Tantalum Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain - 1862 Words

In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain juxtaposed events in American society to demonstrate to the reader contrasts between different levels of class and race in society. Twain showed to the reader that people of all classes at the time were very ignorant and gullible, through what things appear to be and what they really are. Twain shows people’s gullibility when Huck arrives at the grangerfords. As Huck first walked through the house he described it by saying things like â€Å"This table had a cover made out of beautiful oilcloth, with red and blue spread-eagle painted on it† (100) and â€Å"They had pictures hung on the walls†¦ they was different from any pictures I ever see before.† (101). Huck seemed to be amazed by all the things†¦show more content†¦The night that Tom and Huck set Jim free, Tom got shot by the farmers that were chasing them. Once they knew that they were out of the farmer s sight they all sat down and Huck said â€Å"We was all glad as we could be, but Tom was the gladdest of all because he had a bullet in the calf of his leg.† (275). The reader would expect that Jim would be the most g lad when everything was over because he was finally free, but Huck tells us that Tom was. The reason he was the most glad is that he finally got the adventure he was looking for. When Tom first agreed to help Huck save Jim, Huck was a bit surprised that he said yes without any hesitation but what Huck didn’t really know was why he said yes. He soon figured it out, however, Jim didn’t. When Tom got shot, Jim genuinely thought that Tom was risking his life for him. However, the reader knows that since the beginning when Tom agreed to help Huck, he only said yes because he was looking for adventure. This shows Tom’s ignorance because he only did it thinking of himself and not thinking of actually helping Jim out. Through this, Twain shows that higher end class people like Tom and other white men could also be very ignorant and not just people from lower class. Twain showed that people of all classes, both low and high, are very gullible and ignorant. Hypocrisy was something that also showed the ignorance of white or higher class people during this time. While Huck was living with Miss Watson, she tried to

In the Wake of Rejection free essay sample

The clicking of my heels echoing down the deserted school hallway, black dress fluttering about my knees just as the butterflies do about my stomach, I focus on slowing down the thoughts racing around my mind: â€Å"can’t handle this today . . . just want to curl up in a ball and cry . . . they’ll think you’re an idiot . . . you’re already running late, might be better to just not show up at all . . . why didn’t you say something to herNo! You can’t go there right now, stay focused! . . . remember why you’re doing this.† I search inside myself, grasping for the confidence I had when I was five and decided I wanted to learn to ride a bicycle. I’d simply found a screwdriver, taken off my training wheels, and figured out how to ride it, undeterred by numerous falls. â€Å"You did it then; you can do it now. We will write a custom essay sample on In the Wake of Rejection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † I reach the classroom; inside, the students are gone and the teachers sit at desks, presumably discussing the graduation speeches they have just heard. I’m later than I thought. â€Å"Save yourself the embarrassment of appearing irresponsible, just leave.†The idea seems rational; the universe seemed to be telling me not to do this. I’d faced numerous obstacles in writing and recording myself giving the speech and trying out meant I’d be late for an event for my friend, Leah, that being at meant the world to me. But this is something I need to do for myself. Slowly, hesitantly, I open the door. â€Å"Is it too late to try-out?† I ask, clutching the DVD with white knuckles. Unfortunately, it is. Before I can leave, the vice principal pulls me into the hall. â€Å"You know you’re not graduating this year, right?† he asks gently. The curling-up-in-a-ball idea is growing increasingly appealing. â€Å"I know.† I reply. â€Å"You’re welcome to come back next year and tryout then, though.† As I trudge towards my car, face burning, I question why I ever thought this was a good idea. Two weeks earlier, I was sitting in English when someone came in to talk about auditions for graduation speaker. Knowing this didn’t apply to me, I began reflecting on my fear of failure. Throughout my life anxiety had paralyzed me; I feared people would judge me for having the audacity to assume I had anywhere near the talent needed to tryout for a team, submit an application, or even turn in an essay. My shelves have always been cluttered with blank notebooks untainted by my awkward sentences and shallow thoughts, although my head always swam with experiences I longed to record and ideas that demanded to be analyzed. Essentially, I always gave up before I even began, and those times I somehow summoned up the courage to try, I’d give up as soon as soon as confronted with an obstacle. As I half-listened to the logistics of the auditions, I pondered ways to move beyond my fear. Suddenly, it hit me. What better way to desensitize myself than to tryout for something I had no qualifications for whatsoever? I’m not an involved, popular, straight-A student, nor am I a particularly skilled writerI wasn’t even graduating! So, I signed up to be rejected. I try to put it out of my mind as I speed out of the school parking lot, agonizing over the fact that now I’m late and humiliated. When I arrive, I take a deep before walking inside. Immediately, I am overwhelmed by a gallery of Leah’s life and achievements. Her outstanding test scores are proudly displayed on a table in the back near vacation scrapbooks. Her mother, aged ten years overnight, stands beside a picture of a grinning six-year old Leah. Standing there, all traces of my embarrassment are washed away by a tidal wave of grief that knocks the air out of my lungs and leaves my cheeks salty and wet. I sit in the pews and sob into my friend Cole’s suit, collapsing into him, too weak to hold myself up. A steady stream of tears rolls down my face as countless stories are told by friends and family. When Leah’s coach’s turn comes, he marvels in her fearlessness, how Leah never let pride or insecurity hold her back. In that moment, I am unbelievab ly grateful I tried out to be a graduation speaker. After the wake, I give my condolences to Leah’s father; he hugs me and tells me to be strong for her. Today, I try to go beyond that and carry on Leah’s drive and fearlessness, whether that means trying out for a cheer squad or applying to a college whose typical applicant has a much higher GPA than I. Trying out for graduation speaker helped me realize failure is temporary and nothing to be feared. After all, the cuts and bruises adorning my legs only made riding down the block feel that much sweeter.

Philosophy - The Only Truth Existing Essays - Epistemologists

Philosophy - The Only Truth Existing "We are, then, faced with a quite simple alternative: Either we deny that there is here anything that can be called truth - a choice that would make us deny what we experience most profoundly as our own being; or we must look beyond the realm of our "natural" experience for a validation of our certainty." A famous philosopher, Rene Descartes, once stated, "I am, [therefore] I exist." This statement holds the only truth found for certain in our "natural" experience that, as conscious beings, we exist. Whether we are our own creators, a creation, or the object of evolution, just as long as we believe that we think, we are proved to exist. Thinking about our thoughts is an automatic validation of our self-consciousness. Descartes claims, "But certainly I should exist, if I were to persuade my self of something." And so, I should conclude that our existence is a truth, and may be the only truth, that we should find its certainty. From the "natural" experiences of our being, we hold beliefs that we find are our personal truths. From these experiences, we have learned to understand life with reason and logic; we have established our idea of reality; and we believe that true perceptions are what we sense and see. But it is our sense of reason and logic, our idea of reality, and our perceptions, that may likely to be very wrong. Subjectiveness, or personal belief, is almost always, liable for self-contradiction. Besides the established truth that we exist, there are no other truths that are certain, for the fact that subjective truth may be easily refuted. Every person possesses his or her own truth that may be contradicting to another person's belief. A truth, or one that is true for all, cannot by achieved because of the constant motion of circumstances of who said it, to whom, when, where, why, and how it was said. What one person may believe a dog is a man's best friend, another may believe that a dogs is a man's worse enemy. What one may believe is a pencil, to another is not a pencil, but a hair pin. Where one may believe that a bottle is an instrument, one may believe is a toy, where another may believe is a beverage container. Where one will understand the moving vehicle "car," one might understand "car" as a tree. Our perception of what is true depends on our own experiences, and how something becomes true for us. Many circumstances are necessary to derive at one's truth, whether it is an idea, object, or language. All perception, besides the perception of existence, is uncertain of being true for all individuals. Every thought, besides the idea that we think, has the possibility that it may be proven wrong. The author of the article, Knowledge Regained, Norman Malcolm, states that, "any empirical proposition whatever could be refuted by future experience - that is, it could turn out to be false." An example could be the early idea of the earth being flat and not the current perception of the earth being round. History tells us that at one time, the perception of the earth was thought to be flat. This notion was an established truth to many because of the sight and sense that people perceived about the earth's crust. At one point, to accept the newer truth that the earth is round, meant that, what one believed was true, really wasn't. And, what if, at some point in the future, we were told by a better educated group of observers that the earth is not round, but a new shape we've never even perceived before? Would we agree to the scientists' observation that they have, themselves, agreed to this more accurate shape of the earth?. We would probably agree to change our knowledge of truth to the observations of experts. This is an example that, what we may have once believed to be the absolute truth, may be proven wrong at any time. And what we actually know, may not be the truth after all. Truth may also be refuted through the identified appearance or sense of an

To what extent did victory or defeat in war in the period 1792-1918 depend on the quality of generalship Essay Example Essay Example

To what extent did victory or defeat in war in the period 1792-1918 depend on the quality of generalship Essay Example Paper To what extent did victory or defeat in war in the period 1792-1918 depend on the quality of generalship Essay Introduction Between 1792 and 1918 there were many battles fought whose outcome relied on a variety of factors of differing importance. The quality of generalship was one of those factors, however no individual factor solely decided the outcome of wars. The quality of generalships importance on the outcome of wars was indeed significant in the Napoleonic period and the German Wars of Unification as both Napoleon and the Prussian General Staff showed, however in WW1 its importance declined, as despite poor French and British generalship the allies were still victorious. More important than the quality of generalship to the outcome of wars over the whole period was tactics.Despite drastic changes in tactics it remained consistently the most important factor in the whole period in deciding the outcome of wars. Another factor that was of less magnitude than tactics but still more important than the quality of generalship in deciding the outcome of wars was quality and numbers of soldiers. Throughout this period numbers of soldiers were consistently crucial, with the quality of soldiers becoming of increasing importance over the period as power was delegated more. Overall, to some extent victory or defeat in war did depend on generalship in both the Napoleonic period and the German wars of Unification, however in World War 1 its importance was of less significance.The area of warfare that to the largest extent victory or defeat in war in the period 1792-1918 depended on was tactics. Despite changing radically over this period tactics was consistently the most important factor in the outcome of wars from 1792-1918. During the Napoleonic period the use of envelopment to encircle the enemy was crucial to determining victory in war. Envelopment relied on fitness and commitment from soldiers as marching long distances at fast paces was common and so could also be seen to link in with growing quality of soldiers. The greatest example of envelopment being used to determine the outcome of a battle was at Ulm in 1805, which has been recognised as a victory achieved as much by marching as by fighting.This is because the French marched 500 miles from North East France to the Rhine and then the Danube to envelop the Austrians at Ulm, leading to an Austrian surrender as they were surrounded and could not unite with the Russians. The importance of Napoleon’s generalship in relation to tactics should not be undermined as he used different tactics for different battles making predicting the course of attack difficult for the enemy. Despite evolving to supporting the defender due to increased technology, tactics were equally important during the German Wars of Unification.One example that highlights the importance of tactics over numbers of soldiers and weapons was at Konnigratz in 1866 where the Prussians used battlefield concentration, converging multiple units at the same location to trap the Austrians, despite the fact the Austrians outnumbered the Prussians 240 ,000 to 130,000 and also had superior weapons. However, this victory once again also links in with the quality of generalship to some extent as the Austrian general Benedek had dithered, failing to capitalise on the numerical advantage of his army. The rate of change between the German Wars of Unification and WW1 in relation to tactics was larger than that of Napoleonic wars to German Wars of Unification due to the new strategy of trench warfare which was a key turning point in the nature of warfare, however despite this, tactics maintained their importance in defining the outcome of war. One tactic in WW1 that led to huge casualties and thus failure in battle was advancing en masse towards enemy trenches after artillery bombardment.The importance of this tactic in relation to failure was particularly prevalent at the battle of the Somme where most of the British infantry advanced en masse in open line towards enemy trenches that had not been destroyed and were subsequently cut down by German machine guns and artillery leading to 20,000 deaths. In contrast to advancing en masse the use of infantry advancing in small groups had a much more effective impact on the outcome of battles in WW1 as was shown by the German stormtroopers who used this tactic to break through Allied lines during the Battle of Caporetto in 1917. This therefore shows that tactics was the most important factor in determining the outcome of wars in this period.The area of warfare that to the second largest extent determined victory or defeat from 1792-1918 was quality and numbers of soldiers. The impact of numbers of soldiers on the outcome of war showed continuities throughout the whole period particularly as countries moved toward total war and needed to harness increasing numbers. The impact of numbers of soldiers was never more obvious than in Napoleonic warfare. The levee en masse which was ordered in 1793 conscripted all men aged 18-25, and in doing so recruited over 1 million.The larg e army allowed Napoleon to conduct his plans for European domination and the advantage of numbers was obvious in battles such as Valmy where the French won as they outnumbered the Prussians by 2000 and Jena Auerstadt where the French won as they outnumbered the Prussians by 8000. The impact of numbers of soldiers on the outcome of war was also equally important in WW1 when the key turning point came in the war with the influx of American troops, who despite lacking quality, allowed the allies to push for victory. The importance of numbers of troops can be compounded by the fact that Ludendorff attempted to launch his final offensive before the Americans were present in Europe because he knew with increased numbers on the allies side it would be difficult for the Germans to be victorious. The importance of quality of soldiers in determining the outcome of battles increased over this period.The huge numbers in Napoleonic warfare outweighed the need for soldiers of high quality and thu s many soldiers were often just ordered to bayonet charge the enemy. However in the German Wars of Unification there was a key turning point as the education of soldiers by the Prussians allowed for ‘thinking soldiers’ who could be flexible in battle, this allowed power to be delegated and in doing so increased the likelihood of victory. Despite mass conscription from most nations involved, the increased quality of soldier was evident in WW1. This was shown through highly trained and disciplined German storm troopers who were utilised effectively for penetrating enemy lines, significantly increasing the chance of victory as was shown at Caporetto in 1917. This therefore shows that quality and numbers of soldiers were the second most important factor in determining the outcome of wars in this period.Despite being of less importance than tactics, and quality and numbers of soldiers, generalship still had a significant impact on the outcome of war in the period 1792-1914. The importance of generalship varied over this period with it initially being very important, however as whole countries moved towards total war the importance of the individual general declined. The importance of one single general on the outcome of war can not be exemplified better than Napoleon. Napoleon’s ability to take risks and improvise was unrivalled in his period and led to numerous victories. One key example of the impact of Napoleon on the outcome of a battle was at Austerlitz where Napoleon constantly manouevred his troops so that he took on each section of the Russians and Austrians separately and nullifying the advantage of greater numbers as the Russians and Austrians had 86,000 to the French’s 67,000. The ingenious principle was always to try to have superior numbers at a given place.This was aided by poor communication between the Russians and Austrians which allowed Napoleon to pick them off. Generalship maintained its importance in the German Wars o f Unification, however rather than being solely reliant on one man, there was a key turning point in that power was delegated, this was largely made possible by the increased education, and thus quality, of soldiers. It was the work of the Prussian General staff which was one of the main factors responsible for the unification of all the independent German states. One of the crucial changes the General Staff enforced that contributed to victory was to state that newly developed rifled artillery would no longer be placed in the rear of the order of march for employment behind the infantry; instead, a significant detachment would travel with the advanced guard of the leading corp, and the remainder would march with the front of the main body, providing immediate artillery coverage of the advanced guard on contact and of the main body during subsequent deployment on the field.This change led to definitive victories such as Spicheren in 1870 where despite the French having the technolog ical advantage of the Chassepot, the superior organisation of the Prussian artillery led to victory. However, the importance of quality of generalship decreased in WW1 as is shown by the fact that the Allies were victorious despite possessing far less able generals than the Germans. This can be exemplified by the battle of the Somme in 1916, where Haig failed to realise that German trenches had not been destroyed by Allied bombardment and continued to send British infantry to advance en masse only to be confronted by German fire, leading to 60,000 casualties. This therefore shows that initially quality of generalship was important on the outcome of war, however this importance declined in WW1.Overall to a significant extent generalship did influence the outcome of wars in both Napoleonic warfare and the Wars of German Unification, however in WW1 it had less impact. The area of warfare that to the largest extent decided the outcome of wars from 1792 to 1914 was tactics, and this was consistently the case throughout the period despite changes in tactics, notably the key turning point being the introduction of trench warfare. Quality and numbers of soldiers were also consistently important in dictating the outcome of wars during this period, with the importance of quality increasing as more and more countries conscripted untrained soldiers. To what extent did victory or defeat in war in the period 1792-1918 depend on the quality of generalship Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!

Alice Munro The Shinning Houses Character Essay

Alice Munro The Shinning Houses Character Essay The Shinning Houses Alice Munro presents a protagonist whose personality and values conflict with her neighbours. The protagonist Mary is an open-minded, fair, but somewhat powerless character.Mary is an open-minded individual who understands values from both Mrs. Fullerton and the new community. She is the only character in the "Shinning Houses"  willing to "[explore Mrs. Fullerton's] life as she had once explored the lives of grandmothers and aunts,"  and the only one who buys her fresh eggs. Mary "[smiles]"  openly to everyone while her new neighbours, whose "faces [are] applied,"  "smile in rather a special way"  that they only perceive Mary "as a conversational delight."  Even at the birthday party did Mary keep a smile and listen to the new neighbours talk among themselves, going about in "circles of complaint."  Mary's own personality and values conflict with her neighbours', but she remains open to any situation she faces.Shrine to Our Lady - Mary, The Mo ther of GodMary is a fair lady, who does what she believes is right. Her name suggests religious allegory with Mary, the Mother of God, and human creation. Mary exhibits her Mother-like qualities at the birthday party, defending Mrs. Fullerton, the neighbour who "never [changes],"  against the mothers who wear "nylons and skirts," ¦[their] hair fixed and faces applied."  She knows that Mrs. Fullerton deserves a chance to stay in her home, as Mary, the Mother of God knows that all creation deserves a chance to live. Mary's fair personality conflicts with her neighbours' values and beliefs: while she is fair to human rights, the neighbours are fair to their community of "shinning houses."  Although Mary is courageous in being the only person to defend Mrs. Fullerton, she is somewhat powerless with her arguments against her neighbours. Mary stands alone only listening to her neighbours speak with "self-assertion."  She remains...

Safe evacuation from multi tenanted buildings Essay

Safe evacuation from multi tenanted buildings - Essay Example This will minimize the risk of fire accidents. The probability of fire accidents can be reduced only if the normal people are taught to use the fire extinguishers. If an efficient method is used to educate people regarding the fire accidents, it would reduce the number of fire accidents. People must also be taught to safeguard themselves from such accidents. Fire accidents generally occur at multistoried buildings and residential apartments. People find it still more difficult to evacuate themselves from such fire accidents. Since the number of people will be more in such accidents, evacuation procedure is certainly difficult. Evacuations from multi tenanted buildings are also equally difficult. In this case, safe evacuation is more important. (Dennett, 2004).Safe evacuation can be done only if the people are well informed about the consequences of the fire accident. They must be careful enough to safeguard themselves in such situations. Any minor mistake might cost a life and people must be efficient enough to handle these situations. Safe Evacuation Self evacuating equipments also form a part of the safe evacuation program. Safe evacuation equipment lends a helping hand at times of fire accidents. By using these equipments, the severance of the fire accidents can be reduced to a certain extent. ... The safety exit must be clearly specified and people must have an access to the exit routes. They must be taught not to use elevators and during a fire accident. Self evacuation is more dangerous in case of severe fire accidents were the fire has spread to all parts of the building. In such situation, they must incorporate any method to get out of the building. The primary task is to use the available fire extinguishers to minimize the spread of fire. If it does not work in an effective manner, then they must try to come out of the building. The situation becomes tough if disabled people also reside in the same building. In this case, wheel chairs and other mobility equipments must be used to save them. People must be confident enough to handle the situation, since even a minor issue might lead to a severe problem. (Grant, 1994). Before implementing any of these self evacuation operations, the residents must intimate the fire and rescue service to help them in case of any emergency. This would enable them to help the people who are caught up in the upper floors of the building. Safe Evacuation Procedures Multi tenanted buildings are more prone to fire accidents. Since the numbers of housing units are more, the possibilities of fire accidents are more. The severity of fire accident might also be more, since the number of people to be evacuated will eventually be more when compared to other buildings. (Kramer, 2009).The initial step in the self evacuation procedure is to use the fire alarm system immediately. In case a fire identified, the residents must intimate the fire service. Once this is done, they must seek the help of other residents to move out of the building. Evacuation Plan An evacuation plan must