A Drinking Life: A Memoir

A Drinking Life by Pete Hamill is the story of one man’s struggle with alcoholism and the contributing factors that caused him to be become an alcoholic. A large part of his argument is that during his childhood and adolescence it was considered cool to drink heavily. He stated â€Å"There was a celebration and you got drunk.There was a victory and you got drunk†¦part of being a man was to drink.† (p. 57) Parents have great authority over the formation of social habits of their children even if the children are not aware of this influence. â€Å"†¦parents and peers affect adolescent drinking through two types of social influence: modeling and social control.† (Reifman, Barnes, Dintcheff, Farrell & Uhteg, 1998)Hamill’s father was an alcoholic so he was introduced to it at a young age. Many of his memories are of his father passed out or extremely drunk and he claims this role model gave him the idea that men were supposed to drink. Children of alc oholic parents have a higher risk to be alcoholics themselves. According to Tomori (1994) â€Å"Such adolescents use alcohol to relieve anxiety, reduce dissatisfaction and mistrust, and give vent to accumulated aggression.In adolescents brought up in alcoholic family environments, alcohol, entering through several receptor sites, fills many gaps left over from the development period prior to separation. Their parents–either the alcoholic parent, or the partner living with him/her in co-dependency, or both of them–who are themselves filled with distress, depression, and anxiety, usually cling to their children while at the same time manifesting overt signs of resentment and rejection.In this state of pathological ambivalence, they both reject their children and try to tie them to themselves, thus seriously hindering their separation. As a result, many children of alcoholic parents develop defensive aggression or passive resistance, or take recourse to some other inappr opriate patterns of defensive behavior.†Hamill explains in the book that he was always fighting someone. He either fought in bars or in the street, over an imagined slight or to defend himself but he was more aggressive than the usual person and it was always while he was drinking.Much of the book is devoted to his childhood and adolescence during and after World War II. The secret drinking, which began at a young age, was the classic experimentation that many alcoholics describe as the beginning of their addiction. Hamill tells of his wish to be different from his father and not to become a drunk â€Å"and yet drinking started to seem as natural to real life as breathing.† (p. 107)Hamill paints a picture of a rough Irish Catholic neighborhood and the drinking and fighting that were an integral part of his world. For a time he made his own money, giving some to his mother since his father lost his job. He attended high school and hung out with his friends, all the while increasing his drinking.He did not consider it a problem at first; he believed that he was not drunk as long as he knew where he was and what he was doing. As he entered high school, the drinking increased and became less secretive, due partly to the fact that teenagers were expected to drink and act a little wildly. This, unfortunately, is not beneficial to a decent grade average and Hamill began to fail all his classes after only two years of high school.One thing Hamill sees as a failure on his part is his lack of belief in God. While he does not attribute his addiction to this, he tells of his anger at the church for double standards regarding the poor and the fact that at least one of the priests was â€Å"like my father: a drunk.† (p. 106) This lack of respect for the church prevented him from relying on his faith as many do in times of crisis in their lives.

Discounting & Augmentation Principle

We use attribution in a regular basis, whenever we are asked to give the cause of a behavior or decision we make us of attribution. Attribution refers to the act of assigning or attributing a certain cause to an achievement or accomplishment (Feick & Rhodewalt, 1997). Such that when we are asked to comment on how we were able to ace the exam, we might attribute it to our personal efforts and abilities or to mere luck.The principles of discounting and augmentation refer to the manner in which we use attribution. Discounting occurs when we try to discount personal ability in favor of external factors, like when we say that the exam was easy when half of the class got a hundred percent correct score. In this example, we discount personal abilities and augment the effect of environmental factors which is the level of difficulty of the test.On the other hand, when one or two students had perfect scores in the test, then we would be quick to point out that the said students are really good in class which reflects the augmentation principle; we augment the personal abilities of the students. If someone was to comment that the exam was easy, then we would discount the argument based on the fact that only a few students had perfect scores in the test. Discounting and augmentation is said to be dependent on the circumstances in which the behavior or judgment occurs (Feick & Rhodewalt, 1997).For example, when a child fights with another child, he/she may attribute the fight to the other child’s behavior which is augmenting the personal characteristics of the other child. On the other hand, the child rarely says that the fight was brought about by environmental factors like the weather, peer pressure or the child’s own decision to fight which also reflects the discounting principle. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that discounting and augmentation occurs in tandem.

Autonomy in Death Essay Example for Free

Autonomy in Death Essay Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic with only a few states having legalized it; however, many groups are advocating for its approval. Physician-assisted suicide has ethical limitations that only allow a doctor to prescribe, not administer, a lethal dose of medication for a patient who has been deemed terminally ill with less than six months to live by two physicians. The prescription allows the patient to choose both the timing and setting of death and the physician’s only role is provision of medication. This gifts patients with autonomy in their death and relieves the doctor of any moral burden in participation with death keeping this action an ethical practice. Oregon was the first of few states to have legalized physician-assisted suicide but I would like to argue its potential advantages to the entire United States. Ball (2010) said, â€Å"In Oregon — the one state in the U.S. where assisted suicide is legal – doctors are allowed to help only state residents who are expected to die within six months† (p.1). Giving terminally ill patients the power to choose a peaceful death demonstrates empathy toward the ill patients and their families. Terminally ill patients without this empowerment face the difficult choice of using limited resources to end their lives if not given the legal freedom to choose how and when they die. The Code of Ethics for Nurses provision 1.4 is the right to self-determination and it states that Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights, particularly, the right to self-determination. Self-determination, also known as autonomy, is the philosophical basis for informed consent in health care. Patients have the moral and legal right to determine what will be done with their own person; to be given accurate, complete, and understandable information in a manner that facilitates an informed judgment; to be assisted with weighing the benefits, burdens, and available options in their treatment; to accept, refuse, or terminate treatment without deceit, undue influence, duress, coercion, or penalty; and to be given necessary support throughout the decision-making and treat ment process. Such support would include the opportunity to make decisions with family and significant others and the provision of advice and support from knowledgeable nurses and other health professionals. Patient should be involved in planning their own health care to the extent they are able to choose to participate (American nurses association, 2001, p.148). Giving this added right to chose physician assisted suicide allows patients the autonomy described in the Nursing Code of Ethics. The purpose of this paper is to argue that physician-assisted suicide is ethical and beneficial because it allows for patient autonomy. â€Å"I would argue that by denying terminally ill people recourse to death with dignity via physician prescribed medication, they are inflicting their own brand of coercion and abuse. The concept of a â€Å"merciful death† needs to be part of this discussion. It is a sad commentary that our society responds to our pets’ terminal suffering more humanely than to our fellow human beings’ end-of-life struggles†(â€Å"Death is best approached†, 2012, p. 1). Many feel that denying patients the right to choose is not advocating for their b est interest and is a form of abuse. We wouldn’t leave our ill family pet alive to suffer so why wouldn’t we consider letting our loved ones put themselves out of their misery in a peaceful way? The entire point is to give the public a choice. It would still be up to each individual to decide whether or not to exercise that right if their physician deemed their situation appropriate. The Code of Ethics for Nurses says that â€Å"Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights, particularly, the right of self-determination† (American nurses association, 2001, p.148). This statement implies that the patient should have the right to make end of life decisions on their own. When terminal patients are in pain and suffering, they may not have the strength or will to fight any longer. It is cruel to prolong a patient’s pain and suffering and deny their autonomy to make the decision of having a peaceful death. Also, it can be argued that when patients have their mind set on ending their lives, they tend to follow through on their own even if their physician cannot assist them. This may lead to a more traumatic death and a scene that can be quite traumatizing for the family member or friend who finds their loved one’s remains. The alternative is a prescribed medicine that the patient may take home, choosing the preferred place to die, to allow the patient to die peacefully without sustaining disfiguring injuries thus allowing them a more dignified burial if the family chooses to view the body one last time. However, in most of the United States, physician-assisted suicide is still illegal so very few Americans are afforded the right to choose to end their life when they are terminally ill. Because physician assisted suicide was brought to the public’s attention as an option by the unconventional tactics of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the idea of legalizing this was tainted from the beginning, making many states hesitant to allow assisted suicide. Miller (2011) notes that â€Å"Jack Kevorkian rose to national prominence as â€Å"Dr. Death,† a physician who insisted that sometimes a doctor’s first duty to his patient was to help him die. The retired pathologist, who became an assisted suicide advocate claiming to have had a hand in 130 deaths in the 1990s, helped spark a national debate over euthanasia† (p. A5). Jack Kevorkian’s tactics were questionable because he publicized the deaths of elderly, disabled, and terminally-ill patients using inhaled carbon dioxi de or using his self-made suicide machine. Although the patients had asked for Dr. Kevorkian’s assistance to end their suffering by assisting in their suicide, he received a lot of negative attention because he publicized his assistance in this process by encouraging CBS to broadcast a video of himself injecting a cocktail of lethal drugs into a patient suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease (Miller, 2011). After much backlash from the public over the fact that he actually injected patients with lethal drugs, he developed a suicide machine which allowed the patient to press a button that caused the machine to administer a mixture of sodium pentothal and potassium chloride which was first used on Janet Adkins, a 54 year old sufferer of Alzheimer’s disease (Miller, 2011). â€Å"The last thing Janet Adkins said was, ‘You just make my case known,'† Dr. Kevorkian told the Associated Press† (Miller, 2011, p. A5). Although his tactics were extreme and caused a lot of public controversy, his patie nts wanted to end their suffering and his actions caused others to advocate for ethical standards to be put into place for legal physician assisted suicide while at the same time completely turning others away from the concept of legalizing euthanasia. Dr. Goodwin, a general practitioner, said he began advocating for the right to help terminally ill people die after listening to his patients (Miller, 2012). â€Å"They want autonomy at this time, to be allowed to die at home with the comfort and support of their families,† Dr. Goodwin said in a 2001 interview (Miller, 2012, p. 1). Because of the extreme tactics used by Jack Kevorkian, who initiated the debate on legalizing euthanasia, many people view those who advocate for the client’s right of physician assisted suicide as cruel or lacking in empathy for patient and families. However, â€Å"Peter Goodwin, a family physician who wrote and campaigned for Oregon’s right-to-die law in the 1990s, died after taking a cocktail of lethal drugs prescribed by his doctor, as allowed under the legislation he championed. Dr. Goodwin, 83 years old, had been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease and had been given less than six m onths to live.†(Miller, 2012, p. 1). Dr. Goodwin believed in a patient’s autonomy in death so much that he chose to exercise his own rights in the same fashion in order to end his own suffering. In an interview with the Oregonian, the local newspaper in Oregon, Dr. Goodwin said that his health was deteriorating and he would soon end his life. â€Å"His family gathered to bid him farewell. ‘The situation needs thought, it doesn’t need hope,’ he said. ‘Hope is too ephemeral at that time’†(Miller, 2012, p. 1). This clearly articulates the feelings of a terminally ill man towards the importance of autonomy in concern of his own death. â€Å"End-of-life decisions are not arbitrary or impulsive. Why shouldn’t a person choose to end his or her life with dignity if it is obvious that all options for leading any kind of meaningful life are non-existent? I would think any modicum of compassion would respect such a momentous, personal decision. Suffering, physical and mental, and the anguish it causes should produce empathy for the patient’s wishes and desires, even if they run counter to our own sense of rectitude. It is not about us. It’s about the patient’s right of autonomy. We need to understand that it is ultimately his or her decision to make, not ours†(Death is best approached, 2012, p. 1). In this statement, an unknown author expressed the utmost sympathy for those suffering from terminal illness. Physician assisted suicide is ethical as it demonstrates compassion and empathy towards someone else’s pain, suffering, and rights. There is nothing cruel about autonomy over the decision to die. These kinds of laws need to be considered using a deep emotional understanding of the terminally ill’s feelings and problems. Other countries have legalized euthanasia and have less restrictive laws which allow them to provide services for foreigners. Because of this, if all United States citizens aren’t granted the autonomy they desire in their own country they will still be able to get the results they so desperately want but the outcome may be more painful to family members whose loved ones would end up dying in other countries and in less desirable conditions. Mr. Minelli, who is head of Dignitas, a Swiss company that provides euthanasia services only to foreigners, said that â€Å"a memory of his seriously ill grandmother’s pleading in vain with her doctor to help her die left him with a particular interest in Switzerland’s growing right-to-die movement, and he joined one of the main groups. In 1998, he quit to found Dignitas†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). In 2008, his neighbors’ complaints forced Dignitas out of his rented apartment that he had been using to conduct the assisted suicides and Zurich city officials refused permission for a new venue. In response to this Mr. Minelli organized suicides in cars, a hotel room, industrial sites, and his own home which drew the attention of local officials. â€Å"Someone who is used to a five-star hotel can’t come to Dignitas and expect the same,† says Mr. Minelli†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). Is it really beneficial to force terminally ill patients into a foreign country to a harsh environment to grant them the freedom to end their own lives? If terminally ill patients really want a physician assisted suicide, they will find another setting in which they can achieve one but allowing patients to have one in their own country optimizes the setting and allows for more family support near the time of death. It also saves the family the trouble of getting the body of a loved one from a foreign country after the time of death and allows the family to begin funeral arrangements sooner so that they can go through the stages of grieving that they need to in order to move forward with their own lives. This act of ending the life sooner also spares the family the pain of watching their loved one suffer longer than they want to. Another benefit to approving physician assisted suicide is that just know that the option is available can be therapeutic for terminal patients. â€Å"Mr. Minelli argues that making assisted suicide available removes a taboo around suicide, helping people who want to kill themselves open a dialogue and seek help. About 70% of people who get the green light from Dignitas for an assisted suicide never contact the group again, proving the palliative effect of knowing help is available, he says†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). This clearly proves that just knowing that euthanasia is an option is enough to help patients carry on with terminal illness. Even if a patient chooses never to exercise the right to a physician assisted suicide, the knowledge that they have an option for a way out of their suffering is comforting in itself. Craig Ewert was a retired university professor who suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He decided to end his life because he wanted to make this decision before he lost the ability to decide his own fate, overcoming the resistance of his doctors (Ball, 2010). â€Å"When you’re completely paralyzed and can’t talk, how do you let someone know you are suffering?† he told a television interviewer before his death in September 2006. â€Å"This could be a complete and utter hell† (Ball, 2010, p. 3). Mr and Mrs. Ewerts were from the U.K. but they traveled to Switzerland and chose Mr. Minelli’s group, Dignitas, because it accepts foreigners. Mrs. Ewert said that had she not been able to travel to get her husband the assisted suicide services that he desired she may have been forced to help her husband die and she worried that she wouldn’t have known exactly what to do (Ball, 2010). She defended Mr. Minelli saying â€Å"Sure, there have to be some protections for people, but I think we’re going way beyond what there needs to be, I admire Minelli for being willing to take the heat† (Ball, 2010, p. 3). Because Craig Ewert was allowed to make his own decision to die, his wife was spared the pressure that he may have put on her to help him end his life. Furthermore, had he been denied the right to make his own decision and his wife Mary had been coerced to help him commit suicide, there would have been extreme emotional and possibly even legal consequences to her action despite the fact that it was her husband’s wish. This is a situation that may Americans are also threatened with because physician assisted suicide is illegal in most of the country. All United States citizens should be afforded the right to choose a physician assisted suicide if they have been deemed terminally ill because this freedom shows compassion and empathy towards the patient’s suffering. If patients aren’t allowed to legally choose death here, they may travel to another country to receive services or chose to carry out suicide on their own. If patients chose to take matters into their own hands this would be harder on the patient as the death would probably not be as peaceful as the lethal injection that the physician would prescribe and if would also be harder on the patient’s loved ones. If patients decide to go to another country to achieve the death they desire they would lose the privilege of dying in their own comfort zone and the distance would make the death harder on the family to make funeral arrangements and move on with their own lives. The Code of Ethics for Nurses stated that â€Å"Respect not just for the specific decision but also for the patient’s method of decision-making is consistent with the principle of autonomy† (American nurses association, 2001, p.149). Regardless of whether or not we understand an individuals motivation for seeking a physician assisted suicide, nurses should support the autonomy that patients needs to make this choice on their own. Giving terminally ill patients autonomy in their death, by making physician assisted legal for every United States citizen, is only giving patients additional rights that they may or may not chose to exercise and is the most compassionate way to show empathy for those who are dying. Autonomy in Death. (2017, Feb 13).

What is Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

What is Democracy - Essay Example This paper will examine the role of democracy in fostering equality, creating the concept of ‘the greater good’, its values of sovereignty and fostering good interpersonal relationships as well as its values of liberty. Democracy is all about representation and giving the people a voice (Brodie et al., 2014 pg 31-45). This was evident in the direct democracy system that was used in ancient Greece, where all people had a voice and participated in the decision-making process, which became the principle within democracy (Brodie et al., 2014 pg 31-45). In practice, all citizens had the ability to influence the direction of policies adopted by the state via the voting process (Brodie et al., 2014 pg 31-45). However, the huge population in contemporary times means that such as model would not be reasonable because the process would be too lengthy to respond to urgent matters. Instead, an indirect model has been adopted, one where a select group of people make the decisions for the rest of the population (Brodie et al., 2014, 2-15). Therefore, the role of the policy-making bodies in contemporary times, in accordance with the existing democratic principles, is to make policies that benefit the people who v oted for those in government (Brodie et al., 2014, 2-15). From this assumption, it follows that policies should be evaluated by their ability to reflect the needs of the citizens in the country (Brodie et al., 2014, 2-15). For example, in present day America, Americans put pressure on the government to recall troops from war-torn areas if the presence of these troops in battles is not in the best interests of citizens. Therefore, the best democratic practices have to allow citizens to make changes while also simplifying life as much as possible. The concept of the greater good, as a democratic principle, examines the role of elected leaders to fulfill the wish of their voters (Brodie et al., 2014, pg

Current Event Perspective Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Current Event Perspective - Term Paper Example taxpayers of about $124 billion, the colossal corporate scandals of Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, Global Crossing, WorldCom and others, the dot.com bubble between 1995 and 2001 and the 1998 Long Term Capital Management (LTCM) hedge fund fiasco. Their argument is that the corporate world has been heading down a dangerous path for more than 20 years while governments, regulators and the society failed to put the necessary checks to stop the big disaster that was looming. In short they are saying that we are now facing the consequences of our actions. Smiths contribution to the study of Economics lay primarily on his demonstration of the interdependence of the different segments of the economy and of the policies to be followed to promote the wealth of a nation. He advocated for competitive markets without government intervention on the assumption that natural process within the economy have the ability to resolve conflicts more effectively than any arrangements developed by man. From his book we get the following famous quote: With competitive markets and an absence of government regulation, the resulting natural prices bring about an optimum allocation of resources in that consumers receive the goods they want at the lowest possible cost and maximum rates of growth are ensured (Smith, 2009, p.24) Smith essentially was saying that self interest + free markets + deregulation results in prosperity for everyone. The global financial crisis has taught us otherwise. It has taught us that unrestrained capitalism that is obsessed with self-interest and is unconcerned about the long-run, can lead to monopoly, inequitable distribution of income, unemployment, and environmental disaster (Pitelis, 113). However we cannot put the blame on Smith considering that he was speaking in the 18th century when the context of Economics had not yet experienced the industrial

Write an essay in which you discuss the impact of feminism in the 20th

Write an in which you discuss the impact of feminism in the 20th century. What 3 accomplishments by feminists do you think have contributed most to changes in womens roles from 1870 to the present - Essay Example That is why after they were enlightened on their rights they choose to fight for equality and remove the biases, which dominated against women. This essay expounds on the on the impact of feminism in the 20th century and lastly the accomplishments that have contributed to changes in women roles from 1870 to the present. In the 20th century, women have impacted greatly on the area of political leadership. This is because women have been given the opportunity to vote and stand as candidates during general elections. For instance, in the United States of America the right to vote was granted to women according to the 19th amendment of the constitution. At the congress, women were able to improve all aspects of their lives by bringing out their grievances. As a result of the political impact, women are able to join the labor market impacting positively to the growth of the economy. In addition, in the job market, women are not excluded from certain industries. Due to this, different organizations fought for the rights of women to ensure that they joined the job market. This was done by ensuring that, they received the required education. Feminist focused on fighting for their rights and advocating for equality (Sheffield, 2006). In 19th century especially during the First World War, the National Women Party marched outside the White house with banners, which accused the government for unequal democratic rights especially in the area of rights to vote. Women were not allowed to publicly declare want they wanted their role was to meet the needs of the husband and the children. If any woman was found displaying masculine behaviors publicly, she was defined as rude and unable to yield to the customs of the land (Sheffield, 2006). Because of this, if a woman was found addressing people publicly she was ignored because they claimed that, she had a biological weakness hence she could not rule or address people in public. As a result of this biasness feminist

Should the United States Return to a Gold Standard Essay

Should the United States Return to a Gold Standard - Essay Example A gold standard system would make it more difficult for the government and Federal Reserve to implement monetary policies. A gold standard system prevents the government firm minting currency notes and coins that can it can endorse. This means that when there is increased demand for cash, the government cannot supply. As a result, the economy goes through reduced growth and more inflation as the value of paper money skyrockets.A gold standard system means the United States is neglecting its ongoing soaring currency rates and distribution problems instead of offering a solution. In a period of economic turmoil, the government and its people should not focus on future likelihoods of forex and currency techniques. Instead, Americans ought to use every tool in the economic and academic arsenal to solve high jobless rates, the piling national debt, nonrenewable sources of energy, and corresponding environmental crises.A gold standard means the government lacks influence over the economy. The government currently prints paper money and mints coins, which is good for an era of intermittent economic crises. This role shows the government can make an effort towards restoring an economy and actually stimulate it. These efforts are reactionary activities that can reinstate the value of the dollar during an economic depression. In a gold standard, the government cannot restore the economy. This means that when a gold standard economy is in a meltdown, the government cannot make any decisions towards improving this economy.

Retailing and Direct Marketing Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Retailing and Direct Marketing - Article Example It means sending a message regarding a product directly to the customer through various means like direct email, telemarketing, broadcast, integrated campaigns, direct selling and door to door leaflet marketing. Direct marketing depends on measurable and track-able consumer responses concerning the product. Ethics and social responsibility is a key component of any business enterprise, which ensures that the customers’ needs are addressed in a business’ policies. This paper aims at addressing the impact of ethics and social responsibility in retail and direct marketing. Observation of sound ethics in business practices has been shown to boost consumer confidence in a retail outlet’s products and services. This is because customers recognise these efforts and they in turn reciprocate by being loyal to that retail outlet. A business should always strive to do what is right and good for its clients by upholding their ethical principles of operating business (Pride & Ferrell, 30). ‘Beyond Scarcity’ is an article by Doug Wallace that he wrote for the The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility. In the article, he highlights the ethical dilemma faced by a company of whether to accept a take over bid or refuse the bid. Accepting the bid means making a handsome profit because the take over bid offered to buy the company’s shares at the double their value. By doing this, the company will be abandoning their shareholder’s and customer’s welfare. The company offering the bid only interest is in the company’s substantial reserve fund which they aim to use in boosting their diminishing financial position (Wallace, 14). This is interesting because the prospecting company is likely not to care about Kemper Products’ customer satisfaction. There is also the issue of the fate of junior employees because the prospective company does not offer welfare packages for them as it did for the senior management. This an ethical question because

The Crucible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Crucible - Essay Example This suggests that not only does Willy Loman represent the ‘American Dream’, but the dreams and hopes of every man who wishes to do well by his family but is not quite living up to his own standards. The play won a Tony in 1999 for a revival of the work. Miller, then 84, was thrilled to be able to be at the awards show and see one of his greatest works receive such a prestigious award fifty years after it first was produced on Broadway (Moran 226). The work has lasted the test of time, the writing so poignant that the message is clear and understood even by modern audiences. It is possible that a modern audience can relate more deeply to the plight of Willy Loman. The depth to which consumerism has taken over the lives of Americans has lead to a belief that everyone is equally entitled to the luxuries of life and that it is not relevant to the socio-economic status of the individual. According to Marron, one myth of debt â€Å"presents credit as the social equalizer, of promoting higher standards of living among the masses and allowing all to enjoy the realization of the consumerist desires† (3). Willy Loman lives by reaching for that standard of living without having actually reached that standard of income and this is a familiar lifestyle to the modern American public. According to Cody and Sprinchorm â€Å"The working title of the play was â€Å"The Inside of his Head† which is where the play takes place - the immediate events, the evocations of the past, the fantasy memories† (336). The staging of the play is done in such a way that the past and the present can converge, Willy’s memories weaving in with his present experiences in order to reveal how he has arrived to this place where he feels he must make a dire sacrifice for his family. Jo Meilzner was the original set designer for the first production of Death of a Salesman. He designed the set with multiple levels so that the movement from one space to the next wa s done through lighting rather than changing the stage. He created effects that could change the time period in which the dialogue was taking place as Willy’s memories converged with his present circumstances. â€Å"When lighted from the rear, the buildings washed out to be replaced with projections of trees with leaves, suggesting Willy’s remembered past with its bright sunshine and cheerful ambiance† (Barranger 258). Influences of Memory The way in which memory is used within the play is indicative of the way in which Miller saw the act of remembering in relationship to the present circumstances of a man. While often times memory was part of a flashback or was brought up through conflict that resulted in revelation, Miller chose to place memory into the present, creating a living, palpable presence that was part of the moment. Miller stated that â€Å"There are no flashbacks in this play†¦ but only a mobile concurrency of past and present† (Cody an d Sprinchorn 336). This can be witnessed within the interchange between Willy and Charley when the memory of his brother Ben intrudes upon their conversation. Ben: Is Mother living with you? Willy: No, she died a long time ago. Charley: Who? Ben: That’s too bad. Fine specimen of a lady, Mother. Willy (to Charley): Heh? Ben: I’d hoped to see the old girl. Charley: Who died? Ben: Heard anything from Father, have you? Willy (unnerved): What do you mean, who

Our Daily Life Essay Example for Free

Our Daily Life Essay I have encountered so many things in life; all of them seem to be related to me. In this reflection that you’ll see is all my experience in life that is changing every day. I know I’m not a perfect person but I will share this to you (all readers) to reflect it, not just me or the person beside you. I have this persons in my mind that I want to share, first of is my cousin in my father side; his name is Nunoy â€Å"Nuno† Lapasaran. He has this kind of sickness that he will bring to himself to the future, he is a Special Child. Every day I’m at his house also my father’s house, all day I’m always playing with my other cousin. I recognized his movements every time I go there, he always wearing girl’s clothes for short he is a she. He always flirts on every guy that passes by, even our cousins there. He can also fight other if he’s in danger. This is my observation to his condition; although he is got that sickness, he adopts slowly, it is good news for us. And we are family we protect each other wherever you are, whatever you are and we never broke our bonds to each other. My next subject but the same topic is also my cousin in my mother’s side; his name is Joriz Rosimo. This little guy is really hard to play with because he always pounding us with his fist and always spitting like an ordinary special child will do. To tell you the truth I got carried away with emotion and I just spank his butt, of course he cried out loud and my Tita heard it, and I got rebuked by my Tita and my mother about what I did. For that I just endure all the punches that he will throw at me. I learned many things from it and got to used it in my life right now. To endure all the big problems that will come at me and solved it with my family. I’m not alone in this life, there my family caring, loving us every day. And this is my last reflection to myself. I realize that Every Child is Special, just love them don’t hate them, care for them not to abuse their sickness, teach them, learn from them. I hope that I delivered this reflection very well and to God be the Glory.

Field Trip To Observatoire De Haute-Provence Report

Field Trip To Observatoire De Haute-Provence Report Shaoshan Zeng Abstract A group of 9 students from University College London (UCL) will be visiting the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP) in France between 14th February and 22nd February 2015. Students are expected to use the CCD camera on the 1.20m telescope to image two RR Lyrae variable stars: XY CVn and RR Gem. Also, students will use the Aurelie spectrograph on the 1.52m telescope to obtain high resolution spectra of bright spectroscopic binary systems within the spectral region 4070-4130Ã…. The main content of this report will focus on the observing facilities available at the OHP and background information of the objects to be targeted. And the last section of this report is the observing diary containing all the data obtained at the telescope. Contents Overview of l’Observatorie de Haute-Provence (OHP) Brief History Location Previous scientific work Observing conditions Observing Instruments The 1.20m Telescope The 1.52m Telescope The Aurelie Spectrogrph Scientific Programme for 1.2m Telescope Scientific Programme for 1.52m Telescope Targets RR Lyrae variable stars Spectroscopic binaries Observing Diary References Appendix 1. Light curves of RR Lyrae variables. Appendix 2. Finder Charts 1. Overview of l’Observatorie de Haute-Provence (OHP) History The observatory is owned by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and is funded by the Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers (INSU). Originally, OHP was built as a national facility for Frence astronomers in 1937 and later on in 1949, the facilities at the OHP were available to be used by foreign visiting astronomers. In 1943, the first astronomical observations were made with the 1.20m telescope and the first research paper were published a year later. 1.2 Location OHP is located in St Michel, near Forcalquier in the Alpes de Haute-Provence, south-east France. The coordinates of OHP are: Longitude = 0h 22m 52s E Latitude = +43 ° 55’ 46† Altitude = 650m Previous scientific work OHP has done some remarkable work on the detection of extra-solar planets. This studies started with the discovery of 51 Peg-b in 1995 using the ELODIE spectrograph on the 1.93m telescope and followed by many more discoveries such as Glises 876, the third closest known star to the Sun were found in 1998 and HD190228b was announced in 2000 as a giant planet orbiting the host star. In 2006, ELODIE was replaced by a stabilised high resolution spectrograph called SOPHIE at the 1.93m telescope of OHP. It is operated by using a large survey for search for northern extrasolar planets through the radial velocity method. Nowadays, SOPHIE plays a significant contribution to the follow-up of transiting exoplanet candidates from photometric surveys include SWASP, CoRoT and Kepler. 1.4 Observing Conditions The reason for OHP grounded on this site is mainly because the benefit of having higher probabilities on clear sky and favourable weather conditions throughout the year and the average atmospheric extinction at OHP is approximately twice that for ESO at La Silla. On average, about 60% of nights are considered to be suitable for astronomical observations. This can be showed by the yearly breakdown which based on a statistics made from 1965 to 2004: 170 nights are excellent conditions, 50 nights with very slight cloud and 70 nights are being partly cloudy. Despite of the weather conditions, the image quality is also the key factor to provide good observation. At OHP, the seeing disk is around 2 arcsec and can be lower down to 1 arcsec occasionally which compares to the image quality at ULO is about 4-5 arcsec. However, about 45 days per year on average (commonly in winter) cold wind flows from the northwest which is known as Mistral would cause the degradation of seeing, sometimes the quality of the seeing can severely decline to over 10 arcsec. But the advantage of having the Mistral winds is good weather usually follow as the winds usually clear up the sky. 2. Observing Instruments There are four main telescopes operate at OHP: 1.93m, 1.52m, 1.20m and 0.80m. Typically, 1.52m and 1.20m telescopes will be used to undertake studies during the field trip. 2.1 The 1.20m Telescope This is the first telescope installed at OHP and operates since 1943. It only has a Newton focus which is corresponded to a focus ratio of f/6. As an improvement, the telescope is now equipped with a CCD camera for direct imaging and photometry. It is usually operated for studies of variability of X-ray sources, imaging of galaxies and H II regions as well as the faint solar system objects. 2.2 The 1.52m Telescope This is the telescope that have been in use since 1967 at OHP and is used accompanied with the high resolution Aurelie spectrograph which is positioned at the Coude focus. Thus, most of the spectroscopic studies are carried out by using this telescope. The Coude focus is the only focus of this telescope and the focal ratio is f/27.6 which is almost identical to the 1.52m telescope at the ESO at La Silla. Even though it needed to be pointed manually, all other functions are automated. The telescope is equipped with a CCD camera, used from acquiring the target and automatic guiding. The camera has a field of view of 3’ x 4’. 2.3 The Aurelie Spectrograph The Aurelie spectrograph is a high resolution spectrograph that has been developed and installed on the 1.52m telescope in 1989 at the OHP. The goal of using such high quality instrument is to obtain spectra at very high resolutions over the spectral range of 3900 to 10000Ã… and because of the average seeing conditions at the OHP, the Aurelie spectrograph is also designed to obtain the largest optical efficiency and small amount of scattered light with an entrance aperture at about 3 arcsec wide. The detector attached to the spectrograph is called Thomson TH7832 which is a linear array CCD-like detector. The array is made of 2048 pixels of which 2036 are usable. The advantage of using this detector is: it is very clean meaning it exhibits no interference fringes or persistence effects and this would give the benefit to detect very weak absorption lines. 3. Scientific Programme for 1.2m Telescope The main purpose of this programme is to obtain images of two RR Lyrae variable stars RR Gem and XY CVn by using Cousins B- and V-band filters followed by calibrating these images with respect to stars of known magnitude near to the target star. This will be down over the course of 6 nights with 1.2m telescope. As a result, light curves of these stars will be obtained over several cycles of variation in order to calculate the pulsation period of each of the two stars. The light curve of XY CVn will be compared to that of RR GEM as the light curve of XY CVn is more symmetrical. From experience gained last few years (between 2003 and 2014) of UCL field trips who also completed the task with the same telescope, CCD and filters conclude that the exposure times should be around 1-3 minutes in each of the filter for RR Gem and because XY CVn is fainter than RR Gem, it requires longer exposure time of around 4 minutes in each of the B and V-bands. If the star has magnitude at around 11, a s ignal to noise ratio of at least 100 should be obtained with a 60 second or even shorter exposure in the V-band. The same signal to noise ratio is also kept for the B-band. Other than evaluating the result obtaining in the programme, observations of these two targets will also be compared to those obtained during the UCL field trip of 2000 to 2014. This should give more accurate calculated period and overtone modulation of the light curves to the stars. RR Lyrae stars are pulsating variables with about half the mass of the Sun but probably much older and hotter than the Sun. They belong to low mass Population II and they are abundant in globular clusters. RR Lyrae variables are special because they growing larger and smaller in size with their brightness changing significantly. In general, they have periods of 0.2 to 1 day and spectral types of A2 to F6 which have an average effective temperature of 7000K and a luminosity typical around 80 Lsun. Some of them have similar light curves to those of Cepheid variables and obey a period luminosity relation which is approximately: Log10 P = -0.85M + constant These properties make RR Lyrae variables become excellent standard candles as if the period of time it takes for an RR Lyrae to go through its cycle of brightening and dimming is known, then the absolute luminosity of that star can be estimated. The absolute luminosity shows how bright a star would be if it was a certain distance away from us. From this, the distance to the star can be determined if the measure brightness of the star appear to us compared to its absolute luminosity. 4. Scientific Programme for 1.52m Telescope For this programme, the Aurelie spectrograph on the 1.52m telescope will be used to obtain high resolution spectra of a selection of targets which are known to be spectroscopic binary systems that in the spectral region of 4070-4130Ã…. By analysing these spectra, weak absorption lines should be resolved to measure the changes in the radial velocity of a star by applying the cross correlation technique. Since the field trip group in 2006 and 2010-2014 also completed the similar task with Aurelie, the analysed results from this field trip will be compared to those obtained in previous years and hopefully this will result in an improvement of phase coverage for all of the systems, especially for targets with long period. By combining all the data sets, a number of physical parameters such as the mass ratio, the mass function, the period and the orbital eccentricity can be estimated for each binary system. As HÃŽ ´ (ÃŽ »4101Ã…) is included in the targeted spectral region, the appea rance of this line in obtained spectra also need to be investigated as it changes as a function of spectral type. In order to resolve the weak lines and measure their wavelengths accurately, a spectrographic resolving power of at least R = 40000 is required. Such high resolution that in use should also provide accurate information of radial and rotational velocities for each target. A wavelength coverage of at least 60Ã… is needed to include enough weak lines simultaneously and to make sure the continuum level outside the HÃŽ ´ line could be estimated. Despite of these, useful weak lines can only be obtain with a signal to noise ratio of at least 250 due to the fact that the equivalent widths of the weak lines are expected to be with several mÃ…. And more importantly, the total integration time of all of the start should be controlled to be 120 minutes or less because the resolution of orbital phase of 1.52m telescope would become poor if longer exposure time is used. Spectroscopic binaries involve two stars orbiting around their common centre of mass. These two stars are so close together that can only be seen as one object, and over period of time, there is Doppler shift change in the observing spectrum. In other words, if the star does exist in a binary system, they are of similar luminosity, each spectral line will twice over the course of one orbit, split into two, reach a maximum separation and then move back together again due to the Doppler shift caused by their radial velocity. Among all the targets, the star ÃŽ ± Uma is of particular interest as it has a long period of 44 years while other target stars have relatively short periods and has an orbit that is not clearly determined. It thought to have passed periastron in 2000, so it would be interesting to compare its measured radial velocity with that from spectral obtained during 2006 to 2014. 5. Target stars 5.1 RR Lyrae Variable Stars The stars that will be observing for the investigation of the light curves of RR Lyrae variable stars on the 1.2m telescope are shown below in Table 1 along with their coordinate, magnitudes and period. Table 1. Investigate RR Lyrae variable stars RR Gem is a type â€Å"a† RR Lyrae variable, it is well located for observation between UT 18:00 to 24:00 in late January to February at OHP. This light curve of this type of star will show a steep increase in brightness at first, the brightness will then gently fade away until a minimum is reached. The finding charts for RR Gem can be found in Appendix 1. (A1) and the calibration stars are shown in Table 2 below. Table 2. Calibration stars for RR Gem XY CVn is a type â€Å"c† RR Lyrae variable, it is well located for observation in the morning in January and February at OHP. Different to RR Gem, the light curve of this type of star is more symmetrical. The finding charts for both target stars can be found in Appendix 1. 5.2 Spectroscopic binaries targets The stars for which I am responsible for background research for the programme occurring on the 1.52m telescope are shown in Table 3 below. Table 3. Spectroscopic binaries targets Both of the targets are circumpolar which will never set throughout the night, this makes them easily observable in night time. For HR 4072, it would be best observed at around 0:00-1:00 UT and ÃŽ ¹ CrB should be best observed at 6:00-7:00 UT as these time will be the target just across the meridian i.e at their highest point in the sky. However, 6:00-7:00UT would correspond to 7:00-8:00 local time at OHP, would pass the sun rise time and the sky is bright already. Thus, target ÃŽ ¹ CrB can be observed in the early morning before sunrise when it still high up in the sky before crossing the meridian. The finding charts for both target stars can be found in Appendix 2. 6. Observing Journal References http://www.obs-hp.fr -the OHP website http://www.simbad.com -online star catalogue http://www.aavso.org/ -online database for variable stars, obtain light curves and finding charts 2015 UCL Field Trip Observation Plans (Stephen Boyle, September 2014) Appendix 1 A1. Finding Chart of RR Gem (AAVSO) A2. Finding chart of XY CVn (AAVSO)