Hower House essays

Hower House essays Hower House is a Victorian Second Empire Italianate Mansion; it was built in 1871 by architect Jacob Snyder. The home belonged originally to John Henry Hower and his wife Susan. The house was occupied by the Howers and there descendants until 1793 when it was donated to the University of Akron by Grace Hower Crawford. The time that was represented by the Hower House was 1871 to around 1973. Some facts I learned were that the fireplaces in the Hower House are actually stone and just appear to be marble or wood. The fireplace that looked like it was wood was very interesting because its impossible to have actually wooden fireplace because it would catch fire. In the era of the Hower House a persons wealth was dependant on how many rooms there house had in it. The Hower House has 28 rooms. Most houses of the era didnt have a closet in the bedrooms because the government counted closets as rooms and taxed people if they had them. The Hower House has a closet in every bedroom bec ause the family was rich enough to afford such amenities. I also learned what an actual Griffin is (and not just someone who goes to Buchtel). A Griffin was a gargoyle like creature that was half eagle and half lion. The house had statues of Griffins that were used as table legs and such. Another fact I learned was that most of the furniture and a decorative pieces in Hower House came from places outside the U.S. The Howers loved to travel and collect goods from all over the globe. My guide also showed me a steep set of stairs that led to the top of the towers. She claimed that on a clear day you could see Cleveland but also added that she never went to the top of the Tower because she wasnt allowed. I thought that was interesting because I knew the house was big but I didnt think it was that big. I learned that people who lived at during this time did basically the same things we do but it was ...

Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Sample

Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Sample Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Example Technologies for Smart Homes Essay Example It is very difficult to surprise a person in the modern world. Technological and scientific progress reached a huge success, and its pace is constantly increasing. If someone told a person from the early XX century something about the mobile phones or computers, he or she would be taken for a full. The main reason for the development and progress is a desire of a human being to live comfortably. That is why today we can talk about such technology as smart home. Many people know about the existence of smart homes already. In brief, they are fully monitored by machinery, or the CPU. They can regulate microclimate, open and close the curtains, turn off the flow of the water or gas or vice versa and much more. As a result, we face a living space fully adjusted to our needs. Naturally, it is not a cheap pleasure. According to Sripan, Lin, Petchlorlean, and Ketcham (2012), â€Å"Although smart homes have many properties that make human’s lives convenient, these smart properties are in a higher price tag. The cost of an intelligent home is high because some of the technology is relatively new.† (International Conference on Systems and Electronic Engineering) However, as practice shows, automation always has a positive effect on savings. According to Harper (2003), â€Å"The word smart house was first used in an official way as long ago as 1984 by the American Association of House Builders, though the first wired homes were actually built by hobbyists in the early 1960s.† The first smart houses appeared naturally in the USA, back in the 50s of the last century. At that time, smart houses were really unique apartments equipped with special electronics that controlled many things in the house, for example, washing machines, TV sets, microwaves, etc. All these appliances have been combined into one, and managed from a single console, which gave a person a possibility to control them by â€Å"Disable† and â€Å"Enable† buttons. Over time, intelligent buildings began to appear; they have already been fully equipped with various automatics combined into a single network. At this time, development has been rapid; researchers and developers have been paying particular attention not only to comfort but al so safety, economy and resources. Modern Technologies of Smart Homes Funds, invested in the development of new technologies for intelligent buildings were huge, and people believed that it will bring substantial benefits in the future. Since 1978, the developers were able to achieve control of electrical appliances through conventional wires with the electricity voltage of 110V. It was a real breakthrough that enabled further development and implementation of this scheme. Special development began in the 90s, when there was a considerable amount of various detectors and sensors, without which it was impossible to even process automation. Modern smart home contains many innovations that have ensured total safety and comfort. Having all of these developments makes dreams come true: now people are not supposed to worry about their houses, because they are always controlled by the equipment that does not fail working for years without any problems, even when no one is in the house. Some decades ago, by saying smart house, people often meant a complex and expensive system of remote control of lights, heating and other systems, but now it has become much wider. There are smart building materials and applications for the iPhone, which allow a person to turn off electrical appliances at a distance (in case a person forgets to turn off the iron from the socket), and robots that can do the cleaning instead of a person. Here are the most famous technologies and materials that have changed our home and the way we live. Lighting Control The issue of a large number of light switches in smart houses is solved due to their high flexibility. Any switch can be reprogrammed, so that it may be used for turning on or off any light device or devices in the house depending on one’s choice. In addition, there are registers for individual light scenarios for each group of light devices. There may be light scenarios for reading, cleaning, working on a computer, etc. Sometimes people need to simultaneously turn on or off multiple light sources, for example, to create a comfortable atmosphere for watching television. In this case, the smart house turns off all lights in the room except for emergency lighting and simultaneously closes the curtains. If one wants to turn on or off the light in the room, then â€Å"use an iPad ® to simply touch an image of the actual light in the room you desire to control, and not only will the light in the room turn on/off or dim when pressed, but it will also illuminate on the iPad to confirm the command† (Savant Systems, n.d.). To implement lighting scenarios, the light control in a smart house is automated. For this purpose, there several types of sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, sensor indicating door position, etc. For example, when a man enters the room light illuminates. On the contrary, when the room is empty, the light is turned off. It does not require additional efforts in order to switch on the lights; therefore, it is a very convenient tool, especially if someone is busy with both hands. In response to movement in the room, smart house simultaneously estimates the amount of natural light. As soon as the brightness of daylight decreases, smart house will increase the intensity of light in proportion to the daylight. If the room has enough sunlight, lights will be automatically turned off. The same principle is working in response to the day of the week, time of the day or a specific event, such as opening/closing blinds, doors, etc. If one gets up at night to check how the baby sleeps, a smart home lamp will automatically regulate the required intensity of light, which will be enough to see the objects in the room, and the light will not cause a nuisance to the eyes. In todays smart home, all light sources, including street lights and RGB background light can be controlled remotely using the remote or a single control panel. Smart house is able to protect itself during the absence of the owner. It can simulate the presence of a person in the house, periodically turning lights on and off in different rooms, creating noise and other effects of the presence of people. To my mind, this technology is very comfortable. Sitting in a chair and watching TV, one may easily turn the lights on or off in the garage, hallway or in any other part of the house by pressing some buttons on the control panel. What is more, one can control the light in the smart home from anywhere in the globe. Control of Appliances Household appliances are designed to provide people with comfortable existence. However, over the last decade, almost every house has accumulated so many appliances that today, there is a new problem: how to control their work. Smart house itself manages the operation of all appliances. To make sure that such electrical appliances in the house as TV, iron, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, electric heater, etc. are subordinate to one or two push buttons on the control panel, all sockets are tied together into a single network and are controlled by a smart house. This will save an owner from the familiar concern: â€Å"Did I turn off an iron leaving the house?†, â€Å"Did I leave the oven turned on?† or â€Å"Does the washing machine work fine during my absence?† Now with the help of one touch of a button on the control panel, one can enable or disable the device he or she wants. It is important that it can be done even if a person is away from home by using a mobile phone. If he/she is in doubt whether you turned off an iron today before leaving, just disconnect the outlet into which the iron was included using a mobile phone. If necessary, smart home can stop energy supply to all devices, except for those groups of consumers of electricity, which are critical to the operation of the system. Remote control allows people to program work appliances so that they turn on or off in accordance with a particular scenario or predetermined schedule. So, if the house has exterior lamp that is plugged in, one can program its work depending on the time of the day. I am pretty sure that remote control is extremely useful. If parents, for example, do not want their child to watch TV after 21:00, they may configure the system in order to turn off the power of television in 21:00. While at work, one can check whether all the appliances are turned off after the child goes to school. As a result, people not only feel safe, but save energy as well. Climate Control Creating the desired indoor climate is achieved by coordinated operation of a range of appliances. It can be electric and gas boilers, radiators, warm floor, air conditioners, humidifiers, or ventilation system. In smart house, climate control is carried out by using a mobile phone, personal computer or single control panel. A few clicks are needed to create personal microclimate for each room. Automatic climate control and management. The micro climate in the room is fully dependent on the heat source. This can be radiators, fan coils, converters, warm floors, or air conditioners. Smart home can choose the most cost-effective heat source for any time of the day. Smart home is called smart because it, for example, will not allow the inclusion of radiators when the air conditioner is working. Availability of special temperature sensors allows it to respond to changing weather conditions outside. In warm weather, smart home disables the extra heating, thus saving electricity consumption. When it is raining or snowing outside, smart house will inform the owner about the open balcony door or window and, if necessary, independently include the snow melting system. Scenarios of climate control One can easily use the control panel or mobile phone to set a particular scenario of heating a house. The house temperature may be controlled depending on the day of the week or time of the day. â€Å"From your Apple iPad, Savant’s HVAC Scheduler allows users to quickly create their own climate schedules based on time of the day, month of the year and annual including season change, temperature and humidity† (Savant Systems, n.d.). For example, Monday through Friday, during the daytime, when the house is unoccupied, the rooms will be supplied with economical heating. And in those days when one is at home during the day, the temperature will correspond to the desired rate. Conditioning Smart house can achieve more efficient use of such common devices in the home such as air conditioner. Thus, if the room temperature is low, the air conditioners can be used as heaters. On the other hand, thanks to special sensors, smart house is itself smart enough to turn off the air conditioner when the windows are open. Using a mobile phone, one can control the air conditioning at home, while being in the office or in the car. For example, in the hot afternoon, one can turn on the conditioner, and it will cool the apartment before the person’s arrival. Ventilation Smart house has a special ventilation system that not only brings the fresh air, but also makes sure that it is clean. Ventilation is controlled either according to a schedule or on a specific event. In the first case, the ventilation is switched on / off at the required time of the day. For example, before going to sleep air is automatically ventilated in the bedroom. In the second case, the ventilation can work on a specific event: special sensors will monitor the quality of the air and the amount of CO2 in it. I think this is very helpful, especially if there are many people in the house, because the sensor responds to the increase in carbon dioxide concentration and the ventilation system will start working more actively. And vice versa if the house is not crowded, the system will operate in a power saving mode. Multiroom Multiroom is a system that takes video and audio from any source in the home TV, stereo, DVD, TV-tuner, Blu-ray or computer and distributes them around the house. From any room, one can watch videos, listen to favorite songs, no matter where the source is. And all this can be controlled with a convenient touch panel. There is no need to clutter up the house with all sorts of wires or speakers as all equipment is compactly collected in a single place. It may be, for example, home theater or other room convenient for a person. Here is how this is implemented in Savant multiroom system: â€Å"Any iPhone or iPod touch becomes an active media player within your smart home’s whole house audio system. Simply connect your iPhone or a guests iPod touch to a Savant Media Dock, and the media content loaded on each device can be distributed to any room† (Savant Systems, n.d.). Smart house is a real music box. People can create unique musical arrangement in each room, filling their home with originality and peaceful atmosphere. And it is all thanks to the multiroom. In the morning, people will wake up to their favorite tune that will accompany them to the bathroom and wardrobe, and the kitchen will become a place where they will watch news on TV. It is up to people to decide what to play, control the volume and at what time. Home theater can be found almost in all modern houses. And in the smart house theater system turns into a professional cinema. All a person needs is to comfortably settle in the favorite chair. A multiroom will make sure that the home cinema show is truly memorable. Multiroom outputs video to any screen in the house. For instance, a person decides to watch a movie in the sitting room, but eventually he/she got tired and decided to go to the bedroom. This person can send the video to the screen which is in the bedroom and lying in a comfortable bed can continue watching the film. Thanks to multi-room, smart home lets one easily establishes an intercom system between rooms so that one can call wherever he/she wants only by pressing one panel button. Besides, one can establish a special baby monitor regime that gives an opportunity to hear everything that happens in the house. Smart Controller Smart house constantly monitors the consumption of gas, electricity, water, heat etc. All these data is captured by special sensors and sent to the management system, where the entire picture of consumption of resources for the chosen period is created. Result can be seen on any screen existing in the house. It is also possible to see energy consumption by individual devices or a group of appliances individually. The system displays not just dry figures; it shows consumption statistics in graphs, tables, charts, etc. Thus, it is possible to use all the resources of smart home effectively and save money of its inhabitants. If an owner wants to know which of the subsystems of the house have been used and how many resources have been consumed on Friday or what the temperature in the house or the humidity level was, etc., then a person should select the date on the panel, choose the desired device or subsystem and see the statistics. A person can analyze the operation of any equipment at home and, if necessary, adjust the settings and the amount of resources consumed. The database stores information about the work of all, without exception, members of the smart house. Everything is very simple and convenient! Where does the money go? This question does not disturb the owners of smart houses, because thanks to such scrupulous monitoring consumption of all resources (water, gas, and electricity), they know the exact answer. They can easily give an assignment to the system to adjust consumption by various devices, if they eat too much energy. Pay the bills without leaving home Smart homes can generate bills for gas, electricity or water on their own, without any help of their owners, and promptly pay for services such as gas, electricity, water or Internet. As for me, this technology is like a third hand, because it can fully control the house bills and pay them. What is more it tries to do that with the lowest cost. However, it is important to periodically look over the consumption statistics on the control panel in order to ensure that everything works smoothly, without spending unnecessary resources. Safety Safety takes a special place in the structure of intelligent home security system. Its work is carried out in two main directions. The first ensures safe operation of all systems at home, while the second performs security functions. As a result, the security system will protect the house from the penetration of undesirable persons, supervise the correct operation of gas and water supply systems, and keep the doors and windows under control. In case of emergency, smart house informs the owner wherever he or she is. According to Robles and Kim (2010), â€Å"If an individual has difficulty moving around effectively, they are often forced to depend on others for care. A smart home security system allows the homeowner to remotely view visitors on a camera, and speak to them via microphone and speakers.† Protection against water leaks and domestic gas. Failure of the elements of water supply system is not as destructive as, for example, fire, but it can lead to a household disaster. To prevent the unfortunate consequences of water leakage, the smart house uses special sensors. Water sensors are installed in the areas where the probability of occurrence of leakage is the highest, most often under the bath or washing machine. If the floor is wet, the sensors will give the signal to the valves that would prevent water supply to the system, thereby preventing flooding in the room. At the same moment, smart house will send a message to the owner, warning about the accident. According to El-Basioni, El-Kader, and Fakhreldin (2013), â€Å"Smoke detectors and gas detectors will be used to measure the required type of gas concentration, and warn about that following the same behavior of the windows motion sensors, in addition they will aid to home ventilation as a quick countermeasure through running the electric air hood.† Thus, the intelligent home security system not only controls the operation of all systems, but also responds to emergencies, notifying the owners at the same time. House Security System It often happens that a person needs to leave the house unattended for a long time. For example, if he or she left for a business trip or on vacation, the smart house would be useful. Presence simulation. Smart house allows people to simulate their presence at home. There are many ways of imitation; they differ in intensity and frequency. According to the scenarios developed by the owner, the light may be switched off or on periodically, and smart house may turn on soft music or some voice. In some scenarios, even the sounds of running water, whistling kettle and other evidence of human presence in the house can be provided. Security features The house is equipped with a group of sensors. According to Laberg, Aspelund, and Thygesen (2005), â€Å"Sensors monitor and measure activities in the surroundings. Examples are movement and heat sensors, humidity sensors, bed mats, thermometers and smoke detectors.† Signal of penetration of unknown person into the building will allow the protected object to be instantly transferred to the security service and the owner of the house. Such devices are good, if the house is empty for a long time. Control over windows and doors One important element of intelligent home security systems are magnetic contact sensors closing / opening windows and doors. If a person is away from home or goes to bed, the system will inform him or her about an open door or windows being closed not tightly. If a habitant decides not to close the window, then the window sensor shuts down, and motion sensors installed in the room will be upgraded to a reduced sensitivity mode to avoid false alarms due to the fluctuation of curtains. Each sensor can be set on the required level of sensitivity so that it would not react, for example, on the slightest hesitation or pets. Well-organized system of intelligent home security is not a luxury. It is a way to prevent extremely unpleasant situations in life. This is the opportunity to live in peace, without flinching from a suspicious noise and not being afraid to leave the home, going on vacation or on long trip. live CHAT Smart Home Control Thanks to modern touchpad control, smart home is interesting and fascinating process that delivers a lot of fun. It is so convenient and comfortable when the house is full of systems and functions that can satisfy all wishes and requirements of the habitant. And a person can control this entire kingdom with easy-to-use touch panels. This is a sophisticated development with modern design and virtually limitless possibilities. Panel contains literally all the technical structure of the house, and only one touch is needed to make any system or equipment work. With the help of the panel, one can easily control the lighting in any room of the house and on the local area, as well as all appliances, ventilation, climate, in general, all home engineering systems. The panel has a nice, simple, and intuitive interface with a schematic picture of the home, which marks all devices and available features as well as their scenarios. All this makes managing the smart house simple and convenient. The touch panel is a reliable assistant in the management of smart house as well as a collection of entertainment. It replaces a music player, computer and video game console. To my mind, smart house would not be that â€Å"smart if it did not have a possibility to be controlled at the distance. Even if people are not at home, they may still see what is happening in his or her home. How? Very simple: via mobile phone (smartphone). It is important to install an application with exactly the same interface as the touch panel. This allows having an access to all control functions of smart house. Besides, one can manage his/her smart house through a conventional mobile phone via SMS as well. I am sure that there is no any other technology that is easier in control. Smart home is more than just another gadget of today’s progress. This is the first necessity for modern people. People spend a lot of time in apartments that is why they need to be as comfortable as possible. Besides, they should also include the preservation of mental health as in the current digital age everyone is feeling the pressure of the flow of information, which can lead to discomfort, stress and even illness. Processing this flow and selecting only the most necessary and fun information is the task of information systems of the smart home. Today, smart houses cannot do that, but I truly believe that scientists have a great potential to solve this weakness. On the other hand, smart home preserves physical health. This is facilitated by a variety of climate-control systems that seamlessly, but unconditionally create optimal indoor habitat. Those moments of human life, which are saved day after day, turn to the additional years of one’s life.

Management Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Assessment - Essay Example From my personal Jungian personality type, I am a loyal, amiable, and willing to make sacrifices for the greatest good. This means that I am a dedicated person to the god of my job, especially in the struggle to achieve results. Management style thus is a dedicated type of management that does not offer room for laxity. As a manager with these qualities, I expect my team to be team players in their work, show dedication and willingness to work. However, this type of management style is suitable for careers such as a masseur, vet, painter, mechanic or clerical supervisor. This means that I have few people to manage in my daily operations. This helps in avoiding overworking others, as I would expect them to show equal dedication to work just like their manager. In most cases, this type of management leads to coercion and pushing other people, some times to the extreme limits. Although this type of management achieves results and targets at an early stage, employees feel more used and e xploited, leaving them demotivated. It could lead to a high employee turnover in a large organization. Five traits, described as The Big Five Personality Model determine the personality traits of a manager. They determine the strengths and weaknesses of a of the leadership qualities as a manager. Extroversion means that an individual is gregarious, assertive and sociable. This contradicts with introversion, which holds that people are reserved, timid and quiet. Managers who portray extroversion qualities are good managers, as they do not limit themselves to their own individual perceptions. Introverts are weak managers who are unsocial, reserved and timid. Agreeableness refers to an individual’s propensity to differ with others. People who possess a high level of agreeableness tend to be cooperative, warm and trusting. This defines the characteristics of a strong manager as they can cooperate with others easily, show high levels of warmth and trusting enough. However, weak ma nagers’ forms the group of people who score low on the agreeableness scale tend to be cold, disagreeable and antagonistic. This type of managers thus cannot compare with high levels of agreeableness. Conscientiousness measures the level of reliably of a person by others. Characteristics of a manager with a high level of conscientiousness include responsibility, organization, dependability, and persistent. Such managers are strong and highly reliable. On the other hand, weak managers score lowly on the conscientiousness scale. This is because they are easily distracted, disorganized and unreliable, qualities defining poor managers. Emotional stability described with its converse neuroticism taps into a person’s stability, the tendency of calmness, self-confident and secure. Strong managers are those possessing high emotional stability, and are calm, self-confident and secure. Openness to experience addresses an array of interests and fascination with novelty. Thus, mana gers with extreme openness are highly creative, curious and artistically sensitive. On the other hand, weak managers have weak emotional stability. Personality determines the management style people prefer applied to them. People scoring high on emotional stability are happier than those scoring low. Compared to other big five, the association of this trait to the job satisfaction is high. Thus, people lows on emotional stability are hyper-vigilant and are more prone to physical and psychological effects of stress. Extroverts tend to be happier in their jobs as well as their lives than the introverts are. They tend to perform better than the introverts and require strong interpersonal interaction. Since they have a high level of social dominance, they show exhibit a high level of assertion than the introverts. Thus, they are more likely to engage in more risky behaviour and miss from work more than the introverts. Managers who score high on openness to experience are more creative i n science rather than in art. Since creativity

How online dating affects real life dating experience Research Paper

How online dating affects real life dating experience - Research Paper Example The purpose of this study is to weigh the pros and cons of online dating. While having its benefits, this form of socializing also has some side effects. It is a gift and curse at the same time. Chatting online gives everyone the chance to be social without any of the normal anxiety like possible rejection and thinking up unique ice-breakers. For people who are anti-social or shy, online dating is bliss. On the contrary, Internet allows people to create the most favorable versions of them and they can ‘be’ who they want to be. As such, it can become very easy to fall in love with the online self of a person and ignore the dissenting aspects of his/her personality in real life. In this study therefore, I want to mention the advantages and disadvantages of online dating and assess the favorability of this new chapter in dating. The overview of the study is basically how online dating has affected the real lives of the individuals. Obviously, as it is said, too much of ever ything is fatal – it applies here that the negative aspects of online dating outweigh the positive ones, resulting in heartbreaks, lack of trust, mental illnesses, suicides and time wastage. Literary Review: The famous culture media in modern years has become all the time more spellbound by online relationships, both those that are flourishing and particularly those that conclude in heartbreak. A movie released in 1998 entitled, â€Å"You've Got Mail† (Brown, Durk, & Ephron, 1998) portrays the tale of two people who fell in love while using the Internet. Social scientists have also recognized these modern-day relationships, and at present, a large accessible literature is based on computer mediated e-mail, Internet culture and Internet relationships. Nevertheless, there is in plain sight lack of pragmatic research in particular dealing with romantic Internet relationships. According to Ellison et al (2006), there are infinite people nowadays who will give an undertakin g for the fact that online dating is an enjoyable way of getting to know remarkable people. They think this way you get more choices and you too have the choice of breaking up with someone who you do not like without any worries unlike in a real relationship, which can get a teensy weensy bit knotty when it comes to wrapping up. Kira Leck (2006), in her article on ‘Dynamics of Online Dating’ stated that, love is trouble-free to find and practice on the internet or so it gives the impression. In addition, for individuals who have not been doing well in getting companions or friends in actual life in bona fide social circles, online dating is indeed a blessing for them. If truth be told, many people date several people at the same time not knowing which could be the right one. However, here comes the catch. According to Robert (2010) the more choices available, the more probability is there for lack of commitment. When one is busy trying to decide, first-rate, add up and even uphold the number of online dates, you sure are going to give attention to

Allegories of Life Essay Example for Free

Allegories of Life Essay In The Allegory of the Cave, Plato uses a vast spectrum of imagery to explain ones descent from the cave to the light. While Plato uses this Allegory to explain his point through Socrates to Glaucon. This allegory has many different meanings. The Allegory can be used in many different ways, from religion to politics to ones own intellectual enlightenment, or it can be interpreted as the blinded person in a colt like reality. Are we all prisoners in a world that is forced on us through the media? How do we really know that we are not just pawns in some one’s chess game. What meaning was Plato trying to introduce to Glaucon? This cave can represent many aspects in the world. And the prisoners can be any one. The puppeteers can be a symbol for people or for the things in life that hold us back from seeing and thinking clearly. As we look further into Plato’s work we will explore many different meanings for this allegory and attempt to give our life some meaning. I would like to start off with a summary of the allegory of the cave as I have understood it. In the the cave there are a group of prisoners bond form their neck to their feet facing a stone wall. They have been their since childhood. All they know of is what the puppeteers have shown them through the fire images. They hear sounds made by the puppeteers. And the shadow of images cast from the fire. They think that this is reality because it is all they have ever known. One prisoner is lead away from his shackles and is lead out of the cave. He his blinded by the sun at first. Once his eyes had adjusted to the light he see’s a tree a real green tree that is alive. Not the shadow of a tree shown by the puppeteers. The prisoner also see’s his reflection in the water. He see’s the world in its entirety. He has been enlighten. Just as the prisoner was getting a grasp of the real world he is lead back into the cave. The other prisoners are mocking him for what they thought of as a loss of sight. He try’s to explain to them what he has seen. But there pet ty little minds can’t grasp what he has seen nor do they believe what he says they have not seen it for them self. To understand what Plato’s passages meant is to try and understand yourself. Individual enlightenment is one way to analyze Plato’s Allegory of the cave. As children we are like those prisoners In the cave. Our parents shield us from the ugly cruel world. Until one day we are introduced to what the world is all about. As a child I feel I was shield from a lot of things death, divorce, heartache and pain. My grandfather died when I was seven, until then I didn’t think that life could be so unfair. But life is unfair at times and its is more than fair at others. We all have a cave in life and when we think outside the cave walls we will break free from the individual cave we make for our self. Life is all about pushing your self to the limits, finding out just what you can and what you can’t do. The stereo types or labeling we place on others can be a form of a cave. The cave is just a symbol for limitations we have. Until we have been enlighten we will never escape from the cave of life. At times we all need to be our own Plato and lead our self out of the cave. Like Plato Socrates and Aristotle the great philosophers of the past we all need to challenge society’s way of thinking. If you never learn to think for your self then what’s the point of going off to college and finding yourself. Live your life the way you see fit, love who you want to love. Stand out and dance in the rain if it means being who you are. Escape from your individual cave and see the light. Let the puppeteers know you know what reality is and you can think for yourself. Secondly there can be a religious allegory of the cave. The figures that were shown to the prisoner in the cave could be viewed as idols praised by the prisoners and puppeteers. Religion can be viewed by some as a cave. Being kept in the dark of there religion and forced never to see the light. Some religions brain wash there followers to see things only there way. If you don’t see, act or think how there religion views you should be. they may kill you. The Amish religion can be view like the prisoners in the cave. They are taught from a small age that God is all you need and the everyday life most Americans live is a blasphemy of God. They live a simple life most have no electrical devices and choose to dress modestly and in plain colored clothing. Some Amish travel to towns for supplies but most tend to grow everything there self. Children are shielded from the outside world until there teenage years when they participate in rumspringa. This event is where teenagers are given the choice to stay within the Amish culture or they ch oose to be an outsider. In summary the Amish are similar to the prisoners in the cave being told what to do and how to act there whole life until the day they can see the world and make their own choices. One important note most Amish teenagers choose to stay within the Amish community. Cults are similar to the Allegory of the cave. Members are kept in the dark, from what the real motivates behind the puppeteers actions are. Once one is lead away from the cult and one see’s for them self that there is more to life than what cult has shown them. They are enlightened and can see and choose for them self what they choose to be real or imaginary. There is also a political cave, and we Americans at times get blind by what we want to see. Then we never really see the truth behind the facade. As well know the truth is harder to see and recognize. We see what we want to see as the truth. The politicians are the puppeteers and we the citizens are the prisoners. We see and hear what they want us to know. And as we all know when we step outside from what they want us to know the consequences can be death. The government tells us what we can and can’t do by the way of the justice system, not saying that its wrong. But it seems the more money you have the more you can get away with . The political cave has many different levels and different puppeteers, we as common citizens will always be the prisoners to a higher power that can clinch its fist at any time and change how we live our life. One of the most common caves we put our self’s in is the intellectual cave. You can be placed in to the cave because of where you live or how you perceive yourself. The intellectual cave of life. So many face this cave and don’t have the courage or resources to step into the light. What some Americans take for granted is a quality education. There are so many prisoners of the intellectual cave, some are put there by their own doing. It seem better to work a minimum wage 9 to 5 everyday than to spend that time getting a higher education. The very extremes of this type of intellectual cave is being a drug dealer these persons feel they can make more money selling drugs and book smarts wont get them anywhere. But what these select individuals don’t understand that is that getting a better education is the key to getting what they want out of life and making a better future for their family then what was hand to them. The ones addicted to the drugs they sell are in a cave all of there own. Most say when they do reach that point of sobriety its like coming out of the darkness, like they have been lead out of the cave of addiction. After having read Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, I fell I have been enlighten even more. This isn’t the first passage of Plato I have read, it does have a lot of information in very few lines. The Allegory can be used in many different ways, from religion to politics to ones own intellectual enlightenment, or it can be interpreted as the blinded person in a colt like reality. I have discussed in the previous chapters the many different types of caves this allegory can portray. We may never know what plato’s literal intentions were. What the cave and prisoners were really an analogy for. But I believe that was plato’s point in writing this allegory in such a way that it could have all different types of meanings. This passage was written thousands of years ago but all of his words still fit this day and time, and will reach far into the future. We as young adults need to help those left behind in the cave and open there eyes to the light of enlightenment. Weather it be leading them out of a gang or off of drugs. A brighter more prosperous future shouldn’t only be for those more fortunate than the many. For those left in the religious cave of life one day the vale shall be lifted and there freedom will come to them as well. They will one day be able to make their own religious choices for their self. Plato’s allegory of the cave will be past down from generation to generation.

Essay --

Somewhere in August last year, around the date when anti-superstition crusader NarendraDhaborkar was killed, two women were killed in a remote village in Assam’s Kokrajhar district by villagers who suspected them of practising witchcraft. A 70-year-old woman and her 42-year-old daughter-in-law were killed by a large number of village women, who accused the duo of practising witchcraft in June 2013 in Ranchi. A 50-year-old womanFuloTopono and her 30-year-old daughter Suggidaughter were hacked to death in Khunti district in Ranchi in November 2013 for allegedly practising witchcraft. These are just few examples which found a mention in the English newspapers of our country. Of late the branding of women as witches and subjecting them to horrendous and irrational torture has been on a rise. The juxtaposition of this practise laced with superstition with the rapid modernisation in the rest of the country and the technological progress is hair-raising. A National Crime Records Bureau report quotes that a total of 1,157 women have been killed for witchcraft in Jharkhand between 1991 and ...

Reaction to Everyday Use Essay

Everyday Use is a short story written by Alice Walker about a family of three, Mama, the narrator, Maggie her youngest daughter, and Dee, her eldest daughter. Both daughters are completely different, Maggie is a simpler person and Dee is high maintenance. Dee has always the home she was brought up in and everything to do with her childhood. She always wanted more and Mama gave her the best she could. One day, years after Dee has gone off to college, she returns to visit Mama and Maggie’s new home (the other had been burnt down when Dee was still living with them), and she brings along a man, possibly her husband. When Dee returns she has changed her name and has come hoping to retrieve certain family heirlooms. Walker uses different literary tools to tell this story in a way that makes the audience think about what she is trying to tell the audience. Strategy The main literary strategy Walker uses in the writing of Everyday Use are irony and symbolism. Mama and Maggie value the quilts discussed in the story, not as folk art, instead for what they are intended to be used for, a source of warmth. Mama would rather give Maggie the quilts and let her put these quilts to use even though they may end up ruined because she knows that she is the one that will appreciate and love the quilts the most. Dee wants to in a sense save the quilts from the harm that she is sure that her sister, whom she seems to think is intelligently inferior will ruin but she does not understand the true value and worth of these quilts. Dee’s sudden interest in her heritage and want to embrace different objects from her family’s past is obviously seen by her mother as empty. In Mama’s eyes the best way to keep the quilts and the love and care that comes with them in the family is to hand them over to Maggie, even if it means them possibly being damaged or worse yet, destroyed. This is the irony in the story. Many would think that preserving the quilts is the only respectful way of keeping the spirit of their family alive, but instead Mama sees deeper than that, she sees in actuality the best way to keep the spirit of their family alive is to put them to use so that more memories can be connected to them. Using them in daily life is a way to keep the family history and spirit alive, and to even add onto it. Theme The consistent theme of Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† is appreciating the past, and one’s family. This theme was one that I found I could identify with greatly along with certain aspects of the story. The author skillfully tells us the story of two sisters, Dee, and Maggie, to prove her point. Dee comes home with a new contemporary identity tied to her African heritage, which she believes white men and women have tried to take away from her. She now embraces this African heritage and sees it as an important part of her. She scornfully asks Mama (the narrator) to not address her by the name her mother gave her, Dee, but to instead call her Wangero, assumed to be a name from her African herritage: â€Å"What happened to ‘Dee’?† I wanted to know. â€Å"She’s dead,† Wangero (Dee) said. â€Å"I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.† Wangero (Dee) assumes and argues with her mother that she has been named after a white man or woman. Mama attempts to convince her that her name was not given to her by a white man or woman but that she was named after her grandmother. Dee resists what her mother has told her and insists that if she were to follow the line that it would go back to a white man or woman. Maggie, is unashamed of her past, she actually embraces it. She has always loved the quilts that her mother and aunt made from clothing that her grandmother had pieced. This section of the story is the prime difference between the sisters is revealed: Dee would like to use the quilts as pieces of artwork for her own home because it is something that would be stylish and argues with her mother that Maggie â€Å"would be backward enough to put them to everyday use.† Dee says this as if it were a bad thing to use the quilts as they were intended to be used but Mama believes that the everyday use, is the best way to value the past, to keep the spirit of the family going and not putting the items up for display as if they were in a museum or separating oneself from his or her family. This is something that I can identify with. When I was younger my great-grandmother had always crocheted afghans for each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My cousins had when we were little looked down at these beautiful afghans and wanted instead store bought blankets. I treasured the afghan that my great grandmother had made me and used it often. When we were older, and she had passed away, my one cousin was going through a phase similar to Dee’s, she was suddenly very interested in our family history, and she now wanted the last afghan that my great grandmother made. She ended up being the one to receive the afghan because I did not feel like fighting over it. I did not want to receive it with a fight because I knew that it would tarnish the meaning for me but I always found it interesting how she changed her mind once became, for lack of a better word, â€Å"cool† to embrace family history and to like handmade items. Active and Responsive Reading While reading Everyday Use one inference that I made was that the story was set in the early 1970s. I made this inference from the way Mamma, the narrator, described Dee in the present day. I thought that the dress, accessories, and hair style Dee was described to have seemed to match up to fashion from the early 1970s. Dee is a vain, hypocritical, and condescending individual, this was my impression from my first reading of the story and after reading it twice more, I found that my impression of Dee did not change from my first reading. Mamma did the best she could for Dee as she grew up. Dee always despised the house they lived in and never saw the house that was built after the fire until she visited. Mamma and their church raised money so that Dee could get a higher education and go off to college. Dee uses her education as a way to look down on her mother and sister. She does not understand why they will not better themselves as she has. In this visit she begins asking her mother for things that she had never wanted before and looked down at. She now wants these items not as reminders of her family but more as pieces of art. Two of these items were quilts made by Grandma Dee. In the past when offered these, she had told her mother that the quilts were â€Å"too old-fashioned, out of style†. Now she thinks that they would make beautiful pieces Alice Walker writes this story I think for every family and every person in a family. In a world where people are consumed with art, fashion, and style, I think she is reminding us that there is more to some items than art, fashion, and style. Many times we think the only way to appreciate something is to frame it or put it up for display and not put it to everyday use in fear of ruining it but Walker uses this story to show us that there is more to appreciating something than just displaying it. Sometimes to best appreciate a piece of ones heritage through an heirloom you should use it for its intended purpose. In conclusion Walker teaches us a lesson about family and keeping the spirit and story of our family alive by not merely displaying our heirlooms but putting them to use. She uses irony to help tell her story and support her theme. Walker chooses a story that people can relate to and learn from.