rustling bed and the changes that comes when all time roars. Like MacNeices poem, it also communicates a helpless baby in the midst of the situation it cannot change as it lies raging, small, and red. And it may continue to rage till it forgets for it has no choice to the matter of whether it wants to be born. Gunns poem is designed to support the tone of protest through its fast-paced, easy-to-read rhythm and rhyme and its short and even sentences. These, as compared with Prayer before birth, give the effect of a less forceful albeit angry tone. Its pace slow down a little in the last two stanzas (with longer vowels sleep, soon, womb and room) as the child gets tired and slips into dreams of the familiar surrounding again. The poem keeps the lighter tone and moves with ease through informal and conversational language. Many of the words chosen in this poem refers to tangible objects as in womb, bed and room. The tone is also supported by choosing single-syllabi action words like fall, ride, tuck and lie. All those action words imply how quickly everything happens between birth and the babys sleep. Many words also indicate the drastic differences the baby has to endure at birth e.g. from private to a shared environment; from the warm and wet and black womb to a lighted room; and from padded and jolly to rustling. All these imply changes the baby needs to adjust to. But they are all temporal shock and the protest will not last even though the newborn may fight it But I wont forget that I regret. And eventually, all that is left of the memory of the womb may exist only in the babys dream. Both poems revolve around the subject birth and give thought to life. The main difference is that MacNeices poem is meant to evoke a response or perhaps provoke the reader to action while Gunns poem only wants to share a response of a baby at birth.

The History of Stalingrad Essay -- Stalingrad War Battles European His

The History of Stalingrad â€Å"Stalingrad is the scene of the costliest and most stubborn battle in this war. The battle fought there to its desperate finish may turn out to be among the decisive battles in the long history of war†¦In the scale of its intensity, its destructiveness, and its horror, Stalingrad has no parallel. It engaged the full strength of the two biggest armies in Europe and could fit into no lesser framework than that of a life-and death conflict which encompasses the earth† New York Times, February 4, 1943 The battle fought between the Soviet Red Army and the Nazi Wehrmacht over the â€Å"city of Stalin† for four long months in the fall and winter of 1942-3 stands as not only the most important battle of the Eastern front during World War II, but as the greatest battle ever fought. Germany’s defeat at Stalingrad ended three years of almost uninterrupted victory and signaled the beginning of the end of the Third Reich. In this way, Stalingrad’s significance was projected beyond the two main combatants, extending to all corners of the world. This paper is not meant to be a military history of the battle; I am not qualified to offer such an account. It is also not an examination of why Russia won (and Germany lost). The goal of this paper is to explain why this particular conflict, fought at this particular point in time, and in this particular place became the defining moment of World War II. During the late summer of 1942, Germany’s position in the Soviet Union appeared to be dominant. The Russian winter offensive in front of Moscow had succeeded in relieving the pressure on the capital but had failed to make any substantial gains beyond a few miles of breathing space. The Germans had managed to stabilize the situation, inflicting severe casualties on the Russians before opening their own offensive in southern Russia in the spring and summer of 1942. This offensive, like the initial attack on the Soviet Union, caught the Russians (who expected a second assault on Moscow) completely off guard. Germany’s success was immense, and by the end of July the Wehrmacht had reached the Caucasus Mountains and the Volga River, with the oil-rich cities of Astrakhan, Grozny, and Baku in its sights. The first fourteen months of the war had been a debacle of monumental proportions for the Russians. During this time, the Germans had occupied more than a... ... the regime began to make concrete plans to overthrow it. Stalingrad was the beginning of the end for the Third Reich.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World War II was filled with turning points, including Midway, El Alamein, and Moscow. Stalingrad, however, was not simply a turning point. It was the decisive battle of the most violent and destructive war ever fought. It is a fitting testament to the importance of Stalingrad that General Chuikov, the tough-as-nails commander of the 62nd Army that defended the city, would later lead his men in the final battle of the European war, the assault on Berlin. Works Cited Baldwin, Hanson. Battles Lost and Won. New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1966. Craig, William. Enemy at the Gates. New York: Readers Digest Press, 1973. Elting, Mary and Robert T. Weaver, Battles: How They Are Won. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1944. Overy, Richard. Russia’s War. New York: Penguin Books, 1997. Roberts, Geoffrey. Victory at Stalingrad: The Battle that Changed History. London: Pearson Education, 2002. Stalingrad, Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1943. Weinberg, Gerhard L. A World At Arms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Earning a College Degree Essay

Earning a college degree has always been a very important goal of mine. My children are getting older and in a few short years will start looking into college themselves. It became more important for me now than ever to make my dream, my goal, a reality. There were many factors that came into play when I decided that this was the right time in my life to return to school. Being a non-traditional student, cost, flexibility, and accreditation were among the most important factors for me when choosing an online university. As my research into finding the right university continued, I found that Western Governors University had much more to offer their students than just an education. The financial aspect of returning to school was probably my biggest concern. I wanted to earn a degree, but didn’t want to be left with a hefty student loan payment at the end. Many of the online University’s that I looked into were â€Å"for profit† schools. Being inexperienced and new to this research I didn’t realize that there was such thing as a â€Å"non for profit† online University until I stumbled upon WGU. With affordable tuition, I knew that my dream could soon become reality. My children and husband are my number one priorities. They always have been, always will be. My time spent with them is precious and something that I would not give up for anything. The flexibility in classes and coursework that WGU offers has given me the perfect balance to be both a mother and a student. Since WGU is a competency based school, this allows me to spend less time on the material that I already know and concentrate more on the subjects that I am not as familiar with. Accreditation was another important factor for me. I didn’t want to spend the next 3 to 4 years going to school, spending countless hours reading and studying, only to find out that future employers would not take my degree seriously. Finding out that WGU is highly respected among businesses made my decision that much easier. There have been a few unexpected surprises along my journey thus far, with WellConnect being one of them. I never realized how much an online university could care about the health and wellbeing of their students. WGU also has some great mentors who not only offer encouragement, but push you to do the best and be the best that you can be. From my first inquiry of Western Governors University to now, I can say that, without a doubt, I made the right decision. I have finally found an online university who is just as committed to my success as I am. I would encourage anyone thinking about  returning to school as a non-traditional student to look no further than Western Governors University. With their low-cost tuition, flexibility, and accreditation to their amazing and caring mentors and their competency based program, WGU is definitely a perfect fit.

Market analysis wood pellets in Germany

To give a clear overview of the possibilities in the wood pellet market is a SWOT-Analysis used. This analysis presents the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the wood pellet market in general (not for a specific company!).Confrontation-matrixIn this matrix are the benefits and the issues around the wood pellet market displayed against each other. This gives a clear overview and a good summery as well about the `Wood Pellets ´ market! Strengths1) Sustainable 2) Renewable 3) Worldwide available 4 ) New and higher employment 5 ) Accessibility. Germany is located in the center of Europe, which is a strength point and offers good possibilities for trading. Germany is very good accessible by water, via seas and channels due to the Netherlands as well.Weaknesses1) High competition against other energy resources. 2) The technology around the production of bioenergy needs more and new inputs to win more energy and make it more favorable and get higher outputs. 3) High inve stment costs in the beginning, to install a combustion furnace at home or in the industry.OpportunitiesA)Wood fuels provides opportunities for new companies to develop B) Producing and the using of wood fuels locally will minimize transport costs C) Wood fuels releases lower quantities of atmospheric pollutants D) It is possible to offset the carbon emissions from burning against the carbon uptake of the trees during the growth of the wood. E) According to the EU ´s policy and the Kyoto-protocol, wood fuels fits very well with the targets3,4,5 -> A The wood pellet industry offers a great opportunity to develop new companies,  and for new and more extensive employment. This counts for all places in the world because wood pellets can produce almost everywhere. For Europe(Germany) it is an great opportunity in special because of the current economic recession and a lack of jobs. 1,2 -> B,C,D,EThe sustainability and renewability of wood pellets fits well with all the European target s due to the Kyoto-protocol. Wood fuels releases lower quantities of atmospheric pollutants compared to fossil fuels. And wood resources are almost all over the world accessible.1,2 -> A,E New technologies are necessary to make wood pellets more profitable compared to other energy resources. But it is a challange for companies to develop in new technologies, which is good for the energy market, employment, and most important the environment!3 -> EBecause of the high investment costs in the beginning for installing a heating system, many people and/or companies choose for other (cheaper) opportunities. But according to the increasing environment issues, it is for the European Union an option to subsidy and promote wood pellet energy.ThreatsA) Extensive market with lots of competition, there are many different energy resources available. B) To create bioenergy/wood pellets, lots of energy is necessary for the production. 1,2 -> A, BSustainability and renewability are increasingly more important because of the global warming and environment issues. This offers a good opportunity for bioenergy. The use of wood pellets could be more and more interesting instead of fossil fuels.1,2,3 -> A,B According to the disadvantages of bioenergy, there are new technologies needed in energy market to make bioenergy more profitable compared to fossil fuels.

Effects of TV violence.

Effects of TV violence. Violence has proven to be a prevalent issue in America. Although there may be many contributing factors associated with violence in our country, many researchers have held television violence responsible. While television can be both educational and entertaining, some believe that television violence is influencing America's children to become aggressive and tolerant to violence. Acts of violence and hatred have become all too common in high schools and even elementary schools today, leaving psychologists and researchers searching for answers and solutions. For decades, researchers have been trying to investigate the effect television has on children. The recent rise in adolescent crimes has not only put pressure on scientists to reach a solution, but it has also put a strain on the government to implement new laws in order to protect society. There are many different ways in which television affects our society. Studies and experiments offer proof that television violence is an issu e that needs attention.The TMNT logo of the 1987 animated series.If this problem is ignored, the conditions will continue to deteriorate.Children today have more outlets to view television than any other era. Studies by the University of Pennsylvania have shown that that children watch television, on average, 7.25 hours a day, 5,000 hours by the first grade, and 19,000 hours by the time they graduate (APA Online). Television programs show about 20 violent acts each hour (APA Online). If you do the calculations, this data presents that children witness approximately 380,000 acts of violence on television by the time they are 18 years old. According to the laws of psychology, when exposed to a certain behavior repeatedly, there is a greater chance of imitation. As humans, especially during childhood, we learn how to act by watching the behavior of others, a term denoted socialization.Much of the debate about violence in television programs...

Ancient Greek and Roman Similarities.

The ancient Greek and Roman civilizations of Europe began to progress toward a more civilized order of society. As there were no previous establishment to base their ideals on, it was understandable that there were some difficulties in their progression as a society. Although the ancient Greek and Roman governments fell, both had similar paths of creation, conquest, and destruction. Greek society began by the formation of the city-state. The city-state, based on tribal allegiances, was generally the first political association during the early stages of civilization. ( Perry, 45) This was the first step in the progression toward early self-government.   Greek city-states generally moved through four stages: rule by a king (monarchy), rule by landowning aristocrats (oligarchy), rule by one man who seized power (tyranny), and rule by the people (democracy).   (Perry, 46) Plagiarism Detection >Roman society began by the influences of surrounding cultures and quickly grew beyond the confines of a city-state status economy.   The more advanced civilizations of both Etruscans and Greeks were gradually absorbed by the Romans.   From them, Romans acquired architectural styles and skills in road construction, sanitation, hydraulic engineering (including underground conduits), metallurgy, ceramics, and portrait sculpture. (Perry, 84)   Their need for growth led them to form a republic.   As in the Greek cities, the transition from theocratic monarchy to republic offered possibilities for political and legal growth.   (Perry 85)Both Greeks and Romans tried to realize some form of democracy.   It is to Greece that we ultimately trace the idea of democracy and all that accompanies it: citizenship, constitutions, equality before the law, government by law, reasoned debate, respect for the individual, and confidence in human intelligence.   (Perry, 52)Because Rome tried to maintain a republic it had different needs compared to the Greeks.   The Romans, unl ike the Greeks, were distinguished by practicality and common sense, not by a love of abstract thought.   In their pragmatic and empirical fashion, they gradually developed the procedures of public politics and the legal state.   (Perry 88)The fall of the Greeks was a direct result of a breakdown of social theories.   When people no longer regarded the law as an expression of sacred traditions ordained by the gods but saw it as a merely human contrivance, respect for the law diminished, weakening the foundations of the society.   The results were party conflicts, politicians who scrambled for personal power, and moral uncertainty. (Perry 55) Plagiarism Detection >The Romans suffered a similar fate as a result of an unfocused administration.   Instead of developing a professional civil service to administer the conquered lands, Roman leaders attempted to govern an empire with city-state institutions, which had evolved for a different purpose.   (Perry 95)The Greek and Rom an cultures truly revolutionized the art of civilization.   They initiated new ideals for the interaction of people in a society. They both had similar paths of creation, conquest, and destruction.   They shared similar beliefs and as a result shared similar fates. Future societies can look at the mistakes made in the past and build from them, but if we are not careful, future mistakes may be built from past societies.

Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Risk Management - Essay Example These risks are then incorporated in the bones of the â€Å"fish† (Lin, 2009). This is effective as it assists the person carrying out the analysis understand the critical threats that exist and thus work to eliminate all the risks starting with these ones. This method is effective in reducing the running costs because there is the prior identification and elimination of the risks. There is also the qualitative risk identification and assessment. In this, there is the red light and green light rating where there is the analysis of the risks that will have the greatest impact. After this, there is the analysis of the major project objectives where there is then the changing of the various features regarding the goals where they can be altered (Lin, 2009). This is helpful in that it reduces the amount of defects that may occur. Urgency assessment in identification assists in understanding where along the project continuation the risk may occur. Scheduled delays are the ones best resolved through this method of risk identification and