Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Positive Impacts of Digital File Sharing Article

Positive Impacts of Digital File Sharing - Article Example With the rapid advancement and popularization of the internet, digital file sharing technology is now permeating into people’s daily life. Having noticed this trend, musicians and music retailers are now focusing on the online market leading to large changes in music culture. The virtual market has great potential: Both the accessibility and diversity of music have been greatly improved. Although online file sharing community has seemingly led to a decline in the sales of albums and the quick emergence of piracy, relative studies indicate that it does have a positive influence on the economy of the music industry as a whole, generating more revenue for music producers. While technology gives the go-ahead to distribute music all over the world with a touch of a button and makes it possible for artists to advertise on an unmatched scale it also permits music piracy anywhere, anytime. This is the unauthorized replication of goods protected under intellectual property law. This was the case when music technological advancement started back in the 1920s. Artists only got paid for sales of music purchased by radio stations but not the number of times their music got airplay. Then followed the invention of the cassette tape, which and very poor sound quality. This was followed by CDs that were largely pirated and artists got no revenue from it. The invention of file sharing and internet in the music industry increased the piracy rates, but the positive impacts that these digital platforms have brought are more than any piracy losses. Boorstin S. Eric, a lawyer graduated from Princeton University, once conducted a study about the impact of the emerging online music retail industry on total disc sales. He combined data on population characteristics with Nielson SoundScan data on CD sales for 99 metropolitan areas in the years 1998, 2000, and 2001: The total sales in music during the year 2002 were the US $32.2 billion; 41% in North America, 18.6% in Asia, 34.5% in Europe. Japan had more than 80% of the total sales in Asia, leaving Latin America and the rest of Asia and Africa to have 3.1% and 2.7% respectively.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Organotin (IV) Compounds: Chemistry, Properties and Uses

Organotin (IV) Compounds: Chemistry, Properties and Uses Introduction 1.1 Tin Element It is undeniably that many research and studies had been done in the field of organotin chemistry for the past half century. Sn which is symbol bared by tin which is called as stannum in Latin. It is placed on group 14 and period 5 in the periodic table with atomic number of 50. It has an electronic configuration of [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p2. The table 1.1 below show properties of tin (Davies, et al., 2008).The chemical properties was shared similarity with germanium and lead. Moreover, tin form compounds which has +2 and +4 as its oxidation number with +4 has slightly higher stability. Hence, formation of tetrahedral tin atoms occur when four valence electrons involved in the sp3 hybridization. Table 1.1: Tin Properties (Davies, et al., 2008) Based on Tin Chemistry: Fundamentals, Frontiers and Application, it was stated that tin has the stable isotopes of ten and also with the highest number of any element in the periodic table of isotopes. Thus, tin exhibit vary characteristic of the mass spectra. From on the table 1.2 shown below, it appear that both isotopes of 117 and 119 with spin of  ½ are used in the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (Davies, et al., 2008). Table 1.2: Stable isotopes of Tin (Davies, et al., 2008. p. 3) It is found that metallic tin occur in two states which is ÃŽ ±-tin and ÃŽ ²-tin. The ÃŽ ²-tin exists as distorted cubic structure and function as electric conductor. Whereas, ÃŽ ±-tin is formed when ÃŽ ²-tin is converted slowly at temperature below 10 °C. Besides that, ÃŽ ±-tin exits as a diamond structure which have the properties as a semiconductor. The physical appearances of tin is white and possess inertness at ambient temperature. However, tin will only undergo oxidation to SnO2 at 200 °C since it is a malleable post transition metal (Davies, et al., 2008). 1.2 History of Tin Tin has been discovered around 3500 BC and it is known as an element that strengthen copper by forming copper-tin alloy which actually begin as early as Bronze Age civilization. The tin present in surface of Earth is only approximately 2 ppm which is far lesser compared to zinc, copper and lead. The production of tin mainly from mining and smelting (Davies, 2004). In 1849, gives the birth of the first organotin(IV) compound, diethyltin diiodide synthesized by Edward Frankland which ultimately set as a new era in the field of tin chemistry. Frankland basically studies the behavior of the reaction between ethyl iodide and zinc heated in a sealed tube. It was that time found out that the decomposition of iodide of ethyl is affected by tin at the range of temperature between 150 °C to 200 °C (Davies, 2004). Threfore, his research practically set as a seed for further studies and was further stimulated around 1949 when various application of tin was discovered. Truly structural changes of compounds between the solution and solid states plays a crucial role in the organotin(IV) chemistry and its applications. In early studies of the 60s and 70s, Mà ¶ssbauer spectrosocopy was used to determine the sturcture of the complexes. Nevertheless, it is now been dominantly used with X-ray crstallography and 119Sn NMR due to better technology and resolution (Davies, 2004). 1.3 Preparation of Organotin(IV) Carboxylates Organotin(IV) carboxylates’s formula is RnSn(O2CRËÅ  )4-n . The complexes can be produced by reacting organotin(IV) oxide or hyrdroxide with comparable carboxylic acid. (equation 1.1 to1.3) R3SnOH or (R3Sn)2O + RËÅ  COOHà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   R3SnOOCRËÅ   + H2O (1.1) R2SnO + 2RËÅ  COOR à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   R2Sn(OOCRËÅ  )2 + H2O (1.2) RSn(O)OH + 3RËÅ  COOH à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   RSN(OOCRËÅ  )3 (1.3) Esterification reaction is accomplished between organotin(IV) oxides or hydroxides and carboxylic acids by azeotrophic dehydration. The above equations’ reactions will depend on the mixing of different mole ratio of acid and base with appropriate solvent. The side products, water was removed by Dean-Stark apparatus and molecular sieve. Furthermore, organotin(IV) carboxylates can be prepared by reacting organotin(IV) chloride with metal carboxylates. (equation 1.4). Meanwhile, when a tin-carbon cleaved with carboxylic acid, it can also produce organotin(IV) carboxylates or cleaved with mercury(I) or mercury (II), or lead (IV) carboxylate as shown below (Davies, 2004). (equation 1.5-1.6) RnSnCI4-n + 4-nRËÅ  COOM à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   RnSn(OOCRËÅ  )4-n + 4-nMCI (1.4) R4Sn + RËÅ  COOHà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   R3SnOOCRËÅ   +RH (1.5) R4Sn + RËÅ  COOM à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   R3SnOOCRËÅ   +RM (1.6) 1.4Structures of Triorganotin(IV) Complexes Basically the general formula for triorganotin(IV) complexes would be R3SnX and it is widely studied. This is due to the higher biological activity of triorganotin(IV) complexes compared to diorganotin(IV) complexes. The R group highly influence the biocidal activities as it contains three Sn-C whereas their volatility and solubility is affected by the X group (Kizlink, 2001). The toxicity also decreases with a decrease of organic groups bind to the tin atom. However, reviews indicated that X group itself is active biologically and an increased of aqueous solubility will lead to increased of activity (Davies, et al., 2008). Meanwhile, chelation of triorganotin monomer or polymer with a five coordination leads to a decreased of activities (Davies, et al., 2008). 1:1 molar ratio of carboxylic acid and triorganoitn(IV) base are used to prepare triorganotin(IV) complexes (IMTIAZ-UD-DIN and BADSHAH, 2010; Win, 2012). There are two main types of structures possess by triorganotin(IV) complexes which is chain and discrete structures. Figure 1.1 shows frequent occuring stuctures of triorganotin(IV) complexes with different coordination geometries (Hadjikakou and Hadjiliadis, 2009). Figure 1.1: Frequent occurring structures in triorganotin(IV) complexes (A-C) (Hadjikakou and Hadjiliadis, 2009. p. 236) At figure 1.1, complexes A to C falls on the category of discrete structures. It is commonly found that Ar3SnO2CRËÅ   exhibit discrete structures such as triphenyltin carboxylates. Complexes A shows possible dicarboxylate ligand that can form a linear polymer by bridging triorganotin(IV) groups. Complexes B is a structure that closely resemble to trigonal bipyramid containing two equivalent CO bonds with facial alkyl groups whereas complexes C shows tetrahedral geometry with two non-equivalent CO bonds. The axial sites for complexes A to C are all occupied by O-Sn-O electronegative substituents (Davies, et al., 2008). 1.5Tin Application It is undeniably that tin compounds have contributed and played a crucial role in various fields such as its property as an anticancer agent, in vitro anti-bacterial, wood preservatives, pesticides etc (Davies, et al., 2008). The main focus of tin application would be its organotin complexes due to its biologically active compounds in potentially lowering cancerous cells. Therefore, tremendous focus have actually diverted to anti-cancer field though it’s still have a wide applications. Table 1.3Industrial uses of organotin(IV) compounds (Omae, 2002) 1.5.1Agriculture Triorganotin(IV) compounds are proven to be extremely useful in agricultural and industry as they act as fungicides, molluscides, acaricides ,biocides and pesticides based on the research and reviews conducted (Kizlink, 2001; Nath, et al., 2013). For examples, toxicity towards insects and mammals are contributed by trimethyltins whereas Gram-negative bacteria are affected by tri-n-propyltins. In addition, tri-n-butyltin and triphenyltin compounds are effective against fungi. Presence of triorganotins pose as a lethal to mosquitoes and their larvae. Moreover,tributytin chloride act as an strong repellent for rodents in crops. Besides that, snails control is affected by both triphenyltin acetate and triphenyltin chloride as molluscicides. This will help to prevent schistosome infections in human (Piver, 1973). According to Kizlink studies, the presence of n-butyl, phenyl and cyclohexyl groups will greatly increase the biocidal activity (Davies, et al., 2008). Tricyclohexyltin hydroxide and trineophenyltin oxide acts as a acaricides which are used on citrus and vegetable crops though they are not conditioned to resistance environment (Batt, 2006). Whereas triphenyltin(IV) hydroxide and triphenytltin(IV) acetate are used in high value crops when there is potential for the crops to be infected such as early blight, Alternaria solani (GUENTHNER, et al., 2000). Therefore, the common crops used for fungicides are potatoes, pecans etc. With all the advantageous as biocides, ,little did people know that when triorganotin(IV) compunds are capable of adsorbed into the soil. This will eventually lead to contamination of surface water due to runoff (Okoro, et al., 2011). 1.5.2 Anti-cancer Activity In 1965, platinum complexes which is known as cis-diamminedichloroplatinum or cisplatin that characterized anti-proliferative activity has been discovered by Rosenberg (Alama, et al., 2009). Since then, platinum (II) complexes has been used as anti-cancer agent (Lippard and Jamieson, 1999). Regardless of its success, conducted studies has shown that it possess side effects (Langer, et al., 2013). Therefore, a non-platinum metal complexes field has been been prompted to studied with continual investigation of new complexes as antitumor drugs. Besides that, there has been many reviews and studies on organotin carboxylates due to its antitumor potential. Generally, triorganotin(IV) complexes had been widely known to possess superior activity than diorganotin deriavatives (Baul, et al., 2005; Ali, et al., 2011; Yip, et al., 2012). This rules apply to some of the activties and had been recognized as R3SnL > R2SnL2 > RSnL3. Literature had indicated that triphenyltin(IV) complexes have remarkable activty in in vitro antitumor against human mamary tumour (MCF-7) and colon carcinoma (WIDR) (Baul, et al., 2009). It is also reported that the actvity of triphenyltin(IV) complexes are higher than other complexes with p-hydroxybenzoic acids. This is because of the high values of half inhibitory concentration (IC50) lipoxygenase inhibition compared to organitins(IV) and also reference cisplastin. Besides that, the inhibition of lipoxygenase and the activity of anti-proliferative against smooth muscle tumor, a leiomyosarcoma cells are higher for triorganitin(IV) compounds compared to diorganotin(IV) compounds (Nu, Li and Li, 2014). High lipophilic behaviour ,ability to penetrate cell membrane and promotion of binding to biological molecules due to its phenyls group of triorganotin(IV) carboxylates showed high cytotoxic activity further confirms its impressive cytotoxicity in vitro against human lung cell line and human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (Ma, et al., 2014). Furthermore, spontaneous disproportionation reactions in solution may undergone by triorganotin(IV) derivatives into di- and tetraorganotin(IV) derivatives. In the mean time, lost of alkyl or aryl group may happened in in vivo during interception of aromatase enzyme. Therefore, there is possibility to recognize diorganotin(IV) complexes might be the ultimatum of cytotoxic agent and pharmacokinetic considerations in relation to commonly observed triorganotin(IV) compounds’ high activity (Alama, et al., 2009). The organotin carboxylates can be further studied by exploring the ligand of the carboxylic acid, coordination number of the central tin atoms which play a crucial role in determine factor of the anti-tumor activity or cytotoxicity properties (Hadjikakou and Hadjiliadis, 2009; Ding, et al., 2012; Thorpe, et al., 2013). In conclusion, simultaneous in researching leads to potential in discovery in designing new anticancer drugs which will greatly help in our advancement in the medical field. 1.5.3 Antifouling Exploit of trioganotin(IV) compounds can be used as a biocidal agent in anti-fouling paints for ships. In fact, tri-n-butyltin oxide (TBTO) is the first organotin compound to be discover for its properties. The function of anti-fouling systems is to coat and paint ships that acts as protective layer in order to inhibit attachment of Chlamydomas sp. or acorn barnacles. Shipping industry will face a serious problem if marine fouling occur due to increased surface roughness and resistance in water. Therefore, a consumption of 40% of fuel is needed to maintain the normal speed (Omae, 2003). Furthermore, triorganotin(IV) compounds are resistance towards corrosion on aluminum hulls which is why it is favoured. Besides that the ability of tributyltin oxide to mix with pain solvents as a colorless liquid can be used in many biocidal applications. However, tributyltin oxide is highly soluble in seawater and thus giving a short term protection. Whereas, triphenyltin(IV) fluoride has become a common antifungal paint due to its long life protection from algae and shells (Omae, 2003). Even though both tributyltin oxide and triphenyltin(IV) fluoride made a good antifouling paint, studies had shown that they contribute contamination to the aquatic environment (Hartl, 2012). It was suggested that biocides release is caused by high pressure hosing activities in which the paint particles become attached with the sediments and also leaching (Konstantinou and Albanis, 2004) 1.5.4 Wood preservatives It is undeniable that wood is a precious gift from the mother nature and serves as as a wide applicant in the world. Specific wood species are needed for construction due its superior physical, mechanical and aesthetically pleasing performance (Jusoh, 2012). However, not all wood species are durable for outdoor activities. Therefore, organotin(IV) compounds are set as a wood preservatives such as tributyltin(IV) oxide and tributyltin(IV) naphthenate. Based on Kizlink research in year 2000, triorganotin(IV) compounds are found to inhibit the growth of mycelium from wood-destroying fungi Coniophora puteana, Serpula lacrymans and mould suspensions. It is reported that butyl group in n-alkyi chains contained by triorganotin(IV) compounds such as bis(tributyltin) oxide and tributyltin N, N-diethyldithiocarbamate is highly effective against fungi. On the other hand, inhibitory activity of fungicides of triphenyltin(IV) compounds appear to be lower than tributyltin(IV) compounds. This studies indicated and proven that smaller molecular volume of R3Sn have a better establisment to the site of inhibitory action compared to bigger molecular volume. Whereas in the studies of Jusoh, it was suggested that Alstonia schlaris, Macaranga triloba and Hevea brasiliensis were preserved succesfully by organotin(IV) compounds. This results would be further supported by the binding of tin compounds with the wood cell from the FTIR spectra which serves as a preservations of treatability of the specific wood species. 1.5.5 Poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) stabilizers The degradation of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) or oxygenolysis occur at lower temperature of its processing temperature. Thus, conjugation of double bonds are established and the decomposition will release hydrogen chloride (HCI) which then be reduced by heat stabilizers through absorption (Arkis and Balkose, 2004; Wang, et al., 2014). The stabilizers are composed of mono or di-disubstituted organotin(IV) compounds which usually added to pipes, films and packing materials due to their thermal stability (Nu, Li and Li, 2014). Common PVC stabilizers can be differentiated with their alkyl group of organotins which is methyl, butyl and octyl (Okoro, et al., 2011). Since the toxicity of monoorganotin stabilizers towards mammals are extremely low, they are widely used with an added advantage of low raw material cost. On the other hand, the efficiency of octyltins are lesser due to its lower tin content (Batt, 2006). According to Songwon in 2013 by Tin Intermediates Selection Guide, the examples of organtin(IV) complex used as a heat stabilizers is butyltin(IV) mercaptide, dibutyltin(IV) dilaurate, monobutyltin tris(2-ethylhexanoate) and dioctyltin mercaptide. Tin mercaptides are found to be the most desired due to its high efficiency acting as a weak acid reacting with labile chloride sites on PVC. Besides that, solubility of the stabilizer and lubrication in polymer processing is enhanced by the high molecular weights and ester group in mercaptan ligands (Batt, 2006). 1.6 Other usage of Organotin(IV) compounds Besides organotin(IV) compounds acts as an antibacterial and antifungal agent, it also has mothproofing properties to treated fabrics such as bis(tributyltin) oxide. This is due the advantage of being lacking of color and staining. Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria found in hospital also can be controlled by chemical bis(tributyltin) oxide (Piver, 1973). Diorganotin(IV) compounds are used as catalysts to in process of forming polyurethane and silicon elastomers (Okoro, et al., 2011). Dibutyltin(IV) compounds such as diibutytin(IV) dilaurate is responsible in controlling tapeworms for poultry such as Raillietina cesticillus. 1.7 Effects of Organotin(IV) compounds Humans are affected by organotins consumption of contaminated food, waters from pipelines of PVC or inhalation from agricultural activities and industry processes. The symptoms includes liver damage, loss of weight and neurological disorder. Birds are affected by their uptake of food in which their body structure, diet and metabolism of butyltin determines the accumulation in their tissues. Tri-n-butyltin oxide will greatly impact the immunological system and hormones activities of the birds. Whereas the entrance of organotins to fishes is through uptake of water from the gills and diet factor. The toxic effects would be on the red blood cells, gills and liver in the presence of tributyltin(IV) compounds(Namiesnik, et al., 2013). Another evidence was proved by studying chronic toxicity of organotin(IV) compounds by observing gastropods as subjects. It was found that gastropods exhibit imposex which can be defined as having male organs such as penis in a female species even with low concentration of tributyltins. This literally means that contamination of organotins greatly affects all biological living species (Omae. 2002) 1.8 Objectives The main objectives of this research is to synthesis (4-amino-3,5-dichlorobenzoato)triphenyltin(IV) from the reaction between 4-amino-3,5-dichlorobenzoic acid with triphenyltin(IV) oxide. The second objective of this research is to study the characterization of the synthesized complexes through determination of melting point, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen elemental analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) as KBR dics, 119Sn, 1H and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Spectroscopy (NMR) with the means of quantitatively and qualitatively. The third objective for this study is to determine the structure and coordination geometry of the tin moiety carboxylates. Molar ratio of the reactants, polarity of solvent, temperature of refluxing etc. will contribute to the effects of coordination number and binding mode of the ligand to the tin atom which will be investigated.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Brutus is the Tragic Hero in Shakespeares Julius Caesar Essay

The tragedy â€Å"Julius Caesar† by William Shakespeare should be renamed â€Å"Brutus† because Caesar is not the tragic hero. He is only in a small portion of the play and does not possess a major tragic flaw; however Marcus Brutus fits the description of tragic hero much better than Julius Caesar. Typically, tragedies are named after the tragic hero, which Aristotle describes as: a person of noble birth with a tragic flaw that leads to his or her downfall because of that flaw. Brutus exhibits all of these qualities, therefore rightfully naming him a tragic hero. Brutus was a man of noble birth. He had multiple servants and was often referred to as â€Å"Lord†, which indicates a certain level of respect for him. He was a very highly thought of person in Rome. At no point did he ever betray anyone, although he did kill Caesar, he did it to better Rome, not to mislead him. Everything he did was for the advantage of someone else. Even after Brutus dies, Marc Antony says â€Å"This was the noblest roman of them all; all the conspirators, save only he, did that they did in the envy of Caesar; he only in a general honest thought and common good to all...† This shows that regardless of brutus killing Caesar, he is still considered noble because he had good intentions. Brutus was also the best friend of Julius Caesar, the most powerful man in Rome. Had he been a commoner, Caesar most likely would not have associated with him or trusted him as a friend. Brutus’s tragic flaw is that he is very easily manipulated and persuaded. He is very naà ¯ve and allows others to swindle him because he feels that no one would ever lie or deceive him since he didn’t do that to anyone. His first mistake is believing the forged letters from the conspirators. This was all ... ... too late to do anything about it. So, he kills himself. He did this because he realized what he had done and felt he needed to take accountability. Before he died, he says â€Å"Caesar, now be still, I killed not thee with half so good a will.† He is now realizing that he really didn’t have as good a reason as he thought to kill Caesar. In conclusion, Brutus is the real tragic hero because throughout the play he is battling himself over good vs. evil. Even though he has tragic flaws he is still seen as a noble and respected figure in Rome both by those who wanted Caesar dead and those who did not. His ability to be easily manipulated led to the death of Caesar, himself, and countless others. If he had made his own decisions, he would not have ended up causing the chaos and tragedy he did. But, on the other hand he did have his own personal reasons for killing Caesar.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Katherine Mansfield Essay

How is the link between Mansfield’s personal views and experiences and the characters in her short stories reflected in her writing style? Today I will be talking about the similarities between Katherine Mansfield’s personal views, experiences and short stories. The portrayal of characters and their interactions in her short stories mirror many of her own relationships and experiences. I will be explaining how these parallels are reflected in the style of writing Mansfield uses. Although the stories were not completely identical to her real life experiences they were based on them and were strongly linked in the underlying themes. â€Å"At The Bay† is a brief insight into the relationship of Mr and Mrs Kember, focusing more so on Mrs Kember. Mansfield’s rebellious attitude is seen in her character development of Mrs Kember as an exaggerated, more unrefined version of herself. The character is described by other women as being â€Å"very fast† and she â€Å"treated men as though she were one of them† creating the impression that she does not behave like a conventional woman was expected to in those days. She uses negatively connoted language to demonstrate the disapproval of the other women towards Mrs Kember which could symbolize how Mansfield disappointed her mother and eventually became estranged from her. Her unconventional behaviour is reflected in her use of contrasting imagery when she draws comparisons between Mrs Kember and the other women of the bay, such as Beryl. This contrasting imagery is portrayed through the women’s clothing and mannerisms. Beryl â€Å"steps out of her skirt and shed her jersey, and stood up in her short white petticoat, and her camisole with ribbon bows on the shoulders† whereas Mrs Kember â€Å"rose, yawned, unsnapped her belt buckle, and tugged at the tape of her blouse.† The way in which Beryl undresses shows she is graceful and proper while the image of ribbon bows gives alludes to her femininity. The way Mrs Kember undresses is brash and her clothing is much plainer; the unsnapping of her belt and tugging of her blouse is related to manly gesture. The juxtaposition of the characters, Mrs Kember and Beryl, acts as a metaphor of her own incongruence to society’s norms and expectations of what it is to be a woman. During Mansfield’s life, she had her fair share of relationships and sexual partners. She had two lesbian relationships which were famous for their significant presence in her journal entries and stories however she also continued to have male lovers. Her bisexuality is explored in the stories â€Å"At the Bay† and â€Å"Bliss† perhaps using her characters as mouthpieces for her own feelings towards women or her intimate experiences with them. Like in her real life, both the characters she portrays as being attracted to women, already have men in their lives and believe themselves to be heterosexual despite their apparent feelings for other women. In â€Å"At the Bay† she uses dialogue between Mrs Kember and Beryl to establish a sensual under tone and express Mrs Kember’s attraction to Beryl. Remarks such as â€Å"what a little beauty you are† and â€Å"it’s a sin for you to wear clothes, my dear† coupled with Mrs Kember touching Beryl’s waist could be interpreted as flirtatious especially when combined with Mrs Kember’s masculine nature. It also felt as if Mrs Kember was corrupting innocent, naà ¯ve Beryl and yet Beryl seemed to welcome it. She â€Å"felt that she was being poisoned by this cold woman but she longed to hear it† which reinforces the impression of forbidden feelings and sexual tension between the women. â€Å"Bliss† is about a woman Bertha Young who is attracted to a female friend, Pearl Fulton. She has everything she could ask for, a husband, a baby and a beautiful home. She is overwhelmed with joy at the thought of her wonderful life but this takes a turn for the worst when it is revealed that her husband is having an affair with Pearl. Bertha’s state of mind is established within the first paragraph of the story; she is â€Å"overcome, suddenly, by a feeling of bliss-absolute bliss!† and feels like she has â€Å"swallowed a bright piece of that late afternoon sun†. The fragmented sentences used by Mansfield reveal the erratic behaviour of not only the character Bertha but of her as well. Through the repetition of words like â€Å"†¦deeply, deeply† and â€Å"..passionately, passionately† to describe even the most ordinary action of breathing Mansfield’s impulsive behaviour and passionate outlook on life is shown. Again Mansfield shows her dislike for conformity through the phrase of â€Å"oh, is there no way you can express it without being drunk and disorderly? How idiotic civilisation is! â€Å"Frau Brechenmacher attends a wedding† is centred on Frau Brechenmacher who is a mother of five and the wife of a postman. The story is written in third person omniscient, focusing on Frau, and Mansfield uses the omniscient narrator to comment on her dislike for the patriarchal society in which she lived. She uses Herr Brechenmacher as an example of a typical man and by using short, abrupt sentences to express himself she shows the demanding, controlling nature of men. His dialogue mostly consisted of orders and claims like â€Å"Here, come and fasten this buckle† and â€Å"No. I’ll get my feet damp-you hurry!† She also likens men to animals through her vivid description of him â€Å"gesticulating wildly† with â€Å"saliva spluttering out of his mouth† when h e is drunk. The carnal imagery underpins her views that society’s expectation of gender roles was quite primitive. Furthermore she depicts Frau Brechenmacher as a victim at the mercy of her husband. Her repeated use of the words â€Å"her man† alludes to Herr Brechenmacher being her master which reflects Mansfield’s perception that society believed a woman, was like property and belonged to a man. The first image Mansfield introduces at the beginning of her story is that of the character Frau Brechenmacher carrying out the stereotypical duties of a women in the home; putting her children to sleep, polishing buttons and ironing her husband’s clothes. She also shows her daughter helping and learning from her. Mansfield uses the interaction between Frau Brechenmacher and her daughter to show how engrained the idea women are bred for domestic life is. It is a continuous cycle and that notion is passed on from generation to generation. The bride in the story is wearing a â€Å"white dress trimmed with stripes and bows of coloured ribbon, giving her the appearance of an iced cake all ready to be cut and served in neat little pieces to the bridegroom beside her†. The description Mansfield uses to equate the bride to cake that is to be served to the bridegroom is delivered with an air of disdain. She shows signs of pitying the bride. It also illustrates the purpose of women as objects of pleasure. The link between the cake and bride is indicative of Mansfield’s interpretation of marriage; a woman is consumed by her husband and loses her sense of self. Overall the tone in many of her stories is sombre, with very brief moments of joy mimicking the ups and down’s of Mansfield’s life as well as her feelings of being constrained by society. There are also strong themes of restlessness between the person she is and the person she portrays to the world. This is exhibited in her writing style through the differences between how the dialogue presents a character and how the omniscient narrator presents them. The endings to her story always appear incomplete as if there is unfinished business that the character has left to resolve much like Mansfield’s own experiences where she unresolved feelings for her lovers. The lack of closure in the endings leaves the audience with a sense of yearning and dissatisfaction. In parts of her stories where the mood is depressing her pace of her writing is quite slow with lengthy sentence structures. In parts that are positive and optimistic her pace of writing switches between succinct, bursts of bubbly language and sentence structure to ornately descriptive verses reflecting the sense of fulfilment and ecstasy. After analysing Mansfield’s writing style I have come to the conclusion that her use of imagery, sentence structure and use of narration are her most utilised devices. Her ability to develop her characters and relationships between characters so in depth, so quickly is a credit to her writing abilities and the way her personal experiences and views are communicated through her writing strengthens her connection with the audience.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Policing in the Modern World Essay

Law enforcement work has evolved greatly over the years – from its early introduction in Colonial America with the use of Sheriffs, who collected taxes and enforced colonial laws, to today’s sophisticated large and widespread local, state, and federal agencies. Relative to the evolvement of law enforcement work, the type of candidate that police agencies seek to fill these employment slots has also changed drastically. Today in the United States candidates for police officer positions are put through a rigorous and strict hiring process to ensure strong applicants are picked for the openings. The hiring process is lengthy and usually includes written and physical exams, oral boards, a background investigation, medical and psychological screenings, and a polygraph test. All these steps are designed to remove unsuitable applicants. I feel that I possess several character traits and leadership qualities that would help me as a sworn police officer and a leader. However, th ere are aspects of my personality that could be improved to better my chances at being successful in that particular line of work. Look more:  perseverance essay Some aspects of my character that I think would help me in a possible career in law enforcement are flexibility, intuition, patience, common sense, and I am a team player. Additionally, my leadership qualities, specifically integrity and perseverance would also benefit me in a possible career in law enforcement. Flexibility is important in the context that you never know what you will be asked and/or required to do. Every call you go on will differ from the last in some sort of aspect. Things could change moment by moment and you have to be able to adapt to those changes to effectively do your job. Flexibility also includes being able to deal with new equipment, new procedures, administrators that come and go, and politicians that come and  go. I learned very much about flexibility in the while serving as an Infantry team leader in the Marine Corps. You had to be able to adjust to changing orders and missions on the fly. I quickly realized there was no typical day while deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Learning to adjust to the situation at hand and being ready for anything played a large role in mission success and survival. Intuition is a quality that is needed by law enforcement personnel. The ability to take in a great deal of information and calculate a conclusion based upon it is extremely important in police work. As a police officer you respond to a call, talk to victims/witnesses, collect statements and evidence, and then form an educated conclusion on what happened all in a timely manner. This conclusion may even lead to the arrest of an individual. A lack of intuition could ultimately lead to the arrest of innocent people or the release of criminals. Another important aspect that one in a law enforcement capacity should have is patience. Chances are you are going to come across people, both who you work with and come in contact with on the street, which will require you to exercise extreme patience. Everyone has had a co-worker that you just cannot stand to be around. It takes patience to deal with this person and not create a hostile work environment. Then there are the people that you will meet on the streets that will be intoxicated or under the influence drugs. People under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs may act in ways that will test the patience of even the most veteran and seasoned officers. However much you are tested, by some of the people you may come in contact with, it is in the officer’s best interest to approach them in a professional manner and use tact and patience in resolving these situations. Losing your patience and possibly mistreating these people, no matter how ridiculous they behave/act, is unprofessional. These days common sense plays a large role in the policing community. Common sense knowledge is highly valued in police culture as a means of dealing with the many ambiguous situations that officers face (McNulty). Applying common sense while on the job and in your private, off-duty, life  is equally important. The use of common sense will often tell you the difference between what is right and what is wrong. This practice can help eliminate problems that may arise with the use of poor decision making. My ability to work in a team is a strength that I have learned through years of sports, employment, and the military. Being part of a team means accepting the leadership and the opinions of others regardless of your own beliefs and feelings. Teamwork is the keystone of any successful organization. Each individual must be dedicated to the whole team, be willing to act unselfishly, and communicate problems and ideas to solve them. A productive team has individuals that share common goals, a common vision and have some level of interdependence that requires both verbal and physical interaction (Sugarman). I have many strengths that I feel will make me a strong candidate for a career in law enforcement. Yet, there are some aspects of my character that need improvement; to improve in these areas would make me an even better police officer. I tend not to be candid at times, excessively trustworthy, and often I am my biggest critic. I have a tendency to not be candid at times because I am inclined to keep my opinions to myself. I think that a law enforcement officer has to have a certain level of assertiveness when making contact with offenders and members of the community. There is no room for being soft spoken when on patrol. This could be picked up as a sign of weakness by career criminals who have had dealings with law enforcement before and know what to look for. A sign of weakness can be enough for a criminal to try to exploit it to keep his or her freedom. To overcome this weakness I need to work on improving my self-confidence. I can improve my self-confidence skills by being more outgoing with my coworkers and in social situations. Excessive trust is another shortcoming of mine. I tend to not necessarily believe everything from everyone’s mouth. Still, past experiences have shown that I would never dispute them. Everyone you come in to contact with will not always be the most reliable source of information. This becomes a problem when you take every word for face value or to avoid confrontation. To  defeat this flaw I feel that sometimes disagreeing with people’s views or recollection of past events, when appropriate, will help me to express my own opinions. By expressing my own opinions I can set the facts straight as opposed to just accepting someone else’s misinformation. Perhaps my greatest weakness is that I am my own worst critic. I can beat myself up more than anyone else. Only I know all of my strengths and weakness. Typically, I will down play my strengths in a modest fashion and exaggerate my weakness. I do not think it is always a bad thing to criticize yourself if you do so in a constructive manner. It becomes a problem when the self-criticism becomes too great to effectively manage your weaknesses and learn from your past experiences. To conquer this weakness I need to learn how to not be so hard on myself. The only way to do this is to first realize that I have many qualities that are strong suited for a career in law enforcement. Secondly, by pinpointing my weakness I can explore constructive ways to improve them. As far as leadership goes, I have always prided myself on having a positive working relationship with fellow employees or teammates all while maintaining the highest possible standards for mission success. The two aspects are very important to any organization. I believe the Team Style Method of leadership is the most rewarding. A person who feels they are a constructive part of the unit is more likely to produce a higher level of output for the success and overall gain of that unit. Using this method increases both the individuals’ and the unit’s chance to prosper from the accomplishments made. In my opinion it is a win-win situation. There are many traits that a great leader will possess. The most essential traits I feel a good leader should have are integrity and perseverance.   Integrity can be defined as owning and adhering to high degree of moral values and professional standards. The function of integrity serves leaders well in the aspect that they are incorruptible and incapable of breaking the trust of those who have confined in them. Leaders with integrity must have an unwavering commitment to culturally accepted values and be willing to defend them (McCrimmon). This requires them to do the right thing even if it is not in their personal interest and when no one else is watching them. Leaders with integrity are responsible, trustworthy, and consistent. Should a leader ever lose their integrity it is virtually impossible for them to get it back. A second aspect of leadership I feel is very important for any leader to have is perseverance. Perseverance is the desire to continue under any circumstance that may emerge. A Master Sergeant once told me that, â€Å"You have to be at your best, even when your men are at their worst†. This quote has remained with me for many years and, to me, exemplifies the very meaning of perseverance. Someone who displays this character trait keeps their eyes on the goal and pushes themselves to accomplish the objective at hand. I look forward to starting an exciting and successful career in law enforcement. While I know I possess many attributes that would make me an excellent officer, I realize that there are some traits that are in need of attention. I can only work to improve weaknesses I have by admitting to the problems and uncovering positive solutions to set them straight. To be successful at this task will take a great deal of dedication and self-reflection. In addition to my weaknesses, I must keep my good characteristics strong. Works Cited McCrimmon, Mitch. â€Å"What Is Leadership Integrity?† Suite101. Suite101, 11 2008. Web. 20 Nov 2012. . McNulty, E. W. (1994), Generating Common Sense Knowledge Among Police Officers. Symbolic Interaction, 17: 281–294. doi: 10.1525/si.1994.17.3.281 Sugarman, K. (2004) Understanding the Importance of Teamwork [WWW] Available from: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni13a2.htm [Accessed 20/11/2012]