Moby Dick Premonitions essays

Moby Dick Premonitions essays Herman Melville employs numerous motifs in the novel Moby Dick that all serve some purpose, though that purpose is oftentimes somewhat ambiguous. One of the more peculiar motifs that I traced throughout the novel was Melvilles strange tendency to foreshadow events to come. Normally, most novels attempt to maintain a certain amount of suspense until the climax, which usually contains some sort of surprise for the reader. But before getting even halfway through Moby Dick, the reader knows that when Ahab encounters Moby Dick, he will die. One would think that knowing the end to a novel would spoil it, but the methodology behind Melvilles hints and the fashion in which they are presented only contribute to the excitement of the climax, and ultimately to the purpose of the novel itself. The hints are absolutely everywhere in the novel; they are sometimes hidden, sometimes blatant, and sometimes confusing. And with every sign that Melville drops for the reader, the excitement builds up until the hopeless battle with Moby Dick. One of the first signs in the novel of the impending doom Ishmael will face is the name of the owner of the Spouter Inn: Coffin? Spouter? Rather ominous in that particular connexion, thought I (18). The chapel where people were worshipping the dead, and the two trees that looked like a gallows near the Try-Pots Inn add to the mounting number of signs telling Ishmael to back away. However, Ishmael is an educated man; despite these rather peculiar premonitions, he will not be deterred from his course. When the prophet Elijah warns them about Ahab, saying ..some sailors or other must go with him, I suppose; as well these as any other men, God pity em! (89) Ishmael tries to wave off the mans words as the ramblings of a trickster. But i n truth he is worried about the upcoming voyage. As the chase for Moby Dick progresses, the signs bec...

Dunkirk Evacuation

Dunkirk Evacuation From May 26 to June 4, 1940, the British sent 222 Royal Navy ships and about 800 civilian boats to evacuate the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops from the seaport of Dunkirk in France during World War II. After eight months of inaction during the Phoney War, British, French, and Belgian troops were quickly overwhelmed by Nazi Germany’s blitzkrieg tactics when the attack began on May 10, 1940. Rather than be completely annihilated, the BEF decided to retreat to Dunkirk and hope for evacuation. Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of over a quarter million troops from Dunkirk, seemed a near impossible task, but the British people pulled together and ultimately rescued about 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian troops. Without the evacuation at Dunkirk, World War II would have been lost in 1940. Preparing to Fight After World War II started on September 3, 1939, there was a period of approximately eight months in which basically no fighting occurred; journalists called this the â€Å"Phoney War.† Although granted eight months to train and fortify for a German invasion, the British, French, and Belgian troops were quite unprepared when the attack actually began on May 10, 1940. Part of the problem was that while the German Army had been given hope of a victorious and different outcome than that of World War I, the Allied troops were uninspired, sure that trench warfare once again awaited them. The Allied leaders also relied heavily on the newly built, high-tech, defensive fortifications of the Maginot Line, which ran along the French border with Germany – dismissing the idea of an attack from the north. So, instead of training, the Allied troops spent much of their time drinking, chasing girls, and just waiting for the attack to come. For many BEF soldiers, their stay in France felt a bit like a mini vacation, with good food and little to do. This all changed when the Germans attacked in the early hours of May 10, 1940. The French and British troops went north to meet the advancing Germany Army in Belgium, not realizing that a large portion of the German Army (seven Panzer divisions) were cutting through the Ardennes, a wooded area that the Allies had considered impenetrable. Retreating to Dunkirk With the German Army in front of them in Belgium and coming up behind them from the Ardennes, the Allied troops were quickly forced to retreat. The French troops, at this point, were in great disorder. Some had become trapped within Belgium while others scattered. Lacking strong leadership and effective communication, the retreat left the French Army in serious disarray. The BEF were also backpedalling into France, fighting skirmishes as they retreated. Digging in by day and retreating at night, the British soldiers got little to no sleep. Fleeing refugees clogged the streets, slowing the travel of military personnel and equipment. German Stuka dive bombers attacked both soldiers and refugees, while German soldiers and tanks popped up seemingly everywhere. The BEF troops often became scattered, but their morale remained relatively high. Orders and strategies among the Allies were changing quickly. The French were urging a regrouping and a counterattack. On May 20, Field Marshal John Gort (commander of the BEF) ordered a counterattack at Arras. Although initially successful, the attack was not strong enough to break through the German line and the BEF was again forced to retreat. The French continued to push for a regrouping and a counteroffensive. The British, however, were starting to realize that the French and Belgian troops were too disorganized and demoralized to create a strong enough counteroffensive to halt the highly effective German advance. Much more likely, believed Gort, was that if the British joined the French and Belgian troops, they would all be annihilated. On May 25, 1940, Gort made the difficult decision to not only abandon the idea of a joint counteroffensive, but to retreat to Dunkirk in the hopes of an evacuation. The French believed this decision to be desertion; the British hoped it would allow them to fight another day. A Little Help From the Germans and the Defenders of Calais Ironically, the evacuation at Dunkirk could not have happened without the help of the Germans. Just as the British were regrouping at Dunkirk, the Germans stopped their advance just 18 miles away. For three days (May 24 to 26), German Army Group B stayed put. Many people have suggested that Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler purposely let the British Army go, believing that the British would then more readily negotiate a surrender. The more likely reason for the halt was that General Gerd von Runstedt, the commander of German Army Group B, didn’t want to take his armored divisions into the swampy area around Dunkirk. Also, the German supply lines had become greatly overextended after such a quick and lengthy advance into France; the German Army needed to stop long enough for their supplies and infantry to catch up. German Army Group A also held off attacking Dunkirk until May 26. Army Group A had become entangled in a siege at Calais, where a small pocket of BEF soldiers had holed up. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill believed the epic defense of Calais had a direct correlation to the outcome of the Dunkirk evacuation. Calais was the crux. Many other causes might have prevented the deliverance of Dunkirk, but it is certain that the three days gained by the defence of Calais enabled Gravelines waterline to be held, and that without this, even in spite of Hitler’s vacillations and Rundstedt’s orders, all would have been cut off and lost.* The three days that German Army Group B halted and Army Group A fought at the Siege of Calais were essential in allowing the BEF a chance to regroup at Dunkirk. On May 27, with the Germans once again attacking, Gort ordered a 30-mile-long defensive perimeter to be established around Dunkirk. The British and French soldiers manning this perimeter were charged with holding the Germans back in order to give time for the evacuation. The Evacuation From Dunkirk While the retreat was underway, Admiral Bertram Ramsey in Dover, Great Britain began considering the possibility of an amphibious evacuation starting on May 20, 1940. Ultimately, the British had less than a week to plan Operation Dynamo, the large-scale evacuation of British and other Allied troops from Dunkirk. The plan was to send ships from England across the Channel and have them pick up troops waiting on the beaches of Dunkirk. Although there were over a quarter of a million troops waiting to be picked up, the planners expected to only be able to save 45,000. Part of the difficulty was the harbor at Dunkirk. The gentle shelving of the beach meant that much of the harbor was too shallow for ships to enter. To solve this, smaller craft had to travel from ship to beach and back again to gather passengers for loading. This took a lot of extra time and there were not enough small boats to fulfill this job quickly. The waters were also so shallow that even these smaller craft had to stop 300 feet from the waterline and soldiers had to wade out to their shoulders before they could climb aboard. With not enough supervision, many desperate soldiers ignorantly overloaded these small boats, causing them to capsize. Another problem was that when the first ships set out from England, starting on May 26, they didn’t really know where to go. Troops were spread out over 21-miles of beaches near Dunkirk and the ships were not told where along these beaches they should load. This caused confusion and delay. Fires, smoke, Stuka dive bombers, and German artillery were definitely another problem. Everything seemed to be on fire, including cars, buildings, and an oil terminal. Black smoke covered the beaches. Stuka dive bombers attacked the beaches, but focused their attention along the waterline, hoping and often succeeding in sinking some of the ships and other watercraft. The beaches were large, with sand dunes in the back. Soldiers waited in long lines, covering the beaches. Although exhausted from long marches and little sleep, soldiers would dig in while waiting their turn in line – it was too loud to sleep. Thirst was a major problem on the beaches; all the clean water in the area had been contaminated. Speeding Things Up The loading of soldiers into small landing craft, ferrying them to the larger ships, and then coming back to reload was an excruciatingly slow process. By midnight on May 27, only 7,669 men had made it back to England. To speed things up, Captain William Tennant ordered a destroyer to come directly alongside the East Mole at Dunkirk on May 27. (The East Mole was a 1600-yard-long causeway that was used as a breakwater.) Although not built for it, Tennant’s plan to have troops embark directly from the East Mole worked wonderfully and from then on it became the main location for soldiers to load. On May 28, 17,804 soldiers were taken back to England.   This was an improvement, but hundreds of thousands more still needed saving. The rearguard was, for now, holding off the German assault, but it was a matter of days, if not hours, before the Germans would break through the defensive line. More help was needed. In Britain, Ramsey worked tirelessly to get every single boat possible – both military and civilian across the Channel to pick up the stranded troops. This flotilla of ships eventually included destroyers, minesweepers, anti-submarine trawlers, motor boats, yachts, ferries, launches, barges, and any other kind of boat they could find. The first of the â€Å"little ships† made it to Dunkirk on May 28, 1940. They loaded up men from the beaches east of Dunkirk and then headed back through the dangerous waters to England. Stuka dive bombers plagued the boats and they had to be constantly on the lookout for German U-boats. It was a dangerous venture, but it helped save the British Army. On May 31, 53,823 soldiers were brought back to England, thanks in a large part to these little ships. Near midnight on June 2, the St. Helier left Dunkirk, carrying the very last of the BEF troops. However, there were still more French troops to rescue. The crews of the destroyers and other craft were exhausted, having made numerous trips to Dunkirk without rest and yet they still went back to save more soldiers. The French also helped by sending ships and civilian craft. At 3:40 a.m. on June 4, 1940, the very last ship, the Shikari, left Dunkirk. Although the British had expected to only save 45,000, they succeeded in rescuing a total of 338,000 Allied troops. Aftermath The evacuation of Dunkirk was a retreat, a loss, and yet the British troops were greeted as heroes when they got home. The whole operation, which some have termed â€Å"the Miracle of Dunkirk,† gave the British a battle cry and became a rallying point for the rest of the war.    Most importantly, the evacuation of Dunkirk saved the British Army and did allow it to fight another day.    * Sir Winston Churchill as quoted in Major General Julian Thompson, Dunkirk: Retreat to Victory (New York: Arcade Publishing, 2011) 172.

An Unfor Gottable Event in My Life

The last trip was a very long and interesting one, it was a trip to the United States of America. The first thing to be said about is the choice of the country. It wasn’t that the United States was a country of my dreams like it is for some people. There were a lot of countries which I wanted to see more than America, but I was given an opportunity to work there for some time and this is how I went overseas. I worked there and traveled as well. During this trip I had visited a lot of places, but I decided to write only about one city which impressed me the most. It is the New York. City. When I first arrived to this city I had never seen anything like that before. When you come from such a small country like Lithuania you are shocked how big the city is. It left a great impression to me, I just loved the buildings of it: new ones, old ones, small ones and especially big ones. There is so much of everything: huge and tiny shops, restaurants, cafes, night clubs, museums, galleries, etc. It seems that it would take at least few years to see everything only in one city, not mentioning the whole country. Another interesting and important thing about New York, as well as the whole United states, is a mixture of cultures. I met so many people from so many different countries. I think America is the only country which has so many cultures mixed with that of their own. This is a very interesting and at the same time strange thing to discover for someone who is not familiar with such thing. The last words which I want to say about this trip, it taught me a lot of things about life and people. In the States people are very different but one thing is common to the majority of them, it is money. Visiting this country I discovered how great the power of money is, how it changes the world, people and their lives. I guess it was the only disappointing thing about this country because the rest of it was very exciting. To conclude, I would like to say that it is quite hard to write everything on one sheet of paper as there is so much of interesting to say, but it takes a lot of space. Summing up, I could say that this trip, in some way, changed my life and outlook to the world, that is why I have chosen it on the most memorable event in my life. An Unfor Gottable Event in My Life The last trip was a very long and interesting one, it was a trip to the United States of America. The first thing to be said about is the choice of the country. It wasn’t that the United States was a country of my dreams like it is for some people. There were a lot of countries which I wanted to see more than America, but I was given an opportunity to work there for some time and this is how I went overseas. I worked there and traveled as well. During this trip I had visited a lot of places, but I decided to write only about one city which impressed me the most. It is the New York. City. When I first arrived to this city I had never seen anything like that before. When you come from such a small country like Lithuania you are shocked how big the city is. It left a great impression to me, I just loved the buildings of it: new ones, old ones, small ones and especially big ones. There is so much of everything: huge and tiny shops, restaurants, cafes, night clubs, museums, galleries, etc. It seems that it would take at least few years to see everything only in one city, not mentioning the whole country. Another interesting and important thing about New York, as well as the whole United states, is a mixture of cultures. I met so many people from so many different countries. I think America is the only country which has so many cultures mixed with that of their own. This is a very interesting and at the same time strange thing to discover for someone who is not familiar with such thing. The last words which I want to say about this trip, it taught me a lot of things about life and people. In the States people are very different but one thing is common to the majority of them, it is money. Visiting this country I discovered how great the power of money is, how it changes the world, people and their lives. I guess it was the only disappointing thing about this country because the rest of it was very exciting. To conclude, I would like to say that it is quite hard to write everything on one sheet of paper as there is so much of interesting to say, but it takes a lot of space. Summing up, I could say that this trip, in some way, changed my life and outlook to the world, that is why I have chosen it on the most memorable event in my life.

To Build or Buy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

To Build or Buy - Essay Example In order to run a similar business and attract customers from the other already established stores, one needs tactics and strategies to succeed. One of the main strategies is to start the business and sell goods according to the market trends (Mooney, 2011). In the current world, many things change in the sporting arena, and individuals should take note of these, before deciding on the type of stock to have at the shop. A particular change is the popularity of certain games like football and rugby in the community. Some items from popular games will guarantee an individual better sale as compared to items that are associated with a different game. For instance, rugby and football (soccer) have many supporters as compared to the other games. This shows that there is a higher likelihood for a company or supporter to buy clothes and sporting equipment in bulk from the shop as compared to the other shops. However, it is equally important to stock the shop with all types of games clothing and equipment. To add to the above idea, there is also the need for one to look for buyers of the products at the shop manually (Mooney, 2011). To do this, one will need to draft letters and drop them in various schools requesting a chance to supply gaming clothing and equipment. ... Another good strategy for running the shop is to have a variety of good for the same product. This may help to convince a potential customer to buy any of the variety of the goods available in case the specific item he was looking for is not in stock. Having a shop stocked with a variety of goods also attracts customers. This is because they have a variety of choices to choose from according to their tastes and preferences. To add to this, it is important that the business is known in the society since it is a new venture. To do this, there is a need to carry out a campaign to enlighten individuals on its existence. This can be done through posters, radio announcements, promotions, and all other types of advertisements. Carrying out promotions and advertisements will be very essential in carrying out the advertisements as they involve the public as a whole. The promotions carried out by the business will create a good business image, which will enable the business to gain customers t rust and loyalty. The advertisements will also easily catch people’s attention thus resulting in increased sales at the business venture. As for this line of business, it is good for one to start a new business altogether instead of buying an already existing one. Essentially, an already existing business may have a bad history throughout its existence, which may work against business development and improved sales. Starting a new business allows one to start new links and customer connections with different people who have an interest in the business. One will then have the power to know how to deal with the different parties whether to strengthen the link between them or to weaken it. It will also

Critical Anaysis of The Stranger by Albert Camus Essay

Critical Anaysis of The Stranger by Albert Camus - Essay Example The sun is the motif of the novel, where it affects the personality of Meursault and his reaction to his setting and conditions in life. The sun represents the existentialist philosophy of Meursault, where the natural absurdity of the setting and its plot are designed to illustrate that detachment is a natural response to the meaninglessness of human existence. The sun stands for the existentialist philosophy of Meursault, a philosophy that Camus himself believes in. Christian argues that Camus believes in an existentialist philosophy of â€Å"the Absurd† (92). He stresses that for Camus, the world and man per se are not absurd, and instead, the relationship of man with his environment is absurd (92). He maintains that people demand things from a world that cannot fulfill them, and so to exist with true hope for the fulfillment of dreams is â€Å"absurd† (92). Meursault lives life like a sun, where to exist is to accept whatever happens without any attachment to them. H e has an extremely disconnected attitude towards his mother’s death, for instance. He says at the beginning of the novel: â€Å"MOTHER died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure† (Camus 4). He does not care for details when it comes to death. He values his mother enough to attend her funeral, but he does it out of duty, as a son. He does not even peek into his mother’s coffin, which people in the funeral find troubling. Strangers cry for her, while her own son does not even shed a tear. In addition, Meursault is not overly concerned of the prospect of dying himself. Death is not something that can stir him from his realization that nothing in life is worth pouring his passion over. His existence has come from nothing and will end up as nothing and that is the way life is. The sun heats up the setting and melts away any possible meaning in human action and agenda. The sun is a natural element of life’s natural cycle. The blackness of the fune ral of Meursault’s mother is distinguished because of the sun. Meursault, nevertheless, finds no meaning in these rituals and beliefs about the dead. The black colors of the hearse and horse and the noxious scents of the environment only serve to dull Meursault’s senses. In short, the funeral makes him want to sleep it away. Blackness means nothing, while sleeping is something that is more directly experienced. Furthermore, the sun also increases the temperature enough to make people live without concern for their actions. Meursault tumbles in his life in a state of coma and existence, because he always feels hot and uncomfortable. He wants to hurry up the funeral, because he feels the physical discomfort of standing under the sun. The Marengo landscape is illustrated as â€Å"something inhuman, discouraging† (Camus 11). Camus indicates that Meursault cannot be completely blamed for his absurdist approach to life, because his environment is disconcerting too. Vo n Dehsen calls it the â€Å"unreasonable silence of the world† to people who want to find meaning in life (39). Meursault realizes that his boss dislikes the fact that he will have several days off. His boss is only after making more money from his employees and is not truly concerned for him to attend his mother’s funeral and go over his grief. The society is not concerned of meaningful human existence too. Meursault’s relationships are important events in his life, as the plot reveals, but he

Privacy of lectronic medical records Research Paper

Privacy of lectronic medical records - Research Paper Example The cost-free factor of these technologies is an attractive initiative for a number of firms with a high customer base to adopt EMR with minimal investment on time and human resources. EMR is also gaining popularity amongst the patients or recipients of health services, especially in areas that are far away from good hospitals. The patients can view their medical records, test results and history online at the comfort of home or at work (Kolbrum, 2008). However, with the rapid rise of readily available sources online for EMR, it is fair to question whether the EMR is well-protected or easily accessible to the public. With the internet flooded with spam and the ever-present danger of hackers breaking into confidential online records, are the patients safe online? Is convenience too close for comfort? The concerns mentioned in the paragraph above will be addressed throughout the course of this paper which seeks to justify whether all good things in life are (really) for free, find ways to ensure which EMR platforms are the safest to use, and gain insight into important privacy laws that offers protection to the patient’s personal health information. The need for EMR was realized in the 1960s, when it was felt that there has to be an automated system for the re-organization and management of patient records to enable improved provision of health services to them. Laurence Weed, a physician, was the first to propose and describe the idea of computerized medical records or EMR (Pinkerton, 2008). Progressing through the 1990s, as the computer became more handy and sophisticated, the EMR systems also became complex and in wide use by the companies and medical institutions (Pinkerton, 2008). Today, in 21st century, the commonality and stress on the use of EMR is so immense that the firms are now availing and adopting the systems for free, just like Email Accounts. Going back to argument where Google and Microsoft were stated as examples, it is understood that

First Amendment Protection for Spam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

First Amendment Protection for Spam - Essay Example The concern for spam is however growing all around the globe. Around forty percent of bulk e-mail consuming is posing problem for the internet users along with internet service providers. They complain of having their mailboxes full of annoying e-mails or mails that are offensive. However, a number of users refer spamming to the commercial advertising. 3 Since internet is the fasted way to contact people all around in the world with millions of people, internet advertisers has realized for using internet as a tool for advertising through spam. They choose many different ways for advertising such on the World Wide Web, but the easiest way for them is to advertise through e-mail spamming. Internet advertising are divided into two groups, either they can be intrusive or passive. Passive way for advertising is the most common way of advertising on internet. It is a way on which the internet user seeks out for the advertisement and accesses it himself. Though, the most widespread passive advertisement is done on the websites. On the other hand, intrusive advertisement is one on which the user receives e-mails from the seller for example posting electronic mails. Intrusive advertisement is also known to be an unwanted advertisement and will be discussed in this paper. All together, the concern for spamming has grown to compromise the valu e of e-mails and finally towards the internet.4 Section one of this paper will examine details and problems held by intrusive or unwanted advertisement/spamming together which the current laws to solve this problem. Section two of this paper will discuss the standards of First Amendment, applicable to the problem. Finally, the third section will highlight whether the Congress pass on other constitutional laws to protect users from internet spamming. Issues and Problems Related to Intrusive Spamming/Advertising In this section, the question arises of how to define spam Spam is described as the most unwanted or unsolicited electronic mail which is usually delivered in bulk form to millions of internet users. However, due to the unlimited debates held in the online community, a series of rules on how to use internet was introduced which was known as "Netiquette quickly developed". It established that the advertisers who are willing to advertise online should detain their activities on the websites that welcomes advertisements. Unfortunately, as the online internet community was small, the violators of Netiquette were punished. Intrusive spam has been mostly been associated with schemes such to get rich in a quick manner, is changing by time. As more and more e-businesses are getting involved in cyberspace, major advertisers and other organizations have started to rely on bulk e-mails or have created their own web sites on World Wide Web for the reason to sell out their products as quickly as possible. Vendors who rely on spam maintain that this storm as a whole is blown out in parts by perfectionists who really want to see spamming out from the internet. However, the opponents of spam argue that in some way, spam robs the internet users from the resources and dishonors the internet just a piece of litter found in the physical environment. There are number of examples that portray about the problems created by spamming. Such as, the most disastrous was the one which