Poverty and Humanity in I Had Seen Castles :: I Had Seen Castles

Walk through a door, and enter a new world. For John, raised in home resplendent with comfort and fine things, Ginny’s family’s apartment above the fruit market is a radically different environment than his own. Economic differences literally smack him in the face, as he enters the door and walks into towel hung to dry. â€Å"First lesson: how the poor do laundry† (Rylant 34). In this brief, potent scene, amidst â€Å"shirts, towels, underwear, pillowcases† hanging in a room strung with clotheslines, historical fiction finds crucial expression in the uncomfortable blush of a boy ready for a first date and unprepared for the world in which he finds himself. Rylant juxtaposes Ginny’s poor family, living on a salary that can only be secured within the harsh, unrelenting working conditions of an industrial mill, against John’s family who is oblivious to the fear of poverty or hunger. In this juxtaposition, contemporary issues of economic privilege and workers rights influence the budding war-time romance of John and Ginny, and to us, the audience, peering in at them. By gradually magnifying John’s discomfort in entering Ginny’s â€Å"tattered neighborhood,† Rylant reveals the historical extraordinariness of wealth amidst squalor in the city of Pittsburgh. â€Å"Mills were fed coal and men so Pittsburgh might live,† and Ginny’s father gives his life to the mill so his family might live, albeit in the walls of this tiny rented apartment (Rylant 2). Both historically realistic and entirely fictitious, Rylant’s characters break the â€Å"single perspective† of history texts, fleshi ng out facts with their own stories, and marking our modern time with their experiences (Jacobs and Tunnell 117). I Had Seen Castles primarily chronicles the disillusionment of wartime heroism in the archetypal young solider, John. His illusions of war sustain Ginny’s controversial criticisms, though she infuriates and bewilders him, ultimately demonstrating the chilling effect of patriotic propaganda upon entire American communities throughout WWII. Beyond my diorama depiction of young lovers and a venerable mother meeting beneath clean laundry, the gruesomeness of war lurks and waits. Rylant brings war history to life in detailed, intimate ways, in dismembered, bloody soldiers, in the child with frozen legs that come off in warm bathwater, and in realistic treatment of John’s disenchantment; â€Å"as the war dragged on through 1944, it became more difficult for us to justify to ourselves why we fought† (81). Yet Rylant also offers a picture of the resilience in human beings, through our undeniable bonds to one another, despite nationality, class or war loyalties.

Green Days by the River

How would you feel if you were put in the position of having to choose between attending school and getting an education over working so that you can help your family circumstances? Shell, a fifteen year old boy had made a decision to work instead of attending school and obtain an education. Why do you think a boy that young will choose to work? Shell chose to work because he is helping out his mother as she is the only one in the family who is doing well other than himself. His father is ill as he was put to bed rest. Shell has made a commitment to work on a plantation with Mr. Gidaharee and also he has gotten a second job at a coco plantation to help out his family circumstances by being another member in the family who can support financially. Do you think that was a good choice that Shell made? I believe that the role of a fifteen year old has a right to attend school and obtain an education but also I believe that a fifteen year old has a right to help out his or her family circumstances. You must be thinking which one I agree with the most. Well I agree with working to help your family circumstances. If Shell does not help out financially then where will that put his family? In this case as I mentioned before Shell is a fifteen year old boy who has chosen to work over obtaining an education to help out his family, especially his mother financially. I agree with the statement fully as it is a family circumstance. With Shell being able to work, he is able to help out his family tremendously especially his mother who was the only one working. He is making it easier for his mother by bringing in money to support her, his sick father, and himself. Many people think that if a teenager drops out of school due to family circumstances that they will not be successful in life. I do not believe in that statement due to the fact Shell can always attempt to go back to school. He can work for about 5 years and help support his family to get them on a good financial level and once completing that task he can go back to school and get his education. Shell was not forced to work he has come upon himself and chosen to work to help out his family. This shows Shell to be very caring for his family and also shows the maturity that Shell has. With Shell working do you think his mother appreciates him working and not obtaining an education? I think that his mother appreciates and puts a smile on her face because it is less stressful for her. If Shell did not work she would have to work to bring money into the home and also take care of Shells’ father. I believe that Shell has made a good decision in helping out his family even though he is only a fifteen year old boy. Who knows it may just work out for him and he may be able to get his education later on in life. I also believe that Shell would do anything in his power to help out his family. He will continue working with Mr. Gidahree at his plantation and also working at his second job at the coco plantation to help his family circumstances.

Age discrimination

Gus Atavist and the other candidates that were over the age of 40 were not consider for the new positions, therefore, showing that these antedates were being age discriminated against (He-man, Judge, Icemaker- Mueller, 2012). EPIC did not follow protocol on the listing the new position, interviewing or selecting the employees for the new CSS positions. EPIC did not post the position with the Job descriptions, therefore, not allowing candidates to know what the duties of the new positions were or allowing them to figure out if they met the qualification of the Job.In the past Gus has always received outstanding remarks on his appraisals, therefore, should be consider for the new CSS position. He was overlooked because they stated that he lacked technical and communication skills that are needed for the position. However, there was not any written comments or suggestion in his personnel file that stated that he lacked technical or communication skills. Thus, there was no documentation of why he did not receive the position.Past appraisals and personnel files of the candidates were not used until after the candidates were given the Job, therefore, the senior vice president of corporate claims (SPEC) and managers of corporate claims (MAC) did not know what the work ethics, skills and communication of the candidates were. The vice president of regional claims was not allowed to give any input on any of the candidates that worked under him. Thus, the candidates were not selected based on their qualifications or communication skills (He-man, Judge, Icemaker-Mueller, 2012).The SPEC and the MAC took the list of the candidates, discussed the candidate with each other and evaluated them. The candidates were never evaluated based on qualifications technical or communication skills because the personnel files, appraisals and the input of the VRRP or human resources were never used. Job description was not posted or wrote up to describe the details of the positions, therefor e, the SPEC and the MAC could not evaluate if the candidates were qualified for the Job. However, the only candidates that were offered position were the young candidates.These candidates did not have more skills, education, and qualification than the other candidates because the SPEC and the MAC did not follow human resource protocol (He-man, Judge, Icemaker-Mueller, 2012). Age discrimination involves treating a person/candidate unfavorable because of his or her age. For an example, not hiring or promoting a candidate because of their age (Sheen & Klein, 2001). Thus, the only conclusion is that Gus and the other candidates who are over the age of 40 were discriminated against because of their age.Rebuttal from the Viewpoint of EPIC Best Protection Insurance Company is in the process of restructuring. They have to eliminate regional center manager positions, however, they are increasing five new corporate claims specialist positions. Unfortunately, there are more position that are b eing eliminated than they are creating. Therefore, the ARC have to apply for the ewe positions if they want to stay with the organization. The SPEC and the MAC reviewed all the candidates. They looked at all the candidates' qualification, technical and communication skills.They selected those candidates who was the best candidates for the CSS positions and best for the organization to grow into the future. The personnel files, appraisals and the input from the VRRP were not needed in the first phase of promoting. The decision was made based on the experience that the SPEC and the MAC has working with the candidates. Based on the decisions the five candidates were offered the positions. After, the candidates were offered the positions the SPEC and the MAC did review the personnel files and the appraisals to make sure there was not discrepancy.Unfortunately, Gus Atavist and the other candidates were not the best candidates for the position. Gus lacks the technical and communication sk ills that EPIC need to grow into the future. Gus and the other candidates were not discriminated because of their age. Thus, their age was never consider or evaluated during the entire process. If they did meet the requirements their age could have been an added value because of their experience. The CSS position is an established position within the EPIC Company.Therefore, EPIC did not write a new Job description and qualification, since the positions was already created. The company is not creating a new Job, new Job description and new job qualifications. They are Just increasing the amount of CSS that they already have, therefore, a new Job description is not needed. Thus, the reason that the position was not posted, Job duties described and qualifications (He-man, Judge, Icemaker- EPIC is an equal employment opportunity employer and they do not discriminate against race, sex, or any other characteristics.The company has not been accused of discrimination until now when not all the candidates did not receive the promotion to the CSS position. Gus Atavist and other candidates that were not chosen could not give examples of the younger employees being favored over them before in the past. Thus, EPIC does not discriminated against anyone, the only reason that age discrimination is being brought up is because Gus and the other candidates were not qualified and did not receive the promotion (Age Discrimination, 2014).In conclusion, the candidates were reviewed and evaluated based on their lubrication, technical and communication skills. The SPEC and the MAC did their evaluation based on the past work experience. After the selection the personnel files and appraisal were review to make sure the candidates were the best candidates. Unfortunately, there was only five positions that were added and some employees were going to have lose their positions. Gus Atavist and the other candidates were not discriminated because of their age. They were not selected because t hey did not meet the requirements for the position. Age discrimination Gus Atavist and the other candidates that were over the age of 40 were not consider for the new positions, therefore, showing that these antedates were being age discriminated against (He-man, Judge, Icemaker- Mueller, 2012). EPIC did not follow protocol on the listing the new position, interviewing or selecting the employees for the new CSS positions. EPIC did not post the position with the Job descriptions, therefore, not allowing candidates to know what the duties of the new positions were or allowing them to figure out if they met the qualification of the Job.In the past Gus has always received outstanding remarks on his appraisals, therefore, should be consider for the new CSS position. He was overlooked because they stated that he lacked technical and communication skills that are needed for the position. However, there was not any written comments or suggestion in his personnel file that stated that he lacked technical or communication skills. Thus, there was no documentation of why he did not receive the position.Past appraisals and personnel files of the candidates were not used until after the candidates were given the Job, therefore, the senior vice president of corporate claims (SPEC) and managers of corporate claims (MAC) did not know what the work ethics, skills and communication of the candidates were. The vice president of regional claims was not allowed to give any input on any of the candidates that worked under him. Thus, the candidates were not selected based on their qualifications or communication skills (He-man, Judge, Icemaker-Mueller, 2012).The SPEC and the MAC took the list of the candidates, discussed the candidate with each other and evaluated them. The candidates were never evaluated based on qualifications technical or communication skills because the personnel files, appraisals and the input of the VRRP or human resources were never used. Job description was not posted or wrote up to describe the details of the positions, therefor e, the SPEC and the MAC could not evaluate if the candidates were qualified for the Job. However, the only candidates that were offered position were the young candidates.These candidates did not have more skills, education, and qualification than the other candidates because the SPEC and the MAC did not follow human resource protocol (He-man, Judge, Icemaker-Mueller, 2012). Age discrimination involves treating a person/candidate unfavorable because of his or her age. For an example, not hiring or promoting a candidate because of their age (Sheen & Klein, 2001). Thus, the only conclusion is that Gus and the other candidates who are over the age of 40 were discriminated against because of their age.Rebuttal from the Viewpoint of EPIC Best Protection Insurance Company is in the process of restructuring. They have to eliminate regional center manager positions, however, they are increasing five new corporate claims specialist positions. Unfortunately, there are more position that are b eing eliminated than they are creating. Therefore, the ARC have to apply for the ewe positions if they want to stay with the organization. The SPEC and the MAC reviewed all the candidates. They looked at all the candidates' qualification, technical and communication skills.They selected those candidates who was the best candidates for the CSS positions and best for the organization to grow into the future. The personnel files, appraisals and the input from the VRRP were not needed in the first phase of promoting. The decision was made based on the experience that the SPEC and the MAC has working with the candidates. Based on the decisions the five candidates were offered the positions. After, the candidates were offered the positions the SPEC and the MAC did review the personnel files and the appraisals to make sure there was not discrepancy.Unfortunately, Gus Atavist and the other candidates were not the best candidates for the position. Gus lacks the technical and communication sk ills that EPIC need to grow into the future. Gus and the other candidates were not discriminated because of their age. Thus, their age was never consider or evaluated during the entire process. If they did meet the requirements their age could have been an added value because of their experience. The CSS position is an established position within the EPIC Company.Therefore, EPIC did not write a new Job description and qualification, since the positions was already created. The company is not creating a new Job, new Job description and new job qualifications. They are Just increasing the amount of CSS that they already have, therefore, a new Job description is not needed. Thus, the reason that the position was not posted, Job duties described and qualifications (He-man, Judge, Icemaker- EPIC is an equal employment opportunity employer and they do not discriminate against race, sex, or any other characteristics.The company has not been accused of discrimination until now when not all the candidates did not receive the promotion to the CSS position. Gus Atavist and other candidates that were not chosen could not give examples of the younger employees being favored over them before in the past. Thus, EPIC does not discriminated against anyone, the only reason that age discrimination is being brought up is because Gus and the other candidates were not qualified and did not receive the promotion (Age Discrimination, 2014).In conclusion, the candidates were reviewed and evaluated based on their lubrication, technical and communication skills. The SPEC and the MAC did their evaluation based on the past work experience. After the selection the personnel files and appraisal were review to make sure the candidates were the best candidates. Unfortunately, there was only five positions that were added and some employees were going to have lose their positions. Gus Atavist and the other candidates were not discriminated because of their age. They were not selected because t hey did not meet the requirements for the position.

My Autobiographical Essay essays

My Autobiographical Essay essays While thinking about what to write for my autobiographical essay, I looked at a special clock that I got from my uncle for Christmas. This clock was special in that it keeps track of the time by lifting up metal balls one at a time to the top with a motor that has a plastic arm and drops the ball off in rows. When a row is filled the hour is over, and the row is then dumped and the process cycles through again with the same metal balls in the same order. Reaching out to play around with this sensitive system, I knock one row, and all the balls fell out of placed. Reassembling the system reminded me of the time when I had to go to school for the first time. My days were routine like how a ball on my clock would cycle through the hours and be at the same location every day. I would wake up and remember my manners that my mom taught me, say good morning to my grandparents. After that, I would brush my teeth, which my grandpa would check afterward to see that I have really, had brushed them.Giving the okay, my grandma would serve me breakfast every day consisting of two scrambled eggs and rice. By this time my older cousins would arrive at my house, and grandma would serve them too. After they finished eating I would never have time to play with them because they would leave right afterward with my grandpa. At the afternoon my grandpa would be back with my cousins then I would finish the rest of my day playing with them. That was my day, I would always see the same people everyday like my clock would line up the same metal balls right next to each other every hour. The next day the cycle would start over again for a good two years. There were no weekends for me; Saturdays were just as good as my Mondays. I would never give any thought about that few hours when all of my cousins would be gone, and would just accept that things are the way they are and just move around it by playing with my little brother until they were back. The t...

Returning a Call and Replying to a Message

Returning a Call and Replying to a Message Returning a Call and Replying to a Message Returning a Call and Replying to a Message By Maeve Maddox A person who is not able to speak to a caller at the time a call is placed, telephones the person who called at a later time. The phrase used to describe this exchange of phone calls is â€Å"to return a phone call.† This use of return is suitable in the context of telephoning, but it is not the best choice for other forms of communication. In the context of written messages, â€Å"to return† is commonly understood to mean â€Å"to send back† or â€Å"to reject.† For example: She returned his letters unread. I keep getting all these emails returned undelivered. Senders are getting their  emails returned  when sending to our gmail account. Some speakers, perhaps by analogy with telephoning, use return as if it meant, reply, respond, or respond to. Here are some examples, together with revisions: He returned my message right away. BETTER: He replied to my message right away. I suggested a date to visit his institution but  he never returned my email. BETTER: I suggested a date to visit his institution, but he never replied to my email. The doctor never returned my message  or sent any kind of confirmation that  he  received it. BETTER: The doctor never responded to my message or sent any kind of confirmation that he received it. They  never returned my request  for information. BETTER: They never responded to my request for information. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial ExpressionsYay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other AcclamationsPassed vs Past

Natural Law and Legal Positivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Natural Law and Legal Positivism - Essay Example Natural law applies to theories of ethics, politics, civil law, and theories of religious morality. Natural law as it applies to the theories of ethics, seeks to establish a definition for features of moral theory as nature dictates them. However, natural law theory does not recount on the history of the natural law development thought. Natural law theory finds its definition in ethics (Murphy 654). Any moral theory that relates to the natural law theory belongs to Aquinas. Every ethics analogy that includes material on natural law theory is definitely by Aquinas. It is therefore arguable that Aquinas natural law theory is the centre stage of a natural law position. The theory of natural law ascribes the origin of law to the supreme God. Natural law is a divine providence that originates from God himself. Natural law is therefore part of the theory of divine providence. At the point of view of human role as a recipient of this God's provision, natural law is a product of the principles of practical rationality (Waluchow 179). These are the principles that set judgment of the human actions either as reasonable or as unreasonable. Natural law is a preeminent of the theory of practical rationality. Practicing natural law is a participation in the eternal law. Eternal law is the rational plan that presents the ordinance of all creation. Therefore, natural law attains its quality as law from this base. The practice of natural law binds naturally. To learn natural law does not call for human methods of instruction (Waluchow 179). Humans learn the precepts of natural law naturally. Natural law judges between good and evil, maintaining that, people should do only good things and avoid the evil ones at all cost. Natural law is unique in itself in that, it does not fall into the contemporary categories for moral theories. On interesting feature of natural law is that, it is hard to tell when an ethics analogy ceases to be a natural! Natural laws are intact and cannot be broken or enforced. On the other hand, legal positivism is the theory that maintains that the existence and the content of law depend sharply on the social facts but not on its merits (George 31). The theory does not state that the law's merits are incomprehensible, insignificant, or marginal to the philosophy of law. It rather discourages the thought that the law's merits can determine whether the law or legal systems exist. The impact of any law in any particular place depends on the social standards that are in recognition as authoritative by the officials of the law. For instance, if the legislature enacts, judicial system decide, or social customs declare an act to be a law, then it becomes a law. According to legal positivism, law is anything that the society in question posits. Therefore, law is a social construction. Law is a command of the sovereign under the support of the force (George 31). However, legal positivism is not a confinement of law. The statement that existence of law depends on facts rather than its merits is a thesis about the relation amid laws, facts and merits, but not a thesis about the individual relata (Waluchow 179). Legal positivism is unique in that, it is not contradictory to natural law's moral doctrines and objective morality set in human nature. In order to

Argumentative Problem - Solution Paper Research

Argumentative Problem - Solution - Research Paper Example Key words: Deforestation, climate change, greenhouse effects and gases, and global warming Introduction The last 100 years have experienced an increase in global temperature by approximately 1 Fahrenheit per year, this rate is twice that observed in the last thousand years. The average energy linked carbon dioxide release according to the Pew Center on Climate Change, have risen by over 130 percent since 1850; from two hundred million to 27 billion tons per year. This is projected to rise by a further 60 percent by 2030 (Afzal, p. 1). The Arctic and Antarctic ice caps are shrinking, the ice on mountain tops is melting, and the permafrost at the arctic is thawing. Scientific uncertainty exists concerning the severity and speed of global warming and climate modifications. Global warming is occurring for sure, and the health impact of this phenomenon will certainly necessitate informed responses by healthcare professions (Gray, p. 6-10). Overview of Climate Change and Global Warming Gre enhouse effects influence global warming. Greenhouse effects describe the rise in earth’s temperature due to the presence of such gases as methane, and carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. ... Human activity increases greenhouse gases production increasing their effects on earth. Greenhouse gases increase leads to lowered irradiation of infrared rays back to space. As a result, earth’s average temperatures rise, contributing to climate change (Afzal, p. 1). Hypothesis Climate change is a phenomenon that the world is currently experiencing. This is attested by climate changes worldwide. There has also been an increase of health complications related to climate change such as lung complications, skin and heart complications. This paper gives a brief overview of global warming and its effects on public health. Methods Statistical methods were used to analyze the problem. Earth’s temperature data collected from satellites in outer space, balloons and remote sites were compared to proxy temperature. Data from areas hard hit by climate change and global warming was used to study the health effects of the phenomenon on humans (Reiter, p. 5-14). Results Mounting evid ence suggests that global warming affects human health through events such as changes in water and air quality, extreme weather events as well as infectious disease ecology changes. Europe in 2003 experienced the hottest summer in years with average temperatures exceeding the normal temperature by 3.5 degrees Celsius. Close to 22,000 people died due to this heat wave. Chicago residents in 1995 experienced heat waves reaching 106o F, which resulted to the death of hundreds. In 2005, United States experienced the impact of an extreme weather event; Hurricane Katrina, which resulted to the death of 1,464 people. These events demonstrate the challenge of coming up with an effective and efficient public health response (Afzal, p. 1). During most of the flooding