Darwin and Social Darwinism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Darwin and Social Darwinism - Essay Example Owing to the general environment and direction of knowledge in the era, Lamarck’s theoretical perspective surfaced as a dominant conjectural framework on the matter during the timeframe. Lamarck’s comprehension of life forms suggested that the species’ desire to adapt perfectly and successfully into the environment prompted the utilization of their body parts in a certain manner which would eventually impact their overall structures, depending upon how the body parts were used (Schlinger and Poling 75). The crux of this comprehension postulates that these structural changes are such that they can be transported to the progeny of the species as per Lamarck’s argument. This theoretical model which is termed as the inheritance of acquired characteristics establishes the foundation for that a need for adapting within the wider context of the environment aided the species’ journey towards perfection where a point of perfection was eventually attained and the transformation of life forms ceased to exist at that stage (Schlinger and Poling 75). However, the weakness of Lamarck’s suggestions lies in a lack or even scarcity of evidence whic h should be presented so that his findings can be marked with the stamp of validity. Indeed even regular observations of individuals and their offspring can shed light on the fact that the physical traits of an athlete cannot be passed upon to his/her child in the form of agility and dexterity if the offspring does not expend similar effort to attain the desired outcomes. Schlinger and Poling understand that Darwin’s theoretical premise was developed as a consequence his journey on H.M.S Beagle which allowed him to explore the vastness of life forms and creations that had previously remained unexplored (76). Thus, a strong point of disagreement between Darwin’s theory of natural selection and Lamarck’s stance on

Nuclear Energy Is Not Safe Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuclear Energy Is Not Safe - Research Paper Example In the nuclear power stations, the energy is made through the use of uranium rod. In the process of fission, the neutrons of uranium enter into the nucleus of atom. Once the uranium smashed in, the nuclei will the split into two hence releasing energy that comes out in form of heat. Nuclear energy is famous today because of several reasons, one is the carbon emitted during nuclear energy production. In comparison to other energy producers such as coal and oil, almost zero greenhouse gases are produced during nuclear production, gases such as sulfur dioxide which is one of the main components of pollution. The second reason why nuclear energy has remained famous is because of energy dependence. Nuclear energy has enabled many countries such as US and France to cut down the amount of oil products they buy from different countries and it has provided a reliable base-load power (Smith 2006). The cost of building the plant is expensive but once it is build, the cost of producing energy is cheap is the material used in nuclear plants are renewable. Another significant reason why nuclear energy is famous is its energy production rate. A uranium-235 is capable of producing up to 3.6 million times more energy as compared to the same amount of coal. Lastly, nuclear produ ce low quantities of waste materials. The uranium producing the energy stays in the reactor for a period of up to 4 years which means the radioactive waste products remains in the reactors for up to five years. At the same time, radioactive materials coming from the reactors are used in medicine treatment and food irradiation. Having studied the nuclear energy advantages and disadvantages, I believe Nuclear energy is not a safe form of alternative energy. Since the introduction of nuclear energy, it has become both a curse and a blessing; it is a blessing in the energy production and a curse due to the misuse. Many countries have started misusing the nuclear energy by creating war materials out of it.

Personal Selling Essay Example for Free

Personal Selling Essay My wife and I love shopping. She is more of a driver while I am on the analytical side. I like to gather the information, know the facts, evaluate options and then go for a purchase. For my wife, it is important to know the basic facts about the product and she is ready to make a quick decision, whether she wants the product or not. When we do shopping together, mostly we debate on â€Å"let’s buy right now vs. why not wait and evaluate other options. † Who wins? Well! Suffice it to say, our scores are pretty even. Recently she bought a new digital camera. While going to the nearest â€Å"Best Buy† to buy the camera, she wanted me to accompany her. Though before entering the store, she cautioned me to not to start a fact finding mission, comparing features and benefits of various brands, as she wants to make this purchase a quick and simple one. I agreed, but was not convinced. The digital camera market is now a days turned into a commodity market. There is a high price sensitivity due to â€Å"difficult comparison effects. † There are so many choices and brands available with similar features and benefits that sometimes it is really difficult to pick an absolute winner. When we entered the Best Buy, we already had a silent agreement that it will be a short trip, no fuss over facts! When we went to the Camera Section, it was truly confusing. There were so many choices from Nikons and Canons to Sonys and Toshibas that it was difficult to select one. My wife looked puzzled, and I had a huge grin, the message was loud†¦ and you wanted this to be a quick and simple purchase! Triumphantly, grinning from cheek to cheek, I started looking at the features of each brand and started comparing them†¦ the analyzer prevailed! But soon I was confused too. The features/ benefits and price variability was difficult to connect. There was significant price variability between various brands with similar features. At this point, we really needed help. Those of you, shopping at the Best Buy could relate to the fact that mostly it is hard to get help at this store. Customer service paged for the sales person but no one turned up. We were getting a bit annoyed because we were waiting for fifteen minutes and no sales person was available. When we were about to lose patience and walk out of the store, came a sales person. With a smiling face, he introducing himself as Bob. First, he very politely apologized for the long waiting time, gave us the reasons, of course the usual ones. But his demeanour and empathy washed out all our resentment and annoyance. He then enquired about our need and what we are looking for in a camera, etc. After determining our need, he gave an over view of the available choices in the camera section and by process of differentiation short listed four choices. He knew what he was talking, giving us quick facts about the products connecting features and benefits with our needs. We were impressed. By the time he short listed the choices, we were in so mesmerized and developed full faith in him that we were even ready to accept whatever he recommends as the best. But he did not do that, instead he narrowed down the choices and left the final decision on us. That was a great gesture. When we completed the purchase and walked out of the store, both my wife and me, a driver and an analyzer were happy and content because of a good experience. Did we make a great purchase or Bob, the sales person, made a great sale. Well, it was a win win situation for both stakeholders and this is a trait of great sales person. Why it was a good experience? First, Bob made sure to empathize with us, instantly relieving our anxiety due to long wait time. Second, he determined our need and then connected it with the available choices. He was confident because his product knowledge was superb. He had a human side that was touching and he did not impose his choice on us nor did forced selling. Now a days, we make it a point to recommend Bob to all our friends, if they are in need of a camera.

Charismatic Leadership And Transformational Leaderships Management Essay

Charismatic Leadership And Transformational Leaderships Management Essay It is the capacity of a person to inspire or attract, negotiate, charm or persuade people or other individual.. Whenever a person has a high charismatic skill level they tend to be given more attention, respected and listened to. A person who has a virtuous charisma they are helpful in leading, selling, teaching and speaking. For an example, Bill Clinton is a man with a very wonderful and strong charisma. Charisma is an acquired trait. Acquired means that a person improves themselves based on looking how another better person actions or efforts. Looking at another person with a higher charismatic level, people tend to follow them to have a greater charisma and to succeed. For a person to be an effective leader its not important that they have a very good charismatic level. As long as the person has a good idea and a high innovation level they can be an effective leader. To be an effective leader one should have a good communication skill. With this skill they can manage, lead and supervise people under them. The leader has to speak and discuss with their team in order to improve the management level. Other than that, an effective leader should have a consistency in the behavior. The leader has to treat every person fairly no matter in what position they are. Everyone will have to be treated as the same without looking at any condition. Lastly an effective leader has to have a good planning and good idea as well. They have to have an aim regarding their project or management. When they have a good idea they can manage and at the same time innovate more new projects. Is charismatic leadership the same with transformational leadership? Are both leadership concepts similar or different from each other? How does transformational leadership differ from transactional leadership? Provide evidence to your answers. (15 marks) Comparison between charismatic leadership and transformational leadership. CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP Leaders inspire and charms the followers in order for them to follow People tend to follow someone or leaders who inspired them. Leaders use charm and grace to achieve target and accomplish their goals. Leaders use passion and vision in order to achieve the target and goal. Leaders will not use power or authority on the followers Leaders use power on their followers to achieve target or their goal Charismatic leadership has a short live. Transformational leadership has a long lasting live because it will be taken over by the followers. In charismatic leadership, followers are not appreciated nor given any reward for their contribution In the transformation leadership, followers are given reward and they are appreciated as well for their contribution. Charismatic leaders are those who are highly motivated and have a high self-confidence. Their actions inspire other people and this encourages them to follow them. They bring interest in their supporters and this makes them to follow the leaders. Transformational leaders brings out interest and curiosity of the followers to get a bigger view on some perspective and situation, they bring into existence of the vision of the organization and motivates the followers in order to increase their interest to bring advantage in their group. In charismatic leadership, when the leader leaves the organization or group, the followers who were inspired by them will not be able to complete the target and the vision of their leader. In transformational leadership after the leader leaves the followers will take over and accomplish the target and the vision of the leader. This will be carried on through generation without any problem. In charismatic leadership, the vision of the leaders is not accomplished by the followers but instead the followers will only give the leaders support and motivation to reach their goal. By getting the supports from the followers, the leader will get more confidence to carry on their ideas on achieving their goals. The example of leaders who used this technique is Mother Theresa and Bill Clinton. In transformational leadership, the leaders will motivate the followers to achieve their goal through the way they prefer. Power is used by the leaders in order to reach the goal and target of the group. The example of a leader who follows this technique is Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart. From this we can conclude that Charismatic Leadership differs from Transformational Leadership. Comparison between Transformational and Transactional leadership Transformational Leadership Transactional Leadership The leaders induce emotions on their followers so that they will be motivated and leads them to act more than what is given. Leaders are conscious of the connection between reward and effort Leaders take initiative to widen the interest in the followers The leaders are responsible to deal with current issues The followers are giving a chance to learn and solve problems Leaders motivated the followers by giving them rewards when their performances are satisfying Transactional leadership is a leadership where the employees have to agree to whatever idea which is given by the leader when the job is accepted. This leadership talks about the exchanges between a leader and employee. For an example, the organization will give reward to the employee for their hard work in meeting the goal of the company. Other than that, the employee is also given the rights to punish their workers if their work doesnt meet their expectation. Transformational leadership is a leadership where the leaders inspire their employees with a big vision of the future. The leaders inspire and give motivation to the employees to go beyond exchanges as well as rewards. The leaders in this leadership will have to increase the motivation and the confidence level in the employee so that they value the importance of their companys goal and target. Vision is created through transformational leadership and it inspired the employees to think beyond the expectations. In transactional leadership, the employees are asked to focus more on motivation on job performance. Therefore, transactional leadership involves with the exchange of rewards for the work, whereas transformational leadership involves attitudes in developing the employees to finish the task. With reference to relevant academic publications, discuss what strong culture means and whether it leads to higher level of business performance. What types of organizational culture identified by academic authors are considered to impede business progress? Strong culture is an organization in which the values are shared around in wide span. In order for a team to achieve their goal, they need a good leadership team with a good leader. The leaders are not the only person who has to be good in the team but the partners have to take responsibility to work together in the team. Therefore a strong culture is needed to provide confidence and motivation so that the service given will be the best. Strong culture means that it unifies everybody to work together to achieve the same goal. The negative point here is that everybody will have the same way of thinking and the same behavior. All the employees will have the same idea and innovation which in return this slows down the progress of the company. When there is not enough of ideas and new innovation, this can slow down the development of the management and thus performance of business well. Organizational culture shows the personal remark of certain organization. It shows the communication between employees and management in a working place. The way the members of an organization thinks and acts is affected by organizational culture. Organizational culture involves with the weakness and strength, life experiences and education as well. William Ouchis 1981, Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge. Ouchi published Theory Z in 1981 where it explains about the key functions of the organizational effectiveness. In this theory, he talks about the art of the Japanese management as well as explaining how it adapts to the American way of management. The way managers and employees view the company, job and the working style can be changed through the theory of Ouchi. The companies should practice the theory explained by William Ouchi so that the performance of the company can be improved. It has been shown that the company which follows this theory has an improved management level in productivity. For an example, companies such as Procter and Gamble are successful companies from US which practices theory Z similar to Japanese companies. Terrance Deal and Allan Kennedys Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life . This book explains about the key function for a business to succeed. The most important keys that the companies have to pay attention on are the companys culture values, rituals and rites and the influencer of their success. For all the level of management, both Deal and Kennedy attached some guidelines which help the staff to recover their own corporate culture and to use the power to influence business as well. Mats Alvesson, Understanding Organizational Culture Culture is always brought up within the management and organization. This book explain on the alternative perspective available, the definiton and how the leadership can be expanded and changed in the management. Alvesson helps the students to understand the field of organizational culture, drawing upon the range of relevant literature within Organization Studies. Thomas Peters and Robert Watermans In Search of Excellence. In search of excellence a book wrote by thomas peters and robert waterman they talk about 8 themes which is a bias for action active decision making .close to the cutomer ,autonomy and entrepreneurship,productivity through people,hands-on,value-driven,stick to the kniting,simple form lean stuff and simultaneous loose tight properties.this book simplify this eight basic principles wich helps companies to improve the management level.

Compare and contrast the historical methods

Compare and contrast the historical methods Compare and contrast the historical methods, interests, and objectives of Herodotus and Thucydides. He said you might consider the sort of writing(narrative, description, authorial analysis, interest in accuracy, etc.) and the authors objectives in writing the history. Herodotus and Thucydides the original fathers of Greek Historiography are regarded as the first two historians. Writing hundreds of years after Homer, Herodotus compiled his History (1) based on oral accounts and myth. A genial storyteller, Herodotus did not regard his writing as epic poetry. The History, which explores centuries of dramatic interaction between the ancient Greeks and the Persian Empire, culminating with the Persian Wars in the early fifth century BC, is a vast compilation of the history, customs and beliefs of the Greeks and â€Å"barbarians†. Herodotus historical reliability depends on that of his predecessors, as his historical account is a composition that includes their notions of history, geography, natural history and anthropology, in a political and literary context. A generation after Herodotus, Thucydides, who strove for objectivity, wrote about political and military events that occurred during his lifetime, with a close account of the war between Athens and Sparta in late fifth century BC. Thucydides history of The Peloponnesian War (2) is the composition of an astute political and military historian. In a disciplined and methodical style, his work analyzes issues related to the wars, with little digression into other areas. Since fifth century BC, Western tradition of historical writing and inquiry developed beyond conventions established by Herodotus and Thucydides. In the twenty-five centuries that followed, many historians shared Thucydides preference for contemporary history and local politics, others drew upon both original archetypes, and some rejected both methodologies. While in the course of developing modern objectivity historians contributed new theoretical ideas, they also continued â€Å"historical inquiry in the spirit of especially Herodotus, that is, the art of asking perhaps naive (if not objective) questions about human behavior in time. (3) Similarities and differences between Herodotus and Thucydides histories have been the topic of much research and dissertation in classic scholarship analyzing their work on issues of historical truth and interpretation, historys relation to myth, the fascination with origins, the differences between chronicle and narrative history. In order to compare and contrast the historical methods, interests, and objectives of Herodotus and Thucydides we must examine the characteristics of their literary method, including the narrative, description, authorial analysis, interest in accuracy, etc., and their historical inquiry the authors objectives in writing the history. The context in which history is written is very important because the particular circumstances of time and place, which are reflected in the writers message become part of the message, received and interpreted by the reader. Thucydides, for example, was conspicuously and painfully the product of a political crisis and his work cannot be extricated from his own intense and ultimately tragic experiences. (4) Herodotus and Thucydides innovative methods of conveying the experience of historical events and their interpretation have emerged in the context of traditionally vibrant ancient Greek culture. A range of literary allusions to myth and folklore, to earlier epic, to lyric and epigram, the pervasive influence of Homer found in the work of Herodotus, â€Å"the broad lines of The History shaped like those of a Greek tragedy† (5), are explicitly relevant with regard to the historians connection with his cultural and literary milieu â€Å"for this History of mine has from the beginning sought out the supplementary to the main argument†. (6) Scholarly investigation of the Peloponnesian War has revealed plausible â€Å"intertextual† connections between the dense text of Thucydides and the epic of his predecessors. (7) One relevant example of such connection is said to occur in structuring some of Thucydides plot-patterns, like the similarities between Nikias letter and Agamemnons speech, in Homer or that between the Athenians expedition to Sicily and Homers Odysseus return to Ithaca. (8) Another â€Å"intertextual† connection has been noted in the similar choice of words and structuring of the accounts between Herodotus narrative of the Persian invasion of Greece and Thucydides narrative of the Sicilian expedition (9) One particular characteristic of Thucydides writing style is the pervasive interspersing of speeches within the body of his work. A very famous one is Pericles Funeral Oration, which became the model for many later speeches, and was very well known in antiquity. A major distinction between Herodotus and Thucydides writings consists in their different assessment of what history is. Herodotus concept of history, focusing on the diversity of the universal human experience, contains an expansive field of human inquiry that, later, became to be known as Cultural History. Thucydides, who presented history in context, focusing on political and military facts and events of his times, has been credited with writing the original â€Å"scientific† history. Herodotus and Thucydides employ different strategies in recounting the story of history. Herodotus narrates centuries of history within the mystery of cultures while Thucydides employs a reductionist and analytical strategy. Herodotus and Thucydides works, which differ in many ways, also share many characteristics like the magnitude of their prose, the elusiveness with respect to meanings, the contribution to the understanding of ancient societies, their subject matter dealing with causes and course of war, their fascination with â€Å"origins†, or their vision of civilization and barbarians. Although Herodotus eclectic manner of gathering information stands in contrast to Thucydides problem-oriented style, they both regard telling the truth as mandatory to historical method. When comparing Herodotus method with that of Thucydides we notice that Herodotus appears throughout The History as an uncommitted Homeric observer, famously taking the risk of reporting hearsay as evidence, and occasionally crediting the gods with causes and outcomes of historical events. By contrast, Thucydides historical method is based on precise, verifiable evidence and reflects a systematic understanding of the human and military politics. He devoted most of his adult life to the chronicles of the Peloponnesian War and sought all available evidence, in the form of written documents and eyewitness reports, to construct his account. As Herodotus says, in his introduction to The Histories: â€Å"I, Herodotus of Halicarnassus, am here setting forth my history, that time may not draw the color from what man has brought into being, nor those great and wonderful deeds, manifested by both Greeks and barbarians, fail of their report, and, together with all this, the reason why they fought one another.† (10) Thucydides, on the other hand, tells us: â€Å"Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote the history of the war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, beginning at the moment that it broke out and believing that it would be a great war, and more worthy of relation than any that had preceded it. This belief was not without its grounds. The preparations of both the combatants were in every department in the last state of perfection; and he could see the rest of the Hellenic race taking sides in the quarrel; those who delayed those who delayed doing so at once having it in contemplation. Indeed this was the greatest movement yet known in history, not only of the Hellenes, but of a large part of the barbarian world I had almost said of mankind. For though the events of remote antiquity, and even those that more immediately precede the war , could not from lapse of time be clearly ascertained, yet the evidences which an inquiry carried as far back as was practicable leads me to trust , all point to the conclusion that there was no thing on a great scale , either in war or in other matters.†(11) The difference between Herodotus introduction and that of Thucydides is as remarkable as the difference in their method of historical inquiry. Herodotus method of inquiry consisted of relying on other peoples testimony, customs and laws to speculate about the sincerity and motives of the sources upon which he compiled the accounts of his History. For example, Herodotus challenges Homers assertion that the breaking of guest-friend taboo and the abduction of Helen were at the root of the Trojan conflict. But Herodotus does not completely reject Homers story.He only calls into question Homers story by invoking different versions of that story. But the speculations about the original story cast sufficient enough doubt to annihilate its merits, similarly to the way in which, throughout the Histories, seemingly small events cause colossal disasters. For example, Book 2: 112 through 2: 121 corroborate how Herodotus gathered evidence to support Homers story of the war at Troy which in text is referred to under the name of lium. Herodotus tells us, â€Å"I asked of the priests, they told me that what had happened to Helen, was this . . .† (12) â€Å"This is how Helen came to Proteus, according to what the priests say.And I think Homer knew the tale; but inasmuch as it was not so suitable for epic poetry as the other, he used the latter and consciously abandoned the one here told.† (13) Then Herodotus proceeds to explain his reasons for allowing the other evidence to prevail over that of Homers account: â€Å"This, is the story the Egyptian priests told. I myself concur in what they have said of gave me of Helen. My reasoning is as follows: if Helen had been in Ilium she would have been given back to the Greeks whether Alexander wanted it or not. For Priam was not so besotted , nor the rest of his kinsfolk, that they would be willing to risk their own bodies, children and city so that Alexander should be with Helen.If, indeed, that had been their sentiment at the first, surely later when many of the rest of the Trojans had perished in their encounters with the Greeks, and when, in Priams own case, two or three of his sons on every occasion of battle if we are to speak on the testimony of the epic poets when all these matters of such consequence happened, I am confident that, if it had been Priam himself who was living with Helen, he would have given her back to the Greeks, if thereby he could have been quit of the troubles that were upon him. It was not even as if the kingship wa s going to devolve upon Alexander, so that, Priam now being old, things were at Alexanders disposal; for it was Hector, older than Alexander and more of a man, who would have taken over the kingdom on Priam s death; and Hector it would certainly not have suited to comply with his erring brother and that, too, one who had caused great disasters to him personally and to all the rest of the Trojans. No, the Trojans did not have Helen to give back, and when they spoke the truth, the Greeks did not believe them; and the reason of this, if I may declare my opinion, was that the Divine was laying his plans that, as the Trojans perished in utter destruction, they might make this thing manifest to all the world: that for great wrongdoings great also are the punishments from the gods. That is what I think, and that is what I am saying here.† (14) Contrary to Herodotus, Thucydides offers rational explanations as evidence for his claims and for the causes of later events that could be reasonably expected on the basis of that evidence. For example, Thucydides attempts to justify the authoritative claim made in the introduction about the Peloponnesian war that had just started being more important than the wars before it a real turning point in history. Thucydides investigates the Trojan War and the Persian wars for evidence that supports his views.His method of inquiry consists in rigorous investigation attempting to provide rational accounts through an innovative use of empirical data, simulating the methods used by Greek sciences of the time in the investigation of natural phenomena. Thucydides rejects Herodotus invocations of supernatural explanation when accounting for historical conflict. Instead, Thucydides uses a scientific, inductive method of inquiry to construct his theory of history. He considers the actual events, examines the constraints and options available to the protagonists, and then searches for possible consequences of the events in order to speculate about the causes of the initial event. His notions are always open to revision, without necessarily rejecting his previous explanations, but rather expanding his explanation in order to include this new information. REFERENCES: Herodotus, The History, translated by David Green, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago London, 1987 Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, translated by Richard Crawley, Everymans Library, London Toronto, J.M.Dent Sons, Ltd, New York E.P.Dutton Co, 1926 Donald R. Kelley. Faces of History: Historical Inquiry from Herodotus to Herder. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1998, p. 268 Donald R. Kelley. Faces of History: Historical Inquiry from Herodotus to Herder. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1998, p. 6 Donald R. Kelley. Faces of History: Historical Inquiry from Herodotus to Herder. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1998, p. 12 Herodotus, The History, translated by David Green, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago London, 1987, 4.30, p.290 S. Hornblower, Narratology and Narrative Techniques in Thucydides, in id. (ed.), Greek Historiography (Oxford, 1994), 131-66 Tim Rood Thucydides: Narrative and Explanation (Oxford, 1998), 194-5 Tim Rood, Thucydides Persian Wars, in C. S. Kraus (ed.), The Limits of Historiography: Genre and Narrative in Ancient Historical Texts (Leiden, 1999), 141-68 Herodotus, The History. translated by David Green, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago London, 1987 , Book 1: 1, p. 33 Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, translated by Richard Crawley, Everymans Library, London Toronto, J.M.Dent Sons, Ltd, New York E.P.Dutton Co, 1926, Book 1, pp. 1-2 Herodotus, The History. translated by David Green, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago London, 1987 , Book 2: 113, p. 117 Herodotus, The History. translated by David Green, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago London, 1987 , Book 2: 116, p.178 Herodotus, The History. translated by David Green, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago London, 1987, Book 2: 120, pp.180-181

Go Ask Alice Essay -- essays research papers

Go Ask Alice Have you ever had a problem? I'm sure you have because everybody sometime in there life does. The book I read Go Ask Alice by an anonymous author is all about problems, conflicts, and how to deal with them. I would give a lot of information on the author if that was possible, but the author is anonymous so I can not do so. From the very first page I had a hunch that this book was about a drug addiction problem. "SUGAR & SPICE & EVERYTHING NICE; ACID & SMACK & NO WAY BACK" (page 1). That was a very moving quote for me. I am not sure exactly why but I guess because it shows how dangerous drugs can be. This book is based on a true diary of a young girl who got mixed up in the drug world. Alice bought a diary because she had a big secret that she could never tell any of her friends. It really only ended up being that a boy named Roger she was in love with stood her up and she would be to embraced to tell her friends. She makes a big deal out of it, I can already tell she is dramatic. Her birthday is only five days apart from mine, that is a weird coincidence. From September 19 through September 25 she goes on about how nothing every happens in her life. She does not enjoy her teachers, subjects and school. She thinks everything is losing interest and everything's dull. I think she just is going through the "teenager blues". Julie Brown had a party but she didn't go because she gained seven whole pounds. I don't think that seven pounds is a big deal. On September 30th her father was invited to be the "Dean of Political Science at --------- ". She says that she is gonna become a new person by time she gets her new house and that it is gonna be so great. Good maybe now she will quit crying about her dull life. She says that she is gonna exercise every morning, eat right, clean my skin (what she never had a bath before), be optimistic, cheerful and positive. Why couldn't she of just done all that in the house she lived in before she moved. Sorry I am being so negative, but this girl is a little cry baby and she... ...cter who wrote the diary was Alice. She buys a new diary symbolizing her getting a new life, a fresh start, another chance to succeed. She is clean and back at home and going to school. She met a boy named Joel that she falls in love with. Her grandmother died (July 16). School got out and there was a party where there would be drugs at but she didn't go. She was given acid in a peanut and she had a bad trip. It drove her insane so she started pulling out her hair, stabbing herself and mentally falling apart. She was put in a mental hospital. Later she was released. She decided that when this diary filled up she was not going to get another because is old enough and mature enough to be able to talk to other people instead of keeping it all bundled up in a little book. Epilogue: She died three weeks after deciding not to keep another diary of a drug overdose, it is not known if it is premeditated, accidental or what.

Bradbury :: Biography Biographies

Bradbury A common theme in science fiction is outer space. Many of Bradbury's stories take place there. As critic Wayne L. Johnson observes, "For Bradbury, space is not merely a stage upon which stories of the future are played, it is what the Great Plains were to the pioneers, not just a frontier but a symbol of the future for the human race" (49). If space serves as a symbol of the future for the human race, the story "Kaleidoscope" has a large amount of symbolism. In this story, the crew of a spaceship is shot into space. "The first concussion cut the rocket up the side with a giant can opener. The men were thrown into space like a dozen wriggling silverfish. They were scattered into a dark sea; and the ship, in a million pieces, went on, a meteor swarm seeking a lost sun" (Bradbury The Stories of Ray Bradbury 143). The view expressed in "Kaleidoscope" is that although people come from one original being, they grow apart all the time. This divergent evolution is clearly expressed as each member of the crew, although separated for a short time, changes their view on the situation. The crewmen being hurled at the sun has a happy attitude, while the ones being hurled into darkness are engulfed in it. Bradbury might have not intended the reader to find this theme in the story, but it shows how creatures adapt to their environment. Another element of Bradbury's writing is robots. Wayne L. Johnson explains that "the robot represents the ultimate heart of the scientific conceit, wherein men's knowledge of the universe becomes so great that he is able to play God and create other men" (73). Robots represent the degrading value of life present in society. All of Bradbury's robot stories found in The Stories of Ray Bradbury come to unhappy endings. They are "horror stories as well as light-hearted warnings against taking robots for granted" (74). Many stories with robots are considered science fiction because robots are considered to be futuristic things. Bradbury uses robots to show the value people place on science over human beings. In "Marionettes, Inc.", two men are unhappy with their wives. One man, Braling tells the other man, Smith, that he has purchased a robot to take his place as a husband.