The Revelation of Truths The Preoccupation with Life,...

Kate Llewellyn is one of the most important contemporary Australian poets whose poems deal with a variety of themes – life, love, loss and pain along with the delineation of her emotions and experiences gathered while leading her everyday life. Thus she has taken for her themes simple, everyday sentiments which are intense enough, leaving deep impressions on her mind and in the process giving rise to these emotions which she has recorded in her poems. An attempt will be made in this paper to look into the different aspects of her poetry and to analyse the ways in which she uses her rich experience to uncover truths about life and its myriad shades. Kate Llewellyn is one of the most important contemporary Australian†¦show more content†¦Thus a study of the titles of the poems will reveal the wide range and scope of her themes. Thus the opening poem of this collection is titled â€Å"Elephants† where the poet tries to capture the intermixture of beauty and power that is associated with these beasts : such a creature thick grey beautiful as a calling cloud. . . . . . their volcanic groans have deep song I dance when I hear . . . (2-4, 12-14) Thus, the poet is visibly fascinated by these huge creatures, getting the dual impression of tremendous strength and beauty that is perhaps not celebrated generally. We are naturally reminded of William Blake, the 18th century English Romantic poet and of his remarkable poem â€Å"The Tiger† where he was equally fascinated by the beauty and majesty on the one hand and the strength and ferocity of the beast on the other. Of course, there are differences in the way the two poets look at the two creatures, but the similarity lies in their appreciation of these animals’ strength and beauty. From an appreciation of the elephants, Llewellyn shifts to a very personal subject, a description of the lives of her aunts who are presented as old and decrepit women in the poem â€Å"The Aunts† : All my aunts are

Target s Data Breach And Aftermath How Cybertheft...

This paper explores seven references that report the results from research conducted on-line regarding the 2013 Target breach. According to the website â€Å"Timeline of Target s Data Breach And Aftermath: How Cybertheft Snowballed For The Giant Retailer† (2015), the breach occurred November and December 2013 in which customers who shopped at Target locations credit and debit cards were breached and their personal information was exposed. Upon their investigation, it was determined their point of sale system was hacked. â€Å"Wikipedia† states point of sale system which is used by third party vendors has cash registers as well as barcodes which stores customer’s information. The website â€Å"What is Packet Sniffer† (2016), Packet Sniffing may have been a way the attacked happened. â€Å"RAM Scraping Attack† website indicates what RAM means and how this type of attack happens. â€Å"What is a Firewall in Networking and How They Protect Your Compute rs† (2014), â€Å"What is Endpoint Security? Data Protection 101† and â€Å"Why SSL? The Purpose of using SSL Certificates† websites each provide ways to reduce and/or prevent future attacks. Keywords: Implementation to Reduce Vulnerabilities During the dates of November 27 through December 2013, the department store Target experienced a data breach in which approximately 40 million customers credit and debit cards were exposed. During this breach, customer’s personal information may have also been exposed for use of possible fraud. January 2014, TargetShow MoreRelatedTarget s Data Breach And Aftermath : How Cybertheft Snowballed For The Giant Retailer1185 Words   |  5 PagesABSTRACT This paper explores seven references that report the results from research conducted on-line regarding the 2013 Target breach. According to the website â€Å"Timeline of Target s Data Breach And Aftermath: How Cybertheft Snowballed For The Giant Retailer† (2015), the breach occurred November and December 2013 in which customers who shopped at Target locations credit and debit cards were breached and their personal information was exposed. Upon their investigation, it was determined their pointRead MoreFinancial And Business Implications Of Target Corporation Essay1562 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Target Corporation was affected by the security breach it was the largest breach that ever happened. This document will explore how many people were affected, what is the effect on Financial and Business implications from the data breach, Lawsuits against the target company, How did the company handle the crisis like when did the company discovered the breach and when did the customers were notified. Introduction About target: Target store was first opened on May 1st 1962 Minneapolis of

Essay about Perfection, Plastic Surgery, and Self-loathing

In a society where media rules, appearance means everything. Images of supermodels and celebrities promoting the latest fashions and products constantly bombard consumers promising us that if they buy these products, they too will attain the same level of just glamor. We can’t help but envy the gorgeous women we see in magazines with their perfect smiles and airbrushed breasts and thighs especially when expectations of physical perfection have become so high that they are nearly unobtainable. Marge Piercy’s poem â€Å"Barbie Doll† describes how this standard of perfection affects young girls and can carry on throughout their lives causing irreparable damages. Even though this poem was written in 1973, its meaning is more prevalent today than†¦show more content†¦ASPS Member Surgeon Loren Schecter, MD says, â€Å"Not only do the women believe youthful looks help in the workplace†¦they’re acting on that belief† (qtd. in â€Å"Women†). In a survey compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), many women reveal cosmetic plastic surgery now appears important for success in the workplace. 13 percent of women say they would consider having cosmetic procedures done specifically to make them more confident and more competitive in the job market, while 3 percent say they have already done so (â€Å"Women†). Though many reasons exist as to why cosmetic surgeries appeal to people today, the main reason is for increasing self-esteem. Self-esteem relates strongly to happiness and when people are happy the effect often reaches to countless areas of their lives. The domino effect of boosting one’s self-esteem makes connecting with others and maintaining stable relationships for the long-term easier. While these procedures should not be used as a ‘quick fix’ solution for a crisis or problems that may require professional help, it presents an opportunity for improvement of life ove rall. John Canady, MD, president of ASPS states, â€Å"Consumers need to remember that while cosmetic procedures might help them within the job market, they’re still medical procedures† (qtd. in â€Å"Women†). Therefore, women must keep in mind the physical and psychological complications that stem from plastic surgery. When considering goingShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes A Narcissist Can Be Defined As An Individual Who Expresses Constant Or Erotic Gratification?1129 Words   |  5 Pages A narcissist can be defined as an individual who expresses constant or erotic gratification/interest in one’s self. In the entertainment industry, we call it confidence, however the extreme narcissist constantly cries out for attention, and often appears in scandals. Most creatives, in some way can be defined as narcissists, completely dedicated to their crafts, and obsessing over physical appearance, because we are simply judged and paid for it. 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Speech Sounds by Octavia Butler free essay sample

Science fiction is a genre of literature that utilizes fiction to engage the political realities of its time and as stated its visions where usually about war and conquest. However, science fiction started to change in the 1950s and 1960s with the rise of identity politics and feminism. Non-white female authors, like Butler, came into this genre and brought with them new topics and concerns with which to write about. The feminist lens would recognize these concerns having more to do with experiments in social justice than with planetary conquest directly. As more and more females started writing science fiction, a new subgenre of feminist science fiction emerged that dealt with issues that were of particular concern to equality. Feminist science fiction entails engaging questions about gender, family and the social structures, individual autonomy, and the individual’s ability to control her body and sexuality. Octavia Butler expertly encompasses each of these points in â€Å"Speech Sounds. † The loss of communication and human speech is the catalyst for the breakdown of the social structure and the resultant chaos in the world that Rye lives in. The illness was stroke swift in the way it cut people down and stroke-like in some of its effectslanguage was always lost or severely impaired† (Butler,96) In order to understand how the loss of speech could ravage a society to such an extent, it is necessary to know the importance of language to a culture. At the most basic of levels it could be argued language allows culture to exist. Human speech has become so ingrained in our world and this story questions how humans would cope without it, particularly how a woman would cope . Communication gives us a sense of camaraderie, and simultaneously develops the systems and illusion of individualism that separates us. Language has some unique effects like providing a shared past, a shared future, allowing a shared perspective, and allowing shared, goal-directed behavior or establishment of gender roles. Destruction of language in the story shifts humans from logical speech based interaction to animalistic and instinctually guided. These atavistic laws of nature are what cause the complete and utter breakdown of her culture. Rye herself despises the state of her world. She does not want to bring a child into it and believes that the children that were growing up now should be pitied, saying â€Å"they [the children] ran through the streets . . . like chimpanzees. They had no future. They were now all they would ever be† (Butler 101), the people of this ravaged society have no past or future, there is only an eternal, visceral present. Giving Rye the ability to speak is another way that Butler inserts feminism into â€Å"Speech Sounds. † As seen in most societies, language holds power. Those who are heard most often traditionally have the power. The ruling class is the group of people with the loudest voice, usually men. This can be seen all throughout history, especially in the United States. The people with the ability to vote, and to have their voice heard, were the upper class white men. African Americans and women were not given this option, this power. Rye also embodies this in the story. When she comes across the two abandoned children that have the ability to speak, she, as one of the few who can also use language, finds herself with more power than she ever thought she would have again. Rye must now become a teacher and a protector (Butler 380). Because she can speak, Rye has a responsibility to these children to teach them how to also use this skill. They now look to her as an authoritative figure. Had she been more impaired and mute, these children would have never viewed her as someone to listen to, to follow. Rye has become powerful in their eyes. Rye is aware of this power she now has when she declares that â⠂¬Å"if the illness let these children alone, she could keep them alive† (Butler 107). Rye is, in a sense, the pioneer of the coming world. She is teaching the uture leaders the language, how to speak, and the power that comes with it- and a new world can be constructed depending on the perspectives that our chosen on how language should be used, she comforts them â€Å"Rye leamed against the window, looking at them, seeing that they were less afraid nowâ€Å"I’m Valerie Rye,it’s all right for you to talk to me. †Ã¢â‚¬  (108) The speechless world she is now a part of forces Rye to become weary of her neighbors, especially the violent and brutish men who have been most impaired, and develop an assertive attitude toward her own protection. Being one of the more intelligent survivors and retaining the ability to speak, Rye must take care to not draw the contempt and jealousy of the more severely infected onto her. As a result, Rye never went anywhere unarmed, because â€Å"in a world where the only likely common language was body language, being armed was often enough† (Butler 94). protected and not in need of a savior, male or otherwise. Even with her fear, Rye refuses to take on a submissive role regarding her own life. This brings up an interesting point about how Butler uses fear in her writings as both a fact of human life and a motivation for human action† . Rye’s fear of the more disabled and what they would do to her if they found out she was different prompts her to always carry a weapon. Butler’s work recognizes that humans are primarily concerned with personal security. Rye’s personality is what motivates her into taking a proactive stance on her own protection, instead of leaving her protection in the hands of others. By always having a weapon on her, Rye can be assured that she is in charge of her own well being and does not need a savior, male or otherwise. This is the ultimate example the female dominance that Butler places in her stories. Butler’s feminism can be clearly seen in Rye’s reluctance to depend on other people for help or protection. When the illness struck there was a man with the habit â€Å"of urinating wherever he happened to be that wanted Rye to become his third woman; he already had two other women that put up with him just for the sake of his protection† (Butler, 96). Rye wanted nothing to do with this man and was disgusted by him. She uses him as an affirmation that she was making the right decision by leaving the bus behind. She was more concerned with staying independent, than relying on another, even when he could have given her a semblance of safety. Even when the bearded man beckoned her to join him Rye â€Å"Shook her head in a universally understood negative. † (94) Versus jumping at the opportunity to be â€Å"saved†. She has come to rely only on herself since the illness struck that trusting an unknown, albeit handsome man is difficult for her. A key theme in Octavia Butler’s writing is the ability to adapt to change while simultaneously living to avoid such change. This thought can be seen in Rye’s uncertainty about whether to accept Obsidian’s offer of a ride or continue on her independent way. Many believe that feminism can be equated to self reliance. Feminism is the view that biology is not destiny and that men and women should be politically, economically, and socially equal . Rye has effectively embodied feminism through her acts of independence. She sees herself as being equal in all aspects of the men in her society. Rye does not give her more dominant actions a second thought. Butler also uses a female protagonist to fight against gender stratification in the story. Gender stratification is where humans assign males and females to separate groups where they learn what is expected of them and are â€Å"given different access to property, power, prestige, and other privileges available in their society† (Woolf 232). By having a female that is self reliant, assertive, and empowered, Butler combats this notion. The stratification of gender can be seen when the male passenger on the bus believes that Rye is having sex with Obsidian in exchange for the ride and that she should also accommodate him and the rest of the males on the bus (Butler 374). This type of attitude is often seen when men think that they have a right over women. Women are commonly seen as objects or perhaps of less importance. However, this concept is undone by Rye throughout the story. There are many instances in the story where Rye completely disregards this stratification. She was willing to shoot the man on the bus if he came any closer â€Å"They would also stand and watch her shoot him, would he push things that far? † (95), she is the one that instigates sex between her and Obsidian â€Å" She turned suddenly, fumbling for his small box, then urging him to make love to her again. (101), and she point blank shoots the man that murdered Obsidian â€Å" Rye shot the wounded man as he was turning the gun on her† (104). The expected passiveness of women in this society is obviously lost on Rye. She does not care about what is expected of her, or the limited amount of power and prestige that she supposedly holds. Rye effectively destroys all conservative thoughts on what it is to be a female protagonist. The situations that Rye face and her choices that result from them exemplify her as a dominant female. Rye’s dominance shows that she is not concerned with the norms that are expected with the stratification of gender. Instead, she does what it is that needs to be done. â€Å"Speech Sounds† is a prime example of how Octavia Butler is taking the genre of science fiction and turning it on its’ head. Not only is she a non white female author, she manages to integrate feminist views into a previously male dominated domain. Rye becomes a dominate force in a society that has been ravaged by the loss of speech and the subsequent breakdown of social order, and sheds light on new pathways towards the ability of language to construct any world it wants to .