Passing Bells Essay Example

Passing Bells Paper Passing Bells is about the passing of the soldiers’ soul as he is killed in action, at war. The title itself ‘passing bells’ is referring to the moment when his soul leaves him, it ‘passes’ so to speak- the bell being their soul. The poem displays the stark contrasts between life and death, normality and a life of war. The life of a soldier is portrayed so clearly through his death. The death of a soldier is unknown for months, because there is no time for them to stop, to take the body back in the middle of war. We are so unaware of their deaths, it is almost casual, like the passing of a bell- Passing Bells an apt title to capture this. The use of ‘bells’ is also significant religious imagery, because England is a Christian country, the idea of having a funeral in a Church is widely understood and recognised- we remember that a soldier does not get this kind of ‘send off,’ because they can’t bring his body back with the survivors. â€Å"That moment when the soldier’s soul slipped through his wounds†. Duffy begins Passing Bells with the death of a soldier. She goes on to make his death a personal moment, as it goes on to say â€Å"seeped through the staunching fingers of his friend†. This soldier was someone’s friend, someone’s son, someone’s brother, even. Yet their death goes seemingly unnoticed, insignificant almost, because no-one knows. However, this makes the moment more personal to the fellow comrade, his friend, who witnessed his death and could only watched as the light left his eyes and the â€Å"soldier’s soul slipped through his wounds†. This moment is so emotional and personal to the witness of it, and Duffy captures this image perfectly in the first few lines in Passing Bells. The soul is described to then â€Å"like a shadow† slide across a field â€Å"to vanish, vanish, into textless air We will write a custom essay sample on Passing Bells specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Passing Bells specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Passing Bells specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer † We are provided we sonic imagery in these lines, due to the overuse of sibilance: â€Å"shadow,† â€Å"slid,† â€Å"across,† â€Å"textless,† it’s like the hissing sound you hear from a deflating balloon- the soldier’s soul leaves his body, and we imagine it to sound similar using the sonic imagery through sibilance. Also, by emphasising the word â€Å"vanish† repeating it twice, Duffy emphasises the importance of the soldiers’ death- so many die every day, but we are blissfully unaware as we go about our everyday lives. Bells are highly significant in this poem. They represent a manner of things, such as a soldiers’ soul, religious (funeral in a church) imagery, normalcy etc. The word ‘bell’ appears, therefore, several times throughout Passing Bells, not just as itself, but through the sound it makes: â€Å"jingling,† â€Å"tinkling,† â€Å"chiming,† â€Å"ringing,† â€Å"clanking†. I think this is because of it’s representation of the soul of the dead soldier most of all. However, I do not think this poem is just referring to one death, I think Duffy is telling you the stories of all the soldiers who have died fighting in wars. Their souls have not all ‘moved on,† so to speak. Many are still here on Earth, ‘drifting’ We hear them through the bells in the poem. Duffy presents a sense of unity through listing the different places in the UK: â€Å"there would have been a bell in Perth, Llandudno, Bradford, Winchester†. In doing so, she displays the sense of patriotism felt by those who choose to fight wars for their country. In England especially, patriotism is an important part of ‘being British,’ and this is extremely so for the soldiers. They are doing this for their country. However, this unity is also there to display the unity between the soldiers as the fight together, survive together, died together. For them, everything is done together. They shared possibly years of their lives with each other at war, so when one dies, they all feel the pain one would feel when losing a member of their own family, as this is how unified they became. When a soldier dies, the people they knew /back home’ may not find out for months. For months, they carry on their lives normally, spending most of their time hoping and praying for the best- that their son, father, brother or even friend is alive. Duffy presents their personal experience of this by giving us several scenes of normality to contradict the death of the soldier and show us what is happening at the time of his death: â€Å"rung by a landlord in a sweating, singing pub,† â€Å"an ice-cream van jingling in the park,† â€Å"a songbird fluttering,† â€Å"a parish church chiming out the hour: the ringing end of school†. The reader is able to relate to this, because it is so normal for these things Duffy is describing to be happening. They are scenes we are used to, and personally understand, compared to the stark, harsh image of the soldiers’ death given to use at the beginning of the poem. Another poem where we are confronted with the harsh reality of a soldiers’ death is in The Falling Soldier. The title itself is significant, similarly to Passing Bells, because of its wording. The poem is not called The FALLEN Soldier- it is called the FALLING Soldier, present tense. It’s as if Duffy has done this in order to say soldiers are dying, one by one, war is cyclical. It could also be saying that the soldiers are constantly ‘falling’ for the lies of the government, who tell them that war is glorious and they will be coming home ‘in time for Christmas’ etc. when really, they won’t. They will most likely die and die alone. Similarly to Passing Bells, in The Falling Soldier the word ‘shadow’ is used as the soul of the soldier once again. â€Å"The shadow you shed as you fall is, brother, your soul. † Also, Duffy makes this moment personal with the voice of the poem calling the soldier â€Å"brother† because by this point he would have been like a brother to many of the soldiers he had lived and fought with over the time period they have been at war. At any moment a soldier could die suddenly, and this is also shown throughout the bells significance in Passing Bells. They are ringing, chiming, tinkling etc. throughout and I think this is important, because I feel that Duffy is trying to tell us that right now, a soldier could be dying but to us the moments we are in right now make it insignificant because we do not know, and will not know for some time, because it takes quite a long period of time for the news to get back to their country, their loved ones, and even then they can’t mourn properly- they don’t have a body to bury and pay last respects to. Another important thought to notice is that even though they are supposed to be so unified, in fighting together etc. the reality is they die alone. Alone and in pain, with no-one to help them, which is also why â€Å"seeped through the staunching fingers of his friend,† is an important line because someone tried to help him and failed- we are reminded through Duffy’s words and use of such a personal and emotional scene, that this friend will remember this for the rest of his life if he survives long enough to go home. The last three lines of this poem are of great significance, to me: â€Å"in city and in town and countryside – the crowded late night bus; a child’s bicycle; the old, familiar clanking cow-bells of the cattle. † The last thing the soldier will have seen before his or her death will have been scenes of war, blood, fear, gunfire etc. they will never see scenes of normality again, we are reminded of the fact that they die in such horrible conditions. Never again will they see â€Å"city and in town and countryside† or â€Å"the crowded late night bus; a child’s bicycle†. A powerful piece of imagery is in the final line of the poem: â€Å"the old, familiar clanking cow-bells of the cattle. † As well as more bells imagery, I think it’s important to recognise the significance of Duffy’s use of the word â€Å"cattle†. Cattle are slayed for us every day but we obviously think nothing of it. In the same way, it’s as if she is trying to say the soldiers are killed in such an unforgiving way, their lives snuffed out as suddenly as a member of cattle, such as a cow, and it’s as if she is telling us they die so suddenly that as every moment goes by their deaths become more and more insignificant and, over time we forget.

Springboard Level 5 Unit 2 Embedded Assessment 1 Essay Example

Springboard Level 5 Unit 2 Embedded Assessment 1 Essay Example Springboard Level 5 Unit 2 Embedded Assessment 1 Essay Springboard Level 5 Unit 2 Embedded Assessment 1 Essay In Bend it Like Beckham, the main character, Jess is faced with many cultures. These cultures pull her mind in two opposite directions. One by pleasing her mom and becoming a Punjabi women and the other being a good soccer player. The movie follows her internal and external conflicts, where she struggles to make a decision regarding her life. Jess struggles between these two conflicts and is very emotional through the whole movie. Additionally, one of the main conflicts that Jess faces is her goals and aspirations versus her family’s expectations. Jess love of her life is soccer, she does anything to play, and once she is given the chance to play competitively she comes to see her true skills. Jess realizes that she has the talent to be a professional football player, and wants to do everything she can to secure this chance. The other side of this conflict is that of her family’s expectations. Due to their cultural background, they oppose Jess’ desire to play football. In Punjabi culture, women are confined to their home the majority of their time. They learn to cook and manage the household. Once a woman comes of age, her only duty is to find a suitable husband. Her parents share all these ideals and enforce strict control over their daughter so that she does not play soccer. While the parents reasoning may seem strange to outsiders, these gender roles are clearly identified in Punjabi culture. Jess feels torn because she doesn’t like lying to her family and rebelling against their decisions, but she also doesn’t want to miss out on the chance of a lifetime with her exquisite soccer skill set. Last of all, Jess is able to resolve the conflict with her family after attempting many different resolutions. After presenting logical arguments to her parents, they still don’t budge. Her gay friend is willing to pretend to marry her so that she can go to a university in the United States to play football. Jess, disapproves of lying to her parents again, and lets the truth spill to her mother. She explains her talent, that she was being scouted, and that she truly desires to play football. Her mother still disapproves and only reluctantly agrees after a persuasive argument from her husband. They come to see that having their daughter happy is more important to them rather than forcing her to live in a culture she is not happy in. The conflict is finally resolved when she receives her parent’s blessings to go to America and pursue her dreams. All in all, Bend It like Beckham is a perfect example of a child’s expectations versus family and cultural expectations. Jess plays the role of the rebellious girl pursuing her goals, and her family plays the role of strict and old culturally sound ways. Their conflict is resolved and both sides learn from the struggle and accept each other’s thoughts and ideas.

The Devil in the White City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Devil in the White City - Essay Example many as 200) and the World Fair that was going on at the time in the same city produces a vivid picture of America that presents both its best and its worst sides. The two stories, of creation and destruction, come together to create a whole: The so-called Gilded Age of American history was indeed a time of remarkable productivity. After the damage and chaos of the civil war a sudden spurt of energy occurred throughout America, but especially in Northern and mid-Western cities such as Chicago. An echo of the English Industrial Revolution that had transformed Britain a century before, American industry blossomed, and with it is cities. However, as Larson suggests, along with the growth of great cities with populations measured in the millions comes the anonymity, strangeness and loneliness associated with them. Holmes was both a product of these tendencies, and also took advantage of them. His comments regarding his own moral state, while melodramatic, may also encapsulate the great battle that was occurring between Labor (ie. individual human beings) and Capital (the great productive force) that was producing highly efficient, but somehow inhuman cities: While obviously self-serving, Holmes brings up an important factor – the sense of powerlessness within the modern cities as the battle between Labor and Capital played out. The idea of creation is vital within the book, in the sense of an industrial construction of various worlds that both clash with and yet strangely compliment one another. Thus, Daniel Burnham struggles against an unforgiving landscape (swamps) and government bureaucracy to see his dream rise above the city; and all the while Homes is building (and then secretly adapting) his torture and murder house. The fact that Holmes was a Doctor of Medicine adds a further layer of irony to the book. A person trained to help and cure people, who one might expect would be least likely to actually enjoy doing the opposite, enjoys doing just that.

Global Perspectives. Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Perspectives. Portfolio - Essay Example Activity Section 3 - Once you have completed this task take one global issue and one global process and undertake some further research on the internet. Write a brief summary of your research (retain for your portfolio) and then share with others in your respective Group Discussion Forum. On completion of the forum discussion write a brief summary of what you have learned from the discussion. Brief summaries of research and what you have learned from the discussion: Put here what you retained for the portfolio: a brief summary of your research (approx. 200 words) and a brief summary of what you have learned from the discussion (approx. 200 words). Activity Section 4 (part 1) - On the basis of your reading and experience what is your view of globalisation and how does it impact upon your experience? What are the benefits (of globalisation) and from whose perspective, and what are the negative consequences? Prepare a summary of your responses Task Section 5 - Chose one global issue that particularly interests you. Conduct your own research on your chosen issue and evaluate how knowledge varies depending on its source. Consider why there are discrepancies in opinion in your chosen issue and what the implications are in terms of the importance of who says what and when and most importantly why (what interests are at stake? Formal or informal, explicit or implicit). (maximum 1 page) Activity Section 6 (part 1) - Search the internet to learn about sustainable development. You are asked to consider two questions: If the economic model is based on continual growth is this at odds with sustainability and why? What is the role of business with regard to sustainable development and what does your organisation do with regard to sustainability? In this section you have been asked to note a number of responses as you have gone through the material. Scenario for UNEP Representative - Imagine you are a representative of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and have been

Law Enforcement Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law Enforcement Culture - Term Paper Example These cultural forces do not allow one to report any form of irregularity that another police officer engaged in even if you do not agree with it. This could be corruption incidences, illegal use of force to the public or any other acts not in line with good police rules and regulations. In essence, shapes what is right or wrong as amongst them whether or not it’s in the book. Those who violate this kind of norm are met with severe sanctions from, not just the officer on the wrong but also the entire workforce. This sanction may include even physical assault on each other. Some writers have argued that this kind of culture grows stronger because generally police officers feel alienated, (Dellattre, 1994), and the only people who can understand them are other police officers who are able to identify with their specific problems and so they need to participate in the code of silence for them to feel accepted. Since police institutions are filled with injustices, hard punishments and corruption of the superiors, most of the police officers feel that their workplace has largely victimized them and use this excuse to engage in misconduct. Then if they are caught in their acts, they will manipulate other officers or even engage in arm-twisting to escape punishment. Participating in the code of silence is their way of not just achieving a sense of belonging but also of hiding away from punishment from their misconducts since no other colleague will be testifying against them. Effective Communication and Proper Presentation of Oneself Since talking to the superiors about a colleague’s misconduct is against the culture and may result to sanction from one’s peers, it is important to be careful if you are planning to maintain good morals and dignity in the workforce. First of all, effective communication is paramount, (Anonymous, 2006). Good communication will help other police officers feel accepted in their workplace to drive away their feelings of victimization and frustration. They need to accept their job and the challenges that come with it. It will help them maintain a positive attitude when they are working and they needn’t try and drown their frustration on innocent citizens or in drugs. One also needs to ensure that there is a good channel of communication with the superiors through which the police can air their grievances. The police administration needs to know the things that their subordinates are not comfortable with, whether it’s in promotion, way of carrying out discipline or other issues. All functions of the administration should be performed fairly and in transparency so that no one is left with feelings of bitterness and resentment. Those who have been caught in any form of misconduct should be justly punished so as to deter others from doing the same and to make them see that justice is being done. Ethical training amongst the police force should be advocated for which will instill upon them a sense of dignity and responsibility not to engage in certain acts. Further, one needs to carry themselves with dignity and needn’t succumb to the vices of their colleagues. They should be the ones to correct their colleagues when they are about to engage in misconducts and give them warnings against doing the same. He should not be afraid to condemn wrong actions as well as congratulate good behaviour and as such, be the custodians of good morals within the institution. For the few who

Beowulf Is A Christian Hero Religion Essay

Beowulf Is A Christian Hero Religion Essay Have you ever had the privilege of reading George Orwells novel known as Animal Farm? If so, you are probably well aware that it is a book that reflects the government and leadership of the days in which it was written. Many people believe that Beowulf is similar to Animal Farm in that it also reflects a part of the culture of its day. But instead of reflecting government, like Animal Farm, Beowulf reflects the changes in the religious culture of England. While describing the background of Beowulf, Burton Raffel points out, When Beowulf was composed, England was changing from a pagan to a Christian culture. Therefore, Beowulf signifies the Christian culture that is overcoming and replacing the pagan culture, which is signified by Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. Beowulf, the poem, may have been written by a heathen (which is a debate for another paper) but Beowulf the character was a Christian. Raffels point can be taken a step further. Not only did Beowulf symbolize the Christian culture, but he also symbolized Christ himself. Along with that comes the idea that Grendel, his mother, and the dragon not only symbolize the pagan culture but also Satan, the devil, or simply evil. The most obvious act of displaying Christ seen in Beowulf is when he sacrificed his own life to kill the dragon and ensure the safety of his people. The next example is not quite as obvious as the first but is still reasonable. Throughout the entire poem, Grendel and his mom are both referred to as the devil or a demon several times. So Hrothgars men lived happy in his hall/ Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Raffel 39). Later on, after Grendel attacked and killed some soldiers in Herot, the name calling continues: In Herot, a mighty prince mourning/ The fate of his lost friends and companions,/ Knowing by its tracks that some demon had torn/ His followers apart. (Raffel 40). Later on when Hrothgar tells Beowulf of what his people have seen, they describe Grendel and his mother in the following way: And theyve said to my wise men that, as well as they could see,/ One of the devils was a female creature. (Raffel 49). Sometimes the author is not as flagrant in his or her references to Grendel and his mom as the devil or demons. Sometimes the author simply hints at the idea. Speaking of Grendel he says, living down in the darkness, where the darkness is referring to hell (Raffel 39). The most obvious hint at the idea is when Grendel will not touch Hrothgars throne because it was protected by God: Though he lived/ In Herot, when the night hid him, he never/ Dared to touch King Hrothgars glorious/ Throne, protected by God God,/ Whose love Grendel could not know. (Raffel 41). This point can be further understood after reading James 2:19. Grendel knows of God yet lives in fear of him. The last hint the author gives is when he calls Grendels mothers cave the God-cursed roof to once again have the place where they live resemble Hell (Heaney 211). Considering the fact that Beowulf defeated these demons or devils pushes the idea even further that he is a Christ figure throughout the poem. Now thinking realistically, how could a story about a pagan who resembles Christ last for several centuries if never written down? It simply could not have. Realistically, for an oral story to last so long, the Christ figure must have intentionally been depicted by a Christ follower or else the story would have basically no meaning or value to anyone at all and therefore be forgotten. Throughout the text, God, as well as many Biblical characters and events, are mentioned and recognized and even prayed to by Beowulf himself. In the very beginning, literally the seventh line of the poem, the Creation is spoken of: The Almighty making the earth, shaping/ These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,/ Then proudly setting the sun and moon/ To glow across the land and light it (Raffel 39). Not too long after that, Cain and Abel are mentioned: Conceived by a pair of those monsters born/ Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God, punished forever for the crime/ Of Abels death. (Raffel 39-40). The most significant segment is when Beowulf prays to God and thanks him for his loot or treasure: For this, this gold, these jewels, I thank our Father in Heaven, Ruler of the Earthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Raffel 59). This shows us not only that Beowulf acknowledged Gods mere existence but that he also considered Him the Ruler of the Earth and knew that He was the one who brought him al l of his wealth. Yes, it is true that even Satan himself believes in Gods existence and that He is the Ruler of the Earth. In James 2:19 the Bible states, You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder. But Beowulfs belief in and of God goes further and deeper than the demons belief. This is backed up later on when Beowulfs eternity in heaven is mentioned. Please do not take my word and my translation of the poem alone. This is not just a personal opinion. Other literature experts have said the exact same thing that I am. Larry D. Benson suggested that the pagan material was added to Beowulf in order to arouse sympathy (Ogilvy 169). An anonymous student wrote a short paper on the matter. Speaking of the poem Beowulf, he said, Although showing signs of being a pagan story, Beowulf is primarily a Christian story. The argument for Beowulf as a Christian poem goes hand in hand with my first point that it signifies the religious and cultural changes that were taking place in its time. Now here are a couple of the top arguments that try to say Beowulf is not a Christian. Arguably the most popular argument is that Beowulf does not believe in God but instead believes in fate. Someone that wrote a paper on Beowulf, who is known as Ultisch said, Many times throughout Beowulf, the author will reference fate, while speaking of Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ To reword, they are saying that, yes, Beowulf does mention fate, but when he does, he is referring to Gods ultimate sovereignty and control and not something of pure chance or luck. Some people also like to argue that Beowulfs death bed wish to see the treasures he just earned, instead of his family or something of more long term value, is proof that he was not a Christian. As he dies, Beowulf asks Wiglaf to bring him the treasure that the dragon was guarding. (Raffel 58). Now think reasonably. How can this logically prove that he was not a Christian? He is simply being reasonable and realistic. He knows he does not have enough t ime left and that he can not see his family. In their book, J.D.A Ogilvy and Donald C. Baker say, Beowulf is dying why not see the treasure? Even if this was not the case and Beowulf was being greedy, it still would not prove anything. Is a mans greed proof that he is an unbeliever? The obvious answer is no. In Roman 3:23 the Bible says, For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. Just because a man sinned does not mean he is not a Christian. In conclusion, Beowulf was a Christian man and did go to heaven in the end. Yes, there is more proof for that too. At the end of the poem, Beowulfs death is described in this way: His soul left his flesh, flew to glory. (Raffel 59). The word glory here quite obviously means heaven. Also, before he fights the dragon, Beowulf says, Ive never known fear, (Raffel 54) saying that he is not afraid to die. This shows us that he knows his eternity is secure in the Lord. This proves that Beowulfs belief in and of God goes further than that of the demons and that he truly is a child of God.

Odour of Chrysanthemums as a Classic Essay -- Odour of Chrysanthemums

Odour of Chrysanthemums as a Classic    The claim that "Odour of Chrysanthemums" is a well-crafted story is hardly brave or risky, for many would agree. For instance, the man who in a sense discovered Lawrence, English Review editor F. M. Ford, said this about "Odour of Chrysanthemums": The very title makes an impact on the mind. You get at once the knowledge that this is not, whatever else it may turn out, either a frivolous or even a gay springtime story. Chrysanthemums are not only flowers of the autumn: they are the autumn itself. . . This man knows what he wants. He sees the scene of his story exactly. He has an authoritative mind. (Ford 257) As a fiction editor, he is quite receptive to Lawrence's descriptive gifts. He is impressed with Lawrence's sense of purpose. But readers needn't assess the short story by Ford's methods alone. Modern readers have a very different perspective than Lawrence's contemporaries, ensuring that many different analyses of "Odour of Chrysanthemums" are possible. However, the plot itself is very simple. In the 1914 version, Elizabeth Bates spends most of the story waiting for her husband to return from the mine, fretting that he is once again dallying at a favorite pub. His coworkers drag him home, but he is not in a drunken stupor. He is dead, suffocated in an accident at the mine. Initially it seems that the moment when Elizabeth learns that her husband is dead is the story's climax. However, this is not the story's most riveting moment, for Lawrence's foreshadowing has already given this ending away. Elizabeth often unknowingly hints at the coming death, saying, "They'll bring him when he does come--like a log" (Lawrence 290). The real surprise comes after the reader discove... ...e sense alone. This idea reflects people's deepest fears, or perhaps evokes new ones. "Odour of Chrysanthemums" is not successful and shocking because of particularly beautiful writing, realistic characters or even a surprise ending. It is shocking because of a surprise thought.    Works Cited Lawrence, David Herbert. "Odour of Chrysanthemums." D. H. Lawrence: The Complete Short Stories (Vol. 2). New York: Penguin Books, 1976. Bolton, James T. "Odour of Chrysanthemums: An Early Version." Renaissance and Modern Studies 13 (1969), 12-44. Ford, Madox Ford. "D. H. Lawrence." Portraits from Life. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1937. Lawrence, David Herbert. "Women Are So Cocksure." Phoenix. London: Heinemann, 1936. 167-69. Lawrence, David Herbert. "To T. D. D." 7 July 1914. Selected Letters. Ed. Richard Aldington. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.

Digital Fortress Chapter 3

Susan's Volvo sedan rolled to a stop in the shadow of the ten-foot-high, barbed Cyclone fence. A young guard placed his hand on the roof. â€Å"ID, please.† Susan obliged and settled in for the usual half-minute wait. The officer ran her card through a computerized scanner. Finally he looked up. â€Å"Thank you, Ms. Fletcher.† He gave an imperceptible sign, and the gate swung open. Half a mile ahead Susan repeated the entire procedure at an equally imposing electrified fence. Come on, guys†¦ I've only been through here a million times. As she approached the final checkpoint, a stocky sentry with two attack dogs and a machine gun glanced down at her license plate and waved her through. She followed Canine Road for another 250 yards and pulled into Employee Lot C. Unbelievable, she thought. Twenty-six thousand employees and a twelve-billion-dollar budget; you'd think they could make it through the weekend without me. Susan gunned the car into her reserved spot and killed the engine. After crossing the landscaped terrace and entering the main building, she cleared two more internal checkpoints and finally arrived at the windowless tunnel that led to the new wing. A voice-scan booth blocked her entry. NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY (NSA) CRYPTO FACILITY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY The armed guard looked up. â€Å"Afternoon, Ms. Fletcher.† Susan smiled tiredly. â€Å"Hi, John.† â€Å"Didn't expect you today.† â€Å"Yeah, me neither.† She leaned toward the parabolic microphone. â€Å"Susan Fletcher,† she stated clearly. The computer instantly confirmed the frequency concentrations in her voice, and the gate clicked open. She stepped through. The guard admired Susan as she began her walk down the cement causeway. He noticed that her strong hazel eyes seemed distant today, but her cheeks had a flushed freshness, and her shoulder-length, auburn hair looked newly blown dry. Trailing her was the faint scent of Johnson's Baby Powder. His eyes fell the length of her slender torso-to her white blouse with the bra barely visible beneath, to her knee-length khaki skirt, and finally to her legs†¦ Susan Fletcher's legs. Hard to imagine they support a 170 IQ, he mused to himself. He stared after her a long time. Finally he shook his head as she disappeared in the distance. As Susan reached the end of the tunnel, a circular, vaultlike door blocked her way. The enormous letters read: crypto. Sighing, she placed her hand inside the recessed cipher box and entered her five-digit PIN. Seconds later the twelve-ton slab of steel began to revolve. She tried to focus, but her thoughts reeled back to him. David Becker. The only man she'd ever loved. The youngest full professor at Georgetown University and a brilliant foreign-language specialist, he was practically a celebrity in the world of academia. Born with an eidetic memory and a love of languages, he'd mastered six Asian dialects as well as Spanish, French, and Italian. His university lectures on etymology and linguistics were standing-room only, and he invariably stayed late to answer a barrage of questions. He spoke with authority and enthusiasm, apparently oblivious to the adoring gazes of his star-struck coeds. Becker was dark-a rugged, youthful thirty-five with sharp green eyes and a wit to match. His strong jaw and taut features reminded Susan of carved marble. Over six feet tall, Becker moved across a squash court faster than any of his colleagues could comprehend. After soundly beating his opponent, he would cool off by dousing his head in a drinking fountain and soaking his tuft of thick, black hair. Then, still dripping, he'd treat his opponent to a fruit shake and a bagel. As with all young professors, David's university salary was modest. From time to time, when he needed to renew his squash club membership or restring his old Dunlop with gut, he earned extra money by doing translating work for government agencies in and around Washington. It was on one of those jobs that he'd met Susan. It was a crisp morning during fall break when Becker returned from a morning jog to his three-room faculty apartment to find his answering machine blinking. He downed a quart of orange juice as he listened to the playback. The message was like many he received-a government agency requesting his translating services for a few hours later that morning. The only strange thing was that Becker had never heard of the organization. â€Å"They're called the National Security Agency,† Becker said, calling a few of his colleagues for background. The reply was always the same. â€Å"You mean the National Security Council?† Becker checked the message. â€Å"No. They said Agency. The NSA.† â€Å"Never heard of 'em.† Becker checked the GAO Directory, and it showed no listing either. Puzzled, Becker called one of his old squash buddies, an ex-political analyst turned research clerk at the Library of Congress. David was shocked by his friend's explanation. Apparently, not only did the NSA exist, but it was considered one of the most influential government organizations in the world. It had been gathering global electronic intelligence data and protecting U.S. classified information for over half a century. Only 3 percent of Americans were even aware it existed. â€Å"NSA,† his buddy joked, â€Å"stands for ‘No Such Agency.' â€Å" With a mixture of apprehension and curiosity, Becker accepted the mysterious agency's offer. He drove the thirty-seven miles to their eighty-six-acre headquarters hidden discreetly in the wooded hills of Fort Meade, Maryland. After passing through endless security checks and being issued a six-hour, holographic guest pass, he was escorted to a plush research facility where he was told he would spend the afternoon providing â€Å"blind support† to the Cryptography Division-an elite group of mathematical brainiacs known as the code-breakers. For the first hour, the cryptographers seemed unaware Becker was even there. They hovered around an enormous table and spoke a language Becker had never heard. They spoke of stream ciphers, self-decimated generators, knapsack variants, zero knowledge protocols, unicity points. Becker observed, lost. They scrawled symbols on graph paper, pored over computer printouts, and continuously referred to the jumble of text on the overhead projector. JHdja3jKHDhmado/ertwtjlw+jgj328 5jhalsfnHKhhhfafOhhdfgaf/fj37we ohi93450s9djfd2h/HHrtyFHLf89303 95jspjf2j0890Ihj98yhfi080ewrt03 jojr845h0roq+jt0eu4tqefqe//oujw 08UY0IH0934jtpwfiajer09qu4jr9gu ivjP$duw4h95pe8rtugvjw3p4e/ikkc mffuerhfgv0q394ikjrmg+unhvs9oer rk/0956y7u0poikIOjp9f8760qwerqi Eventually one of them explained what Becker had already surmised. The scrambled text was a code-a â€Å"cipher text†-groups of numbers and letters representing encrypted words. The cryptographers' job was to study the code and extract from it the original message, or â€Å"cleartext.† The NSA had called Becker because they suspected the original message was written in Mandarin Chinese; he was to translate the symbols as the cryptographers decrypted them. For two hours, Becker interpreted an endless stream of Mandarin symbols. But each time he gave them a translation, the cryptographers shook their heads in despair. Apparently the code was not making sense. Eager to help, Becker pointed out that all the characters they'd shown him had a common trait-they were also part of the Kanji language. Instantly the bustle in the room fell silent. The man in charge, a lanky chain-smoker named Morante, turned to Becker in disbelief. â€Å"You mean these symbols have multiple meanings?† Becker nodded. He explained that Kanji was a Japanese writing system based on modified Chinese characters. He'd been giving Mandarin translations because that's what they'd asked for. â€Å"Jesus Christ.† Morante coughed. â€Å"Let's try the Kanji.† Like magic, everything fell into place. The cryptographers were duly impressed, but nonetheless, they still made Becker work on the characters out of sequence. â€Å"It's for your own safety,† Morante said. â€Å"This way, you won't know what you're translating.† Becker laughed. Then he noticed nobody else was laughing. When the code finally broke, Becker had no idea what dark secrets he'd helped reveal, but one thing was for certain-the NSA took code-breaking seriously; the check in Becker's pocket was more than an entire month's university salary. On his way back out through the series of security check points in the main corridor, Becker's exit was blocked by a guard hanging up a phone. â€Å"Mr. Becker, wait here, please.† â€Å"What's the problem?† Becker had not expected the meeting to take so long, and he was running late for his standing Saturday afternoon squash match. The guard shrugged. â€Å"Head of Crypto wants a word. She's on her way out now.† â€Å"She?† Becker laughed. He had yet to see a female inside the NSA. â€Å"Is that a problem for you?† a woman's voice asked from behind him. Becker turned and immediately felt himself flush. He eyed the ID card on the woman's blouse. The head of the NSA's Cryptography Division was not only a woman, but an attractive woman at that. â€Å"No,† Becker fumbled. â€Å"I just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Susan Fletcher.† The woman smiled, holding out her slender hand. Becker took it. â€Å"David Becker.† â€Å"Congratulations, Mr. Becker. I hear you did a fine job today. Might I chat with you about it?† Becker hesitated. â€Å"Actually, I'm in a bit of a rush at the moment.† He hoped spurning the world's most powerful intelligence agency wasn't a foolish act, but his squash match started in forty-five minutes, and he had a reputation to uphold: David Becker was never late for squash†¦ class maybe, but never squash. â€Å"I'll be brief.† Susan Fletcher smiled. â€Å"Right this way, please.† Ten minutes later, Becker was in the NSA's commissary enjoying a popover and cranberry juice with the NSA's lovely head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher. It quickly became evident to David that the thirty-eight-year-old's high-ranking position at the NSA was no fluke-she was one of the brightest women he had ever met. As they discussed codes and code-breaking, Becker found himself struggling to keep up-a new and exciting experience for him. An hour later, after Becker had obviously missed his squash match and Susan had blatantly ignored three pages on the intercom, both of them had to laugh. There they were, two highly analytical minds, presumably immune to irrational infatuations-but somehow, while they sat there discussing linguistic morphology and pseudo-random number generators, they felt like a couple of teenagers-everything was fireworks. Susan never did get around to the real reason she'd wanted to speak to David Becker-to offer him a trial post in their Asiatic Cryptography Division. It was clear from the passion with which the young professor spoke about teaching that he would never leave the university. Susan decided not to ruin the mood by talking business. She felt like a schoolgirl all over again; nothing was going to spoil it. And nothing did. Their courtship was slow and romantic-stolen escapes whenever their schedules permitted, long walks through the Georgetown campus, late-night cappuccinos at Merlutti's, occasional lectures and concerts. Susan found herself laughing more than she'd ever thought possible. It seemed there was nothing David couldn't twist into a joke. It was a welcome release from the intensity of her post at the NSA. One crisp, autumn afternoon they sat in the bleachers watching Georgetown soccer get pummeled by Rutgers. â€Å"What sport did you say you play?† Susan teased. â€Å"Zucchini?† Becker groaned. â€Å"It's called squash.† She gave him a dumb look. â€Å"It's like zucchini,† he explained, â€Å"but the court's smaller.† Susan pushed him. Georgetown's left wing sent a corner-kick sailing out of bounds, and a boo went up from the crowd. The defensemen hurried back downfield. â€Å"How about you?† Becker asked. â€Å"Play any sports?† â€Å"I'm a black belt in Stairmaster.† Becker cringed. â€Å"I prefer sports you can win.† Susan smiled. â€Å"Overachiever, are we?† Georgetown's star defenseman blocked a pass, and there was a communal cheer in the stands. Susan leaned over and whispered in David's ear. â€Å"Doctor.† He turned and eyed her, lost. â€Å"Doctor,† she repeated. â€Å"Say the first thing that comes to mind.† Becker looked doubtful. â€Å"Word associations?† â€Å"Standard NSA procedure. I need to know who I'm with.† She eyed him sternly. â€Å"Doctor.† Becker shrugged. â€Å"Seuss.† Susan gave him a frown. â€Å"Okay, try this one†¦ ‘kitchen.' â€Å" He didn't hesitate. â€Å"Bedroom.† Susan arched her eyebrows coyly. â€Å"Okay, how about this†¦ ‘cat.' â€Å" â€Å"Gut,† Becker fired back. â€Å"Gut?† â€Å"Yeah. Catgut. Squash racquet string of champions.† â€Å"That's pleasant.† She groaned. â€Å"Your diagnosis?† Becker inquired. Susan thought a minute. â€Å"You're a childish, sexually frustrated squash fiend.† Becker shrugged. â€Å"Sounds about right.† It went on like that for weeks. Over dessert at all-night diners Becker would ask endless questions. Where had she learned mathematics? How did she end up at the NSA? How did she get so captivating? Susan blushed and admitted she'd been a late bloomer. Lanky and awkward with braces through her late teens, Susan said her Aunt Clara had once told her God's apology for Susan's plainness was to give her brains. A premature apology, Becker thought. Susan explained that her interest in cryptography had started in junior high school. The president of the computer club, a towering eighth grader named Frank Gutmann, typed her a love poem and encrypted it with a number-substitution scheme. Susan begged to know what it said. Frank flirtatiously refused. Susan took the code home and stayed up all night with a flashlight under her covers until she figured out the secret-every number represented a letter. She carefully deciphered the code and watched in wonder as the seemingly random digits turned magically into beautiful poetry. In that instant, she knew she'd fallen in love-codes and cryptography would become her life. Almost twenty years later, after getting her master's in mathematics from Johns Hopkins and studying number theory on a full scholarship from MIT, she submitted her doctoral thesis, Cryptographic Methods, Protocols, and Algorithms for Manual Applications. Apparently her professor was not the only one who read it; shortly afterward, Susan received a phone call and a plane ticket from the NSA. Everyone in cryptography knew about the NSA; it was home to the best cryptographic minds on the planet. Each spring, as the private-sector firms descended on the brightest new minds in the workforce and offered obscene salaries and stock options, the NSA watched carefully, selected their targets, and then simply stepped in and doubled the best standing offer. What the NSA wanted, the NSA bought. Trembling with anticipation, Susan flew to Washington's Dulles International Airport where she was met by an NSA driver, who whisked her off to Fort Meade. There were forty-one others who had received the same phone call that year. At twenty-eight, Susan was the youngest. She was also the only female. The visit turned out to be more of a public relations bonanza and a barrage of intelligence testing than an informational session. In the week that followed, Susan and six others where invited back. Although hesitant, Susan returned. The group was immediately separated. They underwent individual polygraph tests, background searches, handwriting analyses, and endless hours of interviews, including taped inquiries into their sexual orientations and practices. When the interviewer asked Susan if she'd ever engaged in sex with animals, she almost walked out, but somehow the mystery carried her through-the prospect of working on the cutting edge of code theory, entering â€Å"The Puzzle Palace,† and becoming a member of the most secretive club in the world-the National Security Agency. Becker sat riveted by her stories. â€Å"They actually asked you if you'd had sex with animals?† Susan shrugged. â€Å"Part of the routine background check.† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Becker fought off a grin. â€Å"What did you say?† She kicked him under the table. â€Å"I told them no!† Then she added, â€Å"And until last night, it was true.† In Susan's eyes, David was as close to perfect as she could imagine. He only had one unfortunate quality; every time they went out, he insisted on picking up the check. Susan hated seeing him lay down a full day's salary on dinner for two, but Becker was immovable. Susan learned not to protest, but it still bothered her. I make more money than I know what to do with, she thought. I should be paying. Nonetheless, Susan decided that aside from David's outdated sense of chivalry, he was ideal. He was compassionate, smart, funny, and best of all, he had a sincere interest in her work. Whether it was during trips to the Smithsonian, bike rides, or burning spaghetti in Susan's kitchen, David was perpetually curious. Susan answered what questions she could and gave David the general, unclassified overview of the National Security Agency. What David heard enthralled him. Founded by President Truman at 12:01 a.m. on November 4, 1952, the NSA had been the most clandestine intelligence agency in the world for almost fifty years. The NSA's seven-page inception doctrine laid out a very concise agenda: to protect U.S. government communications and to intercept the communications of foreign powers. The roof of the NSA's main operations building was littered with over five hundred antennas, including two large radomes that looked like enormous golf balls. The building itself was mammoth-over two million square feet, twice the size of CIA headquarters. Inside were eight million feet of telephone wire and eighty thousand square feet of permanently sealed windows. Susan told David about COMINT, the agency's global reconnaissance division-a mind-boggling collection of listening posts, satellites, spies, and wiretaps around the globe. Thousands of communiques and conversations were intercepted every day, and they were all sent to the NSA's analysts for decryption. The FBI, CIA, and U.S. foreign policy advisors all depended on the NSA's intelligence to make their decisions. Becker was mesmerized. â€Å"And code-breaking? Where do you fit in?† Susan explained how the intercepted transmissions often originated from dangerous governments, hostile factions, and terrorist groups, many of whom were inside U.S. borders. Their communications were usually encoded for secrecy in case they ended up in the wrong hands-which, thanks to COMINT, they usually did. Susan told David her job was to study the codes, break them by hand, and furnish the NSA with the deciphered messages. This was not entirely true. Susan felt a pang of guilt over lying to her new love, but she had no choice. A few years ago it would have been accurate, but things had changed at the NSA. The whole world of cryptography had changed. Susan's new duties were classified, even to many in the highest echelons of power. â€Å"Codes,† Becker said, fascinated. â€Å"How do you know where to start? I mean†¦ how do you break them?† Susan smiled. â€Å"You of all people should know. It's like studying a foreign language. At first the text looks like gibberish, but as you learn the rules defining its structure, you can start to extract meaning.† Becker nodded, impressed. He wanted to know more. With Merlutti's napkins and concert programs as her chalkboard, Susan set out to give her charming new pedagogue a mini course in cryptography. She began with Julius Caesar's â€Å"perfect square† cipher box. Caesar, she explained, was the first code-writer in history. When his foot-messengers started getting ambushed and his secret communiques stolen, he devised a rudimentary way to encrypt this directives. He rearranged the text of his messages such that the correspondence looked senseless. Of course, it was not. Each message always had a letter-count that was a perfect square-sixteen, twenty-five, one hundred-depending on how much Caesar needed to say. He secretly informed his officers that when a random message arrived, they should transcribe the text into a square grid. If they did, and read top-to-bottom, a secret message would magically appear. Over time Caesar's concept of rearranging text was adopted by others and modified to become more difficult to break. The pinnacle of non computer-based encryption came during World War II. The Nazis built a baffling encryption machine named Enigma. The device resembled an old-fashioned typewriter with brass interlocking rotors that revolved in intricate ways and shuffled cleartext into confounding arrays of seemingly senseless character groupings. Only by having another Enigma machine, calibrated the exact same way, could the recipient break the code. Becker listened, spellbound. The teacher had become the student. One night, at a university performance of The Nutcracker, Susan gave David his first basic code to break. He sat through the entire intermission, pen in hand, puzzling over the eleven-letter message: HL FKZC VD LDS Finally, just as the lights dimmed for the second half, he got it. To encode, Susan had simply replaced each letter of her message with the letter preceding it in the alphabet. To decrypt the code, all Becker had to do was shift each letter one space forward in the alphabet-â€Å"A† became â€Å"B,† â€Å"B† became â€Å"C,† and so on. He quickly shifted the remaining letters. He never imagined four little syllables could make him so happy: IM GLAD WE MET He quickly scrawled his response and handed it to her: LD SNN Susan read it and beamed. Becker had to laugh; he was thirty-five years-old, and his heart was doing back flips. He'd never been so attracted to a woman in his life. Her delicate European features and soft brown eyes reminded him of an ad for Estee Lauder. If Susan's body had been lanky and awkward as a teenager, it sure wasn't now. Somewhere along the way, she had developed a willowy grace-slender and tall with full, firm breasts and a perfectly flat abdomen. David often joked that she was the first swimsuit model he'd ever met with a doctorate in applied mathematics and number theory. As the months passed, they both started to suspect they'd found something that could last a lifetime. They'd been together almost two years when, out of the blue, David proposed to her. It was on a weekend trip to the Smoky Mountains. They were lying on a big canopy bed at Stone Manor. He had no ring-he just blurted it out. That's what she loved about him-he was so spontaneous. She kissed him long and hard. He took her in his arms and slipped off her nightgown. â€Å"I'll take that as a yes,† he said, and they made love all night by the warmth of the fire. That magical evening had been six months ago-before David's unexpected promotion to chairman of the Modern Language Department. Their relationship had been in a downhill slide ever since.

Can Computer Replace Human Beings Essay

Many of us think that computers are many times faster, more powerful and more capable when compared to humans simply because they can perform calculations thousands of time faster, workout logical computations without error and store memory at incredible speeds with flawless accuracy. Human Brain: We can only estimate the processing power of the average human brain as there is no way to measure it quantitatively as of yet. If the theory of taking nerve volume to be proportional to processing power is true we then, may have a correct estimate of the human brain’s processing power. * by simple calculation, we can estimate the processing power of a average brain to be about 100 million MIPS (Million computer Instructions Per Second ). In case you’re wondering how much speed that is, let us give you an idea. * 1999’s fastest PC processor chip on the market was a 700 MHz pentium that did 4200 MIPS. By simple calculation, we can see that we would need at least 24,000 of these processors in a system to match up to the total speed of the brain !! Computers have brought a revolution in human life. To begin with, computers took over different human activities. Now even thinking and problem-solving are being done by computer The situation makes many of us believe that computers are likely to replace human beings in every walk of life. But every coin has two sides. However useful they may be, computers cannot replace human beings. Human life is not a mechanical affair. A pearl like tear silently rolls down the cheek at the memory of the loved one. A compliment by an elderly person restores the confidence of a depressed person. Computers have intelligence and think like human beings? Will computer be superior to us and replace us in the future? On hearing the questions, many people may think that it’s impossible that computer will be superior to human. Computer is made by us; it’s only a machine, a tool. It cannot have feelings But a lot of facts make us surprised. Let us see what is going on in detail. A chess-playing computer can defeat the world chess champion in 1997. Nowadays, artificial intelligence has got a significant development. Computer can understand our language and accept the oral command. Computer can already do a lot of tasks and they are learning to do other new tasks one by one. In some fields, computer works more efficient than human indeed. However, I think, we should catch the key point: computer is always doing the things that we told them how to do. We admit that if we tell computer how to do the work, it can do it and sometimes it can do better than us because computer has greater ability to deal with some special kind of problems and it will not be tired. Computer cannot solve the new problems that it has never met The human’s development process is always raising problems and solving them again and again, these attributes cannot be possessed by the computer. , though computer can act like human, it is still a computer; it doesn’t have feelings or free will. We have feelings, we will be happy or unhappy, we will be ashamed when we do something wrong. We have soul and we are alive. We have free will to decide what to do. Can computer have feelings? It can’t. It has no will, what it is doing is only executing the programs made by human. I don’t think a computer can ever be replaced with a human, because it doesn’t have the same physical needs that we have. But I want a computer to interface with me almost like a human. At least on the interface side to be polite like a human, to understand my human needs. I want it to serve me and understand me as a human. However, I expect a computer to be better than a human in many ways, such as keeping track of time. I expect a computer to know what five minutes is. I expect a computer to be reliable. I expect a computer’s memory to be perfect. I expect a computer to do all the things that computers do well. Record video information – humans can’t do that – record audio information, do text-to-speech, keep an accurate and perfect record of time and what happens in time. All the things that a computer is flawless at and can do well. I want the computer to help me. Help me augment my memory, so that when I go to the doctor and they say â€Å"What did you have for breakfast?† it could show me, â€Å"This is what you had for breakfast, I took a picture of it.† Because that’s what a computer can do for you. But I want it to understand that that’s what I need, that’s what I want. In order for the computer to understand what I need and what I want, it has to understand my emotional reactions to things, so that it can learn what it is that I need and want. A simple touch of mother silences a crying baby. Can a computer perform these and many such other miracles? Nowadays, teaching is being done by computers. Computer-lovers claim that the can learn with the help of a computer. Computers also administer tests, declare results and award certificates. But imagine the difference between the two situations, i.e., sitting before a computer and sitting in a class room with dozens of students around us and in the presence of a teacher. The pains and pleasures of companionship, the repudiating as well as encouraging expressions on the teachers face, the direct interaction, eye contact, spontaneous smiles and abundant sharing and understanding set this living situation a world apart from the lonely, computer-controlled suffocating room.

Schumann Mr. and Mrs Romanticism Essays

Schumann Mr. and Mrs Romanticism Essays Schumann Mr. and Mrs Romanticism Essay Schumann Mr. and Mrs Romanticism Essay Schumann: Mr. Mrs. RomanticismJessi AbbegHUM 2510 Music AppreciationSeptember 11, 2013Professor Wendy GilletteIntroduction As philosophers of the Romantic Movement searched for a new understanding, they turned from the analytical, attempted more subjectivity than objectivity, and began to embrace rather than to examine. The Romantic’s began to value man based on their passion and emotions, to strive for creativity and expression, and to cultivate intuition and imagination. Consequently, this caused a shift away from order to chaos, from answers to questions, from predictability and reasons to uncertainty. Accordingly, uncertainty became the only assurance, the convention of Romanticism, and the very essence of the Romantic Era. The resulting philosophy eventually led to an artistic resurgence through which music gained importance as a powerful means of expression, and a significant standing within the culture. . Robert SchumannMore than one esteemed musical mind has called R obert Schumann the spirit of the romantic age - an age that was nothing if not spirited. Editor-critic and composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856), personifies views of Romanticism in theory and practice: his life speaks of great imagination and pain, his compositional style of invention and ambiguity. A composer throughout the early- to mid-nineteenth century, he is probably best known for his songs and piano works. Before injuring his finger most likely with a chiroplast (an instrument that guides the hands while playing; highly controversial), Schumann was an avid piano player, if not a proper concert pianist and virtuoso (Kamien). Nevertheless, due to this ailing finger, Schumann had to eventually find other means to support his life. Thankfully for us, he eventually turned to composition, and furthermore, to piano composition.During his lifetime, he composed four symphonies and numerous piano works all of which were not always well received immediately, because

Stock Portfolio Analysis - Coke and Pepsi Term Paper

Stock Portfolio Analysis - Coke and Pepsi - Term Paper Example The annual expected return for Coke is 0.1307, while the annual expected for Pepsi Company is 0.0482. This means that Coke offers an expected higher return for an investor that Pepsi Company. However, the investment that an individual is willing to make is also measured by the risk attached to the investment. The risk that is attached to an investment means the potential variation of actual returns from expected returns, a factor that is measured by the variance and standard deviation of an asset or portfolio. From an analysis of Coke and Pepsi Companies, it is evident that Pepsi has a higher standard deviation and variance, albeit by a small percentage. The standard deviation and variance for Pepsi are 0.048 and 0.0024 respectively, while the standard deviation and variance for Coke are 0.046 and 0.0027 respectively. This means that Pepsi’s stock has a higher deviation from expected return, so an investor who is risk averse would prefer to invest in Coke. The other factor tha t is used to determine the expected return of a stock is the beta, which refers to the relative volatility of the stock to the market. From the analysis, it is evident that Coke has a higher beta of 0.54 compared to Pepsi’s beta of 0.52, which indicates that Coke’s Stock is more volatile in the market. The covariance of two stocks in a market indicates that extent to which the returns for the two investments move in relation to each other. The covariance for Coke and Pepsi is low at 0.002, which means that the stocks co-vary. An investor with an aim of diversifying stock should not invest in the two stocks together. The correlation of stocks refers to the extent to which the prices of the two stocks affect each other, and from the analysis, a correlation of 0.7 indicates that the prices of the two stocks are strongly correlated, since the two stocks are strong competitors. Coke and the Market The annual return for Coke is higher than the annual return displayed by the market, which indicates that Coke is performing better than the market. The annual return for coke stands at 0.1307, while the annual return for the market is -0.009. However, the market has a lower risk than Coke, as can be seen from the standard deviations of the two portfolios. The variance and standard deviations for the two are 0.0027 and 0.0467 respectively for Coke and 0.0030 and 0.0214 respectively for the market. This indicates that Coke has a higher chance of risk than the market, which would be the ideal choice for a risk indifferent investor. The covariance of

Make me a Millionaire Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Make me a Millionaire - Coursework Example My fast goal as a financial advisor is to commend your financial achievement by having an income is an excellent start for a young person of this age. My other advice will be to look at your spending tied to this income. As a coach, I will advise that set money goals by financially planning your present and future spending? This applies to all sphere of life. Those who become financially independence clear their debts. As time elapsed, it will be accruing interest which will tie money needed for investment. Set a paying mechanism of the loan by paying $6,450 every year including interest for ten years. This is because the loan has a low-interest rate no need to rush paying it. After paying this loan at $2,150 yearly. This money freed for saving for 21 years will go to a fixed deposit account and the money, which, use to pay the loan, should also be tied to mutual fund $4,300 including and the 10% saving been saving for ten years. The remaining $19,970 after paying the 401k pension pr ogram. The 4% on 401k will help gain 50% match put aside $4,464 to pay the credit card for five years. After the five years, assume the payment still continues and channel the fund to savings account for 26 years that will total $116,064 when turning 55 years. Purchase personal life insurance cover by paying a premium of $750 from the remaining $15,506. The insurance cover will help in any uncertainty of ill health and personal accident which can render one an unemployable. If you want to become financially independent - spend wisely!