Vanderbilt Admission :: essays research papers

â€Å"Matt, don’t you play in band?† There was a time in my life when I was afraid to admit it being in band. Maybe it was the lack of tackles and slap shots, or possibly I was embarrassed because the players were not as cool as football or hockey players. Then again, it might have been the strange combination of athletics, music, and academics that I carried through high school. What is it like playing varsity hockey, and playing flute and piccolo in the symphony band? I am used to this question by now. The answer is simple: it is like me. Both activities are enjoyable and come with different benefits. It was not helpful that my hockey teammates were less than supportive about my playing with the band. But, I do what I want for me and not for anyone else. This is a value that my mother instilled in me at a young age. I never really fit into any crowd in high school. So, I just hung out with everyone and came and went as I pleased. While it sounds easy, it can sometimes get a little interesting. Coming right from hockey to a band practice was always fun. Walking into the room 5 minutes with hair still dripping from the shower was common. Is it raining out there? Was the question my director would often ask me. Although there is one time I remember renouncing band and all of the things that I had done with the band. After a long talk with my mother I realized what was truly important to me: me. I am a musician, a student, and an athlete. If you lose one of the three it is no longer me. No matter how much I renounced the music, I could not deny the rush of playing my solo at concerts where everyone was concentrated on me.

Compare how poets portray relationships in ‘Praise Song For My Mother’ and ‘Ghazal’ Essay

Both ‘praise song for my mother’ and ‘ghazal’ use language devices to portray relationships. They use imagery, metaphors and structure to do so. They bother portray in different ways. ‘praise song for my mother’ portrays relationships as happy and fun whereas ‘ghazal’ portrays them as unpredictable and ever changing. In ‘ghazal’, Khalvati writes a different comparison to love in each stanza. ‘If yours is the iron fist in the velvet glove/if I rise in the east you die in the west’. The fact that Khalvati has done this shows that love is never the same. It also shows that it is constantly changing and can never be predicted. It could also show that the woman’s love for the man is constant the mans love for the woman is unreliable and is constantly changing. On the other hand, in ‘praise song for my mother’ each stanza seems the convey the same thing about love, that it is happy and constant. ‘you were sunrise to me rise and warm and streaming’. The word ‘sunrise’ means that the personas lover was what lit up their day and helped them see clearly. It could also mean that their love was constant and never failed as the sun rises every morning in a continuous pattern. The word ‘warm’ has also been used and this could suggest that they are always nice to each other and never argue. Heat can also be linked to the colour red and this in turn can be linked to love, therefore the persona is indirectly expressing their love for this person without facing it head on. In ‘praise song for my mother’ Nichols has used imagery to portray the relationship. ‘you were the fishes red gill to me’. Nichols has used the word ‘gill’ to show that the persona needed the other person. A fish wouldn’t be able to survive without its gills and this shows that the persona might as well be dead without the other person. Everyone would be able to relate to this as everyone has suffered heartbreak. This would help to keep the interested and mean that they can empathise with the reader. The  word ‘red’ has also been used and love is a connotation of the colour red. On the other hand red can be linked to death and this links back to the persona saying that they are dead without the other person. Similarly in ‘ghazal’ Khalvati has also used imagery to show the relationship. ‘when the arrow flies, the heart is pierced, tattoo me’. The use of the word ‘tattoo’ is the persona saying that their love for the other person is eternal and they never want it to end. Tattoos cannot be changed once they are on your skin and Khalvati’s use of the word could mean that they don’t want the other person to change as she thinks they are perfect as they are. Khalvati’s comparison to an arrow means that her love for the other person was sudden and unexpected. She didn’t know it was coming until it struck her. In conclusion I think that both these poems use mostly the same language devices, but where Nichols portrays relationships as a good thing, Khalvati seems to portray them as a bad thing.

Ethical Egoism

Ethical egoism, in my belief, is not the moral theory that men should follow or live by. Simply put, my belief stems from the multiple inconsistencies and contradictions that are inherent in the said normative system. Self-interest and self-preservation, although very valuable, are not, in my opinion, the primary factors that should drive a man’s life. It is because, I believe, by purely following one’s own interests, man fails to consider the greater picture, that being the peace and harmony in society.More importantly, I believe that man can be driven by other desires and motives in his moral actions. Hobbes’ assertion is that man should use his power to preserve himself and to do what he must in order to satisfy his own interests. His fundamental assumption regarding the nature of man is that man is an agent of self-interest who is prepared to harm others in order to obtain what he believes is best for him. Furthermore, Hobbes states that man is governed by hi s own reason and that every man has the right to everything. Such statement is what Hobbes calls the fundamental law of nature.However, Hobbes believes that if it is in the self-interest and preservation of one’s life to enter into a covenant with another, man is bound to abide by such covenant. Contracts are reached when both parties feel that it is in their best interests to enter and agree to the terms. Breaking a covenant or a contract is considered unjust in Hobbes’ view. Hobbes’ idea is that man must submit to certain moral rules out of fear of conflict which is to his best interests. Basically, Hobbes suggested that a human being acts morally because it is in his self-interest to do so.There have been various philosophers who have raised arguments and objections against Hobbes’ views. One of such philosophers is H. A. Prichard. In Prichard’s point of view, there is no need to whether self-interest and morality run in parallel with each other . Instead, he suggests that human beings have reasons other than self-interest to act morally. One such reason is the innate desire in humans to do the right thing. Prichard suggests that having motives other than self-interest allows us to determine whether an individual who has done something moral deserves praise or not.Without the presence of other motives, self-interest will be the only driving factor and thus, will remove any possible distinction between two persons committing the same moral act. Brody’s argument with regards to the basis of morality on self-interest is that human beings can have other motives for being moral. Admitting that all actions are based on the satisfaction of a certain desire, Brody states that humans may have desires for something else other than his own well-being. Brody believes that selfish motives are indeed a possible source of moral actions.However, he asserts that this does not mean that all moral actions stem from selfish motives alon e. In other words, egoism is not clearly established as the sole source of morality. My belief that ethical egoism is not the correct moral theory agrees with Brody’s assertions. Aside from the points that Brody has raised, I believe that ethical egoism fails to consider the possibility that men act not for their own interests alone. The interests of another person may drive the man to act morally especially if such a person is deeply valued. For instance a parent may act morally not for her own interests but for that of her children.Ethical egoism fails to consider that human nature includes certain emotions that are driving factors of one’s actions. Emotions or feelings such as love, care, and affection are also possible motives for actions. These have not been taken into account by ethical egoism. Thus, it is my personal belief that ethical egoism is not the correct moral theory. Reference: Arthur, John. 2005. â€Å"Morality, Religion, and Conscience. † In Ar thur, J. (Ed. ) Morality and Moral Controversies: Readings in Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy. Upper Saddle River, N. J. : Pearson Prentice Hall.

Phobias and Addictions Essays

Phobias and Addictions Essays Phobias and Addictions Essay Phobias and Addictions Essay Richard Johnston Types of Conditioning Phobia and Addictions Phobias and addictions can be very difficult on a mental standpoint. The definition of a phobia is an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation (Webster). There are many kinds of phobias such as, Xenophobia the fear of dogs could be a result of being bitten as a child or being cornered by a dog. Other fears could be Catastrophic the fear of lightening as a child oh were scared of storms so you developed a phobia on storms. Acrophobia is fear of heights and the fear of falling you are high up you might have an anxiety attack so you avoid high places. Transportation is the fear of injections (the fear of needles), which can cause one anxiety because the patient associates the pain with the needle. A reaction can be caused before the injection is given such as fainting or other anxiety symptoms. Phobias are can be developed through classical conditioning. Ivan Pavlov was famous for his theory of classical conditioning who studied digestive systems of dogs. In his studies and experiment he noticed, that dogs salivate when presented with food which was a common trait. Pavlov noticed if the bell or a tuning fork rang the dog would salivate when there was no food present. The dog associated the food with the bell this is what is known as classical conditioning. One more example of this is music the neutral stimulus is the music when paired the unconditioned stimulus automatically triggers tapping of the feet know as an unconditioned response. Fears and phobias progress in the same way as conditioning. Phobias can cause health problems from panic attacks or anxiety. Individuals with phobias avoid being in that situation and stay in their comfort zone. Human beings we behaviors that can easily become addicted to a drug or food or substance. In operant conditioning human beings get addicted to substances they see other people doing, such as food, sex, gambling, and drugs. Addiction is defined as compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a absence known by the user to be physically, psychologically, or socially harmful (Webster). Classical conditioning is learned behavior using a stimulus and operant conditioning is a method of learning that uses a reward to gain the desired response the craving for the drug the use of the drug is the reward. One example to is that classical conditioning involuntary behavior and Operant conditioning is focused on voluntary behaviors. Operant conditioning is defined as a conditioning in which the desired behavior or increasingly closer approximations to it are followed by a rewarding or reinforcing stimulus (Webster). Operant conditioning can be used for punishment when the desired response is not achieved. Addiction such as alcohol for example would be you had the long hard day and you a have a cold six pack over the legal limit. The beer was your reward for having a long hard day. The addiction of wanting more beer is and addiction to alcohol and the substance has a hold of you which is known as alcoholism. The punishment will be impulsive if you get caught being pulled over for driving under the influence by the police because you decided o get more beer and drive to the store that would not be a favorite for a drinker getting caught the rush is not to get caught. Extinction would be not to drink at all and have an ice tea and make the behavior decrees or disappear. Operant conditioning can be related to an extinction technique if to many beers are consumed and the individual decides to go get more beer in a driving a motor vehicle to get there the thrill would be not getting caught and the consequence would be getting arrested for driving under the influence. The extinction would be not to drink s many beers or not at all and try a different reward for a long hard day and never to drive under the influence of alcohol. In summary I have talked about classical conditioning and how it is automatic for dogs to salivate when there is food present and buy repeating the conditions with the bell ringing triggered the same response the dog eventually learned when the bell rings there is food and to salivate even without the food present. We learned the operant conditioning requires some type of reward being either positive or negative such as punishment. We learned about hobbies and what types of phobias are out there, phobias can cause health problems if not treated.

Prejudice1 essays

Prejudice1 essays Although the fight to stop racism has made huge strides since thirty years ago, racism is still alive and well today. Racism has become such a deep-rooted part of society that it often goes unnoticed in our everyday lives. In Brent Staples Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space," and Austin Clarkes A Stranger in a Strange Land, both authors speak of how they deal with the burdens borne by someone who sees himself or herself and is seen by others, as an outsider. Although both Staples and Clarke face this problem, the two respond to the dilemmas they face in different ways. By engaging in simple tasks such as taking a late night stroll, Staples automatically becomes subject to others racism and fear. His everyday life is under continuous scrutiny by a white society that both fears and misunderstands him. Staples introduces the very extent to which society fears black people in the first sentence. On a late night saunter, his " first victim [is] a woman - white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties." Fortunately, in reality, the woman is not the victim of any black on white racial violence; but, unfortunately, Staples is the victim of white racist presumptions about his character, that are based solely on the colour of his skin. This incident makes him realize he has the ability to alter public space in ugly ways; sadly however, it is only the beginning of Staples encounters with a predominantly white society and their racial stereotypes. Staples realizes that women have a right to be weary of men while they are alone at night; however, he takes no solace against the kind of alienation that comes of being ever the suspect. Somehow, despite all the animosity Staples faces, he consciously, or perhaps unconsciously decides that he will remain a shadow timid, but a survivor. He figures it will b...

German Battleship Bismarck in World War II

German Battleship Bismarck in World War II Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships that were ordered for the Kriegsmarine in the years prior to World War II. Built by Blohm and Voss, the battleship mounted a main battery of eight 15 guns and was capable of a top speed of over 30 knots. Quickly identified as a threat by the Royal Navy, efforts to track Bismarck were underway after its commissioning in August 1940. Ordered on its first mission into the Atlantic the following year, Bismarck won a victory over HMS Hood at the Battle of the Denmark Strait, but soon came under a combined attack by British ships and aircraft. Damaged by an aerial torpedo, Bismarck was sunk by British surface ships on May 27, 1941. Design In 1932, German naval leaders requested a series of battleship designs intended to fit within the 35,000 ton limit imposed on leading maritime nations by the Washington Naval Treaty.  Initial work began on what became the Bismarck-class the following year and initially centered around an armament of eight 13 guns and a top speed of 30 knots. In 1935, the signing of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement accelerated German efforts as it allowed the Kriegsmarine to build up to 35% of the total tonnage of the Royal Navy. Additionally, it bound the Kriegsmarine to the Washington Naval Treaty tonnage restrictions. Increasingly concerned about Frances naval expansion, German designers sought to create a new type of battleship that would out-class the newer French vessels. Design work moved forward with debates ensuing over the caliber of the main battery, type of propulsion system, and thickness of the armor.  These were further complicated in 1937 with the departure of Japan from the treaty system and implementation of an escalator clause that increased the tonnage limit to 45,000 tons. When German designers learned that the new French Richelieu-class would mount 15 guns, the decision was made use similar weapons in four two-gun turrets. This battery was supplemented by a secondary battery of twelve 5.9 (150 mm) guns. Several means of propulsion were considered including turbo-electric, diesel geared, and steam drives. After assessing each, turbo-electric drive was initially favored as it had proven effective aboard the American Lexington-class aircraft carriers. Construction As construction moved forward, the new class propulsion came to be  geared turbine engines turning three propellers. For protection, the new class mounted an armor belt ranging in thickness from 8.7 to 12.6. This area of the ship was further protected by 8.7 armored, transverse bulkheads. Elsewhere, armor for the conning tower was 14 on the sides and 7.9 on the roof. The armor scheme reflected the German approach of maximizing protection while maintaining stability. Ordered under the name  Ersatz Hannover, the lead ship of the new class, Bismarck, was laid down at Blohm Voss in Hamburg on July 1, 1936. The first name served as an indication that the new vessel was replacing the old pre-dreadnought Hannover. Sliding down the ways on February 14, 1939, the new battleship was sponsored by  Dorothee von Là ¶wenfeld, granddaughter of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck would be followed a second battleship of its class, Tirpitz, in 1941. Fast Facts: Battleship Bismarck General Nation: Nazi GermanyType: BattleshipShipyard: Blohm Voss, HamburgLaid Down: July 1, 1936Launched: February 14, 1939Commissioned: August 24, 1940Fate: Sunk in action, May 27, 1941 Specifications Displacement: 45,451 tonnesLength: 450.5mBeam (Width): 36mDraft:: 9.3-10.2mPropulsion: 12 High-pressure Wagner boilers powering 3 Blohm Voss geared turbines at 150,170 horsepowerSpeed: 30.8 knotsRange: 8,525 nautical miles at 19 knots, 4,500 nautical miles at 28 knotsComplement: 2,092: 103 officers, 1,989 enlisted Armament Guns 8Ãâ€"380 mm/L48.5 SK-C/34 (4 turrets with 2 guns each)12Ãâ€"150 mm/L55 SK-C/2816Ãâ€"105 mm/L65 SK-C/37 / SK-C/3316Ãâ€"37 mm/L83 SK-C/3012Ãâ€"20 mm/L65 MG C/30 (Single)8Ãâ€"20 mm/L65 MG C/38 (Quadruple) Aircraft 4Ãâ€" Arado Ar 196 A-3 seaplanes, using 1 double-ended catapult Early Career Commissioned in August 1940, with Captain  Ernst Lindemann in command, Bismarck departed Hamburg to conduct sea trials in Kiel Bay.  Testing of the ships armament, power plant, and seakeeping abilities continued through the fall in the relative safety of the Baltic Sea. Arriving at Hamburg in December, the battleship entered the yard for repairs and alterations. Though scheduled to return to Kiel in January, a wreck in the Kiel Canal prevented this from occurring until March. Finally reaching the Baltic, Bismarck resumed training operations. With World War II underway, the German Kriegsmarine envisioned using Bismarck as a raider to attack British convoys in the North Atlantic. With its 15 guns, the battleship would be able to strike from a distance, inflicting maximum damage while placing itself at minimal risk. Bismarck, photographed from Prinz Eugen, in the Baltic at the outset of Operation Rheinà ¼bung, May 1941. Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1989-012-03 / Lagemann / CC-BY-SA 3.0 The battleships first mission in this role was dubbed Operation Rheinà ¼bung (Exercise Rhine) and proceeded under the command of  Vice Admiral Gà ¼nter Là ¼tjens. Sailing in tandem with the cruiser Prinz Eugen, Bismarck departed Norway on May 22, 1941, and headed towards the shipping lanes. Aware of Bismarcks departure, the Royal Navy had begun moving ships to intercept. Steering north and west, Bismarck headed for the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland. Battle of the Denmark Straight Entering the strait, Bismarck was detected by the cruisers HMS Norfolk and HMS Suffolk which called for reinforcements. Responding were the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser HMS Hood. The two intercepted the Germans at the south end of the strait on the morning of May 24. Less than 10 minutes after the ships opened fire, Hood was struck in one of its magazines causing an explosion that blew the ship in half. Unable to take on both German ships alone, Prince of Wales broke off the fight. During the battle, Bismarck was hit in a fuel tank, causing a leak and forcing a reduction in speed (Map). Bismarck fires on HMS Prince of Wales during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1984-055-13 Sink the Bismarck! Unable to continue with his mission, Là ¼tjens ordered Prinz Eugen to continue on while he turned the leaking Bismarck toward France. On the night of May 24, aircraft from the carrier HMS Victorious attacked with little effect. Two days later aircraft from HMS Ark Royal scored a hit, jamming Bismarcks rudder. Unable to maneuver, the ship was forced to steam in a slow circle while awaiting the arrival of the British battleships HMS King George V and HMS Rodney. They were sighted the following morning and Bismarcks final battle commenced. Bismarck burning in the distance as HMS Rodney (right) fires, May 27, 1941. Public Domain Assisted by the heavy cruisers HMS Dorsetshire and Norfolk, the two British battleships pummeled the stricken Bismarck, knocking its guns out of action and killing most of the senior officers on board. After 30 minutes, the cruisers attacked with torpedoes. Unable to resist further, Bismarcks crew scuttled the ship to prevent its capture. British ships raced in to pick up the survivors and rescued 110 before a U-boat alarm forced them to leave the area. Close to 2,000 German sailors were lost.

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Personal statement - Essay Example My dream goes on to include a specialization in the field of law. The reason behind my dream is quite simple. I want to be set apart from every lawyer pounding the pavement of the court houses and law offices. That is why I am intent on attending a year long Masters of Law post graduate degree. Okay, I admit that I am an Asian immigrant with UK citizenship status. I will be the first to acknowledge that I have some difficulty in expressing myself in the English language. By now you are probably wondering what I am doing in the legal field of studies when I am sure to shine brightly if I concentrate on the area of Math or Management. Let me put it this way, my language handicap has never been a barrier for me towards achieving any of my dreams. I managed to keep my grades at a decent average as a Law student at the University of York. I may have struggled to express myself in the English language during certain instances of public debate and other spoken avenues of my subjects but I n ever lost heart. My Law studies posed the biggest challenge of my life. I may have had a difficult time in most of my classes and my scores may have been only average but what mattered the most what that I never gave up. I gave my studies everything I had and managed to come out of it with remarkable improvements in my class grades that continue with every semester that I complete. Even more amazing to my professors at York is the fact that I manage to somehow keep my grades up while I participate in various sports activities on campus. I am an active participant in table tennis matches and other British and University College Sports. These are after class activities that I enjoy participating in because it helps me relax and forget all of the legal studies that take up most of my student days. After all, I am no good as a student if I am burned out. Neither will I be good lawyer if I do not know how to relax and take some time off in order to get a fresh perspective of the cases I am working on. I have never been faced with a challenge that made me turn away. I have always faced my fears head on and plunged into seeking solutions to them rather than cowering in one corner, wondering what other people can do to help me overcome my difficulties in class and other avenues of life. I believe that this go-getter attitude comes from the fact that I am a person who is always eager to learn and excited about discovering new avenues of learning that can bring me new life experiences at the same time. Having mentioned before that I am of Asian descent, it is pretty obvious that I can easily excel in anything related to Maths. So, not wanting to waste my inborn talent for numbers and analysis, I have decided to pursue a LLM degree in order to become a very competent commercial lawyer. It seems like the most logical step for me because I can see and understand the way the world economies are balancing on the brink of bankruptcy and the banks are caught in the middle of i t all. As a LLM lawyer with a specialization in the commercial field, I will easily be able to defend the financiers of the world when they need legal help the most. With such a highly specialized degree, I do not even have to be a lawyer all my life. Having a LLM will allow me to pursue other career avenues in the legal field such as tax and international law. But most importantly, the LLM will give me an upper hand when enticing other companies to hire me for upper management positions. After all, a