Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Essay Example for Free

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Essay Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut combines the themes of loss and determinism to create a story of the power of tragedy. The characters and events experience the inevitability of tragedy and begin to accept the fate granted, affecting their view of their own lives. Billy Pilgrim is a numb and senseless character after his experiences in WWII; witnessing the bombing of Dresden triggered the concept that the he cannot change circumstances which therefore causes him to no longer participate in his life. Everything becomes insignificant, his view of death best showcases this stating carelessly, â€Å"so it goes† over 100 times through the novel, whether talking about the death of microbes in his jacket or the incomparable Martin Luther King Jr.; because to Billy, it is all the same. He accepts tragedies and views life as a helpless place therefore becoming discouraged from proactively seeking change and happiness. Similarly, the Tralfamadorian’s believe all events are out of their control and inevitable. They live without guilt because in their world, everything is meant to be, â€Å"There isn’t anything we can do about them (wars). So we simply don’t look at them. We ignore them.† (Vonnegut 101) The Tralfamadorians live in ignorance, not feeling the need or ability to influence events and view life as predetermined and unalterable. It can be argued that this outlook leaves it’s beholders oppressed and feeling powerless, in the way many readers view Billy, after the Tralfamadorian’s share this philosophy with him. This negative view of life is fueled by their accepting attitude and waves them of the responsibility such as preventing accidents like the end of the world from occurring. The lack of decision making and ignorance becomes deeply rooted in their fatalistic thoughts and damages positive feelings towards life. Billy and the Tralfamadorian’s mirror Vonnegut’s experiences and emotions, acting as an anchor to reality. Due to this Vonnegut serves as an ideal real world example of the effects of acceptance. Slaughterhouse-Five is a work entirely based on how Vonnegut understands life now, accepting the horrors of war and their impacts as his reality along with their side effects such as alcoholism and sadness. Vonnegut chooses to begin his novel with a bird singing, â€Å"Poo-tee-weet?†(Vonnegut 19) and ends Billy’s story  with the bird once again repeating itself. The bird is a meaningless limerick formed in Vonnegut mind to show how life just continues to pointlessly repeat. The entire novel is Vonnegut’s way of accepting and retelling tragedy and through each character and his own prologue it can be inferred Vonnegut views his life as a place which is no longer joyful and significant. Slaughterhouse-Five is a key literary example surrounding the negativity of how accepting events without inquiry allows people to forfeit both guilt and responsibility. In this book it is apparent the acceptance of tragedy effects the views of one’s life to become pointless and unhappy, consequently resulting in lack of motivation and then ignorance; discouraging a culture of growth and happiness.

Tennessee Williams Essay Example for Free

Tennessee Williams Essay Elia Kazan once said of Tennessee Williams that Everything in his life is in his plays, and everything in his plays is in his life. This statement could not possibly be more correct as every main character in A Street Car Named Desire whether it is their situation, physical description or personality traits can be linked to somebody who had played a role in Williams life. Firstly, the relationship between Stella and Stanley reflects that of Williams own parents. His family life was wracked with violent arguments and a tense atmosphere, which is clearly displayed in the play by Mr and Mrs Kowalski. Stellas attitude towards her marriage can be compared to that of Williams own mother Edwina. Stella says of Stanleys violent behaviour that people have got to tolerate each others habits, I feel that Williams depicted his own mother when creating Stella as he and his sister Rose often encouraged his mother to leave their abusive father but she was adamant to stay. It could be also said that the relationship between Stella and her sister Blanche is like the one Williams had with his sister Rose. Blanche is obviously mentally unbalanced and requires constant care and attention from Stella, however she is mortified when Blanche is committed to the asylum asking Eunice, What have I done to my sister? This is an event in the play that would certainly perturb Stella physiologically for the rest of her life. This echoes Williamss life because his sister had a full frontal lobotomy performed on her with the consent of her mother, this deeply disturbed Williams and I think there is a hint of this displayed in Blanches mentality and Stellas attitudes towards it. He also took care of his sister for the majority of her life as Stella did for Blanche before she left Belle Reve and also in the painful months before she was committed. Stella dotes on her sister and I think Williams felt the same way for his sister Rose. Blanche is the main character in the play but it can be difficult to define how Williams would feel close to her. I think however the issue of sexuality is what his empathy with Blanche is constructed of. Blanche is promiscuous and gives away her love freely but all of this is because of past rejection and heartache. Blanche was married when she was very young but she caught her husband in bed with another man and at the time when this was written, homosexuality was looked upon as disgusting, abnormal and considered a sin. Williams was a homosexual and perhaps this situation was his way of adding his personal feelings and issues that had affected him into Blanches persona. After consideration however, I actually feel that Williams feels closest to Stanley. Williams actually had a close friend named Stanley Kowalski when he was forced to work at the International Shoe Company for his father. Even though he is considered the villain of the play, I think Williams saw his father in Stanley. The violence he witnessed in his early years obviously affected him deeply and perhaps he felt that all marriages were in fact based on desire and sex as opposed to love. Perhaps this is why he was homosexual. Also, I think Stanley has some of the same traits as his creator, Stanley is a heavy drinker and gambler and these are problems that ailed Williams during the course of his life. It would appear that Williams never had the luxury of the truth about his familys issues being concealed from him I think this is why he made Stanley such a realist and allowed him to expose Blanche. It is clear that Williams was never expecting a happy ending both in the play and his life. My personal feelings are actually very different. Although I can understand why Williams would feel close to Stanley I have no empathy for the character myself. The person I feel closest to in the play is actually Mitch. I would like to think Mitch could be defined as the hero of the play; one of Blanches first observations of Mitch is that he seems different from the others. Mitch was Blanches ticket to happiness and if it werent for Stanley all of this could have been possible. I think the reason why I feel so close to Mitch is because of his touching behaviour in Scene eleven. When he realises what is happening to Blanche he threatens to kill Stanley for what he has done but his emotions and love for Blanche overcome him and he collapses at the table sobbing. Stanley may be the king but Mitch is a human being at least.

Cup Plate Method | Cultivation Of Microorganism

Cup Plate Method | Cultivation Of Microorganism An Adduct formed by stirring (0.01 mole) of aromatic aldehyde with the 40% of NaHSO3. O-phenylenediamine (0.01 mole) was dissolved in 50 ml of warm Ethanol 80. The NaHSO3 adduct of the aldehyde is added slowly with constant stirring in the warm solution of O-phenylenediamine stirred for 20-30 min still solid product obtained, then added 100 ml of Distilled water and filtered . Now the product was recrystallised by using Ethanol. Step 2: Nicotinoyl Cloride 0.1 mole of Nicotinic Acid was refluxed for 6 hrs with the 20 ml of Thionyl Chloride. After this the excess of Thionyl Chloride was distilled off and separated from the product and dried it. Step 3: 0.01 mole of 2-phenylbenzimidazole solution in 100 ml Pyridine stirred for 8 hrs constantly with the 0.01 mole of Nicotinoyl Chloride ,then the water added 50 ml to get a solid product. The product was filtered, dried and recrystallised using Ethanol. Scheme: AIM AND OBJECTIVES Molecular modification of a promising lead compound is still a major line of approach for the discovery of new drug. Molecular modification involves substituting, elimination, or adding new moieties to a parent lead compound, there by making gradual changes in the physico-chemical properties of the parent compound and thus biological activity of the compound. It is clear from the literature review that a number of Benzimidazole derivatives are known for the, antibacterial, antifungal and ant-inflammatory activities properties. The present studies were performed with the following objectives: Synthesis of new series of 1,2-substituted benzimidazole derivatives. Characterization of newly synthesized compounds by spectra methods viz.infrared spectra (IR spectra), Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra ( ¹H NMR spectra) and (Mass spectra). Screening of the antibacterial and Antifungal of the newly synthesized compounds using various strains of bacteria and fungi by determining their MIC. Screening of anti-inflammatory action of Benzimidazole derivatives. Scope and Plan of work: Literature survey revealed that Benzimidazole nucleus is a part numerous class of reported molecules exhibiting diverse range of biological activities like antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, analgesic ,anti-inflammatory activity, antihyperlipidemic, antihistaminic, antiulcer, anti-arrhythmic , HIV-RT inhibitor. Considering the reported data about Benzimidazole nucleus we have tried to synthesize some Nicotinoyl derivatives of Benzimidazole. The Benzimidazole derivatives of all above mentioned activities are mostly of 2-substituted type .The synthesis of 2-(substituted phenyl)-benzimidazolyl-1-pyridinyl-3-methanone was carried out and screened for antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activity. The present work was divided in to three sections: Synthesis of 1,2-substituted derivatives of Benzimidazole . Chemical Characterisation of the synthesized compounds. Biological evaluation of synthesized compounds. Pharmacological screening of the synthesized compounds. ANTIMICROBIAL SCREENING An antibiotic is a chemical compound that in high dilution hinders the growth and the survival of one or more species of microorganism.A drug is considered to have bacteriostatic or fungistatic activity when it inhibits the growth of bacteria or fungi respectively and bactericidal or fungicidal activity when it kills the bacteria or fungi. In vitro tests are used as screening procedure for new agents and for testing the susceptibility of individual isolates from infection to determine which of the available drug might be useful therapeutically. Important factors for antimicrobial activity are size of the inoculums, metabolic state of microorganism, pH, temperature, and duration of interaction, concentration of the inhibitor and presence of interfering substance. ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY STUDIES Literature survey reveals that the synthesis and evaluation of antibacterial activity of various 2-substituted benzimidazole derivatives. The development of resistant among various pathogenic microorganisms towards the antibiotics has increased the impetus for investigating new antimicrobial agent. When a compound are synthesized in the hope that one of them would be more effective than the existing one. The antimicrobial effectiveness of a compound can be evaluated by serial dilution method and cup plate method. Dilution susceptibility tests are used to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). MIC is the lowest concentration of a drug that inhibits the growth of a particular organism under specific condition. The sensitivity of a compound against a particular organism can be studied by cup plate method.Initially the zone of inhibition method was carried out to evaluate the sensitivity of the organism were selected for determination of MIC. CUP PLATE METHOD: Cultivation of Microorganism: The following microorganisms were used to study the antibacterial activity. Bacillus subtilis Gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureous Gram positive bacteria Escherichia coli Gram negative bacteria Salmonella typhi Gram negative bacteria Standard: Streptomycin (1000mcg) Solvent: DMF All the test compounds were tested at 250  µg, 500  µg , and 1000  µg. Preparation of the medium: Composition of nutrient agar medium Beef extract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..10g Peptone†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..10g Sodium chloride†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5g Agar†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.20g Purified water†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1000ml pH 7.2 ± 0.2 The medium was prepared by dissolving the specified quantity of the dehydrated medium in purified water by heating on a water bath and were dispensed in 100 ml volume conical flasks. The conical flasks were closed with cotton plugs and were sterilized by autoclaving at 121 °C (15 lb psig) for 15 minutes. The contents of the conical flasks were poured aseptically into sterile Petridishes are allowed to solidify. These sterilized Medias were used to subculture the bacterial culture. PROCEDURE: Each Petridish was filled to a depth of 4-5 mm with a nutrient agar medium that was previously inoculated with suitable inoculums of suitable test organism, and then allowed to solidify. The petridish were specially selected with flat bottom and were placed on level surface so as to ensure that the layer of medium is in uniform thickness. The petridishes were sterilized at 160-170 °C in hot air oven for 30 mins before use. Small sterile borer of uniform size was placed approximately at 10 cm height, having an internal diameter of approximately 6-8 mm and made of aluminium (or) stainless steel. Each plate was divided in to four equal portions along the diameter. To each portion one cylindrical cavity was made in medium with the help of sterile borer. Three cavities for test compounds and one cavity for the standard. The petridishes were incubated at 37 °C for 18 hours. Diameter of the zone of inhibition was measured and the average diameter for each sample was calculated. The diam eter obtained by the test sample was compared with that produced by standard Streptomycin. CUP PLATE METHOD: Cultivation of Microorganism The following fungal strains were used to study the antibacterial activity. 1. C.raphigera 2. A.polytricha Standard: Ketocanazole (1000mcg) Solvent: DMF All the test compounds were tested at 250  µg, 500  µg , and 1000  µg. Preparation of the medium: Composition of nutrient agar medium Sabraoud Dextrose broth..64gm Distilled water.1000ml pH..7.2 ± 0.2 The medium was prepared by dissolving the specified quantity of the dehydrated medium in purified water by heating on a water bath and were dispensed in 100 ml volume conical flasks. The conical flasks were closed with cotton plugs and were sterilized by autoclaving at 121 °C (15 lb psig) for 15 minutes. The contents of the conical flasks were poured aseptically into sterile Petridishes are allowed to solidify. These sterilized medias were used to subculture the fungal culture. ROCEDURE: Each Petridish was filled to a depth of 4-5 mm with a nutrient agar medium that was previously inoculated with suitable inoculums of suitable test organism, and then allowed to solidify. The petridish were specially selected with flat bottom and were placed on level surface so as to ensure that the layer of medium is in uniform thickness. The petridishes were sterilized at 160-170 °C in hot air oven for 30 mins before use. Small sterile borer of uniform size was placed approximately at 10 cm height, having an internal diameter of approximately 6-8 mm and made of aluminium (or) stainless steel. Each plate was divided in to four equal portions along the diameter. To each portion one cylindrical cavity was made in medium with the help of sterile borer. Three cavities for test compounds and one cavity for the standard. The petridishes were incubated at 37 °C for 18 hours. Diameter of the zone of inhibition was measured and the average diameter for each sample was calculated. The diam eter obtained by the test sample was compared with that produced by standard Ketocanazole.

Bipolar Disorder in Adolescents Essays -- health, spectrum disorder

Case Study In this paper, I will present a case study in which I will describe the struggles of living with an adolescent diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I will discuss the case, the family relationships, the causes and diagnosis, and the treatment options currently available to those with bipolar disorder in general. The purpose of my paper is to make the reader aware of what goes on in the life of an adolescent with bipolar disorder type II. VR is a vibrant, beautiful, fun loving 17 year old. She is witty, creative and has a deep passion for dance. Over the last couple of years however, there are many times when she becomes so sad that it is difficult for her to function. She will go to sleep immediately after school and still have a hard time getting up in the morning. My parents have received numerous phone calls from her teachers advising us that she will fall asleep in class and this is after having slept 12 hours the prior night. During these times of sadness, VR refuses to talk with her friends. In fact, she refuses to talk to anyone or do any of the activities she so thoroughly enjoys. VR also has times when she is extremely full of energy and nothing stops her. Although this doesn’t happen as often, this excess energy is much more extreme than normal adolescent behavior. When she experiences these bouts of excess energy, VR talks non-stop. She talks so fast that people have a hard time comprehendin g what she is saying. It is during these episodes that she will go nights without any sleep and still function normally. In addition to days of complete sadness or excessive energy she also has to deal with erratic menstrual cycles. During these times, she gets extremely bad headaches, throws up, and bleeds qui... ...ents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1, 439-449. Lewinsohn, P.M., Seeley, J.R., & Klein, D.N. (2003). Bipolar disorders during adolescence. Acta Psychiatry Scan, 108(418), 47-50. Miklowitz, D.J. (2007). The role of the family in the course and treatment of bipolar disorder. Psychological Science, 16(4), 192-194. Morris, C.D., Miklowitz, D.J., & Waxmonsky, J.A. (2007). Family-focused treatment for bipolar disorder in adults and youth. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63(5), 433-445. Sullivan, A.E., & Miklowitz, D.J. (2010). Family functioning among adolescents with bipolar disorder. Journal of Family Psychology, 24(1), 60-67. Wilkinson, G.B., Taylor, P., & Holt, J.R. (2002). Bipolar disorder in adolescence: Diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 24(4), 348-357.

munchausen :: essays research papers

The Analysis of Baron Munchausen   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book Signs of Life, the author Linda Seger writes about heroes, and their typical characteristics, that for the most part have always been the same throughout history. Even the word hero is already put in the male tense, suggesting there that most heroes have been and will be males. For the most part Seger’s points are well taken and are backed up mostly by every heroic story I’ve ever read or seen before in my life. The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen definitely pushes the typical hero envelope, but even still, Seger’s idea of typical hero characteristics shown through in most of this crazy Monty Python type film. Seger explains from the beginning of her article that the hero usually, â€Å"begins as a nonhero; innocent, young, simple or humble† (Signs of Life; 318). This observation one finds to be false when it comes to the Baron. She goes on to write in her second point that something happens to heroes â€Å"that sets the story in motion† (Signs of Life; 319). Well how can this point be proven wrong if something didn’t get the hero started he would then cease to be hero wouldn’t they. In her third point Seger reports that the hero doesn’t really want to leave where they are, even when they’ve already been asked once. She states that the hero usually, â€Å"receives a double call to adventure† (Signs of Life; 319). Asking the hero once for the sake of 2 others isn’t enough, it’s only when it becomes personal the hero takes action. In most journeys the hero â€Å"usually receives help† (Signs of Life; 319) and typically gets it mostly from â€Å"unusual sources† (Signs of Life; 319). You’ll find that most everything the entire movie of Baron Munchausen is unusual and that the hero himself is just as unusual as the person or moon he is talking to. The final point that I have chosen to analyze from Seger’s writing in Signs of Life, comes from her fifth point. She explains that once the hero is ready to begin the hero â€Å"moves into a special world where he or she will change from the ordinary to the extraordinary† (Signs of Life; 319). This is usually the first plot point that sets the story in motion or in our case the Baron on his way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea from Seger that the hero â€Å"usually begins as a nonhero† (Signs of Life; 318) doesn’t hold true to this story at all.

Interstate 15 and California 60 Freeway Interchange Essay -- transporta

We take them for granted when driving miles to the closest mall. We are unconscious of their usefulness when traveling to see a distant relative by car. We can't take a moment to stop and admire their beauty and usefulness; the architectural wonders that are highways and their interchanges; which have such a rich history embedded in the American suburbia of today. Let's go back to the early 1900's, when the automobile was starting to become a dominate part of the American life (Morton, 2014). Around this time; a shift began to occur towards private transportation over public by influencing policies in their favor (Nicolaides and Wiese, 2006). One of these polices was created by the Federal Aid Highway of 1925; the United States Highway System which basically expanded the highways across the United States connecting one another, creating new opportunities for growth in many areas (Weingroff, 1996). This had many effects on different factors of the American way of life; specifically s uburbia (Morton, 2014). After the war, the private home that was a luxury a few years prior, was now becoming affordable for many thanks to low interest rates and flexible payments through the National Housing Act of 1934, created by the Federal Housing Administration (Fishman, 1987). Perfect example of a policy acting towards private over public was the Los Angles Master Plan of 1941, which pushed the direction of private automobiles and singles households: there being 1.16 million cars (2.4 people per car) and having 31 percent of the city land dedicated for single family homes, this was really solidifying the post suburbia lifestyle (Fishman, 1987). In Los Angeles alone around this time, 900 square miles were transformed to tract development homes ... ... have key roles in their contribution to the development of the highway we know today. Works Cited "California Roads and Highways." California @ AARoads. AARoads, 14 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. "Field Guide to Interchanges." Kurumi. Kurumi, n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Fishman, Robert. Bourgeois Utopias: The Rise and Fall of Suburbia. New York: Basic, 1987. Print. Morton, Patricia. "." Introduction to Architecture and Urbanism: Suburbia. University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA. 06 February, 2014. Lecture. Nicolaides, Becky M., and Andrew Wiese. "Postwar Suburbs and the Construction of Race." The Suburb Reader. New York: Routledge, 2006. 321-48. Print. Weingroff, Richard F. "Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956: Creating the Interstate System." Public Roads. US Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration, Summer 1996. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

Proposal for Fashion Industry Essay

Age: The consumer club of Espire company would like to know how customer spend their money every day. Many customers complain that they do not have enough money at the end of the month. The purpose of this questionnaire is to find out the inequity of our customer. It will determine where they go to shopping, How much they spend on items they buy, is the product is affordable and etc. The data will be kept confidential. Please return completed questionnaire to your introduce or put it in the envelope in front of room g15. Indicate your feeling about the following items by ticking ( / ) on the appropriate line. 1. What is your work status? Student Working Self-employed 0thers, please specify __________ 2.What is your annual spending on designer and fashion accessories in a year? Less than RM100 RM100-RM400 RM401-RM900 RM901-RM1500 More than RM1500 3.Do you think our products are affordable to buy? Yes No 4. How important are the following features of a shopping experience to you? Important Unimportant Price On-Trend Brand Convenient Location Store Atmosphere Product Quality 5. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement. Agree Disagree Espire has low prices Espire has a contemporary image Espire has a well known brand name Espire has a convenient location Espire produces high quality products Espire is a trendsetter Thank you for your cooperation ESPIRE COMPANY QUESTIONNAIRE Â  Name: Gender:Â  Age: The consumer club of Espire company would like to know how customer react on usage of real animal fur .Many customers complain that they don’t encourage the usage of real animal fur in our daily life. Meanwhile the others prefer to use real animal fur in our daily life.The purpose of this questionnaire is to find out which type of society is majority in this world. It will determine what type of material they use , what items they buy, is the product is worth it and etc. The data will be kept confidential. Please return completed questionnaire to your introduce or put it in the envelope in front of room g15. Indicate your feeling about the following items by ticking ( / ) on the appropriate line. Yes No 1. I do not use clothes and accessories made from real animal fur. 2. I change my clothes made from real animal fur regularly. 3. Clothes and accessories made from Real animal fur is popular among Teenagers and adults. 4. Where do you get information about products made from real animal fur? friend magazine tv/radio the internet newspaper other, please specify _________________ 5. Please rank the following criteria you use in materials used in fashion industry (1- Most preferred to 5 –lease preferred) real animal fur cotton pvc price brand name