A Boys View of Playland :: Amusement Parks Essays

A Boy's View of Playland Most everyone enjoys an amusement park. Whether we delight in being jolted and swung by some wild ride, or enjoy the quieter pleasure of munching a candy apple while the younger ones squeal their way round and round, we feel a natural attraction for such a place. But none that I have seen as an adult, from Disneyland to Six Flags, measures up to my boyhood memories of Whitney's Playland at the Beach in San Francisco. Playland was wonderful because of the rides, the exhibits, and most of all, the people. Obviously, exciting rides are a boy's first love in an amusement park, and Playland offered almost more stimulation than I could stand. The Fun House featured a giant rolling barrel to run and tumble through, a huge flat wheel that flung riders into the wall, and a hardwood slide about four stories high. Near the Fun House was the Diving Bell, a converted Navy rescue cylinder that descended thirty feet into a shark-filled tank of seawater and exploded back up again, creating a miniature typhoon every five minutes or so. But nothing matched the Ride in the Clouds, a scarlet roller coaster whose roar and clatter were audible a block away, even over the pounding of the surf. Walter Sparks and I had to work up our courage a long time before we dared ride that one. Finally, though, we found ourselves in the second pair of seats from the front, rumbling up past the sign that said "RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK," and watching the panorama of sky and sea. Then the coaster tipped over into a heart-stopping dive, plunging down, down, until we had knifed underground into a roaring tunnel that blasted us skyward again. The next peak offered almost as good a view as the first, if only our eyes had been open. When the ride was over we stepped shakily out, grateful to be alive and ready to brag in school on Monday. Quieter, but no less interesting, were Playland's exhibits. A favorite was the Crime Does Not Pay building, which contained grisly artifacts from man's brutal past. I would linger in the gloomy halls of

Race & Ethnicity in Social Sciences Essay

Defining identity can be complex and therefore we have to investigate the factors involved that make us who we are and how we are seen by others, collectively or individually. Social scientists have to consider the key elements which shape identity, the importance of social structures and agency involved. The differences and/or similarities between us are the focus that categorise and label us in society. Knowing who we are is important for many reasons including, social rights, obtaining a passport, housing, health, employment, marriage, and over all, being able to ascertain who we are, and belong. The terms ? race’ and ? ethnicity’ are central features in the process of categorisation. ?Racial’ or ? Ethnic’ identifications are produced as part of a social process, which is dynamic and changing. Therefore we know that identities are not static and terms such as ? race’ and ? ethnicity’ cannot cover the changing categories without being dynamic terms themselves. The use of quotation marks with these terms is adopted to emphasise that the terms are broad terms and aim to avoid discrimination or misrepresentation of groups under the umbrella term.? Race’ is commonly used by media and society to portray the physical differences between people, however, social scientists choose to show that the term does not refer to exact biological differences, is stereotypical, and the quotation marks emphasise the concept as more of an assumption which has political implications. The term is socially constructed and therefore does serve an essential purpose in society as it has real affects and associations. The term ?ethnicity’ refers to cultural practices and history, such as religion, language and territory, where a person or a group derives from, summarising their beliefs and traditions, therefore, ethnicity applies to everyone, necessitating the birth of terms ? minority ethnic group’ and ? majority ethnic group’ (Questioning Identity, Ch 4, P124, section 2. 3) to subcategorise identities in relation to ethnicity. Social scientists use quotation marks around these terms to signify that the blanket term does not distinguish between personal and social identity, but acts mainly as a collective identity concept. For example, identification on a British passport may categorise the holder as being ? British’ although they may be Scottish/Chinese. Social scientists prefer to call UK society a ? multi-ethnic† society. These subgroup identities highlight the relational factors which exist in categorising identity, each requiring the other in order to make the comparison between ethnic differences, power and status. Racialization and Ethnicization are preferred concepts as they contribute more to the idea that the identities we adopt are part of a process and are not static, referring to a dynamic process rather than a fixed state. Categorisations from the 1970’s onwards, such as the definition of ? black’ or ? white’, were too vague, and failed to recognise the specific needs of other ethnic minorities. In order to monitor and measure statistically the discrimination and underachievement of such groups, collecting ? ethnic’ statistics in relation to ? race’ and ? ethnicity’ was necessary and these can be found in official government censuses. Over the years it became apparent that categorisation of ethnic groups in the censuses rendered some groups ? invisible’ (Questioning Identity, ch 4, p 137, section 4. 1. 1), for example Irish and Welsh. The category of ? white’ has had to be expanded into subcategories as the ? white’ grouping classification remained singular within the censuses until 2001, and ethnicization of ? whites’ was too generalised. (â€Å"Questioning Identity: Kath Woodward ch. 4 p138 – Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, 1991) These amendments show us that there have been changes in ethnic representation and that there is more awareness regarding ethnic identities and needs. The sub-categorisation of ethnic identities is used in everyday life such as in the media, job applications and insurance documents. The importance of the emergence of new and changing identities in a multi-ethnic society has led to uncertainties about what it means to be ? British’. In the 1980’s for example, the Commission for Racial Equality sponsored research into the claims by Irish ethnic groups making claims that they were discriminated against by public and private agencies as their ? invisibility’ misrepresented their particular needs. (Questioning Identity: Kath Woodward, ch. 4, p145). The 1960’s â€Å"Black is Beautiful† movement (Questioning Identity: Kath Woodward, ch4, 2. 2, p118) campaigned the category of ?black’, inclusive of Asians and any other non-white groups, as inappropriate and too wide an assumption. Collective group action and social creativity disputed the terminology of ? black’ and involved a struggle to alter the social meaning of blackness, as opposed to the more ? powerful’ ethnic majority status of being ? white’. This redefined black social status and proved that black identities were not fixed but dynamic, changing from a term with connotations of disrespect, to one of pride, proving identities are collective and political as well as individual and relational, â€Å"Whiteness is used as an invisible marker against which other ?ethnicities’ are judged† (Kath Woodward, Questioning Identity, Ch 4, p 136, Section 4. 1). REFERENCES DD 121, Questioning Identity: gender, class, ethnicity. Kath Woodward, The Open University, Routledge, 2004. DD121, Workbook 1, Norma Sherratt, David Goldblatt, Maureen Mackintosh and Kath Woodward, The Open University, Routledge, 2004. DD121, Block 1, The Open University, TV02 Defining Moments DD121, Block 1, Audio 2, The Open University, Audio 3A DD121, Block 1, Audio 2, The Open University, Audio 3B.

Havisham and Anne Hathaway Poem Comparison Essay

The poems ‘Havisham’ and ‘Anne Hathaway’ by Carol Ann Duffy both portray two women thinking about men; however they have very opposite emotions. The speaker in ‘Havisham’ feels a mix of emotions but mainly bitter hatred and violence towards the man who left her at the altar. Anne Hathaway, however, thinks very fondly of Shakespeare in the second poem. Both poems involve strong emotions and the use of the first person in each helps to make the emotions seem more personal and immediate. The first three words of ‘Havisham’ are â€Å"beloved sweetheart bastard†, this oxymoron shows the speaker’s contrasting emotions towards her lover; she used to love him but now hates him for leaving her. The speaker in ‘Anne Hathaway’ however, describes Shakespeare as â€Å"My living laughing love†, she has affectionate memories of him and even though he is dead she talks as if he were alive. The speaker in ‘Havisham’ has been completely consumed by her hatred. She says there is â€Å"not a day since then/I haven’t wished him dead†. She is unable to stop thinking about him; she can neither forgive nor forget him. It seems that Anne Hathaway, too, often thinks about her loved one. She, however, remembers him in the context of â€Å"the bed we loved in† and remembers how blissful and contented she felt with him in that bed. Anne Hathaway uses vivid imagery to describe Shakespeare and their bed. The speaker describes their bed as â€Å"a spinning world/of forests, castles, torchlight, clifftops, seas†. It is as if when she is in bed with Shakespeare she is in one of his plays, in some exotic location or enchanted, magical world. Imagery is also used to describe the effects that the intense anger has had on Miss Havisham. When she looks in the mirror she says: â€Å"Her, myself, who did this to me? † This shows that her appearance seems unfamiliar to her and she is shocked by her transformation. She now has â€Å"dark green pebbles for eyes†, this suggests she is stony and dead inside, unable to feel love because of the pain she has suffered. She also now has â€Å"ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with†; by saying this it shows not just how she has physically changed but also shows her murderous thoughts. Both â€Å"Havisham† and â€Å"Anne Hathaway† involve beds. In â€Å"Anne Hathaway†, Anne and Shakespeare’s bed is the stage for â€Å"romance and drama†, and while in bed with him Anne feels like â€Å"he’d written me†, as if he has brought her into being. In their bed they are making poetry together, whilst in their best bed, guests are â€Å"dribbling†¦ prose†. Miss Havisham, however, is alone in her bed, it is devoid of romance. Instead her bed is saturated with grief and hatred as all she does is â€Å"stink and remember†, she is not making poetry in her bed, instead she spends â€Å"whole days/in bed cawing Nooooo at the wall†. In her bed she fantasises having her sweetheart’s â€Å"lost body† over her, and she imagines her â€Å"fluent tongue in its mouth†, this macabre image shows how underneath her anger Miss Havisham feels lonely. The structures used for the poems vary. ‘Anne Hathaway’ is written in the form of a sonnet. This form was often used by Shakespeare so it is fitting that the character of Anne Hathaway should use it too. In ‘Havisham’ the structure looks orderly with four lines in each verse but this contrasts with the content of the poem and doesn’t reflect Miss Havisham’s confusion. The characters in both of the poems are holding onto memories of their loved ones. Miss Havisham cannot stop thinking about the day her sweetheart left her. She has been unable to move on and she is even still wearing her â€Å"yellowing† wedding dress. Anne Hathaway says she is holding onto the precious memories of Shakespeare, â€Å"in the casket of my widow’s head†, this is an apt metaphor because a casket is where you put valuable items and she is therefore keeping her memories safe. Both poems vary in nature. â€Å"Anne Hathaway† is quite a sensual poem. â€Å"Havisham†, however is quite an angry and at times violent poem, for example in the final verse the speaker says: â€Å"I stabbed at a wedding-cake Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon† Her stabbing shows her violent and maniacal behaviour, and when she says â€Å"male corpse† she is showing her underlying hatred of men and maliciousness towards them. ‘Havisham’ is a poem full of grief and regret while ‘Anne Hathaway’ is a celebration of Anne Hathaway and Shakespeare’s love. The women in both poems behave in very different manners and feel very differently towards their loved ones.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Essay

In Ambrose Bierce’s short story, ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,’ he uses his setting to carry out the plot of the story better than the short film of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. ’ The words in the short story flow so beautifully, and give such detail as to fully understand the emotions running through Peyton Farquhar’s head as the time progresses to his hanging. In my opinion, the story’s graphic settings and imagery easily grasp the introduction rising action/climax, and conclusion as Ambrose Bierce originally wanted the story to be told. In the introduction of the short story, Bierce tells of a man, soon to be known as Farquhar, standing above a bridge engaged to be hung. As he is waiting for the lieutenant to complete preparations, he lays eyes upon a piece of drift wood in the swirling stream below the bridge. The story then goes into detail about how slowly the stream appeared to be moving the drift wood along, â€Å"He then let his gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet. A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed the current. How slowly it appeared to move! What a sluggish stream! (Literature 71). † However, in the short film it only represents the image of the piece of wood. This driftwood symbolizes the situation he is currently in; that he is in a chaotic predicament but is still able to ‘slowly drift’ through the problem. Therefore the story helps the reader fully grasp the introduction of the story better than the short film. During the middle of the story, before Farquhar’s last moments he thinks about his wife and children only to be interrupted by the sound of his pocket watch. As if time were slowing down in his last seconds, the interval between each tick is symbolic to how little time he has left. â€Å"Striking through the thought of his dear ones was the sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil.. the delays became maddening (Literature 72). † In the short film of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,’ time speeds up and his pocket watch was taken from him by one of the officers, clearly not as in dept to relate why Bierce wrote the pocket watch into the story. Also during the rising action of the written story, it is told in great details of how he plunges into the water, and begins to swim through the stream. When he removes the noose from his neck, he sees himself performing but doesn’t follow through. He commands himself to place the cord back once he feels a sudden pang throughout his body, but his hands disobey him. This gives the reader inside details of the characters internal state, which is not expressed in the short film. Lastly, before it is known that Farquhar has been hung and this was his mind flashing through his last moments of life, the soldiers begin firing guns while he swims to safety downstream. At one point the written story tells of how he is spinning and whirled around in the water; which brings us back to the symbolism of the driftwood in the introduction. He spins round and round like the driftwood, finally caught up and not in control of the predicament he is in. â€Å"He had been caught in a vortex and was being whirled on with a velocity of advance.. spinning like a top (Literature 75). The film does not show the final symbolism of the driftwood and rushes through the stream to only have Farquhar advance to the bank and run through the forest to his wife and children. Therefore, in my opinion, Bierce’s written version of ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek,’ uses the setting to advance the story and plot to the readers. It is more in dept and brings all things to light: internal state, physical state, symbolism, and his flashbacks. The introduction, rising action, and conclusion were all better carried out with setting in the written version rather the short film.

Occupational Health and Safety Management Essay

Occupational Health and Safety Management - Essay Example The rest of this essay will lay out the benefits of providing a safe working environment by citing relevant legislative, financial and moral rationale. Legal Aspects: The Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act of 1986 will be the basic document of reference for my decisions and initiatives. Section 19 of the act is particularly relevant, for it outlays the duties of employers toward employee safety. This section notes that an employer must, â€Å"in respect of each employee employed or engaged by the employer, ensure so far as is reasonably practicable that the employee is, while at work, safe from injury and risks to health and, in particular, must provide and maintain so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe working environment, safe systems of work, plant and substances in a safe condition†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.austlii.edu.au, 2012) The OHSW Act is quite thorough in the range of clauses it includes, covering all contingencies and freak occurrences. As OHS Manager of a large national transport company, one of my primary challenges is in sorting and managing the slew of complaints, grievances and lawsuits that will be raised against the company, especially against the department. But rather than an antagonistic approach toward disposing these issues, an empathetic and compassionate approach will fetch better results. (Murphy & Cooper, 2000) After all, given the high risks taken by workers by involving themselves in the transportation business, one should respect their genuine concerns and seek to resolve them. The government of South Australia has heeded to the demands of workers of the region and has tightened its laws governing OHS. The verdict on recently held case Farrell v B & A Fisheries Pty Ltd [2012] SAIRC bears out this fact. (www.safework.sa.gov.au, 2012) Financial Aspects: From a financial point of view, the costs incurred by the management in building safety nets for workers are worth it in the long run. For example, offering them disability insurance, life insurance, installing air bags in transport vehicles, etc, are worthy investments when one considers the emotional and monetary distress that they would later save employees. Creating a feeling of security and trust among employees will benefit the company by reducing attrition rates, enhancing loyalty and increasing motivation level of employees. Hence, from a financial standpoint, every dollar spent toward building safety mechanisms for worker health, will indirectly boost the bottom line. Moreover, the provisions for fines in the OHSW Act, makes it prudent to invest in safety rather than pay for negligence and poor standards. For example, under the OHSW Act, a first offence would lead to a Division 2 fine and a subsequent offence a Division 1 fine. That preventing a mishap is wiser than paying after the fact is underscored by the elaborate dictates of the OHSW Act. The moral angle is also taken into account in the Act, as it states that â€Å"an employer must so far as is reasonably practicable, monitor the health and welfare of the employer’s employees in their employment with the employer, insofar as that monitoring is relevant to the prevention of work-related injuries† (www.austlii.edu.au, 2012) The verdict on Symons v Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd [2012]

Coca Cola and their Marketing techniques Case Study

Coca Cola and their Marketing techniques - Case Study Example In recent years due to increased competition the company has involved itself in ownership of franchises all over the world. The coca-cola company produces a wide range of products, including: soft drinks (Coke, Fanta, and Sprite), Mineral water (Dasani), non-carbonated beverages (PowerAde sports beverage, flavored tea Nestea). In general the Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) only produces syrup concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold a Coca-Cola franchise. Coca-Cola bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise the resulting Coca-Cola product to retail stores, vending machines, restaurants and food service distributors. The Coca-Cola Company offers nearly 400 brands in over 200 countries, besides its namesake Coca-Cola beverage. Diet Coke was introduced in 1982 to offer an alternative to dieters worried about the high number of calories present in Classic Coke.2 The Company also introduced new soft drinks to satisfy a widening spectrum of tastes. Born in Germany, Fanta was introduced in the United States in 1960; today the Fanta family of flavored soft drinks has become one of the best-selling brands in the world. Sprite, a lemon-lime drink, followed in 1961, and in 1963 the Company introduced TAB, its first low-calorie beverage. In 1960 the Minute Maid Corporation merged with the Company, adding frozen citrus juice concentrates and ades under the trademarks Minute Maid and Hi-C to the Company's array of beverages. The Coca-Cola Company offers nearly 400 brands in over 200 countries, besides its namesake Coca-Cola beverage. This includes other varieties of Coca-Cola such as Diet Coke (introduced in 1982 ), which uses aspartame , a synthetic phenylalanine -based sweetener , to eliminate the sugar content of the drink; Caffeine-free Coke ; Cherry Coke (1985); Diet Cherry Coke (1986 ); Coke with Lemon (2001 ); Diet Coke with Lemon (2001); Vanil la Coke (2002 ); Diet Vanilla Coke (2002); Coca-Cola C2 (2004 ); Coke with Lime (2004 ); Diet Coke with Lime (2004 ); Diet Coke with Splenda (2005 ), Coca-Cola Zero (2005), Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla (2006) , Diet Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla (2006), and Coca-Cola Black Tab was Coca-Cola's first attempt to develop a diet soft drink, using saccharin as a sugar substitute. Introduced in 1963, the product is still sold today, however its sales have dwindled since the introduction of Diet Coke. The Coca-Cola Company also produces a number of other soft drinks including Fanta (introduced circa 1942 or 1943) and Sprite. Fanta's origins date back to World War II

Behavior Modification Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Behavior Modification - Assignment Example Action stage is that when an individual embraces new behavior for a period of 3-6 months. This is followed by the maintenance stage during which an individual continuous commitment to sustain the new behavior. The last stage is the relapse when an individual tend to have a resumption of old behaviors. Have continued to recall information have read and heard from different sources about the importance of conserving our environment. Even though it has been had to take an initiative as an individual, I have been able to resolve that I will react emotionally to the warnings of environmental protection. I have considered environmental protection as an important aspect of livelihood of mankind. I consider environmental conversation as a means of changing ways that make the entire kingdom of living things happy. Environmental protection enables the sustainability of the life from one generation to the other. As such I have resolved to save my little resources and place them with the agencies that work towards environmental protection. I have mobilized my classmates and other friends who have agreed to work with me towards the same goal. I have found that creating awareness on environmental protection is a productive way of sp=ending my free time outside school. I develop the sense of self satisfaction when I participate in environmental conservation. Environmental conservation helps in protection of property’s value through enabling the restrictions on land use and development. This helps in putting land into proper use thereby enhancing land productivity. This in turn enhances food security for both man and animals on the both short and long run. Environmental conservation enables the protection of water sheds that help in the provision of water supply for agricultural and domestic use (Bethesda, 2008). The resolve for social health change through environmental conservation has encouraged many people