The Boat by Alistair Macleod Essay Example For Students

The Boat by Alistair Macleod Essay The Boat by Alistair Macleod is narrated by a boy who has experienced immense grief due to the loss of his dad during his childhood. As the prose is non-fictional, the narrator revolves around his emotions and feelings about the damage done to him in first person; this allows the reader to identify and sympathize with the character since he directly shares his feelings with the reader. The significance of death is clearly shown with the help of an active voice as it is used almost throughout the passage to show how receptive and thoughtful the character is while recovering from his dreadful loss. We will write a custom essay on The Boat by Alistair Macleod specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The death of the character’s father is of high significance; words such as â€Å"terrible fear† exhibit the anxiety concerning the death of the character’s father. Just in order to take his mind off as â€Å"he’s afraid to be alone with death†, he indulges in activities that distract him from the idea of death. The narrator has used sound imagery as he makes â€Å"loud splashing ineffectual noises† to make himself feel better. Rhyming words such as â€Å"fumbling† and â€Å"mumbling† have been used to show the uneasiness the character’s going through. The narrator uses images like â€Å"grey corpses on the overflowing ashtray† which laden with connotations of death to depict his predicament, mirroring his emotional state. Grey, as a colour is considered to be negative. He spoke about everything that was depressing. Every activity that the character did portrayed some form of negativity. The season during this phase was winter; this itself makes readers visualize gloominess, it sets a depressing mood for the whole passage. The author has used phrases like â€Å"cold walk† to portray indifference. The narrator gains sympathy as he agrees to the waitress by saying â€Å"it sure is; it really is†. The coffee he drinks is apparently â€Å"always bitter†, ‘bitter’ is a negative connotation. The phrases, â€Å"There were only echoes and shadows† and â€Å"morning’s darkness† makes readers draw bizarre melancholic images. The narrator relates between the past and the present; intricate details are sketched in his mind. He imagined the various things his father used to do and all the activities connected to him such as the shore bound men â€Å"blowing their hands† and â€Å"stomping their feet†; detailed imagery has been used here for readers to have clear picture of what the narrator’s expressing. Sooner or later the narrator does â€Å"realize† that he’s â€Å"foolishly alone†. The word, ‘foolishly’ tells us that he has always been in his own fantastical world believing that his dad was probably still with him. Reality tells him the truth as he compares what he had: the â€Å"call†, â€Å"voices†, â€Å"shapes† and the â€Å"boat† to what he has now: â€Å"shadows and echoes†, â€Å"voices from the rain† and â€Å"cuttings from and old movie†. The past contrasts with the present, as readers notice more negativity in the latter. There is clear evidence that narrator’s father is closely connected to the boat as he says, â€Å"no one waits at the base of the stairs and no boat rides restlessly in the waters†, in this phrase, he is associating the boat and presumably, his dad. The descriptions of the narrator’s father tells readers that he spent majority of his time in the sea as he â€Å"smelled of salt† and â€Å"tasted of salt†. One chief factor that reminded the narrator about his father was the â€Å"odour of salt†. The author has used sound imagery once again by inserting phrases like â€Å"sound of his rubber boots galumphing†, this allows the readers to picture a man who has a heavy, thunderous walk. Also, the rubber boots might have helped him to avoid the sand from entering considering he spent large amounts of time near the sea. The â€Å"shaggy whiteness† of his hair tells us that he was an elderly man. .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d , .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .postImageUrl , .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d , .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d:hover , .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d:visited , .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d:active { border:0!important; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d:active , .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ubcd607061cb1ea0a8450a5e3da93133d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How to Tame a Wild Tongue and The Squirrel Mother EssayAfter deep extensive reading of the passage do readers realize that the narrator is a teacher who has been low-spirited for ten wholesome years with a clear memory of intricate details regarding his father and his childhood activities. However, there are a few ambiguities. He mentions at the beginning of the second paragraph, â€Å"at such times†, it is slightly confusing about which ‘times’ is he talking about. At the beginning of the fifth paragraph he mentions, â€Å"Three or four of us†, were they just random people or similar people who he could relate to, is to some extent ambiguous. The whole passage is in present tense; this allows readers to connect immediately with what the narrator’s saying as it gives a feeling of something that’s happening while the reader is reading. Macleod has used a wide range of imagery, figurative speech, as well as appropriate diction in order to bring out his purpose and meaning to the readers. The image of the boat tends to carry out literal and figurative significance in many parts of the passage. The narrator seems afraid of death only because of his father’s death; he seemed to have been extremely close to his father. He also appears to have a lack of freedom; he wants to let go of the past and move into the present however, the fear pulls him down. Overall, the narrator is extremely expressive which helps in being effective as his meaning and feelings are put across to the readers in the best way possible.

The Chemistry of Chemical Hair Removal

The Chemistry of Chemical Hair Removal Have you ever wondered how chemical hair removal (a chemical depilatory) works? Examples of common brands include Nair, Veet and Magic Shave. Chemical hair removal products are available as creams, gels, powders, aerosol and roll-ons, yet all of these forms work the same way. They essentially dissolve the hair faster than they dissolve the skin, causing the hair to fall away. The characteristic unpleasant odor associated with chemical depilatories is the smell from breaking chemical bonds between sulfur atoms in the protein. The Chemistry of Chemical Hair Removal The most common active ingredient in chemical depilatories is calcium thioglycolate, which weakens the hair by breaking the disulfide bonds in the keratin of hair. When enough chemical bonds are broken, the hair can be rubbed or scraped off where it emerges from its follicle. The calcium thioglycolate is formed by reacting calcium hydroxide with thioglycolic acid. An excess of calcium hydroxide allows the thioglycolic acid to react with the cysteine in keratin. The chemical reaction is: 2SH-CH2-COOH (thioglycolic acid) R-S-S-R (cysteine) → 2R-SH COOH-CH2-SS-CH2-COOH (dithiodiglycolic acid). Keratin is found in skin as well as hair, so leaving hair removal products on the skin for an extended length of time will result in skin sensitivity and irritation. Because the chemicals only weaken the hair so that it can be scraped away from the skin, hair is only removed at the surface level. A visible shadow of subsurface hair may be seen after use and you can expect to see regrowth in 2-5 days.

Impact of Innovation on Economic Perfomance on Micro and Macro Level Essay

Impact of Innovation on Economic Perfomance on Micro and Macro Level - Essay Example This essay is one of the best examples of comprehensive theoretic analysis of the mechanism of the impact of technology changes on the competitiveness of a company or an entire economy of a country. The tighter and more competitive business environment is driving firms to innovate in order to maintain their existence as a market player. However, as more firms innovate, the struggle to maintain their share in the market in turn gets other firms to innovate, capturing everybody to be part of a complex economic cycle. A source of new technology is the society’s search for increased economic efficiency and a sincere desire to reduce the cost that it has to pay for the availability of goods. Whether the purpose of the technology is to improve its effective use of available natural resources or to increase or alter the supply of available resources, it has impacted what people buy (hence created new demand types), what they choose to do with their time (leading to new market for leisure events), what jobs are lost due to changes in the overall economic mix, and possibly the price of other goods that compete with the products, that were produced using new technology. Research, entrepreneurship, new start-ups, consolidation of businesses, interaction with other companies and financial markets create an environment that is conclusive to innovations. Novel trends in innovative activities are impacted by new technologies, modifications in the existing knowledge base, as well as changes in consumer needs.

IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND Research Paper

IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS - Research Paper Example This will also involve a discussion on the major challenges facing disaster management and how the social media can be used to defray these challenges. The paper will concentrate on information sharing, disaster preparation and decision-making as well as information collection. These four social media functions will then be mapped on to three crisis management phases of awareness, reaction, and recovery to outline how a variety of social media tools may be utilized to improve crisis communications. The paper will also share several cases of global organizations and governments that use social media for crisis management. The research paper proposes a model to improve government utilization of social media for crisis management that includes the necessity for a mandate, distinct guidelines and several key capabilities that need to be developed. The proposed tools will help governments and organizations in emergency management and disaster preparedness. According to Sturges (2004) crisis management is an important organizational function that deals with planning and dynamic occurrence reaction to situations as they take place, usually in unpredictable ways. The flowing effects of a happening crisis can thrash a country’s or an organization’s capability to function effectively and may bring about serious harm to its citizens, institutions, assets, and repute. The emergence of an array of social media tools has transformed the landscape of crisis management significantly over the last few years with promises for social action now becoming certainties. With the availability of various software tools such as online discussion forums and news aggregators, organizations are now able to distribute, attain, and scrutinize information in a more efficient manner and expansively. While social media has the capability to bar a crisis from getting out of control,

Facilitating the interview process Essay Example for Free

Facilitating the interview process Essay In this essay I will evaluate each document from Harrow College Application Pack, it will include information that applicants will need to know before they applied for the job. Inside the pack, it includes welcome letter from the principal, the curriculum of Harrow College, Organization chart, policy statement, travel policy, how to fill in an application form, job description, and person specification. In the application pack, a welcome letter from the principal of Harrow College will help recruitment because the letter is written by the principal it will set the standard and it attracts applicants and also it will make a good impression to applicants knowing the principal welcoming them to apply to Harrow College even though the principal is not saying it in person but it will make the applicant more welcoming and comfortable with the College. Secondly, the letter said â€Å"Harrow College now ranks as the top FE College in West London and Hertfordshire†, this will make applicants be more interested about the job role because they want to be part of Harrow College success and want to be part of that reputation. Harrow College can improve their welcoming letter by making the applicant feel more welcoming, instead of the principal saying thank you to applicant for applying, the principal should also include staff in Harrow College, that way applicants will feel the support of everyone in Harrow College. The letter also should include some background information of Harrow College and what kind of achievements Harrow College had to attract applicants. I think the letter from the principal is important because it will show a good sign that the college is welcoming and tells the applicant small information about Harrow College. The curriculum letter will help recruitment because it shows what subjects are majored in Harrow College; it will give a chance for applicants to see what other subjects they can apply for if in the future Harrow College have any vacancies. In the curriculum letter, it has background information about Harrow it will benefit the applicant because if the applicant doesn’t live local, they can find out about Harrow area. The organization chart will help recruitment because it will help applicants know who does what and who to report to, it shows Harrow College that they are a well-organized college, also it will allow the applicant to know there are people in different department doing different task. This document also helps me when I was recruiting in John Lewis because by knowing who is the CEO of the company and who is my manager in the organisation chart, it will help me in the future that if I have any problem I know who to report to. The equality and diversity policy statement will help recruitment because it will encourage applicants with different background to apply for the role, it will give a good impression to applicants that Harrow College don’t care where the applicants are from. Harrow College can improve their equality letter by showing figures of different background of staff in Harrow College because even though the letter tells applicants they accept anyone no matter where they from but some applicants would like to see the figures of different race and sex to know Harrow College is committed to equality and diversity. How to fill in an application form will help recruitment because is a step by step instructions of filling in an application form for applicants, that way applicants wouldn’t make any mistake or miss a section out, it will benefit for Harrow College because if the applicant make a mistake in the application form, employers from Harrow College can straight away not read the rest of the application form because employers might think if the applicant can’t follow simple instructions from the application pack then they can’t follow instructions when they are employed. Job description will help in recruitment because it sets out the main purpose of the job; it shows where the job is fitted in the organization structure, and the main responsible of the job and the type of task they will need to perform, putting the right information on job description is important because if Harrow College didn’t include detailed information on teaching and related activities and general duties, then when they have recruited the applicant, the applicant might not have any experience as a lecturer, they might not be flexible e.g.: travelling to two Harrow College Campuses, to act as a personal tutor to students. If those details weren’t included in job description, then the college would be hiring someone who have no qualifications and experience and that will cause Harrow College time and money because they would have to train the applicant or hire someone again. The changes that I would make is to improve their job description is to include how many hours the applicant will need to work, is important to put that information in the job description because applicant would want to know how many hours they need to work furthermore some applicant might have a family that they need to look after or pick up their children so if Harrow College would want the applicant work long hours during the week then some applicant can’t apply because of their personal problem. Person specification will help in recruitment because it gives information to the applicant what qualifications and experience is needed if they want to apply for the job, also Harrow College has designed well information of person specification, it included a lot if skills, different qualifications, and it specify on equality and diversity because selecting the right business lecturer is important for Harrow College, if they hire someone who hasn’t got any experience or the right qualifications then the lecturer won’t be teaching right to the students then it would mean Harrow College have to waste money again to recruit another lecturer again in addition to students would fail their exam which will cause Harrow College success’s rate to drop. The changes I would make to prove their person specification is to include the location of the job the reason for that is because applicant might want to know which campuses they will be teaching in and by putting the location applicant can decide whether they want to apply because if Harrow College would want the applicant to work in both campuses then applicant can’t apply because they might not want to travel to two campuses. Also Harrow College can include another column in the person specification e.g.: essential and desirable the reason for putting another column is because in the person specification it tells the applicant what skills are needed and what Harrow College is looking for but if they made it clear by putting skills into two column then it would made it more clear and organize for the applicant. The advantage of Harrow College using their own application forms instead accepting CV because in an application form Harrow College can set as many question as they like and what type of questions they would to like to know from the applicant also they have set a limited space in the form so they would expect applicant to write only important information instead of applicant writing unnecessary information in there which will make employers not bothered to read the rest of the application form because it will make employers feel that applicants didn’t follow the instructions by reading the questions and putting relevant answers in the form. Secondly, if Harrow College accept CV instead of application form, it will waste a lot of time and money for employers to read and compare each CV instead employers can use that time to do other things e.g.: mark students work and teach furthermore because each CV have different layouts with different information it will make employers much more harder to choose the right candidate that will be suitable for the job. Thirdly, employers can already tell if the applicants is a organize person or not by their writing and also their grammar, if the applicant grammar is poor which shows a really bad impression to the employers because the job role is lecturer and if their grammar is poor that will make employers in Harrow College consider that they can’t teach properly and if they hire that applicant then the applicant wouldn’t mark the student’s work properly. In my opinion, every document in the application pack is important. If one document is missing in the application pack, the company won’t hire the right applicant but overall I think the most important document is job advert and person specification because without job advert, no one would know about the job, applicant wouldn’t know how to apply for the job and what the job is about, also job adverts are very expensive whether the business is small or big. At the end of the day, the businesses still need to pay. Often job adverts are in short detail but the advert highlights the knowledge, skills and experience that each individuals are require within each advert. Job adverts would never change because of the job role because it would always tells the summary of the job, the location and how to apply so it wouldn’t make any difference with any job role but whereas person specification with different job role it would include different information depending how important the job role is e.g.: in the application pack, Harrow College is hiring Business Lecturer, therefore person specification would have a lot of information that they would require from a applicant but if Harrow College want to recruit a reprographics assistant, the person specification wouldn’t have much responsibilities as a business lecturer so when applicant read the person specification it won’t have a lot of requirements as the business lecturer person specification.

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay -- Social Responsibility Essays

Corporate social responsibility is becoming a key initiative and an essential tool in the growth of multinational corporations and the development of third world countries throughout the globe. The two concepts can work hand in hand to provide benefits for all; however difficulties in regulating and implementing corporate social responsibility need to be overcome before effective changes can be made. Definitions of corporate social responsibility can be somewhat varied depending on the perception and perspective an individual or group has towards the situation; the definition has also varied through time. In general terms, Manakkalathll & Rudolf (1995) define corporate social responsibility (CSR) as â€Å"the duty of organisations to conduct their business in a manner that respects the rights of individuals and promotes human welfare.† In contrast to this, Christian Aid (2004, as cited in Pendleton 2004) defines CSR as â€Å"an entirely voluntary, corporate driven initiative to promote self regulation as a substitute for regulation at either a national or international level.† Blowfield, 1995 indicates that through time, the definitions and explanations of CSR have become more positive, with increasing understanding of the benefits that can be obtained through successful implementation by organisations. Pendleton (2004) suggests that the first CSR initiatives were a response to public pressure and media exposes of poor company behaviour. The aim of CSR was to show these people that companies were capable of cleaning up their act. Pendleton (2004) suggests that â€Å"contemporary CSR was christened by Shell in it’s response to it’s annus horribilis of 1995.† Monshipouri, Welch & Kennedy (2003) also outline this issue as a key turni... ...e real face of corporate social responsibility, Consumer Policy Review, vol.14, no.3, pp.77-82 Rodriguez, P., Siegel, D.S., Hillman, A. & Eden, L. (2006). Three lenses on multi-national enterprise: politics, corruption & corporate social responsibility. Journal of International Business Studies, vol.37, pp.733-746 Sachs, S., Maurer, M., Ruhli, E. & Hoffman, R (2006), Corporate social responsibility from a â€Å"stakeholder view† perspective: CSR implementation by a Swiss mobile telecommunication provider. Corporate Governence, vol. 6, no.4, pp.506-515 Waldman, D.A., Siegel, D.S. & Javidan, M. (2006). Components of CEO transformational leadership and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Management Studies, vol.43, no.8, pp.1703-1725 The Body Shop Values Report 2007. http://valuesreport.thebodyshop.net/index.asp?lvl1=0&lvl2=0&lvl3=0&lvl4=0 Viewed 10/09/07

October Sky Psychology Write-Up

Film Write-up 1 October Sky is a based on a true story about a mining town called Coalwood and one boy’s journey. Homer Hickam is an adolescent boy whose life has been predetermined by his father, a foreman at the coalmine, to work down in the mines but he has a different plan for his life. In October 1957, everything changes when the first artificial satellite, Sputnik goes into orbit. After he sees the satellite flying across the night’s sky, Homer becomes inspired to learn how to build rockets.With his friends, who also are destined for the mines, and the local nerd, Homer sets to do just that by trial and a lot of error. Unfortunately, most of the town, especially Homer's father, thinks that the boys are wasting their time. They don’t believe in what these kids are trying to accomplish, the only one who has faith in them is their high school teacher, Miss Riley. She understands what they’re trying to do and gives them the support and encouragement they need to become contenders in the national science fair with a college scholarships and a life out of the mines being the prize.The four boys, Homer being their leader, fight through accusations by the law and attempts to destroy their dreams. They ban together along with the help of their once doubting town, in particular Homer’s father, to bring home the first prize at the science fair and go on to change their stars. Throughout the movie you could see there was great tension between Homer and his father and I think it affects the relationships that he makes in the movie. At first we see Homer pining after one of the beautiful popular girls in his school but she is unattainable.Just like his father’s relationship, he can’t have the affection that he wants and because of this he overlooks the girl who it quiet but beautiful inside and out who is clearly in love with him. Once Homer figures out his place in the community and realizes he doesn’t need to wo rk hard for a love that’s not there he opens himself up to a real true love. I would characterize this as Erikson’s stage, intimacy versus isolation where young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships and failure leads to loneliness and isolation.Because he struck out with the popular girl he went into isolation and focused only on his rockets. We also see Homer in Erikson’s stage of identity versus role confusion, while he was figuring out what his heart wanted we also see him trying to figure himself out. In the beginning, Homer didn’t know who he was, or what his life path was going to be. He knew his father and the rest of the town had the idea that he would be a coal miner but he wasn’t so sure what life held for him.It wasn’t until his teacher encouraged him to push himself intellectually that he found his love for rocketry and science that he really began to find his identity. In the end when he becomes this town hero and w ins the science fair, his father shows up to his final rocket launch for the first time and we see Homer really feeling like he’s become his own man and he has that respect he’s always wanted from his father. I would also say that Homer exhibits two of the characteristics of adolescent egocentrism; he shows invincibility fable and personal fable.In the very beginning of the movie when Homer starts out testing his very first rockets they weren’t well made or accurate but he still went ahead and tested out his ideas without throwing any caution to the wind. His very first rocket blew up his mother’s fence but he still carried on making his ideas into a reality without testing them in a safe environment, the next rocket flew into the mining site and almost hit the workers. As Homer became more seasoned in his rocket making and more serious about his craft, he moved his test launches to an empty field which proved to be much safer for him and the community ar ound him.The other characteristic he exhibits is personal fable. He feels that his life is destined for something bigger than what has been set out for him. He believes there is something unique about himself that he needs to share with the world. While his father and everyone else, including his friends, look down on this idea of breaking out of the mold he still stuck with his idea of becoming something bigger and better. At the end of the story he does in fact become the town hero and his dreams of greatness come to fruition as he grows up.