Definition of Disability In Relation To Using Website or Computers Dissertation

Definition of Disability In Relation To Using Website or Computers - Dissertation Example They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily or at all. They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text. They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse. They may have a text-only screen, a small screen, or a slow Internet connection. They may not speak or understand fluently the language in which the document is written. They may be in a situation where their eyes, ears, or hands are busy or interfered with (e.g., driving to work, working in a loud environment, etc.). They may have an early version of a browser, a different browser entirely, a voice browser, or a different operating system. Content developers must consider these different situations during page design. While there are several situations to consider, each accessible design choice generally benefits several disability groups at once and the Web community as a whole. For example, by using style sheets to control font styles and eliminating the FONT element, HTML authors will have more control over their pages, make those pages more accessible to people with low vision, and by sharing the style sheets, will often shorten page download times for all users. Content developers should make content understandable and navigable. This includes not only making the language clear and simple, but also providing understandable mechanisms for navigating within and between pages. Providing navigation tools and orientation information in pages will maximize accessibility and usability. Not all users can make use of visual clues such as image maps, proportional scroll bars, side-by-side frames, or graphics that guide sighted users of graphical desktop browsers. Users also lose contextual information when... Content developers must consider these different situations during page design. While there are several situations to consider, each accessible design choice generally benefits several disability groups at once and the Web community as a whole. For example, by using style sheets to control font styles and eliminating the FONT element, HTML authors will have more control over their pages, make those pages more accessible to people with low vision, and by sharing the style sheets, will often shorten page download times for all users. Content developers should make content understandable and navigable. This includes not only making the language clear and simple but also providing understandable mechanisms for navigating within and between pages. Providing navigation tools and orientation information in pages will maximize accessibility and usability. Not all users can make use of visual clues such as image maps, proportional scroll bars, side-by-side frames, or graphics that guide sighted users of graphical desktop browsers. Users also lose contextual information when they can only view a portion of a page, either because they are accessing the page one word at a time, or one section at a time (small display, or a magnified display). Without orientation information, users may not be able to understand very large tables, lists, menus, etc. An accessible Internet (web) site is one that has been designed and built in such a way that anybody can get into it and make use of all its facilities, even if they live with a disability.

TAKE HOME MIDTERM Enlish Literature - Mode of cosmopolitanism at work Essay

TAKE HOME MIDTERM Enlish Literature - Mode of cosmopolitanism at work in the last chapter of The Professor - Charlotte Bronte - Essay Example The relationship between William and Frances is rooted in mutual respect and a shared sense of purpose in life, as well as a love of learning. Shortly after making his proposal of marriage to Frances, William suggested she quit her job and occupy herself at home, to which she demurred saying †¦people who are only in each other's company for amusement, never really like each other so well, or esteem each other so highly, as those who work together, and perhaps suffer together. You speak God's truth, said I at last†¦ (Bronte 122) Perhaps this quote strikes true to the mark for the reader who feels disconnected or lacking in a sense of belonging. Perhaps what is missing today is a cause of action worthy of struggle and self-deprivation, and a fitting companion with whom to make the journey. Having previously warned her husband-to-be of her philosophy, it came as no shock that a short while after they were married, she proposed to start an academy for girls, to which he agreed wholeheartedly. She included him in the effort, asking of him one hour each day: daily exacted of me for her establishment, and with which she would not dispense. She said that I must spend that time amongst her pupils to learn their characters, to be AU COURANT with everything that was passing in the house, to become interested in what interested her, to be able to give her my opinion†¦ (Bronte 136) William was happy to give, of course, what professor is not willing to answer questions? His wife desired that he feel a sense of belonging in her school and be connected to it, which he was happy to give to her. Theirs was a rich and rewarding relationship, each respectful and loving toward the other; each willing to provide what the other needed. Yet they had friends as well, friends of such quality that they could discuss their financial details: as soon as we had capital to invest, two well-skilled counsellors, one in Belgium, one in England, viz. Vandenhuten and Hunsden, gave us each a word of advice as to the sort of investment to be chosen.(Bronte 138) Hunsden, a brash, opinionated adventurer, is the perfect foil to display the quiet strength and reserve of William, The Professor. Yet, within this relationship are several nuances of interest, with a strong theme of intellectualism. Frances and Hunsden began their relationship in debate, and have not stopped since. Never overly hostile, the reader seems to sense a genuine affection in Frances toward Hunsden, although an affection well seasoned with caution. However, it is the intellectual theme that ties the relationships together, given the strong intellectual bent of all the principal characters. The marketplace of ideas and concepts truly belongs to the world, and borders are only enforced in this world by the limitations of language. Hunsden’s choices in friends and companions is also an issue, modeling an intellectual world if ideas and concepts. William hailed originally from England and Fr ances, from Switzerland. They found themselves together in Brussels, with the dream that one day they could take time to themselves and move to England. William felt a sense of belonging to his shire, the place of his birth and boyhood. Frances desired to go to England not out of happy memories looking back but rather pleasant dreams looking forward. It

How Globalisation Has Harmed And Benefited The World

How Globalisation Has Harmed And Benefited The World This essay deals with various aspects of the globalisation process and the ways in which it has benefited or harmed different regions, nations, organisations and peoples. Globalisation is a complex process that concerns the progressive integration of people, goods, finances, thoughts, concepts, and ideas across nations on account of a range of political, economic, social and cultural drivers (Perrons, 2004, p 16). Whilst it has been an ongoing process since the beginning of history, the history of the world has been distinguished by specific periods of high and low globalisation. Globalisation in historic days occurred primarily on account of conquest, travel, and trade between nations, but was perforce slow because of the numerous constraints that existed in areas of travel and communication (Perrons, 2004, p 16). Its pace increased rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries on account of numerous technological developments, the Industrial Revolution in England and other western countries, and the growth of colonialism across the world (Went, 2002, p 41). Whilst the period between the First and the Second World Wars saw marked contraction in economic and other interactions between nations, the years after the closure of the Second World War have experienced phenomenal increase in the globalisation process (Went, 2002, p 41). Globalisation has profound effects on the economies, societies, and cultures of nations. Whilst the social and cultural aspects of globalisation are undoubtedly extremely important, the financial well being of people is primarily affected by the economic consequences of the globalisation process (Beresford, 2000, p 54). It has often being seen that whilst globalisation improves the economic health and financial wealth of certain nations and specific segments of the global population, it also reduces the economic capacity of other countries and peoples (Beresford, 2000, p 54). The globalisation process of the 18th and 19th centuries, for example witnessed an enormous increase in the wealth of western colonising nations like the UK, France, Spain and Portugal, even as it impoverished hugely affluent nations like China and India, pushing them from being vastly wealthy civilisations to terribly poor societies (Horton Patapan, 2004, p 23). Although the ongoing process of globalisation ha s undoubtedly enhanced the economic well being of many nations, organisations, and peoples, critics of the process assert that it has also resulted in the growth of income inequalities and has harmed the economic conditions of millions of people, more so in the developing and poorer countries (Horton Patapan, 2004, p 23). This essay focuses on the positive and negative impact of globalisation on different nations, organisations and peoples. With globalisation being a huge subject, this essay focuses on the ongoing process of contemporary globalisation and on those who have won or lost out on account of its effect and implications. Commentary and Analysis The ongoing process of globalisation commenced after the defeat of Germany and Japan and the victory of the UK, the USA, Soviet Russia, and their allies in the Second World War (Mikic, 2000, p 287). The cessation of hostilities led to the demarcation of new political boundaries and to the division of the world into three specific political segments, namely the western nations led by the United States, the Soviet bloc and the non aligned nations (Mikic, 2000, p 287). Whilst the globe was broadly divided into these three groups of nations in the 1950s, the years succeeding the war saw the independence of India and rapid decolonisation in Africa and Asia (Mikic, 2000, p 287). The 1980s witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, the disintegration of the communist bloc and the reunification of Germany. The following years also witnessed a wave of liberalisation and the implementation of economic reforms across developing countries, and the consequent economic emergence, first of China, and then of India and other countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia (Nesadurai, 2003, p 63). The world is also experiencing the development of astonishing advances in areas of technology and communication in the past few decades, which in turn are making it possible for people to interact across nations and even continents, despite political barriers and geographical distances (Nesadurai, 2003, p 63). These developments in geopolitics, economics, and communication have had and are having an enormous, reinforcing, and multiplying effect on globalisation and are resulting in greater economic and financial interactions between different nations (Kiely, 2005, p 76). Multinational corporations are exploiting low cost regions to install production facilities. Business organisations are using relaxed trade barriers to export their goods to previously closed markets (Kiely, 2005, p 76). The formation of the European Union has resulted in free movement of people within Europe in search of employment. The growth of the Internet is making it possible for people to work from distant loc ations and service others in remote areas of the globe (Kiely, 2005, p 76). Such globalisation has resulted in tremendous growth in global business and trade. This increase in economic activity has primarily been driven by multinational corporations, (MNCs), who have used globalisation opportunities to (a) install production capacities in low cost regions with skilled workers and (b) to exploit the huge markets that have emerged, primarily in the Middle East and Asia, as also in Latin America, Russia and East Europe (Clark, 1999, p 78). Such growth in economic activity has obviously benefited the multinational corporations. These organisations now account for more than one third of world output and more than two thirds of global trade (Clark, 1999, p 78). Apart from boosting the economic fortunes of these organisations, the growth in economic activity has also most certainly helped in increasing the real wages and economic conditions of many people (Eschle Maiguashca, 2005, p 92). It cannot however be denied that (a) this period has witnessed growing inequa lity between nations and peoples, and that (b) the benefits of globalisation have eluded millions of global inhabitants. Growth in production, consumption, and travel has also resulted in environmental degradation and in the destruction of the natural habitats of thousands of humans (Eschle Maiguashca, 2005, p 92). The economic impact of globalisation is visible first and foremost in the enormous increase in volumes of trade, industry and business (Munck, 2004, p 55). The increase in economic activity during the period after the Second World War is far more than what occurred in the years between the two World Wars. Numerous studies also show that countries with higher levels of globalisation achieved greater levels of growth in this period than others (Munck, 2004, p 55). Global economic activity has furthermore grown much faster than the increase in global population, thus implying a significant increase in the real per capita income of the worlds inhabitants. Such economic growth has certainly helped the financial well being and wealth of nations, organisations, and individuals (Munck, 2004, p 55). The greatest beneficiaries of globalisation have undoubtedly been the larger international corporations, mostly from the west but also very substantially from other countries in Asia and certain parts of Latin America and Africa (Saskia Appiah, 1999, p 44). International corporations have been quick to spot the substantial opportunities for reducing production costs in shifting production activities to low cost locations in the developing economies. China has experienced dramatic increases in its production facilities, even as smaller countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh have also become production centres for global corporations (Saskia Appiah, 1999, p 44). Whilst China has truly become the production centre of the world, Indonesia and Bangladesh are now home to numerous textile factories whose products are sold in the best stores in the advanced economies (Saskia Appiah, 1999, p 44). The development of huge facilities in China for manufactured products has been accompanied by a similar growth in Indias services sector. Call centres in Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore employ thousands of employees who work for western corporations engaged in marketing, banking, finance, and insurance sectors. The shifting of production activities to low cost locations has helped international corporations significantly in achieving scale economies and reducing production costs. Ongoing globalisation is also helping global corporations by providing them with access to huge new markets in growing economies like those of China, India, Brazil, Russia and East Europe. MNCs are rapidly expanding their presence in these markets in order to increase sales and profits and enhance organisational growth. UK retailers like Tesco and Marks and Spencer now have strong presences in numerous countries across the world (Micro Focus, 2007, p 1). Jaguar Land Rovers third largest market, right after the UK and United States, is China (HT Media, 2010, p 1). McDonalds has more than 1200 outlets in China and is planning to add 600 more in the course of the coming decade (Yan Jones, 2010, p 1). Apart from enhancing the fortunes of MNCs, globalisation has also helped in the dissemination of knowledge and technology across the world. Western universities are accepting increasing numbers of students from the developing economies, even as universities like Harvard are opening centres for higher learning in distant countries (Perrons, 2004, p 73). The Internet is making academic interaction between people far easier. Indian coaching organisations are helping thousands of American students to improve their academic performance in mathematics and sciences (Perrons, 2004, p 73). Expansion in economic activity has specifically helped a number of states to improve their national production steadily from year to year (Horton Patapan, 2004, p 47). China is of course the foremost example of this facet of globalisation. The country shed its insular policy in the late 1970s under the leadership of Chairman Deng and adopted various policies for liberalisation and furtherance of export oriented growth (Horton Patapan, 2004, p 47). The Chinese economy has expanded at a rate of approximately 10% for more than 25 years, making it the second largest in the world today. Apart from China, globalisation has also resulted in positive economic benefits for Brazil, India, and South Africa and for the countries of South East Asia, all of whom have continuously achieved plus 5% economic growth for years (Eschle Maiguashca, 2005, p 109). Countries like Taiwan and South Korea have emulated Japan by developing world class products and penetrating sophisticated markets in the dev eloped countries. Huge increases in exports have radically altered the economies of these countries, and both Taiwan and South Korea now have per capita GDPs that are approaching those of the western nations (Eschle Maiguashca, 2005, p 109). The GDP growth rate of Bangladesh has accelerated in recent years on account of the growth of the textile industry and repatriation of monies from emigrant Bangladeshis (Osmani, 2004, p 5). The readymade garments (RMG) industry has registered phenomenal growth in recent years. Starting from a low base in the mid-1980s, it has by now become both the leading industry and the leading export item of Bangladesh. By the mid-1990s, it was contributing somewhere between 20 and 25 per cent of total value-added and employing between 40 and 50 per cent of the workforce engaged in large and medium scale manufacturing. Its share in total export has risen from barely 4 per cent in 1983/84 to over 75 per cent by the year 2000. (Osmani, 2004, p 7) Supporters of globalisation and neoliberal economics argue that the advantages of economic growth, achieved from globalisation, are bound to trickle down into the economy and improve the economic conditions of lower segments of society (Kiely, 2005, p 76). Whilst it may be too early for such trickle down effects to be clearly visible, there is no doubt of the very substantial improvements that have occurred in the employment levels of developing countries that have received foreign investment in production facilities (Kiely, 2005, p 76). China, easily the largest recipient of production FDI among the developing nations, has seen huge migration of labour from the countryside to the towns, with agricultural workers leaving their fields in hundreds of thousands to take up jobs in new factories. It is estimated that approximately 150 million Chinese have been able to escape poverty in the last two decades on account of the countrys integration with the global economy (Kiely, 2005, p 76). Countries like Bangladesh and Indonesia, as well as the countries of east Europe, have also witnessed significant increases in employment figures. The Indian call centre industry provides employment to hundreds of thousands of graduates, who would have had very little chances of remunerative employment in the pre-globalisation era. Such increase in employment has certainly changed the lives of millions of people around the world. It has helped them to grow out of lives of poverty and to provide better life chances to their families (Nesa durai, 2003, p 68). Critics of globalisation point out that the benefits of globalisation are not as rosy as they appear to be. The net increase in global economic production and wealth indicates it to be a net benefit process, even as critics argue that its continuing progress is generating numerous losers; who are being adversely impacted, economically, socially, and culturally, by its spread (Horton Patapan, 2004, p 47). The globalisation process has in the first place enabled multinational corporations to seek out low cost production centres and to transfer much of their production and service facilities to such locations. Such movement of production facilities from the developed countries to low cost environments has resulted in significant reduction of jobs in the advanced nations, primarily in the strongly market driven economies like the UK and the USA, and also to some extent in the more worker friendly societies of West Europe (Eschle Maiguashca, 2005, p 109). Such losses of jobs have result ed in the creation of significant social and political tensions and to subsequent protectionist actions, like those being considered and taken by President Obama to stem the movement of IT services jobs to India (Kiely, 2005, p 76). The opening of trade barriers and liberal import norms has also had significantly adverse impact on local producers, many of whom have not being able to respond effectively to savage competition from low priced Chinese goods. The indigenous fire cracker industry in Europe has practically been demolished by large scale imports of Chinese fire crackers at a fraction of their local cost. Imports of Chinese silk by Indian importers have resulted in severe economic consequences to Indian silk growers and weavers (Went, 2002, p 44). The production of Rare Earth Metals (REMs) has been discontinued in the United States because of Chinese exports of these metals at prices that were fractional of their manufacturing costs in the United States. With REMS being vital for production of important defence products, the US now finds itself vulnerable to Chinese plans to reduce supplies, on account of various reasons, of these metals (Areddy, 2010, p 11). It is also seen that whilst movement of production facilities are leading to the creation of jobs in low income countries, the majority of such jobs are poorly paid and involve exploitative working conditions. Studies on banana growers in Brazil, coffee growers across Latin America, and textile industry workers in Bangladesh reveal that the overwhelming majority of these workers are paid low wages, sometimes less than the minimum wages of these countries, and are forced to work in difficult working conditions (Osmani, 2004, p 6). The readiness of investing companies to take their investment and the associated jobs elsewhere, if their work is obstructed in anyway, leads to the inevitable acceptance of their demands by the governments of developing countries, who do not wish to lose out on their investment and presence. Studies on Indian call centres in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Madras reveal that the employees of these call centres are made to work extremely long hours, given short break s, and not allowed to leave their seats even to go to the toilets. They are castigated and ill treated in public for minor irregularities in work (Perrons, 2004, p 82). Critics of globalisation argue that whilst unemployment in these countries may have reduced to some extent, the quality of employment that has been provided is poor and essentially degrading to the concerned individuals. Globalisation has also resulted in immense environmental degradation. The environment can in fact be considered to be one of the biggest losers of the globalisation process. Multinational corporations, especially those dealing in natural resources, have engaged in numerous anti-environmental activities in order to satisfy increasing global demand for such products. The mining of REMs in China for example has resulted in severe environmental degradation across large tracts of the Chinese countryside (Areddy, 2010, p 11). Mining companies in India have driven tribals out of their natural habitat and destroyed thousands of acres of forests. Oil companies have engaged in unsafe drilling practices and, as evidenced by BPs oil well episode in the Gulf of Mexico, have caused enormous loss to ocean life and to the coastline (Raines, 2010, p 1). It is very clear that globalisation, whilst causal in improvement of global economic activity, has certainly not been even handed in its largesse. The enrichment of some has been accompanied by the deprivation of others. Conclusions This essay focuses on the winners and losers of globalisation. Globalisation, it is evident, is bringing about immense economic, social and cultural change across the globe. With MNCs from the western world driving the process to a large extent, much of the benefits of the globalisation have gone to western corporations and consumers, even as certain areas of the developing world have gained on account of economic investment in production and service facilities. The benefits of globalisation have unfortunately been accompanied by large scale environmental degradation, uneven development, and low wage employment for the poor. With awareness increasing steadily about the adverse consequences of unregulated globalisation, most governments are taking policy actions to regulate its adverse effects. It is important for nations to ensure that their integration with the global economy does not lead to the marginalisation of the poor and the destruction of their natural environment. Word Count: 3000, apart from bibliography

Pecado de omision por Ana María Matute Essay -- Spanish Essays Pecado

El cuento â€Å"Pecado de omisià ³n† fue escrito por Ana Marà ­a Matute como parte del movimiento de realismo social espaà ±ol. Fue incluido en el libro Historias de la Artà ¡mila, el cual fue publicado en mil novecientos sesenta y uno. Este cuento tiene dos tipos de tema. Su tema significativo trata de la injusticia de la situacià ³n de Lope y su tratamiento por don Emeterio; su tema axiomà ¡tico trata de las relaciones familiares y el tratamiento de los pobres y de los huà ©rfanos. Los dos son temas implà ­citos, porque no hay moraleja explà ­cita. La historia tiene lugar en Espaà ±a, antes de o cerca del principio del siglo veinte. Un nià ±o inteligente, quien se llama Lope, habà ­a dejado huà ©rfano y el primo de su padre, que era muy rico y el alcalde de su pueblo, tenà ­a que cuidarlo. Este primo, don Emeterio, empleaba al nià ±o de trece aà ±os como pastor y le dejà ³ lejos del pueblo para criar las ovejas. Pasaban cinco aà ±os, y Lope revolvià ³ a la casa de don Emeterio para ver al mà ©dico. Allà ¡ vio a un viejo compaà ±ero de escuela, un Manuel Enrà ­quez, un muchacho que siempre le iba detrà ¡s en sus estu...

Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations Essay

Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations is the coming-of-age story of Philip Pirrip, better known as Pip. The story presents the development and growth of Pip as he becomes an adult. During the novel, the characters seem to have trouble communicating with each other. Because of the characters’ interest in only themselves, especially Pip, messages, some important and some not, are delayed or not received at all. According to G. K. Chesterton (1911/1996) in his article The Characters in Great Expectations, despite the novel’s title, expectations were never realized. This statement could be interpreted as expectations were never realized because of the communication problems between the characters. The characters never seem to express what they want to tell one another. Messages are misinterpreted, and some messages are never heard. For example, Pip had loved Estella from the first time he met her. Toward the end of the novel, he finally told her so, but she did not reciprocate his love for her. She replied instead that she never misled him into thinking she felt the same way about him that he did for her. As a result, Pip was heartbroken (Dickens, 1861/1998). Pip only believed what he wanted to believe, and saw what he wanted to see. This was evident when he dismissed her cold-hearted personality. She tried to tell him that she did not love him, but he would not listen. Pip turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to Estella until he was ready to profess his love for her. Perhaps he was hopeful that, one day, she would love him as much as he loved her. Pip refused to see that Estella did not love him; he instead chose to look at the world through rose-colored glasses. This was not the only time in the novel when Pip had trouble communicating with another character. Early in the story, Pip is reunited with Magwitch. Pip wanted Magwitch to know that he did not turn Magwitch in to the police. However, Magwitch is seemingly not interested in what Pip has to convey. Instead, Magwitch gives Pip a look that Pip cannot quite understand (Dickens, 1861/1998). Magwitch does not seem at all interested in Pip’s explanation. It was evident to Pip that Magwitch did not comprehend the message Pip was trying to get across to him. Many of the characters have facades (Harris, 2000). This could be a cause of the communication problem. For instance, Pip, when he became a gentleman, began to act how he though a gentleman should act. This led Pip to alienate Joe. Toward the middle of the story, Joe visited Pip in London. Although the visit was awkward, Joe wanted to tell Pip about what was happening back home. Joe was going to tell Pip that Wopsle became an actor. However, Pip did not listen. Instead, he was only interested in hearing that Estella wanted to see him. After Joe told him that Estelle did want to see him, Pip became friendlier and was then open to hearing what Joe had to say. Unfortunately, Joe ended their visit before Pip had a chance to change his behavior (Dickens, 1861/1998). Had Pip not been interested only in himself, Joe would have been able to tell Pip about Wopsle. Because Joe felt alienated, Pip never heard the news about Wopsle. Perhaps if Pip had stopped thinking about his own, selfish needs for a few minutes, he would have been able to hear the news from Joe. On the road to adulthood, there are many times when miscommunication occurs. At the beginning of the story, Pip was an orphaned boy trying to find his way. On his path to adulthood, he was misled. Paul Pickrel (1960/1999), editor of the Yale Review, likened Pip’s journey to adulthood to a fairy tale, with Joe and Jaggers as Pip’s guides, and Magwitch as the terrible ogre. Magwitch led Pip to try to become a gentleman; Magwitch was the benefactor for one of Pip’s â€Å"great expectations. † While Pip was thinking he was being a gentleman, he alienated Joe, one of his guides to adulthood. This alienation led to the miscommunication when Joe went to visit Pip in London. The reader follows Pip on his journey to adulthood from an innocent little boy to a man educated by experience. He is a fantasist; he thinks he can have the best of both worlds (Pickrel, 1960/1999). Pip isolates himself, and in the process becomes a terrible snob. He cut himself off from the people he loved, the people who loved him. At the end of the story, Pip returned to the forge. He was then informed that his sister has died and Joe married Biddy. Had he not been sucked into the myth of his own life, Pip could have married Biddy. Pip’s life could have turned out much differently had he kept the lines of communication open with Joe. Miscommunication happens along the way, but Pip learned from those experiences, and he became a better man for it. – Chesterton, G. K. (1911/1996). The Characters in Great Expectations. In Harold Bloom (ed. ), Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers. 34. – Dickens, Charles. (1861/1998). Great Expectations. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. 43, 216-217, 345. – Harris, Robert. (2000). Notes for Great Expectations. Retrieved June 10, 2009, from Virtual Salt. http://www. virtualsalt. com/lit/greatexp. htm – Pickrel, Paul. (1960/1999). Pip’s Personal Journey to Adulthood. In Lawrence Kappel (ed. ),

Anthem by Ayn Rand

To be in full control of a man, dictators must not only enslave his body, but also destroy his mind. A man’s mind and the knowledge that a man has is his most powerful weapon. By depleting the mind of knowledge, a man cannot be in control of his own self and therefore is more easily conquered. In Anthem by Ayn Rand, the leaders and society in her book seek to accomplish control by choosing the jobs for the people, keeping the word â€Å"I† unknown, and maintaining a sense of unity from birth. In Anthem the leaders of the society in the novel, the High Council, examine the students and based upon their observations, give the students their jobs accordingly. In Anthem’s society, students are given jobs not to who will fulfill them the best, but based on how intellectual the student is. A smart and eager student such as Equality 7-2521, the protagonist in the story, receives a job that will dull his brain. Equality 7- 2521 is given the job of a street sweeper; he is extremely smart and the council recognized what he is capable of. The High Council gives the more important jobs, such as Scholar, to the students who are unintelligent so that the High Council can more easily control them. By destroying the smart student’s mind, the council can control them and cause them to become more unintelligent. To have complete control over the society in Anthem, the High Council keeps the word â€Å"I† unknown. By keeping this word unknown, the High Council is not only causing the society to think of themselves as one, but they are also causing the people to fear what is outside their world. Each person believes that without each other, nothing is possible and that thought instills fear into the society’s mind. By implanting fear into the minds of the people, they are afraid of what would happen if something in society were to not be the norm. The society, together as a whole, rejects anything that violates their comfort level and they destroy it. We see this happen when Equality 7-2521 goes to the World Council and presents to them his inventions, electricity and the light bulb. The World Council decides that since this invention was created by one person and not a group of people that it would ruin their society and they threaten to kill Equality 7-2521 and obliterate his inventions. By maintaining unity from birth, the dictators and society in Anthem create a sense of constant longing for another person; this leads to the fear of being alone. Each year, the new group of babies born go into the Home of Infants, then they are transferred into the Home of Students and then are given their jobs. Because each person believes that he cannot live alone, it keeps the society together. Equality 7-2521 spent time alone while he was experimenting so he realizes that man can accomplish things alone. The people in the society are dependent on each other to create a sense of security. Without that dependence, the society would split apart and each person would do how he wishes. Just as a man’s knowledge is his greatest power, it is also his greatest enemy. In Anthem by Ayn Rand, the society is ridded of knowledge and that is what causes the leaders to have total control over the people. They accomplish control by choosing the jobs for the people, keeping the word â€Å"I† unknown and maintaining a sense of unity from birth. By doing these things they not only enslave the bodies of the people, but also destroy their minds.