Use of Symbols and Symbolism in To Kill A Mockingbird :: Kill Mockingbird essays

Use of Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee effectively uses symbolism throughout her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem's nursing of the flowers denotes his courage that he nurses in order to be able to tolerate people's criticism of his family, especially of his father. He was forced to take care of the camellias just as he was forced to live with anger, disappointment and a big question mark in his young heart about the workings of grownups. Atticus "never thought Jem'd be the one to lose his head over this" (110). However Jem did 'lose his head' and now he has to find the strength to control his emotions in order to avoid further trouble. This courage was hard to find but Mrs Dubose did find it and managed to break herself from morphine before she died. She also made sure Jem got a white waxy camellia she had prepared for him. The waxy camellia, the "Snow-on-the-Mountain" (118), could be a symbol of courage. She built her spirit little by little just as when she was making the camellia. Now it is Jem's turn to build his own. And as the camellia out of wax does not wither, in the same sense, tru e courage may be hard to build, but once built, it never leaves you. Mrs Dubose's camellias are not the only flowers that can be seen symbolically. Mayella Ewell's red geraniums also carry an important meaning. During the Robinson trial the reader is given a description of the Ewell's property. It is said that "what passed for a fence was bits of tree-limbs , broomsticks and tool shafts, all tipped with rusty hammer-heads, snaggle-toothed rake heads, shovels, axes and grubbing hoes, held on with pieces of barbed wire. Enclosed by this barricade was a dirty yard containing the remains of a Model-T Ford, a discarded dentist's chair, an ancient ice-box, plus lesser items: old shoes, worn-out table radios, picture frames, and fruit jars, under which scrawny orange chickens pecked hopefully". (176) The general picture one acquires by this description is that of a small dump, a place totally disordered like the "playhouse of an insane child" (176). One can easily guess the rank of the people who lived there. However, "against the fence, in a lin e, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson.

How a City Slowly Drowned Essay

This case summarizes events preceding the Hurricane Katrina, which was one of the worst natural catastrophes in the modern history of the USA. It raises questions about the lack of reasonable prevention and preparation actions due to flimsy structure and management of the responsible organizations and persons, invalidity and inconsistence of their actions and incapability of making the decisions in a timely manner. As a result of the unstructured and incoherent activities, we could observe several ineffective and costly attempts to mitigate floods and hurricanes. In the beginning the local officials, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and â€Å"White Houses past and present always seem penny-wise and pound-foolish† because of the chain of the wrong decisions, which is indicated by Republican Sen. David Vitter’s words â€Å"Instead of spending millions now, we are going to spend billions later† (Grunwald and Glasser). One of the key actors in this case who made the most important decisions was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The agency had a budget formulated by the earmarks. The Corps in Louisiana were getting more money for the protection from hurricanes than any other state, yet, the actions were not taken care of until the very last moment. In the late 19th century the Corps, were holding to â€Å"levees-only† policy. So it is not surprising, that the U.S. Army Corps have implemented the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet project in 1965, which increased the storm wave when Katrina hit New Orleans (Grunwald and Glasser). This is an evidence of poorly thought-out decision made by this agency. The Corps haven’t been interested in hurricanes until Betsy hit the city. No wonder that evaluation of the threats was again commissioned to the Corps instead of another research institute or agency. It becomes obvious that the Corps had failed their mission, but still had the authority for the implementation. Other key actors of the case are politicians, particularly the local officials and the Congress. Local officials didn’t want to spend money on expensive but effective projects, which could have saved the lives and infrastructure of the city if implemented on time. It is though surprising that there has been shown no considerable interest of the local population or non-governmental organizations in prevention and mitigation of the disasters. However, it is important to mention the concern of the local scientists who tried to warn the officials about the approaching danger. LSU professor Joe Suhayda tried to push the Corps to upgrade the city’s  defenses, but was told to choose the â€Å"stepwise process† which put up the solution of the problem on the shelf (Grunwald and Glasser). On the other side, the community and its leaders should have put greater pressure on the local officials and the federal government to make changes in the law and take actions before the hurricane hit New Orleans, make them take care of the worst case scenario, not the Category 3 hurricanes. It would also be a good option if NGOs could make an independent analysis of the environmental situation in the area, involve the experienced specialists from other countries to the projects, and get their advice before letting the Corps implement anything in the area. There was no performance measurement of the problem handling. In my opinion, there should have been some agencies or private companies hired by the government to check and follow up the actions taken by the Corps. Local population was not getting information on how efficiently tax payers’ money was spent. No visible actions had been taken by the city mayor, who was responsible for the social welfare and protection of human l ives. The main problem of the politicians and the governmental agencies in this case was the model they chose to make their decisions. In fact, they chose incremental (branch) method instead of the root method described by Lindblom in his article (â€Å"The Science of â€Å"Muddling Through†). Branch method does not give opportunity to look for alternative solutions; decisions are made based on assumptions, and there is no overall strategy. The decision can be made even without an agreement on objectives. On the contrary, the root method that is although more for an ideal world would make a better effect. It combines such positive features like being more theory oriented and assuming complete knowledge. It gives possibility of making a choice among several alternative solutions, not the first available and etc. One good example of the decision made according to the branch method in this case, would be the construction of the lock for the New Orleans Industrial Canal. This project was justified only economically, â€Å"without prior values or objectives† (Lindblom) and would never be approved by the â€Å"regular decision process† (Grunwald and Glasser). This suggests that if the root method was implemented, the decision would not be accepted, because, the par ticipants of the discussion had some agreement, which made it possible to make a decision in favor of approval of the shipping lock to be built. However, if the root method was applied, there would have to be an  overall agreement based on in depth analysis. Another reason not to choose the branch method is that it does not sufficiently rely on theory. We can observe that in the case when the Corps decided to build the shipping canal to the Port of New Orleans. Nobody thought of the consequences of this decision. The construction only aggravated the situation when Katrina hit Louisiana, because there hadn’t been any research or experiments carried out. The politicians were choosing this method, because it seemed safer for them. They did not have to take a big responsibility and could delegate it to the lower-level agencies. In the branch method there is a â€Å"watchdog† system that should keep the values in balance (Lindblom). For example, Former Democratic senator Bennett Johnston Jr. was criticizing the Corps for spending too much money. But later on, we see that he had his own pet project, a $2 billion eff ort to subdue the Red River between the Mississippi and Shrevport, LA which he pushed through the Congress. This method is more adaptive to internal and external changes, so the Corps and the politicians could make any micro changes they wanted. â€Å"In 1982, the Orleans Levee District urged the Corps to lower its design standards to provide more realistic hurricane protection and also switched to 100-year storm protection from 200-year plan to save money† (Grunwald and Glasser). The whole tragedy can be described just by the quote of Vic Landry, a Corps engineer â€Å"Let’s hope it doesn’t come on our watch† (Grunwald and Glasser). This was the overall point of view of the responsible parties of this case. Basically, nobody wanted to soil himself and take a responsibility to solve the problem as one unit. Essentially, if the root method had been chosen for making decisions, it would have a more positive effect on the situation. When the cost is the human lives you should look for the best opportunities to prevent the problem, not the first satisficing solution available, you should find the most efficient ways to get a result, not the cheapest. You need a deeper view of the problem. You need to be able to see the whole picture, identify the problem and find the alternative solutions to the problem. Congress was well informed that the US did not have a water resources policy and could actually pass the law or the bill to have it. If there was a water resources policy for prevention of natural disasters, that would also decrease the caused damage. In this case, the Corps would have to come up with a better plan to prevent or at least to mitigate the disaster.  The Corps had already faced a tragedy of previous hurricanes and should have been more prepared to this situation. If there was better research, it would be clear, that if the Category 3 or higher hurricane happens, the lakes in the area would flood New Orleans. That would expose the problematic issues and give an opportunity to establish fiscal responsibility, so there wouldn’t be any over limits of the budget. Beyond all doubt, if there was one center to control the processes, to plan the mitigation actions and etc. there wouldn’t be any projects that contradict each other. The structures built for flood w ere not corresponding to the structures built for storm and vice versa, only worsen the consequences. Obviously, it takes too long for the politicians to make any decision and it takes even longer to change laws. Besides, some decisions were made blindly, without any forecasts for future. For example, there was a cut in budget of the Corps in 2002 by President Bush which as a result impacted New Orleans hurricane defenses. However, this kind of decision should have been made only after in depth analysis. What is really demanded is the change in the structures of the governmental agencies. Their actions should not depend on the decisions of the certain politicians that want to pass the particular projects for their own advantage which is not necessarily something positive for the social welfare. â€Å"The lock for the New Orleans Industrial Canal which cost $750 million was justified by predictions of increasing ship traffic, but traffic rapidly declined† (Grunwald and Glasser). The process of getting funding from the government should be more complicated to stop squandering money of the tax payers. As French composer Hector Berlioz once said, â€Å"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils† (Berlioz). I hope that the experience of lost time will teach the government and all responsible people to manage their resources properly and wisely, not to let American nation stay red-faced and homeless because of the wrong decisions and ambitions of certain people. Reference list: 1. Michael Grunwald and Susan B. Glasser / How a City Slowly Drowned. The Washington Post, National Weekly Edition, October 17 to 23, (2005) pp. 6-10 2. Charles E. Lindblom â€Å"The Science Of ‘Muddling Through† (1959) 3. Letter written in November 1856, published in Pierre Citron (ed.) Hector Berlioz. Correspondance gà ©nà ©rale (Paris: Flammarion, 1989) vol. 5, p. 390; Paul Davies About Time: Einstein’s Unfinished Revolution (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996) p. 214.

Advanced Maternal Age

Women in the United States are experiencing unprecedented opportunities to pursue education and professional careers. One potential down side to this situation is that women find themselves putting off starting a family until they complete their education and feel comfortable in their employment. In many cases this can extend into the woman’s late 30’s or even early 40’s.   Advanced maternal age may also have negative effects on fertility and the outcomes of a successful pregnancy. Considering all the factors, a woman should consider putting off starting a family and build a career as long as she has educated herself on all the risks of advanced maternal age.For years, women have been under the assumption that as long as they were bearing children under the age of 35, fertility and child mortality were at a minimum.   Recent studies have shown that this assumption is far from the truth and may eliminate childbearing for those women who wait into their late 30 ’s and early 40’s to start having children.   Education for women by gynecologists and obstetricians has been insufficient and most women are â€Å". . . surprised—even shocked—to learn that fertility begins to fall in their late 20’s (Hatcher, 2002).†Ã‚   Most women are finding out too late that they have simply put off having children too long and are now unable to bear children without intervention.   Fertility treatments are an expensive option, but are only available to those that can afford the treatments that insurance does not cover.Pregnancies that do occur at advanced maternal age have lower success rates.   Increased maternal age, typically over the age of 35, carries higher chances of miscarriage; higher increases in pregnancy complications like high blood pressure, diabetes, and placental problems; and increased chance of having a child with a chromosomal disorder (Children’s Specialist, 2007).   The good news is that medical advances in prenatal and perinatal care have diminished the effects that many of these complications have on pregnancies at advanced maternal age.   Safe pregnancies after the age of 35 are occurring at much higher rates with advanced blood testing and ultrasounds that allow early detection and treatment of potential problems.For many modern women, pursuing education and professional careers are the norm.   More women than ever in history are pursuing careers, not just jobs that add extra income.   Most career paths take years to build in order to reach the top of success.   The drive to achieve and succeed has pushed many women toward putting off starting a family till their careers are firmly on track.   With medical care helping to make child bearing in later years safer, women are choosing to put careers before family.   There are many advantages for women to wait to start a family:Financial stability Relationship stability Increased maturity Increased l ife experiences Larger support networks Better education Although these advantages may be present for a younger mother, the chance of a woman having all the advantages increases with age.   These advantages allow the mother to provide the best possible start for the child and to be the best mother she has the potential to be.The dilemma remains that when women take themselves out of the workforce to bear a child, a disadvantage occurs when compared to male counterparts.   An argument can be made that a woman with an established career and older age may have a better chance of regaining status once she returns to work due to her previous proven results and successes.   A younger woman just starting out in a career and taking a leave of absence to bear a child will not have a consistent track record to fall back on once she returns to work.   The advantage that an advance maternal age woman has may be the difference between a successful return to a career rather than being pas sed over for those who are not choosing to bear children.  Ã‚   The dilemma to put off childbearing looms large for many career women and must be considered along with the risks of advanced maternal age.There is hope for women who choose to honor both children and careers.   Proper education, healthy lifestyles, current medical advances, and pure determination help women of advanced maternal age have the balanced lives they desire.   While it is true that fertility declines in the late 20’s and that â€Å". . . women perform best at childbearing when they are young. . . (Gosden, 1995)†, these factors should not be the only consideration when choosing between careers and families.   â€Å"For reasons still far from clear, human evolution has allowed the female reproductive system to age faster than other body parts (Gosden, 1995).†Ã‚   The mental aspect of child rearing and career advancement need to be fully considered.   Physically, advanced maternal age does carry risks to both mother and fetus, but medical advances have severely reduced the chances of unsuccessful pregnancy outcomes.   Mentally, women who have built successful careers are better fit to raise children in later years rather than rushing to bear children in early years to avoid the physical risk.In all, advanced maternal age carries risks with fertility and successful pregnancy outcomes, but as long as the woman is educated on these risks, putting off child bearing should be considered in order to foster a successful career.   Medical advances have decreased pregnancy risks and advanced maternal age women should take full advantage to have a balanced life filled with both career and family.ReferencesChildren’s Specialists. 2007. Pregnancy over the Age of 35.   San Diego Perinatal Center.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accessed on February 12, 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://childrensspecialists.com/body.cfm?id=460#Top.Gosden, R. 1995. Delayed Childbe aring. BMJ.   Accessed on February 12, 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/311/7020/1585.Hatcher, T. 2002. Careers and Babies: Fertility Decline Underscores Dilemma.   CNN Health   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   May 2, 2002. Accessed on February 12, 2007 from http://archives.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/04/30/fertility.women/index.html .

Contemporary Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice and Private Security Essay

Since the events of the Newtown School Shooting and the Boston Marathon Bombing both cities have rebuilt themselves after suffering attacks in 2012 and 2013 that shook the cities and took the lives of many. As the responsible party of any facility or public event security planning and practice plays a vital part in a city subject to future acts of selfless acts of crimes or acts of terrorism. Societal structures, such as schools, malls and churches, are key elements of American lifestyles. Public events such as concerts, marathons, or parades, host millions of people at any given time making them subjective to mass terrorist attacks. Terrorist groups focus on creating organized chaos and inflicting major damage on areas and people. Like the events of September 11th, terrorist events are not always in a particular area at a particular time. This was shown to be true with past events such as the Newton School Shootings and the Boston Marathon Shooting. Eli Saslow, author of â€Å"After Newtown shootings, Pennsylvania county hires armed school guards† explores previous school shootings and security. The Washington Post discusses how security measures have changed from that of Columbine. It talks about the use of metal detectors, intercoms, surveillance systems, and now gun toting teachers. Education systems in Pennsylvania, Utah, and Tennessee are now training teachers to carry firearms, or hiring â€Å"security specialists† at a rate of $11.50 per hour (2013, para. 1). Frank Cichra, one of the paid officers protecting schools, ponders,† Was he protecting kids’ environment or changing it?† (2013). The basis of the article was to find additional ways to ensure that beyond placing schools on â€Å"threat alert† that the schools would be safe. In an article from The Examiner, titled â€Å"The Boston Marathon terrorist and immigration reform† author Hugh Hewitt discusses the issues of immigration reform and national security issues. This most recent incident has brought about discussions on open discussions and support for amendments. The issue compares these debates to those that will take place in reference to the Newtown school shootings and the gun laws debate. The article focuses on the importance of background checks and entry-and-exit procedures. Although the article states that both of the bombers were legal immigrants it goes on to say that there is speculation that one of them may have left and returned in later years. Hewitt states that â€Å"Immigration reform is crucial for national security. But it has to be done the right way, and unless it is done that way this effort will collapse even as the misguided push for gun control collapsed† (2013, para. 14). Recommendations Conclusion The Newton school shootings and the Boston Marathon bombing both had a profound effect on the way policies and procedures are carried out and by whom. These events were made significant because it brought back to the table important issues such as security at a national level, which includes the topics of gun control and immigration. Security planning at the national level has a direct emphasis on homeland security. A prime example of combining all levels of security, the vision of homeland security simply states: â€Å"The United States, through a concerted national effort that galvanizes the strengths and capabilities of Federal, State, local; the private and non-profit sectors; communities, and individual citizens — along with our partners in the international community — will work to achieve a secure Homeland that sustains our way of life† (Bellavita, 2008, para. 1). National level security planning connects all sectors of security to provide protection for the United States against terrorism, different hazards, and catastrophic events. These changes have created a liaison that extends beyond United States territory and forces the updating of older policies. Bellvita quotes a definition from National Strategy For Homeland Security as â€Å"a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur† (2008). Nationally, security planning will involve familiarity with foreign policies, key groups, and national terrorist warnings. One way the emphasis on homeland security affects security planning is the price tag on security. The events discussed in this paper has spawned have changes in our criminal justice system and private security practices. Through these events communication with law makers, foreign influences, and United States citizens has increased awareness and accountability. Updating current systems, technologies, vehicles, and trainings have all brought a new structure to the emergency security protocol. A commonality of safety has carried the nation through its grief while enhancing security protocols and procedures.

Business plan for mobile convenience store Coursework

Business plan for mobile convenience store - Coursework Example However, due to its projected expansive nature, the business will cover regions such as Al Falah, Al Shamkha and Yas. The business will be expected to expand outside Abu Dhabi Emirate in future catering to embrace domestic customers. Mobile Baqala is a convenient retail store that provides merchandising business to retailers at convenience location without been required to go for long distances to find physical markets for goods and services that they need. The business is mainly designed to stock a variety of consumable items such as soft drinks eggs and milk amongst other products that are used by customers on a daily basis. It has been pointed out that most families experience difficulties in accessing basic commodities especially in areas such as Al shamka thus the need for such kind of a business. Apparently, majority of societal members have had problems in making their daily purchases of consumable items especially around Al Falah, Al Shamkha and Yas. As such, the population has agreed that such areas are of high suitability for the store and more perfect to stock a variety of both local and imported produce. Mobile Bagala is meant to operate as mobile store within the United Arab Emirates and some parts of Abu Dhabi as a grocery revolutionary storey that moves like a mobile unit in different locations. The business is planned to be unique in nature with effective and efficient design serving both local population and visitors. Having embraced a strategy to serve customers around the clock, the business is projected to achieve its objective as the future leading grocer in the United Arab Emirates serving the Arab population with a consistent supply of daily consumables. Besides, the business is designed with an initiative that would ensure consistency in supply of products to customers while creating job openings around its trading zones. Having engaged the

Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Biology - Essay Example However, this has been widely criticized as there are new illnesses associated with the gastrointestinal tract and digestive system, which has caused a rise in the level of such diseases across the nation (Genetic Roullete, n.p.). Genetic modifications have been known to be carried out without the awareness of both the FDA and the general public which raises questions on the safety of such products. Furthermore, companies have been known to put these products on to the market without alerting the public. This has been criticized due to the fact that these modifications are rarely put under intensive testing despite the adverse effects that have been associated with genetically modified foods. Such effects include infertility, change in structure of the liver and susceptibility of the individual’s digestive system to various diseases. Another area that makes this a worrying issue is the nature of genetic modifications which results in every cell of the organism possessing the m odified toxins which the human digestive system has not adapted to or developed mechanisms of digesting. Furthermore, these toxins are poorly excreted and damage the liver, and in cases of pregnant women can cross the placenta and lead to several complications with the pregnancy or the child in the near future (Genetic Roullete, n.p.). Such foods are not part of the natural system; hence, the body is likely to develop allergic responses after their consumption. The introduction of genetically modified food has led to an increase in the number of allergies and individuals in modern times are now developing allergies to basic food commodities such as parsley or regular vegetables which were previously considered as part of a healthy diet. These allergic responses to genetically modified food lead to the disruption in normal functioning of the immune system. Hence, individuals also develop immune responses when they consume foods of a similar nature even if they are not modified, resul ting in the necessity of dietary alterations. The harmful effects of modified foods is not just a myth as children and individuals who have been diagnosed with several diseases of the digestive system have shown 100% recovery after they change to consuming an organic diet. In addition, research on mice has shown that they become infertile after injection with genetically modified food, they also present with change in organ structure and they decrease in size with every generation. The question however rises why this research is frequently ignored and is never followed up. When this food is introduced to chicken embryos, it has fatal effects within a few hours, which shows the potential damage it could have to pregnant women (Genetic Roullete, n.p.). Specialists have stated the danger associated with genetically modified food as it is a potential threat due to the fact that it creates several genetic mutations in the DNA. Furthermore, these mutations are further transferred to the f ollowing generations. This could lead to a new generation which is susceptible to several illnesses, including infertility. Hence, this has been considered a case of emergency due to the fact that the population might not be able to sustain itself in the near future. In addition, genetically modifying crops leads to a cycle of nutrition deficiency that leads all the way from the plants to the livestock and to the humans. The process of modifying crops has also been found to increase the number of mortalities among cattle and other livestock. Removal of

Chose one for me 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chose one for me 1 - Essay Example The federal government is better able to keep emergency highly expensive and specialized resources. The fact is that each state only has a major emergency very rarely, and that it would be incredibly inefficient for each state to keep disaster resources. The resources would inevitably drift into unimportance during a particularly tight budget year in which a disaster has not occurred for a long period of time, and then would be neglected and cut. A disaster would then hit, demonstrating how much those resources are needed, and people would suffer. The United States can collectively keep those resources available much more efficiently because the country as a whole has to deal with emergencies much more than particular states ever would. Finally, pushing more responsibilities onto already cash-strapped states would be incredibly dangerous and irresponsible. Liberal commentators love to point to major events such as the recent hurricane Sandy as absolute proof that it would be more than impossible to limit the size of government without making drastic changes and harming people who need help. The problem is, however, that the liberals’ logic is often twisted and contorted beyond recognition. One of the biggest logical problems with liberals is their constant insistence that pushing more service provision onto the budgets of already beleaguered states would be unacceptable. The problem with this logic is that it misses the point entirely: states should be collecting a broader share of the taxes *and* giving more of the services. Obviously one without the other would be ludicrous, but pretending that transferring a lot of responsibilities to the states without also cutting federal taxes (and thus letting states charge higher taxes) is a possibility shows how broken the liberal’s argument is. They cannot even imagine shrinking the federal