Child Development and Rights Essay

There is little evidence of what it was really like in the past so it is difficult for a lot of people to re-construct the life of a child, however from what I have researched, and in my own opinion I am going to summarise the historical changes in childhood experience and relate these changes to childhood development and rights. In the 19th century I think children missed out on most of their childhood as most of them took on jobs such as chimney sweepers, street sellers and farms for example. These were mainly children from poor families who were seen as extra farm hands and were exploited by receiving low pay for long hours and working in poor conditions. Families did not look at how the children were treated and the possible impact on parts of their development (such as their social skills, health and education). When the government promised all children the same rights in 1989 it helped out a lot of development and gave them a childhood to enjoy. For example; â€Å"The right to be protected from exploitation of labour, drug abuse, sexual exploitation, sale, trafficking and abduction† This meant children now didn’t have to work and had also been given; â€Å"The right to education, training and special needs support where necessary† This improved social skills and social relationships as they where able to mix with other children in school and out of school, instead of having to miss school often or not attend at all because of the long hours and also the parents could not afford to lose their financial contributions. Children’s health was not good and child mortality rate was high, mainly due to overcrowding, poor diet and the poor working conditions which so many workhouse children didn’t live to become adults. These are the children who never recovered from years of chronic malnutrition. â€Å"The right to health and medical services† This gave rights to free healthcare in Britain which originally came out in 1948 (NHS) and a decline in childhood illnesses as children were given vaccines plus child mortality improved. Other parts of the developmental framework such as identity, self-care skills, emotional and behavior is that they never developed them fully as they grew up too fast so they could go to work and look after other siblings. Also from what my grandad has told me, back then they weren’t allowed to express themselves as they would get emotional and physical abuse towards them, so they just carried on with everyday life. They was wealthy families and was a lot easier from them as they had the money to attend a private school or was home-schooled. They were also encouraged to donate money and goods to the poor. Kerry Woolford Even though a legislation was drawn up and improved childhood education, healthcare and welfare, children were and even now in modern society around the world are being taken advantage of for monetary gain. Modern society now especially since 1997 have tried putting children first such as committing to meeting children’s needs. There are still problems such as school truancy, adolescents not in education or training and also child protection as there have been tragic deaths including baby P and Victoria climbie, which her death was largely responsible for the formation of every child matters inactive plus a lot of other changes in different systems, 2. Discuss how family systems are influential in child development processes and include challenges to meeting a child’s needs, such as conflicts and poor parenting practices. Family systems can influence in a child’s development process as the family is on of the main tools for the structure of personality. Parents now days are so inundated with work and/or social relationships that they neglect to spend time with them and fail to communicate with the children and also large number of families consist of any mother and child(ren) because the fathers are absent so it could lead to poor parenting. I’m not saying all single mothers lead to this because I know this from my own experience but according to a study in America in 2006 a broken family structure leads to education difficulty for children, saying; â€Å"when it comes to education achievement, children living with their own married parents do significantly better than other children.† An example of one family that I looked at and found interesting was that both parents were excessive drinkers and argued a lot, the father was also physically abusive and their 2 children could be affected all they way in till they reach adulthood by being angry and never trusting male-female relationships as all they have seen in their parents relationship is a war zone. They have never seen problems resolved constructively, so maybe severely limited in their ability to deal with stressful situations involving the important person in their adult relationships. Challenges in family systems can be hard to meet a child’s needs especially during a divorce. It can be very emotional for children during this time as one parent leaves the house or the child is re-locating, leaving the family home that they have ever known. They can blame themselves, especially if they overhear an argument over something the child has done around the same time of the divorce. The child needs to feel more secure during these changes and it will help to assure them the divorce was by grown up issues, not by anything they have said or done, make sure the child access has to both parents when feeling lonely or need reassuring. Most important take the time to talk with your child, and to spend quality time with them regularly. Kerry Woolford Poor parents practices is the lack of support, monitoring and harsh punishments which are linked with children’s adjustment, development and well-being. When children misbehave some parents use coercive form of discipline (such as spanking) where other parents rely on non-coercive method (such as discussing the consequences of misbehavior). Abusive or neglectful behaviors could cause or have caused serious behavior, cognitive, emotional or mental problems which can lead to substance abuse and crime. Parents that have a great deal in their child’s lives, usually have higher grades, fewer behavior problems, less substance use, better mental health, greater social competence and more positive self-concepts. In conclusion even in the 19th century and in modern society is that children want need is the love from their parents, protection, help and be there for them when there’s a major problem occurs that could disturb the family system.

Core Issues in Crime and Punishment Essay

Jimmy Boyle’s autobiography A Sense of Freedom (1977) gives a very interesting and honest insight into his life of crime and incarceration. The autobiography, written from inside prison, is according to Boyle an attempt to warn young people that there is not anything glamorous about crime and violence. It gives a full narration of his life from a very young age, with a detailed insight into his childhood, experiences of petty crime, approved schools and borstal, right through to his adult experiences of more serious crime, violence and adult prisons, including his interpretation of the Penal System. Reading this autobiography I aimed to remain detached from the author and seek to create an independent analysis of his criminality. The definition of ‘autobiography’ according to AskOxford (2010) is ‘an account of a person’s life written by that person’; this suggests that in analysing the author’s criminality throughout the book one should not forget that it is written from the author’s perspective and memory and should not be taken purely on face value. With this in mind I intend to apply criminological theories to Boyle’s autobiography with an aim to distinguish which criminological theory most effectively seeks to explain his criminality. Moreover, in doing this I expect to illuminate the criticisms involved within these theories. Crime can be defined as ‘an act or deed, which is against the law’ (Chambers 1998:145). Over the past few centuries there have been numerous theories try to explain why crime is committed and the answers to this question are still quite sceptical. I intend to consider the key principles of Rational Choice Theory and how convincing it is in explaining Boyle’s criminality. Rational Choice Theory is part of a contemporary Classical approach in explaining crime. In order to explain this theory it is important firstly to look into the Classical approach. Classicism is the eldest of these two theories that seeks to explain criminality. It emerged at a time when the naturalistic approach of the social contract theorists was challenging the previously dominant spiritualist approach to explaining crime and criminal behaviour (Burke, 2005:24). It rests on the assumption of free will and suggests that criminal activity is the result of rational choice and of the hedonistic impulses of the individual (Newburn, 2007:114). It was the two key Classical school theorists Baccaria and Bentham who in the late eighteenth century established the essential components of the Rational Actor model. It suggests that crime is the product of evil and people commit crime through choice because they are simply ‘bad’ (Newburn, 2007:114). A key principle of the classicist approach is to state the law clearly to the public and punishment should be predictable in order to create deterrence against crime. Baccaria considered that criminals owe a debt to society and proposed that punishments should be fixed strictly in proportion to the seriousness of the crime. According to Baccaria human behaviour is essentially based on the pleasure pain principle, therefore punishment should reflect that principle and all that are guilty of a particular offence should suffer the same penalty (Burke, 2005:25). Rational Choice theory derives from this same school of thought as Classicism. It emerged during the 1980s with the notion that ‘nothing works’, influenced by the Bentham and the economic utility model. Likewise to Classicism it bases its structure on simple deterrence and retribution principles and also shares the same assumptions that offenders are essentially rationally calculating actors (Newburn, 2007:280). It suggests that offenders make a cost-benefit-calculation as whether to commit the crime. If the benefit (e.g. money) out weighs the cost (e.g. prosecution if caught) then it is likely that they will take the risk and commit the offence. Becker (1968, cited in Newburn, 2007) argued that individuals will commit offences if the ‘expected utility’ of doing so is positive, and will not do so if it is negative. Cornish and Clark (1985, cited in Newburn, 2007) have had a major influence in developing Rational Choice theory. They suggest that rather than a simple choice, a sequence of choices have to be made, and that these choices are influenced by a number of social and psychological factors within the individual. Although this contemporary view still holds some of the main aspects of Classicism regarding rationality, it has moved in a new direction as it now arguably considers the psychological and sociological effects on the offender, an area that Classicism failed to consider. Rather than suggesting offenders are just ‘bad’ in its explanation of crime as Classicism does, the Rational Choice theory became the study of why people make particular decisions and behave in particular ways under certain circumstances (Newburn, 2007:281). According to Cornish and Clark (1985, cited in Newburn, 2007) crime is treated as ‘purposive’; it is never senseless. Moreover, Cornish and Clark (1985, cited in Newburn, 2007) suggest that other than material wealth, the benefits of committing su ch crime may also include excitement, prestige, fun, sexual gratification, defiance or dominance of others. It is arguable that throughout reading A Sense Of Freedom (1977) Boyle is aware of all the benefits from crime he receives, a lot of which are mentioned above. From a young age Boyle admits to the excitement experience by stealing and fighting. It is this that makes it evident that he has made rational calculations of what the benefits received will be as a result of crime, for instance stealing will gain him material wealth, reputation/status and excitement, much the same as fighting would gain him reputation and excitement. In this sense for Boyle the benefit of committing crime outweighed the cost, which explains his ongoing criminal behaviour. However, these benefits received would be an after effect of committing these crimes. What the Rational Choice theory fails to explain is why the need for committing the crime in the first place. Although Rational Choice theory does mention the psychological and sociological aspects that the offender brings with them into certain situations , it bases these aspects on calculating whether to commit the crime or not, rather than what sociological or psychological effects would contribute towards committing the crime in the first place i.e. strain, inequality, poverty, learned behaviour etc. Therefore it still does not seek to explain the individual’s social circumstances. In this sense according to Newburn (2007) it fails to take sufficient account of the structural conditions within which individual decision-making takes place (Newburn, 2007,296) Simply Rational Choice theory does not explain the reasons for committing crime in the first place. It explains the process that takes place when there is an opportunity for crime. According to Newburn (2007) it fails to explain or is unconcerned with the motivation of the offender. What it does seek to explain is the reasons why offenders such as Boyle repeatedly committed crime, such as the benefits i.e. reputation, status and material wealth. The Rational Choice Theory suggests that we would all commit crime if we thought we could get away with it, the reason we do not is because for most the cost outweighs the benefit (Newburn, 2007:296). This illuminates the question as to why everyone does not commit crime if everyone has the same rationality? According to Jones (2006) ‘the various definitions of ‘rational choice’ provided by the theory’s proponents seems to be too vague and allow for almost any form of behaviour except the most extreme pathological variety’. According to Jones (2006:417), Gibbs (1989) sums it up when he said ‘if rational behaviour is defined as simply goal-orientated behaviour, then virtually all human behaviour is rational’. According to Burke, (2005,44) one of the criticisms with Rational Choice theory is that it is accused of implying a too high degree of rationality by comparing criminal choices too closely with market-place decisions. The work of Cornish and Clark suggest ‘offenders invariably act in terms of limited or bounded form of rationality (Burke, 2005:44). In this sense offenders will not be fully aware of all the aspects involved in making the decision to commit crime nor will they have all the facts to make a wise decision. This is still considered to be a rational choice but to a different degree. Therefore, this suggests that offenders can be categorised separately from ‘law-abiding’ citizens (Burke, 2005:44). Although the Rational Choice Theory has played a large part in the Governments aim for situational crime prevention within the past forty years, with the notion that ‘nothing works’ and its concentration on removing/reducing the opportunity for crime, it seems it has not played a large part in understanding why crime is committed nor has it contributed towards developing criminological theory. Gibbons (1994, cited in Walklate, 1998:38) argues that ‘the Rational Choice theory neither constitutes a new or nor a general explanation of crime since elements of attributing the ability to make choices and decisions to criminals and criminal behaviour are present in a range of criminological perspectives’. Akers (1994 cited in Jones, 2006:416) suggests Ration Choice theory and deterrence theorists have not acknowledged their debt to Social Learning theory, which he states already allows for the adoption of rational decision-making processes in considering whether to commit crime. As it is apparent after reading Boyle’s autobiography that he has made a lot of choices to commit crime throughout his life, it is difficult to apply the Rational Choice theory to specifics as it seems to be a very vague theory, much the same a Classicism. It seems that all his decisions throughout were of a cost-benefit-calculation, however arguably, this could be said about every decision any offender makes from stealing a pen at work, vandalism to murder and more serious crime. With this in mind I am now going to consider a psychological positivist approach in explaining Boyles criminality. Instead of looking at abnormalities of the brain in an attempt to explain his criminality, although there are a number of questions that could be raised when looking at his actions in prison, which could arguably be linked to psychopathic behaviour, in this case it would be beneficial to look into learning behaviour in trying to explain his criminality, with an emphasis on Social Learnin g thoery. From a young age Boyle explains the area he was brought up in as poor and socially deprived (Boyle, 1977:21). He tells of his experiences as a young boy as looking at certain areas as more upper class and the people who live in them are ‘toffs’ which he later admits that they were not, however they had nicer clothes or shoes than himself therefore they were classed as ‘toffs’ by him and his peers. He states that his and his friend’s mother used to call then ‘half boiled toffs’ and used to mimic their accents (Boyle, 1977,9). He tells of his time going around from a young age stealing with his friends from other peoples unwanted possessions, something that was seen by Boyle as not criminal activity just the done thing. Watching the older men come out the pubs at night time drunk and engaging in violent behaviour (fighting) was one of the activities Boyle and his peers used to do, preferably on weekends. (Boyle, 1977:15). Although when read ing the book Boyle’s childish endeavours seems rather inline with the norm that boys will be boys and get up to mischief, it seems that this is where Boyles personality developed. The fact that he was out late watching the fighting outside pubs at the age of 5-6 suggests that his violent behaviour in his adult life could have derived from this. Thus, the significant aspects of this are that Boyle was out at a very late time for a young boy, which suggests that there was a significant lack of supervision by his parents. This is one of the reasons for Social Learning theory’s explanations as to why some delinquent behaviour takes place, and is one of lack of supervision or poor child rearing can lead to aggression (something that Boyle implied he was eventually an expert in) (Newburn, 2007:165) Boyle tells us from the start that his Father dies when he is a young boy, this is significant because of the lack of parenting in his family regarding supervision but also because of his Father’s reputation of which Boyle states he was aware of, which is of a violent nature. It is evident that these activities from childhood and throughout his adolescence c ould be key in explaining his criminality. Behavioural learning theories has its origins in the work of Pavlov and Skinner and their experiments carried out on animals, with their conditioning with stimuli when confronted with different tasks (Burke, 2005:79). This had a profound impact on the perspective developed when considering criminality. Skinner argued from an operant conditioning perspective that a person must actively respond if they are to learn, whereas Cognitivists place the emphasis on mental rather than physical activity (Burke, 2005:85). Social Learning theory like the Rational Choice theory shares the same notion that behaviour can be reinforced by rewards and punishment however it emphasises that behaviour can learned by expectations that are learned by watching what happens to other people, in this sense individuals will make a choice as to what is learned and how (Burke, 2005:85). Tarde (1843-1904, cited in Burke, 2005) suggested that crime was simply a normal learned behaviour. He argued that criminals are primary normal people who by accident of birth are brought up in an atmosphere in which they learn crime as a way of life. This leads to my argument as rather than generalising everyone as just rational actors, Boyle was nurtured into crime from a young age. In this sense this takes into consideration that whilst this theory shares the same values regarding rationality it looks closer into why crime is committed in the first place. Albert Bandura had a major impact on Social Learning theory, especially with his demonstration of the ‘Bobo doll’ experiment. The basis of the theory is that the learned behaviour is a combination of the physical acts and how to perform them (skills) and the attitudes and mental understanding necessary to the behaviour (including social skills, morals and choice) (Williams, 2008:289). In this sense criminal behaviour can be learnt through practice, watching others or engaging in the environment (Williams, 2008:289). According to Williams the level of social skills, which the individuals have learnt, may be connected to the amount of crime they perform. Bandura (cited in Newburn, 2007:153) points out that Social Learning theory includes a consideration of motivation and the three types involved, these are; external reinforcement-from the environment, vicarious reinforcement-from observing others and self reinforcement-as a result of taking pleasure or pride from one’s own actions. According to Bandura (cited in Newburn, 2007:153) in this sense we are likely to be influenced by others especially if they are of a high status, which is referred to as models. It is arguable that Boyle learnt his violent behaviour from hearing stories about his Father to watching fighting outside the pubs, in this sense he idolised this behaviour. It is stated in the book that in the book Boyle’s peers stole some money on a particular occasion. Boyle states that he did not want any of the money when his friends were sharing it out. However, he did let them pay for him to get in the cinema. This aloud Boyle to receive the benefits of this cr iminal act, which arguably conditioned him for the future, as this moral decision did not last and before long Boyle was participating in more theft himself. This is a case of learned behaviour from his peers. This shows that not all models have to be of high status, but behaviour can be learned through delinquent peers and what is accepted within a group (Newburn, 2007:165). The Social Learning theory therefore, can be applied to how Boyle became more involved in criminal activity. According to Newburn (2007) Ron Akers and his study of crime, suggests that crime is a result of operant conditioning or imitation. Not only did Boyle involve himself in theft and violent activity at school, but also carried on through his adolescent life which lead him into Approved schools and Borstal. This is where Boyle states that he made a lot of ‘contacts’. He referred to these institutions as ‘University for crime’ (Boyle, 1977:73). This suggest that Boyle believed himself that mixing with people of a more higher criminal status played a significant part in extending his criminality. According to Jones (2006:415) ‘for persistent offenders, the periodic reinforcement of their values by other criminals has been sufficient to outweigh the inhibitory effects of punishment. It is clear that whilst covering only a small area of Psychological Positivism with an emphasis on Social Learning theory, it seems to be a good explanation to Boyles Criminality. What this theory fails to explain is to some extent the social deprivation that Boyle experienced. It does focus on some areas that the social circumstances had on Boyle’s personality, however it emphasises on modelling his personality from influence of his peers and role models. This does seem to be effective in explaining why Boyle became violent and engaged in theft, however it fails to explain why he was influenced in this way in the first place and illuminates the question as to why are people around him acting in this way? According to Howitt (2009) ‘suggesting that people learn their violent and criminal actions from others is a weak argument, unless violence and crime are entirely genetically transmitted then inevitably they must be learnt socially in some way’. In this sense according to Howitt (2009) ‘any explanation of violence and crime in terms of learning is not particularly helpful unless the conditions under which it is learnt can be specified. Violence and crime are not the exclusive means by which goals are achieved. A variety of tactics are involved in achieving goals – working rather than stealing to get a television set being a simple example. As work is a major form of modeled behavior, how can we explain why there is any crime at all if it is simply through social learning’? In this sense the Social Learning theory’s weak ability to explain under what circumstances criminal behavior will or will not be learnt means that it has limited explanatory power (Howitt, 2009:78). Due to official statistics on crime there is a common belief that poverty has a significant role to play in underlying offending (Jones, 2006:151). The work from Durkheim focused on how the organization of society can drive people into breaking its rules (Jones, 2006:157). Durkheim thought that some crime is normal in society and it would be impossible to imagine a society without crime (Jones, 2006:157). Derkheim’s concentration on ‘anomie’ and the sociological perspective of crime had a profound effect on the development of criminological theory as he realised that crime is a contemporary social construct rather than a set of universal values or the reflection of intrinsic ‘evils’ (Jones, 2006:161). This gave rise to Merton’s theory on strain. Derkheim saw ‘anomie’ as created by sudden changes in society, whereas Merton ‘anomie’ applies to disadvantages of the lower classes. This is the area I am going to concentrate on next in explaining Boyle’s criminality.

Research Methods Essay

The main factors that influence a sociologist’s choice of research method depend on two different theoretical approaches to the study of society; positivism and interpretivism. Positivism is an approach in sociology that believes society can be studied using similar scientific techniques to those used in the natural sciences, such as physics, biology and chemistry. Interpretivism is an approach emphasizing that people have consciousness involving personal beliefs, values and interpretations that influence the way they act and that they do not simply respond to forces outside them. These two theoretical approaches often use different research methods because they have different assumptions about the nature of society, this influences the type of data they are interested in collecting. Practicality, ethics, theory and subject of study also contribute to the methods used for research. There are various methods sociologists use to carry out a research on society. The two common forms are quantitative and qualitative research methods. I will begin by analysing the meanings behind the words, qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative methods are used by people that support the use of scientific investigation, it usually includes numerical statistical methods; the purpose is to expand and utilize mathematical techniques, conjecture and hypothesis. In contrast to this the qualitative research method. This is usually used by sociologists that support the use of humanistic research. It differs from quantitative methods in the sense that, qualitative research methods depend on specific reasons behind the way some people in society behave. Using the qualitative method however, they are prone to ask questions like, ‘why? or ‘how? ’ compared to the quantitative data which would more likely ask straight forward questions like, ‘what? ’ or ‘where’. In qualitative methods the research usually focuses on small samples instead, unlike quantitative research on the other hand, focus lacks and the methods usually inhabits a large, random sample. Unlike a quantitative method where the research depends restrictedly on the investigation of arithmetical or quantifiable statistics, data from qualitative research comes in many medium e. g. moving images, text or sound. Qualitative research was first recognised in the 1970s. Examples of Qualitative data are participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviews, case studies etc. Examples of Quantitative data are questionnaires, surveys, attitude scales or standardised tests. They are practical issues that affect the methods sociologist may use. These can come from a range of financial issues to ethical issues. * Coaching Interviewers is comparatively clear-cut and economical however it cost more to merely redistributing questionnaire to people. Surveys that resort to structured interviews can cover great group of people with restricted resources because they are moderately cheap to administer however they cannot match the huge numbers reached by postal questionnaire. * Questionnaire and interviews collect straight forward factual information * Questionnaire results are quantitative because they are closed-ended questions with coded answers. This makes them suitable for hypothesis- testing. Sometimes there are specific factors could cause problems amongst certain research methods. Such as: * Time – Questionnaires would be more time consuming while the workload of surveys can be shared by a team * Money -researchers need an income and costs large scale. Social surveys are more high-priced than small focus groups. * Characteristics and skills of the research some situations may be risky and not all sociologist could cope handle this, a woman may have difficulty doing P. O in a monastery access and opportunity. If there is no access to certain groups then secondary sources may have to be used as an alternative. An example of this is when you get researchers hoping to cover a survey on a specific gang or cult. This could be dangerous especially if that gang may have a record of crime and callous behaviour. The researcher may find it really hard if not impossible to get access into the gang or cult; and if he was to get access he could be in immense trouble especially if he went under cover. * Some issues include ethical issues, sometimes certain research is taken on an undercover basis. This could be seen as illusory. Some people would argue that researchers should be 100% honest with the people they are researching on, it is only ethical, moral and honest that this form of sincerity is shown amongst whom the research is based on nevertheless when doing a research as an undercover researcher the questions of ethics arises. Is it morally correct that someone should be studied and researched on without consent or acknowledgement of such thing? The law is that undercover research can only be approved as long as there is no other alternative that is available. Posivists like their research to be scientific whereas Interprevists like to get into the shoes and go through the situation. Feminists, Ann Oakley decides her choice of methods and topic according to her own experience of childhood and motherhood. As a feminist she avoided methods which she described as having a male-stream bias (positivism). She selected the more qualitative and intimate methods of unstructured interviews and participant observation. She deems that the commission of sociology is to include the lives of the respondents.

The Changing Relationship Between Government Essay

The Changing Relationship Between Government - Essay Example There is some form of a market which gives the government too much power in the market and therefore it is the form that is used by different countries that is ultimately the one which determines the kind of relationship between any government and the business. There is some form of the market which gives the government too much power in the market and therefore it exerts a lot of control when dealing with business. This as the characteristic of most emerging markets immediately after the Second World War. But the capitalist economies have proved that closed markets which are controlled by the government are no better than an open market where the theories of demand and supply are used. In the closed market, there is a lot of control on the price of commodities in the market as well as the process of the business. The government sets the prices which are in the effort of preventing the businesses from exploiting the consumers. But this model of the market gives fewer market incentive s for the business and it also encourages monopoly. There is also a lot of political control of the business. Therefore liberalized market has been seen as an appropriate market model that can be used by the government in the market. Many countries have in the recent past adopted a liberalized market and have recorded massive growth in their economies. For example, China has been having a socialist closed economy until 1989 when it opened up the market. Since then there has been massive growth of the economy which has performed well compared to the earlier times. China has been able to rise to one of the strongest world economy by liberalization its market.

An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge Essay

An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge - Essay Example Plato invites us to imagine a group of life-long inhabitants of a prison-cave with no knowledge what so ever of the outside world. When shadows appear on the walls of the cave the inhabitants take them to be real entities without knowing that the shadows are actually those posed by the humans outside. This explanation of Plato directs towards the fact that â€Å"most of us live in ignorance most of the time. The worst of this situation is that we do not even know we are ignorant†. (Mitchell, 2008) The truth that we perceive, therefore, seems to be subjective to our experience and conditioning.The emotional states of our inner being determine the way we see the outside world. Great poetry works are inclined to this particular phenomenology. Poet Matthew Arnold, once, sitting over the edge of Dover Beach claimed the â€Å"grating roar† of the pebbles that the sea flung back and forth over the beach to have brought the â€Å"eternal note of sadness in†(stanza 1). Th e withdrawing of the sea from the coast only reminds him of the ignorance of people and their diminishing faith in god. It is the melancholic and sad state of the poet’s mind that makes him behold the sea also as sad. For a sad person, even a bright sunny green day will appear to be boring while for a joyous person, even a rainy, cloudy or a gloomy day might appear to be mirthful! Differences occur among individuals on the way we emotionally react to certain situations. Temper-oriented people do not need much of a reason to go haywire in anger while for those spiritually and morally inclined individuals, even the most aggravating circumstances might be won over by forgiveness. How we take things, therefore, is a matter of our subjective emotional state. The reason that we claim for any happening is purely determined by the kind of mindset we have been brought up with.

Social Networking and SME's Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social Networking and SME's - Literature review Example For a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), that could mean their entire business. That buying process usually starts with the consumer searching for a product or a service either through any of the existing search engines or by asking for recommendations from friends. Once there is a shortlist, the consumer will make a more detailed investigation by checking the company website, looking for reviews, and, more importantly, asking friends about the products or services (Filoux, 2010). In every step of this process, social networking is front and centre regardless if the product or service is retail or Business-to-Business (B2B). Contrary to popular belief, social networking is not synonymous to sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Social networking involves all channels, venues, platforms, applications, and websites that allow consumers or users to directly interact with other users either actively or passively. Social networking is a relatively new but powerful economy. In the UK a lone, the International Telecommunications Union or UTI (2010) estimates that there is a total of 51,442,100 internet users as of June2010, 10 million more than the estimate of the Office for National Statistics Office. That accounts for 82.5 per cent of the population. Of this, Nielsen (2008) states that 97 per cent has shopped online. The Office for National Statistics Office (2011) estimates that there are 66 per cent of all users bought products and paid for services online. Comscore (2011) also states that UK internet users are the most involved as they spend the most time online and 73 per cent rely on social media for everything they do including shopping according to InSites Consulting, a research firm, in their 2011 study. The message is clear. Consumers are online and highly reliant on social media. It presents itself as a tool and a venue for small businesses to establish and expand their business. However, it is natural for a glamourized medium as social media to be pict ured as the be-all and end-all of sales and marketing. This paper will examine how exactly SMEs can utilize social networking to grow their business. It’s a Stimulant Not a Purchase Fulfilment Row Perfect is a cardio exercise machine that simulates rowing. They used to do trade shows and retail selling. They are now selling purely online and are more successful doing so. The strategy is simple, they use tweetdeck to scan for mentions of products and brands similar to theirs. They directly tweet the people looking to check out a similar product. That was it. They simply used social media to make other people aware of their product. No special offers, no discounts are offered. They are able to swing customer that are going to buy the product of their competitors and they do these several times a week. The fundamental thing to remember is that they have a superior product and that all they needed was to connect their product to a customer, a first move, a pick-up line and that i s what social media provided them. Heather Bestel is another case in point. Bestel is the creator of Magical Meditations 4 Kids, a children’s book that helps children relax and sleep easier. Aside from the UK, she has also marketed her product to the U.S. and Canada. Sales have been steady but not enough for her to make a living off her product (Wakeman, 2011). She decided to embrace social media and she landed a publishing deal that launched her CDs in UK and Europe in 2010 and eventually in other markets like US & Canada and Australia/New Zealand. She is also being offered to license her brand to develop items like toys and apparel. Her strategy was simple. She knew she had a great product and she simply needed the market to notice it so she connected with people that have high influence in the same industry she is in.

The Issue of Embodiment where Competing Sociological Positions have Essay

The Issue of Embodiment where Competing Sociological Positions have been Taken with Reference to Patriarchy, Gender, and Choice - Essay Example The issue of male dominance was not very relevant in a world that was primitive and full of physical dangers. In such a society, physical strength was considered to be important rather than intellect. It was only when the concept of safety and protection became orderly and came under the ambit of a written law that was enforced by a government that physical strength became less important. It could have been due to this that women became aware that they were not treated equally in many respects by the opposite sex. As mentioned earlier, the demand for the right to vote became one of the early expressions of dissent. The concept of male dominance appears in one of the basic psychological and social needs of human beings, namely religion. In Western religion, even the concept of God is based on masculinity. God is said to have told Adam that he had been created in the same image as the creator himself. â€Å"The god-head of this system was to be a male. This male god was endowed with a ll the creative abilities of man.† (Gardiner 2009).  The religious contention that man was created in God’s image may be one of the basic underlying factors that made a man believe that he is superior to women and hence has the right to control her. In later years, the church also played a role in this regard. â€Å"Towards 1000 A.D. the Roman Catholic Church in Europe took an increasingly negative and ambivalent stance towards women. Evil was seen to come to the world through women, women’s sexuality was seen as impure and priests were required to leave their wives and stay celibate.† (Mikkola 2005, p.6). The role of women in religion, the church, and the society was also severely curtailed during that time.  Ã‚  

System of Inquiry Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

System of Inquiry Paper - Essay Example The basic purpose of a compliance program for following the code of ethics is to help the employees at all levels and functions within the organization to work together and achieve the broader and narrower goals and objectives in such a way as to be consistent with standards of ethical behavior. The ethics compliance program and the system of inquiry is an essential part of the learning process for the organization. It is recognized as a good practice to always evaluate the ethics program, although as a matter of fact, few organizations actually do so. On top of that, such programs normally have not demonstrated that the expected program outcomes were achieved. Still, the program could be deemed a success, if it at least met the minimum requirements. In this context, it is no longer a question of whether to inquire into one’s ethics compliance program, but rather to design a system of inquisition that goes about implementing it across a span of time. The following pages will delve into the framework for the system of inquiry and the related issues during its design and implementation. The Code of Ethics Process Evaluation is designed to analyze how successful program implementation was. It is also designed to monitor which of the activities within the program were performed and to what extent. An instance of process activities and their corresponding output measure is the standards and procedures written and published through annual training courses in ethics. Regarding the participants of such courses, the extent that specific skills and knowledge were recollected at various periods of time after the training is an important indicator. And finally, the measure of participants’ satisfaction during the training is another valuable piece of data. From the point of view of the inquirer, these program activities and their outputs have negligible value in and of themselves, especially when it comes to forming remedial actions. Their value is

International Business Globalization and Trade, Multinational Research Paper

International Business Globalization and Trade, Multinational Enterprise - Research Paper Example China and India are becoming economic giants and this evident by the way their products are competing perfectively with goods from developed countries like the U.S, UK, and Germany. The two nations have embraced ‘frugal innovation’ system which advocates for producing more for less. The frugal invention helps in cutting production cost of production and this has been an added advantage to Companies operating in the two upcoming economic superpowers. (Urata and Chia et al., 2006). Factors leading to Economic growth in Asian States Innovation is the application of improved solutions which meet the new requirements, inarticulate needs or the existing market needs. This is achieved through more effective products, processes, services, technologies or ideas which are readily available to markets, governments and society. This is happening in Asia where China and India have decided to end developing country life and join the group of developed countries. Frugal innovation has been highly used in China and India. Frugal innovation is the process of reducing the complexity and cost of production of a product. This kind of innovation helps firms in growing at a faster rate by reducing production cost. Frugal innovation has made many firms in Asia to have a competitive advantage (Mason, 2001). Reverse innovation is the kind of innovation used by most of the developing countries. This is a kind of innovation whereby goods developed as inexpensive models to meet the needs of the developing nations. (Govindarajan and Trimble, 2012). Jugaad invention is in full force in both China and India. This is a process of improvising production materials due to lack of enough resources for production. China and India have been using and producing their products using their local readily available resources. These forms of innovations used by the two Asian nations has played a big role in product development (Radjou and Prabhu et al., 2012). China and India incorporated gl obalization in their system. This process has helped the two nations in borrowing technology from developed countries and use them in the production of high-quality affordable products. Frugal innovation in Asia The origin of Frugal Innovation Using the concept of innovation, frugal innovation develops on the theories of movements and capabilities that have been there before. Frugal innovation can be traced back from the appropriate technology movement. This was as a result of a publication by Schumer in 1975 with the topic, ‘Small is beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered’ this was aimed in campaigning the local development of low technology, labour-intensive, environmentally technologies as the substitute to depending on technology- transfer from developed countries. After growing as a global movement, the attractiveness of the intermediate which later became appropriate technology sends a warning message, for it was increasing the implications of second class qua lity. Due to threats like environmental challenges due to ozone layer depletion, the appropriate technology was overtaken by sustainable development which forced countries like China and India to come up with ways of growing their economy (Bound & Thortin 2012). The evolution of frugal innovation was influenced by several factors. The factors included; social movements which helped in the globalization of science technology and innovation. There was the availability of technology for the two countries had tapped it from some developing countries. The growth of the private sector increased networking of the global innovation system as multinational firms explored new locations for R&D.

The main concept of globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The main concept of globalization - Essay Example Countries which are ethnocentric may challenge the concept of globalization. These are the countries that fill the category of traditional thinking. Countries which feel that they are independent of the rest of the world and they can exist very well in a closed economy. But the aspects of interdependency and being part of an open economy when it comes to globalization challenge these aspects of traditional thinking. The term started gaining popularity in late 1990's therefore it cannot be called a newly formed one. It is neither standard as the concept is fresh and new for people all over the world. Therefore, it would be justified to call it radical because it has far-reaching impact in the way things are done now. It has the power to bring many changes in the way countries deal with each other and in the way countries exist and operate. Industrial: Industrial globalization includes those production outlets where production is being done for foreign companies. Often, a garment company in USA might find it more cost-efficient to produce their clothing in a factory in China than in their own country. Financial: Financial markets have sprung up all over the world, each posing some benefits and opportunities to global investors. Investors who want to diversify their risk can go global when it comes to their money and finances and where it should be invested. Economic: The world is one global market now. Slippers made in Germany will be easily available to a consumer in India. The buying and selling of goods and services has become global with each company trying to cater to foreign buyers and fighting off global competitors. Political: Political globalization is when certain forums or communities are created which take the responsibility of regulating world politics and the politics that arise when nations interact with each other, whether in the financial, economic or industrial market. Cultural: the concept of "world culture" is emerging nowadays. A concept whereby all the cultures of the world are welcome and intercultural diversity is not neglected. People are getting to know each other's culture more than ever before. The diffusion of different cultures into each other also comes under cultural globalization. Social: social globalization is the acceptance of norms, values and beliefs of another country into one's own country. For example, supposing, gender inequality might

Research Survey Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Survey Plan - Essay Example From sample results, the researcher generalizes or makes claims about the population. In an experiment, investigators may also identify a sample and generalize to a population: however, the basic intent of an experiment is to test the impact of a treatment (or an intervention) on an outcome, controlling for all other factors that might influence that outcome.† (Creswell, 2003, p 154). Therefore, designing a research survey plan incorporates several fundamental factors and this study focuses on designing a plan for the procedures to be used in a survey study based on a checklist for designing a survey method. Analyzing the essential components of a survey method plan, one realizes that the design of a survey method section closely follows a standard format and there are several types of such formats available in research journals. They have the fundamental characteristic of providing effective models of this strategy of investigation. In preparing the essential components of a survey method plan, it is also important to follow some fundamental aspects of the checklist questions provided in the Creswell text. â€Å"In a proposal or plan, one of the first parts of the method section can introduce readers to the basic purpose and rationale for survey research. Begin the discussion by reviewing the purpose of a survey and the rationale for its selection as a design in the proposed study.† (Creswell, 2003, p 154). Therefore, it is important to identify, in such a discussion, the purpose of survey research as well as to indicate why the survey method has been preferred as the data colle ction procedure for the research. The main purpose of the survey research is to generalize from a sample to a population in order that inferences regarding the attitude or behavior of the population can be easily made. The rationale for indicating why the survey method has been preferred as the data

Feral Chrenild Essay Example for Free

Feral Chrenild Essay The acute post-traumatic period is characterized by an attempt by the child to reorganize, reevaluate and restore their pre-traumatic world. Many of the emotional, behavioral and cognitive signs and symptoms of the acute post-traumatic period are due to these efforts†. As bizarre as it may sound these are some of the issues that we are forced to be reckoned with. ? Background on feral children Although it is obvious that an abandoned child will not learn to speak properly, this was not always understood, what many feral children do learn is to mimic animal sounds, and the Sounds of their host family, those that have lived on their own in the wild learn to adept, recognize and imitate the sounds of many different animals. In the Opt omen Television production Feral Children, Oxana Malaya can be seen running around on all fours and barking like a dog. Oxana Malaya a Russian girl (born November 1983) was found as an 8-year-old feral child in Ukraine in 1991, having lived most of her life in the company of dogs. She picked Up a number of dog-like habits and found it difficult to master language. Oxana’s Alcoholic parents were unable to care for her. They lived in an impoverished area where There were wild dogs roaming the streets, she lived in a dog kennel from the age of three Behind her house where she was cared for by dogs and learned their behaviors and Mannerisms she growled, barked, and crouched like a wild dog, sniffed at her food Before she ate, and was found to have extremely acute senses of hearing, Smell and sight. In 2006 Oxana was institutionalized for mental illness where she help Looks after Cows. (sight) Feral children brought up by animals develop a particularly good sense of smell, hearing, and excellent sight especially at night. However, they are quite impervious to heat, cold, rain, and showed no perception of hot and, cold, feral children also carries a offensive odor that wouldnt leave them despite washing, and weeks or months on a normal diet. Many physical changes that Feral children do undergo are brought about by walking on all fours, their muscles Develop differently they acquire calluses’ on their palms, knees, Ankles, and other leg joints because there are accustom to being bent most of the time. Feral children are Usually both strong, and very physically fit, they can run (on all fours), climb and jump With great rapidity, undoubtedly the lack of normal developmental stimuli has a devastating impact on the development of the human brain. Feral children would not be Classified as human bearing any of the traditional criteria, however, generally speaking, we now Accept as human someone who is clearly genetically human, regardless of their intelligence, Abilities or skills when it comes to the mind, feral children do not think about either them selves or others in the way most humans do, Through the work of Dr Bruce Perry, we know that Without the stimulation that takes place in a normal childhood, the brains of feral children are smaller and malformed, such is the impact of the lack of development. The deprivation associated with the isolation from human society that feral children experience During those critical formative years has a profound effect on every aspect of their development, And socialization, they dont know how to socialize, and dont want to socialize. Feral children do not like human company and would go at lengths to avoid it, rarely showing Signs of attachment, and would sit facing the corner, their face entirely expressionless. Feral children show no interest in other children their own age or in games they play, not even to recognize their own reflection. Children brought up by animals’ exhibit the social behavior of their adoptive families. They lap drinks, and learn animal sounds, and gestures like an animal would. Emotionally feral children are known not to laugh or cry although some do develop an attachment. Feral children are also known for sudden fits of anger biting, scratching others, and even themselves made worse by the fact that they were raised in the wild. It has long been thought that there is some sort of connection between autism and feral children, many accounts of feral children clearly describe patterns of behavior that we would now associate with autism. â€Å"Firstly, autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning there are varying degrees of Severity, Common traits include poor social interaction skills, a good rote memory, an Attention to detail, failure to understand abstract concepts, lack of empathy, lack of Creativity, severe sensory problems, and intolerance towards change and, thats the Thing people notice the most. So here lies yet another hole in the autism / feral child Connection†. Autism and Feral Children, by Andrew Teo. Rehabilitation of feral Children The rehabilitation of feral children can take months or years depending on the severity Of their early childhood development and time spend on their own in the wild, the Rehabilitation purpose can include a verity of Stages such as language development, physical development and the need to understand human behavior. Researche have Shown some feral children choosing not to wear cloth and rather being naked not wanting to eat with proper utensils spoon or fork but rather with their mouth like animals. The Rehabilitation of feral children, the process is slow and time consuming but with the help Of dedicated doctors, therapy, love, and care there are a few cases of feral children Who have been rehabilitated and somewhat Functional in society weather it may be Working with animals like Genie or struggling with the everyday transition back into society. The integration of Feral Children back into society There are a few cases of feral children who have successfully been integrated Into society, once such case was recently aired on the Oprah Winfred show and Caught the attention of many fewer around the world, and showed how children Are been abused, abandon and severally mistreated by the hands of love one. †¢Danielle now 9 years old who was lock away from civilization and know nothing About human contact, could not speak, could not dress herself and was afraid of Human was discovered July 13, 2005. Danielle is now attending occupational and physical therapy, she also attend speech classes, and horseback riding. Thanks to her adapted family Danielle is know Successfully integrated and coping with society. †¢Another case is Oxana now 22, has made good progress; she has learned to talk which is unusual in cases of feral children. Oxana demonstrate the ability of a five year old. Today Oxana lives in the Baraboy Clinic in Odessa where she works with farm animals under the care of her doctors. Conclusion No matter how fascinating, scientifically interesting some of These stories may seem it isnt much fun to be a feral child, wolf boy or wild girl We shouldnt forget that all these children have been abandoned, neglected Even cruelly abused, some of the stories are quite harrowing which, is why it is Always important for parents, care givers to give the love and care desire for a Long healthy life style from an early age within a Childs life.

Enhanced Oil Recovery By In Situ Combustion Environmental Sciences Essay

Enhanced Oil Recovery By In Situ Combustion Environmental Sciences Essay Enhanced oil recovery is oil recovery by the injection of materials not normally present in the reservoir. In situ Combustion (ISC) is the process of an enhanced oil recovery process to improve the recovery of heavy crude oil. As it is the oldest thermal recovery technique, it has been used for over nine decades with many economically successful projects. Nevertheless, it is regarded as a high-risk process by many, primarily because of many failures of early field tests. Most of those failures came from application of a good process (ISC) to the wrong reservoirs or to the poorest prospects. This paper contains a description of ISC, a discussion of laboratory screening techniques, an illustration of how to apply laboratory results to field design, a discussion of operational practices and problems, and an analysis of field results. For complete review, the case study is done on Balol and Santhal fields in Mehsana. In-situ combustion has been known since 1888. Mendeleev was the first scientist to suggest the in-situ conversion of coal into combustible gases. Based on the earlier laboratory results, Sheinman and Dubrovai in 1934 proposed the processed the process of oil displacement by means of a moving underground fire-front. A number of field tests, were performed in various regions in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The results from these tests indicated that the heat losses were large, therefore the injected hot gases reached the formation zone with zero thermal energy. These studies however were followed by laboratory research field tests and development of mathematical models to simulate in-situ combustion as a result of which this process has been recognized and can be used as a promising method of recovering heavy oil from petroleum reservoirs. The principle of in-situ combustion is to achieve combustion within the pores of hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir, burning part of the oil in place in order to improve the flow of the unburned part. Combustion is supported by the injection of air into the reservoir at one or more wells. The heat generated during combustion is sufficient to raise the rock to a high enough temperature to enable the combustion front to self propagate after initial ignition by increasing mobility of the fluid. Methodology The in-situ combustion process was applied to petroleum reservoirs depending on wide range of characteristics like Nature of formation, depth, temperature, reservoir thickness, permeability, porosity and oil saturation in order to recover oil. Pressure is also a factor but not much critical. The process was applied in reservoirs with average permeability ranging from 40 to 8000mD, whereas the oil saturation varied from 25 to 95%. In addition fuel content is one of the most important factors influencing the success of a fireflood process. The fuel content of the reservoir is the amount of coke available for combustion that is deposited on reservoir rock as a result of distillation and thermal cracking. If the fuel content is too low, the combustion process in the reservoir cannot be self sustained. Moreover, a high fuel content requires a large amount of air and high power cost which means low oil production. Gates and Ramey (1980) compared the estimated fuel content by various methods including laboratory results with that of field project data. It has been shown that fuel content determined experimentally in the laboratory by tube -run method can provide a reasonably good estimation of the fuel content obtained in the field. In situ combustion is basically injection of an oxidizing gas (air or oxygen-enriched air) to generate heat by burning a portion of the resident oil. Most of the oil is driven towards the producers by a combination of gas drive (from the combustion gases), steam and water drive. This process is also called fire flooding to describe the movement of a burning front inside the reservoir. Based on the respective directions of front propagation and air flow, the process can be forward, when the combustion front advances in the same direction as the air flow, or reverse, when the front moves against the air flow. Reverse Combustion This process has been studied extensively in laboratories and has been field tested. In brief, it has not been successful economically for two major reasons. First, combustion started at the producer results in hot produced fluids that often contain unreacted oxygen. These conditions require special, high-cost tubular to protect against high temperatures and corrosion. More oxygen is required to propagate the front compared to forward combustion, thus increasing the major cost of operating an in situ combustion project. Second, unreacted, coke-like heavy ends will remain in the burned portion of the reservoir. At some time in the process the coke will start to burn and the process will revert to forward combustion with considerable heat generation but little oil production. This has occurred even in carefully controlled laboratory experiments. In summary reverse combustion has been found difficult to apply and economically unattractive. Forward Combustion Forward combustion can be further characterized as dry when only air or enriched air are injected or wet when air and water are co-injected. Dry Forward Combustion The first step in dry forward ISC is to ignite the oil. In some cases auto-ignition occurs when air injection begins if the reservoir temperature is fairly high and the oil reasonably reactive. Artificial Ignition has been induced using down hole gas burners, electrical heaters, and/or injection of pyrophoric agents or steam injection. Figure : schematic illustration of the in-situ combustion process (Source) After ignition the combustion front is propagated by a continuous flow of air. As the front progresses into the reservoir, several zones exist between injector and producer as a result of heat and mass transport and the chemical reactions. The above figure is an idealized representation of the various zones and the resulting temperature and fluid saturation distributions. In the field there are transitions between zones. A. The burned zone is the volume already burned. This zone is filled with air and may contain small amounts of residual unburned organic solids. As it has been subjected to high temperatures, mineral alterations are possible. Because of the continuous airflow from the injector, the burned zone temperature increases from injected air temperature at the injector to combustion front temperature at the combustion front. B. The combustion front is the highest temperature zone. It is very thin, often no more than several inches thick. It is in this region that oxygen combines with the fuel and high temperature oxidation occurs. The products of the burning reactions are water and carbon oxides. The fuel is often misnamed coke. In fact it is not pure carbon but a hydrocarbon with H/C atomic ratios ranging from about 0.6 to 2.0. This fuel is formed in the thermal cracking zone just ahead of the front and is the product of cracking and pyrolisis which is deposited on the rock matrix. The amount of fuel burned is an important parameter because it determines how much air must be injected to burn a certain volume of reservoir. C/D. The cracking/vaporization zone is downstream of the front. The crude is modified in this zone by the high temperature of the combustion process. The light ends vaporize and are transported downstream where they condense and mix with the original crude. The heavy ends pyrolize, resulting in CO2 , CO, hydrocarbon gases and solid organic fuel deposited on the rock. E. The steam plateau. This is the zone where some of the hydrocarbon vapors condense. Most of those condense further downstream as the steam condenses. The steam plateau temperature depends on the partial pressure of the water in the gas phase. Depending on the temperature the original oil may undergo a mild thermal cracking, often named visbreaking that usually reduces oil viscosity. F. A water bank exists at the leading edge of the steam plateau where the temperature is less than steam saturation temperature. This water bank decreases in temperature and saturation downstream, with a resulting increase in oil saturation. G. The oil bank. This zone contains most of the displaced oil including most of the light ends that result from thermal cracking. H. Beyond these affected areas is the undisturbed original reservoir. Gas saturation will increase only slightly in this area because of the high mobility of combustion gases. Wet Forward Combustion A large amount of heat is stored in the burned zone during dry forward in situ combustion, because the low heat capacity of air cannot transfer that heat efficiently. Water injected with the air can capture and advance more heat stored in the burned zone. During wet combustion injected water absorbs the heat from the burned zone, vaporizes, moves through the burning front and condenses, expanding the steam plateau. This results in faster heat movement and oil displacement. Depending on the water/air ratio, wet combustion is classified as: (1) incomplete when the water is converted into superheated steam and recovers only part of the heat from the burned zone, (2) normal when all the heat from the burned zone is recovered, and (3) quenched or super wet when the front temperature declines as a result of the injected water. ISC requires particular attention to air compression, ignition, well design, completion, and production practices. Air compression causes high temperatures because of the high c p / cv ratio of air. Compressor design must consider these high temperatures to ensure continuous, sustained operations free from the corrosive effects of air and the explosion hazards of some lubricating fluids. Mineral oils are not recommended. Synthetic lubricants withstand the higher temperatures and offer lower volatility and flammability than conventional lubricants. In order to achieve the combustion in the petroleum reservoir, mainly Spontaneous ignition and Artificial ignition are the two methods that are used for heavy oil recovery. Ignition can occur spontaneously if the oil is reactive, the reservoir temperature high enough, and the reservoir is reasonably thick. Down hole gas-fired burners allow good control of the temperature of injected gases and may be operated at a greater depth than other methods. The disadvantages include the need to run multiple tubing strings in the injection wells. Catalytic heaters run at lower temperatures but are expensive. Electrical heaters can be lowered with a single cable, and can provide excellent temperature control. They can be reused repeatedly. There is, however, a depth limitation because of electrical power losses in the cable. Chemically enhanced ignition may require handling and storage of dangerous materials. Steam may be used to locally increase reservoir temperature and facilitate auto ignition . It suffers from depth limitation because of wellbore heat losses, but when the conditions are right it can be a very simple and effective method for ignition. Combustion process was also employed as primary and tertiary recovery processes. Applications In situ combustion can be applied to many different reservoirs. Some suggested screening guidelines are: Nature of the Formation : The rock type is not important provided that the matrix/oil system is reactive enough to sustain combustion. As in any drive process, high permeability streaks are detrimental. Swelling clays may be a problem in the steam plateau area. Depth: Depth should be large enough to ensure containment of the injected air in the reservoir. There is no depth limit, except that this may affect the injection pressure. Pressure: Pressure will affect the economics of the process, but does not affect the technical aspects of combustion. Temperature: Temperature will affect auto ignition but is otherwise not critical. Reservoir Thickness: Thickness should be greater than about 4m (15 ft) 2,3 to avoid excessive heat losses to surrounding formations. Very thick formations may present sweep efficiency problems because of gravity override. Permeability: This has to be sufficient to allow injection of air at the designed air flux. The air injectivity is especially important for heavy oil reservoirs. Conditions are favorable when kh /ÃŽÂ ¼ is greater than about 5md m/cp.3 Porosity and Oil Saturation: These have to be large enough to allow economic oil recovery. The product, à Ã¢â‚¬   So , needs to be greater than 0.08 for combustion to be economically successful. Oil Gravity: This parameter is not critical. Insitu viscosity has to be low enough to allow air injection and resulting oil production at the design rate. Oil Nature: In heavy oil projects the oil should be readily oxidizable at reservoir and rock matrix conditions. The laboratory experiments can also determine the amount of air needed to burn a given reservoir volume. This is key to the profitability of the process. Current Status of In-Situ Combustion The in-situ combustion process is attractive economically, provided it is applied to petroleum reservoirs containing approximately 50% oil saturation. The fuel content is one of the important parameters for combustion support at a relatively low air/oil ratio. Although laboratory experiments can provide some basic understanding of the process, the primary evaluation factor is a field application before the process is employed on a large scale. The present status of oil production by in-situ combustion in the United States is nearly 11,000 bbl/day. The commercial dry ISC project at Romania is the largest project of its kind and it has been in operation for more than 34 years. The Balol and Santhal projects in India have been in operation for more than seven years and have been applied in a wet mode. Currently, combined all these three projects produce approximately 2300m3 /day. It is likely that very little laboratory research can be performed to improve the displacement efficiency of this process. With continued improvement of the in-situ combustion technology, it is almost certain that some form of this process, such as dry, wet, and partially quenched combustion, will find greater application in the coming years. Currently, commercial In situ combustion projects are Economic Evaluation It is recognized that the success or failure of an enhanced oil recovery process depends on the economic evaluation. An economic study completed by Wilson and Root (1966), which is based on a modified form of two-dimensional model presented by Chu, compares the cost of heating a reservoir. The cost comparison was studied for a reservoir either in the presence of steam injection or forward combustion without oil production. The main consideration was to determine heating cost of the same dimensions of a reservoir by either steam injection or by forward combustion. The following conclusions were drawn from this study; (1) Combustion is favored over steam injection as the sand thickness decreases the pressure increase. (2) As the coke deposition increases, steam injection is favored over the combustion process. (3) As the heated distance in the reservoir increases, reservoir heating by combustion is more favorable as compared to steam injection. (4) Decreased injection rated favors the cost of steam injection relative to air. (5) Increased wellbore losses with increasing depth favor combustion. Conclusions It has been shown that in-situ combustion process is suitable to displace oils of gravities greater than 10 degree API. The average oil recovery by employing in-situ combustion is 50%. The major amount of oil is recovered before breakthrough of the combustion zone. For heavy oils, about 50% crude oil recovery occurs after breakthrough, whereas low-viscosity oil production declines very rapidly following breakthrough. The breakthrough of combustion zone can be recognized by an increase in gas production and its oxygen content. This is followed by a sharp increase ranging from 100 degree to 200 degree Fahrenheit in bottom hole temperature. In addition, the increase in water cut of the produced oil also indicates the breakthrough of the combustion zone. At the same time, pH of the produced water decreases, which is usually due to increase in the content of ions such as iron and sulphate. CASE STUDY IN-SITU COMBUSTION AT MEHSANA, GUJARAT. Mehsana asset, located in the northern part of Gujarat state in India is the highest oil producing onshore asset of ONGC with annual crude oil production of 2.35 MMT. Its having oil fields producing both heaviest crude and the lightest crude in India with API gravity ranging from 13ËÅ ¡ 42ËÅ ¡. Balol and Santhal fields form a part of this heavy oil belt with a API gravity 15ËÅ ¡-18ËÅ ¡. Balol and Santhal field encompass 22.17 MMT and 53.56 MMT of oil in place respectively. The crude is asphaltic in nature containing 6-8% asphaltene and the oil viscosity ranges from 50-450 cps at reservoir pressure of 100 kg/cm ² and 70ËÅ ¡ C temperature. Reservoirs have the permeability of the order of 3-8 darcies and are operating under active water drive. Subsequent Artificial lift methods resulted into high water production than oil. In many wells it became 95-100% and some wells had to be closed due to high water cut. The poor primary and secondary necessitated for In- Situ combustion technique in these fields. Exploitation of heavy oil from these heavy oil fields was a challenge for Mehsana asset. Based on results of laboratory studies, the In-situ combustion process was identified as the most suitable technique for enhancing the recovery from these fields. PILOT SCHEME A pilot test was designed and initiated in 5.5 acre area of southern part of Balol field in 1990-91. The first well CP#10 and thereafter Balol#171 were ignited with the help of foreign experts. The sustained combustion and production gain from nearby producers lead to conceptualization of the commercialization schemes in entire Balol field. In another attempt, a pilot scheme was also designed for Lanwa oil field and an inverted five slot pattern with four producer wells had been ignited in 1992. At present the commercialization of the scheme is in progress to enhance the production from the field. A pilot scheme is also running since 2002 in Bechraji field with four EOR injectors. COMMERCIAL SCHEMES Based on the techno-economic success of Balol Pilot project, commercial schemes were designed for entire Balol field for exploitation of heavy oil. Considering the similarities between the Balol and Santhal oil fields, this EOR technique has been implemented on a commercial scale in 1997 both at Balol and Santhal fields. Presently four commercial schemes viz. Balol Ph-1, Santhal Ph-1, Balol Main and Santhal Main are running successfully. Till date total 61 wells have been ignited in Balol and Santhal under these commercial schemes. More wells are in line for conversion into EOR injectors. For commercial exploitation of Balol and Santhal fields using In-situ combustion technique, four major air compressor plants, two, each in Balol and Santhal fields were set up. These plants supply compressed air to injector wells at reservoir conditions. Compressors except emergency air compressors at all the plants run on electricity. Combined installed capacity of these four plants is of compressing 4.9 NMm3/day air at maximum pressure of 123 Kg/cm2. Since water is required to be injected subsequently during wet phase, facilities for water treatment and injection are also installed in the respective plants. All these four plants are connected to each other with an integrated air grid network for better utilization of resources. A mobile unit called Ignition trailer is being used to initiate ignition process. Gas burners are used for artificial ignition in Mehsana. RESULTS After implementation of the technique, decline in production from Balol and Santhal fields was arrested. A number of wells have started flowing on self which were in artificial mode prior to in-situ combustion process. Production testing data of affected wells show the gradual increase in liquid production and decrease in water cut resulting increase in net oil production. Presently EOR gain from both the fields in the tune of 1200 TPD and air injection is in tune of 1.4MM Nm3/d. Production performance of these fields shows the gradual increase in oil production and decrease in W/C% with increasing number of injectors/air injection rate. It has not only given a new lease of life to Balol and Santhal fields but has also increased the oil recovery factor by 2-3 folds from 6-13% to 39-45%. OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROJECT ONGC is one of the few organizations in the world, which has taken up In-situ combustion process on such a large scale. Total 68 wells have been converted in EOR injectors at Mehsana Asset so far. Most of the EOR injectors are old producer wells. They have been converted to injector wells after proper washing and cleaning of wells. Ignition is being done in the reservoir at an average depth of 990 meters, having 100 Kg/cm2 pressure and 70 degree Celsius temperature. Present Air-Oil ratio in these fields is about 1160 Nm3/m3 and Air-Oil ratio on cumulative basis it stands at 985 Nm3/m3, which indicates quite good efficiency of ISC process. Figure : Production profiles of Santhal and Balol fields (Source) MAJOR ISSUES Occurrence of Auto-Ignition: In Mehsana Gas burner is being used for artificial ignition. In this method air is injected through the annulus and natural gas through tubing. An aluminum plug fitted at the tip of burner prevents air and gas to mix. The plug pops out when gas injection pressure is more than air injection pressure and forms gas-air mixture at the bottom. A pyrophoric chemical is being used to initiate the flame. At well no. Balol # A on 1998 the burner caught fire without lowering pyrophoric liquid. Burner temperature shot up to 910 degree Celsius and was soon controlled by ignition tem members. There was no damage to thermocouple and down-hole assembly in this well. After this incidence auto ignition occurred successively in another three wells. In last two wells Santhal #B and Balol # C, thermocouple got damaged. Ignition experts were unable to establish the reason and remedy for auto ignition. Due to this failure, ONGC had completely suspended all the ignition operations fearing further auto igni tion and damage to thermocouple. A close study of all four cases of auto ignition revealed that gas injection was used to be done at full discharge rate of gas compressor. Due to this sudden release of huge amount of gas, a very rich mixture of air and gas forms making situation vulnerable for auto ignition. To overcome this problem, ignition team came up with an idea to put a cushion of an inert gas in the tubing before starting gas injection. At the time of plug pop up, now this inert gas release first afterwards natural gas comes in contact with air. This cushion provide ample time between plug pop up and release of natural gas which facilitate in regulating the gas injection rate to prevent formation of unwanted combustible mixture. The whole idea was put up before the management which was promptly agreed and broke the dead lock of suspended ignitions. After adoption of this technique till date no case of auto ignition encountered. EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF AIR COMPRESSOR Compression of air at high pressure is a costly affair because of huge consumption of electricity. To minimize this wastage of energy and for optimize the utilization of air compressors, it was thought to connect all the four plants with a common air grid. Subsequently the air grid was constructed using 6 and 4 dia pipelines as required. Now compressors are being run as per the total air requirement. By using this grid, on an average INR 2.0 Crores per month (USD 5.3 million per annum) are being saved as electricity charges. FAILURE OF AFTER COOLER OF AIR COMPRESSOR Running of large air compressor is difficult in India especially during summer due to high temperature. It may lead to explosion at compressed air piping due to accumulation of carryover lubricants and high discharge temperature. Two incidents of bursting of 3rd stage (Final stage) after coolers of HP compressor had taken place at a compressor plant of Santhal field. As a remedy synthetic lubricant has been introduced. Further regular chemical cleaning of the lines is being carried-out and monitoring of operational parameters has been intensified. OOZING OF AIR/FLUE GASES In Mehsana, mostly old wells were used for injection as well as for production. In some cases failure of casing or cementation have observed and has caused pressure built-up in outer casing and even in some cases oozing of gases/air from well site has also been observed. The remedies are 1) New additives for cementation (like thermal cements and calcium aluminates) have been introduced which help to withstand higher temperatures. 2) It is recommended to cement the casing to the full depth in case of new injector wells to prevent the risk of coming out of gas into overlying permeable layers. 3) It is suggested by IEOT (ONGC Institute) to have casing of API 5CT L-80 13 Cr steel in new injector wells and tubing in all wells. 4) New injector wells are being drilled to suit specially for in-situ combustion. 5) Regular monitoring of injection pressure, annulus pressure and outer casing pressure. Research Work Figure : showing the working model made in the laboratory The working model for the In situ combustion was made in laboratory. In this model Injection well and the production well is present on the left and right side respectively, gas injection at high pressure, igniter is taken as the kitchen lighter, test tube is made as an artificial reservoir and ignition zone near the artificial reservoir and also the temperature showing device at the bottom of the production well. This model can be compared to the real conditions with the help of the following diagram. Figure : In situ combustion process (source) There were many challenges during the modeling. These challenges were faced according to the need, economy and the factors available. For example reservoir simulation was not perfect, combustion zone was not able to be built exactly in the pores due to lack of oxygen supply. Hence I discover that this process is very economical as compared to other EOR processes but it is very risky as injection of gas should be done at correct place and ignition should be controlled then this process acts as magic recover the oil to 65%. I was successful in recovering the oil but the simulation problem was a main constraint of this working model as that requires a whole laboratory for its working. Hence according to my research heat loss should be minimum, combustion should be in controlled manner are the major challenges that should be overcome. And these can be overcome by calculating the area in which injection is to be done and what should be the ignition system use for ignition (whether a chemical can be used, artificial igniter at the combustion can be used or if the temperature of the bottom of the hole is very high that can give spontaneous ignition) should be preplanned according to the condition. The latest and important factor is the chemical injection to ignite the heavy crude oil, let us suppose the oil present there is very heavy oil that cannot be directly ignited; for that situation a chemical can be injected inside which will burn first and then increases the temperature of the respective zone to such an extent that the oil present there will ignite and the further process should start.

Reviewing The Tragical History Of Doctor Faustus English Literature Essay

Reviewing The Tragical History Of Doctor Faustus English Literature Essay My third chapter proposes a threefold analysis of the major characters in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Master and Margarita. First, by comparing Faustus and Margarita, I show how their individual features as well as their relationships with the other characters are marked by elements of feminism, psychoanalysis, Renaissance humanism, affective geography, and role-play. Then, I put forth a parallel between Woland and Mephostophilis meant to reveal that-in both literary works-the devils embody a necessary evil that actually reinforces divinity. Last but not least, an insight into some of the most significant supernatural episodes of these books shall demonstrate that magical realism and Bakhtins theory of carnival laughter offer readers the Faustian myth with a twist. Margarita and Doctor Faustus Starting from the premise that man is created as Gods reflection, in a twofold embodiment of the masculine and the feminine principle (Sergei Bulgakov 150), one might easily assume that both The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Master and Margarita underline the harmonious union between male and female elements-hence Bulgakovs title of his novel and also its dual structure; yet instead, nothing could be farther from the actual ponder of masculine over feminine aspects in both books. In this sense, feminist critics and theoreticians base their approach to either of these two literary works on issues of gender-segregated societies, appellatives, transgender identity, androgyny, and linguistically codified male discourses. Both Marlowes England and Bulgakovs Stalinist Russia are worlds segregated in terms of gender. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick explains: male friendship, mentorship, admiring identification, bureaucratic subordination, and heterosexual rivalry (quoted in Chedgzoy 247) are all forms of homosocial connections that pervade both Marlowes play and Bulgakovs novel. Thus, Faustus aspirations are foreshadowed at the beginning of the play when he fantasizes about exotic sites, colonial exploitation (attributed to men exclusively), and violent ambitions: Ay, these are those that Faustus most desires. / O, what a world of profit and delight, / Of power, of honour, of omnipotence (Marlowe 52). Faustus deems knowledge the way to gain power. His is not a singular view; rather, it represents the exponent of Marlowes epoch according to historians: during those times, this segregation extends even to theatres where actresses are not admitted and universities where men alone are granted access. Bulgakovs work o f fiction account for a role reversal, although the circumstances are somewhat similar. Margarita-the female Faustus of the twentieth century and therefore the one who assumes a anti-hegemonic role-is swept off her feet by the Master, a God-like figure who is not satisfied with writing about Yeshua (hence the identification with the latter that confers him divine authority) but carries his artistic mission further, which acquires metaphysical connotations. The Master remains unnamed and thus represents a universal symbol of Bulgakovs literary times. He is the exponent of one of the major Moscow literary associations, called Massolit (Bulgakov 11) that rarely if ever includes women writers among its members. Even if this is the case, women are belittled twice: first rejected as writers or second fiercely censored by the state. Feminists seek to rebel against such a misogynistic structure of masculinity; they find the key figures to do that in exactly the same female characters who are initially submissive and oppressed. Both Margarita and Helen of Troy disrupt the authoritative discourse of masculinity. On the one hand, the second part of Bulgakovs novel casts away the Master and brings into focus the beautiful Margarita: She was beautiful and intelligent. () many women would have given anything to exchange their lives for the life of Margarita Nikolaevna (Bulgakov 166). She is now the active protagonist, whereas the Master is the passive one. She is willing to sacrifice body and soul in the name of love, acknowledging her role entirely. On the other hand, Marlowes tragedy depicts Helen as the demolisher of masculine power; her name Helen may be read as made up of the core Hel (referring to hell and destruction) and the particle -en. That is why Helens image is associated with the downfall of Troy but also of Faustus and Wittenberg here. Furthermore, an equally significant element that brings about the subversion of masculine authority is love. Both Faustus and the Master single-mindedly surrender to their mistresses, although this aspect is more obvious at Marlowe. In Bulgakovs book, the Master owes Margarita his salvation and recuperation, whereas in Marlowes tragedy, the play of significances has a greater depth. Doctor Faustus and Helen engage in an androgynous role-play: he plays Semele and Paris: I will be Paris, and for love of thee / Instead of Troy shall Wittenberg be sackd, / () When he appeard to hapless Semele (Marlowe 106), while Helen assumes the prototype of feminine beauty but also the role of Jupiter: Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter (106). A few lines afterwards, by being associated with Eve, Faustus becomes aware of his sin but he is also left with an undermined masculinity: that tempted Eve may be saved, but not Faustus (108). In The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Master and Margarita alike, even episodic characters or those of lesser importance see women only as a medium of power, as objects rather than agents. Hence Valdes ironic observation: Sometimes like women or unwedded maids, / Shadowing more beauty in their airy brows / Than in the white breasts of the queen of love (Marlowe 54) or Robins declamatory fantasy: Ay, there be of us here that have waded as deep into / matters as other men (73). Mephostophilis himself turns the concept of marriage into an antisocial act because he offers Faustus a devil disguised as woman instead of a wife. Bulgakovs text describes the meeting between Azazello and Margarita on which occasion the former reckons that women are superficial beings: saying ironically: Difficult folk, these women! (174). Another character, Hella-Wolands maidservant-is analogised to Helen of Troy through her name (note the particle Hell): she represents the feminine side of Hell. Twentieth century feminists fight against such patriarchal empowerment. This is the case of Helene Cixous who upholds the idea that gender relations are inscribed in the language we use. Consequently, Cixous turns the invisibility of women back against men, who become the other of the other and hence are cancelled out (Hedges 106). Following in the same line, Luce Irigaray argues that man obliterate differences between them and women as a result of their belief that women represent their reflected opposites; therefore, womens otherness is denied (Hedges 105-6). Additionally, the two protagonists of these literary works are linked by features of humanism. Doctor Faustus definitely embodies the exponent of the perfectible man of the Renaissance whose intellectual curiosity, aspiration for power, and nationalism are expressed rhetorically in the first person singular: Ill have them (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) / Ill levy (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) / Ill make (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) (Marlowe 53). In this respect, Faustus is an overreacher according to Harry Levin as he reaches out to the unconscious, to supernatural forces that might help him remedy the intellectual bases of his age which he perceives as faulty (quoted in Mitchell 55). Although he aims to gain fame through his powers and he aspires to be more than a man, he is permanently haunted by an uneasy consciousness; hence the opposition between the Good and the Bad Angels but also the Seven Deadly Sins that reveal the scholars inner flaws. Margarita too is a representative of twentieth century humanism. She does not seek to gain power through knowledge but through love. Similarly, her being an overreacher is evident in the desire to explore new environments and her acceptance to obey occult forces. Marlowes Faustus and Bulgakovs Margarita are both folk protagonists since they are considered dissidents of their times, in spite the fact that their endeavours target very distinct goals. Paul de Man describes this type of character as the one whose path is strewn with those parts of himself that he had to abandon in the process of his own becoming (398). Faustus symbolizes the opposition brought about by the protestant belief that every individual is responsible for his / her own salvation or damnation. Margarita denotes the opposition against the rigid moral and social rules dictated by the communist regime. The scholars unorthodox practices and his extended travels shed light on the ultimate results which he bargains for: knowledge, fame, and control over other cultures, whereas Margaritas is a more limited aim-she is not at all domineering (although she is appointed queen for a night) but looks for affective fulfillment. However, these central characters are brought together by the development of all their individual possibilities, so that, by being put to test in the world, they might penetrate, come to know, and dominate reality (Lukacs quoted in Hedges 92). Faustus and Margaritas personalities extend to more than their individual scope, they represent a literary reaction to the ardent issues of their times. Moreover, these protagonists are depicted as torn between their affective and their intellectual make-up all throughout the texts. Obviously, the combo of emotion and reason is much more stringent in Faustus case: the oscillation between enjoying life and attaining knowledge reveals that for the scholar, the body is more important than the soul, as he himself puts it: This word damnation terrifies not him (Marlowe 58). Nevertheless, Faustus existence stands not under the sign of eros, (like Margaritas does) but of thanatos (Hermand quoted in Hedges 94)-since his quest leads to death whereas Margaritas grants her access to atemporal bliss. Ultimately, the construction of Marlowes and Bulgakovs central characters is informed by the setting where they are portrayed. Garrett A. Sullivan, Jr. speaks about an affective geography (231)-for instance Faustus study or the Master and Margaritas rented apartment-that shapes the protagonists identity. He further explains that the notion of geography is defined as a conceptual structure through which social and spatial relations are simultaneously materialised and represented (Sullivan 236). In these two literary works, there exists a cyclic sequence of broadness and enclosure. We find Faustus alone in his study both at the beginning and in the end of the play, although he travels extensively during the twenty-four years of the pact, while Margarita swings between the remoteness of her Masters apartment-A completely private little apartment, plus a front hall with a sink in it, little windows just level with the paved walk leading from the gate (Bulgakov 109)-Moscows expansiveness, and the seclusion of their eternal refuge. Thus, the relationship space-identity acquires new dimensions; locations become part of the characters emotional make-up: The axis mundi passes through [Faustuss] Wittenberg study and the Muscovite abode; on it lie Heaven and Hell (Kott quoted in Sullivan 240). Overall, Marlowes play and Bulgakovs prose present two multidimensional characters who-if carefully analysed-are more similar than different in terms of questioning patriarchal discourses through feminist techniques, in terms of revealing humanistic features, and in terms of attaching emotional connotations to their setting or background. The Evil Suite The archetype of the dichotomy good-evil permeates human discourses as well as literary creations since the beginning of time. Evil has forever been opposed to and traditionally vanquished by good forces, regardless of the culture adopting this model. Nonetheless, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus as well as The Master and Margarita put forth an innovative perspective: not only does evil stem from good, but it also reinforces divine laws and teaches moral lessons. Both Christopher Marlowe and Mikhail Bulgakov deal with metaphysical issues in their works, issues that question the relationship between Heaven and Hell and Gods intervention in humans lives at the same time. In this context, Wolands emergence in Moscow and Mephostophilis in Faustus study foreshadow the obvious religious themes whose manifold interpretations are disclosed in these two works. Wolands mission is to point to the moral collapse of the Stalinist 1930s Moscow through the use of satire and supernatural whereas Mephostophilis task is more limited in scope because it refers to a single individual, Doctor Faustus. However, both demons appear as God-sent messengers swinging between Heaven, earth, and Hell. In Marlowes tragedy but also in Bulgakovs novel, the forces of good and evil are not in competition but coexist on more or less equal terms (225) as Laura D. Weeks tells us in her article Hebraic Antecedents in The Master and Margarita: Woland and Company Revisited. The black magic professor, Woland seems inseparably united with God even from the very beginning of the novel, when the motto taken from Goethe exposes this timeless link: I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good (Bulgakov 11). The same may be said about Mephostophilis who-when asked about his origins-replies: FAU. Was not that Lucifer an angel once? / MEPH. Yes, Faustus, and most dearly lovd of God. () FAU. And what are you that live with Lucifer? / MEPH. Unhappy spirits that fell with Lucifer (Marlowe 59). Thus, Woland appears as an intricate and profound character while Mephosto is less thoughtful and more servile. Additionally, having the status of Gods opposites, the two devils actually strengthen His goodness and prove once more that they are His envoys. In Bulgakovs novel, Woland claims to have been an incognito observer of Yeshuas trial; it is paradoxical how-by recounting this first installment to Berlioz and Ivan Homeless-Woland in fact reasserts Gods existence: Theres no need for any points of view, the strange professor replied, he simply existed, thats all' (Bulgakov 18). Likewise, Mephostophilis reconfirms the divine authority when he admits his origins and confesses the sin of having Conspird against our God with Lucifer (my emphasis, Marlowe 59). Moreover, both Woland and Mephostophilis have immense powers, yet they are aware these are limited in comparison to Gods. For instance, when Margarita asks that Frieda be forgiven, Satan admits: Each department must look after its own affairs. I dont deny our possibilities are rather great, () But there is simply no sense in doing what ought to be done by another as I just put it department (Bulgakov 216). Mephosto similarly gives away his limitations when he refuses to tell Faustus who has created the world: Now tell me who made the world. / MEPH. I will not (Marlowe 69) or during all the episodes when he urges the scholar to renew his bond for fear Faustus might be forgiven by God. However, in their attempt to attest Gods existence, both Marlowes and Bulgakovs demons actually want to reinstate theirs. Wolands and Mephostophilis is a peculiar status since they seem to embody both good and evil. On the occasion of the Great Ball when Woland is willing to grant Margarita a wish, the power of mercy surfaces: I am talking about mercy, Woland explained his words, (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) It sometimes creeps, quite unexpectedly and perfidiously, through the narrowest cracks. And so I am talking about rags' (Bulgakov 216). Mephostophilis does not mention mercy but regret and despair when he contemplates his everlasting doom in Hell: Thinkst thou that I, who saw the face of God / And tasted the eternal joys of heaven, / Am not tormented with ten thousand hells / In being deprivd of everlasting bliss? (Marlowe 59) or when he advises the scholar: O Faustus, leave these frivolous demands, / Which strike a terror to my fainting soul (ibidem). Under these circumstances, there arise questions about the ambiguous, opposites-marked personalities of Woland and Mephosto; Radha Balasubramanian further explains: the two literary works complicate the matter further by concentrating on the nature of the Devil, raising questions as to who the Devil is, and how he came out being angelic. He is a wanderer, without a name and without a home? Does he also resemble God? Are they the same? Do devils exist as a contrast to God? Are they two sides of the same coin? (1995: 41) Therefore, besides the dominant feature of demonism, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Master and Margarita endow their devils characters with versatile attributes. The demons incorporate multiple valid truths (Emerson 179), acting as coordinators and bridging the different plans of the two books. In so doing, Woland and Mephosto bring about a multiplicity of perspectives and remind the reader of Mikhail Bakhtins heteroglossia, although Marlowes devil is less distant than Bulgakovs: Except when he is the mouthpiece for an installment of Christs Passion, Woland is a taciturn man. This is appropriate. He shows rather than tells (Emerson 179). Another equally significant aspect is related to the parallel that the two authors draw between devils and religion. Hence, the satire of the Stalinist Moscows society is acquired through a review of the Yershalaim narrative. The same may be averred about a satire of Catholicism at Marlowe through a post-Reformation approach. Whereas the parallel between Wolands visit in Moscow and Yeshuas Passions in Yershalaim indicates time condensation-Moscows literary time became a mythical time that can be structurally correlated with the mythical dimension in the Yershalaim chapters (Balasubramanian, 2001: 90)-there is no such analogy or time contraction in Marlowes tragedy. Instead, the dramaturge describes the meeting between Faustus, Mephosto, and the Pope as the only occasion when the Pope is punished by the devil. In this way, Catholicism is downplayed as the Pope is mocked for failing to exorcize the troublesome ghost (Marlowe 83). Here, religious dissidence is also backed up by newly em ergent ideas of predestination and original sin as advocated by the Elizabethan church. By opposition, the sole religious dispute occurs in the incipit of Bulgakovs novel between Ivan Homeless, Berlioz, and Woland. Furthermore, there are additional thought-provoking implications that seem to pervade only Bulgakovs novel but not Marlowes play. For instance, certain scholars question the source and the narrator of the novel at the same time, attributing these alternatively to Bulgakov, the Master, the Devil, or God (Balasubramanian, 1995: 44). It is evident that endowing Woland with the premise of authorship is an idea reminiscent of Bulgakov himself who has originally planned his novel as a Gospel According to the Devil' (Emerson 178). In this respect, Christs story is defamiliarized by transposing narrative points of view from the apostles to the devil (Balasubramanian, 1995: 44)-the habitual Christian perception is disrupted and the gospel acquires novel undertones. In general, good and evil are the inseparable components of the human nature differentiated only by mans free will. There is no preeminence of evil over good, although there can be no good without evil: Kindly consider the question: what would your good do if evil did not exist, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it? (Bulgakov 274). By this account, both Woland and Mephostophilis appear as the most reliable source of knowledge in these two literary works but equally as troubled allies of God. Supernatural Encounters At the beginning of the nineteenth century, E. T. A. Hoffmann-a leading representative of German Romanticism-uses the fantasy genre with macabre undertones in combination with realism. A century later, the theoretician Mikhail Bakhtin defines his work as a Menippean satire, fundamentally satirical or mocking in nature and seeking to ridicule different intellectual attitudes and philosophical postures (Cuddon 504). The two literary works herein under scrutiny draw on the category of supernatural and on comedy to give the Faustian myth a twist, although humour serves distinct purposes in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Master and Margarita. The use of humour and farce in the two books is treated differently by critics. On the one hand, in Marlowes play, the comic scenes have not received that much critical consideration over the years. One reason for this aspect might be the fact that there is still ardent debate nowadays over the authorship of these comic scenes: There is almost unanimous agreement that the scenes of clownage (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) and the comic scenes at the papal, imperial, and ducal courts (Jump 22) are not Marlowes but someone elses-hence the variation in length and style between the A-version (1604) and the B-version of the text (1616). Regardless of their origin, humourous scenes do permeate Marlowes play. On the other hand, Bulgakovs comedy episodes have been the focus of much more critical interpretation due to the conviction that, in this case, Bulgakov himself is the author of these scenes. Bulgakovs fiction does not employ humour and pranks only for the sake of comic relief but also to underscore a deeper connotation: the Stalinist Moscows small-mindedness, gluttony, and moral degradation. Certain commentators such as Marie-Hà ©là ¨ne Besnault in Belief and Spectacle at Early Performances of Doctor Faustus (2009) separate humourous episodes into low-comedy and clowning scenes (19). The former category occur in Vatican and at Charles-the German Emperors-court, have Faustus as protagonist, depict people pertaining to the social elite, and are further divided into sub-scenes with a larger number of characters (Besnault 19-20): dukes, attendants, cardinals, and others. The most relevant instances of low-comedy scenes centre on the moments when Faustus and Mephosto steal the Popes food or beat up the friars: POPE. How now! Who snatchd the meat from me? / POPE. My wine gone too? Ye lubbers, look about (Marlowe 82). By opposition, the protagonists of the clowning scenes are Robin, Dick, the horse-courser and their suite (in fact, all of them embodying archetypes of clowns), although the main topic of discussion remains Faustus. Besides, these episodes have a less intricate course of events as well as an equally uncomplicated spatial and temporal frame. Examples that best illustrate this case present Faustus tricking the horse-courser or Robin and Dick being changed to animals: For apish deeds transformed to an ape. / MEPH. And so thou shalt: be thou transformed to a dog, and carry him upon thy back. Away, be gone! (Marlowe 85). Similarly to Marlowes low-comedy that parallels the major events of the play, Bulgakovs novel contains buffoonery scenes meant to counterpoint the main plot. For instance, Natashas metamorphosis into a witch parallels Margaritas: Completely naked, her dishevelled hair flying in the air, she flew astride a fat hog, who was clutching a briefcase in his front hoofs, while his hind hoofs desperately threshed the air (Bulgakov 185). Then, there is also the correspondence between Behemoths noble-like manners and Wolands aristocratic personality: There was now a white bow-tie on the cats neck, and a pair of ladies mother-of-pearl opera glasses hung from a strap on his neck. Whats more, the cats whiskers were gilded (Bulgakov 195). Both Marlowes tragedy and Bulgakovs narrative dwell on the connection between belief and disbelief when presenting supernatural occurrences. T. S. Coleridges willing suspension of disbelief (Biographia Literaria, 1817) justifies the emergence of supernatural, seemingly inexplicable actions in a literary work. Thus, despite being taken aback by multiple extraordinary, uncanny events, the readers of these two books are willing to believe and acknowledge such scenes as literary conventions. Berliozs severed head as predicted by Woland, Behemoth traveling by tram with a paid ticket, Faustus invocation of Alexander the Great, or Wagners summoning devils are all examples that illustrate the abovementioned hypothesis. Unlike Bulgakovs fiction however, Marlowes play draws on an extra element which reinforces the suspension of disbelief (ibidem), namely the fact that the comic scenes seem open to further editing, alterations, or adjustments according to the taste of the audience who watches t he performance of the play onstage. Additionally, magical realism informs The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Master and Margarita alike. In The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (1998), J. A. Cuddon enumerates some of the key aspects which characterize this literary trend: Some of the characteristic features of this kind of fiction are the mingling and juxtaposition of the realistic and the fantastic or bizarre, skillful time shifts, convoluted and even labyrinthine narratives and plots, miscellaneous use of dreams, myths and fairy stories, expressionistic and even surrealistic description, arcane erudition, the element of surprise or abrupt shock, the horrific and the inexplicable. (488) In the two literary works analysed here magical realism establishes a link between the books reality and a mythological, distant past. In this way, supernatural episodes are bordered by easily recognisable locations and characters that offer readers a dose of certainty. Behemoth alludes to Charles Perraults story The Booted Cat (1697) when he claims: A cat is not supposed to wear trousers, Messire, the cat replied with great dignity. Youre not going to tell me to wear boots, too, are you?' (Bulgakov 195). Koroviev himself hints at various titles as he walks pass the Griboedov House: and a sweet awe creeps into ones heart at the thought that in this house there is now ripening the future author of a Don Quixote or a Faust, or, devil take me, a Dead Souls. Eh?' (268). Furthermore, humour at Marlowe and Bulgakov is not exclusively employed for purposes of comic relief during moments charged with narrative or dramatic tension. Rather, it also mocks, it satirizes individual and social flaws, being marked by ironic undertones. In Bulgakovs novel, the fascination with the folkloric, the demonic and the grotesque (Jones 27) actually indicates a satire of the Stalinist society that has discarded individual reliability and awareness. In this situation, the mockery seems to be directed especially towards people of the artistic sphere: writers, critics, or theatre employees. By comparison, in Marlowes dramatic work readers come across entertaining episodes fraught by sinister underpinnings-for example, Robin and Dicks metamorphoses in animals parody the degradation of the human nature, its reduction to primeval instincts. Moreover, Mikhail Bakhtins theory of carnival laughter may be applied to both Marlowes play and Bulgakovs narrative. In the article entitled Carnival and Comedy: On Bakhtins Misreading of Boccaccio, Adrian Stevens explains that For Bakhtin, carnival is a manifestation of folk laughter; it embodies a folk based culture defined by its antipathy to the official and hierarchical structures of everyday, noncarnival life (1). Bakhtin believes that carnivals influence the various types of comic works in literature by deferring daily constraints and thus liberating humans and also by bringing opposites together. In Bulgakovs and Marlowes books comic scenes unite masters and servants (Faustus and Mephosto-Wagner and his suite; Margarita-Natasha; Woland-his retinue), the righteous and the sinful (Yeshua-Woland; Pope-Mephosto; Good Angel-Bad Angel) but equally the wise and the fool (Faustus-Benvolio; the Master-Ivan Homeless). On the whole, the third chapter of my paper has shown how the personalities of the protagonists in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and The Master and Margarita are shaped by elements of feminism, humanism, and affective geography. Afterwards, I have compared the evil entourages in these two works only to reveal that Woland and Mephostophilis are an integrant part of goodness. Finally, by contrasting the supernatural and the comic episodes in Marlowes play and in Bulgakovs novel, I have exposed the fact that humour may acquire deeper implications besides the visible comic relief at the surface.