Exposing the Darkness of Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Revealing Lies in Heart of Darkness A lie is an untruth. It can be a false statement or a statement left unsaid that causes someone to be misled. In life, lies are told for many different reasons. In fiction, they thicken the plot. In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow dislikes lies and therefore only tells two, both in extraordinary circumstances. The lies that Marlow tells show several things about him. For example, even though he has been touched by evil, he is still a good man. He never actually tells a lie, instead he lets others continue to believe what they already believe. This helps him justify his lies. Marlow, in the middle of his story, interrupts himself to say "You know I hate, detest, and can't bear a lie." He does not think that he is better than the rest of the world. Lies simply appall him. Marlow feels there is a "taint of death, and a flavor of mortality in lies." Lying makes him feel "miserable and sick, like biting something rotten would do." Since he feels this way, he would only tell a lie in extraordinary circumstances. The first lie that Marlow told was in an extraordinary circumstance. It was told because of a notion that it would somehow be of help to Mr. Kurtz. The lie was told in order to allow the brick maker to think he had more influence in the company than he actually had. This lie would help Kurtz in two ways. Firstly, it would help Marlow to get the rivets he needed to fix the boat, and that would provide Kurtz with either a means of communication or a way out of the jungle. Secondly, it would provide Kurtz with an ally who was perceived as influential. Marlow knew that others were jealous of the Mr. Kurtz’s success. Some saw him as the next "Director of the Company," and some were trying to find a reason to hang him. If Marlow was considered powerful, he might be able to help Mr. Kurtz. This was an extraordinary reason for telling a lie. The second lie was also told in extraordinary circumstances. It is told to "the intended" so that the image of her dead fiancà © would not be destroyed. She had waited at least two years for her lover to return from Africa, and during this time had built his image up in her mind.

“Divergent” by Veronica Roth Essay

Your decision in life all comes down to you and the path you choose, but just one choice can transform you. Veronica Roth created a strange dystopian world that morally depends on the choices people make in life, because their choices define who they are as people. Her futuristic world is divided into five factions that each represents something different; Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful) and Dauntless (the brave). These five factions were made up to prevent war and bring peace to the world and when they turn sixteen they get the chance to choose to leave their family, to transfer into a new faction or stay with them, but the choice all came down to them. THESIS: In the novel Divergent Veronica Roth examines how the theme of choice leads to bravery, betrayal, and greed. Body Paragraph 1: Topic sentence- Firstly the theme of choice leads to bravery, because of Tris selfish choice to leave abnegation and go into dauntless. Point:  Tris bravery in becoming a part of the dauntless is a foil to her own character, because Tris is a person of action, who has courage and is brave, but Beatrice, is the complete opposite. If Tris never made the choice to leave her faction, she would have never learned to be brave enough to overcome her fears and turn from the underdog into a hero. Bravery is represented in this book as being selfish and foolish, because the characters of the dauntless conception of bravery is acting in ridiculous life threatening situations to prove who is most daring to participate. However, bravery is truly presented as Tris goes through initiation. Not only has her choice to transfer into a different faction show her braveness but it also brought out her inner abnegation and taught her how to be selfless as well: â€Å"I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the coura ge that drives one person to stand up for another.† (Roth 207) Analysis: The significance of this quote is to show how Tris resembles bravery itself. Tris showed people that bravery is not just about being strong and committing acts of ruthlessness; it is about standing up for what you believe is right and being the big person in a situation when no one else is. Her choice to be brave and stand up for other people is what made her the hero in the end. Through bravery Tris was able to channel other traits in her from other factions and create a new her. Because of her willingness to be brave she was able to change herself and the way she thought. She was no longer the old Beatrice of abnegation. She turned in to the brave, courageous, strong, smart and selfless Tris of the dauntless. Any obstacle that came in her way she was able to overcome it and beat it and because of the one choice she made to decide to be brave, it made all the difference. Point 2: In addition to the above, Tris is a foil to her own character because if she had never joined the dauntless, she would have never been able to be on her way to saving the world: â€Å"I feel like someone breathed new air in my lungs. I am not abnegation. I am not dauntless. I am Divergent. And I can’t be controlled. (Roth 442) Analysis: The significance of this quote is that it shows how much Tris character changed from when she was in Abnegation to now. Being a part of the dauntless gave Tris the strength, the bravery, and the determination to get out there in the midst of it all as the world is crumbling to stand up for her own kind. If she never made the choice to change factions, she would have never had the chance to completely find herself and who she truly is, make the friends she did, and learn how to face her fears. Conclusion: In conclusion Tris bravery and strength Therefore Victoria Roth shows that through choice leads bravery, because bravery isn’t just something that happens on its own. It is the choice and the act of bravery that only you can decide to commit to and play a factor on your life. Body Paragraph: Topic sentence: Secondly the theme of choice leads to betrayal because of Tris and her brother, Caleb, choice to leave their family Point: Tris and Caleb’s betrayal is an example of pathos. Before Tris and Caleb are chosen to go up and decide on whether they will stay with their old faction or leave, their parents go to congratulate them: â€Å" My father kisses me on the head and clap Caleb on the shoulder grinning. See you soon, he says. Without a trace of doubt† (Roth 40-41) Analysis: The significance of this quote is that it shows how much hurt and betrayal they cause their father, especially, at the time. The one value that is most important about being a part of abnegation is not being selfish and to think about others. In this case Beatrice and Caleb’s choice to leave their family behind was not an act of selfishness, because they only considered themselves and not how their parents would feel. Thinking that his kids would choose to come home and stay with him and their mother, the father made a comment about how he would see them soon before the choosing ceremony started only to know minutes later that neither of his kids is coming home, and one of his kids (Caleb) are going home with the enemy- the erudite. The one choice they made that they thought would benefit them more in life ended up leading to their dishonour and betrayal of not only their family but their ex- faction. Point 2: Another act of betrayal was when one of Tris friends, Al, almost killed her out of jealousy, and insecurity. Al was supposed to be someone Tris thought she could depend on to keep her safe, trust, and ensure her that everything would be â€Å"okay† when the antagonist of the story and his crew would pick on her; but in the end he betrays her: â€Å"The soap smell is familiar. Lemon grass and sage. The same smell around Al’s bunk. A weight drops in my stomach†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I suggest you rely on your transfer friends to protect you from now on,† he says â€Å"I thought I was†¦ I feel Al’s hands against my mouth, and a sob jolts my body forward†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He wanted you to be the small quiet girl from Abnegation†¦ He hurt you because your strength made him feel week. No other reason† (Roth 278, 295) Analysis: The significance of this quote is that it shows you how one minute you can trust someone and the next they can easily make the choice to betray and  hurt you. Veronica Roth creates pathos for Tris, because Tris knows that she can no longer trust Al again even though they were such good friends. Al’s one choice not only hurt Tris but it also ruined their friendship, and this is one of the ways Veronica Roth shows how your one choice can define who you are as a person. Tris’ strength and ability was what caused Al to be jealous and in the end his jealousy cost him. Conclusion: Therefore, Veronica Roth created a sense of betrayal through the theme of choice, because it is another way of her showing how a specific choice can not only affect you but the other people around you. Body Paragraph 3: Topic Sentence: The theme of choice leads to war as the leader of the Erudite chooses to start a war over her own selfish reason. The factions were divided into five to prevent war and destruction from occurring in the world; but because the people of abnegation are divergent she chooses to take away many people physical and mental control to start a war and take them down: The theme of choice leads to greed because those who have power live in fear of loosing it.

Towards an Understanding of Human Resource Management

Aim: With today’s rapid economic development, human resource is the only major success in continuing operations. In fact, my parents are engaged in furniture retail industry in south of China, Guangzhou. In the company’s daily operations, we found a lot of issues about human resource management. Employee’s demission and training, and the negative attitude become major obstacles in the way of our company’s development. Through HRM study, I want to understand what factors affect staff movement behavior and loyalty to the company, in order to deal with the staff situation in the company more efficiently. Method: In this thesis, the case study approach was used. Case study research is suitable for explanatory, descriptive and exploratory. Our research chooses two in-depth case studies that base on the interviews with human resource managers. The information that we collect is from qualitative interviews. Through loyalty and movement theory, to identify which factors are affecting staff movement behavior and loyalty to company, as well as analyze how to solute the issue in my family company. Result & Conclusions: After discussion and analysis, the study found: high wages is not the only way to retain employees. Money as reward can cost a lot, and it’s impersonal. Workplace, leadership style, enterprise potential, training opportunity and promotion space also can affect employee loyalty. According to Motivator-Hygiene Theory, to establish motivation system, exciting staff’s enthusiasm for the work. Let staff realize that the successes of the company are directly connected to their performances; staff have responsibility for company’s successes. This is a powerful way to keep employee motivated. For company development of long standing, organization should command constantly more new technology. Staff as the work of actors, to learn more work skills is essential. Employees and the company’s desire is the same. Companies focus on their own development, but also to enhance staff capacity. For development of the company, it should give staff more training and promotion opportunities. Suggestions for future research: It has to note that the limitation of this study is the small number and the limited scope of interviewees. Contribution of the thesis: In this study, I mainly find the solutions that the issues in my family company. After discussion and analysis, I am cognizant of the long-term relationship between staff and organization is important for company development. The rewards for the employee are not just money, but also can be other. That effect and help my family firm staff management.

The musical techniques Essay Example

The musical techniques Essay Example The musical techniques Essay The musical techniques Essay There is only one similarity between the two films in the musical techniques which occurs when Miss Havisham asks to see some play, when both films have a small crescendo and both use many notes in a short time which really makes an impact. There is a large build up in questioning, as if to ask, What is your fancy? Making this moment in the film very suspicious where Miss Havisham could either be a complete psychopath with a sick bordering on perverted mind or just an over-interested old woman. Both films use music to build suspense but the 1946 version uses considerably more music than Jarrold, however, the music Jarrold does use is very effective. As Pip enters the room in Leans version, there is an enormous crescendo on the brass and strings which gets louder as the door opens and more of the room is revealed and only quietens when Miss Havisham talks, and increases further until you actually see Miss Havisham, when it comes to an abrupt halt, this music builds tension and really gets the viewer going because nobody has any idea of what is lying behind the door. There is total silence as Pip and Miss Havisham talk, making the scene spooky and totally unpredictable. As Miss Havisham puts her hand on her heart and makes the viewer feel sympathetic towards her, there is some sad, depressing music on the strings and a small trill (alarm sound) to increase this potential sadness. A very delicate, melodic piece of music is played on the woodwind until the end which creates a sense of confusion and slight bewilderment. This is in contrast with Jarrolds 1999 version where a quiet, magical, mysterious piece is played using a piano which emphasises the questioning aurora of the room, i.e. the room used to be so beautiful and involved in the happiest day of a life and now it is almost discarded and uncared for. As the camera shows the purposely stopped clocks, a cymbal is hit gently to emphasise them and this noise is weird which is a perfect match with the clocks. As Pip opens the jewellery box, the music completely stops which makes the viewer expect Miss Havisham to appear at that point but Jarrold keeps us in suspense, and keeps us hanging on the end of our seats for a little longer. From the point of Pip entering to him opening the box, there is a constant drone in the background which makes the viewer think another person is present besides Pip; this coincides brilliantly with the high camera shots mentioned in the last paragraph. When Pip is looking in the mirror, there is a roll on the kettle drums to create a sweeping sound as Miss Havisham appears. A very ghost like noise, for a very ghost like person. The notes on the piano get quicker at this stage, as does Pips heart rate and leaves us with the question, Is Miss Havisham going to shout? Lean and Jarrold use a few visual effect similarities with almost identical characteristics. The main similarity in both extracts is that lots of shadow is used to create corners that cant be seen and cast shadows that add to mystery and makes the viewer question what is hiding behind the cover of darkness.  The 1946 version takes a much darker, silhouetted approach, to bring out Pips pathetic appearance in comparison to the room. Lean creates a silhouette of Pip as he enters, from dark to light as he walks into the room, showing Pip as a patronised young boy, lost in a huge and scary room, again, Pip looks patronised by his silhouette, at this point the spotlight focuses on Miss Havisham, portraying her as the main part of the room, and then jumps to Pips face as he starts talking. As Estella enters, she walks into the spotlight. When the card game appears on screen, the spotlight focuses on Miss Havisham even though she doesnt speak; this is done for three reasons. Firstly, to show Miss Havishams expression when Pip is being insulted. Secondly, to prove that Miss Havisham is still the most important person in the room even when she has no participation in the main activity (the card game) and the light draws the viewers attention to this. And finally, it adds to the dominance of Estella and Pip, that she is that much greater she must be the focal point. This is in contrast with Jarrolds ideas, which predominantly has brighter lights and a lighter atmosphere, however, the amount of shadow he does use is very effective. Jarrold begins by putting a spotlight on the door before Pip enters, this is simply to point the door out to the audience, and show it is the entrance. The rooms interior is quite dark and lit only by candles; this creates a vast amount of tension, which is added to by Pips position in a dark shadowed area. Pip creates long shadows, making the whole process of fumbling around the room a lot scarier, elongated, twisted shadows build up creepiness and mystery. When Pip sees Miss Havisham, full light is on both of their faces to show both reactions at once. When a long shot shows Miss Havisham and Pip fully, Pip is stood in her shadow which shows power over Pip and makes a very daunting image of control. Pips face is only half lit up which again creates tension as we dont totally know what facial expressions Pip is making. When Miss Havisham tells Estella what Pip said about her, the spotlight zooms onto Pip showing his mortified and embarrassed expression and how he reacts when he realises he has been used. Estella is shown in the dark during this as she is not involved in the conversation. I think both extracts build up mystery, tension, confusion and audience questioning superbly. Both have used their independent filming techniques to create as good an interpretation of the book as possible and although both are very different, both get the important points across well. Each scene has portrayed each character as they should be, i.e. over-confident, snobbish Estella, unconfident Pip and powerful, intimidating Miss Havisham. The rooms appeared totally different, Jarrolds interpretation was much more glamorous and pretty at one point and Leans was dull and old, and, I agree more with Jarrold, the room, like Miss Havisham, was beautiful at some point but is now messy and discarded, and Jarrold shows this perfectly. Miss Havisham appeared much stricter in Leans version, and I have to say I dont agree and think Jarrolds Miss Havisham was better played. Although very different filming techniques were used, both portrayed all the necessary emotions very well. Both directors use totally different approaches in all aspects, but it is necessary to look a little deeper into the reasons for using each option. Although Jarrold uses a lighter approach to shadow techniques and his silhouettes arent as bold, the effects put across to the viewer are very strong and portray the correct atmosphere for Pips belittlement. The music used by Jarrold is minimal compared to Leans interpretation but the delicate tune is more of a background noise that increases tension to a greater amount than a full orchestral approach, it just sits in the back of the audiences mind and is almost spooky.

Archaeology and Prehistory of Cuba

Archaeology and Prehistory of Cuba Cuba is the largest of the Caribbean islands and one of the closest to the mainland. People, probably coming from Central America, first settled on Cuba around 4200 BC. Archaic Cuba Many of the oldest sites in Cuba are located in caves and rock shelters on the interior valleys and along the coast. Among these, the Levisa rock shelter, in the Levisa river valley, is the most ancient, dating to about 4000 BC. Archaic period sites usually include workshops with stone tools, such as small blades, hammer stones and polished stone balls, shell artifacts, and pendants. In few of these cave sites burial areas and examples of pictographs have been recorded. Most of these ancient sites were located along the coast and the change in sea levels has now submerged any evidence. In Western Cuba, hunter-gatherer groups, such as the early Ciboneys, maintained this pre-ceramic life style well into the Fifteenth century and after. Cuba First Pottery Pottery first appeared on Cuba around AD 800. In this period, Cuban cultures experienced an intense interaction with people from other Caribbean Islands, especially from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. For this reason, some archaeologists suggest that the introduction of pottery was due to groups of migrants from these islands. Others, instead, opt for a local innovation. The site of Arroyo del Palo, a small site in eastern Cuba, contains one of the earliest pottery examples in association with stone artifacts typical of the previous Archaic phase. Taino Culture in Cuba Taà ­no groups seem to have arrived at Cuba around AD 300, importing a farming life style. Most of the Taino settlements in Cuba were located in the easternmost region of the island. Sites such as La Campana, El Mango and Pueblo Viejo were large villages with large plazas and the typical Taà ­nos enclosed areas. Other important sites include the burial area of Chorro de Maà ­ta, and Los Buchillones, a well-preserved pile dwelling site on the north coast of Cuba. Cuba was among the first of the Caribbean Islands to be visited by the Europeans, during the first of Columbus voyages in 1492. It was conquered by the Spanish conquistador Diego de Velasquez in 1511. Archaeological Sites in Cuba Levisa rock shelterCueva FuncheSeborucoLos BuchillonesMonte CristoCayo RedondoArroyo del PaloBig Wall SitePueblo ViejoLa CampanaEl MangoChorro de Maà ­ta. Sources This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Caribbean, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Saunders Nicholas J., 2005, The Peoples of the Caribbean. An Encyclopedia of Archaeology and Traditional Culture. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, California. Wilson, Samuel, 2007, The Archaeology of the Caribbean, Cambridge World Archaeology Series. Cambridge University Press, New York

Information Technology Buisness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Information Technology Buisness - Essay Example The store, however, lacked computer applications for supporting the business functions. In the following section, a discussion will be made on some recommendations for e-business systems and Enterprise Business Systems for supporting the growth of the online business. The management of the business should understand that today’s business strategizing calls for more flexibility than in the past. They also require to note that strategy development process needs to be much more dynamic. There is the promotion of new value propositions by new companies, and new technologies are being used to give companies a competitive advantage. The company will also need to take very informal and dynamic approaches which tend to degenerate from strategy into tactics. For instance, the company may create a website, so as to advertise its existing and new products. The website will reach a lot of potential customers from a wide area. This is because the e-business enables the market to become global. The general purpose of search engines like Google enables the potential customer to find all the products on sale. Through the website, the clients can also make enquiries about the products, relating to price and durability. The company may also decide to sell its current and new products via a portal without rethinking the nature of its products (Harmon, Guttman & Rosen, 2001). In connection to making use of the internet for the sale of products, the business needs to consider using mobile systems. The mobile systems make e-commerce time independent and user location. However, regulatory issues are to be developed, especially regarding the international e-commerce and guarantee questions. Of concern also are the legal issues on e-cross border transactions and e-contracting. In the development of e-business applications, it will need to create a plan linking the business applications with the steps it wants to take to get to the future state.

Student action plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Student action plans - Essay Example According to Holling (1), everything is dependent on everything else. In other words, every organism has a significant role in the ecosystem. For instance, lions kill herbivores for food. On the other hand, these animals feed on grass. Hence, if they were left to reproduce without killing some, pasture land would now be barren. This would then lead to extreme erosion and siltation of water beds, hence endangering marine life. Due to this, I think that the maintenance of ecological integrity is moral and necessary for the survival of all living organisms. Research shows that human activities are the leading cause of environmental degradation. In my case, for instance, the use of petroleum energy in vehicles leads to the loss of a non-renewable resource. Furthermore, vehicles burn up the petroleum oil and release greenhouse fumes into the atmosphere. This leads to negative impacts on the environment, such as global warming. This, in turn, leads to changes in climate, either longer dry spells on extreme rainy seasons that cause havoc to the environment. Such climate changes affect farmers all over the world, who depend on good weather conditions for survival. This, subsequently, results into increased food insecurity and mortality rates. Furthermore, the fumes that vehicles release cause air pollution. People become more prone to respiratory diseases, whereas those already with such experience a lesser probability of cure. In fact, I think that my only positive impact on the environment is in my planting of flowers and trees in my home place. However, this cannot cause a reasonable change in the ecosystem. Thus, everyone has to contribute to the sustenance or renewal of ecological integrity in the world. One way is to encourage everyone in the neighborhood to plant trees. Trees provide a water-catchment area that ensures the survival of soil microorganisms as well as marine organisms. In addition, I can also