Sophies World By Jostein Gaarder :: essays research papers

Sophie's World is about the life of a multi year-old young lady called Sophie Amundsen. It takes you on an excursion however 3000 years of Western way of thinking, introducing significant and by and large irritating questions.This is the clarification of reasoning and logicians given in the book:"A white bunny is pulled out of a formal hat. Since it is a very huge bunny, the stunt takes a large number of years. All humans are conceived at the very tip of the hare's fine hairs, where they are in a situation to marvel at the difficulty of the stunt. In any case, as they develop more seasoned they work themselves ever more profound into the hide. Also, there they remain. They become so agreeable they never chance slithering up the delicate hairs again. Just savants set out on this risky campaign to the furthest reaches of language and presence. Some of them tumble off, however others stick on urgently and shout at the individuals settling somewhere down in the cozy non-abrasiveness, stuffing themselves with delectable food and drink.'Ladies and courteous fellows,' they holler, 'we are gliding in space!' But none of the individuals down there care.'What a lot of troublemakers!' they state. What's more, continue talking: Would you pass the spread please? What amount have our stocks risen today? What is the cost of tomatoes?"Some of the inquiries raised include:Why would we say we are here? Is there a God? Where does the world come from?This book endeavors to mention to you what individuals in the past have thought, combining the recorded side with the story itself.Sophie is enrolling in a class to study theory from Alberto Knox. Together they are attempting to locate their own responses to the inquiries so essential to humankind. At that point Sophie starts to get postcards routed to Hilde. Be that as it may, who is Hilde? Furthermore, for what reason are the postcards being sent consideration of Sophie? Combined with the course in reasoning, Sophie and Alberto start to scrutinize their very presence. Sophie finds a book about herself in a book about herself, and things appear to become all-good. Does the world Sophie and every one of her companions live in exist by any stretch of the imagination, or is it just in somebody's creative mind or even in a book?

No topic, just answer the following questions Assignment - 2

No point, simply answer the accompanying inquiries - Assignment Example After development, the sperm cells move along the vas deferens (Chiras 115-120). As the sperm cells move along the cylinder, they take liquid from fundamental vesicles, prostate organ, and Cowper’s organ organs. The liquid is added to the sperm cells. The subsequent blend is known as semen. The liquid assumes a noteworthy job to the sperm cells. It gives sustenance to the cells, permits motion, and offers a reasonable domain for the cells to exist. Exit of sperm happens through a technique distinguished as discharge (Chiras 115-120). Nonetheless, discharge happens when the male organ erect. Erection happens once the male organ is loaded up with blood, and this makes it firm. Subsequently, semen is released through the cylinder known as the urethra. The tow cycles assume a critical job in the proliferation procedure of a lady. A reflection on the two cycles is critical. Initially, female ovarian cycle controls development of the egg in the ovary. The procedure starts with the ascent of level of estrogen in the lady body. At that point increment level of this hormone causes an upsurge of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle Lutenising hormone (FSH) (Sloane 82-88). An ascent of LH and FSH prompts development and breakdown of the follicle, and this sets free the totally evolved egg from the ovary. The menstrual cycle assumes control over the procedure from here. The procedure happens in what is known as luteal stage. Over the span of ovulation, the eggs crumble from its follicle (Sloane 82-88). Be that as it may, the burst follicle drifts on the ovary. For a time of 14 days, the follicle changes into a structure perceived as corpus luteum (Sloane 82-88). The structure assumes a job of discharging progesterone and a restricted meas ure of estrogen. The hormone helps in thickening of the uterine divider anticipating implantation of prepared egg. Disappointment of egg to adhere prompts different changes in the uterus. Initially, the corpus luteum therapists and bites the dust (Sloane

Case Study & Analysis of Nigeria Tourism Branding Strategies

Question: Contextual analysis Worldwide the travel industry has encountered colossal development in the course of the last 50 years. With an end goal to profit by the genuinely necessary pay from the travel industry, numerous travel industry goals have come about to embracing separation methodologies so as to accomplish a special situation in a serious worldwide market. Select one your preferred travel industry goal as your contextual analysis and basically dissect how goal marking techniques can assist the picked goal with achieving upper hand. Answer: Official Summary Nigeria the travel industry is an incredible case of the travel industry and travel procedures. It has turned its contrary picture because of different deceptive exercises like debasement and fear based oppressor into the more constructive picture, where at present the vast majority of the individuals around the globe like to visit. Nigerian the travel industry Development Corporation is the association which deals with all the travel industry related exercises in Nigeria. Different associations are helping Nigeria in regards to this. This report is about the rising of Nigeria as a country brand and what sort of system is utilized by the Nigerian chiefs to make it as a positive country brand. Nigerian Leaders have created different projects for the advancement of Nigerian the travel industry, wherein, different projects are scrutinized by the individuals yet different others are lauded additionally (Awaritefe, 2004). Lagos was the primary global traveler of Nigeria who came to Nigeria in 1472 with his Portuguese dealers looking for exchange and business. Numerous years prior, Caravan and Trans-Saharan developments additionally helped Nigeria to draw in individuals from around the globe as guests. After that Nigerian traveler industry began developing with time. Different good and bad times have been seen by Nigeria because of wars and fear monger exercises however at present it has a steady brand picture all inclusive. Presentation The travel industry puts in Nigeria become an inside point for its populace in some extraordinary occasions like Yoruba goddess sanctuary, and Osun-Osogbo in Oshun (Awaritefe, 2004). In Nigeria, some characteristic spots like cascades, savannah, downpour backwoods and a lot more are likewise well known as vacationer place and these spots draw in the visitors by its magnificence and the ecological harmony. Awful water quality, streets and poor power are the focuses which this industry needs to endure. A Nigerian government service, National and Tourism Orientation, and The Cultural service have controlled and managed the business of the travel industry. In 2004, the Pageant of Miss Tourism Nigeria, a magnificence exhibition, was initiated to build the profile of the travel industry segment of the nation. The champs in 2006, 2005, and 2004 have been individually, Gloria Zirigbe, Abigali Longe and Shirley Aghotse (Esu Arrey, 02009). In this way, this report is a contextual investigation of Nigeria. It fundamentally examines about the brand system of Nigeria which helped it to change its picture from negative to progressively positive. Writing survey in this report gives an essential hypothesis about the picture of Nigeria around the globe and the sort of system is utilized by the Nigeria to make it as a solid country brand (Olorunfemi, Raheem, 2008). Writing Review Travelers in Nigeria are pulled in by numerous social festivals and celebrations, (for example, celebrations in the north Nigeria durbar) and the national park of the country, (for example, national parks of cross waterway and Yankari) and numerous topographical locales like Abuja and Aso Rock). In Taraba State, the Mambilla Plateau is the most phenomenal traveler zone. This spot was perceived as the Crown gem of the travel industry of Nigeria on fifteenth August in 2012 (Fajuyigbe, Balgun, Obembe, 2007). As indicated by the evaluations, Tourism Council and the World Travel, the income of Nigeria the travel industry is expanded by 10 billion $USD, in 2007. Figure 1: National Branding Strategy of Nigeria The crucial Nigerian Tourism Corporation is the countries reasoning, an enduring assertion of nation expectation. The vision is the possibility path for the brand, its possibility status and job (Roll, 2007). Nigeria brand vision might be to make its perceptual picture/position better, fortify the countrys monetary execution as far as the travel industry, internal speculation and sends out, and to the formation of Nigeria as a world class satisfied superpower. The criticalness of city understanding review cannot be overemphasized in proficient country marking. Knowledge review includes wide work area examination, careful meetings with the Nigerian writers, business visionaries and conclusion and political pioneers, focus bunch meeting with agents of non-Nigerian and Nigerian people group and a total review of countrys reachable picture, phone meets inside vacationers of Nigeria and an extra meetings with merchants, financial specialists and visitors in target nations, crew commitment in various gatherings and open boards on across the nation character and in conclusion, contribution from common society, private and open authorities, analysts, advertising experts, originators and craftsmen (Awaritefe, 2003). Nature of the travel industry in Nigeria, giving quiet and new climate to sightseers, making Nigeria a creative spot of study, giving quality items identified with Nigerian culture, decreasing earth and contamination, causing universal relations, to improve Nigeria as the travel industry brand picture advancement of food and style of Nigeria, and expanding national gross salary are the significant objectives that Nigerian the travel industry partnership need to accomplish in the following five years. The outside and inward methodologies utilized by the corporate organizations can likewise be pertinent to country brands with alterations. By methods for dissemination approach, advertise improvement, joint endeavor co-marking by two nations (Aakar, 1996; Dinnie, 2008), combination enhancement (advancement of internal speculation and fares) or aggregate broadening made by the Nigeria brand group. By making its division methodology and brand scope (Adora, 2010). The awareness of Nigeria has improved towards its picture that is affecting the world. Different activities have been taken by the Nigerian govt. toward this path which came about into the difference in negative brand picture to positive brand picture of Nigeria. Buying exorbitant notice, facilitating games, recruiting remote advertising firms and snappy trademarks can be utilized in the countrys the travel industry brand the board framework. Primarily issues come with regards to the cost identified with execution and the executives however different models like Nigerian the travel industry demonstrated that there is no need of costly battles for national brand activity. Nigeria utilized its film industry, Nollywood as a center piece of its travel industry marking system. Nollywood is assuming a significant job in building positive the travel industry brand picture the world over (Karatepe, Aleshinloye, 2009). Because of Human right maltreatment which was expanded time of tyranny, the picture of Nigeria has been polluted throughout the years. Different psychological militant exercises, bombed universal occasions, the job of Farouk Abdulmutalib in 419 web tricks had destroyed the picture of Nigeria. In this way, Nigeria has confronted the aftereffects of negative picture universally for a long time. As per Brach (2010), Nigeria started dealing with its image picture since 1966 under the direction of 3R program, reproduction, restoration and compromise. This program was started by the previous head of state Yakubu Gowon (Eja Ushie, 2009). War Against indiscipline (WAI) and mass activation for independence (MAMSER) were ensuing activities of this program. WAI was started in 1983 to build up the ethical codes. MAMSER was started in 2004 to set out on the picture of Nigeria. This venture was initiated by Ministry of national direction and data under the previous president Ofusegan Obasanjo orga nization. Heart of Africa battle in 2005 was propelled by the undertaking with the expense of USD 5.6 million. The objective of the battle was to change the picture of Nigeria outside its outskirts. For this, Nigerian government has recognized that first it is important to make sentiment of pride in the residents of Nigeria for their nation. Different activities by Nigerian govt. has confronted brutal analysis because of different reasons throughout the years. Due to at time unfamiliar to the Nigerian, tedious and being expensive, these have been vilified. The abroad task HOA picked up the acclaim for being elitist and outside (Karatepe, Magaji, 2008). This program was censured for its an excess of similitude with the Malawis remote the travel industry brands motto Warm heart of Africa. Furthermore, the residents of Nigeria were not permitted to take an interest in the battle. As the brand proprietor, an aggregate action isn't brought about by it and inward resident partners are not center point for it. New marking procedures were looking for in Nigeria because of these reasons. The center purpose of those new techniques is to incorporate the national residents. In 2009, Rebranding Nigeria venture was propelled by Dora Akunyili, the trademark of that undertaking was Nigeria-Great Nation Good People. Dora Akunyili is the clergyman of data in previous Nigeria (Mustapha, 2001). The notoriety administrations most recent endeavor is additionally scrutinized like the past crusades. Nollywood, the film business of Nigeria, can possibly impact the travel industry brand and notoriety of Nigeria. Nearly in a year, 2000 movies and more are delivered by Nollywood as indicated by its volume and worldwide reach affirming. On the planet, the second biggest industry in film industry is Nollywood as per this reality. DVD, satellite TVs and theaters are the best approach to disperse the Nollywood motion pictures the world over. The African landmass is likewise similar to the films of Nollywood (Rao, Suresh, 2001). Nollywood films have picked up fame in America additionally in the course of the most recent 10 years. Motion pictures of Nollywood are additionally famous in Latin nation of Guyana. Further, the individuals from British settlements are additionally getting engaged from the Nigerian films. In this way, the Nollywood motion pictures are getting acclaimed in everywhere throughout the world an

Human Resource Management in a Global Company

Human Resource Management in a Global Company First Chapter Presentation Gatherings of individuals see the world through their own series of expectations, perspectives, convictions, and qualities. Find out about their way of life and how it framed them, and mean to see how other culture work so everybody can be a compelling worldwide director. Association from all aspects of the world is connecting past their household markets to become universal players. In addition to the fact that this is exceptionally testing on the business them, however it additionally makes a test for singular administrators who must adapt to working across geographic and social outskirts. Overseeing all around gives clear frameworks and ways to deal with assistance oversee worldwide systems and groups, and it looks at the abilities required for managing various societies. It instructs how to prevail in this new world. This is broadly perceived that an authoritative assorted variety is clear and vital these days due to expanding pace of financial and innovative turn of events. Associations should be adaptable on the off chance that they look to stay serious and need to make due in a since quite a while ago run. This exploration investigates the wonder of assorted variety in one of UK’s driving market named Sainsbury’s (London Colney). The analyst expects to look at what the strategy to work with various culture individuals and how the board oversee functioning with decent variety individuals in working environment in the store in most recent two years I have seen. 1.1 What we think about culture: Hofstede, (1991) characterized culture as ‘the aggregate programming of the brain which recognizes the individuals from one classification from another’. It’s about offer your convictions, values, desires for a specific gathering of individuals and separates them from an individual from different gatherings. It very well may be found at a wide range of levels. Each social world works as per its own inward unique, standards and its own laws. As people, we for the most part possibly become mindful of our own way of life when gone up against by others. Social contrasts are noteworthy contrasts which have been distinguished across nations dependent on watched social measurements. 1.2 Why culture consider in a global organization: Global organizations are totally not quite the same as fare based firms not least due to their outside auxiliaries. Not exclusively does physical separation represent a test for viable correspondence, yet additionally there is the test spoken to by social contrasts. Some MNCs have viewed social contrasts as so significant that they have decided to work as multi-domestics with dynamic, the executives style and item advancement. The demeanor is that individuals in the auxiliaries know best and ought to be permitted to head out in their own direction. For instance, the mentalities in the Dutch gadgets firm Philips for the vast majority of the earlier century. The drawback of this methodology is the fiefdom and ‘not-concocted here’ attitude, which came about in Philips’ North American auxiliary declining to receive the Philips video recorder (V2000) and selecting rather for the opponent Japanese model. Be that as it may, numerous MNCs, including Philips since 1987, require an a lot more prominent level of coordination, especially as to learning. To do as such, these organizations must create basic practices and regular qualities. In the event that outside auxiliaries are to be incorporated for information sharing purposes, a beginning stage is a comprehension of the attitudes of auxiliary administration and representatives as far as their business related qualities. The administration challenge for some MNCs is to have the option to adjust their associations to socially particular situations without losing authoritative strength. 1.3 About an association: Sainsbury’s is one of the main retail general stores with roughly 792 stores everywhere throughout the UK. There are some others stores (Tesco, ASDA, Iceland and Somerfield) in UK which are the contenders of Sainsbury’s. Every one of them are attempting their best to offer great types of assistance to their clients and working under assorted variety working environment. For the current research the scientist has taken Sainsbury’s London Colney to learn about decent variety. There were numerous motivations to choose Sainsbury’s London Colney for this examination. One reason was this is a major store with 350 representatives working in various movements (morning, evening, day, night and some are filling in as occasional representatives). The administration of this store includes on around 20 to 30 individuals. This is a 24 hours store, situated in the retail park and is extremely occupied on account of its area and furthermore in light of the fact that this is near M25 and individuals can get everything from a similar store and furthermore there is some other shop close to Sainsbury’s like M S, Next, Boots, etc. The subsequent motivation to choose this store as a contextual analysis was that the analyst is working in this store in its client administrations and checkouts office so the specialist as a member has enough understanding to work with various culture individuals in the store over the most recent two years. The example size of this examination (which remembers for the executives and workers) was additionally effectively agreeable to get the pertinent information. The analyst was very confident that administration and representatives will help out him for gathering information. 1.3.1 Company arrangement and promise to associates: There is a lot of enactment encompassing the zone of assorted variety and simultaneously this gives a base standard to this arrangement, it is the company’s goal to move past basic lawful consistence where suitable. This arrangement exists to empower a workplace in which everybody feels esteemed and regarded in everything that they do. Imaginative reasoning and various thoughts are basic to Sainsbury’s achievement and their capacity to grow better approaches for including an incentive for their clients will be enormously upgraded by the assorted variety of encounters and viewpoints among their partners. Their capacity to draw in and hold the most noteworthy capacity of partners from the broadest network is fundamental in supporting an authority position. The point of the organization is that all partners will have the option to work in a decent variety condition, where they will be liberated from separation. They are dealing with their partners under the standards of decency and objectivity, which is coordinated into the entirety of the ways. As indicated by Sainsbury’s arrangement, they won't acknowledge or disregard out of line choices, practices or prerequisites that qualify or prohibit a person from meeting fundamental business necessities. They incorporate, yet are not constrained to, a person’s age, race, shading, nationality, ethnic starting point, sex, sexual direction, religion. The equivalent of people are observed and activity taken where fundamental and fitting to guarantee equality. In accordance with their adaptable working arrangement, they will make it feasible for partners to accomplish a harmony between their work and home duties. They will guarantee that the open doors introduced through assorted variety will be incorporated into the improvement of new items and administrations that include an incentive for their clients. The presentation and viability of Sainsbury’s decent variety duty and segment partner make-up of their stores are constantly investigated and where improvement is distinguished, move has been made. Any breaks of this arrangement have been dealt with truly and furthermore managed under their disciplinary strategy. 1.4 Background/Current circumstance: As we probably am aware, presently a day’s decent variety is a one of the comprehensive ideas and dependent on esteeming everybody as an exceptional individual and commending this distinction. The administration of decent variety is about people. The administration of decent variety goes past equivalent chances, rather than essentially permitting a more noteworthy scope of individuals getting greater chance. The idea of decent variety encapsulates the conviction that individuals ought to be esteemed for their distinction and assortment. Decent variety should enhance an associations human capital, though equivalent open door centers around different ethnic gatherings. As I said before that scientist is working in Sainsbury’s (London Colney) and have seen heaps of contrasts about assorted variety. There are a large portion of the individuals from Asian ethnic. In any case, we have some Irish, African, Chinese and British too. As I work in this store I have discovered some kindness for same ethnic gathering. What's more, for that other ethnic turned out to be at some point extremely forceful. What's more, from the board level, there is likewise some sexual orientation esteeming issue. We have seen loads of female chiefs rather then guys. In any case, other, similar to they don’t separate between ages, handicaps, hues, etc. So far you can say, they follow the methods and that’s why they are achievement in business now a days. My examination is about how they oversee, and do they truly follow the decent variety strategies? Along these lines, I expect to illustrate, how a human asset administrator can deal with each one of those territory and effectively complete company’s crucial various individuals. All by and large, a self appraisal for universal human asset chiefs to assess and improve their worldwide administration abilities. 1.5 Aims/Objectives: The essential point of the examination is along these lines: To analyze decent variety, balance and segregation issues in a worldwide organization, specifically, the method of HR administrators to oversee work with various culture individuals. The exploration goals are: To decide what’s the organization approach about assorted variety to oversee work with various culture individuals and to turn into an effective worldwide director, plan to build up a worldwide viewpoint. To layout the advancement of ways to deal with hierarchical investigation. To investigate a multicultural organization from the points of view of differing social gatherings. A universal human asset supervisor has to know the method of overseeing individuals in twenty first century. We are going to take a review of what a chief needs to do in relations to overseeing individuals in a changing en

Sound In Poetry Essays - Poetic Rhythm, Alliteration

Sound In Poetry Sonnets for the most part start with words or expression which bid more due to their sound than their significance, and the development and expressing of a sonnet. Each sonnet has a surface of sound, which is in any event as significant as the importance behind the sonnet. Musicality, being the standard repeat of sound, is at the core of all characteristic marvels: the thumping of a heart, the lapping of waves against the shore, the croaking of frogs on a late spring's night, the murmur of wheat influencing in the breeze. Musicality and sound and game plan ?the conventional properties of words?allow the artist to get past, or underneath the outside of a sonnet. Both Gwendolyn Brooks' ?Sadie and Maud? (799) and Anne Bradstreet's ?To My Dear and Loving Husband? (784) stress wonderful sound to communicate their topics. Used to improve sound in a sonnet, similar sounding word usage is the reiteration of sound in continuous or neighboring words, as a rule toward the start of words. The two Brooks also, Bradstreet utilize similar sounding word usage in their sonnets. ?Sadie remained at home. /Sadie scratched life (2-3) the reiteration of s is clear in these two lines, mirroring the cheekiness and freedom that Sadie had. ?At that point while we live, enamored lets [persevere]? (11) the moderate melodic redundancy of the l sounds mirror the sentimental accentuation in the sonnet. Assonance?the reiteration of the equivalent or comparative vowel sound, particularly in focused syllables?can additionally advance a sonnet. Sound similarity can be utilized to bring together a sonnet as in Bradstreet's sonnet wherein it accentuates the topical association among words also, binds together the sonnet's thoughts of the couple getting one. ?Think about with me ye lady in the event that you can? (4). In Brook's sonnet, rehashed vowel sounds stretch out all through. Streams in a roundabout way interfaces certain words and by associating these words, she points out the symbolism that imparts the sonnets subject of how extraordinary two individuals who experienced childhood in a similar family unit can be. ?Under her last name by birth/Maud and Ma and Papa (10-11). Notwithstanding similar sounding word usage what's more, sound similarity, writers make sound examples with rhyme. The regular method to depict a sonnet's rhyme plot is to outline rhyming words that show up at the parts of the bargains. In Brooks' sonnet the rhyme conspire is abcb, defe which strengthens the manner in which two things can start the equivalent, however change over the long haul. Normally, rhyme doesn't need to be unobtrusive to advance a sonnet. A conspicuous rhyme plot like the one in Bradstreet's sonnet is aabb, ccdd can convey significance by constraining consideration on a connection between two individuals that are not ordinarily connected. The sonnet's topic talks about the couple getting one, the sonnet's rhyme conspire is of two back to back lines having a place together and having one sound. Rhyme can likewise be characterized by the situation of the rhyming syllables in a line of section. Bradstreet's sonnet contains starting rhyme, Brooks' sonnet, then again, contains just end rhyme. ?I prize thy love more than entire mines of gold/My adoration is with the end goal that streams can't extinguish/Thy love is such I can not the slightest bit repay?(5, 7, 9). ?Her young ladies struck out from home/Her fine-tooth brush? (14, 16). Writers, as well, make rhyme by utilizing rehashed words furthermore, phrases. ?Sadie scratched life/with extreme attention to detail? (3-4) and ?Sadie had left as legacy/her fine-tooth brush? (15-16). The rehashed phrases ?Sadie? what's more, ?Maud?, which move from one subject to the next what's more, back once more ?Maud set off for college/Sadie remained at home? (1-2). The sonnet has a singing cadence that looks like a melody that youngsters play to. The recognition of lighthearted youth unexpectedly appears differently in relation to the adulthood that both Sadie and Maud now face as they grow up: Sadie remains at home and has two youngsters with only one parent present; Maud sets off for college and winds up ?a dainty earthy colored mouse?. Rehashed expresses in Bradstreet's sonnet incorporate ?if at any point? what's more, ?love?. ?If at any time two were one then unquestionably we. /If ever man were adored by spouse then thee? (1-2). ?My Love is with the end goal that waterways can't extinguish,/Nor should yet adore from the give recompence? (9-10). With such repeat, the sonnet resembles a moderate sentimental tune and the rehashed words are its cadence. Meter, the example of focused and unstressed syllables that administer a sonnet's lines, to a great extent makes beautiful mood. This gives perusers the ?beat? of the sonnet and approximates the sound of communicated in language. The meter of Bradstreet's sonnet is poetic pattern and it is apparent all through the sonnet. It contributes

Life Changing Classes at MIT

Life Changing Classes at MIT The bloggers have spent the last few weeks telling yall what we did over IAP and talking about what classes were excited/not excited to take next semester. This week, its time for a slightly different discussion. There was an ec-discuss (the general East Campus mailing list notorious for being somewhat spammy and prone to flame wars) thread that got revived recently about classes that changed peoples lives.  Granted, this is a slight overgeneralization; most people reported that these classes have changed their mindsets or perspectives and not entire lives. But I thought that you guys might like to see the responses and maybe think about taking some of these classes in the future, whether on OCW or at MIT! 24.00 was probably the most life-changing class I took. CMS.614 with Chris Peterson really just fucked me right up re: my perspective on a life in the tech industry. MAS.863 how to make almost anything! Really taught me how to actually make most anything. Expect to spend a lot of time on it though. Personal answer is definitely 11.011 or 6.172 11.011 changed my perspective on my moral compass, what Im good at, and how I look at the world. 6.172 taught me a lot of technical things and helped me define what Im really interested in. the weight lifting pe classno but actually 6.004, if I had to narrow it down to one class. Otherwise I’d throw in 6.002/6.007, 6.152, 6.828, and 6.005/6.033. Together they teach you to go from Maxwell’s equations - cooking with sand in neat patterns to make transistors and other circuit elements - arranging circuit elements and software to make a thing that thinks (6.004) - writing an operating system - designing software. Instead of having to wave my hands and resort to saying “computers are magic”, I know what the magic is at every level. Besides setting one up for plenty of lucrative jobs after MIT, it also provides a critical toolset for approaching the other magical thinking system: the brain. Most of the best things I learned didn’t come from any class, but from late night conversations with other ec-people, so make sure to leave room for that.   this class [18.919] really was pretty life-changing. i learnt a lot, and it was a terribly fabulous experience which challenged me to stretch the limits on my ability to find new methods to approach problems. 21L.003 (as taught by Ina Lipkowitz) Improved my critical thinking and attention to detail considerably, especially when formulating an argument and addressing an audience (a skill which i foolishly thought I possessed in great abundance prior to taking this class). Got me to start reading again in this place where it is so easy to just stop reading! 21w.757 (fiction workshop) was an amazing class to me because i love writing and i actually came out of this class with some awesome short stories. writing them was a really cool and different way to express things that were on my mind or upsetting me, too. i def had a minor spiritual awakening in 4.605, as one does. 21H.157 (as taught by Mircea Raianu hes now teaching at University of Maryland dammit) This class helped me connect with my roots. Though you are probably not from the Indian subcontinent, it can be really gratifying to connect with your region of origin through a deep and analytical (rather than date memorization) study of its history. 18.075 changed my perspective of math, engineering, and life. Its a really great class 10/10 would recommend. EC.S07 D-Lab Education and Learning (taught by Lisa Nam and Jessica Huang) Developed and implemented curricula for teaching students in the developing world. Because I took this class, I got full funding (travel, materials, etc.) from D-Lab to conduct a completely self-started EE lab workshop (they all built their own heartbeat monitors by the end of three weeks) for kids from slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who go to an NGO school. 21M.600 It fundamentally changed the way I thought about acting. Mandatory attendance classes are generally annoying for me (stressing about missing class to attend events or sickness and such), but I learned a lot about the way you project your body movements and voice and how you can use these as tools to create a persona or appearance thats believable to an observer. Also the mandatory theater shows were a great way to get back into watching theater productions. 6.101 (taught by Gim Hom) and 6.301 (taught by Harry Lee, usually TAd by Daniel Kramnik, though maybe not anymore after he finishes his MEng) Analog Circuits Lab and Solid State Circuits (also a lab class) These classes really deepened my knowledge and intuition regarding design and construction of analog circuits (and how to communicate what you learned to other people!). And the professors/TAs are generally amazing and very knowledgable. Ill be taking 6.302 next sem and Ive heard its also extremely well taught. the iap guitar building class convinced me that i should be a course 2 WGS.101 taught me how to think about gender in a completely different way. It is probably one of the classes where I learnt the most. 14.73 Economics of World Poverty (taught by Frank Schilbach and Nathaniel Lane) Since I was already interested in the challenges of alleviating poverty, this class absolutely blew me away and has now plunged me into a kind of obsession for learning more economics Ive signed up for 3 more econ classes next sem! AHHH. This one hasnt been concretely life-changing yet, but it definitely has radically changed the way I think about poverty and designing/testing solutions to alleviate it. 6.002 As an EE noob, this class was super thorough about teaching introductory electronics concepts. Ive heard that its been more difficult in past years and the labs are a bit more hand-holdy than they used to be (plus its a bit sad that the class doesnt have a final project), but Ive definitely gained a lot of intuition thats been super useful. To me, 6.UAT was probably the more life changing class I took at MIT.   For example, before taking it in my junior year, I had failed every behavioral interview Ive ever had, but after behavioral interviews were not a problem anymore. It helped me learn how to communicate better (oral communication) and made me notice more clearly how people communicate here in the US. It was kinda of a culture shock, tbh. Speaking of communication, I still keep things from 6.803 in mind when writing papers/prepping presentations. It also does a good job (somewhat indirectly) of helping you figure out how to put together PhD apps. If you think you might be interested in course 6/9 related things Id highly  recommend it, to get a taste of some potential topics in the field. Although its insanely oversubscribed already so maybe this isnt very helpful advice D-Lab: Development Ive heard that its one of the less popular of the D-Lab classes, but I think just being a part of the community is a really great perk of taking classes. You meet such interesting people who have gone to the most remote places and work in roles that you dont normally hear about at MIT. It definitely got me thinking about opportunities for impact that Im missing being stuck in the MIT/course 6 bubble. CMS.628 Advanced Identity Representation, taught by Fox Harrell (one of the best professors Ive ever met and worked with) tl;dr this class is pretty much the reason I dont regret coming to MIT. Ok, I have a lot of feels about this class, so hold onto yer butts Basically, this class gave me a whole different outlook/perspective on how human beings are represented both in and by the digital media we consume. This class  tends to change a bit every semester, so I cant speak to every time its offered, but the time I took it was slightly more focused on video games (which was right up my alley). We explored topics like why people play the characters they do, what that says about them, how games help players explore their own identities, what kind of representation is lacking in digital games, etc. As someone who plays a lot of games and also makes games, this class gave me a lot to think about that I would not have considered before. ~~personal backstory and over-sharing time yay~~ The reason this class was so impactful to me personally is that it also opened my eyes to a lot of the ways I could use games not just for games sake. Before committing to MIT, I thought I was going to go to art school or a school that specializes in teaching people how to make games (yes, they exist). Most of the schools I applied to were in fact these types of schools. However, MITs games and interactive media classes (part of CMS) were really appealing to me when I was looking at schools, so I decided to apply to MIT as a bit of a long shot after my really cool English teacher convinced me to just go for it. I did  not  by any means think Id get in, but what do you know, I did. After intensely researching the different programs MIT and the art schools had to offer (and also after certain events at CPW that made me fall in love with this place), I decided to come here with the idea that I could always transfer to art school if I wanted to. Freshman fall turned out to be really rough for me. I wasnt doing well academically, mentally, or health-wise. I was on PNR, but that only really helps calm my worries when Im not struggling just to pass all my classes. I honestly spent a lot of time thinking that I should have gone to art school, because I was not understanding anything here and I just wasnt happy. Sure, some classes you take in college are going to be hard, but if ALL of your classes make you miserable, something needs to change. I took CMS.628 kind of by accident freshman spring. The HASS class I had tried to sign up for was overbooked and, being an undeclared freshman, I was kicked out. CMS.628 was one of the few HASS classes that both seemed interesting and fit my schedule, so I decided to sign up. Ended up being my favorite class ever. We looked at so many aspects of games and characters that Id never thought about before, and I realized that I could do so much more with games than I had originally planned. Making games to make games is fun and good, but using games for some sort of higher purpose (I know this sounds pretentious, but trust me its really fun and cool) is something Im glad I found a way to do, and would probably never have discovered had I gone to art school. Above all,  taking this class showed freshman me that everything was going to be ok. After taking this class, I found other CMS classes I loved, and also took the more specifically game-making ones like CMS.608 and CMS.301. Using CMS.628 as a kind of gateway into CMS and the classes I actually enjoyed, I could show myself that I actually do belong here and made the right choice. Plus, CMS.628 introduced me to the ICE Lab (Imagination, Computation, and Expression), where I did the best UROP ever a year later, so theres that. Im a junior now and I still recommend this class to everyone because of the impact it had on me. Sure, my reasons for loving this class are very personal and unique to my situation, but I imagine this class being able to strike a chord of some sort with everyone who takes it. Youll at least learn something cool. What classes have you taken (at MIT or elsewhere) that have changed your mindset or perspectives on life? Let me know in the comments! And tell me some of the classes on that list that look interesting to you :) Post Tagged #there are too many classes to tag honestly

Postmodernism Extraordinarily Ordinary Stories - Literature Essay Samples

Can fiction, when challenged beyond the boundaries of logic, ever develop into reality? Post-modernist thinking is a way of manipulating the beliefs and concepts that shape literature, but even more so the typical methods of storytelling. Instead of structuring ideas around utter fiction, it takes ideas designed around abstract philosophies, actual aspects of life and the universe, then develops them into fictitious accounts, allowing for the reader to broaden thought into something greater than the isolation of mere explicit textual meaning. Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five and Peter Weir’s film The Truman Show revolutionized postmodernism by doing precisely this, uniquely designing erratic structures in which the stories are told, as well as placing a conflict of ideas between the reader or viewer. These works pointedly interrogate what the main protagonist is facing, doing, and thinking; this tactic leads to a conceptualization that reaches far beyond the de pth of a modernist novel and, arguably, beyond the impact of other post-modern pieces. The Truman Show opens a window looking out at an observation on the fascination with the ordinary, and the submission of our modern culture to succumb by many means to the digital age of media attention. The film takes grasp on an image of present-day society and enthralls it with the basic concept of daily life, an occurrence of which one could easily surround themselves with in actuality, but instead utilizes its energy by feeding off of watching others endure reality for them. In the case of the film, the lab rat enduring this phenomenon would be the main protagonist, Truman Burbank. He is a naive man, unknowing of the world around him and unaware to the case of his situation, yet still pursues a quest to discover the greater world (Seahaven Island) around him; Truman constantly embarks on a journey within himself to find answers to life, which reflects a heavy aptitude for postmodernist thought. A crucial moment in which this is visually portrayed in the film is when Truman sets sail away from Seahaven Island and eventually reaches the â€Å"sky†. This moment is representative of the universal curiosity among humanity to discover what normality truly is, and reveals the key flaw in the â€Å"perfection† of Seahaven Island, which is that no matter what, one thing that can not be fully manipulated is the human mind. Thoughts are never preventative, which is exactly what leads to Truman’s eventual escape from his caged life. Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five shares this same sort of conceptualization by placing its main protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, in a constant battle with time, and struggle with attempting to find his belonging among the phases of it so he can also try to discover the meaning of life, or how it’s supposed to genuinely be lived. It proposes a level of escapism, offering vital commentary on humanity as it rests, as well as could potentially develop. There is a pinpointed insight on how perfection is defined by society, which is seen through the incorporation of Billy’s journey through time to Times Square where he goes shopping in a store with novels by Kilgore Trout on display, only to act as a facade to the societal obsession with the unaccepted parts of public society. This signifies how society views Billy as an outlier when he really is the most normal one with a grasp on reality in that store as nearly all the others are delving into woolgatherings; Billy is criticized by one of the workers, and told â€Å"‘That ain’t what you want, for Christ’s sake’† (Vonnegut 260), when holding one of the only few actual novels in the place. Within this statement, is implicit postmodern commentary on modern trends, since society seems to invest itself into other people’s lives such as that of Montana Wildhack’s and does not read for the sake of a good story anymore, but rather for entertainment, a society that is not only doomed by Capitalist media consumption/addiction, but also is paralleled perfectly to that of Truman Burbank’s lifelet alone our own current society, too. Literary theorist Linda Hutcheon described the types of conditions under which both Billy Pilgrim and Truman Burbank, debatably, even our own selves live under, as the quintessence of postmodern culture. She postulates that the crucial elements that are nearly always present in this type of consumerist society are a world dominated by the logic of capitalism, which has no regard for the rights of oppressed laborers or the ravagement of the natural world, a culture dominated by simulacra and spatial representations (ie screens, monitors, ads, etc.) that sever our former sense of history, and a growing sole reliance on technology as a crutch for knowledge which feeds into society’s expanding sense of unease and our separation from the real and natural world. Overall, when connecting this vision of society into what Vonnegut and Weir are both aiming to portray, it is to emphasize that as others invest their escape from normality into an even more unvarying lifestyle by turning to technology, an impalpable world†¦Billy and Truman both share and constantly contemplate a key question that distinguish the purpose of their stories from the others: What rests beyond the tangible life we lead? It is exactly this question that makes the lives of both Truman and Billy so fascinating as a reader or viewer. Humanity as a whole is engulfed with curiosity, which is why the term â€Å"innovation† has become so renowned for the progression of our spans of existence. Whether or not one personally delves into it is the division, since there are only few who decide to take a leap toward finding answersthey may be referred to as crazy or seen as such in our eyes as Billy Pilgrim was by many of those he encountered, but they are who move time forward toward the next great developments of life. They push boundaries that would otherwise never be expanded, which is why the Tralfamadorians are obsessed with Billy, just as society is with Truman’s televised life. Behind Billy’s outward insanity, we are told that his â€Å"listlessness concealed a mind which was fizzing and flashing thrillingly. It was preparing letters and lectures about the flying saucers, the negligi bility of death, and the true nature of time† (Vonnegut 243). These beings actually experience life for what it is, rather than escape from it toward some intangible artificial experience. Truman’s director and â€Å"creator†, Christof, describes the fascination precisely, opening the film by accentuating, â€Å"While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, theres nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isnt always Shakespeare, but its genuine. Its a life† (Weir, The Truman Show). Another concept present in both Weir’s film and Vonnegut’s novel is the postmodern idea shaped in a theory developed by Baudrillard in 1970, when Baudrillard had distinguished himself from the Marxist theory of revolution, and instead postulated the possibility of revolt against the consumer society in an â€Å"unforeseeable but certain† form. In other words, it was that the obsession with a type of utopian society and neo-generational world surrounded by facades of human evolution, would eventually create the downfall of society itself. We see this obsession present in society’s outlook on the â€Å"perfect† life that is portrayed in Truman Burbank’s televised story, and also through Vonnegut’s reaction upon the initial arrival to Dresden, which would eventually be set ablaze killing 130,000 people. â€Å"Somebody behind him [Billy] in the boxcar said, ‘Oz.’ That was I. That was me. The only other city I’d ever se en was Indianapolis, Indiana† (Vonnegut 189). It is Vonnegut’s included reaction that acts as a paradox to what is known to occur in the future fate of Dresden. Although the city was made into a mechanized machine, surrounded with architectural history and endeavour, as well as inhabitants that had nothing to even consider worrying about in regards to the war, it ended up collapsing exactly because of that. The city was set to ruin because it did fit into the category of a picturesque consumer society. In addition to this postulate, however, the experience Billy and the other POWs had in Dresden formed around another popular postmodern philosophy labeled in Baudrillard’s book, The Consumer Society, in which he comments on the process of social homogenization, alienation, and exploitation. He argues that these processes â€Å"constitute a process of reification in commodities, technologies, and things (â€Å"objects†) that come to dominate people (â€Å"s ubjects†) divesting them of their human qualities and capacities† (Baudrillard, The Consumer Society). This philosophized idea proves evident throughout both pieces as we see that humans lose touch with their true selves and lives once The Truman Show becomes a worldwide phenomenon as a sort of reality TV show. And in the case of Vonnegut’s story, it is seen through Billy’s experience on Tralfamadore when the typical zoo display for humans, was composed almost all of consumer items and objectswhich led Billy to cherish his humanity along with Montana much more. Billy Pilgrim and Truman Burbank are very similar as character parallels to one another, since both are very whimsical, and displaced into a life enthralled with achieving discovery of their purposes in it. For Truman it involves attempting to discover his life as something tangible, and not just simply a life getting scripted and filmed for viewers of the actual world to find distasteful pleasure out of; as for Billy, it involves him attempting to discover the purpose of his role in the war when we’re thrust into his period of becoming a POW, as well as his attempt at discovering where he truly belongs in time, as he is constantly jumping between eraseven planets, when he has moments of glimpses through what Kilgore Trout called, â€Å"time-windows†. Both are truly trapped in sole moments, not a tangible life. But this where they develop into outliers and embark on their stories to break away from their isolation, or moments of being stuck. Billy and Truman eventually succeed at this and break away from getting trapped; â€Å"Billy thought hard about the effect the quartet had on him. He did not travel in time to the experience. He remembered it shimmeringly† (Vonnegut 226). A certain depth of this is described in Slaughterhouse-Five, since Vonnegut grants us many portals into introspection through placing his protagonist in this dilemma of time and space. We are left to the genius of observation through not only the eyes of the character, but also through the self-reflection as a reader once we are introduced to the Tralfamadorians and their answer to the concept of time and what it actually is. â€Å"All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I’ve said before, bugs in amber† (Vonnegut 109). There truly is no such thing as free-will, since we are trapped in the progression of time by moments, just as Truman is through his moments getting treated and dissected as scenes of the TV show he is confined in. By the end, we are left to question whether or not time truly even does exist, or is it simply a creation on our behalf to avoid life and fool ourselves into thinking we have free-will, when in reality humanity has anything but. Ultimately, when deciphering both Slaughterhouse-Five and The Truman Show utilizing the theories and ideas surrounding postmodernist ideals, we can see that both tales are composed of fiction, however, it is also ascertained that much of what is philosophized could become, or already be actuality. Both Vonnegut and Weir challenge the odds of what it typical for telling a story, creating something that is not just impactful, but also lasting; one questions the life they lead and live upon concluding both of the pieces. We are all left wondering whether we are just pawns to a greater scheme than life, pondering if what the Tralfamadorians said is the truth of reality: â€Å"There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time† (Vonnegut 112). Works Cited -Felluga, Dino. Modules on Hutcheon: On Postmodernity. Introductory Guide to Critical Theory. July 17, 2012. Purdue U. June 1, 2015. -Kellner, Douglas, Jean Baudrillard, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) -The Truman Show. Dir. Peter Weir. Perf. Jim Carrey. Paramount Pictures, 1998. -Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-five: Or, The Childrens Crusade, a Duty-dance with Death. New York: Delacorte, 1969. Print.