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Literature Review of Genocide in Rwanda(1)

Literature Review of Genocide in Rwanda(1)

Literature Review of Genocide in Rwanda: Leadership, ethics and organizational failure in post-colonial context

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Literature Review of Genocide in Rwanda: Leadership, ethics and organizational failure in post-colonial context

During mid-1994, more than 800,000 Tutsi and a moderate number of Hutus were killed in the Rwandan genocide (Long, Grant, Mills, Gaudet & Warren, 2009, p271). The international community failed to prevent and end the genocide. This happened not because they had no ability to do so, but they lacked better organizational structures and a good process of decision making. Also, the reason why the genocide spread at a faster pace was due to failure of organizations such as the United Nations, which is one of the largest organizations in the world. The Rwandan experiences during the year 1994 are occurrences that are beyond the approach of organizational analysis. Such occurrences are not appropriate to be applied to the current organizational and structural analysis. Surprisingly, the genocide had, not only well organized structures, but also depended on militia, the Rwandan government and the police force. The genocide spread fast because of organizational failure. The aspect of organizational failure is blamed on the United Nations, which was reluctant and also unwilling to end the genocide, despite its troops in the nation which were led by Romeo Dallaire. The case of genocide in Rwanda depicts organizational issues such as leadership, ethics and organizational structure

After the occurrence of the Rwandan genocide, the commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) Romeo Dallaire blamed himself for poor leadership skills. The case study highlights how Dallaire confessed of his poor leadership skills because he did not succeed in convincing the United Nations as well as the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) of the seriousness of the situation in Rwanda. However, from his grief, Romeo blamed the United Nations for its ill manner in tackling the Rwandan genocide. Romeo Dallaire also stated that, even though he had good military training as well as basic humanitarian and political skills, the United Nations rules and regulations were too strict that he could not make use of his militia skills (Long, Grant, Mills, Gaudet & Warren, 2009, p275). In addition, his troops, which he was supposed to command, were commanded by their nations. As such, Dallaire’s hands were tied since his troops sometimes openly refused to adhere to his command, if their nations of origin felt that it was not necessary. According to Romeo’s recommendations, the United Nations organizational structure needs to undergo a renaissance. It is only through a renaissance that the organization would not be restricted to its bureaucrats, secretariat and administration and instead, include the member countries. However, it will be important for the member countries to rethink their roles and also commit to renewing their purpose. Failure to implement such measures, Romeo Dallaire believes that humanity will perish while the United Nations continues to be irrelevant (Weiss, 2013, p23).

After the post-colonial period, other organizations were formed. For example, the Organization of Africa Union (OAU) currently known as the Africa union (AU) also failed in its mission to prevent the genocide. With all the equipments and resources that the organization had in place, it failed miserably. The fact is that some of its key leaders collaborated with the conflicting parties. This was a demonstration of unethical behavior in leadership. There were no common goals in decision making. Also, during this time, other world superpowers such as the USA demonstrated poor leadership skills by advising the United Nations to withdraw from Rwanda since they didn’t have any national interests in the country. The nation ignored its political responsibility and allowed hundreds of Rwandese to perish. By doing so, the United States seemed to have been in support of the Tutsi interests. This was once again unethical.

The United Nations had poor leadership. This made the decision making process almost impossible. Leaders of the organization were not serious with what was happening in Rwanda. The mode of decision making (rational/unitary), which focused on hierarchical authority was so slow that a lot of time was taken during the process (Heffernan, 2014, p18). Also, a lot of people were involved in the decision making process. When Romeo Dallaire was asked to assess the situation in Rwanda and make a report to the United Nations, the report had four options. Although the first two options were the best for the Rwandan situation, the United Nations, after a long time of decision making process concluded that Romeo Dallaire had no option, but to adopt option three. Also, he was reminded that it could take three months or more for the deployment decision to get through. The UN, despite the urgency of the situation in Rwanda, sent 2,500 troops. The slow decision making process can also be blamed for the failure in preventing and ending the Rwandan genocide. Dallaire’s report passed through many hands before it was agreed upon. The report was passed from the DPKO leadership to the UN secretary general, then to the Security Council and then voted out. This shows that there was group decision making (Pettinger, 2010, p12), and this was not important, especially in times of emergency like what was happening in Rwanda. If the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) had not flown to New York to lobby the UN to speed up the process, then the situation in Rwanda could have worsened.

During the decision making process, there are different decisional roles. One of the roles is resource allocation (Barnett, 2014, p9). Resources are very important if any organizational projects are to be implemented. This was not so during the Rwandan genocide situation. Although Dallaire returned to Rwanda with the enthusiasm to monitor the fragile peace, one of the challenges he encountered was the lack of resources. The united nations, together with the supporting nations such as Bangladesh, France and Belgium did not offer enough resources to the troops in Rwanda. Most importantly, after his arrival in Rwanda, the situation was worsened by what happened in Burundi. The United Nations failed to supply more troops. Dallaire was also forced to return his Mercedes and live like any other soldier. Food was also limited, and they were forced to share the little they had. They also lacked serviced vehicles, machinery, equipment and lodgings. This was a frustration among the soldiers. This could have led to their demoralization in ensuring peace in Rwanda.

The government system of Rwanda had poor organizational structures. The government did not ensure equality between the Tutsi and Hutu after independence. The country’s wealth was enjoyed by the Tutsi under the expense of the Hutu. They also had a higher status in the country. Although this ethnic diversity was brought about by the Belgium colony, it should have been abolished after independence (Bellamy Alex & Paul, Williams, 2010, p14). It can be said that poor governance was a reason for the genocide even after the Arusha accords. The government could have had departments which ensured that all Rwandese were attended equally. As such, the Hutu could never have thought of warring against the Tutsi. During the time of the genocide, the conflicting parties were the Tutsi and Hutu. This indicated that the government had poor leadership and was unethical as the leadership was based on tribal grounds. Organizational leadership focuses on equality and respect for all.

Coordination is one of the major aspects of leadership. In order for decisions to be implemented, those involved should have a common goal. The United Nations troops led by Dallaire, despite the challenges they were facing were working well to ensure peace. Dallaire was in charge of both military and political operations until Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh arrived and took charge of the political aspects and also acted as the overall head of the mission (Jacobson, 2012, p8). Booh-Booh and his staff had an absurd work ethic and political approach. There was no coordination between Dallaire, Booh-Booh and the chief administration officer who allocated more resources to the civilians and ignored the staff. This was unethical, and Dallaire’s attempt to have him rejected was overlooked by the United Nations. Also, after there were several killings in the demilitarized zone, Dallaire recommended to Booh-Booh about the search and seize of the weapons that were used. Surprisingly, Booh-Booh refused the request, arguing that it would damage the peace process, and the UN troops would be seen as if taking action only against the government. Also, Booh-Booh frustrated Dallaire’s report to DPKO in which he had requested for phase two troops and logistical support. From this, it can be understood that, although UN officials in Rwanda were sent for the same purpose, they had different ideas, and there was no coordination to achieve a common goal. This led to UN failure to prevent and end the genocide.

It can be concluded that, although Dallaire is blamed for the genocide in Rwanda. The United Nations is the one to blame. It lacked good leadership and decision making process. Its organizational structure was also a failure. The government of Rwanda and its organizational structure is also to blame. For any project to be fully and well implemented, good leadership, organizational structure and good ethics are important.

Bibliography

Barnett, M. 2014. “The United Nations Security Council in Rwanda,” International Decision-Making in the Age of Genocide. Washington, DC: Geroge Washington University.

Bellamy, Alex J. & Paul D. Williams, (eds). 2010. Understanding Peacekeeping, 2nd Ed, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Heffernan, M. 2014. Topic: Decision Making. Melbourne: RMIT University. Www. Rmit.edu.au

Jacobson, T. W. 2012. U.N. Peacekeeping: Few Successes, Many Failures, Inherent Flaws. Washington, DC: International Diplomacy & Public Policy Center, LLC.

Long, B. S., Grant, J., Mills, A. J., Gaudet, E. R. & Warren, A. 2009. Genocide in Rwanda: Leadership, Ethics, and Organizational “Failure” in a Postcolonial Context. Published in Raufflet and Mills (eds.), The Dark Side: Critical Cases in the Downside of Business. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing, pp. 268-289.

Pettinger, R. 2010, Organizational Behavior: Performance management in practice. Routledge, London. Chapter 20.

Weiss, T. G. 2013. What’s Wrong with the United Nations and How to Fix it. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, pp288.

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Literature Review Evaluation Of Simulation

Literature Review Evaluation Of Simulation

Literature Review Evaluation Of Simulation

Question 1

The research sought the identification of whether HPS would be used independently as a predictor of knowledge gains of heart failure in prelicensure nursing students.

The relevant variables in the research question include knowledge gains with HPS

Increase of clinical knowledge with the use of HPS.

HPS as an independent predictor of knowledge gains

The identification of whether HPS or other factors induce knowledge gains objectively could be used by the faculty for the maximization of those variables so as to optimize the learning experience stimulation.

Self-efficacy a factor linked to increased knowledge and consequently increased in HPS.

This is an individual’s degree in confidence when they are preforming a desired skill or action.

The research shows that gains in self-efficacy were found in HPS however there are no links to gains in knowledge

HPS has also not been thoroughly investigated as being a predictor for great gains in clinical understanding.

Question 2

The research seeks to find out whether HPS would be used as an independent predictor of knowledge gains in prelicensure nursing students

The literature review aligns with the research question since it starts by indicating the uncertainty of the impact of HPS on gains in knowledge clearly establishing the existing interest in finding out whether HPS can be used as a predictor of knowledge gains in prelicensure nursing students.

It is also mentioned that knowledge gains with HPS have been demonstrated in both basic and advanced life supporting training but there is still need to find out whether there are any increases in forms of clinical knowledge if HPS is used.

There are also previous researches conducted but none of them is seen to have investigated HPS as an independent predictor

Despite the fact that many institutions use HPS as a method of teaching there is no publication that supports stimulation as an independent predictor

The literature review indicates that identifying whether HPS or other factors induce the gain of knowledge objectively could be useful for facilities to maximize the variables found and hence use the learning experience of stimulation optimally.

It attempts to link gains of self-efficacy and HPS and thus indirectly links HPS to being an independent predictor of knowledge gains.

Question 3

A large proportion of the sources used in the literature review are from primary sources.

In fact it is only one secondary source that has ben used in the literature review al the other sources are primary sources

The secondary source used is Ravet’s literature review

These are works that have been done and published by individual researches that have been used in writing this literature review.

Question 4

This literature review is not complete.

This is because there is no conclusive information given that evidently indicates HPS would be used as an independent predictor of knowledge gains in prelicensure nursing students

There is no direct link between HPS and knowledge gains

The literature review only gives an assumption and does not clearly show any direct link between knowledge gains and HJPS

There is also some form of bias in the literature review

It clearly puts it that there is no sufficient research that has ben done in this topic however HPS is still ben incorporated into curriculums.

This is clearly a form of bias whereby facilities assume that since HPS has been used in other forms of training it can also be used as a predictor of knower gains in prelicensure nursing students.

Question 5

The literature review gives an analysis and synthesis of the sources that have been sited

For instance from the Revert source that has been sited clearly brings out what research has been previously done on the topic.

This gives an insight of what has been achieved so far on the topic and hence gives a platform where further research can begin from.

Reference

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Literature Review 2 Collagen

Literature Review 2 Collagen

Literature Review 2: Collagen

1. Introduction

Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and fish, where it is the most abundant protein in mammals, constituting up to 25-30% of the total protein content of the body. On the other hand, collagen constitutes 1-2% of muscle tissue besides contributing to the tune of 6% of the weight of strong and tendinous muscles. Even the people of early civilization discovered collagen’s multiple utility value, such as waterproofing, adhesive, and decoration.

In the modern era collagen has become an inseparable instrument in both bio

medical and non bio medical industries, with an extended range of usage. For example, it provides structure additive to food besides providing food supplements of collagen; enables the pharmaceutical industry to produce hard and soft capsules, artificial skins, injections of regeneration of cells, provides cosmetic industry for the beautification and elimination of age-related skin wrinkles, acts as a source of glue in its hydroslated form, helps in films in the photographic industry

The main sources of collagen are pig and bovine skins due to their easy

availability, though fish collagen is also making its mark and the researchers are

contemplating with the potential of chicken skin. The major advantages of marine collage sources are that they are free from the risk of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), culturally more acceptable across the world, more suitable to the human skin than its counterparts, and are available in abundance, since fish skin is a major by-product of the fish-processing industry.

2. Background

In the period between 1920-1935 Nageotte (1927a, b, 1928, 1930, 1933),

Nageotte & Guyon (1933), Leplat (1933), and Faure-Fremiet (1933) had studied and

observed the partial dissolution of collagen in dilute solutions of weak acids such as

formic and acetic acid. Renewed interest in this soluble protein was generated in the

period between 1940-1955 with the works of Orekhovich and his colleagues in the

U.S.S.R., who reported the extraction of a soluble collagenous-type protein from the skin of various animals using dilute citrate buffers, which they suggested as a soluble precursor of collagen (Plotnikova, 1947; Tustanovskii, 1947; Orekhovich et al. 1948; Chernikov, 1949; Orekhovich, 1950, 1952). Such findings on soluble collagens were further reviewed by Harkness et al. (1954), who also reported the presence of a small amount of a protein of collagen type which was extracted from skin by dilute phosphate, pH 9-0 (alkali-soluble collagen).

Later Harkness et al. (1954) experimented on the feeding of labeled glycine to

rabbits to arrive at a conclusion that this is a true precursor of collagen, whereas the

metabolic role of the acid-soluble collagen described by Orekhovich is less certain, and it is not necessarily an intermediate in the formation of all insoluble collagens of the skin. Harkness et al. (1954) determined the hydroxyproline and tyrosine content of the alkali-soluble and acid-soluble collagen, and also of the gelatin obtained from the remaining insoluble collagen.

Both soluble collagens contained less tyrosine and more hydroxyproline than the insoluble collagen, and the acid-soluble had a higher hydroxyproline and tyrosine content than the alkali-soluble collagen. Bowes et al. (1953) also observed similar differences

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between the hydroxyproline and tyrosine content of the acid soluble collagen of calf skin and the adult collagen of ox hide and between the acetic acid-soluble and insoluble fractions of tendon collagen.

3. Methods

It requires solvents like salt, dilute acid, alcohol, detergents and H2O2 for

removing non-collagenous proteins, as well as for removing fat and odors. Alongside it requires chemicals (EDTA) for deashing. It is after that the solvents like acetic acid, lactic acid, pepsin enzyme, Bacillus bacteria, and yeast are used to extract collagen under the temperature range of 0-40C. Altogether three steps are involved in the extraction of collagen, such as pre-treatment steps, extraction of acid-soluble collagen, and purification of collagen. Apart from the above, there is also super-critical extraction method where CO2 is used as solvent, which has some advantages like ease of controlling the dissolving power of supercritical fluid (SCF) by controlling temperature and pressure. It is also easy to recover SCF by decompressing pressure, and it is impossible to separate the precipitate from extracts by centrifugation. SCF is a non-toxic solvent and is applicable to extract the thermally decomposed compounds. However, this method is costly and requires expertise to handle the proceedings under high pressure.

3.1. A Typical Process

In a typical extraction process, at least eight steps are taken (Mingyan et al. 2009). For example, in process of squid (Ommastrephes bartrami) collagen extraction, the steps could be like below.

1, Fish skin preparation: After collecting the squid skins they are manually

descaled and are made free from the residual meat, before placing them at -200 C till the time of use. Alongside, all the reagents are checked to ensure that they are of analytical grade.

2. Histological observation: At this stage the squid skins are cut into pieces (0.5 cm x 0.5 cm) and fixed in 4% buffered formalin for 24 hours. After that the specimen is dehydrated in a series of graded ethanol solutions (70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%), clarified in xylene and is finally embedded in paraffin. Eight-mocron sections are then cut perpendicular to the skin surface and the slides with the sections are cleared off paraffin with xylene, rehydrated to water through graded alcohols, now in reverse order (100%, 90%, 80%, and 70%), and then are stained with hematoxylin and eosin and again with the Van Gieson stain (collagen – red color; muscle – yellow color). The stained sections are then observed through light microscopy and using color video camera at an original magnification of 20x the digital images are then collected.

3. Extraction of collagen: Generally it takes 40C to conduct the extraction process (Nagai and Suzuki, 2000), where the skin is extracted with 0.1 mol L-1 NaOH to remove non-collagenous materials and to eliminate the effect of endogenous proteases on collagen (Sato et al., 1987). After that it is rinsed thoroughly with distilled water to neutralize the pH of the wash water. Then the samples are defatted with 10% butyl alcohol at a solid to solvent ratio of 1:10 for 24 hours, after which they are washed with plenty of distilled water. The further minced skins are gently stirred in 0.5 mol L-1 acetic acid solution for 48 hours, and the extract is centrifuged at 10 000×g for 30 minutes. Then the acid-solubilized collagen (ASC) in the supernatant is salted out by adding NaCl

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to a final concentration of 0.9 mol L-1. Then after leaving the solution overnight, the resultant precipitate is collected by centrifugation at 8000×g for 20 minutes, before dissolving the same in 0.5 mol L-1 acetic acid. Then it is dialyzed against 0.1 mol L-1 acetic acid for 24 hours and distilled in water for 48 hours, and then it is lyophilized.

After acid extraction, the insoluble fraction is kept suspended in 10 times of 0.5 mol L-1 acetic acid (by volume) and is digested with porcine pepsin (EC 3. 4. 23. 1; powderized; 750 U mg-1 dry matter) at an enzyme/ substrate ratio of 1:100 for 48 hours at 40C with gentle stirring. The extract is then centrifuged at 10 000×g for 30 min. Then the pepsin-solubilized collagen (PSC) in the supernatant is salted out by adding NaCl to a final concentration of 0.9 mol L-1 and after leaving it the solution overnight, the resultant precipitate is then collected by centrifugation (8000×g for 20 min) was dissolved in 0.5 mol L-1 acetic acid, dialyzed against 0.02 mol L-1 Na2HPO4 for 1 d to inactivate pepsin. The precipitate was collected at low speed centrifugation and the same is then dissolved in 0.5 mol L-1 acetic acid. After that the solution is dialyzed with 0.1 mol L-1 acetic acid and distilled through water, before putting to lyophilize.

4. Amino acid analysis: At this stage, ASC and PSC samples are hydrolyzed under reduced pressure with 6 mol L-1 HCl at 1100C for 24 hours before analyzing the hydrolysates on an amino acid analyzer (e.g. Hitachi 835-50).

5. Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacylamide Gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE): It can be performed by following the method of Laemmli (1970), using the discontinuous Tris-HCl/ glycine buffer system with 7.5% resolving gel and 5% stacking gel. After electrophoresis, the gel is kept stained for 20 minutes with 0.1% Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 dissolved in distilled water, methanol and acetic acid (9:9:2), and then the same is destained using a solution of distilled water, methanol and acetic acid (8:1:1).

6. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR): FTIR spectra is obtained from samples placed on discs containing a mixture of 0.2 mg lyophilized collagen and about 10 mg potassium bromide (KBr) ground under drying conditions. The spectra are recorded using infrared spectrophotometer (e.g., Nicolet 200SXV) from 4000 to 500 cm-1 at a data acquisition rate of 2 cm-1 per point. The resulting spectra are analyzed using the software (e.g. Omnic 6.0).

7. Determination of Denaturation Temperature: The denaturation temperature is measured from changes in viscosity, where Ubbelohde viscometer can be used (Zhang et al. 2007). Usually ten milliliters of 0.03% collagen solution in 0.1 mol L-1 acetic acid with 0.2 mol L-1 sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0) are used for viscosity measurements. Thermal determination curve is obtained by measuring the solution viscosity at seven stepwise-raised temperatures from 16 to 420C, each temperature being maintained for 30 min. Fractional viscosity at a given temperature is calculated by the following equation: Fractional viscosity=(ηsp(T)−ηsp(420C))/(ηsp(160C)−ηsp(420C)), where ηsp is the specific viscosity. These fractional viscosities are plotted against the temperature and the denaturation temperature is determined as the temperature where the fractional viscosity is predicted to be 0.5.

8. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC): DSC is performed on a calorimeter (e.g., Netzsch DSC 200PC) fitted with an air-cooling compressor and a liquid nitrogen cooler at ambient temperature (Cui al., 2007). The temperature is calibrated using indium as standard. Collagen fiber is weighed (3.00 mg) and sealed in aluminum pans (BO

6.239.2−64.502). Triplicate samples are heated from 20 to 1000C at a scanning rate of 2

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K min-1, with an empty sealed pan as a reference. The shrinkage temperature is taken at the peak of the plotted thermal transition curve (Minyang et al. 2009: 191-196)

4. Extraction of Collagen

4.1. Acid Solubilized Collagen (ASC) Extraction

4.1.1. Typical Process of Extraction at Earlier Times

For the preparation of proteins from ox-hide collagen, the middle layer of a hide taken from a 2-year-old bullock immediately after flaying the skin is shaved, cut into pieces about 1 cm.2 and disintegrated in a Wiley mill. However it is necessary to stop the mill at intervals to remove the macerate by hand since it would not go through even the coarsest sieve. The macerated material (1800 g.) is then placed in a cotton bag and extracted, first with 0 l m-Na2HPO4, pH 8-6, and then with 0-12M sodium citrate buffer, pH 3-62. After the last phosphate extraction the macerate is suspended for a short period in two 3-1portions of the citrate buffer in order to remove the phosphate buffer before going on to the citrate extractions proper. Each extraction takes a period of 24 hr., during which the contents of the bag are agitated intermittently. All extractions are carried out between 20 and 4°.

The macerated skin swells considerably during the extractions; as much liquid as possible is to be squeezed out after each extraction, but relatively large amount remains behind. After the last extraction special efforts required to squeeze out liquid, and the relatively high protein content of this extract suggests that some liquid remaining from the earlier extractions is removed from the interstices of the protein. A small amount of the macerate (5 g.) was further extracted with successive 200-ml. portions of the citrate buffer. Samples are taken at various stages, dehydrated with acetone, and total nitrogen and hexosamine determinations are carried out. (Bowes & Kenten, 1948a, b)

The protein in the citrate extracts is precipitated by the addition of sufficient 30% (w/v) sodium chloride solution to bring the final concentration to 5% (w/v). The next morning the lower clear layer of liquid is withdrawn, and the top layer, containing the protein in a gelatinous form, is centrifuged. The precipitate is then washed with a small mount of water and dehydrated with acetone after ascertaining that there is no alteration in the solubility of the extracted protein. Redissolving in citrate buffer and dialysing against tap water then further purifies the precipitated protein.

The citrate-soluble collagen is converted into gelatin by heating a 2% (w/v)

suspension in slightly acidified water to 400 for 5 min. The protein went into solution during the heating and on cooling the solution set to a gel.

4.1.2. Example of Modern Times

In another instance of extraction and characterization of collagen from chicken skin, the skins are first ground and then are heated to 40 or 60°C to extract the fat. After the mechanical separation, the collagen content remaining in the resulting solid phase are extracted with pepsin or ethylene diamine. Type I and type III collagen are then isolated and characterized by SDS PAGE, antigen labeling, determination of tyrosine residues, and transmission electron microscopy. The total collagen content of the skin is recovered from the solid phase following heat treatment at 40°C. Extraction yields vary with the

solubilization process; for example 38.9% of the collagen content in the solid phase could

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be extracted with pepsin and 25.1% with ethylene diamine (Cliche et al. 2003). The collagen obtained is characterized by its electrophoretic migration pattern and is then confirmed by antigen labeling. The presence of telopeptides is determined by measuring tyrosine content. Transmission electron micrographs are also obtained. For example, 1% phosphotungstic acid is applied to the collagen samples as a negative stain, and then they are mounted on Formvar grids before being viewed at 105,000× (Piez, 1984), using an EM 420 transmission electron microscope. The results are then compared to those obtained from analysis of Atelohelogen avian collagen.

4.2. Pepsin Solubilized Collagen (PSC) Extraction

Fujimoto (1968) found that collagen could be solubilized by pepsin treatment as a preliminary to purification from the muscle layer of Ascaris lumbricoides and pig kidney, which prompted other researchers to apply the same technique. For example, Bannister and Burns (1972) applied the same technique to solubilization of avian intramuscular collagen, where they found that tropocollagen from intramuscular sources was more highly cross-linked than the material from skin treated in similar fashion. Although solubilization results from digestion of non-collagenous protein, it is also the result of cleavage of telopeptides containing covalent cross-links, and precise comparison between collagens from different sources is difficult to make.

4.2.1. Solubilization and Purification of Collagen

In an instance of pepsin treatment of avian skin collagen, Bannister and Burns (1972: 677-681) selected the skin of a strain of domestic fowl derived from commercial broilers as their source of material. The birds were all female and belonged to 12-18 week age group. The plucked skins from freshly killed birds were cleaned of adhering fat and muscle before mincing with ice in a hand-operated mincer. Next, the material was defatted by two extractions with chloroform-methanol (2:1, v/v), before thoroughly washing with tap water and distilled water and extracting twice with 0.2M-Na2HPO4 at room temperature. However, all subsequent operations were performed at 0-40C, where the researchers obtained acid-soluble collagen by extracting the defatted minced skin three times (for 2-3 days in each case) with 3% (v/v) acetic acid. The remaining material was then resuspended in 3% (v/v) acetic acid and digested for 2-3 days with approx. 5mg of pepsin/ml.

The collagens solubilized by both procedures were then purified, where the

extracts were clarified by centrifugation for one hour at approx. 33000g and the

supernatant was dialyzed against aq. NaCl so that the final concentration turns 7% (w/v). The precipitated collagen was then collected by centrifugation and was redissolved in 3% (v/v) acetic acid and centrifuged for another hour at approx. 77000g. Entire of the above procedure was then repeated and the protein was precipitated a third time by dialysis against 0.02M-Na2HPO4. After dissolving in, and dialysis against, 3% (v/v) acetic acid the collagen was centrifuged for 1.5 hrs. at 109000g. The supernatant containing the purified protein was then freeze-dried and stored in a desiccator.

4.2.2. Pepsin Treatment of Soluble Collagens

The researchers adjusted the portions of acid-soluble and pepsin-solubilized

collagens to 1.Omg/mI in 3% (v/v) acetic acid and treated with crystalline pepsin (concn.

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0.1 mg/ml) for a period between 3 and 14 days at 4°C. After digestion, pepsin was

removed by one salt precipitation and one Na2HPO4 precipitation. Thus four types of collagen were available for study, such as acidsoluble (A), acid-soluble pepsin-digested

(Ap), pepsin-solubilized (P), and pepsin-solubilized pepsindigested (Pp) collagen, out of which collagen Pp was mostly treated for 14 days.

4.2.3. Hexosamine and Aldehyde Contents of Collagen Preparations

The amount of hexosamine present is considered to be a measure of

contamination of collagen preparations by the mucopolysaccharide constituents of

connective tissue. Therefore the researchers took measurements by the Elson-Morgan

procedure as described by Davidson (1966), with glucosamine as standard. The aldehyde content was assayed by the method of Paz et al. (1965), with acetaldehyde as standard.

4.2.4. Determination of Subunit Composition

The percentage of α-, β-, and γ-chains in denatured collagen solutions was determined by polyacrylamidegel electrophoresis and densitometry.

4.2.5. Rate of Fibril Formation

Since the rate at which native-type fibrils can be formed from collagen solutions may be used as a measure of the aggregation properties of the tropocollagen molecule, the researchers dissolved collagen dissolved in 3% (v/v) acetic acid at 0°C and carefully raised the pH to 7.2 by adding 2M- and 0.01 MnaOH using a Pye model 291 pH-meter. When the required pH was achieved, they adjusted the volume with water to give a collagen concentration of 0.1 %. Fibrillogenesis was monitored continuously at 400nm in a spectrophotometer (e.g. Unicam SP.800). The process was initiated by transferring solution from an ice bath to a cuvette maintained at 38°C.

4.2.6. Effects of Pepsin Treatment on Hexosamine Andaldehyde Content

Hexosamine: Contamination by hexosamine was low and similar in all

preparations, which meant pepsin treatment is probably without effect in the further purification of already highly purified collagen.

Aldehyde: Here the findings appeared somewhat different from those of

Deshmukh & Nimni (1971), where chick skin acid-soluble collagen contained about one-third as much aldehyde as did neutral-salt-soluble collagen from rat skin. However, that was not surprising in view of the biologically older nature of acid-soluble collagen and the differing methods employed in purification. Pepsin-solubilized collagen contained about one-half as much as the acid-soluble material, which the researchers presumed as a reflection of greater biological maturity and also some loss of telopeptides due to action of the enzyme. When they treated with pepsin, both preparations (Ap and Pp) sustained further decreases in aldehyde content, in conformity with the location of this group in the telopeptide region.

4.2.7. Pepsin Treatment

The subunit composition was expressed as the percentage of α-chains

(monomers), β-chains (dimers) and γ-chains (trimers), although this last group probably contained higher-molecular-weight subunits as well. The compositions of collagens A

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and P showed that, although there is no great difference in the content of α-chains,

collagen P is very much richer (about four times) in γ- chains. Sampling at 24h intervals and examining the ureadenatured material by gel electrophoresis enabled the study of the pepsin-digestion of these two collagens. In this experiment the researchers did not remove pepsin by repurification because it did not interfere with separation of the subunit classes. The results of treatment over a 4-day period showed that Collagen A was almost completely converted into α-chains with little β- and no detectable γ-chains remaining. In contrast, collagen P gave rise to fewer α-subunits than did collagen A, and significant quantities of β- and γ-chains survived pepsin treatment. This observation suggested that there are covalent cross-links present in collagen P that resist pepsin attack, and confirms a similar conclusion reached by Steven (1966) with bovine and human collagens.

4.2.8. Rate of Fibril Formation

Researchers of 1950s and 1960s (Gross and Kirk,1958; Bensusan, 1960;

Bensusan and Scanu, 1960) studied the effects of a variety of substances on the rate at which solutions of collagen can form rigid gels containing native-type fibrils. Subsequently, other researchers (Rubin et al., 1963; Connel & Wood, 1964) also investigated the results of limited proteolysis on the rate of fibril formation. This prompted Bannister and Burns (1972) to use a similar turbidimetric technique to test whether further pepsin treatment of collagens A and P results in a decrease of fibril-forming capacity. Resultantly they found that collagen A was markedly inhibited whereas pepsin treatment of collagen P was virtually without effect. The finding with collagen A was much as expected, but the failure to produce significant retardation of fibrillogenesis with collagen P was not expected, which in turn suggested that sufficient quantity of a ‘nucleus-forming’ collagen remained despite removal of a large percentage of the covalent cross-links by pepsin. In spite of the absence of a direct evidence, the researchers found it tempting to suggest that this is related to the previously demonstrated pepsin-resistant collagen.

5. Isolation and Characterization

5.1. Western Blot

Western Blot method is used to detect functional proteins after the cell produces them. Both procollagen and collagen can be detected using this method. Proteins in the mixture are separated using electrophoresis based on their electrical charge, which corresponds to the molecules weight or size, and then transferred to a membrane to which the proteins become affixed. Antibodies that are specific to react or bind with the protein of interest are applied to the membrane and these complexes are then detected by chemilumenescence and film development (Cao et al. 1997; Ikenou et al. 2003; Lim et al. 2002).

In an instance of Western Blot analysis (antigen labeling) Cliche et al. (2003: 504) adopted the method suggested by Timmons and Dunbar (1990), where the collagen was transferred (10 V for 50 in) with the Trans-Blot Semi-Dry Transfer Cell to an Immun-Blot polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane (0.2 μm). They used rabbit anti-chicken collagen type I as primary antibody, and alkaline phosphatase rabbit IgG as the secondary antibody. The primary and secondary antibodies were diluted in the blocking solution (3% BSA) at 1:3,000. Alongside, they developed the color associated

7

with antigen labeling by using alkaline phosphatase provided with the kit.

5.2. SDS-PAGE

Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamine gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is one of the methods to determinate the forms of collagen (alpha chain, beta chain); SDS-PAGE to determine peptide mapping. Determination of hydroxyproline content is required besides the determination of denaturation temperature, viscosity of collagen solution, effect pH and NaCl on collagen solubility, FT-IR and SEM to determine structure of collagen. In an instance of extracting collagen from chicken skin (Cliche et al. 2003: 504) the SDS PAGE was performed using the procedure of Laemmli (1970) with a Mini-Protean II electrophoresis unit, where the stacking gels contained 3% polyacrylamide, and the separation gels contained 6.5% polyacrylamide. Ten micrograms of collagen deposited in the wells, and the migration was induced at 80 V for 5 min, until the collagen subunits had passed through the stacking gel, and then at 150 V for 55 min, or until the migration reached the end of the resolving gel. The researchers stained the gels with Coomassie blue R-2507 for 30 min and destained with a solution of 10% glacial acetic acid, 40% methanol, and 50% water.

In another instance of SDS-PAGE Mingyan et al. (2009) examined collagen from squid skins by using a 7.5% resolving gel, where both ASC and PSC had the similar electrophoretic pattern of typical type I collagen, consisting of α chains with two distinct types like α1 and α2, varying in their mobility. The electrophoretic positions of α chains of squid skin collagen were different from those of the walleye polylock (Yan et al. 2008), grass carp, bovine (Zhang et al. 2007), and porcine, (115 kDa for α1 chain and 66 kDa for α2 chain) which suggested the distinctiveness of the squid skin collagen at its primary structure. Alongside, the inter and intra molecular crosslinked components such as β (dimers) and γ (trimers) were also found in squid collagen, which resembled with bigeye snaper (Kittiphattanabawon et al. 2005) and ocellate puffer fish skin (Nagai et al. 2002). The electrophoretic results eventually underpinned type I collagen as the major collagen in squid skin.

6. Other Important Factors

6.1. Tyrosine Measurement

Tyrosine content requires to be measured in collagen samples, usually hydrolyzed at 1050C in 6 N hydrochloric acid for 24 hours under a nitrogen atmosphere. Amino acids are quantified by liquid phase ion-exchange chromatography using an analyzer (e.g. Biochrom 20) (Cliche et al. 2003: 504).

6.2. Hydroxyproline Determination.

A colorimetric assay is used to determine the hydroxyproline content following hydrolysis of collagen at 1050C in 7 N sulfuric acid for 16 hours. Colorimetric reaction is done with chloramine-T and 4-dimethylbenzaldehyde using the Kolar (1990) method. Hydroxyproline content is converted to total collagen using a factor of 7.57 (Bonifer and Froning, 1996).

7. Problems with Extraction and Identification

A major difficulty in the identification of intact tissue antigens is the need to preserve antigenicity, i.e., the conformational integrity of the epitopes and to achieve adequate ultrastructural preservation. The methods like aqueous fixation, dehydration,

8

and resin embedding for electron microscopy give rise to considerable changes in tissue structure, including extraction, precipitation, and collapse of labile molecular constituents (Hunziker, 1993). Furthermore, conventional chemical fixation in aldehyde solutions can lead to complete loss of antigenicity owing to the formation of intermolecular cross-links. Collagen epitopes appear to be particularly sensitive to aldehyde fixation. To overcome the problems associated with structural artifacts induced by conventional aqueous

fixation and dehydration procedures, alterative methods of tissue preparation adopt

employing low temperature. These methods have been applied to cartilage, with

considerable improvements in the ultrastructural preservation of chondrocytes and matrix (Hunziker, 1993; Keene and McDonald, 1993; Hunziker and Schenk, 1984; Hunziker et al., 1984; Akisaka and Shigenaga, 1983) and superior immunolocalization of matrix proteoglycan epitopes (Hunziker and Herrmann, 1987). Till 1995, it was not possible to successfully localize specific collagens by those methods, which prompted the researchers to assume that a particular stage in the cryotechnical process may give rise to conformational changes in collagen epitopes (Hunziker, 1993).

8. Conclusion

The review depicts a promising evolution of the extraction process, where several researchers have enriched the methods, besides providing valuable insights regarding the nature of collagens in different sources, where a growing trend of exploiting nonbovine sources of collagen such as fish or chicken-skin is observed. Such trend is justified since the usage of collagen has been ramified over the years and the disease and cultural factors associated with bovine or porcine collagen have become points of concern in

commercially exploiting them.

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References

Akisaka, T., & Shigenaga, Y. (1983). Ultrastructure of growing epiphyseal cartilage

processed by rapid freezing and freeze-substitution. J Electron Microsc, 32, 305.

Bannister, D. W., & Burns, A. B. (1972). Pepsin treatment of avian skin collagen. effects on solubility, subunit composition and aggregation properties. Biochem J, 129, 677-681.

Bensusan, H. B., & Scanu, A. (1960). J Amer Chem Soc, 82, 4490.

Bensusan, H. B. (1960). J Amer Chem Soc, 82: 4495.

Bornstein, P., Martin, G. R., & Piez, K. A. (1964). Science, 144, 1220.

Bowes, J. H., Elliott, R. G., & Moss, J. A. (1953). In The Nature and Structure of Collagen. London: Butterworth.

Bowes, J. H., & Kenten, R. H. (1948a). Biochem J, 43, 358. Bowes, J. H., & Kenten, R. H. (1948b). Biochem J, 43, 365.

Bowes, J. H., Elliott, R. G., & Moss, J. A. (1955). The Composition of Collagen and Acid-Soluble Collagen of Bovine Skin. Bioch, 61, 143-150.

Bonifer, L. J., & Froning, G. W. (1996). Chicken skin composition as affected by aqueous washings. J Food Sci, 61, 895-898.

Cao, M., Westerhausen-Larson, A., Niyibizi, C., Kavalkovich, K., Georgescu, H. I.,

Rizzo, C. F., Hebda, P. A., Stefanovic-Racic, M., & Evans, C. H. (1997). Nitric oxide inhibits the synthesis of type-II collagen without altering Col2A1 mRNA abundance: prolyl hydroxylase as a possible target. Biochem J, 324 (Pt 1), 305-

10.

Chernikov, M. P. (1949). C R Acaad Sci URSS, 67, 345.

Cliché, S., Amiot, J., Avezard, C., & Gariepy, C. (2003). Extraction and Characterization of Collagen with or Without Telopeptides from Chicken Skin. Poultry Science, 82, 503-509.

Connel, A., & Wood, G. C. (1964). In S. F. Jackson, R. D. Harkness, S. M. Partridge &

G. R. Tristram (eds.), Structure and Function of Connective and Skeletal Tissue Butterworths. London.

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Types of decision science techniques

Types of decision science techniques

Literature review

Name

Institution

Introduction

Operation is the section of an organization, that is deals with the changing of a wide number of inputs to the needed services so as to have the acceptable level of quality. Management is referenced as the method,that transforms and combines several resources that managers use in the functions of subsystems and departments of the organization into value uplifted services.This takes place through a controlled means according to the governing policies of specific organization.The group of management duties is regarded as management operations (Garg, 2012).To ensure success in operations management,entreprenuers make strategic decisons depending on matters arising at various stages and lines of production.For instance,managers must make particular decisions about quality control which is a subset of operations management.

Research discussion

Quality control refers to the protocol through which professionals review the quality and entities of factors that encompass production (Gupta & Starr,2014). The approach place an emphasy on the major aspects: Elements like job management, controls,integrity, identification and performance records are stated. Quality control tend to meet quality demand since it encompasses activities and techniques which are undertaken to verify diverse requirements for trial associated activities. The merits of well managed and established strategic decisons in quality control aid integral and writting of standard operating criteria.If businesses have to realize any success, quality control is a preliquisite portion in strategic planning which should not be ignored. It is a passport to excelling because it helps companies to achieve quality procedures, systems and processes.With a well strategized quality control, customer loyalty is maintained and time wasting is avoided because reworking does not occur.

Statement of problem

Quality control documents shall define quality objectives on top of ensuring objectives are implemented and understood by staffs within every busines set up.On the other hand,it will ensure that appropriate methods are implemented with aim of satisfying customer expectations, needs and business objectives. Also, the authority,responsibility,and inter association of main personnel who manage the value contol systems shall be defined through research on quality control. The research shall decide on work for continued quality improvement.Finally,findings shall provide enough resources for regulating the integrity of quality systems.

Types of decision science techniques

There are several types of decision science techniques such as planning,organizing and controlling.

Planning

Planning activity shall establish the course of guide and action for coming decision-making.Reason being, operations leaders shall define the aims of operations systems and the procedures and policies for scoring the objective shall be established. This stage will clarify the focus of management operations and overall strategy.

Organizing

Organization activities shall be studied to establish authority and tasks. The path through which message flows within the subsystem will be determined and the authority will assign responsibility to various individuals.

Controlling

Control work will be used to decide since it assures the usual performance takes place in accordance to the programmed.

Usefulness of operations management

Operations management shall ensure right quality of control is established according to the clients need. Also,correct quantity shall be used in production of various products since research shall define right number.Right timing is promoted since delivery of important parameters which judge the reliability and effectiveness of operating departments are stated (Murthy, 2010).

Personal evaluation

Research organizations should be sponsored to establish, monitor and manage the existing quality control systems (Murthy, 2010).This is due to the fact that some of their standard operating provide high level quality services yet they do not satisfy expectations and needs of customers.Meaning that something need to be done so as to have correctly valued products.

Conclusion

To sum with,quality control constitutes the main part of operations management and should not be assumed since it fulfil quality requirements in businesses.Hence,research must be done to commensurate business objectives (Aswathappa & Bhat,2010).Managers must strategise on quality control to aid the adequacy, effectiveness, efficiency and reliability of quality controlling systems.

References

Aswathappa, K., & Bhat, S. (2010). Production and operations management. Mumbai [India: Himalaya Pub. House.

Murthy, C. S. V. (2010). Production and operations management. Mumbai [India: Himalaya Pub. House.

Gupta, S., & Starr, M. K. (2014). Production and operations management systems.

Garg, A. K. (2012). Production and operations management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Ltd.

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Literature Critical Analysis

Literature Critical Analysis

Literature Critical Analysis

The fact that you want to write about or expound a particular topic into details, you have to understand the necessary things and move a further step of getting the exact definition of the specific subject matter. The case is the same when it comes to writing literature work and assertively with critical analysis. The initial step that the student have to take before starting the essay is understanding the meaning of critical analysis. The first impression the professor get when going through your work is significant, and it dramatically determines the final score as the tutor will be able to tell whether you know what you are writing about or not. The first part of the work commonly termed as the introduction is very significant as well as the body and the conclusion bit. https://essaytanks.com/ is a reliable site which you should visit if straining in writing a various piece of academic work especially literature critical analysis which is our subject of discussion. In this site, you will have access of a wide variety of tutorials regarding multiple disciplines as well as get connected to qualified tutors who are oriented in offering support to students regarding helping them in areas they might be stuck in their school work. The components and procedure of writing a critical analysis are expounded to a more considerable extent below.

Meaning of critical analysis

Critical analysis can be referred to as a personal kind of writing that portrays the writer’s point of view through breaking down and studying parts of the particular work. The case is distinctive when it comes to literature work where one is supposed to write the read correctly and write a critical analysis of various genres such as short stories and movies among much other artwork. The main aim of writing a critical analysis is evaluating the authors work to boost reader’s proper understanding. Visit https://essaytanks.com/ site for more information.

Writing a literature critical analysis

The process of writing a compelling critical analysis involves the following two vital steps which are critical reading and critical writing. Let us begin by looking at the significant components of essential reading which include:

Pinpoint the writer’s thesis and the anticipated drive.

Scrutinize the arrangement of the passage by ascertaining all the original concepts.

Take the initiative of referring to a dictionary or encyclopedia to attain a clear understanding of content that is unfamiliar to you.

Simply write a framework of the work or write a precise description of it.

An outline is followed by composing a summary of the author’s work.

The purpose of having to be determined in this phase which could have an aim of

Informing with realistic material

Persuading with a plea to reason and emotions

Keep the audience amused through affecting their feelings.

The last bit involves evaluating the means the author applies to accomplish the aim of writing. Is it informing, persuading or entertaining? How have he or she presented the material, the evidence given as well as the emotions depicted in work?

Also, one has to consider the organization of the material, the likely audience, and the author’s assumptions regarding the audience as well as the language and imagery used in work. Remember to use first personal pronouns when giving your views, for example, “I think.” Introduce your work and keep aside the assumption that the professor is aware of what you are doing. Also, write about the current subject matter and support your thesis with the thesis as this is expected of you by the tutor. All this will earn you extra marks in your paper. For more information and further intervention visit https://essaytanks.com/ site with reliable resources and committed tutors.

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Literature Analysis of Characters

Literature Analysis of Characters

Literature Analysis of Characters

Name

Institution

Introduction

The story Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell features Martha and Mrs. Peter as the main characters in the short story. As the author narrates the story, there are key themes and traits which emerge that contribute to the development of the story and the protagonist such as the marriage conflicts, friendship, secrecy, scandals, and male-chauvinism and aggression. In brief, the authors of Two Kinds and Jury of Her Peers aim to show how the main characters have unresolved issues they did not know about their live until they engage in confrontations.

Character Analysis in Jury of Her Peers and Two Kinds

As the author narrates the story, these key features will advance the plot and help the reader to learn more about the protagonists. When the story begins, we learn that Martha is happily staying in the comfort of her home. She appears to be loving and supportive to her husband until he requests her to assist him to gather personal belongings of Minnie Wright, who had been jailed because she was suspected that she had murdered her husband. Major developments take place when George Henderson, the county attorney, Sheriff Peters and the two women visit the isolated farm house to gather evidence that would incriminate Minnie. However, they do not find any evidence because Martha and Mrs. Peter cover for Minnie hiding the dead carnage. Initially, we understand that Martha and Mr. Peter kept stayed distant for years because Minnie was aggressive. Martha laments that, “she still thought of her as Minnie Foster, though for twenty years she had been Mrs. Wright”. The discussion of Minnie and her husband used to fight as couples becomes the turning point of the two women because of their marriage conflicts. They realize that they are treated just as housewives by their husbands and men had been male chauvinists. They remember that even though Minnie was aggressive, they had been good friends since childhood and this makes them to hide the evidence in favor of Minnie. Mrs. Peter “…threw back the quilt pieces, got the box, tried to put it in her handbag” (Glaspell, 2012).

In the second story of Two Kinds by Amy Tan, the main characters are June and Suyuan. The centre of the plot of the story is the power struggle between a mother and her daughter. Throughout the story, June maintains a relentless and defiant character while her mother maintains a patronizing attitude. The conflict between what the mother wants June to be in future and what June wants for herself as her career develops the story till the end. For example, Suyuan tries to coach June to become a Chinese Shirley Temple but she decline and want to become a pianist. We learn that the conflict is used by the two characters to hide their pains at first; it makes them having emotional outbursts which makes them to achieve contentment. June comments, “Pleading Child” was shorter but slower;”Perfectly Contented” (Bloom, 2009).

Some flat characters in the two stories have helped to develop the plot. In Jury of Her Peers, minor characters such as Harry (Mrs. Hales eldest son) and John Wright (the murdered man) help to develop the characters of the main characters. For John Wright, although he is not physically, present his death and the investigations make the main characters to redefine their attitudes towards men. Harry acts as an intersection into the interrogation where his mention of the telephone paves way for Mrs. Hales to describe the event on the day john write was murdered. Although Harries does not tell the story, he introduces Mrs. Hales to give an account of the events that acknowledge Martha and Mrs. Peter that the county attorney would be looking for incriminating evidence since it was hard to pin down a woman without hard evidence. We can learn that Harry is a hard working man and was not around when John Wright was murdered. As a result, this paves way for Mrs. Hales to narrate the event. John Wright was a quarrelsome to her wife; as a result, they result fight that leads to him being murdered by his wife and the subsequent investigations that attracts the two main characters-Martha and Mrs. Peter (Glaspell, 2012).

In Two Kinds, Auntie Lindo and Uncle Tin are examples of flat characters. They were both skeptic that June would thrive in playing piano. They maintained a skeptic look while June poorly played the piano that after finishing her performance, they did no applaud her. The discouragement from the Auntie Lindo and Uncle Tin led to the final blow of the conflict between June and her mother; eventually resolving their conflicts (Bloom, 2009).

Conclusion

The two narratives are very illustrative of the characters who do not know that they have unresolved issues that have never been disclosed for long time. However, they engage in confrontations that make them to discover their true identities and to resolve their differences.

References

Bloom, H. (2009). Amy Tan, New Edition. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing

Glaspell, Susan. (2012). Jury of Her Peers. Annenberg Learner. Retrieved from:

http://www.learner.org/interactives/literature/story/fulltext.html

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Summary – Black Men and Public Spaces

Summary – Black Men and Public Spaces

Literature

Students Name

Institution of Affiliation

Course Title

Date

Summary – Black Men and Public Spaces

The author, Brent Staples has been mistaken for a criminal many times due to his identity as an African-American. During his first to be identified as being a criminal is when he scared a young white woman as he turned a corner at night and the woman ran off being convinced that Staples was ‘a mugger, a rapist, or worse.’ The author shares his experiences of individuals locking their car doors when he happened to be walking nearby. Staples says that he can’t blame them as the ‘Young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence’ (Staples 384) In this article, Staples discuss his childhood in Chester, Pennsylvania where there is ‘gang warfare, street knifings, and murders’ that most of his friends and family have either gone to prison or got killed over. To extend the matter further, Staples provides two extreme situations in which he was mistaken for a thief and also tells about the narrative of a journalist who was mistaken for a murderer he was reporting on. Brent makes it clear that the occurrences are common and continuous. And therefore, he was made to make adjustments to accommodate for the terrified white people in public places such as he had to whistle classical music at night. Staples wants to make a note from the article that the whites have some common misconceptions about African Americans of assuming that they are all criminals even despite Staples illustrating himself as a good person.

Individual Identity

Individual identity is one of the major themes that can be identified from the articles listed. Personal identity refers to what distinguishes a person from the rest of the individuals and thereby making them unique in their selves. Obtaining information from a single source may be dangerous as they may contain the wrong information about a person or a whole group and therefore lead to individuals being stereotypical. Although a person may be confined to a particular group of individuals who are attributed to having the undesired behavior, each person is different, and they need to be treated differently before making conclusions.

From the article, ‘The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a girl named Maria’ by the author Judith Ortiz Cofer is one of those articles that stipulate the aspect of individual identity as observed from the characters. In the article, Judith expresses her views of the stereotypes to which she along with the other women from the Latin and Hispanic descent were related to and had to fight against them for many years. The story begins with the relation of her experience when a drunk pub patron began to sing ‘Maria’ from the ‘Westside Story’ to her while she was traveling from Oxford to London (Cofer). Being a Latin American woman, Cofer shares her opinion concerning the stereotypes to which have occurred throughout her life. She reflects on her childhood and recognizes the difference in the manner individuals interact with her and the other non-Latino females. Cofer relates her cultural experiences to being an island especially when they are asked to dress for a career day at school where she is faced with a challenge of deciding the appropriate wear for the occasion. During this event, Cofer expresses how the clothing could promote the cultural chasm to which she has been faced together with the rest of the Latino women. Cofer is completely out of choices as she has only a few role models who are not Latino females and therefore she would have to wear what the Latino girls used to stand out for wearing. From this article, Cofer is faced with an individual problem that arises from the mode of wear to which her culture has subjected them to and besides, she has run out of choices as she has few models who are non-Latinos. Being an individual, she is opposed of how she and other Latino women are treated regarding the rest of the non-Latino women and therefore an aspect of individual identity can be identified.

From the article ‘Blackmen and Space’ by Brent Staples, it is undeniable that individual identity is portrayed. The article is based on the stereotypes of the black men and how the white people feared them. In the introduction of the article, we find Staples complaining about how he has continuously been mistaken for a thug. Staples being an African American was treated in the same way as the rest of the African Americans as they were associated with bad behaviors such as rape, robbery and any other worse kind of things. The issue of being a robber is personal and not every individual can be related to being one just because they come from the same background. Staples depicts himself as being a good man and that he had never committed any crime, but whenever he went, he was faced with the same problems of rejection. Brent Staples points out in some instances when he was passing by, and a young woman thought that he was a rapist forcing herself to run away. The perceptions from the whites that every African American is a bad person and is associated with bad things are termed to be untrue by Staples as he terms himself to be a good guy with no bad intentions. For him to show that he is a good person, he was forced to whistle classical tunes to identify himself from the bad people. It is evident that the aspect of trying to prove of him being a better person is an aspect of individual identity.

‘The Danger of a Single Story’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is another article that relates to individual identity as the story is based on stereotypes regarding the people of African and the nature of their survival (Adichie). For example, the author narrates how she first moved into her dorm and met her roommate and told her that she is from Africa. The roommate automatically assumed that she didn’t speak English or grew up in poverty because that is how her roommate perceive Africa as she had read books or seen on the TV. The perception by her roommate that Africans can’t speak English but only communicate with their native language is stereotypical as a majority of the people who tend to think about this have never been into Africa and depends on what other sources provide to them feeding them with lies. Apart from speaking in English, the African continent is full of resources, and most of the countries are rich. Besides, most of the individuals from the African continent are rich and therefore not all the people are poor. Therefore, the concept of the author’s roommate generalizing the Africans on false ideas can be termed as stereotypical and individualistic as the author communicated in English implying that such thoughts are not true and are individualistic.

Individualistic concepts have significantly been used in the articles above to depict how people tend to believe in mere ideas to which are not an accurate reflection on every individual. The issue of being stereotypical comes as a result of hate of a single person due to something that people may not have gone into consensus and therefore generalizing all the people from that ethnic background. For example, in all the three articles, we find the specific individuals; Cofer, Staples, and Chimamanda being subjects of individual identity. Each one of them tries to pull out of the generalization behavior implying that every person is unique and deserves to be treated differently from the others and not subjecting them to the same treatment. The reason is that all the stereotypical ideas are as a result of singled information about a group of people which may not be accurate as there are other different individuals from what people perceive.

Work Cited

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The danger of a single story.” (2009).

Cofer, Judith Ortiz. The myth of the Latin woman: I just met a girl named Maria. na, 2001.

Staples, Brent. “Black men and public space.” Life studies (1992): 2-32.

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JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB DESCRIPTION

Literature

Students Name

Institution of Affiliation

Course Title

Date

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Job title:

Position of an accountant

Exemption status:

All individuals without a relevant degree in financing and accounting field

The applicants must be between the ages 24 to 35 years

Overall purpose

Analyze financial information and prepare financial reports to determine or maintain record of assets, liabilities, profit and loss, tax liability, or other financial activities within an organization.

Essential functions

Examine financial records or processes.

Maintain data in information systems or databases.

Analyze business or financial data.

Examine financial records.

Prepare financial documents.

Analyze budgetary or accounting data.

Analyze financial information.

Conduct financial or regulatory audits.

Calculate tax information.

Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets.

Supervisory responsibility

Work under general supervision.

A certain degree of creativity and latitude is required.

Typically reports to a supervisor or manager.

Education requirements

Require a bachelor’s degree in area of specialty

Experience requirements

Require a 2-4 years of experience in the field or in a related area.

Familiar with standard concepts, practices and procedures within a particular field.

Rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals and perform a variety of tasks.

Work related knowledge required

Economics and Accounting 

Mathematics 

Clerical 

English Language 

Law and Government 

Typical mental demands

The applicant must be of sound mind

Typical physical demands

The applicant must be available physically at the place of work in accordance to the firm’s policies

Working conditions

The applicant should be available all the time during the weekdays from 8am to 5pm and on Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

Skills

Accounting

Corporate Finance

Reporting Skills

Attention to Detail

Reporting Research Results

Confidentiality

Time Management

Data Entry Management

Basic Math

Accuracy

Scheduling and Monitoring

Communication Skills

Problem Analysis and Problem-Solving Skills

Teamwork

Tools and equipment

Desktop calculator 

Desktop computers

Laser fax machine 

Personal computers

Photocopiers 

Scanners

Personal protective equipment

Light glasses may be necessary if you have light problems

Disclaimer

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed are a representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

I have read the above position description and fully understand the requirements set forth therein. I can perform the essential functions of the position with or without accommodation. I will perform all duties and responsibilities to the best of my ability.

Signature.

……………..

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Literary Analysis “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Literary Analysis “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Literary Analysis: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Name

Institution

Course Name and Number

Instructor

Date

Literary Analysis: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Summary

The poem “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare is his 18th sonnet and is considered the most famous of all Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Its 18th sonnet’s prominence is attributed to its opening line, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” which has been heartily mastered by every true romantic (Shakespeare & Wallis, 1975). Therefore, sonnet 18 is basically a love poem even though its object of affection is not apparent as it may appear. Shakespeare opens his poem with a prompt addressed to the much-loved: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” The ensuing eleven lines are dedicated to such a comparison. For instance, in line two, the poet lays down what primarily differentiates the young man from the day of summer, which is evident from his assertion …” more lovely and more temperate.” Furthermore, the poet claims that the days of the summer approaches the extreme which is apparent from his claim that the “rough winds” shakes the summer’s days, and in them, the sun which is over and over again referred to as “the eye of heaven” illuminates too dim or too hot (Ruslida et al., 2019). The notion that summer is fleeting is attributed to the fact that its date is quite short, resulting in the withering of autumn, evident from the poem’s line “every fair from fair sometime declines.” Towards the final line of the poem, the poet attempts to demonstrate the variation between the beloved and the summer which is associated with everlasting beauty, that is, “Thy eternal summer shall not fade…” that shall remain alive eternally. In the line, the poet strives to elucidate the manner in which the beloved’s beauty will attain this achievement rather than perish since it is preserved by the poet, lasting forever (Shakespeare, 2016). Specifically, the poem’s line“…as long as men can breathe or eyes can see” shows that the beloved beauty will live, defying even death.

Analysis

William Shakespeare first published his sonnets in 1609, which is seven years prior to the death of Bard, and the sonnet’s extraordinary quality has kept it famous ever since (Shakespeare, 2016). The depth and domain of Shakespeare’s sonnets have created a wide gap between him and other sonneteers. Specifically, Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 provides more emphasis on the loveliness of a lover or friend, which he starts with a rhetorical query regarding comparing their subject to the day of summer. Therefore, from the different lines of sonnet 18, it is clear that Shakespeare was dedicated to praising a friend or lover, traditionally regarded as the “fair youth” (Ruslida et al., 2019). From the sonnet, there is the assurance that the beauty of this individual will be sustained. The fact that the poem’s lines will be read by future generations, even in the absence of the poet and lover portrays the silencing of death. This implies that the fair image of the poet/speaker and lover is kept alive via the power of verse (Shakespeare, 2016). This is better understood by analyzing Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 line by line. Therefore, this paper provides an in-depth literary analysis of Shakespeare’s sonnet 18, focusing on individual lines and the poetic devices that include the use of form, imagery, and figurative language employed in the poem to ensure the poem’s permanence (Shakespeare & Wallis, 1975).

Line 1

This line serves as the poem’s opening line which appears as a tease that reflects on the uncertainty of the poet as he tries to establish a comparison between his lover and a summer’s day. The first line of the poem poses a rhetorical question for both the audience and the speaker, and even the musical stance of the first line is exposed to more speculations (Shakespeare, 2016). For instance, the inherent comparison is clearly not a forthright one as there is the question of whether it is a complete iambic pentameter.

Line 2

The second line then surpasses the image portrayed in line one which represents the perfect English summer’s day, revealing that the poem’s lover/subject is lovelier and more self-restrained (Shakespeare, 2016). Lovely is frequently utilized in England with a similar meaning currently at is did when the poet wrote the poem which includes beautiful, lovely, nice, etc. On the other hand, temperate also known as self-restrained implied restrained, composed, gentle-natured, and moderate in Shakespeare’s time (Ruslida et al., 2019). Furthermore, line two uses the second-person pronoun to directly refer to the lover, that is, Thou, which is currently archaic.

Line 3-8

The advancement of the sonnet through to line eight demonstrates an emphasis on the distanced ups and downs of the weather, presented in a steady iambic rhythm (with an exception of line five) (Ruslida et al., 2019). It is, therefore, evident that England’s summertime in the context of weather is a hit-and-miss affair. Specifically, there is evidence of winds blowing, gathering of rainclouds, and without realizing, summer has come and gone in a week. Clearly, there are quite short seasons in Shakespeare’s time, similarly to the contemporary times where people lament extreme hot weather and complaint when it’s overcast (Ruslida et al., 2019). The significance of this is that summer will pass quite fast for some people, and naturally, they will grow old and their beauty will gradually fade with the season’s passing.

Lines 9-12

Throughout these lines of the poem, Shakespeare turns the argument the other way of aging. For instance, in line 9 where the poet states that “but thy eternal summer shall not fade,” providing assurance that his lover shall maintain fairness and to a great extent cheat death and gradually become immortal (Shakespeare & Wallis, 1975).   

Lines 13 and 14

These two last lines bolster the poet’s notion that the poem will assure the subject/lover that they will remain young, and as such, the written word serves as the breath and essential energy that are necessary to ensure their lives continue.

Poetic Devices

Shakespeare praises his lover without flashiness and gradually builds the lover’s image into that of a perfect being. For instance, the poet strives to compare his lover to summer as evident in the first 8 lines of t the stanza, evident in the assertion that “… thou art more lovely and more temperate.” He attempts to portray his beloved to posse lovelier and self-restrained attributes unlike summer’s day (Ruslida et al., 2019). However, there is an apparent turn of facts at the start of the 9th line where the poet turns his beloved to summer, “but thy eternal summer shall not fade.” At this point, the poet’s lover is considered a metric that allows the judgment of true beauty. Proceeding to other lines in the stanza, the poet provides a comprehensive tone that explores in-depth feelings. As such, Shakespeare reacts to such beauty and joy by making sure that his lover will last forever, that’s is, evading the oblivion that follows death (Shakespeare, 2016). The simplicity of the poem’s music also serves to demonstrate the inherent subservience of summer, unlike the poet’s lover. 

Shakespeare mainly employs the imagery of nature within the poem to assert his feelings about his beloved beauty. Specifically, the poet provides a description of summer that is different from the usual summer season. As seen in line 3 “…Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,” the poet attempts to portray his perception of summer climate as a blow of the spring flowers (Shakespeare, 2016). He tries to emphasize the superiority of his beloved beauty of summer, and as such, Shakespeare attempts to downgrade the positive notions of summer to ascertain how highly he regards the image of his lover. Furthermore, the use of the words “gold complexion dimmed” are utilized to describe the sun. In this case, the poet diminishes the comfort of the sun’s warmth by referring to the sun’s rays as dimmed. Consequently, Shakespeare’s description of the climate strives to influence the readers to perceive his lover to posse never-changing looks and that summer pales profoundly compared to his lover (Ruslida et al., 2019). 

Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 also encompasses classic sonnet elements. Specifically, the rhyme scheme ababcdcdefefgg is evident in the stanza where it is written in 14 lines. There is a distinct rhyme between lines within the poem which is apparent in lines 1 and 3, lines 2 and 4, and the pattern goes on to the last two rhyming lines (Harrison & Burt, 2020). Additionally, the stanza is written in iambic pentameter where every line contains ten syllables, the first line being unaccented and the second line accented. Sonnet 18 further exploits the balance that exists between asymmetrical and symmetrical melody and form to establish an organic beauty. Furthermore, the fact that sonnets have been historically associated with robust themes of love, the poet also utilizes the sonnet form to emphasize his perception of his lover and their outstanding appearance (Harrison & Burt, 2020). 

The poem is tied up neatly and perfectly to facilitate easy reading and understanding. The lines of the stanza are written with flawless iambic pentameter and without enjambment (Harrison & Burt, 2020). The use of jargon is limited to a level where the audience of diverse calibers can easily read and understand regardless of the use of exceptional elegance and elevated language in the poem. Furthermore, the compliance with the classical forms of sonnet portrays the poem’s dedication to creating and establishing the feeling of perfection of the poet’s beloved. This, therefore, is more compatible with the poem’s domain theme. 

The use of figurative language is also evident in Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 which aids in conveying the intended message. The personification of the sun by Shakespeare referring to it as “the eye of heaven” and “his gold complexion dimmed” demonstrates the comparison of the dimmed sun’s complexion to his beloved. Therefore, assigning the sun identity of human quality is similar to degrading the commonly perceived powerful and untouchable nature of the sun (Ruslida et al., 2019). This serves as an introduction to the theme of the lasting beauty of the poet’s beloved. Another notable personification is in line 11 where Shakespeare states “Nor shall Death brag thou wander’s in his shade.” In this context, death is portrayed as a meandering figure around the poet’s ‘shade.’ Therefore, the poet’s move to compare human beings to death demonstrates that his lover surpasses the entire living creatures as well as acts of nature (Shakespeare, 2016). The poet creates a situation where he perceives his beloved as the ideal figure where other readers will also see the beloved as an ideal figure. As such, the use of figurative language in sonnet 18 renders the poet’s lover a superior being with a beauty that shines eternally and with the power to overcome death.

Finally, the poet in his sonnet 18 clearly portrays his poetic ability in eternalizing words. Evident from the line “…so long as men can breathe, or eyes can see / so long lives this, and this gives life to thee,” the poet also portrays the eternity of his poetry which is dependent on the continued existence of his poem. Besides, the poet claims that the beauty of their beloved will last for the time his poem exists (Harrison & Burt, 2020). This, therefore, shows that Shakespeare takes pride in the fact that his sonnets will be read from generation to generation. From the entire stanza until line 13 demonstrates the poet’s boundless sentiments regarding his lover, but the last two lines alter the poet’s message. For instance, the last two lines portray the fact that the poet is well informed about his poetry skills. 

In conclusion, the sonnet “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare which is also referred to as sonnet 18 is the popular and well-loved sonnet of all Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. It is evident that the poet attempts to portray the specific themes of stability of love and associated power that immortalize the subject of the verse of the poet. Therefore, the use of form, imagery and figurative language facilitates the skill conveyance of poetry messages by poets. Specifically, these poetry devices are made easily visible in the poet through the use of varying imagery, form, and figurative language that provides an in-depth insight into the nature of the poem. Furthermore, the methods of Shakespeare helps secure the eternal nature of his poem. 

References

Shakespeare, W., & Wallis, B. (1975). Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?. N. Adams.

Shakespeare, W. (2016). Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?(Sonnet 18). Poets. org. April, 20.

Harrison, R. G., & Burt, S. (2020). Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Art thou more temperate?… Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines…. Weather, 75(6), 172-174.

Ruslida, V. M., Sembiring, B., & Damayanti, I. (2019, December). Figurative Language in William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth’s Poems. In UICELL Conference Proceeding (pp. 161-170).

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Literary Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado

Literary Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado

Literary Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado

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Literary Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado

‘The Cask of Amontillado’ by Edgar Allan Poe is an interesting short story that significantly shows proper application of literary devices. Edgar Allan Poe is a famous literature author not only in the field of short stories but also in writing poems and essays. ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ is the author’s last and greatest short stories that were published in 1846. It is a story that dramatically touches the society as it involves vengeance, murder, addiction and torment primarily set in a large Italian underground cemetery. The reader sees it a voyage from the dark and enigmatic vacations of human inner self. The characterization in the text is excellent as the author brings a clear image of the characters and their traits in developing the story. Poe appropriately makes use of literary devices such as symbolism and imagery among others in building the plot and themes in the short story as elaborated into a profound extend below.

The author composes unique traits in his literary work which plays a significant role in attracting reader’s attention and creating suspense. For instance, regarding the short story The Cask of Amontillado at the climax the reader is left wondering about the bricks and the significance of building the wall. The narrator tells the story in first in the first person up to the end. The main cast of ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ includes Fortunato, Montresor and Luchesi. The characters play a significant role in creating the plot and bringing out the principal theme. The story is about the crisis between the narrator and Fortunato who has insulted him. The narrator has the urge to doing revenge (Foy, et.al page 45).

Looking at the plot analysis of the short story, the author has appropriately established it in the relation of other literary devices. He has efficiently used the fundamental constituents that makes literature work the plot complete and thought-provoking. These elements bring a natural flow of the story starting from the preliminary state of affairs, conflict, tricky situation, climax, suspense, completion of the conclusion. In the initial situation, the narrator brings about an insult and a vow of revenge. Characterization brings about the whole thing regarding the beginning of the story. It is through Fortunato’s unattractive traits that lead to his act of insulting Montresor. The narrator has a sympathetic character as he has forgiven the colleague for sometimes, but it comes to the extent that Montresor cannot hold that anymore thus the urge of doing revenge.

The conflict of the short story comes as the two characters the narrator and Fortunato are in a struggle to make things work out in the right way forever. For Montresor to avenge the insult by Fortunato, he has to get a worthy way to do it in such that there will be no capability of Fortunato revenging back. If it happens so, he would be the winner and has accomplished his mission. The punishment must have a practical impact that Fortunato will have to feel and undoubtedly know that it has come from the narrator. It is through the narrator’s avenging trait that the conflict of the story is evident. Moving a step forward to the complication of the short story, the author has put it in a natural way considering that there are no much of it manifested. Montresor carefully makes go a clue of what is happening through other characters the Amontillado and Luchesi. It led to Fortunato insisting on going after Montresor down into the subversive cemetery of his worst bad dreams. Montresor plays with him and lures him. However, Fortunato did not have any intention of turning back up to a situation when it was very late.

The climax of the story is the most significant part that one can refer the characters trapped in a conveniently man-sized world. This is the most massive and most crucial instant of the Poe’s story. It is evident as Montresor comes with Luchesi and his rival Fortunato is not pleased with the act. Fortunato refers Luchesi as a completely ignorant person and thriving one. Fortunato is chained in the upright casket in the foulest depths of the underground cemetery. Later the suspense in the story is created by the act of building brick by brick. Going into Fortunato’s situation, there is a significant suspense created by Montresor’s deeds. The actions of Montresor bricking Fortunato leaves him unaware of what will happen next to him to whether it is a complete joke or a dangerous thing. The putting of the final brick brings the termination of the story, and the suspense is resolved. Montresor is merciless and does not care even about hearing the pleading ringing of Fortunato’s bell. It was guaranteed that after the air in the tiny brick casket is thoroughly used up, Fortunato will be demised. The conclusion of short story’s plot helps the reader to have a perspective of looking back what happens and at what time did this happen. In the second last line of the story, it is clear that the story was the action of Montresor killing Fortunato occurred about fifty years ago (Gale, page 13). The bold thing at the end the story that the reader comes to know is that Montresor gets away from the crime he committed.

Furthermore, the short story’s themes have a significant effect on the literary analysis effectiveness. The major themes found in Poe’s story include betrayal, mortality, drugs and alcohol, freedom and confinement and foolishness and folly. The themes build the whole plot of the short story and are also significant in talking about the issues affects the society in today’s life. To begin with the theme of freedom and confinement, the difference between the two words is openly brought out in the story. For one character to have freedom and rejoice another one must be confined or die. It is shown with the act of Montresor killing Fortunato as a way of avenging for the assaults. The large part of the story happens in enormous and incredibly mistakes that could have been avoided there is togetherness and cohesion among the involved characters.

Secondly, betrayal brings about the main action in the story The Cask of Amontillado. It is because of one character’s betrayal that there is a revolting sequence of vengeance, seen underground in the mass grave. Betrayal is the core reason for the act of revenging and death. For instance, the insulting and threatening of Fortunato can be referred as a betrayal as Montresor gave him a chance of changing the behavior as it was expected but it was in vain. Taking a real-life example in today’s society, the same incidences are evident as people betray others resulting in enmity and death to a greater extent. The same the plays an essential role in building the plot of the story and developing other literary devices.

The other theme seen in the story is about drugs and alcohol. The commonly seen drug used in the story is wine. At the beginning of the Poe’s story, Fortunato is met drunk by Montresor as he plans to do the revenge. It can be the primary reason for Fortunato having the urge of using an abusive language as drugs at many instances result in the judgement impairment. All through the story drugs are mingling in between the lines and can be referred to anything that the character tends to use in acquiring their desires. Also, the theme of mortality is major in Poe’s short story and can be considered as a foreshadowing and illumination of was going to happen next in his life. The Cask of Amontillado is the author’s last short story before his death composes vast, terrifying fixation on bones, dead body and demise. The story can be seen as an illumination of the life after deceased and can be an explanation of what he has passed through in life. It facilitates the development of imagery as the reader is capable of building the exact picture in mind. For instance, on how Montresor was planning to revenge, how he was putting brick by brick on the casket and how Fortunato suffered as the casket run out of the air (Poe, page 21).

Additionally, the theme of foolishness and folly is significant, and the author postulates it effectively. It is through foolishness and recklessness that cost one’s life. For instance, it was Fortunato’s folly that resulted in his death. If the character had respect amongst other people, all would have worked well to him as such an instance of insulting would not have happened. The story is wholly about the about how foolishness and folly lead to hideous and cruel immoralities. ”The Cask of Amontillado” has two characters brings about the conflict and central matter in the story which are Montresor and Fortunato. By the end of the story, their joint ridiculousness terminates in misfortune and severe suffering for them both. The tragedy seen is core thing that takes the readers mind making one think more intensely about their silly ways. It is metaphorical as one sarcastically suffers due to foolishness like these characters. It is a moral lesson to the reader that prudence is vital in humans and facilitates to a better living with others.

It the story, Poe profoundly make use of symbolism, allegory and imagery. In The Cask of Amontillado, everything is symbolic and different things can be seen representing various meaning. To begin with is the coat of arms belonging to the Montresor’s family which is a picture of the shield. On it, there is a giant foot which the author refers to as wild a crazy serpent. This signifies that Fortunato is a snake on the glass which bits Montresor and on the other hand as a result of Montresor reactions his big gold foot crashed him down. The court of arms has a fabricated color which represents darkness and death of Fortunato. Through allegory that the theme of drug and alcohol is build up in the story. The author’s life was in captivity of drugs which had addicted him for a long while. One of the drugs he was addicted to was laudanum that comes from puppies that are obviously blue. This brings irony regarding freedom that is illustrated in the theme of freedom and confinement.

The tone of every literature work is vital in attracting the reader’s attention and making the story enjoyable. In this story, the author appropriately develops its tone regarding the settings and its composition. The tone of the story can be expressed as spine-chilling, humorous and elegant. Montresor refers to the mounds of the bones and the human remains as elegant making it sound somehow lovely. Hos he expresses the seemingly of the underground cemetery makes one see it as a beautiful place to be even though scaring. The humorous tone is also seen in large parts of the story. The jokes are to a greater extent entertaining breaking monotony in the short story. It can at some point make the reader contented thinking that everything happening for a moment is all right. Before Fortunato’s suffering and death, one is happy as everything seems to be doing on well and one is after that left guilty after the death (Saxton, page 38).

The settings of the short story can to an extent be viewed as awful and disgusting which can grab readers thoughts making one expects a horror and traumatizing experience. The Cask of Amontillado is all through acted on the underground cemetery during the carnival season in a particular place in Italy. The author purposely uses horror in the setting mainly with the aim of expressing either freedom or confinement in a contradicting way as the characters in various occasions’ shows imprisonment and liberty. The carnival festive and Montresor’s family underground grave are clear and directly illustrates the purpose of the story. During the Carnival festival, the Italians were celebrating their freedom, and people all over have happiness. The two main characters Montresor and Fortunato at the beginning of the story are seen participating in the same festival. Furthermore, as they both move deeper into the underground cemetery, they pass through smaller and fouler spaces. It signifies that as they move into the grave, they were going further away from the fresh air and freedom.

As seen from the above discussion, it is at the end of the story that the author reveals the name of the narrator who is Montresor and was a member of Montresor’s family. The narrator finally alters may he rest in peace which one is not sure whether he meant the words or not. At first, he is postulated as a person with human traits, and one could not expect that he was to avenge through murder. The trait would have played a significant effect making him feel sorry for his deeds. In the community the same occasions are evident, and it is a great lesson showing the repercussions of the evil actions people take in the name of revenge. The author is competent and has correctly applied literary devices in developing the story The Cask of Amontillado. The story is educative, and it does not only plays a vital role in entertaining the reader but also giving precautions of one to be cautious of the expected result in every act.

References

Foy, Roslyn Reso, and William E. Lambo. “Freemasonry, the Brethren, and the Twists of Edgar Allan Poe in THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO.” The Explicator 73.4 (2015): 252-256.

Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Edgar Allan Poe’s” Cask of Amontillado”. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.

Poe, E. A. (2016). The cask of amontillado. The Floating Press.

Saxton, Audrey. “The Devil’s in the Details: A Characterization of Montresor in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”.” Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism 10.1 (2017): 16.

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