Fate, Destiny and Free Will in Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken Essay

The Road Not Taken:   The Paradox of Free Will Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken", is a profound philosophical approach illustrating the paradox of free will.   In the first line, Frost uses the metaphor "Two roads diverged" (1), to establish not only the dilemma of the traveler in the poem, but life itself.   The decisions we make in life, like the traveler in "The Road Not Taken", are not to be taken lightly.   There is a desire to be adventurous, yet we fear possible regret for 'what might have been'.   Either way, we must live with the choices we make.   "The Road Not Taken" is an ambiguous poem epitomizing the complex nature of individuality. The literal situation of "The Road Not Taken" concerns a traveler who is faced with   a very simple decision.   The traveler comes to a crossroads in "a yellow wood" (1). Two paths lay ahead of him, both "just as fair" (6).   The traveler desires to take both roads, but knows that he "could not take both" (2), and is disturbed by that realization.   He regrets being able experience both paths.   The traveler takes his time contemplating over which direction to pursue.   As he looks for sign to guide him, he notices an undergrowth hiding a bend in one of the paths.   This distraction in his line of vision was one of two differences in the roads that lied ahead.   The second difference is that the other road "wanted wear" (8).   Although the paths otherwise seem very similar, the adventurous traveler proceeds down "the one less traveled" (19). The traveler makes his decision, but is reluctant.   Instead of saying, 'it has the better claim', he says "having perhaps the better claim" (7).   The indecisiveness of the traveler is seen once again... ...cond practical literary device Frost uses is tone.   Tone reflects the writers attitude toward the subject being addressed. The obvious tone of the traveler is contemplation and hesitance. Frost is successful in using tone to communicate the mood not only of the traveler but that of the shaky situation:" I doubted that I should ever come back" (15). In conclusion, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, could not have developed the concept of individuality and choice any clearer. Frost is a great poet who has an uncanny ability to confound nature and life. "The Road Not Taken" has led me to consider more carefully the decisions I make.   The benefit of free will is the freedom to choose.   The misfortune of choice is the contemplation of regret.   Frost addresses this paradox in order to convey the complex nature of individuality and life itself.

Piracy In The 21st Century :: essays research papers fc

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines piracy as, â€Å"an act of robbery on the high seas or an act resembling such robbery† (885). From this we can define software piracy as an act of robbery on the information superhighway. Many people do not see it as such. Even though the average person would never consider going into a convenience store and stealing a stick of gum, many have no qualms about stealing thousands of dollars worth of software. In a study done by the Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft, 43 percent of adult Canadians who were asked thought that pirating software for personal use was OK. This feeling has come about in several ways. Older computer users, with Unix backgrounds, remember many of the applications they used as freeware. Software pirating also results from users having access to freely downloadable applications, evaluation copies, and public betas. This leads users to believe that all software is free. While many downloadable app lications carry expiration dates, many companies rely on â€Å"nag messages† rather then a disabling mechanism. These messages are easily ignored and allow the user to continue use of the product (Stevenson 18). Despite these factors global software piracy rates are on the decline. However, the number of illegal applications installed continues to grow, according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA). In 1998, 38 percent of applications in use globally were pirated, down from 49 percent in 1994. Yet, 231 million business software applications installed were pirated, 2.5 million more than in 1997. This led to an eleven billion dollar loss in revenue by software companies (Paquet). Jason Penchoff, a BSA spokesperson, states, â€Å"Software piracy affects company productivity and jobs. For every free package or unlicensed package of software, companies are losing money. If an automaker lost 38 percent of its revenue, there would be a huge outcry† (qtd. in). So how are users obtaining all this illegal software? Consumers now have the ability to purchase goods from their computer. Generally when we think of electronic commerce, we mostly think of business to consumer transactions. But one of the most rapidly growing developments in electronic commerce is the consumer-to-consumer market. The rapid growth of Internet auction sites has created shopping opportunities for online consumers that were never before available. According to SIIA’s Piracy on Internet Auction Sites, â€Å"consumer-to-consumer online auction revenue will climb from $4 billion in 1999 to more than $15 billion in 2004† (3).

Male Attitude in Hurston’sTheir Eyes Were Watching God and Seraph on the Suwanee :: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays

Male Attitude Towards Women in Hurston’s Novels, Their Eyes Were Watching God and Seraph on the Suwanee "‘Aw naw they don't. They just think they's thinkin'. When Ah see one thing Ah understands ten. You see ten things and don't understand one.'"(71) Joe Starks to Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God "‘That shows the difference between me and you. I see one thing and can understand ten. You see ten things and can't even understand one.'"(261) Jim Meserve to Arvay in Seraph on the Suwanee While reading these two novels by Zora Neale Hurston, I noticed several metaphors, ideas, and lines that she uses in both texts. I think that the almost parallel lines quoted above are particularly telling of the way that these two novels relate in their depictions of male attitudes towards women and the relationships that exist between the husband and wife characters. Janie's marriage to Joe Starks in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Arvay's marriage to Jim Meserve in Seraph on the Suwanee both operate under the rubric of the male figure's ideas about what marriage and women should be and do. Within both of these marriages, the husband feels his wife is a possession that is to be provided for and cherished, yet not necessarily to be communed with. Joe embodies this sentiment throughout his marriage with Janie, placing her on a kind of pedestal where she can be seen, but not heard. Jim establishes his marriage under similar pretenses and verbally reiterates them throughout the novel, yet seems to evolve past them in a certain respect as he urges Arvay to take an active role in their love. In their patriarchal positions of authority, both Joe and Jim see themselves as wise, as "understanding ten things," whereas they view their wives as stupid and ungrateful, as unable to "understand even one thing." We can infer Joe's attitude towards women and marriage from several statements that he makes to Janie throughout their relationship. While he courts his future wife, Joe explains himself and his intentions: "‘Ah'm uh man wid principles. You ain't never knowed what it was to be treated lak a lady and Ah wants to be de one tuh show yuh. Call me Jody lak you do sometime'"(29). He then situates Janie's subservient and silent position within the marriage: "‘mah wife don't know nothin' ‘bout no speech-makin'. Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat.

The effects of the Blitz on everyday life in Britain

Although the Blitz did affect military production and industry slightly, it mainly affected the way of life of the people of Britain, testing their resolve, perseverance, and overall morale. The civilians were on the front line, and had to adapt their lives accordingly. London was perhaps the most harshly affected. The first priority was to prevent bombing altogether. A curfew was placed, noone was allowed out after dark incase they were spotted by bombers and targetted. This may have affected the livleyhoods of many londoners, who would have to look for other work, although this was perhaps the least drastic of measures taken to avoid bombing. A blackout was issued, no lights were to be visible at night. Shops, homes, trains, and cars were all included in this. This would be done by boarding up windows, dulling reflective surfaces, or just turning the lights out. This was designed to prevent enemy aircraft from navigating attacks purely on sight and forced them to use different methods, causing difficulty. Although, with vehicles, it caused many road accidents. If bombing could not be prevented then the next priority was to minimise casualties. It was paramount that civilians had access to a safe place to protect themselves from attack. Anderson shelters were distributed to many homes in Britain, allowing civilians easy access to protection. Although people were urged to sleep in these at night, they were cold and uncomfortable and sometimes flooded, so people took their chances under the stairs or even in their beds. These werent the only sources of shelter. Brick shelters were set up which would house many people, though these did not provide much protection from bombs and were easily destroyed. Civilians also used bridges and arches to protect them selves from attack aswell as the underground tube and train tunnels. Civilians were ordered to carry gas masks, incase the germans dropped gas that could get into the shelters. To make sure all air raid precautions were set up and executed properly, 500,000 ARP (Air Raid Precaution) wardens, were employed. These were the people whose responsibility it was to alert the public of air raids and make sure that civilians were sheltered. They also looked over the precautions to air raids, such as inspecting blackout precautions and shelters to make sure they are adequate. Morale was one of England's most important defenses against the German campaign and keeping morale up meant moving the vunerable from places that are likely to be bombed to safety. The answer was evacuation. The country was divided into three zones. â€Å"Evacuation†, these were the places that were likely to be heavily bombed and required evacuation. â€Å"Neutral†, these were the places that were unlikely to be bombed, but still had a sizeable population with a chance of being attacked. These were not required to receive or evacuate. â€Å"Reception†, these were the more rural areas with a less dense population and were the least likely to be bombed. These were the places that evacuees would be taken. London was perhaps the most severe â€Å"evacuation† zone. The children of London, sometimes even mothers and the disabled, were put on trains and sent into areas comparitively safe from bombing. Using this program, space for 4. 8 million people was found, and camps set up to accommodate a few more thousand, and some even evactuated abroad, to other European countries and even America. Those evacuated stayed with families in rural areas, and those who were evacuated at a young age spent the most influential years of their life in evactuation, becoming very attached to their carers. Although all of these precautions had been taken. , bombs still fell, damaging buildings, and however much avoidance was placed, people died. Quick response was required to salvage as much as could be from the damaged parts of London. Many people were drafted into the auxilary fire service, treating the flames caused by incendiary bombs. Other people were trained as medical staff and nurses, who treated the bombing casualties. Those who did not do these were able to help in the form of volunteer work, moving rubble and removing casualties from ruined buildings. Some even worked in catering, providing food and drink for those who had lost their homes. The actual effect of the bombs was massive. People, who had lost their homes to the bombs were left to find a safe place for themselves. People often took shelter in the tube and train stations. These had cramped conditions and were cold with little or no sanitation. Some people even turned to looting, taking any valubles they could find from the wreckages of houses so they could get money for food or shelter. Altogether, the points I have raised prove that the Blitz had an adverse effect on the lives of the people of Britain. People had to live in extremely harsh conditions, eat little, deal with death or the loss of their childeren to evacuation. Others had to deal with uncontrollable fires and casualty counts, while some just dealt with the constant fear of being attacked. All this was to be done while keeping up morale, which truly shows how well the British adapted and persevered, not caving in to the German's demoralisation tactics.

Letter of Complaint

I ordered a giant teddy bear from your company and the bear has not arrived on time. I have been ordering giant teddy bears from your company for over four years and never had a problem with shipping. I could have traveled down the road to Sam's Club and bought a much cheaper giant teddy bear instead of selecting one off of your website. Your company's failure to deliver the giant teddy bear to be sent to my niece before December 24, 2011 is extremely important because my niece has cancer and this will be her last Christmas, I spent extra money on shipping, and I was told a certain time the gift would arrive and it was not received on those days. My niece, Chelsea, has a brain tumor and this Christmas will be her last, I was very much so hoping that her giant brown teddy bear would arrive either before Christmas or on Christmas. Chelsea is going to be very saddened at the sight when she wakes up on Christmas and does not see her giant teddy bear underneath the Christmas tree. A little girl whom is dying soon deserves a teddy bear from her aunt on Christmas and should get her gift on time. I also spent ten extra dollars on shipping and my gift has not arrived on time. I have wasted ten dollars that could have been used to buy my niece another gift, for example a sweater but instead used on shipping that was delayed. I should be entitled to a refund on shipping and at least fifty dollars off the teddy bear for being received late after Christmas. I was told 10 to 15 days that my gift would be delivered and I had placed my order approximately a month ago and still have not seen my niece’s giant teddy bear. Your company’s website has lied to me and possibly many other individuals and this false information should be fixed immediately. The result of the package not being delivered on time is that my favorite niece will not obtain her giant teddy bear on Christmas. Ordering a giant teddy bear from your company’s website failed to be delivered on time has effected my niece and also myself. Due to the package being failed to be delivered in the accurate time interval, I should be given fifty dollars back from the purchase of the giant teddy bear and a refund on the shipping and handling. I have always been a loyal customer of your company for I have bought many items off of your website and never had trouble with the shipping or purchasing of the giant bears.

Building a Green Kitchen

An ordinary kitchen consumes at least 41. 5 percent of energy consumed by the entire household. Lighting, cooking, and refrigeration are the biggest culprits (â€Å"Tech Set 8: Green Kitchen Remodel†). The high energy consumption of lights may be reduced by locating workspaces close to windows or installing new windows if not a skylight to make good use of daylight. Energy efficient refrigerators are also available. The most efficient of these are the 20-cubic-foot fridges that consume 47 percent less energy.Similarly, energy-efficient dishwashers are sold in the markets nowadays. Energy-efficient stoves, e. g. convection ovens as well as induction-element ranges, are better than old-fashioned stoves (â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen†). Water efficiency must also be addressed in order to make a kitchen green. The kitchen faucet should be a changed if it is not a â€Å"water saving model (â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet†). † The new water efficient kitchen fauc ets could save a huge amount of water without significantly impacting the daily chores completed in the kitchen.These faucets use sensors that stop the flow of water if it is going to be wasted otherwise. They also use aerators that reduce the flow of water without the user noticing. But, of course, there are finer models available with newer technologies as well. There is a metered valve faucet, for example, that could deliver up to 0. 25 gallons of water before shutting off automatically (â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet†). As far as the indoor environment of a kitchen is concerned, ventilation and the quality of air are the most important issues to address if the kitchen must turn green.Installing new windows to create cross ventilation is a good idea. An exhaust hood over the stove that is energy efficient must also work wonders. Because mold may grow in places that are damp and could easily get mixed with breathable air to cause respiratory problems – it is essential to fix pipe leaks, too. Dangerous chemical based cleaning products may also pollute the kitchen environment with toxic fumes, which is why it is imperative to purchase only environmentally friendly products (â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen†).Works Cited â€Å"Creating a Green Kitchen: From Resource Planning to Maintenance. † Green Home Guide. 5 Jul 2005. 14 Nov 2008. . â€Å"Low Flow Kitchen Faucet – Save Water Without Even Noticing. † Green Kitchen Design Guide. 14 Nov 2008. . â€Å"Tech Set 8: Green Kitchen Remodel. † Tool Base Services. 14 Nov 2008.

Language is not only the problem faced by International students in the UK

In recent years, coming to the UK have became a attractive option for students who want to get further education with the higher quality. Because the UK is famous by its impressed education in the history. However, the increasing number of international students does not mean it is undemanding to study in the UK without facing any difficulty or it is much easier than before as a oversea student. In fact, there are numerous problems they have to solve for a meaningful oversea study experience.When referring to this topic, language has always been mentioned as an unavoidable issue for these students who are far away from their motherland. But language is not the only problem faced by international students in the UK. There are many difficulties such as differences in learning and homesickness. Language can be the main problem for all the international students even if the student is a native speaker of English, such as Americans, Australians and Indians.The reason is that students who come from an English-speaking country can be proficient in daily English, but it does not mean that they can skip this obstacle. For example, although most of the students have to get a high enough score in TOEFL or IELTS for being accepted by the school they want, they may still be unfamiliar with some terms for the subject they studied (Bamford, 2008). In other words, the ability of using English can be a barrier that every international student has to overcome. Otherwise, they would be trapped in their little safe zone and ended up as a person without sufficient confidence.So language can be the main problem for international students in the UK, but precisely it is definitely not the only issue. Because obviously, it is impossible to be a good international student by such a easy way. Differences in learning will also make oversea students feel confused at the beginning of their British life. As reported by David, Brian, Anne, Claire and Sinead (2006), in some cultures it is depr ecated to raise doubts about what the teachers said, which is totally different from the academic culture in the UK.For students who have got accustomed to this way of learning, critical thinking, which plays an important role in school life in the UK, can be difficult to adapt to the new study atmosphere and it needs time to get used to it. Differences between academic cultures are inevitably driving some international students into corner. Similarly, they must force themselves to make appropriate adjustments which is required for their study in the UK, or they would be stuck in a dilemma.Learning how to behave properly in a completely different environment of study can be a serious challenge for those students who get used to keep silence and take notes without thinking of its value. Homesickness is another conspicuous problem which make international students feel troubled. The main features of homesickness can be defined as the surrounding images about home in their minds, an in tense desire to go home, a sad emotion because missing home(Adrian, 1997).For most of oversea students, it is their first time to live further from home for perhaps thousands-miles away. In other words, it is reasonable that they would feel lonely without their family especially when some bad issues happened in their homeland. If these students can not get rid of homesickness, their whole life would be exposed in danger. Similarly, students who soak themselves in the bad mood of homesickness were likely to lose their faith in life and stayed unmotivated.As the result, they would be failed in their study and also make their family and friends down, which is the last achievement they want to reach in the world. In conclusion, international students in the UK have to face many problems, including but not limited to language. Besides language, difficulties in learning and homesickness also can not be ignored. There are still many problems which did not be mentioned in this essay. So it can be hard to deal with so many problems for international students in the UK. But it is also a unique opportunity for them to upgrade themselves.