Analysis of Wilfred Owens The Last Laugh Essays

Analysis of Wilfred Owens The Last Laugh Essays Analysis of Wilfred Owens The Last Laugh Paper Analysis of Wilfred Owens The Last Laugh Paper Essay Topic: Poetry Wilfred Owen is well known for his portrayed war poetry on the trench and gas warfare. Owen wrote many poems during his lifetime and one of them is called ‘The Last Laugh’. ‘The Last Laugh’ is very short but incredibly effective because it’s from the weapon’s perspective and from his first hand experiences of war. The main idea Wilfred Owen wanted to convey was that it’s not the soldier’s who get the last laugh since many people died and many soldiers would not laugh about it. He shows that the machinery of the war is the master of the soldiers and that the weapons had the last laugh. In this essay I will talk about how Wilfred Owen conveys his feelings on war by his use of imagery, his choice of language, the structure of the poem and the voice and tone of the poem. First of all, Owen creates images that really convey his experiences of WW1. The poem starts off with a solider that shouts â€Å"Oh! Jesus Christ! I’m hit. † This solider is either just swearing because he was hit or he could have actually been crying out to God because he is religious. In the last stanza Owen shows an image of a solider who â€Å"slowly lowered, his whole face kissed the mud. You can really picture an image of a solider that just got shot and is about to die and the last thing he thinks of is his loved one. You can imagine him closing his eyes and thinking of her and just imagining that he is with her and kisses her, when he is actually kissing the mud. The soldier is not described at all only his actions are described. The lack of details of the soldier shows that he doesnt need any details because the reader already knows how the soldier is, a young man who just wants the war to end. Owen also uses personification to describe the weapons and make them look like they are alive by giving each weapon a capital letter just like they have names like humans. The weapons are also given physical features that a human would usually have. For example, the Bayonets have â€Å"teeth. † The bayonet has a human feature, which is teeth but not just normal teeth, â€Å"long teeth,† which makes the bayonets look like beasts. The weapons are very descriptive with detail and the soldiers are lacked in description and this shows how the weapons are dominant and that there were so many soldiers that died that there is no need for them to be described. Not only are the weapons personified like humans but also the bullets are personified. Owen used personification by giving the bullets voices. â€Å"The Bullets chirped,† This shows that the weapons have taken over of the war. Owen uses a metaphor when he compares the shrapnel from an exploding bomb to a cloud. This metaphor helps the reader use his or her imagination. In the poem ‘The Last Laugh, imagery was used to really convey Owens thoughts on WW1. Secondly, Owen’s choice of language conveys his experiences of WW1. Owen uses an interesting word to describe the bullets in the first stanza; he uses the word â€Å"chirped. † This makes it seem like the bullets are like flying birds, because it is the noise that birds make. Also you can imagine the bullets like birds flying freely through the air. On the other hand, the men have no freedom whereas the weapons do. Owen repeats the word â€Å"vain,† and this emphasizes that whatever the soldiers try to do and defend themselves, no matter what they try it won’t work. Another word that Owen repeats is the onomatopoeic â€Å"tut-tut. This makes it sound like the machine guns are telling off the soldiers, like a parent would to their son when they do something wrong. The weapons are telling off the soldiers for them trying to stay alive in front of them and they have no match for the weapons. The weapons are mocking the soldiers throughout the poem. In the line â€Å"The Big Gun guffawed,† the word â€Å"guffawed,† shows that the gun is mocking the soldiers and cannot stop laughing. As well, it is very weird to smile just before you die. However in the second stanza, the soldier â€Å"smiled. The soldier was probably described as smiling because maybe he was happy that he was dying due to the fact he was fed up with the war. This description of a dying soldier smiling before he dies confuses the reader and makes the reader think why is the soldier smiling. There were many young soldiers fighting for their country and Owen tells us by using the word â€Å"childlike. † Also, the soldier in the second stanza was crying out for his mother and father, tells us the soldier is young and all he wants his mother and father like a normal young kid would want and have when young. In most of his poems, he always refers to how young some of the soldiers were because he probably thought it was crazy how young the some of the soldiers were. The young soldiers didnt have a normal childhood like kids do today. A word that makes it look like the Shrapnel-cloud is a human is the description that it â€Å"leisurely gestured. † It suggests that the Shrapnel-cloud has arms because he is gesturing in a very relaxed way, just like a human would. The word â€Å"leisurely’ stands out because you think why would a cloud gesture something in an unhurried manor. The weapons were not only personified as humans but also as animals; we see this in the last sentence of the last stanza with â€Å"The Gas hissed,† where the onomatopoeic ‘hissed’, makes the gas sound like a snake. Gas makes a hissing sound and snakes hiss makes the gas sound like an evil weapon. Owens choice of language shows his attitude to WW1 and shows what he thinks about it. Thirdly, Owen’s choice of structure in the poem is very unique and conveys his experiences of WW1. Each stanza is five lines long and the first two lines of each stanza are about humans and the last three are the weapons response to the humans. The weapons have more to say then the humans and it makes it look like the weapons are the masters of the soldiers and are superior. Owen doesnt give an identity to the humans but he gives an identity to each weapon by giving it a capital. For the humans, Owen uses pronouns. There is also a very abrupt death to each soldier. â€Å"I’m hit, he said: and died. † It doesnt describe how he died; he just died like many other soldiers did. Also Owen makes it look like the deaths of the soldiers don’t really matter. â€Å"Whether he vainly cursed, or prayed indeed. It doesnt matter if he cursed or if he was praying, he still died. Owen also makes the three soldiers described in the poem are just fed up with the war, by using words like â€Å"said,† â€Å"sighed,† and â€Å"moaned. † These words described how the soldiers are speaking and they all sound like they are happy that they are dying because they are fed up with the war. The first soldier is crying out to God or cursing. The second soldier is crying out for his mother and father and the last one is thinking of his loved one. After each soldier speaks, there are weapons mocking the soldier that just died. The shortest line of the poem is the very last line, â€Å"and the Gas hissed. † World War 1 was when gas warfare was first used on a large scale. The gas is the thing that haunts Owen most and it is the last weapon he describes since its the weapon that he will remember for the rest of his life. Owen conveys his experiences of WW1 by choosing a certain structure of the poem. Fourthly, Owen conveys his experiences of WW1 by the voice and tone used in the poem. The last laugh sort of has a fun tone of voice to it. It is consistent throughout most of the poem until the last line, where it had more of a serious tone. I think this was done because gas was a very serious topic for Owen and he doesnt want to make it sound like it wasnt serious. There are different tones of voices for each weapon that speaks. For example, the Shrapnel-cloud has a very deep voice since its a massive big cloud so you can just imagine a deep tone of voice linked to the cloud. The language is more colloquial to formal because the poem has a fun tone of voice to it. Owen uses irony in the poem because the title â€Å"The last laugh† can be thought of as the last ones alive. The weapons were all in one piece and were unharmed, whereas the soldiers died. It’s also ironic because he says that the weapons had the last laugh however the weapons can’t even laugh. Owen expresses his feelings of WW1 by the tone and voice used in the poem. In conclusion, I think that Owens poem ‘The Last Laugh’ is a great poem and he was very successful at expressing how he feels about World War 1. The poem was effective in conveying Owens feelings because of all the techniques used in the poem. I would never think about the weapons having the last laugh, it would be the last thing I would think of. It was a very smart poem, how he personified the weapons to make them like humans. Every single thing was well thought of and I love how the humans have two lines and the weapons have three lines and how they respond to the humans. The last line also made me really think of gas and how it caused many harsh and painful deaths that I cannot even imagine. Overall, the poem was a great poem because it really conveyed Wilfred Owens experiences of WW1 by his use of imagery, choice of language, the structure of the poem and the voice and tone of the poem.

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No need for topic - Essay Example BestBuy Company Incorporation is a multinational retailer that deals with selling of computer electronics, mobile phone products and various other appliances. Other than the retail stores, the company is also involved in the operations related to call-center and online retail transactions. In order to maintain the smooth flow of the organizational operations, requirement for strategic management frames is observed to be a vital part for BestBuy. Few examples can be cited from BestBuy, where application of strategic management has been depicted. Considering the fiscal year 2001, BestBuy Company has acquired the Magnolia Hi Fi Inc., which is a retailer of audio along with video products. In this aspect this strategic decision was undertaken in order to access upscale consumer segment. This is an example of strategic change within the domestic environment of the company (BestBuy, â€Å"About Best Buy†). In accordance with the strategic change during the fiscal year 2002, BestBuy acquired Future Shop Ltd for better prospect. Future Shop is considered as Canada’s largest retailer and has been acquired with an objective to retain the company’s brand equity and also increase its consumers’ base. Another example can be cited from the field of its operation that reflects about the initiative taken by BestBuy Company as an approach to strategic management. The US based BestBuy stores have provided the customers’ with the facilities of differentiated product categories such as computing and mobile phones, entertainment, services, consumer electronics and appliances among others. (BestBuy, â€Å"About BestBuy†). The mission statement of the BestBuy Company is identified as â€Å"Our formula is simple: we’re a growth company focused on better solving the unmet needs of our customers—and we rely on our employees to solve those puzzles.

Engineering Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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The Political System of the United Kingdom Essay Example for Free

The Political System of the United Kingdom Essay The United Kingdom has enjoyed a relatively strong government in the entire course of its history. A major part of this could be attributed to its unique but very effective political system. There are at least five aspects that had been major contributory factors in its political stability, namely: Transparency and Accountability of Government, Consensus building on major issues, Reforms on a gradual and necessary basis, Absence of threat from coups and armed overthrow of government, and the Check and Balance of powers in its three branches. England is the land of Kings and Queens. Down the years the monarchy had played a crucial role in the political system of the nation. The reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II remains the constitutional and Ceremonial Head of State. She continues to exercise discretionary powers like the Royal Assent for Bills from Parliament and Royal Prerogatives like appointments of Ministers, formal consent to the declaration of war by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, and the suggestion for the dissolution of the Parliament. The last discretionary power has never been resorted to anytime in the history of the United Kingdom. The Armed Forces swear allegiance to the Queen and that makes her their Commander-in-Chief. This is also the reason why a military-backed revolt to overthrow the government would be extremely difficult in England. In both instances, dissolution of the Parliament and unconstitutional change of government, the Crown had always been very circumspect in averting constitutional crisis. The Prime Minister is the Head of Government in the United Kingdom. He is appointed by the Monarch from the Members of Parliament of the largest majority party in the House of Commons. The current Prime Minister is Gordon Brown from the Labour Party. Coming from the largest majority of Parliament, the Prime Minister possesses the ability to form a government and push for important legislation. The Prime Minister and other senior ministers, each in charge of a government department, make up the Cabinet and together they function as the Executive Branch or Government. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet are all from Parliament but they are accountable to it. There are three Ministers in each department. They are the Head or Secretary of State, the second in rank is the Minister of State and the third in rank is the Undersecretary of State. They report to Parliament regarding their work and a committee in the House of Commons oversees their work. The Prime Minister reports to the Parliament every Wednesday for the Prime Minister’s Question Time broadcasted live in radio and television and covered by the broadsheet press. This is a democratic process of Government Transparency and Accountability. Since the Bill of Rights of 1689, sovereignty resides in the Parliament or the legislature. Like most of the world’s democracies, the United Kingdom has a bicameral legislative body. The Parliament is composed of two chambers, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The population is proportionally divided into constituencies who elect their Members of Parliament to the House of Commons. The largest majority in the House of Commons is commissioned by the Queen to form a government. This means that a government is not voted upon by the House of Commons but it does get to exercise its vote of confidence when the legislative agenda is laid out on the Speech from the Throne. The House of Lords, on the other hand is not an elected body. It used to be hereditary among aristocratic families. Presently, the House of Lords is composed of hereditary/aristocratic members, bishops or Lords Spirituals of the Church of England, and those who have made valuable contributions to England and whose memberships were approved by the Queen but are limited to their lifetime and can not be inherited by kin down the line. Both Houses do legislative work while the House of Lords are limited in powers such as in the reviews of, proposing amendments to, or veto of Bills, except of those bills related to Monetary and Finances. The Members of Parliament have no fixed term of office. There will be a General Election when the Prime Minister calls for it, but which should not be more than five years since the last one was held. There are three major parties such as the Labour, Conservative and the Liberal Democrat, each with dramatically opposing political stand on issues. In the British Parliament, however, they build on consensus with regards to issues on national order and security, economy, health and foreign policies. Interestingly, the House of Lords acts as a Court of Appeals that decides on cases with finality. The Law Lords, which is a part of the House of Lords, is the one which hears and tries cases for judgment. A review is being made to study the possibility of replacing it with a Supreme Court, in accordance with the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005. The Lord Chancellor is the Head of the Judiciary in England and Wales for 1,400 years. Today it has been replaced by the Department of Constitutional Affairs. This is a case when changes in the system is initiated whenever Parliament sees a need for it. Such ensures that the change is necessary and called for, instead of a measure that is in place but without substantial value and significance at all. The United Kingdom has a political system with features that are common with some of the world’s leading democracies, and yet, it is for the large part distinctly different. Where in some countries there is a separation of powers among their branches of government in the United Kingdom it is not the case. Government Ministers are Members of Parliament. The Law Lords are members of the House of Lords. The Prime Minister is from the Parliament’s largest majority party. Despite the overlapping functions, the checks and balance of powers are in place. The Monarch commissions the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister consults with the Monarch, the Prime Minister calls a General Election for Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister and his Cabinet report to Parliament regularly. The best thing about the political system of the United Kingdom is that it had stood the test of time. It had worked for more than a thousand years, it could work for another thousand. But like an evolving parliamentary democracy, it is still a work in progress. References Darlington, R. (2007). A Short Guide to the British Political System. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from http://www. rogerdarlington. co. uk/Britishpoliticalsystem. html. NRI Online Pty. Ltd. (2008, October 1). Political System in the UK. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://www. nriol. com/welcome2uk/politics-in-uk. asp.

Stress Among College Students Essays -- College Students Education Str

Stress Among College Students Leaving home for the first time and going away for school can be very difficult for some people. In many cases for college freshmen this is their first time being away from their home and parents. Many times they get home sick and want to isolate themselves. They have to get into a new routine of going to school, and change can be very difficult. It is definitely hard to get into the swing of college. They have to navigate through classes in a new format while living away from all the comforts of parents. A college student’s life usually consists of attending classes, long hours of studying, working at a job (sometimes), and having a social life. Some students work at a job or study harder than others, but they are all trying to get degrees so maybe one day they will have meaningful and significant lives. It is a constant struggle for everyone who is trying desperately to make him or herself into a success. And every college student wants to be involved with something in order to further their education, or just have fun. There are lots of new opportunities out there. The struggle consists of demands on time, financial pressures, parental pressure and conflicts, interpersonal conflicts, managing freedom, peer and academic pressure and the transitional period to a new academic environment (Stanford University 4). All of these factors combined can cause emotional disturbances and one of the most common is stress. Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid. These feeling can also lead to you having a stomachache or a headache. When you're stressed you may not feel like sleeping or eating. You also may feel cranky or have trouble paying attention at school and remembering things. Having a little stress can be good sometimes, but when you’re in college that is defiantly something you want to keep under control. Another reason for stress is the financial strain a person can experience when trying to progress in school. Learning to budget money is one of the most realistic lessons of attending college. This is one more way a student may feel vulnerable. Financial pressure is the number one reason why students drop out. A college student may become distracted with work in order to live comfo... ... distress is providing students with a feeling of control over their education, information about what to expect, and feedback regarding what can be done to improve their performance. Students who do not feel helpless will adopt their own coping strategies. Students shouldn’t let their college years distress you. Recognize situations that may cause stress, develop effective ways to manage stress and seek help if you need it. Works Citied Alcohol and other drug abuse. 30 Nov. 2004. American Medical Association. 6 Dec. 2004 . Hudd, Suzanne S. â€Å"Stress at College Effects on Health Habits, Health Status and Self-Esteem.† College Student Journal. June (2000). Vol. 34, Issue 2 Ross, Shannon E. â€Å"Sources of Stress Among College Students.† College Student Journal June (1999). Vol. 33, Issue 2 Stanford University. â€Å"Coping With Stress.† http://www.Ieland.Standford.edu/group/cawell/srticles/stressarticle.html Struthers, C. Ward. â€Å"An Examination of the Relationship Among Academic Stress, Coping, Motivation, and Performance in College.† Research in Higher Education. Oct (2000). Vol. 41 Issue 5, p581.

Bystander Behavior and Concepts Essay

Research reveals that the feeling of guilt can spur on the behaviour of helping. For instance, a survivor of a terrorist attack may be guilty of going to assist others. Lack of Personal Relationship Ideally, bystanders are more likely to assist when the know the person. In the case of emergency, people in the problem people may make personalized response even if strangers are keeping a distance. The bystanders’ presence in the scene of emergency limits the likelihood of any person will display any response to assist in violence. Schöllnberger, Mitchel, Redpath, Crawford-Brown & Hofmann, (2007) notes that contrary to common sense, there is no safety in bystander in the presence of the bystander because they see and assume someone else will take responsibility. Both social norm and diffusion explanations predict a reduction in helping behaviour when a bystander is present. Pro-Social BehaviourThe psychological foundations of the pro-social behaviour are beneficial for doing my further research in my field of study. Besides, it can also assist me achieve my educational, criminal justice and social work in line of profession. More importantly, the theoretical understanding with practical implications can assist me in improving my health and philanthropy. The concept teaches the principles of help, sharing and giving that are all important for social relationships and assisting and being of benefit for one another in the society and finally feel good. Social Norms The principle of the social norm argues that people use other people’s actions to decide on when to help. Learning and understanding the social norms in the society will help me develop moral behaviour and learn how to make curate decisions. Making wiser choices is important for life developments and benefits of decisions. Humanism Humanistic psychology refers to a psychological perspective that major on the study of a person referred to as holism. The approach argues that the behavior of an individual is connected to his inner self-image and feelings. According to the humanistic perspective, every individual is unique and individual and is at liberty to change his or her lives at any moment. Because of the center view of the person or her or his personal, subjective perception and experiences of the world, the humanists argue that the scientific methods are inappropriate to study the behaviour. The most influential theory of holism is the cognitive theory (Schöllnberger, Mitchel, Redpath, Crawford-Brown & Hofmann, 2007). The theory is relevant to my current and future life. Besides, the theory revolves around the studying of the mental process of acquiring knowledge. Since it deals with the perception attention and memory, it will help me achieve and maintain general healthy lifestyle. The theory can be u sed to analyze mental illness hence providing healthy lifestyle. Behaviorist Perspective Behaviorists view people as controlled by the environment. Besides, it mentions that we are the result of what we have learnt in our environment. The perspective is important for learning how stimuli affect observable behaviour. The perspective highlights operant conditioning in which people learn from consequences and classical conditioning in which people learn by association. The perspective is beneficial for getting better academic and life grades. Understanding the concepts of learning will assist me achieve better learning procedures for justifying better grades. Reference Schöllnberger, H., Mitchel, R. E. J., Redpath, J. L., Crawford-Brown, D. J., & Hofmann, W. (November 01, 2007). Detrimental and Protective Bystander Effects: A Model Approach. Radiation Research, 168, 5, 614-626. Source document

The Life Of Constance Gist, A Life Filled With A Lot Of...

Constance Gist, a mother of three has lived a long and interesting life filled with a lot of love and happiness. Born February 18, 1917 in Berlin Wisconsin, she was raised on a 360 acre farm as the third oldest of a total of nine kids. As most would think growing up on a farm would be like, it is, and one would have to work every day planting, growing/maintaining crops, and picking them. Connie along with her brothers, sisters, and cousins, who lived up the street on the next farm over, would have to do all of these jobs learning from their parents. Her cousins who lived up the street were also a group of nine children, so at anyone point when they would all hang out and play, there would be at least eighteen kids playing around the farms and in the street. Unlike here in Southern California, Wisconsin actually experienced beautiful season changes. There would be beautiful summers and cold winters with white Christmases, there would be snow storms giving plenty of snow to tie up a sl eigh to a horse and ride around in the sleigh she said when asked about some of her favorite things about Berlin. Luckily for Connie and her family during the Great Depression they did not feel too much of the Great Depression because they lived on farms and had no need to worry about how they would feed themselves. For example Tom Morain states, â€Å"In some ways farmers were better off than city and town dwellers. Farmers could produce much of their own food while city residents could not.†Show MoreRelatedLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 Pages9. Highland Park Public Library Strategic Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 6.1. Ten Reasons for Marketing Library and Information Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 7.1. The Life Cycle of Organizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 7.2. Organization Chart Showing Authority Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 7.3. Line and Staff Organizational Units . . . . . . . . . Figure 7.4. Organization