Critical research paper on the book Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

Critical on the book Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid - Research Paper Example We notice this trend of having an autobiographical base in nearly all of Kincaid’s books, where stories have been taken from the writer’s own life. In the novel ‘Lucy’, we find the main protagonist is an immigrant who comes to United States form Antigua in West Indies, like Kincaid herself. When compared to Kincaid’s other works we find that the chief character Lucy at nineteen is a slightly older character representation than the main characters in her previous works. This gives a more mature outlook to the novel which is interlaced with a cynical note. This work by Kincaid though retaining the piqued nature of her previous work ‘A Small Place’(1988) does not have the surrealism and repetitive nature of the latter, making ‘Lucy’ a far simpler story to read. The novel is a journey where a young girl slowly transcends into a mature woman as she explores her feelings, her loneliness, her sexuality and her conflicts with her mo ther. This novel in a non-linear manner moves smoothly and effortlessly between the past and the present through various dreams, dialogues and flash backs and the whole book bears a testimony to the strength of Kincaid’s narrative prowess. Like other American literatures based on the tales of immigration, this book too talks about the experiences of an immigrant who is new to the American way of life and is slowly adjusting to it. Identity crisis which forms a basis of many a colonial immigrant literature is not presented vividly here. Instead, we find this problem to be represented quite intrinsically in her relationships with her own country, her white employers and her new surroundings. Jamaica Kincaid was born in 1949 in Antigua in West Indies which was then under British colonial rule and her childhood was not a very happy one. However, at a very young age, she developed a liking for books and literature and soon this became an escape route for the young Jamaica

Creativity and standards task Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Creativity and standards task - Essay Example It also looks at companies and organizations relevant to the profession and furthering career in such organizations. The network engineer profession entails internetworking of services in the telecommunication industry. It has the obligation of developing both hardware and software requirements for computers. Its main concern is the creation, design and the management of computer networks in the telecommunications industry. The profession also entails the development of communication network topologies to enhance communication between various devices. All these obligations and responsibilities are carried out by a network administrator. A network engineer handles the computers in any organization by networking them and other devices so that there is communication in the organization via the computers. The network engineer also has the obligation of configuring the devices and designing an appropriate network topology for the organization. Standards organisations and their standards S tandards are crucial in networking because they set a common platform for all manufacturers of networking products. It ensures uniformity in the making of these products and that they carry out this activity in a common way. It also makes interconnection of networks for the various vendors easy and simple. Standardization of networking has the ability to kill or break these products (Bernstein, 2004, p.6). Many vendors today are reluctant to support any new technology that just comes up unless there is a standard base from which it is coming from. They want to be sure that there can be assurance and protection for their hardware and software in case of any failure. This makes it impossible for vendors to release products that are in accordance to the set standards which are acceptable in the market. Therefore, standards ensure that any product released for use in the market is of good quality and that meets the set standards. There are many organizations that have the responsibility of setting these standards in the field of networking. They act as the source of these standards and they also give references. Some of these organizations devote themselves to setting the standards so that they ensure uniformity and compatibility of networking in the region and in the world (Grayson, 2011, p.83). This research paper seeks to look at five of these organizations and the standards they have set in this field. Some of these standards organization include the Organization of Standardization and many others that are discussed in this paper. 1. The Organization of Standardization (ISO) The Organization of Standardization (ISO) has its basis in Paris but has many other branches in other countries all over the world. It is a leading organization in setting of standards in the world. For instance its branch in the UK is known as British Standards Institution, while the one in the United States is ANSI. It sets standards in other areas related to networking like in education al institutions and research centres which deal with networking. Some of the standards that it sets include those that aim at establishing global standards in the communication and information sector. These standards are important to the future carrier of network engineering is that they promote open networking to enhance communication in all environments. They define standards for

Misuse of Information Technology

Misuse of Information Technology INTRODUCTION The word IT stands for Information Technology and it is defined as a part of engineering that contributes in creating and studying computer systems and computer application as well as being part of telecommunication, helping to retrieve, store and transmit data. In this current era many impossible things has been made possible with the help of Information Technology. In fact, many organizations are computerized and they use information technology in many ways in their day-to-day routine. The use of IT has becomes part of everybodys life. Information technology has many norms and rules that one should follow and respect. This is where the ethics of information technology comes into action. Ethic is the reflective study of the general nature of moral values, legal and social issues. There are some rules to be followed and standard to direct and control conduct of an individual at professional level. Most of the professional organizations which deal with computing have published their c ode of ethics. OBJECTIVE One should study computer ethics because doing so will make individuals behave like responsible people. One should also study computer ethics as it will keep the latter away from computer abuse and catastrophes. These can be done by studying the different code of ethics. A code of ethics is defined as a means to promote a variety of purposes and goals, in other words, it is a way to promote many motives. Misuse of Information Technology Computer crime is a very vast topic. It includes many mal functions by computer users. It is all about making bad use of information technology for personal interest or in order to create troublesome situation for others. Plagiarism is one aspect. It is passing off the work of other people as your own without giving any credit to them. Piracy is another topic worth thinking about because people make a lot of effort and spend lot of money to create or make something where other just make a copy of them instant of buying the original one. Crackers are basically attention who break into computer system and make illegitimate use of them. With the rapid evolution in Information Technology, the numbers of crackers are also growing. It is very difficult to get hold of all these issues that is why we have some association running, aiming to reduce and stop these concerns. Ethics from different perspective When talking about ethics in information Technology, there are different issues that come in our mind. In order to deal with these problems, there are many associations that have been created and some of them have been mention below. Many professions have established professional societies which have adopted codes of conduct. For example, the medical profession established the AMA (American Medical Association), and the legal profession established the ABA (American Bar Association) (Tavani 2007, p.100). These two associations deal with code of conducts of their members. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers-computer society (IEEE-CS) are examples of professional societies recognized by the computing profession. The Association of Information Technology Professional (AITP) deals with level of conduct for professional. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Here we will be looking at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers code of ethics. The IEEE code of ethics contains ten general directives. The first four teach members to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public. The second command is to let alone difference of opinion wherever possible. The third instruction is to be honest and the fourth is not to accept bribery. These four commands are same for both ACM and the IEEE code of ethics. The member of the IEEE needs to accept responsibility in making engineering consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public. They also need to avoid real conflict of interest wherever possible. They need to be honest in their work and while handling the organizations data. A member of IEEE should support colleagues and subordinates in their happening and achievements. The IEEE code gives a list of categories for nondiscrimination, but does include anything that might be interpreted to include sexual preference (Bowyer 2001, p56). The Association of Computing Machinery In 1992, the ACM adopted a new code of ethic and professional conduct with supplemental explanation and guidelines. The ACM code of ethics consists of eight general imperatives, eight specific professional responsibilities, six organizational imperatives and two elements for compliance (Bowyer 2001, p.50). Here we are looking at a scenario where a member of the ACM has to implement general moral. He will have to contribute to the society. He will have to avoid harm to others; he will need to be honest and trustworthy. He will have to be fare in his decision making and fair judgment. He will also need to respect property rights including copyrights and patents. He will have to give proper credit for knowledgeable property. He will need to respect the privacy of others, and he will also need to keep confidentiality. Now, we are looking at some more qualified duties, as an ACM computing professional, a member will have to work hard to achieve the highest level in both the development and outcomes of skilled works. He will need to obtain expert skills, which means that he will need to show that he can perform skillfully. The member needs to know and respect the laws belonging to the appropriate profession. He will need to give performance review of computer systems and their impacts together with the analysis of possible risks as well as respect arrangement made and the given responsibilities. He will need to improve good understanding of computing. And finally he will get the opportunity to use computer and communicating resources but with authorization. Regarding the Organizational Leadership Imperatives, a member of the ACM will need to handle social duties of the members of an organizational unit and fully take over his responsibilities. The member also needs to practice personnel and resources to design and build information system that will raise the self respect of the member. He must ensure that the members, who are getting access to the computer system and those who will be affected, will have their needs clearly stated during the assessment. Afterwards the system must be formalized to such a level so that it satisfies all the needs. The ACM member should also create favorable circumstances for others in the organization to absorb notion and bound of computer systems. There should be accordance with the code. The member of the Association of the Computing Machinery has to retain and boost the rules of the code. The member will also have to treat violation of this code unstable with membership in the ACM. The Software Engineering Code of Ethics The Software Engineering code of ethics starts with a summary of eight general ethical rules. The eight views represent different areas of concern for the software engineer: public, employer, product, judgment, management, profession, colleagues and self (Bowyer 2001, p.51). Computers have a role in industry, government, medicine, education and many more. Software engineers role start with the implementation part in the software life cycle where they deal with coding of the software systems. Software engineers have relative chances to perform well without causing harm. Together with the commitment, software engineers shall stick to the following code of ethics and professional procedure. The code contains definite rules related to the behavior of and decisions made. It is not expected that the individual parts of the code is to be used in isolation to justify errors. The code prescribes these as duties of anyone targeting to be or aiming to be a software engineer. The code is not a simple ethical procedure that brings ethical decisions. In some instances, the level could be in conflict with each other. Ethical conflicts can best be reported by considerate consideration of important rules, rather than blind confidence on guidelines. These rules should make a difference to software engineers to consider who is altered by their performance. In all these decisions, concern for health, safety and welfare of the public comes first, which means that the public interest is the most important. Software engineers shall perform reliably with the public interest. In other words, software engineers should be very loyal to their job. Software engineers shall act in a way that is best for their client and employer. Software engineers should also ensure that their outcomes meet the highest skilled standards possible. Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) The AITP code of ethics comes in two parts. One of which is the code of ethics and the second one is the standards of conduct. Sections of the standard of conduct are related to the members obligations to management. A member of the AITP code of ethics should be honest in all professional relations. He should be loyal and there should not be any kind of whistle blowing at any point in the organization. He should be ready to share his experience and knowledge with the other members. He should not take credit for work that he has not done, unless given permission. He should not take advantage of other members who lack experience or knowledge. The member should be up to date and he should have the skills required. Members should not make use of computer system for personal use. Conclusion The whole idea here was to see how ethics have become part of information technology and what the implementations of those ethical codes are. The code of ethics discussed here are more of voluntary kind in other word there is no observance against disobedience. Discrimination based on sexual preference is still a major concern in the community these days. Licensing is another issue worth talking about because companies or individual tend to buy a computer program and then have it installed on different systems. This debate will never come to an end until your internal moral sense guide you to take a step forward for the welfare of the Information Technology society, as it is always said lead by example. References Tavani,H. T., 2007. Ethics and Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology. 2nd ed. United States of America: Bruce Spatz. Bowyer,K. W. ed., 2001. Ethics and Computing: Living Responsibly in a Computerised World. 2ne ed. New York: The Institute of Electrical and Eletronics Engineers. Quinn, J.M. 2006., Ethics for the Information Age. 2nd ed. New York: Pearson Education. Bibliography Adams A., McCrindle J. R., 2008, Pandoras Box: Social and Professional Issues of the Information Age. West Sussex, England: John Wiley. Baase S, 2009, A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing and the Internet. New Jersy: Pearson Education. Spindello A. R., 1995, Ethical Aspects of Information Technology. New Jersy: Prentice-Hall. Johson.D.G., 2009, Computer Ethics, 4th ed. New Jersy: Pearson Education. Online Resources http://www.cs.bgsu.edu/maner/ethicomp95/keynote3.pdf (last accessed 06.02.2010) http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.2914 (last accessed 06.02.2010) http://www.southernct.edu/organizations/rccs/resources/teaching/teaching_mono/moor/moor_definition.html (last accessed 08.02.2010)

I am the Cheese - Theme :: Free Essay Writer

I am the Cheese - Theme Heroes are not always credited for their honesty and righteousness. This is the view towards society that Robert Cormier exhibits in the novel  ¡Ã‚ §I am the Cheese ¡Ã‚ ¨, where the individual is punished for standing up to himself. In this society, the non-valiant are rewarded for their ignorance and compliance, narrated through the characters of Grey and Whipper. Moreover, Robert Cormier portrays this society to be void of truth and justice. This is seen through exploring the innocence behind Adam ¡Ã‚ ¦s parents ¡Ã‚ ¦ suffering and death. Nevertheless, the author holds reserve for truth and justice when Adam tries to complete the puzzle of his past. The character David Farmer, father of the novel ¡Ã‚ ¦s protagonist, plays the victim of the society in  ¡Ã‚ §I am the cheese. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Through testifying to the truth, he and his family have had their freedom lacerated, and ultimately, have suffered the penalty of death. David Farmer began the case with the belief that  ¡Ã‚ §he would be protected, his identity kept secret. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Although aware of the perilous circumstances and the hazards, his determination to act patriotically prevailed. His powerful motive for his precarious action was that  ¡Ã‚ §he was an old-fashioned citizen who believed in doing the right thing for his country, to provide as much information as possible. ¡Ã‚ ¨ David Farmer was under no obligation to disclose his researched information, and yet chose to take the risk. Clearly, this is an example of an individual standing up to himself, acting accordingly to his own beliefs and values. Nevertheless, David Farmer and his family were punished lethally. E ven the interim between the testimony and his death was a metaphor for a cage, an insecure prison bound for the Never Knows, and yet was always destined for death. The example of the bomb that was planted to detonate the entire family and the  ¡Ã‚ §undercover policeman ¡Ã‚ ¨ whose supposed job was to protect heralded an unending chain of misery. These events introduced Grey, who identified himself to be involved with the US Department of Re-Identification. Grey, who shot the assassin, was the trusting saviour of David Farmer. Grey warned the Farmer family about the car bomb. He distributed new identities for the entire family, produced new birth certificates and arranged a move to Massachusetts. He was the eternal alert watchdog who packed the family away when chances took their position for a Farmer whereabouts leak. Grey had the power to dismiss 3 lives at his will.

Stats Study Sheet

1. Assume 20% of all email is spam. A large Internet provider plans on conducting a survey of 900 emails to see what percentage are spam. a. What is the probability they will get a proportion greater than 0. 1836? b. If they get a sample proportion over 24% they are going to shut down their email server. What is the probability this will happen? 2. A survey is done to estimate the proportion of U. S. adults who think that cell phone use while driving should be illegal. In the survey, 54% of a randomly selected sample of 1025 individuals said that cell phone use while driving should be illegal. a.What is the 90% confidence interval for the proportion of adults who think cell phone use should be illegal? 1. A sample of college students was asked whether they would return the money if they found a wallet on the street. Of the 93 women, 84 said â€Å"yes,† and of the 75 men, 53 said â€Å"yes. † Assume that these students represent all college students (Data source is from UC Davis and can be found in the textbook). a. Is there enough data to calculate a confidence interval for the women? 2. A sample of college students was asked whether they would return the money if they found a wallet on the street.Of the 93 women, 84 said â€Å"yes,† and of the 75 men, 53 said â€Å"yes. † Assume that these students represent all college students (Data source is from UC Davis and can be found in the textbook). b. Is there enough data to calculate a confidence interval for the women? 3. A CNN/Time poll conducted in the United States October 23-24, 2002, (http://www. pollingreport. com) asked, â€Å"Do you favor or oppose the legalization of marijuana? † In the nationwide poll of n = 1007 adults, 34% said that they favored legalization. a.Find the margin of error for a 96% confidence interval. 3. A medical researcher wants to study whether oral contraceptives are correlated with high blood pressure. A sample of 500 women using oral contraceptive s showed 15% had high blood pressure A sample of 400 women not using oral contraceptives showed 10% had high blood pressure. a. What is the 92% confidence interval for the difference in the two proportions? (using – not using) 4. A medical researcher wants to study whether oral contraceptives are correlated with high blood pressure.A sample of 500 women using oral contraceptives showed 15% had high blood pressure A sample of 400 women not using oral contraceptives showed 10% had high blood pressure. b. What is the 92% confidence interval for the difference in the two proportions? (using – not using) b. If the magazine had wanted to get a margin of error of only 1%, at least how many adults should they have interviewed? 1. University of Wyoming policy states that you should spend 6 hours a week on homework. To find out how close our class is we randomly sample 100 students from class and ask, â€Å"How many hours do you spend on homework each week? The mean for the 100 responses is 3. 6 hours with a standard deviation of 0. 7 hours (sample statistic). Find a 95% confidence interval for the true average. * We use 80 degrees of freedom, because (1) t-table does not have t-values for 99 degrees of freedom and also because using 100 degrees of freedom is too liberal. The reason is that we can never say we have more data than you really do; OK to say you have less. * We use t-table and not z-table because our standard deviation has been computed from sample values. 7.The center for disease control wants to know the average life span of an ebola virus. Studies of similar types of viruses suggest the standard deviation will be 2. 55 days (population parameter: use z-table), but they want a 99% confidence interval for the true average lifespan, and they want that confidence interval to have a width of 0. 5 days. How many ebola viruses do they need to sample? †¢We can use z-table instead of t-table because the standard deviation comes from the popula tion.  ¬ †¢We can use z-table instead of t-table because the standard deviation comes from the population. 7.The center for disease control wants to know the average life span of an ebola virus. Studies of similar types of viruses suggest the standard deviation will be 2. 55 days (population parameter: use z-table), but they want a 99% confidence interval for the true average lifespan, and they want that confidence interval to have a width of 0. 5 days. How many ebola viruses do they need to sample? †¢We can use z-table instead of t-table because the standard deviation comes from the population.  ¬ †¢We can use z-table instead of t-table because the standard deviation comes from the population. 9.Example 11. 12 (p. 428) studies hangover symptoms in college students (Slutske et al. , 2003). The students answered questions about alcohol use and hangovers, including a count of how many out of a list of 13 possible hangover symptoms that they had experienced in the pa st year. For the 470 men, the mean number of symptoms was 5. 3; for the 755 women, it was 5. 1. The standard deviation was 3. 4 for each of the two samples. a. Find a 95% confidence interval for the difference in population means. 9. Example 11. 12 (p. 428) studies hangover symptoms in college students (Slutske et al. 2003). The students answered questions about alcohol use and hangovers, including a count of how many out of a list of 13 possible hangover symptoms that they had experienced in the past year. For the 470 men, the mean number of symptoms was 5. 3; for the 755 women, it was 5. 1. The standard deviation was 3. 4 for each of the two samples. a. Find a 95% confidence interval for the difference in population means. 3. In each part, use the information given to calculate the margin of error. a. A sample of n = 81 women has standard deviation 2. 7 inches. Confidence90%

Product Development Specifications

1)a. When making patterns, they can either be produced in house or be outsourced. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage to using in house pattern making is that the fit of the garment can be more customized. When a company makes its own patterns, it has years of experience with their target market and their needs. Also, companies that produce their own patterns can base new patterns off of previous seasons. However, a disadvantage is that is expensive, and a smaller company may not have the resources to use their own pattern makers.When outsourcing pattern making, a company can either use pattern making services, or full service contractors. Pattern making services create patterns without the product developer having to invest in their own computerized pattern making system. The other type of out sourced pattern making, full service contractors, are usually used by product developers looking to knock off a design. The product developer sends an already mad e sample to the pattern maker with size specifications. Full service contractors are more difficult to use when making original designs.Some disadvantages to outsourcing pattern making are that different countries have different methods of pattern making and different perceptions of the body. Also it takes time to check samples, and language and measurement system are usually different in other countries. b. When choosing materials, specifications can either be open or closed. Open specs are when the information provided is more generic and only contains basic facts. Closed specs are when the specifications are very detailed and specify an exact material and supplier.A disadvantage to closed specs is that they can become very expensive. However an advantage is that they ensure consistency of the end product. Some advantages to open specs are that they are cheaper and less time consuming, however the end product could be less accurate. c. Tolerances are variations from criteria that will be allowed when producing a product. If a product does not meet tolerances, it will be rejected. Tolerances can either be tight or loose. Tight tolerances have less room for variation.The advantages to tight tolerances are that products will be more consistent, and fit better. However, the disadvantages are that it is costly, and time consuming as it may take a few tries to meet tight standards. Loose tolerances are when specs have a wider variation. Products that have loose tolerances vary more often, but are cheaper and faster to produce. 3) Standards and specifications in the product development process are very important because they affect quality, cost, and the time it takes to produce an item.In general, when a product has more standards and specifications it takes longer to produce and is more costly, but it will be a more consistent, high quality product that fits better. When there are less standards and looser specifications, products can be made faster and for cheap er but will be of a lower quality. When choosing standards and specifications it is important for the product developer to keep the company and its end target market in mind. For instance, when developing product for companies such as Zara or Forever 21, the focus is on producing products quickly as fashion is always changing and trending up or down.These companies would use looser specifications with lower standards to get their product produced as quickly as possible. Since the product is at a lower price point, the quality of products is not taken into as much consideration. However, for products that set the trends and are sold at higher price points, more time would be taken on specs and standards as the target market expects quality. LIM College. (2010). Chapter 9: Translating Concept to Product. Product Development (pp. 262-279). United States of America: Fairchild Books, a Division of Conde Nast Publications.

Activities to Practice Decoding Skills for Reading

Activities to Practice Decoding Skills for Reading Decoding skills help a child learn to read and develop fluency in reading. Some of the major decoding skills include recognizing sounds and sound blends, deciphering the meaning of a word through recognition or context and understanding the role of each word within a sentence. The following activities help a student build decoding skills. Recognizing Sounds and Sound Blends Give the Clown a Balloon This exercise helps teach and reinforce that letters can sound different depending on the letters around them, for example, the a in hat sounds different than the a in cake because of the silent e at the end of the word. Use pictures of clowns; each clown represents a different sound for the same letter, for example, the letter a sounds differently in many different words. One clown can represent a long a, one can represent short a. Children are given balloons with words containing the letter a and must decide which clown gets the balloon. Sound of the Week Use letters or letter blends and make one sound the sound of the week. Have students practice recognizing this sound in daily reading, picking out objects in the room that have the sound in them and coming up with a list of words that contain the sound. Be sure to keep the letter or letter blend on the board or in a place that is highly visible in the classroom throughout the week. Understanding the Word’s Meaning Building Vocabulary - Synonym Crossword Puzzle This activity can be used for different ages, using simple words and clues for young children and more difficult for older children. Create a crossword puzzle; students need to find a synonym for the clue. For example, your clue might be blanket and the word covers can be put into the crossword puzzle. You can also create a crossword puzzle using antonyms. Change the Words without Changing the Story Provide students with a short story, maybe a paragraph long, and have them change as many words as they can without changing the meaning of the story very much. For example, the first sentence might read, John went running through the park. Students might change the sentence to read, John moved quickly through the playground. Parts of a Sentence Adjectives Have students bring in a picture of something from home. This can be a picture of a pet, a vacation, their home or a favorite toy. Students trade pictures with another class member and write as many adjectives as they can about the picture. For example, a picture of a pet dog can include words such as: brown, little, sleepy, spotted, playful, and curious, depending on the picture. Have students trade pictures again and compare the adjectives they found. Race to Make a Sentence Use vocabulary words and write each word on two cards. Divide the class into two teams and give each team one set of the words, face down. The first member of each team picks up a card (should be the same word on both cards) and runs to the board and write a sentence using the word. The first person with a correct sentence gets one point for their team.