The Hour of the Star by Claris Lispector

The Hour of the Star by Claris Lispector Introduction Whenever we encounter a book for the first time, our initial perception can so easily be colored, even distorted, by conscious or unconscious prejudices. In some moments though, we do find ourselves delving into a text with an almost open mind; with hardly the slightest inkling of what to expect.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Hour of the Star by Claris Lispector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This specialness is most rewarding when we find ourselves surprised beyond measure; we disbelief, we exclaim, we are carried away, we are moved. I first read â€Å"The hour of the Star† in such a manner, completely bereft of expectation, and so indelible has its effect been that I’ve since invariably owned a copy. Discussion Lispector’s power over us, for me at least, lies in the characterization of the narrator and the motivation that informs the almost obsessive relationship that he ha s with his subject: Macabea. Because of her seemingly self-willed refusal to know, Macabea leads Rodrigo, along with us, to invaluable insights. Rodrigo is urbane and cosmopolitan. He is a sensitive character, one who is aware of the fundamental concerns of the present day though not overly engrossed in them. He seems to have a balanced, plausible, if not reliable, conceptualization of reality. He leads something of a contented life though unhappy with the lack of success in his writing career. But he is jolted by the coming of Macabea into his life and he is suddenly preoccupied with her obvious otherness, and because of her, the meaning of being, the existence of God and the prospects of death. Rodrigo is primarily driven to study and write about Macabea by her seeming the very antithesis of who he is. At first, it is the look of damnation on her face that got him interested in her. As he gets to know her, he is irked, irritated, by her apparent nonchalance towards reality. This i s so much so that he can only refer to her as ‘the girl from the Northeast’ at the beginning of the novella. Macabea, on the other hand, is not a retard but she seems to suffer from a thoroughly inhibited intellectual capacity. This is however not what interests Rodrigo.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is rather that this incapacity to engage reality in any meaningful manner seems almost self-willed. She has no ambition. She is painfully naà ¯ve. She is happy to not know. But she still manages to seem unaware of the presence happiness and consequently, its absence in her own life. Rodrigo’s eventual fascination with Macabea is not merely as a result of her being different from him but rather because he finds himself utterly incapable of comprehending her. It is part of our nature: to be obsessed with the arcane and mysterious. In giving Ma cabea a voice, Rodrigo becomes so engrossed that he begins to have softer feelings for her. He has to understand her and in doing so, he is forced to explore himself, his feelings and his beliefs. He ends up becoming so immersed in his subject that he even begins to doubt himself, whether it is actually him doing the writing or if there is possibility of the existence of another agent in him. By the end of the book, ‘the girl from the Northeast’ has become ‘Maca’ to Rodrigo (Lispector 92). Conclusion Lispector is so good at conjuring this awe for Macabea that we find ourselves getting carried away, genuinely needing to know who Macabea exactly is. But she dies and all one is eventually left with, like Rodrigo, is just self reflection. Lispector, Claris. The hour of the star. New York: New direction publishers. 1986. Print.

Careers in Therapy - Beyond the Clinical Psychology PhD

Careers in Therapy - Beyond the Clinical Psychology PhD Many undergraduate psychology majors at least briefly consider careers as therapists, often citing their desire to work with people and help others. Television and other forms of media most commonly portray clinical psychologists as therapists. Therefore many aspiring therapists wonder whether a doctoral degree in clinical psychology is for them. Perhaps but there are there are several masters degrees that offer the opportunity to work with others and conduct therapy. Here are a few. PhD in Clinical Psychology and Counseling PsychologyThe PhD is the most common doctoral degree among psychologists. The label psychologist is a protected term. A doctoral degree in psychology is required to call oneself a psychologist. Clinical and counseling psychology are the two traditional areas of practice in psychology. Clinical psychology studies pathology and disease whereas counseling psychology emphasize normative processes and aiding in adjustment issues. PhD programs in clinical and counseling psychology fall into two basic training models. The scientist model trains graduates to be research scientists and have careers in academic and research settings. Graduate programs that adopt the scientist practitioner model train students in both science and practice. Students learn how to design and conduct research, but they also learn how to apply research findings and practice as psychologists. Graduates obtain careers in academia and practice, including colleges, hospitals, mental health settings, and private practice. PhD degrees in clinical psychology and counseling psychology require a dissertation in addition to practice hours and an internship. Additional practice hours and licensure is required to practice. Clinical and counseling PhD programs are among the most competitive graduate programs in all fields for both admission and for internship sites. A PhD in clinical or counseling psychology, however, is not the only path to a career as a therapist. If your desire is to practice and have no intention of conducting research, you might consider a PsyD degree instead of a PhD. Alternative: PsyD in Clinical or Counseling PsychologyThe PsyD is a doctoral degree, developed in the early 1970s. As a doctoral degree, the PsyD permits graduates to use the title of psychologist. In contrast to the scientist and scientist practitioner models of PhD programs, the PsyD is a professional doctoral degree that trains students for clinical practice. Students learn how to understand and apply scholarly findings to practice. They are trained to be consumers of research. Graduates work in practice settings in hospitals, mental health facilities, and private practice. Given that PsyD students are not trained to conduct research, their dissertations tend to consist of lengthy literature reviews and to be applied in nature. Usually this requires less time than completing a PhD. PsyD students complete pre and post degree mandatory practice hours and are eligible for licensure. Generally speaking, PsyD degrees are more expensive than PhD degrees. Graduates generally have a significant amount of debt. There are other degree alternatives that permit entry to a career as a therapist that are less time consuming and expensive. Masters Degree in Counseling (MA)A masters degree in a counseling field, such as community counseling or mental health counseling, entails completing both academic and practice requirements. students complete 2 years (on average) of academic coursework including theories of therapy, assessment and diagnosis, and therapeutic techniques. In addition students complete supervised practice hours as part of their degree. After completing their degree they complete several hundred additional hours of supervised therapy in order to be eligible to seek certification to practice therapy independently. Every state has a different set of requirements for practice with regard to supervised hours and whether an exam is required Masters degree holders who are certified to practice may work in traditional therapeutic settings such as hospitals and mental health centers or may practice independently. Masters in Family Therapy (MFT)Similar to the MA in counseling, the masters in family therapy consists of about 2 years of academic coursework and practice. MFT students specialize in marital therapy, child therapy, and strengthening the family. After graduation they seek additional supervised practice hours and licensure as a marriage and family therapist with the ability to practice independently Masters in Social Work (MSW) Like the MA in counseling and the MFT, the master of social work degree is a 2-3 year degree that includes both academic and practice requirements. MSW students are trained in assessment, therapeutic techniques, and assisting families functioning. After completing a specified number of supervised practice graduates can seek certification to practice social work independently. As you can see there are several opportunities for students whoa re interested in careers as therapists. If you are considering such a career, do your homework and learn about each of these degrees to determine what is right for you.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 17

Case Study Example Labor standards cost is another bottleneck as it is high. Maintenance of the machinery requires people to do the work. These people consume funds that drain the company (Truckseat Case Study, 3). The production line is a bottleneck in the sense that the cost of raw materials has increased by double digits. This impacts negatively on the company has the company is forced to pay more for materials that previously cost less. At the same time the quality of products produced are below the customer expectations. When customer expectations about the product are lowered, loyalty becomes elusive (Truckseat Case Study, 3). The bottlenecks drain the company immensely. The reason for bottlenecks is because when the company does not make maximum gains from the products while spending as much to settle labor cost, maintenance of machines not to mention the quality of the products. Bottlenecks are eminent in the delivery section as well. Case in point is that there is no clear determination as to when products should be made and availed to the customers. Consequently, there is a disconnect in the sense that there is no proper market survey to establish demand and supply chain. So in essence, what happens is that sometimes products are sometimes manufactured and not delivered for the simple reason that there is no ready market to have the goods. Another bottleneck arises when the customers are in need of the products but the production levels are low. This happens due to poor forecasting of the market to determine market needs and wants. The level of customer satisfaction is below average in the sense that the quality is not up to the standards expected by the clients. The qualitative analysis figures are in the appendices. 2. Stocks can be an effective lever to remove the bottleneck: select where (along the production flow) to position the decoupling  point: Compare different feasible alternatives of decoupling

Sampling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sampling - Assignment Example Probability techniques are based on the principle that each member of the population has an equal chance of being included into the study sample. These measures improve the likelihood that the chosen sample will be representative of all the relevant trends seen in the population. Thus, there is a greater chance that the conclusions drawn from the data would be truly applicable to the entire population (Frankfort-Nachmias & Nachmias, 2008). For a majority of studies, probability sampling techniques help in providing more valuable data, but with some research questions, non-probability techniques are more effecting in gathering the requisite sample. Some of the probability techniques include Simple Random sampling, Systematic Random Sampling, Stratified Random Sampling, and Probability Cluster Sampling (Christensen, Johnson & Turner, 2010). On the other hand, some types of Non-Probability sampling techniques include Availability Sampling, Purposive Sampling and Non-Probability Cluster Sampling (Christensen, Johnson & Turner, 2010). Regardless of all the effort taken to draw a representative sample from the population, there is always a chance that the sample chosen is not really representative. This would mean that there is a chance that the results of the study may not be representative of the population, and extrapolating them would be erroneous. When the chosen sample is not really representative of the population, it is due to Sampling Error (Frankfort-Nachmias & Nachmias, 2008). Typically, Probability techniques help in reducing the chance of Sampling Error by ensuring that each member of the population has the same likelihood of being chosen. Thus, when studying large and heterogeneous populations, Probability techniques are considered to be more valuable in drawing a representative sample (Christensen, Johnson & Turner, 2010). Sampling error can

Semiconductor devices and circuits Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Semiconductor devices and circuits - Coursework Example Each atom after sharing electrons will attain a full outer shell. Conductors: Conductor materials have large number of free electrons and thus conduct easily. Examples of a good conductor are copper and aluminum and they have, at room temperature, many electrons for conduction. Insulators These are materials which do not conduct. For insulators, there is a very large gap between the two bands i.e. conduction and valence bands. Insulators can only conduct at extremely high temperatures or when they are subjected to very high voltage. Examples of insulators are, wood, glass, paper and mica. Semiconductors: These materials are between conductors and insulators. They are neither conductors nor insulators. They can easily conduct at room temperatures. Examples of these materials are silicon and germanium. Intrinsic semiconductors: These are pure semiconductors since the content of impurity is minimal. These materials are cautiously refined to achieve this form of purity. When intrinsic se miconductors are subjected to room temperature, valence electrons absorb heat energy breaking the covalent bond and move to conduction band. Electrons and holes conduction In intrinsic semiconductors, holes and free electrons are the major charge carriers. Holes and electrons which are generated at room temperatures move in a random motion and can’t conduct any current. ... This allows electric current to flow as a result of electrons movement in the conduction band. The motion of holes in semiconductors is opposite to that of electron. As a result of electrons escape from valence band to conduction band, holes are created in the valence band. When current is applied the electron break and moves to feel the holes present, at the same time this electron leaves another hole and this process continues. The movement of these holes in the valence band leads to current flow referred to as whole current. Extrinsic Semiconductors Small amounts of other materials are added to intrinsic semiconductor to alter the properties and this result to extrinsic semiconductor. This is process of adding an impurity to improve the conductivity of the semiconductor is referred to as doping. The materials used as impurities are called dopant. These semiconductors are the most widely used in practice since they have better conductivity compared to intrinsic semiconductors and a re used in manufacture of electronics components such as transistors and diodes. There are two types of extrinsic semiconductors and each depending on the type of impurity used. They are n-type and p-type. N- Type Atoms with five electrons in their outer most shell are referred to as pentavalent atoms. When these pentavalent atoms are used to dope intrinsic semiconductors, they donate a free electron to the semiconductor and they are called donor dopers. Examples of donor materials are phosphorous, arsenic and bismuth. The resulting semiconductor has a large quantity of free electrons and is called n-type semiconductor. Example of n-type semiconductor formation is when arsenic atom with five electrons on the outermost shell combines with silicon with four

Seismic Mitigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Seismic Mitigation - Essay Example Recovery is sometimes defined as a return to pre-disaster conditions; or the term may refer to a community resembling its own characteristics in the absence of the disaster occurrence, in terms of population size or economic output. Another definition of ‘recovery’ â€Å"recognises that after a disaster, a community often undergoes significant change, so that it may never return to either the pre-disaster or without-disaster states† (Olshansky and Chang, 2009, p.201). This approach defnes ‘recovery’ as the post-disaster attainment of a stable state or condition. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate seismic mitigation, post-disaster recovery, and reconstruction in regions devastated by earthquakes. Reconstruction and Recovery after Earthquakes The ‘Disaster Life Cycle’ model refers to the five time periods that comprise the life cycle of a disaster. These include the â€Å"pre-impact period, the impact period, the immediate post-impact period, the short-term recovery period, and the long-range recovery period† (Fischer, 1998, p.7). ... t-disaster recovery is a critical component of the disaster cycle, because also provides significant opportunities for mitigation† (Olshansky and Chang, 2009, p.201), and consequently helps to break the cycle. The reasons include the requirement for new construction, the flow of post-disaster funding, and the ‘window of opportunity’ of increased awareness created by the disaster. Smith and Wenger (2007) emphasize on the importance of developing an ethic of sustainable recovery. Stakeholders and their Role in Seismic Mitigation In present times, city planners prepare plans related to emergency response and preparedness issues, which were conventionally undertaken by civil defense or municipal emergency officers, states Edgington (2011). On the other hand, Meyer et al. (2010) and Sandnik and Fuller (2009) argue that planners do not take into consideration the likelihood of a major disaster, and that none of the stakeholders plan longer-term recovery and reconstructio n procedures. Although planning for urgent emergency response and short-term repairs to housing and infrastructure following earthquakes, floods, and other disasters is important, longer term building of cities and regions subsequent to catastrophic disasters raises a completely different set of problems. In contemporary disaster recovery practices, the emphasis is on complex problems regarding decision-making by the stakeholders involved in long term recovery, which include households, different levels of governmental and international agencies, businesses and the broader community. Planning professionals work towards rebuilding the regions and communities affected by seismic devastation. They aim to reduce the losses, to accelerate the process, and to assist communities in becoming more resilient to

Citibank case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Citibank case study - Essay Example It showed a net income of US $1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2009. In due course of time, the financial condition began deteriorating due to corrupted financial dealings captivating within the banking systems of California in the year 2011. The bank was accused due to its filling of fraudulent documents related to mortgages. As a result, numerous customers of California filed varied types of allegations against Citibank which hampered its brand equity and revenue by a significant extent. Moreover, it also hindered the loyalty and dependency of its target customers resulting in the amplification of organizational risks (Bloomberg L.P, 2012). In addition, the reason for which the lenders accused Citibank was due to change of ownerships of the mortgaged houses. It was mainly identified by a bankrupt home owner of New York named Linda Tirelli in order to regain her collaterals. Besides, it was entirely denied by Citigroup so that the image of the organization can be maintained (Bloo mberg L. P, 2012). Thus, it can be affirmed from the above mentioned facts, that it was a situation of corruption, which declined its individuality from the minds of house owners in California. Question 2: Was the company liable, socially responsible and accountable? Yes, Citibank, as one of the largest players in the international banking and financial sector of United States was accused of providing unethical services to its customers. This is because, Citibank was charged due to its presentation of wrong information regarding the housing mortgages to the citizens of California. Moreover, it also passed various inaccurate facts to the housing departments of United States as well, which resulted in loss of huge funds provided by the government (Scribd, n.d.). The management of Citibank was entirely responsible and accountable for the protest against the violation of the rules of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insurance programme of United States by offering wrong information to customers. In addition, the higher officials of Citibank were also accused for lending low interest rates in case of housing loans in order to enhance its range of customers as well as total revenue among other apparent players in the market. This resulted in lowering of trust and confidence over the mortgage schemes of FHA insurance offered by Citibank (Scribd, n.d.). Question 3: Is capitalism a just system for allocating resources? Capitalism is referred as the philosophy of financial system that mainly favors personal ownership by an individual or an organization offering services in order to earn revenue or profits. In capitalist economy, an individual or a corporation mainly aims to enhance his/her personal welfare as compared to publics (Scribd, n.d.). Moreover, capitalist economy also desires to prevent his/her individual interest in the market or within the communities. In addition, according to Hofstede (n.d.), individualism is a type of cultural dimension, in which indi viduals are more conscious about their personal relatives and families rather than societies. The citizens of these types of economies are focused on their individual achievement and victory. In addition, self-interest rather than empathy is the prime objective of a capitalist economy (Hofstede, n.d.). Thus, economy of United States also shows highest degree of individualism, which mainly concentrates on the benefits of individuals. Moreover, the citizens of United States were not at all interested to work in