Othello’s Tragedy

Marlene Romo Professor Williams English 1B 4 December, 2011 Othello’s Tragic Fall According to Aristotle, a tragedy must include the downfall of the tragic hero brought upon by his hamartia, in other words his weakness or flaw. It must also be comprised of the hero’s peripetia, where when he once had it all, it is now all lost. After the peripetia, the anagnorises follows; this is where the hero attributes his downfall to his weakness or flaw. The hero must be noble both in birth as well as in stature and according to Aristotle in the end of the play the audience must experience catharsis by encountering feelings of pity and fear.Even though Shakespeare’s Othello does include most of the requirements of an Aristotelian Tragedy it lacks a few elements, such as a hamartia and an anagnorises as well as catharsis. Othello’s downfall is not brought upon himself instead Iago’s manipulation is the cause, therefore the play does not fulfill Aristotleâ€℠¢s standards of a Tragedy. Although the audience fails to experience catharsis at the end of the play, Othello does help the audience come to the realization that cruel and manipulative people such as Iago exist in today’s society.While those who consider Othello to be a tragedy might argue that Othello’s hamartia is being naive, others may attribute Desdemona’s death to Iago’s manipulation of Othello. The fact that Iago was able to manipulate not only Othello but Roderigo, Cassio, Emilia and even Desdemona proves that he is extremely persuasive and thus Iago can be held accountable for Desdemona’s death. Since it is Iago who influences Othello into killing Desdemona that means Othello does not have a hamartia but instead confirms that Iago is very manipulative.Iago slowly but skillfully begins to implant doubt into Othello, for example when they see Cassio walking out of Desdemona’s room: Iago: Ha! I like not that. Othello: What dost thou s ay? Iago: Nothing, my lord: or if—I know not what. Othello: Was not that Cassio parted from my wife Iago: Cassio, my lord! No, sure, I cannot think it, That he would steal away so guilty-like,   Seeing you coming. Othello: I do believe 'twas he. (III. iii. 35-42) Iago makes Othello believe Desdemona is being unfaithful to him with Cassio, because he is constantly suggesting this.After some time Othello begins to believe every word Iago tells him and eventually ends up doubting his wife’s fidelity which results in her death. Desdemona dies and Othello finds himself losing everything but it is not due to hamartia it is due to Iago’s cruel manipulation of the mind. Othello listens to everything Iago says to him and believes it to be true for example when Iago says to Othello â€Å"But he that filches from me my good name and makes me poor indeed. Robs me of that which not enriches him† (III. iii 72-74) Here one can be a witness to Iago’s master mani pulation.Iago is saying: Othello, Cassio is robbing you of your reputation and that is immoral not only because he wants you to lose your respect and is only doing this to hurt you, but because he will not receive any personal gain and yet is still determined to go through with it . Iago does this throughout most of the play, he instills ideas into Othello’s mind and does it with the intention of hurting him, therefore Othello does not have a tragic flaw that causes his downfall but instead Iago is the one who brings Othello down with his manipulation.Since Othello does not have a hamartia anagnorises does not take place. Othello’s downfall is attributed to Iago’s manipulation not to Othello’s flaw. Even though it is Othello who suffocates Desdemona to death, this would never have happened if it weren’t for Iago’s manipulation. Othello cannot help but feel partially responsible for the death of Desdemona but he is aware of Iago’s crue l influence on him. When Othello has killed Desdemona and Emilia explains to him the way Iago got a hold of the handkerchief Othello says â€Å"Are there no stones in heaven But what serves for the thunder? Precious villain! † (V. ii. 241-242). Here Othello is finally able to see Iago as the villain that he is, and he asks heaven why it will not strike him dead. Othello never feels fully responsible for Desdemona’s death, he knows he is partially to blame but he also recognizes Iago as a villain so therefore anagnorises does not take place. Othello is not the only one who views Iago as a villain after Emilia’s confession so does Lodovico and the rest.After Iago is brought to the room as a prisoner Lodovico says to Othello: â€Å"O thou Othello, that was once so good, Fall’n in the practice of a cursed slave† (V, ii, 300-301). Lodovico is aware that Othello’s drastic change was brought upon by Iago’s evil manipulation and attributes De sdemona’s death to him. Everyone in the room realizes that Iago was not the â€Å"honest†( V. ii. 161) person they believed him to be, not only did they now realize he was a villain but they also became aware of all the people he manipulated, such as Othello, Roderigo, Cassio, Desdemona, and Emilia.Despite the fact that catharsis does not take place, the audience does experience fear toward the end of the play. The audience experiences fear because they become aware of the existence of men like that of Iago, in society. Dramatic irony is what allows the audience to witness Iago’s malicious plans. Iago is pure evil and unlike the characters in the play the audience is aware of this throughout the play. As the play progresses the audience gradually becomes more and more aware of Iago’s cruelty.The audience cannot help but come to the realization that men like Iago do exist in the real world. Marvin Rosenberg, Shakespearean scholar and a UC Berkeley professo r points this out in his essay, when speaking of Iago he says â€Å"he evokes our fear, because we know that wicked men do exist† (Rosenberg157). Rosenberg states that the audience fears to encounter people like Iago because he seemed so trustworthy and yet he was able to manipulate everyone he wanted to and was almost able to get away with murder.Rosenberg argues in his essay titled â€Å"In Defense of Iago† that Shakespeare’s purpose in writing this play was to enlighten the audience in the ways of thinking of a mischievous man. Rosenberg believes that Shakespeare wanted the audience to know how an evil man’s â€Å"twisted emotions work† (Rosenberg 157). Even though the audience fails to experience catharsis, good comes from the play because now the audience has been exposed to the evil of man and can go about living life without being too naive. Shakespeare’s Othello is not a tragedy under Aristotle’s standards.First of all Othello does not have a hamartia. Secondly, it is because he does not have a hamartia that he does not experience anagnorises. And lastly the audience does not experience catharsis. Othello cannot be considered a tragedy under Aristotle’s conditions but despite this, the play if effective when it comes to opening the eyes of the audience to the existence of people like Iago. After being exposed to the play the audience is now more capable of distinguishing an honorable person from a dishonest one.Once the audience becomes aware of the malicious acts of Iago they will question the motives of others and this will help them separate the truly honest people from those who are strategically manipulative. Works Cited Crowther, John, ed. â€Å"No Fear Othello. † SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"In Defense of Iago. † Shakespeare Quarterly 6. 2 (1955): 145-158. Jstor. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. Shakespeare, William Othello,the Moor of V enice. Literature:An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th Compact e. New York: Longman, 2010. 912-1012. Print.

Compare and Contrast Iliad vs. Odessey Essay

The Iliad begins with Chryses, a prophet of Apollo, coming to a Greek camp and offering valuable â€Å"penalty tokens† requesting the return of his daughter who the Greeks had captured in a raid. Because Agamemnon believed she was rightfully his, he refused. Most of his fellow Greeks wanted him to return her in order to avoid conflict. In order to preserve his time (honor, respect, value), Agamemnon brings danger to them all. Chryses prays to Apollo and a plague is released upon the Achaeans. Achilles, a basileus in the Greek army, suggests seeking insight from the prophet Calchas. Upon doing so all are informed that Agamemnon is responsible for the plague because he refused to return his geras (prize), the daughter of Chryses. In order to preserve his time and relieve the burden of the plague, Agamemnon decides to take someone else’s geras. He threatens to takes Achillesgeraand this make the destructive anger of Achilles â€Å"sing†. However, Athena intercedes and causes him to restrain himself. Agamemnon’s men seize hisgera, Briseis, and Achilles refuses to fight. Needing him for a successful battle, they offer him his gera and more, but he refuses. His rage is kindled against Agamemnon. Achilles rejects the system upon which heroic culture was built. Because he receives his time from Zeus, he doesn’t care what people think. Upon hearing about the death of his companion Patroclus, Achilles attacks the Trojan forces and kills Hector, Patroclus’s killer. He drags his body behind his chariot for days wishing he would have fought sooner and prevented the death of his friend. When Priam, Hectors father comes to meet with Achilles, they celebrate a mutual respect for the lives lost and for each other and they make peace. Hector is buried and the city still stands. The Odyssey opens with Zeus reflecting on mortal affairs. He spoke among the deathless ones about the folly that mortals suffer by their own hands. Aegisthus, cousin of Agamemnon committed adultery with Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, and then helped her to murder Agamemnon. He went on to explain how Orestes, son of Agamemnon, then killed Aegisthus and his mother to avenge his father’s death and how this all could have been avoided if he would have taken the warning that Hermes gave him before all this happened to heart and abstained from adultery. Yet, mortals blame the gods for all evil, â€Å"when really it’s through their own folly they suffer, even more than necessary.† Then Athena rises in the divine assembly and requests that the righteous Odysseus is released from imprisonment on the island of Calypso. Zeus then sends Hermes to set him free. The story focus’s on Odysseus who escapes from the island and sails upon the sea in a raft. But his enemy Poseidon, as the story attests, causes a storm that destroys the raft and makes Odysseus swim for three days until he lands on the island of Phaeacia, where King Alcinous rules. The virgin princess Nausicaa meets him on shore and takes him to the palace. After revealing his identity, Odysseus recounts his wanderings to the Phaeacians. After leaving Troy, he and his men, with twenty boats, came to the land of Thracians and lost many men in a raid. After departing, a storm takes them to the land of the Lotus Eater. If anyone eats the lotus, they will forget their purpose, to go home again. Then Odysseus comes to the land of the Cyclops where many of his men are eaten alive and he is imprisoned in a cave. Odysseus tricks the Cyclops and escapes. He then comes to the island of Circe, â€Å"hawk.† Then Odysseus gains the respect of the witch Circe with the help of Hermes and him and his men enjoy a year on the island. Then Circe tells him that he must consult the spirit of the prophet Tiresias to learn what awaits him. He sails away and speaks with spirits. The spirit of the murdered Agamemnon praises Odysseus’ wife Penelope for being faithful and warns Odysseus to beware of women when returning home. Traveling on, they pass by the island of the Sirens, whose seduce men with their song. Odysseus prevents his men from hearing their song and they make it past. Next, he passes by the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. Five men are eaten, and the rest go to the island of Helios Hyperion, the sun. Circe warned him not to eat the cattle but they did anyway. When they sail away, Zeus destroys their boat to punish their impiety. Odysseus alone escapes. He finally comes to the island of Calypso, where the story began. In the text, â€Å"The Greeks, History, Culture and Society,† authors Morris and Powell compare and contrast the Iliad and the Odyssey as such, â€Å"The remarkable Odyssey†¦has a tripartite plot, but moves more in spirals than in a straight line. Whereas the Iliad describes a man at odds with his society, a man apart, the Odyssey describes a man who journeys far, suffers much then returns to his proper place in society†¦the Iliad is tragic, the Odyssey is comic [meaning the story ends in harmony and acceptance].† In the Iliad, people die in combat, often times honorable men against honorable men. Morals are a major theme expressed in the Iliad. Upholding a state of honesty, restraint, discipline, honor, and respect are important characteristics that are sought for. The Odyssey deals with Odysseus striving to return home and the morals of mortals are critiqued by Zeus. While Achilles challenges his commander Agamemnon and abhors devious behavior, Odysseus uses trickery to survive and overcome obstacles. The Iliad and the Odyssey compliment each other by telling two different stories that both give insight into the Trojan War, the Trojan Horse, the funeral of Achilles, and the return of Menelaus and Helen to Sparta. They both deal with the struggles and hardship of mortal life. The purity of women is praised in these stories. Nausicaa is an honored virgin princess and Penelope is known and respected as a virtuous woman who staves off lustful men seeking to sleep with her, while Clytemnestra dishonors her husband and dishonors herself by committing adultery. They both deal with the gods interceding in human affairs. Human behavior is portrayed in both stories along with the challenges of life. The mortals in both stories have to struggle against fear, anger, and other ego-based dimensions of human existence. Both stories give us insight into the minds of the inhabitants of the earth during this time period and their perception of reality. The reality of the â€Å"gods†, supernatural beings, was common knowledge for most people during this time. Today, the existence of the gods is dismissed by most, questioned by many, and known by few. Reality, as they perceived it, was similar in many ways as it is today, but it was also very different. Both stories help up us reflect and gain a deeper understanding of life in ancient Greece.

Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Film Analysis - Essay Example The sociological perspective I will introduce is the idea of conformity. Conformity is going along with peers who have no special right to direct behavior. It could be synonymous with obedience because in this case, her higher authority is Hollywood. If she wants to fit into an awards show dress, she must stick to the cleansing diet proposed for maximum fit. Conformity is very important in many social circles. Conformity determines who is â€Å"in† and who is â€Å"out† when it comes to popularity. According to Milgram, we as humans are accustomed to submitting to authority. Sometimes that authority is a person, or object and other times it a higher power. Conformity oddly enough gives people a sense of belonging in this world and the power of conforming to someone else has to do with nature/nurture. Social control becomes a factor in this scene because it is informal. The owner of the clothing store has no idea how much weight and power his words possess when giving the actress the secret ingredient to becoming a size zero. The final scene I’d like to bring to mind is actually the scene where Dawn splurges and goes on a binge before even starting her West Hollywood diet. She is very much aware of what she will have to endure as a person taking on the new persona of a size zero or as she likes to call it â€Å"a UK size four.† The Socialistic point of view that can be attributed to this scene is deviancy. It is not just deviancy, but it is complete rebellion. Deviancy is the behavior or attributes of an individual or group that some may find offensive, wrong, strange or immoral. Let’s take the word strange and apply it to this situation. When a person is deviant, they are going the other way or avoiding the outcome. Dawn purposely eats tons of food before starting her diet as an act of deviance because she knows she will need to endure a much

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Puppet Project - Assignment Example The children that I worked with really liked making Jacob, the lion, and were making suggestions on what he should look like. They even tried the puppet on used it and made more puppets. Puppets are for learning and having fun while learning. Puppetry is a form of creative art where stitchery, weaving, painting, drawing and even mobiles can be used all together to improve children’s learning in all facets of school and home issues. Cognitive- The child will learn how to use language to express themselves through the use of puppets and stories they make up themselves. They will use their thinking skills to make their puppets, think of a story, and use their puppet to present a short play to the class. Social- The child will interact with other children while making the puppet and putting on their own puppet shows. The child will be able to start discussions and learn to follow-through till the project is completed. The child will be learning proper conversation skills. Emotional- The child will learn how to express themselves through the use of these puppets. The child overcome shyness, attention-problems and will be able to complete project to completion and make friends. Physical- The child will improve their manual dexterity when using their hands and arms to manipulate the puppets mouth. They will also in some cases learn to control their whole bodies to contol puppet depending on the size of the puppet. The will also improve hand-eye coordination when the

History and Influences of Mexican Americans and the United States Essay Example for Free

History and Influences of Mexican Americans and the United States Essay Looking around the United States, it is not hard to see the influence that Spanish-speaking nations, namely Mexico, have had on us. Every day we see signs in Spanish. We hear it as we walk through the streets of Madison and Milwaukee. We feel the impact it has on us in our public school system. We also see the controversy it causes on the news. What I will be attempting to explore in this paper is the origins of Mexican Americans and their continuing influence on the United States. I believe it is important to first understand the history of the relationship between Americans and Mexicans to understand the preconceived notions many Americans have towards Mexico. Although both nations are technically â€Å"Americas†, for the duration of the paper I will refer to the United States as America. After winning its independence from Spain, Mexico first had large-scale contact with Americans during the early 1800s when Americans were migrating farther west to what is present day Texas. Mexico allowed these citizens to reside despite the tension and friction that was building between Whites, Indians and Mexicans in these territories. Texas citizens declared themselves an independent nation, and due to the United States recognition of such, a war was prompted between the United States and Mexico. Mexico lost the war as well as its territories in North America. Mexican citizens who stayed behind in the lost territories became American citizens (Marger, 2012). One of the things that always confounded me about racism in the south, and states like Arizona, is the complete indifference or ignorance of this fact. I have always wondered how the White Supremacist mindset works when Mexican Americans have a natural ancestry in these states and were the first citizens of these states. How can we still see bumper stickers that say â€Å"Learn English or Go Home†, or â€Å"Go back to your own country† when the first citizens of these states were Mexicans? I believe that a cause for this is the lack of emphasis of early Mexican American history taught in schools. I I believe that if this were emphasized, these specific ethnocentric arguments would be dispelled sooner. Immigration of Mexicans and other Hispanics to America is not going to stop, so to ignore their political influence would be foolish. Demographics are showing that the Hispanic population is on the rise. There are an estimated 6. 6 million illegal immigrants from Mexico alone residing in the United States (Marger, 2012). The European American population, although still the largest in size, declining. (Marger, 2012). Since there are an increasing amount of people in the United States who are a mixed race, such as myself who is part Mexican American, true numbers of those who identify as part Hispanic are not yet known. (Marger, 2012). I believe that due to this, it is more crucial than ever to understand what kind of influence Mexican Americans will have on the socioeconomic and political structure of the future America. As much as certain groups of people would want to deny the influence of Mexican culture, as well as that of other Spanish-speaking ethnicities on the United States, the population statistics, (as well as the 2012 Election results, in my opinion) prove otherwise. Hispanics are the largest minority group (Naumann, Benet-Martinez, Espinoza 2013), and it is estimated that by 2050, 46% of the United States population will be Hispanic. (Marger, 2012). Insofar as political influence is concerned, 2008 held 19. 5 million registered Hispanic voters, and it is estimated that 23. 7 million registered voters were Hispanic in the 2012 election. To more specifically cite the influence of Mexican Americans in today’s voting world, there are 33 million Mexican Americans in the United States and 73% of them were born in America (Naumann, et al 2013). Despite attempts of the Republican Party to capture the vote of Hispanic Americans, 70% of them are still voting Democratic. (Naumann, et al 2013). Although Cubans tend to vote primarily more for Republicans, the larger population of Mexican Americans is still voting for Democrats. (Naumann, et al 2013). By analyzing these data, I can only conclude that the dire need for the Hispanic vote from the GOP is the sole purpose of the existence of Marco Rubio in modern politics. A question arises, as much as Mexican Americans influence us, how much do we influence them? The answer would have to depend on how in favor they are of assimilation. Studies have shown that most Mexican American youth would prefer a â€Å"biculturism† form of acculturation, preferring to hold on to their ethnic customs but also to embrace new American ones (Naumann, et al 2013). It was also shown in these studies that the more deep-routed Mexican Americans tend to be in their ethnicity, that the likelier they are to vote liberally (Naumann, et al 2013). Understanding Mexican Americans role in the workplace currently will also help explain motivations as to how they vote and continue to influence the rest of America. A study published in 2005 showed that Mexicans, while living in Mexico, have fewer expectations for advancement in the workplace, including to upper-management positions. This leads them to believe there are less forms of discrimination based on age, sex and ethnicity (Bennington, Wagman, Stallone, 2005). 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In summation, I believe that educating the true history of Mexican Americans (such as their origin as joining the US as citizens after the Mexican War), can help stop certain forms of prejudice, as well as helping Americans to realize that they are an ever-increasing demographic that is not going away anytime soon. Their influence is growing in US Politics, and this will have to be recognized if certain political groups wish to survive in the new century. I believe that if there is more respect given to them while they are a minority group, the more respect they will give to White America once Whites lose their status as the dominant ethnic group.

Implications of Postmodernism Essay Example for Free

Implications of Postmodernism Essay Postmodernism can be referred to as an aesthetic, political, literary or social philosophy, which lays a foundation with an attempt to explain a state or condition of something which is concerned with changes in the worldly institutions and conditions. Postmodernism over time has emerged as a field of academic study in various disciplines such as sociology, communications, music, literature, architecture, fashion, technology e. t. c. It is much revealed well on looking into modernism. Therefore postmodern can be seen to be a period before the invention of the modern technology e. g. the use of computers, radios, mobile phones, televisions and internet services. Thus it follows most of the modernism ideas as it is the one that born up the modernism through acceptance of flexibility and self consciousness, discontinuity and fragmentation, simultaneity, and great emphasizes on destructured and dehumanized subject. Implications of Postmodernism in Real World In many cases postmodernism does not lament the ideas of fragmentation, incoherence and provisionality and by so it views the world being meaningless and thus it influences this thought to individuals especially the learners and this finally leads to disrespect of the world e. g. through destruction and misuse in various ways. Postmodernism contains cultural formations which usually accompany major important life stages such as capitalism. These stages allow usage of variety of practices which postmodernism dictates upon the type of procedures to be followed. For instance it follows market capitalism, this is associated with technological developments like steam engines, the monopoly capitalism, which is associated with improved technology e. g. use of electric and internal combustion engines. Finally it incorporates the multinational or consumer capitalism which is associated with electronic and nuclear technologies and in addition to these this stage also majors on marketing, selling and consumption of commodities. Postmodernism does not produce originals only that it does the copying therefore in it there is no that original value, therefore it just creates a virtual reality which is a result of simulation. In addition postmodernism is mostly concerned with questions of organizational knowledge, but this knowledge is usually narrative as contrasted to science of the modernism. Therefore this knowledge is limited, primitive and irrational because it is only stores and Lesley distributed. Therefore postmodernism can be viewed the established dichotomies that separates the production processes from consumption processes, leisure from work , economies from cultures, socially gendered categories and biological categories,symbolic from functions ,domestic from global realness e. t. c . In this description thus it shows that the prediction of earlier social orders of various cultural experiences is in these dichotomies which has led to witnessing of the major fundamental societal changes. References Featherstone, M. (1991). Consumer culture and postmodernism. Sage Publications, London: Newbury Park http://www. colorado. edu/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/pomo. html http://www. wikipedia. org/wiki/Postmodernism Woods, Tim, B. (1999). Postmodernism. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Transaction Management And Concurrency Control Computer Science Essay

Transaction Management And Concurrency Control Computer Science Essay As more networks and databases are connected together, the importance of a solid database management system becomes apparent. Transaction and Concurrency Control, Recovery and Backup, and Security are major functions that should be examined when choosing the correct system. Databases which contain your companys valuable information must be properly protected, backed up, and secure from data loss and unauthorized access. In response to this requirement, both Oracle and Microsoft have implemented strong features into their database products. This paper compares the offerings of the two databases in terms of features, functionality, and ease of management. Table of Contents Introduction Overview a) SQL Server Overview b) Oracle Overview Transaction Management and Concurrency Control a) Overview of Transaction Management and Concurrency Control b) SQL Server TM and CC c) Oracle TM and CC d) Comparison Backup and Recovery a) Overview of Backup and Recovery b) SQL Server B and R c) Oracle B and R d) Comparison Security a) Overview b) SQL Server Security c) Oracle Security d) Comparison Conclusion Introduction This paper will provide a comparative review of three database management system functions: transaction and concurrency control, recovery and backup, and security, between Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. The purpose is to enhance understanding of database functionality and, through comparison, provide insight into the commonalities and differences between two different systems. Overview of Database Management Systems Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database server, with its primary languages being T-SQL and ANSI SQL. ANSI SQL is the American National Standards Institute standardized SQL and is used as the base for several different SQL languages, including T-SQL. T-SQL is a proprietary extension that uses keywords for the various operations that can be performed, such as creating and altering database schemas, entering and editing data, and managing and monitoring the server. Any application that works through SQL Server will communicate via T-SQL statements. T-SQL has some differences/extensions to basic SQL, including local variables, control of flow language, changes to delete and update statements, and support functions for date and string processing, and mathematics. Version 1.0 of SQL Server was released in 1989 and originated in Sybase SQL Server. Microsoft later ended the co-licensing agreement with Sybase and went on to develop their own version of SQL Server. The latest version is SQL Server 2008, released on August 6, 2008, and includes many improvements to speed and functionality, which will be discussed in further detail below. Sample SQL Server Architecture Diagram 1 Oracle Database is a relational database management system produced by Oracle Corporation. Users can utilize the proprietary language extension to SQL, PL/SQL, or the object-oriented language Java to store and execute functions and stored procedures. Oracle V2 was first released in November 1979 and did not support transactions, but had basic query and join functionality. The latest version is Oracle Database 11g, released in 2007, and includes many enhancements to functionality, which will be discussed in further detail below. Sample Oracle 11g Architecture Diagram 2 Transaction Management and Concurrency Control Overview A transaction, a single logical unit of work, is an action or series of actions that are performed by a user or application which can access or change the database contents. A transaction results in database transformation from one consistent state to another, and can either result in success or failure. A failed transaction is aborted and the database restores to the previous consistent state. The Database Management System is responsible for making sure all updates related to the transaction are carried out, or that stability is maintained in the case of a failed transaction. Transactions have four basic properties: Atomicity, Consistency, Independence, and Durability (ACID). Atomicity means that it is a single unit of work. Consistency ensures that data is always held firmly together in a coherent state, even after a failed transaction or crash. Independence ensures that the effects of an incomplete transaction are contained and not visible to other transactions. Durability ensure s that successful transactions result in permanent changes to the state of the database. Concurrency control is the process of managing and controlling simultaneous database operations. This is required because actions from different users and operations must not interfere with functionality, or the database could be left in an inconsistent state. Potential problems that concurrency control can solve are lost updates, inconsistent analysis, and uncommitted dependencies. The two main concurrency control techniques are locking and timestamping.  [3]   SQL Server TM and CC SQL Server fulfills the ACID requirements by using transaction management, locking, and logging. An explicit transaction is created in SQL Server by using the BEGIN TRANSACTION and COMMIT TRANSACTION commands. ROLLBACK TRANSACTION rolls back a transaction to the beginning or another save point within the transaction. SAVE TRANSACTION sets a savepoint within the transaction by dividing the transaction into logical units that can be returned to if part of the transaction is conditionally cancelled. Locking ensures transactional integrity and database consistency. In SQL Server, locking is automatically implemented, and provides both optimistic and pessimistic concurrency controls. Optimistic concurrency control assumes that resource conflicts are unlikely but not impossible, and allows transactions to execute without locking resources. Pessimistic concurrency control locks resources for the duration of a transaction. SQL Server can lock the following resources: RIDs, keys, pages, extents, tables, and databases. It utilizes several lock modes, including shared, update, exclusive, intent, and schema locks. Shared locks allow for concurrent read operations that do not change or update data, such as a SELECT statement. Update locks prevent a common form of deadlock that occurs when multiple sessions are reading, locking, and potentially updating resources later. Exclusive locks are used for data modification operations, such as INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE, and ensure that multiple up dates cant be made on the same resource at the same time. Intent locks are used to establish a lock hierarchy, and include intent shared, intent exclusive, and shared with intent exclusive locks. Schema locks are used when a schema dependent operation of a table is executed, and include schema modification and schema stability locks.  [4]   A deadlock occurs when two transactions have locks on separate objects and each user is waiting for a lock on the other object. SQL Server can set deadlock priority by scanning for sessions that are waiting for a lock request, and the SET DEADLOCK_PRIORITY command to customize deadlocking. The SETLOCK_TIMEOUT command can set the maximum time that a statement waits on a blocked resource, because the timeout period is not enforced by default.  [5]   Oracle TM and CC Oracle Database offers two isolation levels, providing developers with operational modes that preserve consistency and provide high performance. Statement level read consistency automatically provides read consistency to a query so that all the data the query sees comes from a single point in time when the query began. The query never sees any dirty data or changes made during query execution. Transaction level read consistency extends read consistency to all queries in a transaction. Oracle uses rollback segments, containing old values of data that have been changed by uncommitted or recently committed transactions, to provide consistent views and does not expose a query to phantoms. Oracle Real Application Clusters (RACs) use cache-to-cache block transfer to transfer read-consistent images of blocks between instances. It uses high speed, low latency interconnects to answer remote data block requests. Isolation levels provided by Oracle Database are read committed, serializable, and read-only. Users can choose the appropriate isolation levels for transactions depending on the type of application and workload, using these statements: SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED; SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL SERIALIZABLE; and SET TRANSACTION READ ONLY. The ALTER SESSION function can then be used to change isolation level for different transactions. Read committed is the default transaction isolation level. Each query executed by a transaction sees data committed before the query began. Oracle Database does not prevent other transactions from modifying the data read by a query, so that data can be changed by other transactions between two query executions. This can lead to non-repeatable reads and phantoms in cases where the transaction runs the same query twice. This isolation level is good for when few transactions are likely to conflict, and can provide higher potential throughput. Serializable transactions see only changes made at the beginning of the transaction, plus changes in the transaction itself through INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements. These transactions do not experience non-repeatable reads or phantoms. This isolation level is suitable for large databases and short transactions that update few rows, when there is a low chance that two concurrent transactions will modify the same rows, or where long-running transactions are primarily read-only. A serializable transaction can modify a data row only if it can determine that prior changes were committed before the current transaction began. Oracle Database uses control information in the data block to indicate which rows have committed and uncommitted changes. The amount of history that is retained is determined by the INITRANS parameter of CREATE and ALTER TABLE. To avoid having insufficient recent history information, higher values can be set for INITRANS for tables that will have many transaction s updating the same blocks. If a serializable transaction fails with the CANNOT SERIALIZE ACCESS error, the application can either commit the work executed to that point, execute additional statements with ROLLBACK, or undo the entire transaction. Read-only transactions see only changes made at the time the transaction began and dont allow INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE statements. Oracle Database uses locks to control simultaneous access to data resources. Low-level serialization mechanisms called latches are used to protect shared data structures in the System Global Area. Oracle automatically gets the necessary locks when executing SQL statements, using the lowest applicable level of restrictiveness to provide the highest possible data concurrency and data integrity. The user may also lock data manually. There are two modes of locking: exclusive and share lock modes. Exclusive lock mode prevents the associated resource from being shared, and is obtained to modify data. The first transaction to lock the data is the only one which can modify it until the lock is released. Share lock mode allows the associated resource to be shared, depending on the operations. Users reading data can hold share locks to prevent a writer access. Multiple transactions can have share locks on the same resource. All locks created by statements within a transaction last until the tr ansaction is completed or undone. Because row locks are acquired at the highest degree of restrictiveness, no lock conversion is needed or performed. Oracle automatically converts table lock restrictiveness from lower to higher as appropriate. Lock escalation is when multiple locks are held at one level of granularity, and a database raises the locks to a higher level of granularity. An example is converting many row locks into one table lock. Oracle Database never escalates locks, because this increases the chances of deadlocks. A deadlock occurs when two or more users are waiting on data locked by each other. This can prevent transactions from continuing to work. Oracle automatically detects deadlocks and solves them by rolling back one of the statements. User generated deadlocks can be avoided by locking tables in the same order for transactions accessing the same data. Oracle Database locks fall into three general categories: DML locks (data locks), DDL locks (dictionary locks), and Internal locks and latches. DML locks protect data (i.e. tables, rows). The purpose is to guarantee the integrity of data accessed by multiple users. Row locking is the finest granularity and has the best possible concurrency and throughput. A transaction always acquires an exclusive row lock for each individual row modified by INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and SELECT with the FOR UPDATE clause. If a transaction uses a row lock, it also uses a table lock for the corresponding table. Table locking is mainly used for concurrency control with DDL operations. Table locks are used when a table is modified by the INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, SELECT with FOR UPDATE, and LOCK TABLE DML statements. These statements require table locks to reserve DML access to the table for the transaction and to prevent conflicting DDL operations. Table locks can be used at both table and subpartition level for partitioned tables. A table lock can be held in the following modes, from least to most restrictive: row share (RS), row exclusive (RX), s hare (S), share row exclusive (SRX), and exclusive (X). A row share table lock is the least restrictive, and has the highest degree of concurrency for a table. It indicates the transaction has locked rows in the table and intends to update them. It is specified by the statement LOCK TABLE IN ROW SHARE MODE. A row exclusive table lock is slightly more restrictive, and indicates the transaction holding the lock has made one or more updates to rows in the table or issued a SELECT FOR UPDATE statement. It is specified by LOCK TABLE IN ROW EXCLUSIVE MODE;. A share table lock is made automatically for a table specified by the statement LOCK TABLE IN SHARE MODE;. A share row exclusive lock is more restrictive and is made for a table specified by the statement LOCK TABLE IN SHARE ROW EXCLUSIVE MODE;. Exclusive table locks are the most restrictive and are specified by the statement LOCK TABLE IN EXCLUSIVE MODE;. DDL locks protect the structure of schema objects (i.e. table definitions). Internal locks and latches are automatic and protect internal data structures such as data files. Only individual schema objects that are modified or referenced are locked during DDL operations. The entire data dictionary is never locked. DDL locks have three categories: exclusive DDL locks, share DDL locks, and breakable parse locks. Exclusive and share DDL locks last until DDL statement execution and automatic commit is complete. Most DDL operations require exclusive DDL locks for a resource to prevent interference with other DDL operations that might reference the same object. If another DDL lock is already held, then the operation must wait until the other lock is released to proceed. DDL operations also create DML locks on the modified schema object. Some DDL operations require share DDL locks to allow data concurrency for similar DDL operations. A share DDL lock is created for the following statements: AUDIT, NOAUDIT, COMMENT, CREATE (OR REPLACE) VIEW/ PROCEDURE/ PACKAGE/ PACKAGE BODY/ FUNCTION/ TRIGGER, CREATE SYNONYM, and CREATE TABLE (if CLUSTER is not used). Breakable parse locks are acquired is created for a SQL statement and each schema object it references. A parse lock does not restrict any DDL operation and can be broken to allow conflicting DDL operations. It is created in the parse phase of SQL statement execution and held as long as the shared SQL area for the statement is in the shared pool. Latches and internal locks protect internal database and memory structures. Users cannot access them. Latches are simple, low-level serialization mechanisms to protect shared data structures in the system global area. The use of latches is dependent on the operating system. Internal locks are higher-level, more complex mechanisms and include dictionary cache locks, file and log management locks, and tablespace and rollback segment locks. Dictionary cache locks are very short and are on dictionary caches while the entries are being modified or used. They make sure that parsed statements dont have inconsistent object definitions. They can be shared or exclusive; shared last until the parse is finished and exclusive last until the DDL operation is finished. File and log management locks protect different files. They are held for a long time because they indicate the status of files. Tablespace and rollback segment files protect tablespaces and rollback segments. All instances must agree whether a tablespace is online or offline. Rollback segments are locked to make sure that only one instance can write to a segment.  [6]   Comparison Microsoft SQL Server is enabled to lock smaller amounts of data at a time, which is a big improvement. There is row-level locking, so now SQL Server locks only the rows that are actually being changed. However, SQL Server has no multi-version consistency model, which means that reads and writes can block each other to ensure data integrity. The difference with Oracle is that the database maintains a snapshot of the data, which prevents queries from hanging without performing dirty reads. Backup and Recovery Overview Database backup and recovery mechanisms ensure that organizations have prepared a copy of their data, or have the tools necessary to recover from a failure. A failure is a state where inconsistency prevents transactions from reaching the desired results. Some types of failures are transaction failure, system failure, media failure, and communications failure. Transaction failure may be caused by deadlocks, time-outs, protection violations, or system errors. Transaction failures can be solved with either a partial or total rollback, depending on the extent of the failure. System failures can be recovered with a restart, or rollback to the last consistent state. Restore/roll forward functions help with restoring the database after a media failure. SQL Server B and R SQL Server databases consist of two physical hard drive files, the MDF and LDF files. MDF files contain all of the data being stored. LDF files contain a record of every data change. Logging data changes make undo operations and backups possible. The log file is cleared, or truncated, after a certain amount of time, which is determined by the database recovery model. SQL Server can maintain multiple databases, with different recovery model settings. The recovery model can be either simple, full, or bulk-logged. With simple recovery, log files are not kept permanently, so when this setting is activated, a full backup must be done. Full backups restore all of the data and cannot be set to a specific time. The full recovery setting refers to a database with a transaction log file history. The log files keep track of every data change operation. The database will stop working if the log file runs out of space, so the auto grow function can be enabled. When running in full recovery, differential and transaction log backups become available. Differential backups copy all data changes since the last full backup. Every time a full backup is run, the differential backup is reset. Transaction log backups copy all data changes since the last full or transaction log backup. They are usually very small and fast. The disadvantage is the level of recovery; if any log backup is damaged or unusable, the data is not recoverable past the last good backup.  [7]   Oracle B and R Oracle databases can be backed up using export/import, cold or off-line backups, hot or on-line backups, or RMAN backups. Exports extract logical definitions and data from the database to a file. Cold or off-line backups shut down the database and backup all data, log, and control files. Hot or on-line backups set the tablespaces into backup mode and backup the files. The control files and archived redo log files must also be backed up. RMAN backups use the rman utility to backup the database. More than one of these methods can and should be used and tested to make sure the database is securely backed up. On-line backups can only be done when the system is open and the database is in ARCHIVELOG mode. Off-line backups are performed when the system is off-line; the database doesnt have to be in ARCHIVELOG mode. It is easier to restore from off-line backups because no recovery is required, but on-line backups are not as disruptive and dont require database downtime. Point-in-time recovery is available in ARCHIVELOG mode only.  [8]   Comparison Starting with version 10g, Oracle Database adopted the Automatic Storage Management (ASM) feature, which automates storage management after a certain point. The DBA allocates storage devices to a database instance and it automates the placement and storage of the files. SQL Server storage management must be done manually, using the Share and Store Management Console in SQL Server 2008, or must purchase a separate tool. Oracles Flash Recovery feature automates the management of all backup files. The Flash Recovery area is a unified storage location for all recovery related files in the Oracle database. The DBA can also change the storage configuration without having to take the database offline. SQL Server also provides the ability to manage backup files, using a backup wizard to manage the relevant files, but does not do it automatically. SQL Server 2008 introduced improvements in backup compression. With compression, less disk I/O and storage is required to keep backups online, resu lting in increased speed. Tradeoffs seem to be between SQL Servers speed and Oracles increased functionality. In Oracle, backups are fully self-contained, but in SQL Server the DBA must manually recreate the system database using the install CD. Oracle also uses the Data Recovery Advisor (DRA) tool to automatically diagnose data failures, show repair options, and execute repairs at the users request. Oracles Flashback technology allows for instant recovery of dropped tables and logical data corruptions. SQL Server provides for data recovery by rebuilding the transaction log, running repair to fix any corruptions, and ensure the logical integrity of data is not broken.  [9]   Security Overview Security is an important part of any organizations database management system. According to Dr. Osei-Brysons lecture notes, security breaches are typically categorized as unauthorized data observation, incorrect data modification, or data unavailability. Unauthorized data observation discloses confidential information to users without the proper permissions. Incorrect data modification can be either intentional or unintentional, but can be devastating to database consistency and can result in unreliable data. Unavailable data can be very costly to an organization, depending on how the data is used. Three requirements for a data security plan include secrecy and confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Secrecy and confidentiality protects data from being accessed by unauthorized parties. Database integrity is important to protect the data from incorrect or improper modification. Availability means preventing and minimizing the damage from unavailable data. Database management systems include some form of access control mechanism to make sure each user has access to only the data they require to perform their jobs. Users are granted certain authorizations by a security administrator to determine which actions can be performed on each object. The database administrator is responsible for account creation, assigning security levels, and granting/revoking privileges. SQL Server Security Security is an integral part of SQL Servers package, according to a recent White Paper commissioned by Microsoft.  [10]  Security features for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 include policy-based management to apply policies to database objects. These policies contain a collection of conditions that can be used to enforce business and security rules. Oracle Security Oracle 11g uses supports strong authentication through KPI, Kerberos, and Radius for all connections to the database except connections made as SYSDBA or SYSOPER. Tablespace encryption provides an alternative to transparent data encryption column encryption by enabling the encryption of the entire tablespace. This is best used with large amounts of data. The transparent data encryption master key can be stored in an external hardware security module for stronger security. 11g also provides increased password protection, secure file permissions, optional default audit settings, and controls on the network callouts from the database.  [11]   Comparison In SQL Server, transparent data encryption encrypts and decrypts data in the database engine and doesnt require more application programming. The functionality is included in SQL Server 2008, but requires a $10,000 per processor additional charge with Oracle Database 11g. SQL Server 2008 allows Extensible Key Management and Hardware Security Module vendors to register in SQL Server and provide management that is separated from the database. This separation of keys from the data provides an additional layer of defense. SQL Server 2008 also has auditing support through an Auditing object, which allows administrators to capture and log all database server activity. The National Vulnerability Database, provided by the National Institute of Science and Technology, reported over 250 security vulnerabilities with Oracle products over a four year period, and none with SQL Server. The report did not list the type and severity of the vulnerabilities, or which specific products were affected, but there seems to be a trend toward vulnerability. Microsoft Update is a fairly straightforward and easy to use patching solution for SQL Server. Computerworld called Oracles patch management system involved excruciating pain and two-thirds of Oracle DBAs dont apply security patches. Oracle seems to be behind in patch management at this time. SQL Server can also prevent highly privileged users from accessing sensitive data through use of the auditing object, assigning individual permissions, module signing, Policy-based management, and additional functionality. Oracle uses Database Vault to control privileged access, but costs 20k per processor. Conclusion The comparative review of Transaction Management and Concurrency, Recovery and Backup, and Security functions on Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle 11g database has shown that there are many similarities in the functionality between the two companies, but also key differences in database management philosophy. I learned that SQL Server seems to have the edge on speed and better security, but Oracle is making many advances in high level functionality and is starting to automate many features than in previous years. I was also able to improve my understanding of the DBMS functions by examining their practical application in separate systems.

Wife vs. Daughter in Only Daughter by Sandra Cisneros and Why I Want a

What is a Wife? What is a Daughter? Are they the same, or are they different? A wife supports a husband, but a daughter could also have the same position could she not? A daughter could marry and become a wife, and still be a daughter. Than again, a wife could be an only child, and a wife could have no father. A wife compares to a daughter in many ways, and differs in many different ways as well. All in all, it?s quite possible that all women, go through at least one of these titles, at one point in there lives. In the short story ?Why I want a wife? by Judy Brady, she goes into detail what being a wife is like. The tedious details of day to day activities, the strain and hard work of being a ?good wife?, and the unappreciated service a wife must perform to be accepted by her husband. This story made me feel like, the author felt a little surprised of what she actually does from day to day being a wife, perhaps a little bit bitter toward those who do not notice her action. That brings me to another short story, ?Only Daughter? by Sandra Cisneros. This story is of a Dau...

Abraham Lincoln and Slavery during the Civil War Essay -- Slavery Essay

Abraham Lincoln once said, â€Å"I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me† (â€Å"Letter to Albert G. Hodges† 281 as qtd. in R.J. Norton 1). In accordance with his quote, when President Lincoln issued the unprecedented Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, Lincoln freed slaves in the Southern states, but he and his actions were being controlled by Civil War. The Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865 between the Northern states, or the Union, and the Southern states, or the Confederacy. On September 22, 1862, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln put forth a Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (Tackach 45). The document stated that after January 1, 1863, slaves belonging to all Southern states that were still in rebellion would be free (Tackach 45). However, the Emancipation Proclamation had no immediate effect; slavery was not legally prohibited until the Thirteenth Amendment was added t o the Constitution in 1865, about three years after the Emancipation Proclamation was decreed (Tackach 9-10). If the Emancipation Proclamation did not completely abolish slavery, what was the point of the document? Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was not actually written for the purpose of freeing any slaves. Rather, it was a war tactic to militarily weaken the South, add soldiers to the Union cause, and please abolitionist Northerners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the start of the Civil War, Lincoln clarified that the goal of the war was not â€Å"`to put down slavery, but to put the flag back,’† and he refused to declare the war as a war over slavery (Brodie 155 as qtd. in Klingaman 75-76). In a letter to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, in August 1862, Lincoln wrote: â€Å"My paramount object in this struggle is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing [any] slave I would do it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Selected Speeches 343 as qtd. in Tackach 44). Lincoln also refused to declare that slavery was the Civil War’s main focus because many Whites in the North and in the much-valued Border States would not agree with a war to free slaves since they believed Blacks were inferior to Whites (Wheeler 225-226). The political and military advantages of the Border States made Lincoln reluctant to proclaim the Civil War to be a war about slavery (Wheeler 225-226). Even Jefferson Davis, president of the en... ...Nation: A History of the United States. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. Lincoln, Abraham. Selected Speeches and Writings. New York: Vintage Books, 1992, - as quoted in - Tackach, James. The Emancipation Proclamation: Abolishing Slavery in the South. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999. Lincoln, Abraham. â€Å"The Emancipation Proclamation.† Washington D.C.: 1863 -as quoted in- Klingaman, William K. Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation: 1861-1865. New York: Viking, 2001. McPherson, James M. Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990 - as quoted in - Klingaman, William K. Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation: 1861-1865. New York: Viking, 2001. Norton, Mary Beth et al. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. Tackach, James. The Emancipation Proclamation: Abolishing Slavery in the South. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999. Wheeler, William Bruce and Susan D. Becker. Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. â€Å"Writing the Emancipation Proclamation.† N/G. History Matters. 2 March 2005 . Abraham Lincoln and Slavery during the Civil War Essay -- Slavery Essay Abraham Lincoln once said, â€Å"I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me† (â€Å"Letter to Albert G. Hodges† 281 as qtd. in R.J. Norton 1). In accordance with his quote, when President Lincoln issued the unprecedented Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, Lincoln freed slaves in the Southern states, but he and his actions were being controlled by Civil War. The Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865 between the Northern states, or the Union, and the Southern states, or the Confederacy. On September 22, 1862, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln put forth a Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (Tackach 45). The document stated that after January 1, 1863, slaves belonging to all Southern states that were still in rebellion would be free (Tackach 45). However, the Emancipation Proclamation had no immediate effect; slavery was not legally prohibited until the Thirteenth Amendment was added t o the Constitution in 1865, about three years after the Emancipation Proclamation was decreed (Tackach 9-10). If the Emancipation Proclamation did not completely abolish slavery, what was the point of the document? Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was not actually written for the purpose of freeing any slaves. Rather, it was a war tactic to militarily weaken the South, add soldiers to the Union cause, and please abolitionist Northerners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the start of the Civil War, Lincoln clarified that the goal of the war was not â€Å"`to put down slavery, but to put the flag back,’† and he refused to declare the war as a war over slavery (Brodie 155 as qtd. in Klingaman 75-76). In a letter to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, in August 1862, Lincoln wrote: â€Å"My paramount object in this struggle is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing [any] slave I would do it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Selected Speeches 343 as qtd. in Tackach 44). Lincoln also refused to declare that slavery was the Civil War’s main focus because many Whites in the North and in the much-valued Border States would not agree with a war to free slaves since they believed Blacks were inferior to Whites (Wheeler 225-226). The political and military advantages of the Border States made Lincoln reluctant to proclaim the Civil War to be a war about slavery (Wheeler 225-226). Even Jefferson Davis, president of the en... ...Nation: A History of the United States. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. Lincoln, Abraham. Selected Speeches and Writings. New York: Vintage Books, 1992, - as quoted in - Tackach, James. The Emancipation Proclamation: Abolishing Slavery in the South. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999. Lincoln, Abraham. â€Å"The Emancipation Proclamation.† Washington D.C.: 1863 -as quoted in- Klingaman, William K. Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation: 1861-1865. New York: Viking, 2001. McPherson, James M. Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990 - as quoted in - Klingaman, William K. Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation: 1861-1865. New York: Viking, 2001. Norton, Mary Beth et al. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. Tackach, James. The Emancipation Proclamation: Abolishing Slavery in the South. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999. Wheeler, William Bruce and Susan D. Becker. Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. â€Å"Writing the Emancipation Proclamation.† N/G. History Matters. 2 March 2005 .

Baklava Process Paper

Abigail Andrews Dr. John R. Willey ENC1101 MW 10:30 13 November 2012 The Process of Baking Baklava Have you ever been at a Greek restaurant and eaten one of those deliciously flaky Baklava desserts? Do you wish you were able to make it at home for yourself or to bring to a potluck? I know that Baklava seems as if it should be an extremely difficult dish to prepare, but believe it or not it is surprisingly simple and easy. After reading this you should be confident and capable of preparing, baking, and serving the most delicate and savory dessert that will ever come from your oven.To begin, make sure you have all of the necessary ingredients: one pound of pecans, one teaspoon of cinnamon, a food processor, one 16oz thawed package of Phyllo dough, one can of aerosol butter spray, wet paper towels, a sharp knife, a 9Ãâ€"13 casserole dish, a medium size saucepan, one cup of water, one cup of white sugar, half a cup of honey, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a package of cupcake liners. Second ary, clean off the counters in the kitchen so there will be a sanitary and clutter free area to work on.Preheat the oven to 350* with the oven rack placed in the middle. Once you have prepared your kitchen you can get started on the recipe. First pour a pound of whole pecans and a teaspoon of cinnamon into the food processor and grind them to a fine chop. If you do not own a food processor you can purchase finely chopped pecans and hand mix the cinnamon into them; however, I do recommend the food processor method because you can chop the pecans to a nearly dust-like consistency. Set the cinnamon pecan blend aside while you start to prepare your dough.Keep in mind that this dough is the most delicate part of the recipe, but if handled quickly and carefully there should be no problems. After completely thawing a 16oz package of Phyllo dough, in the fridge overnight, open and unroll one of the two packages. If it does begin to dry out and break easily don’t fret; simply cover it with a slightly wet paper towel. Only work with one roll at a time; the thin layers of dough can dry out very quickly. Place two sheets of dough into a buttered 9Ãâ€"13 pan that is at least two inches tall.Completely cover the second sheet with spray butter. I have previously used melted butter and applied it with a brush, but the aerosol can works best; it is quicker and doesn’t tear the thin layers. Repeat that process until eight sheets are layered and buttered. On top of that eighth sheet of buttered dough evenly sprinkle three tablespoons of the cinnamon pecan blend. Gently place two more sheets down and butter them completely. Repeat the process of sprinkling the pecans and layering two sheets of buttered dough until there are only six sheets remaining.Prepare the last six pieces of dough in the same fashion as the bottom layers; two sheets than butter, two sheets than butter and so on until you have used all of the dough and the top layer has butter on it. Buttered f ingertips on your non-dominant hand may help keep the top layer of dough in place for this part. Using a very sharp knife carefully slice three times so there are four long rows. Some people make their baklava into squares but I prefer smaller triangles because it is such a sweet treat that one almost feels guilty devouring a large piece. To make triangles cut diagonally across the pan.Take great care to insure every piece is completely separated all the way down to the bottom most layer of dough. After all of the cuts have been made place the dish onto the middle rack of an oven that has been preheated to 350*. It should bake for about 50 minutes or until the top layer has a beautiful golden brown color. The sauce will need to be prepared while the baklava is baking, so it will be ready when you take the dish out of the oven. In a medium saucepan bring one cup of water and one cup of white sugar to a boil while stirring occasionally.Once the sugar has completely dissolved pour in h alf a cup of honey and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Gently stir the mixture while it simmers for 20 minutes. Immediately after removing the golden baklava from the oven drizzle one tablespoon of sauce on each piece, cover all the dry spots with the remaining sauce. Allow the dessert to cool completely before transferring the flaky triangles into individual cupcake liners. Put a few pieces into Ziploc bags and freeze for a tasty treat another day or arrange them on a serving platter to share with friends.Be sure to leave them uncovered or they may become soggy overnight. You are now equipped with the knowledge to prepare a dish that will have people singing praise to your baking skills. As you can see this recipe is surprisingly easy to make with an amazing end product. Every time you make this dessert it will become easier and easier; which is good because once you share it with others they will be asking you to make it again and again. Remember, honey and pecans are healthy so fe el free to have another piece!

Porter Five Forces Analysis

Porter five forces analysis  is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development formed by  Michael E. Porter  of  Harvard Business School  in 1979. It draws uponindustrial organizationeconomics  to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a  market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An â€Å"unattractive† industry is one in which the combination of these five forces acts to drive down overall profitability.A very unattractive industry would be one approaching â€Å"pure competition†, in which available profits for all firms are driven to  normal profit. Five forces Threat of new competition Profitable markets that yield high returns will attract new firms. This results in many new entrants, which eventually will decrease profitability for all firms in the industry. Unless the entry of new firms can be blocked by  incumbents, the abnormal pr ofit rate will tend towards zero (perfect competition). * The existence of  barriers to entry  (patents,  rights, etc. The most attractive segment is one in which entry barriers are high and exit barriers are low. Few new firms can enter and non-performing firms can exit easily. * Economies of product differences * Brand equity * Switching costs or  sunk costs * Capital requirements * Access to distribution * Customer loyalty  to established brands * Absolute cost * Industry profitability; the more profitable the industry the more attractive it will be to new competitors. Threat of substitute products or services The existence of products outside of the realm of the common product boundaries increases the  propensity  of customers to switch to alternatives.Note that this should not be confused with competitors' similar products but entirely different ones instead. For example, tap water might be considered a substitute for Coke, whereas Pepsi is a competitor's similar product. Increased marketing for drinking tap water might â€Å"shrink the pie† for both Coke and Pepsi, whereas increased Pepsi advertising would likely â€Å"grow the pie† (increase consumption of all soft drinks), albeit while giving Pepsi a larger slice at Coke's expense. * Buyer propensity to substitute * Relative price performance of substitute Buyer  switching costs * Perceived level of  product differentiation * Number of substitute products available in the market * Ease of substitution. Information-based products are more prone to substitution, as online product can easily replace material product. * Substandard product * Quality depreciation Bargaining power of customers (buyers) The bargaining power of customers is also described as the market of outputs: the ability of customers to put the  firm  under pressure, which also affects the customer's sensitivity to price changes. Buyer concentration to  firm  concentration ratio * Degree of dependen cy upon existing channels of distribution * Bargaining leverage, particularly in industries with high  fixed cost * Buyer switching costs relative to  firm  switching costs * Buyer information availability * Availability of existing substitute products * Buyer  price sensitivity * Differential advantage (uniqueness) of industry products * RFM  Analysis Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is also described as the market of inputs.Suppliers of raw materials, components, labor, and services (such as expertise) to the  firm  can be a source of power over the firm, when there are few substitutes. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm, or, e. g. , charge excessively high prices for unique resources. * Supplier switching costs relative to  firm  switching costs * Degree of differentiation of inputs * Impact of inputs on cost or differentiation * Presence of substitute inputs * Strength of distribution channel * Supplier concentration to  firm  concentration ratio * Employee solidarity (e. g. labor unions) Supplier competition – ability to forward vertically integrate and cut out the BUYER Ex. : If you are making biscuits and there is only one person who sells flour, you have no alternative but to buy it from him. Intensity of competitive rivalry For most industries, the intensity of competitive rivalry is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. * Sustainable  competitive advantage  through  innovation * Competition between online and offline companies * Level of  advertising  expense * Powerful  competitive strategy * Flexibility through customization, volume and variety

Statistics for Public Administration: Practical Uses for Better

Maureen BernerAs a public administrator, you need to be able to analyze and evaluate policies, and understand analysis and evaluations done by others. This means having a solid working knowledge of how to apply statistics to the types of data used in local government so that you make good decisions. Statistics for Public Administration: Practical Uses for Better Decision Making, a completely updated edition of Statistics Unraveled, focuses on demonstrating how statistics can help you do your job better, rather than on a mastery of statistics.The goal of this book is to make you, as a public administrator, an educated consumer of statistical information—and an effective translator of statistical information. You get the tools you need to design an analysis, gather, analyze and interpret data, present results, and make recommendations. This book is a hands-on, practical, and easy-to-understand introduction to the basic concepts and methods used to analyze data in local governmen t. Vignettes at the beginning and end of each chapter illustrate the concepts through the dialogue of fictional local government employees as they attempt to identify and solve problems. Packed with tables, charts, figures, and review questions to reinforce the concepts, the author’s conversational tone and casual style will set you at ease and make you forget any math phobia you might have! With this book, you’ll be able to understand the general approaches and problems with public sector research and data measurement, conduct basic statistical analysis of raw data using a variety of methods, and evaluate the validity of statistical research performed by others. No other publication is aimed at explaining statistics specifically to the local government audience. There are other books with the purpose of simplifying statistics for a broad audience, but Statistics for Public Administration: Practical Uses for Better Decision Making, uses specific government examples and problems to make the concepts in the book both concrete and applied for local government readers. You get a solid understanding of how data and data analysis can make you more effective in your role in local government. And you’ll see how the sometimes theoretical sounding concepts in analysis can be used to create concrete solutions to everyday problems. About the Author Maureen Berner first joined the School of Government in 1998, teaching program evaluation, statistics, and budgeting. Between 2003 and 2005 she directed efforts to provide new outreach activities for local governments based on the UNC model at the University of Northern Iowa. In 2005 she returned to teaching and writing for MPA students and public officials at the School of Government. Berner has been active in research and teaching in both academia and in government, and her publications include a variety of books, textbooks, and journal articles. She worked for four years with the Budget Issues Group at the U. S. General Accounting Office, including a rotation to the U. S. House of Representatives Budget Committee while serving as a Presidential Management Intern. Berner received an MPP from Georgetown University and PhD in public policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin.

Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence

‘This free-spirited girl knew that she and her sisters must escape from this place’. What characteristics did Molly display which enabled the sisters to escape and return to their families? Not only is this book about how three little aboriginal girls travelled across half of Australia but is also teaches us how the aboriginals were treated. Throughout Doris Pilkington’s and Nugi Garimara’s novel, the protagonist Molly, has a set of characteristics that help her and her two cousins escape from the re-education camp for half-casts, she is strong mentally when she was bullied, she is knowledgeable because she was able to cross half of Australia with no map or compass, and she is very loyal and emotionally attached to her land. When Molly was only about four years, she was constantly bullied because she was a half-cast, but besides these constant insults, she was strong and kept positive. Because she was neither a Mardu nor wudgebulla and was regarded as a mongrel dog and wasn’t liked by the aboriginal children so she threw â€Å"handfuls of sand or stones and threw them at her tormentors, and sometimes she chased them with a stick. † But as she got older she â€Å"became used to the insults, and although they still hurt, she didn’t show it. † This shows Molly’s mental strength against her bullies and tried to stay positive even though she â€Å"Wished that she didn’t have light skin so that she didn’t have to play by herself. She is also mentally strong because for three young girls to travel from Perth to Jigalong, she needs to be in the right mindset and be positive because she was determined to get back because she needed to see her family. Not many people could and would be able to do this but these girls especially Molly were brave and persistent and kept their head up. So it can be said that Molly is mentally st rong because she is able to beat her bullies and go back home to Jigalong. When Molly and her two cousins escape the camp, she is faced with an enormous walk without a compass or map, but Molly has grown up in this land and knows what to do and where to go. She â€Å"had no fear because the wilderness was her kin. † This means that the wilderness is her family which â€Å"always provided shelter, food and sustenance. † She also memorised which was they travelled so she knew to head north and to follow the rabbit-proof fence. With her developed bushcraft skills and survival techniques she was able to lead her two cousins through traitorous terrain and back home and also lead the tracker and constable Rigs to the wrong places. Therefore it can be said that throughout the novel, Molly uses her knowledge of the land to get back home safely with her cousins and remove their tracks. Throughout the novel, we see that Molly is very loyal and emotionally attached to her land. We see this when Molly and Gracie were walking through the country when they were almost home and they are pointing out special places to each other, for Molly it was a â€Å"Quick trip down memory’s landscape† which â€Å"A feeling of nostalgia brought tears to her eyes. † This shows how much she missed and appreciates the land she grew up in and shows us how loyal she is to it. It means so much to her and like in the movie ‘Kanyini’ without it she is nothing. So it can be said that Molly is loyal and emotionally attached to her land especially when it gets taken away from her. Throughout the novel written by Doris Pilkington and Nugi Garimara, Molly has a set of traits which help her and her cousins escape the re-education camp, travel a substantial distance and get back to Jigalong safely. It was her inner strength, her knowledge of her land and her emotional attachment to her land. We can also learn from this book that someone cannot take from others even if they think it is the right decision. Doris Pilkington and Nugi Garimara tell us just one of many stories that has happened to many of the stolen generation and it makes us think about it.

Analyzing the Impact of the Audis Daughter Ads to the 51st Super Bowl

Analyzing the Impact of the Audi's Daughter Ads to the 51st Super Bowl Audi’s â€Å"Daughter† Anyone who watches the news or goes on the internet or even just has friends knows that the United States is going through tough times now. A change in the presidency has put people in arms and riots and marches have broken out all across this great land. This nation has never been more divided. Which is what fueled many ads for the 51st Super Bowl including Audi’s â€Å"Daughter†. As a young blonde girl races through the street against her male friends, her father voices over his thoughts of the importance of her. He worries over how he will tell her what she is worth, specifically as a woman. She wins the race, and the father hopes for a future where people are not judged by their gender but by who they are on the inside. As the United States has broken out in multiple women’s marches across the country there is no better time than now to come out with a commercial that promotes women. As we dive deeper into this commercial and discover why it is popular we first must look at whether it is a central route or peripheral route. Because of the main message behind the blog and how it makes the audience feel I believe that it is a central route. There are no famous people or comical jokes, it’s a deep message that the audience gets behind. I feel that when ads try to go down this â€Å"route† they can either be a hit or miss. You can make everyone like your commercial if you add in a lot of famous people, beautiful pictures, or comedic effects. But if you have a deep message and most people don’t agree with it, then your commercial is surely going to fall flat. We all have â€Å"attitudes† towards ideas, specifically political ones like feminism. Luckily â€Å"girl power† is very strong right now, and the majority attitude towards it is a positive one, which is why this ad is popular. This commercial is definitely not about the â€Å"steak† and it’s not really about the â€Å"sizzle† either. We only briefly see the car at the end of the ad, the commercial is more about what that brand is for. Like coke is for happiness and friendship, Audi is for specifically â€Å"Equal pay†, and it also generally gives us the feel that it is for equality. That type of brand is something that people can get behind since they feel like they too are promoting equality. Which is why this commercial on is fulfilling â€Å"self-actualization† on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We want to good people who change things in the world and make it for the better. And if we join this ‘brand’ we can say that we are changing the world. This ad has positive oriented motives. It gives us a sense of hope as the man is at first worried that he won’t be able to tell his daughter all that she is truly worth, but then as the ad plays through he dreams of a day where girls are not worth any less than guys, and considers that that day is almost here. All of us has a mother or sister, if we are selves are not girls. When we consider our interpersonal influences we are all affected by equal pay and gender equality. And our culture, especially at this time in our nation’s history, is really pushing for it too. It might not seem obvious that an ad is more than just funny jokes or famous faces. Whether serious or funny, ads do things for a reason. They research their target audience thoroughly and strive to get into their mind and give them something that the viewers themselves didn’t even know what they wanted. We could have just gotten videos of women’s marches and Audi cars driving through supporting the events. Audi could have come out with so many other options, but instead, they gave us a father worrying about his young daughter. It’s almost like a call to action. She’s young, and she doesn’t realize that she may be worth less than her boy counterparts, but she doesn’t have worry about that. Because we can fix it. And that is what Audi sold to their audience.

Infrastructure Vulnerability Analysis and Network Architectures Annotated Bibliography

Infrastructure Vulnerability Analysis and Network Architectures - Annotated Bibliography Example The authors of the book  give the opinion  that the safety of civil buildings depends on the care and the expertise of the person constructing the structure. Buildings and road construction require a significant safety evaluation before they become useful to the society. Engineers face a challenge because they are supposed to put extra measures to ensure the structure lasts  for long  and at the same time cut costs. The engineers apply special methods to ensure longevity of structures. Perrow proposes new ways people can use in managing disasters. Preparedness before a disaster is part of the discussion in the book and the different ways one can get prepared for a catastrophe. The book focuses on the three causes of failure: organizational, natural and deliberate. The author shows us how our best hope in preparing for a disaster lies in de-concentration in highly populous areas, critical infrastructure and significant power. The author examines agencies that help in emergency management. The book contains many questions that are accompanied by several answers to explain critical infrastructure, homeland security and preparedness in case of an emergency. It is a large book that focuses on American security systems. Solutions for dealing with security problems using modern technologies are also part of the book. Telecommunication networks and their architectures are part of the book’s discussion. The author majors in explaining details the critical infrastructures of a country and what it entails in ensuring security is paramount. The natural disasters; tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts, floods and hurricanes are always threatening the society. The current society wants to be in control of the natural disasters as opposed to the past where the population that was at risk had to deal with the consequences of any natural disaster. The author, Veen talks about the preventive ways the current population has come up with in dealing with natural disasters. People

Explain the various theories of motivation Essay

Explain the various theories of motivation - Essay Example It is founded on the concept of human needs and their satisfaction. The needs include deficiency needs and growth needs for example esteem needs, self-actualization needs, security, affection and emotional needs. It was developed by Clayton Alderfer’s (Adair, 2009). It has some similarities with Maslow’s as well as some differences. For instance, in the Alderfer’s ERG Theory, the existence needs is the same as Maslow’s emotional and security needs, While Maslow’s love and self-appreciation needs are categorized into the relatedness needs. However, the Growth needs are the same as the self-actualization and self-confidence needs of Maslow’s theory. The difference between Maslow’s and ERG theory is that ERG puts emphasizes that several needs motivates a person at the same time. The other difference is that ERG includes both Satisfaction progression aspect, and frustration regression component. This theory was developed purposely to inspire the decision of superiors on employee incentive. The associates of this theory analyzed and interviewed workers to recall the times they were satisfied in the job and the time they were not satisfied and the reasons behind them. The reasons that the workers gave made the associate to conclude that the reasons for dissatisfaction is due to motivational

An Organizations Performance and Macro-environmental Factors Essay

An Organizations Performance and Macro-environmental Factors - Essay Example The macro-environment of a business is understood through assessing the four factors, a process regarded as the PEST (Political, Economical, Social, and Technological) analysis (Thompson, 2002). This paper is a critique of Abercrombie and Fitch, which is a retail organization dealing with textile products such as men and women wear. It presents a PEST analysis as well as a competitive audit of the organization, with GAP Inc. Tommy Hilfiger Corporation and Urban Outfitters as the main competitors. The paper also presents an analysis of the threat of new entrants, the power of buyers, substitute products, bargaining power of suppliers and competitive rivalry, as well as an internal analysis of the organization. It highlights primary support services, as well as a SWOT analysis the firm. The organization has been faced with political influences although they have not affected its productivity. It operates under the UK employment laws that protect the rights of all people who have attained the age of employment. The organization has been faced with various cases involving individuals who feel that they have been marginalized in employment opportunities. Discrimination of potential employees can have negative impacts on the organization. Moreover, there are laws that protect consumers from unscrupulous businessmen, which are meant to prevent low-quality products from entering the UK market. However, the organization is not affected by government influence since its products are of high quality and it also adheres to the required quality. Employees are hired according to merit and therefore there are no cases. The organization has not fallen victim of terrorist activities or military  invasion since the UK is a politically stable nation (James, 1998). The organization operates under the protection of the WTO and it has experienced a steady growth.

Adam Smith and Political Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Adam Smith and Political Economy - Essay Example The quality of life and individual prosperity is determined by social and economic progress of individuals and the community at large (Bowie, Michaels and Solomon, 243). People should engage in activities that promotes fairness and unity in the society for common interest of the society. Therefore, individuals must show concern for others in the society, in order to achieve harmonious and significant living. The individual’s liberty in fulfilling social obligation is one of the driving forces of a nation development. People make their own choices without interference from others to maximize their personal gain. The choice to be made must satisfy a certain need in the society (Bowie, Michaels and Solomon, 264). Adam Smith perceived rivalry as an important element in an advancement of the nation. Exercising this personal liberty sets persons mind free to engage in activities which brings benefit to both individuals and to the community. This liberty has made people to choose the ir own activities to engage in. However, individual liberty should not obstruct the rights of other people in the society. No one is coerced to undertake any activity whatsoever. This is imperative for advancement of a nation because, people maximize their input in activities of their own choice (Bowie, Michaels and Solomon, 271). People have chance to select and competitively participate in economic activities of their own interest. If people work live without interfering with others affairs, this will promote peace and understanding in the society. Fairness should be the guiding principle in making decision to fulfill communal obligations. The communal regulations are set to guide individuals in choosing their own activities for economic progress (Bowie, Michaels and Solomon, 274). It is always essential to take into consideration the needs of the public before engaging in any activity. People should carry out those activities which will result to individuals benefit and serve the needs of the entire community. Therefore, it is fair to engage in activities of the society as an individual and try to avoid doing things which are likely to cause damage to other people. This means there is an extent to which a person can do things and going beyond the set principles will be unjust to the society. For example in business, traders should sell legal goods otherwise this will be unfair to the consumers. They should also sell those commodities at a fair price and avoid overexploiting the consumers. Fairness should guide them in deciding what to sell and the price at which they will sell those commodities to the public. Fairness will also ensure equality in the nation and people will have a sense of life. On the other hand, injustice limits achievement of individual goals and achievement of their obligations to the society. For example, if some students were allowed to cheat in an exam, this would be unfair to the society and negligence in fulfillment of their obligat ions (Bowie, Michaels and Solomon, 286). Therefore, fairness will determine the individuals’ performance towards their social obligations. Living a moral life is a triumph against evil. The author has emphasized on the importance of living a good life on earth. People should ensure uprightness in all their dealings