Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Compare and contrast Pascal, Voltaire, Hume, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche Essay

Compare and contrast Pascal, Voltaire, Hume, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche - Essay Example He stipulated in his popular ‘Pascal’s Wager. He said the people would lose very little for believing that God exists regardless of whether he exists or not. On the other hand, he stipulated that people would gain a lot for believing that God exists. In this case, he concluded that it is appropriate for people to believe that God exists and behave in an appropriate manner. Pascal said that he would rather be frightened of being mistaken about the existence of God. Therefore, Pascal’s Wager is regarded as a rationality of belief in God. His views are directed to those people who waver as opposed to those people who do not believe in the existence of God (Asiado). Voltaire’s life is described as a paradox. In this case, he despised humanity yet he was fond of men. Moreover, he did not believe in God but in real sense he dedicated his life to find him. He stipulated that no religious text or revelation is needed to allow people to believe in God. He believed in the universal laws which are focused in the moral world which are observed in all religious systems. In this case, people are required to have respect for nature and the contemporary world. Voltaire believed that there exists a supreme, eternal and intelligent being. He believed in reason and not faith (Graves). Hume is regarded as an empiricist. He believes that belief would be regarded as rational if there is sufficient evidence to support it. In this case, he questions whether there is enough evidence in the world which would convince people to believe in the wise, powerful, good and a wise God. For example, Hume was very critical of the Catholic Church. He described its activities as ones that are guided by idolatry and superstition. He also stipulated that they practiced uncivilized beliefs. Moreover, he regarded Protestants as corruptors of belief (Quinton, p, 3). Therefore, in this perspective, it is true that Hume was skeptical about religion. Kierkegaard was a religious poet. In this

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Crystalline Concrete for Sub Structure Waterproofing

Crystalline Concrete for Sub Structure Waterproofing Crystalline Concrete for Sub Structure Waterproofing: A Literature Review Abstract In recent years, numerous urban areas have suffered flooding. The flood in urban area comes with even more disastrous effects such as health catastrophise in addition to damage to the properties and financial loss. The urban flood leaves behind the flooded basement of houses and other public infrastructures which needs professional attention to solve the problem. Number of techniques are available in the market for the post construction water proofing solutions. However, this review article is focused on current method of integral concrete water proofing method using crystalline waterproofing materials and preventing the sub structure flooding. This article reviews various causes of basement flooding and gives an overview of proprietary characteristics of crystalline materials such as doping quantity, influence on concrete and mortar compressive strength, degree of water tightness/impermeability, reformation of inner structural matrix etc. The benefits of using crystalline materials are illustrated followed by a case study. This literature review article revealed more favourable features of crystalline waterproofing which cannot be ignored. Crystalline waterproofing was came out as the most cost efficient and easy to operate with solution. It does not impart any significant change on the structural properties of the concrete and can be used with varied types of concrete and mortar at different locations. The crystalline concrete is meant to be the future of water proof construction industry and is currently used at many large-scale construction hydro projects to the multi-level basements of high rise structures. Introduction Various metropolitans and small urban areas across the world has suffered from flooding in recent years due to global warming effect. Cities across Canada are no exceptions from such disasters. Metros such as Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary are the victims of severe urban flood disasters. Floods causes millions of dollars damage to the country and leaves financial and health catastrophes behind. In recent years, Canada has suffered most expensive floods in the history in the City of Calgary in Alberta and Greater Toronto Area in Southern Ontario. Flood in the city of Calgary costed almost 5-Billion-dollar loss to the government with 1.7-billion-dollar loss of insured properties [1]. Numerous homes were flooded in Greater Toronto Area in July 2013 and damaged properties worth 940$ million. In 2012, Insurance bureau of Canada revealed very astonishing fact that, almost 51% claims paid to the property owners due to flooded houses were related to the basement flooding. In addition t o financial catastrophes, Severity of flooded basements to the human health cannot be ignored. Damp walls and floors pooled with sewer waters are the best breeding places for various pathogens and hazardous bacteria which can lend damage to respiratory and immunity system. There are several reasons for flooding of basements such as ground water ingress due to water table rise, infiltration of water during heavy rains, sewer back up, drainage failure, etc. which leads to deterioration of basement structure. Soil aggression due to presence of chemicals are added source of active degradation of concrete constituents [2] [3].ÂÂ   Such added risk of structural degradation of basement structure should be overcome by implying various changes into construction methods and post construction rehabilitation measures. By maintaining the sound structural condition of basement walls and ceiling/floor slabs, risk of basement flooding due to ground water ingress (Pluvial flooding) can be minimized. Chew and De Silva [2] carried out 61 face to face interviews and survey of 987 cases with basement flooding sue to water seepage. The severity of the problem was categorized on Likert scale on 1 to 5 scale where 1 represented very mild, 3 moderate and 5 very severe con dition. Poor joint detailing, cracks and porosity was identified as the main cause of water seepage during construction and after construction stage. I. H. Wong [3] studied the wetness of basement walls due to water seepage in various building of Singapore. it was found that in case of multi-level basement, the bottom most basement was significantly affected by moisture penetration. Numerous techniques have been developed through years for waterproofing of sub surface walls. During construction stage, Chemicals are sprayed on structural components for damp proofing and various membrane sheets are applied on the surface post construction. All of these methods requires extensive supervision, expertise and care during the installation and there are extensive chances of system failure during the installation and due to higher hydrostatic pressure. Post construction waterproofing techniques are more complex as they are employed on late detection and hence requires excavation, temporary retention or even possibly underpinning of adjacent structures and thus such measures cannot be employed while flowing waters [4]. Most dwelling are constructed with sub surface drainages directed towards sum pits where pumps are installed to draw out percolated water to exterior sewer or storm water channels. In case of failure of pump or overflow of exterior system, drainages help wa ter to seep through the walls. Mechanics of Moisture Migration Same as in the case of concrete slab, water/moisture penetrates through the walls due to hydrostatic pressure or capillary action [5]. Hydrostatic water pressure is build up due to presence of high ground water table on the backfill side of the wall. Capillary pores are developed in the soil or the wall itself. Capillary pores help water to elevate from lower to higher heights which is known as the capillary action. Concrete and especially mortar is more vulnerable to capillary action due to presence of already available micro cracks. Third but an uncommon way of the moisture migration is due to water vapour. Water in depth of soil or concrete turns into vapour due to subsequent change in the temperature. This helps vapour to travel through the sub structure walls once enough difference in the vapour pressure is established on both sides. For the prevention of moisture migration, integral crystalline waterproofing can be used with the use of chemical in the concrete mix. Crystalline Concrete Many researchers are working for the complete solution for a water proof concrete which can be applied during the construction process such as an additive mixture in concrete batching plant or can be used as a surface treatment method like a membrane but easy to install. However, the quest of finding an all in one solution is partially over with the development of crystalline concrete which is an integral concrete waterproofing method. The crystalline concrete waterproofing was developed in early 40s and was designed for repairing of concrete. However, the extensive research and product development has made integral crystalline waterproofing as the future of waterproof construction industry. This tested technology of crystalline admixture contains organic and cementitious compounds which gets activated when comes in contact with the water and reacts with unhydrated cement [4]. This reaction develops a needle like structures (As shown in Figure 1) filling the concrete pores or voids otherwise may have acted as capillary pores for the water ingress. In case if the concrete goes further cracking or crack is opened due to movement, the activated material forms crystals to fill these voids and again seals the pores. This hydrophilic admixture also helps unhydrated cement particles to stabilize through the course of time and prevents future existence of capillary pores. Figure 1 Crystalline concrete needle like structures (Courtesy: The National Academic Press) Properties and Characteristics The crystalline admixture is composed of Portland cement, specially treated quartz and active chemicals. The composition of active chemical is kept secret by the manufacturers. However, the waterproofing effect of crystalline material is confirmed in laboratory by using various chemical mixtures. Zhang Yong et al. [6] carried out experimental study to determine the quantity of the doping chemical agent to be used in concrete for crystalline waterproofing effect. Various chemical agents such as complexing agent (denoted as B), Calcium aluminium composite salt (denoted as C), Calcium hydroxide (denoted as D) and Calcium aluminium composite salt 2 (denoted as E) were used throughout the experiment. To determine the water resistivity, two seepage tests were conducted at 14 day and 28 day of casting specimen. Specimen with doping agent denoted as D and B performed the best at 14 and 28 days respectively. These two specimens were further investigated for optimization of doping quantity. Fo llowing Figure 2 shows optimization tests results for doping agents D and B. Zhang Yong et al. [6] also carried out experiments to determine the compressive strength, breaking strength and bonding strength of coating paste and observed increase of compressive and breaking strength with increase in sand-cement ratio however bonding strength decreases with increase in sand-cement ratio (See Figure 3-5). Figure 2 Optimization test results [6] Figure 3 Compressive strength [6] Figure 4 Breaking strength [6] Figure 5 Bond strength [6] The influence of crystalline concrete admixture on the compressive strength of concrete was also studied by Pazderka[7]. The experiments were divided in to two phases, one for concrete and one for mortar. The compression resistance of concrete and mortar has been the topic of discussion since long as the elements in the substructures are designed for load bearing. The investigation of concrete compression test subjected to crystalline admixture added by 2% of cement weight showed no change in the compressive strength result of concrete cubes however, slight deceleration in the hardening process of concrete was observed. In the case of cement mortar, an increase of 25% in compressive strength was observed on 41st day of casting. Figure 6 shows the trend of growth in compressive strength of cement mortar subjected to same weight of crystalline admixture. Figure 6 Growth trend of compressive strength of cement mortar [7] The speed of waterproofing by crystalline admixture is also a subject of claims by various manufacturers as there are no credible research has been carried out to measure the waterproofing speed of crystalline admixtures. Pazderka and Hajkova [8] studied the speed of waterproofing while using the crystalline admixtures. The experiment involved carrying out water pressure tests at different time intervals during the early hydration stage of cement. Xypex Admix C-1000 NF was used as crystalline admixture as it is widely available in the market. Cube specimen casted were subjected to 0.5MPa water pressure for 72 hours and cubes were broken to determine seepage afterwards. The test result data showed that, complete water proofing is achieved on 12th day of curing and seepage boundary was measured at 15 mm from the surface. The concrete was declared ready to carry the water load. Following Figure 7 shows seepage boundaries at various day of intervals. Figure 7 Seepage shapes at various days of intervals [8] W. Keliang et al. [9] studied the impermeability of permeated crystalline concrete by performing impermeability tests. The results showed that use of permeated crystalline material decreases fine cracks in in the mortar matrix and reduces the distribution of pores with diameters larger than 200nm and reduced the distribution of smaller pores having diameter 20nm-100nm. This in turn reduces the most probable diameter of pores available in matrix without permeated crystalline material and hence improves water tightness. Following Figure 8 shows the distribution curve for pores with differential diameter subjected to different dosage of permeated crystalline material. Figure 8 distribution curve for pores with differential diameter subjected to different dosage of permeated crystalline material [9] Reiterman and Baumelt [10] investigated the long-term sorption properties of concrete with crystalline admixture. It was observed that, in the initial stage of curing (7 days), the dosage of crystalline material in concrete mix does not make any change in water tightness as it retards 50% water with 0.5% and 1.0% content of crystalline material. The research suggests matured effectivity of crystalline material on 90 days and suggests past data with more than 50% and 80% reduction in capillary water transportation with same 0.5% and 1.0% content. Crystalline mixtures can also be used as a surface treatment tool as a post construction water proofing measure. In case, the optimum thickness or depth of the crystalline cover is necessary to protect the element from further degradation. Reiterman and Pazderka [11] studied the influence of crystalline coating depth on water transport in concrete structure by electrical resistivity method, water absorption and reliability affected due to construction joints and. The researchers observed significant change in the inner formation of the concrete matrix and confirmed water tightness of the crystalline material particularly in construction joint areas. Benefits There are several benefits of using crystalline concrete waterproofing can be drawn from studying the literature. It can be used during construction and after construction measure. Crystalline material easily penetrates in to the concrete pores and becomes an inherent part of the concrete which cannot be detached like membrane sheets. Being a hydrophilic material, it gets activated when come to contact with water or moisture. Crystalline materials are readily available from different manufacturers and are easy to store and install. Crystalline materials can be applied on different types of concrete and mortars from outside or inside. Crystalline waterproofing is a cost effective long term solution for the substructure water proofing and hence being a successful and sustainable solution, it is increasingly used in large hydro projects around the world. Case study: AIG headquarters London The American International Group Inc. (AIG) is located on Fenchurch Street London. The building consists of 14 storey structure with two levels of basements. The first level was meant to host mechanical and electrical facilities and second level was supposed to be used for car parking and document storage [12]. The construction of the building was followed by a very tight time schedule and hence, the sub-contractor Duffy construction Ltd. used the integral concrete waterproofing technique and saved a moth. Pudlo concentrated integral concrete waterproofing powder was used with C40 grade of concrete, cement content of 350 Kg/m3, water/cement ratio of 0.4 and slump height was 100mm. The concrete was supplied by London Concrete. Water proofing agent with concentration of 8 Kg/m3 was used and alkali content was kept below 2.45 Kg/m3 reducing the alkali silica reaction. The modified concrete was used to construct a 1.2m thick raft for basement and located 7m below ground supported on pile foundation. High density bentonite based sealer was used in joint as an added measure for water tightness. These modifications in concrete resulted into 90% reduction in water absorption and more than 50% reduction in water penetration under pressure while improving freeze-thaw, chloride and oxygen diffusion and sulphate resistance. Mixture also developed increased compressive and flexural strength with reduced shrinkage/wetting expansion, efflorescence, leaching and carbonation rate. Conclusion Flooded basements are the most common property claims filled by home owners and costs millions of dollars loss to the insurance industry and the economy of the country. there are various types of post construction techniques are available for water proofing such as membrane sheets or chemical sprays etc. out of which crystalline concrete water proofing method of integral water proofing was observed to serve best. Crystalline materials are available in various mixtures which can be used during construction as an additive to the mortar or concrete mix and it can also be used as chemical spray for post construction water proofing. It is observed that, crystalline concrete when comes in contact with water or moisture, it gets activated and forms needle like structure inside the structural matrix. These formation fills harmful pores of diameter larger than 200nm and increases the distribution of smaller diameter pores ranging from 20nm-100nm. The influence of crystalline material on compr essive strength of concrete is almost negligible. However, Compressive strength of mortar gets increased by 25 on 41st day of casting. The structural matrix achieves full water tightness on 7th day of casting and becomes ready to bear the water load. The long-term effects of crystalline waterproofing are observed more favourable than short term effect neglecting the misconception of increased dosage requirement. [1] D. Sandlink, Urban flooding and ground-related homes in canada: An overview, in Journal of flood risk management 6th international conference on flood management, Sao Paulo Brazil, 2016. [2] M. Chew and N. De Silva, Benchmarks to minimize water leakages in basements, Structural Survey, Vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 131-145, 2003. [3] I. Wong, Experience with waterproofness of basements constructed of concrete diaphragm wall in singapore, Tunneling and underground space technology, Vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 491-495, 1998. [4] C. Deckard, Rethinking waterproofing for subsurface structures, in Fifth Forensic Engineering Congress, Washington D.C., 2009. [5] R. W. Day, Moisture penetration of concrete floor slabs, basement walls and flat slab ceilings, Practice periodical on structural design and construction, Vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 104-107, November 1996. [6] Y. Zhang, X. Du, Y. Li, F. Yang and Z. Li, Research on cementitious capillary crystalline waterproofing coating for underground concrete works, Advanced Materials Research, Vols. 450-451, pp. 286-290, 2012. [7] J. Pazderka, The crystalline admixture effect on concrete and cement mortar compressive strength, Key Engineering Materials, Vol. 722, pp. 87-91, 2017. [8] J. Pazderka and E. Hajkova, The speed of the crystalline admixtures waterproofing, Key Engineering Materials, Vol. 722, pp. 108-112, 2016. [9] K. Wang, T. Hu and S. Xu, Influence of permeated crystalline waterproof materials on impermeability of concrete, Advanced Material Research, Vols. 446-449, pp. 954-960, 2012. [10] P. Reiterman and V. Baumelt, Long-term sorption properties of mortars modified by crystallizing, Advanced Material Research, Vol. 1054, pp. 71-74, 2014. [11] P. Reiterman and J. Pazderka, Crystalline coating and its influence on the water transportat in concrete, Advances in civil engineering, Vol. 2016, pp. 1-8, 2016. [12] M. Phenna, A waterproof basement for AIG headquarters London, London: Concrete Magazine, 2004.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Global Sourcing :: essays research papers

Why would a company go international? There are many reasons why companies would go international, but generally a company goes international so they can seek opportunities in domestic markets, or they seek solutions to problems that cannot be solved through domestic operations. There are many profitable possibilities by going internationally and these include greater profit potential, offers new locations to sell products, it may provide better access to needed raw materials, it may access to financial resources from many nations, and lastly it may allow labour-intensive activities to locate in countries with lower labour costs. For a small business to become an international business they must use five guidelines the first is global sourcing, exporting and importing, licensing and franchising, joint ventures, and wholly owned subsidiaries. The first two are market entry strategies and the remaining are direct investment strategies. GLOBAL SOURCING The first step in doing international business, this involves manufacturing and/or purchasing of components in different regions of the world and then putting them together to make the final product. The benefit of producing a product in a different part of the world is it can be done at a lower cost. For example Indonesia boasts among the lowest costs in the world, a big domestic market, and proximity to the rest of Asia. As a result, some companies are not merely sticking around they are expanding. Coca-Cola plans to open a new bottling plant next year. All told, over the past three years, the government has approved $26.2 billion in new foreign investment. Officials say foreign investors, apart from petroleum and financial-services companies, employ 3.5 million Indonesians, or 3.5% of the workforce. EXPORTING AND IMPORTING Exporting is the commercial activity of selling and shipping a good or goods to a foreign country. Importing is the commercial activity of buying and bringing in goods from a foreign country. The benefits of exporting and importing are good to a countries economy as it creates local jobs. The Honda plant in Alliston exports the Honda Civic (a three door hatchback and four-door sedan) as well it is the only facility in the world that builds the full-size Odyssey minivan and the Acura MDX sport utility vehicle. LICENSING AND FRANCHISING Licensing occurs when a firm pays a fee and enters into a licensing agreement giving it the rights to another company's product, resulting in the rights to make or sell that company's product.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Musician Portrait: Bob Dylan Essay

Bob Dylan brought the folk traditions of artists such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger to both the mainstream and beatnik culture of America, and into the rock and roll era. His writing provided a more thoughtful counterpart to The Beatles and the other musicians of the era, who were always more commercially successful, fusing popular music with an intellectuality and social conscience. His lyrics were the first to be analysed and seriously regarded as literature and his words today represent part of the Western Canon, cited by presidents, scholars and musicians in equal measure (Rolling Stone 2001). For five decades he has been writing and performing, and his works are hugely varied in musical and lyrical content, from blues-influenced anti-war sing-alongs to ecclesiastical-funk in the rather forgettable born-again Christian years. His lyrics’ social commentary – particularly in his earlier years – truly fulfils the role of folk-music in spreading tales and ideas by oral means, which will always be a refreshing memory of when the large proportion of popular songs didn’t seem to revolve around either fellatio or handguns. Biography Ethnic/Racial Roots and Early Years Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman into a Jewish family in Minnesota, where he grew up in the earliest years of rock and roll, and popular music as a whole. While his Jewish roots had little effect on his musicianship and career, it was the work of singers such as Elvis and Little Richard that led the boy to pursue both the piano and the electric guitar – which he would later shun for many years – and begin to write music; performing in several high school bands. He also found an icon in James Dean, collecting memorabilia (Life in Hibbing 2002) and riding a motorcycle, which would almost kill him and send him into his longest period of seclusion in the late 60s. Though overshadowed for many years by his folk-revival status, rock and roll was what had the greatest influence his youth and earliest musical beginnings. Music Formative Years In his high-school yearbook, Dylan is said to have written his ambition as being ‘to join Little Richard’ (No Direction Home 1998), however folk music replaced these ambitions during his brief education at the University of Minneapolis. The shift away from rock and roll can be attributed to his maturity, and it is in these years that he truly becomes a poet. After dropping out of university, he began using the name ‘Bob Dylan’ for the first time, and moved to New York City in search of his idol, the folk-hero Woody Guthrie. It was his relationship with Guthrie that defined these years, and he spent a huge amount of time at the ailing man’s bedside, as well as growing in popularity within the Greenwich Village folk scene, performing in many small clubs around New York. It was at the age of only 21 that he released his eponymous debut album and his commercial career began. Performing Career Dylan has recorded thirty-three albums since 1962, and – as I mentioned in the introduction – been through several significant phases in his music and his life. Aside from typical musical development – most significantly ‘going electric’ in 1965 and putting his grassroots folk beginnings behind him – his most interesting paths have been his personal ones. With a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 1966, the end of the beginning of his career was ended abruptly, and he was sent into seclusion for many years, performing rarely and releasing albums of very inconsistent quality, repudiated by many of his earlier fans. He was honored by the music industry in 1991 with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, and at the ceremony he delivered a speech which rather epitomized his opinion of his career; stating that â€Å"My daddy once said to me, he said, ‘Son, it is possible for you to become so defiled in this world that your own mother and father will abandon you. If that happens, God will believe in your ability to mend your own ways. ‘† (Behind The Shades 2003). Discography The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963) In his second studio album, Dylan for the first time performs only his own songs. In the midst of his years in the Greenwich folk scene, the songs are largely performed with only vocals and guitar, and the occasional harmonica solo, and represent the most bare and traditionally folk of Dylan’s works. The album’s opening track ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ is his most well-known early song, and the classic example of the ‘protest song’ which he was known for. Highway 61 Revisited (1965) Dylan’s sixth studio album, ‘Highway 61†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ was the first he recorded with a full backing band, and represented a return his rock and roll roots. A departure from the often light-hearted grassroots folk songs of his earlier career, the album is emotionally intense and far more serious. Offending many of his folk fans, Dylan was booed off during his second performance of the album by the crowd Folk Festival in England, whose rage was directed symbolically at his electric guitar, seen as a particular betrayal. The album’s best-known song ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ was in 2004 named the ‘Greatest Song of All-Time’ by Rolling Stone magazine. Desire (1976) One of his most commercially successful albums, and the most acclaimed in the on-off period of the 70s and 80s, Desire was the most folk-influenced of the era for Dylan. The album was recorded with somewhat of a bordello of travelling musicians, with whom Dylan had toured and written with for the past year or so. The album’s opening track, Hurricane is one of his later protest songs, and – of the 4 songs over seven minutes on the album – an almost epic ballad, and his best example of classic folk storytelling. Modern Times (2006) His second album of the new millennium, Modern Times is a blues-rock orientated album, a genre not explored extensively in his earlier career. Singing with an impossibly rough voice, Dylan was in his mid-60s during the album’s recording, yet the album was well received by critics, many of whom suggested it was among the best of his career. His rendition of’ Someday Baby’, a blues ballad allegedly first written by Muddy Waters (Wikipedia), was awarded a Grammy for the best solo male rock song in the year after its released. Critical Commentary ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ Highway 61 Revisited (1965) Music To the folk purists of Greenwich Village who Dylan had grown to detest, the first few seconds of Like A Rolling Stone embodied Dylan’s ascent into the grand musical landscapes of rock, with a single strike of the bass drum introducing the famous organ, piano and guitar melody which continues throughout the 6 minute song. Immediately fast-paced and energetic the instrumentation reflects an escape from the relative constraints of the one-man-band acoustic guitar, harmonica and voice which Dylan had brought to the mainstream in previous albums. The songs surface rhythm is fairly conventional and consistent, with a largely unadventurous drum kit and tambourine keeping time throughout for the guitar and organ, but beneath this, the jangly bar-room piano is moving through rag/blues improvisations and straying from the rhythm in the background. The organ which so anthematically opens the song, compliments Dylan’s vocals throughout, wailing the celebrated riff of the chorus, but it never approaches drowning out his voice in any way, again firmly our of the foreground. The melody is for the most part led by the organ, which plays for the songs entirety and works around several chords, without any significantly adventurous breaks. On top of this are several solos, by the lead guitar, which carries the vocals into the chorus, and the harmonica, which stands as a reminder of Dylan’s folk roots. Lyrics The song has been interpreted for decades in enormous detail, but we can see clearly that Dylan is recounting at essence two sides of a fall from grace; directed at a â€Å"princess on the steeple† who to lives in a blind decadence, while warned that she is â€Å"bound to fall†, but who lands up â€Å"scrounging around for [her] next meal†. Many have claimed the song is directed at Dylan’s one time lover, actress Edie Sedgwick, whose drug addiction and early death greatly affected the singer. Each of the five stanzas follows a similar rhythmic and rhyming structure, and follows a similar content structure in beginning by referencing the subject’s indulgence and ignorance, and consequentially linking it to the desolation of her current condition – â€Å"You said you’d never compromise/With the mystery tramp, but now you realise he’s not sellin’ any alibis† In this example the bold word indicates the shift in the whole stanza and the almost condescending manner in which Dylan delivers it, like the conclusion of a fable – drawing a moral lesson from an unfortunate scenario. The chorus asks rhetorically and yet pleadingly, â€Å"How does it feel? To be on your own†¦with no direction home† and seems to blame the subject for her position, but – especially considering the last line of the quote – Dylan could see some of himself in the character. After spending so long escaping his upbringing Dylan had been rejected by the community he ran away to join and heartbroken, and it is this aspect which is the song’s most poignant. For more information www. bobdylanroots. com – This website catalogs the musical and social bases of Dylan’s work, and has compiled many articles and influences relating to his influences. It also contains an extensive lyrics library which I used in analyzing ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ and many audio and video files of recordings and performances. http://folkmusic. about. com – This extensive catalog of articles has a particularly good section on protest songs, and the significance of folk music in the anti-war and civil rights movements. The article entitled ‘Who’s The Next Bob Dylan’ also provided me with some new names in folk music to pursue Citations Romanowski et al. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll – (Simon & Schuster, 2001) A Tribute to Bob Dylan – Life in Hibbing. www. hibbing. org – (Copyright 2002) Shelton. No Direction Home – (Penguin, 1987) Heylin. Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited – (Harper, 2003) Wikipedia – Modern Times (album). en. wikipedia. org

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Journeys Involve New Experiences and Personal Growth

â€Å"Journeys involve new experiences and personal growth† Growth and new experiences are themes that occur in most journeys which can strengthen individuals by learning from their past. Wright’s poetry contains themes that are addressed to the audience about journeys and also reflects on her personal experiences. A film called burlesque also shows Ali’s growth as a performer as she learns and practices at the club which reflects on her growth.The life of Pi trailer depicts a journey that is unexpected with new experiences and shows the personas grow in wisdom and knowledge. Judith Wright’s poem, ‘Legend’ is an example of a journey that involves new experiences and personal growth. This poem is about a boy who starts off his journey with his rifle, a black dog and his hat and aims to get the rainbow. Throughout the poem we realize that all his possession have abandoned and turned against him. Near the end of the poem we can see how the person a has accomplished his mission and aim without his possessions.From this we can how the persona at first thought he needed his possessions to help him but through his experience of losing them he realized he didn’t and accomplished what he aimed in the first place. The persona has achieves something he might possibly not realized he could without his possessions and this is an example of personal growth. ‘This Time Alone’ is another example where the persona faces new experiences. In the poem, the persona talks about her companions death and how she has struggled with it. The poet quotes â€Å"this time alone.This time alone. † The next stanza begins with â€Å"I turn and set that world alight†. Through these two stanzas we can see how the persona emphasizes her loneliness and her struggle to be alone and in the next stanza we see that her struggles might have to the point where she can’t take it anymore so she burns that world with her husba nd. Through these stanzas we can see how the persona is facing a new experience of death of her companion. We also see how this experience has made her lonely which can shape her personal growth.Through both of these poems we can see that ‘Legend’ and ‘This time Alone’ greatly supports the idea that journeys involve new experiences and personal growth. Burlesque is a film that continually shows Ali’s journey of growth as a performer. Ali’s journey started from working at a small pub around her area but she felt that she wasn’t getting paid properly so she left and tried to find a better career to pursue her dreams. As she finds a place she really likes she does what she can to get a job there.As Ali practices her routines and grows in confidence, her unidentified talent of singing became known and for this reason she became the star of Burlesque. From having no confidence and not being treated properly, she became someone who is a star and ends up saving Burlesque. From this film we can see how journeys involve new experiences and these new experiences depict the growth of the persona. She experienced working in a pretty busy club where her colleagues were very pretty. She experienced finding a job and how hard it was to find one that she was interested in and when Burlesque came up, she worked so hard just so she can get in.As she grows in confidence in performing on stage, so did her confidence in making friends and being sexually attractive. All her rehearsals and costumes depicted her confidence as a performer. Her growth has increased incredibly because of the experiences that have come her way and this has been shown through her confidence. Burlesque greatly supports the idea that journeys involve new experiences and personal growth. ‘The life of Pi’ trailer explains the personas journey and his struggles in the journey. The director explains it through picture and also music to set a mood and a tmosphere.At the start of the trailer we see 2 older men talking and one asking the other about how he heard he has an amazing story and then the trailer continues. Using this effect can suggest that the rest of the trailer is a flash back of his journey when he was young and the experiences he had. It also can be used to show a contrast between the younger version of him and how he has grown into someone different than what he was before; perhaps it was because of the experiences that have reflected upon him. Also throughout the trailer we see how the persona has moved his zoo half way around the world.Just from that image we can already think of many obstacles that the persona might have faced. The trailer depicts to the audience the persona’s obstacles of the waves and how this is all new to him and through these obstacles the persona experienced his personal growth. These ways raged into his ship and the ship was gradually going to sink. Also we see the tiger being used i n the trailer at first trying to kill the persona but as the trailer progresses we see that the persona acts like a tiger and overtime their bondage has changed and how they are on the same team.From this we can see the personas maturity and wisdom growing and how this experience has shaped his journey. ‘The life of Pi’ trailer is strongly supporting the idea that journey involve new experiences and personal growth. To conclude, Judith Wright’s poetry, Burlesque and the Life of Pi trailer are all examples of texts that support the idea of ‘journeys involve new experiences and personal growth’ to many extents. These have been explained in the above paragraphs with examples.