Kurt Vonnegut - The Only Story of Mine Whose Moral I Know :: Biography Biographies Essays

Kurt Vonnegut - The Only Story of Mine Whose Moral I Know "This is the only story of mine whose moral I know. I don't think it's a marvelous moral; I simply happen to know what it is : We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." "Look out, Kid!" -Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues Vonnegut's work is rife with instances of lie become truth. Howard Campbell's own double identity is a particularly strong example, although Vonnegut's message is subtle. His actions were an attempt to survive, but also an attempt to serve his country. Campbell would no doubt have survived regardless - survival is his special talent - but we aren't given any indication that he would have become a cog in the war machine. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. When approached by Major Wirtanen, his contact with the DOD, he protests that he is not political and will not help the war's progress. He was not an anti-Semite, and does not become one. Furthermore, in at least two passages in the novel he makes reference to a true self that he kept hidden. Campbell's "we are" in his moral cannot be just a reference to personality. Instead, we must take a less psychological view. Campbell pretends to be a man who incites other men to hatred. He becomes that man. It is in Campbell's actions and their effects, along with his societal and legal persecution, that we find the lie that becomes truth. As Mr. Campbell was not the only propagandist at work in Germany in World War Two, it is for the most part impossible to determine what measure of war and genocide guilt he deserves. Nor can we say that he helped win the war in the sense that those who stormed the beaches at Normandy did. But as he became his lie to the Germans, he becomes his lie to Israel and Kurt Vonnegut - The Only Story of Mine Whose Moral I Know :: Biography Biographies Essays Kurt Vonnegut - The Only Story of Mine Whose Moral I Know "This is the only story of mine whose moral I know. I don't think it's a marvelous moral; I simply happen to know what it is : We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." "Look out, Kid!" -Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues Vonnegut's work is rife with instances of lie become truth. Howard Campbell's own double identity is a particularly strong example, although Vonnegut's message is subtle. His actions were an attempt to survive, but also an attempt to serve his country. Campbell would no doubt have survived regardless - survival is his special talent - but we aren't given any indication that he would have become a cog in the war machine. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. When approached by Major Wirtanen, his contact with the DOD, he protests that he is not political and will not help the war's progress. He was not an anti-Semite, and does not become one. Furthermore, in at least two passages in the novel he makes reference to a true self that he kept hidden. Campbell's "we are" in his moral cannot be just a reference to personality. Instead, we must take a less psychological view. Campbell pretends to be a man who incites other men to hatred. He becomes that man. It is in Campbell's actions and their effects, along with his societal and legal persecution, that we find the lie that becomes truth. As Mr. Campbell was not the only propagandist at work in Germany in World War Two, it is for the most part impossible to determine what measure of war and genocide guilt he deserves. Nor can we say that he helped win the war in the sense that those who stormed the beaches at Normandy did. But as he became his lie to the Germans, he becomes his lie to Israel and

My Favourite Hobby

Good afternoon to all the judges, teachers, fellow contestants and audiences. I would grasp this honor today to tell about my favorite hobby. A hobby is a kind of amusement, an interesting pursuit which fruitfully occupies our leisure hours. There are many kinds of hobbies like collecting things, games and sports, photography, painting, reading or even gardening. Hobbies may be constructive, lucrative or even useful, but what really matters is that they provide constructive and interesting recreation. My favorite hobby is collecting stamps. I have a lovely album in which I fix the stamps.I have separate pages for each country. I also have separate pages for stamps on birds, animals, great leaders, historical movements and others. I have about 4000 stamps in all. My friends and relatives who are not stamp collectors will collect stamps for me. This has helped me to collect stamps from all over the world. I also exchange stamps with my friends. Whenever I get two or three identical sta mps, I immediately try to exchange them for one that I do not have. I have managed to collect some very rare and old stamps. Whenever the postal department issues a new stamp or a commemorative stamp, I will see that I buy them.There are many benefits from stamp collecting. The birds, fishes, dresses, people, buildings and other emblems on the stamps tell us about various countries, their culture, the lifestyles of the people and other things. It thus broadens our mental horizons and gives us a peep into history. Whenever I glance through my stamp album and look at my rare collections, I am filled with a sense of pride and joy. My hobby fills my leisure hours with interest and keeps my mind well occupied. My hobby will continue and with the passage of time, I am sure that I will have an extraordinary large stamp collection.

Dystopia Transcript

Transcript Dystopias are a futuristic, imagined universe which enforce oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological and moral control, such as in the text ‘We' by Yevgeny Zamyatin and ‘2081' by Chandler Tuttle. Often we see in these societies the ways that humanity can be repressed, losing one's individuality and also the ways a hero rises to challenge the Dystopia's laws, only to fail and become a victim to the dystopia, all being common conventions of dystopic texts from which we can learn about our own societies' flaws.After the long campaigns of One State, the world and all its citizens are under the control of this totalitarian society. Through D-503's journal we see that all humans suffer from a loss of individuality and emotion most particularly from the conformist nature of the society where regimentation and oppressive control has rid of the population of freedom and imagination, k ey factors in a human's individuality.The starting statement of â€Å"What I think-or, to be more exact what we think,† immediately when the novel begins, showcases the conformist nature of One State, tying in with the suppression of humane aspects, extrapolated by the motif, the table of hours which is One State's main instrument in controlling the population. This subjugation of citizens and further oppression is also seen in ‘2081,' where the more extraordinary of the population being handicapped to allow fair living.The constant display of the effects of added weights and shock devices linked to those who think too much show to us just how repressed everyone is in the society. Multiple close shots of Harrison Bergeron while he produced his speech about the flaws in their society illuminate to us the oppression and the dark nature of the society while he was dressed in many handicaps. â€Å"They had hoped to destroy in me, any trace of the extraordinary. Harrison's parents also demonstrate this oppression by the quick cuts to fragmented memories which are consequentially destroyed by handicaps and how the only ones without handicaps are the unintelligent, evident by Harrison's mother and the stuttering news reporter, revealing how degraded the dystopia has caused the human population. As in most dystopic fiction, there is a protagonist which rises against the society's laws and then becomes a victim. This is seen in the changes that occur to D-503 in ‘We. ‘ Throughout the beginning f the novel, D-503 constantly praises the â€Å"mathematically perfect† system of One State, evident in the constant inclusion of mathematics in his speech. â€Å"Irrational numbers†¦ I don't want root – 1. † he says as he displays the effect of this conformist society and how the propaganda around has affected him. This comes to change after being introduced to emotion and imagination by I 330, developing a ‘soul'. Howeve r, this causes his downfall as he is then subjected to the great operation, which had permanently taken away his free will and imagination, evident by his sudden indifferent attitude to I-330.From this we can see how the convention of the hero becoming a victim to his/her dystopic society. Similarly, Harrison in ‘2081’ undergoes similar events as the film progresses. He creates a performance revealing what the un-handicapped extraordinary can achieve, revealing what the dystopic society was hiding all while diegetic sound is played, highlighting the importance of his actions which continue onward to past his death at the hands of various security officers, becoming a victim to the regime despite fighting against it.Both dystopic texts follow the various conventions and ideas seen in dystopian societies, outlining to us multiple flaws in the human society and flaws we can create. As futuristic settings, these texts offer to us an understanding from which we can summarize that these dystopic texts are cautionary tales which we should learn from to create a brighter future. By Kevin Dai

Learn About the Geography of the Middle Eastern Country of Pakistan

Learn About the Geography of the Middle Eastern Country of Pakistan Pakistan,  officially called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is located in the   Middle East  near the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. It is bordered by  Afghanistan,  Iran,  India,  and  China. Pakistan is also very close to Tajikistan, but the two countries are separated by the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan. The country has the sixth largest population in the world and the second largest  Muslim population  in the world after Indonesia.  The country is divided into  four provinces, one territory, and one capital territory for local administration. Pakistan Basic Facts First, here are the basics: Population: 204,924,861  (July 2017 estimate)Capital: IslamabadBordering Countries: Afghanistan, Iran, India,  and ChinaLand Area: 307,374 square miles (796,095 sq km)Coastline: 650 miles (1,046 km)Highest Point: K2 at 28,251 feet (8,611 m)Largest cities:  Karachi (15.4 million), Lahore (11.7 million), Faisalabad (3.3 million), Rawalpindi (2.2 million),  and  Gujranwala (2.1 million)Language: Urdu (official language) but English, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Baloch, Hindko,  Barhui,  and Saraiki are also spokenLife expectancy: 66 years for men and 70 years for women Geography and Climate of Pakistan Pakistan has a varied topography that consists of the flat, Indus plain in the east and the Balochistan plateau in the west. In addition, the Karakoram Range, one of the worlds highest mountain ranges, is in the north and northwest part of the country. The worlds second highest mountain,  K2, is also within Pakistans borders, as is the famous 38-mile (62 km) Baltoro Glacier. This glacier is considered one of the longest glaciers outside of the Earths polar regions. The climate of Pakistan varies with its topography, but most of it consists of hot, dry desert, while the northwest is temperate. In the mountainous north,  though, the climate is harsh and considered  Arctic. Economics and Land Use in Pakistan Pakistan is considered a developing nation and as such it has a highly underdeveloped economy. This is largely because of its decades of political instability and a lack of foreign investment. Textiles are Pakistans main export, but it also has industries that include food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer,  and shrimp. Agriculture in Pakistan includes cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, milk, beef, mutton,  and eggs.  Resources include natural gas reserves and limited petroleum. Urban vs. Rural Just over one-third of the population lives in urban areas (36.7 percent), though that number is increasing slightly. Most of the population lives in the areas near the Indus River and its tributaries, with Punjab the most densely populated province.   Earthquakes Pakistan is situated above two tectonic plates, the Eurasian and Indian plates, their motion making the country primarily a site of major strike-slip earthquakes. Earthquakes above 5.5 on the Richter scale are relatively common. Their location in relation to population centers determines whether there will be extensive loss of life. For example, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake January 18, 2010, in southwest Pakistan, didnt cause any fatalities, but another in the same province that came in at a 7.7 in September 2013 killed more than 800. Four days later another 400 were killed in the province in a 6.8 magnitude quake. The worst in recent memory was in Kashmir in the north in October 2005. It measured 7.6, killed 80,000, and left 4 million homeless. More than 900 aftershocks rolled on afterward for almost three weeks.   Sources Central Intelligence Agency. CIA: The World Factbook: Pakistan. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pk.html. Dawn. Timeline of major earthquakes in Pakistan: 1971-2018. https://www.dawn.com/news/1215521.

Chain Reaction Definition in Chemistry and Physics

Chain Reaction Definition in Chemistry and Physics In science, a chain reaction is a series of reactions where the products contribute to the reactants of another reaction without outside influence. The idea of chain reactions was introduced by German chemist Max Bodenstein in 1913 in reference to chemical reactions. Chain Reactions Examples A nuclear chain reaction is a fission reaction where the neutrons generated by the fission process go on and initiate fission in other atoms. The chemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen gas to form water is another example of a chain reaction. In the reaction, one hydrogen atom is replaced by another as well as two OH radicals. The propagation of the reaction can lead to an explosion. Chain Reaction Steps A typical chain reaction follows a sequence of steps: Initiation: Active particles form that serve as the basis for the reaction.Propagation: Active particles react with each other and may serve as catalysts to perpetuate the cycle.Termination: The active particles lose their activity, slowing and ending the reaction.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Studying at University Essay

Benefits and Drawbacks of Studying at University - Essay Example Most of the employed graduates have shown to have medical insurance covered by their subsequent employees. University graduates are perceived to engage in a healthy lifestyle, then the high school counterparts. According to the statistics, the level of health increases with higher education. For instance, statistics shows that more than 70 percent of university graduates with income between $35,000 and $54,000 are in better health condition than those high school graduates in the same income bracket and age. Also among the graduates, the level of heath increases with the level of degree attained.The incarceration rate has been seen to be higher in adults with high school education than those with university or college education. Increase in incarceration rate increases the amount government spends on prison costs per an individual inmate. Though this takes us back to the economic benefits of higher education, this finding is more tagged to the effects on the society. Statistics confi rm that, in 1997, 1.2 percent of those incarcerated were adults with no graduate education, but only 0.1 percent of them had higher education. This shows that increased level of university education tends to decrease the potential and characteristics to get involved in crime. Academic success is also viewed as a factor that reduces the likelihood to commit crimes (Cunningham, 2008, p. 1). Studies have revealed high cognitive skills in children of educated mothers than those of the high school graduates.... 16). Incarceration rate The incarceration rate has been seen to be higher in adults with high school education than those with university or college education. Increase in incarceration rate increases the amount government spends as prison costs per an individual inmate. Though this takes us back to the economic benefits of higher education, this finding is more tagged to the effects on the society. Statistics confirms that, in 1997, 1.2 percent of those incarcerated were adults with no graduate education, but only 0.1 per cent of them had higher education. This shows that increased level of university education tends to decrease the potential and characteristics to get involved in crime. Academic success is also viewed as a factor that reduces the likelihood to commit crimes (Cunningham, 2008, p. 1). School readiness Studies have revealed high cognitive skills in children of educated mothers than those of the high school graduates. These children are able to take more education task s and are more informed than those of mothers with lower education background. This means that attainment of higher education will bring forth future benefits of a more informed and learned society. According to research children between the age of 3-5, more than 36 per cent among them whose mother had university education could recite all letters of the alphabet, compared to less than 19 percent of those of high school graduate mothers (Hill, 2005, p. 1.). Ninety per cent of children from graduates’ mother read to not less than 3 times per week, in comparison with the 76 percent of those with high school mothers. Teachers of these children confirm that children from graduate mothers are more

Organizational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Organizational Change - Essay Example Poor communication and lack of strategic vision are the main problems faced by the Tech Division of CF&F. Most employees become dissatisfied when opportunities for meaningful achievement are eliminated and they become sensitized to their environment and began to find fault. Also, in CF&F performance deficiencies result from motivational problem which is closely connected with lack of skills. The weakness of the division is low trained staff and authoritarian leadership, poor communication and decision making process. Most employees are frustrated with the lack of progress and effective management. The threat is absence of coordination and unity between executives, and differences as for perspectives of power of top management. Many managers suppose that they need to dominate subordinates. The focus of power is with the manager, and all interactions within the group move towards the manager. The manager alone exercises decision-making and authority for determining policy, procedures for achieving goals, work tasks and relationships, control of rewards or punishments (Durant, 1999). The success or failure of a current strategy depends not only on decisions made in the past but also on how those decisions are being implemented now by people employed by the organization. It is therefore important to questions about who, how and why people are doing what they are doing and what they should do in strategic implementation. This situation shows that the Tech Division of CF&F needs a strong leader to be ruled. Nepotism is one of the main negative features which reduce effective promotion and communication between employees. Without the direct participation and support of an institution's leadership, power cannot be pushed to its full potential. Leadership requires many of the characteristics common to all leaders, but also requires special abilities to manage any organization in today's rapidly changing environment (HRM Guide, 2006). Lack of training and promotion is another problem faced by employees. In this very case, lack of training decreases the level of individual and organizational competence. It prevents employees to reconcile the gap between what should happen, and desire-targets and standards of performance; and what is happening and levels of work performance. A significant and disturbing feature of the Tech Division of CF&F is the negative attitude towards the benefits of training shown by Frontline Supervisors. Too often training is seen as a necessary expense to achieve output targets. It is not seen as providing long-term benefits or improving organizational performance. A common view of training is an activity undertaken by large corporate bodies who can afford it. Lack of people-centered approach results in low motivation of employees and management staff (Frontline Supervisors). Too many managers appear to attempt to manage through the use of rules, systems, procedures and paperwork, rather than with and through people. Managers should have a highly developed sense of people perception, and understand the feelings of staff, and their needs and expectations. It is people who are being managed and people should be considered in human terms. A genuine concern for people and for their welfare goes a long way in encouraging them to perform well. For many hourly employees, grief