Communicating Through Music in Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin Essay

Generally, solid family connections have been stressed by American culture. Solid family ties have been critical to keeping up sound ways of life and connections across numerous societies, including African American culture. Sonny, the more youthful sibling in James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, has experienced a heroin habit which made him separate from the two his folks and his more established sibling. The paper depicts two siblings who battle with their troublesome Harlem condition, social issues, and their enthusiastic separation from each other. As the siblings battle with their inward clashes and outward ecological battles, they are brought together through a typical subject in the paper: music. Baldwin engages Sonny with an endowment of unprecedented musicianship, and utilizations this blessing to illuminate and enable the storyteller. Baldwin’s exposition portrays the preliminaries of the storyteller on his excursion to self-disclosure and the s iblings preliminary of remaking their thoughtful bond with music as their guide. The paper utilizes music as a type of correspondence between the siblings and represents it as an amazing power in their relationship. In Baldwin’s exposition, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, the storyteller and Sonny are enabled through music, and through this strengthening, the music can revive and remake the siblings relationship. During the primary portion of the twentieth century, Harlem turned into a central hub for African American culture and thoughts. Home to the Harlem Renaissance, Harlem housed numerous powerful African American pioneers and affected quite a bit of African American culture of the twentieth century. Harlem’s populace detonated during the 1920s-30s because of the Harlem Renaissance, and kept on growing until arriving at its top during the 1950s. The time of the 195... ...frican American Musicians as Artists, Critics, and Activists. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2002. 54-100. EBSCOhost. Web. 8 May 2015. Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin. Short Story Criticism. Ed. Anna Sheets-Nesbitt. Vol. 33. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. 115-157. Writing Criticism Online. Hurricane. Web. 3 May 2015. http://galenet.galegroup.com.db24.linccweb.org/servlet/LitCrit/lincclin_spjc/FJ3593150004 Tracey, Sherard. Sonny’s Bebop: Baldwin's Blues Text as Intracultural Critique. African American Review32.4 (1998): 691-705. JSTOR. Web. 9 May 2015. .

Chronicle of a Death Foretold theme anaylsis Essay Example For Students

Account of a Death Foretold topic anaylsis Essay In the novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez recounts to an account of a man whom two siblings murder for the sake of respect. This story happens in the ahead of schedule to mid twentieth century in a poor agrarian town in Columbia, South America. Santiago Nasar has been named as the man that took Angela Vicarios virginity and the twin siblings must slaughter him to reestablish respect to their familys name. This town is an extremely little very close network where everybody knows every other person and the vast majority are connected here and there. When something incorrectly happens to a family in this network, the entire town is wronged as it were. Since the individuals in this network are poor the main way they can win and keep regard is respect. Respect is, basically, the main thing individuals in little networks, for example, this one have, close to family. In the event that a family is disrespected in this network, they lose the regard of the network and either reestablish respect, move out of the network, or live in disgrace in the network, the last of which is never a choice. So when the siblings discover their sisters virginity has been taken by another man and disgraced their family, they should reestablish respect to the familys name and slaughter the man who did it. I think the topic of this novella is the means by which significant respect is in a little network, for example, the one in this story. The novella begins with the passing of the primary character, Santiago Nasar. After that the story begins before Angela Vicarios wedding and works up to the homicide. After we, the peruser, discover that Santiago Nasar is going to pass on we discover why. The story begins several days prior to the wedding when everybody is anticipating the appearance of the neighborhood priest. A rich child of a legislator goes to the town to discover a lady of the hour. The affluent man, Bayardo San Roman, finds a lady, Angela Vicario, and concludes that he needs to wed her. The Vicario family is moderately poor and must choose the option to part with their little girl to Bayardo. Angela Vicario just challenged allude to the burden of an absence of adoration, yet her mom wrecked it with a solitary expression: Love can be adapted as well' (p. 35). The mother discloses to Angela that despite the fact that she doesn't cherish Bayardo and has never met him she will figure out how to adore him, similarly as Mr. also, Mrs. Vicario figured out how to cherish one another. And all he needed to do was show up on the running board for everybody to understand that Bayardo San Roman would wed whomever he picked. It was Angela Vicario who didnt need to wed him. He appeared to be an over the top man for me, she let me know. Moreover, Bayardo San Roman hadnt even attempted to court her, yet had beguiled the family with his appeal (p. 34). Since Bayardo is a well off man the Vicario family gets an opportunity to raise their economic wellbeing inside their locale just by being connected, by marriage, with Bayardo San Roman. Normally the family needs to make the most of this open door regardless of whether Angela wouldn't like to wed Bayardo. From the outset the Vicario siblings, Pedro and Pablo, don't have the foggiest idea or like Bayardo San Roman, however in the wake of a monotonous night of drinking with him they are excited that he will end up being their brother by marriage. After the wedding the entire network is welcome to the enormous after gathering that proceeds considerably after the recently marries leave the gathering to perfect the marriage. Adventitiously, the Vicario siblings and Santiago Nasar remain up the entire evening drinking at the neighborhood whorehouse ignorant that the following morning they will slaughter Santiago. .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 , .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 .postImageUrl , .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 .focused content territory { min-stature: 80px; position: relative; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 , .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641:hover , .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641:visited , .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641:active { border:0!important; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 { show: square; progress: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-change: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; mistiness: 1; change: darkness 250ms; webkit-change: haziness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641:active , .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641:hover { murkiness: 1; progress: obscurity 250ms; webkit-progress: obscurity 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 .focused content region { width: 100%; position: rela tive; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: striking; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content design: underline; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; outskirt span: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; textual style weight: intense; line-tallness: 26px; moz-outskirt sweep: 3px; content adjust: focus; content embellishment: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-tallness: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/straightforward arrow.png)no-rehash; position: total; right: 0; top: 0; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } . u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641 .focused content { show: table; tallness: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .u51e69ffc884964659f3defcc140d9641:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: How to Tame a Wild Tongue and The Squirrel Mother EssayWhen Bayardo and Angela attempt to perfect the marriage, he discovers that she is certifiably not a virgin and he restores her to her family in disfavor. The siblings, who show up home after Angela is returned, discover that she is anything but a virgin, as indicated by Bayardo, and ask her who shamed their family by taking her virginity. In spite of the fact that it is muddled to the peruser, she says that Santiago Nasar has taken her virginity. Since the familys name has been disrespected, the best way to reestablish respect is slaughter Santiago Nasar. The following morning, the Vicario siblings stroll around town searching for Santiago and telling everybody in the town that they are going to execute him. A great many people don't trust them since they thought the siblings were kidding and still alcoholic from the earlier night. Nearly the entire town, with the exception of Santiago Nasar, discovers that the Vicario siblings need to slaughter him, yet nobody makes enough of an effort to prevent it from occurring. At a certain point, the city hall leader takes the blades they intend to use from the siblings and sends them home. At that point they return home and get more blades and come back to town notice everybody that they are going to slaughter Santiago. Santiagos companion Cristo Bedoya runs all around town attempting to discover Santiago yet is past the point of no return with the message. In any event, during the homicide Santiago never discovers why the Vicario siblings need to slaughter him. After the homicide, the Vicario family departs town, the Vicario siblings are each condemned to three years in jail, and when they get out Pablo weds his previous sweetheart and Pedro goes into the military. Angela Vicario, who presently lives with her mom, acknowledges she has begun to look all starry eyed at Bayardo San Roman and composes a letter ordinarily for a long time to him. Despite the fact that he never opens the letters he comes back to Angela and they get hitched. All in all, the entire book rotates around the topic of how significant respect is to a little, ruined network, for example, the one in this book. At the point when you are poor, you have no significant resources aside from your family and your respect. On the off chance that you don't have respect, at that point in all likelihood your family doesn't simply by affiliation. So in the event that you have no respect, at that point you don't have anything. The homicide of Santiago Nasar was a respect murdering. Despite the fact that the family moved away after the homicide it was normal by a great many people in the network as the best way to reestablish the great name of the family. Respect executing was an excepted type of common obligation that the men in a family should perform on the off chance that they would prefer not to be marked as outsiders and avoided in the general public. Since the siblings just got three years in jail, the peruser can tell that the respect slaughtering was an excepted type of revenge by a family. The peruser and the storyteller never discover why Angela Vicario named Santiago Nasar, yet the tattle in the town says that it was to secure her first darling, which is never affirmed in light of the fact that Angela stays away forever to her alleged sweetheart after the murdering.

5 Books to Read While Staring Death in the Face The List List #351

5 Books to Read While Staring Death in the Face The List List #351 The List List, a weekly roundup of the best bookish lists, is sponsored by The Plus One  from HarperCollins 360. Polly Spencer is single and turning thirty, but seriously, she’s fine. Even if she’s still stuck at Posh! magazine writing about royal babies and the chances of finding a plus one to her best friend’s summer wedding are looking worryingly slim. But it’s a new year, and Polly’s determined that over the next 365 days she’ll remember to shave her legs, drink less wine, and get her s**t together. Her latest piece is on the infamous Jasper, Marquess of Milton, undoubtedly neither a plus one nor ‘the one.’ She’s heard the storiesâ€"there’s no way she’ll succumb to his charms… at Brightly, 15 Great Read-Aloud Books for Older Kids at Bustle, 20 New Books to Read This Summer, According to Authors at Electric Literature, 10 Charming Jerks in Fiction at Epic Reads, 13 Young Adult Anthologies and Short Story Collections Your Shelves Will Thank You For at the Guardian, 10 Teenage Friendships in FictionFrom Dicken to Ferrante at LitHub, 5 Books of Narrative History at Paste Magazine, 10 Must-Listen Audiobooks for Wedding Season at Read It Forward, Our Favorite Memoirs from the Last 10 Years at Riveted Lit, 11 Inspiring Books for New Graduates at TIME, The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 So Far at Tor, 5 Books to Read While Staring Death in the Face at the Washington Post, 20 Books to Read This Summer

Essay about The Power of Horace McCoy’s They Shoot...

The Power of Horace McCoy’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Professor’s Comment: The premise of this essay is to highlight the capacity of Noir literature to defy Modernist values and pioneer later avant-garde literary movements. This student produced a focused, organized, well supported essay. Nearly half a century has passed since most films and texts in the Noir tradition were created, yet one may wonder how much is really known about these popular American products. Scholars remain fascinated by many aspects of Film Noir, yet it appears that its fictional precursors (such as the texts of Cain, McCoy and Hammett) may have been too quickly ignored within the canon. Many have enthusiastically studied, for example, Film Noir’s†¦show more content†¦In its commitment to entropy and semi-nihilistic sense of an ending, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? expresses Post-Modern themes of chaos and anarchy, and critiques of Modernist (a) meta-narrative, (b) idealism and (c) abstract theorizing. In order to discuss such reiteration and negation of Modernist themes in the novel, a brief discussion of Modernism is necessary. The term ‘Modernism’ refers to the drastic shift in aesthetic and cultural values of art and literature following the First World War. The movement marked a noticeable break from the ordered, stable and inherently ‘meaningful’ texts of the nineteenth century and from Victorian optimism, instead presenting a profoundly pessimistic picture of society. In literature, Modernism became synonymous with the works of Eliot, Joyce, Woolf, Yeats, Pound and Stein, among others. Recognizing the failure of language to ever fully communicate meaning (â€Å"That’s not it at all, that’s not what I meant at all† laments Eliot’s Prufrock), the Modernists were usually more concerned with an exploration of form than the development of content. In doing so, it established a new fragmented, non-chronological style of poetic narration and form. Modernism’s acclaimed emphasis on formal experimentation, however, was also the source of its derision: the movement was

Develop a Complete Student Code of Conduct

Many schools incorporate a student code of conduct that they expect their students to follow. It should mirror the overall mission and vision of the school. A well-written student code of conduct should be simple and cover basic expectations that each student should meet. It should entail the essential elements that if followed will lead to student success. In other words, it should serve as the blueprint that allows every student to succeed. A well-written student code of conduct is simple in nature including only the most critical expectations.   The needs and limiting factors in each school are different. As such, schools must develop and adopt a student code of conduct that is tailored to their specific needs.   Developing an authentic and meaningful student code of conduct should become a school-wide effort that involves school leaders, teachers, parents, students, and community members. Every stakeholder should have input as to what should be included in the student code of conduct. Providing others a voice leads to buy-in and gives the student code of conduct more authenticity. The student code of conduct should be evaluated every year and changed whenever it is necessary to fit the ever-shifting needs of the school community. Sample Student Code of Conduct While attending school during regular hours or during school-sponsored activities, students are expected to follow these basic rules, procedures, and expectations: Your first priority at school is to learn. Avoid distractions that interfere with or are counter-intuitive to that mission.Be in the assigned place with appropriate materials, ready to work at the designated time that class begins.Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself and never intentionally harm another student.Use school appropriate language and behavior at all times while maintaining friendly and courteous behavior.Be polite and respectful to everyone including students, teachers, administrators, support staff, and visitors.Follow individual teacher instructions, class rules, and expectations at all times.Do not be a bully. If you see someone being bullied, intervene by telling them to stop or immediately report it to school personnel.Do not become a distraction for others. Give every other student the opportunity to maximize their potential. Encourage your fellow students. Never tear them down.School attendance and participation in class are an essential part of the education al process. Regular attendance at school is necessary for student success. Furthermore, it allows students to achieve the maximum possible benefits from their educational experience. All students are encouraged to be present and prompt. School attendance is the responsibility of both parents and students.Represent yourself in a manner that you will be proud of in ten years. You only get one opportunity to get life right. Take advantage of the opportunities you have at school. They will help you be successful throughout your life.

Stereotypes Free Essays

In todays’ society it seems as though everyone is placed into a stereotype that has been developed of every race and how everyone within that race acts/or is. Stereotyping is an issue that affects all races and gender. If someone were to ask what is a women supposed to do when they grow up, is the typical response still to get married, be a stay at home wife and mother, while the father figure of the family goes to work to support the family? What about the women who don’t want to stay at home, the women who want to go and have a career? Stereotypes are present in everyday life, placing the idea that you are only allowed to do what is described in that stereotype. We will write a custom essay sample on Stereotypes or any similar topic only for you Order Now Women are not only affected by what a typical women should do stereotype, but as well as race stereotypes or stereotypes that are based on characteristics that are attained. Women are slowly, but surely starting to change the typically stereotype of them along with proving that they are more than just this object they are looked at as. Stereotypes are present in our lives from when we are a young age. Children’s’ television shows are just as guilty of this problem as regular television shows are. Dora the Explorer, for example, that teaches Spanish to children. But, the main character Dora is of course Hispanic, giving the impression that Hispanic people always speak Spanish to young children who have not been exposed to the multicultural world that America is because they simply wouldn’t be able to comprehend the idea. These stereotypes are even present while going through school being taught that there are different cliques and that you can only fit into one certain clique, like a jock, a nerd, or the dumb cheerleader. There cliques are revealed in multiple shows that attract teenagers. Not only is television responsible for teaching children these stereotypes from a young age, there also are the internet and magazines that contribute to this problem. Technology is not the only thing to blame; there is also influence by who you grow up around. You are not fully able to make your own decisions or opinions about certain things until you are an adult. The background of your childhood and who you grow up around greatly influence your opinions. Stereotyping only continues in television shows and movies that attractive adults. Examine a typical television sitcom, what role are the women characters playing? For example, in the television show, The Big Band Theory, one of the main characters is an attractive blonde woman who seems to lack intelligence at times. Her best friends in the sitcom are two guys that would fit a nerd type role. It is as if the â€Å"nerds† are only friends with her because of her looks. Stereotypes evident in our lives since we are young, giving the idea that you fit into one of these stereotypes. Such as if you are blonde, then you must be dumb or if you are Asian you must be intelligent. The idea that characteristics you hold places you into a certain stereotype and along with that stereotype you must do the things that are associated with that stereotype. On the other hand, there are many television shows and movies that actually challenge traditional views of women. For example, in the movie Legally Blonde, a blonde white woman in her middle 20’s named Elle Woods depicts what one would think of as â€Å"dumb blonde†. She wears all pink, almost always, her hair and make-up is always perfect and has that high pitch â€Å"like oh my god† voice. But she surprises everyone when she goes to Harvard Law School to become a lawyer; even the professors and fellow collages at the college doubt her. In the end, she prevails and surprises everyone with her knowledge. Elle Woods would be a perfect image of â€Å"girl power†. The thought that yes women can are smart enough to accomplish their dreams that not only men can go to college, get a degree, and become a high paid profession like a doctor or lawyer. There are tons of other movies and television shows that depict women the same way as Legally Blonde, so does that imply that women can eventually break these stereotypes that have been placed upon them? Many women do just what these movies and television shows depict women doing. More women go to college to earn degrees and obtain a high paying job. There are women that are doctors, surgeons, and the head CEO’s of companies in todays’ society. These women are the bosses of many other women, but more importantly men. These are prime examples that women are not just staying home taking care of the children in todays’ society, they are going to a well-paying job every day then coming home to do other responsibilities. Women as a whole are breaking these traditional stereotypes that haunt us all. But, the main question behind the problem of stereotyping is who is coming up with these stereotypes? It is not physically possible to classify multiple people into the same group, simply because everyone is an individual and is completely different from anyone else. Stereotypes are politically incorrect because of these facts. For example, the stereotype that all black people like fried chicken and watermelon. It is nearly impossible that every African American in the world likes these types of food; there is at least one that does not, therefore proving the stereotype invalid. But, we still use these stereotypes every day without even thinking about doing it and by doing these you are in return neglecting the fact that everyone is an individual. In order to stop stereotyping these types of issues must be looked at. While all stereotyping can be considered negative or hurtful depending on what is said. There is a difference between stereotyping and making an observation, as stated before stereotyping would be saying something like all African American people like fried chicken, while on the other hand saying something like there are many Asians at the Science and Engineering library on campus would be considered an observation. By saying an observation, it wouldn’t be considered a stereotyping because the observation is seen with that persons’ eyes therefore in their eyes it would be considered true. Alternatively, stereotyping is stating something that can’t be proven true and also usually possess some kind of hatred or hurtful feelings behind the statement. I believe that many people often get these two ideas mixed up with each other, causing further confusion and more hatred towards certain groups of people. Stereotyping is clearly a large problem in todays’ society. First, the problem needs to be addressed on where it starts, which is often at a young age. The surroundings in which you grow up influence your opinions and ideas as your mind develops which is often the beginning of this problem. This problem develops further with todays’ technology such as television, movies, the internet, and social networks. Technology is a large part of the stereotyping problem by continuing to show how women should act and be, but it also challenges the problem as well. In order to stop stereotyping, women need to continue to make advances in the world to prove that we are not just an object that stays at home and cleans. Women holding high paying jobs and taking care of themselves without any help is becoming a more common idea. I believe women are starting to change the common stereotype of them and with these advances the idea of stereotyping can start to come to an end but only with the help of everyone in todays’ society. How to cite Stereotypes, Papers

The Scarlet Letter Analysis Essay Example For Students

The Scarlet Letter Analysis Essay Nathaniel Hawthornes background influenced him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter. One important influence on the story is money. Hawthorne had never made much money as an author and the birth of his first daughter added to the financial burden (Biographical Note VII). He received a job at the Salem Custom House only to lose it three years later and be forced to write again to support his family (IX). Consequently, The Scarlet Letter was published a year later (IX). It was only intended to be a long short story, but the extra money a novel would bring in was needed (Introduction XVI). Hawthorne then wrote an introduction section titled The Custom House to extend the length of the book and The Scarlet Letter became a full novel (XVI). In addition to financial worries, another influence on the story is Hawthornes rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers were strict Puritans, and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfather, was a judge presiding during the S! alem witch trials (Biographical Note VII). Hawthorne did not condone their acts and actually spent a great deal of his life renouncing the Puritans in general (VII). Similarly, The Scarlet Letter was a literal soapbox for Hawthorne to convey to the world that the majority of Puritans were strict and unfeeling. For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is being scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment than she actually receives. Instead of only being made to stand on the scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they suggest that she have it branded on her forehead or even be put to death (Hawthorne 51). Perhaps the most important influence on the story is the authors interest in the dark side (Introduction VIII). Unlike the transcendentalists of the era, Hawthorne confronted reality, rather than evading it (VII). Likewise, The Scarlet Letter deals with adultery, a subject that caused much scandal when it w! as first published (XV). The book rev olves around sin and punishment, a far outcry from writers of the time, such as Emerson and Thoreau, who dwelt on optimistic themes (VII). This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because they unify The Scarlet Letter in two influential ways. First of all, every scaffold scene reunites the main characters of the novel. In the first scene, everyone in the town is gathered in the market place because Hester is being questioned about the identity of the father of her child ( Hawthorne 52). In her arms is the product of her sin, Pearl, a three month old baby who is experiencing life outside the prison for the first time (53). Dimmesdale is standing beside the scaffold because he is Hesters pastor and it is his job to convince her to repent and reveal t he fathers name (65). A short time later, Chillingworth unexpectedly shows up within the crowd of people who are watching Hester after he is released from his two year captivity by the Indians (61). In the second scene, Dimmesdale is standing on top of the scaffold alone in the middle of the night (152). He sees Hester and Pearl walk through the market place on their way back from Governor Winthrops bedside (157). When Dimmesdale recognizes them and tells them to join him, they walk up the steps to stand by his side (158). Chillingworth appears later standing beside the scaffold, staring at Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl. In the final scaffold scene, Dimmesdale walks to the steps of the scaffold in front of the whole town after his Election day sermon (263). He tells Hester and Pearl to join him yet again on the scaffold (264). Chillingworth then runs through the crowd and tries to stop Dimmesdale from reaching the top of the scaffold, the one place where he cant reach him (265). Ano ther way in which the scenes are united is how each illustrates the immediate, delayed, and prolonged effects that the sin of adultery has on the main characters. The first scene shows Hester being publicly punished on the scaffold (52). She is being forced to stand on it for three hours straight and listen to peop! le talk about her as a disgrace and a shame to the community (55). Dimmesdales instantaneous response to the sin is to lie. He stands before Hester and the rest of the town and proceeds to give a moving speech about how it would be in her and the fathers best interest for her to reveal the fathers name (67). Though he never actually says that he is not the other parent, he implies it by talking of the father in third person (67). Such as, If thou feelest it to be for thy souls peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer (67). Chillingworths first reaction is one of shock, but he quickly suppresses it (61). Since his first sight of his wife in two years is of her being punished for being unfaithful to him, he is naturally surprised. It does not last for long though, because it is his nature to control his emotions (61). Pearls very existence in this scene is the largest immediate effect of her parents crime (52). She obviously wou ld never had been there had her parents resisted their love for each other. The second scene occurs several years later and shows the effects after time has had a chance to play its part. It begins with Dimmesdale climbing the stairs of the scaffold in the middle of the night because it is the closest that he can come to confessing his sin (152). This scene is especially important because it shows how pitiful he has become. Dimmesdale shows just how irrational he is when he screams aloud because he fears that the universe is staring at a scarlet token on his breast (153). It also shows how much guilt he is carrying by the way he perceives the light from a meteor as the letter A. He believes it stands for adulteress while other people think it stands for angel since the governor just passed away (161). This scene also shows how Hester is managing her new situation. When Dimmesdale tells her to come up the scaffold and asks her where she has b! een, she replies that she has been measu ring the robe that the governor is to be buried in (158). This statement implies that Hesters reputation as a talented seamstress has spread. Ironically, her first well known piece of work was the scarlet letter that she wore on her chest. As a result, she owes her own success to her infamy. Besides growing older, Pearls most significant change is in her perceptibility (158). In this scene, she constantly asks Dimmesdale if he will be joining Hester and herself on the scaffold tomorrow at noon and accuses him of not being true (162). Neither Hester nor Dimmesdale ever told Pearl who her father was, but she figures it out by the way he always holds his hand over his heart (159). Chillingworths derangement is evident in this scene also. His contempt for Dimmesdale is so acute that he risks his cover when he gives him a look so vivid as to remain painted on the darkness after the bright meteor that just passed, vanishes (161). The third scene is very critical because it is the last gli mpse into every characters mind and the last time that everyone is alive. At this point in time, Dimmesdales fixation on his sin has utterly corroded him to the point of death. After he gives his election day sermon, he goes to the scaffold and asks Hester and Pearl to join him because he is so weak that he can hardly support himself (265). He finally exposes the truth and tells his followers of how he deceived them (267). The only good that comes out of conceding his guilt is that he passed away without any secrets, for he was already too far gone to be able to be saved (269). This scene is important to the characterization of Hester because it is the first time thatshe is not in complete control of her emotions (264). Her dream of escaping to England with Dimmesdale is lost when he decides to confess (264). The unanticipated arrival of Chillingworth and Dimmesdales feeble appearance distresses her, and for the first time, she can not control the outcome (264). The greatest transfo rmation in Pearls life occurs in this scene. While she used to be perceived as elfish, she now shows the first signs of normal human emotion. After Dimmesdale confesses his sin, she kisses his lips voluntarily (268). The great scene of griefhad developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her fathers cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it (268). Ultimately, Chillingworth takes a severe turn for the worse when Dimmesdale reveals his sin. Since Chillingworth based the rest of his life on playing games on Dimmesdales mind, he was left without any goals, and his life became meaningless (268). On that account, it is clear that Hawthorne uses the scaffold scenes, not only as a unifying device, but as a means to keep the reader interested in the novel by providing plenty of action. The main characters sharply contrast each other in the way they react to Hester and Dimmesdales sin. To begin, Hester becomes stronger, more enduring, and even more sympathetic. She becomes stronger because of all the weight she has to carry. She is a single mother who suffers all of the burdens of parenthood by herself. They live on the edge of town, and Pearl has no one to give her food, shelter and emotional support besides Hester. Pearl is especially difficult to raise because she is anything but normal. Hawthorne gives a pretty accurate description of Pearl when he writes: The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law had been broken; and the result was a being whose elements were perhaps beautiful and bril- liant, but all in disorder; or with an order peculiar to themselves, amidst which the point of variety and arrangement was difficult or impossible to be discovered (91). Hesters endurance is proven when the people of the colony completely change their opinion of her. While a lesser person would run from the hostile colonists, Hester wi thstands their insolence and pursues a normal life. After years of proving her worth with her uncommon sewing skills and providing community service, the colonists come to think of the scarlet letter as the cross on a nuns bosom, which is no small accomplishment (169). Hester also becomes more sensitive to the feelings and needs of other people. She feels that her own sin gives her sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts (87). So even though the people she tried to help often reviled the hand that was stretched forth to succor them, she continues her services because she actually cares (85). While Hester tries to make the best out of her situation, Dimmesdale becomes weaker by letting guilt and grief eat away at his conscience. Dimmesdale punishes himself by believing that he can never be redeemed. He feels that he will never be seen the same in the eyes of God, and that no amount of penitence can ever return him to Gods good graces. He is so touchy on this subject t hat when Hester says his good deeds will count for something in Gods view, he exclaims, There is no substance in it! It is cold and dead and can do nothing for me! (202). Dimmesdale also believes that his sin has taken the meaning out of his life. His lifes work has been dedicated to God, and now his sin has tainted it (202). He feels that he is a fraud and is not fit to lead the people of the town to salvation. The feeling is so oppressive that the chance of escaping his work and leaving with Hester and Pearl makes him emotionally (and probably mentally) unstable. He walks through the town with twice as much energy as normal, and he barely stops himself from swearing to a fellow deacon (229). When an old lady approaches him he can not remember any scriptures whatsoever to tell her, and the urge to use his power of persuasion over a young maiden is so strong that he covers his face with his cloak and runs off (230). The largest cause of Dimmesdales breakdown is the fact that he keep s his sin a secret. As Gods servant, it is his nature to tell the truth, so the years of pretending are especially hard on him. His secret guilt is such a burden that instead of going with Hester to England and perhaps having a chance to live longer, he chose to stand, confess and perish on the scaffold (268). Ultimately, Chillingworth responds to his wifes betrayal by sacrificing everything in order to seek revenge. After he discovers that his wife bore another mans child, Chillingworth gives up his independence. He used to be a scholar who dedicated his best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge, but his new allegiance becomes finding and slowly punishing the man who seduced his wife (74). He soon becomes obsessed with his new mission in life, and when he targeted Reverend Dimmesdale as the possible parent, he dedic! ates all of his time to becoming his confidant in order to get his retribution (127). Vengeance was also one of the reasons that Chillingworth gives up his iden tity. The only way he can truly corrupt Dimmesdale is to live with him and be by his side all day, every day. The only possible way to do that is to give up his true identity as Roger Prynne, Hesters husband, and become Roger Chillingworth. Since the only person who knew his true identity is sworn to silence, he succeeds for a long time in tricking Dimmesdale until Hester sees that he was going mad and finally revealed Chillingworths true identity (204). His largest sacrifice is by far, his own life. After spending so much time dwelling on his revenge, Chillingworth forgets that he still has a chance to lead a life of his own. So accordingly, after Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the world, Chillingworth dies less than a year later because he has nothing left to live for (272). In conclusion, Hawthornes use of characterization gives the book a classic feeling by showing Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworths feelings indirectly through acts. The novel revolves around two major symb ols: light and darkness and the scarlet letter. The book is filled with light and darkness symbols because it represents the most common battle of all time, good versus evil. When Hester and her daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims: Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet (192). Hester tries to stretch her hand into the circle of light, but the sunshine vanishes (192). She then suggests that they go into the forest and rest (193). This short scene actually represents Hesters daily struggle in life. The light represents what Hester wants to be, which is pure. The movement of the light represents Hesters constant denial of acceptance. Hesters lack of surprise and quick suggestion to go into the forest, where it is dark, show s that she never expected to be admitted and is resigned to her station in life. Another way light and darkness is used in symbolism is by the way Hester and Dimmesdales plan to escape is doomed. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the shadows of the forest with a gloomy sky and a threatening storm overhead when they discuss their plans for the future (200). The gloomy weather and shadows exemplify the fact that they cant get away from the repressive force of their sins. It is later proven when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold! instead of leaving with Hester and going to England (269). A final example occurs by the way Hester and Dimmesdale can not acknowledge their love in front of others. When they meet in the woods, they feel that, No golden light had ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark forest (206). This emotion foretells that they will never last together openly because their sin has separated them too much from normal life. The scarlet letter also takes many different for ms in the novel. The first and clearest form that the letter A takes is Adulteress. It is apparent that Hester is guilty of cheating on her husband when she surfaces from the prison with a three-month-old-child in her arms, and her husband has been away for two years (53). Hence, the people look at the letter elaborately embroidered with gold thread and see a hussy who is proud of her sin (54). The second form that it takes is Angel. When Governor Winthrop passes away, a giant A appears in the sky. ! People from the church feel that, For as our good Governor Winthrop was made an angel this past night, it was doubtless held fit that there should be some notice thereof! (16). The final form that the scarlet letter take is Able. Hester helped the people of the town so unselfishly that Hawthorne wrote: Such helpfulness was found in her,so much power to do, and power to sympathize,that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by it s original significance. They said that it meant A ble; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a womans strength (167). Baby Growth and Development EssayIn closing, one of the most important reasons that The Scarlet Letter is so well known is the way Hawthorne leaves the novel open to be interpreted several different ways by his abundant use of symbolism. This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. Hawthorne describes the purpose of the novel when he says, Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worse, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred! (272). The theme is beneficial because it can be put into terms in todays world. The Scarlet Letter is one of the few books that will be timeless, because it deals with alienation, sin, punishment, and guilt, emotions that will continue to be felt by every generation to come.

Fashionably Loud Essays - Fashion, Television Advertisement, Model

Fashionably Loud Fashionably LOUD! Do you choose what you wear or does the media choose it for you? I am one of the million Americans who struggle with keeping up with the new trends of the season. The media works their hardest in trying to persuade us into buying new things for home, work, and family. The media today is the largest advertisements money can buy and many large companies spend millions of dollars for a one-minute commercial on one of the major stations. Television and Magazine elaborate not only on what to wear and when to wear it but also on what others are wearing such as movie stars, models, music artists. Television, one of the major mediums of the media world, gives us the gossip on who is wearing what and what is fashionable for the season. Television shows like Entertainment Tonight, The National Inquirer TV, and Fashion TV are few of the shows that give us information on new trends for all different types of people and in all different countries. Television commercials give us the backbone we need to fall into all the schemes for selling. Designers such as Calvin Klein, Levis and many others try to catch our eye with their cool and crazy commercials. Television influences the way we shop. It accents to each and every one of our wardrobes with telling us what is hot and what is not. Teenagers, especially, give a lot of their attention to these television programs and try to be just like the models on the runway. The commercials try to target the younger generation because they will have them in the palm of their hands for the rest of their lives. Also they are easily influenced by Television with the billions of dollars spent on advertisements they have them trapped. Fashion Magazines give us a very good look at the fashion world, also. In magazines like Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Vogue we see many great and very sexy advertisements that are screaming out to sell, sell, and sell. Designers such as Dolce this is cool and hip for the season. Although lets not over look the face, make-up has a very large part in the fashion world. Magazines are constantly telling us what shades are in for the season and who sell them. The Magazines and designers of the clothing world work theyre hardest to get people to buy their stuff. They highly influence people into buying clothing. Kate Spade, now the number one designer of hand bags in the world, got her fame from advertising in magazines. The handbags selling no lower than $200, has become a must in ones wardrobe coming from Vogue In conclusion the media shapes our thoughts and minds in buying products that are not a life necessity. We are always finding ourselves trying to keep up with the new trends an d new styles of the 90s. Television is one of the major networks that keep businesses going. They give a need to buy to someone who is willing to listen. Magazines are also a wonderful medium in selling clothing and other things. With their outrageous advertisements who would not fall into their trap? In conclusion, the media shapes our thoughts and minds in buying products that are not a life necessity although it makes us happy, it is worth it. We are always finding ourselves trying to keep up with the new trends and new styles of the 90s. Television and Magazine are one of the major mediums that keep businesses going and designers coming out with new and more expensive trends. The media give the need to buy to someone who is willing to listen. Social Issues

The outcasts of poker flats quick to judge essays

The outcasts of poker flats quick to judge essays The Outcasts of Poker Flat is a great example of what life was like during the rough and tumble days of the California Gold Rush. The author Bret Harte tells the story of a town known as Poker Flat wishing to improve itself by removing the undesirables from it. The story begins by learning of the group of people chosen to be outcast into the world and to fend for themselves during a harsh winter season. After they have been exiled and are outside the city walls, most of the group can not handle the situation presented before them The four people labeled by the secret town committee as improper persons (414) and forever banished from the town are: Uncle Billy, a thief and the town drunkard, Duchess, a local prostitute, Mother Shipton, another prostitute, and the extremely, over successful gambler Mr. John Oakhurst. As the outcasts heavily armed escort heads back to Poker Flat, the reader soon begins to realize who the leader of the group is. As the escort disappeared, their pent-up feelings found vent in a few hysterical tears from the Duchess, some bad language from Mother Shipton, and a Perthian volley of expletives from Uncle Billy. The philosophic Oakhurst alone remained silent(414). As for the rest of his company, they cant believe theyve just been left alone to take care of themselves, and can not handle the pressure and therefore explicitly express their distaste for their situation. Oakhurst, however, with the easy good humor characteristic of his class (415), chivalrously gives his own horse Five Spot (415) for the sorry mule that Duchess rode. This example of Oakhursts leadership and kindness is just one of many instances in which the author portrays John Oakhurst as the strongest of all the characters. Oakhurst, being the extremely talented poker player, maintains his poker face even in the face despair. As the story pro ...

Process Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Process Analysis - Essay Example This makes it hard to ignore a bad habit if its contents are still within your reach. Withdrawal of reinforcers means identifying and moving out the factors that trigger the bad habit, and encourage its existence. When bad habits are at their worst, this can make it very frustrating and complicated to quit. Similar to an addiction, the bad habit signals the brain and in your mind, the consequences you are receiving from it are good reinforcers, when in reality they are really hurting you in some way. On the other end, most habits start as early as childhood. Bad habits in children can happen more because of a lack in parental boundaries. Some bad habits develop as children. When the bad habit is not addressed properly, the mind sees no reason to stop the habit unless the individual makes the direct choice to quit. Although, the longer the habit goes on, the harder it is to let it go. Kids and teens need guidance and support from adults, whether it be family, friends, or teachers. When a bad habit such as becoming argumentative or lazy occurs, people gradually disregard that they are even doing anything bad, it becomes a natural part of their life, even when the bad habit leads to negative consequences. When kids and teens begin becoming lazy, argumentative, or start lying, if nothing is done to stop the habit it will reoccur whether they mean for it to happen or not, and will eventually happen subconsciously, taking a couple seconds or minutes until it is realized. It is almost as if the mind decides to complete the bad habit on its own, causing the individual to lose all control for the decision to complete the action, before it actually occurs. "Bad Habits: Why We Cant Stop | LiveScience." Current News on Space, Animals, Technology, Health, Environment, Culture and History | LiveScience. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. . Wood, Wendy, and David T. Neal. "A New Look at Habits and

STRATEGIC MARKETING & PLANNING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

STRATEGIC MARKETING & PLANNING - Essay Example Furthermore, the company operates with the motive of enhancing growth of the company as well as to be determined as an innovative company. Tesco majorly values customers’ needs as well as satisfaction. Furthermore, the company has devised strategies for performing business operations as one of the best retailers worldwide as well as to excel in every sector of business as in food [1] (Tesco, 2013). Strategies are formulated by companies with the motive of performing activities or operations in order to accomplish objectives as well as goals in a successful manner. Moreover, strategies enable companies to develop competency as well as competitiveness in the market. Strategic marketing is the process through which companies provide or offer products as well as services in markets with better competitiveness in comparison to their rivals (Proctor, 2000). Strategic planning is a process through which companies formulate plans and also executes those plans into actions as well as resources in an effective manner. Moreover, strategic plan assists a company in determining policies as well as procedures to perform activities in order to improve profitability and ensure sustained development (CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, 2012). The discussion will emphasize on the strategic marketing as well as planning process of Tesco. Moreover, the discussion will also emphasize on the utilisation of strategic plan method in order to determine changes which are required to be adopted by the company to improve performance as well as to enhance development. Tesco has been performing business operations in an effective manner due to better customer services as well as for performing business operations with best practices in individual markets. The company has performed business operations with different strategies with the motive of performing businesses in local as well as in international markets successfully. Tesco performs business operations in

Project development management process

Project development management process INTRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT: is the art and science of planning, organizing and managing, the vision, task, and resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. Project Management in software development process can be referred to as the application of management techniques and system execution of a software project through the projects life-cycle in order to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, quality, time and cost to the equal satisfaction of those involved. It involves planning, monitoring, and control of people, process and event that take place as software evolves from an initial concept to an operational implementation. [6] SOFTWARE: Software comprises of programs and associated data and documentation. Each of these items is a part of software development process. The main problems for software development currently are: high cost, low quality and frequent changes causing change and rework. Software has become a limiting factor in the evolution of computer-based systems. The intent of software development is to produce a framework for building higher quality software. In order to achieve successful and quality software certain methods and criteria need to be followed. These methods and criteria are classified as the software development processes. [6] SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES: is a structure imposed on the development of a software product. The process includes the phase approach to software development, software development models, the software development processes and the software project management processes. There are several models for such processes, each describing approaches to a variety of tasks or activities that take place during the process. These processes are carried out in a step by step criteria so as to come up with a successful project where by a successful project start with a step back and understanding business drivers, the problem or opportunity that accelerates the project. [6] A PHASED APPROACH TO SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT A development process consists of various phases, with each phase ending with a defined output. The phases are performed in an order specified by the software development process model. The primary reason for using a phased process is that it breaks the problem of developing software into successfully performed set of phases, each handling a different concern of software development. This ensures that the cost of development is lower than what it would have been if the whole problem were tackled together. [4][6][2] Furthermore, a phase software developmental approach allows proper checking of quality and progress at some defined points during the development. In general, any problem solving in software must consist of these activities during the development process: requirement specification, system design, detailed design, coding and testing, deployment and conversion as shown in figure 1. [6] Requirement Specifications: defines the objectives of new or modified system and lists a detailed statement of the functions that new system must perform. Analysis: during analysis, the focus is on building models that unambiguously determine the problem for which a software solution is being constructed. At this stage the limitations of the target environment is not given a priority. Design: the analysis model is adapted such that it serves as the basis for implementation in the target environment. Hence, the design deals with transforming or refining the analysis model into a design model that determines how to eventually obtain a working system. Implementation: at this stage, the coding of the system is performed Testing: testing deals with the validation of software at various levels. Testing can be categorized as follows: Unit: deals with testing the smallest units of the designed software. Integration: integration testing deals with testing the application that has been (partially) put together by integrating the smallest software units. Basically it involves testing individual software modules as a group. Validation: this involve in testing whether the software functions in a manner expected by the user. System: this is carried out at the after the integration and validation testing, system testing deals with different test whose primary purpose is to fully exercise the computer-based system. Although each test has a different purpose, all work should verify that all system elements have been properly integrated and perform allocated functions. Recovery: recovery testing involves system tests that force the software to fail in a variety of ways and verifies that recovery is properly performed. Security: this testing verifies that protection mechanisms built into a system will, in fact, protect it from improper usage and unauthorized access. It ensures adherence to restrictions on command usage, access to data, and access requirement according to associated privileges. Stress: the stress testing involves executing a system in a manner that demands resources in abnormal quantity, frequency, or volume. In other words, stress testing helps find out the level of robustness and consistent or satisfactory performance even when the limits for normal operation for the system software is crossed. Conversion: during this phase, the old system is substitute by the new system that has been developed. Four approaches can be adopted to achieve the conversion transformation [Harold] namely: Parallel: in this approach both the old and new system are run together until everyone involve in the project is convinced that the old one can be safely taken out of operation. Direct Cutover: at this stage, the old system is discarded and replaced by the new one, all at the same time. Pilot study: during the pilot study approach, the new system is introduced into a very limited area of the organization. It is not introduced any further into the rest of the organization as long as the pilot system does not begin running smoothly. Phased: the phased approach involve the introduction of the new system in stages. The pilot study approach can be considered as a special case of this approach. Maintenance: software maintenance process is the modification of a software product after delivery to correct faults, to improve performance or other attributes, or to adapt the product to a modified environment. At this stage the system has to be kept operational. The nature and extent of activity during this process depend on the type of software being developed. For some support software, the maintenance and operation phase may be very active due to changing user needs. [7] SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES Software development processes are the structures or processes imposed on the development of a software product. To produce a successful and qualitative software product certain processes management criteria need to be considered. [6] A process is a particular method of doing something, generally involving a number of steps or operations. A software development project will have at least development activities and project management activities. The development process focuses on the activities directly related to the production of software that is design, coding, and testing. Project management processes focus on planning, estimation, scheduling and taking corrective action when things do not go as per plan. [6][7] Configuration management processes focus on change and configuration control, so that the correct, tested and approved version of software component are put together for delivery. The process management processes focus on the management and improvement of these processes. The four named processes will be discussed in detail. Development Processes: these processes specify the major development and quality assurance activities that need to be performed in the project, and hence form the core of the software development processes. [7] Software development activity like any production activity is carried out in a sequence of steps, each step performing a well-defined activity leading to the satisfaction of the project goals, with the output of one step forming the input into the next step. One of the aims of any process should be to prevent defect from a phase to pass on to the next phase. This requires verification and validation activity at the end of each step. Verification checks the consistency of input into a phase, while validation activities check the consistency with user needs. There is a clearly defined output of a phase, which can be verified by some means, and the input into the next phase. Such outputs of a development process are called work products. These could be requirements documents, design documents, code, and prototype. [5] As a development process typically contains a sequence of step, the criteria for exit and entry from the phase are to be defined. These generally depend on the implementation of the process. Besides the verification and validation criteria, the development step needs to produce some information for the management process. Information has to flow from development process. An example of a typical step in a development process is illustrated in figure 2. [8] Project Management Processes: the project management component of the software process specifies all the activities that need to be done by the project management to ensure that the cost and quality objectives are met. Project management is an integrated part of software development. To meet the cost, quality and schedule objectives, resources have to be properly allotted to each activity for the project, the progress of the different activities has to be monitored, and corrective action taken, if needed. The processes focus on issues like planning a project, estimating resources, and schedule and monitoring and controlling the project. The basic task is to plan the detailed implementation of the process for a particular project and ensure that the plan is followed. [5][6] Software Configuration Management Processes: throughout development, software consist of a collection of items, such as programs, data and documents that can be easily changed. These changes do happen often. The easily changeable nature of software and the fact that changes often take place require that changes take place in a controlled manner. Software configuration Management systematically controls the changes that take place during development. Basically it is the task of tracking and controlling changes in the software. Configuration management practices include revision control and the establishment of baselines. It is also the process of changing requests and verifying the completeness and correctness of item. These processes are considered independent of the development process, because development processes cannot accommodate changes at any time during development. [6] Process Management Processes: software processes are also not static entities. Process management processes concentrate on the changes that need to be done to improve the process. The three important entities that software development deals with are processes, projects and products. The various software processes ensure that the activities require to develop software are carried out in a controlled manner. [6] CONCLUDE SUMMARY Software development management process consist of various phases, each phase ending with a successful defined output, making it possible to move to the next phase accordingly. The phases are performed in an order specified by the process model criteria being followed. The software development process goes through several phases just like the software development life cycles. The software development process consists of four management processes which are development processes, project management processes, software configuration management processes and the process management processes. The four Ps extremely vital for software project development management are people, product, process and project. All four play equally important roles in the success of a project.

The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Nine

â€Å"†¦ And so, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the class of '92!† Bonnie threw her cap into the air along with everyone else. We made it, she thought. Whatever happens tonight, Matt and Meredith and I made it to graduation. There had been times this last school year when she had seriously doubted they would. Considering Sue's death, Bonnie had expected the graduation ceremony to be listless or grim. Instead, there was a sort of frenzied excitement about it. As if everyone was celebrating being alive-before it was too late. It turned into rowdiness as parents surged forward and the senior class of Robert E. Lee fragmented in all directions, whooping and acting up. Bonnie retrieved her cap and then looked up into her mother's camera lens. Act normal, that's what's important, she told herself. She caught a glimpse of Elena's aunt Judith and Robert Maxwell, the man Aunt Judith had recently married, standing on the sidelines. Robert was holding Elena's little sister, Margaret, by the hand. When they saw her, they smiled bravely, but she felt uncomfortable when they came her way. â€Å"Oh, Miss Gilbert-I mean, Mrs. Maxwell-you shouldn't have,† she said as Aunt Judith handed her a small bouquet of pink roses. Aunt Judith smiled through the tears in her eyes. â€Å"This would have been a very special day for Elena,† she said. â€Å"I want it to be special for you and Meredith, too.† â€Å"Oh, Aunt Judith.† Impulsively, Bonnie threw her arms around the older woman. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† she whispered. â€Å"You know how much.† â€Å"We all miss her,† Aunt Judith said. Then she pulled back and smiled again and the three of them left. Bonnie turned from looking at them with a lump in her throat to look at the madly celebrating crowd. There was Ray Hernandez, the boy she'd gone to Homecoming with, inviting everybody to a party at his house that night. There was Tyler's friend Dick Carter, making a fool of himself as usual. Tyler was smiling brazenly as his father took picture after picture. Matt was listening, with an unimpressed look, to some football recruiter from James Mason University. Meredith was standing nearby, holding a bouquet of red roses and looking pensive. Vickie wasn't there. Her parents had kept her home, saying she was in no state to go out. Caroline wasn't there either. She was staying in the apartment in Heron. Her mother had told Bonnie's mother she had the flu, but Bonnie knew the truth. Caroline was scared. And maybe she's right, Bonnie thought, moving toward Meredith. Caroline may be the only one of us to make it through next week. Look normal, act normal. She reached Meredith's group. Meredith was wrapping the red-and-black tassel from her cap around the bouquet, twisting it between elegant, nervous fingers. â€Å"Be careful with that; you'll ruin it,† she said aloud. Meredith's look of thoughtful melancholy didn't change. She went on staring at the tassel, kinking it up. â€Å"It doesn't seem fair,† she said, â€Å"that we should get these and Elena shouldn't. It's wrong.† â€Å"I know; it's awful,† Bonnie said. But she kept her tone light. â€Å"I wish there was something we could do about it, but we can't.† â€Å"It's all wrong,† Meredith went on, as if she hadn't heard. â€Å"Here we are out in the sunlight, graduating, and there she is under that-stone.† â€Å"I know, I know,† Bonnie said in a soothing tone. â€Å"Meredith, you're getting yourself all upset. Why don't you try to think about something else? Look, after you go out to dinner with your parents, do you want to go to Raymond's party? Even if we're not invited, we can crash it.† â€Å"No!† Meredith said with startling vehemence. â€Å"I don't want to go to any party. How can you even think of that, Bonnie? How can you be so shallow?† â€Å"Well, we've got to do something †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'll tell you what I'm doing. I'm going up to the cemetery after dinner. I'm going to put this on Elena's grave. She's the one who deserves it.† Meredith's knuckles were white as she shook the tassel in her hand. â€Å"Meredith, don't be an idiot. You can't go up there, especially at night. That's crazy. Matt would say the same thing.† â€Å"Well, I'm not asking Matt. I'm not asking anybody. I'm going by myself.† â€Å"You can't. God, Meredith, I always thought you had some brains-â€Å" â€Å"And I always thought you had some sensitivity. But obviously you don't even want to think about Elena. Or is it just because you want her old boyfriend for yourself?† Bonnie slapped her. It was a good hard slap, with plenty of energy behind it. Meredith drew in a sharp breath, one hand to her reddening cheek. Everyone around them was staring. â€Å"That's it for you, Bonnie McCullough,† Meredith said after a moment, in a voice of deadly quiet. â€Å"I don't ever want to speak to you again.† She turned on her heel and walked away: â€Å"Never would be too soon for me!† Bonnie shouted at her retreating back. Eyes were hastily averted as Bonnie looked around her. But there was no question that she and Meredith had been the center of attention for several minutes past. Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face and walked over to Matt, who had lost the recruiter. â€Å"Good.† â€Å"Do you think the slap was too much? We didn't really plan that; I was just sort of going with the moment. Maybe it was too obvious†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It was fine, just fine.† Matt was looking preoccupied. Not that dull, apathetic, turned-in look of the last few months, but distinctly abstracted. â€Å"What is it? Something wrong with the plan?† Bonnie said. â€Å"No, no. Listen, Bonnie, I've been thinking. You were the one to discover Mr. Tanner's body in the Haunted House last Halloween, right?† Bonnie was startled. She gave an involuntary shiver of distaste. â€Å"Well, I was the first one to know he was dead, really dead, instead of just playing his scene. Why on earth do you want to talk about that now?† â€Å"Because maybe you can answer this question. Could Mr. Tanner have got a knife in Damon?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Well, could he?† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie blinked and frowned. Then she shrugged. â€Å"I suppose so. Sure. It was a Druid sacrifice scene, remember, and the knife we used was a real knife. We talked about using a fake one, but since Mr. Tanner was going to be lying right there beside it, we figured it was safe enough. As a matter of fact†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie's frown deepened. â€Å"I think when I found the body, the knife was in a different place from where we'd set it in the beginning. But then, some kid could have moved it. Matt, why are you asking?† â€Å"Just something Damon said to me,† Matt said, staring off into the distance again. â€Å"I wondered if it could be the truth.† â€Å"Oh.† Bonnie waited for him to say more, but he didn't. â€Å"Well,† she said finally, â€Å"if it's all cleared up, can you come back to Earth, please? And don't you think you should maybe put your arm around me? Just to show you're on my side and there's no chance you're going to show up at Elena's grave tonight with Meredith?† Matt snorted, but the faraway look disappeared from his eyes. For just a brief instant he put his arm around her and squeezed. D..j. vu, Meredith thought as she stood at the gate to the cemetery. The problem was, she couldn't remember exactly which of her previous experiences in the graveyard this night reminded her of. There had been so many. In a way, it had all started here. It had been here that Elena had sworn not to rest until Stefan belonged to her. She'd made Bonnie and Meredith swear to help her, too -in blood. How suitable, Meredith thought now. And it had been here that Tyler had assaulted Elena the night of the Homecoming dance. Stefan had come to the rescue, and that had been the beginning for them. This graveyard had seen a lot. This graveyard had been the beginning, and the end as well. And maybe there would be another end tonight. Meredith started walking. I wish you were here now, Alaric, she thought. I could use your optimism and your savvy about the supernatural-and I wouldn't mind your muscles, either. Elena's headstone was in the new cemetery, of course, where the grass was still tended and the graves marked with wreaths of flowers. The stone was very simple, almost plain looking, with a brief inscription. Meredith bent down and placed her bouquet of roses in front of it. Then, slowly, she added the red-and-black tassel from her cap. In this dim light, both colors looked the same, like dried blood. She knelt and folded her hands quietly. And she waited. All around her the cemetery was still. It seemed to be waiting with her, breath held in anticipation. The rows of white stones stretched on either side of her, shining faintly. Meredith listened for any sound. And then she heard one. Heavy footsteps. With her head down, she stayed quiet, pretending she noticed nothing. The footsteps sounded closer, not even bothering to be stealthy. â€Å"Hi, Meredith.† Meredith looked around quickly. â€Å"Oh-Tyler,† she said. â€Å"You scared me. I thought you were-never mind.† â€Å"Yeah?† Tyler's lips skinned back in an unsettling grin. â€Å"Well, I'm sorry you're disappointed. But it's me, just me and nobody else.† â€Å"What are you doing here, Tyler? No good parties?† â€Å"I could ask you the same question.† Tyler's eyes dropped to the headstone and the tassel and his face darkened. â€Å"But I guess I already know the answer. You're here for her. Elena Gilbert, A Light in Darkness,† he read sarcastically. â€Å"That's right,† Meredith said evenly. † ‘Elena' means light, you know. And she was certainly surrounded by darkness. It almost beat her, but she won in the end.† â€Å"Maybe,† Tyler said, and worked his jaw meditatively, squinting. â€Å"But you know, Meredith, it's a funny thing about darkness. There's always more of it waiting in the wings.† â€Å"Like tonight,† Meredith said, looking up at the sky. It was clear and dotted with faint stars. â€Å"It's very dark tonight, Tyler. But sooner or later the sun will come up.† Just like he showed Elena, Meredith thought. In a way she was enjoying this verbal fencing, but she never lost sight of what she had come here for. Her cold fingers dipped into her jacket pocket and found the tiny sprig of vervain there. â€Å"That's all right, Tyler. I think I'd prefer to stay here.† â€Å"You sure about that? A cemetery's a dangerous place to be alone.† Unquiet spirits, Meredith thought. She looked right at him. â€Å"I know.† He was grinning again, displaying teeth like tombstones. â€Å"Anyway, you can see it from here if you have good eyes. Look that way, toward the old graveyard. Now, do you see something sort of shining red in the middle?† â€Å"No.† There was a pale luminosity over the trees in the east. Meredith kept her eyes on it. â€Å"Aw, come on, Meredith. You're not trying. Once the moon's up you'll see it better.† â€Å"Tyler, I can't waste any more time here. I'm going.† â€Å"No, you're not,† he said. And then, as her fingers tightened on the vervain, encompassing it in her fist, he added in a wheedling voice, â€Å"I mean, you're not going until I tell you the story of that headstone, are you? It's a great story. See, the headstone is made of red marble, the only one of its kind in the whole graveyard. And that ball on top-see it?-that must weigh about a ton. But it moves. It turns whenever a Smallwood is going to die. My grandfather didn't believe that; he put a scratch on it right down the front. He used to come out and check it every month or so. Then one day he came and found the scratch in the rear. The ball had turned completely backward. He did everything he could to turn it around, but he couldn't. It was too heavy. And that night, in bed, he died. They buried him under it.† â€Å"He probably had a heart attack from overexertion,† Meredith said caustically, but her palms were tingling. â€Å"You're funny, aren't you? Always so cool. Always so together. Takes a lot to make you scream, doesn't it?† â€Å"I'm leaving, Tyler. I've had enough.† He let her walk a few paces, then said, â€Å"You screamed that night at Caroline's, though, didn't you?† Meredith turned back. â€Å"How do you know that?† Tyler rolled his eyes. â€Å"Give me credit for a little intelligence, okay? I know a lot, Meredith. For instance, I know what's in your pocket.† Meredith's fingers stilled. â€Å"What do you mean?† Meredith backed away a step. â€Å"You think that's going to help you, don't you? But I'm going to tell you a secret.† Meredith's eyes measured the distance between herself and the path. She kept her face calm, but a violent shaking was beginning inside her. She didn't know if she was going to be able to pull this off. â€Å"You're not going anywhere, babe,† Tyler said, and a large hand clasped Meredith's wrist. It was hot and damp where she could feel it below her jacket cuff. â€Å"You're going to stay right here for your surprise.† His body was hunched now, his head thrust forward, and there was an exultant leer on his lips. â€Å"Let me go, Tyler. You're hurting me!† Panic flashed down all Meredith's nerves at the feel of Tyler's flesh against hers. But the hand only gripped harder, grinding tendon against bone in her wrist. â€Å"This is a secret, baby, that nobody else knows,† Tyler said, pulling her close, his breath hot in her face. â€Å"You came here all decked out against vampires. But I'm not a vampire.† Meredith's heart was pounding. â€Å"Let go!† â€Å"First I want you to look over there. You can see the headstone now,† he said, turning her so that she couldn't help but look. And he was right; she could see it, like a red monument with a shining globe on top. Or-not a globe. That marble ball looked like†¦ it looked like†¦ â€Å"Now look east. What do you see there, Meredith?† Tyler went on, his voice hoarse with excitement. It was the full moon. It had risen while he'd been talking to her, and now it hung above the hills, perfectly round and enormously distended, a huge and swollen red ball. And that was what the headstone looked like. Like a full moon dripping with blood. â€Å"You came here protected against vampires, Meredith,† Tyler said from behind her, even more hoarsely. â€Å"But the Smallwoods aren't vampires at all. We're something else.† And then he growled. No human throat could have made the sound. It wasn't an imitation of an animal; it was real. A vicious guttural snarl that went up and up, snapping Meredith's head around to look at him, to stare in disbelief. What she was seeing was so horrible her mind couldn't accept it†¦ â€Å"I told you it was a surprise. How do you like it?† Tyler said. His voice was thick with saliva, and his red tongue lolled among the rows of long canine teeth. His face wasn't a face anymore. It jutted out grotesquely into a muzzle, and his eyes were yellow, with slitlike pupils. His reddish-sandy hair had grown over his cheeks and down the back of his neck. A pelt. â€Å"You can scream all you want up here and nobody's going to hear you,† he added. Every muscle in Meredith's body was rigid, trying to get away from him. It was a visceral reaction, one she couldn't have helped if she wanted to. His breath was so hot, and it smelled feral, like an animal. The nails he was digging into her wrist were stumpy blackened claws. She didn't have the strength to scream again. â€Å"There's other things besides vampires with a taste for blood,† Tyler said in his new slurping voice. â€Å"And I want to taste yours. But first we're going to have some fun.† Although he still stood on two feet, his body was humped and strangely distorted. Meredith's struggles were feeble as he forced her to the ground. She was a strong girl, but he was far stronger, his muscles bunching under his shirt as he pinned her. â€Å"You've always been too good for me, haven't you? Well, now you're going to find out what you've been missing.† I can't breathe, Meredith thought wildly. His arm was across her throat, blocking her air. Gray waves rolled through her brain. If she passed out now†¦ â€Å"You're going to wish you died as fast as Sue.† Tyler's face floated above her, red as the moon, with that long tongue lolling. His other hand held her arms above her head. â€Å"You ever hear the story of Little Red Riding Hood?† The gray was turning into blackness, speckled with little lights. Like stars, Meredith thought. I'm falling in the stars†¦ â€Å"Tyler, take your hands off her! Let go of her, now!† Matt's voice shouted. Tyler's slavering snarl broke off into a surprised whine. The arm against Meredith's throat released pressure, and air rushed into her lungs. Footsteps were pounding around her. â€Å"I've been waiting a long time to do this, Tyler,† Matt said, jerking the sandy-red head back by the hair. Then Matt's fist smashed into Tyler's newly grown muzzle. Blood spurted from the wet animal nose. The sound Tyler made froze Meredith's heart in her chest. He sprang at Matt, twisting in midair, claws outstretched. Matt fell back under the assault and Meredith, dizzy, tried to push herself up off the ground. She couldn't; all her muscles were trembling uncontrollably. But someone else picked Tyler off Matt as if Tyler weighed no more than a doll. â€Å"Just like old times, Tyler,† Stefan said, setting Tyler on his feet and facing him. Tyler stared a minute, then tried to run. He was fast, dodging with animal agility between the rows of graves. But Stefan was faster and cut him off. Stefan was dragging Tyler back. â€Å"I always knew you were a jerk,† he said, shoving Tyler against a headstone, â€Å"but I didn't know you were this stupid. I'd have thought you would have learned not to jump girls in graveyards, but no. And you had to brag about what you did to Sue, too. That wasn't smart, Tyler.† Meredith looked at them as they faced each other. So different, she thought. Even though they were both creatures of darkness in some way. Stefan was pale, his green eyes blazing with anger and menace, but there was a dignity, almost a purity about him. He was like some stern angel carved in unyielding marble. Tyler just looked like a trapped animal. He was crouched, breathing hard, blood and saliva mingling on his chest. Those yellow eyes glittered with hate and fear, and his fingers worked as if he'd like to claw something. A low sound came out of his throat. â€Å"Don't worry, I'm not going to beat you up this time,† Stefan said. â€Å"Not unless you try to get away. We're all going up to the church to have a little chat. You like to tell stories, Tyler; well, you're going to tell me one now.† Tyler sprang at him, vaulting straight from the ground for Stefan's throat. But Stefan was ready for him. Meredith suspected that both Stefan and Matt enjoyed the next few minutes, working off their accumulated aggressions, but she didn't, so she looked away. In the end, Tyler was trussed up with nylon cord. He could walk, or shuffle at least, and Stefan held the back of his shirt and guided him urgently up the path to the church. Inside, Stefan pushed Tyler onto the ground near the open tomb. â€Å"Now,† he said, â€Å"we are going to talk. And you're going to cooperate, Tyler, or you're going to be very, very sorry.†

Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface

Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 1/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface by Karen D. King, RDH, MHeD and Dr. Rosalee Seymour, Associate Professor, EdD, RN Abstract This report presents the results of a usability evaluation of the Web design interfac e for an instructional unit prototype on Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers. Usability is defin ed as the measure of a product’s potential to accomplish the goals of its users (Dumas, 1999). The unit and the Web interface were designed to deliver instruction to undergraduate dental hygien e students.The three randomly selected users/subjects for this evaluation were from an undergrad uate class of dental hygiene students. This report describes the usability evaluation planning, im plementation, data analysis methods, and results. The results demonstrate that conducting usabilit y evaluations help to determine the organization and ease of navigation of an interactive, Web- base d, instructional unit. Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface Computers are used to educate, in many instances, with conventional interfaces that i nclude those used to create documents and manipulate data.A Web interface, which was tested in t his case, is very different from a conventional one. The Web is a domain that must be instantly u sable and support many communication modalities. Web designers must focus on the computer user whose goal is to gather information rather than to create documents or manipulate data (Raj ani & Rosenberg, 1999). It is critical that the accomplishment of the users’ goals be the primary objective o f a usability evaluation (UE) of Web site interface design.Users will not be able to access correc t pages unless the constructed site reflects their needs and contains a navigation scheme that allow s easy access to the desired information (Nielsen, 2000a). In Web interface designs the properties of color, sound, navigation, and place ment must be considered from a different perspective than with c onventional interfaces. Usability evaluation purposes. The faculty of the Department of Dental Hygiene, where this evaluation was conducted developed an oral pathology course for undergraduate student s in dental hygiene and wanted to deliver it via a Web design interface.The instructional unit o n Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers is the prototype for nine instructional units to follow. It was anticipated that conducting a UE, on the prototype instructional unit Web interface, would enable identification of any usability issues or problems relevant to this Web interface before the constru ction of subsequent instructional units. In keeping with Rajani and Rosenberg (1999), the primary purposes of this UE were agr eed upon as: 1) to determine if the Web-based Herpes Simplex and Apthous ulcer prototype is easy t o navigate 13/3/2013 0:50Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 2/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm and meets the goals of undergraduate dental hygiene students, 2) to use any identifie d problems to revise this unit, 3) to make recommendations on the construction of additional units based on this prototype, 4) to save faculty time, and 5) to insure students’ goals will be met in t he Web interface format. The Literature Usability evaluations include a range of methods for identifying how users actually i nteract with a prototype or completed Web site. Planning of a UE egins with a statement of the ove rall purpose and objectives for the investigation and a clear identification of the problem (Hom, 1999; Instone, 1999). In a typical approach a UE is conducted while users perform tasks and a modera tor watches, listens, and records for later data analyzes and reporting of results (Fichter, 2000) . The next steps are the identification of the subject/users and the design of the study. Graham (2000) describes many ways to get feedback about the usability of a Web site. Gra ham (2000) recommends that a moderator observe a user representing the site’s target audi ence as they navigate the site.Graham (2000) cautions moderators against the interruption of the subject/user while conducting any observations. Nielsen (2000a) also recommends that the user/subj ects be representative of the target audience and not colleagues or others who may know too m uch about the site. Nielsen (2000a) recommends that user/subjects perform specific tasks durin g a UE as opposed to asking them to just play on the test site. These test tasks need to be re presentative of the types of tasks that users will actually perform on the Web site within the Web in terface being tested.Nielsen (2000a) suggests that the moderator solicit comments from users as they progr ess through to task completion to help determine their thought process. Hom (2000) refers to thi s encouragement of user comments during the evaluation as the ‘think aloud protocol’. H om (2000) des cribes this technique as one in which the user verbalizes any thoughts, feelings, and/or opinions while interacting with the test site. The inclusion of the ‘think aloud protocol’ all ows the moderator to qualitatively measure how the user approaches the Web interface and what consideratio ns they keep in mind when using it.For example, a user verbalizing that the sequence of steps, d ictated by a task, is different from what was expected, could demonstrate an interface problem (Ho m, 2000). Hom (2000) recommends using the qualitative ‘think aloud method’ in conjunction with performance measures. The performance measures add to the data collected noting such things as: 1 ) the time it takes for a user to complete a task, 2) the number and type of errors per task, 3) the number of users completing a task successfully, and 4) the satisfaction of the user with the si te (Nielsen, 2000a).After determining the study design and identification of the users, Spool et al. (199 9) in agreement with Nielsen recommend development of specific tasks for users to perform during the UE. In addition to a task list, Hom (1999) advocates during the planning phase of UE that on e specify materials needed and the site evaluation environment. Rubin (1994) agrees that the U E process needs test users from the target population to evaluate the degree to which a product meets specific 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface /12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm criteria. Rubin (1994) describes six basic elements of a UE: 1) a clear statement of the problem and/or evaluation objectives, 2) a sample of users, which may/may not be randomly cho sen, 3) a setting representative of the actual work environment, 4) observation of users who either use or review a representation of the product, 5) a collection of quantitative performance and qualitative preferences measures, and 6) an analysis leading to recommendation for design of the product evaluated.When analyzing data from having conducted a UE, rather than supporting hypotheses one is looking for patterns to identify common problems, in the remarks or observations, between use rs (Dumas, 1999; Hom, 1999). Performance data is statistically analyzed while qualitative data, collected by observing the user’s actions and opinions, is analyzed for trends. The data analysis results should lead to identification of strengths and recommendations for improving the site or pro duct (Nielsen, 2000a; Spool, et al. 1999; Hom, 1999; Dumas, 1999). Usability Evaluation: The Case This UE was conducted because usability problems, within any prototype, are important to discover prior to the costly, time consuming, construction of a web interface for additional i nstructional units. The specific purpose of this UE was to determine if the Web interface presented the H erpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcer prototype interactive educational unit in a way that allowed underg raduate dental hygiene students to successfully achieve unit outcomes.Specific objectives for this usability evaluation were to determine: 1) navigational and/or organizational problems with the Web interface, 2) the presence of any confusing term inology in the site, 3) if the site meets the goals of the user, 4) if the users can complete the as signed tasks, and 5) user’s attitudes toward the Web site. Methods A description of the UE environment, user selection criteria and profiles, usability evaluation process, the task list, and evaluation measures for this study follow. Usability evaluation environment. The UE took place in the moderator’s private campus office.This is a quiet, well-lit room with a comfortable temperature, equipped with a Dell computer workstation, which was used for the evaluation. A sign reading â€Å"Usability Evaluation in Session. Please Do Not Disturb† was posted on the closed office door to prevent interruptions and distractio ns. The UEs were co nducted on July 2, 2001, at 1:00 p. m. , 2:00 p. m. , and 3:00 p. m. Subject/users interacted with the Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers Web interface one at a time. Each subject /user had 20 minutes to complete the usability evaluation. Subjectuser selection and profile.Three randomly selected undergraduate dental hygi ene students, from a target population of 24 (class of 2002), became subjectusers. All 24 students will be required to take the oral pathology courses including the instructional units reflect ing the results of this UE. Alphabetical order by user’s last name determined the order of subjectuser participation. In order to be selected the subject/users must have met the following criteria: 1) be an undergraduate 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 4/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm ental hygiene student, 2) have successfully completed one academic year of the Denta l Hygiene Program, 3) have previous experience with the Internet, and 4) have previous experien ce with Web browsers The demographic characteristics of the users for this evaluation were that: 1) they all were female, 2) ages 25, 22, and 43, 3) all had successfully completed on e academic year in the Dental Hygiene Program, 4) all had previous experience with the Internet, and 5) all had between 1 and 3 years experience with Web browsers. Administration protocol. Prior to the UE a training packet and session of 30 minutes were provided to each subjectuser.The training session included a brief description of the UE proce ss, purpose and objectives, and the UE protocol instructions. Each subject/user was given an opportun ity to review the packet and ask any questions before agreeing, by signing a consent form, to be a voluntary participant. The UE packet included: 1) a user profile questionnaire, 2) a task list , 3) a statement of the purposes of the evaluation, 4) evaluation instructions, and 5) a consent form. Prior to each actual UE every subjec tuser was again given a 10-minute review of the UE instructions and opportunity to ask questions.Subjects/users were told it would take one hour to complete the entire UE process; 20 minutes to complete the task list. According to Nielsen (2000a) , a UE time of 30 minutes or less is adequate to conduct a UE. An additional 15 minutes allowed time for the user to verbalize about the Web interface and to complete a follow up questionnaire to de termine their attitude towards the Web interface. The remaining 15 minutes of the hour the moderat or used to review notes of comments and observations and to make corrections so that no misunder standing would occur later in interpreting results.Shneiderman (1998) suggests the moderator rewrite UE notes as soon as possible, reducing moderator errors in note interpretation later. The subjectusers were required to use the’ think aloud method’ (Hom, 2000) to provid e subjective data in conjunction with the collection of various perfo rmance measures. The performa nce measures included: 1) the time it took the user to complete the task list; 2) the number of er rors per task, 3) the number of users completing the task list successfully in the allotted time, and 4 ) the attitude of the user toward the Web interface.In addition, the moderator collected qualitative data by observing each user during completion of each task and taking notes regarding their f acial expressions, opinions expressed, and verbalized thoughts while completing UE. The mo derator made notes on the opinions and thoughts of the user following UE. Finally, the subje ctusers completed a questionnaire to describe their attitudes about the Web interface. Implementation Piloting the UE administration protocol.A Department of Dental Hygiene professor, fa miliar with the Internet, Web browsers, and oral pathology pilot tested the UE administration protoco l one week prior to testing subjectusers. The moderator provided the pilot test user with the s ame pre UE instructions and task list that would be given to subject/users. The pilot test resul ted in no problems with the UE administration protocol. The moderator observed the pilot test subject/us er and collected the same quantitative and qualitative data that was to be collected from th e research 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 5/12 http://ojni. rg/602/usability. htm subjectusers. The results of the pilot test showed that the UE protocol could be use d with subject/users without revision. Pre-training for UE. At 12:30 p. m. July 2, 2001, the subjectusers arrived for the pr e UE training session. The moderator distributed the UE packet and described the purpose and proce dures of the UE. The users were given an opportunity to review the UE packet and to ask questions . Each of the three subjectusers signed consent forms before leaving the pre UE training. Administration of UE. Each of the three subject/users arrived at the moderator’s offi ce for the UE.The moderator reviewed the evaluation instructions and gave time for any additional q uestions to be answered. The following sequence of events occurred for the three users, each: a) beg an the UE , 2) completed the task list, 3) responded to questions about the evaluation experience, 4 ) added thoughts or opinions regarding interaction with the Web interface, and 5) left the mo derator’s office in 45 minutes each. The administrator used the remaining 15 minutes of each of the t hree hours to rewrite portions of notes taken during observation in preparation for the UE report o f results.Task list and description. The tasks were identified using the purposes and objective s of the UE. The task list includes 10 primary tasks for subjectusers to perform in navigation of the Website interface for the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers prototype. The task list beginning wi th accessing the Website via the interface and progressing through the instructional unit follows. Because many of the 10 primary tasks were repeated the actual count of performing tasks is 31. Task 1 – with the browser open go to www. etsu. edu/cpah/dental/dcte760.This task was chosen to determine if users, indicating they had between 1 and 3 years experience with a Web b rowser, would have a problem accessing a Web site when given only a Web address without a dir ect link. Task 2 – read the instructions on the first page of the Web site and click on the lin k that it directs you to go to first. This task was to determine the clarity of the Web interface in p roviding instructions for beginning the instructional unit. Task 3 – click on Assignment 1 Task 4 – access the discussion forum and enter your name and email address.This task helped determine the Web interface design, by allowing for observing if users had difficulty locating the discussion forum area and/or entering information into it. Task 5 – When done in discussion forum, re turn to Assignment 1. This task will ident ify if users have difficulty returning to the designated page using the Web interface. Task 6 – Click on Assignment 2 Task 7 – Read the content on Apthous Ulcers. This task requires users to read content on a Web page on the site. Task 8 – Click on the images on this page to enlarge them. This task determines the e ase of click navigation to enlarge thumbnail images. 3/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 6/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Task 9 – Return to Assignment 2. This task determined if users could navigate the We b interface via a link taking them back to a designated page in the Web site. Task 10 – Answer the study questions in Assignment 2. The study questions direct the user through a series of multiple-choice items in a linear fashion. Correct responses allow the u ser to continue to the next question while incorrect responses require the user to go back to the que sti on and make another attempt to answer.Users cannot go to the next question until the previous q uestion is answered correctly. This task requires navigating through a series of questions with the potential for going back and forth if an answer is wrong. This task determined if users could succe ssfully navigate the Web interface to the study questions Task 11 – When the study questions are all answered, return to Assignment 2. This tas k again measures their ability to use the Web interface to return to a designated page in the Web site. Task 12 – Click Assignment 3. Task 13 – Read the entire case 2 Herpes Simplex.Again, users are required to read c ontent on the Web site but they must use the Web interface design to do it successfully. Task 14 – When you have finished reading Case 2, return to Assignment 3. This task de termined if users could navigate the Web interface to a case study contained within the instructi onal unit and return to a designat ed page in the Web site. Task 15 – Click on Assignment 4. Task 16 – Go to Case 1. Task 17 – Fill in the diagnosis form. This task required students to locate a case, fill in case study information obtained from previous exercises.This task measures the Web interface’s ease of navigation using forms to complete information. Task 18 – Submit the Form. This task demonstrates if the Web interface allows for ea sy form submission upon completion. Task 19 – Return to Assignment 4. User must complete a form by diagnosing the case s tudy patient in this assignment. This task determined if users could easily navigate the case stud y, fill in the appropriate form fields, submit the form, and return to the designated page in the We b site. Task 20 – Click on Assignment 5. Task 21 – Go to the reflection form.This task demonstrates if the Web interface all ows users to navigate to the reflection form. Task 22 – Write your reflections on the unit on the form. A form to reflect on the in structional unit is required for assignment 5. This task demonstrates if users will be able, through thi s Web interface, to make text entries in the appropriate form fields in the reflection form. 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 7/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Task 23 – Submit the form. The task determined if users could navigate the Web inter face to send the completed reflection form electronically.Task 24 – Return to Assignment 5. Determines if users via the Web interface, can eas ily return to a designated page in the Web site. Task 25 – Go to the course evaluation survey. An evaluation form is included in this instructional unit to determine student attitudes and satisfaction levels with the instructional un it. This task measures if the Web interface allows the user to easily locate a survey on the site. Task 26 – Complete the course evaluation survey. This task determined if users using the Web interface, could easily navigate a form to reply to the questions. Task 27 – Submit the survey.This task measures whether the Web interface allows use rs to easily submit form information electronically. Task 28 – Return to Assignment 5. This task measures the Web interface as it allows u ses to return to designated pages in the Web site with ease. Task 29 – Go to the discussion forum. This task determined if the users could open t he forum and is a test of the Web interface design and its ease of promoting discussion. Task 30 – Make a forum entry indicating that you have finished the usability evaluati on. This task measures the Web interface design’s success with entering comments into a discussion forum.Task 31 – Return to Assignment 5. This task measures the Web interface designs succ ess with returning users to designated pages in the Web site. (N=31 navigational tasks) Non-task performance measur es. Following Nielsen, (2000a) subjectusers were asked t o use the ‘think aloud method’ in conjunction with performance measures. The quantitative measu res to be evaluated included the: 1) amount of time to complete the task list, 2) number of err ors per task, 3) number of users completing the task list successfully in the allotted time, and 4) at titude of users toward the Web interface.In addition to the quantitative measures, the administrato r collected qualitative data during and after the usability evaluation by each user. This UE was designed to measure the ease of undergraduate dental hygiene student user s navigation through the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers instructional unit prot otype Web interface. Although all task completion or non completion allowed for tests of the in terface, the following three questions focus more directly on navigation of the prototype Web inte rface: Do all the navigational links in this Web site work correctly?Is the or ganization of this Web site consistent? Is there any confusing terminology regarding navigation and organization on this Web site? Results The success or failure on each task performed as well as the qualitative data collect ed from the 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 8/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm post-test interview and the post-test questionnaire are reported. Because the tasks in the UE were short, the quantitative data collected was based on the entire task list and not on each task independently. Users had adequate time to complete the enti re task list.There were 31Website interface navigation tasks completed by three subject/users with a total of seven navigation errors. 1. User #1 took 20 minutes to successfully complete the task list with one Web i nterface navigation error. 2. User #2 took 18 minutes to successfully complete the task list with three Web interface navigation errors. 3. User #3 took 19 minutes to successfully complete the task list with three Web interface navigation errors Task 1 –Users #1 and #2 completed task #1 easily and were able to successfully open t he designated Web site without Web interface navigation error.User #3 entered the Web site address in the search line of the Web browser, an error message was returned by the browser, and then the user entered the Web site address in the address line of the browser and was able to successfully access the home page of the instructional unit via the Web site interface. In this c ase the navigational error relates to lack of knowledge about where to type in a Web address in a Web browser. Task 2 – Read the instructions on the first page of the Web site and click on the lin k that your are directed to go to first.User #1 asked, â€Å"Do I make the decision myself to go to assi gnment 1 or to the course syllabus? † The administrator did not answer this question as the instruct ions on the Web page indicated the first link. Th is error, while not significant since both links ta ke the student to the appropriate Web page to begin the instructional unit as well as the usability evaluat ion, could add user frustration to the mix. Users #2 and #3 use the Web site interface on the first page of the Web site to readily access the needed location.Task 3, 4, and 5 – Click on Assignment 1 and enter your name and email address in the discussion forum. When this task is complete, return to Assignment 1. User #1 was unable to re adily use the Web interface to access the discussion forum. This user consistently scrolled to the bottom of any page before making any choices about where to go next. This scrolling is not consider ed an error in the prototype but could indicate that the Web interface design needs revision to stop this behavior. Once the discussion forum was accessed, this user asked, â€Å"Is this where I go to post my name? The administrator did answer in the affirmative and the user continued with the task. Upon completion of the discussion forum entry user #1 could not navigate back to the desig nated page. The administrator finally intervened and instructed the user to use the â€Å"back† button on the browser. The user then looked for the â€Å"back key† on the keyboard. Further instructi on from the administrator got the user back on task. When user #2 realized that the task involved a discussion forum, the user indicated n o previous 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 9/12 ttp://ojni. org/602/usability. htm experience with discussion forums of any type. Her response was â€Å"Am I being timed, b ecause here is the first problem? † The administrator reassured the user that there is as much ti me as needed to perform the task. Upon submission of the discussion forum entry, user #2 chose the â€Å" back† button on the browser quickly. User #3 got to the discussion forum easily, but then asked, â€Å"Am I the subject? † The administrator informed the user that the responses in the form fields did not matter and that any i nformation could be entered in any field.Upon submission of the form entries, user #3 used the â€Å"back† button on the browser but indicated that she thought only one click of the â€Å"back† button was sufficient. All users successfully completed the task. The Web interface design was not the culprit in these task struggles. Tasks 6, 7, 8, and 9 – Click on Assignment 2. Read the content on Apthous Ulcers. Cl ick on the images to enlarge the view. Return to Assignment 2. Users #1 and #3 did not click o n the images to view a larger version of the image. Both disregarded this portion of the task com pletely.Perhaps the images were large enough for them. User #2 opened the larger view of the images a nd returned to the designated page in the Web site indicating no problem with the Web interface d esign in the area of enlarging images. All users returne d to the designated page in the Web site, but only one user completed the entire task successfully. Tasks 10 and 11 – Answer the study questions in Assignment 2. When the study questio ns are all answered, return to Assignment 2. All users navigated through the study questions ea sily.User #1 expressed embarrassment, because the administrator of the UE is also a faculty member in the Department of Dental Hygiene, and the user did not want the administrator to know if the answers to the study questions were incorrect. The administrator reminded user #1 that the an swers to the questions were not the purpose of this evaluation. The Web site was being evaluated n ot the knowledge of the user. User #1 continued to navigate through the study questions, but indicated distress any time she chose an incorrect response to a study question.It is assumed this frustration related to having to go back and continue to answer until the answer was correct befo re going on. User #2 quickly re alized that the links chosen by user #1 were a different color. Sin ce all users participated in the UE on the same computer, the visited hyperlinks were apparent. U ser #2 easily navigated the questions with much less distress about incorrect responses, because sh e realized that her peers had chosen incorrectly as well. User #3 also noticed the visited hyperlinks and navigated the questions without incident.However, user #3 had a problem choosing answers beca use the hyperlink was on only one letter, the user had trouble positioning the mouse pointer exactly over the single letter link. The user clicked several times before realizing that the link ar ea was very small. This indicates an area of the Web interface design that needs improvement. All users successfully completed these tasks. Tasks 12, 13, and 14 – Click on Assignment 3. Read Case 2. When you have finished re turn to Assignment 3. Users #1 and #3 quickly read the case and returned to the designated We b page.Use r #2 appeared to have accidentally clicked the wrong link and could not locate Cas e 2. The administrator provided instruction because the user seemed frustrated. After the user located the correct page, there was no problem completing the task. Here it is hard to distingui sh if this is a 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 10/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Web interface design error or not. Tasks 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 – Click on Assignment 4. Fill in the form. Submit the form. Return to Assignment 4. This was the first form in the Web site.User #1 began with â€Å"OK, what is this? † The user had never filled in a form and submitted it through a Web site. Users #2 and #3 both accessed and filled in the required information in the form fields and returned to the designa ted Web page easily. User #1 took more time, but successfully completed the task. Tasks 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 – Click on Assignment 5. Go to the reflection fo rm. Fill in the form. Submit the form. Return to Assignment 5. This was the second experience with the Web interface using a form. All three users accessed, filled in the form, and submitted the form wi thout a problem.Task 25, 26, 27, and 28 – Go to the course evaluation survey. Complete the course eva luation survey. Submit the survey. Return to Assignment 5. Users #1 and #2 had difficulty loc ating the survey link on the page. Once the survey evaluation link was located, no user had any difficulty completing the task. User #3 completed the task easily, but after submission of the form, the user clicked on the â€Å"back† button to return to the designated Web page in the site. As use r #3 clicked on the â€Å"back† button she said, â€Å"Is it erasing the form information if I am going back wi th the back button? The moderator assured her the action of the â€Å"back† button would not erase fo rm input after submission. Task 29, 30, and 31 – Go to the Discussion Forum. Make a forum entry indicating that you have finished the UE. Return to Assignment 5. By task 31, all users were familiar with th e site and had no trouble navigating the discussion forum and returning to the designated page in the W eb site. Upon completion of the task list, each user had the opportunity to comment on the Web site and offer suggestions and opinions. The following were offered:User #1 indicated that she would be more comfortable if the administrator had not bee n watching her progress. She indicated being watched so closely made her very nervous and she th ought the site would have been much easier to navigate on her own. She indicated that she like d the set up of the Web interface and asked if there were going to be other sites like this for her u se in the dental hygiene curriculum. User #2 indicated that she liked the site and thought it was easy to use. User #3 lik ed the site and would like similar sites for other topics in the dental hygiene curriculum.She indi cated that she did not like using the ‘back button’ after all the forms. All three users expressed nervo usness about being watched by the administrator. Discussion A sample of three users completed this UE. Nielsen (2000b) indicates that three to f ive participants in a UE are adequate. Usability problems were identified in some part of nine of the ten primary tasks on the task list. In addition, some of the problems as told by the users, rela ted to: 1) the administrator present during the UE was also a professor in the Department of Dental Hygiene in 3/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 11/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm which the user is a student, 2) the evaluation was conducted during the summer school session, and 3) all users were also students in the administrator’s class. Users reported being mo re nervous about the site content in the presence of this administrator. In future UE studies th e us ability administrator should be a neutral observer The questionnaire completed by the users following the usability evaluation demonstra ted user satisfaction with the site.Shneiderman (1998) suggests users should give their subje ctive impressions of the Web interface. All but one of the responses indicated that the us ers were satisfied with the site’s navigation and organization. The users indicated that the t erminology used in the site was clear, they were able to complete the assigned tasks easily, the site me t their needs, and the users liked the appearance of the site. The only responses not scored as sati sfactory were related to using the â€Å"back button†. Overall, all three users indicated the ease of na vigating the Web site interface was satisfactory. RecommendationsIt is evident from the results of this UE that Web-based interfaces for instructional delivery should be evaluated for usability problems. Corrections, suggested by the results, to the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers instructional unit prototype and Web interface should be made and the site re-tested before continuing development of the remaining nine courses in the oral pat hology Web-based instructional unit series. The usability evaluation of the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers Web-based inst ructional unit prototype resulted in the following recommendations for improvement to the Web site n avigation and organization. . This may be one time when the use of standard link colors should be violated. Students using the same computer to complete an instructional unit would be able to discern the answ ers chosen by the student previously using the computer. Changes in the Web interface design for te sts so that the link color does not change when a user chooses a particular response is recommended. 2. When assigning form submissions, provide a link to take the user back to the designated page in the Web site. The users in this UE did not like using the brow ser’s â€Å"back† button after completing the forms nor following entries to the discussion forum.The Web site interface desig n will be changed so the confirmation pages following discussion forum postings and submission of forms will take the user back to the page accessed immediately prior to the form or discussion f orum. 3. The hyperlinks for the answers to study questions were not large enough. Cli cking on a one letter link made users have a hard time identifying the link. This Web site interfac e design will be corrected so that the entire cell in which the letter choices are located will be the hyperlink. ConclusionsThe UE conducted on the Oral Herpes Simplex and Apthous Ulcers instructional unit pro totype Web design interface proved to be a successful method for the determination of usability problems in a 13/3/2013 0:50 Usability Evaluation of a Web Design Interface 12/12 http://ojni. org/602/usability. htm Web-based instructional delivery method. The users identified usability problems with the Web interface as well as with their own skill or lack of skill with using any browser. Re commendations for revision have been identified by the researcher and will be implemented. Authors NoteShould anyone wish to examine the Website and review the Herpes Simplex and Apthous U lcer instructional unit prototype it can be accessed at http://www. etsu. edu/cpah/dental/dcte760/. References Dumas, J. , & Redish, J. (1999). A Practical Guide to Usability Testing. Portland: In tellect Books. Fichter, D. (2000). Usability Testing Up Front. Online, 24 (1), 79-84. Graham, J. (2000). 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