Raymond Carver Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Raymond Carver - Essay Example When the family moved to California, Carver became interested in writing and took a course from John Gardner, which had a profound effect on him. He continued his studies at Chico State University, Humboldt State College, and the University of Iowa. He earned a BA in 1963. He became a textbook editor at Science Research Associates, Palo Alto, but was fired in 1970. He went on to teach at universities throughout the United States and from 1980-1983 was a professor of English at Syracuse University. While Carver was at Humboldt, he wrote his first story, "Pastoral," as well as his first poem, "The Brass Ring." Although his biography states he started his writing career as a poet, he confessed he was never a "born" poet (Liukkonen) and although he eventually had his poetry published, it never received the acclaim of his short stories. His story "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please" was written in 1967 and with the editing expertise of Gordon Lish, he published a collection of stories of the same name set in Eureka, California in 1976 (Boddy). During the ensuing years, alcohol was a problem for him and drinking became a full-time pursuit. In fact, alcohol became a subject in several of his stories. On June 2, 1977, Carver stopped drinking and became active in Alcoholics Anonymous. He begin seeing poet Tess Gallagher and divorced his wife MaryAnn in 1982. He lived with Gallagher and married her two months before he died from lung cancer in 1988 (Liukkonen). Carver has said that everything we write is, in some way, autobiographical. In a New York Times article he said he considered the short story a vehicle for transforming the commonplace and said, "it is possible to write a line of seemingly innocuous dialogue and have it send a chill along the reader's spine" (Carver par. 9). His writing style is muted and anticlimactic but creates a tense atmosphere. His life is basically divided into two sections, one before he gave up drinking and met Tess and one after. "Cathedral," a short story contained in a collection by the same name, gives him the chance to write in retrospect, utilizing his life experiences in the first section of his life as part of his writing within the second part of his life. His father's alcoholism possibly led to Carver's addiction to alcohol since an addictive personality can be and often is passed down. "Cathedral" was published in 1983, after Carver had joined AA, but the characters in the story spend a great dea l of time in intervals of drinking and smoking marijuana. There are three characters in the story-the narrator, his wife, and a blind man. The narrator, who would appear to be based on Carver himself, distances himself from the story by being an observer rather than a participant-at least at first. As the story progresses, he unobtrusively fixes himself drinks, and although it is never evident or brought out, the excess drinking throughout the story labels him as an alcoholic, albeit a recovering alcoholic.. He refers to his wife's friend as "this blind man," and it is clear he is dismissing any personal interest in the man's forthcoming visit. "I wasn't enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew" (Carver "Cathedral" 1). Even so, he offers the reader background on the

Define the Joint Commission stand on the use of Electronic Health Essay

Define the Joint Commission stand on the use of Electronic Health Records and requirements for use - Essay Example The Joint Commission is responsible for verifying that the health organizations are using the electronic systems correctly in their activities of providing quality patient care (Joint Commission Resources, 2001). The 2008 alert from the sentinel event of the Joint Commission of the United States stipulates that as the technologies are being increasingly adopted by various organizations concerned with health issues. The commission suggests that their users should be careful of the security risks along with the prevention of the adverse effects that the systems can bring forth. These adverse effects can occur due to errors in commission or errors in omissions (Green & Bowie, 2010). They additionally suggest that these adverse effects usually stem from human or technological errors and should be greatly avoided. For example, in the year 2006 the Joint Commission found out that Pharmacopeia databases had over a hundred and fifty thousand errors on the medications issued and a quarter of them consisted of computer technology errors (Joint Commission Resources, 2001). The commission additionally suggests that the health organizations making use of the electronic records on health should use certif ied systems in meaningful manners (Abdelhak, 2007). This should be for the purposes of exchanging information that will lead to improvements in the quality of health care provided. They have clearly stated that the systems should also be utilized in the submission of clinical quality and other measures within the health organization (Green & Bowie, 2010). The commission carries out its accreditation activities on healthcare organizations through surveys on their sites every three years. Accreditation is awarded on the basis that an organization is complying with the requirements of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability) Act of 1996. These requirements include issues like information management, the management of

Practice with Enterprise Architecture (EA) Principles Assignment

Practice with Enterprise Architecture (EA) Principles - Assignment Example Because the business principle is focusing on customers then the data sub-architecture is affected. Changing the business principle to elimination of channel barriers in distribution is essential because it affects not only the front end activities like shopping options but also back-end systems that allow order execution while controlling inventory flow. The data sub-architectures in the retail store’s EA would be influenced by the rationale as well as the implications of the principle. The information offered by the principle facilitates its acceptance and supports its application in data-substructures through justification of the rationale within the principle. Data sub-architectures in the retail store are influenced by the new principle because architectural principles in EA aim at capturing the fundamental truth regarding the way the enterprise uses and deploys information technology resources (Minoli, 2008). Because the business principle changed to focus on elimination of channel barriers in distribution, then data sub-architecture would need to

Leonhard Euler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leonhard Euler - Essay Example Nevertheless, aided by his phenomenal memory he continued to publish his results by dictating them† (Weisstein) .This paper briefly explains the life and contributions of Leonhard Euler Euler was born on 15 April 1707 in Basel, Switzerland and died on 18 September 1783 at St. Pietersburg in Russia. During his life span he has rewritten or modified some of the established principles in Mathematics and Physics. Euler started his formal education in Basel, and at the age of thirteen he enrolled at the University of Basel. He got his Master degree in Philosophy in 1723 for his comparative study of the philosophies of Descartes and Newton. Even at the time of attending his Master degree classes, he got part time lessons from famous Physicist of that time Johann Bernoulli. In fact Bernoulli was instrumental in shaping the prowess of Euler. Even though, Euler was interested in studying theology at this point of time, Bernoulli convinced his father and prepared the way for converting Euler as a great scientist as we know (OConnor and Robertson). â€Å"Eulers health problems began in 1735 when he had a severe fever and almost lost his life. However, he kept this news from his parents and members of the Bernoulli family back in Basel until he had recovered† (OConnor and Robertson). Euler left Basel and arrived in St Petersburg on 17 May 1727. He joined the St Petersburg academy of science which helped him immensely in polishing his ideas in Physics and Mathematics. On 7 January 1734, Euler married Katharina Gsell. He had 13 children even though only five of them survived the childhood. Euler spent most of his adult life in Russia and Germany. He arrived in Berlin in 1741. He spent around 25 years in Berlin and wrote around 380 scientific articles during his stay at Berlin. Many books written on calculus, planetary orbits, motion of moon, etc during this period. Even though, Euler has contributed immensely to the development of the Berlin academy, he forced to

Contemporary Theories of political Economy Essay - 1

Contemporary Theories of political Economy - Essay Example his writings was that the shift of power and the resultant emergence of liberal democracy stifles further growth and advancement in human political organization. He contended to the notion that liberal democracy leads to the onset of the end of history as proposed by the nineteenth-century German philosopher Georg Hegel. He studied Hegel extensively by way of Alexandre Kojà ¨ve and came to the conclusion that the revolution of 1989 to 1990 proclaimed the end of history in the shape of triumphant liberal democracy (Kimball). By suggesting that the end of the Cold War marked the end of history, Fukuyama did not mean that it was an end to the big events; rather, his perspective bolstered the argument that the end of history was â€Å"an end to humanitys long ideological evolution toward a stable form of political organization† (Crawford 415). According to Fukuyama, if there is a growth of liberal democracy, coupled by its successful implementation in different places and acceptance by a wide range of people, and if human societies move â€Å"towards or converge on a single form of socio-political organisation like liberal democracy†, with no practical substitutes for liberal democracy, then the â€Å"[ideological] dialogue† has come to an ultimate and perfect conclusion. Fukuyama agrees with Kojà ¨ve that the end of history implies an end of wars and blood revolutions since humanity will not have any large causes to fight for (Forrester 28). The outcome of the Cold War was that liber al democracy was to become the sole form of government for all countries. In my opinion, the end of the Cold War did not mark the end of the history. The events that have unfolded during the subsequent years do not establish the Western liberal democracies as the absolute rulers of the world. Samuel P. Huntington came out as a direct opponent of the End of History. He was of the view that although liberal conflicts will not occur after the Cold War, there is a possibility of the occurrence

Italy embraces Welsh Literature Essay Example for Free

Italy embraces Welsh Literature Essay The Italians have fallen for Welsh literature, if the trend of publication (18 books in 9 years with more to follow) has anything to go by. However, its not exactly a sudden connoisseurship that this country, an inveterate contributor of Arts and literature, is bent on to prove. It has more to do with the bond that developed through the migration of a chunk of Italians to Wales in the 20th Century, besides having somewhat similar appetite for Romantic art and culture. The latest from the Welsh stable are, The Canals of Mars (poetry collection) by Patrick McGuinness, Minhinnick (anthology of contemporary Welsh poetry), The Prince of Wales (a novel on modern Cardiff) by John Williams and Y Pla (The Plague, a novel) by William Owen Roberts. Thus, translations are doing fine with experts in zone like Andrea Bianchi and Silvana Siviero, who are translating their 11th book from Wales. Bianchis own poetic prowess joined with Ms Sivieros 13 years of on the soil experience. High on success, they have branded their works as Parole dal Galles (Geiriau O Gymru). Close on the heels are six other publishers. The literary magazine from the University of Venice through its ‘Welsh Literature Section’, also provides encouragement. With three volumes of poetry by Robert in the pipe line, along with publishing prospect of the books by poets Gillian Clarke and John Barnie or the novelist Caradog Prichard, both the market and its producers are upbeat about the future. The poet, Gwyneth Lewis or Sioned Puw Rowlands, the director of Welsh Literature Abroad – all attribute this enthusiasm to the orchestrated effort produced by the parties from both the sides, save the Italian readers interest, which they have already proved by their rousing reception to the novelist Trezza Azzopardi.

Dead Mens Path Theme Analysis Literature Essay

Dead Mens Path Theme Analysis Literature Essay Dead Mens Path is a short story written in 1972 by African Author Chinua Achebe. It is about Michael Obi, a young and energetic man excited about all things modern who is just assigned a position to run a traditional school. Not long into the job, he finds that along with his misguided zeal, ignoring the traditions of his people can have great consequences. Obi is a bright and enthusiastic young man who is excited to find out that he will be the new headmaster of a school that has been in desperate need of help for some time. Obi was considered a pivotal teacher and he and his wife are both forward thinking and eager to share the modern life with everyone. Chinua Achebe shows the Obis modern enthusiasm by writing: We shall do our best, she Obis wife) replied. We shall have such beautiful gardens and everything will be just modern and delightful He also shows Obis views of the traditionalist people by attacking their character referring to them as, these old and superannuated people in the teaching field. Of his two goals for the school, one was to make the grounds a place of beauty. An upcoming inspection was the perfect motivation to begin what he thought to be great improvements. In time the gardens blossomed with beautiful red and yellow flowers. As Obi is admiring his work, he comes across an old woman from the village who walks str aight across the flowers onto what Obe discovers to be an old faint almost unused path. Obi speaks to a teacher and finds out exactly what the path was used for. It amazes me, said Obi to one of the teachers who had been three years in the school, that you people allowed the villagers to make use of this footpath. It is simply incredible. He shook his head. The path, the teacher said apologetically, appears to be very important to them. Although it is hardly used, it connects the village shrine with their place of burial. Obi didnt care about the reason and for fear that the coming inspector may see people on school grounds who didnt belong, demanded that the footpath be closed off immediately regardless of warnings from the teacher. The path was then blocked with heavy logs and reinforced with barbed wire. A priest was sent by the outraged villagers to try and talk some sense into Obi, pressing upon him the significance that the path has not to just the villagers, but also the dead who walk the path.Look here my son, this path was here before you were born and before your father was born. The whole life of the village depends on it. Our dead relatives depart by it and our ancestors visit us by it. But most important, it is the path of children coming in to be born. Obi rejected the priests words and in mocking replied to him Dead men dont walk. he dismissed his ancestry and instead chose the modern way. The path remained blocked and a few days later a village woman died in childbirth. The villagers took that as a sign that if the path remains blocked they would suffer great misfortune. Believing that the mother would be unable to rest in peace and the child unable to walk the path and enter the world, the villagers became agitated and tore down a school building as well as everything used to block the path and the flowers planted to impress the inspector. When the inspector finally arrived, he was presented with grounds that were completely destroyed along w ith a headmaster who thought only about himself and erasing the past to become modern. In the story, with the descriptions of the pretentious headmaster and his lack of respect for the elders and their traditions the narrator clearly has taken sides with the villagers. Chinua Achebe writes, The whole purpose of our school is to eradicate such beliefs as that. Dead men do not require footpaths. The whole idea is just fantastic. Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas. The main point in question in the story is in reference to the villagers beliefs and customs and the importance it held in their lives. Obi was wrong in his thinking and in his methods, believing that he can just cut the people off from what in our time would be considered a funeral. When it comes to the destruction and rejection of something that was and is important to people such as traditions no matter how old the customs may be, nobody has the right to negate a persons background and nobody has the ability to remove a persons belief and substitute it with their own. An unfamiliar cul tures belief may seem fanciful but to those who believe it, it is as much a vital part of their lives as technology is in ours. The heart of a persons belief is in having faith although what you believe can never be proven. What happens in death is a perfect example of this. Nobody alive can know what happens after death so we are left with our imaginations to hope that our loved ones are in a better place rather than in the ground or left as ashes. People need that faith to carry on because at times the thought of never again seeing those people can be unbearable. Our ancestors traditions and customs are important because the only knowledge we have of things we have no proof on is in the things passed down for generations. Just as the story explained, the villagers were so strong in their beliefs of the path that when it became blocked they attacked the school and everything that was blocking the sacred path: The beautiful hedges were torn up not just near the path but right around the schoolflowers trampledone of the school buildings torn down The importance of a persons culture is more than just the faith of a single person, it connects a group of people who believe alike and allows them to work together with the same end results. As stated in Achebes Dead Mens Path, contemporary community shouldnt do as Obi and try to eradicate the core of a peoples beliefs which, with his mocking reply to the priest is just what he tried to do. Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas. It is important to remember and to honor traditions. Many people fight to keep their traditions alive, whether its an old woman making her 80th annual pilgrimage to a Mexican cemetery to light a candle at Dona Candelaria de Sapiens grave or Native American tribe members dressed in full ceremonial clothing dancing to celebrate the coming rain. In Achebes story, the people fought to keep the path free so that those who pass on can rest in peace and the traditions of the vill agers can carry on for generations to come, far beyond the lives of the priests, villagers and Obi.