Harrison Bergeron Essay Example for Free

Harrison Bergeron Essay Kurt Vonnegut’s fictional society adopted the theories of Social Contract and Social Justice to establish a new social and legal order. The people amended the constitution to attain equality for all. With the amendments, they created laws to make a uniform citizenry out of their people and in the process stripped them of their individuality. These laws were also intended to make them think and act alike which was their idea of equality. As to who is benefited from such extreme version of social control depends on whose viewpoint it was coming from. Despite their unrestricted freedoms no one was ultimately benefited in this kind of system. It was no guarantee of peace and absolute control, as in the case of Harrison. His physical and mental states were no match for the handicaps. Once both powers were unleashed and unrestrained what resulted was a blending and coordination that produced a beautiful symphony of dance and music. It was symbolical of the good things that can happen or that can be achieved if we let our natural gifts, talents and skills work for the common good. There can be unity in diversity and peaceful co-existence may be possible. In a controlled society as this fictional one, there were no norms, values, and culture that may identify them. For norms, values and culture were what will set them apart. This was a robotic society where the norms were that which are forced upon them because of the handicaps some were made to wear. Acceptable norms were absent because the standard (equality) was built into the system. In effect one had a common standard to follow in which to comport oneself, no less and no better that the others. There was only one value that stood, no one was above the other in appearance and in the treatment he gave and he got. Culture should define who and what this society was, but what would make it truly unique? There was nothing neither appealing nor interesting in it because everything went against the natural ways of man. People followed rules not out of their volition. How were they to know the good was turning bad, and worse was turning worst, if something in their brains signaled a censure. This restraint was basically against their good and benefit, but they had no choice but to obey what was programmed in their system. Once, this was a society that had reached the extreme end of the balance with their all-out freedoms and unchecked rights of individuals. The situation had reached unmanageable proportion that they had to resort to dramatic crisis control which brought them to the other extreme end by way of the encroachment on their rights and freedoms. This society took not only the people’s freedoms but their right senses as well. In what they figure to be the correct moves to effect change, their agitation towards a freak of nature was alarming, like when â€Å"some things about living weren’t quite right †¦ April not being Springtime† (Vonnegut, 1961). Law and society have interchangeable attributes. Law may change a society and society may change the law. In the case of Harrison Bergeron, society had made 3 amendments to their constitution out of desire for and necessity to change. They wanted to regulate and curb freedoms to a comfortable magnitude. The change in the law made this society a strictly tempered one. Lawyers and the legal system do not have a place in this society anymore. The Handicapper General proceeded to punish without trial law breakers. The only crime that can be committed was taking one’s handicaps off and that did not need investigation and defense. The crime and the criminal are self-evident. The fictional society does not have any direct similarities in today’s time. However, the inference to the curtailment of freedoms is plenty. When a society does not allow an artist to express his heart in his art, the Harrison Bergerons to criticize the government which should be for, by and of the people, and ease the fear of ordinary citizens, they are the translations of Vonnegut’s transgressions of freedoms in his fictional society. Instead of seeking for equality in the extreme, working with diversity might be the better option.

Airport Observation Essay -- Descriptive Essay, Description

The heart begins racing the moment the car pulls into the airport parking lot. The smell of jet fuel, automobile exhaust, and hot tarmac combine to assault the senses with images of exotic escapes and the kind of freedom that can only come from airports. I feel the thrum of the engines at takeoff and the vibration of the plane during the flight in my skin. I see people listening to MP3s and playing video games. I hear the couple behind me chatting about the weather in Florida and the possibility of rain. I recognize the smell of fading perfume that women are wearing. Chanel, Windsong and White Diamonds clash with the smell of popcorn and Quizno sandwiches. The whir of wheels on marble and concrete mixed with the mechanical, yet pleasant, voice on the public address system calling for someone to go to the nearest courtesy phone, or announcing that flight 896 is now boarding at gate 11. Underneath the functional surface is an undercurrent of excitement, anticipation, impatience, and boredom. I hear snippets of conversation from people passing me on their way to the next gate...

Health Cruises Case

Health Cruises Case Read the Health Cruises Case and submit answers to the following questions. 1. What is the minimum number of passengers Health Cruises must sign up by November 20th to break even? [show your calculations] Considering that an average ticket price is $1500 and the cost per passenger is $200, each sold ticket generates $1,300 of the positive cash flow. Since $295,000 of the initial capital had been spent by November 14th, the following minimum number of passengers must sign up in order for Health Cruises to break even provided no more money is invested: Minimum passengers to break even = $295,000 / $1,300 = 227. 2. Should Health Cruises go ahead with the cruise since 200 people have signed up by November 14th? Why or why not? Health Cruises should go ahead with the cruise in any event. If the cruise is canceled, $295,000 of the already spent capital would become a total loss. Even if no more passengers sign up, the loss would be only $35,000, i. e. (200 * $1,300) – $295,000. 3. The advertising agency has proposed two alternative campaigns to help fill the boat. One will cost $6000 and the other would cost $15,000. Which would you suggest? [again, show your calculations]. If 20 additional passengers sign up and pay on average $1,500 as expected with the limited advertising campaign which cost $6,000, the net earnings (loss) of the cruise will be as followed: EBIT = (220 * $1,300) – ($295,000 + $6,000) = -$15,000. (A loss of $15,000) If 40 additional passengers sign up and pay on average $1,500 as expected with the more ambitious advertising campaign, the net earnings of the cruise will be as followed: EBIT = (240 * $1300) – ($295,000 + $15,000) = $15,500. (A profit of $15,500) To summarize, the ambitious advertising campaign is more beneficial for the Health Cruises’ bottom line than the limited advertising campaign. 4. Should Health Cruises consider cutting its prices for this trip? Why or why not? What other factors could impact the go/no-go decision in addition to the break even? Since even with the ambitious advertising complain there is a distinct possibility that the cruise will be short of its full capacity by 60 passengers, the cutting cruise prices may provide an increase in the profit beyond expected $15,500 (with the ambitious advertising campaign) due to more ticket sold. Assuming that it is possible to sign up additional 100 passengers if the ambitious advertising campaign also offers reduced ticket prices, we can calculate that the minimum average ticket price that that passengers should pay and still provide for the $15,500 profit: MinTicketPrice = ($35,000 + $15,000 + $15,500) / 100 + $200 = $855, where $35,000 is loss as November 14th, $15,000 is the advertising campaign cost, $15,500 is the minimum profit, and $200 is cost per passenger. Ideally the cruise profit could be maximized by adjusting the ticket price in response to demand and supply. However, even if additional tickets are offered outright at an average price of $1,200 (a 20% discount) in order to generate enough demand to sell the remaining 100 tickets the cruise earnings can be calculated as follow: EBIT = (200 * $1300) + (100 * $1000) – ($295,000 + $15,000) = $50,000. Note that $200 cost for passenger is deducted from ticket prices in the above calculation. The only risk with such a price reduction is that the reduced price would not be able to generate enough demand to sell all remaining 100 tickets. However, the cruise still would break even if 50 tickets are sold at an average price of $1,200 and the cruise profit would exceed the target $15,500 if more than 65 tickets are sold at this reduced price. A 20% price reduction is just an example to drive the point. The Health Cruises management may have some marketing data to help to come with a more appropriate number. It does not appear that there are any factors (even the break even should not be a factor with 200 tickets sold and $295,000 spent) other than a bad business practice that could impact the go/no-go decision. Health Cruises, Inc. Health Cruises, Inc. packages cruises to Caribbean islands such as Martinique and the Bahamas. Like conventional cruises, the packages are designed to be fun. But the cruise is structured to help participants become healthier by breaking old habits, such as smoking and overeating. The Miami-based firm was conceived by Susan Isom, 30, a self-styled innovator and entrepreneur. Prior to this venture, she had spent several years in North Carolina promoting a behavior-modification clinic. Isom determined that many people were very concerned about developing good health habits, yet they seemed unable to break away from their old habits because of the pressures of day-to-day living. She reasoned that they might have a chance for much greater success in a pleasant and socially supportive environment, where good health habits were fostered. Accordingly, she established Health Cruises, Inc. , hired 10 consulting psychologists and health specialists to develop a program, and chartered a ship. DeForrest Young, a Miami management consultant, became the chairperson of Health Cruises. Seven of Isom’s business associates contributed an initial capital outlay totaling more than $250,000. Of this amount, $65,000 went for the initial advertising budget, $10,000 for other administrative expenses, and $220,000 for the ship rental and crew. Mary Porter, an overweight Denver schoolteacher, has signed up to sail on a two-week cruise to Nassau, departing December 19. She and her shipmates will pay an average of $1,500 for the voyage. The most desirable staterooms cost $2,200. Mary learned of the cruise by reading the travel section of her Sunday newspaper on October 16. On that date, the Pittsford and LaRue Advertising Agency placed promotional notices for the cruise in several major metropolitan newspapers. Mary was fascinated by the idea of combining therapy sessions with swimming, movies, and an elegant atmosphere. Pittsford and LaRue account executive Carolyn Sukhan originally estimated that 300 people would sign up for the cruise after reading the October 16 ads, but as of November 14 only 200 had done so. Isom and Health Cruises, Inc. faced an important decision. â€Å"Here’s the situation as I see,† explained a disturbed Ms. Isom at the Health Cruises board meeting. â€Å"We’ve already paid out more than a quarter of a million to get this cruise rolling. It’s going to cost us roughly $200 per passenger for the two weeks, mostly for food. Pittsford and LaRue predicted that 300 people would respond to the advertising campaign, but we’ve only got 200. I see three basic options: (1) we cancel the cruise and take our losses; (2) we run the cruise with the 200 and a few more that will trickle in over the next month, or (3) we shell some more money and hope that we will pull in more people. My recommendation to the board is that we try to recruit more passengers. There are simply too many empty rooms on that ship. Each one costs us a bundle. † At this point, Carolyn Sukhan addressed the board: â€Å"I’ve worked out two possible advertising campaigns for the November 20 papers. The first, the limited campaign, will cost $6,000. I estimate that it will bring in some 20 passengers. The more ambitious campaign, which I personally recommend, would cost $15,000. I believe this campaign will bring in a minimum of 40 passengers. I realize our first attempt was somewhat disappointing, but we’re dealing here with a new concept, and a follow-up ad might work with many newspaper readers who were curious and interested when they read our first notice. † â€Å"One thing is absolutely certain,† Sukhan emphasized. â€Å"We must act immediately if there’s any hope of getting more people on board. The deadline for the Sunday papers is in less than 48 hours. If our ads don’t appear by this weekend, you can forget it. No one signs up in early December for a December 18 sailing date. Isom interrupted, shaking her head. â€Å"I just don’t know what to say. I’ve looked over Carolyn’s proposals and they’re excellent, absolutely first-rate. But our one problem, to be blunt, is money. Our funds are tight and our investors are already nervous. I get more calls each day, asking me where the 300 passengers are. It won’t be easy to squeeze another $6,000 out o f these people. And to ask them for $15,000 – well, I just don’t know how we’re going to be able to justify it. †

Atreverse Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, and Examples

The Spanish verb atreverse is a reflexive verb that means to dare. Although most reflexive verbs can also be used non-reflexively, atreverse is an exception and should always be used in its reflexive form. This article includes atreverse conjugations in the most common verb forms and tenses: the present, past, conditional, and future indicative; the present and past subjunctive; the imperative, and other verb forms like the gerund and past participle. Atreverse Present Indicative Atreverse is a regular -er verb, so its conjugations in the present indicative are regular; just be sure to include the appropriate reflexive pronouns before each conjugated verb. Yo me atrevo I dare Yo me atrevo a hacer preguntas en clase. Tà º te atreves You dare Tà º te atreves a probar cosas nuevas. Usted/à ©l/ella se atreve You/he/she dares Ella se atreve a quejarse con el jefe. Nosotros nos atrevemos We dare Nosotros nos atrevemos a escalar la montaà ±a. Vosotros os atrevà ©is You dare Vosotros os atrevà ©is a salir en el frà ­o. Ustedes/ellos/ellas se atreven You/they dare Ellos se atreven a tirarse con paracaà ­das. Atreverse Preterite Indicative Notice that in the preterite tense the yo and à ©l/ella/usted conjugations carry an accent mark on the last vowel. Yo me atrevà ­ I dared Yo me atrevà ­ a hacer preguntas en clase. Tà º te atreviste You dared Tà º te atreviste a probar cosas nuevas. Usted/à ©l/ella se atrevià ³ You/he/she dared Ella se atrevià ³ a quejarse con el jefe. Nosotros nos atrevimos We dared Nosotros nos atrevimos a escalar la montaà ±a. Vosotros os atrevisteis You dared Vosotros os atrevisteis a salir en el frà ­o. Ustedes/ellos/ellas se atrevieron You/they dared Ellos se atrevieron a tirarse con paracaà ­das. Atreverse Imperfect Indicative The imperfect tense can be translated as was daring or used to dare. It is used to talk about habitual or ongoing actions in the past. Note that all of the imperfect conjugations carry an accent mark. Yo me atrevà ­a I used to dare Yo me atrevà ­a a hacer preguntas en clase. Tà º te atrevà ­as You used to dare Tà º te atrevà ­as a probar cosas nuevas. Usted/à ©l/ella se atrevà ­a You/he/she used to dare Ella se atrevà ­a a quejarse con el jefe. Nosotros nos atrevà ­amos We used to dare Nosotros nos atrevà ­amos a escalar la montaà ±a. Vosotros os atrevà ­ais You used to dare Vosotros os atrevà ­ais a salir en el frà ­o. Ustedes/ellos/ellas se atrevà ­an You/they used to dare Ellos se atrevà ­an a tirarse con paracaà ­das. Atreverse Future Indicative Yo me atreverà © I will dare Yo me atreverà © a hacer preguntas en clase. Tà º te atreverà ¡s You will dare Tà º te atreverà ¡sa probar cosas nuevas. Usted/à ©l/ella se atreverà ¡ You/he/she will dare Ella se atreverà ¡a quejarse con el jefe. Nosotros nos atreveremos We will dare Nosotros nos atreveremosa escalar la montaà ±a. Vosotros os atreverà ©is You will dare Vosotros os atreverà ©is a salir en el frà ­o. Ustedes/ellos/ellas se atreverà ¡n You/they will dare Ellos se atreverà ¡na tirarse con paracaà ­das. Atreverse Periphrastic  Future Indicative   When conjugating the periphrastic future, remember to place the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb ir. Yo me voy a atrever I am going to dare Yo me voya atrever a hacer preguntas en clase. Tà º te vasa atrever You aregoing todare Tà º te vasa atrever a probar cosas nuevas. Usted/à ©l/ella se vaa atrever You/he/she isgoing to dare Ella se vaa atrever a quejarse con el jefe. Nosotros nos vamosa atrever Wearegoing todare Nosotros nos vamosa atrever a escalar la montaà ±a. Vosotros os vaisa atrever You aregoing to dare Vosotros os vaisa atrever a salir en el frà ­o. Ustedes/ellos/ellas se vana atrever You/they aregoing to dare Ellos se vana atrever a tirarse con paracaà ­das. Atreverse Present Progressive/Gerund Form One of the main uses of the gerund or present participle is to form progressive tenses such as the present progressive, which is usually formed with the auxiliary verb estar. When conjugating reflexive verbs in progressive tenses, the reflexive pronoun can be placed before the conjugated verb estar, or attached to the end of the present participle. Present Progressive ofAtreverse se està ¡ atreviendo / està ¡ atrevià ©ndose Is daring Ella se està ¡ atreviendo a quejarse con el jefe. Atreverse Past Participle One of the main uses of the past participle is to form perfect tenses, such as the present perfect, which uses the auxiliary verb haber. In the perfect tenses, the reflexive pronoun is always placed before the conjugated verb haber. Present Perfect of Atreverse se ha atrevido Has dared Ella se ha atrevido a quejarse con el jefe. Atreverse Conditional Indicative The conditional tense is used to talk about possibilities. It is translated to English as would dare. Yo me atreverà ­a I would dare Yo me atreverà ­a a hacer preguntas en clase si fuera mà ¡s valiente. Tà º te atreverà ­as You would dare Tà º te atreverà ­asa probar cosas nuevas si fueras aventurero. Usted/à ©l/ella se atreverà ­a You/he/she would dare Ella se atreverà ­aa quejarse con el jefe, pero à ©l no la quiere escuchar. Nosotros nos atreverà ­amos We would dare Nosotros nos atreverà ­amosa escalar la montaà ±a si tuvià ©ramos mejor condicià ³n fà ­sica. Vosotros os atreverà ­ais You would dare Vosotros os atreverà ­ais a salir en el frà ­o si tuvierais un buen abrigo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas se atreverà ­an You/they would dare Ellos se atreverà ­ana tirarse con paracaà ­das si fueran mà ¡s jà ³venes. Atreverse Present Subjunctive Que yo me atreva That I dare La profesora sugiere que yo meatrevaa hacer preguntas en clase. Que tà º te atrevas That you dare Tu madre espera que tà º teatrevas a probar cosas nuevas. Que usted/à ©l/ella seatreva That you/he/she dare Su colega quiere que ella seatreva a quejarse con el jefe. Que nosotros nos atrevamos That we dare El alpinista espera que nosotros nos atrevamos a escalar la montaà ±a. Que vosotros os atrevà ¡is That you dare El entrenador quiere que vosotros os atrevà ¡isa salir en el frà ­o. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas seatrevan That you/they dare Pablo espera que ellos seatrevan a tirarse con paracaà ­das. Atreverse Imperfect Subjunctive There are two different endings to form the conjugation of the imperfect subjunctive: Option 1 Que yo me atreviera That I dared La profesora sugerà ­a que yo me atreviera a hacer preguntas en clase. Que tà º te atrevieras That you dared Tu madre esperaba que tà º teatrevieras a probar cosas nuevas. Que usted/à ©l/ella seatreviera That you/he/she dared Su colega querà ­a que ella seatreviera a quejarse con el jefe. Que nosotros nos atrevià ©ramos That we dared El alpinista esperaba que nosotros nos atrevià ©ramosa escalar la montaà ±a. Que vosotros os atrevierais That you dared El entrenador querà ­a que vosotros os atrevieraisa salir en el frà ­o. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas seatrevieran That you/they dared Pablo esperaba que ellos seatrevieran a tirarse con paracaà ­das. Option 2 Que yo me atreviese That I dared La profesora sugerà ­a que yo meatreviese a hacer preguntas en clase. Que tà º te atrevieses That you dared Tu madre esperaba que tà º teatrevieses a probar cosas nuevas. Que usted/à ©l/ella seatreviese That you/he/she dared Su colega querà ­a que ella seatreviese a quejarse con el jefe. Que nosotros nos atrevià ©semos That we dared El alpinista esperaba que nosotros nos atrevià ©semosa escalar la montaà ±a. Que vosotros os atrevieseis That you dared El entrenador querà ­a que vosotros os atrevieseisa salir en el frà ­o. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas seatreviesen That you/they dared Pablo esperaba que ellos seatreviesen a tirarse con paracaà ­das. Atreverse Imperative The imperative mood is for giving commands or orders. Notice that in positive commands, the reflexive pronoun is attached to the verb, whereas in negative commands the reflexive pronoun is placed before the verb. Positive Commands Tà º atrà ©vete Dare!  ¡Atrà ©vete a probar cosas nuevas! Usted atrà ©vase Dare!  ¡Atrà ©vase a quejarse con el jefe! Nosotros atrevà ¡monos Let's dare!  ¡Atrevà ¡monos a escalar la montaà ±a! Vosotros atreveos Dare!  ¡Atreveos a salir en el frà ­o! Ustedes atrà ©vanse Dare!  ¡Atrà ©vanse a tirarse con paracaà ­das! Negative Commands Tà º no te atrevas Don't dare!  ¡Note atrevas a probar cosas nuevas! Usted no se atreva Don't dare!  ¡No se atreva a quejarse con el jefe! Nosotros no nos atrevamos Let's not dare!  ¡Nonos atrevamos a escalar la montaà ±a! Vosotros no os atrevà ¡is Don't dare!  ¡Noos atrevà ¡is a salir en el frà ­o! Ustedes no se atrevan Don't dare!  ¡Nose atrevan a tirarse de paracaà ­das!