The first two chapters of Hard Times Essay Example for Free

The first two chapters of Hard Times Essay Dickenss was a lively writer who knew what he wanted to write about but also what his readers wanted to read. In each of his books dickenss is careful to select a balance between his own ideas a morel intention with that of what the Victorian public enjoyed, (mystery, crime, romance and comedy). Dickens also felt strongly about the unfair class division in the cities. He was determined to portray the wrongs done to children and make a stand against the utilitarianism in society. (Perhaps his own childhood experiences never left him). All of these factors contributed to the initial creation of Hard Times. In this essay, I will look at the satiric methods Dickens uses in the opening chapter of Hard Times). When first reading the opening chapters of the novel it is apparent that there is an obvious difference in style and language from todays text. The sentences are far longer, some of the language is unfamiliar and Dickenss is clearly manipulating the reader. To do this, Dickens uses a number of techniques, such as humour, irony, wit and exaggeration to describe the education system in this period. These methods combined are known as satire and are all used simultaneously to engage the reader into reading further and believing the plot. This was a very common tool used in the Victorian time as it encompassed comedy and exaggeration to attack an otherwise difficult situation. However this method sometimes involved the twisting of facts and over amplification of ideas in order to convey a view point. Despite this, the technique was widely accepted by Victorian society as they much preferred an exciting and interesting read. Determined to portray an insight into the education system, dickens set about describing a sinister class room scene with the aid of satire. The school is host to a new schoolmaster starting his first day teaching pupils. Dickenss carefully assigns names to each character in relation to their individual personality or stature. For example, the figures of authority are named Mr Gradgrind and Mr Chokumchild which both suggest rough, abrasive and menacing individuals. In contrast a young girl, new to the class, is named Sissy Jupe. A name which compliments her weak, feminine and vulnerable persona.

The Fight Against Child Abuse :: Violence Against Children

Could you imagine how children must feel when they are abused by someone that is supposed to love and protect them, and nothing is done to help them? For this reason, it is important to realize there are legislative laws protecting child abusers from hate crimes, and excuses certain people from mandated reporting abuse. In fact, almost 5 children die every day as a result of abuse (Child Help, 2011). Also, money is spent to convict and imprison child abusers which could be put towards programs that help people to recognize and prevent abuse. Children are the future; therefore, it is important for them to grow up in an environment they can thrive, feel safe and free from harm. After all, as the old saying â€Å"It takes a village to raise a child† stands true to this day. Now is the time for everyone to put forth the extra effort to create ways to bring child abuse, a growing epidemic to an end. As responsible citizens it is the duty to report when child abuse is suspect ed, create laws that implement stiffer penalties, and teach people how to recognize the signs and how to prevent abuse. Anyone that suspects a child is neglected or abused should be mandated to report the abuse to an official, no exemptions, and no exclusions. Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline if available at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). This number is used to report abuse, or get help from abuse (Help Guide, 2011). A suspected child abuse case is reported every 10 seconds this totals to more than 3 million cases yearly involving more than 6 million children (Child Help, 2011). Imagine how many child abuse cases go unreported! If children are not protected from abuses this may make the victims lash out later in life and be abusers themselves. Bill SB1313 will excuse people that volunteer their time from mandated reporting. An example of a volunteer that would not be required to report abuse under this law would be a Sunday school teacher. If the Sunday school teacher is aware of child abuse within the church, then the teacher would be exempt from mandated reporting (World Net Daily, 2 004). If most child abuse cases go un-reported imagine if this law passed! The number of child abuse cases and deaths resulting from abuse would drastically increase.

Poetry Essay Essay

Brian Patten has produced a great poem called â€Å"The River Story†, which is about a river and how human pollution has affected it over years and years, plus he describes what it was like before and how the river was living. Brian Patten wrote this poem in a huge amount of detail and specifically to show how a river can be affected from human population and the aftermath from the devastation and destruction of the humans to the river. Brian Patten’s purpose for â€Å"The River Story† is mainly about describing the place that the river is situated and also to evoke emotions because Patten wants the reader to feel sorry and sympathy for harshly damaged river. The theme is developed throughout the poem by the way Patten has described the â€Å"river as wearing lily – pads like medals† and â€Å"kingfishes were his secret agents†, these quotes all come under how happy the river is and what a great life it is living. As the poem continues it starts to introduce humans and how they vomit their poisons into him and clogged with garbage and junk. These quotes represent the damage that the humans had caused and how the river is slowly dying and becoming close to nothing but dried up dirt. The structure of the poem has a huge influence on the reader. The poem is has only one stanza with 35 lines, no chorus and the lines varied in length. Patten has put in a few rhymes but there is no rhyme scheme, which indicates how the river has not got a boring life, or dose not have scheduled daily life.

Hawaiis Volcanic Hot Spot

Under the Hawaiian Islands, there is a volcanic â€Å"hot spot,† a hole in the Earth’s crust that allows lava to surface and layer. Over millions of years, these layers form mountains of volcanic rock that eventually break the surface of the Pacific Ocean, forming islands. As the Pacific Plate very slowly moves across the hot spot, new islands are formed. It took 80 million years to create the current chain of Hawaiian islands. Discovering the Hot Spot In 1963, John Tuzo Wilson, a Canadian geophysicist, introduced a contentious theory. He hypothesized there was a hot spot under the Hawaiian Islands - a mantle plume of concentrated geothermal heat that melted rock and rose up as magma through fractures under the Earth’s crust. At the time they were introduced, Wilson’s ideas were very controversial and many dubious geologists were not accepting theories of plate tectonics or hot spots. Some researchers thought that volcanic areas were only in the middle of plates and not at subduction zones. However, Dr. Wilson’s hot spot hypothesis helped to solidify the plate tectonics argument. He provided evidence that the Pacific Plate has been slowly drifting over a deep-seated hot spot for 70 million years, leaving behind the Hawaiian Ridge-Emperor Seamount Chain of more than 80 extinct, dormant, and active volcanoes. Wilson’s Evidence Wilson worked diligently to find evidence and tested volcanic rock samples from each volcanic island in the Hawaiian Islands. He found that the oldest weathered and eroded rocks on a geological time scale were on Kauai, the northernmost island, and that rocks on the islands were gradually younger as he went south. The youngest rocks were on the southernmost Big Island of Hawaii, which is actively erupting today. The ages of the Hawaiian Islands gradually decrease as seen in the list below: Niihau and Kauai (5.6 - 3.8 million years old).Oahu (3.4 - 2.2 million years old)Molokai (1.8 - 1.3 million years old)Maui (1.3 - 0.8 years old)Big Island of Hawaii (less than 0.7 million years old) and it is still expanding. The Pacific Plate Conveys the Hawaiian Islands Wilson’s research proved that the Pacific Plate has been moving and carrying the Hawaiian Islands northwest off the hot spot. It moves at a rate of four inches a year. The volcanoes are conveyed away from the stationary hot spot; thus, as they move farther away they become older and more eroded and their elevation decreases. Interestingly, about 47 million years ago, the path of the Pacific Plate changed direction from north to northwest. The reason for this is unknown, but it might have been because of India colliding with Asia at approximately the same time. The Hawaiian Ridge-Emperor Seamount Chain Geologists now know the ages of the undersea volcanoes of the Pacific. In the farthest northwest reaches of the chain, the underwater Emperor Seamounts (extinct volcanoes) are between 35-85 million years old and they are highly eroded. These submerged volcanoes, peaks, and islands extend 3,728 miles (6,000 kilometers) from the Loihi Seamount near the Big Island of Hawaii, all the way to the Aleutian Ridge in the northwest Pacific. The oldest seamount, Meiji, is 75-80 million years old, whereas the Hawaiian Islands are the youngest volcanoes - and a very small part of this vast chain. Right Under the Hot-Spot: Hawaii’s Big Island Volcanoes At this very moment, the Pacific Plate is moving over a localized source of heat energy, namely, the stationary hot spot, so active  calderas continually flow and erupt periodically on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Big Island has five volcanoes that are connected together—Kohala, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea. The northwestern part of the Big Island ceased erupting 120,000 years ago, whereas Mauna Kea, the volcano in the southwest part of the Big Island erupted only 4,000 years ago. Hualalai had its last eruption in 1801. Land is continually being added to the Big Island of Hawai’i because the lava that flows from its shield volcanoes is deposited on the surface. Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on Earth, is the most massive mountain in the world because it occupies an area of 19,000 cubic miles (79,195.5 cubic km). It rises 56,000 feet (17,069 m), which is 27,000 feet (8,229.6 km) higher than Mount Everest. It is also one of the world’s most active volcanoes having erupted 15 times since 1900. Its most recent eruptions were in 1975 (for one day) and in 1984 (for three weeks). It could erupt again at any time. Since Europeans arrived, Kilauea has erupted 62 times and after it erupted in 1983 it stayed active. It is the Big Island’s youngest volcano, in the shield forming stage, and it erupts from its large caldera (bowl-shaped depression) or from its rift zones (gaps or fissures). Magma from the Earth’s mantle rises to a reservoir about one-half to three miles under Kilauea’s summit, and pressure builds up in the magma reservoir. Kilauea releases sulfur dioxide from vents and craters - and lava flows onto the island and into the sea. South of Hawaii, about 21.8 mi (35 km) off the coast of the Big Island, the youngest submarine volcano, Loihi, is rising from the sea floor. It last erupted in 1996, which is very recent in geological history. It is actively venting hydrothermal fluids from its summit and rift zones. Rising up about 10,000 feet above the ocean floor to within 3,000 feet of the water surface, Loihi is in the submarine, pre-shield stage. In accordance with the hot spot theory, if it continues to grow, it might be the next Hawaiian Island in the chain. The Evolution of a Hawaiian Volcano Wilson’s findings and theories have increased knowledge about the genesis and life cycle of hot spot volcanoes and plate tectonics. This has helped to guide contemporary scientists and future exploration. It is now known, that the heat of the Hawaiian hot spot creates fluid molten rock that consists of liquefied rock, dissolved gas, crystals, and bubbles. It originates deep below the earth in the asthenosphere, which is viscous, semi-solid and pressurized with heat. There are huge tectonic plates or slabs that glide over this plastic-like asthenosphere. Due to the geothermal hot spot energy, the magma or molten rock (which is not as dense as the surrounding rocks), rises through fractures from under the crust. The magma rises and pushes its way through the tectonic plate of the lithosphere (the rigid, rocky, outer crust), and it erupts on the ocean floor to create a seamount or underwater volcanic mountain. The seamount or volcano erupts under the sea for hundreds of thousands of years and then the volcano rises above the sea level. A large amount of lava is added to the pile, making a volcanic cone that eventually sticks out above the floor of the ocean - and a new island is created. The volcano keeps growing until the Pacific Plate carries it away from the hot spot. Then the volcanic eruptions cease to erupt because there is no longer a lava supply. The extinct volcano then erodes to become an island atoll and then a coral atoll (ring-shaped reef). As it continues to sink and erode, it becomes a seamount or guyot, a flat underwater tablemount, no longer seen above the water’s surface. Summary Overall, John Tuzo Wilson provided some concrete evidence and deeper insight into the geological processes above and below the surface of the Earth. His hot spot theory, derived from studies of the Hawaiian Islands, is now accepted, and it helps people understand some ever-changing elements of volcanism and plate tectonics. Hawaii’s undersea hot spot is the impetus for dynamic eruptions, leaving behind rocky remnants that continually enlarge the island chain. While older seamounts are declining, younger volcanoes are erupting, and new stretches of lava land is forming.