Comments on DQ1 and DQ2,KS and CH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comments on DQ1 and DQ2,KS and CH - Essay Example If a firm faces liquidity problem they can liquidate the investment portfolio of common stocks and turn it into cash instantly. Corporations invest in stock market to generate money from dividend income and to obtain equity appreciation. During the last 10 years the average return on stocks was 3.5% (Soundmoneymatters, 2011). DQ2 The fair market value argument is something that accountants have pondered for a long time. One would assume that the fair market value of a stock should be the absolute law when accounting for equity investment since the market value is the price that everyone uses when selling or buying a particular stock. The problem is that accountants must keep in mind the conservatism principle and the historical cost principle. In my opinion the best accounting practice is to value a common stock investment at historical cost independent of the fluctuations in market price of a stock. If a company does not intend on selling a stock in the near future the market value has no relevance. Making adjustments based on market value would be a troublesome task for accountants. At the moment that a company decides to sell a stock a company will either achieve a loss or gain based on the difference between historical cost and market value. References Soundmoneymatters.com (2011).

Brand Audit Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Brand Audit - Research Paper Example However, with appropriate brand audit the particular brand will get more strength to retain its strong brand image within the market. Introduction: There are many cases in the industry where the business got badly affected for the major brand failures and for these factors the main reason would be the lack of initiative in brand audit process. Target is a brand which is into the retailing. It has to be remembered that a retail store sales products which are of different brands. Target retail is a chain which is selling multi branded products in their stores. In this case many brands are associated under one name and that is the reason auditing of the main brand Target is an important factor to be taken seriously to measure the ultimate output in a quantitative manner. Brand audit and background analysis of the Brand Target: The brand is the name, logo or some marks associated with the product which distinguishes the product from the other identical products (Clifton, Simmons, and Ahm ad 2009, 23). According to Martin Jelsema 1 the six major factors for the brand evaluations are brand matrices, brand positioning, market segmentations, internal strength of the brand, brand personality and differentiators which differentiate the brand from the other competing brands. The brand audit is basically the valuation of the brad in a quantitative manner. ... As an example brand equity can be stated as the strong mental association within the consumers related to the specific brand. It also can be associated with the aggregate value of the brand in the customers’ mind (Majumdar, 2009, 3). Customers are the assets of the companies and the brand identity and the brand equity relates closely towards the customer equity. The brand Target has a great brand value among the customers of Australia. There are some factors which are closely related to the evaluation of the brand Target and they are, value equity, relationship equity and the brand equity. The customer centric approach of the retail brand Target is the key of the success. The Brand Target was founded in early 1925 and from that time it is growing with a great pace and in the present time the brand operates as a subsidiary of the company named Coles Group Limited (Target Australia private Ltd.). The company has a great existence in the market as the brand name of Target and it has also created great brand equity in the country side of the Australia with the brand name of Target Country Stores. However, the mother brand Target is having more than 290 stores in all over Australia (History in the making: Target). The Target Australia Private Ltd has shown a great endeavor towards building the brand and more importantly it has got a sustainable market capitalization within the Australian consumers for many years. Brand Culture: The brand culture is a structural function which creates the identity of the brand for a long term within the organization. The proper culture shows the ultimate path for the improvement. The brand culture has got a great significance in the industry for the last few decades

Is It Safe To Travel By Airplanes Engineering Essay

Is It Safe To Travel By Airplanes Engineering Essay About five hundred years back, the amount of time required to travel a thousand mile was more than days and sometimes even months. Back then, the ordinary people used to travel by foot and only the rich could afford animal driven carts. This wastage of time was reduced by the introduction of engine powered cars and trains. Even though these vehicles were faster than the animal driven carts, it still took days to travel around thousand miles. Therefore another means of transportation had to be invented by which this time wastage could be diminished. Thus the Wright brothers was able to make the first plane, which could travel much faster than the trains and cars. Thus the time required to travel was drastically decreased by the invention of planes. Due to the huge advances in technology in the 21st century, there are planes that can travel even faster than sound. These planes take less than an hour to travel more than thousand miles. Travelling by the means of air has become the most fastest and common method of transport especially for great distances. At the present situation, we can travel around the world in less than a day unlike the past when it used to take months to do so. Thus we can now travel anywhere in the world by the time we have a small nap and a coffee. But as in most cases of technological advancements, we cannot achieve such great feat without a price. One such price we had to pay over and over again is the lives of the individual that was lost in the numerous airplane crashes we had ever since we started using the airplane. The airplane crashes have claimed oven ten thousand lives in the last decade in over 1800 accidents. Though the number of accidents has been reduced to half the number a decade back, the number of death tolls hasnt decreased much. This is because as the technology increased, the number of passengers on a flight increases. Earlier only around hundred people could travel in a plane and now there are flights that can accommodate more than 500. Thus the number of passengers involved in one accident increased and even though there are fewer accidents, two or three are enough to take more than 1000 lives. Aviation fatalities have existed since the time of the invention of planes. The first of it occurring on one of the models of the Wright brothers causing death of a passenger on board and injuries to Orville Wright himself. Beginning that incident certain safety features were added to the plane in order to reduce accidents. The aviation safety equipment industry has become a very big one and now is a billion-dollar industry on its own. The aviation safety has improved significantly over the past hundred years of its implementation. Over the last few years more than 95% of the people in U.S. plane crashes have survived as a result of the new safety features introduced in them. One of the most terrifying aviation accidents was the Tenerife incident. It is the disaster that has caused the highest number of fatalities. More than five hundred fifty people died in this disaster. This occurred when a KLM Boing 747 collided with a Pan Am747 at Los Rodeos Airport in Spain. The cause of the crash was the pilots error. The pilot of the KLM flight attempted to takeoff without clearance and collided with the taxiing Pan American flight. This incident was completely the mistake on the side of the pilot but there are certain ones that are also caused due to mechanical failure. The crash of the JAL Flight 123 was one such case. About five hundred twenty were dead in this accident when the aircraft underwent an explosive decompression due to an incorrectly repaired aft pressure bulkhead. This occurred in mid flight and destroyed most of the flights vertical stabilizer. This also severed all of the hydraulic lines, making it virtually uncontrollable. In this case the pilot s were more experience but their experience could only keep the plane flying for a few more. The plane finally crashed into a mountain making it the single-aircraft disaster with the most number of fatalities. This was a case of mainly mechanical problems and not the pilots error. The introduction of the airborne collision avoidance system was done after the 1996 Chakhri Dadri mid-air collision. In this accident a Saudia Flight 763 crashed on an Air Kazakhstan flight 1907 when the Kazakh pilot was flying lower than the altitude he was given clearance to. This accident claimed 349 lives, which includes all the crew and passengers aboard both the flights. The airborne collision avoidance system gives information about any aircrafts or flying objects nearby thereby helping the pilot to change its course in order to prevent collision. As the technology became advanced, the speed with which the aircrafts could fly increased as well as the safety features required to travel at those speeds. One of the greatest planes ever made was the Concorde. It was considered as an aviation icon and an engineering marvel. This airplane was powered by a turbojet engine, which made it possible for it to travel faster than sound. This supersonic passenger plane made the time required to travel to any place half the current time required. The production of these planes was stopped shortly after the Air France flight 4590s crash. This was a Concorde flight scheduled from Charles de Gaulle airport to JKF airport. It crashed into a hotel in Gonesse, France shortly after its takeoff. All nine crewmembers and one hundred passengers aboard could not survive the accident. This incident took place due to a chain of errors and the main one being exceeding the maximum takeoff weight limit. This limit was not exceeded by a small amount but by a ton. Though the flight could have handled this excessive weight, the flight could not takeoff properly because the center of gravity of the whole weight was concentrated on the rear of the flight. Also a titanium alloy strip fell out of a Continental Air flight during takeoff five minutes before the takeoff this flight. The runway staff did not do the necessary step to inspect the runway and remove this seventeen-inch long debris. It was a part of the protocol for Concorde takeoff preparation that the runway should be inspected before takeoff. As a result of this debris lying on the runway, it cut a tyre of the Concorde flight rupturing it. Due to the centripetal forces, a piece from the tyre that weighed ten pounds struck the underside of the aircrafts wing structure with speed more than 300 mph. Though this did not directly rupture any fuel tanks, it send out a pressure wave causing one of its fuel tank to rupture at its weakest point. This was the fuel tank that was overfilled earlier during fuel transfer. Either the electric arc of the landing gear or some severed electric cable ignited the leaking fuel. Due to this fire, both engine one and two surged and lost all its power. But after a few seconds, engine one recovered but a large flame was developed around the second engine. Thus the First Engineer had to shut down the engine two in order to prevent spreading of fire. Since the flight had crossed the minimum speed to takeoff, the crew continued takeoff, but the crew was not able to do so properly with the remaining three engines as the severed cables prevented the retraction of the undercarriage. Thus the plane could not gain a speed more than 200 knots and a maximum altitude of 200 ft. The increasing fire caused the wing to disintegrate due to extremely high temperature. The Engine one surged again but failed to recover this time. Due to the uneven thrust on the flight, the flight started to bank to one side for more than 100 degrees. The crew trying to level the plane, slowed down the other two engines. This caused the flight to loose it airspeed and made it impossible for the crew to control it and the plane started to stall and consequently crash. After this crash, the use of Concorde flights for passenger transportation was stopped until the investigation of this case was done. The people to be held responsible were the ground staffs who were responsible to make sure that the runway was clear. Experts claim the supersonic aircraft hit a piece of stray titanium from another aircraft, puncturing its tyre which set off a chain reaction that caused the disaster.(Airline Industry Information, 2004). If the ground staff would have done inspection properly, the whole disaster could have been prevented. Another incident occurred when the Uruguayan Air Force flight 571 carrying 45 people, including a rugby team crashed into Andes. More than 10 people died in the crash and some others by the injuries and the cold weather. But the rest was rescued after 70 days of this incident. This accident was because of the bad weather, which restricted the flying of the plane above 30000 feet. Also the whole area of the mountains was covered in clouds, which lowered the visibility of the pilot. Due to low visibility the plane crashed into a peak, which caused wreckage to one of its wings thereby taking the control out of the pilot and crashing the plane. Though the pilot was not aware of these situations, the co-pilot was. The pilot had not been flying the plane, but the copilot had crossed the Andes before. (Read, 1975). The copilot still could not save the plane but made his best to do so. One of the accidents that has been caused due to mechanical failures and no crew could have avoided was the Valujet Flight 592 incident. It claimed 110 lives in that accident. This was because of some expired oxygen generators place in the cargo compartment by the maintenance contractors of Valujet. There was a small fire in the cargo compartment and according to normal procedures the fire would have extinguished itself as this was an airtight compartment and as soon as the oxygen supply in this compartment was finished, the fire would extinguish itself. But the oxygen generators produced more oxygen causing the fire to increase and escape that compartment. This caused a pressure difference aboard and made the pilot loose his control. The Fire finally spread throughout the plane. This wasnt the fault of the crewmembers but the fault of the maintenance company. No airline personnel made any mistakes in the operation of the plane; an oxygen generator accident could have occurred on any airline. In short, ValuJet was unfairly criticized for an accident that had nothing to do with the operation of the plane.(Cobb, 2003) Not only mechanical failure and pilot error, but also the acts of terrorism has proved to be one of the major causes of air crashes. One of the major victims of the terrorist attack was the Air India flight 182. This plane crashed off the southwest coast of Ireland when a bomb held in the cargo went off. Everyone aboard the flight died including 22 crewmembers making a total of 329. This was the act of the Sikh extremists retaliating the attack of the government on the Golden Temple. The bomb was kept in a bag of a passenger who did not board the flight but his baggage did. Thereafter this event certain security measures were maid to ensure that the baggages of any person not travelling was to be offloaded of the plane before its takeoff. The terrorist bombing of the Pan American flight 103 in Scotland which claimed the lives of 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 people on the ground made the security rules mandatory in all American flights flying out of the 103 airports in the Western Europe and Middle East. New steps such as X-raying or physically examining all the checked baggage and also to increase the screening of the passengers. The authorities argued that though it may be a waste of time but still safety has its value. In fact all the advancements in safety through rules and regulations have come only as a result of loss of numerous lives and if further advancements have to be made, it cant be done without further loss of life. Another major aviation disaster occurred when the American Airlines flight 587 crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, New York. The flight had just departed the JFK international airport and the accident occurred when the first officer overused the rudder in response to wake turbulence from a Japan Airlines 747. It claimed the lives of all 260 people aboard and also five people on ground. This was another accident caused due to human negligence. A similar situation was there aboard the Egypt air flight 990 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in the international waters. According to the report given by the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot deliberately dove the aircraft into the water. But the Egyptians deny this conclusion and say that it was a mechanical failure. Although if we look at these accidents recently we can see they were mostly caused by bad decisions made by humans. So this brings up the question, is it the planes or the pilots that are more dangerous? As we can see from the previous paragraph, most of the crashes/accidents that happened will not happen again as necessary safety precautions have been made and the flights are equipped with certain new devices in order to prevent most of the accidents mentioned earlier. As far as the case of human errors, the planes are fitted with automated systems wherever possible but still there are certain areas where the artificial intelligence is not enough. Therefore it is right now not possible to remove the human part from the control of the flights. Maybe in future there may be a possibility of human less aircrafts. There are certain crashes caused due to lack of concentration of the pilots. This is when pilots with huge experience do not care much and feel overconfident. One such case was in 2007, when two Air Patrol pilots with a total of 53,000 hours experience crashed onto 8000-foot mountain. This happened when one of the pilots was showing the other a demonstration of the plane itself. He did not plan the route ahead and did not pay concentration to the terrains in that area. This also happens to some of the new pilots. Some of the inexperienced pilots do not abide by the rules and cause crashes. Also distractions cause the pilots to deviate from the plan and may cause the plane to crash. It is most often the carelessness of the pilots that cause the lives of many. Pilots sometimes skip flight planning and abbreviate checklists when they are just doing a short hop. (Hopkins, 2012)

New Policies :: essays research papers

Many public schools use flunking a student as a regular policy to keep up good quality education in their particular school. While faced with the possibility of being flunked, a student will, without a doubt study harder. But, if schools used policies like, a decreased class size, a mandatory dress code and shortened summer vacation time, students will receive an even better education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, let us examine the idea of a decreased class size. When the number of students is reduced from thirty to twenty students per teacher, there is more time for the teacher to spend with each student for more individualized help. With a smaller class size, more students will get to participate in classroom discussions and maybe even the students who feel intimidated by large class size will speak up when there are fewer students in the room. Also, when the number of students in class is decreased, the possibility of noisy, trouble making, distracting students goes down and there will be fewer interruptions during class time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, let us examine the mandatory dress code. This policy is a great idea because it would keep students focused on the tasks at hand instead of worrying about what others have worn to school or what they should wear to school themselves. Another good point about this policy is there would other students making it easier to pay attention in class wear less distracting clothing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, the last policy for examination is shortened summer vacation time. By shortening summer vacation time, students can be taught their lessons more indeptly without being rushed from one subject to the next subject. Giving them more time to spend on a particular subject than before. With shortened vacation time, students will have less time to forget what they have been taught and when they return to school, there is no need to spend precious class time reviewing what they might have forgotten.

Ethical Principles

1. Contribute to society and human well-being.This principle concerning the quality of life of all people affirms an obligation to protect fundamental human rights and to respect the diversity of all cultures. An essential aim of computing professionals is to minimize negative consequences of computing systems, including threats to health and safety. When designing or implementing systems, computing professionals must attempt to ensure that the products of their efforts will be used in socially responsible ways, will meet social needs, and will avoid harmful effects to health and welfare. 2. Avoid harm to others.â€Å"Harm† means injury or negative consequences, such as undesirable loss of information, loss of property, property damage, or unwanted environmental impacts. This principle prohibits use of computing technology in ways that result in harm to any of the following: users, the general public, employees, and employers. Harmful actions include intentional destruction or modification of files and programs leading to serious loss of resources or unnecessary expenditure of human resources such as the time and effort required to purge systems of â€Å"computer viruses.† 3. Be honest and trustworthy.Honesty is an essential component of trust. Without trust an organization cannot function effectively. The honest computing professional will not make deliberately false or deceptive claims about a system or system design, but will instead provide full disclosure of all pertinent system limitations and problems.A computer professional has a duty to be honest about his or her own qualifications, and about any circumstances that might lead to conflicts of interest. 4. Be fair and take action not to discriminate.The values of equality, tolerance, respect for others, and the principles of equal justice govern this imperative.Inequities between different groups of people may result from the use or misuse of information and technology. In a fair society, a ll individuals would have equal opportunity to participate in, or benefit from, the use of computer resources regardless of race, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin or other such similar factors. However, these ideals do not justify unauthorized use of computer resources nor do they provide an adequate basis for violation of any other ethical imperatives of this code.5. Honor property rights including copyrights and patent.Violation of copyrights, patents, trade secrets and the terms of license agreements is prohibited by law in most circumstances. Even when software is not so protected, such violations are contrary to professional behavior. Copies of software should be made only with proper authorization. Unauthorized duplication of materials must not be condoned. 6. Give proper credit for intellectual property.Computing professionals are obligated to protect the integrity of intellectual property. Specifically, one must not take credit for other's ideas or work, even in cases where the work has not been explicitly protected by copyright, patent, etc. 7 Respect the privacy of others.Computing and communication technology enables the collection and exchange of personal information on a scale unprecedented in the history of civilization. Thus there is increased potential for violating the privacy of individuals and groups. It is the responsibility of professionals to maintain the privacy and integrity of data describing individuals. This includes taking precautions to ensure the accuracy of data, as well as protecting it from unauthorized access or accidental disclosure to inappropriate individuals. Furthermore, procedures must be established to allow individuals to review their records and correct inaccuracies. 8. Honor confidentiality.The principle of honesty extends to issues of confidentiality of information whenever one has made an explicit promise to honor confidentiality or,  implicitly, when private information not directly related to the performance of one's duties becomes available. The ethical concern is to respect all obligations of confidentiality to employers, clients, and users unless discharged from such obligations by requirements of the law or other principles of this Code.The Ten Commandments of Computer EthicsWritten by the Computer Ethics Institute1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. 2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work. 3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files. 4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. 5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness. 6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid. 7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation. 8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output. 9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing. 10. Thou shalt always us e a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.Information Ethics1. Personal Privacy IT enables data exchange of information on a large scale from anybody, on any locations or parts of the world, at any times. In this situation, there is increased potential for disclosing information and violating the privacy of any individuals and groups of people due to its widespread disseminations worldwide. It is our challenge and responsibility to maintain the privacy and integrity of data regarding individuals. This also includes taking precautions to ensure the accuracy of data, as well as protecting it from unauthorized access or accidental disclosure to inappropriate individuals. 2. Ethical IssuesEthical issues in computing systems is access right. Due to the current popularity of international commerce on the Internet, the topic of computer security and access right has moved quickly from being a low priority for corporations and government agencies to a high priority. This interest has been heightened by computer break-ins at places like Los Alamos National Laboratories and NASA in the US. Many attempts of such illegal access to United States government and military computers by computer hackers have been widely reported. Without implementation of proper computer security policies and strategies, network connections on the Internet can’t be made secure from illegal accesses3. Harmful ActionsIn computer ethics, harmful action means injury or negative consequences, such as undesirable loss of information, loss of property, property damage, or unwanted environmental impacts. This principle prohibits use of computing technology in ways that result in harm to any of users, the general public, employees, and employers. Harmful actions include intentional destruction or modification of files and programs leading to serious loss of resources or unnecessary expenditure of human resources such as the time and effort required to purge systems from â€Å"computer viruses.† In the following tables, a survey of various activities on Internet indicates that illegal information nowadays is often reported. The data shows that the percentage of response from Japanese companies and organizations is quite significant (Kubo, 1999).Code of Ethics for the Filipino I.T. ProfessionalsPreamble:I will use my social knowledge and skills for the benefit of employers and clients with integrity, subject to an overriding responsibility for the public interest, and I will strive to enhance the competence and prestige of the professional. By these, I mean:1. I will promote public knowledge technology; 2. I will consider the general welfare and public good in the performance of my work; 3. I will advertise good or professional in a clear and truthful manner; 4. I will comply and strictly abide by the in related laws in  respect of information technology; 5. I will accept full responsibility for the work undertaken and will uti lize my skills with competence and professionalism; 6. I will make truthful statements on and qualities of my products and service; 7. I will not disclose or use any confidential information obtained in the course of professional duties without the consent of the parties concerned, except when required by law; 8. I will try to attain the highest in both the products and services I offer; 9. I will not knowingly participate in the development of Information Technology System that will promote the Commission of fraud and other unlawful acts; 10. I will uphold and improve the IT professional standard through continuing professional development in order to enhance IT profession.

Philosophy reasoning Essay

Philosophy is divided into many sub-fields. These include epistemology, logic, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics. Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, such as the relationships between truth, belief, and theories of justification. Logic is the study of the principles of correct reasoning. Metaphysics is the study of the most general features of reality, such as existence, time, the relationship between mind and body, objects and their properties, wholes and their parts, events, processes, and causation. Ethics, or â€Å"moral philosophy,† is concerned primarily with the question of the best way to  live, and secondarily, concerning the question of whether this question can be answered. Aesthetics deals with beauty, art, enjoyment, sensory-emotional values, perception, and matters of taste and sentiment. Definition: — The term philosophy itself comes from the Greek philosophia, which means love of wisdom. –The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. –The critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge. Meaning: –The rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods. Significance: For us to avoid being fooled by those learned person, it removes or takes away doubts, it turns life to be simple and flexible in any circumstances†¦. The Importance of Philosophy Philosophic thought is an inescapable part of human existence. Almost everyone has been puzzled from time to time by such essentially philosophic questions as â€Å"What does life mean? † â€Å"Did I have any existence before I was born? † and â€Å"Is there life after death? † Most people also have some kind of philosophy in the sense of a personal outlook on life. Even a person who claims that considering philosophic questions is a waste of time  is expressing what is important, worthwhile, or valuable. A rejection of all philosophy is in itself philosophy. By studying philosophy, people can clarify what they believe, and they can be stimulated to think about ultimate questions. A person can study philosophers of the past to discover why they thought as they did and what value their thoughts may have in one’s own life. There are people who simply enjoy reading the great philosophers, especially those who were also great writers. Philosophy has had enormous influence on our everyday lives. The very language we speak uses classifications derived from philosophy. For example, the classifications of noun and verb involve the philosophic idea that there is a difference between things and actions. If we ask what the difference is, we are starting a philosophic inquiry. Every institution of society is based on philosophic ideas, whether that institution is the law, government, religion, the family, marriage, industry, business, or education. Philosophic differences have led to the overthrow of governments, drastic changes in laws, and the transformation of entire economic systems. Such changes have occurred because the people involved held certain beliefs about what is important, true, real, and  significant and about how life should be ordered. Systems of education follow a society’s philosophic ideas about what children should be taught and for what purposes. Democratic societies stress that people learn to think and make choices for themselves. Nondemocratic societies discourage such activities and want their citizens to surrender their own interests to those of the state. The values and skills taught by the educational system of a society thus reflect the society’s philosophic ideas of what is important. A philosophic system is an integrated view of existence. As a human being, you have no choice about the fact that you need a philosophy. Your only choice is whether you define your philosophy by a conscious, rational, disciplined process of thought and scrupulously logical deliberation — or let your subconscious accumulate a junk heap of unwarranted conclusions, false generalizations, undefined contradictions, undigested slogans, unidentified wishes, doubts and fears, thrown together by chance, but integrated by your subconscious into a kind of mongrel philosophy and fused into a single, solid weight: self-doubt, like a ball and chain in the place where your mind’s wings should have grown.

A Farewell To Arms Essays (606 words) - Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell To Arms Essays (606 words) - Ernest Hemingway A Farewell to Arms Critics usually describe Hemingway's style as simple, spare, and journalistic. These are all good words; they all apply. Perhaps because of his training as a newspaperman, Hemingway is a master of the declarative, subject-verb-object sentence. His writing has been likened to a boxer's punchescombinations of lefts and rights coming at us without pause. Take the following passage: We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it. The last country to realize they were cooked would win the war. We had another drink. Was I on somebody's staff? No. He was. It was all balls. The style gains power because it is so full of sensory detail. There was an inn in the trees at the Bains de l'Allaiz where the woodcutters stopped to drink, and we sat inside warmed by the stove and drank hot red wine with spices and lemon in it. They called it gluhwein and it was a good thing to warm you and to celebrate with. The inn was dark and smoky inside and afterward when you went out the cold air came sharply into your lungs and numbed the edge of your nose as you inhaled. The simplicity and the sensory richness flow directly from Hemingway's and his characters'beliefs. The punchy, vivid language has the immediacy of a news bulletin: these are facts, Hemingway is telling us, and they can't be ignored. And just as Frederic Henry comes to distrust abstractions like "patriotism," so does Hemingway distrust them. Instead he seeks the concrete, the tangible: "hot red wine with spices, cold air that numbs your nose." A simple "good" becomes higher praise than another writer's string of decorative adjectives. Though Hemingway is best known for the tough simplicity of style seen in the first passage cited above, if we take a close look at A Farewell to Arms, we will often find another Hemingway at worka writer who is aiming for certain complex effects, who is experimenting with language, and who is often self-consciously manipulating words. Some sentences are clause-filled and eighty or more words long. Take for example the description in Chapter 1 that begins, "There were mists over the river and clouds on the mountain"; it paints an entire dreary wartime autumn and foreshadows the deaths not only of many of the soldiers but of Catherine. Hemingway's style changes, too, when it reflects his characters' changing states of mind. Writing from Frederic Henry's point of view, he sometimes uses a modified stream-of-consciousness technique, a method for spilling out on paper the inner thoughts of a character. Usually Henry's thoughts are choppy, staccato, but when he becomes drunk the language does too, as in the passage in Chapter 3: I had gone to no such place but to the smoke of cafes and nights when the room whirled and you needed to look at the wall to make it stop, nights in bed, drunk, when you knew that that was all there was, and the strange excitement of waking and not knowing who it was with you, and the world all unreal in the dark and so exciting that you must resume again unknowing and not caring in the night, sure that this was all and all and all and not caring. The rhythm, the repetition, have us reeling with Henry. Thus, Hemingway's prose is in fact an instrument finely tuned to reflect his characters and their world. As we read A Farewell to Arms, we must try to underezd the thoughts and feelings Hemingway seeks to inspire in us by the way he uses language.