Streetcar named desire reality free essay sample

â€Å"Human kind cannot bear much reality† (Eliot 14). Tennessee Williams’ â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire† is an artistic demonstration of T. S. Eliot’s observation. In Streetcar, Blanche, a woman in crisis, visits her sister Stella and brother-in-law Stanley in New Orleans. Blanche is from an upper-class background but has fallen on hard times, both economically and emotionally. Stanley is from a lower-class background with a cruel streak a mile wide. What ensues is a conflict of epic proportions between Stanley and Blanche, with Stella torn between the two. Each character operates within his or her own alternate reality. Through Stella, Stanley and Blanche’s self-deception within this conflict, Williams demonstrates how and to what extent individuals create their own realities in order to maintain the facade of an existence they deem acceptable. Blanche, more so that any of character demonstrates an individual’s ability to live in an alternate reality. Blanche creates an illusion that helps her cope with the type of person she has become because of tragedy she experiences. Blanche’s husband commits suicide after she makes a cruel statement to him when she discovers his affair with a man. Blanche deals with her guilt and loneliness with destructive behavior: she drinks excessively and engages in sexually promiscuous behavior. Ultimately, Blanche is run out of town and comes to live with Stella with nowhere else to go. The facts behind Blanche’s story are sordid. But she does not acknowledge them or even live in a reality where they exist. After all, a womans charm is fifty percent illusion† (2. 129). Blanche creates an illusion where she remains a proper Southern lady who is wanted by rich gentlemen. She arrives at Stella’s house wearing pearls, white gloves and a hat, â€Å"looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district† (1. 14). She clings to her Southern aristocratic roots and labels Stanley a â€Å"brute† because of his social status (4. 2). She will not acknowledge that she has fallen on hard times, but instead adopts a reality as it â€Å"ought to be† (9. 43). She strives to convince others to adopt her reality to reinforce her fantasy world (â€Å"I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be truth†) (9. 43). For Blanche, an alternate reality is not just desirable or more acceptable, it is necessary. Blanche needs the illusion because she cannot exist without it. She cannot see herself as she truly is and go on. When Stanley shatters the illusion, Blanche is destroyed along with it. Like Blanche, Stella also creates a false reality to make her existence acceptable. Stella’s alternate reality does not permeate her life like Blanche’s. But, it is equally destructive. Stella creates an illusion of Stanley as a loving husband to maintain her illusion that everything is fine in her marriage. Stella’s illusion of Stanley is evident on two occasions—when she returns to Stanley after he beats her and when she refuses to believe that Stanley has raped Blanche. When Stanley beats Stella, Stella’s self-deception becomes evident. It is clear at that point that Stanley’s cruelty extends to Stella in their marriage. Blanche tries to convince Stella to leave Stanley. Ironically, Blanche, who clings to illusion herself, tells Stella that she must, Pull (her)self together and face the facts (4. 48). Stella, however, opts for her illusion. She returns to Stanley and maintains the illusion of her happy marriage. Stella again opts for her alternate reality when she refuses to believe that Stanley raped Blanche. Stella recognizes that she cannot maintain the illusion of what her marriage is if she believes Blanche. So, she makes a conscious decision to reject Blanche’s story and maintain her illusion. At the end of the play, Stella explains her decision to her friend Eunice: I couldnt believe her story and go on living with Stanley (11. 40). In reply, Eunice states, Dont ever believe it. Life has got to go on. No matter what happens, youve got to keep going. (11. 41). Eunice’s reply suggests that she recognizes that Stella is deceiving herself about Stanley in order to maintain the illusion of her marriage. Stella’s statement also suggests a degree of awareness that the illusion of her marriage would be destroyed if she accepted Blanche’s story. Stella is only able to maintain her false reality by rejecting the truth about a brutal rape against her sister. Through Stella actions, Williams demonstrates the extent that an individual will go to in order to maintain an illusion. Both Stella and Blanche’s lives are mired in illusion. Williams suggests that perhaps Stanley’s is as well to a lesser degree. Williams betrays Stanley as a forthright man who speaks truthfully and plainly. From the time he meets Blanche, Stanley is obsessed with revealing Blanche’s lies and deceptions. But, ironically, even Stanley creates an alternate reality that he is better able to accept. After he has driven Blanche insane by his brutal rape, Stanley goes to his family and presents the image of a loving husband and father as Blanche is taken away. Stanley’s alternate reality mirrors the one that Stella has created. In his illusion he is a loving father and husband rather than a cruel bully. So, through Stanley, Williams demonstrates that even those who are firmly seated in reality engage in self-deception to maintain an acceptable facade. Williams’ message in Streetcar seems to be that humans tend to make their own reality when the real one is not to their liking. Blanche, Stella and even Stanley to a lesser degree create false realities. Their illusions cloak actual realities which they are unable or unwilling to bear. The illusions they create allow them to adopt an existence that is acceptable to them—one that is in no way similar to the truth of their lives. Works Cited

Mars Essays (685 words) - Mars, Ice Caps, Polar Ice Cap,

Mars Mars would make a lousy host for the Winter Olympics. Yes, there's the lack of air to consider. But more important, Martian snow turns out to be rock hard. Worse, it is melting away at an alarming rate. In fact, Mars may be in the midst of a period of profound climate change, according to a new study that shows dramatic year-to-year losses of snow at the south pole. It is not yet clear, though, if the evidence of a single year's change represents a trend. But the study provides a surprising new view of the nature of the southern ice cap, said Michael Caplinger of Malin Space Science Systems. It's saying that the permanent cap isn't quite so permanent as we thought, Caplinger said in a telephone interview. A second study of both poles finds that Red Planet snow is more dense and hard than the euphemistic packed powder advertised by Eastern ski resorts, and nothing like the soft flakes expected in Utah for the 2002 Olympics. Instead, it's hard as ice. Though unrelated, the two studies were based on observations made by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and both will be published in the Dec. 7 issue of the journal Science. The combined observations represent an exciting new way to look at Mars' atmosphere and how it interacts over time with the polar caps and even soil at mid-latitudes, said David A. Paige, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. The new data are showing what's going on on Mars seasonally as well as on interannual time scales in much more detail than we had with previous observations, Paige told SPACE.com. Where the snow is Both of Mars' polar regions are covered in permanent caps of ice. Scientists have known since the 1970s that some of the ice in the north is water ice. There may be water ice in the south, too, but there is no firm evidence. Both poles are covered in a veneer of carbon dioxide ice, popularly called dry ice here on Earth. Each cap grows during its winter and recedes in summer. The research into snow density, lead by David E. Smith of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, confirm that much of the Martian snow is in fact composed of carbon dioxide. The study involved more than 400 million elevation measurements spanning more than one Martian year, from February 1999 through May of 2001. The orbiting spacecraft bounced a beam of laser light to the surface and back, recording the round-trip time to determine elevations within 4 inches (10 centimeters). To determine snow density, this data was compared with measurements of tiny variations in the gravity field caused when there is more or less snow at given locations. Smith and his colleagues also measured for the first time how the elevation of Mars' surface changes during the seasons, as ice builds up in winter and returns to the atmosphere in summer. As expected, each polar ice cap is highest in the dead of its winter, when it is in total darkness. Also no surprise was the finding that the biggest changes in snow depth -- more than 6 feet (2 meters) occurred close to the poles. But the overall bulk of snow accumulation seems to take place at in thinner but vast sheets at lower latitudes, the study found. Strange snows As with Earth, the weather on Mars can be strange. Smith's study also found odd off-season snowfalls on Mars. Because carbon dioxide does not like to be a liquid, it freezes directly out of the atmosphere into surface dry ice. It's possible shadowed areas could accumulate this snow regardless of the season, said Maria T. Zuber, an MIT geophysicist who also worked on the study. In one case, patches of snow disappeared during autumn in the northern hemisphere -- a time when cooler temperatures should have generated accumulations. A huge dust storm that raged in recent months and for a time covered the entire planet may have been responsible, temporarily raising global temperatures. But Zuber said the deviations are not yet understood. Astronomy Essays

Online Degrees Grow in Popularity and Prominence

Online Degrees Grow in Popularity and Prominence Until recently, an online degree was more likely to be associated with a diploma mill than a legitimate institution of higher education. Granted, in some cases, this reputation was well-earned. Many for-profit online schools are unaccredited and have been the target of federal investigations and lawsuits as a result of their fraudulent practices, which include charging outrageous fees and promising jobs they can’t deliver. However, many of those schools have been driven out of business. And now, online degrees and certificates are becoming more popular with students and employers. What’s responsible for the change in perception? Prestigious schools Such Ivy League schools as Yale, Harvard, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and Dartmouth offer either online degrees or certificates. Some of the many other top-rated schools with online programs include MIT, RIT, Stanford, USC, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Purdue, and Penn State. â€Å"More prestigious universities are embracing the online degree,† according to Dr. Corinne Hyde,  assistant professor for USC Rossier’s online masters in teaching degree. Hyde tells ThoughtCo, â€Å"We now see top-ranked schools taking their degree programs online and delivering very high quality content that is equivalent to, if not in some cases better than, what they’re delivering on the ground.† So, what’s the lure of online education to top schools? Patrick Mullane, executive director of Harvard Business School’s HBX, tells ThoughtCo, â€Å"Universities see online education as a way to broaden their reach and more effectively fulfill their missions.† He explains, â€Å"They see mounting evidence that when online programs are done well, they can be as effective as in-person education.† Natural progression of technology As digital technology becomes more ubiquitous, consumers expect their learning options to reflect this level of pervasiveness. â€Å"More people in all demographics are comfortable  with  the on-demand nature of technology and the quality of product or service it can deliver,† Mullane says. â€Å"If we can buy stocks, order food, get a ride, purchase insurance, and speak to a computer that will turn on our living room lights, then why can’t we learn in a way very different from how most learned in the past?† Convenience Technology has also produced an expectation of convenience, and this is one of the primary benefits of an online education. â€Å"From the student’s perspective, there is a massive appeal to being able to pursue a desirable degree without having to pick up and move across the country, or even without having to commute across town,† Hyde explains. â€Å"These degrees are generally highly flexible in terms of where students can be while completing the work, and they offer access to the same high-quality resources and faculty that students would receive if they were in a brick and mortar classroom.† While juggling school with work and other demands is challenging at best, it’s obviously easier when not tethered to a physical class that is offered at times that are set in stone. Quality Online programs have also evolved in terms of quality and implementation. â€Å"Some people immediately think of impersonal, asynchronous courses when they hear ‘online degree,’ but that couldn’t be further from the truth,† Hyde says. â€Å"I have taught online for eight years and build outstanding relationships with my students.† Using  webcams, she sees her students live for weekly class sessions and routinely has one-on-one video conferences when not in class. In fact, Hyde believes that online education provides greater opportunities for connecting with her pupils. â€Å"I can see the environment in which students are learning – I meet their kids and their pets – and I engage in conversation and application of the concepts to their own lives.† While she might not meet her students in person until the commencement program, Hyde says she has developed relationships with them long before then – and often, these relationships continue afterward. â€Å"I work very hard to create a true community of learners in the classroom by engaging in deep, thoughtful conversation, mentoring them in their work, and staying connected with them on social media once my class is complete. Learning Approaches Online programs are as diverse as the schools that offer them. However, some colleges and universities have taken online learning to another level. For example, HBX focuses on active learning. â€Å"As in a Harvard Business School classroom, there are no long, drawn-out faculty-led lectures,† Mullane says. â€Å"Our online business courses are designed to keep learners engaged throughout the learning process.† What does active learning entail at HBX? â€Å"Open responses† is one of the exercises that allows students to think through decisions as though they were the business leader in a given situation, and describe the choices they would make. â€Å"Interactive exercises like random cold calls, polls, interactive demonstrations of concepts, and quizzes, are other ways HBX utilizes active learning.† Students also take advantage of technology platforms to ask and answer questions among themselves, in addition to having their own private Facebook and LinkedIn groups to engage with each other. Just in case learning Even when students don’t pursue an online degree program, they can get advanced training that can often lead to career advancement or meet the requirements of an employer. â€Å"More and more students are turning to online credential or certificate programs to learn a specific skillset, rather than going back to school for a master’s program or second bachelor’s,† Mullane says. â€Å"A colleague of mine has called this shift one from  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœjust in case learning’ (which is characterized by the traditional multi-discipline degree) to  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢just in time learning’ (which is characterized by shorter and more focused courses that deliver specific skills).† MicroMasters are an example of credentials for employees who have a bachelor’s degree and might not want to pursue a full-blown graduate degree.    Check out this list of the most popular online degrees.

Internet job search and unemployment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Internet job search and unemployment - Essay Example The advantages of internet job sites are two folds. It benefits the job seekers as well as the employers (Lucas, 2012). The job seekers can easily access the information of recruitments in various organizations and select the organization of their choice where they want to apply. On the other hand the employers have the luxury to select the best brains. Researcher Thoughts The turbulence on the world economy in the recent times has forced the rate of unemployment to take the steep rising curve. The situation is more or less the same for most of the countries. The job market got hit the hardest since the impact of the financial distress. The level of unemployment in United States remained at the high level last year despite attempts made by the Obama government to open up new job opportunities. The new study conducted by University of Colorado revealed that use of internet to find the right job is beneficial in the job searching process. The research involved in the survey found that use of internet to seek employment reduces the amount spent to look out for employment through other sources. But there exists some other researches that contradict the survey. In the year 2004 some researchers came up with the findings of two kinds of scenarios. They found that internet was not an effective tool in job searching process and the people who looked to search jobs online were not as qualified. But the effect of globalization and technological advancements internet has entered into the living rooms of the society. The websites on job searches have improved in due course of time. In recent times the employers are taking the initiative to provide detailed job listings and information on available positions on the job search engines which eases up the process between the employer and the job seeker (Goess, 2011). The change has been overwhelming with significant improvements over the period while the penetration of internet acted to be the catalyst. The introduction of social media has dramatically changed the way people land up their jobs. The social networking sites namely twitter, facebook or Linkedin are the platforms to connect with others in person or with specific industry. The online platforms in most cases play the primary role in how the job seeker gets connected with the employer regarding the job opening. There is a dark side as well. The invention of social media can harm the efforts of job seekers. The search theory can be applied in labor economics with the aim to analyze the frictional unemployment resulting from job hunting by the job seekers. From the perspective of job seekers an acceptable offer is one that provides high wage along with additional benefits and also provides safe working conditions. The theory studies the optimal strategy of the job seekers to choose the job of right quality from the available opportunities and optimize the decision making process. The job sites presents all the available positions on one window and therefore the job seekers have the choice to choose their platter and take the right decision at the right time but the question arises will the job sites be able to sustain and have long term impacts upon the level of unemployment. Policy makers have came up with many tools so as to take care of long term unemployment problem. However researchers argue can the

William Caslon typeface analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

William Caslon typeface analysis - Term Paper Example The process of type founding by William Caslon constituted four separate tasks. The first stage in this intricate step was punch cutting which involved carving the mirror image of a character, letter or figure in relief. This process was done on the end of shank annealed steal that was later tempered. The second process in production of type entailed chasing which involved ornamenting metal by tools and a hammer crafted for indenting. Following this process was casting which entailed placing the matrix in mold hand and consequently the chamber mold was realigned to fit the dimensions of the cast character. The eventual pieces were designed to be a three dimensional product of the character cast from the punch. The final operation consisted of dressing the type which included type press preparation such as breaking off the jet and filing off mold protrusions. It is of importance to note that the Caslon types symbolized functionality, strength and presence of legibility. Calson proceeded to cut very many non-Latin types such as Armenian, Coptic, Arabic, Greek and Hebrew. Some of the notable fonts by William Caslon included the ; Big Caslon, Caslon Graphique, Caslon Old Face, ITC Caslon no. 224, ITC Founders Caslon, ITC Founder’s Caslon Ornaments. The fonts designed by Caslon exhibited a modelling delicacy and a design variety that was not evident in the Dutch types. One of the distinct differences between the Caslon types and Dutch types was monotony. In effect, the Caslon types were less monotonous compared to the Dutch types which were characteristically monotonous. To this end, the smaller size Caslon letters when analyzed were not perfect individually. However, their mass effect was agreeable. The Caslon Old style no. 471 is regarded as the metal version that is considerably related to William Caslon’s originals. Furthermore, the Caslon Old style Italics and Romans are produced from the original

Current Scenario Essay Example for Free

Current Scenario Essay The only issue the company has to consider is the identification of the potential market and customers as the industry is already crowded with too many players. There are other factors which influence the expansion plans of the company which however can be mitigated with a careful planning and organizing the resources properly. With a view to assess the company’s capabilities to fight against the threats an analysis of the external factors employing an External Factors Analysis Summary (EFAS) was undertaken. The analysis revealed that the company possesses adequate strengths in the areas of quality customer service at competitive rates. However the company has to face a stiff competition from other players of the industry, the competitive package deals being offered by the cable companies and VoIP services being offered by software companies. The growth can also be obstructed by the governmental regulations in the US as well as the countries in which the company proposes to expand the services as well as the inadequacies of the infrastructure the company presently having. The analysis proved that despite these issues the company possesses adequate strengths to overcome these problems in the due course. Current Scenario The current scenario with respect to WDT’s past performance and other corporate policies and objectives are stated below: a. Past Corporate Performance, Sales, Profits and Markets: WDT has specialized in art of providing long distance calls at discounted rates and the products include the local telephone calls, long distance calls, internet, internet telephone and providing wireless service. The company has more than 100,000 customers presently. The company presently has offices at Niles, Illinois, Dallas, Texas, New York, Lublin and Poland. b. Mission The company’s mission statement as stated in their official website is: â€Å"World Discount Telecommunications’ mission is to satisfy communication needs of ethnic customers by striving to offer exceptional communication experience by providing services that are priced competitively, using reliable technological solutions and offering superior customer service, while creating a fun place to work and satisfaction for the stakeholders. † (WDT. com) c. Objectives The objective of the company is to expand the existing business by exploring the untapped markets both for traditional telephony service. This includes voluminous Asian markets like India and China and also the Central and South American markets which have more emerging economies presenting abundance of opportunities for business expansion. With the expertise already acquired in the area of discount telecommunicating options, the company strives to get exposure in these different geographical locations. Provision of VoIP facilities in the already established ethnic segments like East European Countries and Russia is considered as another important objective. d. Strategies Strategically instead of competing larger players in the domestic market on the VoIP segment where the competition is stiff and too many players are present, the company would opt for only the following strategic measures to achieve significant growth within a shorter period. A. Expansion of the traditional services to potential markets in the emerging economies of Asia and Central/South America and B. Expansion of VoIP services to already familiar ethnic markets and customers in East European countries and Russia. Policies The business policies of WDT are aligned to the mission and objectives. The major policy of the company is to provide superior customer service catering to ethnic customer groups. The company was formulating its business policies based on this broad policy and expanding to various ethnic markets by providing quality telecommunication services at affordable prices. With the rollout of VoIP WDT intends to extend the service to the Russian customers whom they are already serving with traditional telephone services.

Whitmans Democracy :: essays research papers

Whitman's Democracy "I speak the pass-word primeval, I give the sign of democracy, By God! I will Accept nothing which all cannot have their counterpart of on the same terms." This is Whitman's expression of the idea of democracy taken from "Song of Myself." In this all encompassing interpretation Whitman says that the freedom offered by democracy is for all not a chosen few. It included all people, not renouncing those of other races, creeds, or social standings. Examples of this acceptance are scattered through many of the poems Whitman wrote. In his poem "To a Common Prostitute" Whitman wrote: "Not till The sun excludes you do I exclude you." He has accepted the women as a prostitute, but this also conveys Whitman's ideas of democracy. The notion that all people should be covered under the cover of freedom. The sun is used as a metaphor for democracy in this poem, as it should shine upon all equally. When Whitman discusses the "shunn'd persons" in "Native Moments" he once again mimics the concepts of democracy with his words. He lets all know that he embraces the people that others have rejected, as democracy should embrace all. These people are part of America also, and should be accepted as such. as democracy should embrace all. Whitman commends the many people of America in "I Hear America Singing." He writes of the mothers, and the carpenters. He says that they all sing their own song of what belongs to them. In this poem Whitman brings these people from all backgrounds together as Americans. In the freedom of American democracy