A Summer with My Aunt Essay Example for Free

A Summer with My Aunt Essay I, of course, was not used to spending any amount of money because my parents were doing well enough to keep my sister and me in school, so the idea of having leisurely money was a new concept which I craved. As a child I admired this woman for many reasons and wanted to be like her. I wanted to live in a nice neighborhood with a big house, I wanted to drive a beautiful white shiny car and wear new clothes, I wanted to be strong and healthy , but most of all I wanted to be successful like she was. So I spent my days in school preparing for college so that someday I would be able to be like her. Things changed, though, when I moved down to Texas for two months to take care of her nine month old son, Luke; as it turns out Gretchen Decker was and is not as happy with her life as I thought she was. At the beginning of the summer I had agreed to fly out to California to take my grandma’s place as a helping hand for my aunt. Gretchen had just married her third husband, Chris, two years prior and had recently become pregnant. My whole family was rather concerned with this matter because my aunt was now in her forties; when complications started arising my grandmother put her own life on hold to focus her attention on her daughter. When the time came, though, it was my turn to help my aunt. I left my job, friends, summer activities, and leisurely time to fly out to California and take care of my cousin. Plans were interrupted by my aunt’s job, though, when she received recent news of a promotion that would land her in the Dallas metropolis. I, of course, did not mind because either way I would be able to finally get to know this woman I so aspired to be like, and at the same time I would be able to visit with my aunt Trudy. So at the end of the summer I packed up my bags and my dad, sister, and I drove down to Texas. The house was gorgeous with a huge entry way and vaulted ceilings and a large open-concept kitchen and living room. The rooms were not very large but they were a decent size, close to a large bathroom. There was no furniture yet because it was still being moved from California and sadly we’d have to live without it for a couple more weeks. It was a great neighborhood, though, quiet and clean but most importantly, safe; this was the house my mother and father were working so hard for. The city was also very established with great schools and big malls, another thing I, myself, had always wanted. The next day I met Luke and was shocked by his appearance. He was a gorgeous baby but his weight brought up a bit of a concern for me. Luke was only nine months old and weighed 30 pounds; the first though in my mind was, â€Å"why is she feeding him so much? † but I held my tongue and asked, â€Å"So, what does he eat? † My aunt replied saying, â€Å"well he has five bottles a day and two to three solid meals a day. † Another thought, â€Å"holy crap,† then I said, â€Å"Wow, he’s big. † She laughed and said, â€Å"Yeah he’s definitely not starving. She may have found it funny but I found it odd that this child was the size of a two year old and was barely able to move. I walked over to the refrigerator next and poured myself a glass of water. As I drank, I stared at a picture of my aunt and Chris. They were running side by side concentrating on the goal ahead, when suddenly Luke laughed and my attention was turned to the other side o f the room. My sister, Darian, was playing with Luke and showing him how to use his toys. My aunt smiled at the sight and said, † Darian, I love this little guy so much. It’s amazing. I’ve never loved anyone or anything this much. † My sister immediately asked, â€Å"Don’t you love Chris? † The pause in-between the question surprised me, but finally she answered, â€Å"well†¦ yes but I just love Luke so much. † She continued to answer the question by saying that Chris was a good companion and that’s why she married him. Later I would learn my aunt â€Å" just liked to be married† and that is what led me to believe my aunt didn’t care about love as much as she did her job, because she went into a marriage thinking like a business woman rather that a girl in love. To me this also meant she just didn’t want to be alone. A week went by and the moving was done and I was left alone with my aunt. She was struggling to get used to things at her new job and ii could tell she was under much stress. So I did everything I could think of to take a load off her back like doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning and making sure Luke was in a good mood for her when she came home. No matter what I did though my aunt began to become increasingly frustrated with her job. She would leave the house around six-thirty every day and come back around six and continue to do work after Luke went to bed. She would always tell me she wished she could spent more time with Luke but that wouldn’t be able to happen because Chris was playing â€Å" peter pan† in Afghanistan. Every day it was the same thing: â€Å"Chris is peter pan,† â€Å"I wish I didn’t have to be the main provider† but the fact of the matter is that my aunt makes around 104 thousand dollars a year and Chris makes around 84 thousand. I was becoming very frustrated with my aunt’s complaints because my family of four had loved off 30 thousand for quite some time and managed to survive, so why couldn’t she live off 84? The answer to my question was very upsetting. She said, â€Å"Well that’s Missouri and Missouri isn’t the real world. † How dare she belittle my parents’ hard work! They both worked day and night trying to provide a better life for my sister and I and this is how she sees their work? I didn’t even get to see my parents a lot of the time because one of them was always at work, and here my aunt sat in a huge house with a nice neighborhood, with a beautiful baby and a handsome husband and money so much that she didn’t even know what to do with it, trying to tell me how terrible her life was. I kept my mouth closed because it was not my place to tell her these thoughts but more and more I became disappointed in my aunt. Why could she not be thankful and content with what she had? Her favorite subject of complaint was her husband; mostly, because he didn’t make enough money for her to stay at home but she also accused him of trying to avoid her and Luke because he didn’t wasn’t to take any responsibility. She thought this because he was going to stay in a deployable unit but at the same time the reason he was doing that was for an education opportunity. There was no pleasing her, though; even the fact that Chris wanted to be the provider did not appease her. She had made a comment to me about how she would â€Å"Find Luke a new daddy† if she had to. This made me sick to my stomach that she would say such a thing but I guess that is what happens when you marry someone just because you â€Å" like to be married. † Marriage is not like playing house it is a gift God has given us to become one with another person you love. Everything I admired my aunt for pretty much washed away because of my experience this summer and I will not go back to live with her again. She will sit in her big house in a nice neighborhood, with a husband she dislikes, a job that makes good money, and rot because she does not know how to be content. That’s what I really want is to marry a man I love, give him beautiful children, and work at a job that I absolutely love; not a bunch of money with nothing to do with it. I can thank my aunt, though, for showing me how unhappy a person can be in their life because they focus their mind on only the negative and never any positive aspects of their lives.

Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Salesm

Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman What is tragedy? While the literal definition may have changed over the centuries, one man believed he knew the true meaning of a tragic performance. Aristotle belonged to the culture that first invented tragic drama – the ancient Greeks. Through this, he gave himself credibility enough to illustrate the universally necessary elements of tragic drama. In The Poetics, Aristotle gives a clear definition of a tragedy, writing that it is â€Å"an imitation, through action rather than narration, of a serious, complete, and ample action, by means of language rendered pleasant at different places in the constituent parts by each of the aids [used to make language more delightful], in which imitation there is also effected through pity and fear its catharsis of these and similar emotions.† Basically, Aristotle thinks a tragedy should be witnessed rather than related, use poetic imagery instead of dry language, and have a logical flow with an inevitable conclusion at the end tha t evokes a heightened emotional response from the audience. Ever since Aristotle applied logic to art in The Poetics, playwrights from all time periods and cultures have attempted to prove him wrong. Utilizing intuition and writing from the soul, many have succeeded and many have failed. However, the most commercially successful theatrical performances have tended to follow Aristotle’s rules of drama. Aristotle maintained that all tragedies be driven by plot and that the characters simply be plugged into the story line. Leading the charge is the Tragic Hero, the man (not woman) who ultimately suffers the tragic fate. As defined in The Poetics, the Tragic Hero is, â€Å"the man of much glory and good fortune... ...oman’s world and demonstrated the tragic possibilities that exist within a common man’s universe. In so doing, he expanded the definition of Tragic Hero and helped to revolutionize tragic drama beyond the twentieth century. Works Cited Epps, Preston H. (trans.). 1970. The Poetics of Aristotle. Chapel Hill, N.C.: The University of North Carolina Press. Guth, Hans P. and Gabriel L. Rico. 1993. Discovering Literature. â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man† by Arthur Miller. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Murphy, Brenda and Susan C. W. Abbotson. Understanding Death of a Salesman: A Student Handbook to Cases, Issues and Historical Documents. The Greenwood Press â€Å"Literature in Context† series, Claudia Durst Johnson, series editor. Westwood, CT, London: 1999. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. 50th Anniversary ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1999. Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Salesm Common Man as Tragic Hero in Death of a Salesman What is tragedy? While the literal definition may have changed over the centuries, one man believed he knew the true meaning of a tragic performance. Aristotle belonged to the culture that first invented tragic drama – the ancient Greeks. Through this, he gave himself credibility enough to illustrate the universally necessary elements of tragic drama. In The Poetics, Aristotle gives a clear definition of a tragedy, writing that it is â€Å"an imitation, through action rather than narration, of a serious, complete, and ample action, by means of language rendered pleasant at different places in the constituent parts by each of the aids [used to make language more delightful], in which imitation there is also effected through pity and fear its catharsis of these and similar emotions.† Basically, Aristotle thinks a tragedy should be witnessed rather than related, use poetic imagery instead of dry language, and have a logical flow with an inevitable conclusion at the end tha t evokes a heightened emotional response from the audience. Ever since Aristotle applied logic to art in The Poetics, playwrights from all time periods and cultures have attempted to prove him wrong. Utilizing intuition and writing from the soul, many have succeeded and many have failed. However, the most commercially successful theatrical performances have tended to follow Aristotle’s rules of drama. Aristotle maintained that all tragedies be driven by plot and that the characters simply be plugged into the story line. Leading the charge is the Tragic Hero, the man (not woman) who ultimately suffers the tragic fate. As defined in The Poetics, the Tragic Hero is, â€Å"the man of much glory and good fortune... ...oman’s world and demonstrated the tragic possibilities that exist within a common man’s universe. In so doing, he expanded the definition of Tragic Hero and helped to revolutionize tragic drama beyond the twentieth century. Works Cited Epps, Preston H. (trans.). 1970. The Poetics of Aristotle. Chapel Hill, N.C.: The University of North Carolina Press. Guth, Hans P. and Gabriel L. Rico. 1993. Discovering Literature. â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man† by Arthur Miller. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Murphy, Brenda and Susan C. W. Abbotson. Understanding Death of a Salesman: A Student Handbook to Cases, Issues and Historical Documents. The Greenwood Press â€Å"Literature in Context† series, Claudia Durst Johnson, series editor. Westwood, CT, London: 1999. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. 50th Anniversary ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.

Building stone conservation

The construction industry and its activities have an important role to play in socioeconomic development and quality of life. Construction activity accounts for more than 50% of the national outlays. Building Construction costs registered an increase in rates year after year at scales much faster than inflation. It is seen that in view of the increase in cost for basic input materials like steel, cement brick timber and other materials as well as the cost of construction labour, buildings cost increase at around 20% to 30% annually even when inflation is in single digit.Even though income levels of people are by and large brought in line with the levels of inflation through inflation indexed rise in salaries, year after year, housing is moving beyond the reach of the majority of the people. The reducing housing size for various categories in consecutive years in respect of the plinth areas, nature of specifications even with increased income levels would indicate the rapid increase i n cost of construction.The urban population growth has increased to more than 30%, and has made the need for adequate housing for low income people a very important concern for the government. However, the rush to respond to these needs seems to result in a low quality housing that does not adequately match the needs of these people. In countries where construction contributed 3-5% to GDP, an implication for development policy was that unless the construction industry grew faster than the economy as a whole it might constrain national development (Han and Ofori, 2001).The construction industry is a main contributor to the national economy, therefore the more developed the industry is the more the contribution to the economy. Similarly, a developing economy leads to more construction projects and purchasing ower means affordable projects. The interlink relation between the construction industry and the economy makes it clear that development can not occur without the other, although a growing construction industry does not necessarily mean a developing industry nor economy.In fact, the increase in construction prices could cause an artificial indication of the contribution of the construction industry to the GDP and economy. Furthermore the increase in construction costs always occurs faster than the increase in the GDP/capita. Approximate costs generally include mechanical and electrical installations, but exclude furniture, loose or special quipment, and external works. They also exclude fees for professional services and permission fees. The costs shown are appropriate to local specifications and standards.This should be borne in mind when attempting comparisons with similarly described building types in other countries. One of the main barriers to sustainability and sustainable construction will be affordability. The construction industry in developing countries cannot afford to make any dramatic changes but has to start improving the existing technology an d local resources it has. In less than two decades, the construction costs have increased by a considerable rate. This is in respect of the normal types of housing construction.Still higher levels of costs are registered for using better finishes and amenities. The current situation of un- affordability, necessitates the need for using economical solutions and appropriate designs and construction materials which can bring down the cost of construction within the affordability levels of the people, as identified in the Agenda 21 for sustainable construction in Developing Countries which concerns with construction economic efficiency through national and international housing policies that ensure adequate, affordable and sustainable housing.Authors such as Adebayo (2000), McIntosh (2000) and Aboutorabi (2000) has addressed out that the sustainability development of the built environment is significantly linked to affordability, and affordability will remain a key barrier to sustainabi lity. CONCLUSION The development of the construction industry should lead to affordable construction activities and materials, which is one of the main issues of sustainability in the developing countries. It seems that the development of the construction industry to achieve efficiency, quality, affordability and then sustainability is strongly tied to the economy.

Addiction Trauma And Resiliency - 2003 Words

After spending a full week at the MARTI conference I decided to write about addiction, trauma and resiliency. The conference centered on these topics among others but specific topics hit home to me. There was a wealth of information on these terms and there was a great deal of succulent discussion about the long term effects of addiction. Addiction does not happen independently it many people and loved ones are affected by a person’s addiction. Addiction is defined as compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful (Merriam-Webster). According to Merriam-Webster trauma is a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time. In my professional and personal experience trauma can last a life time if unsolved. Many people suffer trauma and can deal with trauma be functional individuals in society, but others have trouble coping with their issues which can result in long term effects on a person. So why can one person cope but not another person. I want to discuss issue in my paper and refer to conference presentations and current literature. How can one person be resilient and not another? I find this very interesting that one person can cope and deal fully with their trauma and someone elseShow MoreRelatedPart 1: Describe Donna’S Story From A Problem Solving Perspective..995 Words   |  4 Pageslook out for the best interests of the child and support Donna to be the best parent possible. In my opinion, the most pressing issue would be Donna’s recent relapse of her alcohol addiction and the potential for a relapse in drug use. From a problem solving perspective, I would help Donna access rehabilitation or addictions counselling. 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