Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Trouble with Scotland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Trouble with Scotland - Essay Example The background score in this scene, just prior to the "They'll never take our Freedom!" Exhortation while not misplaced in terms of cinematography at that moment the musical choice does not seem to be evocative of the type of emotions that would rouse reluctant men to battle and death. Rather the total quality or we use an emotional tapestry of soothing memory and simple pleasures when one might argue that a harder-edged sound choice might better foreshadow the carnage to come. But one might argue that the message being portrayed by the particulars of the musical undercurrents in this scene being that for untrained men to rise up as one and engage in a peril-fraught, blood-soaked exploit of such deadly danger they require something other than themselves for which they are fighting. Even as Wallaces speech would seem to evoke personal pride within them, to spit in the devil's eyes. Asking them if they would truly trade all of the potential days and years of complacent old age for one chance, just one chance, to defy the great Martial might of England's professional army. Here we have a juxtaposition between the selfless need to fight for something greater, while at the same time asserting a piss&vinegar, devil may care disregard for mortality. The portrayal of the larger war against the British is structured during the film to grant a pivotal role to the French-born princess. (played by Sophie Marceau) integral to this war effort and to the film, on the whole, is the Princess's journey. Her transformation from Royal pawn of perpetually feuding nations bartered away as a living stamp of approval upon a flimsy peace accord between Britain and France - to become a traitorous, adulterous Queen. In the betrayal of her unwilling vows, she discovers the means to become true to herself; her personal journey of becoming.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Vertical Crest Equations Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Vertical Crest Equations - Thesis Example Current road network systems require proper and detailed construction to ensure they last long and also handle different vehicles using the road. There are different types of roads. These include stone paved roads, timber track ways, and brick paved roads, tarmac roads among other types of roads. Tarmac roads are most the most common types of roads in the modern world. Road construction is normally controlled by the public sector. Road building is a capital intensive exercise and most roads are accessible to the general public. Road construction involves the making of a continuous path with low grade of stone to allow for passage of vehicles and humans on foot. it begins with removal of vegetation, followed by digging or rock excavations for areas with rocks. The pavement material is then laid. Proper optimization must be done to ensure minimum cut and fill. Road building process encompasses the removal of the top layer of unwanted soil by excavations. Filling the excavated trench with hardcore stones, compacting the stones, lying of tarmac and finally compaction of the tarmac. During road construction several environmental aspects have to taken into consideration. First roads generate considerable air pollution due to cars emissions. Secondly the urban rainfall cumulates to form runoff that flow along the hard surface collecting chemical and meta ls which end up in /major water bodies. Noise pollution is also common to people living near major highways. During road construction, there are number of geographical obstacles experienced by the engineers and the design engineer has to figure out how to overcome these obstacles in the most effective and economic way. One common problem is when designing a road in hilly areas or in areas with sharp decent and ascent. Care must be taken to ensure that the driver can see ahead especially during the night Vertical curves In the design of highways, there are various fundamental transition elements. These include the horizontal and the vertical curves. The vertical curve is important as it provides the transition between two roadways. This allows the vehicle to negotiate the elevation gradually rather than a sharp cut. These vertical curves are used to connect roadways with inclined sections and provide transitions between two grades. They are easy to design as the only requirement is to determine the length of the curve that will accommodate the required sight distance. Type's of vertical curves According to the Department of transportation, There are two main types of curves, the sag curve and the crest curve ,crest curves are applied when the change in grade is positive for example when ascending valleys while sag vertical curves are used when descending on planes and there is a negative change in grade. Properties of vertical curves Regardless of whether it is a sag curve or a crest curve these curves have three points. These points are: PVC: this is also called the point of vertical curve. It represents the start point of the curve PVT : stands for the point of vertical tangency and is the endpoint of the curve PVI: stands for pint of vertical intersection Fig 1 showing the properties of vertical curves For equal tangent curves, half of the length of the curve is positioned before PVI and the other half after. This forms a uniform curve

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Analysis Of The CMA CGM Company

Analysis Of The CMA CGM Company CMA CGM (2010a) is the worlds third largest container shipping company and is ranked number one in France who offers a complete range of activities including shipping, handling facilities in port as well as logistics on land. Its main objective is to offer customers all over the world a proactive, innovative service which reconciles quality and high performance with protection of the environment. The founder and CEO of CMA CGM Mr. Jacques R Saade is guiding the group from the begining to till date confidently and wish to develop and run in future of container shipping. CMA CGM has always integrated security, safety and environmental concerns in their development strategies and used the latest technology to minimize the pollution. Figure (Diagram) 1. Greenhouse gas emmission by transportation (River Shuttle Containers, 2010) The River shuttle containers (2010) of CMA CGM calculated the benefit of waterways carries for protecting the environment comparing with the land transportation. Enhance to reduce the pollution they introducesd the river shuttle container barge in French teritory and Europe. Figure (Diagram)2. History of CMA CGM developed by author ( CMA CGM, 2010b) CMA CGM is operating by its own brand shipping line CMA CGM and other subsidiaries for integrating the organisation and adding value for customization in container shipping market.CMA CGM worldwide subsidiaries for strengthening group activities in transportation area which are as follows:- Container Shipping Line Delmas. Expert in African region OTAL Africa Line. Maximum coverage in west Africa CNC Line-Specialist for Intra -Asia line ANL- Leader in Oceania Mac Andrews Dedicated in Intra European trade COMANOV. Specialist for Morocco US Lines. Specialist for transpacific and Australasia trade. Multimodal River Shuttle Containers LTI France Progeco CMA Rail Logistics Services 1) CMA CGM Logistics 2) TCX Multimodal Logistics International Tourism Compagnie du ponant Tapis rouge International Partir en cargo The Travellers club The CMA CGMs (CMA CGM, 2009) e-commerce services offer a full range of online business which are comparatively easy, safe and efficient to the customer and planned to eliminate the paper and making the flow of faster information around the clock. They are highly integrated in transport sector of the world by connecting the regional leader in transportation like ANL in Australia. World shipping council (2009) repoted that CMA CGM has become an international operator serving maritime shipping routes around the world with door-to-door services combining maritime shipping with rail, river and highway transport. They expanded their business by a growth strategy and sustained capital spending which is powered by the joint force of jiant shipping leaders from USA ( US Lines ) to Africa ( OTAL line of Africa). The Group has built its success on the strong values of quality, innovation, imagination and anticipation. The CMA CGM (Marinelog, 2009) group inaugurated the French Asia Line or FAL service ( Asia to Europe) in partnership with MAERSK line ( No 1 in container shipping) by their latest vessel CMA CGM CHRISTOPHE COLOMB, one of the worlds largest container ship having 13344 TEU capacity. This vessel is integrated by latest environmental technologies that actively contribute battle against global warming and CO2 emission. In ( The Journal of Commerce ,2010) this global economic downturn, CMA CGM affected and had $5 billion in debts following the worst downturn in container shipping history also a series of steep losses from hedging deals on oil prices. The company (The Financial Times, 2010) is unable to complete the payment for new ships also taking the delivery from shipyards where the Greek ship-owner brought the ordered ship. They are trying to manage the capital from outside of the country because Frances FSI strategic investment fund is normally to invest alongside other, conventional investors. The State-owned fund of Qatar is offereing $ 1 billion for recovering the losses and faces the unwanted situation of the CMA CGM group. Advance Shipping, Environment Minded is the motto of CMA CGM about environment protection in this climate change and frequent change of world weather condition. They are awarded about the environment and know-how its ability to innovate and prepared to protect the environment. They are committed to sustainable development and respect for nature relies on numerous environmental initiatives to minimize the impact of transporting activities and trying to develop alternative transportation modes. PESTLE ANALYSIS The simplest( Rugman and Collinson,2006 ) form of understanding the paticular competitive environment or investment contexts for firms at the national or international level is PEST analysis which examines the political,economical , socio-cultural and technological condotions of a organisation.In addition legal and environmental factors created the full form of PESTLE analysis by which it is easy to assess new investment environment as an input into global expansion and market entry strategies.The enivironment is very important for doing business in this uncertain world also in globalized economy. After understanding the internal factors of the organistion (Strength and Weakness), need to assess the other factors for competing with others or adding value to create such an environment for sustainity. Figure (Diagram)3. PESTLE Analysis (Developed by Author) In a study of business environment, Johnson et al (2007) identified three layers which are as follows:- The most general layer of the environment is macro-environment as framed the PESTLE which strategies are affected by influences and some of the ways for seeking to handle the outer aspects of the organisation. The broad general layer is the industry or sector as framed five forces which strategies are concentrated the cycles of competition among the organisations. The most immediate layer is markets and competitors which strategies are concentrated to identify direct and indirect competitors. Overall, PESTLE analysis is tool identify the major external factors for running the organisation within a limited arena where opportunities are unlimited but threat may be influenced to stop the activities. PESTLE ANALYSIS OF CMA CGM Political As a European shipping company also to be a french line, CMA CGM has a stable political adventages in own region and over the world. They are getting exclusive cooperation from French government and European Union for extending the business globally. Due to their subsidiries presency in Africa, USA and others, they are able to manage any political issues by their partner and directly. Economical CMA CGM is passing a very tough economic time because of the downturn. They are in crisis from the begining of 2009 where 2008 shows ahuge profit. The Financial time reported that the company is trying to solve the problem by procuring the fund fron government or outside of the country. Sociocultural CMA CGM (2010C) plays a significant role in humaintarean development of the world and commited to promote the well-being of the children, particularly children with disabilities or length illnesses. Handicap International and the International Red Cross is the social partner for supporting the childrens mental and physical development. CMA CGM corporate foundation also support various artistic activities includingg the socaial and cultural activities in port and shipping sector. The foundation contributed in humanitarean and cultural program by working in Franch and Lebanon. Over 60 projects are running by reneoed humanitarean and cultural organisation funded by CMA CGM foundation. Technological E-business is the main systems of container shipping and CMA CGM is serving throgh e-business. Every information related to shipping operations and corporate are available on their website and customer can know any information regarding their cargo or others business function from the corporate website also from the subsidiary website. All vessels are manoeuvring by using latest technilogy which are safest and envirionment friendly. Environmental The Group (CMA CGM,2009) has a plan to cut CO2 emissions by 15 % per container and per kilometre. They will preserve the budget for ocean environment also develop the portfolio which will be environment friendly services and shipping solutions. Fighting against the negative impact of climate or climate change is the key component of Groups environmental policy. The equipment or container of the company is going to convert into eco container for reducing the use carbon as raw material. Most of the vessel of the company is equipped with a combination of innivative environmental features likw fast oil recovery system, multichamber waste compactor to recycle garbage on board , proper water ballast systems and etc. CMA CGM is awraded by Long Beach Harbour in their Green Flag Program . Legal CMA CGM expanded their business through merger and acquisition recently. They owned various lines as per international legal policy and financial tranjection and paying all kinds of tax and duties to the respective government.All vessel of the company are manoeuvering as international standard rules and regulations imposed by IMO (International Maritime Organisation) or other shipping authority. CORPORATE STRATEGY Grant (2005) defines corporate strategy as the scope of the firm in terms of the industries and markets in which it competes and decides the investment procedures through diversification, integration, merger, foreign direct investment, acquisition etc. In a mult-business ( Lasserre,2007) corporation , the corporate stragy features the long term objectives, selecting business portfolio, allocating resources across businesses and designing its structure, systems and processes. Corporate (Koveos, 1997)history has featured lots of ways or approached foe restrucering the company both internally and externally. External restructuring has taken place through a variety of mechanisms including Mergers and Acquisitions. He added that changed world business system augmented by the transition of so many previously planned economies to a new market based framework. Synergy (Koveos, 1997) from mergers or other restructuring activity has been characteristically portrayed as 2+2=5. For getting the c ompettitive advantages or extra benefit from the synergy and entrancing the market or decreasing the barriers, the restructuring process is doing through corporate strategy like mergers and acquisitions. 05. MERGER ACQUSITION The main theme of corporate business strategy is integration of the company. Integrating process may be diversification, Merger and Acquisition, FDI, CSR or any other strategic application. Galpan Herndon (2007) found that well managed integration in an organisation can achieve significant results in working and positive outcomes in a disciplined, acclerreated and resealt-oriented approaches of the employee. Figure (Diagram)5. Merger and acquisition developed by author In a study of strategic management ,Thompson Strickland (2003:p-177) expressed that no company can afford to ignore the strategic and competitive benefits of acquiring or merging with another company to strengthen its market position and open up avenues of new opportunity. That is why MA is one of the best option for penetrating the own product into new market or kill the rivalry for decreasing the competition at present market. 06. MOTIVES FOR MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS In a study Panayides Gong (2002) stated two major motives of MA in shipping industry and these are Value- maximization and Strategic marketing motives.Value -maximization motives divided into three parts which are as follows:- 01. Market Power. It impacted to the present market and may be extended the business with the help of merged or acquired company. Panayides Gong (2002) brought an example of a shipping company. The case of CP ships and its 1994 acquisition of CAST (Shipping Company) a major competitor of CP ships in the port of Montreal- provide anecdotal evidence completely changed and controlled 85% of the container business in a relatively short period. 02. Efficiency Increase. 03. Operating and Financial synergies. Operating synergies may arise as a result of revenue enhancements and/or cost reductions that are effected from the merger The major strategic objectives of shipping companies may include the acquisition of market share, the expansion or entry into new markets (geographical or new services), acquisition of management skills to argument firm capabilities in relation to new growth areas and the transfer of management capabilities to acquired firms to assists rebuilding. 07. MERGER ACQUISITION IN SHIPPING Maritime industries are prone to uncertainties and risks for their global activities where competitive pressure releted to larger but fewer players. Due to globalization of the world trade especially in shipping, shipping companies are trying to make a global chain for providing the services from door to door as well as adding value by covering the all places of the world. This is the main logistic aims of container shipping to diversify the business by offering wide range of benefits and economic facilities from the origin to the final destination. Minimizing the barriers which are blocked to serve in the chain, they are integrating their compnany by global strategies viz Diversification, MA and etc. Year Coverage 1982 26% 1992 42% 2008 60% Figure (Table) 6. World slot coverage by top 20 carriers (Notteboom Rodrigue ,nd) In 1982, the world slot is coverd by top 20 carriers was 26% and it tremendously incresed in 2008 and the highest 60%. The world container or slot is increasing but the business is going to the limited operators. Merger and acuisition strategy is playing the main role fordeceasing numbof operators. Internationalization and globalization both are created the competitive enivironment in container shipping industry. Preliminary, it transform to the liner service and taking slot from other operators for reducing cost or customization by mother connection with the feeder or quick service. After that the alliances of some opertors like OOCL MISC, former PO and NYK made Global alliance (OOCL, 2010) in 1998 and more allinaces by leading operator driven exclusive business dynamics in this trade. After (Heaver et all, 1993) huge loss in north atlantic container trade in 1993, all operators tried in several times to develop cartel agreements like Transatlantic Agreement (TAA) by determining rates, capacity, supply of the vessel for gaining and minimizing the lost .Acquisition of Australian National Line ANL by CMA CGM or takeover of APL by NOL were the big dealing in ocean conatiner shipping. Surprizingly, MAERSK line (PO Nedlloyd, 2005) merged its core competotr company PO Neddlloyd in 2 005 and expressed as the largest shipping company of the world. Not only horigental integration but also vertical integration of shipping company created more competition in the container shipping market. Furthermore, merger and acquisition is extended to port terminal management, intermodal systems, tourism industry, and shipbuilding for getting more advantages and fullfill the main motto of container shippiing servces (Stopford, 1997) that means door to door service. 08. INTEGRATION OF CMA CGM GROUP Shipping Line Shipping Line A B C D E Shipping Agents or General Sales Agents at Various Port and Country Cargo Handling Company or Stevedores or Terminal Operator Freight Forwarder Or NVOCC ( Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier) Inland Transport Operator or Intermodal or multimodal operator Figure (Diagram)7. Transport Chain Integration based on shipping line example Freeman (2009) argued that containerisation prepares the basis ground of integration in both vertically and horizentally. It is the demand to create the chain or making a system for transpoting the box or container smothly. The main components are Main Line opeations, terminal operations, Intermodal and logistics. The containers are mainly owned by the operator and repositioning from one place to another frequently. So, the responsibilty of the carriers is not finishing by giving only the one service. CORPORATE SHIPPING CONTRACT Vertical Integration of CMA CGM Group LOGISTICS Figure(Diagram) 8. Vertical Integration of CMA CGM Group developed by author. The company integrated vertically by creating the business of logistics, terminal business and intermodal in various countries (Road and rail facilities). Land Transport International and Transit International are two transport channel of trucking and forwarding company for caring the cargo from/to the consignee premises to/from the port or internal transfer from one place to another. The River shuttle containers ( 2010) is the cheaper and more ecological transportation of containers by barge or rail services which are operated in all over the Europe as door to door intermodal services. In addition they have corporate shipping contract with the industry players and international organisation CMA CGM logistics . CMA rail has two subsidiries where 100 % in europe rail link and 55% in Algeria rail link ( Northern Africa). Moreover, they are expanding their rail network in USA and India.TCX multimodal and Progeco covered the area of multimodal carriage which are help to add value in thei r main business.CMA CGM ( The Hindu Business Line,2006)has two subsidiries in terminal and port operations Terminal Link and Portsynergy which are operated in Malta, France, Morocco, North Eastern Europe, USA and Togo. However, they eastablished the supply chain network from the bonded warehouse to ocean tranportation facilities by their subsidiries and independent network of transport. Horigental Integration of CMA CGM Group Container shipping transpotation is the main business of CMA CGM group. They owned the seven container lines of the world ANL, DELMAS OTAL and others to cover the all port and places of the world. As per their strategies, they merged or acquired these lines for getting the compettitive advantages in a specific region and connecting with the main line of CMA CGM. 09. CONCLUSION The Shipping industry (Casson, 1986) has an important role in contemporary restructuring of world trade. Containerisation made the easy transportation of commodity especially for manufaturing goods ant its raw materials. Integration (Freemont, 2009) of the transport chain come up against the financial, technical and human resource capacity of the different actors involved in this trade. Merger and Acquisition of a company is the fruits of research to cover the area for adding value in the shipping services. Other factors like culture, attitude of key employee and environment also key factors to adapt or sustain after merger and acquisition. CMA CGM is the great example of MA for their group activities from the very begining to till date but recent recession affected the group and trying to survive. However, they are trying to manage the fund from outside of the Group (The Financial Times,2010). Corporate business strategy will help them to do better work for upcoming business trends. As shipping is the big business where risk is high and low return, the strategy may be considered carefully and economically.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Racial Prejudice in British Immigration Policy :: essays research papers

Racial Prejudice in British Immigration Policy Introduction The purpose of this paper is that to highlight what I see as racist, unjust and inhumane elements in Britain’s immigration system and the culture of secrecy surrounds it. The permanent residents (who has indefinite leave to remain), central to this discussion not the illegal immigrants and bogus asylum seekers. Also immigration’s treatments of people coming over to Britain for a range of other reasons and with papers and visas they expect to be accepted have been highlighted. Mainly my argument is, compared with other countries, UK is more suspicious of all people entering the country and they discriminate against people from ‘underdeveloped’ countries. I have read and quoted from various books in the Immigration subject area. Mainly, Ms. Catriona J. MacKenzie’s dissertation â€Å"Africans & UK Immigration Controls† for the degree of Masters in Social Work & Social Policy, which has been submitted to the University of Glasgow in 1995 greatly helped me to construct this paper. I also conducted a number of interviews in UK and Turkey with individuals with immigration difficulties. I also made extensive use of the Glasgow University Library. Citizenship The membership of individuals in modern democratic societies is marked by the status of citizenship. Those who belong in a given nation-state have documents certifying their membership. More importantly, citizens possess a wide range of civil, political and social rights. The reality has always been somewhat different. Most nation-states have had groups on their territory not considered capable of belonging, and therefore either denied citizenship or alternatively forced to go through a process of cultural assimilation in order to belong. Moreover, even those with formal membership have often been denied some of the rights vital to citizenship, so that they have not fully belonged. Discrimination based on class, gender, ethnicity, race, religion and other criteria has always meant that some people could not be full citizens. Securing the participation of previously excluded groups has been seen as the key to democratisation. Nazism and the ‘Final Solution’ temporarily stigmatised racial-biological thinking after 1945. However, the ‘New Racism’ that emerged in the 1970s evaded the opprobrium of biological racism and eugenics by superficially relocating difference away from phenotype and genes and on to culture. This has had dramatic effect on nature and appearance of racism in Britain. By camouflaging hereditary qualities as cultural inheritance, it became possible for mainstream politicians to inject racism back into debates about nationality and citizenship.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How Does Wilfred Owen Describe the Horrors of War in Dulce Et Decorum Est? Essay

The First World War was a time of great loss of life and bloodshed. Wilfred Owen, a soldier fighting with the British Army, wrote the poem Dulce et Decorum est to describe, possibly to the public, the horrific consequences of taking part and fighting in the war. During the poem, he describes the aftermath of a poison gas attack, and the injuries sustained by a soldier whom had inhaled the deadly substance. Owen uses gruesome imagery to vividly show in verse the horrible death the soldier faces, in the trenches of France. The poem Dulce et Decorum est is widely regarded as one of the greatest war poems ever written, and is a fine example of an anti-war protest in the form of poetry. The title of the poem is taken from an ode from a Roman philosopher and writer, published many hundreds of years before the poem. These Latin words are briefly translated into English as ‘it is sweet and right.’ The use of ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ in the title of the poem is essenti ally a use of sarcasm, using a common phrase in British Army culture at the time, to almost ridicule the idea that it is a wise thing to do to die in battle, for your country. The first verse of the poem opens with the soldiers walking through the landscape of the trench warfare system, in the thick of what would be a raging battle. These two first lines show the conditions the soldiers faced out on the front line, cursing ‘through sludge.’ After the battle, they ‘turn (their) backs’ on ‘the haunting flares’ and begin to slowly walk towards their ‘distant rest,’ an area where they may recuperate after long periods in the ferocious battle. In this section of the poem, Wilfred Owen describes the soldiers as ‘old beggars under sacks,’ and ‘hags.’ Both of these comparisons are presented in the form of separate similes. The effect that this creates on the reader is that of war being tiring and exhausting – as well as the toll that it takes on the soldiers’ mental and/or emotional state. This widely-known fact is documented in lines five and seven; ‘men marched asle ep,’ and ‘drunk with fatigue,’ respectively. These uses of language suggest that even though they were constantly stressed and tired, the soldiers fighting were still able to make rational decisions, and could do tasks, even when they were in such a delusional state. This was probably because of the repetitive nature of their job. The last line of verse one describes how the 5.9cal (calibre) ‘Five-Nines’ were out of range, as the soldiers trudged away from the guns. Owen uses words in verse one which could be described as very ‘ugly in texture.’ For example, as mentioned earlier, the use of words like ‘beggar’ and ‘hag’ dismiss the image of a fit, athletic, healthy soldier that most would expect to be on the battlefield, and replaces it with a strikingly contrasting one, halting the poem as the reader makes light of the awful situation of The Great War. Another word that Wilfred Owen used, and that I have decided to comment on, is the word blood-shod. Although not used often nowadays, in this poem it is used to describe the visual state of the soldiers, covered in blood. It seems a dehumanizing image, as they are crushed by the constant strains of battle. The first verse, like the second, is written in sonnet form, however the rhythm loosens towards the end o f the first verse as it leads up to an important moment at the beginning of the second verse. That important moment is put somewhat sharply to the reader, as it shocks them, with a very clever use of dialogue. The reason I think it is brilliant is because it jumps into the thick of the action, transitioning from the slow tempo of the end of battle (for that day!) to the panic and perhaps confusion of a poison-gas attack, all in just four words. Slight confusion can actually be perceived, as the ‘ecstasy of fumbling’ ensues, with the soldiers obviously struggling to fit ‘the clumsy helmets just in time.’ This ‘just in time’ part implies that everyone is okay, and has successfully put on their gas-mask before the gas started to work its chilling effects. However, one soldier unfortunately fails to apply his mask, as is told as he was ‘yelling out and stumbling†¦flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.’ The horrible sight is witnessed by the narrator, ‘dim, through the misty panes (of the mask) and thick green light,’ which is actually the hazy, slightly luminescent fluid that hangs around them, probably chlorine gas. It is described as a ‘green sea’ in the next line, and so I think that this is a reference to the huge area it would cover, blighting anyone who crossed within the vicinity. The simile which compares the man’s actions to one who would be in ‘fire or lime’ is describing his desperate attempts – in vain – to help himself. Lime is a substance that would burn human tissue, much like acid. The narrator tells of how he ‘sees the man drowning’ and then of how he constantly dreams about the wretched being, ‘in all my dreams, before my helpless sight, he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.’ The victim would have experienced a sensation likened to that of drowning, as the gas inflames the lungs and takes up the space that clean air would have took up, much like water. The helpless feeling of the narrator would have been there in all the men, for there was very little thing they could do to heal the sickened man, because of the limited resources and technology of the time. Instead, (the company) flings him ‘into the wagon’ to be taken and disposed of, effectively, as Owen quipped in a nother poem, Anthem for Doomed Youth, herded like cattle. It is in this section that Wilfred Owen shows how the man was now experiencing his final moments, as the ‘white eyes (were writhing) in his face’ and ‘like a devil’s sick of sin.’ The hideous comparisons that follow are sure to live in the memory of anyone actually witnessing the event, and Owen captures them superbly (in literary terms) as he says ‘obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud.’ This is a very in-your-face image, showing the horrid substances issuing from the soldier’s mouth, as his lungs begin to completely disintegrate and he loses control of throat muscles. The descriptions of the soldier’s condition are aimed into shocking the reader, many of whom would be the British public, into turning against the war. This is shown as Wilfred addresses ‘my friend,’ in line 25. This is actually Jessie Pope, who wrote many patriotic poems encouraging young men, much like Owen, to sign up and ‘do their duty.’ Owen was completely disgusted by the way war was portrayed towards the masses in Pope’s well-known poem Who’s for the Game? and wanted to change the opinions of the public and show them what war was really like, for the common, light infantry foot soldier. He says, ‘my friend, you would not tell with such high zest,’ meaning that Pope wouldn’t think the way she did if she knew the true extent of the suffering. To end the poem, Wilfred Owen uses a controversial and slightly outlandish term, lie. This is especially bizarre as it is criticizing the beliefs of at least 80% of Britons at the time, including the monarch, government and high-ranking officials in the military. To put it in context (literally) the ending goes: The old Lie: Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori. This means, in English: The old Lie: it is sweet and right To die for your country. To conclude, I have a few more comments to make about the effect of the poem on the public. Owen always strongly believed that there was no glory or pride involved in dying at war. People are told they will be proud to fight, but this is actually all a propaganda scheme to recruit soldiers. In no better way could he have expressed this than in the ending to Dulce et Decorum est. People would be more touched by this poem, had it have been published at the time, not three years later, after Owen’s death. The soldiers are presented in general, as pieces of a toy set. They fight for higher ranking people, in wars that are not, in Owen’s beliefs, fought for the benefit of the people. And obviously, it is the low-paid, life-risking foot soldier that is affected most.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Inspirational Stories Essay

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather. Definitely, this would need thousands of cows’ skin, and would cost a huge amount of money. Then one of his wise servants dared himself to tell the king, â€Å"Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money? Why don’t you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet? † The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a â€Å"shoe† for himself. There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story: to make this world a happy place to live, you better change yourself – your heart; and not the world. Once there was a king who told some of his workers to dig a pond.  Once the pond was dug, the king made an announcement to his people saying that one person from each household has to bring a glass of milk during the night and pour it into the pond. So, the pond should be full of milk by the morning. After receiving the order, everyone went home. One man prepared to take the milk during the night. He thought that since everyone will bring milk, he could just hide a glass of water and pour inside the pond. Because it will be dark at night, no one will notice. So he quickly went and poured the water in the pond and came back. In the morning, the king came to visit the pond and to his surprise the pond was only filled with water! What has happened is that everyone was thinking like the other man that â€Å"I don’t have to put the milk, someone else will do it. † Dear friends, when it comes to help the Religion of Allah, do not think that others will take care of it. Rather, it starts from you, if you don’t do it, no one else will do it. So, change yourself to the way of Allah to serve Him and that will make the difference.