The First Amendment and the Fight Against God Essay -- Argumentative

The First Amendment and the Fight Against God On September 11, 2001, our nation experiences a terrible tragedy when four terrorist-controlled airplanes flew into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Over 3,000 people were killed, and thousands more were affected. In an effort to promote patriotism and unite the nation, citizens began displaying American flags, holding memorial services, and attending church. County High School also made an effort to bring together its students and faculty. A number of candlelight vigils were held, and students made posters and signs to display their patriotic feelings. One of these sings was a large banner hung right inside the front door. Red, white, and blue lettering displayed the phrase, ‘In God We Trust.’ This sign was met with mixed feelings. While many students were comforted by this display of patriotism, others took a very opposite stand. Less than 24 hours after the banner was raised, there were students rallying for it to be taken down, complaining to the principal, and arguing against it in class and at lunch. The upset students claimed it was offensive to atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Buddhists, and anyone else not North American Christian. Ironically, the majority of the students who complained weren’t actually members of any of these religions and the students who were generally took no offense to it. Personally, I found the students’ attempts to remove the sign offensive, not the sign itself. The sign was not displayed to recruit and convert students to Christianity, nor was it intended to preach to non-believers. It was a patriotic symbol; a reminder of our founding fathers’ ideals and hop... ...a misguided retreat from the First Amendment we are allowing those views to stifle our emotions, restrict legitimate expressions of faith, and disrupt our unity. Works Cited Amendments to the Constitution. U.S. House of Representatives. 22 September 2003 . Facts Sheets: Currency & Coins. History of ‘In God We Trust’. United States Department of the Treasury. 23 September 2003 . Renstrom, Peter G. Constitutional Rights Sourcebook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1999. The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription. The National Archives Experience. 23 September 2003 . The New American Bible. Washington D.C.: World Bible Publishers, Inc. 1970.

Modern Aboriginal Issues Essay -- Aboriginals Australia History Essays

Modern Aboriginal Issues The first Europeans to settle Australia treated the Aboriginals in a brutal, unfair manor. They downgraded Aboriginals to a lower status as human beings. They tried to force the Aboriginals to conform to the western way of life for more than 200 years. It is only fairly recently that the Aboriginals have finally been able to gain back some of their indigenous rights and traditions. Yet they are still deficient in many areas. The land that their ancestors held has not all been returned to them, they struggle to meet the requirements of western education systems, and they have a very limited access to health care. In spite of these problems, many aboriginals are working to better themselves and their community. It will just take time for the western and Aboriginal cultures to merge into the one final Australian society Introduction The Aboriginal people have undergone much change and turmoil in the 220 years since the British first started a colony. They have seen their land and their freedom stripped away. The Aboriginal people are slowly regaining ground after two centuries of unfair political and social treatment. How far have Aboriginal people come, and how far do they have to go, before they will truly be equal citizens? To answer this question, one must first look at how they were forced to the bottom of the ladder. Next, some of the recent changes that have occurred in government policy and social acceptance will be looked at. Finally, education and health care as faced by the Aboriginals in their lives daily will be discussed. History The problems facing Aboriginals today are many an... ...lian Nursing Journal. 11(9):37. Fasoli, Lyn, Margot Ford. 2001. "Indigenous early childhood educators' narratives: Relationships, not activities." Australian Journal of Early Childhood. 26(3):18-22. Griffiths, Max. 1995. Aboriginal Affairs, A Short History. Kangaroo Press Pty Ltd, Kenthurst NSW. Howitt, Richard. 1998. â€Å"Recognition, respect and reconciliation: steps towards decolonization?† Australian Aboriginal Studies. 1998(1):28-34. Mail, Koori. 2001. "Course provides local EN opportunities". Australian Nursing Journal 9(5):33. Mary Greely Medical Center. Website. www.mgmc.org/about/stats.htm. Accessed April 20, 2005. Windisch, Lydia E., Vickii B. Jenvey; Marlene Drysdale. 2003. "Indigenous parents' ratings of the importance of play, indigenous games and language, and early childhood education." Australian Journal of Early Childhood. 28(3):50-56. Modern Aboriginal Issues Essay -- Aboriginals Australia History Essays Modern Aboriginal Issues The first Europeans to settle Australia treated the Aboriginals in a brutal, unfair manor. They downgraded Aboriginals to a lower status as human beings. They tried to force the Aboriginals to conform to the western way of life for more than 200 years. It is only fairly recently that the Aboriginals have finally been able to gain back some of their indigenous rights and traditions. Yet they are still deficient in many areas. The land that their ancestors held has not all been returned to them, they struggle to meet the requirements of western education systems, and they have a very limited access to health care. In spite of these problems, many aboriginals are working to better themselves and their community. It will just take time for the western and Aboriginal cultures to merge into the one final Australian society Introduction The Aboriginal people have undergone much change and turmoil in the 220 years since the British first started a colony. They have seen their land and their freedom stripped away. The Aboriginal people are slowly regaining ground after two centuries of unfair political and social treatment. How far have Aboriginal people come, and how far do they have to go, before they will truly be equal citizens? To answer this question, one must first look at how they were forced to the bottom of the ladder. Next, some of the recent changes that have occurred in government policy and social acceptance will be looked at. Finally, education and health care as faced by the Aboriginals in their lives daily will be discussed. History The problems facing Aboriginals today are many an... ...lian Nursing Journal. 11(9):37. Fasoli, Lyn, Margot Ford. 2001. "Indigenous early childhood educators' narratives: Relationships, not activities." Australian Journal of Early Childhood. 26(3):18-22. Griffiths, Max. 1995. Aboriginal Affairs, A Short History. Kangaroo Press Pty Ltd, Kenthurst NSW. Howitt, Richard. 1998. â€Å"Recognition, respect and reconciliation: steps towards decolonization?† Australian Aboriginal Studies. 1998(1):28-34. Mail, Koori. 2001. "Course provides local EN opportunities". Australian Nursing Journal 9(5):33. Mary Greely Medical Center. Website. www.mgmc.org/about/stats.htm. Accessed April 20, 2005. Windisch, Lydia E., Vickii B. Jenvey; Marlene Drysdale. 2003. "Indigenous parents' ratings of the importance of play, indigenous games and language, and early childhood education." Australian Journal of Early Childhood. 28(3):50-56.

Dramatic Techniques in Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell :: Shirley Valentine Willy Russell Essays

Dramatic Techniques in Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell How do the dramatic techniques use in the play help the audience to understand the importance of Shirley’s transformation? You should refer to the significance of the play’s social and historical (settings, attitudes to women SHIRLEY VALENTINE Task: How do the dramatic techniques use in the play help the audience to understand the importance of Shirley’s transformation? You should refer to the significance of the play’s social and historical (settings, attitudes to women, attitudes to marriage, expectations of life, etc) context and the literary context (kitchen-sink drama, comedy, tragedy, drama, etc). The play ‘Shirley Valentine’ was written by Willy Russell. Russell was born in 1976, near Liverpool. He left school when he was fifteen and did a variety of jobs before becoming a writer. Originally he used to be a songwriter, performing in his late teens. By the time he was twenty he decided to become a playwright rather than his desired option of teaching. In his first eighteen months schools loved his work and he decided that he was successful enough to do it fulltime. â€Å"Shirley Valentine†, is the story of a middle age woman living in Liverpool and her change in life. Russell explores the usage of different dramatic techniques to tell a complex story. We the audience are in contact with Shirley from the beginning, because she talks to the camera. This forms a friendship between Shirley and the audience. We become her confidante. Other dramatic techniques used by the playwright are the use of Flashbacks and Voiceovers. In flashbacks Shirley would be doing something and would drift off talking about something that had happened earlier on in the day or a previous day, so we would get all the background information, on what has been going on. It also highlights the important events in her life to show us how she got to this point in her life. In Voiceovers Shirley would express her true feelings about someone whilst they would be talking about the thing that Shirley is expressing her feelings about. The opening credits depict a series of fifteen sketches that show Shirley doing her everyday routine of domestic chores, with no enthusiasm. Shirley if cleaning and cooking, this tells us what her life is like, boring. You could see that she is tired of living out her life in an ordinary marriage, with very little going on, she has all this Unfulfilled Potential which she desperately wants to overturn. The words of the soundtrack are very cleverly adapted to the sketches shown. They tell the everyday life story of a woman that has

Sql Programming Language

SQL is an abbreviation which stands for Structured Query Language. Some read and pronounced it as â€Å"Sequel† while others pronounce it by reading the letters separately. SQL is a standardized query language used to retrieve information from databases. It was originally designed by International Business Machine (IBM) way back in the 70s and called its original version as SEQUEL (Structured English Query Language). Since then it has become the favorite query language for Database Management Systems running on minicomputers, mainframes, and Personal Computers up to the present.Query languages are computer languages used to make queries to database and information system – taken from wikipedia. com. It supports databases that are spread out over several computers in a computer networks allowing transaction to take place between Server and Client computers. It is capable of handling simultaneous request from several users to access to database on a computer networks. One example of SQL’s application is on websites that allows users to register information and then do updates and search later on. SQL is the working on the background to handle everything that the user does though we cannot see it.In the year 1979 Oracle Corporation introduced SQL as the first commercial database management system. Taken from Webopedia. com http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/S/SQL. htm There are many versions of SQL nowadays for the fact that the language itself is still expanding and evolving. In 1986, SQL version complied with American National Standard Institute (ANSI), and in the following year 1987 with the International Standard Organization (ISO). Further development was made in the following years containing expansions and revisions of the relevant parts.Present versions of SQL compared to its old versions can already allow access to external data sources or Non-SQL data sources.IS SQL A PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE?Some people underrated SQL to be considered as a programming language. These people have forgotten to accept the definition itself which states that it is a language. When they talk of programming languages the first things that come to their minds are Assembly Language, Cobol, Fortran, Java, and C++. They insist that it is not compiled and contains lesser functions compared to the above mentioned languages.Yes, SQL is a programming language. The languages mentioned above are 3rd Generation and High-Level Languages which were invented to ease the problem of using complex commands which are hard to memorize and incomprehensible in forms. They are all designed for their own purpose. For instance Cobol is designed for business oriented applications, C is for system programming applications. SQL on the other hand is designed for data access. Data is the most valuable element in business systems and the need to be kept, retrieve, and manipulate. And SQL is there to help.Aside from being different in purpose, one feature of a programmi ng language is the replacement of words to Numeric commands. These are both features of the 3rd Generation and the 4th Generation languages. For instance, the machine code represented by a combination of bits 0’s and 1’s to look for file directories is replaced by using the English word â€Å"Dir†. But if we will look at the syntax and forms that it takes it will still sound awkward English. If you are not familiar with â€Å"Dir† you could still get confused with how you are going to use it. 3rd Generation and High-Level Languages are still far closer to the real human language.SQL on the other hand is a 4th Generation Language that is very close to the human language. For instance the SQL command â€Å"UPDATE Employees SET lastname = ‘Sequel’ WHERE fldidnumber = ‘2000-c-0001’†. The command resembles closely to an English sentence structure. It is much closer to human language to manipulate data so it eliminates the threa t of using the wrong command since the command itself is much easier to understand. What would happen if you see command that takes that form in future versions of C++, in Java and in other high level languages? Will you no longer consider them as a programming language?Another thing to remember is that these languages are now being used in combination in order to support the lacking capability of the other in completing a certain task. A programming language designed mainly for numeric calculations may find it hard to perform data access. What if a completion of task needs both data access and numeric calculations? The only solution is to consider using any possible combination between the two separately designed languages. That is why SQL commands are being embedded in some Non SQL Products. Do not underestimate the application of SQL for fast data access.We should remember that the main point of developing computer programming languages is to make data manipulation possible throu gh the use of computer. In order for data manipulation to be successful, computers must be instructed with particular sets of commands. These commands are coded or programmed by computer programmers that when once completed will enable data manipulation. These programmers works are often disrupted when they fail to recognize properly some of the machine based commands or partially human like words even though when given in full listings.If there is a programming language that offers much more readability then that would be best suited in situations like this, and the best example is the SQL. Maybe its less functionality comes from the fact that conversion of all machine based codes do not only took days, but perhaps decades. And that SQL is designed primarily for data access not for creation of another complex application. But it is the easiest one to use when dealing with data access and that is undeniable. That is why up to the present SQL is still being revised and expanded with other functionalities.In the end it is still a language and is considered 4th Generation languages.SQL COMMANDSTypes of SQL Commands Like other programming languages, SQL commands are categorized according to its functions. These functions include building database objects like tables and queries, manipulating objects, inserting data to existing tables, updating existing data in tables, deleting existing data from tables, performing database queries, controlling database access, and overall database administration. The main categories are:1. DDL (Data Definition Language)Data Definition Language, DDL, is consists of SQL commands that allows a user to create and restructure database objects, such as the creation or the deletion of a table. Examples of DDL Commands are:CREATE TABLE CommandTables in databases are the most basic structure where all information pertaining to particular records are stored in columns called fields. A table is composed of at least two or more columns or fie lds. Records expand in rows.Syntax: CREATE TABLE â€Å"table_name† (â€Å"column 1† â€Å"data_type_for_column_1†, â€Å"column 2† â€Å"data_type_for_column_2†, †¦ )All you have to do is replace the portion â€Å"table_name† with the name of the table you will create, replace â€Å"column1† with the name of the first field followed by space and followed by data type of the first field.Example: CREATE TABLE Employee (FirstName char(40), LastName char(40), Address char(40), City char(50), Country char(25), Birth_Date date) ALTER TABLE Command This command is used to change a table structure.Syntax: ALTER TABLE â€Å"table_name† [alter specification] [alter specification] are listed below:For Adding new column: ADD â€Å"NewColumn† â€Å"data type for NewColumn 1†.For Deleting or Dropping an existing column: DROP â€Å"ColumnName†.For Changing a column name: CHANGE â€Å"OldColumnName† â€Å"NewC olumnName† â€Å"data type for NewColumnName†.For Changing the data type for a column: MODIFY â€Å"ColumnName† â€Å"newdatatype†.Examples: If we want to add a column for Employee Status with data type Char: ALTER table Employee add Employee_Status char(1) To rename â€Å"Employee_Status† to â€Å"EmpStat†: ALTER table Employee change Employee_Status EmpStat char(50)DROP TABLE CommandUsed to delete an existing table. Syntax; Drop â€Å"tablename†. Example: Drop Employee.CREATE INDEX CommandIndexes are created to make searches much faster. Most index are defined on fields which is mostly used for searching like the id number, or lastname fields.Syntax: CREATE INDEX â€Å"index_name† ON â€Å"table_name† (column_name).Example: CREATE INDEX â€Å"idxFirstname† ON â€Å"Employee† (Firstname)CREATE VIEW CommandViews are like tables, but they do not physically stores data which table does. Views only stores data temporarily.Syntax: CREATE VIEW â€Å"VIEW_NAME† AS â€Å"SQL Statement†.Example: CREATE VIEW VwEmployee AS SELECT FirstName, LastName, Country FROM Employee.Other commands included in DDL are Drop View and Drop Index.2. DML (Data Manipulation Language)Data Manipulation Language, DML, is consists of SQL commands used to manipulate data within objects of a relational database. There are three basic DML commands listed below:INSERT CommandInsert command is used to add record to a datab ase table.Syntax: INSERT INTO â€Å"tablename† (â€Å"column1†, â€Å"column2†, †¦ ) VALUES (â€Å"value1†, â€Å"value2†, †¦ ).Example: INSERT INTO Employee (Firstname, Lastname, †¦ ) VALUES (‘John’,’Mayer’).UPDATE CommandThis command is used to modify a certain record.Syntax: UPDATE â€Å"tablename† SET â€Å"ColumnName† = [new value] WHERE {condition}.Example: UPDATE Employee SET Lastname = â€Å"Eckert† WHERE IdNumber = ‘2000-c-0001’.DELETE CommandThis command is used to delete records from a table.Syntax: DELETE FROM â€Å"tablename†WHERE {condition}.Example: DELETE FROM Employee WHERE IdNumber = ‘2000-c-0001†.3. DQL (Data Query Language)This command is used to retrieve from one or more tables in a database or from other databases.SELECT CommandSyntax: SELECT â€Å"columnname† FROM â€Å"tablename†.Example: To select only the firstname and the lastname fields of all records from table employee: SELECT Firstname, Lastname FROM Employee.4. DCL (Data Control Language)These commands allows user to configure how user can access the database. These DCL commands are normally used to create objects related to implement limitations to user access and also control the distribution of privileges among users.Example of these commands are listed below:ALTER PASSWORD GRANT REVOKE CREATE SYNONYMYou will find that these commands are often grouped with other commands and may appear in a number of different lessons throughout this book.5. Data administration commandsData administration commands allow the user to perform audits and perform analyses on operations within the database. They can also be used to help analyze system performance. Two general data administration commands are as follows: START AUDIT STOP AUDIT6. Transactional Control CommandsThese commands allows user to manage all database transactions that are taking place within a certain period of time.COMMIT – this command confirms saving of all database transactions that were made by the userROLLBACK – this command is used to scratch or undo all database transactions that were made by the userSAVEPOINT Used to create points within groups of transactions in which to be undone or ROLLBACKSET TRANSACTION Places a name on a transactionTHE IMPORTANCE OF SQL IN TODAYS BUSINESS APPLICATIONSToday’s business organizations practice is far more different from the past. It is mostly characterized by the computerization of manual data processing, allowing online inquiries, buying, selling, payment, money transfers, social networking, and information sharing.Because data is the most important value for any organization, the demand in the use of SQL which is widely used in the past up to the present is expected to grow. With the expansion of SQL’s use from minicomputers, mainframes, PCs, Local Area Network, it is now working behind s ophisticated internet based applications. There is a huge demand in the development of these types of applications nowadays and the demand is predicted to grow in the years to come. There are recent effort to expand SQL for multimedia purposes. We will start checking the importance of SQL versions in today’s business applications.Perhaps one of the most powerful features of SQL is its ability to support Server-Client transactions. This is made possible by using SQL Servers which allows database creation. This is what is being implemented in internet based application, in database systems in local area networks which allow several users to access data simultaneously. A Database is created on an SQL Server placed on Large Server Computers and the server is the one that will process the request from several clients. Several Versions of SQL Servers nowadays already have Graphical user Interfaces which allows point and click operation.Another feature of these servers are the capab ility to generate SQL commands which corresponds to a certain operation. This is very advantageous for users who are using only point and click option and then later on check what commands are actually done by that whole process. The point and click view is often called as Design View, while the SQL generated is called the SQL View. For example the creation by clicking a Create View Button in Design View will generate the Create View command that will be shown on SQL View.So it offers much more advantage for beginning SQL users to master SQL Commands, and for expert users to check their manually created SQL commands by comparing to the ones generated when using point and click option in Design View.REFERENCESPatrick O'Neil, â€Å"Database Principles, Programming, Performance†, Morgan Kaufmann 1994Elmasri & Navathe, â€Å"Fundamentals of Database Systems†, Benjamin/Cummings, 1994.Ramakrishnan, â€Å"Database Management Systems†, McGraw Hill, 1996.Date & Darwin, à ¢â‚¬Å"A Guide to the SQL Standard†, Fourth Edition, Addison-Wesley, 1993.Ullman & Widom, â€Å"A First Course in Database Systems†, Prentice Hall, 1997.

Mystery Man of Stonehenge

Archeologists were finishing excavating in Amesbury (planned development of housing) in spring, 2002. It is necessary to admit that Amesbury is situated in the southwest of England. During excavation the small Roman cemetery was uncovered by archeologists and thus that finding was considered fairly common. Nevertheless, two skeletons were discovered and one of them was important as it was interred in grave made up of timber. The position of a mystery skeleton was rather common for burials in Bronze Age – skeleton’s legs were in a fetal position. Furthermore, skeleton had a hole in a jawbone proving that he had an abscess. The mystery man also sustained an injury as he had heavy limp as well as bone infection. That mystery skeleton was Amesbury Archer. Mystery man appeared to be a wealthy dweller of cool region in Central Europe having relation to vanguard. (Stone 2005) Firstly, it is necessary to claim that a mystery man was rather wealthy archer. According to archeologists he was between 35-45 years old and was buried â€Å"with a black stone wrist guard on his forearm of the kind used to protect archers from the snap of a bowstring†.   (Stone 2005) Sixteen flint arrowheads were scattered across his body and it was assumed that mystery man had certain relation to Stonehenge. The evidence was that massive stone monument was near the burial place. Furthermore, it was apparent that archer was wealthy, because the grave was filled with wrist guards, arrowheads, copper knives, a cache of flint tools as well as metalworking tools. Additionally the grave was arranged with stone shaped like a sofa serving as an anvil. The next evidence of wealth was a pair of gold ornaments, clay pot. Indeed the archer died rich.(Rubinstein 2005) Secondly, archer was born in a cool region in Central Europe. This fact was revealed due to archers’ mouth. Archeologists stated that tooth enamel of a person was the best way to point out his place of birth. Tooth enamel consists of oxygen, calcium and phosphorous and other elements. Actually â€Å"the composition of the oxygen molecules in apatite depends on the water a person drank as a child, and that, in turn, can reveal a great deal about where he grew up—from the temperature of rain or snow to the distance from a coast and the area’s altitude†.   (Stone 2005) The makeup of the oxygen found in archer’s teeth was scanned and thus it was determined by geoscientist Chenery (British Geological Survey) that archer was born in a cool region in Central Europe. Possibly, the archer encountered â€Å"a rural setting of round timber houses with conical thatched roofs†. (Stone 2005) Thirdly it was stated that the archer had certain relations to trade and metalworking. In those times metalworking was the most important skill. And in about 2300 B.C metal implements completely replaced stone weapons and tools which defined the era of Stone Age. The Bronze Age started in the southwest of Europe in about the 4th century B.C. as it was mentioned the grave was filled with different copper knives being used as a weapon and for eating. Cushion stone proved that archer knew how to use and why to use metal instruments. There were some suggestions that the archer belonged to the vanguard of the flashy trade producing metal items used in different shows. (Rubinstein 2005) According to archeologists the metal tool found had to be buried only with his owner. Therefore archer was skillful to move from one community to another having his knowledge in his head. It is possible to suggest that he had unique and exceptional skill for those times, because archer was similar to magician. It was revealed that the arrival of the archer completely coincided with the arrival of the metal implements to the British Isles. Thus the archer is likely to be a pioneer in the new Bronze Age. In conclusion it is necessary to outline that the mystery men was considered to be the archer who lived in the Central Europe and was busy with producing metal tools and instruments for shows. Furthermore, the time of his arrival was the beginning of the Bronze Age.   (Archaeologists Figure out Mystery 2005) References Archaeologists Figure out Mystery of Stonehenge Bluestones. (2005, June 24). Western Mail, 16. Stone, Richard. (2005, August). The Mystery Man of Stonehenge. Retrieved October, 26, 2006, from http://www.kidscastle.si.edu/issues/2005/august/stonehenge.htm Rubinstein, William. (2005, November). Mystery Identities. History Today, 55, 11, 28-34.      

A Thousand Acres – Summary

Major Works Study Form AP Question 3 Title: A Thousand AcresAuthor: Jane Smiley Biographical Information: Jane Smiley was born in Los Angeles, California and later moved to Missouri, where she went to school until college. She went to Art at Vassar College, and then traveled around Europe where she worked on an archeological dig. She returned to America and became a teacher. She had two daughters and a son. Author’s Style: The author’s style is used to display the mysterious and unsettling feeling in the novel.The book is told from the point of view of Ginny. The rape from the father keeps the tone of the book very disturbing and solemn because Jess and Rose want to keep their sister Caroline free of the problems they had to grow up dealing with. Plot Summary: The plot of this book completely parallels Shakespeare’s play â€Å"King Lear†. Larry Cook acts as the King of the novel, and he runs the farm. He has three daughters, Ginny, Rose, and Caroline. In t he beginning of the novel, Ginny thinks about the intersection and about the road overall where the farm was.Larry King wants love from his daughters to decide in how he should split up his farm. Ginny and Rose are sexually abused in the novel, but the youngest daughter, Caroline does not partake in this absurd scheme, and becomes a lawyer. She marries another lawyer and lives in Des Moines. Larry is respected by his neighbors and takes on the role of being the advisor but then retires for his children to fill his place. Caroline is cut out of the fathers will because he does not think that he is grateful for everything he has already given to her.Ginny and Rose have to take care of their father Larry, and deal with his rude behavior of drunk driving and wasting his money. Larry goes insane and one day runs out into a storm. The family has to go about their lives trying to cover up their family problems from the public, to make it seem like they are just another normal family. Larry curses Ginny with infertility. The storm in the novel displays the chaos of the family within the book, and the hope after the storm gives hope for the family. Larry goes to the farm of his friend Harold Clarke, where Harold’s son has just returned from a very long journey from.Pete ruins the farm equipment that Larry used, but instead of Larry being blinded, Harold is blinded. Caroline sues the farm, trying to say that they are not farming the right way, and Larry needs to run the farm again. Caroline ends up taking care of Larry as he goes crazy. Ty tries to save the farm from going into debt after Pete dies, but is unsuccessful when Ginny leaves in search of becoming a waitress. Then Rose takes over, but later dies from cancer in more debt than she began with. Ginny and Caroline end up having to sell the farm. Setting (describe each setting and its importance):The farm is the main setting of the novel, which parallels the kingdom of King Lear. Larry Cook owns the farm and raises his children on the land. Another setting in the book is the dump. It is where Ginny and Jess go to hang out, and later use it as a place to have sex. Symbols (describe how they contribute to the characterization, conflict, or thematic pre occupation) One of the biggest symbols of the novel is the dump. It is the place where Ginny and Jess have sex. Dumps in general are grimy and disgusting places, and the sex they had fell along the same lines.The foul act of having sex at the dump symbolizes that instead of having sex in a respectable place like a bed, the random objects in the dump hide their secrets. Another symbol is the white dresses. White dresses represent the innocence of the young girls, which is ironic because they are the opposite of pure. The storm represents the chaos in the novel, and arises during the conflict to parallel the chaos in her family life. Another symbol is the garden. After the storm, when she goes outside to look at her garden, she sees there is very little damage.This provides her with hope for the future, because she connected it to the way that if her precious garden can survive a storm, her family can get through their own storm. A final symbol is the farm, because is the kingdom of Larry Cook. It represents his own area that he owns the way King Lear had control over his own kingdom. Thematic Concerns: One of the main themes is that everything is not what it seems to be. Ginny, Rose, and Caroline all had to keep up the appearance with the farm that everything was normal in their family.In reality, everything was completely chaotic with their family life, but from the outside everything seemed fine. They wore white dresses when they went in public to give off the image that they were pure and clean girls, and kept up the farm so that it always looked neat. They have to try their best to hide their family problems, but ultimately Ginny cannot mask the chaos. Water is usually vital to life, but here the water makes Ginny unable to have a baby, and contributes to Rose’s cancer. Key Quotes: (Choose 3 with Page #) â€Å"While they were cooking, I went out to check my garden.Something that always has amazed me is the resilience of the plants. My tomato vines showed no ill effects from the onslaught of the storm weren’t even muddy, since I had made it a point to mulch them with old newspapers and grass clippings† (197. ) â€Å"Away from the farm, it was easier to think of how people went on from these sorts of troubles; it was easier to see a life as a sturdy rope with occasional knots in it† (248. ) â€Å"I told myself that I had to decide what I really wanted and settle for that- every course of action is a compromise, after all† (308).

Faith and Diplomacy

Katherine Donado Writing III October 5, 2012 Technology Technology is valuable because it is used in every day. As Mandana Mohsenzadega states in, â€Å"OMG: Tweeting, Trending, and Texting† people feel incomplete without technology (448). Technology was intended to bring people closer and increase communication. To be able to stay in contact more in a faster way when is impossible to see a family member. Maybe they might live in a different country and for many reasons not being able to travel.Technology is very important and useful, because it provides a lot of information, it makes businesses more efficient and it is a faster way to protect people in dangerous occasions. Technology is often used to find out information. It is a faster, quicker and easier way to get answers from Websites. Mohsenzadega refers to this (448), â€Å"†¦. with just the click of a button on our handy-dandy little gadgets. † Everything is there, with no need to struggle or go out to get things done. Some people do not need the doctor for check-ups. They can get the information from Medline. om which allows people to self-diagnose (448). Computers help us stay up to date with everything, whether it is the weather, or a family member that lives far. It is cheaper to communicate now over Facebook, Twitter, Facetime or Oovoo because it’s free, instead of buying a phone card every time they need to keep in contact with a relative. It has also brought people together from all over the world. They meet new people find out about them and most of the time fall in love and end up together. The internet is very useful and good.Some people feel better behind screens and are able to express themselves better and open up more to people, when they are not face to face. People get to know them better on the internet and get a lot of information from there. Just the simple fact of entertainment, of having memories with friends, photos, meaningful texts or listening to music, which is known to calm people and lets them get away from everything when they’re in their zone. Technology is known for something most people can’t live without, â€Å"Cannot imagine living a week without my laptop. Since I grew up in this culture, it would be exceedingly senseless. (450) Businesses have also become more efficient because of technology. Due to the self-service cashiers, have become defunct. Fewer employees need to be hired because machines do their jobs. One can go pay for their groceries with just a swipe of their card. Technology has also influenced many other businesses. There is no reason to wait for a conference and waste time, when they can call each other at any time and connect all lines so everyone can be in a conference call without having to be running late or being taken out of their house, office, or even state.Some businesses have jobs and meeting out of state to make it more comfortable for people that are far away in the same busines s. It is better to have everyone meet up in a place where they can all feel fair when it comes to traveling. Also can be very useful when people aren’t on time or running late, they can just send their work with a simple text or e-mail without having to waste time when certain paper work hs to be done at a certain time or wait to see the person to give them the work. Another reason why technology is important is because it keeps us safe.Many phones have a GPS system in them that helps law enforcement track and locate the subject. Cameras were invented to watch, there put just about in every store and place. With the phones, people are more likely to call the police in case of an emergency, with less difficulties. With just a push of a button, it connects you to help. Also alarm systems, to keep peoples home safe when they’re away. Technology prevents accidents from happening. Making it possible for crimes to be solved faster and more accurately. In conclusion, technolo gy would be known to be very useful in life.It has brought many people together and most importantly kept them safe. It has made people’s lives a lot easier and faster, without any difficulties or struggles. Everything can be done with just a push of a button. No need to get up or go out because everything in within reach. It has made life a lot more valuable and understanding when you have an object that gives you answers to any problems you may have with no solution. People have to understand that technology was made for the better, to be able to make life easier and make us feel comfortable knowing that there is answers to what we seek in life.