How to Watch Your Brother Die Essay Example for Free

How to Watch Your Brother Die Essay The poem How to Watch Your Brother Die is a clear representation of the struggles of the homosexual community and how the outside world views them. The author recreates a situation in which a man is struggling with the death of his gay brother and learns the everyday trials he faced. The poem is told in first person so the readers can see firsthand what the straight brother is thinking. It has been a long time since he exiled his brother for being gay and gets the phone call that he is dying. (2-3) He is dreading flying to California and meeting the lover. (8-9). He symbolizes the fact that he has to keep a straight face and keep the emotions out of it. (10-11) He is very uncomfortable with the sexual orientation of his brother and cannot comprehend how a man can look at another man with love. (14-17) Reality sets in and he remembers his brother and the love they had for each other before the conflict with his brothers’ sexual interest. He misses those times deeply. (18-24) He tries to relate to the lover even though he doesn’t know how. He brought up the fact that the lover was an extremely good looking man but yet all he wants to see is his reaction. At this point he is just trying to understand how a man can love another man. This is a question that has puzzled him for a while. He finally gets his answer when the lover explains that it is just like the love between a husband and a wife but deeper because the odds are greater. He still doesn’t understand. (25-39) They drive into Mexico to acquire drugs that are not legal in the U. S. This is where he finally realizes the challenges that his brother has faced. They are stopped by border control and are told they cannot bring the drugs back. As he rages with anger he thinks about his children getting used to another mans hatred. (40-52) This is the climax of the poem. Society has made it difficult for people of same sex relationships to be able to coexist in today’s world without feeling exiled. He realizes he is one of the ones that judge them. He calls his wife to update her on the status of his brothers’ health. He asks her â€Å"How could anyone’s commitment be deeper than a husband and wife? † She is disgusted by his question and does not answer. The brother slips into a coma and his time is almost up. The man is trying to stay strong and understanding as he holds the lover. He still cannot understand how a man can hold another man, as he grieves for his brother. (59-68) The funeral director tells him that he cannot embalm the body for fear of contamination. The man feels anger and hatred towards him. This symbolizes the fact that homosexuals are always covered up, having to hide per say, from showing who they really are. The man now understands what struggles his brother went through in life. As the man stands by the casket and greets the hundreds of homosexuals that pass by the show their respects. He realizes his brother’s life is much different from his own. Everything he thought was normal perhaps was not normal for everyone. As the passing lovers ask each other â€Å"Who will be next† we understand that the brother died from AIDS. (74-83) As the man is driven to the airport from the lover he finally gets the closer he needs. The lover tells him â€Å"Forgive yourself for not wanting to know him after he told you. He did†. As he found this closer he learned to accept the lover for who he was. A man who loved and took care of his brother the way he should have. (84-98) One the way home the man has a few drinks. This symbolizes the cliche of men being strong and keeping everything inside hidden. He strokes the scar on his eyebrow and smiles. He knows that his brother is in a better place and has forgiven him. He thinks of his children and not wanting to make the same mistakes with them as he did with his brother.

Leacocks Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town :: Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town Essays

Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town It takes a certain type of character to see the humour in everyday life. It takes an even greater character to express the humour in ways that other people can appreciate and subsequently find gaiety therein. Stephen Leacock is such a character, and his compilation of short stories Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town recognizes, and assists the reader to recognize, one's need to laugh at their surroundings, their culture, and the people that interact in their lives. Leacock is known for his profound ironic and satirical wit but, in the case of Sunshine Sketches, he offers aspects of tragic irony and sagacious insight with regards to everyday, small-town life as well, which serves to further enhance the value of his humour. Just as Leacock was interested in the techniques of humor, he was interested in the language of humor. Besides the careful selection of language, said Leacock, humor demanded a "great naturalness" of language, the use of phrases and forms so simple that writers straining after effect would never get them. [Critics] felt that one of the main reasons for Leacock's success was that his style was that of "a talker rather than a writer". Another said..."He talked to the world. And the talk was good." (Curry. p.242-243) Satire is defined as a genre in which the author attacks some object, using his means of wit or humour that is either fantastic or absurd. In the case of Sunshine Sketches, Leacock's target is a fictitious small town in southern Ontario, which could be, and often is, compared to all other small towns across the country. Leacock immerses the reader amidst a collection of ordinary characters who become extraordinary due to Leacock's grasp of the comedy within human nature and the scope of small-town culture and tradition. By utilizing elements of both comic and tragic irony, which by definition suggest varying divisions between words or events and their contexts, Leacock not only creates a humorous environment for his characters, but also one in which the reader may laugh at situations and idiosyncrasies which are strikingly similar to their own. Events such as the sinking of the Mariposa Belle in six feet of water and the subsequent rescue attempts by Mariposans, the comedic courting rituals of the extremely shy Peter Pupkin, and the inane attempts to raise money on behalf of the church are all examples of these sharp, ironic situations. To understand the irony in any work, one must first appreciate the context of such a work. With regards to Sunshine Sketches, the town of

Communication and Crisis Paper Essay

A crisis is an occurrence that exceeds a person’s normal copying ability Du Prà © (2005). When unexpected, sudden situations occur it affects a community. When things happen that we are not prepared for, it can create chaos and negative outcomes can occur. One of the most common unexpected situations is natural disaster, when nature decides to unexpectedly show us what it is capable, sometimes it can be devastating. However, man made disaster can also occur and cause just as much devastation. Hurricane Katrina and The Three Mile Island nuclear reactor are great examples of disasters that caused great alarm and devastation. These two were deal different and communicated in different ways to the public because of the technology and resources available at the time it happen. As a Director of a regional Emergency Management Office, using these two scenarios as learning experience will help create a plan to address within the organization as well as with the public to try to use b est practices to avoid same mistakes in order to be successful at communicating but not alarming the community. It will be important to take into consideration the types and appropriate communication channesl to use inside and outside the organization, as well as analyzing the advantages and challenges faced to communicate with different groups outside the organization as well as the public. Individual or groups that will be communicating inside and outside the organization As a regional director of this Management Office, the main job is to keep people up to date of the situation at hand. The chain of command is critical to making sure services and resources are utilized in a timely manner without duplication Shover (2007). The first step is to communicate everyone in the organization of the situation at hand by an immediate phone conference with upper management followed by a memo to the rest of the  organization with a plan of action. If a crisis is not well handled that can damage the organizations reputation and credibility Hicks (2012). It will be important to appoint a spokes person to be in charged of dealing with the media, and also create a hot line for people to call with concerns regarding the situation. Simultaneously, contact all local and public health agencies, state public health agencies, federal public agencies, any Emergency medical services, hospitals, nongovernmental response such as American Red Cross, CERT, Faith based organization as well as business. According to Shover (2007) The Standard Emergency Management System (SEMS) (Governor’s Office, 1994) is an incident command system (ICS) and was initiated into California law in 1991. The basics of SEMS are to enhance coordination and communication of information and mutual aid resources between local and state authorities during an emergency. By using the state and governmental agencies, it will help to use their communication channels, since they communicate with each other, it will create a fast response and at the same time it cause that the public to get good communication with out creating a panic. Advantages and Challenges Associated with Communication with The Groups One of the biggest challenges with communicating with various groups in this situation will be trying to keep everyone calmed and up to date with all the appropriate information within the organization as well as other groups outside the organization. Many organizations create a comprehensive crisis plans in order to be prepared for any crisis Hicks (2012). If people with in the organization are not aware of what is going on, and what plan to implement, they will not be able to act appropriately and perform their job duties, and that can cause a bigger chaos. The director’s job is to be able to choose appropriate communication channels to keep all the employees in the organization informed as well with a plan of action to portray a sense of calmness regardless of what is going on and that can be hard. If the appropriate communication channels are not used, they organization can fall apart and the public will suffer the effects of their challenges. If the public is not informed of what is going on using the correct channels of communication, they will feel a sense of distrust and panic can arise. That is why is important to keep the information simple, accurate, honest and delivered in a timely manner. If they are issues where they don’t know the answer its ok to say so instead of covering  information. The public needs to know that there will be an action plan in order and that the organization has the situation under control. Helping the public to understand the roles of the different agencies will help them to keep invol ved. If other organizations don’t keep calm, then they can also can cause a bigger chaos which will make the twice is hard to deal with the original situation. Now not only they will have to worry about the life-threatening biological agent situation, but now they will need to figure out a way to keep everyone calm and that can slow down the operation of the emergency plan at hand. Advantages of keeping everyone informed will help in managing the crisis at hand and increase in productivity within and out side the organization. If all the employees of the organization are well informed of what is going on, they will be able to perform all their duties accordingly, making easier to manage the situation. If all the other agencies and private sectors are well communicated of the local organization’s plan of action, they can help support their efforts. Keeping everyone calmed and giving them options of what can be done and what other organizations are doing to support the public will help create a sense of cohesiveness and control of the situation which will in exchange keep everyone calmed. Differences in Communication Processes Used The crisis situations with the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor used different sources of communication that the ones used with Hurricane Katrina. What they had in common is that hey used the best communication that they had available at the time. In the case of the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor they used the three major networks and local radio stations which was the best and more efficient way to inform people at that time. In the case of Hurricane Katrina since there was more technology available they used newer sources like internet, cell phones, text messages and other websites to disseminate information which was the best sources to get the information to the public. Because most of the local channels of radio and television were affected and the infrastructures was affected they had to expand communication to outside of the community to bring resources in. Of course television and radio was used, but compared with the Three Mile Island reactor more technology was available. Taking this into consideration, as a Regional Director’s job, finding the correct channels to  disseminate the information will be a big task and using the most up to day and the most effective channels will be the key to success. Depending of the crisis or disaster at hand the right channels need to be used initially and if the initial channels are not effective it will be important to reassess to be more successful. Appropriate Technology to Use In the case of the biological agent crisis, the director will make sure that the correct channels of communication are used. Different channels are available at different times to try to reach different types of population. Phone, as well as hot lines, local, surrounding, state wide and even countrywide communities radio, newspaper, television, internet, other organizations websites, email to other agencies and distribution lists, social media, blogs, photo videos like Skype, You Tube will be appropriate. It will be important to keep in mind all of the possible channels that people have available and unavailable to make sure no one is left uninformed. Print media will be easy to distribute to big and small groups within and outside the organization. Multimedia like TV will help engage large audiences, and easy to remember. Internet will be fast, simple, intended for those that are more technology savvy. The use of smart phones, text will help give rise to using social media as well for fast, and spreadable information. How Technology Differs from the Scenarios to Now The technology was used different in the scenarios due to the time and accessibility at the time as well as the difference in the type of scenario. For example in the case of Three Mile nuclear reactor television and local radio was the main way to disseminate the information because that was the most effective form at that time. Also the type of thread didn’t affect any infrastructure, which was the case in Hurricane Katrina. Since the infrastructure was affected, they used Television and radio outside the local area and instead they used more Internet and newer technology to reach a more people to get help from the outside in. The technology now compared with the one in 1979 with the Three mile nuclear reactor is definitely different and more effective, how ever between Katrina and now there is not as much difference other than a lot of more social media, blogging and Photo video are more common now then during that time. Media Opportunities As a director of the regional Management Office using the media will be beneficial. It will be important to keep in mind the advantages and disadvantages of this source of communication because if it not used appropriately it can back fire in the progress and success of maintaining calm and correct consistent message. According to Stephenson, (1982) News media have a vested interest in catastrophes, therefore, The key is to make sure the organization come forth first with the right and credible information as well as provide people with information currently available and keep them updated to avoid the media to take over and creates chaos. Make sure to appoint a spokes person in behalf of the organization to give the updates to the media to make sure the correct information is passed to the public and other agencies. As an organization making sure the spokes person understands the importance of this role is key because critical decision will need to be made during this crisis period Hicks (2012). When a crisis arises people tend to feel a big sense of change and it can result in sense of temporary or permanent change that can cause panic and or denial, that is why is important to always have a plan when disasters or emergencies occur. During those challenging trying to come up with a solution right there in there can be challenging but if you have a plan to fall back on it can release some stress during a stressful situation. When unexpected happens you will never be one hundred percent prepared because two situations are not exactly the same but when you have some type of emergency plan in place as well as preparation your organization or family will be more equipped to face the challenges. When natural and man made disasters or emergencies occur like Hurricane Katrina and The Three mile nuclear reactor scenario is important have a plan and be able to keep as many people informed and safe. Thinking about the right strategies and the right use of communication channels as well as the partnership with other organization will help to the success and safety of the people. References Du Prà ©, A. (2005). Communicating About Health. Current Issues and Perspectives (2nd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Shover, H. (2007). Understanding the chain of communication during a disaster. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 43(1), 4-14. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200766796?accountid=458 Stephenson, D. R. (1982). How To Turn Pitfalls Into Opportunities In Crisis Situations. Public Relations Quarterly, 27(3), 11. Hicks, Nancy. j. (2012). Health Industry Communication: New Media, New Methods, New Message,. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Transformation Of Ships Since Columbus Time - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 817 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/04/15 Category History Essay Level High school Topics: Christopher Columbus Essay Did you like this example? Everybody knows that Columbus made the life changing trip to the Americas on three ships: the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. These ships that Columbus used have evolved greatly over time. The technology of ships today has allowed traveling by sea to be much easier. Columbus ships and modern ships have few similarities, and they have many contrasting qualities. Ships have a long history, and they have made many technological changes over the years. The ships that Columbus used were not exactly high tech. They were a fairly simple design and life was basic. These ships traveled at a very slow pace. These ships could travel at speeds between four to eight knots. This speed always depended on the speed of the wind. These ships had multiple sails an masts, and the wind carried them across the water. At this rate, his ships were able to travel at about ninety to one hundred miles on an average day (Pickering, 2018). Knots are simply just the nautical version of miles per hour. A nautical mile is slightly larger than land measured miles. One knot equals 1 nautical mile per hour and 1.15 land measured miles per hour (NOAA, 2013). The Ni? ±a, Pinta, and Santa Maria could carry about 120 passengers. These ships were very unsanitary, and people on board had to sleep tightly packed together on the damp deck. Passengers had to pack dry foods such as bread and crackers, and meat was salted to stay preserved for the long trip. Christopher Columbus used the stars and the sun as navigation. There were not many accomodations on these ships compared to what kind of ships are travelling the sea today (Alchin, 2012). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Transformation Of Ships Since Columbus Time" essay for you Create order Ships today are much more innovative than the ships used back in 1492. Things are always evolving over time, and this was no different for these boats. Cruise ships today have restaurants, bars, and even sports. The typical cruise ship weighs more than 70,000 tons. Not only are these ships very large, they can also travel at speeds between 21 and 24 knots per hour. They can even reach speeds of up to 30 knots per hour or more. They are powered by a diesel engine and have propellers that slice the water to accelerate the boat. Cruise ships have a very low fuel efficiency as it takes 10 miles of gas to move only hundreds of feet (Tysdal, 2013). An unbelievable amount of people can board a cruise ship. Royal Caribbean has the largest cruise ship ever, and it has a maximum capacity of 4,370 people. Today ships are used to carry cargo from place to place. The most common use for boats in modern times is for vacations. There are multiple cruise ship companies, such as Carnival and Royal Ca ribbean. The cruise lines provide families with entertainment and travel all over the world to give people an enjoyable and relaxing vacation. Columbuss ships and the ships of today have many differences when it comes to technology. Not only are the technology of these ships different, but the are also very different when if comes down to how they work. Ships today can travel up to 20 knots faster than Columbuss ships. Columbus was making one of the most impactful expeditions of all time, and made it all the way from Spain to the Americas by traveling at the speed of the wind. Another obvious difference is the capacity of these ships. Columbuss ship could barely board more than one hundred people, while modern day cruise ships are carrying thousands of people across the ocean. During Columbuss time people were taking foods that were easily preservable to eat on the long voyage. Now anyone can get on a cruise ship and be served high class meals from actual restaurants. The use of technology such as GPS and phones has also allowed traveling by sea to be much different. The sleeping arrangements on the Nina, Pinta, and Santa M aria were one of the most dreaded parts of the trip. Today, families are spending weeks on the ocean living in luxury. The rooms on these ships are comparable to a five star hotel. Columbus had to use astronomy to navigate his way to the western hemisphere. In todays world, we have the world right at our fingertips and can easily find out any needed information. Over the span of many years, ships have evolved greatly from Columbuss time to today. Things changed from living with minimal accommodations to spending vacations on a boat. Ships have a long history, and they have made many technological changes over the years. Travelling by sea has evolved greatly. The three ships used by Columbus, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were very different than any of the boats that will be found in the ocean today. Today, ships travel the ocean more efficiently than they did in the past. The use of boats has changed so much since the great voyage made by Christopher Columbus.