ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
David Foster Wallace uses an introduction to state his general point in relation to the work titled “The Best American Essays” and readies the audience with its content. The general idea relates to what a person knows and understands, and the overwhelming amount of information that modern day and age has put forth for an individual. The major theme that has been around for some time is that a person is either limited by ignorance and leads a life of blind and chaotic movement or an individual tries to find out as much as possible about life, only to realize that the amount of information is too vast to know and comprehend. The reality is that there is a certain amount and type of concepts that is necessary for full functioning in the world and society, which will allow for the quality of existence to grow and develop at an ever-increasing pace. In the first sentence, David Wallace mentions that the decision to act and think comes through the state of “emergency”. What he means is that people are quick to judge and act on things they are not too sure off, and the constant need to make a decision puts much pressure on an individual. Society demands that people behave a certain way and so, people choose to either follow a preset mode and rules or divert from normal and try other avenues. Someone who chooses the “pre-formed” schemas and behavior or attitude is escaping the truth and thus, they become “immature”. People often hide anything they do not want to know from themselves, this makes life easier and so, they deprive themselves of responsibility to act and think. Those who choose the option of being informed, as Wallace says, the amount of information is so enormous that a person gets lost in it and is unable to decide which choice is best. This leads to a conflict within an individual and they realize how profane they really are. He ends with summarizing the idea that in the present times, to know a lot means that a person will simply realize how much other information is still unknown and this will make a person opposite to smart. In the first part of the argument, David Foster Wallace is very right. People often take an easy way out and choose “ignorance is bliss” option. The do not want to preoccupy themselves with the problems that are taking place domestically, not to mention internationally. They tend to live in their own secluded world where as many variables as possible are under control and nothing can upset the order. In a way, people protect themselves from the stress that they know is out there and it is done by adjusting to the norm. This norm is as regular as can possibly be, a grey and routine existence that does not involve any perturbations or pressures. This becomes a vicious cycle of life because people get used to this sort of living and their want to know or experience something different dies down. The balance and equilibrium with the world satisfies their basic needs and they resort to mostly surfaced pleasures and quickly achievable goals. It is possible to understand such point of view because often, there are stressors that push people to tune out and lead a life of blind fo
Introduction Written by the American author Anne Tyler, the short story “Teenage Wasteland” depicts how an education and social system destroys rather than saving children in their adolescent phase of human development. While the choices of Donny are depicted as an example of the wrong choices that most adolescents make, the role of parents, teachers and tutors are shown to mislead the young individual, leading to his “wastage”. In particular, the role of Calvin Beadle (Cal), Donny’s tutor, is used to depict the nature of tutors and teachers who behave like adolescents rather than guiding their students during the difficult adolescent stage of human growth (Tyler 34). Arguably, the initial character of Cal is used to predict the wrong future of Donny within the text, which provides the readers with an insight into the “wastage” of the young individual. The character of Calvin Beadle: The wrong teacher Popularly known as ‘Carl’ in Donny’s school, Calvin Beadle is Donny’s tutor who becomes the worst nightmare for the Cobles because he leads the young Donny in the wrong direction. However, it is worth noting that Donny’s mother lets the events that follow her son’s entry into the world of the teenage-like teacher to happen due to her inability to control her son’s behavior. Calvin preaches strict protestant faith. He is an official who seems to maintain order in his class, but this is ironic because he thinks that he has a good understanding of culture. His name reveals the truth of inflexibility. Cal encourages his students to spend a lot of time in his garage, shooting baskets and listening to records. He thinks that this is the best way to develop the right culture, but ends up being a problem to Donny’s future. Cal has considerable training in psychology, which gives him an opportunity to mentor his students. At first, his presence is welcomed. In the first meeting between Donny and Cal, Tyler uses a foreshadow style of narrative to predict Donny’s future. Tyler says, “…Look at the face of Donny when Cal and other teachers picked him up- full of interest and alight” (Tyler 22). This foreshadow provides the reader with an awareness that Cal is destroying Donny’s future, eventually leading to his “wastage”. Slowly, Cal begins maneuvering a number of aspects in Donny’s life. Tyler says “the tutor had set a large number of rules… the students were not allowed to question any aspect of the school nor were they allowed to approach or speak other teachers…” (Tyler 22). This is one of the evidences of the use of foreshadow because it shows the wrong aspects of the tutor’s character. For instance, prohibiting the students from interacting with the teachers is a clear indication that the students are likely to lead the wron
Analysis of the children’s market Children’s market can be defined as a sector of market responsible for providing children with essentials such as food and clothes to satisfy their basic needs and extras for their entertainment. Childhood is traditionally defined as the period of life between birth and puberty at the age of 10-11 for girls and 11-12 for boys. Children who are financially dependent upon their parents or carers can influence the adults’ decisions and expenses by expressing their personal opinions. Therefore, marketing of children’s goods should address both adults who are the main decision makers and children who can influence the decisions of adults (Fennis & Stroebe, 2010, pp.42-45). Taking into account the fact that children are recognized as a vulnerable audience, it can be stated that marketing strategies which should be used for this young audience are rather controversial and associated with a number of ethical concerns. After the post-World War II decade of baby boom which coincided with the advent of television, children have become consumers and the target audience of marketers. Realizing that children spend a substantial amount of their time on watching TV, marketers realized that they can reach kids directly to influence their consumer choices instead of focusing on their parents. Under the influence of television advertizing, children have become conscious consumers making their choices and giving their preference to toys and brands advertized on TV. Coupled with the phenomenon of the so-called KGOY (Kids Grow Old Young), kids aged 2-11 have become an important target audience for marketers. There is evidence that even toddlers at the age of 3 and under can obtain substantial brand awareness and can influen
Introduction This report is about the Australian Transportation Industry, which has several transit partners, including Onyx that endeavors to transform transportation in Melbourne. The report is divided into various segments, with detailed information about the technology and how to achieve the intended goal in the transport industry in Australia. Moreover, the status of the industry will be analyzed to ascertain the opportunities of the market. Background of the market Like most cities in the world, Melbourne has continued to improve its transport system in order to meet the needs of its people and address emerging challenges in the transport industry. Besides other factors about Melbourne’s transport system, it is known to be the home of the largest tram network around the globe. The city is well-connected with hundreds of routes, and no other city in the country has a freeway network like the one in Melbourne (Wheeler 2008, p. 344). The city is mainly served by buses and trains, which are considered to be more effective in facilitating the movement of people within the city and connecting to other destinations in the country. The rural areas are also connected to the metropolitan through railway networks. Surveys have revealed that less than 20% of Melbourne’s population receives timely and suitable services. Even though the system has tremendously changed, Melbourne’s transportation has remained car-oriented, a trait, which continues to discourage commuters (Battellino 1997, p. 5). It is also important to note that the transport sector is partly privatized, even though the idea received immense criticism after the public found it more expensive to run the private system as compared to the way it had been publicly managed. Based on the changing times and advancing technology, most Australians wish to see an automated system, to avoid long queues, which are common in ticketing stations. This is mainly attributed to the high population that requires efficient electronic services in most of the departments including transport. Even though the ticketing system is becoming digital, many Australians prefer a simplified system, which doesn’t require travelling cards for convenience ( Explore Melbourne: Public transport information 2012 ). Cli
Introduction The United States government should make it a priority to secure the border because of national security and defense. Illegal immigration has done more harm than good to the country. Many measures have been put to place to prevent the violation of immigration laws as well as to protect the sovereignty of the nation. One method that has been adopted as a strategy to combat illegal immigration is border security. This report will focus on the issue of body security, its pros, and compare it with other strategies meant to deal with illegal immigration. Border Security Border security is a major measure that has been put in place to stop illegal immigration. This is due to the fact that tens of thousands of immigrants are getting in the country each year illegally. This is why the government has put its focus on border control. The government has in turn put a lot of resources and money so as to combat this issue and ensure the implementation of its policies. These resources have been used to fund and come up with innovations that are meant to stop the large influx of immigrants into the country. Technological systems have also been developed that screen passengers at the entry points so as to prevent people from entering the country illegally. A lot of effort has been used in trying to prevent illegal border crossing. Different approaches have been used together so as to ensure this. Some of these methods include the construction of fences. The set-up of high tech radar systems, ground sensors, an increase of agents who are meant to guard the border day and night, and also an aerial vehicle. The attempt to create a virtual fence at the border failed due to the problem it was facing. It was very expensive and would be able to experience technical failures. The other reason for the need to stop illegal immigration is that the Illegal aliens are weighing down many systems in the country. These systems range from education, healthcare, law enforcement, insurance etc. The massive influx is also costing the citizens jobs as the illegal aliens provide cheap labor to some companies. This is why the companies opt to hire them because they cut costs (Kowalski, 2011). Pros of border security Border security is more effective as it deals with the problem at the root. It is a preventive measure as it aims at ensuring that the illegal aliens do not get in the country. This strategy is easier and more efficient than the other methods which are used to deal
Introduction Business ethics play an integral role in the workplace. According to Kotkin, Hall and Beaulier, business ethics refer to the moral standards that guide the behavior of people in the workplace (14). Behaving ethically entails distinguishing between the right and wrong. There are many factors that influence the individual’s decision and the consequent ethical behavior when confronted with an ethical dilemma in the workplace. The ethical dilemmas involve situations that may result in differences between an employee’s background and the organizational culture. There are various studies that have been conducted to examine situations that contribute to the ethical dilemmas in the workplace. For example, a study conducted by Holian to examine what contributes to managers response to various situations found that ethical dilemmas among the managers are due to their roles, the working relations, the personal attributes, professional affiliations and the preferences (867). Within an organizational culture, there are ethical situations that may not have clear differentiation between right and wrong. The factors may be attributed to the work climate, the reward system, culture and sanctions that exist within the workplace. Holian noted that the most important factors that affect the ethical business culture include the leadership and organizational culture (863). Many studies that relate to business ethics and the ethical dilemmas have effectively identified the kinds of ethical issues that are encountered in the workplace. However, the studies have not explored the reasons and the thought processes behind the response to workplace ethical dilemmas. Therefore, the main purpose of this project is to explore the types of dilemmas and the factors that affect the workers response to the dilemmas in a workplace. Theoretical Statement and Topic Statement The organization of workers is essential to the success of a business. In the contemporary society, businesses focus on achieving competitive advantage in order to reach their goals of making profits and satisfying the needs of the customers. However, the modern customers are concerned about the moral principles employed by a business before they purchase their products. The progress of any business is thus influenced by the moral imperative to improve the society. As a result, ethical practices in the workplace contribute to the success of a business (Reynolds 234). These denote the importance of the workers to respond appropriately to the workplace dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas are influenced by individual roles and
Summary of the case CIGNA Company started in 1982 as a health insurance provider in the United States. The company is now the fourth-largest provider of health services in the country. CIGNA is expanding its services to include other countries around the world. The health care services are aimed at improving the health, well-being and security of the people it serves (CIGNA, 2009). The company is boasting of different awards for its various innovative processes in improving service delivery to its clients. The company gets its returns primarily from premiums, charges, mail order pharmacy, and other different income sources. CIGNA Corporation functions in health care, disability and life, international expatriate benefits, and runoff business segments (Global Business information, 2009, para.1). The company is now focusing on the rising consumer-directed health plan market to improve its development. The problem faced by CIGNA Despite its rich tradition of provision of quality service, CIGNA has been experiencing a major managerial problem. The company management lacked adequate expertise to cushion it from business environment pressures. For example, in 2002, the company experienced increased competition from business rivals such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Humana, and United Health Group, which made it realize $500 million net loss and up to 40 percent decrease in stock price. This lack of management expertise was also evident when thousands of doctors across the United States sued it for supposed delays in payments for the care of patients. The physicians accused the company management of willfully withholding patients’ benefits and unreasonable rejection of claims to cut on costs. Besides, the company sales team failed to develop the new EC systems that were meant to improve its service provision to customers. More to the point, the company’s management posted disappointing returns that made them to be under intense pressure to practice cost reduction strategies. Solution to the problem CIGNA can adopt a number of strategies to improve its management expertise. In order to out-perform the competitors, the company should
The similarities and differences between the literary forms of the short story, the poem, and drama The use of literary devices in the writing is a common similarity shared between the different genres of literature. For instance, playwrights can effectively use a literary device such as a simile in poetry, a short story as well as in drama. To enhance symbolism and imagery in these literary texts, the use of these devices becomes inevitable in each on of them. In fact, all the literary genres have a certain setting: the context within which the author presents his/her story. The setting helps in making the story authentic and further instilling in it a sense of realism. In all the literary genres with poems, short stories as well as drama, there must be a setting in which the characters of the story are located (Henson, 1992, p.23). For instance, the setting of ‘Macbeth’ covers various locations of Scotland as well as England while the setting of the ‘Gift of the Magi’ is in New York City around 1900s. A major difference between poems and drama and the short story is that the first two have a predefined format of writing which includes the use of more dramatic words as compared to the short story (Henson, 1992, p.44). For instance, in order to achieve its effective dramatic function, poetry and in some cases drama has to utilize stylistic devices such as rhyme, repetition as well as alliteration that cannot stand out effectively in the short story. Poetry and drama have a predetermined format while the short story does not have. A poem has to feature verses to qualify as poetry while drama has to feature acts and scenes. This does not apply to the short story, which can take the form of a journal entry or even a linear plotted story. Identify key qualities of drama and poetry which emphasize their performative qualities Poetry and drama employ the use of dramatic speech, which plays a useful role in the articulation of accompanying actions. For instance, the use of repetition in poetry and drama evokes the dramaturgy, normally accompanied with the words. A good example is the repetition used by Shakespeare in Othello. Othello says, “Put out the light, end then put out the light” (Edith, 1985, p.65). The repetition of these words ensures the elaboration of the statements by the use of accompanying actions. The use of figures of speech such as rhyme, repetition, assonance and alliteration creates a rhythm useful in the sense that they make the pieces more dramatic. The rhythm that these devices add to the texts is essential in that the audience find it easy to follow the stories or the narrations presented in the text. For instance in poetry, rhythm comes out using a meter, which makes it memorable and possible for the audience to relate with easily. Using mostly dialogue and narration, poetry and drama becomes more dramatic than the oth
Introduction Camelot is one of the most popular films about the great King Arthur of Britain. The film- directed by Morgan O’Sullivan, Graham King, and Michael Hirst- is about a kingdom that is faced by numerous challenges after the death of King Uther. The ascent to power by the little known King Arthur through the support of Merlin is very artistic in nature. The challenges that the young King Arthur faces is also brought out in a clear and realistic manner based on a society where greed, corruption, and sorcery is the order of the day. The love triangle between King Arthur, Guinevere, and Sir Leontes is also demonstrated in a very natural way, a fact that makes this movie very interesting. This demonstrates that the director of this movie invested a lot of time and dedication to produce a film that not only narrates the life of the legendary King Arthur of Great Britain, but also entertains the audience and educates about life virtues that should be embraced within the society. The task of directing a movie is probably the most challenging task in the process of producing a movie. According to Gallagher (56), “A movie director is a storyteller who needs a lot of people, equipment, creativity, and planning to bring his story to a movie audience.” On the other hand, Gelmis (94) says, “The director has to hold on to the vision while dealing with temperamental artists, union contract requirements, uncooperative weather, studio time, budget demands and a handful of other uncontrollable uncertainties.” This scholar tries to bring out the importance of the work of a producer of a movie. This research will focus on how the producer of this movie managed to bring out this wonderful piece of art. Significant moments of the play illustrating how the central idea was successfully expressed in live dramatic form According to Gallagher (71), it is always very important for the film director to ensure that the central idea of a movie is presented in a clear manner. Just as an author of a book uses words to give, a clear picture of the main message he or she wants to pass across, a movie director will use live dramatic form to present his or her message to the viewers. This is what the director of this play was keen on in this movie. This director used a number of scenes to present different main ideas to the audience. As the movie begins, the viewers are introduced to a kingdom where corruption is rife and people prefer to use shortcuts in order to achieve what they want in life. This corruption is present right from the palace of the kingdom to the