Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 13

Project Management - Essay Example An ineffective project planning can lead to a lot of risk management since, the processes such as monitoring and coordination lacks much seriousness. Therefore, importance of project management in organizations is a vital factor in the realization of the firm’s objectives and targets. A good project management leads to the business services of an organization gaining a lot of advantage, which appears through good attainment of goals, utilization of optimal resources and the making of informed business decisions. Another importance is that, a competitive advantage takes toll through an energized workforce through the execution and collaboration of a business culture, which, ensures the customers are satisfied fully. A well planned and a systematic project management plan can create a source of the organization’s tangible profits. Another importance is that, top management is able to attain exact and accurate timely data for the purposes of making informed decisions in business related matters. The project management cycle undergoes a five-step approach; they are initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/control and closure. Initiation is a process involving the giving of an overview of how the project looks like, and the strategy implemented in the organizations plan. This is done to achieve the desired results and in addition, it is where a project manager is appointed to guide the rest of project members due to his or her experience and skills. Planning is the second step, which includes risk assessment alongside defining the system used in order complete the plan. Execution and control are the third and fourth step respectively, which involves planning a solution used for the implementation of solving problems noted in the requirements of a project. Closure, which is the fifth and last step, involves a manager ensuring the

The Purposes Of Education Essay Example for Free

The Purposes Of Education Essay Workshop Foundations The purpose of the workshop is to present the purposes of education. For the purpose of this objective, the participants of the workshop will be asked to participate in group activities that will allow them to experience a purpose of education. Their experience in the activities will then be shared trough discussion group with the rest of the workshop participants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Each of the activities assigned to each group are designed to illustrate how the process of education supports its purposes. The purposes of education, as to be presented during the Introduction of Workshop by Team 1 have been summarized as follows: Education is to teach members of society ethical and moral values, the social system which includes social order, politics and economics as well as the standards and norms expected from each member of that society (Sever, 2006) Education has the purpose of developing competencies and knowledge for the individual and social productivity, allowing individuals the ability to empower themselves and preserve society (Anderson, 2005). Education is a means to realize human potential and achieving self-worth (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ESD Section, 2007) Task Schedule The activity will me be led by a management team made up of four teams. Three of the teams or management team member will be assigned to supervise a workshop group with their activity. The fourth team will handle the introduction and processing of the workshop activities. The workshop activities for each group will be discussed in detail in later section of the paper. The schedule or outline of activities will be as followed strictly to ensure the group and worship activities will be accomplished and to promote the management of activities. Task # Task Team-in-charge Time allotted (minute/s) Activities 1 Introduction of Workshop 1 2 Presentation of workshop objectives and requirements. 2 Presentation of literature defining the purpose of education 2 Introduction of workshop management teams and their roles 2 Division into groups 1 2 Participants will be asked to count-off to form three groups, groups A, B and C. 1 Participants will be asked to go to their respective group managers[1] 3 Group activity 2, 3, 4 1 Orientation of team tasks[2] 8 Groups will work independently to accomplish the task/scenario given to them. 2 After accomplishment of the tasks, Teams will lead the processing for their respective groups[3]. 4 Workshop processing 1 4 The task/activity of each group will be presented by a group member and their ideas they have listed during group processing 2 Comparison and contrast of ideas listed during group processing and the presented definitions of the purpose of education 4 Discussion the significance of the understanding the purpose of education and the activities from each group    Group Activities Group A   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The city is hosting a number of groups of varying cultures and ethnicity. There has been a history of conflicts among some groups because of cultural conflicts. A few of the groups have limited interaction with other groups. At the same time, some social service and public officers have had difficulty in encouraging social participation among groups that have led to some difficulties in delivering primary services. One of the strategies that has been seen to improve relationships among these groups is by using schools as a platform? Do you believe that such interventions will be effective? Explain and discuss with your group.    Group B   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a greater demand for computer literacy today. Companies consider computer skills as a minimum requirement for employment. At the same time, many services and personal activities also require a degree of computer proficiency which includes banking, communications and filing for taxes among others. Thus, many schools have invested in the procurement of these technological tools and teachers have been encouraged to incorporate computers and other technologies to their classes. This has entailed a significant resource investment that is need just as much in the development of new infrastructure, improving compensation of teaching personnel or allocating it for support services for students. Do you think schools are justified in their investment in computer literacy? Explain and discuss with your group.    Group C   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the UNESCO, one of their motivations in emphasizing the importance of education in developing countries is its potential in contributing to national development. Do you believe that such a perspective is valid? How can education contribute to national development indicators such as gross domestic product, unemployment and crime rate? In turn, how can the improvement of such development indicators enhance the quality of human life? Explain and discuss with your group.    References Anderson, Jo Anne (2005). Accountability in education. Education Policy Series. Paris: International Institute of Educational Planning – International Academy of Education and UNESCO Jones, Reilly (2003). Purpose of Education. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://home.comcast.net/~reillyjones/education.html Majhanovich, Suzanne (2002). Conflicting visions, competing expectations: Control and de-skilling of educationa perspective from Ontario. McGill Journal of Education, April. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3965/is_200204/ai_n9030852 Sever, Rita (2006). Educational Policy Borrowing: Historical Perspectives. International Sociology, May (21): 483 – 487 The Meaning of Education (2002).   Teachers Mind Resources. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://www.teachersmind.com/education.htm United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ESD Section, 2007 UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development: The First Two Years. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, March (1): 117 – 126 [1] Team 1 will be assigned to handle Group A, Team 2 to Group B and Team 3 to Group C [2] Teams will explain to their respective groups the task assigned for their team. Team managers will establish roles and for the group members and guid them in the accomplishment of their objective [3] Processing will be the identification of the purpose of education highlighted by the activity. Responses will be summarized by Teams for their respective groups on posters assigned for each group or onto the presentation slides reserved for workshop processing. The posters will be displayed and utilized during workshop processing

The Role and Structure of Greek Tragedy in Philip Roth’s Eli the Fanati

The Role and Structure of Greek Tragedy in Philip Roth’s Eli the Fanatic When one’s in pain—physical, mental, or emotional—one always believes it is worse than everyone else’s. Yet when an acquaintance bemoans a bad day, one still manages to wave it off: it could not be worse than one’s own pain. Even if it is a past pain and there are only scars, those scars are tenderer than the friend’s current sores. Individuals forget that anguish can be shared and another’s intervention can diminish it. This theme has been around for millennia and was particularly explored in the works of Greek tragedians. In Eli, the Fanatic Philip Roth employs structural and thematic elements of Greek tragedy to illustrate that human beings can be responsible for each other’s suffering. One of the essential elements of Greek tragedy, that of the chorus, can be filled in by Ted, Shirley, and even Miriam. They are the residents of Woodenton who call Eli. Traditionally, the chorus plays an active role and can be a sounding and advising board for the protagonist. Ted in particular tries to advise Eli and, like the customary chorus, he represents the masses, the people, in this particular case the town of Woodenton. As Ted informs Eli, â€Å"The Jewish members of the community appointed me, Artie, and Harry to -2 see what could be done† (276). The Greek chorus, in Greek tragedy, represents the masses and often serves to counterpoint the protagonist, and Ted’s near-fanatical grudge against the Yeshiva certainly counterpoints with Eli’s growing benevolence toward them. In Roth’s context, the residents of Woodenton, the Chorus, also serve as a counterpoint to Eli’s guilt. Eli becomes concerned over the Greenie’s happiness a... ...s Eli who, as he awakens to the laws of Gods, also becomes aware that just as there are laws beyond those he preaches, there is pain beyond his own. Greek tragedies were successful in that they taught viewers how to extend their compassion, and Roth duplicates this motive. He suggests that if one is willing to accept the laws of God, then one can also help others. It is an idealistic message perhaps, but when one is suffering, one wants to believe that others are concerned, even if they don’t physically share the pain. -7 Works Cited McDonald, Marianne. â€Å"Seamus Heaney’s Cure at Troy: Politics and Poetry.† Classics Ireland. 1996. University College Dublin. 13 Feb. 2006. ssics/classicsinfo/96/McDonald96.html> Roth, Philip. Goodbye, Columbus. NY: Vintage International, 1959.

Fourth Amendment Exceptions :: essays research papers

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution states that people have the right â€Å"to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,† but the issue at hand here is whether this also applies to the searches of open fields and of objects in plain view and whether the fourth amendment provides protection over these as well. In order to reaffirm the courts’ decision on this matter I will be relating their decisions in the cases of Oliver v. United States (1984), and California v. Greenwood (1988) which deal directly with the question of whether a person can have reasonable expectations of privacy as provided for in the fourth amendment with regards to objects in an open field or in plain view.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The differentiation between open fields and private property must be made before one can proceed to form an opinion regarding the constitutionality of a warrantless search of an open field. Oliver v. United States is a case in which police officers, acting on reports from neighbors that a patch of marijuana was being cultivated on the Oliver farm, entered on to private property ignoring â€Å"No Trespassing† signs, and on to a secluded open portion of the Oliver property without a warrant, discovered the marijuana patch and then arrested Oliver without an arrest warrant. The Maine Judicial Court held that â€Å"No Trespassing† signs posted around the Oliver property â€Å"evinced a reasonable expectation of privacy,† and therefore the court held that the â€Å"open fields† doctrine was not applicable to the Oliver case.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon hearing the case, the Supreme Court argues that the special protections accorded by the fourth amendment do not extend to open fields. â€Å"Open fields do not provide the setting for those intimate activities that the Amendment is intended to shelter from government interference or surveillance.† The court refers to the case of Hester v. United States (1924) which set the precedent for â€Å"open field cases† and interprets that case to imply that â€Å"an individual may not legitimately demand privacy for activities conducted out of doors in fields, except in the area immediately surrounding the home.† The patch of marijuana being no where near the Oliver home, and in an open field, regardless of its visibility from public access, left the court affirming Oliver v. United States, and reversing the case of Thornton v. Maine, and in essence reaffirming that

Describe the main theoretical models of child abuse Essay

Medical model, sociological model, psychological model, feminist model and contextual model are all theories relating to abuse. Although there are many different types of child abuse and many different reasons why it may occur, most cases have been wilted down to fit into one of the five main theories named above.  Medical mode is when the reason for abused is classed as a disease or an illness. Kempe and Kempe were the inspiration for this theory when they described it as battered child syndrome which was linked to Bowlby’s theory on attachment. Bowlby came to the conclusion that children who failed to form this bond with their mother in the first three years of the child’s life would have problems in later life bonding with people and trusting people. He also described a child with a lack of bonding to be an affectionless psychopath, which he described to be someone who shows lack of guilt when done something wrong has difficulties showing emotion to things around them or someone with behaviour problems. Another affect of not having an attachment in this critical period as it was also known in Bowlby’s eyes was development retardation which meant the child may grow up with learning difficulties or slower intellectual skills. So if the main caregiver failed to have a strong bond when they were young then they may find it difficult to form a bond with the child. It is a vicious cycle that goes round and round. This type of abuse is shown in the case study in some ways. This is because the mother of the children had failed to form a bond with her mother, and there for she is struggling to form a bond with her children. Will these children grow up failing to form a bond or a strong relationship with their children because of this? Bowlby would have described Kerry, the mother as an affectionless psychopath. Sociological model is all about the environment that the child is being brought up in and around. Areas of social deprivation are often linked with abuse which has been proven in some research that has been carried out. Children need to be safe and grow up in healthy environments for them to get a good start in life and grow up healthy. Some people react to how they were treated when they were growing up. In other words if a child is abused or neglected then there is a higher chance that when they grow up they will forward this behaviour on to the children in their care. This is because this is what they are used to and they may think that it is normal was to treat children if they have seen no different. Another reason may be they feel that they have to suffer through it all and so should their children. It is not always this case however, some abused children grown up with the determination to treat the children with the love and kindness that they never received themselves. The case study states that the children are living in a high rise block of flats with faulty wiring, damp, and a lack of hygiene. The children are constantly around alcohol, drugs and known criminals. This is definitely not an appropriate environment for the children to be around and this is why I feel it fits in to this area of abuse.  Psychological model is based around the family and its relationship status. It involves one particular member of the family being scapegoated by the rest of the family and getting the blame for all the problems that arise in the family. This type of abuse can be linked with the case study because the older child Katie gets blamed for a lot of the things that go wrong in the flat especially linked with her brother. Her brother is only a baby and if he cries then Katie gets in to trouble. She is given the responsibility to take care of the baby even though she is only 3 years old herself.  The theory described as the feminist model is about the different sexes and the power and force in which the male figure has. This theory links mainly with sexual abuse.

Infidelity Essays

Infidelity Essays Infidelity Paper Infidelity Paper Wright Mills stressed the importance of understanding the relationship between individuals and the society in which they live because many of our personal issues or problems are shaped by social forces. He was referring to something called the sociological imagination Ethnocentrism/ cultural relativism Brandon traveled to Mexico recently and made fun of the way the poor families lived. Gee, dont they know that they should do things like we do here in America? Everyone knows our way is best. This is an example of: ethnocentrism Qualitative research/ in depth interview Qualitative research/ surveys Experiments Secondary Analysis Macro-level theories/ Micro-level theories Conflict theory Structural functionalist theory Feminist theory Symbolic interaction theory Liberal and conservative perspectives of the family/ family change U. S. National family policy/ comparison of social policies related to other similar nations Family of orientation/ family of procreation Matrilineal/ patrimonial Matricidal/ patriarchal Domestic partnership Incest taboo Universal functions of the family Matriarchy/ % of the world that practices it Patriarchy Townies shillelaghs/ gamesmanship World systems theory Ascribed/ achieved status Status/ role Endogamy/ exogamy Polygamy/ polygon/ polyandry Family reconstitution theory Primogeniture Americans Cult of domesticity WI effect on social constructions of femininity/ women in the workplace Sew Gender Androgyny Men and women are more alike than different Gender colonization Level of education/ womens place in society Patriarchy in the US Womens earnings in leading occupations compared to men Labor market segmentation Meritocracy Social stratification Caste/ Class Social mobility/ definition and aspects in the US Socioeconomic status Poverty line, how its calculated Elderly/ relationship of age to poverty Relative/ absolute poverty Individualistic explanations of poverty Fatalism/ explanations of poverty Largest minority group/ projections First/ Second generation Hispanics Rising of middle class African American families Extended Families/ African American families Model minority Native Americans, identification with specific tribe Affirmative action Love and marriage/ relationship to culture Lees Love styles (Storage, lauds, program, mania, etc. ) Biology and sexual orientation Same sex relationships in global perspective Civil union, marriage, domestic partner (know differences) Lawrence Kurds research Sexual scripts Cohabitation AIDS/ transmission What Americans say they want from marriage Anti-miscegenation laws Interpreting/ interracial marriage Dowry rating and dating Covenant marriage Marital status and happiness Wedding industrial complex Average age of marriage for men and women The second shift Marital decline/ resilience perspectives The marriage premium

The Earliest Toys Essays

The Earliest Toys Essays The Earliest Toys Essay The Earliest Toys Essay The evidence of toys in prehistoric times is ambiguous in that such objects as doll-like figurines, which to modern eyes may bear a similarity to toys, probably had a religious significance. Toys must have existed in prehistory, however, since children and adults universally use their imagination to create toys out of pieces of wood, straw, hide, feathers, or other materials that are easily perishable. Objects which have survived, because they were made in terracotta, and which can be more securely classed as toys have been discovered at sites in the Mediterranean, the Near East, and the Indus Valley dating from the 1st and 2nd millennia BC; these include models of animals, some in the form of pull-along toys on wheels and some with articulated parts. However, it is still difficult to tell whether miniature pots and figurines excavated from the same sites were intended as childrens toys, or as objects of religion and ritual. In ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, the grave goods in childrens burials included dolls; particularly striking are the Egyptian paddle-dolls, made of flat, paddle-like pieces of wood that were given arms and a head; the piece was painted and the head given beaded hair. Games equipment, such as counters, dice, and marbles, also survives from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Small terracotta animals, often with moving parts or on wheels, are widely found, as are jointed figurines. Toys made of cloth have rarely survived. The use of such toys as hoops, yo-yos, and knucklebones is illustrated on Greek vases and in Greek and Roman sculpture. Universal Toys Such toys as dolls, figures of animals, balls, spinning tops, and toys with a simple mechanism are universal in that they are found in almost all cultures throughout the world. These types of toys form a significant aspect of folk art. Within the folk-art tradition, toys that execute simple movements are widely found. Among them are jointed figures sent into acrobatic antics by pressure or torsion; similar figures activated by swinging weights; toys in which opposed figures move in apparent conflict; balancing or falling toys motivated by gravity. Pecking-bird toys, for instance, in which movement is activated by weights can be found all over the world. One feature of folk toys is the inventive use of materials found readily to hand: bones, nuts, pine cones, maize cobs and ears of corn, and, in the later 20th century, tin and plastic containers and lengths of wire. The vehicles made from wire by African children show an extraordinary ability to model three-dimensional forms. It is in eastern regions of Europe and in India, Africa, China, and Mexico that the folk tradition of toymaking is the most vigorous today. Miniature carved utensils and wooden toys continue to be made by the rural populations of eastern Europe, particularly in parts of the former Yugoslavia. Toys made of natural materials and produced by traditional methods feed a demand in the West for individualistic, handmade goods, which contrast with the mechanically mass-produced toys, made overwhelmingly of plastic, that are manufactured by multinational companies. The Middle Ages to 1800 The few toys that survive from the Middle Ages in Europe have usually been found in excavations. These are often games pieces and earthenware figurines, but many are toys made of cast metal. The craftsmen who made pilgrimage badges could as easily produce toy soldiers, such as the famous 14th-century example in the Musi e de Cluny, Paris. Written references to toys are a reminder that children, then as always, could make their own toys; the 15th-century poem Ratis Raving mentions a girl making a doll from a cloth, and children constructing dens from sticks and stones. Among the most frequently illustrated toys in illuminated manuscripts and early printed books are windmills and hobby horses, which, used in play imitating the activities of the adult world, could provide an introduction to the culture of chivalric warfare. After the Middle Ages, evidence of the manufacture and marketing of toys emerges in Germany, in areas where woodcarving was a traditional craft. Toys were among the many productions of the carvers of Oberammergau, in Bavaria, who were active from the early 16th century. A busy carving community in another Alpine village, Berchtesgaden in Austria, also produced toys among much other carved work in the 17th to 19th centuries. On the southern side of the Alps, the Gri den valley, now in the Italian Tyrol, supported a vigorous toy industry from the 18th century. Further north, two areas enjoyed toymaking booms in the 19th century: the Meiningen uplands around Sonneberg in Thuringia, where papier-mi chi was a favourite medium; and, eastward, the Erzgebirge mountains around Seiffen, where woodturning was a speciality. These areas dominated the world toy trade well into the 20th century. Nuremberg, more or less equidistant from each, became their trading centre, from where toys were exported throughout Europe. Throughout this time toymaking remained chiefly a cottage industry. Wholesalers, whom the cottage industries supplied, initially carried with them quantities of samples to show potential buyers. In time, rather than demonstrating the range of their goods through samples, wholesalers began to produce catalogues, illustrated by copper engravings and, later, lithographs. The early 19th-century catalogues of the Nuremberg dealer Georg Bestelmeier show quite complicated toys that reflect contemporary life-market stalls, kitchens, stables, farmyards, barracks. Later catalogues illustrate multitudes of small picturesque figures, both of people and of animals, many of which were too fragile to have survived. These catalogues have therefore become vital documents for toy historians. They also reveal that small-scale versions of musical instruments (fiddles, trumpets, and drums) and weapons of war (swords, guns, and bows and arrows) made especially for children were staple toys in the 18th and 19th centuries, as were hoops, tops, battledores and shuttlecocks, and similar games equipment. The manufacture of lead soldiers was pioneered in Nuremberg in the later 18th century by Hilpert, Heinrichsen, and other makers. An inventory of the merchandise of an English shop in 1681 shows that among toys available at the time were wooden horses, dogs, birds, babyes (dolls), painted boxes, trumpets, and whistles. Most were probably imported from Germany. Dutch dolls (in fact made in the Tyrol) received this name perhaps because they were exported from Germany by way of the Rhine through Holland, or perhaps because Dutch is a corruption of Deutsch (meaning German). Among the largest toys to be imported from Germany were Noahs arks, their many small animals made by the labour-saving method of shaping a length of wood on a lathe to the profile outline of a camel or lion, for example, and slicing the length of wood to produce multiple figures, which were then hand-finished and painted. Larger toys, such as dolls houses and rocking horses, which became widely available in England in the late 18th century, were made locally. It was also at this time that toyshops began to appear in England and France and that booksellers and publishers began to focus on children as a new market, issuing not only childrens books, but also paper games such as jigsaw puzzles and board games (see Childrens Games). Most early board games (where English publishers such as Harris, Wallis, and Spooner led the way) were based on the race principle, in which players follow a numbered course, moving counters according to scores obtained by throwing dice. These games were immediately made educational, for the race format could easily be adapted to convey historical, geographical, and other types of information.

Womens Health Paper

Womens Health Paper Womens Health Paper Similarily, in the novel, Blu’s Hanging, 13 year old Ivah is burdened with the roles of her mother when her mother dies of leprosy. She carries out the typical female duties such as cooking, cleaning, laundry and making sure her younger siblings are taken care of. But towards the end of the novel, the author Lois-Ann Yamanaka adds dimension to Ivah because she sends her to a college prep school. This shows depth to the character because even though Ivah does think that she cannot leave her siblings because there would be no one to take care of them, she still ends up going to the school in Honolulu. This represents the advancement of â€Å"Asian American† and how getting an education and going to college will give more opportunities to Ivah and also her siblings. If Ivah was back home in Japan, she would most likely have continued on with taking care of her father and siblings and not thought of the idea of continuing on her education. However, Casey, the daughter of Joseph and Leah, juxtaposed Leah. Casey is an independent, outspoken daughter who demands that she be treated equally and respectfully. During the argument with her father, she talked back and yelled at him and was shocked that her father was being so ungrateful and inconsiderate towards her circumstances about having no job when she just recently graduated college. She was ignoring some of her father’s remarks and became overly aggressive and angry towards him. Her father said, â€Å"This girl has no respect for me...She’s not†¦good† (15). Even though Casey was disrespecting her father in

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project management - Essay Example The main problem that is faced when managing the project is that the manager has to achieve the goals that have been set within time limits and a defined budget. Project life-cycle management is the system of management of the whole product lifespan beginning from the concept, designing manufacturing and the service. Gido and Clements (2008) add that the Project lifecycle management forms the base of information for companies by giving them a structured method of sorting and utilizing information, which is crucial for the existence of the project. Project management is essential in the corporate world as ever firm needs a good managerial procedure for the information that is involved in the execution of a business endeavor. Benefits Being a software developer, I work on different projects for different firms to develop their software and realize how such project management helps enhance the efficiency of the firm. For instance I recently developed software for Grubb and Ellis. The fi rm had software development for the different stages of their work. The main project was to implement Lease Management of real estate commercial leases for receivable and payable leases with their respective general ledger charts of accounts, Project Management which included the construction of building improvement projects with budgets and electronic approvals and lastly Facilities management which included tenant services requests to fix problems within their premises which included maintenance both preventive and proactive. Gido and Clements (2008) explain that the benefit of this software for the firm was that it helped in the organization of the whole business. In addition, it reduced the time for execution and thus saved the firm a lot of time. Since every transaction and service was now organized, it reduced a lot of costs and increased the overall efficiency by making systematic ledger accounts of all transactions for receivable and payable of the real estate. Moreover, thi s also improved the entire service quality as individual transaction was visible and categorized which enabled the firm to make customized dealings and giving personalized attention to every customer. In addition, since every transaction and record was properly entered, there was a log of everything and the timing of every transaction; every customer request for maintenance etc was also known which made the entre service very precise, which was appreciated by the customers. Moreover, with such project management software, the firm was also able to assess potential opportunities for business and how beneficial every customer could be in the future. With this, the firm was able to direct its resources in a more positive fashion and in turn earn the business better revenues. In addition, since the data had been stored systematically, it now became easier to go back and forth to older data and save time. Moreover, an optimized version of every product was seen as everything was operated via software and the products and services were now easier to understand and implement. The model of the business can also be replicated in other regions if the firm plans to expand its business. The system would also enable the firm to operate its regional offices through one system and since there were centralized product and services records, decision-making was facilitated and there was a better control over

The Internal Analysis about Toll Group of Asia Essay

The Internal Analysis about Toll Group of Asia - Essay Example This study will also focus on the strength, weakness and the threats to the Toll Asia. Toll group was established in 1888 by A F Toll in Newcastle, Australia. IN 1986 the business was sold to a management led by current Managing Director Paul Little and former chairman Peter Rowsthorn and it succeeded to be listed on ASX in 1993. The company ranks 25 on Australian Stock Exchange, it has AU$ 9 billion worth of market capitalization and its annual revenue is more than AU $ 8 billion. The company has 30,000 employees in a network of 670 sites in all over Australia and in Asian region. It has the key Australian ports, railway, warehousing, road fleets and the air capacity in transport and infrastructure facilities and it has diverse customer base to catering by the best management of supply chain Toll Asia produces the renowned brands of the world; Colgate, Palmolive, Samsung, Philips, Johnson &Johnson and Yamaha. It also operates in oil and gas supply base SOPS in Singapore as well as satellite bases in Thailand and Azerbaijan to support companies busy in onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and production. The logistic sector of Toll Asia is very important for Singapore it serves two purposes one is of industry and the other is of enabler. Logistic sector as an industry has the share of 8% in the GDP o f the company and it employees 100,000 workers. As an enable the company provides logistics outside Singapore to avoid the cost factors. Singapore offers excellent business connectivity through the strong network of business partners and investors, Toll is caters some 3,000 local and international logistics companies from the countries like US, and countries from Europe, and Asia. It brings multiplicity and classiness to their logistics capabilities, and it makes Singapore the number to attract companies from all over the world for the one-stop supply chain solutions centre for Asia. Gati (from India), PWC Logistics (from Kuwait), Cosco Logistics (from China) and CJ Global Logistics (from Korea) are taking great interest in logistic services. The Toll is the best in storage and off shoring platform getting 70% share. Moreover, it is the largest oil and gas tolls manufacture to help to soar the profit to $ 4billion in 2005. The world class infrastructure, skilled man power has helped many countries to use Singapore as the command and control centre. Strength: The integrated strategy of logistics with the smart technology to connect the services and a permanent interfacing with the consumers is the point which distinguishes Toll from others in the market place. It also provides defense logistic services. Mr. Lim Siong Guen the chairperson, Singapore Economic Development board said, "Toll's partnership with Singapore enhances our specialized logistic capabilities for the oil and gas industry. This speaks volumes of Toll's confidence in Singapore as one-stop logistics and supply chain gateway to Asia."(1) He also expressed his intention to enhance the net work of services by expanding intra Asia logistics. As Toll is operating in

Discuss the theme of how it reflects to the play Essay

Discuss the theme of how it reflects to the play - Essay Example In this book, Henrick Ibsen shows a clear opposition of a male’s society and the women’s lives in the golden cages, and nothing is better than freedom, and money cannot substitute wings. Henrik Ibsen’s  A Doll’s House intrigues the audience by first developments of the feminism discourse. Oppression of a woman in the nineteenth century by males is represented by the writer as a common thing. Nora is just a doll and she is not an entity, she is the â€Å"other† pretty thing of her husband. Her husband gives funny names for her, such as â€Å"squirrel†, a â€Å"song bird† or a â€Å"little skylark†. He thinks that she does not have valuable ideas and her brain is empty. However, Nora is not a silly woman, because she realizes this ever existent oppression and she confirms that her father told her about his ideas all the time and, finally, these ideas became her own ideas. Actually, this woman was passed from her father’s hands to the hands of her husband like a fragile and empty thing. She feels uncomfortable and she suffers from her wasted life (Goldman 38). It is more comfortable to be a doll and to live in a dollâ €™s house in case a woman has experienced lobotomy, but a sound mind can never accept such a daily humiliation. Nora’s husband is strong enough to shelter and comfort her, but Nora feels like a bird in a golden cage. Material concerns of her husband and her father prevent her from making her own desires and wishes come true. She lacks freedom and does not have an opportunity to satisfy her material needs (Templeton 345). She borrows money from another person, but she cannot become a happy person. Torvald oppresses her and treats her like a child. It seems like he has some mental illness, because it is an inappropriate behavior of a modern, strong man to project his father’s feelings onto his wife. Because of material problems and the lack of social power, Nora did not have an opportunity to make friends even with women, because her

Small Pox Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small Pox - Research Paper Example Smallpox can readily spread from one individual to other through saliva droplets (Tucker, 2001). Smallpox could also spread from the clothes and bedding of the infected person (Tucker, 2001). It is during the first week of the infection that smallpox happens to be most contagious. Until the rash scabs of an infected patient fall off, the virus continuous to be contagious. The smallpox virus infiltrates the human body through respiratory tract (Todar, 2009). It permeates the human mucous membrane and spread and multiplies in the associated lymph nodes, before making its way to the rest of the human organ systems (Todar, 2009). The incubation time of smallpox varies from 1 to 12 days (Tucker, 2001). The symptoms of smallpox emerge within 12 to 14 days after a patient catches the smallpox virus (Tucker, 2001). The varied symptoms of smallpox include prominent pink rashes that turn into crusty sores by the 8th or 9th day of getting infected, vomiting, backache, delirium, severe headache, malaise, diarrhea, high fever, fatigue and excessive bleeding (PubMed Health, 2012) . These symptoms may be accompanied by additional complications like bone infections, skin infections, severe bleeding, pneumonia, and eye infections (PubMed Health, 2012). The salient laboratory tests that are used to diagnose smallpox include white blood cell count, DIC panel and platelet count (PubMed Health, 2012). In the context of the treatment, if the person contacting smallpox is vaccinated within 1 to 4 days, this may prevent illness or may perhaps make the intensity of illness less severe (PubMed Health, 2012). However, once a patient develops full blown symptoms of smallpox, there is no treatment for smallpox. There is no salt or drug that can be used to treat smallpox. However, many a times the smallpox patients are administered antibiotics to treat associated infections that may develop along with smallpox (Todar, 2009). Individuals who are positively diagnosed of smallpox

Leadership and Corporate Culture Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership and Corporate Culture - Coursework Example Other activities that are involved include welcoming of tourists in the area, developing strategies that will expand tourism, operation of tourism promotion agencies, building of more facilities that are related to tourism and marketing of other events and activities that are designed to attract more tourists. The carrying out of the activities is expected to increase economic activities in the harbor through the provision of meals, selling of gifts and other items. The stakeholders that will be involved are the promoters, advertisers and those involved in selling of gifts and other items to the tourists (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2004). Each and every applicant is expected to develop a project that will satisfy activities such as which increases tourism in the area through advertising, publication and distribution of information with the main aim of attracting more tourism (Moody, 2002). Other activities that are involved include welcoming of tourists in the area, developing strategies that will expand tourism, operation of tourism promotion agencies, building of more facilities that are related to tourism and marketing of other events and activities that are designed to attract more tourists that wil ensure that the harbor has economic benefit. Other proposals that can be made by the applicants are open as long as they can be well defined by the applicant. The applicants can wish to define alternative levels and activities for funding that they make as their first priority with the desired amount (Moody, 2002). The second priority should aim at the minimum amount that is acceptable. The applicants should include t he definition in the difference in the level of services that they are able to provide in the two priorities that they included. The establishment of alternative funding levels that are involved will allow some approving projects without the need of rejecting one or more of the projects due to a

Small Pox Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small Pox - Research Paper Example Smallpox can readily spread from one individual to other through saliva droplets (Tucker, 2001). Smallpox could also spread from the clothes and bedding of the infected person (Tucker, 2001). It is during the first week of the infection that smallpox happens to be most contagious. Until the rash scabs of an infected patient fall off, the virus continuous to be contagious. The smallpox virus infiltrates the human body through respiratory tract (Todar, 2009). It permeates the human mucous membrane and spread and multiplies in the associated lymph nodes, before making its way to the rest of the human organ systems (Todar, 2009). The incubation time of smallpox varies from 1 to 12 days (Tucker, 2001). The symptoms of smallpox emerge within 12 to 14 days after a patient catches the smallpox virus (Tucker, 2001). The varied symptoms of smallpox include prominent pink rashes that turn into crusty sores by the 8th or 9th day of getting infected, vomiting, backache, delirium, severe headache, malaise, diarrhea, high fever, fatigue and excessive bleeding (PubMed Health, 2012) . These symptoms may be accompanied by additional complications like bone infections, skin infections, severe bleeding, pneumonia, and eye infections (PubMed Health, 2012). The salient laboratory tests that are used to diagnose smallpox include white blood cell count, DIC panel and platelet count (PubMed Health, 2012). In the context of the treatment, if the person contacting smallpox is vaccinated within 1 to 4 days, this may prevent illness or may perhaps make the intensity of illness less severe (PubMed Health, 2012). However, once a patient develops full blown symptoms of smallpox, there is no treatment for smallpox. There is no salt or drug that can be used to treat smallpox. However, many a times the smallpox patients are administered antibiotics to treat associated infections that may develop along with smallpox (Todar, 2009). Individuals who are positively diagnosed of smallpox

Foundations of Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Foundations of Terrorism - Essay Example State sponsorships falling under this category provide partial support to the independent terrorist groups. States use these groups to serve their national interests. An example of this form of state sponsored terrorism is of Pakistani governments which have been using Kashmiri Militants/Mujahidin to continue struggling for the independence of Kashmir and its joining with Pakistan. Some states remain in frequent contact with the terrorist groups based in different countries. The aim of such states is to use the power of those terrorist groups when needed. States keep the communication channels open for the terrorist groups and often engage in tactical coordination with them. An example of this form of state sponsored terrorism is of Iran which has always kept good relations with Al-Qaeda and Salafi-Jihadist groups to use them in some particular circumstances (Ahmad, n.d., p. 7). Some states tolerate the activities of terrorist groups and militants to escape from their terrorist attacks. They let them recruit members, raise funds, and operate from their territories in order to keep good relations with them. Syria is a good example of such states which had been involved in providing safe place to the Jihadists and militants to let them organize properly against the U.S. invasion of Iraq (Ahmad, n.d., p. 7). Some states show ignorance to the activities of the terrorist groups operating from their territories. They show the least concern to the presence of terrorists in their territories as long as the terrorists do not carry out any sort of criminal activity against their civilians. They also ignore the terrorists as long as their activities do not become harmful for their state’s interests. An example of such form of state sponsored terrorism is of the Canadian government which allowed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to grow in Canada because this group did not prove to be a real threat for the Canadian people

Mother Teresa Essay Example for Free

Mother Teresa Essay Mother Teresa has dedicated her life to helping the poor, the sick, and the dying around the world. She is one of the most well known and respected people of the 20th century. The movie that viewed in class displayed it very well. It showed how much she cared about the un-cared for and how she preached to millions of people around the world. In her speeches she spoke of blessing the misfortunate and loving them as well. She also spoke of how easy it is to help them. All we have to do is show some love towards them that they would normally never get. Mother Teresa is one of the most kind people on the planet and goes around spreading the love and affection. She was born in Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, Yugoslavia. Her parents were Albanians who settled in Skopje near the beginning of the century. He father was a owner of a major construction company so Mother Teresa grew up in a very comfortable environment. In 1928 she suddenly decided to become a nun and traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to join the Sisters of Loreto. After studying with the Sisters in the convent, she left to join another convent in northeast India. On May 24, 1931, she took the name of Teresa in honor of St. Teresa of Avila. At first, Mother Teresa was assigned to teach a small Geography class at St. Marys High School in Calcutta. Mother Teresa noticed all the beggars, lepers, and homeless people on the streets of Calcutta. There lives were horrible, living on other peoples scraps and letting babies that they couldnt support die in trash bins. She decided to ask the archbishop if she could stop her teaching and dedicate her life to helping the less fortunate. When Mother Teresa received a written consent that it was okay, she began her work. In 1948 Pope Pius XII gave Mother Teresa permission to be a totally independant nun, so she became an Indian citizen. After studying about nursing, she founded the Missionaries of Charity. This was a group of nuns who go around and help the sick and dying. All the nuns that agreed to work in the Missionaries of Charity had to devote their lives to helping the poor and not to receive any money or material things. To the side is a  picture of a letter that Mother Teresa sent to a nun that wanted to join the Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa welcomed her into the group with praise. Now to the movie. The movie did a very good job of showing how much Mother Teresa cared for the sick. The main part of the movie that I remember was the part when Mother Teresa and her nuns were starting a whole new center to the sick and dying. When the person that owned the building was telling the nuns and Mother Teresa about all the nice things they has in the building, the nuns almost simultaneously said, I dont think we will be needing that. The nuns and Mother Teresa live in such low living conditions and dont seem to mind. Unlike most of us, she doesnt need material things to get along. All she needs is some running water and the necessary materials to help the sick. Mother Teresa did such great work for the poor that she received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1971. Pope Paul VI honored Mother Teresa by awarding her the first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. The following year the government of India presented her with the Jawaharial Nehru Award for International Understanding. In 1979 she received her greatest award, the Nobel Peace Prize. Mother Teresa accepted all of these awards on behalf of the poor, suing any money that accompanied them to fund her centers. By 1990 over 3,000 nuns belonged to the running centers in 25 countries. Obviously, Mother Teresas missions to help the poor were a tremendous success. There are also some kinds of summer groups like Habitat for Humanity. Unlike Habitat for Humanity these groups of kids go out and help the sick and dying just like Mother Teresa. The leader of these groups is a well known priest by the name of Johann Christoph. These kids love to do what Mother Teresa does best and make many dying people happy in there last days of life. The School that did this was the Wake Forest University. Or as they prefer to be called the City of Joy Scholars. The kids spent 18 long days in Calcutta as Mother Teresas first help center. The kids remember the varied cultures and races that Mother Teresa and the nuns love so very much. No matter how sick they looked. The kids were forever changed mentally and  emotionally after seeing and helping the helpless. The Missionaries of Charity and Mother Teresa are probably the most caring people on Earth. Mother Teresa is already called a Saint. She is the one and only living Saint. I enjoyed the movie and learned a lot about Mother Teresa and here mission to help the sick, lepers, and homeless. I trust she will succeed but she will need more nuns to join the famous Missionaries of Charity.

Healthcare Costs in Canada: An Analysis

Healthcare Costs in Canada: An Analysis Canada is one of the most advanced economies in the world. It is a member of the G8[1], the group of the richest nations on earth. It is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations[2], which historically is a group of nations that were under the former British Empire. It also has one of the best universal health care practices in the world. Lately however there has been a noted rise in the cost of universal health care. It was also noted that these rise in the cost will eventually be a bane in the government as it will hamper the government’s ability to provide adequate service to other important service of the government like education, transportation and pension benefits, which are all equally important as health care. The Canadian Medical Association therefore got a poll among Canadians to determine and rather get their opinion on how the government can prevent skyrocketing cost in health care without sacrificing the quality that is currently being enjoyed by the citizenry. This particular poll showed that most citizens that have been asked are in favor of fixing the system or looking for ways to maintain the quality of their health system. According to the poll, nearly half of the respondents favored an increase in taxes provided it goes to improving the health care and nearly half also agreed that a portion of the bill should be footed by the patient. A portion of those polled suggested that those who are living unhealthy lives should be penalized and those with good healthy lifestyles will be rewarded. The biggest surprise in the poll showed that 69% suggested that a contribution based system much like the pension system is developed and almost the same no of people suggested that it be patterned after the retirement system. Overall though most Canadians would rather not raise their taxes but rather have these two types of systems be applied to the health care system to address the skyrocketing costs of health care which seems unsustainable in the lo ng term. This poll was taken to determine whether Canadians were open to the idea of helping the government curb the unsustainable rise in health care cost and what would be their ideas on how the government should deal with this problem. This also shows the government is proactive and that it is determined to maintain the highest standards of health care for its populace. More importantly it shows that the people are willing to take part in shouldering the expense of the government when it comes to health care and this is proven in this poll in that nearly 70% of those polled have ideas on how to make the health care system be as functional and as efficient as possible. This finding would enable the government to formulate policies that would sustain their universal health coverage at the highest quality levels of care and sustaining it and containing the skyrocketing costs of health care. Once this policy is adopted other countries which have universal health care supported by the governmen t with similar problems of skyrocketing costs may adopt this system and modify it to suit the needs of their constituents. One of the options that came out of the poll conducted by the Canadian Medical Association on how to fund health care spending is the development of a savings system similar to the pension facility that it has in place. This will serve as a buffer fund for those medicines and laboratory tests and other services that are not covered by the health care system. It is one way of encouraging people to shoulder some of the expenses of their health bill without burdening them with the high costs as this will be gradually deducted from the income that they make and it can be deducted either on a monthly basis or a quarterly basis whichever would be more convenient to the patient. This would be much better than raising taxes as raising taxes usually denote a negative impression on the populace. This scheme would encourage the populace to save as they know it is something that they can use in the event that they get sick and it won’t be a burden to their pockets as they know it is for a good cause. Furthermore, it would help the government maintain the high quality of care for the patients without sacrificing the other services that would be affected by increasing the funding for health care. It is because if the government were to shoulder all the costs for health care, one of the ways is to either increase taxes which is unpopular or decrease the budget of other sectors and pour it into health care which is also unpopular among the populace so either way the constituents will suffer. Coming up with this idea would be meeting the government halfway and that the populace will also be an active part in maintaining the quality of health services. Likewise the amount that the patient will be giving will be predetermined by the government and that it would not appear that the patient will be shouldering a big bulk of health care costs. It should also be bracketed as to which cost will the patient shoulder or it can be a universal one, meaning the patient will shoulder whatever is not covered by the health system. This would help maintain the high standard of care to the patient without burdening the patient and without additional cost to the government and no other service need be sacrificed. All in all it would be good for everybody, all that are involved in health care. One of the measures that the government can use to encourage people to shell out a little extra money for health care is giving them tax benefits instead of increasing their taxes. How will this be done? For every amount that the patient gives to his/her health fund, this will be deducted from their taxes that are due to the government. This way it is certain that the money they spend is for their future use in health care. Another way of tax benefits are for healthcare facilities like clinics and hospitals be given tax incentives if they invest in new technology and purchase new equipments for better health care services. This would encourage clinics and hospital alike to invest in newer technology without thinking of passing the burden of recovering costs to the consumers. The first thing that comes to mind in buying newer equipment and technology for better health care is the cost and how long it would take to recover the investment. One of things that would help the price of newe r equipment is taxes and once these taxes are turned to incentives it would be cheaper for the investor to buy these equipment and it would not be a burden to the consumer the cost of this newer technology. Another way of containing the skyrocketing cost of health care is to regulate payments to caregivers. Regulating means setting a uniform set of charges or fee for a particular service being rendered to the client. One of the reasons costs of health care is skyrocketing is because most caregivers demand a higher compensation which is unregulated. These costs are passed on to the consumers thereby making the cost of health care services to rise. The most common reason for the demand of these caregivers for increased fees is that they are not paid commensurate to the services that they offer or give. This can be remedied if the government and the service providers come to and agreement on what is the proper amount that the service provider is given without degrading their capacity and without burdening the consumer with high costs. In short, they should meet halfway after all they have the common goal of giving the best care to the patient without necessarily coming at a high cost. Furt hermore, these caregivers are also future patients themselves and it would a big irony that they would be complaining of the high cost of services that they once demanded. Hence, it is but practical that the cost of payments to the caregiver be regulated by the government at an amount agreed by all parties involved. With the growing cost of health care and the prospect that the client will eventually shoulder part of the expenses it is but logical that the clients income should also be increased. This may come in varied forms like tax incentives, performance incentives or it may come in other non cash forms like allowances or other means possible that will enable the client to have more money to spend other than health care. Incentives on healthy lifestyle were one of those mentioned in the poll conducted by the CMA and penalties for those who are not living healthy lifestyles. Although only a small percent agreed to this it is noteworthy that some of the respondents agreed to this. If this scheme can be properly though of and all affected parties be allowed to air their side. An agreement will be made and this will be one form of additional income for the client. Those who will be having healthy lifestyles will be given incentives and those who are not will be penalized. It will also encourage people to live healthy lifestyles. But then again if improperly implemented people may think of it as an authoritarian form of enforcing health policies. Aside from these incentives, other forms of income supplements should be studied so as to keep the health system in good condition, meaning service are not affected and the client are not burdened by the increasing costs of health care. [1] The CIA World Fact Book. (www.cia.gov/library/publications) [2] Annex b: Territories forming part of the commonwealth her majesties civil service 1911 (www.civilservice.gov.uk)

Othello :: essays research papers

After reading Othello by Shakespeare over about 3 times, I came to feel sorry for a man that I can easily say was gulled into tragedy by his own purity. I can see Othello as a man that could sit at the ‘Round Table† with King Arthur and rank among those wonderous knights of chivalry. At his end, he had nothing. The Duke calls Othello ‘Valiant Othello’ (1057) Othello also stands ready to face Brabantio, Iago tells him to run. Othello - ‘Not I; I must be found. My parts, my title and my perfect soul Shall manifest me rightly. (1054) As grand as his internal characteristics are, he also stumbles with his own susceptibility to become betrayed. Othello also has no sense of grey. He sees things are either good or evil. To Cassio, Othello – ‘Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, making it light to Cassio. Cassio, I love thee, But never more be officer of mine’ (1078) For his one transgression, Cassio is stripped of his rank and cast aside. Othello seems to place his trust in people that have not demonstrated a reason to be mistrusted. Iago at no time gives cause to be mistrusted. Othello had to see the reason, something tangible. The external pressures on Othello are partially due to his being black. Iago starts his scheming of destruction using Othellos color against him, when he beckons Barbanito to action. Iago – Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise! Arise! (1051) This prejudice may have damaged his self-esteem, where he believed he was unworthy of Desdemona. Iago drops doubt in his mind, Othello begs for the suspicious thoughts. Othello – â€Å"By heaven, I’ll know thy thoughts.’ (1087) This opens the door to Iago’s deceit. Iago – ‘O, beware my lord of jealousy!†¦ which doth mock.’ (1087) Othello – ‘Farewell, Farewell,†¦.. Set on thy wife to observe. Leave me, Iago.’ (1089) Here is where the splinter drives deeper. From this point, there is more falls of the seal the fate of poor Othello. The mind bending Iago plants deep the seeds of wicked thoughts.

State Lotteries :: essays research papers

State Lotteries: Take a Second Look   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the time the Europeans first landed on the Atlantic shore, lotteries have been a part of the American society. According to Will Spink, most states are currently operating a state lottery despite its bleak history in the U.S. (Spink 1). Since 1983, North Carolina has introduced lottery bills in the legislature every year (NC Christian 15). North Carolina Governor, Mike Easley, favors a lottery for increasing revenues for education (Analysis 2). However lucrative state lotteries appear on the surface, they create even more moral and financial difficulties for citizens, and this should encourage states to look at other means of resources instead of legalized gambling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a lottery fact sheet provided by Governor Easley’s office, North Carolinians spend $100 million on the Virginia lottery and $25 million on the Georgia lottery. Since at least one-half of the lottery money goes to prizes then North Carolina has fifty percent of this money returned. Lottery proponents still argue that $40.6 million is still leaving North Carolina (Analysis 2). â€Å"Three stores on U. S. 29 just over the state line in Danville accounted for almost $12 million worth of ticket sales,† and more than ninety percent of the customers were most likely North Carolinians (Lottery referendum 3A). Research does support that many taxpayers play the lottery and proponents may feel that this justifies the lottery. In addition, research shows that lottery participation reaches almost evenly across all income groups. However, a 1999 survey for the National Gambling Impact Study Commission showed â€Å" that low and moderate income lottery taxpayers spend more on the lottery than do middle income taxpayers† (Analysis 3,4). In addition, this study revealed that education levels do affect how much a person spends on the lottery. The biggest spenders were high school dropouts and as education levels increase, the amount of money spent decreases. African Americans spend more money on lotteries than any other racial group (NC Insider 2). Instead of helping the less fortunate acquire an education, the lottery widens the gap between them and the upper classes of society (Spink 3). Proponents support lottery referendums because it is the best way to raise money voluntarily without raising taxes. People who play the lottery volunteer their money. However, lotteries do not necessarily prevent tax increases. In a study conducted by Money magazine, tax revenue was found to have increased by 21.7 percent over a five-year period in lottery states while only 7.

The Scarlet Letter and Hester

A CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER READING GUIDE FOR THE SCARLET LETTER A 1636 Plymouth Colony law required anyone convicted of adultery to â€Å"wear two Capital letters viz AD cut out in cloth and sowed on theire uppermost Garments on their arme or backe; and if att any time they shallbee taken without the said letters whiles they are in the Govrment soewarn to bee forthwith taken and publickly whipt. â€Å"[1] Other Massachusetts colonies had their own versions of this law.In fact, â€Å"The Capitall Lawes of New-England, as they stand now in force in the Common-wealth, by the Court, in the years 1641, 1642, established within the jurisdiction of Massachusetts,† proclaim that â€Å"if any person committeth adultery with a married or espoused wife, the Adulterer, and the Adulteresse, shall surely be put to death. † Chapter 1—The Prison Door Paragraph two explains the typical allotment of land in a Puritan town. What three establishments are early accounted for on Isaac Joh nson's lot? What does this information tell us about Puritan values?How does Hawthorne describe the prison? Identify a significant metaphor in the second paragraph. A pathetic fallacy is a literary device in which Nature appears to understand human feeling and respond accordingly. An example is believing that the sun is shining because you are happy, or that a day is dark and rainy because you are feeling depressed. Hawthorne employs a significant pathetic fallacy in this opening description. Can you locate it? What grows near the prison? What does Hawthorne say it symbolizes? Chapter 2—The Market Place 1. When does the story take place? . For what purposes did people sometimes gather in front of the prison door? 3. Who seems especially interested in the punishment that is about to take place? 4. Pay attention to conversation among the women. What is their attitude toward Hester? Are they unanimous? 5. Note the description Of Hester, the novel's heroine. What seem to be her o utstanding characteristics? What is unusual about her? What do people notice first when seeing her (â€Å"the point which drew all eyes†)? 6. Note again the women's conversation. What appears to be their opinion of Hester now? 7.The beadle's words, â€Å"A blessing on the righteous colony of the Massachusetts, where iniquity is dragged out into the sunshine,† might engender some thinking about values. Does it seem to you that exposing iniquity is worthy of a blessing? Do we seem to feel it proper today to expose personal behavior, especially wrongdoing, to public view? 8. What is Hester's punishment that day? What does Hawthorne say about this kind of punishment, the kind that does not allow the culprit to hide his or her shame? 9. What is purpose of contrasting Hester and her baby to â€Å"the image of Divine Maternity†? 0. Pay particular attention to the description of â€Å"the man well stricken in years. † Who do you think he is? Chapter 3—The Recognition Read carefully the second paragraph. Who is the man at the Indian's side? Imagine that you are this man. What information do you, a stranger to Boston, learn from the townsman with whom you talk? The townsman says that the magistrates of Boston have, â€Å"in their mercy and tenderness of heart,† softened Hester's punishment. What do you think of this mercy? For what reason do Governor Bellingham and the ministers speak to Hester? Why does Mr. Wilson think Mr.Dimmesdale should speak to Hester? What is Dimmesdale's feeling about this job? Note with care the first description of Dimmesdale. 5. What effect do Dimmesdale' swords have on Hester? On the baby? 6. What kind of father does Hester say her baby will have? 7. Contrast the two ministers' different reactions to Hester's refusal to name her fellow sinner. Chapter 4—The Interview 1. Why did the jailer send for a doctor for Hester? 2. You ought to know for certain, by the seventh or eighth paragraph of this chapter, just who this man is. What clues (in previous chapters) has Hawthorne given you as to his identity?Why, do you suppose, does Chillingworth want to keep his identity a secret? 3. It would be so easy for Chillingworth to kill Hester. Why does he want her to live? 4. Upon whom does Chillingworth put the blame for Hester's sin? How much is her fault? How much is his own? 5. How much revenge does Chillingworth plan to get on Hester? (A particular line in their conversation tells us exactly. ) Who is the real object of Chillingworth's revenge? 6. The paragraph beginning â€Å"Never, sayest thou? † if read well, can reveal exactly what kind of person Chillingworth is.Read it with a touch of villainy in thy voice and thou must needs quake with fearfulness at the plan this mis-shapen scholar. (Do you see how easy it is to get carried away? ) 7. Hester says something interesting about how a person's words may lead to one interpretation of his character and his actions may lea d to another. How do Chillingworth's words present him? His actions? 8. What request does Chillingworth make of Hester? What is his reason? Chapter 5—Hester at Her Needle How does Hester feel upon leaving prison? What does the future have in store for her?You might wonder why Hester doesn't leave Boston, since it is only in Boston that she must wear the scarlet letter. What are her reasons? Be sure not to overlook the most important of them. What features of Hester's home seem most appropriate? How does Hester make a living? In what ironic way does she advertise her skills? 5. Who were the only ones who made no use of Hester's services? Why? 6. What does Hester do with the extra money she earns (â€Å"her superfluous means†)? What does this tell us about her character? 7. Hawthorne compares Hester's scarlet letter with the mark on Cain's forehead.If you don't know about Cain's mark, you can read about it in the Bible in Genesis 4:1-16. Biblical allusions are not uncomm on in literature, so a well-read person is familiar with the major stories of the Bible. This familiarity has nothing to do with a person's religious beliefs. 8. What specific â€Å"tortures† (â€Å"the innumerable throbs of anguish†) does Hester endure? 9. In the penultimate (that is, the next to the last) paragraph of the chapter, Hawthorne begins to suggest that there might be some positive feature of Hester's wearing the scarlet letter.What is it? 10. Observe how Hawthorne uses one of his favorite devices, intentional ambiguity, in the last paragraph. Chapter 6—Pearl Why does Hester name her baby Pearl? Pearl is a significant character in this novel, so pay attention to the detailed description of her. Isn't it a paradox that Pearl, the product of sin, is â€Å"worthy to have been brought forth in Eden†? In the fourth paragraph, the â€Å"Scriptural authority† is Proverbs 13:24, which reads, â€Å"He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. (In modern English, parents who withhold punishment actually hate their children, but those that love them correct their behavior early. â€Å") What is Hawthorne saying about the way parents raised their children in Puritan times? How does Hester raise Pearl? Why does Pearl seem not to be a human child? Why is Pearl an â€Å"outcast of the infantile world†? What kind of games did â€Å"the Puritan nurture †¦ permit† children to play? Do they seem like fun to you? What is the attitude of the Puritan children toward Pearl? 9. What does Pearl use for playthings? Hawthorne calls them â€Å"the puppets of Pearl's witchcraft,† a good phrase. ) 10. The reference to â€Å"dragon's teeth† (in the same paragraph) is an allusion to a Greek myth in which Cadmus kills a dragon and plants his teeth. The teeth grow into warriors who fight each other until only few are left alive. This myth, incidentally, is the beginning o f the story that eventually comes to concern Oedipus Rex, but there is no association to be made between that story and this one. 11. What was the first thing Pearl noticed in her mother? 12. What happens when Hester sees her reflection in Pearl's eyes?This is still another example of intentional ambiguity. 13. Who do the gossiping neighbors claim is Pearl's father? Chapter 7—The Governor's Hall 1. What two reasons does Hester have for visiting the governor? 2. In what way does Pearl remind Hester of the scarlet letter? 3. Contemplate the tremendous significance of Hester's looking into the armour, which reflects the scarlet letter disproportionately and hides Hester behind it. 4. The description of the garden recalls the Garden of Eden, an appropriate suggestion since we have already seen references to the Garden of Eden earlier in the novel.Pearl's crying for a red rose may suggest the desire for forbidden fruit, and the refusal by Hester (â€Å"I hear voices in the garden †) may correspond to Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:6-8 (â€Å"the voice of the Lord God walking in the Garden). A comment here about allusions, Biblical and otherwise: it can be frustrating to the student to encounter several allusions and need to have all of them pointed out. A common reaction is then to reject them or to express doubt that the author intended the allusion. Students need to be reminded that they are relatively inexperienced in reading literature intended for literate and educated readers.Instead of being defensive about it, they will find it much more productive to accept whatever assistance is offered. The more they read the better they will become at recognizing references to other literature and history. In the meantime, they do best to keep their eyes and minds open. Biblical allusions present a particular problem among people who are sensitive about the presence of the Bible in the school. While that sensitivity is understandable, it is important for teachers, especially teachers of challenging academic programs, to remember and remind others of the enormous influence the Bible has had on western culture.If we eliminate the Bible as literature, we eliminate a huge portion of mature literature, art, music, architecture, theatre, and all the other arts as well. Chapter 8—The Elf-Child and the Minister 1. Who arc Bellingham's guests? Which is not in good health? Why? Which is the medical advisor to the sick one? 2. All of the descriptions of Pearl by Bellingham and his guests remind the reader of what important visual fact? 3. What matter were Bellingham and his guests discussing before Hester's arrival? 4. Be sure you understand both sides of the argument between Hester and Bellingham. 5. How does Wilson â€Å"test† Pearl?How does she do on this test? 6. Specifically, what is Pearl's answer? How did she get such a strange idea? What else do you know about the prison rosebush? Think back to chapter 1, where Hawthorne said it wa s a symbol, and see if you can't work out the symbolic significance of this incident. 7. How has Chillingworth changed over the years? 8. To whom does Hester turn for assistance in her attempt to keep Pearl? Why does she feel he can help? 9. Dimmesdale says that Pearl is both a blessing and a torture for Hester. How is this true? 10. Pay special attention to Dimmesdale's words beginning, â€Å"†¦ his boon was meant. † 11. As Hester and Pearl leave, â€Å"it is averred† that something happened. Hawthorne likes to include hearsay, gossip, rumor, legend, and so on in his story. Where have we seen it already in this novel? Keep an eye open for other instances as we read on. 12. Who stops Hester as she departs? For what purpose? Chapter 9—The Leech When you look up leech in the dictionary, you will find several definitions. Which of the many possibilities seems most appropriate here? The first three paragraphs explain how Chillingworth sets up his medical practi ce in Boston. Who becomes Chillingworth's prime patient?What is his illness? What is Dimmesdale's most characteristic gesture? Why do you suppose he makes this gesture? 5. Observe how typically the people of Boston, when they are unable to explain Chillingworth's arrival out of the blue, create a rumor about him. 6. â€Å"So Roger Chillingworth† begins a really important section, describing the relationship that develops between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. 7. What happens â€Å"after a time, at a hint from Roger Chillingworth†? 8. The penultimate paragraph (you had that word in chapter 5, question 9) compares or associates Chillingworth with whom?Chapter 10—The Leech and His Patient 1. Dimmesdale develops a characteristic similar to Hester's in that he was â€Å"suspicious of all mankind. † The conversation between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale concerning confession of sin is worth special attention. Apparently Dimmesdale is concealing some sin. What mig ht that sin be? Really? What occurrence interrupts this conversation? What is unusual about Pearl's behavior? Do you see any symbolic meaning in Pearl's placing the prickly burdock on Hester's scarlet letter? If not, think some more until you do. When Dimmesdale refuses to â€Å"open †¦ he wound or trouble† in his heart to Chillingworth, to whom does he say he will bare his soul? Hawthorne makes a joke! It doesn't happen often, so let's not let this one get by. Dimmesdale falls asleep over a book which â€Å"must have been a work of vast ability in the somniferous school of literature. † (The humor depends on your knowing what â€Å"somniferous means. ) The final two paragraphs are exceptionally important. Hawthorne does not say what Chillingworth saw, but maybe you can imagine. Anyhow, you might wonder what could have made Chillingworth so happy. Can you think of a fairy tale character that Chillingworth resembles here?Chapter 11—The Interior of a Heart 1 . What has become of Dimmesdale's attitude toward Chillingworth? 2. Even though his health is failing, how are Dimmesdale's fortunes as a minister? 3. Interestingly, Dimmesdale is annoyed by the high regard his parishioners have for him (â€Å"the agony with which this public veneration tortured him†). Here is another example of intentional ambiguity, a form of irony. Dimmesdale is not what the people think he is. 4. It's almost humorous how the congregation mistakes Dimmesdale's statements of his sinfulness. (Almost, but not quite. ) 5.Compare the visions Dimmesdale has in his â€Å"lengthened vigils† with Hester's reminiscence in chapter 2. Why does Hester appear in Dimmesdale's vision? What is important about her gesture? Chapter 12—The Minister's Vigil Where does Dimmesdale go? Probably it's not just accidental that it's been seven years since Hester stood on the platform. Seven has been a magical number since ancient times. Why does Hawthorne say that †Å"many culprits †¦ have ascended† the platform? With what is he asking us to associate it? In other words, what is he making the platform a symbol of? Do you know by now why Dimmesdale is climbing it?No one comes when Dimmesdale screams. Why? What does Dimmesdale see from the scaffold? Where has Wilson been that night? Where have Hester and Pearl been? Do you think it is a fitting place for a seven-year-old girl to be? Maybe she had to come along because her mother couldn't get a babysitter. What does Dimmesdale invite Hester and Pearl to do? How does Dimmesdale feel as he touches Pearl's hand? Why do you suppose he feels this way? The paragraph beginning â€Å"But before Mr. Dimmesdale had done speaking† is very important. Read it carefully. Most of the novel's important symbols are brought together at this moment.What is the light in the sky? What does this unnatural light reveal? How is Pearl a connecting link between Hester and Dimmesdale? (You might have two a nswers, one literal, one figurative. ) Why does Dimmesdale have his hand over his heart? 10. Who is standing across the way watching the scene? How does Dimmesdale feel about him? Are you surprised to hear him say so? 11. What does the sexton give to Dimmesdale? How does the sexton account for Dimmesdale's loss of this item? 12. How does the sexton (speaking for the townspeople) interpret the light in the sky? 13. This chapter is the halfway point in the novel.Because of the novel's rigorous construction, the midpoint is the climax. From this point on, we are heading toward the resolution. Chapter 13—Another View of Hester 1. Can you explain why Hester feels an obligation toward Dimmesdale? 2. Hawthorne writes in the middle of the second paragraph that â€Å"It is to the credit of human nature, that†¦ it loves more readily than it hates. † Do you think he's right? Has he illustrated this theme anywhere in the novel? 3. This chapter, which discusses Hester's life, explains why the townspeople change their views of Hester. Although it is mostly descriptive, be sure you understand why they do. 4.The sentence â€Å"Had she fallen among thieves, [the scarlet letter] would have kept her safe† is an allusion to the parable of the Good Samaritan, told in Luke 10:30-37. It's worth reading. 5. What is the â€Å"sad transformation† that has come over Hester? 6. Notice that Hawthorne says of Pearl that her â€Å"nature had something wrong in it, which continually betokened that she had been born amiss. † What other characters' outward appearances suggest their inner natures? This is a significant feature of romantic literature, one that continues through our own time, especially in the movies. 7. This chapter is typical of Hawthorne's circular style.He begins by discussing Hester's attitude toward Dimmesdale, and then wanders into related matters until he eventually returns (â€Å"Now, however, her interview with the Reverend Mr. D immesdale†) to the first thought. He did this before when Hester stood on the scaffold in chapter 2. Hawthorne builds entire chapters, as this one, around this device; or, more often, he constructs his longer paragraphs this way. This observation might help you to read the longer paragraphs with more comprehension. 8. How do you explain, in the first sentence of the final paragraph, the phrase â€Å"her former husband†? How did he get to be her former husband?Did I miss a divorce somewhere? Or is there another explanation? Chapter 14—Hester and the Physician 1. Hawthorne says again that a great transformation has come over Chillingworth. He has changed â€Å"himself into a devil. † We have seen before how Chillingworth has been compared to Satan. 2. The conversation between Hester and Chillingworth should be self-explanatory. Notice Hester's request: â€Å"Forgive, and leave his further retribution to the Power that claims it. † Perhaps this is a th eme of the novel. 3. Chillingworth says, â€Å"Let the black flower blossom as it may. † Do you remember what the black flower is? What does he mean here?Chapter 15—Hester and Pearl 1. Hester declares that she hates Chillingworth. Do you think she has good reason? 2. How has Pearl been amusing herself? 3. Pearl makes a letter to wear herself. You might consider what significance the two colors of the two letters have: scarlet for Hester and green for Pearl. What might green symbolize in connection with Pearl? 4. Why is Pearl's response to her mother's questions concerning why she wears the scarlet letter ironic? 5. For what reasons does Hester consider telling Pearl why she wears the letter? 6. You can see how Pearl is getting on her mother's nerves. How would you have answered Pearl?Do you believe, as Hester does, that â€Å"There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about†? Notice that Hester, at the end of the chapter, answers Pearl â€Å" with an asperity that she had never permitted to herself before. † Chapter 16—A Forest Walk This chapter begins what is for many readers the most memorable part of the novel. Remember that Hawthorne has called his novel â€Å"a tale of human frailty and sorrow. † In chapters 16-19 you will be expected to respond to this sorrow. Watch especially how every possibility for happiness is eliminated. Watch also how Hawthorne uses images of light and dark in the forest.If you are a romantic, you will find this scene especially moving. 1. Why won't Hester visit Dimmesdale in his study? 2. Notice how the sunlight withdraws as Hester approaches it. What does the sunlight symbolize here? Why is there none for Hester? If you have forgotten about the pathetic fallacy, return to chapter 1, question 3 for a reminder. 3. What stories has Pearl heard? What does Pearl think Hester's letter has to do with the Black Man? 4. Notice how Hawthorne compares Pearl to the brook. Showing p eople and Nature as one was a favorite technique of Romantic writers. 5. Observe, too, how sorrowfully Dimmesdale approaches.Chapter 17—The Pastor and His Parishioner How do Hester and Dimmesdale approach each other? Notice the things they speak of—the weather, their health. Why is it so hard for them really to communicate with each other? Just before Hester tells Dimmesdale that Chillingworth was her husband (again she uses the past tense), she stresses the value of truth. Of what significance should this speech be to Dimmesdale? Hester asks Dimmesdale to forgive her and let God take care of her punishment—the same request she made of Chillingworth. Why does Dimmesdale consider Chillingworth to be the worst sinner of the three?Hester speaks here one of the most important lines of the novel: What we did had a consecration of its own. Be sure you understand all the implications of this sentence. She (and Dimmesdale) considered their â€Å"sin† to be morall y acceptable (it was consecrated) in a system of laws higher than those of the church. Hester is trying to justify herself by saying that in some cases state laws are imperfect and do not, or should not, apply in all cases to all people. But she cannot think that she was following God's laws, because adultery is forbidden by the Ten Commandments. Then is she placing her individual law above even God's law?Can she do this? Does Hester consider her love for Dimmesdale to be more important or holier than the Ten Commandments? This is a topic—the conflict between personal law and public law— that appears in a great number of important literary works, such as Antigone, Crime and Punishment, and The Crucible, to name just a few. What courses of action does Hester suggest to Dimmesdale so that he can rid himself of Chillingworth's menace? Why is none of them satisfactory to him? Chapter 18—A Flood of Sunshine 1. Again Hawthorne gives a positive result of the scarlet le tter—it was Hester's â€Å"passport into regions where other women dared not tread. 2. Was Dimmesdale's sin a sin of passion or of principle? 3. In paragraph 4, Hawthorne gives a very succinct statement concerning Dimmesdale's predicament: â€Å"between fleeing as an avowed criminal, and remaining as a hypocrite, conscience might find it hard to strike the balance †¦. † This is an example of a dilemma, a choice between two equally unpleasant alternatives. To be in such a situation we say is to be â€Å"on the horns of a dilemma. † If you interpret the metaphor to suggest being tossed by a bull, you see immediately how painful that can be. 4. What does Dimmesdale, after a struggle, resolve to do? What are his reasons? . What does Hester do to make it as though the past had never been? (Don't let this question go unanswered. We've been waiting seven years †¦ ) 6. How does she feel after she has done this significant thing? Note the line, â€Å"She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom. † 7. The paragraph beginning, â€Å"The stigma gone †¦ † is important. Hester removes her cap and her letter, and lets her hair fall down. Look back to chapter 13, where the letter, cap, and hair had been mentioned as symbols of Hester's â€Å"sad transformation† from beauty to plainness. These same symbols are used here to reveal Hester's natural beauty.Notice that this chapter is called â€Å"A Flood of Sunshine,† a title involving a metaphor, Hester's hair is another such flood. What happens, concerning the sunshine, when Hester's hair falls down? This is one the great pathetic fallacies in all of literature. 8. Notice how Nature reacts to the love between Hester and Dimmesdale. â€Å"Such was the sympathy of Nature †¦ † Hawthorne uses the word â€Å"sympathy† in its more general sense of feeling the same (â€Å"sym† meaning the same and â€Å"pathos† meaning feeling) rather than feeling sorry for someone. 9. Pearl is standing in a beam of sunshine, of course.The flickering light makes her look â€Å"now like a real child, now like a child's spirit. † How Hawthorne loves visual ambiguity! How do the animals of the forest treat Pearl? Note the hearsay: â€Å"A wolf, it is said— but here the tale has surely lapsed into the improbable. † Why does Pearl approach slowly when she is called? Chapter 19—The Child at the 15 rook side 1. Hester and Dimmesdale talk very lovingly of their child. 2. What is the effect of the reflection of Pearl in the pool? 3. What does Dimmesdale do when Pearl looks at him? Then, how does Pearl respond to this gesture? 4. Why won't Pearl come to Hester? 5.Does Pearl's command â€Å"Come thou and take it up† seem to you as though she were reminding her mother of her guilt? 6. What happens as Hester puts up her hair? Why? 7. Remember that in the second scaffold scene Pearl asks if Dimmesdale will stand with Hester and her in broad daylight. What similar request does Pearl make of Dimmesdale now? 8. What does Pearl do when Dimmesdale kisses her? Chapter 20—The Minister in a Maze What arrangement has Hester made for Dimmesdale, Pearl, and herself? Why does Hawthorne consider Dimmesdale â€Å"so pitiably weak†? Note the final sentence of this paragraph (the third), which makes use of ambiguity.What strange feeling does Dimmesdale have as he returns to the town? Be sure to know the meaning of the word â€Å"mutability. † What three people does Dimmesdale meet? What does he want to do to each of these people? Why? In the paragraph about the old woman, Hawthorne writes that she might have dropped dead when she heard Dimmesdale's words, â€Å"as by the effect of an intensely poisonous infusion. † You might be interested to know that in the 1600s it was common belief that a person could be killed if poison were poured, or infused, into his ear. Shak espeare, writing in the early 1600s, used this belief as a method of death in Hamlet.What is the importance of the episode between Dimmesdale and Mistress Hibbins? Chapter 21—The New England Holiday 1. â€Å"The day† in the first sentence is three days after the forest scene. The rest of the novel's action takes place on this day. 2. How does Hester feel on this particular day? To what does she look forward? 3. Notice that Pearl's â€Å"garb is all of one idea with her nature,† suggesting again the relationship between her outer appearance and her inner nature. 4. Why is Pearl confused as she and Hester reach town? 5. Notice the forms of entertainment popular in England that are not to be found in Massachusetts. . Hawthorne writes, â€Å"the generation [which came after the first Puritans] wore the blackest shade of Puritanism, and so darkened the national visage with it, that all the subsequent years have not sufficed to clear it up. We have yet to learn again the forgotten art of gayety. † Do you agree? 7. Notice that Chillingworth is talking with the captain of the ship. Why do you suppose that he is doing that? 8. What news does the captain bring Hester? How does she respond to it? Chapter 22—The Procession The first part of this chapter is a lavish description of the groups performing in the parade.Note the description of Dimmesdale as he marches. What does Mistress Hibbins know that Hester wishes she didn't? The paragraph beginning â€Å"This vocal organ† is a description of Dimmesdale's sermon. What message does the ship's captain give to Pearl? It is sad to read in the penultimate paragraph the sentence beginning, â€Å"Hester saw and recognized. † Chapter 23—The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter 1. What is the townspeople's reaction to Dimmesdale's sermon? 2. How does Dimmesdale feel about his career as a minister at this time? (Look in the third paragraph. ) 3. After he gives his sermon, what cha nge comes over Dimmesdale? . Why does Chillingworth try to stop Dimmesdale? After all, hadn't he wanted Dimmesdale's guilt to be known? 5. Where is the only place that Dimmesdale could have escaped Chillingworth? What does this mean? 6. What does the crowd see as Dimmesdale tears away his â€Å"ministerial band†? Are you sure? 7. Does Dimmesdale think he and Hester will meet again in Heaven? Why? 8. â€Å"By giving me this burning torture to bear upon my breast†Ã¢â‚¬â€is this line meant to be taken literally or figuratively? Note how the alliteration, which makes the line quite poetic, provides emphasis. 9. What happens as Dimmesdale dies?Chapter 24—Conclusion As might be expected, â€Å"there was more than one account of what had been witnessed on the scaffold. † What explanations are offered for what had happened? How does Hawthorne feel about those who say that Dimmesdale never said that he was Pearl's father? Does the moral beginning â€Å"Be true! Be true! Be true! † seem like a theme to you? Compare it to what Pearl said to Dimmesdale on the scaffold in chapter 12. What happened to Chillingworth? Why might love and hate be really â€Å"the same thing at bottom†? Who is Chillingworth's beneficiary? Be sure you know what happens to Hester and Pearl.Who discovers that Hester has returned? 10. What, according to rumor, has become of Pearl? 11. What role does Hester play in the community? What is Hester's â€Å"firm belief of which she assures unhappy women? For a novel written in 1850 this is a remarkably contemporary idea, Beside whom is Hester buried? â€Å"†Gules† is the color red. â€Å"Sable† is black. The final sentence, which summarizes the whole novel in a remarkably concise and symbolic way, is the description of Hester's tombstone. Before the days of colored printing, people had to find a way to instruct engravers who were oing to produce coats of arms, banners, flags, and the like. Th is sentence says that Hester's tombstone, which has a black background (a field sable), will be engraved the letter A in red (gules). Think of all the other things in the novel that can be described with that sentence—the midnight sky in the second scaffold scene; Hester's blouse; Hester's life, which seems to have been very bleak with only one moment of happiness; even the Puritan period of American history, which was a dark period, as Hawthorne tells it, â€Å"relieved only by one ever-glowing point of light. Let us remember that the name Hester—an archaic form of Esther—means â€Å"star. † You might remember that Chillingworth said that Hester â€Å"will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone. † Yet the letter can represent something other than Adultery. We have already come to see it represent Able, Art, and Angel. What else might the A have meant to Hester? Remember that in some Massachuset ts communities, Plymouth among them, the punishment for adultery was to wear the letters AD.What could AD have represented to Hester? Congratulations. By reading this novel you have accomplished something noteworthy and gained a great deal—you have increased your reading skills, expanded your vocabulary, considered value systems that might be different from your own, investigated human psychology, and, it is to be hoped, undergone an emotional experience that will never leave you. ———————– 1] Here is an opportunity for the teacher to point out that English spelling and usage were not firmly fixed in the seventeenth century. ‘Their† and â€Å"theire† appear in the same sentence, â€Å"sowed† in modern English would be â€Å"sewn,† and other word forms, while recognizable, have changed in the last three and a half centuries. ———————– N OTE: This is only to function as a â€Å"reading guide† to help you better understand the novel. 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