Robert Swindells Essay Example for Free

Robert Swindells Essay How does Robert Swindells make you feel sympathetic to the situation that homeless people find themselves? Robert Swindells makes you feel sympathetic in the book quite a lot. Here are some reasons: I think the main reason is because he uses first person narrative. The homeless character can say his opinion on the street because he has the most experience whereas the public and charity can only get facts and exaggerate. Link can also express the difficultness he faces in a diary. Swindells also makes the character say Emotive words which make it sound bad e. g.Link describes the sleeping really bad which make readers fell sorry for him. The first person narrative is good also because Link describes the story as if you were there. The book makes you feel sorry for Link because at the start it shows you how he had no choice but to be homeless because of his stepdad Vince. At the start it showed you how nobody cared about him and how he couldnt help for help or support. At first you think everything will be ok because his sister Carole helps him but the cliff-hanger makes you feel sorry as in the end he was still let down. You can also see how upset he was when he received a sleeping bag as it was a sign from his family saying hes homeless. The ending is quite sad because you feel upsetting knowing that most of the homeless will never get any better. I think he uses a bad ending to make people be more aware of the homeless and to make you even more he used a murder story. Theres also another bit at the last moment to make you so sympathetic when he finds out that Gails really a journalist. In the book it shows how hard it is for Link to get a job. Its shows each day go past making you feel sorry hes living rough because hes waiting for a job opportunity. In the end he cant find any and it shows him begging for money and how hard it is to encourage people to give and he describes them as: head-shakers, pocket-patters and shruggers. You feel sympathetic as these words are used. Showing the publics opinion makes you sad as they have a negative opinion about the homeless. The author is trying to show you what you might be like and trying to give you a positive opinion about the homeless. He also tries to show that its very hard to ask for help as its like hes invisible.

Design Of Two Stage High Gain Opamp

Design Of Two Stage High Gain Opamp A High Swing Ultra-Low-Power Two Stage CMOS OP-AMP in 0.18 um Technology with 1.2v supply, is presented. Cascode technique has been used to increase the dc gain. The unity-gain bandwidth is also enhanced using a gain-stage in the Miller capacitor feedback path. The proposed opamp provides 236MHz unity-gain bandwidth, 109.7 degree phase margin. The circuit has 94.34dB gain. The power dissipation of the designed only is approximately 50uw. The designed system demonstrates relatively suitable response in different temperature. (1)Introduction:-Operational Amplifiers (Op amps) are one of the most widely used building blocks for analog and mixed-signal systems. They are employed from dc bias applications to high speed amplifiers and  ¬Ã‚ lters. General purpose op amps can be used as bu ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ers, summers, integrators, di ¬Ã¢â€š ¬erentiators, comparators, negative impedance converters, and many other applications. With the quick improvements of computer aided design (CAD) tools, advancements of semiconductor modeling, steady miniaturization of transistor scaling, and the progress of fabrication processes, the integrated circuit market is growing rapidly. Nowadays, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology has become dominant over bipolar technology for analog circuit design in a mixed-signal system due to the industry trend of applying standard process technologies to implement both analog circuits and digital circuits on the same chip. While many digital circuits can be adapted to a smaller device level with a smaller power supply, most existing analog circuitry requires considerable change or even a redesign to accomplish the same feat. With transistor length being scaled down to a few tens of nanometers, analog circuits are becoming increasingly more di ¬Ã†â€™cult to improve upon. The operational amplifier is one of the most useful and important components of analog electronics. They are widely used in popular electronics. Their primary limitation is that they are not especially fast: The typical performance degrades rapidly for frequencies greater than about 1 MHz, although some models are designed specifically to handle higher frequencies. The primary use of op-amps in amplifier and related circuits is closely connected to the Concept of negative feedback. Feedback represents a vast and interesting topic in itself. We will discuss it in rudimentary terms a bit later. However, it is possible to get a feeling for the two primary types of amplifier circuits, inverting and non-inverting, by simply postulating a few simple rules (the golden rules). We will start in this way, and then go back to understand their origin in terms of feedback. (2)Basic Block diagram CMOS op-amp:- Operational Amplifiers are the backbone for many analog circuit designs. Op-Amps are one of the basic and important circuits which have a wide application in several analog circuits such as switched capacitor filters, algorithmic, pipelined and sigma delta A/D converter, sample and hold amplifier etc. The speed and accuracy of these circuits depends on the bandwidth and DC gain of the Op-amp. Larger the bandwidth and gain, higher the speed and accuracy of the amplifier Op-amp are a critical element in analog sampled data circuit, such as SC filters, modulators. The general block diagram of an op-amp with an output buffer is shown below http://s.eeweb.com/members/jessica_shoemaker/projects/2011/03/22/Image1-1300812338.png Figure 1. Block diagram of Op-Amp The first block is a differential amplifier. It has two inputs which are the inverting and non-inverting voltage. It provides at the output a differential voltage or a differential current that, essentially, depends on the differential input only. The next block is a differential to single-ended converter. It is used to transform the differential signal generated by the first block into a single ended version. Some architecture doesnt require the differential to single ended function; therefore the block can be excluded. In most cases the gain provided by the input stages is not sufficient and additional amplification is required. This is provided by intermediate stage, which is another differential amplifier, driven by the output of the first stage. As this stage uses differential input unbalanced output differential amplifier, so it provide required extra gain. The bias circuit is provided to establish the proper operating point for each transistor in its saturation region. Finally , we have the output buffer stage. It provides the low output impedance and larger output current needed to drive the load of op-amp or improves the slew rate of the op -amp. Even the output stage can be dropped: many integrated applications do not need low output impedance; moreover, the slew rate permitted by the gain stage can be sufficient for the application. If the op-amp is intended to drive a small purely capacitive load, which is the case in many switched capacitor or data conversion applications, the output buffer is not used. When the output stage is not used the circuit, it is an operational transconductance amplifier, OTA. The purpose of the compensation circuit is lower the gain at high frequencies and to maintain stability when negative feedback is applied to the op amp. A. Circuit Operation The final circuit designed to meet the required specifications is shown in Figure 2. The topology of this circuit is that of a standard CMOS op-amp. It comprised of three subsections of http://www.silvaco.com/tech_lib_TCAD/simulationstandard/1995/mar/a2/a2_fig1.gif Figure2. The topology chosen for this Op-Amp design. Circuit, namely differential gain stage, second gain stage and bias strings. It was found that this topology was able to successfully meet all of the design specifications. B. Differential Gain Stage Transistors M1, M2, M3, and M4 form the first stage of the op amp the differential amplifier with differential to single ended transformation. Transistors M1 and M2 are standard N channel MOSFET (NMOS) transistors which form the basic input stage of the amplifier. The gate of M1 is the inverting input and the gate of M2 is the non-inverting input. A differential input signal applied across the two input terminals will be amplified according to the gain of the differential stage. The gain of the stage is simply the transconductance of M2 times the total output resistance seen at the drain of M2. The two main resistances that contribute to the output resistance are that of the input transistors themselves and also the output resistance of the active load transistors, M3 and M4. The current mirror active load used in this circuit has three distinct advantages. First, the use of active load devices creates a large output resistance in a relatively small amount of die area. The current mi rror topology performs the differential to single-ended conversion of the input signal, and finally, the load also helps with common mode rejection ratio. In this stage, the conversion from differential to single ended is achieved by using a current mirror (M3 and M4). The current from M1 is mirrored by M3 and M4 and subtracted from the current from M2. The differential current from M1 and M2 multiplied by the output resistance of the first stage gives the single-ended output voltage, which constitutes the input of the second gain stage. C. Second Gain Stage The second stage is a current sink load inverter. The purpose of the second gain stage, as the name implies, is to provide additional gain in the amplifier. Consisting of transistors M5 and M6, this stage takes the output from the drain of M2 and amplifies it through M5 which is in the standard common source configuration. Again, similar to the differential gain stage, this stage employs an active device, M6, to serve as the load resistance for M5. The gain of this stage is the transconductance of M5 times the effective load resistance comprised of the output resistances of M5 and M6. M6 is the driver while M7 acts as the load. (3)Design of the op-amp The design in this project is a two-stage op amp with an n-channel input pair. The op amp uses a dual-polarity power supply (Vdd and Vss) so the ac signals can swing above and below ground and also be centered at ground. The hand calculation results provided the estimated parameters (such as transistor width and length, capacitance, etc.) to make the circuit schematic (shown in figure) in Design Architect IC and for the circuit analysis in Model Sim Eldo of Mentor Graphic Tool.Schematic used in this design is C:Documents and SettingsstudentDesktop44132421.png Design of two stage opamp using mentor graphics (4)Simulation Result Using Mentor Graphics EDA Tool we have design High Swing Ultra-Low-Power Two Stage CMOS OP-AMP as shown in schematic window. Fig 1 Fig 2 shows the Gain and Phase plot for basic two stage opamp. After simulation we have analyzed that the gain of the opamp is 94.34db and have a phase margin of 109.7 degree at 40 MHz frequency. This analysis can be made possible using different sizing of the MOS transistor at different stages. There graphs are as C:UsersDellDesktopopampGAIN GRAPH.png Fig. 1 Gain graph C:UsersDellDesktopopampPM.png Fig.2 phase margin plot From the reference paper[14] we have seen that the gain is 90 db which is improves up to 94.3db which is used in any of Analog designing. Table shows the brief of results as PARAMETERS VALUE PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 180nm GAIN 94.34 db PHASE MARGIN 109.7 ° at 40MHZ

An Unforgettable Experience - Original Writing Essay -- Papers

An Unforgettable Experience - Original Writing It was my first time at Dubai Airport, the symbol of United Arab Emirates' aviation ascendancy. The bustling International airport was a long way away from my rural residence. Due to the long distance, we had been obliged to take the taxi instead of making use of public transport. The atmosphere in the car was generally silent, but occasionally my parents moaned about all the minor discomforts of the journey. It felt like we were in a funeral. Hours after departing my house, we started noticing frequent aeroplanes, low down in the sky indicating the proximity to the airport. The roads had become more congested and the air was more contaminated than from where we had initially departed. During the taxi ride to Dubai Airport a sense of inexplicable anticipation had built up within me. As we arrived at the airport, I stared in awe at the size and beauty of the place. Just looking at the sheer number of people in the airport overwhelmed me. When traveling by plane, most people are in fear of getting hijacked or the plane crashing, but the main form of fear for me was fear of getting lost at the airports or there being complications with the flight tickets. Although the reasons for my fear were trivial in comparison, they built up a sense of nervousness with me. As I perambulated through the long, tedious, oblique passageway of the edifice into the capacious waiting room, I started quivering in obvious trepidation. The waiting room was an enormous room abundant with people from many different social classes. Parents tightly held their children's hands in solitude of losing them in the... ...rries has been deeply carved into my heart where it will stay forever, and so will Linda. I had always thought of myself as a "boring person" who did the most tedious things and who would never fall in love but I was wrong. I used to think that my life was like a bittersweet symphony, similar to the words of a sad song, where the words have no meaning. My life had always been like a pointless existence in my view. This dramatic experience taught me that merely to exist is not enough. Life must have a purpose; a meaning; a reason. Life must encompass dreams of aspiration. From that day, I decided what my goal of life would be. The realization of the value of life stimulated me to become a doctor and help save other people's valuable lives. I guess I gained something from this journeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but not what I really wanted. An Unforgettable Experience - Original Writing Essay -- Papers An Unforgettable Experience - Original Writing It was my first time at Dubai Airport, the symbol of United Arab Emirates' aviation ascendancy. The bustling International airport was a long way away from my rural residence. Due to the long distance, we had been obliged to take the taxi instead of making use of public transport. The atmosphere in the car was generally silent, but occasionally my parents moaned about all the minor discomforts of the journey. It felt like we were in a funeral. Hours after departing my house, we started noticing frequent aeroplanes, low down in the sky indicating the proximity to the airport. The roads had become more congested and the air was more contaminated than from where we had initially departed. During the taxi ride to Dubai Airport a sense of inexplicable anticipation had built up within me. As we arrived at the airport, I stared in awe at the size and beauty of the place. Just looking at the sheer number of people in the airport overwhelmed me. When traveling by plane, most people are in fear of getting hijacked or the plane crashing, but the main form of fear for me was fear of getting lost at the airports or there being complications with the flight tickets. Although the reasons for my fear were trivial in comparison, they built up a sense of nervousness with me. As I perambulated through the long, tedious, oblique passageway of the edifice into the capacious waiting room, I started quivering in obvious trepidation. The waiting room was an enormous room abundant with people from many different social classes. Parents tightly held their children's hands in solitude of losing them in the... ...rries has been deeply carved into my heart where it will stay forever, and so will Linda. I had always thought of myself as a "boring person" who did the most tedious things and who would never fall in love but I was wrong. I used to think that my life was like a bittersweet symphony, similar to the words of a sad song, where the words have no meaning. My life had always been like a pointless existence in my view. This dramatic experience taught me that merely to exist is not enough. Life must have a purpose; a meaning; a reason. Life must encompass dreams of aspiration. From that day, I decided what my goal of life would be. The realization of the value of life stimulated me to become a doctor and help save other people's valuable lives. I guess I gained something from this journeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but not what I really wanted.

The Fight between Christianity and Satanism :: essays research papers

The Fight between Christianity and Satanism This is a fight between a slave world and a free world. Just as the United States in 1862 could not remain half slave and half free, so in 1942 the world must make its decision for a complete victory one way or the other. As we begin the final stages of this fight to the death between the free world and the slave world, it is worth while to refresh our minds about the march of freedom for the common man. The idea of freedom — the freedom that we in the United States know and love so well — is derived from the Bible with its extraordinary emphasis on the dignity of the individual. Democracy is the only true political expression of Christianity. The prophets of the Old Testament were the first to preach social justice. But that which was sensed by the prophets many centuries before Christ was not given complete and powerful political expression until our nation was formed as a Federal Union a century and a half ago. Even then, the march of the common people had just begun. Most of them did not yet know how to read and write. There were no public schools to which all children could go. Men and women can not be really free until they have plenty to eat, and time and ability to read and think and talk things over. Down the years, the people of the United States have moved steadily forward in the practice of democracy. Through universal education, they now can read and write and form opinions of their own. They have learned, and are still learning, the art of production — that is, how to make a living. They have learned, and are still learning, the art of self-government. If we were to measure freedom by standards of nutrition, education and self-government, we might rank the United States and certain nations of Western Europe very high. But this would not be fair to other nations where education had become widespread only in the last twenty years. In many nations, a generation ago, nine out of ten of the people could not read or write. Russia, for example, was changed from an illiterate to a literate nation within one generation and, in the process, Russia's appreciation of freedom was enormously enhanced. In China, the increase during the past thirty years in the ability of the people to read and write has been matched by their increased interest in real liberty.

Dont Say A Word :: essays research papers

Don’t Say A Word was what Nathan Conrad heard from his daughters’ kidnappers. This movie was intense and heart stopping. It all started out in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in November of 1991. Five men commit a bank robbery to steal one prize jewel. After the robbery, the five men split into two groups and took two different get-away vehicles. One vehicle had three men and the other had two men. The vehicle with two men contained â€Å"Jon Doe† (name never mentioned) and another anonymous man. These two men planned on stealing the jewel from their partners throughout the entire crime; they were successful in doing so. It showed the two men laughing and having a drink as they split open Jon Doe’s daughter; Elizabeth Burrows, doll to conceal the jewel inside of the doll, named Nilempha. Ten years later the movie continues on with a well-known psychiatrist named Nathan Conrad on the day before Thanksgiving. One of Nathan’s previous co-workers paged him and said it was an emergency to come directly to the Bridgeview Psychiatric Hospital to see a patient named Elizabeth Burrows who has just sliced a man with a razor numerous times. Elizabeth had been institutionalized for the past ten years in twenty different institutes; this showed she was extremely disturbed. When Nathan arrived at the Hospital, he met Elizabeth and found she had not eaten, had anything to drink, or spoken since her arrival. He also noticed she had numerous bruises and scars in areas known for suicide attempts. When she was a young girl she watched her father, Jon Doe, from the previous robbery brutally murdered in a subway. The other men, who helped him commit the crime found him, beat him and threw him in front of a subway train. The men who did this were arrested and tried, but were now out of prison and looking for her. This is why she stayed in the hospitals because she felt safe. He tried to speak to her and with no replies he began to walk out when she said, â€Å"You want what they want†, he turned and asked her what she meant. She repeated herself and then sang, â€Å"I’ll never tell†. With this Nathan grew curious as to who â€Å"they† were. He stayed at the hospital until close to ten o’clock PM before returning home to his wife and eight-year-old daughter, Jessie.

My Goals in Life

There are aspects in life that have influenced me to have a better future. To begin that, I have set goals to better my life but it will take hard work and commitment to pursue them. It was not until recently when I have decided to get my life started and pursue the dreams that I have always wanted to have. There are three primarily goals in my life I would like to achieve, my personal, academic and career goals. My personal goal is to have a stable financial. My academic goal is to graduate from college with a 3. GPA. As for my career goal, I would like to become a Registered Nurse. At this point in my life, I have realized that money has been an issue. This fact will lead us to my long-term personal goal which is to have a stable financial. It is very important to have a financial stability just in case of emergency or unexpected expenses. To improve my financial status, my intermediate goal is to have my credit cards debts and my loans paid off in two years from today. By doing that, I have made a short term goal, which is to spend less money that I earn, create a financial budget to help me save and to increase the money I earn by making more hours or possibly invest on something. Slowly, I am doing my best to accumulate money every day now. In order to achieve my academic goal, I will have to break many bad habits and dedicate my life to the grades I want in college. My long term academic goal is to major in Nursing in the year of 2015. Pursuing this goal will help get me started on my career path. My intermediate goal is to graduate from Valencia Community College with an A. S. degree and with at least a 3. 0 GPA or higher within two years. To build my GPA to a 3. 0, I must dedicate my time on studying and showing up in class every day. Before, I wasn't as focused and didn't care about school because I had thought that having fun is better than studying but now, I came to realized how academic will help me better my future and it will pay off. Furthermore, my long-term career goal is to get a job as a Registered Nurse by the time I am 28 years old. I love taking care of people and making sure that they have the care that they need. Registered Nurse is also a high paying job and many states are in high demand in nurses. To follow my long term career goal, I have set a intermediate goal. My intermediate goal is to do internships and/or externships in many medical sites; to get the experiences that I need to become one of the best nurse there is. Volunteering in clinics and hospitals will help me closer to my career path. I would have to send out my resumes and keep pushing myself to the top. In conclusion, setting goals are easy, but pursuing them consists of hard working and dedication. By the time I'm 29 years old, I want to be set in life with my personal, academic and career goals. I will have a steady financial within two years from today, by accumulating money. Majoring in Nursing by the year of 2015 and be a graduate student from Valencia Community College with a 3. 0 GPA or higher is my academic goal. Lastly, my career goal is to be a Registered Nurse by the age of 28. I am ready to live my life. My Goals in Life I have many goals in my life, and I have learned to categorize them into short term, midterm, and long term goals. Doing so helps me keep my focus on what is immediate, and what it takes to make the long-term goals happen. It also allows me to keep my visions clear and in tune to what I want to achieve. Earning my MBA First, I want to earn my Masters in Business Administration degree. I know that this will prepare me for the life I want. More than the title, I want an MBA degree because I know that it will give me the appropriate knowledge that I need to put up my own business in the future. A formal education in business, especially that which is post-graduate, will also give me the proper training. It will be my baptism of fire into the world of business because it will detach me from the school-based business setting and move me into the real business world. Like Odysseus who had been in many adventures and conquests, most of them with complete uncertainty, it is my job to prepare myself to whatever can happen. Odysseus had instances where he hoped for good luck and relied in prayer and it showed how uncertain he and his colleagues were in their adventures. As factual as the story is, luck will sometimes turn towards me or otherwise. I know that I should be prepared no matter what happens. I deem formal education as a step for doing this. Success in business When I have finished my MBA, I can then take steps to make my next dream materialize. I want to be a businessman, managing my own business and giving products or services that people will want to buy. I want to be successful in the initiatives that I will undertake. Because I have all the proper knowledge, I know this is possible. I will study the possibilities well before starting my enterprise. I will think of a venture or merchandise that is incomparable with others. It could be something new like a new product or service, or something that can enhance what people already have. It will really be hard to pinpoint which industry at this time because it will largely depend on what the environment the business sector has at that time. I will then make a comprehensive feasibility study about my chosen field. Like pursuing my MBA, I will treat handling my business like a continuous opportunity for studying. I will give myself the chance to explore the new boundaries in the field that I will choose. I know that this will expand my knowledge and abilities as well as enhance my skills. Like Odysseus who remained true to the things that he envisioned, I should have a can-go attitude at all times. Settling down Success in business is only half of my accomplishments. I also aspire for a complete personal life. I can only achieve this by getting married. I view settling down with the person I love. We shall stay somewhere we both like, and have our own family. Most probably, we will be having children right after we get married. It is my goal to be able to provide for my family. I want to be able to answer all of their needs and, if possible, their wants. I also want to impart in them the lessons I have learned in life and hope that they will apply them in their own convictions. If this happens I am sure that they can lead good and productive lives that they will never even once regret. I know this because I am sure that making the right choices in life will do them good. Interconnection These goals are interconnected. I know that even if they have to happen at different times in my life, not achieving one will greatly affect the way that I can do the others. For instance, when I do not get my MBA I know that I will miss a lot of lessons that can help get my business started. I will likewise find it hard to get my business going. When I do not get successful in my business, it will also be difficult for me to provide for my family. Because this is the way that I want to work and earn a living, if I cannot be successful in my business I will have to struggle or maybe have to work in a company instead of being the boss of my own firm. I know that this will be difficult for me. Yet like Odysseus, I should consider that life is filled with trials. Things will not always go as planned. It takes prayers and actions to get things done, yet even in the times when one prays and acts a lot it is still not possible to achieve something that is not meant to be. People around should also be considered as they can make or break one’s dreams. Looking at these teachings from the classic literature, one conclusion comes to mind: we have our goals and we should do every thing that can make them happen, but we should equally be prepared for the diversions that will surely come our way. It is a lesson well learned. My Goals in Life I have many goals in my life, and I have learned to categorize them into short term, midterm, and long term goals. Doing so helps me keep my focus on what is immediate, and what it takes to make the long-term goals happen. It also allows me to keep my visions clear and in tune to what I want to achieve. Earning my MBA First, I want to earn my Masters in Business Administration degree. I know that this will prepare me for the life I want. More than the title, I want an MBA degree because I know that it will give me the appropriate knowledge that I need to put up my own business in the future. A formal education in business, especially that which is post-graduate, will also give me the proper training. It will be my baptism of fire into the world of business because it will detach me from the school-based business setting and move me into the real business world. Like Odysseus who had been in many adventures and conquests, most of them with complete uncertainty, it is my job to prepare myself to whatever can happen. Odysseus had instances where he hoped for good luck and relied in prayer and it showed how uncertain he and his colleagues were in their adventures. As factual as the story is, luck will sometimes turn towards me or otherwise. I know that I should be prepared no matter what happens. I deem formal education as a step for doing this. Success in business When I have finished my MBA, I can then take steps to make my next dream materialize. I want to be a businessman, managing my own business and giving products or services that people will want to buy. I want to be successful in the initiatives that I will undertake. Because I have all the proper knowledge, I know this is possible. I will study the possibilities well before starting my enterprise. I will think of a venture or merchandise that is incomparable with others. It could be something new like a new product or service, or something that can enhance what people already have. It will really be hard to pinpoint which industry at this time because it will largely depend on what the environment the business sector has at that time. I will then make a comprehensive feasibility study about my chosen field. Like pursuing my MBA, I will treat handling my business like a continuous opportunity for studying. I will give myself the chance to explore the new boundaries in the field that I will choose. I know that this will expand my knowledge and abilities as well as enhance my skills. Like Odysseus who remained true to the things that he envisioned, I should have a can-go attitude at all times. Settling down Success in business is only half of my accomplishments. I also aspire for a complete personal life. I can only achieve this by getting married. I view settling down with the person I love. We shall stay somewhere we both like, and have our own family. Most probably, we will be having children right after we get married. It is my goal to be able to provide for my family. I want to be able to answer all of their needs and, if possible, their wants. I also want to impart in them the lessons I have learned in life and hope that they will apply them in their own convictions. If this happens I am sure that they can lead good and productive lives that they will never even once regret. I know this because I am sure that making the right choices in life will do them good. Interconnection These goals are interconnected. I know that even if they have to happen at different times in my life, not achieving one will greatly affect the way that I can do the others. For instance, when I do not get my MBA I know that I will miss a lot of lessons that can help get my business started. I will likewise find it hard to get my business going. When I do not get successful in my business, it will also be difficult for me to provide for my family. Because this is the way that I want to work and earn a living, if I cannot be successful in my business I will have to struggle or maybe have to work in a company instead of being the boss of my own firm. I know that this will be difficult for me. Yet like Odysseus, I should consider that life is filled with trials. Things will not always go as planned. It takes prayers and actions to get things done, yet even in the times when one prays and acts a lot it is still not possible to achieve something that is not meant to be. People around should also be considered as they can make or break one’s dreams. Looking at these teachings from the classic literature, one conclusion comes to mind: we have our goals and we should do every thing that can make them happen, but we should equally be prepared for the diversions that will surely come our way. It is a lesson well learned.

The Purpose and Function of University Education

Purposes and functions of university education: My own reflection With the six year hard works in my secondary studies, finally I get into university. I am relieved that there is no more past paper and public examination on one hand but I find that I am lost on the other hand. As a freshman, the experience in first month of university life is out of my expectation: I am totally free! There are so many spare times and so few coursework to do. No more control from the class teachers. No more annoying reminders from my parents.All I have got is the time to play, play and play (and a little time for lessons, of course). When September has come to an end and October comes as an old friend, I start to wonder: Should my university life go like this? It seems that I am getting lost in a big forest, losing my way, since I do not have a goal. When I was studying in secondary school, there was one goal waiting for me to achieve – getting into university. Now, I have attained it. Then, wh at’s next? â€Å"University is not equal to vocational training institute. My class teacher has once told me. Now it appears in my mind suddenly. In theory, what you have chosen to study is highly likely to be your career after you graduate. Taking the BBA students as an example, which is the commonest, they are likely to participate in jobs related to finance when they finish their tertiary studies, and it is undeniable in practice. But would the same happen to students of arts like me? If I am going to take criminology as my major in year 2, what is my job going to be in the future? A policewoman?The future female Sherlock Holmes? If university is a place where you are going to decide your future career by your major, does it sound sensible that students major in English should be an English teacher? Definitely not, since there are many possibilities even you are majoring in English. Even though you are practicing a specific skill in university, it does not mean that you s hould give up the opportunity to discover new things. The theory I have just mentioned above is true, however, not absolutely true, especially to the arts students.Since there are many possibilities in the university life, I know that I will be given different chances to try out different things, which is new to me, and it will enable me to discover myself, know more about myself. I am convinced that this is the function of university education – providing a space for learning, discovering, and experiencing. Throughout these three processes, the main purpose of university education – rising up students who are able to think independently and work as a team or individually, can be fulfilled.Apparently, how to have a good job is the last thing for me to consider right now. At this moment, my goal is try to become an active learner, who can ask questions with confidence, get involved in the classes and clubs, and eventually become self-independent and self- initiative, wh ich is a vital characteristic I believe that it is more important than getting a high GPA. â€Å"Learn how to learn†, this is the reason why I am here, studying in university.