Thursday, May 7, 2020

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay - 753 Words

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein An outsider is someone who is not a member of a particular circle or group of people He/She is isolated (separated) from other people and regarded as being different such as people looking, dressing, acting or talk differently. Outsiders have always been around and always will exist! Because society (i.e. - those who are not outsiders) like someone to pick on to make themselves feel better or superior. Outsiders are treated in various ways, sometimes people pity them but they are usually rejected by other people. Mary Shelleys novel Frankenstein tells the story of a young Swiss student, Victor Frankenstein, who discovers the secret of animating lifeless matter and, by assembling body parts,†¦show more content†¦The scene is set on a dreary night of November at one oclock in the morning: the rain patted dismally against the panes. Frankensteins reaction to the creation was that his heart filled with disgust he felt disturbed by the wildest dreams. He started from his sleep with horror at his creation. Frankensteins reaction to the monster was a mummy again endowed with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch, it was ugly, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived, Victor Frankensteins disgust is so great he leaves the room and when he returns to his relief the creation has vanished. The scene where the monster talks to the blind man but is rejected and beaten by his family, reminds us of how great is the prejudice of society against anyone who is different. For many years the creation wandered through many countries observing people reading and learning and searching for a community that would accept him, eventually, searching for his creator, he arrives on a sea of ice, and there comes face to face with Victor Frankenstein at last. When Frankenstein and his creation meet on the sea of ice Victor behaves unkindly and reacts violently. Unearthly ugliness rendered it almost too horrible for human eyes, fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head? The creation reacts calmly and with dignity / restraint.I was benevolent. HeShow MoreRelatedMary Shelleys Frankenstein1689 Words   |  7 PagesGreat Expectations Fathers and Son, Frankenstein. The novel I have chosen to discuss is Frankenstein. Written in 1818 by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein is classified as a gothic novel, however, Shelly uses both realist and non-realist techniques. I will be looking at her reasons for writing the novel and what influenced her, as well as the realist and non-realist techniques used. I will be looking at some of the contemporary social issues that affected Shelley’s life at the time she wrote her novelRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein1179 Words   |  5 Pagesbecome determined to perfect at what they do. They eventually become tragically doomed through creating their own individual moral codes by struggling with their internal battles within their minds. Mary Shelley presents us the first persona of a romantic hero through Victor Frankenstein in her book Frankenstein. Shelley fabricates Victor as the main narrator throughout the book, along with Captain Walton and the creature, which Victor creates. Another hero during the Romant ic era is the Ancient MarinerRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein Feminism1429 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Youshock Prof. Matthew Gerber HIST 1012 10/19/18 Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Feminism before it was mainstream? Writing a paper on the topic of Frankenstein days before Halloween might give you the wrong idea- lets clear something up straight away Frankenstein is the doctor not the monster and the monster doesn’t have a name (which we later learn is mildly important to the story). You see, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is arguably a story of creation, murder, love, and learning amongst manyRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay929 Words   |  4 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein The characterization of Victor’s creature, the monster, in the movie although somewhat dramatically different from Mary Shelley’s portrayal in the novel Frankenstein also had its similarities. Shelley’s views of the monster were to make him seem like a human being, while the movie made the monster out to be a hideous creation. The creature’s appearance and personality are two aspects that differ between the novel and movie while his intellectual and tender sidesRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1312 Words   |  6 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein In order to illustrate the main theme of her novel â€Å"Frankenstein†, Mary Shelly draws strongly on the myth of Prometheus, as the subtitle The Modern Prometheus indicates. Maurice Hindle, in his critical study of the novel, suggests, â€Å"the primary theme of Frankenstein is what happens to human sympathies and relationships when men seek obsessively to satisfy their Promethean longings to â€Å"conquer the unknown† - supposedly in the service of their fellow-humans†. ThisRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1622 Words   |  7 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein Nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley didn’t know when she began it that her â€Å"ghost story† would become an enduring part of classic literature. Frankenstein is an admirable work simply for its captivating plot. To the careful reader, however, Shelley’s tale offers complex insights into human experience. The reader identifies with all of the major characters and is left to heed or ignore the cautions that their situations provide. Shelley uses the second person narrativeRead MoreEssay on Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1643 Words   |  7 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein In 1818 a novel was written that tingled people’s minds and thrilled literary critics alike. Frankenstein was an instant success and sold more copies than any book had before. The immediate success of the book can be attributed to the spine-tingling horror of the plot, and the strong embedded ethical message. Although her name did not come originally attached to the text, Mary Shelley had written a masterpiece that would live on for centuries. Read MoreEvil in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1462 Words   |  6 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein is very much a commentary on the Enlightenment and its failure to tame the human condition through reason. The human condition can be defined as the unique features which mold a human being. The creature is undoubtedly a victim of this predicament. He grapples with the meaning of life, the search for gratification, the sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, and the awareness of the inescapability of death. These qualities and his ceaseless stalking of hisRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1086 Words   |  5 Pages Mary Shelley wrote the book Frankenstein sometime in the 1810s. She was born in London in 1797 (Biography). Her mother was an author of prime literary stock who was trying to encourage women to pursue their ideas and strive to earn the status as equals. The Scientific and Industrial Revolutions that were taking place around Mary Shelley certainly influ enced her while she was writing the book. The creation of machines and experiments at the time made people wonder what the limit of human technologyRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay846 Words   |  4 Pages Shelley’s Frankenstein does an excellent job at demonstrating the ideas and accomplishments of the enlightenment period. Shelly expresses these ideas and thoughts through the character of Victor Frankenstein who is an aspiring scientist seeking an intellectual challenge. Victor Frankenstein live s his hometown of Geneva and leaves in quest of a valued education in Ingolstadt. When Victor arrives at college he is lonely and finds himself in a new world in which he lives by himself. He than meets

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

What challenges does post modernity present for Christian Doctrine Free Essays

Introduction Post-modernity is a concept that deals with the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty. It is positioned as a result of modernity, which claims the idea Progress, a sense of history and democratization (e.g. We will write a custom essay sample on What challenges does post modernity present for Christian Doctrine? or any similar topic only for you Order Now personalization). Post modernity operates an erasure of the future that leads to the worship of this. So what Fukuyama announced the end of historicismSome ideas of revolutionary school progress or implementation of the adverse effects of technology. Post-modernity is thus a failure, and notably temporal: it is impossible to be at this time, or ahead of its time †¦ is the reign of timelessness. There is also a real saturation of social movements. Finally, philosophy, postmodernism asserts in his critique of modernity and the adoption of monism strong individualism. I. Brief description of modernity Modernity is really born with the Enlightenment philosophers who believed that â€Å"man is the measure of all things† (humanism). He rejected the authority and tradition and replaces them with reason and science. God and religion are dethroned. The modern mind assumes knowledge as accessible to the human spirit. Knowledge is certain, objective and well and should lead to progress. Modern man has absolute faith in his rational capacities. Through observation, experience and reflection, one can discover the truth. The school is a place bursting with the native environment for progress. Education must liberate the individual from the narrow and irrational that it imposes on his passions, his family and society to be open to rational knowledge. II. What is post modernity? In other words, postmodernism is a philosophy that says no objective truth or absolute, particularly when dealing with religion and spirituality. In the confrontation with the truth about the reality of God and religious practice, the post-modern perspective is illustrated in the statement that â€Å"what is true for you, it’s not for me.† The term â€Å"postmodernism† means literally â€Å"after modernism† and is used philosophically to describe the current era, which came after the age of modernity. Postmodernism is a reaction (or perhaps more appropriately, a wry response ) broken promise of modernism from the use of human reason alone to better mankind and make the world a better place. Because the belief that modernity has been the absolute exists, postmodernism seeks to â€Å"correct† things by taking out the absolute truth and that everything (including the empirical sciences and religion) in relation to an individual’s beliefs and desires. III. The cross over modernity to post modernity Modernity has been characterized by an increased knowledge in all areas. Globalisation and the Media Development accentuated this phenomenon. The reason is unable to unify knowledge. It is rather a coexistence of heterogeneous knowledge, knowledge of the break (fragmentation, fragmentation, division). The sense and rationality seem to oppose. The dream continues progress has been shaken by two world wars, the Holocaust, the development of nationalism, by the fear of nuclear destruction, degradation of the environment. Implementation of technology is dehumanizing. The reason is considered an instrument of power and domination, which stifles the subject, his feelings, imagination, intuition†¦ Gradually, the optimism of modernity will give way to disenchantment and disillusionment. Post-modern present both as a rejection and an excess of modernity. IV. The challenges of modernity for post Christian Doctrine The dangers of postmodernism can be seen as a downward spiral that began with the rejection of absolute truth, which leads to a loss of distinctions in matters of religion and faith, and finally ends in a philosophy of religious pluralism that says no faith or religion is objectively true and therefore nobody can claim that their religion is true and the other is false. The end of the reign of reason Modernity was the reason the last idol, the woman who was to succeed where all others had failed (cosmos, religion, tradition, country †¦), which was to succeed in unifying the know. Its failure is a sign idols and end in a new era of post modernity. This failure also calls into question the very notion of progress. Relativism â€Å"To each his own truth! This phrase perfectly characterizes post modernity. Relativism follows from the end of the idols, the unifying principle of the lack of knowledge. Knowledge is not certain, objective and good, everybody is back to himself to determine what is true. Now, truth is subjective, that’s what makes sense to me. Distrust of authority Since no authority is really meaning it follows a general mistrust of all forms of authority. The hyper individualism Humanism has been associated with modernity has begun on the phenomenon of individualization. With the end of the reign of reason, relativism and distrust of authority, with the need to identify itself, the phenomenon is growing again †¦ You can then speak of hyper individualism. The hyper-individualism is in particular the importance of personal experience and gives pride to the feelings. â€Å"I feel therefore I am†! The distortion of language The language is misleading. Everyone can give another meaning to a word. There is no reference to the most common that gives true meaning to the words. In this regard it is interesting to note that dictionaries of all types of countless flowers every day†¦ More Choices This feature, already present in modernity as resulting in particular from a better knowledge and their heterogeneity, also increases. Multiplication called the multiplication†¦ The importance of the moment Here and now! Because the past is irretrievably lost, since the very possibility of progress has no merit, because the future has nothing to offer, it must be lived and live intensely. A sense of despair While the reign of reason, optimism and enthusiasm are shaping, post modernity sees the emergence of a new mindset. Optimism gradually gives way to cynicism and scepticism and pessimism and even despair. The return of religion The question that arises is what religion is sheThree main features appear. Firstly it is a religious map (at each of its religious). Then there is also a religious reason for refusing a leap into the irrational (faith without reason can there be?). Finally, the return of religion certainly reflects the inability of man to live without belief Conclusion To repeat my simplification, postmodernism is relativism. Postmodernism is a reaction against the structures of logical truth of modern thought that gave us suggestions on the absolute nature, time, space, mathematics, know ability, the repeatability of the experiment, predictability, etc. modernism developed science , technology and medicine, he helped to produce a comfortable and predictable society – in which people tend to become complacent, comfortable and predictable. But there are always people who ask questions rather than blindly follow the status quo. They look for different means of expression, different interpretations of truth, to teach the idea that truth is not necessarily absolute, and that reality can be reinterpreted. It is in the post-modern context that the emerging churches are seeking work. Bibliography Hun singer G 2007. Postliberal Theology. In Vanhoozer (ed) Postmodern Theology. Cambridge: CUP Ingraffia BD 1995. Postmodern Theory and Biblical Theology. Cambridge: CUP. Iser W 1978. The Act of Reading: A Theory of Aesthetic Response. Baltimore: John Hopkins University James W 1975. Pragmatism: A New Name for some Old Ways of Thinking, Cambridge: Harvard University Press Jay M 1993. The Debate over Performance Contradiction: Habermas versus the Poststructuralist. In Force Fields. New York: Routledge Padilla RC 1979. Hermeneutics and Culture: A Theological Perspective. In Gospel and Culture. Pasadena: William Carey Library Pannenberg W 1970. Basic Questions in Theology (Vol 1). London: SCM Penner M 2005. Christianity and the Postmodern Turn. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press Placher W 1999. Being Postliberal: A Response to James Gustafson. Christian Century April 1999 Plantinga A 2000. Warranted Christian Belief. Oxford:OUP Andrew K. M. Adam, ‘Author’, in Handbook of Post-modern Biblical Interpretation (ed. Andrew K. M. Adam; St. Louis: Chalice, 2000), 8–13. How to cite What challenges does post modernity present for Christian Doctrine?, Essay examples

Monday, April 27, 2020

Shangri-La free essay sample

As they battle with high-end Western hotel chains at home and abroad they need to overcome wages and cultural issues with their hotels world wide. To ensure Shangri-La maintains its service model during their expansion a consistent platform and service quality needs to be maintained. The following alternatives are to be considered: 1. Forming alliances or partnerships with international hotel brands in new countries 2. Expand current culture and training Programs to ensure cultural compatibility and consistently trained employees 3. Implement an aggressive global marketing campaign and staff recruitment and retention programIt is recommended Bridle present a combination of alternative two and three to the executives. The plan will ensure that Shangri-La will be able to maintain their service model that is their competitive advantage. Marketing their differentiating features will grow their brand globally and building a staffing recruitment and retention plan will ensure they have enough staff to ensure the plan is successful. We will write a custom essay sample on Shangri-La or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Identification Past and Current Strategies Shangri-La began operations in Asia with their focus in the 1980s and 1990s on rapidly expanding in the Asian market.In the early 2000s, Shangri-La began expanding beyond its core Asian markets into such countries as Dubai and Oman and in recent years expansion has extended to into Europe, Australia and North America. Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts (Shangri-La) was a leading player in the luxury hotel industry with a signature standard of â€Å"Shangri-La Hospitality†, a service model based on traditional Asian hospitality. They have a stated mission to â€Å"delight customers each and every time† and provide its customers an unforgettable experience by blending local cultures, exotic art, and lively ambience.There past strategy focused in the Asian market focused on building its brand based on this service model. However their current strategy is not only focused on expanding into Asia, but into the western world and adapting this hospitality service model to each country’s local requirements. Shangri-La remains focused on developing local talent to world class expectations and ensuring that each global employee delivered service â€Å"The Shangri-La Way† and retaining them by creating transparent, well-defined career paths. Problem IdentificationShangri-La is planning on expanding their name worldwide, but they are encountering problems doing this. They are realizing increased competition in the Asian market from well known brand names. The newcomers are poaching already trained employees from Shangri-La and offering higher wages driving up historically low wages. As a way to diversify, Shangri-La is expanding into the European, Australia and North American market; however, these countries have more expensive labour markets where trained hotel employees are in short supply.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Kra canal

Kra canal The discussions of the opening of the kra canal1677 The Kra Canal was first proposed on this year,during the reign of King Narai the Great1793 project was revived by King Ramai's brother in during the early Rattanakosin period.1858 King Rama III revived the project again.1872-1882 It was followed by King Rama V.1917 Next came King Rama VI, who looked at the project.1960 The project was proposed by big businessman Chao Chaokwanyuen.1982 Proposals from Admiral Amorn Sirikaya, Chumphol Silpa-archa and Yupha Udomsak.The Nation, September 8, 2001KRA CANAL PROPOSAL: Revival of dream urgedMinistry says full feasibility study should be launchedMalaysia backs canal go-ahead - Bangkok Post, May 10, 2002The canal would be good for the region, even though Malaysia's own port business would suffer if it went ahead, Mr Mahathir told him. The project, which has been on and off the drawing board for many decades, became Gen Chavalit's political canvassing manifesto.King Rama VI Monument at Lumphini Park, Bangkok. T...Chinese and Malaysian firms were keen to invest in the project, which was expected to take seven years and cost 800 billion baht. The feasibility study alone is costing the government 1.8 billion baht.Finding out about Phuket Pass Project Limited - February 15, 2003Phuket Pass Project Limited is the company that was given the contract for the expensive study of the Kra Canal Project. It first surfaced in the news on August 8, 2002 when it was reported the company would receive the canal study project.The embarrassing Kra canal saga - July 7, 2003The question of whether a canal is viable or not continues to be a moot point as the continuing murky subject of the expensive study drags on.July 6, 2003PPP was awarded the contract on Jan 17 by the national...

Monday, March 2, 2020

Constructing the Empire State Building

Constructing the Empire State Building Ever since it was built, the Empire State Building has captured the attention of young and old alike.  Every year, millions of tourists flock to the Empire State Building to get a glimpse from its 86th and 102nd-floor observatories. The image of the Empire State Building has appeared in hundreds of ads and movies. Who can forget King Kongs climb to the top or the romantic meeting in An Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle?  Countless toys, models, postcards, ashtrays, and thimbles bear the image if not the shape of the towering Art Deco building. Why does the Empire State Building appeal to so many? When the Empire State Building opened on May 1, 1931, it was the tallest building in the world - standing at 1,250 feet tall. This building not only became an icon of New York City, but it also became a symbol of twentieth-century mans attempts to achieve the impossible. The Race to the Sky When the Eiffel Tower (984 feet) was built in 1889 in Paris,  it  taunted American architects to build something taller. By the early twentieth century, a skyscraper race was on. By 1909 the Metropolitan Life Tower rose 700 feet (50 stories), quickly followed by the Woolworth Building in 1913 at 792 feet (57 stories), and soon surpassed by the Bank of Manhattan Building in 1929 at 927 feet (71 stories). When John Jakob Raskob (previously a vice president of General Motors) decided to join in the skyscraper race, Walter Chrysler (founder of the Chrysler Corporation) was constructing a monumental building, the height of which he was keeping secret until the buildings completion. Not knowing exactly what height he had to beat, Raskob started construction on his own building. In 1929, Raskob and his partners bought a parcel of property at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue for their new skyscraper. On this property sat the glamorous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Since the property on which the hotel was located had become extremely valuable, the owners of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel decided to sell the property and build a new hotel on Park Avenue (between 49th and 50th Streets). Raskob was able to purchase the site for approximately $16 million. The Plan to Build the Empire State Building After deciding on and obtaining a site for the skyscraper, Raskob needed a plan. Raskob hired Shreve, Lamb Harmon to be the architects for his new building. It is said that Raskob pulled a thick pencil out of a drawer and held it up to William Lamb and asked, Bill, how high can you make it so that it wont fall down?1 Lamb got started planning right away. Soon, he had a plan: The logic of the plan is very simple. A certain amount of space in the center, arranged as compactly as possible, contains the vertical circulation, mail chutes, toilets, shafts and corridors. Surrounding this is a perimeter of office space 28 feet deep. The sizes of the floors diminish as the elevators decrease in number. In essence, there is a pyramid of non-rentable space surrounded by a greater pyramid of rentable space. 2 But was the plan high enough to make the Empire State Building the tallest in the world? Hamilton Weber, the original rental manager, describes the worry: We thought we would be the tallest at 80 stories. Then the Chrysler went higher, so we lifted the Empire State to 85 stories, but only four feet taller than the Chrysler. Raskob was worried that Walter Chrysler would pull a trick - like hiding a rod in the spire and then sticking it up at the last minute. 3 The race was getting very competitive. With the thought of wanting to make the Empire State Building higher, Raskob himself came up with the solution. After examining a scale model of the proposed building, Raskob said, It needs a hat!4 Looking toward the future, Raskob decided that the hat would be used as a docking station for dirigibles. The new design for the Empire State Building, including the dirigible mooring mast, would make the building 1,250 tall (the Chrysler Building was completed at 1,046 feet with 77 stories). Who Was Going to Build It Planning the tallest building in the world was only half the battle; they still had to build the towering structure and the quicker the better. For the sooner the building was completed, the sooner it could bring in income. As part of their bid to get the job, builders Starrett Bros. Eken told Raskob that they could get the job done in eighteen months. When asked during the interview how much equipment they had on hand, Paul Starrett replied, Not a blankety-blank [sic] thing. Not even a pick and shovel. Starrett was sure that other builders trying to get the job had assured Raskob and his partners that they had plenty of equipment and what they didnt have they would rent. Yet Starrett explained his statement: Gentlemen, this building of yours is going to represent unusual problems. Ordinary building equipment wont be worth a damn on it. Well buy new stuff, fitted for the job, and at the end sell it and credit you with the difference. Thats what we do on every big project. It costs less than renting secondhand stuff, and its more efficient.5 Their honesty, quality, and swiftness won them the bid. With such an extremely tight schedule, Starrett Bros. Eken started planning immediately. Over sixty different trades would need to be hired, supplies would need to be ordered (much of it to specifications because it was such a large job), and time needed to be minutely planned. The companies they hired had to be dependable and be able to follow through with quality work within the allotted timetable. The supplies had to be made at the plants with as little work as possible needed at the site. Time was scheduled so that each section of the building process overlapped - timing was essential. Not a minute, an hour, or a day was to be wasted. Demolishing Glamor The first section of the construction timetable was the demolition of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. When the public heard that the hotel was to be torn down, thousands of people sent requests for mementos from the building. One man from Iowa wrote asking for the Fifth Avenue side iron railing fence. A couple requested the key to the room they had occupied on their honeymoon. Others wanted the flagpole, the stained-glass windows, the fireplaces, light fixtures, bricks, etc. Hotel management held an auction for many items they thought might be wanted.6 The rest of the hotel was torn down, piece by piece. Though some of the materials were sold for reuse  and  others were given  away for kindling, the bulk of the debris was hauled to a dock, loaded onto barges, and then dumped fifteen miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Even before the demolition of the Waldorf-Astoria was complete, excavation for the new building was begun. Two shifts of 300 men worked day and night to dig through the hard rock in order to make a foundation. Raising the Steel Skeleton of the Empire State Building The steel skeleton was built next, with work beginning on March 17, 1930. Two-hundred and ten steel columns made up the vertical frame. Twelve of these ran the entire height of the building (not including the mooring mast). Other sections ranged from six to eight stories in length. The steel girders could not be raised more than 30 stories at a time, so several large cranes (derricks) were used to pass the girders up to the higher floors. Passersby would stop to gaze upward at the workers as they placed the girders together. Often, crowds formed to watch the work. Harold Butcher, a correspondent for Londons  Daily Herald  described the workers as right there in the flesh, outwardly prosaic, incredibly nonchalant, crawling, climbing, walking, swinging, swooping on gigantic steel frames.7 The riveters were just as fascinating to watch, if not more so. They worked in teams of four: the heater (passer), the catcher, the bucker-up, and the gunman. The heater placed about ten rivets into the fiery forge. Then once they were red-hot, he would use a pair of three-foot tongs to take out a rivet and toss it - often 50 to 75 feet - to the catcher. The catcher used an old paint can (some had started to use a new  catching  can  made  specifically for the purpose) to catch the still red-hot rivet. With the catchers other hand, he would use tongs to remove the rivet from the can, knock it against a beam to remove any cinders, then place the rivet into one of the holes in a beam. The bucker-up would support the rivet while the gunman would hit the head of the rivet with a riveting hammer (powered by compressed air),  shoving  the rivet into the girder where it would fuse together. These men worked all the way from the bottom floor to the 102nd floor, over a thousand fe et up. When the workers finished placing the steel, a massive cheer rose up with hats  waiving  and a flag raised. The very last rivet was ceremoniously placed - it was solid gold. Lots  of Coordination The construction of the rest of the Empire State Building was a model of efficiency. A railway was built at the construction site to move materials quickly. Since each railway car (a cart pushed by people) held eight times more than a wheelbarrow, the materials were moved with less effort. The builders innovated in ways that saved time, money, and manpower. Instead of having the ten million bricks needed for construction dumped in the street as was usual for construction, Starrett had trucks dump the bricks down a chute which led to a hopper in the basement. When needed, the bricks would be released from the hopper, thus dropped into carts which were hoisted up to the appropriate floor. This process eliminated the need to close down streets for brick storage as well as eliminated much back-breaking labor of moving the bricks from the pile to the bricklayer via wheelbarrows.9 While the outside of the building was being constructed, electricians and plumbers began installing the internal necessities of the building.  The timing  for each trade to start working was finely tuned. As Richmond Shreve described: When we were in full swing going up the main tower, things clicked with such precision that once we erected fourteen and a half floors in ten working days - steel, concrete, stone and all. We always thought of it as a parade in which each marcher kept pace and the parade marched out of the top of the building, still in perfect step. Sometimes we thought of it as a great assembly line - only the assembly line did the moving; the finished product stayed in place.10 The Empire State Building Elevators Have you ever stood  waiting  in a ten - or even a six-story building for an elevator  that seemed to take forever? Or have you ever gotten into an elevator and it took forever to get to your floor because the elevator had to stop at every floor to let someone on or off? The Empire State Building was going to have 102 floors and expected to have 15,000 people in the building. How would people get to the top floors without waiting hours for the elevator or climbing the stairs? To help with this problem, the architects created seven banks of elevators, with each servicing a portion of the floors. For instance, Bank A serviced the third through seventh floors while Bank B serviced the seventh through 18th floors. This way, if you needed to get to the 65th floor, for example, you could take an elevator from Bank F and only have possible stops from the 55th floor to the 67th floor, rather than from the first floor to the 102nd. Making the elevators  faster was another solution. The Otis Elevator Company installed 58 passenger elevators and eight service elevators in the Empire State Building. Though these elevators could travel up to 1,200 feet per minute, the building code restricted the speed to only 700 feet per minute based on older models of elevators. The builders took a chance, installed the faster (and more expensive) elevators (running them at the slower speed) and hoped that the building code would soon change. A month after the Empire State Building was opened, the building code was changed to 1,200 feet per minute and the elevators in the Empire State Building were sped up. The Empire State Building Is Finished! The entire Empire State Building was constructed in just one year and 45 days - an amazing feat! The Empire State Building came in on time and under budget. Because the  Great Depression  significantly lowered labor costs, the cost of the building was only $40,948,900 (below the $50 million expected price tag). The Empire State Building officially opened on May 1,  1931, to a lot of fanfare. A ribbon was cut, Mayor Jimmy Walker gave a speech, and President  Herbert Hoover  lit up the tower with a push of a button. The Empire State Building had become the tallest building in the world and would keep that record until the completion of the World Trade Center in New York City in 1972. Notes Jonathan Goldman,  The Empire State Building Book  (New York: St. Martins Press, 1980) 30.William Lamb as quoted in Goldman,  Book  31 and John Tauranac,  The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark  (New York: Scribner, 1995) 156.Hamilton Weber as quoted in Goldman,  Book  31-32.Goldman,  Book  32.Tauranac,  Landmark  176.Tauranac,  Landmark  201.Tauranac,  Landmark  208-209.Tauranac,  Landmark  213.Tauranac,  Landmark  215-216.Richmond Shreve as quoted in Tauranac,  Landmark  204. Bibliography Goldman, Jonathan.  The Empire State Building Book. New York: St. Martins Press, 1980.Tauranac, John.  The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark. New York: Scribner, 1995.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Family Folklore Tradition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family Folklore Tradition - Essay Example Instead, my father’s side of the family is expansive. He grew up with five brothers and two sisters, the collection of which is spread throughout the greater United States, in a variety of jobs and socioeconomic states. With some slight humor, our family reunions always occur at the home of my richest uncle – Pat. Our most recent family reunion occurred approximately two years ago. During this reunion all of my father’s sisters and brothers agreed to meet at my Uncle Pat’s home in Minnesota. Uncle Pat’s home is the obvious choice as it is an expansive estate on the water. During our first family reunion when I was a child I was struck by the size and amenities the estate contained, as I had never seen or experienced a home so large. My Uncle Pat was a highly successful stockbroker and his home reflects this affluence. In addition to living on the water, one of Pat’s neighbors is rumored to be the musician Prince – although we have neve r seen him. During the last family reunion the families arrived in Minnesota on the same day. Not unlike an episode from MTV’s Jersey Shore, or the Real World, the family that arrives first has the first choice of which room to take. As my Uncle’s home is fairly large, there are enough rooms for everyone to stay. Still, one of my uncles decided to stay at a hotel. Even as the families come together under the guise of friendship and shared background, there is always backstories and infighting that occurs among certain people. After the families have all arrived and settled into their rooms a wide variety of events take place. On the first full day of the reunion a large barbeque occurred in the backyard of the house. In addition to the families that arrived for the reunion, generally outside friends and neighbors are invited for the festivities. During the day things such as hot dogs and hamburgers are served and a variety of classic American amenities. While some peop le are eating others are engaging in discussions, or the children are playing video games or swimming in the pool. After everyone has eaten there is traditionally a large-scale volleyball game that occurs. This game is not very competitive, instead it functions to bring everyone together in a cooperative spirit, with children as young as five years old playing alongside forty year old men. The next day is generally reserved specifically for the family. While there is not a singular traditional event that occurs in this day, there are specific events that have been highly significant in my family tradition. For instance, during my last visit we visited the home that my father and his siblings grew up in. While I was initially resistant to the excursion, I soon came to greatly appreciate the experience. The home had long since been bought by another family, but they were selling it and agreed to let out family tour the home. While I envisioned the experience being boring, upon touring the home my father and his siblings began relaying stories that had occurred during their youth. For instance, my father talked about getting stuck in the laundry chute. My uncle showed us all how he would sneak in and out of the house without his parents finding out. While the experience was amusing, it also imbued me with great appreciation for the era and circumstances that my father and his family grew up in. This allowed me greater insight and perspective into his life. Towards the end of the week the family

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Alienation Theme in Metamorphosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alienation Theme in Metamorphosis - Essay Example One day Gregor wakes up to find that he is a large insect with tiny legs that could hardly carry him. His enormous efforts to wake up and catch the next train after missing the normal one do not bear fruit and he decides to sleep. However, he cannot sleep since he is used to sleep on the right side and apparently, he could not turn to that direction. His employer visits his house, which makes him open the door and reveal his real status to his parents and his employer who leaves the house quite scared. From this point, Gregor is isolated form the rest of his family and he keeps to his room where his sister feeds him. He adopts insect features and items are removed from his room to create him enough space to crawl and fly. Every day he eats less, which makes his body very weak. Gregor receives rejection when he leaves his room one last time after hearing sounds of violin form her sister playing for customers. He at last dies and his family celebrates his death (Kafka and Crick 29-44; Kafka web). This paper discusses Kafka theme of alienation through Gregor who is alienated from his job, family, social life, and himself. Alienation from Himself One morning, Gregor woke up transformed into large insect. As he lifted his head he could see his brown belly, slightly domed, and divided by arches into stiff sections. He was so huge such that the bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. Gregor had many legs, which were quite feeble compared to the rest of the body and could hardly carry him (Kafka web). This meant that Gregor had ceased to act like a human being and his actions had to change to that of an insect. He is a new man who has to rediscover himself again in his new form and manage the normal life he was used to. Kafka uses transformation from a human being to an insect to depict the highest level of alienation of human beings from themselves. Outwardly, Gregor could fulfil all his obligations most of which included his pare nt’s debts that he had to pay for the next six years. Despite working for the last fifteen years, he is living in his parent’s apartments with no future of himself, no dreams of his own and this is bound to continue for the next coming years. The job is so demanding that he has to leave the house at wee hours of morning, which makes him have not enough sleep. He has no time for himself to relax and do other things that he loves doing (Kafka web). Alienation from his Job Despite working for his company for the last fifteen years, Gregor is not one of the valued employees. Kafka presents him as one devoted employee who has never failed to report on duty for all these years that he has worked for this company (Kafka web). His devotion is because of loneliness that rocks his life due to lack of a woman around him and intimacy he longs for. A picture of a woman on his wall tells it all. However, his transformation has changed things now that he is not a valuable employee. H is current transformation alienates him from reporting to his duties a thing that makes him at loggerheads with his employers. A visit by a chief clerk form the company Gregor is working for highlights further conditions surrounding his work place. Gregor’s boss thinks that he has missed from work because of some money entrusted to him, which is not the case. The chief clerk is a good intermediary