Building Management Systems Essay Example

Building Management Systems Essay Example Building Management Systems Essay Building Management Systems Essay Essay Topic: To Build a Fire A BMS consists of software and hardware; the software program, usually configured in a hierarchical manner, can be proprietary, using such protocols as C-bus, Profibus, and so on. Vendors are also producing BMSs that integrate using Internet protocols and open standards such as DeviceNet, SOAP, XML, BACnet and Modbus. A BMS is most common in a large building. Its core function is to manage the environment within the building and may control temperature, carbon dioxide levels and humidity within a building. As a core function in most BMS systems, it controls heating and cooling, manages the systems that distribute this air throughout the building (for example by operating fans or opening/closing dampers), and then locally controls the mixture of heating and cooling to achieve the desired room temperature. A secondary function sometimes is to monitor the level of human-generated CO2, mixing in outside air with waste air to increase the amount of oxygen while also minimising heat/cooling losses. Systems linked to a BMS typically represent 40% of a buildings energy usage; if lighting is included, this number approaches 70%. BMS systems are a critical component to managing energy demand. Improperly configured BMS systems are believed to account for 20% of building energy usage, or approximately 8% of total energy usage in the United States. As well as controlling the buildings internal environment, BMS systems are sometimes linked to access control (turnstiles and access doors controlling who is allowed access and egress to the building) or other security systems such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) and motion detectors. Fire alarm systems and elevators are also sometimes linked to a BMS, for example, if a fire is detected then the system could shut off dampers in the ventilation system to stop smoke spreading and send all the elevators to the ground floor and park them to prevent people from using them in the event of a fire. In this report it is discussed the building management system (BMS) implemented in Administration Building of Trelleborg Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. It is a distributed control system with a computerized network of electronic devices. The BMS was setup is to control, monitor and optimize building service such as Lighting, Air conditioning, Fire security, CCTV system, etc. Main objectives were as follows. ? Good control of internal comfort conditions ? Zonal control ? Increased staff productivity ? Effective monitoring and targeting of energy consumption ? Effective response to HVAC-related complaints ? Flexibility on change of building use ? Central control and monitoring of building ? Time saving ? Low operating cost ? Efficient use of building resources and services Rapid alarm indication and fault diagnosis Systems linked to the BMS represent 80% of a buildings energy usage. Fire alarm systems and elevators are also linked to the BMS, for example, if a fire is detected then the system could shut off dampers in the ventilation system to stop smoke spreading and send all the elevators to the ground floor and park them to prevent people from using them in the event of a fire. The BMS comprises: ? Power system ? Li ghting system ? Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning system ? Security system Fire alarm system ? Elevators etc. 2. 0 SENSOR AND ACTUATORS USED ? Temperature Transducers [pic] [pic] ? Pressure sensors [pic] [pic] ? Humidity Sensor ? Differential Pressure sensors [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] ? Humidity Transducers [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] ? Level sensors ? CO2 sensor ? Flow Meter ? CCTV Cameras ? Light sensors ? Occupancy sensors ? Water Pumps ? Valve actuators ? Fans 3. 0 DETAILS OF CONTROLLERS/DDC USED Inputs allow the controller to read temperatures, humidity, pressure, air flow, and other essential factors. The outputs allow the controller to send command and control signals to slave devices, and to other parts of the system. Inputs and outputs are digital or analog. The BMS is facilitated with a System/Network controller as this is a Supermarket/Office building. System controllers provide general purpose feedback loops, as well as digital circuits. System/Network controllers are applied to control more mechanical systems such as an Air Handler Unit (AHU), boiler, chiller, etc. Terminal Unit controller is used for control of lighting. |POINT SCHEDULE -BUILDING AUTOMATION SYSTEM (TRELLEBORG LANKA (PVT) LTD |   |   |   |   |   |   | | | | | |DIGITA|DIGITA|ANALOG |ANALOG| | | | | | |L |L |INPUT |OUTPUT| | | | | | |INPUT |OUTPUT| | | | | | | | |DI |DO |AI | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | | | | | | | | [pic] 4. 0 SOFTWARE, GUI AND COMM UNICATION PROTOCOLS USED Open protocols were used. ? DeviceNet ? XML ? simple graphical interface 5. 0 DRAWBACKS OF THE SYSTEM ? Confusion is higher about responsibility of errors and faulty point identification when things go wrong since the open protocols were used. ? More than one points of contacts for any problem with BMS. ? Software and hardware was provided by different manufactures according to the requirements indicated in the point schedule. 6. 0 DISCUSSION The BMS implemented in Administration Building of Trelleborg Lanka (Pvt) Ltd comprises above mentioned mechanical and electrical services in order to provide the facilities necessary for maintaining a comfortable working environment. Basic controls took the form of manual switching, time clocks or temperature switches that provide the on and off signals for enabling pumps, fans or valves etc. The purpose of the Building Management System (BMS) was to automate and take control of these operations in the most efficient way possible for the occupiers, within the constraints of the installed plant. The BMS is a â€Å"stand alone† computer system that calculates the pre-set requirements of the building and control the connected plant to meet those needs. Its inputs, such as temperature sensors and outputs, such as on/off signals are connected into outstations around the building. Programmes within these outstations use this information to decide the necessary level of applied control. The level of control via the BMS is dependent upon the information received from its sensors and the way in which its programmes tell it to respond to that information. As well as offering a precise degree of control to its environment, it can be made to alarm on conditions that can’t meet specification or warn of individual items of plant failure. Occupancy times for different areas are programmed into the Building Management System such that the plant is brought on and off to meet the occupier requirements. These times are often under optimum start control. This means that the chilled water pumps, AHU, etc are enabled, at a varying predetermined time, to ensure that the cooled space is at the set desired temperature for the start of the day. The Building Automation System therefore, based on the outside air temperature the space temperature and the building structure, determines the AC plant start time. Occupied, Unoccupied are the two operating modes for the building automation system. Occupancy is usually based on time of day schedules. In Occupancy mode, the BMS aims to provide a comfortable climate and adequate lighting, often with zone-based control so that users on one side of a building have a different thermostat than users on the opposite side. A temperature sensor in the zone provides feedback to the controller, so it can deliver cooling as needed. Lighting can be turned on and off with the building automation system based on time of day by occupancy sensors and timers. One typical example is to turn the lights in a space on for a half hour since the last motion was sensed. A photocell placed outside a building can sense darkness, and the time of day, and modulate lights in outer offices and the parking lot. Air handlers mix return and outside air so less temperature change is needed. This can save money by using less chilled water. Some external air is needed to keep the buildings air healthy. Analog temperature sensors have been placed in the space, the return and supply air ducts. Actuators are placed on chilled water valves, the outside air and return air dampers. The supply fan is started and stopped based on temperatures and building pressures combination. The constant volume air handling unit, are used. CAVs open and close dampers and water-supply valves to maintain temperatures in the buildings spaces. They cool the spaces by opening or closing chilled water valves that feed their internal heat exchangers. Generally one CAV serves several spaces. Chilled water is used to cool a buildings air and equipment. The chilled water system has two chillers and pumps. Analog temperature sensors measure the chilled water supply and return lines. The chillers are sequenced on and off to chill the chilled water supply. Two cooling towers and pumps are used to supply cool condenser water to the chillers. The condenser water supply to the chillers has to be constant so, speed drives are used on the cooling tower fans to control temperature. Proper cooling tower temperature assures the proper refrigerant head pressure in the chiller. Analog temperature sensors measure the condenser water supply and return lines. The building automation system has alarm capabilities. If an alarm is detected, it is programmed to notify someone. Notification is through a computer and audible alarm. Fire and smoke alarm systems are hard-wired to override building automation. The hot water system supplies heat to hot water heating coils. The hot water system has a boiler and pumps. Analog temperature sensors are placed in the hot water supply. The boiler and pumps are sequenced on and off to maintain supply. Name : A. P. W. Jayasekara(09/8660) P. G. C. Karunathilake(09/8663) W. M. A. S. Wijethunga(09/8678) T. N. Walpita(09/8676) Course : MSc in Electrical Engineering-Department of Electrical Engineering, University Of Moratuwa. Lec. By : Prof. Lanka Udawatta. Date : 2010-08-14 ASSIGNMENT Building Management System – EE5118

Compare and contrast the accumulation of engineering ethical issues Essay

Compare and contrast the accumulation of engineering ethical issues leading to the Katrina Hurricane response versus the TVA's Kingston ash spill - Essay Example ganization’s integrity by assisting individuals conform to the professional norms, avoid misdeeds and mistakes (such as nepotism and corruption) that go against public trust. Deontological ethics also ensure that the public officials within the constitutional republic are accountable to people (Adams and Balfour 4). A good example is the failure of the levees after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans (Schwester 348). There are people who argue that the city of New Orleans should not have been located in such vulnerable environment. New Orleans is located below-sea level which is a factor that could have contributed to the vulnerability of New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina. The important factor is perhaps the New Orleans system of floodwalls and levees, which were built in the 1920s and in the 1930s. The Corps of Engineers and the levee districts did not maintain the levees and the floodwalls adequately. Furthermore, the soil structure initial assessment indicates that the system was built on substandard soil. This means that the levees could be overtopped by Category 3 storm. Multiple breaches in a number of waterways and from Lake Pontchartrain offered substantial evidence of inadequate risk assessment and failure to sufficiently protect the waterways (Adams and Balfour 8). The engineering ethical issues in regard to the Hurricane Katrina have accumulated since the construction of the floodwalls and levees during the 1920s and 1930s. Due to the economic significance of New Orleans, Morgan City, and the Baton Rouge, a system of levees was constructed in the past years to keep the river in its current bed and also to manage, or control frequent flooding. To make matters worse, flooding can result due to the Mississippi River large spring flows, and from storms blowing from the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, the operators and designers of a New Orleans flood control system are faced with sophisticated design conditions (Christian 6). In the early 20th century, pumping

Antimatter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Antimatter - Essay Example For the electron, for instance, there should be an "antielectron" identical in every way but with a positive electric charge. In his Nobel Lecture, Dirac speculated on the existence of a completely new Universe made out of antimatter! (The History of antimatter, 2001) In 1932 Carl Anderson, a young professor at the California Institute of Technology, while studying showers of cosmic particles in a cloud chamber discovered antielectron, He called the antielectron a "positron", for its positive charge. After almost 25 years in the year 1955, antiprotons were discovered followed by antineutrons in 1959. In 1965, a unique machine at CERN (Conseil Europen pour la Recherche Nuclaire), a European organization for nuclear research called Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) was used to successfully produce antihydrogen atom, which is a real a real antimatter atom. The idea behind this is to trap these antihydrogen atoms by first slowing them down and then carry out accurate comparisons of properties of hydrogen and antihydrogen particles. "Matter and antimatter are perfect opposites. So perfect, in fact, that when the meet they annihilate leaving behind a flash of pure energy. Nothing else remains; antimatter annihilation is the ultimate clean source of energy. It is the perfect conversion of mass (m) into energy (E) according to Einstein's famous prescription E= mc2, where c is the speed of light. The problem is, however, that antimatter cannot simply be harvested or mined. It has to be made, and making it requires vastly more energy than annihilating it produces. All the antimatter produced at CERN in a year would provide barely enough energy to power a light bulb for a few seconds." (Gordon Fraser) Antimatter Applications Antimatter may be the stuff of science fiction but at laboratories like CERN it is a commonplace tool for research. In hospitals and industry too, antimatter is in everyday use for diagnosis. Positron Emission Tomography, PET, for example relies on antimatter. It works by attaching radioactive atoms that emit positrons - anti-electrons - to biological tracer molecules that find their way to specific areas of the body. When the radioactive atoms decay the positrons they emit immediately annihilate with electrons and the resulting flash of energy appears in the form of two gamma-rays of equal energy. These escape from the body back-to-back and are detected, allowing doctors to follow what happens to the biological tracer molecules and thus learn valuable information about the workings of the body. (Antimatter Decelerator, 2008). Negative and Positive sides of Antimatter The 1980s US Strategic Defense Initiative program (better known as 'Star Wars') included several projects which looked at the possibility of using antimatter as rocket fuel or to drive space-borne weapons platforms. (Gordon Fraser) Antimatter, converting all its mass into energy, is the ultimate fuel. However first the antimatter would have to be manufactured - there is no 'mine' of antimatter. (Gordon Fraser) Antimatter is difficult to produce - all the antiprotons produced at CERN during one year would supply enough energy to light a 100 watt electric bulb for three seconds! (Gordon

Features Of Controlling Function Business Essay

Features Of Controlling Function Business Essay Management is a a universal phenomenon which mean a concept understood by everyone. Management enables to use the available resources efficiently it is purposive activity which have a purpose or a reason behind each and every function . In an effective management goals are pre-determined ,which means the goals which should be achieved by the organization is finalized earlier by the top level management Management is important for a business for the following reasons: To maintain the internal environment of the company. To get the work done effectively and efficiently Basic administration things which are equal to each employee. Eg :check in/check out time, application for leave. Equity equal treatment in the management . should be treated equally regardless of gender, religion etc. Espirit de corps enjoy the working environment. Nature of management is a serial process which means interaction with the staffs or colleagues Every day we have to interact or speak with the people we work with.natureof management enables to provide information from one person another, vertically or horizontally . Vertical communication takes place when information is transferred from top level management to the lover level staffs or from the lower level staffs to the top level management Horizontal communication takes places when an information is transferred with in the same level employees. For an example if a supervisor transfers an information to another supervisor, then it is known as horizontal communication. This also known as decisional activity .it involves continuous decision making to handle the issue and the problem arised in the company. In order to implement action decision needs to be taken first. This also known as interpersonal activity. Management contain of for function they are: Planning Organizing Leading and directing Controlling Planning The flowing is the process of the planning. Classifying the problem identifying the main task to be done. Establishment of objective. Establishment of planning premises, these are the assumptions made to solve the problem. Choice of alternative, if a plan fails can switch to the alternative plan. Formulation of derivative plans, no need of changing the whole only some parts could be adjusted. Arranging timing and sequence of the operations. Secures Co-Operation: Secures Relationship between the works and top level managements. Follow -Up/appraisal of plan_ This means Others are allowed give feedback regarding the plan. Planning enable stable running of the company and future development and success of the company (prosperity). This also enables innovation Creativity of new Ideas and can achieve better co-ordination from the employees. Organizing : Organizing means putting the right things in the right place and right person in the right place to get the work done properly. Organizing is the first step of implementation. Its because we are physically grouping and dividing the work force. Function of organizing: Act as a frame work within which people can work together effectively. There are actually three areas if objectives or aims. First is the Organizational objective Planning emphasized in the whole thing. Departmental objective- Different departments will have different objectives. Individual objectives each and every employee will have his/her own objective of completing the task given. Finally all the objectives facilitated by the different departments enable to gain the organizational objectives. Organization is important for a company for the following rescores. Allows optimum we of rescores- Using the maximum rescores which is actually needed, Without wasting the resource or using it less Clarifies authority to perform managerial functions. Managerial function means decision making and giving orders and instruction to the sub ordinates and scalar chain refer to the way people are arranged in an organization. Facilitates growth and diversification of business easily. It enables to know how much of the resources would be needed. Leading and directing This refers to giving instructions and guidelines to achieve a pre determined goal. Leading and directing is an important managerial function. Leading and directing helps the organization in the following ways. Building an effective working climate. Creating opportunity for motivation. Supervising to make sure employees are behaving well. Scheduling, tasks given to each employee are finished on a given time. Disciplining, code of conduct/formal relationship Directing is said to be the heart of management process. directing is important to make sure that planes are working. Some characteristics of directing are as follows Pervasive function Required of all level of organization Every manager provides guidelines and inspiration to his sub ordinates however, there should be someone to direct even the supervisors just like the subordinates Continuous activity Direction is a continuous activity as it continues through out the life of the organization Directing is needed till you achieve the goal. Creative activity Directing helps to convert plane in to performance planes(written words ) are implemented (Physically) this means words are converted into physical action during the process of directing . without this function people become inactive and resources are meaningless Controlling Checking current performance and standard performance -goals are met and performance are satisfactory. Controlling is a continuous process which enables to find out how the employees perform. This is also used to make sure the top level management is also doing their job properly . Establishment of standards Measurement of performance The working environment of the work place should be good Communicating with the higher level management Extend of deviation Taking corrective actions Features of Controlling Function Following are the characteristics of controlling function of management- Controlling is an end function-   A function which comes once the performances are made in conformities with plans. Controlling is a pervasive function-   which means it is performed by managers at all levels and in all type of concerns. Controlling is forward looking because effective control is not possible without past being controlled. Controlling always look to future so that follow-up can be made whenever required. Controlling is a dynamic process   since controlling requires taking reviewal methods, changes have to be made wherever possible. Controlling is related with planning   Planning and Controlling are two inseperable functions of management. Without planning, controlling is a controlling succeeds planning. Q4) Planning process Contains of the following points: Classifying the problem- identifying and defining the problem Establishment of objectives- what do you want to achieve/creating aims Establishment of planning premises- assumptions/plans could be changed. Choice of alternative course of action- change into an alternative plan. Formulation of derivation plan- no need of changing the whole plan, only some parts of the plan could be changed. Arranging timing and sequence of operations Securing cooperations- securing the relationships between the workers and top level management. Follow up / Appraisal of plan- allow others to give feedback. Stability-stable running of the company. (controlled by the management). Prosperity-future development and success. Innovation and creativity- new ideas Better co ordination Ensures commitment-giving your 100% Acts as an aid to business system. Q5) management is getting things done by organizing things. Warren Bannis said Managers do things right, leader do the right things. Peter Ducker said , Management is doing thing right, leadership is doing the right things. Management- making the most efficient use of human, physical and financial resources to achieve given objectives, involving and planning, monitoring, coordinating and reviewing activities. Ian Smith, MD, Oracle Management is a science which can be taught while leadership cannot and leadership is more vital in modern business. Role of management Setting objectives and planning Organizing resources to achieve objectives Communicating to and motivating staff Coordinating activities Measuring and controlling performance Leadership influencing others to achieving desired aims and objectives; leaders set the agenda that managers follow. Leadership depends on three things viz. individual, follower,condition. Leadership decides on the direction of the company as per objectives and inspiring the staff to achieve them. Leadership is an important quality of a successful manager. Employees want good leaders and will respond positively to their direction. Some people believe that leaders are born while others believe that leadership can be developed through training. Good leaders shall have the following characteristics Natural confidence and desire to succeed Ability to think creatively and encourage others to do so. Talented in multiple disciplines and handle such discussions Skill to identify the key issue and isolate other issues Q6) According to Herzberg, in order o increase employee satisfaction level, there are two important factors which needs to be present. They are motivation factors and hygiene factors Hygiene factors Factors that needs to be present as an initial motivator for employees to achieve objectives. Motivation factor Factors that can be implemented or used to increase employee motivation level. these are the factors that can be practiced by the organization. Motivation individuals Facilitates goal achievement Gets job satisfaction Self-development; always want to prove yourself Creates a dynamic team Motivation business creates empowered teams to; whatever the work is, employees are willing to complete the task. Input given by each employee is increased With high motivation high challenges better performance level.

A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature Essay

In Rabelais and His World, the formalist critic Mikhail Bakhtin makes the one reference to Canada that appears in the body of his work. Discussing the French humanist’s comic rendering of Pantagruel’s northwesterly journey to the icy underworld, he points to the various levels of correspondence between Rabelais’s text (itself a parodic reworking of Dante’s Divine Comedy) and Jacques Cartier’s journal account of his 1540 voyage to Canada. It was Cartier’s colonial venture, Bakhtin suggests, that had a particularly complex and important effect on the European imagining of otro mundo: the new world (397-400). For Bakhtin, this effect was felt most tellingly on what might be best described as the implications of the Word in the Old World imagination, for it was Cartier’s discovery of the New World that prompted an essential reconsideration of the intellectual and imaginative structures that had until this point guaranteed the Old World a confidence in its linguistic centrality and a certainty in its imaginative enterprise. So radical were the restructurings necessitated by this new information that throughout the earliest explorations of the New World whole editions of journals and maps were destroyed or bought up and hidden â€Å"because they were thought to disseminate the wrong kind of information† (Huggan, 7) or, in the more abstract sense, to speak the wrong language, spread the wrong Word. But as journeys and journals accumulated, so, too, did the notions of Canada as a problematic new land and new language, as a site at which Old World and traditionally worded certainties were confronted by an openness of place that refused to be fixed, refused to accommodate its particularities and paradoxes to the tropes or metaphors privileged by familiar verbal codes. Every journey across this new land became another imaginative â€Å"mapping† of what were at once the knowable and the radically unknowable realities of the place a number of the earliest cartographers had labeled, somewhat ominously, terra incognita: the unknown land. Such mappings were â€Å"not a luxury,† as Margaret Atwood has observed, â€Å"but a necessity,† for without the sense of certainty they provided, these early Canadians would â€Å"not survive† (Atwood, 18-9). Atwood’s observations were not in themselves particularly revolutionary but were building on echoes of such notable antecedents as Northrop Frye, who saw in this confrontation both the source of our deep terror regarding the imminence of Canadian geography and of our national myths and mythic patterns (626), and Desmond Pacey, who defined â€Å"the Canadian imagination† as â€Å"mainly a function of† a collision between an imagination grounded fixedly in Old World language and a geography â€Å"so various† and â€Å"inescapably impressive †¦ that in itself it offers an inexhaustible challenge† (437-44). More recently, W. H. New has invited a full rethinking of the most basic terms of this challenge, suggesting that from Cartier’s earliest contact the word â€Å"land† has to be seen as a particularly complex discursive terrain, â€Å"a ground of contestation† upon which â€Å"an ongoing history of [our] relations with place and space† plays out. As New suggests, Canada in this sense becomes a semiotic site at which â€Å"Fixity vies recurrently with fluidity, position with positionality, the place of social residence with the condition of being there. † For Sheila Watson, the condition of â€Å"being† in the her The Double Hook (1959) is very much a process of doubling back on the assumptions and Words that have traditionally been part of the foundation of Old World thought and action. Faced with an â€Å"inexhuastible challenge† to survive, Waton’s characters open the novel trapped in silence, the doubling back of the â€Å"spoken† into the lethal pits-and-snares of the â€Å"unspoken† or, worse still, into the morass of the â€Å"never said. † And is it is in this doubling back of language that Watson’s characters find themselves hooked not once (on the self-glorifications of protective silence) but twice, by the fear in which silence finds its most solid footing. The Double Hook opens with an act of matricide, an act that is itself a doubling back to (re)collect both classic (the story of Orestes, for instance) and biblical (1 Timothy) allusions for use in this new land. It is the most profoundly un-natural doubling, as son erases his own origin, his own naming, his own source. At the same time, it is an act that resonates deeply through a family that lives â€Å"suspended in silence† and that includes among its various acts of violence the suicide of Greta, who remains dumb despite her impulse to use â€Å"her voice to shatter all memory of the girl who had stayed too long† (32) and the blinding of Kip, a young boy who attempts to speak of and against the repressiveness shaping his valley home. But as Watson reveals, this Canadian place is a one in which any move to double away from the exhaustive struggle to find language is often a fatal slide. As the character known only as the Widow’s boy shouts in response to the violence erupting in the silences around him: Can a man speak to no one because he’s a man? Who says so?†¦ I’ve held my tongue†¦ when I should have used my voice like an axe to cut down the wall between us† (116). The boy’s emphasis here is crucial, for what Watson demands to here in her Canadian place is not the language of another or the displacing silence of the fearful but a radical and potent questioning of the potentialities of a language that can articulate the freedoms that Cartier and others had (en)visioned for this place. As Barbara Godard explains, Watson remains â€Å"[s]ensitive always to the thinness and inarticulateness of modern language† (153) and is always in search of ways â€Å"to disturb the reader’s conventional consciousness of words and their so-called corresponding realities† (153). Watson’s warning, and her practice in The Double Hook, is for the need to interrogate language in the modern world, to bring language back doubled onto itself as a act of demythologizing and dismantling; Watson’s novel proposes in its own writing an understanding of language and reality that finds its most profound articulation in the doubling onto itself of language itself. In this doubling back of language upon itself, another act of murdering one’s origins, â€Å"Watson signals her departure from realistic verisimilitude† (154) and from the strictures that bound, not freed, Cartier and subsequent explorers, to the language of their realities and their worlds. â€Å"In the fold of the hills / under Coyote’s eye† (11) language begins to redouble its energies, unfold its potentials to mean beyond the literal into the circular encounterings of allusion and echo and irony. When James flees his ranch on horseback following the murder of his own mother, he becomes, briefly, a perverted image of the classic Western hero riding off into the sunset and silence of the horizon. But as he soon recognizes, his is not a semiotic site located in that system; in his place, in his language, â€Å"a person only escapes in circles no matter how far the rope spins. † In other words (in new words), he must double back and begin to fill the silence, to dismantle the double back language (silence) that has reified around the edges of his folded valley. In his doubling back, he must meet again with Felix, a character whose own languages — the vernacular of the valley, the ritualized formality of religion, the silken transcendence of music — has itself been emptied of meaning, reduced to cliche: He wondered: If a bitch crept in by my stove would I let her fall on the hot iron of it? I’ve got no words to clear a woman off my bench. No words except: Keep moving, scatter, get-the-hell-out. His mind sifted ritual phrases. Some half forgotten. You’re welcome. Put your horse in. Pull up. Ave Maria. Benedictus fructus ventris. Introibo. Introibo. The beginning. The whole thing to live again. Words said over and over here by the stove. His father knowing them by heart. God’s servants. The priest’s servants. The cup lifting. The bread breaking. Domine non sum dignus. Words coming. The last words. (41) Doubling back into his own languages through words â€Å"ritualized† and words â€Å"said over and over,† Felix lives, in this moment, trapped like James, forever in the ellipses of the â€Å"half forgotten† and in the promise, always frustrated, of â€Å"[w]ords coming. † In the end, though, it is Felix, with the assistance of Kip, who brings the novel back from the creases of its own doubling, back to the glory of language made meaningful with its own resonant doubleness, allowing it to be both glory and fear, articulation and reflection, the said and the unsaid. It is Felix, who steps to the side of Angel in the moment of her deliverance to assist in the miracle, and who, even the new mother admits, â€Å"didn’t do bad for a man†¦ Especially for a man who never raised a hand to help one of his own mares in foal† (116). Fishing with Kip in the now meaningful silence that follows the birth, there is a conversation between the two generations of valley men during which the older man’s sense of responsibility and wonder serves as a corrective to the younger one’s suspicion and fear: When a house of full of women, Kip said, and one of them Angel, it’s best for a man to take his rest among the willows. When a house is full of women and children, Felix said, a man has to get something for their mouths. (117) Caught again in a silence, Kip pauses to reflect on Felix’s refocusing of the valley, his doubling of the â€Å"reality† of the presence in the house (â€Å"and children†) that effectively reinscribes community over isolation, family over individual. When Kip speaks again, it is to accept his role in the â€Å"branding† that had scarred his face: â€Å"I keep thinking about James, Kip said. I kept at him like a dog till he beat around the way a porcupine beats with his tail† (117). Pausing momentarily before he answers, Felix slips past the ritual responses, the formulaic platitudes that have defined him in the past. Rather than parable or vulgar dismissal, he engages the younger man with a reflection upon James’s burden and, more importantly, a question that at once engages Kip but also looks to his future in the valley: â€Å"Jame’s got more than a porcupine has to answer for, he said. How’re you going to pick up a living now? † To pick up living in the valley is, as Angel makes clear when she names her new baby Felix, is through the model of the older man, who passes on the will to speak and the will to be heard to a valley. Moving beyond language into love, and through love back to harmony and rebirth, Felix reimagines the silence of the valley, shaping its contours with words and allowing the connecting moments of quiet to reverberate with meaning, to double back into the words of the father-figure in order to find a path to the future. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature. Toronto: Anansi, 1972. Frye, Northrop. Literary History of Canada. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1965. Godard, Barbara. â€Å"’Between One Cliche and Another’: Language in The Double Hook. † Studies in Canadian Literature 3 (1978): 149-65. Huggan, Graham. Territorial Disputes: Maps and Mapping Strategies in Contemporary Canadian and Australian Fiction. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1994. New, W. H. Land Sliding: Imagining Space, Presence, and Power in Canadian Writing. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1997. Pacey, Desmond. â€Å"The Canadian Imagination. † The Literary Review 8 (1965): 437-44. Watson, Sheila. The Double Hook. 1959. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1989.

Protest Poetry

Protest songs make serious comment on the issues of their time. Discuss with detailed reference to the issues and techniques in two songs studied in class and one of your own choosing. Protest songs are the product of their times. Composers utilise the medium to make meaningful comment on the issues of their era in an attempt to influence viewpoints and bring back change. ‘Dear Mr President’ by Pink criticises the presidency of George w bush and the issues he raised with his decisions. These issues were homosexual rights/ marriage, homelessness, poverty, war/ us. oles, women’s rights and the justice system. â€Å"Sunday bloody Sunday’ by U2 criticizes the unnecessary bloodshed that occurred as a result of the violence connected with the Irish troubles on Jan 30, 1972. ‘skyscraper’ by Demi Lovado criticizes the issues of bullying, body image, and self mutilation in today’s society. These songs all express opinions about issues of relevan ce to their societies for the future. These songs all express opinions about relevance to their societies, ultimately in an attempt to enforce a positive change to the world. In 2007 Pink released the song Dear Mr.President. The song is a direct criticism of President George W. Bush and the policies of his administration. Pink addresses the major concerns of most Americans. The most evident of these concerns are homosexual rights/ marriage, homelessness, women’s rights, war/US roles, poverty and the justice system. The song begins with â€Å"Come take a walk with me. Let’s pretend we’re just two people and you’re not better than me. † By stating this as an invitation Pink is directly asking the President to listen to her opinions utilising imperative verbs and a gentle tone.Pink is stating that she will be truthful and not sugar coat her opinions. She will tell him the truth about what everyone is thinking but no one is willing to tell him directly . metaphor is utilised to portray the ideas Pink has. The complete second and third stanzas are rhetorical questions addressing the issues the President has caused. The rhetorical questions are using emotive language to appeal to the listeners’ heart. The rhetorical questions are also using direct address to the President to show perspective of the issues and showing them so they relate to him.At the end of the third stanza when Pink asks â€Å"How do you walk with your head held high? Can you even look me in the eye and tell me why? † she uses negative connotations to show the pride or lack of pride he holds. The complete fifth stanza is using personal address by using examples of his own family and putting them in the places of the people affected by his choices, and rhetorical questions. â€Å"What kind of father would take his own daughter’s rights away? And what kind of father might hate is own daughter if she were gay? The rhetorical questions are address ing Bush’s personal life and relationship with his daughter by putting a negative aspect onto it by saying he would hate her if she were gay. The effect of this is to show how unfair the President is being to people and how he should change his ways. This song makes serious comment on the issues of the President’s actions and decisions. Sunday bloody Sunday focuses on the ongoing issues of conflict between protestants and the Catholics in northern island, which culminated in the loss of lives on a day known as bloody Sunday.The composer highlights the futility of the ongoing troubles and makes a call for change. A metaphor is utilised in the rhetorical question’ how ling must we sing this song? ’ to draw attention to the long period of time these troubles have been occurring. Direct address is employed in ‘we can be as one tonight’ in order to persuade people to put an end to the violence. Alliteration paired with evocative imagery reinforces the emotive impact of the message. ‘broken bottles under children’s feet/ bodies strewn across the dead end street. This is further demonstrated through a metaphor â€Å"the trench is dug within our hearts†, conveying the impact this is having on people’s emotions. The word choice ‘trench’ links the audience’s minds to war. The composer sends a powerful message by using a biblical allusion â€Å"the real battle has just begun/ to claim the victory Jesus won. † Calling on Christians to unite with a common purpose rather than engage in fighting. The issue of religious conflict is clearly an important one that holds relevance for contemporary society. In 2011 Demi Lovado released the song Skyscraper.Skyscraper focuses on the ongoing issue of bullying, self hate, and body image. The composer highlights the futility of the ongoing troubles and makes a call for change. The song begins with â€Å"Skies are crying, I am watching†¦ catching teardrops in my hands. Only silence has its ending like we never had a chance. Do you have to make me feel like there’s nothing left of me? † The tone of this is a soft, sad/ lonely whisper to show how vulnerable the composer is feeling, but slowly leads up to a louder stronger tone. Personification is employed which gives the effect of showing how she eels by using a large mass of to show the emotion the composer is feeling. A rhetorical question is used to show how she is feeling as though everything has been taken from her, making her feel worthless. In the chorus the metaphor â€Å"You can take everything I have, you can break everything I am† is used to show that things are changing for her but she is getting better and stronger to not care as much about the issues. â€Å"Like I’m made of glass, like I’m made of paper† uses repetition to portray the effect of feeling weak but knowing you’re much stronger.This is shown be cause the substances referred to are paper and glass which are very weak and easy to break. In the third stanza emotive language is used. â€Å"Would it make you feel better to watch me while I bleed? † This is relating to her issues of self harm and how it would make people feel to watch her do it. The emotive language reference is said in an angry tone with high volume. This is to show how fed up of feeling bad about herself she is. This song suggests that bullying and self image issues are clearly an important one that holds relevance for contemporary society.

Alcohol Use In Our Culture - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1244 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/10/30 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Teenage Drinking Essay Did you like this example? Alcohol use in our culture is pervasive with effects that reach into many aspects of society and can also be seen within every level of Bronfenbrenners model. In many cases, exposure to alcohol, and the permissive use of it, occurs first in the home or with immediate family in the microsystem. The use within that system, and the prevailing attitudes towards it, can be the first introduction to alcohol and directly influence an individuals present and future behaviors around drinking. The mesosystem and exosystem both have the potential to exert pressure, both as negative and positive reinforcement. Encouragement within social groups (peers) and social norms that accept a certain level of experimentation are major influencing factors faced by most teens and young adults. These external factors can be countered within the systems by teacher interventions, school counselors, and the legal system. Cultural macrosystems have a direct bearing on the subsystems as cultural norms and laws are the standards by which use and/or abuse of alcohol will be judged both in the context of the societal and legal systems. Chronosystems, specifically in cross-cultural settings appear to be shifting. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Alcohol Use In Our Culture" essay for you Create order European nations, traditionally more accepting of alcohol use among adolescents, are experiencing changes in both the cultural norms and legal systems as a result of ongoing studies combined with growing binge drinking trends among teens and young adults. When it comes to adolescent alcohol use, studies and real-world outcomes make it clear permissive parenting is a choice with potentially severe consequences. INQUIRY The decision to let adolescents drink at home can be attributed to any number of factors. Socio-economics, parenting style, cultural norms, and external pressures can all contribute to this decision. In fact, there is valid reasoning associated in some instances when parents assume as the end of high school draws near, parents may even begin to provide alcohol or allow their teen to drink at home, rationalizing that they are teaching their children to drink responsibly and thereby reducing risk of alcohol-related consequences (Livingston et al., 2009; Peele, 2007 as cit ed in Livingston, Jennifer A., Testa, Maria, Hoffman, Joseph H., Windle, Michael, 2010, p. 1105). In studies by U.S. researchers the science on permissive parenting, adolescent drinking, and its ramifications is clear; early permissiveness in the home and undefined parental boundaries on alcohol use lead to a higher level of drinking (binge and heavy consumption) as adolescents move away from home and into early adulthood (Livingston et al,. 2009; Arria et al. 2008). There are of course many factors that ultimately influence a teens decisions to drink, smoke or use drugs, but from a study looking at 2,400 sixth- and seventh-graders in inner-city schools in New York City, lead author Dr. Jennifer A. Epstein, assistant professor of public health in the Division of Prevention and Health Behavior at Weill Cornell Medical College stated the important role parents play, both in monitoring peer groups and behavior and as role models, in reducing the risks the child faces as well as modeling a behavior against which the child can set future goals (Biotech Week). Other studies looking at a variety of populations concur with this finding. In a study conducted in 2010, the goal of thestudy was to test this popular belief (supervised drinking at home) in order to determine whether permitting supervised drinking during high school reduced HED (Heavy Episodic Drinking) among emerging adult women as they transitioned from high school to college (Livingston, et al. 2010, p. 1105). The study had a clear focus on consumption, but to fully appreciate the gravity of the study, one only has to look at the researchers motivation; Nearly 75% of college sexual assaults occur as a result of the woman drinking to the point of unconsciousness or incapacitation and being unable to resist sexual advances (Mohler-Kuo, Dowdall, Koss, Wechsler, 2004; Testa Livingston, 2009, as cited in Livingston et al., 2010, p.1105). As seen in this statistic, alcohol consumption in adolescents and young adult has multi-tiered ramifications. The study focused on 449 female subjects in their senior year of high school and then again in the first year of college. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups, 1) a control group which were not permitted to drink at all, 2) a group allowed to drink only with meals, and 3) a group allowed to drink with friends at home. Researchers concluded that in both categories 2 and 3, there was a correlation between heavier drinking in college and the permissive attitude towards alcohol at home when compared to group 1. The heaviest alcohol use in college was found in group 3. The conclusion was that modeling, even in a responsible manner (group 2) still led to higher levels of drinking in college than a parent who did not condone drinking at home during high school (group 1) (Livingston et al., 2010). In a separate study, researchers looked at an even larger sample of a population of 1253 randomly selected male and female students, age 17 to 19, moving from high school to college. The longitudinal study interviewed subjects at the end of the senior year and then again in the first year of college. Just as in the previous study, the findings in this research found that authoritative parenting in the instance of adolescent alcohol use resulted in lower and more responsible levels of alcohol use. The findings applied across all segments of the subject base regardless of sex, race or religion. As with the prior study, the research led to the conclusion that parents attitudes, boundaries, and monitoring plays a critical role in determining they type of drinking habits teens will carry into young adulthood. This is not to say authoritative parenting will stop alcohol use but can play a key role in promoting more responsible use as adolescents move out of the home (Arria, Kuhn, Caldeira, OGrady, Vincent, and Wish 2008). CULTURAL COMPARISON Though Europe and America may share the same roots, when it comes to alcohol use among adolescents the cultures of most European countries have historically been more permissive than America. France is a country that long held itself up as a successful model in its approach to teen drinking. But that success came under scrutiny when between 2004 and 2007 France saw a 50% increase in teens being hospitalized as a result of excessive alcohol use and becoming the leading cause of death for French youth (Crumley). Betrand Nalpas, head of the alcohol and addiction offices at the French National Institutes on Health and Medical Research has seen an increase in binge drinking and heavy consumption by French adolescents. Surveys show 20% of 17 year-olds get drunk at least 3 times a month and of those teens, there is a heavy correlation to drinking at home. The World Health Organization backs up these findings and has found in 15-19 year-olds, heavy episodic drinking in France is at an average of 35.5% compared to 28% in the U.S. (World Health Organization). Even with stricter laws and an increase in the drinking age, France is still battling heavy drinking among adolescents. Nalpas points his finger at cultural influences (Varney, 2011). Pascale Dhote, a French cardiologist and parent summed up the challenge the culture faces, Even when there are little ones, people say, Taste it, taste it. Wine is good. You have to taste it. Its part of French culture you have to try it' (Varney, 2011, para 10). Nalpas acknowledges the challenge the French face and points to the hurdle they must clear to move forward. The symbol of the French with the bottle of red wine and the bread and the hat. We have to change that (Varney, 2011, para 13).