Figurative Language In Popular Mechanics By Raymond Carver

In Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver, a contemptuous couple are driven out of rage to harm their only child. The story’s tone is that of resentment, aggression, and irony, which are constructed by the author’s deliberate choice of a third-person, unnamed narrator. Opening starkly with another nameless character, a male packing his suitcase, his spouse looks on from the other side of the room and continually rants that she’s glad her partner is leaving. Immediately, the reader can sense the physical and emotional distance between the two characters (she is standing by the door while he is standing by the side of the bed). This distance between the characters is important because it sets the mood and tone for later in the story when a†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, Carver uses short, choppy sentence structure throughout the story and specific diction, which help to convey to the finality of the couple’s relationship, and to create a somewhat distant and unsettling mood: â€Å"The kitchen window gave no light† (Carver 3). The curtness of this sentence and suspenseful mood it creates help to enhance his theme of miscommunication. Adding to that terse and disconnected structure, Carver also uses an interesting plot structure: placing the climax abruptly at the end of the story with no falling action. By doing so, he leaves the reader questioning what just happened and thinking it over. His diction throughout this work is an important piece of understanding the theme of the story. When describing the streaks running down the window, he describes it as â€Å"little†, and does so again when describing the â€Å"little† kitchen in which the mother stood. The use of this particular adjective suggests that the house doesn’t fit this couple and child, and likely never would, relating back to the intimation that this relationship isn’t one that will be reconciled. This story’s title also serves an important purpose, and was certainly a deliberate choice on Carver’s part to enhance his theme by use of tone. It alludes to the well-read science magazine ‘Popular Mechanics’, and this creates tone via irony in that, when considering the scientific mechanics ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Popular Mechanics By Raymond Carver1099 Words   |  5 PagesIn Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver a man begins packing his things in a suitcase on a rainy day. His spouse barges into the room and begins to berate him. She moves to the dresser and picks up a picture of their baby and leaves the room. The man follows they begin fighting about who gets the baby. As the women holds tightly to the baby, the man backs her into the kitchen and begins grabbing the child. They both have a tight hold on the child now and are pulling backwards. The story concludes

The Advantages of Having Good Communication Skill Free Essays

Communication is undoubtedly one of the most important skills to hone. Being able to communicate effectively and clearly in your own environment and comfort zone may seem challenging enough, but it increases exponentially in a different culture. Globalization is unavoidable in this day and age, and therefore being able to communicate in the face of cultural diversity is more important than ever. We will write a custom essay sample on The Advantages of Having Good Communication Skill or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are two parts of communication that hold true no matter what culture you are in. Verbal and nonverbal communication exists regardless of the surrounding environment. Last summer I studied abroad in Valence, Spain. Obviously the verbal communication was completely different due to the language barrier, but the most difficult part was understanding and using the appropriate colloquialisms and metaphoric phrases. Informer the bomb† and â€Å"Chill out† when directly translated do not take on the same meaning as they do here. It was interesting learning the different phrases and the locals found it funny when we told them they were explosives or to cool off in a refrigerator as they understood it. The most challenging difference of communication in Spain was the nonverbal specs. To best explain, Americans typically speak at an arms length distance. The Spaniards, however, have a completely different concept of personal space. If you were to hold out your arm and touch the person’s shoulder in front of you that you are speaking to, you would be at an appropriate distance away from he or she in our culture. Now if you both fold your arms at the elbow and take a step closer to where your elbows are touching, you are at an appropriate distance in the Spanish culture. I found that very difficult to get used to. It was as if our noses were touching. Personal space was Just one of many of the nonverbal aspects of communication that was different in this culture but it is by the far the one I remember most. Although there are many topics that can be covered under the umbrella of communication I chose communication in the face of cultural diversity because I have recently had a personal experience with it and hope to have many more in my lifetime. It is critical that I learn and understand how to communicate in different cultures for my future career and I am excited about future opportunities to do so. Conflict Management and Negotiation Recently I have learned the importance of conflict management in a leadership role. I am planning formal for my sorority this year, and have been in the process with my co-chair for over a year. In December 2010 we had a venue and date booked for this Saturday, February 18, 2012. Eleven days before the event, close to one hundred girls signed up after the specified deadline almost doubling the guest count to four hundred people. This has caused my co-chair and me to go into a craze with changing transportation, catering, and venue costs for the additional people. The aroma was originally free as we had been planning and budgeting extremely well for over a year, yet changing the numbers exponentially less than two weeks before the event incurred breach of contract fees, additional staffing fees, additional security fees, additional transportation fees, and additional catering fees per person. Unfortunately after promising our sorority a free formal for the first time in history of formals, we are now having to charge eleven dollars a person or twenty-two dollars a couple due this Thursday by 5:PM. Obviously any manager or individual in a dervish role can imagine the conflicts this additional charge has caused between my co-chair and me and the members of our sorority. We have received very inconsiderate emails and are dealing with explaining to two hundred why a week before the event there is a charge to attend. Through the assigned reading I have realized I am going through an interrupt conflict, or a conflict between groups or teams in an organization. Unfortunately the groups are incredibly unevenly divided, as it is two against two hundred. My co-chair and I have been frantically trying to explain the situation and accommodate everyone o ensure a positive atmosphere surrounding the event without severing the relationships and bonds we have with out sisters. Although some understand the situation and are still appreciative of the hard work that we have put in for over a year, others are still upset and we receive emails everyday with questions and concerns that are not always written as appropriately as we would like. The biggest issue that my co-chair and I have been coping is the idea of losing trust amongst our sisters. Although some understand the situation, the few that do not have made it clear they do not appreciate the last minute details, even though ecological it was not our fault for the situation. We have not placed blame on anyone but unfortunately others have placed blame on us causing a mix between functional and dysfunctional conflicts within the interrupt conflict. We are sure the event will still be pleasant and everyone will enjoy it, but if I have learned anything from this it is that no matter how much time, effort, and organization a person puts into the planning of an event, something will always go wrong and someone will always be dissatisfied. However, it is important to manage the conflict with those that I can and o ensure that I take care of myself and enjoy the event Saturday that I have worked so hard planning for. Customer service is truly an industry that is not the fantasy it is glorified to be and I am thankful to have learned that now. Power Influence Influence is the process of affecting the thoughts, behavior, or feelings of another person. Personally, influence is the determining factor of all decisions I make. The ethical question behind influence, however, is where does it come from and which influence tactic is most appropriate and effective in a given situation. Ideally I hope that all decisions I make come from within. However it is difficult to determine how and what has shaped my basis of beliefs. Do I make my own decisions, or does my faith, family, boss, or group of friends influence my decisions? In addition to where influence comes from, another driving force behind decommissioning is influential tactics. According to the reading, there are four influential tactics used most frequently. These four tactics are consultation, rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, and integration. Tactics are used for impression management, which refers to individuals’ use of influence tactics to control others impressions of them. Determining which influential tactic to implement depends on the target audience and target goal. For example, I am actively involved in Relay For Life on campus as I hold the Marketing Executive Co-chair position benefiting the American Cancer Society. We are always looking for new ways to influence the student body and ourselves to get involved and remain enthusiastic. At each of our meetings and events, we implement the inspirational appeal tactic. We open each meeting with a student’s story of why he or she relays. Often these stories as very heart-wrenching and appeal to everyone s we all have gotten involved due to some effect of a loved one suffering from cancer. Influence is a powerful tool in everyday life and especially in high involvement decisions. It is important to utilize ethics when influencing a person though. Determining which appeal is most appropriate may be difficult but is essential to avoid coercing another’s decision that he or she may not be satisfied with at a later date. Overall, influential basis and tactics can and should be used appropriately to help another individual’s decision process and not abuse power over someone else. How to cite The Advantages of Having Good Communication Skill, Papers

Report for Operational Management of Decision Making Function

Question: Describe about the Report for Operational Management of Decision Making Function. Answer: Given, d1, d2, d3 and d4 are the four decision alternatives and s1, s2, s3 and s4 are the four state of nature. The profit payoff table for it is given below: Decision Alternative S1 S2 S3 S4 D1 14 9 10 5 D2 11 10 8 7 D3 9 10 10 11 D4 8 10 11 13 If the decision maker has no idea about the probabilities of the four states of nature, then using optimistic approach, the decision maker will choose the alternative which will provide maximum payoff for each decision alternative. Thus in this case, for state S1 the decision maker will choose decision alternative D1. For state S2 the decision maker will choose any of the decision alternative D2, D3 or D4. For state S3 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D4 and For state S4 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D4. For conservative approach, the decision maker will choose the alternative which will provide minimum payoff for each decision alternative. Thus in this case, for state S1 the decision maker will choose decision alternative D4. For state S2 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D1. For state S3 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D2 and for state S4 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D1. (Kaplan Financial, 2012) For minimax regret approach, the decision maker will try to minimize the maximum regret. The regret is defined as the opportunity loss due to the decision taken. It is calculated by |Vi Vij|, Vij is the value for decision i and state j and Vi is the best alternative for state i Thus the regret table is calculated below Regret S1 S2 S3 S4 D1 0 1 1 8 D2 3 0 3 6 D3 5 0 1 2 D4 6 0 0 0 The decision maker will choose the alternative which will provide minimum regret for each decision alternative. Thus in this case, for state S1 the maximum regret is 6, for state S2 the maximum regret is 1, for state S3 the maximum regret is 3, for state S4 the maximum regret is 8. Thus the decision maker will chose decision alternative D2 to minimize the maximum regret. (Kaplan Financial, 2012) b) I think conservative approach is better as it helps us to analyse the projects by providing the minimum return that the project will garner and help us in estimating if we should go ahead with the project. In other approaches, there is a possibility of expecting a higher return which might not be the case and result in loss. Establishing the most appropriate approach helps the decision maker in choosing the projects and it helps the decision maker to understand whether the return from the projects are over estimated or underestimated and based on the approach he can plan ahead the future decisions regarding the project. Thus it is important to establish the most appropriate approach. c) If the table provides the cost instead of profits then using optimistic approach, the decision maker will choose the alternative which will provide minimum cost for each decision alternative. Thus in this case, for state S1 the decision maker will choose decision alternative D4. For state S2 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D1. For state S3 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D2 and For state S4 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D1. For conservative approach, the decision maker will choose the alternative which will provide maximum cost for each decision alternative. Thus in this case, for state S1 the decision maker will choose decision alternative D1. For state S2 the decision maker will choose any of the the decision alternative D2, D3 or D4. For state S3 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D4 and for state S4 the decision maker will choose the decision alternative D4. (Kaplan Financial, 2012) For minimax regret approach, the regret table is given below Regret S1 S2 S3 S4 D1 6 0 2 0 D2 3 1 0 2 D3 1 1 2 6 D4 0 1 3 8 The decision maker will choose the alternative which will provide minimum regret for each decision alternative. Thus in this case, for state S1 the maximum regret is 6, for state S2 the maximum regret is 1, for state S3 the maximum regret is 3, for state S4 the maximum regret is 8. Thus the decision maker will chose decision alternative D2 to minimize the maximum regret. The profit pay off table for decision alternatives d1 and d2 is given. The state of nature are s1 and s2. Using graphical approach, the payoff for the two states are plotted. In x axis, the probability is given. For probability = 0, the pay off of state s1 is used and for probability = 1, the the pay off of state s2 is used. (Scgroeder, 2007) The two decision alternatives intersect at a point P. The P can we found by solving the equations y = 10 9* x and y = 4 1* x. Thus solving we get x = 0.75 and y = 3.25 thus for the range of probability 0 to 0.75 for the state s1, the decision alternatives will have highest expected value. Given P(s1) = 0.2 and P(s2) = 0.8. Thus the expected value of the project is given by Expected value = Probability * Value Thus for decision alternative d1, the Expected value = 0.2* 10 + 0.8* 1 = 2.8 Thus for decision alternative d2, the Expected value = 0.2* 4 + 0.8* 3 = 2 Thus using the expected value approach, the decision alternative d1 is better. The solution found in part b will be optimal if the expected value of decision 1 is greater than expected value of decision 2. Let x1 be the value of the payoff of the state 1 and x2 be the value of the payoff of the state 2. Thus for the probability of the state s1 and s2 as 0.2 and 0.8 respectively, the expected value is given by 0.2* x1 +0.8* x2 which must be greater than expected value of decision 2 .i.e. = 2 For x2 = 1, 0.2* x1 + 0.8 * 1 2 X1 6 For X1 = 10, 0.2* 10 + 0.8* x2 2 X2 0 Thus the range of payoff for s1 state is more than 6 and range of payoff for s2 state is more than 0 The probability associated to the payoff of s2 is 0.8 while the probability associated to payoff of s1 is 0.2. Thus the solution is more sensitive to the payoff of s2. The company Myrtle Air express is offering service between Cleveland and Myrtle Beach. The demand of the service and the price of the service are given with options of full price and discount price. The management has to decide what pricing policy they should follow as the demand can be strong and weak. If the management chooses full price then the profits earned during the strong demand will be high but in case of weak demand the company will have loss. While if the management chooses discount price then the profits earned during the weak demand will be lower but in case of weak demand the company will have not have any loss. There are two decision alternatives full prices and discount and two possible outcomes strong demand or weak demand. Using the optimistic approach, the decision maker will choose the alternative which will provide maximum payoff for each decision alternative. The maximum pay off is obtained when the demand is strong and management uses full price. Thus the company will choose full price Using the conservative approach, the decision maker will choose the alternative which will provide minimum payoff for each decision alternative. The minimum pay off is obtained when the demand is weak and management uses discount price. Thus the company will choose discount price. The regret table is given below Regret Strong Weak Full price 0 1180 Discount 0 350 Thus the maximum regret for full price is 1180 and the maximum regret for discount is 350. Thus using Minimax regret approach the company will minimize the maximum regret. Thus company will choose discount price. Given P (strong) = 0.7 and P(weak) = 0.3. Thus the expected value of the project is given by Expected value = Probability * Value Thus for decision alternative full price, the Expected value = 0.7* 960 + 0.3* (- 490) = 336 Thus for decision alternative full price, the Expected value = 0.7* 960 + 0.3* (- 490) = 565 Thus the company should use discount price as the expected value is higher in that case. Given P (strong) = 0.8 and P(weak) = 0.2. Thus the expected value of the project is given by Expected value = Probability * Value Thus for decision alternative full price, the Expected value = 0.8* 960 + 0.2* (- 490) = 454 Thus for decision alternative full price, the Expected value = 0.8* 960 + 0.2* (- 490) = 600 Thus the company should use discount price as the expected value is higher in that case. Using the graphical approach, the payoff for the two decisions variables are plotted. In x axis, the probability is given. For probability = 0, the pay off of strong demand is used and for probability = 1, the the pay off of weak demand is used. (Scgroeder, 2007) The point till which the line full price is above discount is range where Full price has higher expected value and the range where the line full price is below discount is range where Full price has lower expected value. Solving the equation of line y = 960 -1450*x and y = 670 -350*x we get, X = 0.26 Thus in this case for probability between 0 and 0.26, the full price has higher expected value and for probability 0.26 to 1, discount has higher expected value. Given, d1 and d2 are the two decision alternatives and s1, s2, s3 are the three states of nature. The probability of the three states are given as P(s1) = 0.65, P(s2) = 0.15, P(s3) = 0.20 If perfect information is available then the company will choose alternative d1 for state s1, alternative d1 or d2 for state s2 and alternative d2 for state s3 as the return is higher for these alternatives. Thus the expected value is given by Expected value EVwPI = Probability * Value EVwPI = 0.65* 250 + 0.15* 100 + 0.2* 75 = 192.50 If perfect information is not available, then expected value approach, the expected value is given by Expected value = Probability * Value Expected value for d1 = 0.65* 250 + 0.15* 100 + 0.2* 25 = 182.50 Expected value for d1 = 0.65* 100 + 0.15* 100 + 0.2* 75 = 85 Thus Expected value without perfect information is given by EVwoPI = 182.50 The Expected value for perfect information is the additional price the company is willing to pay to achieve the information. It is the difference between the expected value with perfect information and expected value without perfect information. It is given by EVPI = EVwPI EvwoPI = 192.5 182.5 = 10 (Boston University Metropolitan College., (2013)) The expected value of the project is given by Expected value = Probability * Value Thus for decision alternative small, the Expected value = 0.1* 400 + 0.6* (500) + 0.3* 660 = 538 Thus for decision alternative medium, the Expected value = 0.1* (- 250) + 0.6* (650) + 0.3* 800 = 605 Thus for decision alternative large, the Expected value = 0.1* (- 400) + 0.6* (580) + 0.3* 990 = 605 thousand dollars Thus using the expected value approach Lake Placid should choose medium or large size. The risk is given by [ Probability* ( Payoff value - Expected value)] 5 For medium Probability Value (value - Expected)^2 P*(value - Expected)^2 0.1 -250 731025 73102.5 0.6 650 2025 1215 0.3 800 38025 11407.5 Expected 605 Total 85725 Thus risk = 85725^0.5 = 292.78 For large Probability Value (value - Expected)^2 P*(value - Expected)^2 0.1 -400 1010025 101002.5 0.6 580 625 375 0.3 990 148225 44467.5 Expected 605 Total 145845 Thus risk = 145845^ 0.5 = 381.89 Thus the risk in the large centre is higher. Thus the Lake Placid should choose medium size. Expected value with perfect information = 0.1* 400 + 0.6* 650 + 0.3* 990 = 727 Expected value without perfect information = 605 Thus Expected value of perfect information = Expected value with perfect information - Expected value without perfect information = 727 605 = 122 thousand dollars If the probability of worst case increase to 0.2 and the probability of base case decrease to 0.5 then, using the expected value approach Thus for decision alternative small, the Expected value = 0.2* 400 + 0.5* (500) + 0.3* 660 = 528 thousand dollars Thus for decision alternative medium, the Expected value = 0.2* (- 250) + 0.5* (650) + 0.3* 800 = 515 Thus for decision alternative large, the Expected value = 0.2* (- 400) + 0.5* (580) + 0.3* 990 = 507 Thus using the expected value approach Lake Placid should choose small size. If the probability of worst case decreases to 0 and the probability of best case increase to 0.4 then, using the expected value approach Thus for decision alternative small, the Expected value = 0* 400 + 0.5* (500) + 0.4* 660 = 514 thousand dollars Thus for decision alternative medium, the Expected value = 0* (- 250) + 0.5* (650) + 0.4* 800 = 645 Thus for decision alternative large, the Expected value = 0* (- 400) + 0.5* (580) + 0.4* 990 = 686 Thus the expected value of the project increases from 605 thousand dollars to 686 thousand dollars. Thus profit = 686 -605 = 81 thousand dollars whereas investment made is 150 thousand dollars. Thus this will not be an good investment. (Anderson, 2012) References Scgroeder, R. (2007). Operations Management: Decision Making in the Operations Function. Mcgraw Hill. Boston University Metropolitan College. (2013). Expected Value of Perfect Information. Retrieved on August 16, 2016 from https://onlinecampus.bu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-843933-dt-content-rid-2221759_1/courses/13sprgmetad715_ol/module_03a/metad715_m03l01t05_expected_value_perfect_information.html Kaplan Financial. (2012). Maximax, maximin and minimax regret. Retrieved on August 16, 2016 from https://kfknowledgebank.kaplan.co.uk/KFKB/Wiki%20Pages/Maximax,%20maximin%20and%20minimax%20regret.aspx Anderson, D. (2012). Quantitative Methods for Business. Cengage Learning.

Toni Morrison and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn free essay sample

I viewed his death as a brush off the shoulder since he didn’t really, in my opinion, play a big role in the hole novel but I do agree that he shaped Huck in some ways from his abuse. In another stance I partially agree when Morrison speaks on how Huck has had a troubling past especially because of his abusive childhood led on by his father. She specifies that Huck won’t let go of past events seeing that his father use to beat him and he’d have to hide away his inconveniences until time passed and never come to resolve them. Huck spent the majority of his time fleeing from his dad, because he was afraid his dad would beat him. After adding on to her interpretation I have to agree with her analysis. It truly wasn’t a great a book to read but helped touch on topics that have gone missing for a while now. We will write a custom essay sample on Toni Morrison and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Morrison goes on to speak of Hucks growth throughout the story which resembles Mr. Peterson’s treatment of him. Morrison goes on explaining that growth with Huck is inevitable, that there are many specific points in the book where growth can be spotted. This leads me to compare Mr. Peterson’s in depth analysis that the book dies when Huck comes to understand that people can be cruel and unforgiving at moments that shaped him. When growing up you often go alongside what others do, whether its your relatives or friends that have been influencing you indifferent but subtle ways.Toni Morrison’s overall summary of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are very easy to agree with, because she plainly goes into detail about what she believes. Morrison of course wouldn’t be able to cover every little detail but she spoke upon topics that really stood out like the society, slavery, and spoke about the mood and tone that the book gave her when she read it in different phases of her life.