Trumans Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Essay -- Japan, World War II,

Imagine yourself making the toughest decision in your life, whether sacrificing a million of our men and thousands of war ships and plans, verses several thousand of Japanese civilian populists. This decision was on the shoulder of Harry S. Truman, the United States President, who had to make this decision by deciding whether or not to drop a newly designed weapon. The atomic bomb was tested in the sands of New Mexico, where it proved to be very successful. Harry S. Truman made a very successful decision, because he wanted to end the war quickly, show others that the United States had power, and the retribution of Pearl Harbor. The United States wanted to end the war quickly for several reasons. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, states, â€Å"The atomic bomb is a reality†¦. Here ... Truman's Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Essay -- Japan, World War II, Imagine yourself making the toughest decision in your life, whether sacrificing a million of our men and thousands of war ships and plans, verses several thousand of Japanese civilian populists. This decision was on the shoulder of Harry S. Truman, the United States President, who had to make this decision by deciding whether or not to drop a newly designed weapon. The atomic bomb was tested in the sands of New Mexico, where it proved to be very successful. Harry S. Truman made a very successful decision, because he wanted to end the war quickly, show others that the United States had power, and the retribution of Pearl Harbor. The United States wanted to end the war quickly for several reasons. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, states, â€Å"The atomic bomb is a reality†¦. Here ...

History of Goods and Service Tax in Malaysia Essay

1. Introduction of GST Goods and service tax were first deliberated in 2005 with the intention to introducing it in 1st January 2007. However, it was withdrawn in the following year. In 2009, GST was revived with a proposed rate of 4% to replace current Sales Tax of 10% and Service Tax of 5% in a bid to diversify national revenues. However, the idea of GST still end up floating around as it has now been officially deferred. 2. Concept of GST Goods and Service Tax (GST), also known as Value Added Tax (VAT), is a broad consumption tax. The purpose of the introduction of GST is to spread the burden which borne by consumer in some particular areas into a wide range of goods and services with a lower tax rate. Thus, government’s revenue income will eventually increase to enable the further development and budget control to the country, other than just relying on petroleum and income tax revenues. GST is a multi-stage tax as it is levied on the â€Å"value added† created at the various stages in the importation†production†distribution chain of the product to which the tax is applicable. This tax structure helps to avoid the cascading effect embedded in current Sales Tax and Service Tax (SST) which are single-stage tax. It adopts a credit offset mechanism whereby tax charged on supplies (called output tax) made by a taxable business may be net off against tax paid on inputs (called input tax) to production. Only the difference is remitted to the tax authority. Nevertheless, the cost of GST is actually borne by final customers. However, not all supplies are standard rated supply, which are subject to proposed rate of 4%. Malaysian government has announced that some 40 items, mostly essential consumables and commodities will be free of GST, that is, either the items are exempted or given a zero-rating. The only difference is that input tax credits can be claimed by registered suppliers of zero rated supplies but not the exempted suppliers. Thus, lower income groups are protected. Furthermore, GST is a form of indirect tax as it is not a statutory obligation of a person to pay the tax unless certain GST taxable goods and services are consumed. Besides, the Malaysian government has indicated that Mandatory GST registration for suppliers will be based on a threshold of sales. Current indications are that the threshold will be set at RM500, 000.00 per year. Thus, with the introduction of GST, government is able to shift the reliance on direct tax to indirect tax for sources of revenue income to maintain its competitiveness as well as sustain long-term growth of the country. 3. Fate of GST in Malaysia The passage of GST in Malaysia has not been an easy sailing. As mentioned above, the idea of GST was first announced in 2005. However, it was shelved in 2006. Again, after the GST bill tabled in 2009, the second and third reading for GST is now being deferred again. Over-reliance on the direct tax and depleting petroleum are actually the major concern of government that contributes to the imposition of GST. Furthermore, the government is of the opinion that Sales and Service Tax (SST) has reached its threshold. To increase it the country’s exports uncompetitive. Under SST, exporters were incurring as much as RM1.4 billion annually. Therefore, the only way is to institute GST. GST is considered an equitable and comprehensive system of taxation that minimizes evasion and ensures a broader revenue stream. 3.1 Judgments from Macro-economic aspect By replacing the Sales and Service Tax with GST, the government is able to diversifies its sources of taxation to avoid being dependent on any particular tax base and the stability of tax revenue is ensured. As revenue from imports and taxes from the corporate sector may fluctuate, GST will not fluctuate, thereby bringing in a steady and sustainable revenue stream that is locally generated. However, the immediate outcry is that GST will cause the general price level goes up. However, empirical study in China indicates that GST implementation did not cause any inflation. Furthermore, public do not have to be over-worried of the continuous inflation as recent research also point out that GST may bring about a one-time increase in cost of living, but the impact on inflation is low. Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Finance, Consumer Price Index is going to reduce 0.1% due to the lower GST rate. This can be further supported by studies that indicate prices did not increase significantly before and after the introduction of GST. Thereby it is clear that imposition of GST will only cause one time increase in general prices but would not necessarily lead to inflation which is continuous increase in the average of price over the time. Furthermore, a study done by Malaysian government also shows that households could enjoy annual savings of between RM14.50 and RM347 under SST system and GST system respectively. Additionally, it is indicated that the business sector could expect total annual savings of some RM4billion under the GST regime, while exporters would save RM1.4billion annually under a zero-rate system. Also, GST improve export competitiveness due to zero-rated and boost tourism because of the refund of GST.However, recent study argues that Malaysia can enjoy this trade competitive advantages only when there is no delay in input tax refund that cause increase in price of exports. Furthermore, there are many arguments against the indirect tax reform in developing countries. A country like Malaysia with presence of a substantial ‘informal’ sector, substituting VAT for border taxes is likely to deter the growth and development of the economy as a whole as VAT might drives firms from the formal sector into the shadow of informal economy. Many studies have indicated that developing countries consists of a very large size of informal economy. Informal economy is defined as the segment of the economy that escapes the tax net; it thus includes both the shadow economy and agriculture. Also, they argue that the imposition of VAT may also retard the development of markets, especially in the rural areas. As mentioned, imposition of GST diversifies government’s revenue sources and increase income. However, a previous study of GST in Mexico indicated that tax revenue increase might not be as large as suggested by standard literature due to the increase of the informal sector, shrinking the tax base. Furthermore, as a developing country, Malaysia may not benefit from the implementing GST due to the high administrative costs. Meanwhile, as GST was deferred, road shows, seminars and public education campaign are still being held by the authorities ever since the first announcement of GST in order to create awareness amongst the public about the oncoming tax transition. On the contrary, in the same time, GST opponents have been expressing negative by starting an anti-GST task force to protests against the implementation. Sentiment is that Malaysia is ranked more corrupt than ever and people are cynical that imposing GST will only be another avenue for corruption. From the discussion above, it can be seen that imposition of GST can improve collection of revenue in a more comprehensive, transparent and effective manner. Furthermore, more savings for households and corporate sectors can be expected with the substitution of SST with GST. Government has been paying effort in educating the public, however, hesitated in implementing the GST several times because of the lack of infrastructure to effectively collect the taxes. Furthermore, Malaysia is currently in a developing stage. There are still many informal sectors like agriculture sector and goods that are exempted from this system. Besides, the corruption issues in the country have yet to be addressed. It seems that the government needs more time to get ready for the implementation of GST and, thus GST might be implemented later rather than sooner. 3.2 Judgments from Micro-economic aspect (i) Corporate aspect GST is tax collected on behalf of government. Given the claimable input tax feature, GST is deemed not to be a business cost. However, GST will place a burden on the corporate sector (especially Small and Medium Enterprises), which will be responsible for collecting the new tax. SMEs may face the problem of cash flow difficulty due to the payment of GST upfront. Also the employment of qualified internal staff with the necessary experience can be quite costly. To add on to the problem, software programs would need to be revised to take into account the GST element hence adding on to the cost of operating a business. As conclude by studies, the compliance cost of SMEs is substantially higher than larger firms. Thus, GST compliance is four times more regressive to SMEs as compared to large firms. Again, representatives of the corporate sector have already expressed fears that corruption and bureaucratic ineptitude could raise the cost of administering the tax, thereby increasing companies’ operating costs. Furthermore, with regards to the threshold limit, survey done by The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry of Malaysia (ACCIM) ,with a small samples of 2000 people, has indicated that a threshold of RM5 million above is the most acceptable level instead of RM500,000. Extra compliance cost has a very high possibility of causing them to have substantial amount of revenue forgone. Even the neighbor country of Malaysia, Singapore, has a threshold limit of SGD$1 million. Shockingly, 80% of the respondents indicated that their computer systems are not ready to cater for the administration of GST. All of the reasons above clearly show that GST compliance is a very big issue to the corporate sectors, especially SMEs. High compliance costs that will be incurred for new software purchasing, staff training and low threshold limit have make them react very negatively towards the proposed GST. Thereby, it takes time for government to allay the fear of the corporate sectors and address the compliance cost issue. Thus, GST might be implemented later rather than sooner. (ii) Individual aspect Public are very reluctant to accept the implementation of GST. Some of them even formed a group representing the public to protest and express their non-approval for the introduction of the proposed GST with the contention of GST will â€Å"feed the rich and starve the poor†. Also, they are worried that those unscrupulous traders might take advantage of the GST to unnecessarily increase prices and pass this down to the final consumer. Actually, government has been spending time creating public awareness about the GST. However, the effort does not seem to be enough that most of the people do not actually realize that the lower income groups are protected as most of the basic necessities are actually zero-rated and tax exempted. Consumers have a choice to a certain extent whether to pay the tax should they decide to consume any of the non-essential goods and services. When it comes to exempting â€Å"basic essentials† from GST, however, there are arguments against list for political popularity. This is because too many exemptions can nullify the purpose of GST as a broad revenue base. Again, the â€Å"bureaucratic culture† in Malaysia further erodes the confidence of public towards GST. To sum up all the reasons above, given political sensitivity of the GST and the difficulty of controlling the reactions of the public and the corporate sector, the government might want to ensure that there is a long gap in between for the introduction of GST even though GST can be beneficial to the country. Besides, the Malaysian government needs time to establish computerization system and trained personnel for the tax transition. However, the budget deficit and depleting natural resources leave the federal government with little choice. Furthermore, the authorities has stressed that SST has reached its threshold, GST is the best option for the tax reform. Thus, given the reasons above and efforts of government create public awareness of GST, it might seen that GST is already in the pipeline and the current deferment was actually to allow the authorities to have more public awareness program and to give the corporate sector more time to get ready for the tax transition. 4. Equity of GST As indicated by government, GST provides equitable treatments as lower income groups are protected by zero-rated and exempted mechanisms. This method has been argued as simplistic as it ignores a number of important facts. First, empirical research indicates that there are significant difference in the pattern of expenditure between the poor and rich. Engel’s law point out that the share of expenditure on food and clothing is very high for the poorest households. According to the estimates of Hossain, VAT can be made less regressive with zero-rating of commodities that are consumed more by the poor households. Zero-rating â€Å"basic-commodities† protecting the poor and also the rich, since they also buy these commodities. In other words, zero-rating is an expensive way of protecting the poor since much of the â€Å"protection† is wasted on the rich. Second, the case for imposing VAT as has long been known a uniform VAT is likely to increase the price of many goods essential to the poor (Ahmad Stern 1987). Research on Bangladesh shows that a uniform VAT that disregards the differences in expenditure spending of the rich and the poor is significantly regressive as the poor suffer 2 to 3.5 percent loss in their income while the rich benefits from such reform. Because the poor may consume a relatively small amount of such products, it is undoubtly true that much of the benefits of such exemptions will go to the non-poor. Third, before the introduction of GST, the price of all commodities in fact has already incorporated an indirect tax component that is the tax charged on inputs for production. Therefore, no commodities will increase in price to the full extent of GST. Moreover, proponents of the tax reform have neglected the presence of a large informal economy in Malaysia. According to Emran and Stiglitz, the dramatic shift in favor of VAT as the main instrument for revenue rising in developing countries which have a large informal sector is misguided both on efficiency and equity grounds. Even a uniform broad-based VAT may be more progressive than more nominally progressive taxes (such as the personal income tax) that in practice burden only a limited group of wage-earners. This can be happen, for instance, informal sector producers that produce a close substitute of the formal GST-liable commodity will get high profit without bearing tax while formal sector producer may get lower profit and bearing tax. Therefore, informal sectors of a Malaysia might distort the equity treatment of GST amongst the corporate sectors. A further consequence is that the tax base of the GST is eroded and either less revenue is available for national expenditure prio rities, or higher rate of GST is required. Thus, the equity of GST still remains a question. The actual impact of a broad-based GST needs to be estimated by econometric model in order to answer the major arguments of broad-based GST. 4. Conclusion GST has been proposed by government to reduce the reliance on direct tax and the petroleum revenue. Also, it was planned to replace current SST. With a broader base for goods and services being subject to GST, the revenue for the government is expected to be higher. However, the implementation GST is being deferred again due to the political sensitivity and the negative reaction of the public. Furthermore, the lacking of infrastructure to effectively collect the taxes, negative responses by the corporate sectors and protests against GST by the public contributes further to the deferment of GST. However, it does not mean GST going to be shelved forever as Deputy Director of Customs, Subromaniam Tholasy, has made a clear statement that the implementation of GST has only been deferred, not cancelled. Also, the officials have been keen to stress that both consumers and businesses are likely to make savings under the GST. Thus, it is obvious that the GST already is in the pipeline. However, many things have to be done for the imposition of GST, thus GST might be implemented later rather than sooner due to the substantial time and cost incurred by the corporate sector and government in the preparation for the transition. Also, equity of GST still remains an issue. In order to make the implementation of GST to be successful, the government should start an extensive education and public awareness drive now to explain how the tax works and its impact on prices. Also, the government should address its major problem which is corruption to regain the confidence of public. Also, they has to take into consideration of the neglected factors such as informal sector and reconsider the equity issue in order to make the implementation of GST to be equitable and efficient.

Various Forms of Love in the First Three Acts of ‘as You Like It’

Explore Shakespeare’s presentation of the various forms of love in the first three acts of ‘As You Like It’ Various forms of love are depicted in Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It’ which clearly show the relationships between the key characters in the play as well as illustrating the different aspects of their characteristics. The first three acts introduce the ideas of love and how they differ in the context of different subjects in the play; whether it is a romantic love or a friendship Shakespeare’s use of language expresses the emotions of each character in a way that makes the idea of love central to the play.Chronologically, the family love expressed by Celia and Rosalind is the first form of love that Shakespeare introduces to the play; the character of Charles explains how â€Å"never two ladies loved as they do† when illustrating their relationship and the use of the word â€Å"never† exaggerates the depth and int ensity of their love for one another. The girls are cousins in relation to each other and in Act 1 Scene 2; Celia’s sympathy for Rosalind concerning the banishment of her father portrays the care and concern that comes from the love shared between them.The scene opens with pleading for Rosalind to cheer up: â€Å"I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry† the familiar and affectionate language used to address Rosalind such as â€Å"sweet my coz† demonstrates how Celia desires for happiness to come to her cousin suggesting that Celia is a compassionate character. It seems that the value of the cousins’ relationship is of great importance to Celia, she is bound to Rosalind and tremendously loyal for she abandons her father’s Court to flee with Rosalind to the Forest of Arden.This would be an unforgivable act during the Elizabethan era and so the audience would notice this as a dangerous and dramatic situation thus adding excitement to the play. I n contrast to this presentation of love which is open and expressive, the relationship between Duke Frederick and his daughter is rather different; due to his high level of authority one can assume that his persona must be strong and intimidating with the intention to maintain order in the Court even with his own daughter.The formality between them as they converse shows the normal conventions during the Elizabethan era of how one should act with a man of great power; this is depicted in Act 1 Scene 3 when Celia addresses her father as â€Å"Dear sovereign† as oppose to something less proper. Even though it is human instinct to love family, due to the reputation of the Duke and the fact that he is a man of high status, the love between them is not portrayed visibly.The central romantic relationship between Orlando and Rosalind illustrates the conventional courtly love that was appreciated in the Elizabethan era; love at first sight bewitched the two characters creating drama for the audience as they reveal their true outlooks on love. It is made apparent that from the moment they met they fell deeply in love, with Orlando unable to speak and Rosalind falsely hearing him call her name. â€Å"What passion hangs these weights upon my tongue? I cannot speak to her, yet she urg’d conference. Orlando is speechless when gazing into the eyes of his subject of adoration and this portrays him as innocent and somewhat naive when it comes to love. He is completely infatuated and love struck, and Shakespeare portrays him as a man with the ‘idealist’ view of love, depicted through his poetry; â€Å"He that sweetest rose shall find, /must find loves prick – and Rosalind. † The imagery of the rose used to describe Rosalind is tender yet cliche; it again contributes to the innocence of Orlando’s character and the idealist fantasy he is living in, insinuating that women are delicate just as flowers are.It is obvious that Rosalind (as Ganymede) enjoys the romantic ideas about herself that Orlando expresses, however she feels that courtly love should be seen as realistic and thus she teaches Orlando about the reality of women; â€Å"would now like him, now loathe him†, it would seem quite comical to the audience that Rosalind is portraying women in such a bad light and Orlando still has his heart set on her. Through this, the character of Rosalind is seen as witty and intelligent, for she is influencing Orlando to the way she hopes he would act.The bond between Adam and Orlando expresses the loyalty between them and the love that has been present since Adam has served the family since the boy was young. Adam is somewhat distraught and offended that Oliver whom he has served referred to him as an â€Å"old dog† and this shows where his true loyalties lie; with Orlando. â€Å"I will follow thee/ To the last gasp with truth and loyalty† the fact and situation that Adam is willing to desert t he home and family he has served for so long illustrates his faithfulness to Orlando and the love shared by them both.Adam thus, is depicted as a devoted and courageous character, for the consequences of fleeing from the family could have been severe for it would have disgraced Oliver. Again, this would have been a thrilling point in the play for the Elizabethan audience. Unrequited love is not an uncommon presentation of love that Shakespeare puts across through an assortment of couples in the play; the most obvious example being Phoebe and Silvius.Silvius is lovelorn and completely obsessed with his object of affection yet this is not reciprocated by Phoebe; she even confesses to Rosalind (as Ganymede) in Act 3 Scene 6 that â€Å"I had rather hear you chide than this man woo. † Given that Phoebe would prefer to be scolded by Rosalind than to listen to Silvius speak so fondly of her highlights the indifference she feels for Silvius. Moreover this portrays her as a spiteful a nd vicious character for she openly expresses her dislike for Silvius in his presence.Shakespeare uses the image of cupid to emphasise the adoration that Silvius feels for Phoebe; â€Å"Then shall you know the wounds invisible/that love’s keen arrow make. † Shakespeare uses the word â€Å"wounds† to highlight the intensity of pain Silvius feels in love. In the Elizabethan era, cupid was not highly regarded for most women married for fortune or other economic reasons; therefore, the idealist view of love is illustrated again in this scene. Nonetheless, the audience would naturally feel sympathy for the hopeless and fruitless character of Silvius.Another take on unrequited love is that of Touchstone and Audrey; Touchstone wants to marry Audrey hastily to fulfil his sexual desires, he does not long for a lifelong marriage with her; â€Å"it will be a good excuse for me hereafter to leave my wife† before entering matrimony with Audrey, Touchstone already plan s to divorce her, this contrasts with the romantic love between Rosalind and Orlando and shows Touchstones immoral characteristics for he favours lust over love.Audrey’s lack of intelligence and the appeal of Touchstone’s courtly manners make her unaware of his intentions. The religious conventions of the Elizabethan era are however expressed through their relationship. â€Å"We must be married or we must live in bawdry†; Touchstone fears being condemned by God if he were to sin through having sexual relations out of wedlock and uses the word â€Å"must† to show his loyalty to faith yet not his loyalty to Audrey.

Compare the ways Harper Lee and RL Stevenson present towns of Maycomb and London in their novels Essay

Harper Lee and Robert Louis Stevenson use two very different towns to provide the setting for their novels. Harper Lee sets â€Å"To Kill A Mocking Bird† in Maycomb in the Southern states of America in the 1930s. Robert Louis Stevenson sets â€Å"Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† in Victorian London. Although these are two very different social settings at two different times in history, there are both similarities and some contrasts in the way the authors use a sense of place to develop the main themes of their stories and to provide an appropriate world for the characters they create. In this essay I will explore some of the ways in which they do this. Maycomb is described in the book as † a tired old town†. There is a main square and a county court house. The main family in the book the Finches live on the main residential street. They sit out on their front porches in summer and Lee gives us a feeling of a closely-knit community where everybody knows everything about one another, or so they think.. She goes on to show later that all is not as idyllic as it seems at first on the surface. In contrast, the London that Stevenson portrays in â€Å"Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde† is seen as a big, distant and impersonal community where there seems to be a lot of conflict and discomfort between the characters and, in particular, the social classes as they go about their everyday lives. Stevenson describes the streets in London as dirty, narrow and winding and the buildings as dark and oppressive to create a depressing atmosphere and provide a backdrop of gloom and evil for Stevenson’s story. The characters in â€Å"To kill a Mocking Bird† overall seem on the surface to be good, honest hard-working people who are friendly and take everyday problems in their stride. This conceals, however, a deeply engrained hatred towards Negroes and their way of life based on prejudice. Basically, everybody in Maycomb, with a few exceptions, is racist, looks at blacks as inferior to themselves and treats them badly by giving them the hardest manual jobs with the lowest pay. This deep division in the community is reflected in the physical segregation of black from white, with the blacks living in their own poor housing apart from the whites. In Stevenson’s London, there is also a sense of social division, but this time it is between rich and poor. Colour is replaced by social class to separate out the different parts of the community. â€Å"In To Kill a Mocking Bird† The Finch Family provide some of the central characters. Atticus, father to Jem and Scout is a good lawyer and a well-respected leader of the community whom many people look up to and respect his views especially his children Jem and Scout who he tries to teach them from what is right from what is wrong by teaching them important morals. In Particular, he won’t tolerate racism and sees it as a destructive dividing line, which shouldn’t exist. An example in the book of racial discrimination is that Negroes had few educational opportunities. Calpurnia taught her son Zeebo to read from the bible and a law book. Zeebo’s job (Dustman) shows the limited job prospects for blacks but Zeebo considers his job as a good job for a Negro. This shows how far Negroes were down the social spectrum and that they accepted their lowly social position and had low expectations. The white people also do not question this social status quo as they feel superior. At the Missionary tea party all the ladies enjoy Calpurnia’s cooking but they treat Calpurnia as if she’s not even there, showing no recognition towards her. All through the book Blacks were constantly derided and insulted, referred to as â€Å"niggers† and practically viewed as immoral and potentially criminal. The tensions which arise from this relationship between black and white in Maycomb is a main theme throughout the book. There is a dividing line when it comes to social class in Maycomb, with different types of people seen as inferior to others i.e. blacks, and the poor whites. The people who are seen as poor and inferior are usually the ones that do a lot of the hard working manual jobs to satisfy and provide for other member s of the community. Another poor community in Maycomb is the Cunninghams, who are all farmers and the Euells who are really poor and live next to the dump yard. The Negroes are seen as lower down the social spectrum even than the embarrassment to the town (The Euells). What at first sight seems to be an ordinary town full of respectable moral people is gradually revealed to be full of spite and prejudice. Harper Lee uses the layout of the town and the contrast between living conditions to emphasise this point. The people in Maycomb who are well off are the people with the good jobs and the power to govern the town. There is also a theme of social division in Jekyll and Hyde with things not always as respectable as they seem. â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde.† There is an upper class of people who have good, well-paid and respectable jobs just like Jekyll who was a doctor and Utterson who was a lawyer. Both had wealth and nice houses. But, there are two sides to the matter. Although seeming respectable, Jekyll was not happy with his life, He even called upon prostitution to satisfy his needs, Even that wasn’t enough and he used his position as a doctor to make up a concoction to change his physical appearance for a short amount of time so that he could experience what it would be like to be different and poor on the murky streets of London. The weather in â€Å"To Kill a Mocking Bird† is used to reflect the mood the town is in, and where the town is positioned it is usually very hot a lot of the time. Often, when the weather is described as hot in the book there is usually some kind of confrontation going on or some sort of tension thus symbolising conflict. Lee also uses the changing seasons to emphasis some of the points she wishes to make. When the weather is described as autumn it gives the impression of a dull grey period. When it’s winter in the book it says it snows and that it doesn’t snow ever. This brings in a kind of mystical cold sensation, which is linked in with Boo Radley. When winter turns to spring it emphasis new life and a warm comfortable feeling. All these different seasons are used to represent the act of time passing and each season represents different events which occur in the novel. The weather in London is somewhat of a strange atmosphere. It is described as a lot of the time as being foggy and murky, givingus the impression of a cold and dark situation occurring, London is basically being described as depressing and dangerous which causes tension and disturbance. Stevenson perhapsused the fog to hide the surroundings or to make it hazy like it is not quite all there, â€Å"the next moment the fog settled down again upon that port† but beyond the fog shows the true picture. The fog is merely there to create a sense of duplicity, that there is more than one side to everything. By Stevenson using such dramatic atmospheric devices, he wanted to show the readers that not everything is what it seems on the outside, you have to look twice to see the reality. In â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† Maycomb the sleepy little town seems to have a very warm sense of community and friendship among the locals. The houses in Maycomb are fairly straight forward, basic and overall very adequate situated fairly close together to give a close feel of a community but they also have their privacy. Some people don’t like the insides of their houses for example, Miss Maudie who lives next door to Atticus Jem and Scout absolutely hates being cooped up inside all the time she detests it greatly and finds the great out doors more her kind of thing as she spends most of her time outside in her beautiful garden. To contrast with this, there are some people who just stay inside all day every day for example Boo Radley who doesn’t go out at all. In fact, he hadn’t been seen for many years outside he just observes and watches life past by. Lee uses this contrast between inside and outside to good effect to emphasise things about her charact ers and add depth to their characterisation. In â€Å"Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† London the busy, vibrant, gloomy city has a very distant sense of community and friendship. The houses in Victorian London are described as being dark and pretty derelict on the outside but on the inside it shows a different interpretation of the interior, which is stylish, and a big contrast to the exterior. For example in the inside of Jekyll’s house Stevenson describes â€Å"a bright open fire, and furnished with costly cabinets of oak.† This gives us the impression that Jekyll is well off. The front of Jeykll’s house is really grand and elegant, and fits a successful man, whereas the back is a total contrast to the front. The back is really dingy and dirt- ridden and you would expect an unemployed tramp to live there. Stevenson uses this contrast to show us two sides to Jekyll’s house and two sides to him, the good side (the front) where Jekyll goes in and looks respectable and the bad side (the back) where Hyde comes out and represents evil. This shows that the duplicity in Jekyll/Hyde is reflected in the house, a respectable â€Å"front† conceals a sinister and dark â€Å"back†. Stevenson shows us through this device that everything is not always as it seems. This difference between what something seems to be on the surface and what it is really like is also a theme in â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird†. Maycomb seems like a tiresome little town where not much action or politics ever happens and that everybody gets on and lives in harmony. However, the outside is not always what it seems and there is a lot of hidden conflict among the townsfolk. They are very intolerant of anything or anybody who is different to what they in their small-minded way think of as â€Å"normal†. For example, Boo Radley, who never goes outside, was dubbed as a â€Å"monster† by the kids who live in the town. Also Dolphus Raymond, who lives with a black women and has â€Å"All sorts of mixed children†, people think that he drinks whisky from the bag he carries round all day and he is labelled an â€Å"evil man†. The truth is he doesn’t drink whisky all day, he gives that impression because the townsfolk of Maycomb could never understand why he lives his life like he does and he gives them a reason to hate him by pretending to be a drunkard. These two people show the harsh reality of people’s beliefs in Maycomb and how they label people because they’re different or associated with other people that are seen as immoral and wrong. For example, when Miss Gates comments on the importance of democracy and discusses Hitler’s wrong doings of persecuting the Jews as being immoral and pathetic, she later demonstrates some of the same prejudice complaining that â€Å"Negroes are getting way above themselves†. Lee illustrates Miss Gates’ hypocrisy from talking about Hitler’s wrong doings and commenting that it is wrong she later does basically the same to Negroes as Hitler did to the Jews. Lee uses examples like this to show that, basically, lots of the p eople in Maycomb were two-faced and could not see the wrong in undermining the Negroes, which shows their total hypocrisy. The true harsh reality in Maycomb was that nearly everyone was racist with a few exceptions and that the people didn’t like anything to be different from what was considered â€Å"normal† life. In this essay I have explored briefly some of the main themes running through â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde† and â€Å"To kill a Mocking Bird.† In both novels everything is not what it appears to be on the surface. The people who live in the worlds of these novels are not always what they seem. There is deep social division and tension in the two communities that leads to conflict and a clash between good and evil. Stevenson and Lee use the geography of London and Maycomb, their climates and their social settings to put over their themes. They use these places to give their novels atmosphere and to create an appropriate setting for there characters. They use their towns effectively to reinforce their main messages. Stevenson uses London to expose some of the hypocrisies of Victorian life where respectable people often exploited the poor. Lee uses Maycomb to challenge racial prejudice and intolerance of people who are different at a time when the civil rights movement in America was beginning to gather momentum.

The Ideal Vacation Getaway Essay

When thinking of vacations, thousands of destinations storm the brain. Many do not rank their top vacation destinations, but the ideal vacation destination is one almost all are familiar with, the Bahamas. The ideal vacation would be a trip to the Bahamas, alone. One may think to themselves, why the Bahamas? The Bahamas is the perfect vacation getaway with many exclusive attractions, to name just one, the amazing beaches. The Bahamas have world renowned beaches. The beaches have the clearest waters on Earth, not to mention the cleanest. While at the beaches one can enjoy jet skiing on the crystal clear waters in the blazing hot weather. After a long day at the beach, visitors can enjoy the toothsome and mouth watering traditional food during their stay in the Bahamas. It is said that food in Bahamas is never bland, especially entrees like Rock Lobster, is a favourite among visitors. One can enjoy the special soup Sousse as a great appetizer, containing oxtail and chicken. Read more: Dream vacations essay The Bahamas specialize in coconut based desserts such as coconut tarts, cakes, puddings, pies. custards and even special ice cream. These desserts are very popular amongst visitors and natives of the land. Lastly, one should voyage on this trip to the Bahamas alone. Having family along is no problem, but when one is alone they will meet new people, create new memories and make new friends. Going alone to the Bahamas would mean leaving ones stressful life behind and forget about the worries back home. The visitor would truly enjoy the experience of not having to worry about anyone but themselves on their trip. In conclusion, the world renown beaches, traditional food and opportunity to travel alone are just a few of the reasons why a trip to the Bahamas would be ideal. One would have to experience firsthand to uncover what else the Bahamas has in store for them.

1984 Essays (1274 words) - Nineteen Eighty-Four, Julia, Telescreen

1984 It has always been man?s dream to see and understand the future in an attempt to prepare himself for events which will eventually unfold. This hope is the premise for futuristic novels like George Orwell?s 1984, which, step by step, moves through the life of a rebellious citizen trapped in a world of deceit and propaganda. Very few people have been exposed to such a treacherous environment as Oceania, where Winston, the main character, resides. Therefore, it was necessary for the author to interject certain literary devices to allow for the ability to better relate to a character in Winston?s situation. To accomplish this, Orwell utilizes the theme of individuality versus tyranny, foreshadowing, and irony, in order to fully extract all possible motives behind Winston?s actions. Many countries, such as the United States, are founded on principles of individuality reigning over tyranny, more specifically, the freedom of choice. However, in the futuristic Oceania, run by ?Big Brother?, such freedom and individuality is, for the most part, completely suspended. To act impulsively, or choose to oppose Big Brother, is a ?thoughtcrime? of dire consequence. This is the basis behind the Inner Party?s control of Oceania. Winston however, from the commencement of the novel, showed that he was not willing to conform to such a tyrannical society. From his writing ?DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER? in his diary as the novel opened, to his relationship with Julia, which was considered sexcrime in Oceania, Winston proved his thoughts were antiparallel to those of the Inner Party. The fact that Winston was so ready to rebel was quite courageous in that he knew people who opposed The Party, or were to educated, like Syme, were vaporized. The members of the Inner Party recognized the ab ilities of an educated man to see through the propaganda of Oceania, and would therefore tolerate nothing but ignorance. Winston, however, continued to oppose the state, and commited, in many ways, both thoughtcrime and sexcrime. He joined the Brotherhood, run by Oceania?s first public enemy, Goldstein, and even reads a book published by the man. This action follows Winston?s open attempt to befriend O?Brien in a society which would not condone such outward behavior. The reasoning behind the condemnation of friendship was that it was believed that friendship could lead to alliances that would threaten the reign of the Inner Party. Winston?s barrage of individualistic actions lead The Party to arrest him, as they witnessed his actions from a hidden telescreen behind a picture. Mr. Charrington, the local store manager, who appeared rather genuine, led the arrest, for he was a member of the unknown thoughtpolice. Julia is killed, and Winston is taken by the thoughtpolice to the ministr y of love, where he is to be held for his crimes. As is the basis for futuristic novels such as 1984, Orwell foreshadows much of the events that occur, through vague or inanimate objects. The most noticeable device for foreshadowing was Winston?s dream of the Golden place with fields and rays of light, a basic human paradise. Such a place foreshadows Winston?s capture and incarceration in the Ministry of Love which is a large white building with strong lights continuously beating down upon its inmates. One of the largest symbols in the novel was the breaking of the globe, which can be interpreted in many fashions. One of which is the foreshadowing of the destruction of Winston?s world, as portrayed through the murder of Julia and his capture by the thoughtpolice. Goldstein?s book also is a mechanism by which Orwell foreshadows eventual occurrences in the novel. Such an object, absolutely illegal in Oceania, foreshadows the Winston?s final steps before his capture, authorized by the Inner Party. Other instances, separate from the sec ond book, are also applied for foreshadowing. Winston?s relationship with the prostitute, portraying his search for human companionship, form a preconceived notion of his relationship with Julia and his befriending of O?Brien. These two actions are perhaps, Winston?s two greatest violations against the laws set forth by the Inner Party. Though the theme of individuality versus tyranny and the use of foreshadowing are essential literary devices, it is the application of irony that truly makes the novel a masterpiece. Many ironic events occur during the

Bridge building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Bridge building - Essay Example However, some simple bridges are set on the ground without first installation of the supporting systems it is of importance to note that when this is done underground preparation has to be done. Every edge of the bridge is always tested to make sure that there is stability. Shoring and underpinning techniques are important to ensure that we come up with a stable bridge. For more stability, excavation of the soil as well as the backfilling of the soil is important however, it is not necessary. Piers are always laced vertically on the edges of the bridge to make sure that the bridge gets the correct support. To make these piers, we can use a range of materials ranging from masonry, steel, or concrete and to ensure that the base is stable, we have to embed it with concrete. Building the bridge When building a beam bridge, the bridge span is always made at a different place and then transported to the area where the bridge is to be made. The bridge is made by bringing together two concre te or steel girders that get support from some decking materials. To add weight, the bridges are made with grudges, which comprise solid beams and built with trusses that are webbed to provide support. A crane is then used to lift the bridge to the supports then it is welded to ensure that the bridge is firm. ... In a well made beam bridge, the forces do not exist. The main risk that may be found here is the accidental collapse of the bridge in case the bridge is not correctly placed on the supports, this leads to the bridge collapsing on the ground due to lack of support. To prevent this, ground engineers are useful in ensuring that the bridge is correctly placed on the supports. There are a number of considerations that have to be put in place to ensure that the construction is economically feasible as well as being environmentally friendly. First the bridge has to be made of materials that are not soluble in water since some of these bridges are placed above water channels and if the materials are water soluble then it will pollute the water below. We also have to weigh the costs of the materials to ensure that we use the cheapest materials that are available in the market. And all in all the workers have to know the right proportions of the materials that they are using so that there is n o wastage that occurs in the making of the bridges. Bolting The best bolting technique for this particular bridge is the shear connection method. In this type of bolting, a central plate is made to align with the central beam so that a hole is drilled inside it for the bolt to b able to get into it. To attach the shear connection, we use standard bolts shear bolts. Arch bridges Construction Construction of the arch bridge starts with the designing of the bridge. When designing, you have to have the arch and the roadway in the mind. Most of the known arches are found under the road, however it is important to know that some arches exists such that roads pass through them. All these have to be kept in mind during the design method. After the design, we have to prepare and