chinese foot binding essays

chinese foot binding essays As I read the newspaper story, my eyes widen with every word, According to the National Institute of Mental Health there are over 5 million people in the United States suffering with eating disorders. 1% of all North American teenagers have eating disorders. 10% of these teenagers will die. People struggling with anorexia are among those whose health are at great risk...( www.planet-therapy.com) And then I see a picture of a young girl, nothing but bones and skin, looking wasted away. I ask myself, What wont people do for beauty? They say, True beauty comes from within. However true this statement may be, in almost every society throughout history, women have been required to undergo major and often painful physical alterations in the name of beauty and social status. Perhaps one of the most agonizing beatifications in all of history is the Chinese tradition of foot binding. Foot binding is an ancient tradition that involves the reshaping of the womans feet to achieve a smaller foot. Accompanied by unimaginable pain and crippling limitations, Chinese foot binding is a testament to how far humans will go to be beautiful. As with most other beautification processes, such as ear piercing or tattooing, Chinese foot binding has significant cultural and social implications. In addition, using modern technology, we can also see the physiological effects of foot binding. Foot binding began in the late T'ang Dynasty (618-906) and it gradually spread through the upper class during the Song Dynasty (960-1297). During the Ming period (1368-1644) and the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911) the custom of foot binding spread through the overwhelming majority of the Chinese population (Mo-chn, 65). It began with the emperor Li Yu of the Tang Dynasty who, acting on his fetish for small feet, instructed his favorite concubine, Lovely Maiden, to bind her feet in silk cloth in ord...

Working at Home and Workplace Productivity

Working at Home and Workplace Productivity Working at Home and Workplace Productivity Working at Home and Workplace Productivity By Mark Nichol The recent news that Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is banning employees from working at home has caused a flurry of commentary in the media and among workers in the Internet industry. One aspect of the issue is how such a decision affects content producers. Banning telecommuting is a heavy-handed strategy. The rationale for the policy change, according to a leaked Yahoo memo, is that the company needs employees to be available to collaborate with colleagues in person, but the irony in this statement from an Internet company is delicious. Commentators have debated the wisdom of Yahoo’s approach, some arguing that telecommuting encourages slacking and others insisting that it boosts productivity. The truth, as is often the case, is somewhere in between. At my last job before my current freelancing stint, I worked for a company that allowed most employees to work from home one day a week until management decided that it wasn’t working out. The implicit reason was that some people were abusing the privilege, staying home and not getting much work done. In my case, what had been my most productive workday became just like any other, punctuated with interruptions and distractions and noisy coworkers. Fortunately, the privilege was reinstated after a while, during which interval managers presumably were encouraged to keep closer tabs on the employees who reported to them. It is this point that any company considering whether to introduce or retain telecommuting should keep in mind: Some employees will game the system whether they’re working on site or at home. Also, it’s disingenuous to use the excuse about the necessity of working in physical proximity with colleagues when much of one’s work is solitary or involves communication with people at other company locations or other businesses. There’s also another issue, one that makes this topic relevant to a site called Daily Writing Tips. Many employees do a significant amount of writing or editing even if their employer is not a publishing or communications company, and telecommuting gives them an opportunity to produce content in an environment with fewer distractions than the workplace offers. I have worked at several companies where coworkers whose responsibilities entailed little or no composing of content played music, talked loudly or incessantly, and otherwise made it difficult for me to do what I was being paid to do. If this predicament sounds familiar to you, and even minimal telecommuting is not part of company policy, consider these possibilities: 1. Ask your manager to try to accommodate your need to work with minimal distractions, if only occasionally. If you cannot be relocated to a quieter workspace, perhaps you can at least sit somewhere else a vacant office, a seldom-used conference room from time to time, as when you need to draft an important report or produce some other significant amount of text. 2. Request the option to work on an offset schedule (starting very early in the morning or ending later at night) so that you have a couple of hours at the beginning or end of the day during which few, if any, other people are in your work area. 3. Ask your manager to monitor noise in the work area and follow up with reminders to employees to minimize sounds and distractions, including telephone conversations and ask him or her to ban use of phones’ speaker functions. (And if people are allowed to listen to music at their desks, ask that they be required to use headphones.) Supervisors who have their own offices are often unaware of excessive noise (especially when certain workers suddenly become subdued and intent on their work when a manager appears), and they may need to be nudged to address the problem. 4. Suggest a policy that any conversation that takes more than a moment must take place in a meeting room or another area, because trying to write while the person seated next to you discusses a job-related problem (or a recent vacation) with a visiting colleague for half an hour is half an hour of your workday wasted. 5. Ask to be allowed to telecommute one or two days a week on a trial basis, suggesting that you and your manager agree on baseline productivity expectations. If your request is granted, make sure that you significantly exceed those benchmarks. You may hesitate to make such suggestions, concerned that you will be viewed as a troublemaker, but emphasize the improved productivity and morale that will result for all, not just for you, if such policies are implemented. Your success, of course, will also depend on your manager’s competence and on the company culture. Consider, too, asking for support from your colleagues (most, if not all, of whom are likely to sympathize and to agree that a quieter work environment would be beneficial). Finally, determine to go to your manager’s superior or to your company’s human resources director if your immediate supervisor does not resolve the issue. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Farther vs. FurtherWriting the CenturySit vs. Set

Growth of equal opportunities in the public sector organisations Essay

Growth of equal opportunities in the public sector organisations - Essay Example The United Kingdom has progressed in provision of equal opportunities in the workplace.This has been seen by establishment of commissions, enforcement of policies and implementation of equal opportunities for members of the public sector. All these ideas and developments will be examined in the subsequent section of the essay.There are three main Acts that affect the way employees receive fair treatment in the workplace. The first piece of legislation is the Sex Discrimination act. This act seeks to protect the rights of women in the workplace especially public organisations. Women should not be denied the right to access an employment opportunity or an opportunity to develop in their work place based on their gender. This means that those stereotypes who believed that women cannot perform certain tasks have been put to task.The other two pieces of legislation that have been put in place are the Disability discrimination and Race Relations. These two acts provide that during employme nt issues of disability and race should be put aside when making decisions concerning employment. Therefore employers practicing this will be guilty of an offence.This commission was established for streamlining of employment opportunities in the Civil Service. Its purpose is to ensure that there are no cases of discrimination based on gender. It holds the firm believe that both women and men should be given the same treatment. It also believes that any employer should practice fairness when they are employing or recruiting members. Policies in District Councils There are a number of District Councils that have enforced policies that affect equal opportunities in the work place. (Cornwall County Council, 2007)One such group is the Mid Bedfordshire district council. The main idea behind the policy is to ensure that all people in the council have access to equal opportunities during service delivery and employment. It does not tolerate any unfair discrimination based several issues including gender, race, marital status, disability and sexual disability. This applies to all the people who interact with the organisation. In employment, the council ensures that it will respect the differences that are present in society and should be able to reflect these differences in its staff members. This implies that recruitment should not have any elements of discrimination. These means that managers or members in position of power should not use their positions for It also believes that there should be training and development in the sector to ensure that all workers are aware of their rights and no one should infringe them on the basis that they have the power to do so. It has therefore empowered its employees in this regard and given them the tools to fight for themselves. Lastly, this council believes in the efficient communication and monitoring of policies to ensure that the equal opportunities policy is adhered to on the ground. After monitoring the situation on the ground, the council conveys the information to members of its team. Similarly, the Leicestershire County council holds similar views. It believes that members of the public and members of staff who come in contact with the council should be made to feel valued and should not experience any discrimination. (Leicestershire County council, 2007) Policies in the police force The Warwickshire Police has made a Scheme that relates to gender. It is called the Gender Equality Scheme. This scheme was started this year and will continue into the next three years. It aims at protecting all members of the workplace against gender discrimination. The Scheme was a combination of ideas got from members of the Police Force staff, members of the pu

Case analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case analysis paper - Essay Example Howard was of a humble background and little was known about him in his early years. He studied in a poor school and his life had financial challenges that at one point he was even selling blood and bartending just to make ends meet (Schultz 25). He later grew to become a great salesman and switched from his career as vice president of a Swedish kitchen equipment firm to help the Starbucks stores grow their business. He worked on expanding this business, which he successfully did until the owners sold the whole Starbucks Company to him. Howard has been a true inspiration of how hard work and determination are necessary requirements for the growth and expansion of any business (Schultz 30). He has endured threats and trying times but his company is still among the best to this day. Many critics opposed his expansion plans to cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles but his sheer determination and persistence saw him become a top brand countrywide in a few years. We see that this man was not only making a difference in his life but was also focused on improving the lives of all around him (Schultz 40). Howard Schultz has devoted much of his time to corporate responsibility and has been very keen on making sure that his employees are happy at the work place. To evaluate the performance of this highly successful company, we are going to use the SWOT analysis on Starbucks. Among its strengths is the fact that Starbucks has built its name to be a brand name in the coffee business in the United States and globally. This is due to its specialty in the coffee sector (Schultz 50). The company CEO Howard Schultz is also a barista. This is important due to the fact that this implies he has expert knowledge of the services he is providing to his customers. He is able to relate with his employees as well. Among the other strengths is the huge customer loyalty base the Starbucks has attracted. These customers are willing to

Voluntary Unemployment Essay Example for Free

Voluntary Unemployment Essay Throughout the history of the United States immigration has played a big role. In fact, the birth of the US came about because of Europeans that immigrated here for religious freedom. From those small settlements came towns and cities, built by immigrants. But not all migrated here for religious freedom. Many came on wishes for a better life or to pursue business deals. As early as 1610, Italian craftsmen were brought here to by the Virginia Colony to start the glass trade. So regardless of their drive, people have immigrated here since the beginning of the history of the United States and still continue to. Americans encouraged relatively free and open immigration during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and did not think anything of that policy until the middle 1900s. After some states passed immigration laws following the Civil War, the Supreme Court ruled in 1875 that the regulation of immigrants is a federal responsibility. As the number of immigrants rose in the 1880s and economic conditions in certain areas worsened, Congress started to use immigration legislation. The Chinese Exclusion Act was one such example. Under this act, passed on 6 MAY 1882, states the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof. As a result, Angel Island was set up to detain and question Chinese Immigrants. Between this act and the Alien Contract Labor laws of 1885 and 1887, certain laborers were prohibited from immigrating to the United States. Also in used was the more general Immigration Act of 1882, which charged a head tax of fifty cents on each immigrant, and bar the entry of idiots, lunatics, convicts, and persons likely to become a public charge. Also passed were the Alien Acts of 1885, 1887, 1888 and 1891, prohibiting the immigration to the U.S. of persons entering the country to work under contracts made before their arrival. In 1888 provisions were adopted to provide the expulsion for aliens. All these immigration laws soon created the need for a Federal enforcement agency. In the 1880s, state board or commissions enforced immigration law with direction from U.S. Treasury Department officials. At the federal level,  U.S. Customs Collectors at each port of entry collected the head from immigrants, while Chinese Inspectors enforced the Chinese Exclusion Act (at Angel Island). Congress soon expanded the list of excludable classes, and as a result when the Immigration Act of 1891 barred polygamists, persons convicted of crimes of moral turpitude, and those suffering loathsome of contagious diseases from immigration, it also created the Office of the Superintendent of Immigration, located in the Treasury Department. Under the 1891 law, the Federal Government assumed the task of inspecting, admitting, rejecting, and processing all immigrants seeking to the United States. The Immigration Services (IS) first task was to collect arrival manifests (passenger lists) from each incoming ship, a responsibility of the Customs Service since 1820. Also enforcing immigration law was a new Federal function, and the 1890s witnessed the Services first attempts to implement national immigration policy. Operations began in New York Harbor at a new federal immigration station on Ellis Island, which opened 2 JAN 1892. The largest and busiest station for decades, Ellis Island housed inspection facilities, hearing and detention rooms, hospitals, cafeterias, administrative offices, and representatives of many immigrant aid societies. The station also employed 119 of the Services entire staff 180 in 1893. During its first decade at Ellis Island and other ports, the Service formalized basic immigration procedures. Inspectors questioned arrivals about their admissibility and noted their admission or rejection on manifest records. Detention guards and matrons cared for those people detained pending decisions in their cases, or those awaiting deportation. Often, aliens were excluded because they lacked funds o had no friends or relatives nearby. Congress continued to exert Federal control over immigration with the Act of 2 March 1895, which upgraded the Office of Immigration to the Bureau of Immigration and changed the agency heads title from Superintendent to Commissioner-General of Immigration. The Act of 6 June 1900, further merged immigration enforcement by assigning both Alien Contract Labor law and Chinese Exclusion responsibilities to the Commissioner-General. (In 1902, the Chinese Exclusion Act was extended for and indefinite amount of time.)  Also, since most immigration laws sought to protect American workers and wages, and Act of 14 February 1903, transferred the Bureau of Immigration from the Treasury Department to the newly created Department of Commerce and Labor. Attention then turned to naturalization; a duty assigned to Congress by the constitution but carried out by any court of record since 1802. A commission charged with investigating naturalization practice and procedure reported in 1905 that were was little or no uniformity among the nations more than 5, 000 naturalization courts. Congress responded with the Basic Naturalization Act of 1906, which framed the rules for naturalization in effect today. The 1906 law also proscribed standard naturalization forms, encouraged state and local courts to relinquish their naturalization jurisdiction to Federal Courts, and expanded the Bureau of Immigration into the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (INS). After the creation of the INS, a few more Immigration Acts or revisions were passed (1906-1910). Procedural safeguards for naturalization were enacted in 1906, in which knowledge of English was a requirement. Also the Immigration Act of 1907 extended the restrictions of earlier acts by using synonyms for criminals and the insane. Section One of the act was aimed at keeping Japanese and Koreans out of the Gentlemens Act between the U.S and Japan. While the Congress continued to strengthen national immigration with this act, a Presidential Commission investigated the causes of massive emigration out of Southern and Eastern Europe and a Congressional Commission reports later influenced the writing and passing of future acts, such as the Immigration Act of 1917, which required that immigrants be able to read and write in their native language. Although the United States of America is referred to as the melting pot, which it is, it did not achieve that name without numerous acts and laws restricting or containing immigration. Despite what people may think, with out some of these acts, the U.S. could have been subject to extreme over-population. However, it can be argued that the time during 1875 and 1910, there where an excess of acts passed which now would be considered  extremely discriminative and racist. The final word is that immigration continues to this day with restrictions to keep it over control, and they are needed.

The Paperless Office and Paperless Society Will Never Happen

The Paperless Office and the Paperless Society Will Never Happen With the widespread introduction of computer terminals into offices, and the growing popularity of the personal computer, futurists and computer proponents envisioned the arrival of the â€Å"paperless office†. They predicted that in the near future, virtually all paper consumed in offices would be replaced by electronic, computer based mediums. Office workers, who before the advent of the computer relied entirely on typewriters, paper filing systems, and printed documents, could now create, store, and share information using computers. There would be no need to print out documents, because they would be always conveniently available for view using any available computer terminal. Even libraries, which traditionally contain shelves upon shelves of printed books, could be replaced by a large collection of books in electronic form. There are several main advantages of electronically stored information, as opposed to paper-based information. Content deep within an electronic library can be found using searching algorithms, and a single item within an electronic library can be shared and accessed by a nearly unlimited number of users simultaneously, who can be located in diverse geographic locations. Another advantage of a â€Å"paperless society† is environmental in nature: a dependence on paper takes its toll on our world’s forests, which are vital to the planet in many ways, such as providing oxygen, absorbing rainwater, protecting soil, and regulating climate. I would argue, however, that this environmental advantage is somewhat stretched out of proportion by computer advocates, because the manufacture of computers requires natural resources, and there are new environm... ... Industry Key Statistics As Published by the Pulp and Paper Products Council. American Process Inc. [v] Statistics Canada CANSIM Data Base. CANSIM is an official Mark of Statistics Canada. Series: C892268, Source: SDDS 3604 DEMOGRAPHY DIVISION [vi] Statistics Canada CANSIM Data Base. Series: D10505, Source: SDDS 4432 STC (63-016XPB) [vii] Same as (4). [viii] Laser Printer History. 4 Apr. 2001. American Calco Inc. [ix] Information Technology and Structural Change of the Global Forest Sector. 28 Feb. 2003. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. [x] Healy, Sean. No Technofix for the Third World. 4 Oct. 2001. ZNet.

A Skittle of Milk Essay

â€Å"a skittle of milk† The metaphor, â€Å"skittle of milk,† is very effective. The inclusion of the detail of, â€Å"milk,† is particularly effective. The white colour of the milk reflects the purity and innocent mind of the persona. Highlighting that Duffy is in her youth and is inexperienced. The comparison of milk bottles to skittles is also effective. It reminds us of games played at school highlighting how innocent the poet was. This shows how enjoyable school was for the persona which helps draw in the reader into the poem through these common experiences. OPINION – Personally I feel that I could relate to this as I am familiar with the primary school environment. I feel Duffy’s use of the metaphor quite compelling. â€Å"The classroom glowed like a sweetshop.† The simile, â€Å"The classroom glowed like a sweetshop,† is comparing the class, what would be for a child , a colourful place: to a sweetshop. This creates a very positive about the classroom. The word, â€Å"glowed,† creates a very warm, colourful and comfortable atmosphere. It reflects the enthusiasm and delight that appeared on the children’s faces when they entered the room. They were thrilled and excited to be there. A sweetshop is usually the best place in the world to a child, and being there would create an excitement amongst friends. This emphasises how much the children loved being there and how magnificent this classroom was. OPNION – Reading this simile aroused my senses fully and let my mind remember how amazing sweet shops really were as a child, therefore developing my understanding of how much the young Carol Ann Duffy enjoyed her classroom. This is a really clever way of connecting with the reader. â€Å"Brady and Hindley faded, like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake.† The simile, â€Å"Brady and Hindley faded, like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake,† is very effective. The child murderers Brady and Hindley were horrifying and faded when they were alive. During Duffy’s childhood every single child would have been petrified of them. Their presence would have been felt due to the extensive media coverage of their crimes at the time. By saying, â€Å"faded like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake,† Duffy is suggesting the children were able to put them to the back of their minds when in the classroom. This emphasises the nurturing environment, â€Å"Mrs Tilscher loved you,† and the security felt in the class. This lets us know the teacher was a very protective and caring person, making the children feel no need to be insecure or afraid. OPINION – This is a very clear demonstration of the comforting environment many people experience in primary school. It’s also a very clever way of highlighting how much certainty the persona has that the teacher loves her, she feels welcome and important. â€Å"Laugh of a bell† The personification of the bell emphasises the positive experience the narrator has of school. The words, â€Å"running child,† demonstrate the sense of freedom and amusement children felt in primary school. It suggests keenness and eagerness of school emphasising the positive experience. The word, â€Å"laugh,† also highlights the merriment the children felt demonstrating the positive and cheerful atmosphere of the poem. However, the bell may also be a clever symbol that change awaits the poet and starts to include the sense of the poem within the poem. But, because the bell is being swung by a child it contrasts the bell which signifies lunch or break demonstrating the sense of freedom and joyous mood of the poem. OPINION – I feel that through this use of personification Duffy really sets the positive atmosphere of the poem and sucks in the reader through the  arousal of our senses. â€Å"inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks.† The metaphor, â€Å"inky tadpoles changed from commas into exclamation marks,† is very effective in getting the reader aware of the passage of time. The function of the exclamation mark is to highlight alarm and show that something unfamiliar is about to change. Of course Duffy here is referring to puberty and the beginning of adolescence. The word, â€Å"inky,† also reminds me of ink wells at school and how they spread across your page. This links to the unknown boundaries Duffy is about to experience. When tadpoles develop into frogs they is no resemblance between them. This relates to Duffy changing physically and shows signs of loss of innocence. OPINION – Duffy’s use of this metaphor has dramatic impact and allows the reader to relate to it as it is a part of life that everyone experiences. MEDUSA â€Å"grey bags of my lungs† The metaphor, â€Å"grey bags of my lungs,† is comparing the colour grey to the condition of her lungs. The word â€Å"grey† suggests something rotten, decayed, dirty and something that has a disgusting appearance. Next the word â€Å"bags† makes me think of something pathetic, deflated and something that is useless. This is effective in describing the conditions of medusa’s lungs – they are not very healthy, they aren’t functioning properly and are wasting away. This is because of her depression and how she is wasting away. OPINION – Personally I think Carol Ann Duffy’s use of the metaphor is very effective in conveying the state of her internally. It also arouses my sympathy towards medusa – it must be difficult dealing with her depression. â€Å"bullet tears in my eyes† The metaphor, â€Å"bullet tears in my eyes,† is comparing the power of her look to a bullet. The word, â€Å"bullet,† conveys something dangerous and harmful. Gives the sense that something is deadly. Next the word, â€Å"tears,† is reflecting Medusa’s emotions and suggests that she is vulnerable. But Medusa has no weakness as her tears (eyes) are deadly hence they are being compared to a, â€Å"bullet.† This reflects the power of Medusa’s eyes: they are a deadly weapon and can kill at the sight of them. It also allows me to connect with the poem as I too know what being upset feels like, it’s an ordinary human emotion. OPINION – In my opinion I think Carol Ann Duffy is very clever in revealing the fact that even though Medusa is crying she isn’t vulnerable. It links back to the condition of her, although she is depressed and heartbroken inside she isn’t weak or unable to defend herself. â€Å"Greek God† The metaphor, â€Å"Greek God,† is comparing the man she is deeply in love with to a Greek God. The phrase, â€Å"Greek God,† suggests the man she adores is perfect and is an Adonise, thus making him the most attractive and handsome man in all the land. It also makes him seem very powerful and heroic. He is an admirable figure to all the other men and people should aspire to be like him. The word, â€Å"perfect,† is also placed before the metaphor suggesting that Medusa’s lover has no flaw at all. However this is a contradiction to what she feels now. Since Medusa believed this man was, â€Å"perfect,† and was a man she felt strongly in love with, she finds it difficult to accept he isn’t actually perfect. As for him betraying her and going against her, she has started to realise the harm he has clearly caused her. Clearly this demonstrates how in love Medusa felt with this man which makes it easier to understand why she is in pain and feels sorrow over what has happened. OPINION – Personally, I think this is effective as it is easy to relate to. Everyone has that feeling, that someone special is perfect and like no other person in the world. But, in the end you are heartbroken when you find out it’s not true. â€Å"shield for a heart† The metaphor, â€Å"shield for a heart,† is comparing the ability of the man to express his emotion to a weapon of defence. Using the word, â€Å"shield,† suggests that the man is very defensive and isn’t capable of feeling the emotion of love. The fact he isn’t capable of this makes him quite arrogant. He is able just to go form girl to girl and not feel any regret or pain about leaving them. This image could also express that the man she is in love with isn’t open to feeling in love or is able to show it. He can’t open up and convey his emotions to other’s because he is so defensive. As well as this the image could also portray that her lover is very powerful and fearless because of his â€Å"shield for a heart.† Highlighting he is a very cold man and incapable of experiencing the feeling of real love. OPINION – I feel that this man is totally wrong. How could someone feel no love towards or very little love towards others? It’s disappointing that Medusa felt so strongly towards this man yet he cant return any feelings. â€Å"sword for a tongue† This metaphor, â€Å"sword for a tongue,† is comparing a weapon capable of killing someone to the strength and power of her lover’s words. They are able to hurt someone and cause great harm like the power of a sword. It demonstrates the harshness and sharpness of his words like the sharp blade of a sword. It also once again reflects how arrogant he is because he doesn’t realise how hurtful his words are to the woman who admires him in every way. OPINION – Duffy expresses this man’s arrogance very well. It makes me see how cruel and hurtful this man really is and personally Medusa has the right to feel that heartbroken and distraught at what’s happened to her. â€Å"Fire spewed from the mouth of a mountain† The personification of, â€Å"Fire spewed form the mouth of a mountain,† is a very  effective image. This is showing the extent of Medusa’s power as she was able to turn a dragon into a volcano. This is creating a very violent image which is reflecting the aggressiveness of Medusas’ acts on innocent creatures. Carol Ann Duffy, also uses the word â€Å"spewed† to highlight Medusa is so hurt and angered by what has happened to her. It creates a feeling of disgust within the reader. It also dramitifies everything that has happened to Medusa and once agai9n conveys her feeling of fury. OPINION – I feel sympathy towards Medusa at this point. She has been betrayed by the man she adored and was deeply in love with which has caused her to go on a killing spree of killing innocent creatures. STEALING â€Å"He looked magnificent; a tall, white mute beneath the winter moon.† Within stanza one there is a constant repetition of the letter ‘m’. This alliteration is a soft sound and creates an eerie atmosphere within the poem. It also creates an eerie feeling within the reader. This quiet sounding alliteration coupled with the single word sentence, â€Å"Midnight,† has a dramatic impact and sets a ghostly and frightening scene. The word choice of, â€Å"Midnight,† also emphasises the setting was late, and dark and was potentially a threatening time to be wondering around alone. This is an excellent way of setting the sinister tone of the stanza leading up to the first unusual theft. OPINION – I thought this was a very effective way of setting the atmosphere of the poem. It aroused suspense within me, I felt as though a chill pumped round my body and I was eager to read on. â€Å"A fierce chill piercing my gut.† In the second stanza Duffy makes clever use of the metaphor, â€Å"a fierce chill piercing my gut.† This is emphasising the cold and angry nature of the character. The words, â€Å"Fierce,† and, â€Å"Piercing,† both convey an inner pain  within the persona because of this violent language. Also continuing the threatening atmosphere that was created in the previous stanza. This suggests the boy is quite an aggressive person and this idea is confirmed later on in the poem. This aggression could possibly be a defensive consequence of the emotional pain he suffers inside. The character then goes onto say,† Life’s tough.† This is a very blunt statement which has a harshness behind it. He feels as though he is teaching others a lesson from his experiences. This conveys he may have had a tough, difficult and rough upbringing making him feel like an outcast from society. Again, the harsh tone comes across from this statement showing he had no sympathy or pity toward the people he was hurting. Emphasising how cruel and callous this person really is. OPINON – I found this metaphor to be particularly effective in revealing more about the persona in the poem. In a way it arouses sympathy towards the character because of the rough childhood he has probably experienced. However it doesn’t give him the right to harm others and cause them pain. â€Å"a mind as cold as the slice of ice within my own brain.† The simile, â€Å"a mind as cold as the slice of ice within my own brain,† conveys a person who is very numb to emotion and cold-hearted. It reveals that that the boy likes to think of himself as being unemotional and heatless. The internal rhyme, â€Å"slice of ice,†Ã¢â‚¬  starts to introduce painful images of the poem which expresses the anger and hate the character has inside him. At this point the snowman also seems to be a symbol for the cold and loneliness of the persona’s situation. The previous use of the word, â€Å"mate,† shows he craves for a companion with an ice-cold mind, which is unusual as friendship is usually associated with warmth. The boy is admitting that his brain is too full of ice that he cannot appreciate true friendship and that he is twisted inside revealing a lack of compassion. OPINION – Personally I think Duffy has really demonstrated how sometimes people do feel when they have had a tough life and feel alienated within society. It really allows me to imagine the twisted emotion and â€Å"thrill to  hurt† that goes on within this boy. â€Å"mucky ghost† The metaphor, â€Å"mucky ghost,† is very effective in expressing the persona’s isolation. The word, â€Å"ghost,† is very important. It creates a malevolent image emphasising the boy feels alienated. He is an invisible person who can meander through people’s homes leaving no traces. It feels as though he isn’t important and because he is an outcast he has to â€Å"steal† to prove his part in society. Ghosts are also things that are non-existent revealing that the persona might not even see himself as an ordinary person. This idea is confirmed at the end of the poem when he says, â€Å"You don’t even understand a word im saying, do you?† Reflecting that the boy feels like no-one can understand him, he is one of a kind and will always be an outcast. By mentioning ghost this re-establishes the ominous and frightening atmosphere shown in stanza one. Symbolising the isolation this character feels and the chilling setting of the poem. OPINION – I found the poets comparison very effective. The constant use of colours (white and blue) really vivifies the bitterness of the character and his heartless nature. â€Å"My breath ripped out in rags.† The metaphor, â€Å"my breath ripped out in rags,† is an aggressive image and reflects the cruelness and callousness of the persona. The word, â€Å"ripped,† highlights the violent language of the poem and has a dramatic impact on the reader making them feel the pain and chill inside the character. The alliteration and sibilance of the letter â€Å"s† again emphasises the harsh and callous nature of the boy. The line is also separated by enablement. This mimics his jerky, flustered, breathing pattern as he goes about the destruction of the snowman. The word, â€Å"rags,† is something withy no value. This echoes both the worthlessness of the persona and the worthlessness of the acts he is committing. He then says, â€Å"sick of the world.† This for me arouses sympathy as it is almost a cry for help and that he wants a better  life. He cant cope anymore with the isolation and this be the real reason behind the pointless thefts ands the anger within him. OPINION – I did feel empathy for the boy at this point in the poem as unless you know what being alienated feels like you cant understand how much internal pain it causes you. On the other hand taking it out on others is not fair and this creates dislike within me for the persona.