All Quiet on the Western Front Essay -- essays papers

All Quiet on the Western Front The novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque describes the psychological and physical battles of young soldiers such as the main character Paul Baumer who was pressured by the spirit of nationalism and his school master into joining the German army during World War I. In the beginning the young students are glowing with enthusiasm with the honor to be trusted with serving their nation in a time of crisis. The inexperienced soldiers soon loose their innocence and eagerness as they watch the new technological capabilities of the twentieth century painfully kill their comrades one by one and in the end become weary, burnt out, rootless, and hopeless. Over time the young soldiers, through experience, begin to realize their years of schooling are completely useless in a society filled with war. They were taught the basics of the world of work, duty, culture, and progress when the only knowledge they need is how to survive. The author, through his novel All Quiet on th e Western Front, attempts to portray the vivid horrors and the raw nature of war and to change the popular belief of war as an idealistic and romantic character. This is evident through the barriers placed between Paul and the relationship with his parents and the rest of society who still view war as glamorous and cherish his war stories as though he were telling them a fairy tale. The novel also attempts to explain the purposes of war and its uselessness in society. The ultimate question that Erich Remarque raises in his novel is what did a whole generation give up their lives and precious innocence to accomplish. All Quiet on the Western Front is a story not of Germans, but of men, who even though â€Å"they frequently escape shells, are destroyed by the war†. This novel have could easily been transformed into the tale of a Frenchmen, an Englishmen, or an American fighting in World War I. Throughout the entire novel Erich Remarque uses the characterization of Paul Baumer, a youthful soldier, to demonstrate how war is not the glamorous, idealistic scenario that many people make it out to be but the gory, inhumane, and inescapable experience that it truly is. In the beginning of the novel the young student was ambitious, but as time goes on Paul’s attitude toward life completely changes. In the beginning, he felt that there was hope fo... ... horrors of war such as, his parents who still view war as glamorous and idealistic. War takes a heavy toll on soldiers who fight in it and in these dangerous moments anybody would have gone insane. It takes a very special type of soldier to be able to handle both the psychological and physical challenges that a soldier has to face in everyday battle. A soldier such as this must be capable of handling the sight of a mutilated comrade and not immediately chatter to pieces. The author conveys this message in his extreme use of words with negative connotation such as shells, typhus, dysentery, and trenches. In this portion of the novel a great deal of emphasis is placed on the word death which is repeated several times and standing on its own it holds a great deal of negative connotations. Therefore, due to the severity of the situation and the extensive use of words with negative connotations the overall tone of the novel appeared to be very depressing or serious. This selection a lso demonstrates just how mythical the character of war that many individuals who have not experienced the tragedy of battle believe to be true by illustrating just how appalling and grim war is in reality.

Argumentative Essay on Love

Flying around the world is an extravagance the majority of society may not be able to afford; life is chock-full of esoteric luxuries only a special association will enjoy fully. However, life does not have to encompass the additional commodities that people claim to be necessary. Throughout humanity there have been innumerous individuals who never delved into the most desired rarity-true love; much like the trips around the world, true love, is a nonessential of life. Although love is always sought after, as if life’s’ buried treasure, a human being can live in happiness without it.Many would argue that by not pursuing love, life would be eviscerated of its full meaning. Contrary to popular belief, it is an additional tangent of life that may or may not make matters foregoing. Strip a being of all â€Å"luxuries in life, and if you can [still] make someone smile and laugh, you have given the most special gift: happiness. † Having happiness present creates the sa me euphoric feeling that being in love can cause without running the risk of being emotionally dismantled by a divorce or breakup.More often then not love comes at much too high a price for every person to bare, not only can the cost be extraordinary but also at times a relentless barrage of sorrow. In order for someone to surpass the unrealistic goal of finding true love and obtaining it they must distract themselves. Society must focus on what is in front of it and remember, â€Å"We’re born alone, we live alone, [and] we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone. † As great as love presents itself to be, the majority of todays’ American community is divorced.These once happily married couples believed in the luxury of marriage until the price became more than they had bargained for leaving a bitter taste of resentment. As a person grows from child to adult there is a realization that true love does exist. This realization turns into a formulated question, ‘is the cost of love make the venture worthwhile. ’ For many people across all generations love has been a hopeless endeavor, in George Orwell’s novel 1984 Winston Smith embarked on an adventure that didn’t bode well â€Å"’I betrayed you’ she [, Winston’s previous love,] said baldly. ‘I betrayed you’ he said.†After betraying one another they part ways to live their lives in a better manner than before. Winston and the women, Julia, were lovers who when put to the test proved true love does not exist except for as a luxury the inner party could afford. All in all, love is a luxury that cannot be afforded by the mass. Even though it could portray itself to be beneficial, in the end it is not worth the cost. Surely true love is a product that even the people with the most acumen are dumbfounded. Happiness is something that serendipitously found a nd can egregiously affect a human’s life meanwhile true love is accompanied by painful hardship.

Can literature “tell the truth” better than other Arts or Areas of Knowledge? Essay Essay

Even as children, people are on a never-ending quest for â€Å"the truth.† Anyone who has witnessed a toddler incessantly ask his mother â€Å"Why?† can attest to that. Writers, artists, and scientists all have methods of finding â€Å"truth† and telling it to others. While the standards for what truth can be vary between Areas of Knowledge, no Area of Knowledge is significantly more capable of telling the â€Å"truth† than another. Since each area is strictly a human enterprise, they all face difficulties created by human nature, which makes them all equally capable (or incapable) of telling the truth. Before the effectiveness of different Areas of Knowledge in conveying truth can be evaluated, however, it is necessary to define truth, or rather, to clarify its nature. Typically, people rely on their senses, observations, and information taken from sources they believe to be reputable to learn of the truth. History has shown repeatedly, though, that â€Å"common sense,† authority, and consensus gentium are not always the most reliable methods of obtaining truth. For instance, from the 2nd century until the l6th century, people believed in the Ptolemaic system with the Earth as the center of the universe and all of the planets and stars revolving around it. The idea also corresponded well with people’s personal observations of the Earth as stable and the stars and planets as moving and was even supported by the Catholic Church. Today, however, we know (or at least, we think we know), that the Ptolemaic system is incorrect and that the Earth and other planets in our solar system revolve around the sun. What people thought to be true back then because of â€Å"obvious† reasons turned out to be false after all. Can there ever be an absolute truth then? And if there is, is there any way for man to know it and to be certain that he knows? For the foreseeable future, or for possibly all eternity, I believe that absolute truth, if it exists, is beyond our grasp. After all, humans have too many limitations, such as senses that can be deceived. There is no way for humans to know with absolute certainty that what they believe is true, even if it is true. There  always exists the possibility that what we believe to be the truth is not actually the truth. Furthermore, beliefs, experience, and other factors cause different people to have different truths. A psychotic thinks his delusions are true, but sane people tend to believe otherwise. Outside the realm of philosophy, however, this concept of a lack of an absolute truth becomes impractical and cumbersome. As C.S. Peirce said, â€Å"Let us not pretend to doubt in philosophy what we do not doubt in our hearts.† Thus, when addressing the ability of literature, other Arts, and other Areas of Knowledge in conveying truth, truth must be thought of in a different, pragmatic way. The standards set for truth can change, though, across Areas of Knowledge. In literature (in reference to novels, poetry, and other writings aside from scientific and historical nonfiction literature), the author tries to convey his own truth. That is, the message or the â€Å"truth† of the work is tied inexorably to what the author believes to be the truth, and thus is subject to all the factors that have influenced the author. Many great works of literature illustrate this idea, such as â€Å"Master Harold†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and the Boys. If Athol Fugard had had a different life where he had not acted wrongly towards his childhood friend and felt guilty for the racist act afterwards, his masterpiece would have had a decidedly different view on the â€Å"truth† of racism. The same idea holds true for authors within the magic realism genre of literature, such as Gabriel Garcia Mà ¡rquez and Isabel Allende. In their culture, events such as people levitating in the air are considered perfectly natural. What others outside of their culture think of as figments of their imaginations, they think of as reality and as the truth. As such, truth in literature varies from one author to another. Truth also varies in this way in other Arts. An artist, like a writer, tries to convey his insights about the world. No matter how he does it, it is he who decides what the truth of his work is. As a result, other arts are like literature in that everything affecting the artist affects the â€Å"truth† of the work. The question then is whether literature or other arts are better at conveying what the creator believes to be true. Both face the same problem here in that they are open for interpretation by the audience. Thus, the viewer or listener’s background, beliefs, and other variables play into how well the artist’s â€Å"truth† can be told. Two different people can read the same novel or look at the same painting and uncover different truths. For  instance, the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ends with the line, â€Å"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.† An optimistic reader may gather from this line and the rest of the novel that Fitzgerald is emphasizing the â€Å"truth† that perseverance in the face of difficulties may be difficult but is necessary, while a more pessimistic reader may think Fitzgerald is revealing that some of humanities’ efforts are just futile and worthless. Some may even say that other arts face even more difficult problems in this respect because the artist does not write down his/her message, but must instead convey it indirectly by invoking feelings. This â€Å"problem† with other arts, however, is actually dependent upon the audience. For instance, a concerto is much more likely to be able to â€Å"tell the truth† to a child with a limited vocabulary than a Charles Dickens’ novel is. It may be countered, though, that other arts have an advantage over literature in that they need not be translated for various cultures. It is difficult to translate and capture the essence of a literary masterpiece (especially with poetry) because words have connotations that may not translate into other languages. In some cases, the word does not even exist in another language. For instance, the Portuguese word saudade has no equivalent in English because no English word carries the same amount of emotion. Other Arts, however, actually do face this same intercultural challenge because symbols or sounds vary in meaning from one culture to another. The color red symbolizes good luck to the Chinese and permeates their artwork. In some parts of Africa, however, red is strictly a religious symbol that cannot even be worn on clothing. As such, a piece of art that uses the color red heavily and whose message is not clearly evident may be interpreted in different ways. Therefore, both literature and other Arts face the same problems when it comes to the audience and their interpretations. That is not to say, however, that neither literature nor other Arts have a great influence on the masses; often times, it is exactly the opposite. It is highly unlikely, though, that literature and other arts are always able to successfully â€Å"tell the truth,† or in this case, what the writer or artist believes is the truth, to everyone. The natural sciences, however, differ from literature and other arts when it comes to the truth. The â€Å"truth† in science cannot be taken as the scientist’s individual truth, as it can be with the author or poet or artist, but must rather fit set  standards. The scientist’s biases and prejudices must be taken into account and other scientists have to critically evaluate the evidence before any research can be considered to be â€Å"true.† Science faces a problem with truth, however, when it comes to interpreting data. Scientists are able to legitimately ignore some variables in their studies, such as whether or not the participants in a study of how effective a new treatment for cancer is have blue or brown eyes. Other variables are simply beyond their control though, and may affect the outcome of the study, like the diets of the aforementioned participants. These variables affect not only the research, but also whether or not people believe the results. Some may see the inability to control the patients’ diets as a reason to invalidate some conclusions. Furthermore, different people can interpret the same data and come to two conflicting conclusions. There are people who look at the same environmental data as others and still surmise there is no such thing as global warming. Since science is unable to successfully tell everyone the same â€Å"truth,† just like the Arts, it must thus progress in the direction believed to be the most truthful. Some people may argue, however, that the Arts are still better at revealing the truth than the sciences because people must have specific scientific knowledge to obtain truth in the sciences. The Arts, however, also require work and knowledge on the audience’s part. The audience must read between the lines and make inferences, since the writer or artist rarely explicitly states what â€Å"the truth† is. While literature, other Arts, and the sciences have different standards for what can be considered to be the truth, none is more effective than the other at telling the truth. Each must face problems inherent in human nature in conveying their messages and none of these problems can easily be addressed. Nevertheless, none of these Areas of Knowledge should be discarded as methods for communicating truth. Instead, people must individually and collectively evaluate every work or study on its own merits to attain a better grasp of â€Å"the truth.† Bibliography Farrell, Patrick. (2004). Portuguese Saudade and Other Emotions of Absence and Longing. Semantic Primes and Universal Grammar. Empirical Findings from the Romance Languages, ed. by Bert Peeters, Amsterdam and Philadelphia. Fitzgerald, F.S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Magee, B. (1998). The Story of Philosophy. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. Peirce, C.S. (1868). Some Consequences of Four Incapacities. Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 2, 140-157.

Meaning of Different Surnames on Your Y-DNA Results

Meaning of Different Surnames on Your Y-DNA Results Even though Y-DNA follows the direct male line, matches with surnames other than your own can occur. This can be disconcerting for many until you realize that there are several possible explanations. If your Y-DNA marker results closely match an individual with a different surname, and your genealogy research does not seem to indicate a past adoption or extra-marital event in the family line (often referred to as a non-paternity event), then the match may be the result of any of the following: 1. Your Common Ancestor Lived Prior to the Establishment of Surnames The common ancestor you share with individuals of different surnames on the Y-DNA line may be many, many generations back in your family tree, prior to the establishment of hereditary surnames. This is the most likely reason for populations where a surname that passes down unchanged from generation to generation was often not adopted until a century or two ago, such as Scandinavian and Jewish populations 2.  Convergence Has Occurred Sometimes mutations can occur through many generations in completely unrelated families which result in matching haplotypes in the present time frame. Basically, with enough time and enough possible combinations of mutations, it is possible to end up with matching or closely matching Y-DNA marker results in individuals who do not share a common ancestor on the male line. Convergence is more plausible in individuals belonging to common haplogroups. 3.  A Branch of the Family Adopted a Different Surname Another common explanation for unexpected matches with different surnames is that either your or your DNA matchs branch of the family adopted a different surname at some point. A change in surname often takes place around the time of an immigration event but may have occurred at any point in your family tree for any one of a number of different reasons (i.e. children adopted the name of their step-father). The likelihood of each of these possible explanations depends, in part, on how common or rare your paternal haplogroup is (your Y-DNA matches all have the same haplogroup as you). Individuals in the very common R1b1b2 haplogroup, for example, will likely find they match many people with different surnames. These matches are likely the result of convergence, or of a common ancestor who lived prior to the adoption of surnames. If you have a more rare haplogroup such as G2, a match with a different surname (especially if there are several matches with that same surname) is much more likely to indicate a possible unknown adoption, a first husband you may not have discovered, or an extramarital event. Where Do I Go Next? When you match a man with a different surname and you are both interested in learning more about how far back your common ancestor likely lived, or whether there may be a possibility of adoption or other non-paternal events, there are several steps you can take next: Upgrade the Y-DNA test to 111 markers (or at least 67) for both you and your match. If you both match with only 1 or 2 mutations at that level then you are likely to connect within a fairly recent genealogical time frame (7th cousins or closer)Find a second person to DNA test from both your line and your matchs line. This will need to be another male relative on your direct paternal line, preferably as far back as possible on the line based on generation, not age. If both of the new men tested also match each other as well as the two original test takers, this further confirms the genealogical connection.Go through the genealogical research done on the direct male ancestors of the two matching men with a fine-tooth comb, looking for locations that each family may have had in common. Were any of their ancestors neighbors in the same county? Or perhaps attended the same church? This may help you to determine in which generation the common ancestor likely lived.

Stakeholder Environmentalist Essay Example

Stakeholder Environmentalist Essay Example Stakeholder Environmentalist Essay Stakeholder Environmentalist Essay 2.2 Stakeholder – Environmentalist 2.2.1 Introduction Environment refers to the surroundings in which living beings live or operate. The environment is thus affected by the operations and activities performed by human beings, directly or indirectly. These activities can be beneficial and/or harmful to the environment. Thus, in order to protect the environment from the activities that can negatively affect it, a special individual or a group that plays a role in protecting the environment is referred to as Environmentalist. The role of environmentalist is highly significant when it comes to the matter of construction of a tourism spot close to a marine body as it has a variety of effects on almost all elements of the environment. The Seaside Mall Construction will have direct and indirect repercussions on the environment of Dubai, which makes it a prime concern for the environmentalist bodies such as Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) and Emirates Environmental Group (EEG). 2.1.2 Impact and Evidence The construction industry will continue to impact the physical environment as long as the industry demands natural resources, and this will assume huge environmental significance with the rapid growth in population and the attendant implications for natural resources (Ebohon and Rwelamila, 2001; Ofori et al., 1999). The construction of a seaside mall can be considered as one of the most debatable scenario. It will be an economical success as it will be a project that will contribute to the economical growth of the nation. But there will be several other consequences of such a project on the environment, which will be a prime concern for the environmentalists and the government as a whole. The seaside construction will lead to negative outcomes like Water Pollution and will cause damage to marine life. There are a large number of sources of water pollution on such construction sites, including diesel and other fossil fuels, paints, and toxic chemicals. Even minor chemical spills can seep into the ground and may enter water bodies through which they can toxify the water and harm aquatic life. More importantly, the construction requirements will require drilling, which is a major contributor to Noise Pollution. This noise pollution will not only affect the residents, but will also affect the marine habitats. Other than the mentioned negative effects, construction can also be considered as a major cause of Air Pollution. Almost all major construction projects result in emitting carbon dioxide, methane and other harmful chemical substances that harm the air and contribute to global climate change. Other effects include operations of heavy machinery during the construction, which also lead to carbon dioxide emissions. Not only during construction, but also after the construction of such a mall, there will be various ways in which it would harm the environment. Sewerage waste, food waste, chemical waste can be dumped into the water bodies during regular running of the mall, thus affecting the water body and harming the marine life. Keeping in mind the â€Å"seaside construction project†, Emma Johnston comments that developments are also taking place in oceans and water bodies creating various problems such as destroying the coral reefs that nourish fisheries and protect the coastline from the harsher impact of the waves, and destabilizing many precious coastal ecosystems such as salt flats and mangroves in the context of Palm Jumeirah. This project will also possess a threat to the ecological chain and will create an imbalance in the ecosystem. This point can be connected to the noise pollution factor. Construction near a coastal location can lead to adverse effects of noise pollution on marine habitants. According to Peng, Zhao, and Liu (2015), â€Å"noise pollution will not only pose a great threat to individual marine organisms but also may affect the composition, and subsequently the health and service functions of the ecosystem. For instance, some studies have shown that anthropogenic noise caused a reduction in the catch rate of some commercial marine species indicating a decrease in the service function of the ecosystem for providing fishery products.† More importantly, building on, or near the sea can also cause natural damages. There are a few reports that highlight that Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah Island is actually sinking, though the government denied such claims. It poses a great threat to the reclaimed land situated in disaster-prone areas. The continuous shaking due to a calamity like earthquake can lead to a process called liquefaction, where the solid land sediments can liquefy. The earthquake in San Francisco of 1906 is a great instance of such a disaster caused by the same reason. 2.1.3 Discussion/Findings After conducting various studies and research, the claim that construction affects the environment negatively is true. There are numerous direct ways in which such a project can affect the environment and degrades it. According to Ivano Iannelli, CEO of the Dubai Carbon, â€Å"Dubai doesnt suffer from air pollution like some of the other metropolises do.† But projects such as construction of a seaside mall can directly contribute to polluting the environment. The government of UAE as a whole would not prefer to hamper the environment in any way. Thus, they will have to keep in mind the effects of such a construction on the environment and the residents. The claims of pollution and also the evidence of the process of liquefaction in San Francisco resulting in an earthquake will make the government consider the effect of such a project on the environment. 2.1.4 Conclusion and Recommendations As conclusion, it is clearly evident that the role of an environmentalist is significant. Based on the research and survey conducted, the construction project causes a huge environmental issue. It affects almost all elements of the environments such as water, air, land, soil and also the living creatures that constitute the surroundings where the construction is taking place. Therefore the municipality should take an action keeping in mind these consequences of such a project. Recommendations:- The Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW) has published a number of regulations that have to be adhered in the UAE. These laws address the following areas:- Environmental impact assessments Protection of the marine environment Pollution from land sources Soil protection Protection of air from pollution Handling hazardous substances and wastes Also the municipalities and town planning departments also regulate certain areas including:- Waste management Building regulation Pollution control Water treatment The municipality must make sure that the project authorities adhere to the mentioned regulations and must impose appropriate fines if the project harms the environment in any way.

Service and the Security implication of VOIP Dissertation

Service and the Security implication of VOIP - Dissertation Example The use and importance of telecommunication in business cannot be overstressed. In some industries, it is even their source if not the most important infrastructure that drives the business processes. However, in order to use the technology efficiently and effectively, its limitations and security has to be assessed and determined. The anonymity of the internet provides an added complexity to the challenge since the prosecution and detection of perpetuators is not only hard but the detection of an actual eavesdropping is already hard in itself. This dissertation will provide the best infrastructure that is both resilient and redundant that will provide the basic security to basic security threats. As proof of concept this dissertation will also demonstrate how an actual VoIP system can be set-up and used, this dissertation has also confirmed how an actual attack on the security can be done and its potential effect on the user. This dissertation also provided a technical strategy on h ow to remediate the security vulnerabilities. However, as any technical security strategy goes, there will always be a hacker that is better at overcoming the best and the latest security system. A determined hacker will always find a way to overcome any security system thrown in front of him thus this dissertation will provide recommendation that will protect businesses from falling prey to opportunistic and disreputable shady characters. Acknowledgement This author would like to thank his love ones for providing him with the inspirations to stay on track for him to be able to finish this dissertation. This author would also like to thank his instructor for providing him the chance and opportunity to learn not only from his instructor’s knowledge but also from the wisdom his instructor imparts. The practical way this author’s instructor presents solutions to complex problems have inspired this author to be better than what he perceive can become. This author’s instructor made him realise that this author can be more than what he want to be or could become. Table of Contents Abstract 3 Acknowledgement 4 Table of Contents 5 1.0Introduction 5 1.1 Overview 6 1.2 Existing Problems 7 1.3 Aims and Objectives 8 1.4 Project Objectives 9 1.5 Research Methodology 10 1.6 Structure of the Dissertation 12 2.0 Literature Review 13 Chapter Summary 26 3. 0 Methodology 28 4.0 Voice over IP Implementation and Threats and Vulnerabilities Demonstration 30 5.0 Statement of Result 49 6.0 Analysis AND Discussion 51 7.0 Conclusion 53 8.0 Recommendation 57 Reference List and Bibliography 61 Appendices 67 List of Figures: 67 List of Tables: 68 Asterisk installation guide 68 CentOS/Linux installation guide 68 1.0 Introduction Asterisk was developed as a cheap alternative to PBX by Mark Spencer. Since then the face of VoIP has never been the same again. Since 1989 the development of VoIP as an alternative transport system for telephony signalling has progress to a po int that almost all of the telephone infrastructures all over the world are being used as data transporter along with voice channel. VoIP simply enabled telecommunication companies to maximize its infrastructure by making several channels available in a

Optional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Optional - Essay Example Newton’s classic mechanics doesn’t have other categories of being such as such as mind, purpose, life or organization. Newtons laws of motion form the three physical laws that combined a form basis for classical mechanics. In contrast to Aristotle (Greece) point of view, he opposed the idea that the basis of true reality was only in a transcendental point. As a substitute model, he came up with his explanation of categories: Within the ten categories he explained that, "substance" was primary and defined what all objects contain. Other categories like relation, quality, and quantity were derived attributes, which were meaningful when assigned to an object that has substance. For him, the world consisted of persons and separated substances with common attributes. Aristotle gave an account that rotating spheres carried the Sun, Moon, Stars and planets around a stationary unique earth. In contrast to newton, his natural science established broad principles of change that controls all natural bodies, i.e. celestial, inanimate, living and terrestrial and motion change in