Thorn Birds Essays - The Thorn Birds, Drogheda, Colleen McCullough

Thorn Birds The novel, The Thorn Birds, is a very well written story about a family living in a poorer section of New Zealand whose livelihood is shearing sheep. The money for the family depends almost solely on the sheep. In the family, there is Padraic Cleary (Paddy), the father of the clan. He is a likable man who commands respect from his children and from those who know him. His wife, Fiona Cleary (Fee), is a woman with a past who loves her children, respects her husband but is living in a world that she did not want, but accepted it as her only possible way of life. Then there are Fee and Paddy's children, Frank, Meghann (Meggie), Hughie, Jack, Stuart (Stu), Bob, and the twins, Jims and Patsy, but the story revolves almost entirely around their only girl, Meggie. When Meggie was about 10 years old, Paddy's older sister, Mary Carson, beckoned Paddy to come work for her on her very large, very wealthy ranch in New South Wales, Australia, Drogheda. The family fell in love with Drogheda, even though they had to put up with drought, fire, and a climate that they were not used to. The boys in the family lived for Drogheda, and were the main work force of the ranch, herding sheep and cattle from one paddock to another, and working very hard during the most profitable time of the year, the shearing season, and the most hectic, the lambing season. Paddy was an immigrant from Ireland to New Zealand and was a devout Catholic, along with most Australians. Upon arriving to Drogheda, the Cleary family met Father Ralph, a friend of Mary Carson, a constant visitor to Drogheda, and the local priest of the closest town to Drogheda, Gillabon. The rest of the story rotates around the relationship between Father Ralph who later became Bishop Ralph and finally, Cardinal Ralph, and Meggie. The Cleary family lived through one of the worst droughts in Australia, and the terrible fire that followed, destroying most of Drogheda's outer pastures and killing Paddy, and Stuart in the process. They also had to deal with the problem of rabbits. The rabbits were foreigners to Australia, and once introduced, reproduced out of control due to the fact that there were no natural predators in Australia to kill them. The rabbits, along with the kangaroos, were devouring most of Drogheda's grazing land. Through it all though, Drogheda remained a constant source of pleasure and money for the Cleary family. Meggie had two children, Justine and Dane. Both very different in personality, and in looks. Meggie marries a shearer turned stockman fo Drogheda, Luke O'Neill, and from their marriage, Justine was born. Dane was from another man, but, the father, nor Dane or Justine knew who it was, only Fee and Meggie knew that secret. The author of Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough, is a highly talented writer. Throughout the novel, she describes the scenery with much detail. She should be an expert on the topic, since New South Wales, Australia is her home. The detail and description of the people and the places, which she goes deeply into, makes the reader feel as if she is actually experiencing the same things as the characters. She goes explains throughly as to how Drogheda is managed and how it looks. Mrs. McCullough definitely knows what she's talking about and her writing shows it. For work with the sheep never, never ended; as one job finished it became time for another. They were mustered and graded, moved from one paddock to another, bred and unbred, shorn and crutched, dipped and drenched, slaughtered and shipped off to be sold. Drogheda carried about a thousand head of prime beef cattle as well as its sheep, but sheep were far more profitable, so in good times Drogheda carried about one sheep for every two acres of its land, or about 125,000 altogether. Being merinos, they were never sold for meat; at the end of a merino's wool-producing years it was shipped off to become skins, lanolin, tallow and glue, useful only to the tanneries and the knackeries. Mrs. McCullough's purpose for writing The Thorn Birds is not entirely clear. She could have written the book to tell about the ways of the Australian people like the outback stockmen. She could have intended to explain what life in Australia is really like, the climate, the animals, etc. Another alternative is that she could have written this novel to talk about the Catholic Church and how man's

Bimetallism Definition and Historical Perspective

Bimetallism Definition and Historical Perspective Bimetallism  is a monetary policy wherein the value of a currency is linked to the value of two metals, usually (but not necessarily) silver and gold. In this system, the value of the two metals would be linked to each other- in other words, the value of silver would be expressed in terms of gold, and  vice versa- and either metal could be used as legal tender.   Paper money  would then be directly convertible to an equivalent amount of either metal- for example, U.S. currency used to explicitly state that the bill was redeemable â€Å"in gold coin payable to the bearer on demand.† Dollars were literally receipts for a quantity of actual metal held by the government, a holdover from the time before paper money was common and standardized. History of Bimetallism From 1792, when the  U.S. Mint was established, until 1900, the United States was a bimetal country, with both silver and gold recognized as legal currency; in fact, you could bring silver or gold to a U.S. mint and have it converted into coins. The U.S. fixed the value of silver to gold as 15:1 (1 ounce of gold was worth 15 ounces of silver; this was later adjusted to 16:1). One problem with  bimetallism  occurs when the face value of a coin is lower than the actual value of the metal it contains. A one-dollar silver coin, for example, might be worth $1.50 on the silver market. These value disparities resulted in a severe silver shortage as people stopped spending silver coins and opted instead to sell them or have them melted down into bullion. In 1853, this shortage of silver prompted the U.S. government to debase its silver coinage- in other words, lowering the amount of silver in the coins. This resulted in more silver coins in circulation. While this stabilized the economy, it also moved the country towards  monometallism  (the use of a single metal in currency)  and the  Gold Standard. Silver was no longer seen as an attractive currency because the coins were not worth their face value. Then, during the  Civil War, hoarding of both gold and silver prompted the United States to temporarily switch to what’s known as â€Å"fiat money.† Fiat money, which is what we use today, is money that the government declares to be legal tender, but thats not backed or convertible to a physical resource like metal.  At this time, the government stopped redeeming paper money for gold or silver. The Debate After the war, the  Coinage Act of 1873  resurrected  the ability to exchange currency for gold- but it eliminated the ability to have silver bullion struck into coins, effectively making the U.S. a Gold Standard country. Supporters of the move (and the Gold Standard) saw stability; instead of having two metals whose value was theoretically linked, but which  in fact fluctuated because foreign countries often valued gold and silver differently than we did, we would have money based on a single metal that the U.S. had plenty of, allowing it to manipulate its market value and keep prices stable. This was controversial for some time, with many arguing that a â€Å"monometal† system limited the amount of money in circulation, making it difficult to obtain loans and deflating prices. This was widely seen by many as benefiting the banks and the rich while hurting farmers and common people, and the solution was seen to be a return to â€Å"free silver†- the ability to convert silver into coins, and true bimetallism. A Depression and a  panic in 1893  crippled the U.S. economy and exacerbated the argument over bimetallism, which came to be seen by some as the solution to all of the United States’ economic troubles. The drama peaked  during the  1896 presidential election. At the National Democratic Convention, eventual nominee  William Jennings Bryan  made his famous  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cross of Gold†Ã‚  speech  arguing for bimetallism. Its success gained him the nomination, but Bryan lost the election to  William McKinley- in part because scientific advances coupled with new sources promised to increase the supply of gold, thus alleviating fears of limited money supplies. The Gold Standard In 1900, President McKinley signed the  Gold Standard Act, which officially made the United States a monometal country, making gold the only metal you could convert paper money into. Silver had lost, and bimetallism was a dead issue in the U.S. The gold standard persisted until 1933, when the  Great Depression  caused people to hoard their gold, thus making the system unstable; President Franklin Delano Roosevelt  ordered all gold and gold certificates to be sold to the government at a fixed price, then Congress changed the laws that required settlement of private and public debts with gold, essentially ending the gold standard here. The currency remained pegged to gold until 1971, when the â€Å"Nixon Shock† made then U.S. currency fiat money once again- as it has remained since.

Optometry Education In Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Optometry Education In Australia - Essay Example The survey was based on information obtained from the personal interview with an optometrist which was a mandatory component of this assignment. The question type survey involved opinions of practitioners in Australia and internationally regarding the educational standards of the current university programs; the need for a national board examination system; and the opinion whether the profession was ensuring competence in practitioners. Also asked in the survey were the questions related to the need for national examination for overseas graduates, and if it is appropriate to conduct periodical mandatory examinations for practitioners. The results of the survey will be referred/referenced to throughout the essay. So what are the educational standards A concern is whether the current optometry programs taught in Australia are appropriate. The four to five year course that leads to the degree of bachelorhood in optometry can then be furthered by undertaking MSc, MOptom, PhD in the same field. Experiments/research has been undertaken to improve the learning process of the students in this regard and new experiments and studies are being conducted. The introduction of WebCT (Web Course Tools) i.e. learning by the help of E-learning by Herse at the undergraduate level has been successful and highly educational to students (Herse ,2003). In another study, Anjou showed written communication that is letters of referral and report between healthcare providers to be one of the most competent means of communications between the health care providers and has insisted in implementing the structure at the graduate level. (Anjou, 2003). An introduction to problem based learning in Queensland University of Technology has also been carried out. (Azer, 2001) These studies are examples of the various techniques being introduced to increase the educational standards in the field of optometry. However, there are many who believe the system is not up to par. Take Carney for instance. Carney holds the view that the current challenges the universities face require a better strategy in education and teaching. He blames the slow legal status of Australia. "We are all aware that to accomplish change in the legal status of the health professions in Australia is a frustratingly slow process." He maintains the need to "further evolve the profession and develop it further. (Carney,2000) Comparing to the USA standards, Carney states that the model of entry-level competency adopted by ASCO (The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry), should be followed by a similar strategy in Australia to improve its educational standards. Carney believes Australia can reach to the levels of USA and UK (Carney, 2000). The US and UK standards are very good and are globally accepted and appreciated. He also maintains that the scope of the practice cannot be defined by entry level competencies alone (because) and stresses the need for further learning studies after graduation.(Carney ,2000). These skills and attitudes, in the author's view, will necessarily become integral and assessable attributes of graduates of the future. All these points hold merit but there are issues to the contrary.According to

Poetry when spring arrives by Fernando Pessoa Essay

Poetry when spring arrives by Fernando Pessoa - Essay Example There is a point that Pessoa brings to the mind of the reader and it is in the harsh reality that life goes on, even after the death of someone that is perceived to be influential to life itself. There is actually this tone of inferiority that comes with Pessoa’s statement that, â€Å"To think that my death is of no importance whatsoever.† (7). The truth is that, if the author is of no importance to life, what about the overwhelming influence that he has on people especially his friends, families and other people that were dear to his heart. Thus, the author should not have jumped to the conclusion that life does not need him. Now, let us assume that life does not need the author as he asserted, the best option was not to think or talk about death the way he did. There are actually strings of facts that should be picked from the lines of the poem. The author reminds readers that there is time for everything and that everything must come to pass at its appointed time as this could be inferred from the last line of the poem when he says that, â€Å"What will be, when it is, is what will be when it is.† (22). Seasons come, seasons go, but life remains. The author also reminds readers that, death is inevitable as it is an end to life

Short paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Short paper - Essay Example The basic requirements for putting on a successful sport event are covered in the first of the course lectures (Lecture 1, 2010) and begins by underlining the importance of the role of the sport event manager – the person who is in overall charge - and has the ultimate responsibility for the success, or failure of the event. As there will be many different but interlocking facets the event manager is generally assisted by sport event co-ordinators each handling a specific range of issues. Essentially the organisation of a successful event requires an accurate appreciation of the intended scope of the enterprise, ranging from minor directed towards local audiences to major [mega]events capable of attracting greater numbers and significant media coverage which target international audiences and require large public financial support. All of them have – to a greater or lesser degree – similar requirements [with differences in scale] and include the need to harness sponsorship, the support of the relevant sport agencies as well as local, national and international groups and federations. This is also handled in Lecture 2(2010) and the requirements are portrayed in an elegant interaction diagram (Lecture 2, 2010) as is the organisational chart of the International Olympic Committee, together with its interaction with host country agencies. This is important since to host an Olympic series is one of the pinnacles of sport events. Central to the event’s success are finance and sponsorship. The funding of the event can be secured through government and institutional grants, levies on associations, industrial and commercial sponsorship, rich individuals and a multitude of large and small stakeholders as well as gate receipts (Lecture 2, 2010). which were covered in the lectures namely: what was essential for ensuring success?

Incorporating Family Career Genogram

Incorporating Family Career Genogram Genogram is a graphic display of a persons family traits, relationships and also medical history. They go far away from a traditional family tree as they allow the individual to visualize some hereditary patterns and psychological factors that can interrupt or help relationships. Genograms can also be used to identify recurring patterns of behaviors, choices and identify hereditary tendencies. Normally, genograms will illustrate three generations (Krasner-Khait, 2000). The person can use a variety of lines to indicate relationships and names (see example below). A genogram not only will identify the names of people that belong to the persons family lineage, but also how those people interact with each other. Depends on the reason the person is using the genonogram, he/she may note the date of births, deaths, marriages and in the case of a career, the person might also include family members careers and positions as well. In relation to career counseling, King (2010) stated if a person is not sure which field is right for him/her a genogram may be helpful. Genogram is a diagram, like a family tree, that represents the career positions of family members. It gives the person an idea of the types of jobs he/she may naturally be good at. Genogram can clearly reveal how the family career choices have influenced the persons career preferences. There is no doubt that by identifying the family career choices the person can notice how his/her family members expectations had shaped his/her own career aspirations and decision making. Picture1.png Sample of a career Genogram Brief historical background The origin of the use of the word genogram is still a mystery. The term genogram was first suggested in 1978 by Dr. Murray Bowen to substitute the longer term family diagram. Dr. Bowen started to use the new term genogram during the late 1960s by Bowen System Therapists and by the 1970s it was broadly accepted by the community. As the concept was broadly accepted in the promising field of family medicine, the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) undertook the job to standardize the symbols. The person involved in coordinating the standardization during the 1980s was Monica Goldrick (What is a Genogram?, 2011). In 1985 through the publication of a book Genograms: Assessments and Interventions (1985), by Monica Goldrick and Randy Gerson the term was rapidly popularized in clinical settings. Since then the use of genogram has been used by various professional field such as education, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, genetics and many more. Throughout the time, genograms have been used to incorporate observations about medical history and major traits of each member of the family. Genograms have been also used as instruments to uncover intergenerational models of behaviors, family conflicts and alliances, marriages, family secrets, careers, and any other information that will explain the persons familys current situation (What is a Genogram?, 2011). Basic genogram symbols Genograms are graphics that includes simple symbols that gives information about the family member such as gender and it also includes various lines to illustrate the relationships between them. In a genogram males are represented by a square and female by circles. When illustrating a family, a horizontal line is usually connecting the two parents. The children are below from oldest to youngest and from right to left (What is a Genogram?, 2011). GenogramComponent In a genogram the males are represented by a square on the left and female by circles on the right. When developing a standard genogram, there are usually three different types of children; natural or biological, adopted child, and foster child. If there is a triangle, it represents a pregnancy, abortion or miscarriage. If it is a miscarriage, a diagonal cross is drawn on top of the triangle to specify the death of the fetus; in the case of an abortion, the illustration is similar but with an additional horizontal line. A still birth will be demonstrated the same as its a gender, with the difference that the gender symbol is twice as small though the diagonal cross remains the same size (What is a Genogram?, 2011). GenogramComponent In a family relationship, a horizontal line is used to describe the union of two people but also it could change to describe other family relationships such as separation, divorce, engagement, and so on. The following are the most common symbols used in a family genogram: GenogramComponent This is a typical representation of a married couple; there is no special distinction between a religious or civil marriage. GenogramComponent This graphic represent a married couple not longer living together; the separation is displayed by an oblique line across the horizontal line. GenogramComponent This graphic represent a married couple is separated and have started a legal procedure to be divorced. GenogramComponent This graphic represent a married couple has already been divorced. GenogramComponent This graphic represent that one of the spouse died during the marriage. Although there is a universal understanding on the basic genogram structure and the usage of symbols, there have been some variations from time to time or from author to another. According to GenoPro (2010), as long as the person follows the four basic rules to build a genogram, people will be able to understand the work (What is a Genogram?, 2011). Males should be always at the left and females always at the right. In case of ambiguity, always assume a male and female relationship rather that male to male and so on. A spouse should be always being close to his/her partner, then the second and so on. Oldest child should be always at the left and the youngest ant the right of the family. Genograms in counseling strategies According to Gibson (2005), genograms have been applied effectively in career counseling with adults; however it has been limited use in career counseling with elementary, middle and high school students. A career genogram can be used to show how parental expectations and role models influence career aspirations and educational decisions that can be valuable in helping students in reach their goals. The use of genogram in career counseling offer the student and counselor a clear method of assessing and identifying the career patterns in the childs family. The use of family career genoram is a good way to start improving the students career awareness. This exercise will help support communication between the student and the rest of family members as well as to teach different interview and assessment techniques that will eventually help his/her adulthood career development competencies. According to Niles and Harris-Bowlsbey (2008), adults need to develop positive self-concept or competencies that include a precise understanding of their strengths, interests, abilities, and values and how those characteristics may influence their career decisions. Regarding graduates and adults, career genogram is an effective tool to establish career goals. If the person has a specific interest, the genogram will help on narrow down the career choices in a shorter amount of time. Career genogram might also assist in counseling adults in changing career paths. When developed, the genogram most likely will include different types of jobs or career that can be recognized by different family members (King, 2010). According to Magnuson (2004), family genograms are usually used in the perspective of family counseling, provide a discussion for explaining influences and trends that changes over time and across generations. Genograms can be developed mostly to document a range of family dynamics. They also could be designed with a more concise focus, such as discovering the influence of family on an individuals career decision making process. Career genogram might assist in counseling adults by assisting the client to gather vital information for the life planning process. It might also help recognize patterns that can be of assistance in the career choice process. By developing a genogram, the person will learn to identify his/her strengths and possible limitations of his/her future career. Â   Counselors use it to find out a wide range of information about the family that may not be measured or acknowledge with regular questionnaires or interviews. When discussed with the family this process helps clients generate options for change. Several clients have found an increased understanding of their families revealed ideas about career. Other uses of genogram Counseling Genograms are also used in marriage and family counseling as well as in individual therapy to describe chronological and present information. In family and or marriage counseling, it can show emotions attached to marriage or family roles. Families can recognize the values and strengths of their constructive family patterns and discover problem notions in order to stay away from repeating the same negative behaviors in the future. In individual counseling, genogram might point out recurrent episodes that have impacted the persons self-concept in positive or negative ways and assist the person make mindful choices so will develop healthy patterns and decline those that have harm healthy growth and development (Joy, 2010). Medicine Genograms are used in health care to classify or identify illness, disease and at unsafe lifestyles in the families. It can be used to discover and describe heart disease that goes from generations to generations and first and foremost affecting males. Genograms may be utilized to document family history of obesity as well as diabetes. It can be used to show that an illness may be rejected due to certain lifestyle changes. Genograms may also assist physicians recognize illnesses that have a genetic, element such as cystic fibrosis and hemophilia (Joy, 2010). Personal reflection on the use of a genogram Career genogram might assist in counseling adults by assisting the client to gather vital information for the life planning process. It can also help to recognize patterns that can help in the career choice process. By developing a genogram, the person will learn to identify his/her strengths and possible limitations of his/her future career. One of the trends in my family is that our family rules played an important role in forecasting the family members behaviors and beliefs thus career decision making. For example, my family was raised in a healthy and functional environment which made us being more resilient and develops autonomy. Although most of us worked in the bank industry in a certain time of our careers, our beliefs and the way we were raised will certainly have an effect on our career development. It helped us have more flexibility in choosing a career and knowing what we want from a specific career. Not all of the family members went to college and only two of us have gr aduate degrees. As each family member was preparing for his/her professional life, our parents encouraged us to have personal autonomy while remaining related or connected to the family. They never imposed a specific idea or profession as long as we do it with dignity and respect. We had the opportunity to discuss with the family our needs and problems which gave us the support necessary to develop maturity in our career decision process. Another pattern, biases, or diversity found while doing a career genogram is that each one of us chose a different career path but all of them are involved in helping or assisting others. Although I am the only one in between my brothers and sisters currently working in the mental health field, there are already members of the next generation (nephews, nieces and cousins) showing interest in the field as well. One of this writer future goals is to have a private practice or own business which is a common trend as few of my family members have already been entrepreneurs or business owners. Career counseling helps the client build high motivational level by understanding the persons professional needs and wants. Genogram is an important tool in career counseling process as it helps with various aspects of personal insight, support and greater understanding based on family history. Along with other interventions, genogram help the counselor achieve one of the ultimate goals of career counseling which is to ensure that every client set goals and give his/her best in reaching them while understanding his/her strengths and values not to only enhance his/her work skills but to reveal the persons hidden ingenuity.

Friendship in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn - Friendship Mark Twain illustrates the theme of friendship through the characters Huck and Jim. Their friendship was created when Huck and Jim were put together due to common circumstances that take place throughout the novel. The friendship that was formed was constantly undergoing changes. Towards the end of the book the relationship that once existed as a simple friendship grew in to a father and son relationship. Huck and Jim were tools that Twain used to show just how the theme of friendship developed. Huck and Jim were both running away from society for one reason or another. Huck was running in order to escape from the constraints of society and conformity, while Jim was trying to keep from being sold to another owner. At the time of their escape it was easy and convenient for the two of them to be together. "The nigger run off the very night Huck Finn was killed"...This quote explains what the two did in order to get away from society. The pair decided the best way was to run away from it all. Huck and Jim's friendship undergoes many twists and turns along with the trip the two take down the Mississippi River. With each adventure their friendship grew stronger and deeper from their encounter with the Duke and the King to the riverboat scene the friendship is built one building block at a time. Throughout the novel Jim makes references to the kindness that Huck shows him, but Huck seems oblivious to their new found friendship. "Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlman"...(pg. 89) When Jim made this statement Huck realized just how much this friendship meant to Jim. The friendship between Huck and Jim is constantly changing with the chain of events. The two characters encountered many things while floating along with the pace of the Mississippi, such as making decisions. In the novel Huck was forced to make the decision whether or not he would turn Jim in because it would be the, "right thing" to do because Jim was a run-away slave. It was a close place. I took...up [the letter I'd written to Miss Watson], and held it in my hand.