Evolution of the Clock

Evolution of the Clock Introduction A clock is perhaps one of the oldest human developments in engineering. The name clock is coined from two Latin sounds- clocca and clagan, which denote a bell. In the early ages, a silent piece for alerting people on time was known as a timepiece (Itano Norman, 1999, p.56). In the modern usage, a clock refers to any instrument that can be deployed to measure coupled with displaying time.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Evolution of the Clock specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Watches are version of clocks, which can be carried by an individual. Since time immemorial of the evolution of clock, the main purpose, irrespective of accuracy and preciseness of a clock version, is to determine time in lesser units relative to the accepted units of time such as a â€Å"calendar day, a lunar month, and or a year† (Itano Norman, 1999, p.56). Over the process of evolution in the engineering of a clock, sever al mechanisms have been invented and deployed in the construction of an actual clock, which has often been used in cities and within people’s dwellings since the middle ages. Indeed, â€Å"devices operating on several physical processes have been used over the millennia culminating into the modern version of clocks† (Jones, 2004, p.67). These modern versions of clocks are mainly mechanical clocks having either analogue or digital display formats. One of the earliest clocks was the sundials whose operation relied on the natural phenomena of different sizes of shadows cast on an object as times progress in a day. New engineering discoveries led to the emergence of new versions of clocks such as water clocks, candle clocks, pendulum clocks, incense clocks, and later clocks with escapements and gears followed by the most accurate clocks – atomic clocks. The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the historic evolution of a clock. The theoretical approaches deployed in the paper are from engineering paradigms. In this light, the paper tracks changes in the operation mechanisms of the clock in the quest to provide theoretical records of evolution of engineering. How the Clock developed over Early Years (1-1500 AD) in terms of Engineering Sundial Clocks Sundial clocks were deployed to measure times through a shadow cast on a cylindrical stone. This clock was widely used during ancient times since it would measure time with high degrees of accuracy. However, the time measured by the instruments was merely the solar time.Advertising Looking for report on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The sundials were deployed to scrutinize the operation of the clocks until early in the recent times. Engineering designs deserve to be reliable over a wide range of variables. This requirement posed major challenges to the development of a more reliable clock sun was required to shine si nce for its operation. Consequently, the clock could not function at night or during cloudy weather conditions. Seasons change. Hence, recalibration of the clock was necessary whenever such changes occurred. These limitations made provisions for the need to develop other techniques of times measuring in a more reliable manner. Such a technique was the development of candle clock. Candle Clocks There exists a historic timeline gap for when the candle clocks were discovered and or used first. Nevertheless, they were first mentioned in You Jinful poem written in Chinese language in 520. With regard to the poet, a calibrated candle was deployed to help people determine the time at night. A corresponding class of â€Å"candles were later to be used in Japan until early 10th century† (Itano Norman, 1999). The most famous candle clock is related to King Alfred the great. From an engineering perspective, the clock was made from six candles, which were composed of 72 pennyweights der ived from wax. Each candle was 12 inches long calibrated at an interval of 1 inch. Another important requirement for candles used to make the clock was that they were all required to be of uniform thickness. The candles were consumed for close to four hours with each mark representing a 20-minute time erasure. One of the challenges of the clock was that the candles could be extinguished once they were lit hence impairing the performance of the clock. However, this issue was later to be less of a challenge since â€Å"the candles were placed in wooden framed glass, to prevent the flame from extinguishing† (Itano Norman, 1999, 41). As time progressed, the design of the candle clocks became even more sophisticated. In 1206, Al-Jazari’s work had one of the exceptionally complicated candle timers. With regard to Lankford and Taylor (1999), one of his candle clocks â€Å"included a dial to display the time and, for the first time, employed a bayonet fitting, a fastening me chanism still used in the modern times† (p.131). The rate of burning of the candle used for making the clock needed to have a rate of a known burning. A wick was fitted inside a hole passing through the candles’ center. An indentation was also provided to aid in the collection of the wax melted out as a strategy to help in the prevention of likelihoods of interference with the rates of burning of the candle.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Evolution of the Clock specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lankford and Taylor (1999) further add that the candle clock described by Al-Jazari had â€Å"the bottom of the candle rested in a shallow dish that had a ring on its side connected through pulleys to a counterweight† (p.132). As the candle progressed to glow, it was pressed up by the load at a steady pace. As Rossum (1996) reveals, â€Å"the automata were operated from the dish at the bottom of the cand le† (p.65). In fact, in the early ages, no other candle clock was discovered having this intensity of sophistication. The only variation was the oil lamp clocks. The oil-lamp clocks were made up of a reservoir to hold the oil. The oil was mainly derived from the whale. It was the most appropriate since it burnt cleanly and evenly. The tank was then calibrated so that, as the its oil level fell, it was possible to have an approximate quantity of the time that had elapsed. Clocks made this way presented major challenges because resetting was necessary whenever the candles were totally consumed or the oil-lamp became empty. Incense Clocks Incense clocks were a major achievement in the development of clock since incense clocks were easily adaptable for interior application partly because the gadgets produced light in a constant manner and without fire unlike the candle timers. This condition made them more reliable since they were more accurate than the candle clocks. Although the use of incense candles has been identified by historians in Japan, there are speculations that the first incense clock could have been discovered in India. In the 6th century, the clocks had paved their way into China. Many variations of these gadgets were used with the most common ones being the â€Å"incense seal and incense stick† (Lankford Taylor, 1999, p.49). Although the incense wooden timer was principally made up of a marked incense wood, others were sophisticated by adding loads by means of strings at the wooden pieces. As the incense burnt out, these weights fell on a gong, which produced a sound while hit to indicate the amount of time that had elapsed. In addition, â€Å"some incense clocks were held in elegant trays†¦open-bottomed trays were also used, to allow the weights to be used together with the decorative tray† (Lankford Taylor, 1999, p.50). An alternative way of alerting people that a certain amount of time had elapsed was the deployment of incense sticks with different fragrance. Incense wooden pieces were either straight or spiraled depending on the amount of time each was anticipated to last with the spiral one taking more time. The spiraled incense stick clocks were mainly suspended from ceilings in houses and or religious places.Advertising Looking for report on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Incense seal clocks had similar application to the incense stick clocks. The only exemption was that these types of incense clocks were principally meant for religious functions (Rossum, 1996). The clocks were also significantly common in social gatherings. They were also highly associated with Chinese intellectuals and scholars. Essentially, a seal was made up of â€Å"a wooden or stone disk with one or more grooves attached to it and incense placed in itâ€Å" (Rossum, 1996, p.148). Although incense clocks had garnered many customers in China, they were also made in Japan though not as many as in China. In the effort to alert people that a certain length of time had elapsed, resins and various types of aromatic sticks and or incenses with a variety of smells were securely placed in the powdered lines of the incense seal clock. For instance, the earliest seal clocks were constructed from stone or wood. The Chinese people introduced metallic disks for use in making the clock. This invention occurred during the Song dynasty. This evolution provided an opportunity for artisans charged with the roles of making seal clocks an opportunity not only to make aesthetic seals but also larger ones. The use of metallic disks also permitted the designers to incorporate grooves and paths that varied to give a room for variations in the length of days in a year. Water Clocks Water clocks, alternatively called clepsydrae, coupled with the sundials are amongst the oldest clocks in the history of humankind. Due to their antiquity, Jones (2004) argues, â€Å"where and when they first existed are not known and perhaps unknowable† (p.33). However, people believe that some types of water clocks had been used in Babylon and Egypt in the 16th century. These versions were mainly bowl-shaped outflow water clocks. It is also important to note that some other parts of the world including China and India had some evidence of having used water clocks. However, the precise date whe n this case occurred remains a nightmare because there have been arguments around this topic with some authors claiming that water clocks were used in China and India in 4000 BC (Jones, 2004). Amid the historical debate around the subject of when water clocks first appeared in human civilizations of engineering endeavors, a substantive contentment among historians holds that, from 27 AD to 500 AD, Roman astronomers coupled with horologists engaged in the development of elaborate water clocks that were mechanized. In the words of Rossum (1996), the main aim of engineering complicated water clocks was â€Å"to regulate the flow at providing fancier displays of the passage of time† (p.77). Astrological systems of the earth were even demonstrated by some types of water watch machines. Muslims experts invented the most sophisticated water clocks. In particular, a design that was more fascinating was the elephant clock made by Al-Jazari in the middle ages. â€Å"The clock recorded the passage of temporal hours, which meant that the rate of flow had to be changed daily to match the uneven length of days throughout the year† (Rossum, 1996, p.57).To realize this endeavor, the clock design had two tanks. To serve their work well, as Rossum (1996, p.57) points out, â€Å"The bottom tank was linked to flow the control regulator while the top tank was linked to the mechanisms that indicated time†. At sunrise, a faucet released a stream to run into the underneath reservoir under the check of a hang controller that was meant to ensure that a steady weight was assured at the receiving reservoir. How the Clock Developed after 15th Century to the Mechanical Clocks The design approaches and engineering technology levels in the early ages to Middle Ages did not give a room for designers to construct clocks with the hour, minute, and second means of measuring time. They only measured time in terms of hours. In fact, as Landes (2000, p. 43) reveals, â€Å"a cl ock that had minute dials first appeared in 1475 with clocks having both minutes and second dial appearing by 15th century in Germany†. However, developments in the clock were still limited until when the massive mechanisms of improving accuracy of the clocks were developed. The mechanisms included the pendulum system and spiral springs. One of the historic events in the use of accurate clocks via both minutes and seconds dial was realized when Tycho Brahe (an astronomer) used such a clock to observe various stellar positions in the 16th century. Pendulum Clocks The development of mechanical clocks leads to miniaturization of the clocks. By the end of the 15th century, clocks such as the Al-Jazari elephant clock were considered as past tense so that smaller clocks could be made for domestic applications coupled with usages as personal watches by16th century. This development was preceded by discoveries made by Polymath Galileo, an Italian Engineer. He revealed that the oscilla tions of a pendulum could indeed be deployed to operate and or control a timer. However, he never constructed a clock based on the principles of pendulum. Christian Huygens, a Dutch scientist, would design a clock based on the concepts of pendulum investigated by the Polymath Galileo in 1656. Many versions of clocks based on the pendulum principles were later designed. The earliest designs produced errors in time measurement in the ranges of less than a minute within a day. The most accurate ones had errors of less than 10 seconds within a day. This realization was perhaps the best accuracy levels in time measurement during the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th century, clock developments were mainly based on the precision and improved accuracy requirements. In this regard, Jesuits were incredibly instrumental. To emphasize on this point, Landes (2000) asserts, â€Å"in measuring an accurate one-second pendulum, for example, the Italian astronomer Father Giovanni Battista persuade d nine fellow Jesuits to count nearly 87,000 oscillations in a single day† (p.97). Consequently, they played significant roles in the development of the pendulum clock since they participated in testing and spreading engineering ideas of time. Modern clocks such as long case clock have their origin anchored in the invention of engineering discoveries such as anchor escapement. This clock operation mechanism was discovered in the 1670s. Before the discovery of the mechanism, pendulum clocks principally depended on the verge escapement mechanism for their operations. Verge escapement mechanisms needed an extremely large pendulum dangle in the range of 100 degrees. The anchor mechanisms served to reduce this swing to values of about four to six degrees. This reduction not only gave pendulum clock makers an opportunity to make clocks having longer pendulums but also clocks with slowed beats. The overall effect was the reduction of the amount of power required to operate the clock following the reduction in friction. Apart from the reduction of wear in this generation of pendulum clocks, they also emerged as more accurate in comparison to those, which predeceased them. These developments paved way for the creation of businesses, which principally aimed at manufacturing mechanical of clocks. Now, it is crucial to consider a discussion of clock makers before proceeding to discussion of evolution of other types of mechanical clocks. Clock Makers and Evolution of Mechanical Watches and Clocks Locksmith and jewelries were the first professional clock makers in the history of clock making. With regard to American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as years progressed, the craft and science (engineering) of clock making advanced from pure custom to mass production (2002, p.31). In Paris, France, coupled with Blois were the main centers for making clocks for mass consumptions. Julien Le Roy and Versailles led the market in the design and production of ornamental and ca se-designed clocks. As Lankford and Taylor (1999) posit, â€Å"Le Roy belonged to the fifth generation of a family of clockmakers, and was described by his contemporaries as the most skillful clockmaker in France, possibly in Europe† (p.129). Le Roy also invented a repeating mechanism, which made it possible to improve the accuracy and precision of the clock to higher levels than those recorded for the pendulum clock. The clocks and watches that were designed by Le Roy also had a face that could be opened up to view the engineering behind the clock. The clock maker also supervised the process of making about 3,500 watches. Consequently, an intense scientific competition emerged with many researchers focusing on looking for other alternative ways of measuring time in ways that are more accurate. In 1794, following the French revolution, the government of France mandated brief production of decimal clocks. These clocks had a day divided into 10 hours with each hour having 100 m inutes. Through the effort of engineering modifications of Pierre Simon Laplace, pocket watch was modified into decimal form. Although this technology was extended to many other watches apart from the Pierre Simon Laplace’s until 1801, conversion of all watches within France into a decimal form was impossible due to the high costs associated with the process. The decimal system was also not viable since it only served the astronomers implying that the system was not useful to the ordinary citizens. Thus, it was not considered any further in the early 1800s. In the case of Germany, Augsburg and Nuremberg were there main clock makers. However, Black Forest specialized in the production of Cuckoo clock, which was wooden. In the 17th and 18th century, the English people dominated the watch making industry. Indeed, at the dawn of the 19th century, William Paley deployed the equivalence of a watch making to argue that all things are planned meaning that they have their planners and hence the theoretical reasoning behind the discipline of Engineering. Looking at the design of watches from this paradigm, there emerged research and subsequent construction of more accurate watches and clocks such as chronometers, atomic clocks, quartz oscillators, and wrist watches among others. Some of these clocks are discussed below. Patek Philipe invented the wristwatch in 1868. His watch was mainly purposed to serve as a woman’s bracelet. At the dawn of the 20th century, Alberto Santos-Dumont requested his acquaintance who was in the clock making business to make for him a gadget (clock) that could assist him in times of flights since a pocket watch was not expedient. In response to this request, Louis created the first man’s wristwatch. Later, military workforce were engaged in mass making of clocks for airplane controllers coupled with infantry. Such watches got immense popularity during the First World War though they remained a reserve for the middle class people. During World War II, A-11 wristwatch became common among the US air force men. In Engineering perspective, the watch met Ego-metrics (the degree to which an engineering creation is usable by the targeted end user based on requirements for readability and usability) since it was calibrated with clear white numbers. Another invention that shaped the clock evolution process was the quartz oscillators. These types of gadgets were highly inspired by the inventions of nano biosensor characteristics of materials. In 1932, these watches evolved to the levels of being able to gauge little differences in time due to the revolution of the earth. Indeed, as Lankford and Taylor (1999, p. 129) point , â€Å"the NIST (national bureau of standards) used time standards based on the quartz clock as from 1929 to 1960†. With the development of atomic clocks, which were more accurate than quartz clock, the organization shifted its time standards from being based on the quartz clock to ato mic clocks. Atomic watches remain the most precise gadgets ever to be made. Their accuracy levels are in the range of a few seconds over a period of several thousand years. The first watch of this type was built in 1949. Conclusion Sundial and water clocks were the earliest clocks to be made. On the other extreme, the quartz watch and the atomic clocks form the most recent discoveries. As the paper unveiled, during the processes of evolution from the most primitive types of watches and clocks to the most modern ones, the main concern of this expert was to look for mechanisms of enhancing the accuracy and preciseness of the clocks and watches. This process occurred alongside improvements of the clock to serve the purpose of measuring times and esthetic purposes. Reference List American Society of Mechanical Engineers. (2002). Proceedings of the 2002 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences. London: American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Itano, W., Norman, F. (1999). Accurate Measurement of Time. Scientific American, 269 (1), 56–65. Jones, T. (2004). Splitting the Second: The Story of Atomic Timekeeping. Bristol, UK: Institute of Physics Publishing. Landes, D. (2000). Revolution in Time: Clocks and the Making of the Modern World. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Lankford, J., Taylor, F. (1999). Time and timekeeping instruments. History of  astronomy, 34(3), 127-158. Rossum, G. (1996). History of the Hour: Clocks and Modern Temporal Orders. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Artist Antonio Martorrell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Artist Antonio Martorrell - Essay Example His writing career is quiet brilliant and precise at the same time. He wrote La piel de la memoria that came under translation by Andrew Hurley as ‘Memory’s Tattoo’ and ‘El libro dibujado’5 meaning the drawn book. Presently, he is a regular columnist for Escenario that is a section of El Vocero, Puerto Rican newspaper6. His accomplishments as an artist are quite plenty. Winner of Bienal de Arte de San Juan, he has provided illustrations to many authors like ‘Alma Rosa Flor, Heraclio Cepeda, Nicholasa Mohr, and Pura Belprà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢7. One of his illustrated books, ‘ABC de Puerto Rico’ was later confronting burning under the governance of Carlos Romero Barcelà ³ by the Educational Department of Puerto Rico. In November 2006, Antonio’s house faced burns leading to a loss of thousands of dollars worth of artifacts. He currently runs workshops in Ponce and New York. Antonio Diaz-Royo’s biography, ‘Martorell: the Adventure of Creation’8 is the most elaborate work on Antonio Martorell’s life to date and an ovation to his terrific contribution to the world of

Professional Identity of Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional Identity of Nursing - Essay Example The professional image can be recognized as the insights, feelings, beliefs, and ideas that people tend to possess regarding the nurses and the nursing. In the last ten years, it has been observed that there have been major alterations in the images of the nurses. Media has been largely responsible for creating a somewhat derogatory image (Andrew, 2012).     It will also highlight upon the impact of professional regulations and the role of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the protection of the public. Value of Modern Nursing In the nineteenth century, nursing was not considered as an identity as well as self-conscious occupation. Until the year 1923, one was free to describe him/herself as a nurse. A sick person was generally provided care at home by the members of the family or he/she was assisted by one or two paid workers. Nursing was regarded as a duty which was an extended part of a woman’s domestic roles (Mortimer, 2005). ... Nursing essentially involves providing care to the vulnerable, needy and weak patients. However, the works of the nurses are often taken for granted and thus they go under-compensated (Stockwell, 2010). The value of nursing is often impacted by cultural alterations and factors associated with globalization, progresses made in the fields of technology as well as medicine (Braxter & Bramfitt, 2008). These factors are crucial in offering a structured as well as evaluated view regarding what nursing is, which will lead to greater job satisfaction among the nurses, better nurse maintenance as well as improved patient care within a supportive as well as the peasant organization (Horton & et. al., 2007). It can be observed that since the mid-1970s, nursing commentators have become highly conscious of the images of the nurses with regard to professional identity by moving in the mass media, claiming the fact that nursing is distorted and poorly comprehended by producers, writers as well as v isual image makers (Horton & et. al., 2007). The modern dilemma faced by the nursing profession has been related to the gendered identity of healthcare professionals. Most of the people have the wrong perception that nurses are generally female. However, the fact is that nurses may either be male or female (NursingTimes, 2010). Social, Cultural and Political Values Physical and emotional closeness along with intimacy are considered to be values that are stimulated by modern nursing feeling in the nurse-patient relationship. They are administered through a form of knowing the patient thereby creating a feeling of proximity (Charles-Jones & et. al., 2003).  Ã‚  

Developing Strategic Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Developing Strategic Thinking - Essay Example The major competition came with the advent and enhancements of Google as it took the major chunk of the market share from Google, with its ever innovative stance towards its competition and Google did give a tough time to Yahoo. The biggest competition came with the innovative features and benefits that Google mail provided, compared to Yahoo mail. However, after suffering and losing its market share to Google, Yahoo began its revamping projects and today is doing quite well, in the existing competitive arena. Yahoo can actually be translated to be called as a SMART company2. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed3 – SMART objectives seek to define the future of a business alongside control. These are defined to mark long-term objectives and long-term goals of an organization. Yahoo or any other business would only be defined as SMART if it corporate these towards its strategic objectives. Fundamentally, this implies that the goals are precisely stated (specific), quantifiable (measurable) so easy to compare the achievement level, realizable (achievable) in terms of the possibility to attain them, practical (realistic) in viability, and specifically having a time horizon (timed) associated to it4. The business that sets its strategic goals using this benchmark is considered to be a SMART company. When it comes to the information technology-oriented structure of the industry such as the one in which Yahoo prevails, the significance of applying SMART objectives increases drastically, mainly because such industries are ever changing with drastic changes coming in, the out of the box ideas bringing in extreme changes overnight.  Assuming the example of Bill Gates who aimed at having a computer on palms of every user, and palm-tops has gained the momentum in sales today.

Comparing Poems Essay Example for Free

Comparing Poems Essay Identity is different for every person, it is what separates us all and makes us unique. Identity can be split into many categories. In the poem Nothings Changed, segregation is used to show us the poets feelings whereas Half-Caste is mainly focused on racial equality.  Each of the poets structure their poems in ways that express their feelings and ideas about identity; the differences in each vary. Half-Caste consists of 4 stanzas, written with a lack of punctuation and in patois dialect that allows the reader the freedom to express the poem in a way that they wish. Also, the haphazard, informal way that the poem is written suggests it should be read aloud. This reflects John Agards strive for freedom. The phrase, Explain yuself/wha yu mean/when yu say half-caste, is a refrain. This refrain is repeated throughout the poem to question the reader. It is an aggressive confrontation between the reader and the poet that elicits an answer from the reader. Nothings Changed is written formally so that the poet can express a controlled anger. Segregation is used to show the separate identities of blacks and whites. It is set out in 7 stanzas. The formal punctuation and structure is very organised which makes the poem seem like a story. Language is used to a dramatic effect in both poems, it reveals the poets ideas about identity. Firstly, in Half-Caste there is a pun of the half-caste weather, yu mean when light an shadow/mix in de sky/is a half-caste weather/, this play on words mocks the phrase half-caste which emphasises the poets feelings about a half-caste identity. In Nothings Changed, throughout the first stanza there is a series of onomatopoeias that give the reader the image of a man walking in a baron place. The mood of the poet is very much reflected in the language of Half-Caste and portrays the image of anger, confusion and annoyance. An example of this language is: Ah listening to yu wid de keen/half of mih earwhy I offer yu half-a-hand. This gives the reader the representation of a ridiculous happening, which is disrespectful to the opposing person. Nothings Changed also shares a similar mood of anger and frustration. The poet writes:  and the skin about my bones/and  the soft labouring of my lungs,  /and the hot, white, inwards  turning/anger of my eyes.  This includes within it repetition, powerful, angry words and references to body parts that identify the persons feeling of a painful anger. The poets use language to reveal their feelings about identity in both similar and different ways. They both project anger and confusion about the attitude of todays society knowing that equality is not present. In Nothings Changed the poet writes:  Hands burn/for a stone, a bomb,  /to shiver down the glass. /  Nothings Changed.  This begins with a metaphor; Hands burn which shows the person is feeling angry. The words a bomb,/to shiver down the glass. Are extremely effective as the glass acts as a symbolic barrier between colours and to shiver down this glass would be to break the differences/barriers between people of different colours. The poem ends with Nothings Changed, which basically sums the whole theory up: there always has been and always will be inequality within the world. This is similar to Half-Caste because throughout this poem John Agard is saying that people have no respect for each other and never will. He hopes though by saying but yu must come back tomorrowde other half/of my story that one day the prejudice might be put aside and people will come back with a better attitude towards each other. The identities that both poets show to reveal their feelings are similar because they both feel as though they have been victimized. The similarity is that in Half-Caste the man emphasises his thoughts by expanding things out of proportion to prove a point: Ah listening to yu wid de keen/half of mih earwhy I offer yu half-a-hand, and in Nothings Changed the person also takes things and changes them into something worse. An example of this is when it says whites only inn/No sign says it is:/but we know where we belong. This is saying that the restaurant is only for rich, white people even though he knows there isnt a sign saying so (He knows that if he goes in he will be laughed at). Both poems are similar also because they are based on black people being discriminated against by white. Both of these poems were very interesting and presented me with a question, which was how could I break down the barriers people have to make them better people? The poem I favoured was Nothings Changed because it was easier to picture as a story and I feel that the majority of people have felt like an outsider at least once in their life. Half-Caste did bring a strong point across but I believe that it was brought across in a bizarre and confusing way whereas Nothings Changed was easier to relate to from a past event.

The Comedy Knocked Up Media Essay

The Comedy Knocked Up Media Essay The comedy knocked up was written, directed and produced by Judd Apatow, and was one of the highest grossing films in 2007. Released at the end of May in 2007, it succeeded as a summer blockbuster and won the people and teen choice awards for favorite movie comedy. Distributed by Universal, the film grossed over $148 million. Knocked up follows the unplanned conception of successful single woman Allison, with unlikely partner loser, pothead Ben. After a night of drinking and dancing with Ben at a bar, Allison invites Ben over to her place and, both drunk, they have sex and conceive a baby. When Allison finds out, she decides to keep the baby and tries to force a real relationship with Ben. Despite a rollercoaster of fights, emotions, and immature baby jokes, Allison and ben ride off together in the s last scene to the apartment Ben has prepared for Allison and her new born baby. This film is important because it reveals the disparity between social realities of pregnancy and the historical trajectory of pregnancy and how it relates to the current naturalization of pregnancy as a commodity. Allison is seen as deviant because she is unwed and was drink during the conception of the child. As well as having a one night stand. But she is seen as normal cause she tries to fix the situation a form a relationship with the father, and in the end she does. This movie reflects a particular cultural, political and social situation that informs our understanding of the discourse of pregnancy. Commodity pregnancy is working through the culture industry to portray pregnancy as glamorous and even trendy, while in popular film pregnancy is plotted as unintended and framed as a grave problem. The bump is not a blessing. Abortion has since been included in various television shows, and movies, has been a major topic of debate in politics, and is a known medical procedure- whether one is pro- choice or pro-life, people are conscious of the abortion. Yet, the word abortion was never mentioned in the movie and was instead referred to as a  ¿Ã‚ ½smushmortion. ¿Ã‚ ½ Or the mother told Allison to have it taken care of , insinuating an abortion, like her step sister did. While the word abortion was never in the movie for reasons unknown, the fact that female body parts, assumed duties of females, biological functions, and physical appearances are the punch lines of so many jokes proves the film makers were not afraid of offending anyone, they just had a view on what was to controversial. In the movie Allison and Ben intend to use a condom in their night of drunken sex, but due to a miscommunication, Ben does not put the condom on. The depiction of contraception either not being used by accident or by ch oice in this movie shows the characters as just accepting that pregnancy as an outcome of sex is just a risk women take- despite the fact that women fought for decades for the precautions that make this statement sound ridiculous. This movie revolves around Allison ¿Ã‚ ½s determination to force a relationship with her complete opposite, Ben, after she finds out he , ¿Ã‚ ½knocked her up ¿Ã‚ ½, seemingly for the sole purpose of maintaining the semblance of a traditional family. In the end this is exactly what happens; a drunken night of sex between a beautiful, successful career woman turns results in a baby, and an unattractive fool getting the woman of his dreams. Allison embraces motherhood wholeheartedly with Ben. Being single is the obvious second option and motherhood in the context of a man and woman together is still framed as the norm. Pregnancy complaints have been one of the fastest growing types of employments discrimination charges filed with the equal employment opportunity commission. In this movie Allison ¿Ã‚ ½s pregnancy is celebrated by her employer, even though she is an on-air celebrity host knee-deep the entertainment industry, where looks and everything and bodies only come in one size-slender. Throughout most of Allison ¿Ã‚ ½s pregnancy there is rarely any talk of her job, except that she decided not to tell her boss until she had to, so she wouldn ¿Ã‚ ½t lose her job. When her boss actually brings her into the office to discuss the fact she is pregnant, Allison apologizes  ¿Ã‚ ½I wasn ¿Ã‚ ½t expecting it, I didn ¿Ã‚ ½t know how to handle it and I didn ¿Ã‚ ½t want to lose my job. I ¿Ã‚ ½m really sorry, ¿Ã‚ ½ stating all the fears of working women and becoming pregnant. Instead of being fired, she is praised for being pregnant, because as her boss puts it,  ¿Ã‚ ½ turns out people li ke pregnant; the bigger you are, the bigger ratings. ¿Ã‚ ½ The celebrity interview show even created special programing so Allison could talk to pregnant celebrities and  ¿Ã‚ ½being pregnant ¿Ã‚ ½ all month. These sets pregnancy up as something that only pregnant women can engage with and understand and even implies that there is a certain language that only pregnant women can communicate. Allison, because of her biological state, is considered to have an extra advantage when talking to pregnant celebrities just because she is pregnant as well. Also, the idea that  ¿Ã‚ ½people love pregnant ¿Ã‚ ½ helps build the ideology that people are generally happy when they see a pregnant woman, that there is something inherently good about pregnancy, especially when all the realities of the pregnancy are off screen. They only see her and her expanding belly, and nothing else, no father figure, no morning sickness, no swelling feet, nothing. In the context of post feminism they are telling cultural moments, especially when we women are still fighting for equality in the workplace and the home. There is still a gross pay gap. There is still an assumption that women are the default caretakers, homemakers, and emotional nutcases. Women are still the minority in corporate executive positions, political leadership roles, and in above-the-line positions in film and television. Storylines featuring women in the mass media are still rare; when women do get main roles, they are often hyper-sexualized, or limited to romantic comedies and plots with  ¿Ã‚ ½women ¿Ã‚ ½s issues. ¿Ã‚ ½ When something tied to womanhood, something men cannot attain, is taken in by the culture industry and churned out as a fad, a problem or a commodity to be glorified, we women need to pay attention. Pregnancy does not define womanhood and it is not even something all women can achieve, but it is certainly an important part of many women ¿Ã‚ ½s li ves and it is the reason all of us, men and women, are here today. Whether portrayals of pregnancy in media are good, bad, or silly, whether celebrities actually look like that post- baby or not, whether the term abortion is offensive or not, the commodification of pregnancy in the current postfeminist context is happening and will continue until the culture industry ceases to find a market for it. By becoming more conscious of this phenomenon and other phenomena like it. We can change the way we understand ourselves and others, pregnant or not.

The Shock of Sylvia Plaths Daddy :: Plath Daddy Essays

The Shock of Plath’s Daddy â€Å"Daddy† is one of the most highly anthologized poems of Plath's (along with "Lady Lazarus"). It is a notorious poem, the one once compared to "Guernica" by George Steiner. The imagery and audaciousness of it still shock, so much so that I don't even know if it is being taught or anthologized or taught any more; it is almost as if the critical world has had its say on it and has moved on, either to other poems in Ariel, or to other books altogether, such as The Colossus or Crossing The Water. It has become a modern classic, of a kind, the sort some people (not the ones here, of course!) sigh & look back on fondly, as what/who they read when they were younger, or were obliged to read at some point, dutifully used it in an essay, then put back on the shelf when they were done with the course... "Daddy" is a mean poem, brutal, but at bottom it is about mourning, loss, and what happens when that grief is blocked. I have always taken this as the real topic, that longing to forgive her father, forgive herself, to understand and accept - that was locked, denied, as a part of her childhood, adolescence, until she was 21 and visited (I am taking her literally) her father's grave for the first time. (This poem's essence lies in her not believing her father is dead, and since she never went to his funeral, or even visited his grave as a child, the father is in a strange limbo, a zombie figure.) In 1959 she visited her father's grave and was tempted, oddly as she says, to dig him up & prove to herself that he's really dead. In the poem, she just wants to be with her father (in the reading, her voice definitely becomes emotional when she remembers her childhood with him), or someone like him, but this never works out; in the end, she turns against him, but, as Stewart says, she can never be "through" - I think, because that sadness is again pushed aside, "the voices" (her father, husband, mother?) who still might be able to talk and listen to her are gone. Her father is still there, just as solid & historical as he was in "The Colossus", and just as misunderstood/inflated (two ways blocked grief seems to work).