Friday, January 24, 2020

Things They Carried Essay: Buried Social Issues Exposed -- Things They

Buried Social Issues Exposed in The Things They Carried The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a wonderful and personal look into one of this countries darkest times. The vivid imagery that the author uses lets the reader actually experience the feeling of actually being in the war. By using the cultural studies method of literary criticism, we can use the social conditions during the time of the writing to explore beneath the surface. What we find underneath just might be more interesting than the story itself. In the story "Enemies", Lee Strunk and Dave Jenson get into a fistfight over a missing jackknife. "Stupid" (p.63) is the way the author describes the fight, but yet he describes in vivid detail the gory battle and its emotional outcome. If we look at society of the 1960's, we find that America was going through a period when sharing was a common value. "Free love" and "Peace, love, and Rock-n-Roll" were the battle cry of a whole sub-culture that was revolting against the stuffiness of their parents. (Bob Dylan versus Ward Clever) This counter-culture was not very interested in individualistic ideas as we can see by the droves of groupies that followed (and still follow) the Grateful Dead. The United States Army had basically the same effect on the young boys that were volunteered for war. They were stripped of their individualism and made into a team- a fighting machine. The only way for them to have any real sense of individuality was to grasp onto a few small personal possessions that they were allowed to keep or those that were contraband. On the other hand, growing up in the early 1980's and 1990's (the ME generation) makes it difficult to understand how a sim... ...he time. When Dave feels that he can no longer tolerate the situation, "He borrowed a pistol, gripped it by the barrel, and used it like a hammer to break his own nose". (63) Again like society of the time, the "establishment" felt that they needed to break up "sit-ins" and peace marches because they thought the protestors were going to get violent anyway. It was a type of pro-active violence. In conclusion, there are numerous ways of unwrapping the many layers of a piece of literature. The most simplistic of these ways looks primarily at the words and their basic meaning. The more complex, such as the cultural studies method, will divulge deeper insight and motivation by the author. You may discover more than just a story about a fight over a jackknife. In the end, you may learn a lesson in human psychology and socio-economics. Things They Carried Essay: Buried Social Issues Exposed -- Things They Buried Social Issues Exposed in The Things They Carried The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a wonderful and personal look into one of this countries darkest times. The vivid imagery that the author uses lets the reader actually experience the feeling of actually being in the war. By using the cultural studies method of literary criticism, we can use the social conditions during the time of the writing to explore beneath the surface. What we find underneath just might be more interesting than the story itself. In the story "Enemies", Lee Strunk and Dave Jenson get into a fistfight over a missing jackknife. "Stupid" (p.63) is the way the author describes the fight, but yet he describes in vivid detail the gory battle and its emotional outcome. If we look at society of the 1960's, we find that America was going through a period when sharing was a common value. "Free love" and "Peace, love, and Rock-n-Roll" were the battle cry of a whole sub-culture that was revolting against the stuffiness of their parents. (Bob Dylan versus Ward Clever) This counter-culture was not very interested in individualistic ideas as we can see by the droves of groupies that followed (and still follow) the Grateful Dead. The United States Army had basically the same effect on the young boys that were volunteered for war. They were stripped of their individualism and made into a team- a fighting machine. The only way for them to have any real sense of individuality was to grasp onto a few small personal possessions that they were allowed to keep or those that were contraband. On the other hand, growing up in the early 1980's and 1990's (the ME generation) makes it difficult to understand how a sim... ...he time. When Dave feels that he can no longer tolerate the situation, "He borrowed a pistol, gripped it by the barrel, and used it like a hammer to break his own nose". (63) Again like society of the time, the "establishment" felt that they needed to break up "sit-ins" and peace marches because they thought the protestors were going to get violent anyway. It was a type of pro-active violence. In conclusion, there are numerous ways of unwrapping the many layers of a piece of literature. The most simplistic of these ways looks primarily at the words and their basic meaning. The more complex, such as the cultural studies method, will divulge deeper insight and motivation by the author. You may discover more than just a story about a fight over a jackknife. In the end, you may learn a lesson in human psychology and socio-economics.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Polymer

1. Important characteristics required for materials in Automotive Engineering Polymers have been used in the automotive industry for many decades. It is regarded as an efficient material as it is very durable and could significantly reduce production costs. However, as technology advances, new polymers are found and better alternatives are paved for the automotive industry. The vehicles we see today are very different than that of the yesteryears. This proves how far the automotive industry has advanced through technology. This eventually improved the built quality of vehicles in terms of safety, comfort, and performance.Plastics have greatly contributed to the advancement of the automotive industry. Although some may perceive that plastics yield a poorer built quality (though in some cases, it may be true), it actually is a better alternative in an engineer’s point of view. The reason why we have a contrast of opinions regarding the use of plastics is because of the type of p lastics being used. Therefore, the characteristics of the material are a very important factor in achieving good built quality. The automotive industry is constantly looking for alternatives to keep the production costs low.In order to achieve that, the engineers adapted to the use of plastics on certain parts. The question was – was this a good idea? Over the years, it became evident that it really is. Hence, we see modern cars with plastic bumpers, plastic door handles, plastic mirror housing, etc. The engineers had to bear in mind that what they require is a durable and robust plastic material. They had to consider something that is able to deform upon minor collisions, and be able to return back to its original shape (reversibly deformable). The benefit of this idea is so that vehicle owners do not have to change the bumper for minor accidents.However, plastics have a limit to their reversible-deformation property. It could tolerate impacts of up to a certain degree, but beyond that, it would be a permanent deformation. But then again, it is a lot better than to repair a bumper made of metal isn’t it? Thus, the bumpers are made of materials that are able to withstand light and medium impacts. Considering the fact that plastic parts are relatively lighter than metal or wooden parts, this would improve a vehicle’s performance, which will eventually make the machine more efficient.As of today, plastic parts are known to be the most effective material that could save weight and yet be strong and durable. Cost has always been a challenge in the automotive industry. For many years, engineers have been working on alternative materials. A good example is the use of wood for certain parts like the steering. It would certainly be cheaper than steel, but come to think about the time taken to craft a circular shape out of wood, it would in the long run cost more than the latter.Thus today, we find polymers used to replace these parts because it is in fact a lot cheaper and a lot easier to build. Some car owners of the 50’s and 60’s experienced this little problem when they park their cars out in the sun. They would return to their car and grab their stainless steel door handle and â€Å"ooh!! †. Yes, it is a very good heat conductor. Very obviously, replacing a stainless steel door handle or gear knob or steering wheel with a plastic material is a brilliant idea. But the problem is whether or not it is able to withstand the heat.Many first perceived plastic products to be inferior to high temperatures. However, technology proved them wrong. We have cars today with many plastic exterior parts that are able to withstand heat for years. It is indeed very important to analyze the feasibility of the use of a different material which has not been tested before. Many considerations are taken so that the parts used are well suited for its intended purpose. Plastics have proved to be a great alternative in automo tive engineering, paving a bright path towards the future.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Social Stratification - 1747 Words

Casey Rash, Austin Helms November 11, 2010 SOC 100 General Sociology; 002 Essay Question: 3 The purpose of this paper will be to address what social stratification is, and why sociologists consider it crucial to our understanding of today’s society. In addition it will also be discussing the three dimensions of social stratification and how we think its changed since the 1970s and 80s to today, and which theory we think best explains this change. Along with how the inequality of valued resources impacts America as a whole, and how the recent financial meltdown has made stratification worse in America. Stratification can be defined as a structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and†¦show more content†¦The African American middle class has risen since the 1970s and 80s although they are still being paid less than the while males which shows progress since the civil rights movement. In comparison a 2004 study shows that the Latino population is loosing its hold on wealth only controlling 10% of the wealth in the U nited States. Karl Marx’s theory on stratification best justifies the change the United States has faced from the 1970s to present day. Karl Marx’s theory focuses on capitalism in which the owner of a company’s only goal is to produce as much profit as possible for him or herself. The bourgeoisie or capitalist class owns the company and the proletariats work for the company. The bourgeoisie look for ways to lower wages and maximize profit by adding machines that reduced dependence on highly skilled proletariats. This makes no proletariats special because they are easily replaceable. This best explains the change from the 1970s and 80s to now because all the name brand companies are outsourcing and making the product cheaper to make which is giving the owner of the companies more money and taking jobs away from the middle class and working class therefore making the rich richer and poor poorer. The rich stay in power because the working class is forced to work at the wages offered because the job positions require very little skill and are easily replaceable making it impossible to move up in the company. Without questionShow MoreRelatedStratification, Stratification And Social Structure Essay1413 Words   |  6 PagesIn our daily social life, when people meeting together whether with a stranger or a friend, they are likely to classify others by a certain category of characteristics consciously or unconsciously. However, making categories not only applies to individual life, also societies have categories, as what the sociologists called stratification. 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