All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Essay Example for Free

All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Essay A soldier must have the mentality of, â€Å"I must kill or I’ll be killed† or they will surely perish. Taking this idea to heart can be a very moralistic test that most people can’t handle. All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the greatest war novels ever written because of its exposing graphic depiction of war. In the short note before Chapter One, Remarque lets the reader know exactly what themes he intends. War is savage, unjustified and unnatural. He intends to explain why the war was responsible for the destruction of an entire generation. Remarque is very clear on the strength of his themes, and uses graphic imagery to show the reader the physical and psychological impact that war has on a person. War brings about hardship, pain and suffering to all involved. It is the battle of two sides made of young men; many of them do not understand what they are fighting for or who they are fighting. Remarque’s novel All Quiet on the Western Front helps portray the image of war and idea of warfare in a pretty gruesome way. He also made his point through the physical deterioration, but mostly through mental and emotional destruction of Paul Baumer and his comrades. In the novel, Remarque does a flawless job conveying the horrible misfortunes of war. Through the eyes of Paul Baumer, a story is told of hopelessness and desperation on the German front lines of WWI. As Baumer and his comrades experience starvation and injury among other hardships, the reader begins to comprehend how tragic war is. They experienced things that can and will traumatize most human beings. Its unendurable. It is the moaning of the world, it is the martyred creation, wild with anguish, filled with terror, and groaning. Ch. 4, p. 62. This scene was the most graphic and horrendous part of the book. It really exemplified the tragedy of war. Detering was very disturbed by this because he’s a farmer. He believed that the horses have innocent souls and that they’re beautiful and should never have been involved. Detering has a special place for animals in his heart so much so that he’d risk his life to find them and put them out of their misery. Remarque knew that war changes people mentally and emotionally, more often than physically. It is very possible that he himself was damaged mentally and emotionally through his service in WWI. We have lost all feeling for one another. We can hardly control ourselves when our hunted glance lights on the form of some other man. We are insensible, dead men, who through some trick, some dreadful magic, are still able to run and to kill. Ch. 6, p. 115. This quote embodies the thesis that Remarque was portraying in this novel. It explains how the soldiers notice their mental and emotional corrosion caused by the horrific things they have witnessed and committed during the war. They can’t really understand why they are still able to fight, but they know that they can’t stop under any circumstances. Soldiers are forced to adopt the dominating mindset of â€Å"kill or be killed. † Remarque realized that when this embracement happens it’s just a matter of time before they become â€Å"dead men. † During WW1 men between the ages of 18 and 30 had to enter the military draft. This meant that post teens would be fighting for their country and risking their lives, while all they knew was school and the safety of their own homes. The protagonist in Paul Baumer was only 19 years old in the novel and he frequently thought about girls and liked to drink a lot. In many ways, Paul is ordinary, and thats why its so easy to relate to him. We see ourselves in Paul, and because of that, the war he suffers through seems all more horrible to us. This age group during WW1 was a damaged and broken generation. They fought for the principle of hatred and the dream of going back home to their families. â€Å"We are none of us more than twenty years old. But young? That is long ago. We are old folk. Ch. 1 Pg. 18 The war has altered these boys; it has turned them into matured old men. Remarque was just solidifying the idea of the bad effects that war can have on a person. These boys are just out of school and most of them have probably experienced some sort of traumatic stress, which can permanently damage someone beyond repair. War affects everyone and everything it gets its hands on. It turns innocent boys into murderous me n right before your eyes. It obliterates generations and makes millions suffer through the benefit of no one. Erich Remarque was a German war veteran and experienced firsthand the atrocity that warfare can bring. All Quite on the Western Front symbolizes war exactly. It portrays the horribleness of war through the German soldiers; Baumer and his companions. Remarque has them killed, brutally injured and mentally destroyed, all to prove how terrible war can truly be. Through this novel we can truly go back and see the experiences of WW1 soldiers and how the war changed them in every way possible, as a result All Quite on the Western Front is considered one of the best war novels ever written.

Euthanasia as One of Todays Most Prevalent Ethics Issues Essay

Euthanasia as One of Todays Most Prevalent Ethics Issues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Euthanasia can be considered one of the most prevalent problems when dealing with the ethics of patient treatment. Should people have the right to end their own lives when prolonging it will only cause them more pain? Should families who love someone so much, that they don’t want to lose them, cause them more pain by keeping them alive. What makes that more ethically correct then letting them die? The more you look into this issue the more you see how contradictory people are when it comes to making these decisions. This paper shows the issue in a more detailed manner, gives some background, shows the effects on modern society and explains briefly my standpoint on the subject.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The practice of euthanasia dates back as far as the dawn of civilization itself. In the past it was an easy subject to deal with because technology didn’t permit nearly as much life sustentation. When health problems, such as, diabetes and high blood pressure were causes of death, it wasn’t such a controversial issue in society. Now that we have the knowledge along with medical equipment to keep people alive, the issue has developed into a more difficult one to deal with. However, the issues surrounding euthanasia are not only of death, they are about ones liberty, right to privacy and control over his or her, own body. Currently under U.S. law, there are clear differences between the two different types of euthanasia. Extraction of life support, referred to by some as passive euthanasia has been exclusively upheld by the courts as a lawful right of a patient to request and a permissible act for a doctor to perform. Physician-assisted death, referred to by some as active euthanasia is specifically prohibited by laws in most countries and American states banning "mercy killings" and is condemned by the American Medical Association.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Active Euthanasia is thought of by most to be morally wrong and punishable by law. Yet, mercy has been held as a high moral by most civilizations in history. Now we punish anyone who assists someone else in suicide, out of their own mercy. During the 21-month trial period of a new law anyone assisting in a suicide can be sentenced to up to four years in prison and fined more than $2,000 (1). Physicians have been and will continue to be prosecuted for the murder of patients wh... ...etroit Free Press (December 11, 1990)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -Herbert Hendin, "Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the Netherlands:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lessons from the Dutch," Journal of the American Medical Association (June   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4, 1997 p. 1720-1722) -USA Today, 1998 -Matter of Quinlan (http://www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/452_r6.html) -Cruzan v. Director, DMH 497 U.S. 261 (1990) (http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/88-1503.ZS.html) -Exploring constitutional conflicts, â€Å"The right to die† (http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/righttodie.htm) -Colesanto, D, â€Å"The right-to-die controversy,† USA Today (May, 1991 pp. 62-63). -Derek Humphry, Frequently Asked Questions; Right to Die. ERGO! (http://rights.org/deathnet/ergo_FAQ.html) -About Hemlock (http://www.hemlock.org/about_hemlock.htm) - Alister Browne, Understanding Euthanasia: Should Canadians Amend The Criminal Code? (September 26, 1994) -David J Roy, When the Dying Demand Death; A Position Paper On Euthanasia, (Undated) -Mark Twain - The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Comedy of the Extraordinary Twins http://glory.gc.maricopa.edu/~mdinchak/eng101/argbioethics.htm#Assisted%20Suicide

Leading at a higher level is unusual

Leading at a higher level is unusual as it is not simply based on the views of an individual, but on those of a whole team of highly experienced people.   For this reason alone, I would say that the book is probably worth reading.  Ken Blanchard attempted a paradigm shift as to the term â€Å"leadership†. Leadership has for too long been associated with the accomplishment of results, whereas â€Å"leading at a higher level† is focused on the achievement of worthwhile results while acting with respect, care and fairness for the well-being of all involved. The book is divided into four sections reflecting each of these attributes.They set their sights on the right target and visionThey treat their customers well They treat their people well They have the right kind of leadershipLeadership is the capacity to influence others by unleashing the power and potential of people and organizations for the greater good. Leadership should not be done purely for personal gain or goal accomplishment: It should have a much higher purpose than that. Leadership can be defined as the process of achieving worthwhile results while acting with respect, care and fairness for the well-being of all involved. When that occurs, self-serving leadership is not possible. It's only when you realize that it's not about you that you begin to lead at a higher level.Being a successful leader is not only about leading your organization, but your customers as well. According to the author, to keep your customers, you can't be content just to satisfy them; you have to create raving fans. As stated on page 42:   Raving fans are customers who are so excited about the way you treat them that they want to tell everyone about you. A good example of how this works is Domo Gas, a full-service gasoline chain in Western Canada, confounded by Sheldon Bowles.Back in the 1970s, when everybody was going to self-service gasoline stations, Bowles knew that if people had a choice, they would ne ver go to a gas station. But people have to get gas, and they want to get in and out as quickly as possible. The customer service vision that Bowles and his co-founders imagined was an Indianapolis 500 pit stop. They dressed all their attendants in red jumpsuits. When a customer drove into one of Bowles' stations, two or three people ran out of the hut and raced toward the car. As quickly as possible, they looked under the hood, cleaned the windshield and pumped the gas. A successful leader must also have a workable vision, and be able to clearly communicate and share this vision with his organization. When Louis Gerstner Jr. took the helm of IBM in 1993– amid turmoil and instability as the company's annual net losses reached a record $8 billion — he was quoted as saying, â€Å"The last thing IBM needs is a vision.† In an article in The New York Times two years later, Gerstner conceded that IBM had lost the war for the desktop operating system, acknowledging that the acquisition of Lotus signified that the company had failed to plan properly for its future. He admitted that he and his management team now â€Å"spent a lot of time thinking ahead.†Once Gerstner understood the importance of vision, an incredible turnaround occurred. In 1995, delivering the keynote address at the computer industry trade show, Gerstner articulated IBM's new vision — that network computing would drive the next phase of industry growth and would be the company's overarching strategy. That year, IBM began a series of acquisitions that positioned it to become the fastest-growing company in its segment, with growth at more than 20 percent per year. This extraordinary turnaround demonstrated that the most important thing IBM needed was a vision (p. 24-25). Leaders must also know how to lead their workforce. Giving people too much or too little direction has a negative impact on people's development. Situational leadership is based on the belief that people can and want to develop, and there is no best leadership style to encourage that development. You should tailor leadership style to the situation. This is pretty much common sense. But leaders should also train their people in self leadership Leaders must also encourage team work, and be part of the team themselves. Teams provide a sense of worth, connection and meaning to the people involved in them.When people lead at a higher level, they make the world a better place because their goals are focused on the greater good. Making the world a better place requires a special kind of leader: a servant leader. Robert Greenleaf first coined the term â€Å"servant leadership† in 1970 and published widely on the concept. Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela ar e examples of servant leaders. Servant leaders feel their role is to help people achieve their goals. They try to find out what their people need to be successful. They want to make a difference in the lives of their people and, in the process, impact the organization as stated on page 249. Research shows that effective leaders have a clear, teachable leadership point of view and are willing to teach it to others, particularly the people they work with. If you can teach people your leadership point of view, they will not only have the benefit of understanding where you're coming from, but they'll also be clear on what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. They may also begin to solidify their own thinking about leadership so that they can teach others too. Some say that learning, teaching and leading should be inherent parts of everyone's job description.Enablement is the key to beating your competition day-after day. Allowing your people to pit their brains and allowing them to use their knowledge, experience and motivation is critical. To guide this transition to an enablement culture, leaders must use three keys:1. Share Information.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Declare the Boundaries 3. Replace old Hierarchies with Self-Directed Individuals and Teams.This requires a special leader: the servant leader. Leadership has two parts: vision and implementation. They need to find out what their people need to be successful and they make a difference in the lives of their people and in the process, their organization.  The world needs more leaders who are leading at a higher level. Perhaps the day will come when self-serving leaders are history, and leaders serving others are the rule, not the exception.

Pipefish Facts and Information

Pipefish are slender relatives of seahorses. Description Pipefish are a very slender fish that has an amazing ability to camouflage, blending in expertly with the slender seagrasses and weeds among which it lives. They align themselves in a vertical position and sway back and forth among the grasses. Like their seahorse and seadragon relatives, pipefish have a long snout and bony rings around their body and fan-shaped tail. Rather than scales, they  have bony plates for protection. Depending on the species, pipefish can be from one to twenty-six inches in length. Some even  have the ability to change color to further blend in with their habitat. Like their seahorse and seadragon relatives, pipefish  have a fused jaw which creates a long, pipette-like snout that is used for sucking in their food.   Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Gasterosteiformes Family: Syngnathidae There are over 200 pipefish species. Here are some that are found in United States waters: Common Pipefish  (Northern pipefish)Chain PipefishDusky pipefishBay Pipefish Habitat and Distribution Pipefish live in seagrass beds, among Sargassum, and among reefs, estuaries and rivers. They are found in shallow waters up to waters over 1000 feet deep. They may move to deeper waters in the winter.   Feeding Pipefish eat tiny crustaceans, fish and fish eggs. Some (e.g.,  Janss pipefish) even set up cleaning stations to eat parasites off other fish. Reproduction Like their seahorse relatives, pipefish are ovoviviparous, but it is the male who raises the young. After a sometimes elaborate courtship ritual, females place several hundred eggs on the males brood patch or in his brood pouch (only some species have full- or half-pouches). The eggs are protected there while they incubate, before they hatch  into tiny pipefish that are miniature versions of their parents.   Conservation and Human Uses Threats to pipefish include habitat loss, coastal development, and harvesting for use in traditional medicines. References and Further Information Chesapeake Bay Program. Pipefish.   Accessed October 8, 2014. FusedJaw.  Pipefish Fact Sheet. Accessed October 28, 2014. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Bay Pipefish. Accessed October 28, 2014.Waller, G. 1996. SeaLife: A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment. Smithsonian Institution Press. 504 pp.