Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations Essay Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a novel that focuses on the life of Philip Pirrip and his expectations. Throughout the book these expectations change and as they do, the reader comes to realise the key theme of how a characters upbringing and environment can dehumanise them. This essay will examine this key theme and how it demonstrates and helps the reader understand Pips growth as a character.  Initially, Pip is a very compassionate and sensitive character. We see this right from the start as the first scene describes him at his families grave crying. The reason for this behaviour at this stage of the book is Pips sister and guardian Mrs Joe Gargery. She concluded by throwing me- I often served her as a connubial missile-  This quote shows that Pip feels in most ways inadequate to his sister and that this domination is the reason for his sensitive and compassionate appearance at this stage of the book.  However, when Pip receives his expectations from Mr Jaggers, and he moves into lodging with Herbert, this domination is no longer valid. As Pip falls deeper and deeper into debt with his flippant spending, he moves further away from Joe and his old home. This gap becomes more apparent after Mrs Joes funeral, when Pip has an awkward conversation with his used to be good friend Biddy. In this conversation Pip presents himself as much more of a selfish and uncompassionate young man: Biddy, said I in a virtuously self-asserting manner, I must request to know what you mean by this?  This quote demonstrates Pips growth as a character as it shows the speed at which he has changed into more arrogant and self-righteous Pip since his childhood. It helps the reader understand the theme of how a characters upbringing and environment can dehumanise them, by showing that in his new, wider-boundary environment, Pip has become somewhat dehumanised. This dehumanisation is demonstrated in this conversation, as Pips manner is made to seem selfish and arrogant to underline the gap between Pips humanised place of upbringing and his somewhat dehumanised state in London. After Mrs Joes death, Pip seems more compassionate and thoughtful. This is because his visit back to his place of birth has helped him realise the change that he has undergone while he has been away by showing him the emotional distance he has put between himself and his family, and the consequences these distances have had on his relationships with his friends and family back home. This compassionate change is reinforced when he sets up Herberts job in a bid to see his friend more financially stable. I did really cry in good earnest when I went to bed, to think that my expectations had done some good to somebody.  This quote shows that Pip has realised the main theme of how a characters environment and upbringing can dehumanise them, by acting in this compassionate and thoughtful way. Also by referring to Herbert as somebody at the end of this quote, Pip shows the reader that he does not believe that his expectations have done himself that much good. In conclusion, Pip reacted throughout the novel towards his environment and upbringing in both negative and in the end positive ways. At the beginning of the novel, he seemed a very modest and sensitive young boy. However when he receives his expectations this marks the beginning of the changes and dehumanisation that he undergoes whilst he is in London. Thankfully though, after his experience at Mrs Joes funeral Pip realises these changes that he has undergone and endeavours to be more compassionate and thoughtful. This shows the reader that Pip has almost completed a full circle of growth, in terms of his behaviour in relation to his upbringing and environment, and this was reinforced by the main theme of how a characters upbringing and environment can dehumanise them.

Educating Rita by Willy Russell Essay -- A Play By Willy Russell

Educating Rita by Willy Russell â€Å" How do the characters of Frank and Rita change throughout the play and what is Russell’s purpose of using the technique?† Educating Rita is a play written by Willy Russell who was born in Liverpool, Whiston. â€Å"I really don’t want to write plays which are resigned, menopausal, despairing and whining. I don’t want to use any medium as a platform for displaying the smallness and hopelessness of man.† Willy Russell wrote Educating Rita as a comedy, he wanted to write a funny play to be watched and not to be studied. Coming from a working class family and society, he witnessed a deep injustice in the way lower classes were treated. Even though people who were working class had wonderful qualities, they were often regarded as worthless. In Educating Rita there are two classes, the lower class that is represented by Rita and the upper class represented by Frank. Russell reveals that although both characters come from different classes, they can both learn from each other. In this play there are only two characters. Although many other people are important to the play, Rita and Frank are the central characters. Rita is a 26-year-old woman who has decided to take a course in English Literature at the Open University. Frank, who is in his early fifties, is Rita’s tutor at the University. From the first opening scene we immediately see that Frank has a drinking problem, as he hides bottles of alcohol behind books in his study. Frank is in his study on the phone to his girlfriend to whom we can see he does not like much â€Å"†¦yes just pop off and put your head in the oven†¦Ã¢â‚¬  At the start of Act 1 Frank shows that he is uninterested in Rita, prejudges her and thinks that she ... ... one she leaves behind. She does pay a price, by leaving Danny and not having a baby yet, she gets what she want’s, an education. In the play, education is portrayed as a game when they are in the university – not going there for the need of an education but to acquire the lifestyle that an ‘educated’ person would so. Frank doesn’t know this game, but Rita does and at the end of the play she realises what it has done to her. At the beginning of the play she is an ‘uneducated’ woman, who knows little about academic things but has a lot of experience about life. She doesn’t value the knowledge which she already has much. She throws away her old life and what she gets back - Frank thinks- is much less valuable. But to Rita, education is a way out of mediocrity into a superior lifestyle. The tragedy is that she pays for it by becoming a different person.

Database Management Systems Essay

While the database management system terminology has become widespread in India, there is a vast space for the adoption of the systems. The market potential still has a significant amount of spread to increase market share. A computer database is a repository of structured data or information and a database management system is a collection of programs that allows storage and retrieval of this data efficiently. Database management systems have undergone significant changes over the last thirty years. Starting with IBM’s IMS, a hierarchical database management system, in the early 1970s to the recent grid computing relational database management system – Oracle, the database technology has undergone a substantial technological change. During the last decade, relational management system or a derivative of it has become a de facto standard of the industry. ANSI SQL has become the standard query language to interact with any DBMS, though each vendor has its own extension to the standard SQL. (The Indian Express Limited) According to Gartner, in 2008, the Indian DBMS market was worth around $194 million and is expected to grow by 20% in 2010 over 2009. It expects the Indian DBMS market size to reach $233 million in 2010. According to a Forrester Research report, the open-source database market stands at $850 million and is expected to grow by more than 40%, to $1. billion, by 2011. Though small in comparison with the $16 billion commercial database market, it is still a significant feat considering most open-source databases bear no licensing costs. (Gartner) The size, growth, and sheer desire to gain a competitive edge lured global DBMS vendors to India. They have opened offices, signed local partners, and translated their software – and they are finding success. Driven by the inherent need for businesses of all kinds to manage their information, Indian database management system (DBMS) software vendors support customers in a large variety of markets. â€Å"From an Indian market perspective, there is still a long way for all vendors to go. The market potential still has a considerable amount of spread to increase market-share,† says Anil Menon, Country Manager, Software Group Channels, IBM India/South Asia.

Steroids in Baseball Essay - 878 Words

Anabolic and androgenic steroids come in many different forms. The most popular form is a pill and is easy to take. The draw back of the pill is it is hard on the liver and kidneys because it passes through the system in a couple of hours. Another popular form is cream. The cream’s advantage is it is easy to apply and is less harmful to the body. The draw back is it is very ineffective. The last form is injection. Injecting straight into the muscle gives the best results. Most serious athletes that use enhancement drugs take pills every day of their cycle and inject three times a week. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Some of the short-term affects of steroid use include mild to severe acne. Another side affect†¦show more content†¦Some pro athletes use this extra aggression as a tool and it can be an advantage along with the increase in strength and stamina. Many people don’t believe steroids can make a mild manner person flip out in rage, but it will make a person that is borderline psychotic cross that line. If a family member wrote an autobiography according to his personal life and decided to include the family’s dirty laundry, how would you feel? Well this is exactly how Todd Jones, a reliever for the Marlins felt when he read, â€Å"The Juice†, an autobiography written by former major league player Jose Canseco. Jose admits using illegal steroids during his career. â€Å"I would never been a major league caliber player without steroids†¦over the years I’ve been diagnosed by my doctors with arthritis, scoliosis, degenerative disc disease†¦ I believe I would be in a wheel chair today if wasn’t for steroids, I needed steroids and growth hormone just to live.† (www://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com) â€Å"Juice† is the tell-all book because it breaks the clubhouse code of silence and violates an unwritten rule of the game. Speaking out on what was known but never publicized. Jose also says baseball black-balled him when he was 38 homeruns s hort of 500 for his career and a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. If he had reached 500 homeruns would have still written his book? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The MLBShow MoreRelatedBaseball and Steroids741 Words   |  3 PagesConfirmation/Argument Despite steroids having multiple negative effects on both athletes and the game of baseball, they also have good effects too. The first positive effect that steroids’ provide would be the fact that steroids help speed up recovery time. When a person is heavily stressed Cortisol is produced to help the body and mind handle the stress. However, because cortisol is so strong; in the process of trying to relieve stress it also damages muscle tissue and slows down the time it takesRead More steroids in Baseball Essay1151 Words   |  5 Pages Steroids in Baseball: The Future of Baseball nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;It was a warm, sultry night in September. The fans were crazed in anticipation as Mark McGwire stepped to the plate. With a gentle stretch, he paused, patiently poised, waiting for what would eventually be the greatest hit baseball had ever seen. The pitcher, Steve Trachsel, came set. He shot a determined look to the dirt. In a rivalry such as this (Cubs, Cardinals) he did not want to be the one to give up the great numberRead MoreSteroids Abuse in Baseball1746 Words   |  7 PagesSteroid Abuse Hurts Baseball The abuse of steroids among players in Major League Baseball is corrupting the image of Americas Pastime as well as endangering the health of those who use the illegal substances. The lack of testing and punishment for the use of illegal substances like steroids in the Major Leagues portrays a negative image to aspiring young athletes. They see their role models using steroids and becoming better athletes rather than seeing suspensions for the illegal behavior orRead MoreSteroids : The Corruption Of Baseball1287 Words   |  6 PagesSteroids: The Corruption of Baseball Steroids changed the game of baseball for an era by transforming the game from defensively oriented mindsets to who could offensively â€Å"out-slug† one another. Steroids have changed the game of baseball due to the fact that it makes you stronger and the players that use it can hit the ball a lot further than others. Steroids are performance enhancing drugs most commonly used by athletes or bodybuilders so that they can gain more muscle quickly and easily to haveRead MoreSteroids in Professional Baseball2189 Words   |  9 Pagessurveyed that all the athletes in baseball that were tested for steroids and shown positive should have been banned from the game. In the year 2005 it was discovered that two out of three people agreed with banning the players who made it to the Hall of Fame but tested positive for steroids. Most if not all people consider this action cheating and frown upon its use. How could this be? In today’s readings of sports articles and papers, fans t end to think that steroids give other players an unfair advantageRead MoreEssay on Steroids in Baseball1012 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Steroids in Baseball† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Today in the United States, millions and millions of kids, teens, and adults watch and play in the sport of baseball. It is probably the number one sport looked upon and what is happening to it is a bit discouraging. Players have started â€Å"cheating† by using steroids to help them play stronger and better. They are in league where you have to be the best at what you do to play, and if your using drugs to cheat yourRead MoreEssay on Steroids in Baseball2587 Words   |  11 PagesHall of Shame Baseball has always been known as â€Å"America’s Favorite Pastime†. Over the past decade, the game America knows and loves has been exposed as a game full of cheaters. Major League Baseball(MLB) has had over one hundred players test positive for performance-enhancing substances over the past fifteen years. Performance-enhancing substances increase a player’s ability to produce better stats to help his salary. The past fifteen years of baseball have contained dirty play by some of theRead MoreSteroids in Professional Baseball Essay1185 Words   |  5 Pagesin Major League Baseball is the discussion of the use of steroids and human growth hormones. Both are completely illegal in the sport, and come with drastic consequences. One would think a fifty game suspension as a first offense would scare players away, but for some reason steroids in baseball is occurring more and more often to the disappointment of Major League Baseball. The reason players take steroid s in the first place is to enhance their performance on the field. Steroids make players strongerRead MoreSteroids in Major League Baseball800 Words   |  4 PagesSteroids in Major League Baseball Anabolic steroids have been abused by Major League Baseball players for years, it’s time to forever ban the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs before they ruin America’s past time. Why should athletes be able to cheat when teammates or rivals are competing with honest effort? Every year records are broken and new heights are achieved, the game of baseball is very simple yet very humble, and to deceive the game you love, forever will you be punished. Let me informRead MoreEssay on Use of Steroids in Baseball4327 Words   |  18 PagesUse of Steroids in Baseball Since Major League Baseball all-star Ken Caminiti openly admitted to Sports Illustrated to have used steroids during his career, steroid use as a muscle and performance enhancer has been uncovered and become a big issue Major League Baseball is wrestling with. The â€Å"ongoing and delicate subject, baseball’s dirty, little secret that is no secret anymore,† is a huge and growing problem (Curry B20). Now that light has been shed on the issue, critics are beginning to