The Light at the End of the Tunnel free essay sample

Like everyone in this convoluted world I have ups and downs; highs and lows. However, sometimes in life you hit bottom, your absolute bitter, dark, godforsaken bottom. Hitting that lowest point changes you. Maybe it makes you more mature, or it forces you to see things differently. Maybe theres just no way to define how it changes you. It just does. Its like when you have sex for the first time. Nothing about you really changes, yet everything does. Youre a different person and sometimes you just cant put into words the metamorphosis that has just occurred. I had that period of defining time and Im not going to say I turned into a beautiful butterfly because of it, but a part of me did change. At the beginning of senior year my life had sunk to an unfamiliar low: my absolute best friends no longer associated with me, worse than that they acted like I didnt exist; my father would just stare at me like he was looking out a window, all the while asking me superficial questions; and I no longer knew who I was. We will write a custom essay sample on The Light at the End of the Tunnel or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Quite frankly I was depressed. I felt as if I meant nothing to everybody and therefore I meant nothing to myself. I understand the ideology of teenagers; depressed, love obsessed, dramatic. But that was never me. I never bought into the partying, drinking, and weed smoking image that people have of teenagers nowadays. I had never drank, smoked, or even had sex. All that mattered to me was my family, my friends, and school. At that moment my small circle of life was in complete disarray, even my school life became twisted and dark. To be honest I had no idea how to handle everything that was going on. I started to slip into a rabbit hole that I didnt know how to climb out of. I would sit in my room, alone, and just sleep. I hated life so much and I hated myself even more. I even turned to extremes to deal with everything. Cutting meant I could control my feelings and it was the only thing during that time that would bring me clarity. Picking up that blade for the first time was my lowest point. The sad thing was I knew it too. I knew that I was hitting my bottom even as I held the razor in my sweaty hand. In those moments something about me changed. Being in such a dark abyss meant leaving behind that innocent, carefree girl. Im not saying that I became an adult but I certainly wasnt a kid anymore either. I realized I could no longer pretend that my world would work itself out. I had to take back some control of my life. First, I set up meetings with my best friends that I hadnt talked to in a month. No matter what happened between us I needed closure. To counteract my antisocial behavior I tried out for cheerleading. Lastly there was my dad and our deteriorating relationship. Unfortunately I was forced to realize that our relationship had been breaking for a long time. I had just kept myself blind to the truth. Then, when things still didnt get better, and that defining darkness still loomed over me, I went to see a psychiatrist. With help from an antidepressant, counseling, and the people I love I was able to bring a sense of normalcy back to my life but things would always be different. There was just no way to go back to who I was before those pitch black months, looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. It was as if I went into that tunnel an ignorant child and the only way to come out of the tunnel, back to the light, was a part of me had to grow up.

Skin Cancers essays

Skin Cancers essays There are three different types of skin cancer which consist of melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Melanoma is a cancer in the pigment-producing cells in the skin. Melanoma is the eighth most common cancer in the United States and causes 1-2% of all cancer deaths. The way to decrease your chance of developing melanoma is to recognize if you are at risk. Ways that you can tell if you are at risk is if you have a mole thats changing, having a mole that is more than 15cm in diameter and has been present since birth, white raced, a prior skin cancer, a close family member with melanoma, using a tanning bed ten times a year or more before age 30, more than 50 moles on your body, and the tendency to burn and freckle instead of tan. These are some different ways to prevent melanoma always use sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15 whenever in the sun and if you recognize any risk factors talk to a doctor. Treatment of melanoma starts with excision of the lesion also taking at least a 1 cm border of healthy tissue around it. To make sure the cancer hasn't spread to other areas of the body, a chest x-ray is taken and a lab test checking the liver is also done. Depending on several factors, sometimes lymph nodes in the area are removed and examined to see if they contain cancerous cells. The best treatment is to remove the cancerous tissue if possible. Sometimes, chemotherapy is used along with removal. Radiation therapy is generally not helpful. Basal cell carcinoma arises in cells called basal keratinocytes in the deepest layer of the epidermis hair follicles, and sweat ducts. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It occurs more often in men than in women. Most basal cell carcinoma is seen after the age of 40, but those seen in patients who are younger than 35 tend to be more aggressive. Some common risk factors for basal cell carcinoma include chronic sun exposure mainly to UVB radiation bu...

When and How People Learned to Make Cloth

When and How People Learned to Make Cloth Textiles, to archaeologists anyway, can mean woven cloth, bags, nets, basketry, string-making, cord impressions in pots, sandals, or other objects created out of organic fibers. This technology is at least 30,000 years old, although preservation of the textiles themselves is rare in prehistory, so it may be quite a bit older still. Because textiles are perishable, often the oldest evidence of the use of textiles is implied from impressions left in burned clay or the presence of weaving-related tools such as awls, loom weights, or spindle whorls. Preservation of intact fragments of cloth or other textiles has known to occur when archaeological sites are in extreme conditions of cold, wet or dry; when fibers come into contact with metals such as copper; or when textiles are preserved by accidental charring. Discovery of Early Textiles The oldest example of textiles yet identified by archaeologists is at the Dzudzuana Cave in the former Soviet state of Georgia. There, a handful of flax fibers was discovered that had been twisted, cut and even dyed a range of colors. The fibers were radiocarbon-dated to between 30,000-36,000 years ago. Much of the early use of cloth began with making string. The earliest string-making to date was identified at the Ohalo II site in modern Israel, where three fragments of twisted and plied plant fibers were discovered and dated to 19,000 years ago. The Jomon culture in Japan - believed to be among the earliest pottery makers in the world - shows evidence of cord-making in the form of impressions in ceramic vessels from Fukui Cave that are dated to roughly 13,000 years ago. Archaeologists chose the word Jomon to refer to this ancient hunter-gather culture because it means cord-impressed. The occupation layers discovered at Guitarrero Cave in the Andes mountains of Peru contained agave fibers and textile fragments that were dated to about 12,000 years ago. Thats the oldest evidence of textile use in the Americas to date. The earliest example of cordage in North America is at Windover Bog in Florida, where the special circumstances of the bog chemistry preserved textiles (among other things) dated to 8,000 years ago. Silk making, which is made from thread derived from insect cases rather than plant material, was invented during the Longshan period in China, ca 3500-2000 BCE. Finally, one extremely important (and unique in the world) use of string in South America was as quipu, a system of communication composed of knotted and dyed cotton and llama wool string used by many South American civilizations at least 5,000 years ago.

Sustainability In global business (a construction company and the Essay

Sustainability In global business (a construction company and the industry, in India and USA) - Essay Example Via an account of the national need for development in countries such as the United States and India, a significant set of sustainability issues in the construction industry form the basis of this study. A globally sustainable construction business entails one operating in an environment that that greatly empowers it to becoming more productive. This is where a construction company business employs a process where it manages its financial, social and environmental risks, compulsions and opportunities. In other words, these three requirements for a sustainable business are known as profits, people and the planet at large. In essence, for a business to be sustainable, it has to find a way on balancing out the challenges imposed to it by government rule and regulations and global business advancements. In addition, more considerations have to be done on the expected profits thus making it necessary that an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses is well conducted. This plays in a signi ficant role in promoting a construction industry business to becoming highly sustainable. It is necessary to note that globally, every company tries to be more sustainable so that to aid it in outperforming its competitors. In both the United States of America and India, several impacts exist on the sustainability of a construction industry business in the respective regions. Construction companies in both countries do all their best to ensure that they become highly sustainable. As one of the most resource and economically gifted countries, the United States Construction industry has always been at the forehead of many investors in and outside the country. Several construction companies exist in the country. Sustainability has always been the goal of all construction companies in the country to aid them build their reputation outdo respective competitors both within the country and globally. Sustainable Construction Company in the country has several impacts. Being a globally tradi ng country, a sustainable construction business in United States plays a significant role in provision of access to new markets both within and outside the country. It gives an improvised sensitivity to the workers of the company thus providing room and ability to attract current and new markets. In addition, sustainability in the country aids a construction in retaining its talents. This is important in that, one’s more sustainable competitors can attract very important talents. Thus, in the United States, sustainability in the industry is essential in retaining a companies set of innovative and productive employees. Generally, in the construction company’s sustainability character in the United States is crucial in promoting the company’s reputation thus providing an edge in competitive advantage. The United States construction industry is a fundamental in the development of the country both environmentally and economically. Based on this fact, a number of gov ernment laws and regulations are in place and influence a lot in the sustainable decision-making by respective shareholders in the industry. The violation of United States’ environmental and Clean Water Act brings in considerable influential factors to the country’s industry stakeholder decision making. Polluting the environment and storm water run off from construction industries leads to great penalties starting from $4 million. The

Evolution of the internet and the impacts on travel agencies Assignment

Evolution of the internet and the impacts on travel agencies - Assignment Example In the essay "Evolution of the Internet and the impacts on Travel Agencies" outlines how Internet changed the way how travel agencies work. For instance, now customers can directly access the internet sites and can book the tickets within a quick period of time. There are several negative impacts of the evolution of information technology on the travel agencies too. Third party cost is the major business barrier of several airlines, hotels, and restaurants. Therefore, the organizations had to pay a commission rate to these travel agents. These activities automatically increase the business operation cost. Nowadays, people can book their tickets on their own through online networking sites without any kind of help of third parties. The implementation of online strategies helped the organizations and customers in several ways. It can reduce the business operation cost for the organizations. The travel agents can get, store and provide a large number of data and information. On the other hand, implementation of online ticketing strategies helps the organizations to reduce third-party booking costs so that they can provide low fare tickets to the customers. People of several developed countries generally prefer online booking of tickets and leisure facilities. It is true that US is technologically developed country. Recent financial crisis and economic recession affected the global economic environment. Low disposable income of people and limited purchasing power are the major consequences of this economic slowdown. Earlier, during the Brick-and-mortar age organizations had to effectively rely upon the third party business partners in order to increase their sales margin. On the other hand, customers also had to depend upon these third party individuals to book

Yeats’s Versification in ‘Adam’s Curse’ and ‘the Wild Swans at Coole’ Essay Example for Free

Yeats’s Versification in ‘Adam’s Curse’ and ‘the Wild Swans at Coole’ Essay How do the characters of Therese, Laurent and Meursault change after they have committed their respective murders? The protagonists in both the novels â€Å"Therese Raquin† by Emile Zola, and â€Å"The Outsider† by Albert Camus, ultimately commit murder. This is the turning point in both cases, and the way in which their various characters change because of this will be analysed and compared. In Therese Raquin, after the murder of Camille, both Therese and Laurent react at first with shock, Therese flying into fits of hysterics and Laurent with a rationality that seems to be his coping mechanism at first. However, as time passes, it seems as though the characters begin to relax again, although Zola foreshadows upheaval to come: â€Å"it was changing them, for a hidden process had taken place within them†. The first indication of this is their loss of passion; â€Å"love had lost its appeal, their appetite had disappeared the touching of their skin made them feel slightly queasy†. Their decision to get married brings up tortuous nightmares in L, as he imagines the corpse of Camille in the place of Therese’s body. This is the very beginning of the agonising torment that the two characters suffer as a result of the memory, perhaps even the guilt, of their crime. â€Å"Therese too had been visited by the ghost of Camille during that feverish night†. These imaginings and hallucinations, at times becoming palpable visions that convince them of the dead man’s existence, eventually drive the two characters over the brink of insanity. â€Å"The lovers’ panic grew worse, and every day their nightmares made them more demented and distraught†, before they even got married. They looked upon their forthcoming wedding as an alleviation to save them from their terrible imaginings. However, we see just how misguided this expectation is on their wedding night; they feel they are â€Å"still separated by a gaping chasm they dreamed that they had been violently separated and flung in opposite directions†. This signals the drastic changes to come about in their lives, and is highlighted by the dynamic verb â€Å"flung† and the emphasis on violence. They begin to believe the dreadful memory of Camille separates them no t only in their minds, but physically, feeling that â€Å"his body is still here between us, turning our limbs to ice†, and this idea stays at the foremost of their suffering – that the ghost of Camille is haunting them and making its presence felt. Zola portrays their response to this as they are â€Å"experiencing profound disturbancesthey found themselves in the grip of a common terror seized by a feverish delusion: they could touch the body, see it stretched out there like a greenish, half-putrefiedmass of decomposing humanity† which constantly stays in their awareness for the rest of their miserable lives. The physical and psychological anguish for the two â€Å"lovers† was so great that Therese â€Å"would have flung herself into the fire, had she thought that the flames would purify her flesh and deliver her from her pain† and Laurent being driven to distraction as he sees â€Å"five Camilles in front of him, created by the power of his own hands† simply because the playing of the dead man on his conscience is enough to take root in everything he does, whether it is painting or touching his wife. However, it is not clear whether the two characters actually ever feel any sense of remorse for their crime. Their terror is undeniably because of the act they committed, but probably down to the actual experience, and their fear of being discovered, than a sense of regret or guilt – Laurent even goes as far as to say that they would â€Å"chuck him in again if we had to†. Despite Laurent and Therese’s dread of being discovered, the forced endurance of psychological battering eventually causes them to confess their crime to Madame Raquin, when â€Å"Laurent had a kind of fit during which he talked like a man hallucinating†. We can question the basis of their terror of being found out by others, and whether it is guilt in that they believe they have done wrong, or simply their fear of the guillotine. However, we learn that â€Å"they were frustrated with their crime itself, and despairing that it had ruined their lives for good†, showing their utterly selfish nature in that they are repenting not because of the actual murder of a man, but because of the toll it takes on their own lives. Zola demonstrates the effects of this internal turmoil, as â€Å"it was inevitable that it would come to hatred in the end. They had loved each other like animals, with the hot passions of the blood; then, in the nervous upheaval following their crime, love had turned to fear and they had felt a physical horror at the thought of their embraces.† This acute hatred for one another takes shape as night after night, Therese and Laurent fight viciously, Laurent often striking Therese as she desperately provoked him; until their whole lives are swallowed up in this bitter feuding, a colossal irony considering their earlier passion and love, and their plotting of murder to allow themselves to live a life of luxury and sensual pleasures. Their animalistic traits are what governs them – and leads them into such a state that â€Å"they lived in a hell bitterly and cruelly†¦ trying to push each other over the brink of the precipice which they felt yawning at their feet, and into which they were in fact both already plunging†. The horror that Therese feels is perfectly depicted when she believes herself to be pregnant, and the thought fills her with such despair and dread that she â€Å"offers her stomach to [Laurent’s] blow. She allowed herself to be kicked almost to death in that way, and the next day she had a miscarriage†. Laurent, on the other hand, possesses none of Therese’s apparent rationality – he is driven to distraction, to the point that â€Å"he was literally afraid of Francois [the cat]and flung it with all his strength against the black wall†. Therese and Laurent experience these various stages of fear, hate, indifference, remorse (feigned so well that she ends up believing it) on the part of Therese, and depression. Laurent is described as having â€Å"all the lifegone out of his flesh†. The madness that they succumb to leads them to murder each other – yet, at the point of their ensuing deaths, the two discover that they need the unconsciousness of death; as it is the one place where their torment cannot follow them; â€Å"as they thought back over the past, they felt so weary and disgusted with themselves that they were filled with an immense need for rest, for oblivion. They exchanged a final glanceof gratitude, beforethe glass of poison†. There are some significant similarities with this process that Therese and Laurent undergo and that of Meurseault as he comes to terms with his murder of the Arab. In the early part of the book, the reader sees a Meursault devoid of a spoken consciousness and one who feels total adversity towards society and vice versa. Camus has juxtaposed his character against the norms of society to bring out his stark differences through the usage of Meursaults uncanny ability to register cold, hard facts. Meursault refuses to spend the time and effort required in connecting these facts. This narrative effect can be seen from the opening passage, Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I dont know. Here, we see Meursaults shocking indifference to his mothers death and his event stating quality. He merely recounts the dubious facts of his mothers death as plainly as the telegram had stated it. Throughout the whole process of his attending the funeral is treated with the same jarring coldness. Events and conversation are retold in a photo-journalistic like frankness, chronologically precise from the moment he catches the bus to time when he crawls into bed. Meursault is also one who has virtually no emotion, detached from basic human experiences of love and affection. This can be seen when his fiancà ©e, Marie, provokes an answer, She asked me again if I loved her. I replied, much before, that her question meant nothing or next to nothing- but I supposed I didnt. Curious, she then asks whether he would have given the same answer to another girl who had asked you to marry her, to which he replies in total honesty, Naturally. His inability to feel love is coupled with his almost animalistic mating-like quality where it is a question of when, not whom. His indifference, lack of emotion, and his way of reporting his impressions factually shows little involvement in society, as if he were an outsider, a spectator, who must judge objectively and it is from this that his estrangement from society be felt. Meursault; a middle class bachelor with a painfully simple life, is viewed as indifferent in the eyes of society. He does not care and is not ashamed of it. But his indifference is not one of callousness but stems instead from the â€Å"benign indifference of the universe† in relations to his own existence. The murder which signifies the end of Part One, unwittingly commits Meursault to the laws of society. He suddenly finds himself a victim of societal norms, the very thing he shunned. Here Meursault is obliged to accustom himself to society for his impending fate depends on it. He finds society absurd and it is through this experience that the reader comes to sympathize with Meursaults point of view and evaluates the absurdity of society. While being held, the prison guard discusses with him: â€Å"‘you’re being deprived of your liberty.’ I saw his point. Thats true, I said. Otherwise it wouldnt be a punishment.† Meursault finds this all completely baffling to the point that he has to talk with the warden to find out that prison deprives one of freedom which totally defeats the initial purpose of putting him in jail. While society tries to enforce its ideals on its Meursault, he acts in honest aloofness. In a conversation with the magistrate, In the same weary tone he asked me a last question: Did I regret what I had done? After thinking a bit, I said that what I felt was less regret than a kind of vexation. But he didnt seem to understand. The magistrate wanted to hear that Meursault felt guilty and sorry for what he had done. Instead, Meursault feels annoyance rather than regret, to the frustration of the magistrate. Faced with these challenges, Meursault attempts to make sense of what is happening around him and through it, tries to understand society. In his cell, he makes a conscious effort to learn about his new surroundings, I made a point of visualizing every piece of furniture, and each article upon it, and then every detail, so to speak: a tiny dent or incrustation, or a chipped edge, and the exact grain and colour of the woodwork. This symbolizes his willingness to acquaint himself with an entrapment which is alien to him: society and its workings. However, even on close inspection, he fails to make sense of it and this drives him father away from society. This is evident from an episode he had with his lawyer: â€Å"I wasnt to have any say and my fate was to be decided out of hand. It was quite an effort at times for me to refrain from cutting them all short, and saying: ‘But damn it all, whos on trial in this court, Id like to know? Its a serious matter for a man, being accused of murder. And Ive something really important to tell you.’† Meursault clearly feels frustration from this estrangement which fuels even more reason for his dislike of society and its morals. Through this, he gathers experiential evidence that society is indeed absurd and it does one no good to be a part of it, hence forging an even greater alienation from it. In the concluding chapters, Meursault accepts his fate which enables him to squarely face his death and come to terms with his position in this world. While undergoing this metamorphosis, Meursault discovers his independent consciousness. In prison, he relates, †¦I heard something that I hadnt heard for months. It was the sound of a voice; my own voice, there was no mistaking it†¦ the voice that for many a day of late had been buzzing in my ears. This voice he speaks of is his consciousness, spoken freely, unrestricted, and wholly accessible to his thoughts. This sudden enlightenment allows Meursault the grace of accepting his death. He rationalizes for the first time: â€Å"†¦Its common knowledge that life isnt worth living anyhow†¦ it makes little difference whether one dies†¦ the world would go on as before.† Although he does not wish his death, he embraces it as an end. It did not matter how or when he achieved this end for to him, all ends ended the same- in death. In the final moments before his death, the absurdity of society no longer bothers Meursault for now he deals with the greater elements of truth and reality. Meursault makes peace with himself, but not without a sudden purging of restrained convictions. He gets tangled in an argument with the prison chaplain who in the last moments of his doom, tries to convert him. In his rage, he reveals his ultimate assurance: that he â€Å"was sure of myself, sure about everything†¦ Id been right, I was still right, I was always right. Id pass my life in a certain way, and I might have passed it in a different way, if Id felt like it.† Meursault develops such a rational consciousness that it becomes his moral code of belief, his belief of truth. This sudden outburst gradually forces the felt but unspoken philosophy of his existence to emerge into the open, and to finally express itself in words. It was necessary too for it gave him a new sense of direction: â€Å"I, too, felt ready to start life over again. It was as if that great gush of anger had washed me clean, emptied me of hope, and, I laid my heart open to the benign indifference of the universe†¦ Id been happy, and I was happy still.† Meursault at last finds peace within himself. Alienated from society and life itself, he finds honour in death, taking nothing from this world with him, because it gave him nothing. Thus, Meursaults journey towards discovery (and, ironically, death) can be seen as a celebration of the human consciousness, grounded in the human spirit and its ability to overcome the absurd, to triumph when failure seems so imminent. Meursault finally realizes his estrangement from society and disregards what society thinks about him – as long as he is happy with who he is and what he had done. This is on a whole separate level to the feelings of Therese and Laurent: while all three find death a means of escape, and wish it on themselves, they view it as a comfort, to end their tired, self-destructive lives, whereas Meursault seems to find happiness and fulfilment in the idea that he is reaching his destination.

jurassic park :: essays research papers

Iteration Seven & Epilogue Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Malcolm and Hammond engage in an argument. Hammond is relieved that the animals did not get free and overrun the world. Malcolm says that the world cannot be destroyed. It will always survive whatever disasters take place. The park seem finally to have been brought under control. There are now fewer animals, because some have been killed by other animals. Since the fences were down for so long, all the animals have mingled. Grant and Muldoon decide to search for the animal nests, especially the raptor nests. They have to account for every animal born on the island before they let the Costa Rican National Guard destroy the entire place. Grant explains the mystery of how the dinosaurs were able to breed. Under certain conditions frogs can change sex, and the dinosaurs all have frog DNA.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Malcolm is going into a coma, and Hammond blames everyones else for the failures of the park. Hammond is met by a juvenile tyrannosaur. He tries to run away, but falls down in a stream. It appears that he broke his ankle. Ellie and Gennaro join grant in the dinosaur nest and hide behind some boxes. They see two adult raptors and some babies. Grant concludes that there are thirty-four raptors have been born. Ellie notices theat when the raptors stand still they all face a certain direction. She thinks that it is some kind of ritual. Grant thinks that it is a form of communication.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hammond tries to climb the hill. He is tired, dizzy, and in pain. He sees some compys approaching. He tries throwing rocks at them to ward them off, which only works for a while. The compys soon attack him, poisoning him with their bites. Hammond feels relaxed and peaceful when he dies. Grant and the others watch the raptors on the edge of a swamp, near the beach that looks out onto the Pacific Ocean. They are all lined up together, starring south. A ship appears from the south and the animals watch it. Grant observes how they all behave as a group, and decides that they are organized around a matriarchal pecking order. He concludes that they are starring at the ocean because they want to migrate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grant, Ellie and Gennaro are picked up by a helicopter.