Lamb to the Slaughter Summary free essay sample

Dahl portrays Mary Maloney as a typical ‘50’s housewife (although that very well may not be the era in which this short story was written); she waits for her husband with his drink prepared, and periodically glances at the clock for his arrival. Little did this six month pregnant wife know, her beloved spouse would be leaving her†¦ So as Patrick Maloney walked through the door she did as any unsuspecting wife would do, and lie her sewing aside and greet him with a kiss, takes his coat and makes his drink. The couple sit for a while silently as Mary accepts that her husband prefers to rest in silence while he has his drink after a long day at work. Shortly after he declares that he has to tell her something, and that he hopes she will not blame him too much. At this point in the story, Dahl does not explain what it is that Patrick Maloney tells his then wife, but makes it very clear in his next paragraph that Patrick Maloney was leaving Mary. We will write a custom essay sample on Lamb to the Slaughter Summary or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Mary then goes into shock and tries to persuade herself that she imagined the entire ordeal. She goes to retrieve something from the basement freezer and prepare dinner. She returns with a frozen leg of lamb to find Patrick standing by a window with his back to her, he hears her coming and tells her that she shouldn’t make dinner as he has decided to eat out. Dahl offers no lead up for what occurs next, Mary walks up to him and brings the leg of lamb down on Mr. Maloney â€Å" as hard as she could† on the back of his head. Patrick falls dead and Mary’s mind cleared instantaneously. She walked into her kitchen and placed the leg of lamb in the oven to cook. She hurried off to the supermarket, telling Sam, the grocer that she needed some vegetables to go along with a nice leg of lamb. She carries on a normal conversation with him and they decide that she will give Patrick cheesecake for afterwards. On her way back home she pretends that all is fine, and believes that she will find her husband waiting for dinner. As she enters the house, she calls his name, and places down her groceries. Feigning surprise she finds Patrick lying on the floor, dead. The shock and pain that she feels is genuine as she remembers the love she felt for her husband. Mary calls the police station at which Patrick worked to report his death. She told the officers that she went to the supermarket during the time of her husband’s death, and this was confirmed by Sam, the grocer. The focus of the investigation was to find the murder weapon, and the detective told Mary that he had been struck by a â€Å"heavy blunt instrument†. Meanwhile, the lamb that Mary had placed in the oven was ready and she persuaded the officers to have dinner, as it is the least she could do for the men that are â€Å"helping to catch the man who killed him† him, meaning her husband. What happens next is the perfect example of dramatic irony. When the policemen are eating the leg of lamb and discussing where the weapon may be, one says that the murder weapon is Probably right under our very noses. This is dramatic irony because the weapon used to kill Mr. Maloney really is right under their very noses. Yet they just keep eating suspecting the leg of lamb could never be the weapon used to kill Patrick Maloney, while Mary Maloney was quietly giggling in the other room. In the beginning of the short story, Dahl describes Mary Maloney as a very weak minded individual that lived solely to take care of her husband, and very soon after, Mary turns into a strong, resourceful and intelligent woman that skillfully got away with the murder of her husband, two polar opposites. Although Mary was deceived, it is very difficult to determine if the murder of her husband is justified or not under the circumstances. Many will argue that Mary Maloney is a vicious murderer and deserves to be put in jail, but others will say that she had experienced psychological trauma, and her reaction to the news of her husband leaving her made her mentally unfit to take responsibility for her actions following. In conclusion, people do not always get what they deserve. Personally I feel that in this case, Patrick Maloney did in deed get what he deserved, considering the fact that he had just informed his highly hormonal pregnant wife he would be leaving her, without any given reason disclosed to the reader.

Free Essays on The Importance Of Being Earnest - A Great Text

â€Å"A great text is full of important ideas and messages† The plays The Importance of Being Earnest, and An Ideal Husband, composed by Oscar Wilde, are both great texts, as they discuss the important messages of love, truth, social classes and the idea of Art over Nature. Whilst they were written during the Victorian era, modern audiences can still relate to the texts, through the eternal themes that are portrayed. In The Importance of Being Earnest, John Worthing adopts the name Ernest to win beautiful Gwendolen’s love. Unfortunately, Gwendolen’s love for John stems from her infatuation for the name Ernest. Meanwhile, Algernon, John’s friend, disguises himself as John’s fictitious brother Ernest, and falls madly in love with John’s ward Cecily. Chaos erupts when Cecily and Gwendolen discover they are both engaged to â€Å"Ernest Worthing†. The arrival of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother and John’s Aunt, brings further disorder, as she tries to save her daughter from marrying â€Å"Ernest†. The Importance of Being Ernest was a watermark for its time, as it undermined the consensus of upper class society. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play of nonsense, and childish playfulness, and demands not to be taken seriously. Ironically, the play was a hit with London’s upper classes, even though it sought to destroy all the old, stagnant social expressions of the period. It is this fact that makes The Importance of Being Earnest such a great text: it rejected all the mundane conventions of its day. With this play, Wilde attempted to spread the ideas of looking at life from a different angle, and opening the shutters of Victorian society, and hence liberate individual expression. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde explores the themes of love, social classes and truth. Love is said to trivial and fun, as displayed in Gwendolen and Cecily’s fickle obsession with the name Ernest. When Gwendolen discovers ... Free Essays on The Importance Of Being Earnest - A Great Text Free Essays on The Importance Of Being Earnest - A Great Text â€Å"A great text is full of important ideas and messages† The plays The Importance of Being Earnest, and An Ideal Husband, composed by Oscar Wilde, are both great texts, as they discuss the important messages of love, truth, social classes and the idea of Art over Nature. Whilst they were written during the Victorian era, modern audiences can still relate to the texts, through the eternal themes that are portrayed. In The Importance of Being Earnest, John Worthing adopts the name Ernest to win beautiful Gwendolen’s love. Unfortunately, Gwendolen’s love for John stems from her infatuation for the name Ernest. Meanwhile, Algernon, John’s friend, disguises himself as John’s fictitious brother Ernest, and falls madly in love with John’s ward Cecily. Chaos erupts when Cecily and Gwendolen discover they are both engaged to â€Å"Ernest Worthing†. The arrival of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother and John’s Aunt, brings further disorder, as she tries to save her daughter from marrying â€Å"Ernest†. The Importance of Being Ernest was a watermark for its time, as it undermined the consensus of upper class society. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play of nonsense, and childish playfulness, and demands not to be taken seriously. Ironically, the play was a hit with London’s upper classes, even though it sought to destroy all the old, stagnant social expressions of the period. It is this fact that makes The Importance of Being Earnest such a great text: it rejected all the mundane conventions of its day. With this play, Wilde attempted to spread the ideas of looking at life from a different angle, and opening the shutters of Victorian society, and hence liberate individual expression. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde explores the themes of love, social classes and truth. Love is said to trivial and fun, as displayed in Gwendolen and Cecily’s fickle obsession with the name Ernest. When Gwendolen discovers ...

Catholic magisterial teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Catholic magisterial teaching - Essay Example Conscience guides man on what to do and what not to do and since it is the voice of God it will always lead us in doing what I righteous. God created all human beings in his own image, and He requires us to love him and also love our neighbours. With love, we will think well of others, with love we cannot kill, steal, take bribes or favour individuals based on either their race, ethnic group or any other classification. Conscience brings together people from different parts of the world in the search of the truth hence strengthening their social relationships, and more so creates peace and coherence. It is through these interactions and conscience that people develops norms of morality that guide them no matter their geographical location and hence in the long run the whole world is united and guided by laws that uphold respect for others. In conclusion, it is evident that these teachings from the Gaudium et Spes are critical if put into place. They will increase peace and love for o thers and remove selfishness and hence will lead to equitable distribution of wealth and access to employment as human beings see each other as being equal and important in the eyes of God (Paul VI Ch. 1). The church and other Christian organization should continue to act as patrons to the poor. According to the Gaudium et Spes Chapter 4 Section 42, it is the role of the church to create works like charity to benefit the poor people in the society. The aim of the church is to unite the human race, and this can only be achieved by addressing the particular needs of the people. The church also aims at doing what is useful to other people, and this creates an obligation of meeting the needs of the poor people in the society. The church emulates Christ and in bringing unity and strengthening of the human family and this can only be achieved by meeting the needs of the members. The church believes that the social

Profit Maximization - An Actual or Theoretical Objective Essay

Profit Maximization - An Actual or Theoretical Objective - Essay Example For example, rice farmed and thrashed by the farmer is sold for a particular value to companies. These companies in turn process the rice, separating quality grains and packing them with their label, thereby increasing the value of rice. The transporters and stores extract their profit by integrating it in the cost of the rice. In the end, the consumer pays a multifold monetary worth for the rice along with comparable value for money. Some organizations tend to get carried away with their profit-making motives, ending up reaping unjustly high profits. Such organizations tend to lose their loyal customers for two major reasons: not being able to provide comparable value for money and with the entry of competition into their market. Profit Maximization is now a general trend, which had earlier been a typical phenomenon for monopolistic competition – where the absence of competition enables these organizations to charge unjustly high prices for their offerings. Hence it is said t hat free competition is the â€Å"invisible hand† for controlling market prices naturally (Smith). When companies are allowed to compete without regulatory interventions like government policies etc, the resultant market provides both buyers and sellers with best opportunities in terms of exchanges. Buyers and sellers benefit alike from the competition. Profit Maximization: Profit Maximization is a basic Economics concept, which implies extracting highest possible profits through production and sales processes. Profit is the difference between total revenue and the total cost. Total revenue implies the total amount an organization receives from business whereas the total cost means the total investment the organization makes to produce and sell the goods and services. At different activity levels, the cost incurred and the revenue earned tend to be different (as shown in the diagram). From: Sparknotes.com The above graph clearly shows varied profitability at different activit y levels. However, the highest profitability is at the point marked â€Å"profit maximization†. At this point, the difference between costs and revenue is the greatest. At all activity levels below and above this point, the profit is lower in comparison with this point. Profit Maximization can be devised through numerous methods. The aforesaid theory is the Total Cost-Total Revenue methodology for determining the profits. Marginal Revenue-Marginal Cost method is also used to determine maximum profitability activity level. However, the base line for both methods is the same – revenue minus cost equals profit. Theoretically, Profit Maximization is often explained as an unethical practice on behalf of business owners, focusing extensively on monetary gains and overlooking other factors. On this note, it is important to remark that profit maximization does not necessary include unethical practices regarding pricing. However, â€Å"it fails to take adequate account of alte rnative desires of the businessmen, for power, leisure, social prestige, and similar non-monetary rewards† (Koplin). Some critics do not agree that Profit Maximization is the underlying objective for business operations since it does not take into account other factors important in the eyes of the investors. Most businesses do not operate for profit reasons only – some businesses like certain blood banks and hospitals work for societal welfare that cannot be weighed in monetary terms. But some critics maintain the importance of Profit Maximizati

Issues Analysis- Indigenous People Essay Example for Free

Issues Analysis- Indigenous People Essay As the British arrived on the land of the aboriginal people they hoped to absorb the aboriginal people into their culture to work in the new colony. The aboriginal people tried to avoid the settlers but as the land became more occupied contact became unavoidable. Governor Phillip wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict so he treated the aboriginal people with kindness and ordered his soldiers not to shoot any of them. He captured many aboriginals and one of them was Bennelong. He wanted them to learn English and act as translators between the Indigenous groups and the British. There were clashes over the land and culture of Aboriginals and the British. Phillip ignorantly ordered his soldiers to fire at the Aboriginal people as he has already tried to civilise them and assimilate them into the British culture and society was not working as he had hoped. The Aboriginal peoples saw that the British settlers were putting up fences clearing the land, restricting access and introducing different animals; so they started to think that the British were invading, this lead to retaliation from the Aboriginals. By 1797, attitudes and policy toward the Indigenous peoples had changed. No longer did the government decide to assimilate the Indigenous peoples, but rather have a new policy and that was to ‘keep them out’. In 1800 Governor King had reported to the British government the number of Aboriginal people killed in fighting was far greater than the number of British people killed. The common response from the government to the Aboriginal resistance was to send expeditions of solders to punish any groups that threatened settlers and farms. These soldiers hunted and killed groups of Indigenous people that were thought to have been stealing stock, food and generally harassing the settlers. Government instructions after 1800 were to fire at all indigenous peoples until they were far away from British settlements. As the British settlement gotten bigger, the Indigenous peoples lost more and more of their land and many of their family members. They became more reliant on the British settlers to provide them food, shelter and water. As their traditional life was slowly eroding, many Aboriginal people started living on the outskirts of towns or started working as servants or slaves for the British settlements. The inability for the Aboriginal people to succeed in this era it caused a change in the European view of the time, that Indigenous peoples were inferior, and were unable to look after themselves or the land. However not all contact was violent with the British settlers and the Aboriginal people. At times there was friendly contact and peace. Some Aboriginal peoples voluntarily became part of the British society. There is also plenty of evidence that groups of Indigenous peoples helped Europeans when they were in trouble and this was quite often, as life for British settlers was extremely hard in the early years of the colony. British colonisation of Australian started in Sydney in 1788. The rapidly occurring consequences within weeks of the first colonists arrival was a wave of European epidemic diseases such as smallpox, chickenpox, influenza and measles. These diseases affected the largest population densities where these diseases could spread easier. The next consequence of British settlement was water resources and the management of land. The settlers viewed Indigenous Australians as Nomads with no civilised concept of land ownership, who could be charged from the land wanted for farming. The aboriginals would easily migrate elsewhere. The impact on the aboriginals was fatal as there was loss of traditional lands, water resources and food sources, as the communities were affected by European diseases. The spiritual and cultural cohesion and well-being was affected because of the communities being forced away from the traditional areas. The settlers brought sexually transmitted diseases, and indigenous Australians had no tolerance and therefore greatly reduced fertility and birth-rates. Settlers were responsible for introducing the alcohol, opium and tobacco, and substance abuse has remained a huge problem for Indigenous communities. The result of disease, loss of land and violence reduced the Aboriginal population by an estimated 90% between 1788 and1900. Smallpox alone killed more than 50% of the Aboriginal population. Up to 3000 white people were killed by Indigenous Australians in the frontier violence. Most Indigenous people became a significant source of labour. Most of the work was unpaid, instead they survived on the rations that the workers received such as forms of food, clothing ad other basic necessities. In many areas of Australia Christian missions donated food and clothing for the indigenous people and opened schools and orphanages for Indigenous children. In some places of Australia colonial governments provided some resources. In 1914 around 1200 Aboriginal people answered the call to arms as the war was desperate for new recruits. Many Indigenous people claimed they were Indian or cook islanders to avoid the laws of no indigenous people being in the defence force. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_Indigenous_Australians#The_impact_of_British_settlement There are many health promoting strategies today such as ‘Two Ways Together: NSW Aboriginal Affairs Plan 2003-2012’, ‘COAG Agreement, they set six gaps for closing the disadvantage gap between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people’, CEO performance agreements. Resetting the relationship with Indigenous Australians is important and this partnership must be respectful. It takes both parties to make a difference. Recent research by Reconciliation Australia indicates that Australians have a strong desire to better understand the Indigenous peoples. Acknowledging Indigenous disadvantage is a national responsibility that will require the engagement of the Australian Community. The government has committed to working in partnership with Indigenous Australians, businesses, state and territory governments and community organisations. http://www. skwirk. com. au/p-c_s-56_u-415_t-1040_c-4006/british-aboriginal-relations-1788-1820/qld/sose-history/first-australians-and-the-european-arrivals/settlement-1788-1850.

Essay --

Related to this Management Project numerous specialized academic articles and literature has been read to gain profound insight and comprehensive knowledge about the field of research as well as elucidate theoretical facts of this project. In addition, relevant literature was collected to build a theoretical foundation to answer the Research questions stated above. Controlling Nowadays ‘Controlling’ is a frequently used phrase in any business and is a derivation of ‘to (be in) control’ (Oxford University Press, 2014). Especially these days with a quickly changing, rough business environment it is of crucial importance to monitor and audit companies’ internal processes. The basic management function of ‘Controlling’ is to (1) establish benchmarks or standards, (2) compare actual performance against them, and (3) take corrective action, if required (Oxford University Press, 2014). According to the University of Louisiana (2008), Controls are any actions taken by the management to increase the likelihood that established goals and objectives are achieved. Internal Control Within hospitality operations managers need accurate and always current information, provided by management accounting systems, to be able to carry out their duties effectively. These information will be used by the executives to implement new procedures and for decision making to enhance the efficiency of operations, to safeguard assets, to drive sales as well as maximizing the profitability of the business (Chibili, 2010). The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, called AICPA, has defined ‘Internal Controls’ as, â€Å"Internal control comprises the plan of organization and all of the coordinate methods adopted within a business to safeguard its asset... ...well as regulations of an organization (Chibili, 2010). Control activities can be of different types. They are classified as directive, preventative or detective. Directive controls are those designed to establish desired outcomes; preventative controls are designed to prevent errors, irregularities or undesirable events from occurring; and detective controls are those designed to detect and correct undesirable events which have occurred. Directive control activities These are activities designed to guide a business towards appointed desired outcomes. For the most part directive controls are shaped in the form of written procedures, guidelines, policies, laws and regulations. (State University of New York - New Paltz, 2005) Furthermore internal training seminars, meetings as well as job descriptions outline a directive control force. (University of Louisina, 2008)

Brochure

Brittany Laurenzo Gopher Tortoise Habitat An experiment was performed involving Gopher tortoises and determining whether tortoises are only found in abundant non-woody vegetation. This experiment was tested to see if there was validity to the statement. Gopher tortoises can be found in the Southeastern United States and prefer areas with abundant non-woody plants. These plants are what the tortoises eat so naturally there burrows can be found in areas with abundant food. The prediction was that Tortoises require non-woody plants as food; therefore tortoises will locate their burrows in areas with abundant food.The results of the experiment seemed to agree with the hypothesis. The average showed that 77. 5% of tortoises in an occupied area contained non woody vegetation compared to the 22. 5% of woody vegetation. When it comes to tortoises there are many issues when it comes to a tortoise’s habitat and the decline of a species. Many factors such as environmental pollution, glob al climate change, introduced invasive species, disease, and unsustainable harvesting contribute to these declines. As with amphibians, habitat degradation is the primary cause of reptile declines.There has not been much research performed when it comes to Gopher tortoises. The objective of this study was to confirm that where you can abundantly find the most Gopher tortoises is in abundant non-woody vegetation. Similar research shows that habitat use within gopher tortoises' home ranges was generally in proportion to the amounts of habitat available, except that gopher tortoises used swales and disturbed areas (e. g. , grassy, mowed road shoulders, pastures, citrus groves, and firebreaks) less than expected based on availability.For this experiment the study was done at the Preserve facility at Florida Atlantic University. Once in the preserve we worked in groups of three to five students. To perform the following experiment we selected PVC square in two different areas. A part of the experiment is to analyze the different PVC squares in both locations. Analyze the vegetation within your PVC square by estimating the percentage of non-woody and woody plants. Finally, we recorded the data as percentages of woody vegetation compared to non woody vegetation.The results showed that on average the tortoises in an occupied area were 77. 5% non-woody vegetation compared to a 22. 5% woody vegetation. In the areas that were not occupied by tortoises were 95. 5% woody vegetation compared to a 4. 5% non woody vegetation. Quadrat Type| % Woody Vegetation| % Non Woody Vegetation| Average| In tortoise occupied area| 75%; 20%; 10%; 15%; 5%; 10%| 25%; 80%; 90%; 85%;95%;90%| 22. 5% vs. 77. 5%| In area not occupied by tortoises| 90%;100%;2%;95%;3%;95%| 0%; 98%; 5%; 95%; 5%; 10%| 95. 5% vs. 4. 5%|The data does seem to support the hypothesis. The active tortoise occupied area was a majority between 80-95% non woody vegetation. I do not think this evidence validates the hypothesis because the research is limited. We did not actually see the tortoises in the active occupied tortoise area. Also some other questions to think about is how fresh is the vegetation, what type of vegetation do the turtles prefer, how many burrow are there actively occupies. Another useful tool that should have been used for this experiment is repetition.Each group should have had to repeat the experiment more than once and look at all 6 quadrants instead of everyone just choosing one quadrant to observe. In conclusion the data did support the hypothesis however there was not enough evidence to actually support the prediction that was made. References 1. http://www. fs. fed. us/database/feis/animals/reptile/gopo/all. html#BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS 2. http://link. springer. com/article/10. 1007%2FBF00056130? LI=true Brochure Brittany Laurenzo Gopher Tortoise Habitat An experiment was performed involving Gopher tortoises and determining whether tortoises are only found in abundant non-woody vegetation. This experiment was tested to see if there was validity to the statement. Gopher tortoises can be found in the Southeastern United States and prefer areas with abundant non-woody plants. These plants are what the tortoises eat so naturally there burrows can be found in areas with abundant food. The prediction was that Tortoises require non-woody plants as food; therefore tortoises will locate their burrows in areas with abundant food.The results of the experiment seemed to agree with the hypothesis. The average showed that 77. 5% of tortoises in an occupied area contained non woody vegetation compared to the 22. 5% of woody vegetation. When it comes to tortoises there are many issues when it comes to a tortoise’s habitat and the decline of a species. Many factors such as environmental pollution, glob al climate change, introduced invasive species, disease, and unsustainable harvesting contribute to these declines. As with amphibians, habitat degradation is the primary cause of reptile declines.There has not been much research performed when it comes to Gopher tortoises. The objective of this study was to confirm that where you can abundantly find the most Gopher tortoises is in abundant non-woody vegetation. Similar research shows that habitat use within gopher tortoises' home ranges was generally in proportion to the amounts of habitat available, except that gopher tortoises used swales and disturbed areas (e. g. , grassy, mowed road shoulders, pastures, citrus groves, and firebreaks) less than expected based on availability.For this experiment the study was done at the Preserve facility at Florida Atlantic University. Once in the preserve we worked in groups of three to five students. To perform the following experiment we selected PVC square in two different areas. A part of the experiment is to analyze the different PVC squares in both locations. Analyze the vegetation within your PVC square by estimating the percentage of non-woody and woody plants. Finally, we recorded the data as percentages of woody vegetation compared to non woody vegetation.The results showed that on average the tortoises in an occupied area were 77. 5% non-woody vegetation compared to a 22. 5% woody vegetation. In the areas that were not occupied by tortoises were 95. 5% woody vegetation compared to a 4. 5% non woody vegetation. Quadrat Type| % Woody Vegetation| % Non Woody Vegetation| Average| In tortoise occupied area| 75%; 20%; 10%; 15%; 5%; 10%| 25%; 80%; 90%; 85%;95%;90%| 22. 5% vs. 77. 5%| In area not occupied by tortoises| 90%;100%;2%;95%;3%;95%| 0%; 98%; 5%; 95%; 5%; 10%| 95. 5% vs. 4. 5%|The data does seem to support the hypothesis. The active tortoise occupied area was a majority between 80-95% non woody vegetation. I do not think this evidence validates the hypothesis because the research is limited. We did not actually see the tortoises in the active occupied tortoise area. Also some other questions to think about is how fresh is the vegetation, what type of vegetation do the turtles prefer, how many burrow are there actively occupies. Another useful tool that should have been used for this experiment is repetition.Each group should have had to repeat the experiment more than once and look at all 6 quadrants instead of everyone just choosing one quadrant to observe. In conclusion the data did support the hypothesis however there was not enough evidence to actually support the prediction that was made. References 1. http://www. fs. fed. us/database/feis/animals/reptile/gopo/all. html#BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS 2. http://link. springer. com/article/10. 1007%2FBF00056130? LI=true