Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains” Essay

What would the world be like if mankind disappeared? This is the theme of Ray Bradbury’s story â€Å"There Will Come Soft Rains†. All of the characters in the story are machines, which through personification take the place of human characters. The theme of man’s destruction reverberates throughout the story. Bradbury uses personification to describe the mechanical creations of man that eventually lead to the story’s theme of the destruction of mankind. There are no human characters at all in the story; instead, there are machines with human characteristics. Miller notes that personification is constantly used to describe the house’s actions (1). This is seen in the first line of the story,† In the living room the voice-clock sang, Tick-tock, seven o’clock, time to get up, seven o’ clock! as if it were afraid that nobody would† (Bradbury 76). The distress of the voice-clock gives it a humanoid impression, which allows it to take the place of human characters. Another interesting example of personification is seen in the way that Bradbury describes the robotic mice. â€Å"Behind it whirred angry mice, angry at having to pick up mud, angry at inconvenience† (Bradbury 77). However, machines are incapable of feelings. Hicks observes that readers are reminded that the rodent readers are mechanical, and that feelings-â€Å"those highly praised human emotions†-cannot exist in machines (234). In fact, there is only one living character in the whole story. As Jennifer Hicks points out, the only live being in the house is the dog, who enters mid-story (234). The dog is not very seemly. â€Å"The dog, once huge and fleshy, but now gone to bone and covered with sores, moved in and through the house, tracking mud† (Bradbury 77). It is pathetic and dying, much like the human race. Life after the destruction of man is the main theme of the story. It is hinted in the story that an atomic bomb was the cause of man’s demise. Bradbury does not blatantly tall the reader that an atomic catastrophe occurred, but reveals it by describing the house and its surroundings (Miller 6). The reader is told that, â€Å"The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles† (Bradbury 77). The â€Å"ruined city† and â€Å"radioactive glow† give readers enough clues to  conclude that atomic warfare was the cause of man’s downfall. While it is known that the earth is now empty, Bradbury also indicates that it was empty before the bomb. Peltier suggests that this world was empty even before the destruction, with mechanical mice vacuuming and a sing-song clock telling time. The dull, mechanical world was empty long before people were taken from it (238). This can be seen in the nursery, where â€Å"Animals took shape: yellow giraffes, blue lions, pink antelopes, lilac panthers cavorting in crystal substance. The walls were glass. They looked out upon color and fantasy† (Bradbury 78). Children do not even go outside to enjoy nature, but watch it on their mechanical walls, their lives growing more and more hollow and empty. Another point that Bradbury makes is that if man disappeared, nothing would care, or even notice. Peltier explains that â€Å"The title of the story, taken from the poem quoted within it, suggests that if humankind were gone, nature would not only endure, but it would also not even notice our disappearance† (237). Sara Teasdale’s poem best illustrates this. â€Å"And not one will know of the war, not one/Will care at last when it is done./Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,/If mankind perished utterly;/ And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn/ Would scarcely know that we were gone (Bradbury 79). Indeed, life would go on after mankind, and would go on peacefully. Therefore, Bradbury’s use of personification describe the machines that eventually lead to the story’s theme of mankind’s destruction. Personification allows the machines to show us what the people who owned the house were like: cold, impersonal, and oblivious to the outside- characteristics that led to both man and machine’s downfall. The author uses the story’s theme of the destruction of man to show readers the effects of becoming too dependent on machines and withdrawing from nature and the world. The chilling thing about Bradbury’s story is the acknowledgment of human dependency on machinery today, and the realization that in such a technologically advanced world, the story could easily become reality.

Monroe Motivated Sequence Design Essay

Gain Attention: We have all seen and heard the stories nationally and locally on the topic of the measles vaccination. Most recently, Disneyland in December of 2014, 59 cases were documented due to an outbreak at the amusement park. Out of those 59 cases 34 had their vaccinations (www.quora.com). Locally, according to the Reno Gazette Journal on February 12, 2015, there are 27 possible cases and four of them are confirmed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that measles is the most deadly of all childhood illnesses. We need to know our facts and be knowledgeable on the signs, risks, and potentials of getting this vaccine. Establish a Need: According to an article in the Washington Post, a survey performed showing 83% of Americans feel the measles vaccination is safe. The other 9% are Americans between the age of 18 and 29 are most likely to state that vaccinations are unsafe. That 9% is in the age group that hasn’t seen or witnessed the effects of the measles due to vaccinations requirements in the past. Additional education must be taught in regards to the effects of not having this shot. We need to establish a guideline for those that do not wish to be vaccinated. By not educating yourself and others you are speculating on the chances of contracting the virus. Provide Satisfaction: Referencing the website for The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, in the decade prior to the measles vaccine in 1963, an average of 549,000  measles cases and 495 measles deaths were reported. They speculate that 3-4 million measles cases occurred each year. After the implementation of the vaccine, cases declined dramatically in the US. Over the decade of 1989-1991 the epidemic came to the surface again when over 55,000 cases and 123 deaths were reported. It is stated this was caused by unvaccinated preschool age children who were not vaccinated. Thus in turn created the need for a second dose to be recommended. In 2000, the measles were considered â€Å"eliminated from the United States. Now we are seeing the virus popping up again all over the country and locally, once again to non-vaccinated due to religious or health concerns with the vaccine. In addition, there is concerns with the importations of the virus from travelers coming in and out of the country. There is a reason this vaccine is available to the public and there should be a law restricting those who do not wish to have the vaccination. Visualization (either utopia or tragic): As we have seen throughout the decades this vaccination works and has proven result. When it is not administered we see the death rate increase. No one wants to see a child or a loved one suffer physical and mentally from the measles, if prevention is possible. Why risk your life or someone you love based on a uneducated decision. These cases have been reported and documented resent by the Disneyland outbreak. And how quickly this virus spread has multiplied. This could be you or someone that is unvaccinated that could cause the spread of this disease leading to death in some cases! Call to Action – concrete, do-able, practical actions: In conclusion, It is our own responsibility to take care of ourselves and the ones we love in life. We need to educate ourselves and look at the real statistics related to the measles vaccination. If we take the time to learn more about the virus its causes, risks, and effects, we can create a more thought out opinion to getting this vaccination. We all do not like the saying â€Å"could of, would of, should of†, don’t let that be you.

How Accurate Was the Term Era of Good Feelings in the United States

In the 1800’s following the war of 1812, the term commonly applied to that era in the United States was known as the â€Å"era of good feelings†. While the United States was growing in several different aspects, such as politically, socially and economically, and changing as a country, there are several key factors that denote this term, and nullify its meaning. While the changes were significant, and the United States evolved at an exponential rate after the war of 1812, the accuracy of the term â€Å"era of good feelings† is way off, and the United States was anything but experiencing an â€Å"era of good feelings†. Following the war of 1812, growth occurred primarily economically, politically, and socially for the United States. These changes indicated symbolize development, expansion of both land and industry, and a sense of unifying nationalism within the citizens of the United States. Although Nationalism seemed to unify the nation, there was more of an underlying indication of a much larger problem, Sectionalism. Sectionalism is a relation to a geographic area. So whereas people could have felt patriotic towards the United States, they related more towards the region they lived in and not the country they were a part of. This sectionalism also indicates a difference in the economic, social and political stances of regions such as the North and the South, and the â€Å"era of good feelings† continued to simply widen that gap. Economically, the United States was experiencing growth. But looking further into sectionalism, there are two completely different growths present in the northern United States and the Southern United States. In the north, following the war of 1812, a rapid expansion occurred in the industry of the north. Technological advances such as the textile mills, and factory workers and the increase in the amount of factories in the North helped create a gap in the economy of the north itself. A lower class, comprised of the workers, got low wages and produced high quantities of product, and the middle class, who were the businessmen and managers. This rift created a class system which benefited the middle class as well as the Northern United States as a whole, as a free market economy developed and increased. Although this was increase throughout the United States, this economical situation occurred primarily in the North, and much less in the south. In the south, the economic increase was much different. Because of the large amounts of plantations and farms in the south, new land was needed so that the crops that had dried up the soil could continue to grow and the economy can continue to benefit. This growth in land and economy indicates that the economic benefit in the south came from crops and agricultural might, rather than industrial. These differences help identify that the â€Å"era of good feelings† and the nationalism that is implied is incorrect and inaccurate, as people have more of a connection towards the land that they make their money on, which implies sectionalism. Politically, the â€Å"era of good feelings† was extremely off. Even before the war of 1812, there had always been a major difference in the political parties and systems of the government. A major difference in this coming from extremely opposing ideologies of the parties and the lack of unity between the two. The difference between the parties is also present in Document C, which shows two different party tents during the fourth of july. Whilst the people are generally happy, the party tents show that the difference is quite evident, and especially how only one of the tents has an American flag flying above it. This difference helps show the gap in political unity and the disagreement between parties. Also, many parties were so discontent with the others, that one (the new England federalists) offered to secede from the Union so as to follow their own system. This shows that the â€Å"era of good feelings† only helped widen the gap between parties, as more and more minor parties came into existence. Socially, The United States was anything but experiencing an â€Å"era of good feelings†. The country was experiencing major problems as the south and the north fought for the Missouri compromise. The north, wanting a free state, fought for Missouri to be free. The south, wanting more power, wanted Missouri to be a slave state. The geographical differences indicate less of a feeling of nationalism and an extreme version of sectionalism. This is also evident in Doc F, â€Å" A geographical line, coinciding with a marked principle, moral and political, once conceived and held up to the angry passions of men, will never be obliterated; and every new irritation will mark it deeper and deeper†. This quote by Thomas Jefferson emphasizes the difference between the North and South. The usage of the term a geographical line only seems to magnify the situation that the United States is in. If anything nationalism isn’t even implied in the document, and the idea of sectionalism strikes itself deep in the line, indicating that the problems between the North and the South is not just a coincidence. It is because of increasing tensions and a lack of unity between the two regions. This rift clearly indicates that the â€Å"era of good feelings† is not only extremely inaccurate, but also opposite of what actually is occurring, which is an increasing divide in the country, as sectionalism continues to increase geographically, and socially. â€Å"The era of good feelings† is anything but a good feeling for the United States. The 1800s provide a turbulent earthquake that splits the nation economically, politically, and socially. The most common indication of this is the ever increasing difference in between the North and the South, which would culminate in 1861 with the deadly civil war that would leave about 620,000 Americans dead.

Advantages Of Banner Advertising Marketing Essay

Advantages Of Banner Advertising Marketing Essay The key of successful business is the business how to promote the product and services to all readers by using the online. According to the statistical data, more of the 80% people will everyday surf through the technologically such as internet. So, the internet has becomes an indispensable part of people’s lives. Thus, it can be considered a wide channel for the business which wants to promote their products and services to all the people. The online advertising method has becomes the most popular method for the business. It is because online advertising is easy and low advertising cost. Besides that, the online advertising also have a lot of the readers or viewers. There are many method of online advertising that can used to promote the product and services such as bloggers advertising, banner advertising, email advertising, forum advertising and so on. But in this assignment, I would like to go on deep about the banner advertising. Advantages of Banner Advertising Banner A dvertising is a most important component of web-business creation. It is a good method for make profits via the website. It is because banner advertising is very simple and easy by just sign up an affiliate programs and follow the instruction given to create an attractive banner that link your website with the advertiser. We can free to choose the design of the layout and content of our site. With the pay-per-click advertisements, we can get paid from viewer who clicked on your banner. Moreover, it is easier for viewers to remember the company name. On the other hand, it become more effective and convenience compare when compare with other online advertising. Furthermore, the banner advertising is inexpensive. It normally counts by the size of the banner or loads of a banner advertisement, a cost per miles (CPM) for a minimum purchase. For example, if you make a banner ad on Yahoo, it cost you a CPM of $20 – $25. It is much cheaper than other advertising media. Compare with o thers, the small firm or company can afford for the banner advertising cost. In addition, by using the banner advertising that can easy got a lot of larger audiences and target segments can be accessed. Last but not least, with the banner advertising, we can share the information at anywhere and in any times. It is because the internet is links worldwide. So, everyone can access to the Internet 24 hours daily thus the banner advertisement created can be logged on anytime and anyplace. Besides that, publisher also update the product and service information release products and services as well as promotion instantly. Disadvantages of Banner Advertising There are few disadvantages of banner advertising. Firstly, there is no assurance of the audience responses. It is because banner only assures that the banner advertising maybe will just be viewed by people and is no guarantee that people will click on the banner advertising. Secondly, the publisher must make sure that the banner adver tising are attractive and innovative. It is because if the banner advertising is not attracted by the reader, then nobody would click into the banner advertising and deliver the message advertising . It is waste time and cost because maybe the business or firm need to hire the professional for creating a unique banner in order to compete with the competitors.

The Devolution of Greek Economy Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

The Devolution of Greek Economy - Dissertation Example The humans have managed to evolve by thinking of new and different things. The ability to innovate had always helped the sons and daughters of Adam to get out of the caves that remained their home for centuries. The human race with the passage of time learned the art and science of building homes and sowing seeds. These activities have assisted the mankind in moving in the direction of industrialization. The industrialization is a trend and is also a force that caused the needs of the masses to be fulfilled over a period of long tenure. The scientific development and growth is done in order to facilitate the achievement of industrialists’ objectives and goals (Oakey, 60). The economy is always known to be controlled by the local corporate sector of the country. There are two significant powers in the world. The first one is called the power of entropy that forces any system to disintegrate over the years and the other one is the strength of evolution that with the help of huma n effort makes things better and better (Peck, 115). The scientific development and the growth in every other field are repeatedly attributed to the people who dared to think differently (Baron and Tang, 55). The different and unique people have always been defined by the ability to see the world in a different way and method. The evolution has its roots in the ability and power of the people who are blessed with the tendency to see, observe and think. The quality of life on the other hand, is directly related with the local entrepreneur’s ability to translate new product and business ideas into commercialized corporate offerings. The offerings are also not the end in themselves but they have to be made better in order to overcome the traditional power of entropy and disintegration. The disintegration is created by the nature itself in order to keep the humans attempting to evolve and inspire. The economic growth is always caused by the force of inspiration that makes people to think and try to become more than what they are in their current state (Fuglsang, Sundbo and Sorensen, 663). The leaders are famous for playing their due hand in the process of evolution as they are primarily responsible for giving direction and purpose to people. The governments are supposed to provide the services of leadership by fueling the process of development and evolution. The Chios Island is the fifth biggest one in the country of Greece and it has a population of 55,000 but the area remained much neglected in the past as the shipping served the country as a major industry in the past years. However, the tide is turning and Chios Island is finally getting all the attention it needed because it is becoming an agricultural hub of the region. The immigrants are building their homes in the Island so that they can take care of the fields while, keeping their families in the newly developing residential areas. Research Question Following is the research questions of the study : - Q.1 Would economic crisis in Greece, be the motive in rehabilitation of abandoned rural areas and its settlements? Significance of the Study The importance, value and significance of the study exist because it is going to discuss the effects of growing population in the rural areas of

Human Recourse Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Recourse Management - Essay Example The external environment of the company, the organisation’s monitoring system of the external environment and how these contribute to its success and occasional hiccups have also been looked into in this paper. To do this, this paper has used several analytical models. Particularly, this paper has used SWOT, PESTEL and the Porter Five forces model as analytical models to look into British Airways adjustment to the external environment. Finally, this paper has made several recommendations regarding how the chosen organisation can respond better to environmental forces. Analysing the External Environment of British Airways Introduction and Background British Airways is among the leading airlines in the global scene and the principle carrier in the United Kingdom. Statistics reveal that the company plays a key role in the worldwide economic landscape. In the financial year 2009/ 2010 it served approximately thirty two million customers and links over three hundred destinations (B ritish Airways Plc., 2010). Their financial statements are impressive since their revenue in the same financial year amounted to 8 billion dollars as stated by British Airways Plc. (2010). ... The present situation in the company is an interesting area of study since an analysis of how it deals with variations in the external environment affect business operations conclusions can be drawn and recommendations can be made. Company’s Profile British Airways has been proficient player in the airline industry since its incorporation in 1924 according to British Airways Plc. (2010). The company engages its activities both at the local and global level. It provides several services including cargo freight, passenger flight services, and mail services among other auxiliary services. Its business is mainly spread across the United States and Europe and serves over five hundred destinations worldwide (British Airways Plc. 2010). The company’s works towards expanding its customer base by offering world class services. There has been increasing competition in the airline business caused by the introduction of modern technology. British Airways has continuously updated it s policies to keep up with changes in the external environment and this is why the company has maintained leadership in business over the years. This business report involves a detailed analysis of the environment of British Airways by focusing on various issues. It will start by analysing the organisation’s external environment, by applying analytical models and ensuring an international focus. Secondly, it will give a critical review organisation’s monitoring system of the external environment. Finally, it will make recommendations detailing how the chosen organisation can respond better to environmental forces. The analytical models used in the report to evaluate the external

Managing Diversity in Hotels in Lebanon Research Paper

Managing Diversity in Hotels in Lebanon - Research Paper Example Diversity in the workplaces has been beneficial because the diverse groups possess more tools, heuristics, perspectives, insights and knowledge when it comes to problem solving than homogeneous groups. The owners of these hotels also have different nationalities and possess diverse cultural backgrounds, therefore, integrate diverse people into the workforce. As diversity increases in the hotel industry, managers have seen an increasing number of matters concerning the management of diverse workplaces. This has prompted them to adopt strategies and methods that will help them in managing diversity (Groschl 225). This paper is concerned with the strategies, aspects and enhancements that are being utilized in managing diversity in the hotel industry of Lebanon. Diversity can be explained as the varying individual differences that organizations are faced with ranging from the visible differences such as age, sex, and ethnicity to the invisible differences such as social class, sexual orientation, culture, religion, educational background, skills, personality, and experience. Diversity management involves the handling and comprehension of these individual differences that the employees and the clients possess in an effort to achieve the desired goals of the hotel industry. Diversity management not only recognizes that every individual is unique and has a particular vital role in the organization but also includes the achievement of the organization’s goals as a tool to foster the advancement of the individual (Heres and Benschop 437). In simpler terms, it involves proper management of diverse human resources to ensure that the best outcomes for the business are realized. Lebanon for a long time has valued its tourism industry immensely as it provides a sizeable source of revenue to the country’s economy. Cultural tourism has always been a part of Lebanon’s broad tourism industry with many Europeans finding their way into the culturally diverse country. The hotels feature diverse workforces like their diverse customer base. In the advertisements the hotels showcase mountain ski resorts, discos, and well preserved churches among other features that attract tourists from different places in the world. They offer international cuisines and a wide variety of beverages to the customers’ preferences. The hotels are also strategically located near bars, restaurants, pubs and even churches such as the Maronite Catholic Cathedral, which are amenities exclusively meant to serve the tourists since Lebanon’s population is largely composed of Muslims (Beirut Hotel 2013). Managing cultural diversity is important for the line managers, expatriate managers and the Human Resource professionals in order to create effective programs that will help the hotel meet its goals. They must possess relevant information on the different cultures and ethnicities that will help provide a base on the activities that should be done to increase the efficiency of the diverse workforce. It is important for the managers to attend trainings and workshops to assist in managing the diverse workforce. Many hotel managers are required to take such trainings in order to effectively manage diverse workforces. Take the example of The Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Beirut. This hotel recruits employees from across the globe and receives a diverse customer base. In order to manage and serve the employees and the customers, the managers have undergone training on how to manage a culturally diverse hotel. In order to successfully manage a diverse workforce, some strategies such as adopting recruitment and training programs, and corporate diversity programs can be used.