An Explanation of the Use of Imagery and Figurative Language to Convey the Central Theme in Mending Wall, a Poem by Robert Frost

An Explanation of the Use of Imagery and Figurative Language to Convey the Central Theme in Mending Wall, a Poem by Robert Frost In the poem â€Å"Mending Wall†, Robert Frost uses language and paragraph structure in order to develop controversial ideas about the necessity of change and stirring rebellion, and about maintaining individuality. One of the prevalent themes present in this poem is that of change, and when it is necessary. When describing the uselessness of the wall, the speaker says, â€Å"My apple trees will never get across/ And eat the cones under his pines†. Here, the speaker emphasizes that the wall is not needed, and implies that there is no use in mending the wall, therefore advocating for change. The speaker’s believes that the wall is not necessary, shown when he says, â€Å"There where it is we do not need the wall† (line 17). He clearly sees no use for the wall anymore and is thinking practically. Logically, maintaining the wall is simply a waste of time and resources, as it is no longer needed. Frost relays the theme of change and rebellion through the speaker’s questioning of old customs as time goes on. After the speaker suggests that they perhaps break down the wall the reaction he receives is, â€Å"He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors’ †Å"(line 27). The neighbor’s repetition and insistence of this proverb shows his devotion to tradition and his unwillingness to change. This proverb has most likely been passed down over generations, once again reinforcing the idea that the neighbor is obsessed with custom and tradition. The fact that the poem ends with this line suggests that no change was established, and that the wall remained. The young, refreshing voice of change is clearly overshadowed by the elder opinion that change is unnecessary if the current system is working. This is an extremely powerful and controversial message, which is especially interesting during a time of such political uproar in America. Another message clear in Frost’s poem is that of the importance of individuality. For example, in lines 8 and 9, the speaker says, â€Å"And on a day we meet to walk the line/ And set the wall between us once again†. The order of these lines is meant to express the irony of the situation. The only time the two neighbors converse or meet is when they are trying to ensure that they won’t be bothered by each other for the rest of the year. This exposes the American culture as an individualistic one, and subtly criticizes the American belief in autonomy. In addition, when describing the mending of the wall, the speaker says, â€Å"One on a side† (line 16). This emphasizes the fact that even when working together towards a common goal, the two are separated. Once again, this stresses the importance of individuality in the American culture; the fact that even when we all want the same thing, we refuse to work together to achieve it, and we look out for our own s elf-interests first. Lastly, in line 18, the speaker describes himself and his neighbor by saying, â€Å"He is all pine and I am apple orchard†. The juxtaposition between these two items is once again meant to describe the separation between the two. Despite the fact that they live in the same neighborhood (and are therefore likely from a similar social class), they are still completely separate beings. Again, through this, Frost hopes to express the idea that individuality is one of America’s core values. Through his usage of language and his paragraph structure, Frost conveys controversial views on American society and its perception of change and individuality.

Mess at the stadium Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mess at the stadium - Essay Example In this case, it can be noted that James and Christopher triggered the pandemonium that broke at the stadium when they blew their vuvuzelas after their team, the Riders had scored. Hundreds of supporters were killed and others injured while Christopher and James were among those who lost their lives. The grandmother, mother and father of the boys subsequently suffered from nervous shock (psychiatric injury). Against this background, this essay seeks to describe while giving reasons the approach that can be taken by a High Court judge towards claims of nervous shock by the affected people in view of the cases that are going to be analysed below. In view of this case of Dulieu v White [1901] 2 KB 669 which involved a pregnant barmaid who suffered severe shock after the defendant’s servant drove negligently into the public house, it can be noted that the High Court upheld her claim. The case involving the grandmother, mother and father of the boys may as well be upheld in as far as claims for nervous shock are concerned. In this case, the defendants are the police officers who had a duty to safeguard the interests of the soccer fans who were packed in the stadium. The subsequent pandemonium that killed hundreds of people while injuring others was not a result of their negligent behaviour. In actual fact, the horses were frightened by the noise of vuvuzelas that were blown by James and Christopher. It can be noted that these two boys are the ones who triggered the situation that resulted in loss of life of innocent people including themselves. Indeed, the defendant has a duty not to frighten the plaintiff by his negligence whereby it can be noted that the blame does not lie in the police but in the boys’ action that frightened the horses. If it was not because of their action, this disaster could not have happened. It the case of Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police [1992] 1 AC 310 concerned a FA Cup semi-final match at Hillsborough Stad ium, between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in April 1989, at which 96 people were killed and over 400 physically injured in a crush caused by negligent crowd control by the police. To a certain extent, it can be said that the conduct by the police in controlling the crowd in the case involving James and Christopher was negligent given that there is wild cheering when another team scores especially with regards to big matches and the police should always be watchful for such incidences. In the first place, they allowed the boys to get into the stadium with vuvuzelas which meant that they could be blown. The failure to control their horses amounts to negligent behaviour since people watching matches are over excited at times. Thus, only parents and spouses might claim for nervous shock and the claimants in this case can show a â€Å"sufficiently proximate† relationship to the person killed or injured as can be noted from their closeness with the deceased. McFarlane v EE Caled onia Ltd [1994] 2 All ER 1 involves a plaintiff who has witnessed colleagues dying in agony following an oil rig explosion. However, the court of appeal applied the rule by the House of Lords in Alcock where the claim failed because the claimant was not a rescuer. In the same vein, the claims involving the mother and the grandmother may fail to materialise given that they just watched the situation unfolding on television and they are not part of the rescue team. Somebody who physically experiences the action directly stands better chances of winning the claim since he will be part of the horrific events than someone merely watching from a distance. The mother and the grandmother are not even closer to the scene since they are just watching the events on television while at home. As far as the above case is concerned, the claim by these two may not materialise since they are not directly involved especially in rescuing the affected people who have been injured in the stampede that e nsued after the police horses have been frightened by the noise of the vuvuzelas and ran amok causing

The need for appropriate performance measures and management has been Essay

The need for appropriate performance measures and management has been a recurring theme in management and accounting over the la - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the examination of the need for appropriate performance measures and management for organizations operating in the healthcare industry; reference is made especially to the UK National Health Service. The review of the literature published in the specific field led to the assumption that the performance measures and the management policies currently used by managers in NHS cannot respond to the organization’s needs – as identified through its daily activities. Moreover, it has been made clear that the above failure is related not only to the external but also to the internal organizational environment – referring to employees of all levels. It is suggested that measures are taken for the improvement of these policies trying to keep close control on the resources engaged and the time required. 2. Performance measurement and management of hospitals and other healthcare organizations The understanding of the criteria used for measuring the pe rformance of healthcare organizations requires the reference to the characteristics and the needs of performance measurement – as a strategic tool for checking the level of achievement of organizational goals. At the same time, reference should be made to the challenges that managers face within modern organizations, as these challenges can negatively affect the quality and the effectiveness of the relevant management practices. All these issues should be also taken into consideration when evaluating the performance measurement and the management policies of NHS. 2.1 Performance measurement and management – overview, role One of the key characteristics of performance measurement is the fact that the specific activity has different forms across firms of different size and culture. This fact is made clear in the study of Taticchi (2010). In the above study emphasis is given on the limited scope of performance measurement in SMEs – implying that the effectiveness o f performance measurement in large enterprises is expected to be higher, probably because of the support provided to the individuals involved (Taticchi 2010). On the other hand, the potential barriers that performance measurement systems and plans face in SMEs cannot reduce the value of these systems as key strategic tools. Of course, in large organizations the resources available for the development of advanced management and performance measurement plans are significant; thus, in organizations of such size the effectiveness of performance measurement methods is expected to be high, a fact that will be taken into consideration further on where the effectiveness of the performance measurement systems used in NHS will be discussed. At this point it would be necessary to refer to the characteristics of performance measurement – as part of the strategic process of organizations in all industries; in accordance with Rose (2005) ‘performance measurement is the language of pr ogress for the organization’ (Rose 2005 in Taticchi 2010, p.3). In each organization, performance measurement needs to be combined with appropriate management techniques –