A Guaiacol Dye-Coupled Reaction Reports That Catalytic Activity of Peroxidase Isolated from Fresh Turnip (Brassica Rapa) Increases as Temperature Rises Essays

A Guaiacol Dye-Coupled Reaction Reports That Catalytic Activity of Peroxidase Isolated from Fresh Turnip (Brassica Rapa) Increases as Temperature Rises Essays A Guaiacol Dye-Coupled Reaction Reports That Catalytic Activity of Peroxidase Isolated from Fresh Turnip (Brassica Rapa) Increases as Temperature Rises Paper A Guaiacol Dye-Coupled Reaction Reports That Catalytic Activity of Peroxidase Isolated from Fresh Turnip (Brassica Rapa) Increases as Temperature Rises Paper Enzymes are proteins which serve to reduce the activation energy required for biological reactions (Russell and others 2010). This allows biologically important chemical reactions to occur rapidly enough to allow cells to carry out their life processes (Russell and others 2010). Enzymes are made of one or more polypeptide strands, which individually or as an associated complex take on a three-dimensional shape. When properly associated, these shapes form the active site and other supporting structures that allow enzymes to be effective catalysts (Nelson and Cox 2005). Temperature represents the average kinetic energy in an object or solution (Russell and others 2010). This energy causes rapid movement of dissolved particles, such as enzymes and substrate molecules, increasing the chances that they’ll contact each other in such a way as to allow a chemical reaction to occur (Nelson and Cox 2005). The kinetic energy may also influence the folding of the enzyme. If the weak and strong bonds involved in stabilizing the protein structure are disrupted, denaturation of the protein can occur, eliminating the enzyme’s effectiveness (Nelson and Cox 2005; Russell and others 2010). This experiment will investigate the effects of temperature on the enzyme kinetics – that is, the rate of an enzyme’s catalysis – of peroxidase isolated from turnip. Plant peroxidases are involved in lignin formation, which is part of the cell wall (Cosio and Dunand 1985). Turnip roots contain peroxidases which are enzymes that can be easily extracted, and because peroxidases can liberate oxygen from hydrogen peroxide, their activity can easily be measured in the laboratory (Pitkin 1992). The rate of oxygen release is followed by measuring the rate of oxidation of guaiacol, which turns brown in the presence of oxygen and thus can be quantified in a spectrophotometer (Nickle 2009). We hypothesize that as we increase the temperature of reaction, kinetic energy will increase the frequency with which peroxidase engages hydrogen and the rate of guaiacol oxidation will increase. Because turnips grow in cool climates, often below 24oC (Pollock 2009), we expect that the optimal temperature for enzyme activity will be around room temperature or cooler, and temperatures in excess of this will cause denaturation of the enzyme and a concurrent loss of enzyme activity. METHODS AND MATERIALS A store-purchased turnip was scrubbed and rinsed with tap water. A razor blade was used to cut a 0. 5 g piece of tissue from the cortex. This was placed in a mortar along with 50 ml phosphate extraction buffer (0. 1 M, pH 7) and a pinch of sand. The tissue was ground to a slurry and then filtered through cheesecloth to form the extract used for all experiments after standardization. To ensure peroxidase was extracted from the turnip and that the reagents were suitable for the experiment, a positive control was performed. 2 ml of enzyme was added to a test tube containing 3 ml buffer, 2 ml H2O2, and 1 ml guaiacol dye. After quickly inverting twice to mix the fluids, the contents darkened. Standardization was performed to correct for differences in extraction techniques and tissue enzyme content. Three volumes of enzyme (0. 5, 1. 0, and 2. 0 ml) were tested. To ensure reactions did not begin prematurely, reaction components were placed into two separate test tubes. These were labelled â€Å"a† and â€Å"b† for each volume of extract, where â€Å"i† contained 0. 5 ml (dilute), â€Å"ii† held 1. 0 ml (medium), and â€Å"iii† had 2. 0 ml (concentrated) extract each (Table 1). The contents of paired tubes were combined in the tube containing the enzyme at â€Å"time zero†. This tube was mixed by inverting twice before 1 ml was transferred to a cuvette which was placed into a Genova spectrophotometer so the rate of absorbance change at 500 nm could be calculated. The concentration which gave the largest constant absorbance change (as shown by plotting absorbance over time) was used for subsequent experiments. The slope of each line in the plot was measured to determine the rate of guaiacol oxidation. The sample containing 0. ml fulfilled this criterion (data not shown). For all trials, the â€Å"a† tubes contained 2. 0 ml H2O2 and 1. 0 ml guaiacol, and â€Å"b† tubes contained 4. 5 ml buffer and 0. 5 ml enzyme extract. These were placed into the appropriate equilibrated water bath (see below) for 5 minutes prior to mixing and measuring their absorbance changes. For the temperature experiment, water baths were equilibrated at the desired temperatures of 4. 5oC, 10oC, 22. 5oC, 50oC and 80oC. To create the 4oC temperature, a beaker of water was placed in the refrigerator. Both â€Å"a† and â€Å"b† tubes were placed in racks in the appropriate water bath for 5 minutes prior to the time for them to be mixed together. Mixing was performed as described above, and the spectrophotometer was again used at 500 nm light. To determine if high temperature will alter results by degrading reagents (such as causing H2O2 to spontaneously release oxygen or make guaiacol oxidize independently of enzyme activity), we created a duplicate control tube (Table 1) and heated it to 80oC for 15 minutes. This negative control id not show an increase in absorption compared with the unheated control tube, so we concluded that the temperatures only affect molecule movements in the experiment. A similar test was done with the 4oC temperature and again no difference was measured. Three replicates were for each temperature. Rate of absorption change was established for each, and standard deviations between trials at each temperature were determined using Excel 2000 so ftware. RESULTS The positive control turned brown / beige constantly and continuously over about 1. 5 minutes. This was quite apparent to the naked eye. Controls exposed to high or low temperature without enzymes present did not show a different absorption than the control that remained at room temperature (data not shown). Reaction rate at lower temperatures was lowest at 4. 5oC at 0. 25 A500/min. This increased as temperature rose until a peak rate of 0. 52 A500/min at room temperature (22. 5oC) was noticed. At 50oC, the rate of oxidation declined to0. 39 A500/min and a reaction rate of 0. 05 A500/min was measured at 80oC (Figure 1). DISCUSSION The results indicate that enzyme activity does indeed increase as the temperature of the reaction is raised. The optimal temperature must lie between 10 and 50oC, but most likely is near temperature, possibly slightly cooler as turnips naturally grow in temperate climates (Pollock 2009). Enzymes are typically structured to function in a particular environment; usually one in which it normally functions (Russell and others 2010). The large standard deviation noticed for values collected at 10oC suggests that the true optimum may lie below room temperature. More measurements at this temperature could refine these values, giving a more precise average at this temperature. To find the optimal reaction temperature more accurately, a series of temperature intervals, perhaps 2oC apart and spanning 10oC to 50oC could be measured. It would be interesting to compare the precise optimal temperature for turnip peroxidase activity to the average temperature at which turnips naturally grow. A study that compares this to a peroxidase extracted from a tropical plant might also prove to be interesting. Investigating the reversibility of a weak thermal denaturation might also prove interesting. Thermal energy probably affects weak bonds, such as the hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and ionic associations, to the largest extent (Russell and others 2010). Denaturation might be prevented by stabilization with covalent linkages within and between polypeptide strands (Anfinsen and Haber 1961). Enzymes that are particularly susceptible to thermal damage are often supported by chaperonins or other proteins which can repair the denatured enzymes (Morimoto and others 2009). We plan to next identify the effects of denaturation, and whether it can be reversed by subsequent cooling. SUMMARY Plant peroxidases cause peroxides to break down and release oxygen. The rate of oxygen release can be calculated by observing the amount of oxidation that occurs with guaiacol insolution with peroxidase and its substrate. Enzyme activity was determined at 4oC, 10oC, 22oC, 50oC, and 80oC by measuring darkening of guaiacol. The highest amount of oxidation was recorded at 22oC. Enzyme activity was absent at 80oC, suggesting the enzyme denatured at this temperature. Enzyme activity correlates with the cool temperate conditions natural for this plant.

Discuss Williams dramatic presentation of Blanche Essay Example

Discuss Williams dramatic presentation of Blanche Essay Example Discuss Williams dramatic presentation of Blanche Paper Discuss Williams dramatic presentation of Blanche Paper A Streetcar Named Desire makes it clear that for Williams the act of fleeing always becomes the act of reliving the past. Flight forces the presence of the past on his characters as the presence of what they attempted to flee. ’ Discuss William’s dramatic presentation of Blanche. Blanche is portrayed as a complex, delusional, psychotic character in denial, shown when she says at the conclusion ‘Is it the gentleman I was expecting from Dallas? ’ when there is no gentleman. This is done through William’s use of dramatic language and style ‘She begins to speak with feverish vivacity’. Blanche is out of place in Scene One where her clothes are described as ‘incongruous to the setting’. She is out of place geographically, having been exiled from Laurel because of the turmoil with her husband committing suicide and her relationship with a student. She portrays herself as a Southern Belle in Laurel and continues this in New Orleans-she is a lost soul. She has moved from a large estate, Belle Reve, to sharing a small apartment. She is portrayed as having money but she didn’t buy Belle Reve, it was handed down to her but she never admits to having nothing. Her clothes reflect the kind of person she is, they are always ‘off white’ because she is not pure and are similar to that of a moth which is referred to in the play because of how Blanche reacts to the light, ‘I like it dark, the dark is comforting’. In biblical terms ‘light’ is the same as ‘truth’ and Blanche lies throughout the play. Williams is keen to convey to the audience how vulnerable she is in the first scene, ‘her shoulders slightly hunched’ however as the play develops the audience becomes less sympathetic towards her. Blanche shows how snobby she is which is seen as pathetic and the audience pity her because of the way she is reacting. She believes she is above everyone when she realises where Stella lives, ‘This-can this-be her home? ’ This is ironic because it is Blanche who has lost her home and has all of her belongings in a suitcase. William’s creates a very dismal scene when Blanche is on her own in Stella’s house, describing the inside of the house; ‘The surrounding areas dim out as the interior is lighted. Two rooms can be seen, not too clearly defined. And then suddenly she notices the alcohol and there is a change which is the first sign of Blanche being an alcoholic. Blanche is described as ‘springing’ up to get to the alcohol and ‘tosses’ it down and Williams uses the same wording to describe how Blanche reacts to Stella coming into the room which shows the relationship Blanche has with alcohol. She displays the behaviour of an alcoholic by ‘carefully replacing the bottle and washing out the tumbler’. She acts like she has not seen the alcohol when Stella comes in, ‘while I look around for some liquor! ’ Blanche is in denial about being an alcoholic-she tells Stella ‘your sister hasn’t turned into a drunkard’ and this is true for the other parts of Blanche’s life. When Blanche commences her talk about Belle Reve and what her life has been like, the audience gets the sense of her delusional state of mind which could be perceived as madness and this continues through the play; ‘I received a telegram from an old admirer of mine’. Dramatically Williams creates the effect of Blanche losing her composure and control and turning into a tragic wreck, ‘Blanche begins to shake again with intensity’. The repetition and pause between ‘the loss†¦ the loss’ show how traumatised Blanche is with losing Belle Reve. When Blanche is describing all the deaths in her family it is as though she has gone into her own world and, although talking to Stella, she is convincing herself how hard it was for her. Williams uses dramatic imagery, ‘Sometimes their breathing is hoarse, and sometimes it rattles’ to create sympathy. Blanche uses ‘honey’ to distract from the fact that she is being mean to Stella and accusing her. Blanche portrays a different nature towards the end of her speech, becoming more forceful, ‘Where were you. In bed with your –Polack! ’ Then, again, she suddenly changes to a different tone, ‘Oh, Stella, Stella, you’re crying! ’ as though she is surprised that she has upset her. This is a way of gaining sympathy because she acts like she didn’t realise how rude she was being-it also shows the start of a mental illness with Blanche not being able to control everything she does all the time. This creates a dramatic tension because Williams changes the personality of Blanche so quickly that the reader cannot understand her fully. Throughout the play Blanche has various mood swings, such as with Mitch. In Scene Two, Blanche is very pleasant towards Stanley, ‘I’m going to ask a favour of you in a moment’ and then, suddenly, she changes to a fierce tone, ‘The touch of your hands insults them! ’ There is dramatic irony in this scene also because Blanche doesn’t want to say why she has moved from Laurel, ‘I†¦Uh’ and as the play continues she develops even more elaborate stories, but she says to Stanley that women should ‘(lay) cards on the table. ’ This shows Blanche is a hypocrite and the tension between her and Stanley over this leads of her breakdown, especially after the rape. Scene Ten is a tragic scene because Blanche is upset from her confrontation Mitch, ‘Blanche has been drinking fairly steadily’ and the audience start to fully realise the state of her mind ‘decked herself out in a somewhat soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown’ which shows the change from the beginning where she always wanted to look her best and didn’t wear white. She looks in the mirror and then ‘slams it face down with such violence that the glass cracks. ’ This is a dramatic and symbolic action and breaking a mirror is also considered bad luck so it makes the audience foreshadow the tragic outcome. The tension between Blanche and Stanley gradually builds until Blanche becomes terrified and is raped. The shadows are described as ‘grotesque and menacing’ which makes the scene powerful and Williams intention is for it to seem like there are more people intent on hurting Blanche than are actually there. This also plays with Blanche’s mind and portrays her mental instability. Blanche sits down ‘wearily’ which shows the audience that Blanche is gradually giving up. Tragedy is defined as ‘An event causing great suffering, destruction and distress’ and this scene is compiled of all three. Blanche suffers from the way Stanley behaves towards her and Stella suffers afterwards in not knowing who to believe, ‘I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley. ’ There is great distress from Blanche in this scene because she is scared about what will happen, ‘Stay back! Don’t you come towards me†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Williams creates drama and tension by not saying what happens between Blanche and Stanley. Like Stella, the audience have to make their own judgment as to whom to believe. Blanche commands the audience’s attention throughout, which is what she wants with the other characters too. She wants to have a hold over people, particularly men. This is shown when the audience can see that her late husband didn’t want to marry her, but she forced him to. When she is describing how she fell in love with him, she says ‘It was like you suddenly turned a blinding light on’ which is different to how she lives now with not wanting to be near a strong light. A young boy comes to deliver a paper to the house and although Blanche doesn’t know him she flirts with him. She wants to know that she can still have a hold over men even though she is older, ‘You make my mouth water’. Williams creates suspense by Blanche hinting at the reason she had to leave Laurel, ‘but I’ve got to be good and keep my hands off children. ’ Overall, the last scene also defines tragedy, ‘A serious play in which the chief character passes through a series of misfortunes leading to a final, devastating catastrophe. ’ The scene is made more dramatic by being extended, to prolong Blanche’s ordeal. Blanche is having a bath, again, to wash away the guilt and her past, and, ‘The atmosphere of the kitchen is now the same raw, lurid one of the disastrous poker night. ’ which creates dramatic tension because the audience can sense, like Blanche, that something bad will happen. However, Blanche, being the self-centred person that she is, thinks that the reason everyone is sombre is her appearance, ‘Is something wrong with me? ’ This is ironic because mentally there is something wrong with her. There is reference to her old life, ‘I have always depended on the kindness of strangers’ and Blanche shows that she trusts men over woman by doing what the doctor wants but not the matron. This is ironic because men have been the ones hurting her over the years, for example, she was in love with her husband and he was homosexual, she has been used for sex by soldiers and Stanley hasn’t been nice to her. Blanche shows how hurt she is by Stella and Stanley by ‘(walking) on without turning.

To complete all the rest parts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

To complete all the rest parts - Essay Example n numbers in the opening and closing ceremonies, the manpower costs that were needed to be defrayed, lodging and subsistence of the athletes and other participants, and the maintenance of the Olympic facilities. The data showed there was a sudden increase in the GDP rate for the latter half of 2012, which appeared to suggest that the Olympics, which took place in the third quarter, and the activities leading to it, indeed brought about the economic growth expected in holding a mega-event of that size. Closer inspection showed, however, that the growth of gross fixed capital formation appeared to have come more from government spending rather than private business, suggesting that unless the private sector picks up the pace in pushing for greater production, the sudden increase in GDP will not be sustainable, and long-term benefits due to the Olympics may not be forthcoming. Mega-events attract a global audience, and therefore are capable of drawing international attention and spending power. The World’s Fair, the World Cups of the different sports, and the Olympic Games are itinerant events that regularly hold venues at different places, depending upon the outcome of a bidding process (Varrel & Kennedy, 2011). Necessarily, the hosting of mega-events require that the host city incur a huge amount in expenses and investment in infrastructure and facilities. Despite the immense honour of hosting the event, the sheer financial burden would be enough for potential bidders to stay away, unless a greater return is expected. A great part of the allure of hosting such events is the promise of an economic windfall with a substantial urban makeover (Chalkley & Essex, 1998). This is in addition to the prestige derived and the international recognition of the host country as a major player of global importance (Van der Westhuizen & Black, 2004). In the case of the Olympic Games, the benefits are normally in the form of the construction of special structures where the

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

HRM - Essay Example In Saudi Arabia, this system is referred to as ‘Bareed’. Up until a couple of years ago, Saudi Post did not have an addressing system in accordance with the international conventions. To improve efficiency, they decided to use global standards for postal system. Therefore, they created a unified national addressing system and set up postal codes for the entire kingdom. Using Global Information system, they set up an addressing system that is scalable as well as efficient. At present, Saudi Post has a very efficient network that spans across all the cities and villages of the country. It has 478 main post offices and 180 branch post offices. This study aims to look at the delay caused in second-class mail delivery system and the loss of mail of the Saudi Postal System that is also known as Saudi Post. For many years, the users of Saudi Post have battled issues of delayed delivery or loss of mail sent by second-class. This study explores the various methods through which t he Human Resources development can improve the efficient of the second-class mail delivery system. It also looks at the various training methods that can be put to use by the HR deport to ensure timely and safe delivery of the second-class mail. ... The priority is always given to the first class mails because of the service promised. However, it is also necessary to understand that the second-class mails also need to be delivered within the stipulated timelines. Therefore, quality of mail delivery should correlate to the service that has been promised to the customers. In addition, postal employees also have a very critical role to play to ensure timely delivery. It is necessary to provide adequate training to make sure that they understand the various aspect of mail delivery in accordance to the services. One key issue that has resulted in causing delays is the lack of training that the employees have and it makes them inefficient. The focus should never be restricted to only first-class mails because the other regular mail is neglected and piled up. This also results in loss of mails for some cases. Another challenge that prevents the timely delivery of mails could be that the employees do not follow up on the second-class ma ils in time. Role of Human Resources Human Resources or the HR department plays a very important role in contributing to the efficiency, productivity as well as strength of any organization. HR not only helps in building and training a solid workforce, it has the potential to carry out process improvements and build an agile organization that is respected for the way in which can better respond to the demands of the customer or the market. HR also has the potential to provide its employees with strategic tools as well as support system to enable them to perform their work efficiently. Human resource management can be defined as the understanding as well as the application of the different processes, policies as well as methodology that have an impact on the

Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poem - Essay Example The poem can be taken to be a sort of ode to the women’s liberation movement. It is about a woman who does not follow what is expected, but rather marches to the beat of her own drum. A woman, who is dubbed as crazy, because she is not one to follow societal rules, is the subject of this poem. This poem is written by an African American woman; that factor causes this poem to carry even more meaning, as now we see someone who is burdened doubly by the society, both for being African-American and for being a woman, and yet she is brave enough to cast rules aside and live her life according to her own whims and desires. The fact that she terms those who stare at her odd ways as â€Å"little people† is testament to the fact of her low opinion regarding them. This is, indeed a beautiful piece of work that relates, in a few lines the experience of a woman who wants to live life at her own terms. I found it to be very refreshing, as we live in a world where people often obey s ocietal rules unquestioningly, to have someone who does not do so gives me hope that there will always be people who will question the status quo of things. Equality – Maya Angelou Maya Angelou’s poem Equality talks about, as is apparent from its title, equality. In this poem, she is trying to make out a case for those who are oppressed, as they call out and profess their desire to be considered equal. This poem can have a twofold meaning.

Beautiful Happiness In A Meaningless Life Short Story English Literature Essay

Beautiful Happiness In A Meaningless Life Short Story English Literature Essay I intend to write a short story featuring a few of the more potent themes present within the novelette The Outsider. This short story has simply been written to entertain, and explore the central themes and issues that I have chosen. The content of the story is gruesome and described with vivid details in some cases, so the target audience would be fairly mature, and have an orientation towards fanciful fantasy worlds. The story is set in a land where the local entertainment consists of arena type pit fights. These pit fights are similar to a council of the citys rich and wealthiest, with the lower classes also in attendance. These pit fights are also the place where status is gained and lost among these affluent members of society, with the slaves that compete being used as a means to this end. I have also interpreted the ending of The Outsider differently in my story, with my main character realising that he can make a difference with his life, and that he can live for other people rather than himself only. The content of the story is gruesome and described with vivid details in some cases, so the target audience would be fairly mature, and have an orientation towards fanciful fantasy worlds. The story is set in a land where the local entertainment consists of arena type pit fights. These pit fights are similar to a council of the citys rich and wealthiest, with the lower classes also in attendance. These pit fights are also the place where status is gained and lost among these affluent members of society, with the slaves that compete being used as a means to this end. I have also interpreted the ending of The Outsider differently in my story, with my main character realising that he can make a difference with his life, and that he can live for other people rather than himself only. The ring of steel on steel resounded around the arena, to join the din of gaudy music and jeering shouts ensuing from the on looking patrons of this violent event. The Slave Games took place every day, from the blaze of the new fire in the sky at its start, to its dying embers at dusk. The games consisted of slaves and a monster entered by the Games Keeper. Of course to make it more complicated, there were two different types of slaves, the ones entered by their master, and the ones donated. By a slave being entered it was similar to a bet being placed, with a small fee for entry paid to the games master, the fee also gave slaves the privilege of a weapon of choice. At the conclusion of the battle if the monster was the last one standing, the games master would keep the majority of the winnings, otherwise if a slave was the victor; their master was granted higher standing in society and a large sum of gold as their winnings. There was also an unspoken tradition, that the victorious s lave was granted freedom for their heroic deeds performed within the arena. The donated slaves on the other hand, were the unwanted outcasts of rich society that the Games Keeper bought for a small fee, to liven up the games as he would call it. The scything edge of an axe whistled overhead as the young man shied away from the maiming blow. He dodged left and ducked right, seemingly untouchable with his great agility, and quick mind. His short success ended with his impalement upon a long, unyielding, bronze tipped spear. He was dead before his knees buckled and his bruised and blood spattered head lolled to rest upon his chest. His limp body knelt upright, held there by the protruding spear. His dark, lifeless eyes stared unfocused at the floor of the arena, in a way which made it seem as if the poor boy was still in pain. Tayten observed this, in the moments after he had thrown the spear. But now the boy was dead, and the dead dont feel a thing. He retrieved his spear before turning to the frenzied sounds of battle nearby. The initially frantic fighting in the pit had collapsed in to smaller groups of the more skillful fighters that had survived the morning. Usually the donated slaves would be first to succumb as they main ly consisted of the old, the weak and the lame, though among these tribute slaves, were a handful of the forsaken; the brawlers, the thieves and those who had displeased their master. Tayten was of the forsaken, he was a free man captured, and bludgeoned into slavery. But he valued his freedom greatly, and he loved to journey even though he thought life was meaningless. How could one man make a difference, and be remembered after his death? He returned from his reverie with the great horn blast that signaled the release of the monster. The clash of steel ceased as the remaining slaves turned to face the monster. Usually it would take more than one slave to bring the monster down, so it was at this point that the slaves banded together in a bid to survive. Though if the monster was killed, the slaves would continue the fight between themselves, until a victor was eventually decided. A large iron gate slowly rose to reveal a dark entrance, for a moment nothing emerged, then with a roa r of rage, a full grown bull Minotaur emerged. Its pelvis covered in the blood marred rags of a loin cloth, and standing nearly half again the height of the tallest slave still alive. It carried a great jagged edged axe over its shoulder, mangled gore still present on its edge; it was truly a creature to instill fear into the hearts of even the bravest and most foolhardy of humans. One man turned tail and fled for the opposite side of the arena, sadly this drew the monsters attention and with two leaping bounds the Minotaur trampled the man under hoof. The other slaves charged, with shouts and battle cries, but Tayten held back, silently waiting to see what happened. The Minotaur spun with his deadly weapon, and cleaved in half the two fore runners with a single sweeping blow, seven slaves remained. The next slave, a burly man with a dusty orange beard and a balding crown, jumped with his two-handed sword held high, in an attempt to cut the Minotaur in half. But it simply bounced of f the thick hide and the Minotaur let out a deep rumble of hatred, before crushing the mans skull with the haft of the axe. Death was dealt instantly to the next three slaves, who all attempted a similar approach. The next slave attempted to go for the eyes, but with a sudden jerk, the Minotaur had thrust down with his head, skewering the adolescent upon his horns. Blood now ran down the Minotaurs face and muzzle, some even obscuring vision in his left eye. The sight of blood seemed to push the Minotaur into a frenzy, and he quickly dispatched the next closest slave, an older woman with a hard look in her eyes, and a slight scar running across the bridge of her nose. He was only able to see these finer details, when her head came to rest a foot from where he sat. The Minotaur lunged down with his axe in an attempt to kill the last slave opposing him. But the young boy was surprisingly nimble and evaded easily. A dagger flashed into the boys hand, and he slashed fiercely at the Minot aurs heel. Surprisingly the small blade cut deep, severing the tendon in the monsters leg. This time the Minotaur gave a cry of agony, and fell to one knee. Tayten watched again as the dagger flashed, realising that it must be made of glass; the only material hard and sharp enough, possibly capable of cutting through the Minotaurs thick hide. The Minotaur was too slow to catch the boy, and was obviously spiteful for it. With decisive slices, the Minotaur was unable to hold its axe, but the beast was still deadly. The boys overconfidence in his soon to be triumph over the beast ended with the bone crushing strength in the Minotaurs undamaged hand. The monster lifted the feeble body of the boy high into the air; the Minotaur stared hatefully at the corpse. In an eruption of still warm blood, a long hard shaft emerged from the boys chest. The Minotaur watched the silently in the instant before his death as the bronze tipped spear entered through his eye cavity, and ruptured his brain. Tayten registered the tearing peals of a bell tolling, and the deafening uproar that the crowd was making. None of this concerned him, not even the dead child he had plunged his spear through. Everyone died; it just so happened that they would be meeting her before he did. The crowd grew silent, all eyes watching him. The Games Keeper had risen, and it appeared that he was expecting an answer for an unspoken question. He turned to his peers and asked quietly, Is he not one of your slaves? Not a single one answered. Slaves were expendable, but keeping with his faà §ade of the generous benefactor for such events, he would need to keep the crowd and his rich friends happy. It was blatantly apparent though, that the previous master of the donated slave, expected retribution for the slaves survival. A solution came to mind. With a hollow cone of bronze pressed to his lips, his booming voice emanated out across the stadium, Our victor, Tayten is the champion of this day, and we acknowledge him for his deeds, he let the echo of his voice die before continuing. Never before has a donated slave won this tournament, but I have a solution. As I bought him from his previous master, it will be I who decides his fate, the crowd seemed hold its breath in anticipation of the Games Keepers verdict. The Games Keepers right arm shot out in front of him, with his fist clenched and thumb held horizontal. His thumb dropped slightly, and the crowd began to boo. But this was all part of the act, and before it got out of hand, his thumb shot up in definite sign of approval. The slave would be granted freedom. The crowd applauded with many shouts of joy, even jovial music could be heard in the background. The Games Keeper smiled as he watched the jubilation he had wrought within his crowd, before dropping his arm a moment later. His smile evaporated as he perceived the accusatory eyes of the contemptuous dark eyed noble boring into him. He bowed his head down next to the seated nobles ear, You know, the games keeper continued as if remembering something of importance, many unfortunate fates can befall a freed slave, once he has left the protection of the arena. As the Games Keeper marched off to oversee proceedings of the slaves release, the dark eyes of the noble brightened considerably, and a mean smirk marred his face. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ As Tayten walked beneath the low arch of the arenas gate, a smile caught upon his lips. The prospect of being free was a truly wonderful thought indeed, and the first place he would go was the local tavern. The smell of spirits wafted through the dark enclosed room, bringing back memories of times long past. He drank his fill, but a slave released from service has no money, so when the time came to pay he left promptly to the disgruntled shouts of the barman. He had no money to pay for lodgings, so he settled down in an alley way for the night. The comforting warmth from the liquor spread throughout his body, dulling his senses and propelling him over the edge into the blissful abyss of sleep. He wondered mildly in the moment before slumber came, whether death would be like this, the only difference being you never wake up. Once the mercenary was sure that his quarry would not be moving for the rest of the night, he disappeared back into the night to find his employer. Tayten woke with a start. Four tall dark figures loomed ominously about him, all wore deep set hoods. He realised then that they were only tall, because he was still sitting. Shakily he began to rise, but a heavy blow sent him back to the ground. The alcohol, still thick in his blood, was taking a heavy toll on his ability to comprehend what was happening. Who were these people? One of the men drew back his dark cowl to reveal his identity. The dark eyed noble stared malevolently down upon the man who had once been his slave. With a slight hand gesture from the noble, the three remaining hooded figures roughly seized the prostrate Tayten, hauling him upright to stand helplessly before his wicked enslaver. With a bitter smile, the noble spoke, I bet you thought it was your lucky day. Insult me and survive to tell the tale, I bet thats what you thought, the noble mistook Taytens drunken haze for impudence, and his next words were filled with venom as he sneered. Well you know what you poor dog; your worthless life will be cut to its wick this night, the nobles mouth formed an angelic smile, as he concluded. Not to worry, for I assure you, it will be painful, and before the end you will be begging for death. The sounds of voices approached, and a group of soldiers with lit torches past before the entrance to the alley, that the group was congregating within. The city was not without laws, and murder was punishable by death. The noble realised the vulnerability of his position, and decided to withdraw, leaving the hired mercenaries to dispatch the insolent slave. The three hired soldiers stood in silence as their hirer swiftly disappeared into the darkness. Making sure that the noble was definitely gone before speaking, the man to Taytens left spoke with a fairly high pitched voice, Well wasnt he a nasty one. The man to Taytens right replied simply, in what appeared to be a grumpy tone, They always are. The third soldier behind him, responded to this by saying, Yeah, that may be so, but they dont have the guts to do their own dirty work, and I guess we should be thankful for the work. The second soldier responded in a quietly outraged voice, WORK, you call this WORK!? We get paid so little by these rich bastards, when they have so much. The third answered, Youre right, but the rich only stay rich because theyre so selfish with their wealth. The second, Im sick of how bad were treated, after this Im going to get an honest job with honest pay, at least then Ill get the respect I deserve. The first cut in before the third could answer the seconds lamentations, Well you know we could make more money for these jobs, and still have the same end result. The other two soldiers turned, and in unison the third asked, How? a gleam sparkling in his eye, while the second stared blankly at the first and before asking an unintelligible, What? The first explained his idea, and the other two agreed upon it. They would take the man they were ordered to kill, and sell him to the pit master as a donated slave. Not only would they earn extra gold for this job, but they need not even get their hands dirty with the murder of another person. Taytens head had cleared slightly, and he was now partly focused upon the situation he was in. A voice spoke very close to his ear, As we move through the city, do not make a sound, do not make eye contact, and do not draw attention to yourself, otherwise we will kill you there and then, Tayten nodded, and the group set off. The journey was uneventful, and just before they reached the arena, they turned into a side alley. The soldiers had agreed that the slaves death needed to be assured, so they would slightly maim him, but not making it too visible so that he would still fetch a fair price. The second soldier came over, and with the pommel of his bastard sword, struck a blow that cracked a couple of ribs on the left side of Taytens body. Tayten keeled over from the pain, but he did not cry out. The troupe continued to the slave block built beside the arena, where they found the head slave master and bargained a good price for the slave they were donating. Tayten was then exchanged for the gold, and the trio of mercenaries departed. Two pit guards came to lead him down into the holding cells. As he was led to the entrance of a dark corridor trailing down into the depths of the earth, he remembered the circumstances of his last visit to this dank, moldy hole in the ground. When the noble had first brought him here, his hands had been bound, and a hessian sack had covered his face. As his eyes searched around the dark tunnel, he knew where he was. He remembered the smell and the feeling of oppression he had originally felt the first time he had come down this way, with his head concealed within the dark sack. But the aid of sight didnt help much, as it was hard to see in this dark, oppressive place, regardless of whether or not his sight had been obstructed. He looked at the faces of his escort, but he didnt recognise them, and it was probably the same for them. He was left alone within the dark holding cell for the night. He remembered from the first time, how his mask had been removed, and how he had been affronted with the sight of so many slaves in a single cell. It wasnt the fact that there were a lot of slaves; it was simply that his freedom was greatly restricted within such a tightly packed cell. Yet now he had his freedom within the cold dark cell, and it was eerily quiet. He had his freedom, and yet it wasnt what he remembered it to be. Tayten remembered freedom as warm and cheerful, but this freedom was the opposite. In fact, it had been in the crowded cell on the first night that he had experienced true warmth, nestled in with all the other slaves. He had also found the sounds of people in slumber, far more pleasant than the unearthly hush that had now settled over the chamber. Maybe freedom wasnt what he wanted anymore. He lay down, the cold leaving a bitter ache in his cracked ribs. It would be a long nightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Tayten must have drifted off, as it seemed to him that only moments had passed, since he had lain to rest upon the straw matted floor. But the morning bell was already tolling, signifying the start of the new day, and the opening of the arena gates to paying patrons. Taytens eyes drooped with exhaustion, as he stood up, but his mind was clear and his movements precise. He vowed never to drink alcohol again. His cracked ribs hindered his movements slightly, but as long as he protected that area, he could manage. Just then, a trio of pit guards entered the donated slaves holding chamber, one looked confused for a moment, before surprised recollection dawned upon his face, and he turn and ran out of the room. The two remaining guards shrugged their shoulders, and turned back to the only slave in the cell. The door was unlatched, and Tayten was led to the holding area, where many tunnels converged into a large central hall. The slaves would remain here, until the great gate at the far en d was opened, and the slaves would emerge into the arena. The entered slaves were already present, and Tayten was the only donated slave, so the games would begin at anytime. Taytens reticent nature had turned to mild annoyance for the noble who had imprisoned him, and then continually keeping him from his freedom. Tayten recalled the reason behind him becoming a donated slave in the pits; he had attempted to escape the nobles holdings, but had failed, and had been sentenced harshly by the noble for attempting to leave his service. This new found anger welled up within him, as the door on a side passage leading into the great hall, was thrust open by a tall, illustriously dressed man, stalking furiously towards the central holding cell. The fuming glare of the noble passed over the slaves and came to rest with livid hatred upon Tayten. Tayten smiled back, the nobles eyes darkened and a deep set frown embedded itself where his mouth used to be. Unsettlingly, a moment later, he in turn gave his own wicked smile to Tayten. Just then the bell tolled, to signal the start of the fight. As tradition would have it, the donated slaves were the first to enter the arena, followed a few moments later by the entered slaves. Tayten was happy to leave behind the demonic stare of the noble, so he quickly entered the field. The first thing he noticed, was that amazingly the arenas canopy had become a patchwork of mirrors joined together to form a shell between the spectators and the pit fight. It was obvious that the crowd could still see him from the excited shouts he received upon his entry, even if he himself couldnt see them through the mirrors reflective surface. Some members of the crowd let out surprised yells, as they recognised the victor of the previous day, but the initial surprise turned to angry confusion. Why was the victor (a free man) forced to fight in another round of the Slave Games? The entered slaves had been watching the interaction between the noble and the slave, so when the noble gestured that they should come closer, the entire group of entered slaves obeyed. When they had roughly formed a semi-circle along the wall of the holding pen, the noble spoke, Whoever kills that donated slave, he paused to gesture towards the open great gate, before continuing. Will be granted their freedom. The noble turned and left the holding area, the entered slaves looking at one another. A second smaller bell tolled within the holding area, to tell the entered slaves to cross the threshold into the arena. The slaves quickly departed and took up positions around the arena battlefield. The Slave Games were about to begin. The bell tolled and the fight began. The start of the fight wasnt as frantic as was usually the case. There were no other donated slaves, but Tayten knew that the fighting would be more intense sooner. A few slaves detached themselves from the main fighting, to single out the lone donated slave, this seemed odd to Tayten, as they usually focused on the more aggressive opponents. None the less, Tayten killed the first opponent who challenged him and took his blunt knife. The second enemy was of stocky build, and wielded an axe. But Tayten threw the dagger he had recently acquired, the tip catching the unprepared warrior in the eye. He fell dead, and Tayten retrieved his axe, improving his odds of survival by gaining a better weapon. The noble reemerged in the wealthy section of the spectator seats, and sat alongside the Games Keeper. The Games Keeper unhappily commented, I didnt expect you to bring him back here, when I told you about the unfortunate fates that can befall a free slave. The noble replied, Truly it was not my intention for him to be back here, but none the less, he will die today. Games Keeper, How can you be so sure, he survived once didnt he, why not again? Noble, He didnt have to fight much the first time through, lets just say Ive ensured that all those entered slaves will be hounding him like a plague of black flies to rotting meat. Games Keeper, What did you tell them? Noble, That the person who kills that slave of mine will be granted their freedom. Games Keeper, Never before has this happened, and I will not allow it today. Noble, Calm yourself, of course I lied. The dismayed expression upon the nobles face bespoke of his friends lack of trust. He finished what he intended to say with a mean smirk, I will grant them freedom by their own death, a moment of silence fell between the two, before the noble curiously asked, What monster have you decided to enter into this days Slave Games? Games Keeper, Ahh my friend, that is for me to know and for you to find out, but Ill give you a hint, I had this dome especially built for her unique ability, and I think I will be releasing her early, to give the slaves more of a fighting chance. Tayten was in the thick of battle, fighting two particularly vicious slaves at once. He had managed to acquire a short sword, and was duel wielding this with the axe he had, to keep the hungry weapons of his two adversaries at bay. One had a spear, while the other a scimitar. The man with the scimitar would attack at close combat, with a series of ripostes and thrusts that had Tayten moving back one step at a time. While beside the scimitar user, the woman with the spear was jabbing and thrusting brutally, in an attempt to skewer her foe, though not very skillful at her weapon, she was keeping him busy, as he couldnt move close enough to deal a killing blow, while still defending against the other slaves attacks. Unexpectedly a second bell rang clearly, and far too early. The monster had been released. Tayten had been distracted for only a moment, but that was all that was needed, for the scimitar warrior to lop half his left hand off. With his hand destroyed, he could no longer hold the weapon that was defending against the spear, and as this happened; the woman saw her opportunity and plunged the spear through his cracked ribs, and out the opposite side of his body. He was pushed back by the force of the spear, but then he fell forwards onto one knee, which yanked the spear from the womans grasp. He knelt there upon his heels, resting. He closed his eyes, and listened to the silence of the field, as most of the slaves turned to watch as the monster entered. Someone let out a scream, but Tayten didnt care, he gently grasped the shaft of the spear, and began to pull the shaft towards him, pushing it out the other side of his body. The pain was immense, and he struggled not to scream. It felt as if his left lung was filling with a warm fluid, and he was finding it becoming harder to breathe. He could hear people running about him, but it was in a disorganised fashion which meant that the slaves where in a state of chaos, and the monster was getting the best of t hem. Tayten used the blood covered spear that now lay behind him, as a support when he rose to his feet. He then opened his eyes, and found himself staring into the eyes of a statue. He spun around slowly taking in the sight; the battle field was littered with many statues, in the exact likeness of the slaves he had entered the arena with. He couldnt hear any movement, but he caught sight of what appeared to be the tail of a large snake, disappearing behind the obstructing statues. Tayten remembered the tale of the Gorgon, a woman with snakes for hair, and the lower body of a serpent, and possessed the ability to turn a human to stone by looking them in the eye. He immediately closed his eyes once again. He stood still listening for the faintest of sounds. The dry slithering rasp of something moving across the surface of the arena emanated from behind him, and in a single fluid movement, he turned and threw the spear. The chink of metal on stone told him he had hit a statue, and now weaponless and weakened, he knew he would soon be dead. He was half tempted to open his eyes, but he was unwilling to give up his life just yet. So he stood still and waited, while the rasp grew steadily louder. A dry whispery voice spoke close to Taytens ear, If you had thrown that spear a little higher, it would have cleared the statue, and killed me. A real shame too. Tayten felt something slither around his boots and slowly bind around his damaged body, he didnt need to guess that that this was the gorgons snake like body, constricting her victim. He was wrapped within her coils up to the base of his rib cage, but he removed his hands, before they were stuck tight next to his body. The voice came again, this time directly in front of his face, Why dont you open your eyes son of man, and stare into my eyes. The gorgon had noticed his wounds and knew well of his pain. Blood slid over her scales, dripping from Taytens hand and the still heavily seeping wound through his rib cage. Tayten spoke to the gorgon in a soft voice, What is your name gorgon? Surprised by the humans question, the gorgon replied easily, Medusa. Tayten replied with a smile, I am truly sorry Medusa, but I will not. Not until I have changed the world, and done something to be remembered by. Medusa, Silly human, one soul cannot change the world. Something brushed against Taytens face, and he recoiled slightly in shock at the unexpected feeling. More such light caresses came and went. All that Tayten cared was that they felt nice, and he began to slightly bob his head forward in search of more. Suddenly, unexpectedly, he felt his lips brush against Medusas own cold, yet subtly soft lips. Medusa hurriedly withdrew her face in alarm, her hair venomously hissing at the helpless human. The gorgons initial anger faded away to be replaced by inane curiosity, her hair had stopped hissing, and she moved in closer again. Her face was close enough to see the humans frowning brow, and once again she let her hair lightly caress his face as she easily came forwards to kiss the man. He had tensed his body in surprise, but it soon relaxed. She wrapped both arms around his neck, as to not aggravate his wounds. He also reached behind her and interlocked what was left of his hands. He could feel where the silky smooth human skin gave way to th e smooth scales of a snake. He also felt a strap running across her back, which undoubtedly held the metal breastplate to the front of her body that was now pressing lightly against his chest. The assuring pressure of the cool metal soothed Taytens body, and encouraged him to be conscious of how intimately entwined their two bodies were. Games Keeper, It appears as if your slave is dead. Noble, Not yet, I still havent seen his corpse or statue. Games Keeper, If you ask me, youve become obsessed with killing this guy, why cant you admit that he is dead yet? Noble, Maybe youre right, but you wouldnt believe how hard it has been for me to kill this man, just when you think he is dead; he jumps up and surprises you again. Tayten couldnt understand what he was feeling. What was this new unexplainable emotion? What was this word that was embedded within this emotion; love. He felt so happy and yet he was enslaved, it felt nice to kiss her and her gentle hair lulled him into bliss. Maybe life wasnt about living for yourself, maybe it was meant to be lived for others. Maybe if you live for others you will find that special happiness, that beautiful happiness, that you can only feel when you make another happy. Tayten asked happily, Do you think two souls can change the world? Medusa took a while to answer, I think we can. Tayten, Please release me, so that I can change the world and be remembered, I think Ill need your help though. Gasps from the crowd, made the noble and Games Keeper turn from their conversation, to see what had happened. Standing in the middle of the arena with the gorgon by his side, was the slave, and in his right hand he held a spear. He seemed to be orienting himself (taking care not to look at the gorgon), and when he had finished turning, he was looking directly at the noble. The noble turned to the Games Keeper, He cant see us can he? The Games Keeper replied unconvincingly, Not a chance, were behind a one way mirror, we can see him, but he cant see us. The noble countered fretfully, Then why the hell is he looking at us, and how on earth is he still alive!? Before the Games Master could reply, the slave took off running in their general direction. The noble stood, and with a horrified look on his face watched as the slave threw his spear, which shattered the mirrored glass directly before the wealthy spectator seats, and impaled the head board of the chair the Games Keeper had been sitting in. Frozen with shock, at the close call, the noble began to laugh. But it was short lived as moments later he fixed his gaze upon the most terrible set of eyes he had ever seen, and in that moment his body turned to stone. The same occurred to the Games Keeper, and the majority of the rich nobles who had been transfixed by the spectacle of the shattering mirror. The crowd was in chaos, their leaders were dead and the victor of the Slave Games from the previous day who had returned for a second time, was the direct cause for this. Fearing their own death, the crowd hurriedly exited the arena.

Is ethnic profiling really helping society? Essay --

Is ethnic profiling really helping society? Ethnic profiling has been around for some time but is it getting worse? Are too many people going to far? Is it hurting or helping society? Many believe that ethnic profiling is only helping society and but in reality its only tearing us apart for because of the following reason. â€Å"Muslims endure long delay to become U.S Citizens they're pulled out of lines at airports and treated differently from other passengers (Lamkamp)†. Muslims are getting denied to become American just because of their Ethnics. Thats assuming that all Arabs or Muslims are terrorist. Thats like saying all Caucasians are rich. Which not all of them are. â€Å" Travel for many from the middle east has often been quite difficult, but following 9/11 and the Arab Springs it seems to be worsening (Kuwait).† Even though the terrorist attack in 9/11 was horrendous event to go through people should not assume every middle eastern is a terrorist. Many Middle Eastern are afraid of traveling because they think they might get pulled out of lines and get harassed. No one is better than anyone else therefore no one should be able to put themselves on a higher pedestal because they're a different ethnics. Although many believe ethnic profiling is helping society because it helps stop terrorist attacks they're incorrect for the following reason. â€Å" I thought they'd be happy I was leaving but instead they kept me waiting and were glaring at me as if I were a criminal. What's worse they ignored me completely and didn't tell me what was wrong( Ahmed)†. First and foremost they ignored her like she was not ... ... want to do its travel the world like the rest of us. If youre judging them because of their race you need to take a look in the mirror and see what type of person you really are.We are a Human Race and we need to stick together. We should let our differences make us stronger not tear us down. Marther Luther King had a dream that we should be equal and equal we shall be! Works Cited Conrad, Lisa. "Ethnic Profiling, Airport Security Procedures Await Arab Travelers." Kuwait Times 15 Nov. 2011: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. Heath, Gilmore. "Racial Profiling Needed to Prove Australia Is Safe." Sydney Morning Herald, The 02 June 2010: 5. Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. Lakamp, Patrick. "Professor Decries Ethnic Profiling of Muslims: COMMUNITY." Buffalo News, The (NY) 11 May 2008: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

Critque Essay

In the story â€Å"The Operation,† by Pensri Kiengsiri , a story that has a third persons’ point of view. The reader learns that Kamjorn, the father of the kid, don’t have much affection to Danu because Danu is a victim of polio which made Danu a crippled kid. Its conspiracy leads the reader into having a feeling of sympathy for the boy. And the story’s setting, contributes well to the growing sympathy of the readers to Danu, as Kiengsiri’s treatment of timing cause the readers to anticipate a shocking things that’s to unfold.The time at which â€Å"The Operation† is set introduces an element of tension between the parents. Kamjorn informed the readers that when he taught about going to Bangkok he first wanted to see his best friend, rather to go to the hospital which is his main reason of going to Bangkok; it is â€Å"his mind strayed to other days in Bangkok, student days and to the old school mates, he would have a chance to look u p. † As the reader already knows that Kamjorn intends to catch up with his old friends, the very mention of â€Å"strayed to other days† evokes the sense of a plan that will certainly make sadness to the boy’s feelings.The added suggestion of â€Å"chance to look up† introduces an atmosphere of uncertainty: that planted to the reader’s mind is the notion that all is not normal and right to the world. The sense of uncertainty to Kamjorn that he will not go to his son and doesn’t show to his son it is a big factor to his son operation. Just as the time in which â€Å"The Operation† is set infuses the story with an atmosphere of sadness, so do the physical surrounding in which the bulk of plot unfolds. â€Å"When Kamjorn reached Bangkok, he went to meet his friend and to actually catch up with them.When his daughter haven’t seen any sign that either one of their parents arrived, she was worried and called to their house and someho w convinced her mother to travel. † Both things added to the reader’s sense that there’s something is not right and that something imminent is about to occur. This atmosphere of imminence increases as their mother went to the train and hasn’t heard anything from her until the operation is almost finished â€Å"an accident on an express train†¦fatalities†That’s the only words Kamjorn’s mind ever digested before he fainted. For it is only in the final conversation of the story. The imminence that happened to Kamjorn’s wife that caused him to faint. It has successfully concealed the true sense of Kamjorn tears last before he fainted. Hence, the manner Kiengsiri described the time and setting of â€Å"The Operation† serves to greatly enhance the effect of this tale upon the reader.In accompanying the story’s characters into a world thet grows steadily more gruesome at every turn, the reader’s feeling of sad ness and foreboding increases, the reader is doubly troubled the disturbing revelation made in the story’s final conversation. Kiengsiri’s use of setting and timing in this story mirrors the special effects employed in dramatic movies-effects that have the viewers wiping their tears, totally absorbed in plot and atmosphere. It is good that a 6 page short story can evoke with words the same response that movie makers use millions of dollars, efforts and truckloads of technology to create.

Kafkas Truth Essays - Diarists, Fabulists, Franz Kafka, Free Essays

Kafka's Truth Essays - Diarists, Fabulists, Franz Kafka, Free Essays Kafka's Truth Catherine Jones Dr. Shepherd Lit 2020 05 April, 00 Kafkas Truth Despite the intentional ambiguity in his work, Franz Kafkas stories do contain a few common thematic threads. Kafkas search for truth, be it about relationships, justice, religion, or human nature is the one interpretation that most critics agree upon. Wilhelm Emrich, a highly acclaimed professor in Berlin, states that Kafkas writings can only be interpreted by accepting the full truth: An assistive and willing readiness for the full truth means the ability to renounce all personal, limited ideas, wishes, and efforts of will and to enter into the fullness of all of that-which-is (50). What he is suggesting is that in order to truly hear what Kafka has to say, one is required to completely disregard the conventional. For example, if one were to read The Metamorphosis, and merely regurgitate the surface details of the story, they would entirely miss the truth behind it. On the level of relationships, the average reader might be touched by the familys tolerance for the creature, noting that they may not have been able to do the same in a similar situation. He or she may overlook the truth of this story as the realization that even the most beautiful, most tender relations among people are founded on illusions (Emrich, 142). Where was the beloved sister after his presence became burdensome? Did his family not remember his contributions to pay off the debts owed by his father? Of course not, because they became comfortable in their situation and took Gregor for granted. When his family was convinced that no hope remained for his recovery, they moved on with their lives as if Gregor no longer existed. It is difficult to draw from The Metamorphosis, any particular divine theme without first knowing that religion was the whole world to Kafka and that he viewed the total sum of possible experience in terms of religion (Muir, 36). There is a subtle religious inference within Gregors beetle existence where he seeks the way to the unknown nourishment he had been longing for (Emrich, 145). Is he longing for God, or looking for comfort in His absence? The first meal that Gregor was given consisted of bread and milk. Bread symbolizes that which is sacred in some religions. Catholicism, for example, blesses bread as the body of Christ. In biblical parables, seven loaves were broken to feed a large crowd. When Gregor refused the bread and milk, one might infer that he was rejecting God for putting him in his unthinkable condition. Emrich emphasizes Gregors possible rejection of faith: A modern man in his alienated condition, treated as an insect by his fellows who think only of appearances, frustrated in his longings which he is unable to communicate, swept awayand all the while, an unacknowledged religious victim(36). Human nature is difficult to describe, especially when one is expected to think outside of that-which-appears-to-be instead of that-which-is. After Gregor realized his metamorphosis, he still attempted to carry out his life as usual, perturbed not because he was a beetle, but because his daily work routine was disrupted. He was in a state of unresolved conflict between work and ego (Emrich, 136), meaning that although he acknowledged his changed condition, though barely, Gregor still believed that it would not hinder his ability to perform his work duties. It seems odd that Gregor, who disliked his job, would not view his metamorphosis as a clear reason to abandon it. Gregor thought to himself on that morning, If I didnt have to hold my hand because of my parents Id have given notice long ago, Id have gone to the chief and told him exactly what I think of him (Kafka, 1123). It is when this point arises that Kafka illustrated true human nature: man works out of obligation or duty, not because he enjoys it. Gregor is trapped in his insect form, just like he was trapped in his job. Self-realization and fear of death are other issues Kafka deals with in Metamorphosis. Gregor takes a long, deep look at himself and discovers his fearsome counterpart (Fickert, 47). The moment that he accepted being a beetle and started living like one, symbolizes the moment Man first

House of Quality Essay Example

House of Quality Essay Example House of Quality Paper House of Quality Paper The House of Quality by John R. Hauser and Don Clausing Harvard Business Review Reprint Design is a team effort, but how do marketing and engineering talk to each other? Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard, ATT, and ITT are getting started with it. Ford and General Motors use it at Ford alone there are more than 50 applications. The house of quality, the basic design tool of the management approach known as quality function deployment (QFD), originated in 1972 at Mitsubishis Kobe shipyard site. Toyota and its suppliers then developed it in numerous ways. The house of quality has been used successfully by Japanese manufacturers of consumer electronics, home appliances, clothing, integrated circuits, synthetic rubber, construction equipment, and agricultural engines. Japanese designers use it for services like swimming schools and retail outlets and even for planning apartment layouts. A set of planning and communication routines, quality function deployment focuses and coordinates skills within an organization, first to design, then to manufacture and market goods that cus HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW May-June 1988 tomers want to purchase and will continue to purchase. The foundation of the house f quality is the belief that products should be designed to reflect customers desires and tastes so marketing people, design engineers, and manufacturing staff must work closely together from the time a product is first conceived. The house of quality is a kind of conceptual map that provides the means for interfunctional planning and communications. People with different John R. Hauser, at the Harvard Business School as a Marvin Bower Sloan School of Management. He is the author, with Glen L. Urban, of Design Marketing of New Products (Prentice-Hall, 1980). Don Clausing is Bernard M. Gordon Adjunct Professor of Engineering Innovation and Practice at MIT. Previously he worked for Xerox Corporation. He introduced QFD to Ford and its supplier companies in 1984. Copyright 1988 by the Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. HOUSE OF QUALITY Whats So Hard About Design David Garvin points out that there are many dimensions to what a consumer means by quality and that it is a major challenge to design products that satisfy all of these at once. l Strategic quality management means more than avoiding repairs for consumers. It means that companies learn from customer experience and econcile what they want with what engineers can reasonably build. Before the industrial revolution, producers were close to their customers. Marketing, engineering, and manufacturing were integrated in the same individual. If a knight wanted armor, he talked directly to the armorer, who translated the knights desires into a product. The two might discuss the material plate rather than chain armor and details like fluted surfaces for greater bending strength. Then the armorer would design the production process. For strength who knows why? he cooled the steel plates in the urine of a black goat. As for a production plan, he arose with the cocks crow to light the forge fire so that it would be hot enough by midday. Todays fiefdoms are mainly inside corporations. Marketing people have their domain, engineers theirs. Customer surveys will find their way onto designers desks, and RD plans reach manufacturing engineers. But usually, managerial functions remain disconnected, producing a costly and demor- alizing environment in which product quality and the quality of the production process itself suffer. Top executives are learning that the use of interfunctional teams benefits design. But f top management could get marketing, designing, and manufacturing executives to sit down together, what should these people talk about? How could they get their meeting off the ground? This is where the house of quality comes in. Consider the location of an emergency brake lever in one American sporty car. Placing it on the guaranteed that women in skirts could not get in and out gracefully. Even if EXHIBIT II Japanese automaker with QFD made fewer changes than U. S. company without QFD U. S. ompany Design changes problems and responsibilities can thrash out design priorities while referring to patterns of evidence on the houses grid. Japanese company of total Japanese changes complete 20-24 Months 14_17 1-3 +3 Months Job #1 Months EXHIBIT I Startup and preproduction costs at Toyota Auto Body before and after QFD January 1977 pre QED April 1984 post QED (39% of pre QFD costs) Preproduction costs S tartup costs Source for Exhibits I and II: Lawrence P. Sullivan, Quality Function Deployment, Reprinted by permission. the system were to last a lifetime, would it satisfy customers? In contrast, Toyota improved its rust prevention record from one of the worst in the world to one of the best by coordinating design and production decisions to focus on this customer oncern. Using the house of quality, designers broke down body durability into 53 items covering everything from climate to modes of operation. They obtained customer evaluations and ran experiments on nearly every detail of production, from pump operation to temperature control and coating composition. Decisions on sheet metal details, coating materials, and baking temperatures were all focused on those aspects of rust prevention most important to customers. . David A. Garvin, Competing on the Eight Dimensions of Quality, HBR November- December 1987, p. 101 . 4 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Today, with marketing tech EXHIBIT III iques so much more sophisticated than ever before, compacustomer attributes and bundles of CAS nies can measure, track, and for a car door compare customers perceptions PRIMARY SECOND ARY TERTIARY of products with remarkable acEasy to close from outside curacy; all companies have opStays open on a hill Easy to open from outside EASY TO OPEN portunities to compete on quali AND CLOSE DOOR Doesnt kick back ty. And costs certainly Justify an Easy to close from inside emphasis on quality design. By Easy to open from inside looking first at customer needs, Doesnt leak in rain then designing across corporate No road noise and use Doesnt leak in car wash functions, manufacturers can rel SOLATlON No wind noise duce prelaunch time and afterDoesnt drip water or snow when open Doesnt rattle launch tinkering. Exhibit I compares startup and Soft, comfortable ARM REST In right position preproduction costs at Toyota Auto Body 1977, before QFD, Material wont fade INTERIOR TRIM Attractive (nonplastic look) to those costs in 1984, when QFD was well under way. House of CLEAN Good appearance Easy to clean No grease from door quality meetings early on reduced costs by more than 60%. Uniform gaps between matching panels Exhibit II reinforces this evidence by comparing the number f design changes at a Japanese auto manufacturer noise. Some Japanese companies simply place using QFD with changes at a U. S. automaker. The their products in public areas and encourage potenJapanese design was essentially frozen before the tial customers to examine them, while design team first car came off the assembly line, while the U. S. embers listen and note what people say. Usually, however, more formal market research is called for, company was still revamping months later. via focus groups, in-depth qualitative interviews, and other techniques. Building the House CAS are often grouped into bundles of attributes hat represent an overall customer concern, like There is nothing mysterious about the house of open-close or isolation. The Toyota rustquality. Th ere is nothing particularly difficult prevention study used eight levels of bundles to get from the total car down to the car body. Usually the used to its conventions. Eventually ones eye can project team groups CAS by consensus, but some bounce knowingly around the house as it would over a road-map or a navigation chart. We have seen companies are experimenting with state-of-the-art research techniques that derive groupings directly some applications that started with more than 100 rom customers responses (and thus avoid argucustomer requirements and more than 130 engiments in team meetings). neering considerations. A fraction of one subchart, CAS are generally reproduced in the customers in this case for the door of an automobile, illusown words. Experienced users of the house of qualitrates the houses basic concept well. Weve reproty try to preserve customers phrases and even duced this subchart portion in the illustration clich? ©s knowing that they will be translated siHouse of Quality, and well discuss each section multaneously by product planners, design engistep-by-step. eers, manufacturing engineers, and salespeople. Of course, this raises the problem of interpretation: What do customers want? The house of quality What does a customer really mean by quiet or begins with the customer, whose requirements are easy? Still, designers words and inferences may called customer attributes (CAs) phrases cuscorrespond even less to customers actual views tomers use to describe products and product charand can therefore mislead teams into tackling probacteristics (see Exhibit Ill). Weve listed a few here; lems customers consider unimportant. a typical application would have 30 to 100 CAs. A Not all customers are end users, by the way. CAS car door is easy to close or stays open on a hill; can include the demands of regulators (safe in a doesnt leak in rain or allows no (or little) road HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW 5 EXHIBIT Relative-importance weights of customer attributes BUNDLES RELATIVE IMPORTANCE AND CLOSE DOOR Easy to close from outside Stays open on a hill 7 ISOLATION Doesnt leak in rain 3 2 A complete list totals 100% side collision), the needs of retailers (easy to display), the requirements of vendors (satisfy assembly and service organizations), and so forth. Are all preferences qually important? Imagine a good door, one that is easy to close and has power windows that operate quickly. There is a problem, however. Rapid operation calls for a bigger motor, which makes the door heavier and, possibly, harder to close. Sometimes a creative solution can be found that satisfies all needs. Usually, however, designers have to trade off one benefit against another. To bring the customers voice to such deliberations, house of quality measures the relative importance to the customer of all CAs. Weightings are based on team members direct experience with customers or on surveys. Some innovative usinesses are using statistical techniques that allow customers to state their preferences with respect to existing and hypothetical products. Other companies use revealed preference techniques, which Judge consumer tastes by their actions as well as by their words an approach that is more expensive and difficult to perform but yields more accurate answers. (Consumers say that avoiding sugar in cereals is important, but do their actions reflect their claims? ) Weightings are displayed in the house next to list totaling 100% (see Exhibit V). Will delivering perceived needs yield a competitive advantage? Companies that want o match or exceed their competition must first know where they stand relative to it. So on the right side of the house, opposite the CAs, we list customer evaluations of competitive cars matched to our own (see Exhibit V). Ideally, these evaluations are based on scientific surveys of customers. If various customer segments 6 evaluate products differently luxury vs. economy car buyers, for example product-planning team members get assessments for each segment. Comparison with the competition, of course, can identify opportunities for improvement. Take our car door, for example. With respect to stays open on hill, every car is weak, so we could gain an advantage here. But if we looked at no road noise for the same automobiles, we would see that we already have an advantage, which is important to maintain. Marketing professionals will recognize the righthand side of Exhibit V as a perceptual map. Perceptual maps based on bundles of CAS are often used to identify strategic positioning of a product or product line. This section of the house of quality provides a natural link from product concept to a companys strategic vision. How can we change the product? The marketing domain tells us what to do, the engineering domain ells us how to do it. Now we need to describe the product in the language of the engineer. Along the top of the house of quality, the design team lists those engineering characteristics (ECs) that are likely to affect one or more of the customer attributes (see Exhibit VI). The negative sign on energy to close door means engineers hope to reduce the energy required. If a standard engineering characteristic affects no CA, it may be redundant to the EC list on the house, or the team may have missed a customer attribute. A CA unaffected by any EC, on the other hand, presents opportunities to expand a ars physical properties. Any EC may affect more than one CA. The resistance of the door seal affects three of the four customer attributes shown in Exhibit VI and others shown later. Engineering characteristics should describe the product in measurable terms and should directly affect customer perceptions. The weight of the door will be felt by the customer and is therefore a relevant EC. By contrast, the thickness of the sheet metal is a part characteristic that the customer is only by influencing the weight of the door and other engineering characteristics, like resistance to deformation in a crash. In many Japanese projects, the interfunctional team begins with the CAS and generates measurable characteristics for each, like foot-pounds of energy required to close the door. Teams should avoid ambiguity in interpretation of ECS or hasty Justification of current quality control measurement practices. This is a time for systematic, patient analysis of each characteristic, for brainstorming. Vagueness will eventually yield indifference to things customers need. Characteristics that are trivial will make the team lose sight of the overall design and stifle creativity. EXHIBIT V Customers evaluations of competitive products CUSTOMER ATTRIBUTES Worst 1 CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS 5 Best How much do engineers influEASY TO OPEN Easy to close from outside 7 AND CLOSE ence customer-perceived qualiDOOR ties? The interfunctional team now fills in the body of the house, the relationship matrix, indicating how much each engineering characteristic affects each customer OUR CAR DOOR attribute. The team seeks consenCOMPETlTOR AS sus on these evaluations, basing COMPETITOR BS them on expert engineering experience, customer responses, and tabulated data from statistical studies or controlled experiments. course, there might be an entirely new mechanism The team uses numbers or symbols to establish that improves all relevant CAs. Engineering is crethe strength of these relationships (see Exhibit VI). tive solutions and a balancing of objectives. Any symbols will do; the idea is to choose those The house of qualitys distinctive roof matrix that work best. Some teams use red symbols for rehelps engineers specify the various engineering fealationships based on experiments and statistics and tures that have to be improved collaterally (see Expencil marks for relationships based on judgment hibit X). To improve the window motor, you may or intuition. Others use numbers from statistical ave to improve the hinges, weather stripping, and studies. In our house, we use check marks for posia range of other ECs. tive and crosses for negative relationships. Sometimes one targeted feature impairs so many Once the team has identified the voice of the cusothers that the team decides to leave it alone. The tomer and linked it to engineering characteristics, roof matrix also facilitates necessary engineering it adds objective measures at the bottom of the trade-offs. The foot-pounds of energy needed to house beneath the ECS to which they pertain (see close the door, for example, are shown in negative Exhibit VI). When objective measures are known, relation to door seal resistance and road noise the team can eventually move to establish target reduction. In many ways, the roof contains the values ideal new measures for each EC in a remost critical information for engineers because designed product. If the team did its homework they use it to balance the trade-offs when addresswhen it first identified the ECs, tests to measure ing customer benefits. benchmark values should be easy to complete. Enlncidentally, we have been talking so far about gineers determine the relevant units of measurethe basics, but design

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