Walt Whitman’s life and works Essay Example for Free

Walt Whitman’s life and works Essay Literature is effective as a communication tool because it serves as one important vehicle of expressing one’s view through artistic form. Many literature pieces have already been found to be filled with certain ideologies so profound that it has changed people’s perspective or at least has been a vehicle of change (Mancuso). There is a certain celebration in literature nowadays on the essentially political and ideological presence in many literary pieces. One such celebrated author that many literature analysts and academicians believe to be filled with ardor for the use of literature in advocacy is Walt Whitman (Erkkila 4). Walt Whitman is considered America’s most popular and influential poet. He had humble beginnings as he was born on May 13, 1819 into a working class household in West Hills, New York. He was named after his father who was a carpenter and a farmer named Walter Whitman Sr. His father was a liberal thinker who was a fan of Thomas Paine. When Walt became four, his father moved them to Brooklyn. Once when General Lafayette visited New York, he spotted six year old Walt from the crowd and lifted him up and carried him. For Walt, that was some kind of a laying on of hands because the French hero of the American Revolution seemed like he anointed the future poet of democracy (Folsom and Price). This paper aims to situate the author on the context of his time and how his poetry is actually a reflection of the presence of political problems and political questions that arose in a rising powerful nation. There is a need to see the underlying rhetoric and styles that underwrite the general idea and opinion of the author on the many social issues that confronted him. This paper will try to cover three political issues that figured prominently in many of his texts. These are: homosexuality and the body politic, African-American and liberation, and finally the question of the Union of States. The three issues that are stated above are just some of the important factors that need to be considered in the analysis of Whitman as a political poet. Although, Walt Whitman talked about diverse issues of politics, these three are just some of the issues that figured prominently in his text and at the same time these are issues that are still being confronted today by the United States and the rest of the world. The claim of the paper is that Walt Whitman as a political poet believes that the problems of discrimination both for sexual discrimination or body politic and racial discrimination are all intertwined in the general dysfunction of what the United States believed as essence of the Union of States and democracy. When Walt was schooling, he attended a Brooklyn public school for six years. There he shared his classes with students of a variety of ages and backgrounds. In Whitman’s school, the children were huddled in one room except the African Americans who had to attend a separate class. They were segregated at the top part of the building. Waltman did not like corporal punishment and he wrote about this later in his works. One of the early influences in his life was the radical Quaker leader Elias Hicks, an acquaintance of his father and a close friend of his grandfather, Jesse. He has a happy childhood and he spend happy childhood days at the farm of his grandmother (Folsom and Price). One of Whitman’s favorite boyhood activities were his visits to his grandparents on Long Island. He loved the Long Island shore and the waters there had a different wonder for his young mind. One of his poems, Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking, was part of his reminiscences with his boyhood experiences at Long Island shore. Because of his love for visiting museums, he acquired an eclectic kind of education and became the stuff of the material for his poems. He had an informal education that worked well for his own kind of education which included literature, theater, and even music, archaeology and geography. He became a teacher even if he had an informal education. His reading and writing skills developed along the way and soon enough he was astute in the way he delineated the characters in his poems as he writes. Never before have I entertained so low an idea of the beauty and perfection of mans nature, never have I seen humanity in so degraded a shape, as here†. The situation of the homosexual in the United States during that time was no different from the African-American communities. Although to a certain degree, it was basically a peripheral issue as homosexuality is rather a private matter that was not allowed or tabooed in public discussions. There had been no incident of actual gay rights movement during the Civil War periods of the United States. The reconstruction stage of the United States has afforded many Americans to actually move away from issues of sexual discrimination. The gay rights movement only emerged in the consciousness of the United States in the early 20th century following the increasing liberal ideas in the World War (History of Minorities II). The fact however, that this was not a mainstream issue during the late 19th century figured Walt Whitman prominently in this essential task.

Overview of HTTPS and VPN

Overview of HTTPS and VPN HTTPS HTTPS (originally developed by Nestscape) stands for HyperText Transport Protocol Secure and is basically similar to an HTTP but uses a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) as a sublayer for security purposes. It enables secure communication and connection between a remote user and a web server by encrypting and decrypting pages that are requested, delivered and received. For example, while using the web page that has a prefix https://, when the user clicks Send, to transmit the page back to the vendor or service provider, the HTTPS layer from the users browser will encrypt it. Likewise, the acknowledgment returned by or received from the server will also be transmitted in encrypted form, i.e., it will be delivered and will arrive encrypted, in turn to be decrypted for the user by the HTTPS sublayer of the users browser. In the likelihood that connection is compromised and intermediary hackers/attackers acquire the data being transmitted via HTTPS, the information would be undecipherable. Note that the decrypted data arriving at its destination is only as secure as the host computer. (Rouse.) Additionally, secure web sites also typically display a small padlock icon somewhere next to the URL. By clicking the lock icon, one is able to view the secure certificate that authenticates the website. (Christensen.) Not only is it the de facto protocol for conducting sensitive transactions on the web (especially ones that involve credit card and bank account information), it can also protect users from censorship by a government or an ISP.ÂÂ   (ComputerHope.com.) SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a popular implementation of public-key encryption. Once the browser sends out the public key and the certificate, it checks to make sure that (1)ÂÂ   the certificate is provided by a trusted party; (2) the current certificate is valid; and (3)ÂÂ   the certificate has a relationship with the site generating it. The public key is used to encrypt a randomly selected symmetric key. In other words, most systems use a combination of public key and symmetric key encryption. Under a secure session, one computer creates a symmetric key and sends it to the other computer using public-keyÂÂ   encryption. When the session is completed, each computer disposes the key that was created and that was used for the particular session. For any ensuing sessions, a new symmetric key is created, and the routine is repeated. (ComputerHope.com.) VPN VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a private network that uses a public network to connect remote sites or users together instead of using a dedicated line or physical network connection. The virtual connections are routed through the Internet from a private network (such as a company) to the remote site (such as an employee). The technology enables the creation of an encrypted connection over a less secure network. A well-designed VPN incorporates security, reliability, scalability, network management and policy management (Cisco.com.) Two common types of VPN: Remote-Access (or, Virtual Private Dial-up Network [VPDN]), is a user-to-LAN connection created by a company for its employees who are on various remote locations and who need to connect to the private network. Site-to-Site (categorized into intranets or extranets) uses dedicated equipment and large-scale encryption and can connect multiple fixed sites over a public network such as the Internet, or over a large distance (much like a WAN), with each site needing only a local connection to the same public network. (Cisco.com.) In order to gain access to the private network, a user must first be authenticated by using a unique PIN (personal identification number) and a password. The PIN changes according to a specific frequency, usually every 30 seconds or so. VPN technology uses complex algorithm encryption to guarantee secure and private communicationÂÂ   as well as to prevent any unintentional or unauthorized interception of data between private sites. (whatismyipaddress.com.) Commonality/Difference VPNs use IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) connection to tunnel between the two endpoints and require third-party hardware and/or software. An extra layer of security is provided since in order to access or connect to a VPN, the remote device must have an IPSec client software application installed but must also have it properly configured. In other words, although all data/traffic is encrypted, users on can only access the encrypted applications that they are configured to access in the SSL VPN connection and not the entire network. (Lifewire.com.) HTTPS relies on SSL, which is a common protocol that most web browsers have built in. The secure connection exists between the users browser and the server or a specific web site. All data exchanged between the two are encrypted. Unlike VPN, it does not provide access to anything other than what is currently being communicated. Comparatively, it does not require an authentication code or PIN. Instead it creates a temporary public or symmetric key, which is discarded as soon as the communication is finished.

Diversity at Novartis Essay -- Novartis Diversity Strategy

Diversity is vital to the success of today’s business model. Companies small and large have demonstrated benefits from an economic standpoint as well as talent management perspective. Canas & Sondak outline four pillars of change necessary for a successful program. These pillars are described as â€Å"demonstrate leadership support†, â€Å"engage employees as partners†, integrate diversity with management practices† and â€Å"link diversity goals to business goals† (Canas & Sondak, 2014). Novartis as a global company validates the theory to lead diversity within its organization. Company Profile Novartis is well known as a pharmaceutical company and emerging healthcare solutions provider. â€Å"It is engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of branded drugs, generic pharmaceutical products and preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products† (Novartis AG, 2013). Novartis is uniquely positioned with a wide breadth of product offerings under one umbrella providing innovation and a diversified product offering to the marketplace. Its competitors are GlaxoSmith Kline, Bayer, Eli Lily, Merck & Co. and Johnson and Johnson to name a few. A big player in the field, Novartis has annual revenue of 57.9 billion. The company is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and employees approximately 136,000 associates and operates in more than 140 countries around the world (Novartis Annual Report, 2013). Novartis was created in 1996 through the merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz. Geigy started in 1798 selling dyes, chemicals and drugs of all kinds. In the meantime a competitor in the marketplace, Alexander Clavel is producing and selling his silk dyes which eventually emerge as Ciba (Chemical Industry Basel). S... ...and Inclusion a Priority. Profiles in Diversity Journal, 14(2), 52 Novartis Annual Report (2013). Retrieved from http://www.novartis.com/investors/financial-results/annual-results.shtml Novartis Company History (2013). Retrieved from http://www.novartis.com/about-novartis/company-history/index.shtml Novartis Diversity and Inclusion Report (2012). Retrieved from http://www.novartis.com Novartis AG SWOT Analysis. (2013). Novartis AG SWOT Analysis, 1-8. Novartis Foundation (2013). Biography of Daniel Vasella. Retrieved from http://www.novartisfoundation.org/platform/content/element/298/cv_daniel_vasella.pdf Royal, M. A., & Stark, M. J. (2006). Why some companies excel at conducting business globally. Journal of Organizational Excellence, 25(4), 3-10. Waltmann, F. (2013). East Meets Best: Developing Novartis Talent in Asia. Chief Learning Officer, 12(6), 68-72.

The Great Gatsby and The Hollow Men Essay -- essays research papers

The Great Gatsby has been one of the classic novels of the twentieth century. It creates a unique society that makes the story such a masterpiece. Another magnificent work that relates to The Great Gatsby is T.S. Eliot's 'The Hollow Man.'; The lines in the poem portray the story so vividly that it should have been an epigraph for the novel. The poem's references to hollow and stuffed men, can describe different characters in The Great Gatsby. The hollowness of men represents ruthless barbarians with no respect for humans and no understanding of love. However, the stuffed men seem to be educated, wealthy, and respectful. The differences in these types of men can be seen through the events of the novel. Another aspect of the poem that represents the novel is the idea of the paralyzed force. This force symbolizes freedom and uniqueness. It also is captivating and serves as authority. So, the similarities between The Great Gatsby and 'The Hollow Men'; remarkably show the hollow and stuff ed characteristic of the people in Gatsby's secret society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first similarity between the two pieces of work is the hollowness in mankind referred to by the poem. In the novel there are two main characters that depict such hollowness. The antagonistic character of Tom Buchanan represents the ruthless and careless American whose dream is to use women and acquire money. In addition he has no respect towards others which creates pain for people around him. An example of this is when Myrtle repeatedly uttered his wife's name which was Daisy. Tom took this as an insult and viciously punched her in the nose. He never took into consideration that hitting a women is uncivilized. Another quality he has is to flaunt his wealth in other peoples' faces. This can be seen when he takes Nick around his colossal house. Tom wants others to feel jealous of his riches, when he is actually jealous of the others around him. Thus revealing his emptiness of heart and spirit. His hypocritical remarks show his hollowness towards other. During t he climatic scene in the plaza hotel he said 'I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to you wife.(137)'; He doesn't take into account that he has been doing the same thing with Myrtle and plenty of other ladies. Another hollow character in the novel is Daisy. Daisy portrays the conceite... ...ed to be in charge of the conversation. Also, Owl Eyes was one of the few honorable people who attended Gatsby's funeral. He had an admiration toward Gatsby and cherished his view toward life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So, 'The Hollow Man'; has many parallels that make it a perfect epigraph for The Great Gatsby. The three key aspects of the poem that relate it to The Great Gatsby were the hollow men, the stuffed men, and the paralyzed force. All three depict the society Gatsby lived in and the life he had to go through. The hollow and stuffed men showed the two types of people in Gatsby's society. The hollow men contain no inner spirit or love toward one another. However, the stuffed men consisted of bravery, self-control, and love. They were Tom, Daisy, Jay, and George, respectively. The poem categorizes where people fit in society. The final parallel is the paralyzed force including Owl Eyes and the billboard. Both had a frozen outlook on life and someone to look up to. In conclusion, Fitzgerald and Eliot created classics that will be analyzed for many years to come. However, no one will be able to make an epigraph for The Great Gatsby better than Eliot's 'The Hollow Man.';

Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay - The Wife of Bath and the Ideal Woman

The Wife of Bath and the Ideal Woman       The Wife of Bath is one of Chaucer's most memorable characters. In the "General Prologue," she is described as a somewhat deaf, voluptuous, married woman. She is a clothing maker, has a gap tooth, the sign of a lust nature, and she wears brilliant red stockings. Her fantastic description alone sparks interest, a spark that is later fanned into fire when her prologue is read. The Wife's outlandish description of her marriages makes her unique and memorable among the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales, most of which are identified by conventional occupation. Chaucer has deliberately made the Wife a notable character by giving her life many unconventional twists. Her marriages are contradictory, and her personality is at odds with the medieval view of women Chaucer creates her in order to show that this woman, however rare and unique she is, cannot openly struggle for equality and independence. Her prologue gives the reader the notion that, when Alison is talking about herself, "It's a bit like an anti-confession, with her saying this is what I'm like, there's no way I'm going to change (Beer 8). This is her initial portrayal, but at the end of her prologue, the Wife of Bath succumbs to the pressure of society, conforms and becomes the ideal medieval wife.    The Wife's marriages, when viewed in order, show her struggle for power and her surrender to authority. In the first few lines the reader learns that Alison was married five times. Her five husbands represent the progression of a woman from a power-hungry girl to a submissive spouse. Her five husbands can be divided into two groups, the first group consisting of the Wife's first three husbands. Of this first group she says, "Th... ... Mark. "The Wife of Bath and Women's Power." Assays 4 (1987): 67-83. Bott, Robin. "The Wife of Bath and the Revelour: Power Struggles and Failure in a Marriage of Peers." Medieval Perspectives 6 (1991): 154-161. Carruthers, Mary. "The Wife of Bath and the Painting of Lions." PMLA 94 (1979): 209-18. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Riverside Chaucer. Ed. Larry Benson. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1987. Crane, Susan. "Alison's Incapacity and Poetic Instability in the Wife of Bath's Tale." MLA 102 (1987): 20-27. Leicester, Jr., H. Marshall. "Of a fire in the dark: Public and Private Feminism in the Wife of Bath's Tale." Women's Studies 11.1-2 (1985): 157-78. Oberembt, Kenneth. "Chaucer's Anti-Misogynist Wife of Bath." The Chaucer Review 10 (1976): 287-302. Patterson, Lee. Chaucer and the Subject of History. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1991.

Phonology and English Classes

The teacher formed a group of the pupils to prepare us in advance for studying English in the fifth form. At that time, I was amazed with it. It was something totally new for me and I felt very proud of being able to say some sentences like: â€Å"What's your name? † and to answer this question like â€Å"My name is Angela†. I felt I was not a little girl anymore, since I could â€Å"understand† a foreign language. Besides, I don't know very well why, but English had mom kind of attractive power over me and I never got bored during the English classes.At present I'm in my second year at university. I have English classes now as well. The periods pass quite interestingly. The instructor gives us different tasks. Once we derived various words by adding prefixes or suffixes. The point was to do It as fast as possible. We also revise grammar by doing tests, learn texts, tell dialogues and take part in the conference. Surely, I don't know the language perfectly. My we akest point is audition. It is difficult for me to know by ear what people say as they sometimes speak with fast or with pronounced accent.My another weak point Is my laziness to learn new words but I try to fight it. However I have some merits. For example, I know grammar and endeavourer to speak correctly and observe Intonation. My studies are connected not only with calculating Integrals but with writing programmed and reading different scientific articles in English, that's why I must enlarge my vocabulary further to read books easily. To master the language fluently is what I want In the future.

Citizens United: the Death Knell of Democracy Essay

In 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on the Federal Elections Commission v. Citizens United, a case that will have drastic effects on our political system. Large corporations and labor unions will now have unprecedented influence over America’s national, state, and local elections. If Congress does not overturn the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United then, as a result, the decision has the potential to lead to political corruption, the increase of voter apathy, and the drowning out of third party ideas. Soon our country’s political system will no longer work for the good of its citizens, but rather be beholden to whomever has the most money to contribute. The Supreme Court decision on the Citizens United case is one of the most devastating court decisions in our country’s history, but many people know little to nothing about the landmark case. Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization, and in 2008 they attempted to violate federal campaign laws by distributing a documentary critical of Sen. Hillary Clinton. The law Citizens Untied violated was the part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act that prohibits, â€Å"Broadcast advertisements mentioning a candidate within 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election† (par. 19). As a result, the Federal Election Commission blocked the film and Citizens United sued on the grounds that it violated their first amendment right to free speech; however, Citizens United lost the case in Federal Court, but they appealed and the case went before the Supreme Court. The question proposed before the court was whether Citizens United should have been allowed to show the Clinton documentary. According to Adam Liptak, a political columnist for The New York Times, â€Å"Instead, the court addressed the questions it proposed to the parties in June when it set down the case for an unusual second argument in September, those of whether Austin and McConnell should be overruled† (par. 26). The court ruled 5-4 that Citizens United had the right to show the Clinton film, but in the process they also overturned Austin and McConnell, two cases that had previously banned corporate and union contributions to political campaigns . Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion, â€Å"By definition, an independent expenditure is political speech presented to the electorate that is not coordinated with a candidate† (par. 17). Justice Kennedy’s opinion equates money to free speech as long as the money is not directly given to a candidate’s campaign. Justice Kennedy went on to state that, â€Å"Political speech is indispensable to decision making in a democracy, and this is no less true because the speech comes from a corporation rather than an individual† (par. 20). Justice Kennedy believes that corporations are entitled to the same rights as human beings. The Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United has now enabled corporations and unions to pour exorbitant amounts of money into America’s electoral landscape. First, endless negative campaign advertisements bombarded Americans for nearly two years before the presidential election, and a vast amount were paid for by Super PACs. These immense political action committees are a direct byproduct of the Citizens United decision, and are funded by corporations, wealthy individuals, and labor unions. There are no laws limiting how much one can donate to these Super PACs, and they are allowed to spend millions of dollars towards the victory or defeat of a candidate. As long as Super PACs do not directly contribute to a candidate’s campaign, they are allowed to spend as much money as they please. Most of the advertisements sponsored by Super PACs mirror the views of the candidate they support. One realizes that Super PACs cannot contribute fiscally to a candidate; however, that candidate directly benefits from the millions of dollars spent on political ads by a Super PAC. Second, with the seemingly endless amounts of money Super PACs can raise, they possess a vast amount of political influence. Super PACs have the potential to cause political corruption on a level not seen since the Water Gate Scandal during the Nixon administration. For example, Super PACs can use their political war chests to defeat nearly any candidate that does not support their agenda by flooding every media source with scathing attack ads. As a result, politicians will feel compelled to vote in favor of the bills that would benefit the donors of a Super PAC. Politicians will be extremely reluctant to go up against a Super PAC that has an almost endless supply of money that could be used to support a challenger. It may only be a prediction for the future, but many Americans already believe Super PACs will cause corruption. For example, a survey of 1,015 adults conducted by the Brennan Center For Justice discovered, â€Å"69% of respondents agreed that new rules that let corporat ions, unions and people give unlimited money to Super PACs will lead to corruption† (par. 7). The American public is noticing the effects of the Super PACs and they foresee a bleak political future. Third, voter apathy is on the rise and Super PACs are the main contributor; for example, a survey of 1,015 adults by the Brennan Center For Justice found, â€Å"One in four Americans — 26% — say that they are less likely to vote because big donors to Super PACs have so much more influence over elected officials than average Americans† (par. 14). The Brennan Centers survey shows that a significant amount of Americans believe that their vote is worthless. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in the minority opinion for FEC v. Citizens United, â€Å"A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituents believe laws are being bought and sold† (qtd. in Dionne, par. 7). Justice Stevens believes the unlimited amount of money labor unions, the wealthy, and corporations can spend on political campaigns in order to meet their own agendas will cau se Americans to lose trust in their government, and when our government loses the trust of its citizens our democracy will dissolve only to be replaced by an authoritarian state. Fourth, Citizens United will officially end the third party system, but the most tragic will be the end of third party ideas. Some of the most important legislation in our country’s history started out as third party ideas. For example, abolition of slavery, child labor laws, workers compensation, direct election of Senators, global warming, and women’s suffrage were once the basis of the third party political platform. Super PACs have the resources to pay exorbitant amounts to spread their messages through advertisements, but third parties do not possess the resources to fiscally compete with them. Super PACs have the fiscal ability to monopolize every media source in order to drown any ideas that do not coincide with their own. The first amendment protects the right to communicate one’s opinion and ideas, but the Supreme Court has stripped that right away from our third party system. It is abundantly clear that the Citizens United decision has unleashed a scourge on the American political landscape in the form of Super PACs. As a result, our federal representatives must pass a constitutional amendment overturning the Citizens United decision, and pass new campaign finance legislation requiring campaigns to only be funded by the government. The benefit of having campaigns paid for by the government is every candidate will get the same amount of money, and politicians will no longer have to feel beholden to wealthy donors and corporate interests, but rather work for the good of their constituents. In conclusion, our country has been through many crises and it has always overcame them. One has to believe that our government will make the right decision and overturn the Citizens United decision, thus restoring our trust in government by taking the power away from the labor unions, millionaires, and corporations, and putting the power back where it rightfully belongs with the American people.