Threads Of Life :: essays research papers

Thread of Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book covers the patterns of evolution and how each species and time era had an effect on Earth’s history. It covers the world from the beginning to the present times telling us all that has happened in between.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book begins by introducing us to geology and how it is used in telling time and finding fossils. The Grand Canyon is a good place to begin because it is the worlds greatest geological gash. Sediment was deposited here layer upon layer and eventually the layers were cut through by the Colorado River. The time covered by the layers of rock in the Grand Canyon represent about two billion years of earths history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next chapter introduces to us how life began. Many scientists believe that life began as soon as the earth cooled sufficiently after just forming. It is believed that the first life on earth emerged some four billion years ago. The author goes on to say that the beginning of life can be organized into five stages: first, the earth forms from materials in our solar system; second, chemicals such as sugars, phosphates, and amino acids are formed; third, these building blocks link together to form nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats; fourth, these turn into proto-organisms; and last, these organisms gain the ability to replicate. This explains how life begins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soon the organisms of the water begin to evolve legs and lungs and start to venture out of the water onto the land. This brings about the era of the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs ruled the earth for about 185 million years and then their populations began to decline. About 65 million years ago there is evidence that an asteroid struck the earth and caused the extinction of many species of marine plankton. The last of the dying dinosaur population may have died out before this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the dinosaurs died off, then came the reign of the mammals. Mammals were more equipped for survival because of more intelligence and the development of a lower jaw comprised of one bone. Upper and lower molars helped mammals survive better. Mammals would also stay with there young and nurture them until they were able to fend for themselves. Mammals were able to survive a very long time and are still evolving in present times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the present, there is evidence that our human ancestors walked erect some 3.75 million years ago.

Presentation of John Proctor Essay

Arthur Miller’s presentation of John Proctor’s ‘moral journey’.  It is mentioned in the Old Testament (Exodus 22:18), â€Å"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.† It was on the authority of this one sentence in the Bible that 19 witches were hanged in Salem in 1692.  To Arthur Miller, the McCarthy Hearings bore an alarming resemblance to the trials in Salem in 1692. The Crucible was his way of trying to keep history from repeating itself. McCarthy claimed America was in great danger from a Communist conspiracy to take over the world, and the people of Salem had similar views on Witchcraft. No one missed the parallels between 1692 Salem and 1953 America. But, many said, â€Å"Witches never did exist, then or now. Communists are real.† Some critics complained that the play was too cold and intellectual. Others said it wasn’t a play at all, but some kind of outburst, a political speech.  Moral- of or relating to character and human behaviour, particularly as regards to right and wrong.  Journey- a travelling or going from one place to another. Everybody, including John Proctor, has morals. They are an essential distinction of character. Everybody’s morals will differ, as it is your individual opinion of right and wrong. As a child you are taught right and wrong by your parents and at this moment you embark on your moral journey. Throughout life certain events will change the way you think; your opinion on certain matters, and inevitably, your morals. This evolution of character is not however a strictly long-term process that takes years of unforgettable proceedings and experiences to alter. Single events and circumstances can see your morals change instantaneously and it is consequently interesting to see how this applies to John Proctor and to scrutinise on how his morals change and develop in the midst of the bizarre course of events. Arthur Miller creates a very theocratic and puritan society when portraying Salem. The society and community of Salem orientates entirely around the church. The community has very strict religious views and ethics, and does not believe in any other way or possible system. The people of Salem are restrained by religious laws imposed by strict traditionalistic leaders who, through the church have been given power and control over the society and enforce it through hellfire teachings and the prevailing threat that God is watching them. No one dares to say an ungodly word against the church or speak their own mind and this creates a very tense and uneasy ambience where everybody fears for themselves to be corrupted in their own mind and commit and incriminating thought, though they know only to well that the realms of their mind are just about the only place of safe freedom of opinion. Though the majority of the people of Salem are content and tolerant with their situation a silent minority are not. These people however, would never stand up and declare their true beliefs and intent for fear of being hung. It appears that something has to give in this unsustainable situation and a single spark or event could set of a devastating mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½là ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½e of carnage and mayhem.  John Proctor is the main character in the play of The Crucible. At the outset of the play, he does not appear to be a central character, but as the story develops, one can see that the importance of his existence and the reason behind his presence are soon made known.  John Proctor is a farmer in his middle thirties. He is not a man of any real authority or weight but Proctor need not be and is none the less respected and even feared in Salem. Even-tempered and not easily led he has a sharp and biting way with hypocrites. He cannot refuse support to partisans without drawing their deepest resentment. In Proctor’s presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly and Proctor was always marked for calumny therefore. However, the steady manner he displays is an inimitable front to hide his troubled soul. Proctor is a sinner, not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct. He is god at containing and suppressing this and the man carries a distinct quiet confidence and an unexpressed hidden force. Deep inside his own mind however he is afraid, afraid of dying without confessing his sins and that his wife will not forgive him for his sins. Proctor is confused and a closer look shows that what he really desires is not his wife’s forgiveness but his own acceptance and consequential self-forgiveness of the sins that he is only too aware of.  Proctor is a man of strong opinion; he has many morals and views, and is not afraid to speak out against a cause he disagrees with. One such cause is the church and the authority of the reverend Paris, Proctor is quite blunt in expressing his disapproval and at one-point states, while in front of Paris, â€Å"I like not the smell of this authority†. For a man like Proctor the situation in this society is far from idyllic. His morals are undistinguished, and he is aware of the mental confusion and repression being created.  Miller uses a number of devices within his play-script to present the character of John Proctor. Using Proctor himself Miller portrays his character by using Proctor’s speech, fears and how he behaves. Other characters in the play also help to define the farmer’s character, by their speech, thoughts and behaviour which all change as the play progresses. Miller deliberately puts Proctor in scenes and situations that will cause discomfort and uneasiness for the farmer, like the courtroom scenes in act three where Elizabeth lies. It is Proctor’s conversations with Abigail however that heightens Proctor’s sense of embarrassment. In a society as restrained and suppressed as Salem it is surprising to note the free speech of Abigail. She is often blunt and persuasive to people of authority and it is a wonder that they never pick up on her allusion. It is this allusion that infuriates Proctor as only he can see through it and he is frustrated and discouraged by the power she resultantly gains. Juxtaposed with Elizabeth’s negative perception of Proctor’s sins it is visibly demonstrated that Miller is deliberately making things hard for Proctor.  It seems that Miller is ‘out to get’ Proctor just as much as Parris is and throughout the whole play Miller is constantly showing and presenting scenes and situations in a thorny complexion for Proctor that maximises every opportunity to emphasise his problems with temptation and the moral dilemma that this creates for the, as Miller would present, ‘fallen’ man.

The Effects Of Eating Meals On Students - 1890 Words

Chap 4: Results Frequencies The researcher found N=2 or 6.1 percent of participants had GPAs that fell between 1.6 and 2.0. N=1 or 3 percent had GPA’s that fell between 2.1 and 2.5. N=8 or 24.2 percent had GPA’s that fell between 2.6 and 3.0. N= 18 or 54.5 percent of the participants had GPA’s that fell between 3.1 and 3.5. Lastly, N=4 or 12.1 percent of participants had GPA’s that fell between 3.6 and 4.0. 15.2 percent of participants are classified as freshman. 33.3 percent of participants are considered sophomore. 36.4 percent of participants were juniors. 15.2 percent of participants were seniors. The researcher also found that 63.6 (N=21) percent of students live on campus while 36.4 (N=12) percent of students lice off campus. 51.5†¦show more content†¦21.2 (N=7) percent of students said that they spent 4 weekends out of the month parting. Lastly, 24.2 (N=8) percent of students said they spent 5 or all weekends out of the month partying. When asked how hard it is to get to class on a normal day 3 (N=1) percent of students said they found it really hard. 45.5 (N=15) percent said they found it hard to get to class on the average day. Lastly, 51.5 (N=17) percent said they didn’t find it hard at all to get to class on a normal day. 78.8 (N=26) percent of participants reported having a job, while 21.2 (N=7) percent said they did not have a job. When asked if they worked out 75.8 (N=25) percent said they worked out, and 24.2 (N=8) percent of students reported not working out. Cross Tabs Students place of residents? Total On campus Off campus What is your GPA? 1.6 to 2.0 1 1 2 2.1 to 2.5 0 1 1 2.6 to 3.0 4 4 8 3.1 to 3.5 12 6 18 3.6 to 4.0 4 0 4 Total 21 12 33 When the researcher crossed GPA and living on campus versus living on campus in Table 1, it was found that the GPA range of 1.6 to 2.0 and 2.6 to 3.0 both had equal amounts of participants under each category, N=1 and N=4 respectively. The population was more dense for the participants who lived on campus with a GPA level of 3.1 to 3.5 and 3.6 to 4.0. what is your classification? Total Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior What is your GPA? 1.6 to 2.0 2 0 0 0 2 2.1 to 2.5 0 1 0 0 1 2.6 to 3.0 1 2 3 2 8 3.1 to 3.5 2 6 7 3 18 3.6 to 4.0 0 2 2 0 4 Total 5

Pnictogen Definition

A pnictogen is  a member of the nitrogen group of elements, Group 15 of the periodic table (formerly numbered as Group V or Group VA). This group consists of nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and ununpentium.  The pnictogens are noted for their ability to form stable compounds, thanks to their tendency to form double and triple covalent bonds. The pnictogens are solids at room temperature, except for nitrogen, which is a gas. The defining characteristic of pnictogens is that atoms of these elements have 5 electrons in their outer electron shell. There are 2 paired electrons in the s subshell and 3 unpaired electrons in the p subshell, putting these elements 3 electrons shy of filling the outermost shell.   Binary  compounds  from this group are termed  pnictides.

Essay on Abortion - 712 Words

Abortion In America alone, approximately 1.5 million abortions are performed every year. That is about one abortion every twenty seconds, yet nothing is being done to reduce these numbers. Why does the law allow the murders of so many innocent babies to continue? The answer is simple, it shouldn’t. Abortion is wrong and should be stopped. This fact is apparent when one sees the suffering that abortion causes, not only to the baby, but to many others as well. All this damage can be so easily avoided when one sees the alternatives and the truths behind abortion myths. Abortion has brought about suffering to many people in more ways than one. Clearly, a lot of the damage is done to the baby. It will never have a chance to live. It has†¦show more content†¦Maternal bonding is reduced, and in some cases, abortion has even been linked to child abuse. It is evident that the suffering far outweighs whatever benefits might be found in abortions. Instead of striving to find the good in abortion, contemplate the numerous advantages of the alternatives. Parenthood is very rewarding, even according to Yveline, who became a mother at a mere twelve years of age. She had this to say about her daughter, Katrina, â€Å"I love to tell her I love her. And I just feel all her love in return. There’s nothing quite like it, the love between a mother and child.† The relationship between parent and child is a special bond that should never be underestimated. The task of raising a child can be a formidable one, but nowadays, there are organizations that can help. Most of these establishments are specialized to help teenage parents who want to continue their education while providing their baby with as much as possible. Despite the help of these organizations, many people are simply unprepared for the challenges and responsibilities of parenthood. For that reason, there’s another option available - adoption. Adoption is advantageous to all parties involved, th e baby, and both sets of biological and adoptive parents. Every year, there are 400,000 couples in America that are looking for a baby to adopt. These couples will be good parents that are more than willing to provide a baby with a good home, a good life, and all the other thingsShow MoreRelatedAbortion : Abortion And Abortion998 Words   |  4 PagesAbortion Abortion is defined in several ways all of which stop a pregnancy. There are different ways of abortion, which are spontaneous abortion, surgical abortion, and medical abortion. Abortion has been arguable topic for decades. One can neither believe abortion to be good nor bad. The idea of individuality and human life is not quite the same. Idea of human life has come from conception; simultaneously on the other hand, fertilizer eggs used for in vitro fertilization are also human lives butRead MoreAbortion : Abortion And Abortion Essay921 Words   |  4 PagesPaper: Abortion Laws The topic of abortion is a widely debated and very heated topic in Texas. The Republican party’s platform supports family values and are completely against abortion under any circumstances, including abortifacients. The Democrat party’s platform supports the rights for women to make choices about their own bodies. They support abortifacients and a person’s right to have an abortion. There is also a large percentage of those that are in the middle in that they believe abortion shouldRead MoreAbortion, The, And Abortion998 Words   |  4 PagesIn the United States there are more than a billion abortions performed each year. Since the court case Roe vs Wade in 1973 more than 56 million babies have been murdered in the United States before they had the chance to take their first breath (Snyder, Michael). These statics along with many more show the huge injustice that is happening in the country I call home. Abortion is defined as the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. It can include any of variousRead MoreAbortion : Abortion And Anti Abortion1624 Words   |  7 Pagesa very large controversy between the ideas about abortion and anti-abortion. Different religious views, beliefs, peoples many different customs and even people of different cultures all have their own preferences and ideas on the take of this political issue. Views against abortion can lead to as much of an impact as a violent/non violent riots outside of an abortion clinics, to something as simple article in the newspaper. The belief on abortion that leads to a lot of the controversy is that inRead MoreAbortion, The, And Abortion Essay1656 Words   |  7 Pages An abortion is when the pregnancy of a women is ended; it is called sometimes Termination of pregnancy. There are two types of abortion. The first type is the spontaneous abortion; it occurs within the first two months. What causes it is frequently unknown yet is probably the results of intra-uterine contamination, or limited attachment in the building unborn child to the interior coating walls in the womb (uterus). Such conditions this unborn child, if the idea advances further, mayRead MoreAbortion, The, And Abortion953 Words   |  4 Pagesdebates that is constantly talked about is abortion. When it comes to abortion, the laws vary depending on the state you live in. Whether people support or are against abortion, few actually know about the abortion process. Have you ever heard of suction aspiration or prostaglandin chemical abortion? Those are two of the various methods that are performed in the different trimesters of pregnancy. According to writer Steven Ertelt of Li feNews.com, Oklahoma’s abortion laws are restrictive compared to otherRead MoreAbortion : Abortion And Abortion1930 Words   |  8 PagesAbortion has been around for quite some time. Laws have been set allowing it and banning it during different periods of time. The procedures that can be done are all very different. There is a medical abortion involving drugs and there are surgical abortion involving a more invasive procedure. There are also different points of view on it. There are those who fully support the termination of a pregnancy and those who are completely against it. There are many factors to consider and very differentRead MoreAbortion : The Fight For Abortion1543 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough abortion was decriminalized in 1973, the fight for abortion rights did not end with Roe v. Wade. Just in the past three years, there have been systematic restrictions on abortion rights sweeping the country sate by state. In 2013, 22 states enacted 70 antiabortion meas ures, including pre-viability abortion bans, unnecessary doctor and clinic procedures, limits on medicated abortion, and bans on insurance coverage of abortion In 2011, 92 abortion restrictions were enacted, an in 2012, thatRead MoreAbortion : The Issue Of Abortion1212 Words   |  5 PagesThe topic of abortion has been an ongoing debate for many years. According to ProChoice.org, abortion was legal in in the days of the early settlers. At the time that the constitution was adopted abortions were legal. Abortions were openly advertised and performed before the first fetal movement (13-16 weeks from the start of a women’s last period). The concern for abortion started in the late 1800’s when immigrants were coming into the country in large numbers and the fear was that they would produceRead MoreIs Abortion Wrong? Abortion?1321 Words   |  6 PagesIs Abortion Wrong? There continues to be a hot debate on abortion. Some people feel that this issue is neither right nor wrong, just simply a â€Å"to each his own† idiom. Those who are for abortion, tend to believe a woman has a right to decide what goes in her body and if she is capable of bringing life into this world. On the other side, there is an equal fervent opposition that killing an innocent unborn baby is wrong and unjustly, murder in the first degree of a helpless baby. Not only are they

Ship management perspective Free Essays

Ship management (KLSM) is a ship management company located in Singapore and involved in the technical management of a fleet of 30 container and tanker ships. It is a fully owned subsidiary company of K Line in Japan and all the ships managed by KLSM are owned by its parent company in Japan. Technical management activities include provision on crew members to man the ships, implementing and malntalnlng safety and quality management systems on board the vessels, maintaining safe and satisfactory vessel operations and maintenance of hull nd machinery on board the ship. We will write a custom essay sample on Ship management perspective or any similar topic only for you Order Now The company is involved in procurement and supply management of various goods and services including stores, spare parts, bunkers, food and beverage, manpower etc. One of the major functions of the company Is the maintenance of hull and machinery of vessels under Its management, Technical superintendents are responsible for the maintenance matters on board their controlled ships whilst managers are responsible for formulating and overseeing policy making and implementation. A major part of maintenance involves the supply of stores and spare parts to the vessel. Each ship is fitted on board with a large number of complex equipments and machinery manufactured by hundreds of different makers and thus spare parts lists for all the equipment and machinery on board, runs into hundreds of pages. With the life of a ship being 20-30 years, several of these equipments/parts become obsolete and even OEM’s close shop during such course. Procuring spares and delivering these on board ships (in good time) that are trading worldwide thus becomes a great challenge for the technical department and in turn for the company. Presently the responslblllty of procuring spare parts for each vessel Iles with the echnical superintendent In charge of the vessel. An admin lady assists him in this work. The technical superintendent, who is responsible for the smooth running of the vessel and its machinery, spends a majority of his time in such procurement and supply issues. It might be a good idea to outsource this function to another department or to another organization altogether. This would free up the technical superintendents time to work on more critical operational and technical issues where his expertise might be better utlllzed and also perhaps make the procurement and upply management more efficient and organized. The decision to make or buy could be critical and various factors must be considered. Transaction Cost Economics is a central theory in Strategy. It addresses questions about why firms exist, how firms define their boundaries, and how they must govern operations. Transaction cost economics suggests that the costs and difficulties production) and sometimes markets as an economic governance structure. An intermediate mechanism, called hybrid or relational, between these two extremes has recently emerged as a new governance structure. Coase (1937) defined the term transaction costs by asking two fundamental questions: â€Å"Why is there any organization? † and â€Å"Why isn’t all production carried out by one big firm? † Reason is that there are transaction costs that determine what is done in the market, with price as the regulating mechanism, and what is done inside the firm, with bureaucracy as the regulator. Within this framework, all transactions carry a cost, either as an external market transaction cost or an internal bureaucratic transaction cost. The limit to the size of the firm is reached when the costs of rganizing additional transactions within the firm exceed the costs of carrying out the same transactions through the market (Coase 1993). The most important market transaction costs are the cost of determining the price of a product or service, the cost of negotiating and creating the contract, and the cost of information failure. Williamson (1975, 1985) extended the argument by noting that two behavioral assumptions are critical. First, individuals in an organization are boundedly rational. Meaning individuals in an organization have the ability to make rational decisions ased on the limited knowledge they possess. This limitation makes it impossible to structure perfect contracts, and any contract will be incomplete even if all information is available. Second, individuals behave opportunistically. This means that they will act in self interest with guile. Organizing the vertical chain is an important part of business strategy. Deciding which parts of the vertical chain must be produced in-house and which parts must be out-sourced, is an important strategic decision defined by the vertical boundaries of the firm. This decision is simply called the â€Å"make or buy’ decision. The company must compare the benefits and costs of in-house production versus using the market. Traditionally such procurement and supply function has been carried out by technical superintendents so they will always be fully aware of the maintenance requirements and status of spare parts and repair. Completely outsourcing the function to another organization could result in the loss of control and loss of critical business contacts in the marketplace. Also then, reliance on a third party for such procurement and supply could be detrimental to the performance of the vessel in ase of non performance or poor performance which might be realized only after the problem occurs. Perhaps a better way to manage the sourcing and supply of spare parts on board ships would be to invest in an integrated software solution linking planned maintenance systems, spare part requisitions and approved vendor database worldwide, to optimize supply management. The procurement and supply part of the can work closely with the technical department or be a subset of the technical department itself. As the maintenance system will be linked to the spare part equisition and supply system, the technical superintendent retains overview and control on this aspect at all times whilst being able to focus on his primary responsibilities. All planned maintenance is scheduled into the system and spare parts required to perform each maintenance item will also be part of the database. Standard inventory of parts must always be maintained and a requisition for supply of these will be automatically generated for the superintendent’s approval as and when a planned maintenance Job is recorded on board the vessel system as complete. The age of the internet and speed of communication between ship and shore as well as amongst parties ashore has changed drastically. Automated information interchange and highly intelligible databases have made online purchasing and inventory maintenance very easy and efficient. Vendor approval and management could be an integrated part of the software solution and any requirement of spare parts supply would come with a recommended approved vendor list which could be targeted for action. A variety of sourcing strategies could then be used for procurement of spares onsidering the technical complexity, lead time necessary, logistical issues etc. To help in formulation of appropriate sourcing and competitive strategies, KralJic (1983) developed a simple positioning matrix based on these factors. This model could be applied by the purchasing department for procuring different spare parts with different levels of complexity in terms of source, logistics, coat, lead time etc. Pareto’s 80/20 rule may be applied to classify spares into A, B and C class items and determine strategic positioning and risk. Environmental and ethical issues are of growing concern as regulators continue to ighten the already stringent regulations for garbage disposal at sea. All supplies that come on board the vessel packaged substantially and this eventually generates waste on board. A conscious effort needs to be made to push suppliers to use more eco friendly and bio degradable packaging and to have the vessel return all unwanted packaging back to the supplier for safe and eco friendly disposal ashore rather than disposal at sea or incineration. Instructions must be sent to all Vendor management and approvals must include vetting for compliance with standards like ISO 14001 etc. Another important supply management area for the company is bunkers. Fuel oil, diesel oil and lube oils supplied on board vessels are referred to as bunkers and more commonly the work bunkers denotes fuel oil. Challenges faced here are mainly to do with availability, pricing and quality of bunkers stemmed. Since bunkers are supplied worldwide, optimal ports are identified for good quality and reasonably priced procurement. Several vendors are used at various ports worldwide and price negotiations are tough with little guarantee of quality at several of these. Bunker for vessel management and could be integrated with same. Such bunker supply modules help in optimizing bunker stems and also include capability of having an approved vendor database. Hedging against bunker price volatility is another tool that must be considered as the price of fuel oil in the recent times has shown extreme volatility in the short term. Experts must be employed to carry out this function in house or alternatively hedge incorporated supply contracts must be negotiated with standard supplier groups who have the capability to supply bunkers t most major and frequent bunkering ports around the world. Such activity would effectively reduce the risk of exposure to extreme price fluctuations. Besides supply management of goods, the company also faces challenges in the supply management of services. All ships need to be manned with a suitable regulated complement of officers and crew members. These crew members are contracted for a certain period and proper rotation of staff upon completion of contracts poses a logistical challenge. The supply of manpower to each vessel involves a rostering and planning process which becomes highly complex due to a arge gamut of regulatory requirements on competency, standards and other facets. The crew manning department struggles to have the right people on board the right vessel at the right time and there is a constant struggle with retention rates as well. Resumes of all crew members are manually updated and maintained and the rostering as well is performed manually. An electronic system or module to cover this function will be extremely significant in increasing the departments efficiency and eventually benefit the overall organization as retention rates increase and crew erformance is enhanced. The strategic supply wheel (Cousins, 2006) suggests that it is imperative to maintain an alignment of corporate and supply policies. There seems to be good alignment of policies within KLSM and as a small company with less than 50 staff, this is relatively easy to implement. With acute cost focus without compromise on quality of critical items, the strategy is uniform and understood by all involved. Overall KLSM deals with several unique supply chain management challenges because of the nature of the company’s functions and ships trading worldwide. An overall efficient supply management strategy implemented at all levels would become almost imperative for successful achievement of the company’s goals which is primarily safe, efficient and cost effective maintenance of the ships and their operations. A comprehensive software solution to replace a lot of the traditional manual work in relation to supply management will certainly help optimize outcome, considerably improve cost efficiency and mitigate risk inherent in the manual system. Careful selection from available range of software in the marketplace will need to be one and suitable packages compared before making the important decision of which product to use. Training of all staff involved with operations both on board ships and ashore will then become necessary to fully exploit the software’s capabilities and achieve desired results. How to cite Ship management perspective, Papers

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Analysis Essay Example For Students

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Analysis Essay When our lives begin, we are innocent and life is beautiful, but as we grow older and time slowly and quickly passes we discover that not everything about life is quite so pleasing. Along with the joys and happiness we experience there is also pain, sadness and loneliness. Hemingways A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, and Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock both tell us about older men who are experiencing these dreadful emotions. In Hemingways short story there are three characters, two waiters and their customer. Of these three, two are older men who are experiencing extreme loneliness. The customer sits alone drinking his glasses of brandy slowly, and very carefully, peacefully becoming drunk. While he is meticulously drinking his alcohol, the two waiters talk about him. They discuss his suicide attempt of the week past. The younger waiter doesnt seem to understand why a man with money would try to end his life. Although the older waiter seems to have an insight into the customers reason, he doesnt share this with the younger one. He seems to know why this deaf old man is so depressed, and sits there alone and silent. When the younger waiter rushes the customer, the older waiter objects. He knows what it is like to go home to emptiness at night, while the younger man goes home to his wife. The older waiter remarks on the differences between him and his younger companion when he says, I have never had confidence and I am not young. He tells the waiter and us that he prefers to stay in a well-lit place instead of going home to darkness and loneliness. When he does go home, he waits until daylight to sleep. The light seems to cure his inner darkness, his despair at being alone, and his despair at the nada-ness in his life but only temporarily. In T. S. Eliots poem J. Alfred Prufrock tells the reader of his fear of rejection. He is a lonely man and wants to ask someone to make his life a little less desolate. He doesnt know what to say or how to ask. We are at a party, a setting Prufrock seems to visit often. He tells us about himself, his bald spot, his skinny arms and legs. He knows that the people at the party will talk about those flaws in his appearance. Prufrock is so unsure of himself that while trying to find a way to ask his question, he loses the opportunity to ask it. He loses his chance at ending the nothingness that seems to fill his life as well. His uncertainty and his inferiority complex are touchingly revealed when he tells us, I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. // I do not think they will sing to me. It is this forlorn attitude that moves us. He is extremely lonely and yet, he cannot do anything about it. In both these works men talk of loneliness and sadness. They are all alone in a world filled with people. The misery they experience from this feeling of solitude moves the reader because we have all at one point or another felt likewise even if not to that intensity.