Essay Sample on The Glass Menagerie The Characters’ Perspectives of Reality

Essay Sample on The Glass Menagerie The Characters’ Perspectives of Reality In Tennessee Williams’s play The Glass Menagerie, the characters’ perspectives of reality are mixed with those of appearance. Amanda, the mother, tries to make the lives of her children perfect, but in doing so, only causes them grief and anguish. Amanda still lives in the past and sees no reason why her two children should live anything but perfect lives. However, her children, Laura, a crippled and unsociable girl; and Tom, an ambitious young man, believe they should be able to choose their own paths of life. William conveys the theme that several people feel a need to set unreasonable standards for those they love. Amanda’s unwillingness to see Laura for what she really is causes her to make expectations for Laura that are out of her reach, and forces Tom to escape his family so that he no longer feels the pressure of being good enough for his mother. Amanda sets goals of unreachable status for her children and will not see them for what they really are. Amanda sees no reason why her children should not be perfect and forces her upon visitors, by saying â€Å"It’s rare for a girl as sweet an’ pretty as Laura to be domestic! But Laura is, thank heaven, not only pretty but also very domestic† (Williams 14). Amanda distorts her mind in a way that makes Laura’s vices invisible. She believes Laura should have every chance at life that she once had as a young woman and tries to block out all of her inabilities. Amanda believes that if her children failed in life, then she is a failure as a person. She is not able to â€Å"accept the reality of the world with which we’re presented† (Truman). Amanda feels the need to control her children’s’ lives, not recognizing their own capability for survival. She has preconceived notions of how her family should live and will not stop in her to quest to find them happiness. Amanda can not find happiness in the life she has lead, instead depends on Tom and Laura to â€Å"bring her the happiness that her husband failed to give her† (www.pinkmonkey.com). Amanda does not fully understand the needs of her children, only focuses on their faults. She refuses to accept that Laura is different, forcing her into uncomfortable and awkward situations, that cause them both stress. Amanda’s expectations of Laura cause her to lead a life filled with loneliness and a lack of self-respect. Laura’s glass animals are very delicate, and a slight pressure can make the â€Å"glass break so easily. No matter how careful you are† (Williams 19). Laura’s fascination in plants and animals becomes a world of adventure in her mind, a world of dreams, a world of disappointments. Laura’s love for rare glass specimens is also a love for herself, being that Laura is a rare specimen in a world of perfection that her mother has created. Laura’s memories of her childhood and previous encounter with Tom have been twisted into a bizarre fantasy, making it clear â€Å"that her memories are really illusions† (Lumley 61). Laura has a distorted image of herself, resulting in a lack of self-confidence. This trait leads Laura to become quiet and mysterious and misunderstood in public. She begins to lose all base with reality, almost encounter ing the edge of insanity. However, once Laura is able to break through the barrier of social nervousness and inexperience, she begins to â€Å"love the light† (Williams 18). The glass unicorn is a representation of Laura; and in certain conditions, both objects can begin to gleam. Laura begins to shine through the tests she has been put through and for a few moments, is accepted by the outside world. Amanda’s frustration and nagging begins to wear on Tom, eventually causing him to break all ties with his mother. Amanda wants to give Tom â€Å"the chance to lead a normal life† (Truman) but in doing so, increases Tom’s desire to start a life of his own. Tom is contradicted in his dreams of exploration and adventure and his devotion to his sister. He believes that casting Laura into the cold world outside of the Wingfield household is cruel, and attempts to convince Amanda that she is not fit for a normal life. Tom’s dreams of escape come with a price. He is not able to leave â€Å"his coffin without removing one nail† (Williams 7). Tom’s departure causes despair and tension in the house. In order to escape this situation, Tom must see Amanda and Laura as their true selves and be able to cut all ties with them. Amanda’s unfulfilled life causes her to nag her children constantly, which in turn, creates a daughter with little self-confidence and knowledge of the outside world and a son who can not decide what is more important to him- his family or his dreams. This relates to all of us, having had to make a decision between two objects that are close to our hearts. In the 1963 movie Tom Jones, directed by Tony Richardson and starring Albert Finney, the main character Tom, cannot decide on whether a life of mischief and lust or one filled with love is right for him. Combined with the pressures that his uncle, Squire Allworthy, force upon him, Tom goes through many adventures before deciding what life means to him.

A Profile of Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos

A Profile of Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos Alexius Comnenus, also known as  Alexios Komnenos, is perhaps best known for seizing the throne from Nicephorus III and founding the Comnenus dynasty. As emperor, Alexius stabilized the government of the empire. He was also Emperor during the First Crusade. Alexius is the subject of a biography by his learned daughter, Anna Comnena. Occupations: EmperorCrusade WitnessMilitary Leader Places of Residence and Influence: Byzantium (Eastern Rome) Important Dates: Born: 1048Crowned: April 4, 1081Died: Aug. 15, 1118 About Alexius Comnenus Alexius was the third son of John Comnenus and a nephew of Emperor Isaac I. From 1068 to 1081, during the reigns of Romanus IV, Michael VII, and Nicephorus III, he served in the military; then, with the help of his brother Isaac, his mother Anna Dalassena, and his powerful in-laws the Ducas family, he seized the throne from Nicephorus III. For more than half a century the empire had suffered from ineffective or short-lived leaders. Alexius was able to drive the Italian Normans from western Greece, defeat Turkic nomads whod been invading the Balkans, and halt the encroachment of the Seljuq Turks. He also negotiated agreements with Sulayman ibn Qutalmà ¯sh of Konya and other Muslim leaders on the empires eastern border. At home he strengthened the central authority and built up military and naval forces, thus increasing imperial strength in portions of Anatolia (Turkey) and the Mediterranean. These actions helped stabilize Byzantium, but other policies would cause difficulties for his reign. Alexius made concessions to powerful landed magnates which would serve to weaken the authority of himself and future emperors. Although he maintained the traditional imperial role of protecting the Eastern Orthodox Church and repressed heresy, he also seized funds from the Church when necessary, and would be called to account for these actions by the ecclesiastical authorities. Alexius is well known for appealing to Pope Urban II for help in driving the Turks from Byzantine territory. The resulting influx of Crusaders would plague him for years to come.

Obligations of Nurses Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Obligations of Nurses - Coursework Example Nurses are bestowed with the diverse needs of taking care of patients and handle their needs of physical support in a professional way so that the health needs of the same could be met. Based on the level of their education nurses are able to deliver better healthcare services to the patients. In the healthcare organization the responsibilities of doctors and nurses are different based on their own professional needs both are able to meet with their roles in a more effective manner (National Association for Healthcare Quality, 2011). The ranges of the diverse complexes that are evident within the system are identified to be having a certain amount of implication within the domain of having conflicts of ideas. These conflicts could lead to develop the effectiveness of the system so that the chances of complications could be reduced. Additionally, this has also been noted that as there are a number of nurses who are providing services there can be a conflict of ideas that may lead to chances and issues associated with the standard of services that are being provided.

Personality and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personality and Leadership - Essay Example The present research has identified that leadership solves the complex problem and issue of how to control and organize the collective effort. It involves putting people in order so that they can perform a common goal or duty. Effective leadership ensures that institutions are able to achieve their goal and visions while keeping in line with their mission. Leadership ensures organization effectiveness and efficiency. Because of good leadership organization such as universities, hospitals, corporations, governments, and armies are able to thrive. The success in organizations as a result of leadership boosts the psychological and financial well-being of people. The main objective of leadership is to ensure that people collectively achieve common goal and aspirations. It is a tool that ensures group and individuals thrive and survive. Leadership involves keeping things in order whenever they go astray. It involves motivating and encouraging people to work towards the common or set objec tives. It entails maintaining and building of teams which are effective. It does this by encouraging people to work towards a common objective and goal. It discourages selfishness and ensures collective benefits and achievements. Leadership encourages corrective responsibility of a team as people are encouraged to work as a team. It ensures people are watching each other’s back. People are able to seek guidance and assistance from others because of the team spirit caused by leadership. When misused, leadership becomes a tool of destruction. Leaders use the authority they have to push for their personal intentions and objectives. Leadership gives few people authority who can use the chance to dictate and ruin other people’s lives. Leadership only involves pursuing the objectives and intentions of the few people who have the leadership roles. It promotes laziness as people act upon instructions and supervision. With leadership, people get used to being pushed. It makes p eople depend on other people’s effort in order to get something done.

Novel Compared to Movie Adaptation Essay Example for Free

Novel Compared to Movie Adaptation Essay Film adaptation or movie adaptation has been a widespread practice in cinematic tradition around the world. Majority of such adaptations are made from fictions, primarily novels. Some of the other popular sources include autobiography, plays, scriptures and comic books. When a novel is adapted for movies, there are certain techniques deployed to give it a cinematic appeal. Inventing new characters and altering scenes fall into the category of primary adaptation techniques. Sometimes it is also noticed that an insignificant character in the novel is given a prominent part to play in the film. Novels with exteriority and physically dynamic structures are most commonly adapted for filming. Thus, modern novels with their intricate literary devices (such as stream-of-consciousness, internal monologues, etc. ) are difficult to make fit for movies. While changes are mandatory due to time constraints and nature of the medium, extreme care must be taken so that the original essence of the novel is not compromised. However, one school of thought argues that the director should treat the film separately from the novel as both are completely different works of art. Accurate arrangement of a novel at the time of filming is virtually impossible since both speak different literary languages. Contrary to this perspective, another school of thought steadfastly believes that the film must retain either the thematic or the aesthetic sense of its source. Changes should only be made wherever necessary. This doctrine lays more emphasis on the faithful reproduction of the source content. This article is going to make a comparative analysis between Fannie Hurst’s Imitation of Life and its cinematic adaptation of the same title directed by Douglas Sirk. One of the cardinal aspects of movie adaptation that every director must keep in mind involves the risk of taking the viewers away from the fiction: â€Å"It has been argued that these displays of technique and artifice make it difficult to respond affectively to art since they create distance between the fiction and the viewer. † (Sirk et al. 207) Cinema is quintessentially a self-reflexive form of art having a vast scope of expression. This freedom, if used discreetly and masterfully, may make an ordinary source look splendid. The novel Imitation of Life focuses not just on the crude nature of racism in America in the beginning of the twentieth century, but also, and perhaps on a more serious note, holds in view the limitations of the new women. Peola, one of the main female characters in the novel, represents the tragic predicament of being â€Å"neither black nor white yet both†. (Hurst et al. xxv) Her persistent struggle to live without black identity makes her suffer from the inconsolable loss of her mother. At the same time, Bea also gets entangled between career, romance and motherhood. She has to give up love and care for her daughter Jessie to pursue her career. The two sets of mother-daughter relationships portrayed in the novel, Bea-Jessie and Delilah-Peola, imply a subtle message which Hurst seeks to convey in the novel: a woman can’t â€Å"have it all†. (Hurst et al. xxv) The movie by Douglas Sirk does not deviate from the main plot of the novel to a great extent. Characters and conclusions in both cases are same, but the background is changed in the movie to suit the nature of time it depicted. It might be noted that the novel was written in 1933 whereas the movie was released in 1959. The identities of Lora and Annie as widowed single mothers are kept intact in the sense that Bea and Delilah are also shown as widowed single mothers in Hurst’s novel Imitation of Life. The cinematic counterparts of Jessie and Peola are Suzie and Sarah respectively. Lora’s fiance Steve is an adaptation of the character of Frank Flake in Imitation of Life. The movie Imitation of Life, as observed by Andrew Sarris in Film Culture, is characterized by an apparent notion of impossibility which Sarah wants to achieve – white skin. (Handzo 1997) If one attempts to make a comparative analysis between the movie and the novel, the element that comes to the fore is the introductory part. Sirk Douglas does without the elaborateness of Fannie Hurst in narrating the backdrop of Lora’s previous life when she was married. In the beginning of the novel, Bea is shown as a spinster who marries Benjamin Pullman. The subsequent chains of events that lead to Bea’s struggle for survival with an infant daughter are excluded from the movie. It opens with Lora’s soaring ambition of becoming a Broadway star – a curtain raiser which is followed by three social scenes the filmmaker conjures: â€Å"women and work, race relations, star mythology†. (Sirk et al. 27) In this sense, the movie mirrors the content of the novel in a threefold manner. To quote Sirk, â€Å"The mirror is the imitation of life. What is interesting about a mirror is that it does not show yourself as you are, it shows you your own opposite. † (Sirk et al. 3) As far as cinematic approach is concerned, the abrupt opening may be attributed to time constraints as well. However, the movie diverts from the novel in one critical aspect. While Bea pursues a successful career of businesswoman, Lora takes a different course altogether. Unlike the world of literature, the world of showbiz uniquely demands dynamism of action and hence, the characterization is justified per se. Another argument that can be cited with regards to the altered career path of the main protagonist of the movie is the shifting social climate in the times it was released. It was difficult for the filmmaker to envision his heroine as the owner of pancake restaurants. Moreover, during that phase many Afro-American actors were striving to put behind the stereotyped roles of household attendants. So changes in the storyline are especially reflected in the characterization of Annie. In addition to being a motherly figure of affection and care, she is also the source of wisdom in Lora’s household. (Richard 2008) Both the novel and the film adaptation share a striking resemblance in themes of romance. At the end of the novel, a triangular love develops between Bea, Flake and Jessie. Similarly, the movie also projects similar storyline where Suzie in her teenage is enamored by Steve who is Lora’s fiance. This modernist woman’s picture has been a source of much controversy in both the novel and the movie. It has given rise to a lot of feminist speculations regarding the ordeals faced by single working mothers in male dominant societies. The melodramatic imagination of the filmmaker goes beyond the confines of the novel. The cinematic experience of Imitation of Life presents a spectrum of diverse interpretations which are not fully realized in the novel. It can be stated without an iota of doubt that the freedom of expression in any moving medium is utilized to its fullest potential by the director, all within the permissive limits of the reel world. Works cited Hurst, Fannie, and Daniel Itzkovitz. Imitation of Life. Durham: Duke University Press, 2004. Sirk, Douglas, and Lucy Fischer. Imitation of Life: Douglas Sirk, Director. Piscataway: Rutgers University Press, 1991. Handzo, Stephen. â€Å"Intimations of Lifelessness. † bright lights film journal 18 (1997) Richard, Cicely A. â€Å"Film Analysis: Imitation of Life. † suite101. com. May 26, 2008. 7 March 2009 http://classic-film-dramas. suite101. com/article. cfm/film_analysis_imitation_of_life

Medias Influence Essay -- The Role and Influence of Mass Media

You do it without even knowing. Everyday you are influenced by the media, when you wake up, one of the first things you will do, and I speak from experience because I do it my self, you will look at your mobile phone, turn the TV on, turn the sleeper timer on your radio or check your emails. It doesn't seem like much but already straight away in your lives you're being influenced. After that it doesn't stop. you go to the kitchen and get some food, and I can almost be 100% sure when I say that there will be a product in that kitchen of yours that has been or is endorsed by a well known celebrity. Which again just shows another way in which the media influence us? I carried out a bit of background research before I did this essay, and this statement is backed up by what I found. I found that 87% of people I asked have brought something because of celebrity endorsement. 100% of people owned some products that had been endorsed, be it makeup, cooking equipment, shoes/clothes whatever. Of all these people they said that t...

Democratic Government and Monarchy

Democratic Government and Monarchy The types of system of government Democracy and Monarchy are different from each other. The actual founder of the modern democracy was John Locke, who argued with Thomas Hobbes, the one who believed that one person king or queen should rule. Government has been an issue throughout time. Many different governments have been established, demolished and replaced over the time, but the question is which one is better?In democracy they give the people more freedom, and more voice to choose what is best for them, however in absolute power the ruler gets to choose what is good for the people or not. It’s becoming hard to decide the type of government system is best suitable for the society we live in. Monarchy and democracy both have advantages, and disadvantages, indeed; government is never established without them. Let’s first look at Monarchy. Monarchy is a system of government ruled by king or queen. People follow the throne; members of t he ruling family.The ruler decides, and gets to choose the best for country. Otherwise, there are some punishments given to the people. The system of monarchy is been established in many places throughout the time in different places. One of the big places is England where this system is still accepted even in this postmodern twenty first century. England has had good and bad kings, queens and both. One of the kings that England had was by the name of Henry the VIII, who comes in the bad category of the rulers.Henry the VIII was a good king, however his secretive, acquisitive, and untrusting qualities lead to downfall. He went against the church in order to execute one of the sixth wives â€Å"Anne Boleyn† for not producing a male heir to his throne. When Henry VIII died his only son Henry IX succeeded him. When his son died, Henry the VIII’s first daughter Mary, ascended the throne. She was raised as a catholic and was intent to make the entire country of Catholic, an d then she earned the title of â€Å"Bloody Mary†. Elizabeth succeeded her, and she was one of the good rulers that England had.Elizabeth was a beloved queen to England and ruled for forty four years. There are some advantages and disadvantages of Monarchy. History is witness that monarchy came out ahead of democracy, however the economists call it â€Å"time Preference†. The best advantage of having a monarchy is that there is always someone higher up than the peoples elected Representative like the prime minister. The monarch has no political preference so is balanced and is able to guide the PM in running the country. Let’s pretend that king or queen is so fair that everything in the country runs smoothly.Then not only government, but also society would be willing to have monarchy in that country. And if king and queen govern so cruelly, then the citizens would be unhappy to live in that country and there will be revolutionary war or civil war that ruin prosp erity of the country like how this happened in Nepal from 1996 to 2006. The problem with any hereditary absolute ruler is the possibility of too much power in the hands of a person unsuitable for maintaining it. History is witnessed with examples. The great roman emperor Augustus was succeeded by the likes of Caligula and Nero.The warrior king Edward I followed by the useless Edward II. The list goes on. It was great if the monarch was a ‘good' king or queen. But if you had an incompetent tyrant on your hands it could be disastrous. Also, an advantage is that less people in charge means less arguing, and it becomes easy to take action, instead of wasting time. Now let’s start with democratic system. The other government system is Democracy, is a form of government in which people freely elect their representatives to govern them. In democratic countries, what majority wants is established.The good example of the Democratic government is Rome in early renaissance. Rome h ad the best democratic government at this time. The element of that system of government can be found in United States. The veto system used today by the president of the United States was also used in Rome’s democratic system. As we can see from the government used in the United States today, where all people have right to say in the issues of country, is better for all and much better than a monarchy. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of democratic government.The democratic system can be established for changes in government without violence. In a democratic system, authority can be transferred from one leader to another by the jurisdiction of citizens of the country determines their ruling authority. This makes the ruling authority grateful to the citizen, and this serves as their motivation of freedom towards citizen, which maintains peace. The most important advantage of the democracy is that by claiming the leader citizens gain a sense of participation in the e lections to choose their government.Citizens of the country feel free to voice their opinions in the process of choosing the authoritarian, and this gives rise to a feeling of nationalism in their mind. Disadvantages In a democratic nation, people have all the right to elect their leader, however mostly people do not vote due to the lack of knowledge the political scenario in their country, and this results making people wrong choices. The leaders rule for a short period of time, and this results them to focus on winning the election rather than working of their people.Every form of government system is guaranteed to have some drawbacks. There are different views about both political systems. Whether a government system is democratic or monarchy, they both serve the same purpose that is run its country. Their similarities, advantages, and disadvantages have to be evaluated carefully in order to have a good conclusion. Both governments are considerable on both sides. When Thomas Hobb es looked out of his window, he saw the entire bad things that could happen in a democratic government and he decided to believe that there should be an absolute power.On the other hand, John Locke saw the society in a good way and he believed that society should have more rights than they do. Two philosophers are so good in their work yet so opposite their beliefs helped to decide the criteria of society. World is coming into a new era, and countries with monarchy type of government are hard to establish, however it’s not impossible to see this system. It depends on the society we are living in and the type of government will establish which fits within the society, and this concludes that both Democratic and monarchy system of government are efficient.

Negative Business Letter Essay

Toy Travels Ltd. June 17, 2009 Mrs. Vic King 800 University Drive Romeoville, IL 60446 Dear Mrs. Vic, Toy Travels has been in business now for decades, it’s dedicated to customer satisfaction for over a decade now, achieving this goal by giving its customers excellent opportunities to travel at extremely low costs. We hope that you and your family enjoyed your week long trip with lots of fun in our nice weather down here in Chicago. It was greatly appreciated that your family tour down here and at the same time interested in our services. However I express regret that our company was unable to accept your application due to the fact that you do not hold any sort of good credit. Our report depict that you have couples of unpaid credit on your account. All you need to do is develop a good line of credit over about a year’s time,and our creditors will surely approve you. At Toy Travels, parts of our excellent services are to provide you with a chance to meet with Truth Mortgage, the company that handles most of our mortgage cases. This would get you started in a smart and easy plan to build up your credit. Please make possible effort to contact us using the provide telephone number above if help is needed. We will be anxiously waiting to hear from you Mrs. Vic because we at Toy Travels will keep our words in providing the best customer service you can ever receive elsewhere. Thank you for your time and patience. Sincerely, Toye Oduola, CEO Toy Travels Ltd

How to Find the Draco Constellation

How to Find the Draco Constellation Draco is a long, winding constellation easily visible to northern hemisphere observers. Its one of those star patterns that actually does look somewhat like its name, tracing out the long body of an exotic dragon across the sky.   Finding Draco Constellation Locating Draco is pretty easy in clear, dark skies. The best way is to first locate the north star Polaris, or look for the Big Dipper or the Little Dipper. They are on either side of the long body of the celestial dragon. Its head is at one end, near the constellation Hercules and its tail is up near the bowl of the Big Dipper.   This chart shows Draco in relation to nearby constellations of Ursa MInor (the Little Dipper) and Hercules. Click to enlarge. Carolyn Collins Petersen Draco Constellation Mythology The ancient Greeks envisioned Draco as a serpent-dragon, which they called Ladon. They placed it close in the sky to the figure of Hercules. He was their mythical hero who, among many other notable actions, killed the dragon as one of his twelve labors.  Over the centuries, the Greeks spoke of Draco going after heroines, particularly the goddess Minerva, as well as his adventures as the son of the Titan Gaia. In contrast, the ancient Arabic astronomers saw this region of the sky as home to two hyenas attacking an infant camel who is part of a mother group of older camels. The Stars of Draco Constellation Draco has fourteen brighter stars that make up the body of the dragon, and many others that lie inside the official IAU-designated region for the constellation. Its brightest star is called Thuban, which was our north star at the time the ancient Egyptians were building their pyramids. In fact, the Egyptians angled certain passageways inside the pyramids to point directly at Thuban. Thuban existed in a region of the sky that they believed was a gateway to the afterlife.  Therefore, if the passageway pointed there, the soul of the pharaoh would have a direct pathway to his reward. The official IAU chart showing the region of the northern hemisphere sky that contains constellation Draco. IAU/Sky Publishing. Eventually, due to the procession of Earth on its axis, Thubans position in the sky changed. Today, Polaris is our north star, but Thuban will be the pole star again in about 21,000 years. Its name is derived from the Arabic term that means snake. This chart shows how Earths north pole precesses as Earth wobbles on its axis. The result is that the pole appears to point at different stars over the course of 26,000 years. Right now it points at Polaris, but in the past (and in the future) Thuban is a target. Based on a graphic provided by Tauolunga, via Wikimedia Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 license.   Thuban, also called ÃŽ ± Draconis, is a binary star system. The bright one we see is accompanied by a very faint star that orbits very close to its partner. The second-brightest star in Draco is called ÃŽ ² Draconis, with a familiar name of Rastaban. It is near the bright star ÃŽ ³ Draconis, which is also called Eltanin. Interestingly, Eltanin is actually the brightest star in Draco.   Deep-Sky Objects in Constellation Draco This region of the sky has a number of faint deep-sky objects that require binoculars or a telescope to see. One of the most famous is the Cats-Eye Nebula, also known as NGC 6543. Its a planetary nebula that lies about 3,000 light-years away from us and is the remains of a sun-like star that experienced its final death throes some 1,200 years ago. Before that, it gently blew off its material in a series of pulsations that formed concentric rings around the dying star.   The Cats Eye planetary nebula, as seen by Hubble Space Telescope. NASA/ESA/STScI The unusual shape of the nebula is due to the clouds of material blown away from the star by a fast stellar wind. It collides with material that was ejected earlier in the stars aging process. The cloud of material is mostly hydrogen and helium, mixed with other materials. Astronomers suspect there may have been a binary companion star involved, and interactions with it may have caused the complex structure we see in the nebula.   Viewing the Cats-Eye Nebula requires a good small- to medium-sized telescope, since its actually quite dim. The nebula was discovered by William Herschel in 1786 and has been observed by many professional astronomers using both ground-based instruments, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.   Observers with good telescopes can also spot several galaxies in Draco, as well as galaxy clusters and colliding galaxies. Its well worth a few evenings of exploration to ramble through Draco and spot these fascinating objects.

Technical Writing for Engineers [The Ultimate Guide Course]

Technical Writing for Engineers [The Ultimate Guide Course] Engineers often believe technical writing to be highly-detailed documentation for fellow engineers. In fact, technical writing is a style that takes complex information and clearly explains it to a specific audience. Engineers are a great wealth of technical knowledge, however, they can struggle with how to prepare technical documents. Yet, by mastering this form of communication, engineers can enjoy important benefits. This article will outline how the challenges can become benefits and identify strategies for engineers to achieve great technical writing. We also offer a course that teaches technical writing to engineers. You can learn more about this course by clicking the button below. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(41482, '83300502-8324-43ca-96f7-5319276ffbe7', {}); Challenges versus Benefits An engineer is a writer. Or at least, they should be a writer. Communicating technical information can be just as important as developing it. Adding technical writing to your toolkit will add a surprising amount of value to your career. Writing is an important part of the engineering process. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your writing, this guide takes you through engineers’ common writing challenges, the benefits to overcoming them and tangible solutions to help you do just that. Challenge #1: Communicating Technical Knowledge If you’ve ever wondered why your boss or technician hasn’t understood the importance of a particular concept, the problem is likely communication. When too many technical details are presented in a report or other document, the crucial ones can get buried. Engineers often write technical documents as if their audience were fellow engineers. However, the audience is always changing. The reader of one document may be an expert while the reader of your next document may be a business-minded executive or a consumer. Writing for a non-engineering audience is a significant, important challenge. Benefit #1: Increased clarity and communication Good writing by an engineer will increase communication effectiveness. Directing your writing to the intended audience will allow the reader to understand the content on the first read, rather than needing to ask for additional details or explanation. By understanding the audience’s goal in reading the document, you as the writer can highlight the important data. Only the most crucial supplementary or background information should be included. The information that is needed for a decision, instruction or education must take center stage. Good technical writing will save time, avoid misunderstanding and increase workplace efficiency by promoting good communication between engineers and other staff. Solution: Use Technical Writing Style There is a major misconception that a complex and scholarly text is good technical writing. However, the opposite is true. Elaborate text often confuses the reader and conceals the purpose. Keeping the information accessible is most important. Technical writing uses the simplest and most direct language to convey the information. The tone is neutral and professional. To achieve this tone, use the active voice in your writing. Choose your words carefully so you use the fewest words possible while being precise. Avoid jargon and use clearly-explained terms instead. These strategies will create a text that effectively communicates technical details. Solution: Enhance with Graphics Good graphics support good writing. Include diagrams or schematics where they add value and increase reader comprehension. They should be directly referenced within the text and clearly explained in a caption. Challenge #2: â€Å"But no one ever reads it...† Some engineers get frustrated by the fact that their reports gather dust. Documenting can seem like a customary process with no real value. Why write a text that will never be read? The problem is not with the reader, but with the text itself. Technical documents that bury crucial information or are difficult to understand can delay reading, decision-making or worse, be altogether overlooked. A good technical document is written for a specific purpose and defined audience. Therefore, it is written to be read. Benefit #2: Valuable Career Skill Imagine how many crucial details get buried in elaborate yet inaccessible engineering reports. These reports make the reader hunt for the information they need. Engineers who can convey that essential information improve communication inside companies. Better communication ultimately increases efficiency and productivity. For this reason, employers view engineers with good communication and technical writing skills as highly valuable. Technical prowess is not enough. Technical writing can differentiate your skillset, leading to better employment prospects and higher job security. Solution: Know Your Audience Ignoring the audience is one of the biggest writing mistakes for engineers. The reader will be different for each document. To write well, you must know their knowledge of the field, relationship to the department or company, and purpose for reading. In the planning process, ask yourself, ‘Who is my reader?’. Then, write out this information so that you are aware of it and have a constant visual reminder. Keeping the audience top of mind will change the way you write your document. While you’re writing, ask yourself ‘Would my reader understand this text?’. If the answer is no, re-write it. If the answer is yes, you are producing good technical writing. Solution: Plan Effectively A technical document without a plan is like a ship without a captain. It is difficult to navigate and takes, long a long time to reach its goal (if ever!). As an engineer, you will have a deep understanding of the topic. For most reports, the reader needs to know only a fraction of your expertise. The planning process is crucial for separating the information that needs to be included from the rest. Be wary of details. The reader generally needs to know the implication of high-level specifications, not the specifications themselves. Once you’ve highlighted the necessary information, it can be organized into a coherent overview. Planning can take many forms. We recommend using a mind-map to capture and visualize the document. Other writers may prefer a pen-and-paper sketch or a spreadsheet outline. The format does not matter so long as it allows an effective and efficient plan for your document. Challenge #3: Making Time for Writing Writing often takes a back-seat to ‘real’ work. Sometimes, there can be not enough hours in the day to complete technical work, let alone to write it down. Documenting can feel secondary, and therefore gets little time allocated to it. It can be helpful to set aside time for writing where there are no distractions. Don’t wait until the end of the day to write your documents. Additionally having a quiet space can ensure you are focused without distractions. Benefit #3: Records and Completes Work Great work does not share itself. The most innovative concepts can be lost if they exist only in the laboratory. Technical writing records engineering work and allows it to reach beyond the engineering department. In addition, documentation provides a mark of completion. Some projects have a clear end point, while others can be vague. Documenting, including outstanding work for future, finalizes a project. Solution: Prioritize Writing Writing should not be an afterthought. For each major activity, documentation should be integrated into project management and time planning. By considering writing as part of the engineering process, creating the text will feel less onerous and more natural. Do not leave the writing to the last minute, as rushed writing is generally bad writing. Carve out time to plan, write and review the document. Solution: Engage in the Review Cycle As you get ready to review, take advantage of the available software tools. Check your text through both Microsoft Word’s Spelling and Grammar check with its Readability tool and the online Grammarly tool. Then, review the document again with the audience in mind. The most effective trick is to read the text aloud. Reading will highlight awkward phrases, unnecessary words, and repetition. The review process takes many forms. Most engineering companies have an internal review process using some variation of first draft-revised draft-final version. The revisions are completed by colleagues, supervisors or fellow experts. Understand the company’s review process and integrate into your writing timeline. The review provides a fresh perspective. Feedback and edits improve the document and offer valuable lessons for future writing. Take advantage of this learning opportunity. The review process can also be informal. If the executive you’re preparing the document for and your best friend have a similar level of knowledge of the topic, ask your friend to review your text. Friends and family can be a great resource to review your text for non-expert readability and accessibility. You can also ask your colleagues to do an initial review before sending it to the formal review. Additionally many engineering firms offer technical writing courses for their employees. These courses often come with document feedback and review. This allows you to receive objective feedback on the structure, style, and tone of your writing. Conclusion and Further Reading Good technical writing shines a light on important engineering work. Improving technical writing is not an overnight process, but one that provides big value to your work, your company and your career. To learn more, check out the following links: IEEE Professional Communication Society - Communication Resources for Engineers Engineer’s Guide to Technical Writing by K. Budinski'

PPD3 Portfolio Part 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

PPD3 Portfolio Part 1 - Essay Example Indeed, all the preparations and research we have undergone resulted to more than knowledge. The very first step that an applicant must learn when applying for a job is to familiarize himself about the target organization, in this case- Enterprise Rent a Car. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is already an established organization with very precise set of procedures. An example of which is the recruitment and selection process of the company wherein they attract university students through a mentoring program. The on-the –job training is a very valuable process that students like I could participate in order to experience real life situations as compared to theories learned in the classroom setting. However, not everyone can fit into what Enterprise Rent a Car needs because there are certain competencies required so a person can fulfill job functions very well. Our team evaluated the objectives of a car rental business and saw that the main goal of this type of business is to expand its c ustomer base. Such goal can only be accomplished through outstanding customer service since customers themselves can make referrals about their service. The Enterprise was very good at focusing on customer service and used ESQI to measure customer satisfaction. I realized that business guru Peter Drucker was right when he said that â€Å"things that cannot be measured cannot be managed†. Likewise, the saying is very applicable to my personal development since what we have been learning and doing all along these past few weeks is determining different skills and capabilities that we possess. A comprehensive and objective report as revealed by different tests gave me a clear picture of my strengths and weaknesses as well as potential for development. However, aside from focusing on myself, I understood the importance of collaboration with other team members. A goal can only be achieved when a team works together and gives their best. Team members met and brainstormed so best id eas would come out naturally. Everyone participated and we listed all the possibilities of how a car rental service can expand its base of marketing. We realized that all of us share same concepts and that marketing was very crucial in real life situations. We all agreed that this type of business would have an advantage over its competitors if it segments its target market since other companies take a shot-gun approach or one size fits all. The industry is competitive and things don’t work out that way anymore so we have to be creative. My ESTP personality moved the group into action so I was the one who set deadlines and arranged meetings. We also knew that this business has certain set of expectations from its employees and would get an employee who can be an epitome of customer service. The company screens online application forms which are why it is very crucial to create the best CV possible. A working experience in a sales oriented company would be an edge over other a pplicants which made me feel confident. Once an employee or a management trainee is in, various development programs coupled by trainings and seminars is in place. Aside from all the planning, organizing and researching to learn more about Enterprise, there are much more important things learned in the Assessment Exercise. First, it takes a lot of preparation to really get a good job nowadays. The most diligent effort

Persuasive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Persuasive - Essay Example Statistics also reveal that 34% of women become pregnant at least once before the age of 20 (Teen pregnancy statistics, n.d; Facts on American, 2010; Tanne, 2005). Such unprotected or unwanted sex increases the risk of both unwanted teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (Facts on American, 2010). Additionally teenage pregnancy also affects the studies and career of the teenager and also the children born from such pregnancies suffer from problems such as low-birth weight and tend to perform less well in school compared to children born to adult mothers (Teen pregnancy statistics, n.d). While abstinence from sex is widely recommended for teenagers, many pediatricians and health counselors have also recommended that they also have access to birth control and emergency contraceptive options (Teen pregnancy statistics, n.d). Denial of access to information pertaining to sexual activity or contraceptive measures has not reduced the occurrence of unwanted pregnancies or s exually transmitted diseases according to studies (Wind, 2005). The need to educate teenagers about birth control and emergency contraception measures has been reinforced by pediatricians as they believe that preaching sexual abstinence alone will not help to reduce unwanted or unintended pregnancies. The pediatricians have suggested these updates as part of the teen pregnancy policy of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Teaching mere abstinence from sex will only drive the teenagers to engage in sexual acts and a lack of knowledge about safe sexual practices will only compound the issue (Tanner, 2005). Hence many pediatricians have recommended that in addition to counseling teenagers to postpone sexual activity it is also impertinent that they be educated about birth control measures and also ensure proper access to emergency contraception which would be vital in cases such as unintended or forces sexual