Sir Arthur Conan Doyles Influence On Twentieth Century Detective Liter

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Influence On Twentieth Century Detective Literature There are many different books, in many different genres. There are horror novels, love stories, suspenseful books, and detective stories. The detective story's evolution has been a long and eventful process. The man responsible for the biggest leap in the detective story was Arthur Conan Doyle. He gave the world Sherlock Holmes, who could be considered the greatest investigator in detective story history. Holmes was unique in detective story history. ... The reader's interest is captivated not only by the detective's unique methods, but to perhaps to even a greater degree by the singular personality of this remarkable man (Sayers 10). Doyle also gave the world Dr. Watson, Holmes' sidekick. Other authors could have written about this pair, but none could match Doyle. Doyle was a master storyteller (Snow, 8). Without Doyle the detective story would never have been what it is now. Cresterton states, With Conan Doyle, the detective story at last came to full fruition (Cresterton, 170). This statement is true. All detective stories after Doyle's had some of the aspects of his stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shaped the way detective stories were written in the twentieth century by using a third person limited perspective, using a structured plot line, and by having Holmes investigate crimes other than murder. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the first detective story author to make good use of the third person limited perspective. Holmes' sidekick Watson is a smart man, but he could not compare to the brilliance of Holmes. When Holmes was figuring out a mystery, he often left Watson very confused. Holmes would do things that, to Watson, would make no sense. At the end of the story, however, Watson would see the logic behind Holmes' actions. This quote is Watson thinking about the case he and Holmes were working on. Here I had heard what he had heard, I had seen what he had seen, and yet from his words it was evident that he saw clearly not only what happened, but what was about to happen, while to me the whole business was still confused and grotesque (Doyle, 35). This displays Watson's confusion over the case of The Red-Headed League. In The Red-Headed League, the case is so bizarre that most of the readers, like Watson, don't have a clue as to what is going on. It is comforting to know that Watson is as confused as the readers are. In The Red-Headed League there is a point in the story where Holmes and Watson walk up to the pawn shop and talk to Mr. Wilson's assistant. After he shuts the door Watson asks Holmes why he wanted to see the assistant. Holmes says that he wanted to see the knees of the assistants trousers (Doyle, 34). It is obvious by Watson's reaction that he has know idea why Holmes wanted to see the assistants knees. At the same time the readers are left pondering that very question. The whole scene in front of the pawnshop also display another way that Doyle uses the third person limited perspective well. At that point in the story Holmes has pretty much figured out what happened. By telling Watson where he was looking, Holmes was dropping a hint to Watson to see if he could figure out what Holmes already had. During his stories Doyle would leave hints as to who committed the crime. This made the story more interesting for the readers. Another way Doyle uses Holmes in his stories is as a teacher to Watson. In the very beginning of A Scandal in Bohemia Holmes deduces, from a quick glance, that Watson had gotten wet lately, and had a clumsy servant girl. He deduced all of this by merely looking at Watson's shoes. He then asked Watson how many steps led up to his apartment. Watson could not say, even though he had walked up those stairs countless times (Doyle, 12). This is one of the examples of Holmes teaching Watson about observation. The only way that Holmes' observations make sense in the story is if the story has a structured plot line. Doyle made all of Holmes' stories have plots that follow a logical structure. You have reasoned it out beautifully...It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true (Doyle 40). In the story Holmes figured out that Mr. Wilson's assistant was using his pawn shop to tunnel his way into a nearby bank and rob it. Holmes figured out all of

Free Essays on Human Development in the Classroom

Human development and more specifically child development is different for each and every one of us. However our development tends to follow similar sets of guidelines, if you will. As a teacher it is absolutely essential to fully understand these guidelines in order to provide the best possible classroom experience for children. Adolescence is perhaps one of the trickiest phases of life because there are so many factors involved, peer pressure, hormones, fitting in, bodily changes etc. It is inevitable many problems are going arise, but being education, and fully understanding how humans work, will fully equip teachers with the problem solving skills necessary to properly mentor students. Not every situation is fixable, but by knowing the proper resources, you can at least point students in the right direction. The most crucial thing to understand about human development, especially adolescence, is that every person is different. What works for one, may not work for another. Not only are there many different internal things going on, but now-a-days more than ever, there are many external things going on. It is no longer the time of the nuclear family, where mom watches the children; dad works nine to five etc. There are more single parent homes now more than ever; putting many adolescents in a parental situation of their own if they have younger siblings. Drugs are more creative and widely used now more than ever, so you really don’t know who is doing what in their spare time. The spectrum of children having responsibility is so huge; it is hard to really know where everyone is. Some kids live with their parents (who fund their college educations) until they are 24, 25, the same time others have families of four by this age and both are considered normal. I think the bottom li ne for teacher is staying open-minded and on your toes!... Free Essays on Human Development in the Classroom Free Essays on Human Development in the Classroom Human development and more specifically child development is different for each and every one of us. However our development tends to follow similar sets of guidelines, if you will. As a teacher it is absolutely essential to fully understand these guidelines in order to provide the best possible classroom experience for children. Adolescence is perhaps one of the trickiest phases of life because there are so many factors involved, peer pressure, hormones, fitting in, bodily changes etc. It is inevitable many problems are going arise, but being education, and fully understanding how humans work, will fully equip teachers with the problem solving skills necessary to properly mentor students. Not every situation is fixable, but by knowing the proper resources, you can at least point students in the right direction. The most crucial thing to understand about human development, especially adolescence, is that every person is different. What works for one, may not work for another. Not only are there many different internal things going on, but now-a-days more than ever, there are many external things going on. It is no longer the time of the nuclear family, where mom watches the children; dad works nine to five etc. There are more single parent homes now more than ever; putting many adolescents in a parental situation of their own if they have younger siblings. Drugs are more creative and widely used now more than ever, so you really don’t know who is doing what in their spare time. The spectrum of children having responsibility is so huge; it is hard to really know where everyone is. Some kids live with their parents (who fund their college educations) until they are 24, 25, the same time others have families of four by this age and both are considered normal. I think the bottom li ne for teacher is staying open-minded and on your toes!...

Marketing research about organic food Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing about organic food - Research Paper Example Open ended questions were used to allow the respondents room to express their opinions. In these questions, there were no set of expected responses, this was to try and get true, insightful and probably unexpected answers too. An example of this kind was in the question if they considered organic to be a healthier option. Closed format questions were also used where respondents were restricted one and any of the multiple choices. These kinds of questions strengthened the questionnaire as they had no limit to the maximum number of multiple choices supplied. Its use was a strategy in ensuring an easy preliminary analysis. Embarrassing questions were avoided to minimize the chances of not developing a rapport with the respondents. The questionnaire under discussion involved both quantitative and qualitative methods in collecting the data. These methods were enhanced in the closed questions which would later play an ideal role while calculating percentages and statistical data where the answer sets were defined. According to Wilson, this kind of questionnaire could be described to have met its purpose as it consisted of all the characteristics of a quality questionnaire. The data got from this formation of a questionnaire had a high likelihood of generating accurate and true data. While pre-testing the questionnaire, a cheap method to detect problems, it can be noted that on comparing age versus exercise, the results did not indicate that the younger demographic was likely to exercises. However this did not necessarily influence their likelihood to buy organic. It is clearer that one crucial entity that would have further impacted the results of the questionnaire was awareness. Where the respondents had prior information on the benefits of organic food, it might not have matter, what age bracket they were in but would most definitely go for the organic option. A change in the questionnaire would be devised where a question ought to

Global Purchasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Purchasing - Essay Example Purchasing is central to any organization’s activity. They need to purchase raw materials, components and machinery in order to produce or manufacture products. It is stated by Williams (1975, 1985) that an organization’s primary purpose is to reduce negotiations around transactions and to reduce the scrutiny of the same later on. This means that good bargaining and settlement of beneficial terms and conditions ensure that problems do not surface later during delivery or the manufacturing process. It is clear that the profits that will be made on the sale of the product will be largely determined through the effective purchase itself. It is the responsibility of the purchasing department to make what is known as an effective purchase. A purchase is effective when the best price is obtained subject to best delivery schedule and in conformity to the quality parameters that have been explained and accepted by both the supplier and the purchaser. Apart from this, the terms and conditions must also be suitable and not detrimental to the purchaser. There are three types of purchase. One is purchase of Routine Products that are of low financial value not complex and their nature, quality, consistency and value can be determined easily. They are readily available and purchase departments do not spend too much time on their procurement as otherwise the procurement can become more costly than the product itself. Here the relationship with the supplier is nominal. The other type is purchase of Bottleneck Products that are products with a low financial risk and a high complexity. Professional purchasers spend time and money in their determination and in simplifying the relationship with the supplier in order to reduce their complexity. The supplier has the power in this relationship (Five Force Analysis: Porter M.E) and the purchaser is

Investigative Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Investigative Plan - Essay Example First there is a need for data collection.  The importance of this is to  acquire  accurate information to  give  valid information. Understanding the data collected will  keep  investigation  focused. Data may be corrected using  several  methods including  interview  and surveys then drawing of charts, tables and graphs to name but few. The data must be  put  in context thus making information  abundantly  clear  (Bachman  and  Schutt, 2007). All information regarding the  case  needs to be identified. This can be  case  number, investigator, and entry  date  amongst other information. The sources of allegation need to be put in place. These include the complainant’s information may it  be  contact details, location and any other  relevant  information. Case identification is paramount, alleged victims, how the crime was reported  and all useful allegation information. All information given relating to the accused should be gathered. Any information given relating to the  robbery is put  down in a chronological order to assist in tracing the perpetrators. An investigator must be able to  know  the  purpose  of the investigation. In this case, we need to  arrest  daytime robbers. Purpose of the investigation must be put down in writing. A summary of the interview done should be presented. This entails the  interviewer  names, witnesses, location, the  date  conducted and others. An investigator must be able to  assess  and  know  if the information collected is  credible  or not. Each  interview  done must be summarized and conclusions drawn. All evidence gathered should be listed down including all details such as dates, location, and  evidence  type  and also  information  of the person giving the evidence. After all these investigative steps are done, recommendations should always be given. Actions to be taken must be put down and possible methods to be applied to  curb  the vice. Surveillance

Archaeological Excavation: Pros and Cons

Archaeological Excavation: Pros and Cons Can archaeological excavation of sites not under immediate threat of development or erosion be justified morally? Explore the pros and cons of research (as opposed to rescue and salvage) excavation and non-destructive archaeological research methods using specific examples. Many people believe that archaeology and archaeologists are mainly concerned with excavation – with digging sites. This may be the common public image of archaeology, as often portrayed on television, although Rahtz (1991, 65-86) has made clear that archaeologists in fact do many things besides excavate. Drewett (1999, 76) goes further, commenting that ‘it must never be assumed that excavation is an essential part of any archaeological fieldwork’. Excavation itself is a costly and destructive research tool, destroying the object of its research forever (Renfrew and Bahn 1996, 100). Of the present day it has been noted that rather than desiring to dig every site they know about, the majority of archaeologists work within a conservation ethic that has grown up in the past few decades (Carmichael et al. 2003, 41). Given the shift to excavation taking place mostly in a rescue or salvage context where the archaeology would otherwise face destruction and the inherently destructive nature of excavation, it has become appropriate to ask whether research excavation can be morally justified. This essay will seek to answer that question in the affirmative and also explore the pros and cons of research excavation and non-destructive archaeological research methods. If the moral justification of research excavation is questionable in comparison to the excavation of threatened sites, it would seem that what makes rescue excavation morally acceptable is the fact that the site would be lost to human knowledge if it was not investigated. It seems clear from this, and seems widely accepted that excavation itself is a useful investigative technique. Renfrew and Bahn (1996, 97) suggest that excavation ‘retains its central role in fieldwork because it yields the most reliable evidence archaeologists are interested in’. Carmichael et al. (2003, 32) note that ‘excavation is the means by which we access the past’ and that it is the most basic, defining aspect of archaeology. As mentioned above, excavation is a costly and destructive process that destroys the object of its study. Bearing this in mind, it seems that it is perhaps the context in which excavation is used that has a bearing on whether or not it is morally justifiable. If the archaeology is bound to be destroyed through erosion or development then its destruction through excavation is vindicated since much data that would otherwise be lost will be created (Drewett 1999, 76). If rescue excavation is justifiable on the grounds that it prevents total loss in terms of the potential data, does this mean that research excavation is not morally justifiable because it is not simply ‘making the best use of archaeological sites that must be consumed’ (Carmichael et al. 2003, 34)? Many would disagree. Critics of research excavation may point out that the archaeology itself is a finite resource that must be preserved wherever possible for the future. The destruction of archaeological evidence through unnecessary (ie non-emergency) excavation denies the opportunity of research or enjoyment to future generations to whom we may owe a custodial duty of care (Rahtz 1991, 139). Even during the most responsible excavations where detailed records are made, 100% recording of a site is not possible, making any non-essential excavation almost a wilful destruction of evidence. These criticisms are not wholly valid though, and certainly the latter holds true during any excavation, not only research excavations, and surely during a research project there is likely to be more time available for a full recording effort than during the statutory access period of a rescue project. It is also debateable whether archaeology is a finite resource, since ‘new’ archaeology is created all the time. It seems inescapable though, that individual sites are unique and can suffer destruction but although it is more difficult and perhaps undesirable to deny that we have some responsibility to preserve this archaeology for future generations, is it not also the case that the present generations are entitled to make responsible use of it, if not to destroy it? Research excavation, best directed at answering potentially important research questions, can be done on a partial or selective basis, without disturbing or destroying a whole site, thus leaving areas for later researchers to investigate (Carmichael et al. 2003, 41). Furthermore, this can and sh ould be done in conjunction with non-invasive techniques such as aerial photography, ground, geophysical and chemical survey (Drewett 1999, 76). Continued research excavation also allows the practice and development of new techniques, without which such skills would be lost, preventing future excavation technique from being improved. An excellent example of the benefits of a combination of research excavation and non-destructive archaeological techniques is the work that has been done, despite objections, at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Sutton Hoo, in eastern England (Rahtz 1991 136-47; Renfrew and Bahn 1996, 98-99). Excavation originally took place on the site in 1938-39 revealing many treasures and the impression in sand of a wooden ship used for a burial, though the body was not found. The focus of these campaigns and those of the 1960s were traditional in their approach, being concerned with the opening of burial mounds, their contents, dating and identifying historical connections such as the identity of the occupants. In the 1980s a new campaign with different aims was undertaken, directed by Martin Carver. Rather than beginning and ending with excavation, a regional survey was carried out over an area of some 14ha, helping to set the site in its local context. Electronic distance measuring was used to creat e a topographical contour map prior to other work. A grass expert examined the variety of grass species on-site and identified the positions of some 200 holes dug into the site. Other environmental studies examined beetles, pollen and snails. In addition, a phosphate survey, indicative of likely areas of human occupation, corresponded with results of the surface survey. Other non-destructive tools were used such as metal detectors, used to map modern rubbish. A proton magnetometer, fluxgate gradiometer and soil resistivity were all used on a small part of the site to the east, which was later excavated. Of those techniques, resistivity proved the most informative, revealing a modern ditch and a double palisade, as well as some other features (see comparative illustrations in Renfrew and Bahn 1996, 99). Excavation later revealed features that had not been remotely detected. Resistivity has since been used on the area of the mounds while soil-sounding radar, which penetrates deeper th an resistivity, is being used on the mounds themselves. At Sutton Hoo, the techniques of geophysical survey are seen to operate as a complement to excavation, not merely a preliminary nor yet a replacement. By trialling such techniques in conjunction with excavation, their effectiveness can be gauged and new and more effective techniques developed. The results at Sutton Hoo suggest that research excavation and non-destructive methods of archaeological research remain morally justifiable. However, simply because such techniques can be applied efficiently does not mean that excavation should be the priority nor that all sites should be excavated, but such a scenario has never been a likely one due to the usual constraints such as funding. Besides, it has been noted above that there is already a trend towards conservation. Continued research excavation at famous sites such as Sutton Hoo, as Rahtz notes (1991, 140-41), is justified since it serves avowedly to develop archaeological practice itself; the physical remains, or shapes in the landscape can be and are restored to their former appearance with the bonus of being better understood, more educational and interesting; such exotic and special sites capture the imagination of the public and the media and raise the profile of archaeology as a whole. There are other sites that could prove equally good examples of morally justifiable long term research archaeology, such as Wharram Percy (for which see Rahtz 1991, 148-57). Progressing from a straightforward excavation in 1950, with the aim of showing that the earthworks represented medieval buildings, the site grew to represent much more in time, space and complexity. Techniques used expanded from excavation to include survey techniques and aerial photography to set the village into a local context. In conclusion, it can be seen that while excavation is destructive, there is a morally justifiable place for research archaeology and non-destructive archaeological techniques: excavation should not be reduced only to rescue circumstances. Research excavation projects, such as Sutton Hoo, have provided many positive aspects to the development of archaeology and knowledge of the past. While excavation should not be undertaken lightly, and non-destructive techniques should be employed in the first place, it is clear that as yet they cannot replace excavation in terms of the amount and types of data provided. Non-destructive techniques such as environmental sampling and resistivity survey have, provided significant complementary data to that which excavation provides and both should be employed. Bibliography Carmichael, D.L., Lafferty III, R.H. and Molyneaux, B.L. 2003. Excavation. Walnut Creek and Oxford: Altamira Press. Drewett, P.L. 1999. Field Archaeology: An Introduction. London: UCL Press. Rahtz, P. 1991. Invitation to Archaeology. 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell. Renfrew, C. and Bahn, P.1996. Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice. 2nd edition. London: Thames Hudson.

Oedipus The King :: Oedipus Rex, Sophocles

Oedipus’ Hamartia Aristotle once said that a hero’s downfall must be a result of some tragic flaw within the character. This flaw was known as hamartia in the Greek world of Aristotle. Since Aristotle greatly admired Oedipus the King, many people believe that Oedipus must have had a prominent and complex hamartia. Discovering Oedipus’ hamartia within the play is not an easy task. In fact, it is impossible to point out Oedipus’ hamartia since I do not believe that he has one. Everything that he says or does throughout the play is justifiable in one way or another. There is always some logical explanation behind his thoughts and actions and, thus, Oedipus does not have a tragic flaw in his character. There are a number of different points that one can analyze and claim to be Oedipus’hamartia. For instance, some people may examine Oedipus’ bad temper and label this as the flaw that leads to his downfall. Oedipus becomes enraged at Teiresias’ claim that he is the one who murdered Laius and he begins to believe that this is an attempt by Creon to overthrow him. Despite Oedipus’ anger in this situation, his reaction can be justified. First of all, Teiresias’ allegation that Oedipus is the killer is absurd to him since he would never murder a king. Also, it seems logical that Creon would be behind such a scheme since he would be next in line to the throne. Therefore, Oedipus’ bad temper cannot be considered his hamartia. Another characteristic of Oedipus that some people tend to refer to as his hamartia is his murderous temperament. One can see this side of Oedipus when he recounts the story in which he killed the old man in the wagon as well as a few of the man’s servants. However, Oedipus’ murderous rage was completely justified in this situation. After all, the old man and his servants were trying to throw Oedipus off the road by brute force. Oedipus, in a sense, was merely defending himself from these men and killed them only out of self-defense and rage. Hence, Oedipus’ murderous temperament cannot be his tragic flaw. Some people even believe that Oedipus’ hamartia was carelessness. Surely anyone told about killing his father and sleeping with his mother would have avoided killing any man and sleeping with any woman. Oedipus, on the other hand, did kill a man and he did sleep with a woman.