Ireland based on Dermot Bolger’s Family Essay Example for Free

Ireland based on Dermot Bolger’s Family Essay In The Family on Paradise Pier by Dermot Bolger, some interesting themes are brought to light about Ireland and the interactions of people living there. This is one work that tells the overarching story of Irish history from a cultural perspective and from a highly personalized point of view. Starting with the trials and tribulations of one particular family, Bolger uses this placeholder to delve into issues surrounding all of Ireland at that time. The Goold Verschoyle family, and more specifically the children, act as a clear representation of an entire class of Irish people growing up in the early twentieth century. Bolger paints the picture of an Ireland where people were often forced to struggle and where people experienced challenges as they attempted to make transitions. He paints a portrait of Ireland as a place that was fluid and dynamic, always changing with the times. Because of that, the people in Ireland had a hard time finding their place between the two World Wars and beyond. The political climate was such that people were forced to adapt quickly, and the socioeconomic conditions were such that even people with inherent advantages went through some struggles as a result of their heritage. It could be said that the Ireland in this Bolger work is a complicated and confusing place, and it is one where children are forced to constantly reconsider their goals, dreams, and aspirations. The author does his very best to frame the struggles of an entire generation through the experiences of one family, which might not be a complete portrait, but it is quite obviously representative of an entire sector of the population in question. One important theme to consider in this work is how Ireland changed over time. The author uses to young children in the story to show how expectations and how experiences changed as Ireland was brought into the war. In the beginning, Ireland was a place where children felt safe and they felt as if opportunity was on the horizon. The portrait of Ireland was a positive one at that point in time, though it would most certainly change as the story went along. The book, the author writes of young Eva, â€Å"Eva thought it was glorious to wake up with this sense of expectation. The entire day would be spent outdoors, with their family chattering away on the back of Mr. Ffrench’s aeroplane cart as Eva dangled her legs over the swaying side and held down her wide-brimmed hat with one hand in the breeze. Sure no other bliss to equal this† (Bolger, 2006). In this, one can see that Ireland was a land of opportunity in the early going. Children felt as if they had the world at their feet, with different chances abounding. It is certainly worth noting that these children grew up in a privileged home, but that does not change the fact that Ireland offered them something. It was a place where life could not get any better, and where the entire family had time to worry about leisure. As the story goes along, Bolger traces the development of Ireland, as it goes from being a place where children can play and enjoy themselves to being a place where fear is rampant. This all has to do with the war and the political transitions taking place in the country in the early twentieth century. As the work continues along, the children grow up, and that allows the author to take on some more serious themes. While the early part of the book is spent describing how lovely it is to grow up in Ireland at that time, the next portion of the book describes the children as they struggle to fit in with the changing political landscape. Additionally, it shows Ireland as a place where rigid rules dictate a host of different things. These rules dictate, specifically, how things are passed down and what role the oldest son will take as he grows older. This is something that was important in Irish society, and it is something that weighed heavy on the mind of Art. As with many items in this work, Bolger uses that character as a representative for his generation at large, tracing their collective struggle through his somewhat common experiences. The author writes, â€Å"All the house cats belonged to Father. Mother’s pleasure arose from holding any baby in her arms. Eva was the only baby she ever rejected, just for a brief moment after Eva was born. ‘Take her away’, she had ordered the nurse because – having already borne one daughter – she was convinced that she had been carrying that all-important son and heir† (Bolger, 2006). This shows not only the importance of the first born son in Irish tradition, but also the struggle that may have been felt by young women in Ireland at the time. Bolger paints a portrait of Ireland that is not exactly favorable toward women. Though it may have been a fine place to grow up for young Eva in the beginning, the society was most certainly slanted toward men and satisfying their desires. The fathers wanted and needed sons to carry on their bloodlines, which put a tremendous amount of pressure on the family dynamic, and causes some internal strife for daughters in Irish society at that time. Whether this is a clear and complete picture of Irish society is a debate all in itself, but this is the representation that Bolger puts into play with his words. One thing that that author is sure to touch on is the relationship of politics in the changing Irish society. Young men were almost forced to have a political opinion, and they were required to juggle this political activism with their own family responsibilities. Because the role of the first-born son was so important in Irish society, boys born into that role had certain expectations placed upon them. They were to be responsible, mature, and they were to make the best possible decisions. Family and society at large put these tremendous pressures on them, and boys were constantly pulled from their own thoughts to consider those things that the family held dear. In a society where the political landscape was constantly changing, this created an interesting dynamic for young boys. The author specifically uses the situation of Art to bring this point to light. He is one who is getting caught up the communist movement, taking to its nuances and trying to get more involved. Still, he does not quite understand how to balance his newfound political activism with the type of responsibilities and burdens that are placed on his shoulders by the family. The author writes of this, â€Å"All night Art had been arguing with university friends about Italian politics in Fletcher’s rooms near Blackfriars. Fletcher was not of like mind to the others: he saw nothing wrong in truckloads of Il Duce’s fascists storming into Milan to end the communist-led strike there with the black-shirted thugs tearing down the Bolshevik flags hanging from the town hall. Fletcher could not understand why Art took such matters so seriously† (Bolger, 2006). Art was caught up in the political movement and it put pressure on the entire family dynamic. As he became more of a free thinker, he began to question many aspects of Irish society. This inner dialogue provides the author with the perfect opportunity to expand out his thoughts on Irish society at large. This expansion goes into the â€Å"unchangeable† nature of life in Ireland. Though things all around the children were changing, with wars and political movements and new technologies, the children themselves had no ability to change their stars, at least according to the author. This is because of how the author paints Ireland as a society highly steeped in tradition. Things were set in stone years before, which meant that children essentially had their lives mapped out on the basis of random chance, and not on the basis of what they were capable of accomplishing. The first-born son is a perfect example of this, as he is to inherit all of the wealth built up by the family, while his siblings were left to fight for the scraps. This is something that Art had to grapple with, as he could not wrap his mind around why he had gotten so lucky in this regard. He saw this as a twisted society, and it was certainly not the portrait painted by a naive young girl in the early part of the book. As things changed in Irish society and the children grew, they came to find that perhaps their opportunities were more limited than they had originally figured. By no fault of their own, they were shoehorned into one particular life path, while first-born sons were able to enjoy the spoils of their fortunate timing. The author writes of this, â€Å"Yet the more he studied politics the more he realized that he was like them. All that distinguished him from his siblings was a fluke of birth, a throw of the dice yielding him absolute access to wealth while the others were left to scramble for minor bequests. Past generations had ensured that this was a chalice he could not refuse. Short of dying, Art had no means of breaking that cycle of indenture† (Bolger, 2006). What is interesting about this take is that the author actually paints it as a struggle for the person receiving the fortuitous treatment. This paints a portrait of Ireland as a society where even people who have the advantages are forced to feel trapped. Even though Art had everything that he could have asked for in order to make a success of his life, he still felt as if his life had little freedom. Perhaps that is why he associated so well with the communist movement, as it was something that seemed familiar to him over the long haul. It is important that the author painted the family as being happy and loving in the beginning, as it allows him to paint a stark contrast in the end. He represents the family as being torn apart by all of the environmental changes taking place in Ireland and in larger Europe during the years surrounding the World War. The author writes, â€Å"The Goold Vershoyle children were born into a respected freethinking Protestant family in a Manor House alive with laughter, debate and fascinating guests. But the world of picnics and childish infatuations is soon under threat as political changes within Ireland and the whole world encroach upon their private paradise† (Bolger, 2006). As the story goes on to describe, the family dynamic all about Ireland was being nearly destroyed by boys who felt the need to become politically active. As Art got deeper and deeper into the throws of communism, his family gained resentment, and the happy home was torn into something ugly. It was a place where people were once again being restricted, this time by the expectations that society so diligently placed on young men who were to inherit their family’s possessions. The author has Cousin George indicate in the book, â€Å"The family’s reputation was being indelibly eroded by Art’s willful madness in embracing communism, which he considered to be a cancer gradually infecting them all. Such lunacy might be all right for pagans like the Ffrenches, but his uncle was always too soft in allowing inflammatory discussions at the table† (Bolger, 2006). The need for discussion that burned within a newly active political generation was boiling over, causing tension and breeding strife that might not have been there in the beginning. In this, the author paints the portrait of an Ireland full of differing viewpoints, even within households. It was a place where people were forced to take sides, even if that was not a natural act for them. As things changed, the movement swept up everyone, so much so that it became a part of daily life for even the most respected families in the country. There are a number of representations of Ireland that are presented in this work, most of them dealing with the changing political landscape and the idea of opportunity. The author paints a portrait of Ireland that includes much inner-strife and he shows that it is a place where the goals and dreams of children are replaced by the realities of growing up. With communism thrown into the mix as an extra detractor from the family dynamic, he represents Ireland as a place that is highly splintered, with different viewpoints attempting to climb on top of one another for position and leverage. Works Cited Bolger, Dermot. â€Å"The Family on Paradise Pier†. 1 May 2006. HarperPerennial Purblishing.

Employee and Student Involvement in Classroom Decisions

Employee and Student Involvement in Classroom Decisions Introduction Employee involvement plays an important role in an organization especially to achieve an organization goals and objectivities. Due to manager limited ability to make the best decision alone, so employee participation in decision making process is very important. Through this process it can generate more diversity and better solutions. So the same concept can be applies on many other activities, not just for the organization or office decision making only. For example, employee involvement also can be apply to many daily activities such as classrooms activities that involve students during the decision making process. When there is student involvement in the decision making process, it is known as participative decision making. Student involvement defined as the degree to which student influence how the decision is organized and carried out. This provides opportunities to students for sharing their knowledge and information between each other when they take part in decision making. However, non-participative decision making process still often occurs. It happen when students did not take part in the decision making process during classrooms activities. It means that these students might not even know the existence of the problem or they are not motivated to provide any information, recommendations, commitment in the classroom or maybe the instructor did not want to discuss with the student when making the decision. On the other side, student involvement can be divided into three levels. At the lowest level of student involvement, students will just provide the information when their instructors ask them. They do not make any recommendation and might not even know what the problem is about. At the medium level, students know the source of problem and they will make recommendations to instructor. At the highest level of student involvement, entire decision making process is handed over to students for them to solve it. These all can be summarized by the figure below. Those are the examples in the level of student involvement in both participative and non-participative decision making process. The higher the rung on the ladder indicates that the higher level of student involvement in the decision making process. Although student involvement in decision making process has many advantages but it also leads to some potential problems that might occur during the process. Problem Identification In this assignment, the main problem is focus to the explanation on how student involvement in classroom decisions typically made by the instructor alone might improve decision quality and the potential problems that may occur in this process. Source of Problems Based on the problem that has been identified, we will elaborate the source of problem according to the problems that may occur during the participative decision making process and also the problems that may occur during the non-participative decision making process. The explanation is made like that, in order to make a comparison between participative decision making and non-participative decision making. The purpose is to give a clear view on how student involvement in classroom decision typically made by the instructor alone might improve decision quality. Besides, this elaboration also can answer the second problem what potential problems that may occur in the participative decision making process. These are the potential problems that might occur during the participative decision making process : Risk of conflict There are two types of conflict undermine the benefits of the student involvement. First, the conflict of ideas. In participative decision making process, many students are involved. Different people come out with different ideas and opinion. So automatically it will generate a lot of ideas, opinions and solutions. This will easily leads to the conflict of ideas. Normally it is hard to reach an agreement on the preferred solution. Second, the conflict between the student individual goal and the overall goal. Sometimes the student goals and the classroom goals will be different, then it will happen conflict within that individual. This will prevent that student to give full contribution in the decision making process. Decision Structure Decision structure is the decision that made based on the past experiences. Usually the problem that happens in this situation is the problem that is routine. It means that the problem had happened before and the solution has been identified in the past. Normally when this kind of problem occurs again, the standard procedure developed with a ready-made solution. So there is no need for the student involvement when making the decision since the instructor already know how to solve it based on the past experience. Lack of Sufficient Knowledge Sometimes students do not have the knowledge that is needed to solve the problem. So even if they participate in the decision making process, they also cannot provide much help since they lack of sufficient knowledge. Decision Commitment Students are made up by variety of people. Some are very active, motivated and give a lot of commitment in the decision making process. However, some students are very inactive, not motivated and will not contribute in the decision making process. Fishbone (Source of Problem) Decision commitment Risk of Conflict Participative Decision Making Lack of sufficient knowledge Decision structure On the other side, these are the potential problems that might occur in the non-participative decision making process : Power Sharing The will of the decision maker or the instructor to share the power with the students. Lack of Alternatives People collectively tend to be better than individuals at generating and picking the best alternative because they have diverse perspectives and a broad representation of values. Decision Commitment Some students are unlikely to accept a decision made without their involvement, especially when the problem is related to them. Problem Identification Sometime instructor alone fails to identify the problem accurately because students are usually the first to know when the problem occurs. Mind-Map (Source of Problem) Learning Outcomes Nowadays, western countries already practice classroom decision making rather than only listen to the lecturers and follow whatever the lecturers have decided. Different people have different thought and one issue or questions may come out with various solutions. This will not happen if students ideas and creativity in decision making process are being ignored or restricted. Therefore, throughout this classroom decision making, we can found out some learning outcomes which can benefit many parties. Of course, the most beneficial party will be students. By participating in classroom decision making process, students are becoming more independent, responsible, aggressive, and more confidence. These outcomes are helping them in their future workplace. In terms of independent, the students can become more independent in making their own decision rather than relying on lecturer to make decision. This also built up students confidence level as they need to be confidence with the decision they made and be responsible of the effect or result from the decision made. Furthermore, students may gain diverse useful information and experience from others through the sharing of different decision making process especially in group assignments. This process is not only beneficial for the students themselves but also other students. Throughout the process, others may absorb different way to make the correct decision or it might be efficient way to make a better decision. Therefore, the students involve less cost occur and yet student may develop their problem solving skills. By realizing the importance of the classroom decision making participation, students may also improve their communication skills. Among all the assignments or coursework, students may be required or encouraged to have it in a group or team for better decision making. By doing this, students are able to share their various decision among all the group members and decision can be made accurately throughout all the discussion that made by group members. This may come out with better results. Indirectly, students can realize that the importance of communication which playing an important role in every decision making process. Generate alternatives to solve the problem The main problem can be solved by two alternatives. It is either to implement participative decision making process in the classroom or non-participative decision making process. Choose alternative to solve the problem We has chosen the participative decision making process instead of the non-participative decision making process. This is chosen based on the analysis that we have done on the potentials problems from both methods. In our opinion, participative decision making that involve student in it is better and more suitable compare to the non-participative decision making that made based on the instructor alone. When there are more people involved in the decision making process, there are a high number of outcomes. So the probability to leads to a better solution is getting higher. Furthermore, recently student in Colorado remarked, We can give you respect. We are able to understand the issues. We can think for ourselves. Its our education. If we have a say, it will make a difference. Based on that remarked phrase, we can see that nowadays students are prefers participative decision making more compare to non-participative. Besides that, we also can affects on the student behavior and values through participative decision making. If we want student to take responsibility for their own behavior and decision, we must first give them responsibility. Moreover student involvement in the decision making process will positively increase their commitment towards the decision that are make in the class either directly or indirectly. Involving student in the decision making process offers a number of advantages. First, it can identify and define the problems better. It is because students are the first one to know when something goes wrong. Other than that, it usually generates more and better solutions than the instructor working alone. Lastly, through student involvement, it is more likely to select the best option. People collectively tend to be better than individual alone when picking the best alternatives. This is because they have diverse perspectives and a broad representation of values. That is why we choose participative decision making instead of non-participative decision making. There are several ways to solve the potential problems that might occur during the participative decision making process. That is through : Motivating student by rewards Usually, the students always motivate by the reward given by lecturer. The reward can be consists of beneficiary reward and non-beneficiary reward. Beneficiary reward is given something to the students such as pen drive or other stationery. Meanwhile, the non-beneficiary reward is an intangible reward, and this type reward usually come from internal forces or nonverbal. The examples of non-beneficiary are give encouragement (e.g. well done, good job, etc.) Through reward, the students are more motivated to involve themselves in discussion and these can strengthen their commitment to the decision. Complexity of the problem Student involvement is unnecessary when the problem is routine. Instead, the benefits of the student involvement increase with the novelty and complexity of the problem or opportunity. Provide sufficient information If the student is lack of sufficient information, then the instructor should provide them some necessary information first for them before involving them into the participative decision making process. Level of involvement If the student goals and norms conflict with the overall goals, then only a low level of student involvement is advisable. If the conflict of idea is likely, then high involvement would be difficult to achieve, so a low level of involvement is advisable. Team Reflection After completing this assignment, our group felt that it was a great learning experience for every member of the team. Throughout this assignment, we face many problems. Before we start the assignment, we made a discussion to understand the question and also give the opinion about the answer individually. Therefore, communication is very important in this discussion. All of us have to learn how to cooperate in a team and respect different opinions. If there is a member of the team not willing to give their thought to the team members, it will not lead to a complete assignment. Every members opinion is very important in doing this assignment, so we make sure that everyone contributes ideas in running a team before we make the final decision. After that, we have to decide how to present creatively and effectively, who will go to present in front of the class. We had to create a way of present that can attract the attention of the class to listen in a limited time which is only 10 minutes for each group. Therefore, time management is very important in this assignment. We have to estimate the time for presentation and also make sure the slide show is interesting and informative that can caught attention of students to listen. Also, we have to make sure that the presenter is very well in presentation which has the best English communication skills. Because our group consists of four members, therefore we have to separate the task to each of the member. The summarizing which is the most crucial part that needs to transmit clearly as this we will give the strongest presenter who had the best English communication skills to present. While the introduction and the definition will present by the other member. As a conclusion, thi s presentation gives a very good experience to every member and this can help members not to nervous when speaking in front of people. It can also improve member speaking skills in order to become more comfortable when speaking in front of people. Overall, we enjoyed doing this assignment. This is a great challenge for all of us where all members have to overcome those conflicts. Thus, it is a great team building experience for all the members as this can help everyone in future team oriented projects. Conclusion Nowadays, many countries already practice classroom decision making rather than only listen to the lecturers and follow whatever the lecturers have decided. This kind of motivation can make us become more efficient when doing something. From this, we realize that it is importance for us to involve in the classroom decision making process. This is a sharing and learning process. Through participating in classroom decision making process, students are becoming more independent, responsible, aggressive, and more confidence. These outcomes are helping them in their future workplace. From participative decision making, we have the chance to absorb new idea from others. It provides us the sufficient knowledge for making the decision in future. Moreover, the students communication skill can be improved, which serve as a vital skill in our life. As a conclusion, the learning outcomes for this assignment have been achieved and all solutions for the potential problems had been identified. Although the participative decision making process have some sort of potential problems, however, at overall it is still better than non-participative decision making.

Benvenuto Cellini and the Creation of Perseus :: essays papers

Benvenuto Cellini and the Creation of Perseus My name is Bernardino Mannellini. I am now working on my own trying to succeed as a sculptor here in Rome. I have found the job extremely difficult, but it was expected after my apprenticeship with the great sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini. He was not the most famous but was equally deserving as such great sculptors as Michel Agnolo Buonarroti. This is why I write to you today. Cellini produced one of the most beautiful works of this time in his masterpiece of Perseus. It was a remarkable feat whose story cannot go untold (Huntley 251). Cellini and I had arrived in Florence from France for a short while. Although he was very successful in France under the encouragement of Majesty King Francis, Cellini wanted very much to revisit his birthplace of Florence. He quickly became known to the Duke and did a few works for him. First, the colossal bronze bust of his Excellency; secondly, a restoration of the Ganymede in marble which cost a great deal of difficulty; and thirdly, the Medusa head cast in bronze. Succeeding well with Medusa, Cellini wanted to start on a cast of Perseus holding the head of Medusa (Cellini 410). Cellini made the wax model which came out beautifully, but I was questionable to whether it would come out in bronze as did the Medusa. Apparently the Duke agreed with me when Cellini went to speak to him of the project he was working on. His Excellency was struck by the beauty of the wax model but questioned how it would succeed in bronze with Perseus grasping the head of Medusa so high. The statue would stand ten and a half feet tall if completed with Perseus’s hand holding the head of Medusa high in front of him. It was clear why his Excellency was concerned for how Cellini would complete the bronze statue. I was standing aside from Cellini as he tried to assure the Duke that the statue would succeed. Cellini pleaded â€Å"My lord, I know how very little confidence you have in me; and I believe the reason of this is that your most illustrious Excellency lends too ready an ear to my calumniators, or else indeed that you do not understand my art.

brave new world Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine living in a world without mothers and fathers, a place full of faceless human clones. This is the society portrayed in Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel entitled Brave New World. Huxley describes a futuristic society that has an alarming effect of dehumanization. This occurs through the absence of spirituality and family, the obsession with physical pleasure, and the misuse of technology. In this world, each person is raised in a test tube rather than a mother's womb, and the government controls every stage of their development, from embryo to maturity. Each new human is placed into a certain class, such as Alpha, Beta, and so on. The embryos are manipulated chemically to stimulate or to retard their physical and mental growth. By repeating phrases over and over while the children sleep, the government can condition each person to accept his role in the world around him and to behave in what the government deems to be a "safe" manner. This creates a society full of human clones, completely devoid of personality. Every person is conditioned to love three things: Henry Ford, their idol; soma, a wonder drug; and sex. In Huxley's book, he portrays several unique characters who struggle with the society. Bernard Marx is a deformed upper class Alpha who constantly struggles with his own shortcomings. A young woman named Lenina Crowne becomes romantically involved with Bernard, and they both travel to a Savage Reservation, one of the last places on earth where people are allowed to live without the modern amenities such as soma, birth control, and helicopters. Bernard and Lenina meet a young boy and his mother Linda, originally from the civilized world. Linda had become pregnant many years ago, which was an illegal and incredibly disgraceful offense, became lost on a trip to the Reservation, and had to remain there. Both savages are brought back to the New World, and the young boy named John, known as the Savage, becomes quite a celebrity. But the differences between the two worlds tear at the young man's soul as his values and morals clash with those of the new society. Following the death of his mo ther, he eventually isolates himself from everyone. Sight seekers still pester him in his hideout and drive him to commit suicide in the end. One of the things that makes the society in Brave New World so different from ours is the lack of spirituali... ...pare time. Since "everybody belongs to everyone else," commitment is a non-issue. The novel deals also with the effects of advances in science and technology on human society. Technology is a crucial requirement in order for the society of Brave New World to form. One might consider whether Huxley argues that science and technology are inherently evil. In fact, he does not. The World Controller states that science is dangerous to the society, since it can destroy stability (231). Since Huxley portrays that society negatively, science and technology are therefore put in a positive light. However, Huxley gives examples of how the problems raised by new technology can be solved poorly. When mass production becomes simple, the Brave New World society allows production to increase and requires that consumption increase, a solution that seems flawed by current American standards. Huxley provides a strong warning against the misuse of science. Through factories that produce children, drugs that evoke pleasure, and conditioning that replaces families, technology becomes a dehumanizing force. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Essay on Voltaire’s Candide: Visualizing Perfection -- Candide essays

Visualizing Perfection in Candide   "All is for the best...in the best of all possible worlds."   To picture greatness, perfection and brilliance all intertwined into one splendid world -- a utopia, infers visualizing absolute beauty, harmony, and a universal tolerance amongst mankind. Would not such "perfection" designate the "best of all possible worlds?" How could we possibly conceive the sinister world portrayed in Candide to be conveyed as "utopia?" Since the best of all possible worlds indicates that "all is for the best" is it not safe to derive at the conclusion that since our world is clearly not "perfect" it is therefore implied that "all" is not for the best? Who determines the "right" from the "wrong," the "beautiful" from the "hideous," the "strong" from the weak?" How does one know if they are right? How does one ever know if they chose "correctly?" How does one allow th emself to be infatuated with an idea as to blindly (correctly or incorrectly) follow it and believe? When do you question yourself? Doubt and "double-guess" yourself? Such correlating topics of an ambiguous solution are sought to be explained in Candide. Voltaire's masterpiece Candide recounts the journey of a young man as he ventures the world and faces reality, deals with it, is guided, transformed, and eventually defined by it. Voltaire's story tells the tale of Candide as his character matures from the naivete of a child to the extensive temperament of a distinguished man. Born and raised in the castle of the Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh, in the land of Westphalia, Germany, Candide is firs... ...n the best of possible worlds; for short, had you not been kicked out of a fine castle by the backside for the love of Miss Cunegund, had you not been put into the Inquisition, had you not traveled over America on foot, had you not run the Baron through the body, and had you not lost all your sheep which you brought from the good country of El Dorado, you would not have been here to eat preserved citrons and pistachio nuts." Voltaire therefore exhibits both sides of the spectrum, Pangloss, the unchanging, and Candide the "developed." These adventures broadened the horizons of Candide, and with him, the reader also undergoes many thought provoking dilemmas, cultivating himself in many of the same ways. This tale doesn't flounder all hope of "perfection," but it does present, in laymen's terms the ideas behind Murphy's Law.

Personal Reflection of Anne Frank’s House Essay

Personal Reflection on Anne Frank’s House I chose to write a personal reflection on the Anne Frank’s House tourist attraction in Amsterdam because I have two daughters. As a parent, I want the best for them and most importantly, their safety. I would do the exact thing what Anne’s father had done for them. Otto Frank had to move to the Netherlands when the anti-semitism in Germany was growing. Though it took seven years for their family to be reunited in the Netherlands, he successfully got them out of Germany. My late father did the same for our family. When I was 13 years old, I followed my parents to migrate to Ecuador. We were not escaping anti-semitism but my father knew that we were not safe in our country due to the worsening of the economy and the rise of unrest in Cambodia. Like Anne Frank, being in a new country I started missing the place where I grew up and the friends I had left behind. I recall writing many journals when I got homesick. This was the only way I can re-live the life I had once before. Now that I have a family of my own, and if I find myself with the same predicament like of Otto Frank. I will find a better place for my family. I want to visit Anne Frank’s house because during my youth I read her book. I was completely absorbed in the world of this creative and articulate girl who put her experiences in writing while in hiding. Since I have read the diary it will be very interesting to see it in real life. I have passed down Anne Frank’s story and her book to my daughters and when I get the chance, I will take my family to visit the Netherlands and tour the Anne Frank historical house. Anyone with some knowledge of World War II knows the story of Anne Frank and her famous diary. A visit to Amsterdam will give me an opportunity to see the location where young Anne and her family were holed up in virtual silence for two years, along with other families hoping to escape the hatred of the Nazi regime. The great takeaway about visiting the house will be a constant reminder on how fortunate I am as an American whose freedom is not in peril. Nowadays, it is hard to imagine a family living in the rooms like what Anne’s family had to experience, with the constant threat of being given away and sent to concentration camps. Unfortunately, this did eventually happen and only Anne’s father Otto survived the war. During the first part of Anne Frank’s House presentation, I was only interested in visiting the place because one of my classmates mentioned, â€Å"the former hiding place of the Frank family is one of the most popular attractions in Amsterdam and many tourists declare it to be one of the most touching places they’ve ever visited.† But as soon as they got into details about the house, I was no longer interested in visiting the house as a tourist but as a person with a purpose. I wanted to experience and see first hand with my daughters how Anne tried to overcome their harsh living conditions while writing her journals that eventually sparked a lot of interest all over the world. As mentioned from the presentations, the living quarters comprised of three upper floors of a rear annex to Mr. Frank’s larger office building that is reached via steep, narrow flights of stairs. The room is small, dark and unfurnished, the Nazi captors having emptied them of furniture and most possessions as was customary during that time. The museum set up a place where the visitors can see some of Anne’s diary and read them. I can imagine myself picking up the diary, reading it and being absorbed with her eloquent stories that inspired and touched many people. What makes Anne’s diary so special is the way she wrote it. In her diary, in spite of the cruel hardship she and her family were enduring, Anne maintained a sense of optimism. Even with the evil that surrounded her, she wrote in her diary â€Å"despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart†. Because of her incredible words, Anne is remembered as a girl of tremendous courage and hope, an inspiration to all. I firmly believe that the Dutch people were somehow ashamed of their involvement on the holocaust atrocities. And one of the defining moments to reinvigorate the Dutch and Jewish people together after the war was to pay tribute to the people who were stripped of their dignity and eventually led to their death. The perfect person for such a tribute was this young girl named Anne Frank. Even though a lot of bad things have happened in Netherlands during the dark times in 1945, today that history has never been forgotten. Preserving the Anne Frank’s house and making it a museum is a constant reminder on how a young girl touched many lives with her diary. And today it is evident from the millions of tourists that visit Amsterdam that Anne Frank’s house is a must-visit.

Drones Essay

At one point in everyone’s life they have felt that they were being watched. Now that feeling may not be just a feeling anymore. The government uses aircraft drones to video and take pictures of other countries to spy on them. Although, the government has started using these drones and other spying devices to watch the United States as well. One day, you may observe a miniature helicopter with cameras or a small plane looking upon the houses of this country’s citizens houses. There is a very good use for these drones as well, â€Å"Police departments in Texas, Florida and Minnesota have already expressed interest in the technology’s potential to detect fugitives on rooftops or to track them at night by using the robotic aircraft’s heat-seeking cameras† (Reporter). The police have already started using helicopter drones to help search for suspects and criminals. The use of drones in residential areas needs to be limited to the use of police to find c riminals that have been sited or thought to have been in that area. The fact that using these drones is helping the police find criminals is good, but spying on the innocent people of the suburbs is an invasion of privacy and unneeded. During the event that the government starts spying on residence for no reason is when these drones become misused. â€Å"FBI director Robert Mueller told congress the agency owns several drones but has not yet formed policies or guidelines on their use. Confirmation that the U.S. is using the surveillance equipment to monitor its own citizens comes after the NSA phone tracking scandal rocked trust in the government† (Jerreat). The head of the FBI has admitted using drones to spy on U.S. citizens very solemnly but after the NSA tracking citizens cell phones without any kind of permission makes it very hard for people to trust anything that the government says. Drones being used violates the fourth amendment because of search and seizure. There is also a chance that these drones could be hacked and taken over. The United States could become a Communist Country if the government continues â€Å"watching† the people of this country with these drones. The government should not be able to spy on United States citizens because these actions violate the people’s rights as individuals. The Fourth Amendment is being violated if drones start flying around watching those who haven’t done anything. Core values such as privacy and protection from the government are always within its sweep. A continuing question, though, is how the demands of its protection apply to an ever-changing  society in which new and pervasive forms of technology are increasingly common.† President Obama signed an FAA bill into law that provides for the integration of â€Å"drones,† or more properly into the nation’s airspace. This has generated legitimate concerns that UAVs could be used by the government in ways that infringe privacy rights†(Villasenor) Although there are many rules and exceptions throughout the Supreme Court’s Fourth Amendment. In short, the Fourth Amendment regulates when, where, and how the government can conduct searches and seizures. The Supreme Court held that police wiretaps of the defendant’s home telephone did not constitute a Fourth Amendment search because the police did not trespass onto a persons property to intercept his or her conversation. One of the modern Fourth Amendment tests relied upon by courts in assessing whether government monitoring constitutes a search. The Court’s thinking at the time was that if the person’s home, property, or papers were not physically invaded, then no search in the constitutional sense occurred. It considers whether the person has a subjective expectation of privacy in the area to be searched and whether s ociety is prepared to deem that expectation reasonable. The technology used by UAVs may be a decisive factor considered by courts in determining whether individuals have an expectation of privacy in the object or area of the drone search. The question, is whether drones have the potential to be significantly more invasive than traditional surveillance technologies such as manned aircraft or low-powered cameras technologies in which have been upheld in previous cases. Some have asked whether using sophisticated digitized platforms on a drone is any different from attaching the same instrument to a lamppost or another traditional aircraft. Technological developments make it increasingly easy to share and acquire personal information about others, oftentimes without their direct knowledge or consent. â€Å"As the American Civil Liberties Union explained in its December 2011 report, the machines potentially could be used to spy on American citizens. The drones’ presence in our skies threatens to eradicate existing practical limits on aerial monitoring and allow for pervasive surveillance, police fishing expeditions, and abusive use of these tools in a way that could eventually eliminate the privacy Americans have traditionally enjoyed in their movements and activities† (Franceschi-Bicchierai). Currently, many states and municipalities employ automatic license plate readers, which are  usually mounted on police vehicles or stationary objects along the streets, to take a snapshot of a license plate as a car drives by, and store this information in a large database for possible later use by law enforcement. It is alleged that these devices can be used to track a person’s movements when police aggregate the data from a multitude of ALPR stations. A majority of the reviewing federal circuit courts have held that a person has no reasonable expectation of privacy in his license plate number. However, it appears th at no federal court has addressed the constitutionality of the use of ALPRs, as opposed to plate numbers collected by a human observer. Nonetheless, the question remains whether attaching an ALP, or any similar sophisticated technology to a drone would alter the constitutionality of its use by law enforcement. Some say yes, arguing that the sophistication of drone technology in and of itself is a unique threat to privacy. Drones are smaller, can fly longer, and can be built more cheaply than traditional aircraft. some drones could theoretically stay in the air forever. Unlike a stationary license plate tracker or video camera, drones can lock on a target’s every move for days, and possibly weeks and months. This ability to closely monitor an individual’s movements with pinpoint accuracy may raise more significant constitutional concerns than some other types of surveillance technology. With this increasing presence and usage of drones, a major concern is developing. Many people consider this advancement in technology as quite controversial. Many people believe that with drone technology in the governmen t’s hand, we will begin to lose our privacy. â€Å"A report on the military’s growing arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles indicates that approximately 31% of all US military aircraft are now drones† (Boyle). if all of these drones that the military is using were hacked then who knows what might happen. With no restrictions on drones, governments have the power to monitor its citizens invading their privacy. Without any restrictions on drone technology, it can be expected that you will no longer have any privacy. Along with these privacy concerns, there are also great areas of concern in the subject of security and drones. Drones run the risk of becoming hacked therefore making them possible security risks. In a recent talk on National Public Radio, the topic of hacking of drones was brought up. The method called â€Å"spoofing† has been used to take control of helicopter drones flying over ones head.. Spoofing  is basically matching the signal of the actual controller and then increasing the strength of your signal allowing you to gain control. â€Å"Serial hacker Samy Kamkar turned up in an Arstechnica article yesterday with a pretty interesting hack. He’s put together a system of hardware and software that can be put together to build a drone. From there, that drone finds other drones out and about in operation, hacks the drone and then controls them. It is one of the most innovative drone hacks to ever come out, and it may have many people concerned about the potential malice that could be played out with such a capability† (Casaretto). The fact that it is easy for hackers to take control of these drones and use them for themselves and even take footage from them can be a very dangerous situation. this hacker could find out where you live, who your friends are, and who your family is. The increasing presence of drone technology in today’s society is quite evident. We hear on the news quite frequently of a drone bombing or spying on someone in the war. Not only do we hear about what drones do, we experience the benefits that they provide for us. When we listen to the weather there is a possibly the information is received from an actual drone. Despite the many different types of benefits drones present, drones still present a very serious security and privacy risk. Drone use violates the fourth amendment if used to spy on civilians without actual reason. If the person has an expectation of privacy then that person should have their privacy. The United States people will lose all of their privacy in a matter of years if we allow drone research to continue. One must decide whether the privacy and security risks outweigh the benefits. Works Cited Casaretto, John. â€Å"Drones That Hack Drones.† SiliconANGLE. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. Jerreat, Jessica. â€Å"FBI Director Admits Using Domestic Drones to Spy on US Citizens and Says Agency Has No Guidelines for Their Use.† Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. Reporter, Daily Mail. â€Å"U.S. Government to Use ‘drones the Size of GOLF BALLS to Spy on AMERICAN Citizens'† Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 Sifton, John. â€Å"A Brief History of Drones | The Nation.† A Brief History of Drones. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. Villasenor, John. â€Å"Will â€Å"Drones† Outflank the Fourth Amendment?† Web log post. Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 20 Boyle, Ashley. â€Å"Drone Information Sources : Annotated Bibliography.† ASP RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.