Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott Essay Example for Free

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott Essay Take a moment and imagine a family of six traveling from city to city in order to survive, their only home, a car. Suddenly as their driving along a women speeds into them crashing, and wrecking their home. They are all then taken to a hospital, where the family discovers that the mother has progressive cancer in her lymph nodes. After this discovery, the father decides to skip town leaving his wife, three young children and elderly mother homeless. Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott is an exceptional novel. Endicott won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best book in Canada and the Caribbean for Good to a Fault. Why might you ask? Each character is so extraordinarily developed and so well described it feels as if you know them yourself. Their emotions, thoughts and actions are so personal that at the end of the novel Endicott has created a wonderful and realistic person. Their conflicts are so profound, that they are crippling to the characters that suffer under them. And a theme that so important that the book is named after it. Like most novels Good To A Fault has a variety characters with an array of personalities, thoughts and behaviors. What sets it aside from others, is the vivid characterization of not only the fundamental characters of the story, but even the characters that are only introduced once. The rotation of perspectives gives the novel a whole new view on each characters true personality and on the conflicts they face. As Mary Jo Murphy from the New York Times said, â€Å"it’s the quieter introspective dramas, provided by Endicott’s skillful rotation among the characters’ points of view, that hold your attention.† Each characters thoughts are described by the author in exact correspondence with their personalities. For example; Paul, who is a pastor, often indirectly makes allusions to faith. Like when he and Darwin are fixing up Claras basement Paul says, Today is a time for rejuvenation pg.153 or when he is speaking to Clara about her generosity towards the Gages he says You sacrificed yourself for others pg.329 Through this, Endicott solidifies Pauls personality, tying him to his religion. Making Paul a symbol of Christianity which brings into question the faith of many characters. Allowing the reader to experience the many sides of faith. Apart from that , appearance and reputation help to build complete characters. Take the protagonist Clara , Paul describes her as single, childless of course, took care with her appearance, fortyish, Christian, and not in good spirits for some time since her mothers death. pg.26. This information helps develop a rounded character. It isnt enough just to say that Clara is a nice person, so that is why she takes care of the Gage family. The author uses her faith, age and relationship status to give reason for her generous actions. It helps the reader gain a better understanding of Claras personality, and accordingly builds a relationship between the reader and the protagonist. Above all things what sets this book aside from any other is the conflicts. Unlike most books the conflict of this story introduces itself in the very first paragraph, â€Å"The other car came from nowhere, speeding through on the yellow, going so fast it was almost safely past when Claras car caught it.†pg. 7. Because of this you would think that there would be no rising action, no excitement and no great lesson for the protagonist to learn, but you would be wrong. This conflict originally appears as if it will have the most impact, but it does not. In fact it stems off into several other conflicts that characters struggle with individually, and as a group. For instance, Lorraines diagnosis with cancer. This leads to her husband, Clayton, struggling to find his family a safe home, which he fails to do on his own. This leaves him bitter because instead of him finding a solution through hard work, he is left to stay with the very women who put them in the situation, Clara. As he says when confronting Clara at the hospital, â€Å"Hard on you? Hard to sit and watch the results of what you did?†pg23. He decides to deal with this by leaving the family. His actions burden Clara with the care of the family he left behind. Leading to Claras guilt of driving the childrens father away and leaving the mother all alone. Ultimately she struggles with the idea that she cares for the Gage family either out of guilt or to fill the empty spaces not only in her spare rooms, but in her life. It only took Endicott one simple incident to create a million other problems throughout the novel. Each conflict faced, allows the reader to understand more about each characters role in the story. Finally molding the novel into the theme. The theme I took from this novel was ; personal satisfaction of goodwill is the only payment for charity,for if its not, the deeds bring no true meaning. However when I contacted Marina Endicott on twitter she described the theme as follows; How the debt of charity is redeemed; Love your neighbour as yourself. After Clara divorces her husband, she is left wounded by their short, detached marriage. Her parents then become ill and she must care for them. But soon they both die leaving Clara alone with all their possessions and burdens. When Clara opens up her home to the Gage family and a friends daughter, she must decide whether her actions are truly pure and for others benefit, or greedy and only being used to fill the void left by her parents and husband. So she questions herself, â€Å"I see what they need, but I am unwilling to help.†pg 25 When Clara takes in the Gage family she originally believes she is doing it to make up for the car accident she caused. As the visit becomes longer Clara grows more and more attached to the family as she brings them into her life. Caring for them soon becomes less of an obligation, and more of a desire as she grows to truly love the Gages like they were her own. She becomes so attached that she does not wish that they leave her home, and when they do she is deeply angered. â€Å"She did not want anything, except Pearce back, and Dolly, and Trevor; except the life she had left this afternoon, to run over and help Lorraine- to help her again!†pg.327 .This theme is a great topic that adds depth the novel. The whole story Clara is faced with deciding whether what she does is out of loneliness or out of good will. It is a topic that we should all consider when we decide to do something charitable. And yet another reason why I believe this is a wonderful piece of litterature. Ultimately this book incorporates everything that makes a good, memorable novel . Its realistic, likeable and relatable characters keep the reader the attached to the story. These characters face conflicts that challenge them physically and emotional but lead them to fulfilling rewards. Finally these elements are all summed up to create a concrete theme of charity versus selfishness, a topic rarely touched on in our society. These elements of the novel piece the story together as a whole and make it strong enough to last the test of time. This is a great novel.

Democracy, Journalism And Society

Democracy, Journalism And Society Democracy is defined, basically as government in which the supreme power is vested in the people. Democracy is a very challenging form for politicians and it can be exercised by the people (Becker Raveloson). According to U.S president Abraham Lincoln (1865), he once stated that â€Å"government of the people, by the people, for the people†. So democracy literally is a set of ideas and principles that used to protect the basic human rights, freedom and to uphold citizenship. And in democracy, media is playing a contributory role by informing the public, educating voters, promoting ideas, and ensuring the government are accountable and transparent. Ever since, media has become a forum for public discussion and public debate has been recognized since 17th century. And today the communication way is still dominated by the media such as television, radio, newspaper, magazine, internet and etc. No matter is old age media or contemporary mass media, the distinctive function is still remain unchanged as media is used to disseminates information and form 2 way of communication (Crozier Huntington Watanuki, 1975). In order to obtain wider range of information, media audiences are replying on media information. For an example, voters watch TV to get the latest update during election campaign. In this case, from my point of view I agree with media is playing a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy. Media audiences are more aware of various social issue, political and government activities through mass media. Dewey (2008) continue to argue, media also playing as a watchdog to guide of public interest over government and monitoring function. In news journalism media, watchdog is referring to an individual or group of people that come with notion of avoiding illegal practices. This can be seen as one of unique strength in media that helps to shape a healthy democracy because watchdog is ensuring government accountability in democracy and access the government performance. (Coronel, 2003). Watchdog is there to against abuse of power, corruption, financial irresponsibility, assorted malfeasance and other wrongdoing that might threaten the society. Example, based on the case that happen in Thailand, the investigate reports and the press has uncovered wrongdoing of the Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawatra. ( Miranda, 2002). The strength of media in enhancing the democratic value is through the use of alternative media and audience participation. It became a space or forum for people to exchange of ideas, opinion and the value is more clearly defined (Becker Rsvelson, 2008). This is how a contemporary media facilitate public discussion and feed into promote a democracy. Nowadays media is fundamental to offer opportunity and right for citizen to associate freely, to educate the citizen about public issue and ideology is one of the factor to motivate the party member ( Clark, 2009). Media play as an active role in public debate and it is generally used to reflect citizen’s criticism, ideas, and agreement through website, vox pop and etc. Basically a democracy requires the active participation of citizen. Ideally, the mass media is used to keep audiences engaged in the government activities. (Coronel 1994). So there’s amount of political news and stories are publish or air in variety media, this allow citizens to appear on screen and speak in their own voices, express their feeling and discuss. (McNair,2000). For example radio has become the channel of choice as it is low cost and more accessible to the public which used to promote grassroots democracy. Besides that, the Vox Pop, is also widely used in television and newspaper stories. The producers will pick randomly and having an interview session with the citizens on the street. Vox pop consider as a form of news coverage, which is help to shape the worldview of citizen and influence the news agenda. (Grab Zhou, Barnett, 1999). As Loviglio (2002) has shown, Vox pop is a news reporting that offer 2 way public communication on a range of topics or issues, so citizens are able to talk and comment about their perception towards democracy. All the public discussion in a move to engage public and listen to the citizen voice. In the new democracies, we expect the media would build a civic culture through a tradition discussion or public debate. Besides, vox pops has make a connection between government and citizen, since everything is mediated through authoritative voice ( Tait, 2001). It is arguable that public opinion has certain impact on democracy. The rise of Vox Pop been also seen as an important element in news organisation, in term to make news more relevant in democracy. However, there’s some argument and critics from other scholars as well. Based on the book by Lewis et. Al. (2005), they argue that vox pop do offer an opportunity for citizen to voice out their political opinion, but at the same time there’s also some limitation. Cottle argues that even citizens participate in the following television talk show, but their voice are not been heard as always because of infrequently allowed to develop their own opinion. Citizen rarely have chance to be â€Å"primary definers† to provide frame work as normally anchor will first introduce the topic, frame the topic area, deliver basic information as a preview.( Hall et al, 1978). Richard Tait (2004) also continue critics that vox pops is just serve as a responds to elitism news programme and more or less similar to an audience participation programme. In addition, Vox Pop allows citizen to participate and openly discuss about their common concern such as political debate, but they are more into expressing their own feeling based on their personal experience and self-interest, rather than the common good or making any improvement. (Richard, 2004). They will speak as a consumer but not as a citizen that attempt to create a better place for their country. Nevertheless Vox Pop still has contribution in shaping a healthy democracy. It create a space for all the political view being expressed and substantive opinion to be seen. Vox pop still serve as a useful media to allow citizen participation and a way to communicate (Lewis et.al, 2005). Besides, democracy is brought about through public debate and it is necessary of mass participation and a requirement for democratic responsiveness to public references (Sartori, 1987). Clearly every political participants attempt to control over the public opinion and structure favourable outcome to their political interest as most of the public are depending heavily on the messages that construed by the media (Callaghan Schnell,2001) So it is important to examine who control the political rhetoric, based on two scholars, Kinders Sanders (1990). They underscored how the media is structuring, interpreting and shaping political issue in democracy. The media has emerge as a more active role in repacking the player’s fame and shaping the policy message. So public debates and public participation is vital to strengthen democratic institutions. In this way, citizen opinion can be considered and taken into account as one of the contributions and effort towards public debating alig ned with democracy. (Coronel, 1994). Public opinion is a tool to control politicians that lead the country, the voices must be heard. Similarly media role is primarily that helping to shape a healthy democracy in pursuit of economic growth. Journalist attempt to influence, educate and inform the citizen through variety type of mainstream media, this is how media role is contributing where politicians can promote their unique policy frames and get the message across to public effectively. (Cohen et.al, 1963). Media are widely used by journalist to convey information to the general public and to expand their visibility in democracy, as the press has tremendous influence (Callaghan Schnell, 2001). A journalist is required with professional skill in news reporting and representing divergent views, which helps to propagate peace journalism. Sen (2001) has argues that free press contribute greatly in assuring an accountable governance. In the other hand, the journalist are challenged by certain limitation and constraints by using media to promote democracy. Some of the unethical journalist practices might causing inability to fulfil democratic function. (Coronel, 1994). At the same time, each media has gatekeepers and they might filter over the information, so not everyone’s voice and opinion can be heard. The gatekeepers often determine the media content and manipulate the messages, so many of the citizen’s opinion has been cut down. Many voices been so frequently been ignored when the gatekeepers who are able to define the story, selecting on what issue is news value and they decide what to publish on the mass media (Clack, 2009). It is pointless if the citizen can only express their criticism in a closed room In doing so, we move on the discussion to citizen journalist as well. Journalist and citizen journalist are two group of people that work together and it is a two way form of news. Citizen journalist is defined as ordinary users who participate and engage in journalist practise which including blogging, photo and video sharing and article posting (Goode, 2009). In other word they are not professional journalist but they are generally associated with internet and they do sharing. Internet allows them to comment or interact with each other, and the most important thing is the freedom from state control. Nowadays media is enveloping and participating in alternative media to promote democracy, and citizen journalist is one of it. (Miller, 2004). A media democracy is basically using mass media to empower all members of society through propaganda and citizen journalism, which citizen can participate themselves in anything by posting or sharing through their cell phone. Based on commenters Pippa Norris (2000), media function mainly as information provider and it helps to improve political engagement that consider as a positive effect of the rise of spin. From this perspective, the deregulation use of media by journalist or citizen journalist actually being beneficial to democracy. However there is scepticism about citizen journalist by some media scholars and critics. They argued that citizen journalists are reducing the quality and credibility by using media. According to Wall (2012), people have perception that citizen journalist is poor for professional news, arguing that they lack of skills to adequately serve as a watchdog on wrongdoing by powerful forces. Besides, the critic argue that citizen journalist might displace the untruth, incomplete, and untrustworthy source in misleading the media audiences. For example: They just publish whatever they see without finding the truth, and attempt to bring popular attention. Another strain of criticism portray that citizen journalism might reinforcing prejudice and muddling the truth, according to Coronel (1994). As a conclusion, media might have certain limitation in rules and regulation but it is possible to see media role has help to enhance in democratic value, in the sense that media is still a powerful and fundamental element which ultimately helps the government in making the democratic system more accountable. In many new democracies, media are still seen as a democratic tool despite the contemporary media propensity for sleaze, sensationalism and superficiality. References Clack, G. (2009). Democracy in brief. Available at http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/49271/dwoa_122709/Democracy-in-Brief_kor.pdf [Accessed: 7 August 2014] Miller, D. (2004). System failure: its not just the media- The whole political system has failed. Journal of Public Affairs, 1-4, pp. 374-382. Available at https://blackboard.ljmu.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-2551260-dt-content-rid-8522570_2/courses/6013MASSCO-201314-SUM/DAVIDMILLAR%282%29.pdf [Accessed: 7 August 2014] Miranda, R. (2002). â€Å"Targeting Journalists,† Philippine Journalism Review, pp16-20. Becker, P. and Ravelson, J. (2008). What is democracy? Available at http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/madagaskar/05860.pdf [Accessed: 7 August 2014] Callaghan, K. and Schnell, F. (2001). Assessing the democratic debateà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡How the news media frame elite policy discourse, 18:183-212. Available at http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/ogandy/C45405%20resources/Callahan%20and%20Schnell%20Assessing.pdf. [Accessed: 7 August 2014] Coronel, S. (2003). Corruption and watchdog role of the news media. Available at http://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/pnorris/Acrobat/WorldBankReport/Chapter%205%20Coronel.pdf. [Accessed† 7 August 2014] Crozier, M. and Huntington, S. and Watanuki, J. The crisis of democracy. Available at http://www.trilateral.org/download/doc/crisis_of_democracy.pdf. [Accessed: 7 August 2014]

Channel Tunnel Construction: Project Management

Channel Tunnel Construction: Project Management The Channel Tunnel is considered to be the largest private sector infrastructure project of the twentieth century. It is a fixed link transportation system comprising twin rail tunnels with an additional service tunnel each 50.5 kilometres in length. These run below the English Channel connecting England and France. The terminals can be found in Folkstone in the UK and Coquelles, near Calais in France. In 1986, a treaty of Canterbury was signed establishing the political framework for the project. This addressed issues such as jurisdiction, national boundaries and governmental involvement, consequently defining the role of the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) and Safety Authority. In the same year, the Concession Agreement was awarded to Eurotunnel (ET), a bi-national company formed by the Channel Tunnel Group (UK) and France Manche S.A. (France) for 65 years. Eurotunnel subsequently became owner and operator of the project and awarded the construction contract to Transmanche Link (TML) for the tunnels design, construction, testing and commissioning. ET also became linked to the banks via a loan agreement and to national railways via a usage agreement. The scope of the project entailed the development of a system to accommodate the transfer of regular traffic through airport-sized terminals onto an entirely new rail system with minimum transit time and shuttles travelling at high speeds with high capacity in a confined tunnel environment. This therefore defined the technology to be used, since a high integration was required between works and specific transport equipment, an unprecedented rolling stock which included the heaviest traffic on rails, and the largest real-time data system ever employed to manage shuttles travelling at high speeds. Project Roles and Responsibilities Project Sponsor As the project was privately funded, the sponsor had to raise finance on an unprecedented scale through bank loans and equity while making shares available to the public. The loan was secured through a consortium of 203 banks worldwide. An increase in finance during the course of the project was necessary to accommodate for the previously unconsidered needs of the IGC and for safety and environmental concerns as well as the approval of changes made to the project plan by the manager to address the commissions concerns and the degree of fast-tracking between the several phases of the projects. Contractual issues had to be resolved during the course of the project, with a revised agreement to that made with TML in 1987 being drawn up. As installation of equipment progressed, the concern shifted to the training of personnel for the operation of the transport system. Maintaining communication between both sides of the tunnel was also crucial in achieving project success. Project Manager The project managers principal responsibility was to plan and organise the project effectively to meet the sponsors design and construction specifications while adhering to cost and time constraints. During the construction phase, the project manager had to appoint sub-contractors for various stages of the project, with fixed-price contracts issued to reduce costs. Other duties included the modification of the project plan to accommodate for changes in the original design necessitated by pressures from the Intergovernmental Commission and accounting for safety and environmental concerns. The project manager also had to ensure that there was effective communication between the French and the English sides of the tunnel construction. Project Timeline Commissioning Jan 1990 total tunnel bored reached 50km Dec 1986 Geotechnical study of Shakespeare Cliff carried out. Cross channel surveys developed for the 1974-1975 tunnel project were refined using the latest satellite observations Nov. 1987 Funds arranged totalling  £5 billion Oct 1990 Eurotunnel Signs agreement for  £1.8 billion additional bank credit facilities June 1992 The installation of complex signalling, control and communication system begins. Nov 1993 Commissioning Program Begins August 1987 Construction work begins on both UK (Shakespeare Cliff) and French (Sangatte) sides of the channel Figure 1: Fast-track programme for Channel Tunnel [Event dates obtained from Wilson Spark (1994)] Original Project Objectives The fundamental objective of the tunnel was to offer a comfortable, fast, frequent and reliable transportation service that linked the United Kingdom to France via the English Channel. ET suggested that that two rail tunnels and a service tunnel be constructed. The service tunnel was to be fitted with safety and electronic equipment of the highest standard while the rail tunnels were to be designed to accommodate shuttle speeds between 100 to 160 km/h with an average journey time of three hours between London and Paris. The project was initially scheduled for opening on the 15 May, 1993. This meant that the time taken between design consideration and completion of the project was set at seven years. Since Eurotunnel could not start earning revenues until the tunnel became operational, schedule overruns were linked directly to loss of revenue, and were considered a more damaging consequence than direct cost increases. Based on the conceptual design, the budget was estimated at  £5 billion. It can therefore be observed that the quality of the system was of greatest importance in this project. A compromise was necessary between the desired quality and the time taken to achieve this quality, since as the time increased, so did the costs (in the form of lost revenue). Figure 2 indicates the time-cost-quality relationship for the Channel Tunnel project. The red dot represents the relative importance of quality with respect to time. Project Strategy The scale of design was massive and consequently broken into several smaller projects that ran simultaneously to achieve the overall objectives. Realistic time estimates for the project were obtained from detailed schedule planning during the inception phase of the project. This included activity definition, activity sequencing, and activity duration to develop a baseline project schedule. During the course of the project, monitoring and re-evaluation of the time estimates were performed by the implementation of a hierarchical planning/control system. This allowed overall strategic planning, proper reporting to management and detailed logging of day-to-day activities using a computerized reporting system to monitor the progress on all aspects of the project. According to the Channel Tunnel Treaty, Eurotunnel had to obtain funding for the project from private sources, without government aid or loan guarantees. Hence, financing was obtained through equity and loan capital markets. The Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) was put into place to ensure the quality objectives were achieved. This included implementation of a Safety Authority which was responsible for monitoring and specifying design procedures, specifications, construction and issues related to the environment, operation and safety. Since the project was bi-national in nature, the IGC mandated that if there were differences in the standards of the two countries, the higher of the two should prevail. The Quality Management plan included quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. Contracts played an essential role in defining the scope of work, cost, timeline and rules of engagement (or penalties). Contract Strategy During the conceptual design phase, Eurotunnel contracted TML for the construction of the tunnel. The contract agreements were based on estimated costs since at this stage of the project, detailed design was incomplete and hence, fixed prices were not available. Based on the estimated costs, the contract had three facets: Lump sum works for the construction of terminals and installation of mechanical and electrical equipment in both tunnels and terminals. Target works, for all tunnelling and related equipment such as the tunnel boring machines. The arrangement was that if the actual cost was less than the target cost at completion, the contractor will receive 50% of the savings, while if the actual cost exceeded the target cost, the contractor was required to pay 30% of the excess, up to a maximum of 6% of the target cost. Procurement items for the rolling stock and its associated equipment on a cost reimbursement basis with a procurement fee. Project Manager Type and Style ET comprised mainly of banks and contractors. Throughout the project, ET was largely criticised for its approach to design and management. This resulted in failure to deliver the project according to the sponsors time, cost and quality objectives. Additionally, since ETs organisation was bi-national, a sole project manager could not be identified. Organisational Structure Eurotunnels organisational structure can be described as functional, but its two board system made it unique. This is depicted in Figure 3 below. Figure 3: Eurotunnel Management Structure: Joint-Board System (adapted from Stannard (1990)) / In retrospect with the original project objectives, the Tunnel was not opened until 6 May 1994 at a cost of approximately  £12 billion. Additionally, original specifications for the rail system and tunnel quality were revised in order to keep costs down. Many reports have analysed the Channel Tunnel project in an effort to determine what went wrong in such a massive construction venture. From its inception, it was plagued by financial and technical woes, blown schedules and highly public battles between the company managing the project, ET, and its contractors, TML. One of the factors responsible for the cost overruns stem from the short time allocated for bidders to place their proposal for the project in the inception phase. Due to time constraints only a conceptual design was presented and priced. All detail design was to be completed during the construction phase after the bid was won (an example of fast-tracking in the program). Consequently, a number of design problems were not identified from the onset of the project and no provisions were made for them in ETs initial cost estimates. A typical example of this was the need for air-conditioning in the tunnel, and therefore, an additional  £200 million to accommodate this new design aspect. Later on, this lead to disputes between ET and TML about who was responsible for these cost overruns. Another important factor to consider was the poor communication between the British and French teams, in addition to ET and TML. Project communications was an important aspect in project planning, especially for a project of this magnitude. The multi-national team of approximately 15,000 persons included the politicians, governmental workers, bankers, lawyers and analysts who were responsible for obtaining an approved proposal plan and financing, and the construction workers, machinists and engineers who were responsible for the actual implementation of the project. With a task force of this size, an executional communication plan was necessary to address horizontal and vertical communication channels. An analysis of the Risk Management revealed that focus was on engineering risk as compared to process and approval risk, such as IGC safety decisions and approval, while the business risk was addressed via contractual agreements. During the project life, several key members of the ET team resigned and TMLs management also underwent significant change. Strategies were adjusted given the depreciating status of the project. Organisations involved such as the banks, Safety Authority, environmental issues, local authority and public opinion interfered strongly and permanently in this project that was constantly under media scrutiny. The Channel Tunnel was able to withstand all these delays and cost overruns principally because of its highly robust future income stream.

Tom Clancy Essay -- Essays Papers

Tom Clancy When choosing an author for my paper, I chose international suspense because I am very interested in foreign relations and the technology of modern day war. I have read stories by Edgar Allen Poe, with suspense and vivid imagery, which reminded me of Clancy's work. I decided to choose Tom Clancy because of his talent to weave such realistic tales of international suspense. Clancy creates the scenes in his books with such detail, it makes the reader feel like he/she is there. My first choice for this paper was Dr. Suess, but because he has passed away, I had to keep looking. I knew very little information about my author before writing this paper. I had read two of his books, but had no real knowledge of his personal life or past history. Tom Clancy, a successful American author of international suspense, has captured his love of military and technology and profitably employed it in the books he writes. The life of Thomas L. Clancy Jr. started like any other, but changed with the success of his work. He was born the year 1947, in the City of Baltimore, Maryland. His father was a postal carrier and also a store credit employer (Speace 98). Clancy spent his life educated in only Catholic schools. Because of this Clancy says, "I was never swept up in the drugs or music"(Cohen 2). He attended Loyola College in Baltimore Maryland, and earned a degree in English (Speace 98). At that time, Clancy then tried to enlist in the army. He was excused though, because of a case of myopia. "I thought I would have made a good tank commander"(Speace 99) , said Clancy, whose childhood dreams had been broken when he was kept from entering into the military. He then took on a career as an insurance agent in Baltimore Maryland, and kept that job until around 1973 (Speace 98). He then became a business owner from 1973 to the year 1980. In 1969, Clancy married a woman named Wanda Thomas, who was an eye surgeon and an insurance agency manager (Speace 98). They had four children, Michelle, Christine, Tom, and Kathleen, and a dog named Freddie (Cohen 115). They lived on 400 wooded acres in Maryland, along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Standing on the front lawn is a tank, given to him as a gift by his wife at the time (Schindehette 114). On the property there are also two tennis courts, two basketball courts, a full length football field and... ... go of your dreams when there are obstacles in the way. Works Cited Speace, Geri. NewsMakers. 1998 vol. New York, 1998. Cohen, Rich. "Master of War" Rolling Stone December 1994:114 Greenberg, Martin H. The Tom Clancy Companion. New York: Berkley Books, 1992. http://www.RedStorm Entertainment.com RedStorm Entertainment, 1999. Cerasini, Marc A. Tom Clancy's Fiction: The Birth of a Techno Thriller. New York: Berkley Books, 1991. Zaleski, Jeff. "The Hunt for Tom Clancy". Publishers Weekly 15 July 1998 Schindehette, Susan. "Storm Rising". People Magazine 15 June 1998: 141 Clancy, Tom. Op Center. New York: Berkley Publishing Corp., 1995 Clancy, Tom. Sum of All Fears. New York: Berkley Publishing Corp., 1992 Clancy, Tom. Red Storm Rising. New York: Putnam Books, 1986 Hitbrand, David. "Tom Clancy's Op Center". People Magazine 27 February 1995:12 "There's No Pot of Gold at the End of Clancy's ‘Rainbow Six'". The Washington Post 7 September 1998, Final ed Zinsser, John. "Clear and Present Sounds". Publishers Weekly 3 July 1998: pages N/A Maryles, Daisy. "Clancy's Latest Victory". Publishers Weekly 17 August 1998: pages N/A

Destiny :: essays research papers

Destiny was a misunderstood girl. She was a depressed, lonely, and hopeless young woman. Her mom was strung out on drugs, and her father was nowhere to be found. She hated her life, and she hated everyone else, even the people who tried to help her out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Destiny stayed in one the most dangerous neighborhoods in Detroit. A couple days couldn’t past, without seeing or hearing about a fight or killing. She feared walking home from school everyday. She was seventeen years old, a senior in high school, who could only read at an eighth grade level. Since her mom was never really around, she would have to stay home from school to look after her baby sister.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Destiny, where’s mom, said Kisha.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I don’t know Kisha said Destiny.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well I miss mom, she’s always gone.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I know, I know, don’t worry I’m here Kisha; I’ll always be here.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It had been a few days since Destiny had seen her mom. She was very frustrated. She couldn’t believe that her mom couldn’t even call her. She cried whenever her sister was not in the room.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Why is this happening to me?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I didn’t do anything to deserve this kind of life, cried Destiny.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was three o’clock in the morning when the phone rung. She answered the phone. It was her mom on the other end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hey baby, I’m sorry about not calling you sooner.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yeah, well where are you at mom Kisha keeps asking about you.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well Destiny I was just calling to tell you that I’m not coming home.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m going to New York, I need to get away from here.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mom, what about us?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Honey you have to take over now. I love you.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Her mom hung up, those were the last three words Destiny would ever hear her mom say. She tossed and turned the rest of the night. Kisha came into the room to wake up Destiny. She had overslept, which made her and Kisha miss school. Kisha could see the pain in Destiny’s eyes. She knew she had to tell why their mom wouldn’t be coming home and that she moving to New York. Destiny told Kisha the horrible news. They both wept and held each other until they both fell asleep.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A couple months had passed, Destiny struggled to make ends meet. She had to borrow food from her neighbors just so that they could eat every night. She knew that she would have to do something, or they would lose everything.

The Degradation of Character of Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Degradation of Character of Macbeth The tragedy, Macbeth, was written by William Shakespeare in 1606.  Ã‚   Over the course of the play the main character, Macbeth, undergoes a continuous degradation of moral character. This change of character from good to evil significantly impacts Macbeth's attitude towards the other characters, Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macbeth, and the witches.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first of the four characters is Duncan. Since Macbeth interacts with Duncan only a minimal amount before Duncan's death, Macbeth's attitude towards him changes very rapidly. Before Macbeth hears the witches' first prophecy, he is very loyal to Duncan, and would never even consider lifting a finger against him. When the thought of murdering Duncan occurs to Macbeth immediately after learning that he has been named Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth cannot believe he might "yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (I.iii.133-35). In scene 5 of act 1, however, his "vaulting ambition"(I.vii.28) is starting to take over, but partly because of his wife's influence. He agrees that they must "catch the nearest way" (I.v.17), and kill Duncan that night. On the other hand, as the time for murder draws near, he begins giving himself reasons not to murder Duncan:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Who should against his murderer shut the door,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not bear the knife myself (I.vii.13-16).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When Lady Macbeth enters, she uses her cunning rhetoric and persuasion techniques to convince Macbeth that murder is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the right thing to do. He then tells her "I am settled"(I.vii.79). He is firmly seated in his beliefs that killing Duncan is the right thing to do--until he performs the murder. He is then so horrified by the act that, for a moment, he forgets where he is or whom he is with. We learn from the murder that Macbeth truly had faith in the king and was very loyal, but under the combined forces of his wife's persuasion and his own vaulting ambition, he is put in an evil frame of mind just long enough to kill Duncan. This murder permanently alters him from his moral state of mind.   Soon Macbeth lacks any remorse for murdering Duncan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second character Macbeth's attitude changes toward is Banquo.

Excerpt from Ignor Stravinsky Essay

In this passage, Stravinsky discusses orchestra conductors, making observations and conclusions concerning their true necessity. He seemingly has carefully studied conductors’ behavior and effectively conveys his view to the reader. To present his point of view clearly, Stravinsky makes use of diction, satirical statements, and comparisons. Stravinsky manipulates his diction throughout the passage. He often uses quotations to place emphasis on certain words. His placement of quotes around the words â€Å"great† and â€Å"style† encourage the reader to look into the word for added meaning. Throughout, Stravinsky’s overall diction and statements seem rather rash and bold. He does not hesitate to present his feelings about the subject. For instance, he boldly states that â€Å"the incidence of ego disease is naturally high to begin with.† In doing so he presents the reader with the feeling of confidence. In turn, the reader doesn’t question Stravinsky’s overall knowledge of the subject matter. Also this creates a sense of informality. Throughout the passage, it seems as though Stravinsky is simply conversing with his audience. He uses parentheses and dashes within statements to create somewhat of an aside with the reader as in lines 9 and 31-34. Using this technique makes the reade r feel more comfortable and therefore better relate to the ideas being presented. Stravinsky also employs satire to attack the necessity of conductors in orchestras. Opening, Stravinsky states that conductors’ careers are not dependant on music ability, â€Å"but on the society women (including critics).† Through this statement, Stravinsky communicates that a career dependent on the ideas of women contradicts a career in music. Continuing, he speaks of ego as a natural trait in all men, and as an uncontrollable disease. In this, Stravinsky attacks how the conductors are merely concerned with their status rather than the quality of the music they render. The quotations around the words â€Å"great† and â€Å"style† also serve to create a satirical emphasis on the words’ accompanying connotations. For instance, conductors are often revered as great but for various reasons. According to Stravinsky, this status is not acquired through the creation of â€Å"great† music, but through making the former seem to be true. Also the conductor’s â€Å"style,†Ã‚  according to Stravinsky, is not a genuine technique in conducting, but merely a series of fabricated gestures that make them unique from other conductors. Several comparisons to conducting also serve to express Stravinsky’s overall point of view and desired message. First, he relates conducting directly to politics. He regards conducting as â€Å"more for the making of careers and exploiting personalities.† Conductors must manipulate people just as politicians do; they must be a â€Å"complete angler.† Through the manifestation of the relationship between politics and conducting, Stravinsky depicts conducting as a dishonest and manipulative affair. Stravinsky then speaks of conductors’ ego and relates it to a disease, a â€Å"disease that grows like a tropical weed under the sun of a pandering public.† This comparison demonstrates how conductors’ egos control their actions and provide the social faà §ade of â€Å"greatness.† Stravinsky relates conductors to actors as well. He mentions that conductors must play a role to appear great. Also expressed in the passage is that most audiences know very little about the music being performed, therefore allowing the conductor to merely show the audience how to feel and react. In conclusion, Stravinsky attacks the actual necessity and overall role of orchestra conductors. Throughout he effectively uses distinct rhetorical devices and language and, in turn, successfully conveys his inclusive perception of them.