The Value of Doubt through O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River” Essay Example for Free

The Value of Doubt through O’Brien’s â€Å"On the Rainy River† Essay People value being certain as it gives them a sense of stability, self-reliance and control. Being certain gives one the power to be able to confidently assert beliefs or claims and act upon them. Descartes says as seen in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2005), â€Å"As my certainty increases, my doubt decreases, conversely, as my doubt increases, my certainty decreases. † Doubting threatens the stability and assurance one initially possesses, which is why it is less frequently valued or appreciated. However there is value in doubt, because through doubt, a person undergoes contemplation that may influence a decision or disposition, eventually evaluating the certainty of something. As a consequence the actions of the person toward this certainty may be compromised. This is exemplified in Tim O’Brien’s short story entitled â€Å"On the Rainy River†. The short story â€Å"On the Rainy River† chronicles the events of O’Brien’s life after he has successfully finished his studies at Macalaster College. During his stay in school, he was an achiever. It was the time of the Vietnam War and he then learns that he was being requested to go to battle. Undecided as to whether he should fight or not, he chose to stay and work in a factory but eventually realized that he could not find a way out of fighting. Unable to handle his situation anymore he fled to the Canadian boundary. There he met and spent time with the fishing resort owner Elroy Berdahl. O’Brien contemplated on the events of his life, especially during the fishing trip where he was faced with the option of going to Canada or going off to war. In the end, O’Brien chose to go return to his hometown and eventually decided to fight in the Vietnam War (Sparknotes, 2006). From the summary above, it can be seen that O’Brien doubted joining the war. This doubt that O’Brien felt was a huge contrast to the certainty he had when he was in Macalaster College. In the institution he was an honors student and represented the student body, making him strong and secure about himself, his ideas and his values. One example of this is his stand against war (Sparknotes, 2006). Once he received news of going to war, his initial reaction was to stand by his conviction. However, the notice fueled his thoughts about going to war. He started to contemplate and think about whether he is fit to be a combatant. People making him feel that he had to go to war further aggravated his hesitation. He also realized that it would be hard for him to find an excuse or a way out of combat. Doubting showed his struggle of letting go of what he was certain about, which was not to go to war. Because of internal and external influences that fed his doubt, his certainty on denouncing war diminished and he was unable to handle the burden and decided to run away. However, by leaving and meeting Elroy, he was also able to reflect upon the consequences of going and not going to war. He finally decides that he could not bear the thought of disappointing people he knew, especially his family. This shows the value of doubt because had he not questioned his stand, he would have not considered weighing what was more important to him at that point in his life. As he looked back, whether he was ashamed of his decision or not is not the main point. What is to be stressed is that his doubt was able to question his certainty and it made him act towards this as seen by his decision in the end to join the army. In conclusion, the value of doubt can be seen in the text as it shows how O’Brien’s outlook on participating in the war was affected. First, doubting allowed him to contemplate and reflect on something that he used to be certain about. Second, doubt contributed to changing his conviction, as after much contemplation, he could not bear the embarrassment of not going to war that led him to fight. Doubt is valuable because it has the power to challenge something that one considers as certain, and allows that person to take action. References Sparknotes. (2006). The things they carried study guide: â€Å"On the rainy river†. Retrieved October 24, 2007 from: http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/thingscarried/section4. rhtml Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2005). Descartes’ epistemology. Retrieved October 24, 2007 from: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/descartes-epistemology/

Future Outlook of Trucking :: miscellaneous

Future Outlook of Trucking When you think of dangerous occupations, which ones come to mind? Do you think about the police officer who risks his life daily to protect persons and property? Or the firefighter who places the safety of others above his own? Those are dangerous professions, but based on the sheer numbers of lives lost, the single most dangerous profession is that of a truck driver. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, more truck drivers died while working in 2003 than the combined total deaths of police officers, loggers, construction laborers and aircraft pilots (Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2003, page13). In addition to the danger of highway driving, there are increased health risks from poor diet, irregular sleep patterns, and lack of exercise. Some call truck driving â€Å"the loneliest job†, and for good reason. Weeks on the road away from family and children can stress the most even-tempered person. Combine that with delays at shippers and receivers, unsympathetic disp atchers and ill-timed breakdowns and you can see why driving is so stressful. Even with the risks associated with driving, truck driving is appealing because it is more than just a job. It takes a complete lifestyle change and requires a serious commitment to be a successful over-the-road driver. If you ask the average person to describe the job of a truck driver, you would probably hear it described in simple terms such as, â€Å"Truckers drive a truck and deliver freight†. If only it were as simple as that! Truck drivers have to wear several different hats. A driver must have some mechanical skills, good map reading skills, possess good time management skills, and have good people skills. A driver must possess a valid class "A" commercial driver’s license (CDL). CDL applicants must pass a general driving written exam, a class "A" exam and an air brake exam. In addition, CDL holders have the option to add endorsements to their license. Endorsements include the authorization to pull tankers, double and triple trailers, or haul hazardous materials. In addition, a driver must pass a driving test demonstrating driving ability, backing ability and parking skills. Furthermore, the driver must demonstrate a complete pre-trip safety inspection, verbally identify the pa rts of the truck, and describe possible malfunctions for each part. Truck driving requires specialized knowledge of airbrakes systems, securing and transporting hazardous materials, calculating and conforming to various state bridge laws and safely maneuvering a 70-foot, 40-ton vehicle in varying terrains, traffic and weather.

Are Celebrities Being Good Role Models or Are They Setting a Bad Example for the Teenagers?

Younger generations are getting brainwashed by these so called celebrity role models that think they are setting a good example for these young teenagers, where-as it is actually getting backfired. These celebrities have started to ruin our society with people are acting like copycats, because they think if celebrities can, well so can I. But these celebrities haven’t always been bad, they have had a stage in their career where they were good role models, but then their career starts to go downhill, with drugs, alcohol and even anorexia. Lindsay Lohan was worthy of our admiration when she was younger playing in movies called the parent trap, and Freaky Friday, who didn’t look up to the young Lindsay? On 8th of October 2005, it was said that Lohan had tried pot once but did not like the side effects, â€Å"I’ve seen how it messes families up. If I hadn’t experienced that, I may have gone down a different route. † However this did not stop the young girl from using drugs. All Lohan is famous for now is, her unhealthy habits, family problems and drugs. Who wants their child to look up to that? A well known couple that had an affair are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, this happened while they were shooting Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Celebrities like this couple set bad examples in relationships. Children are going to grow up watching their favourite celebrity cheat on their partner, marry them and then wait until someone younger comes around. Is that what we want our children to watch and hear about? Or do we want them to grow up and end up in a healthy relationship? Miley Cyrus is a good girl gone bad. This young celeb started off on the Disney channel staring in the well known show Hannah Montana. She was a huge success, with many fans giving her their support, and then she did something outrageous that put a halt to her career, putting half naked pictures of herself online. What next? Is she going to be the next Lindsay Lohan? Or is she going to turn her life around? With not many good celebrity role models out there making the right decisions, it is very hard to find a good role model among them. Although there are some good celebrities, including Anne Hathaway and Taylor Swift which make good impressions on young teens. These two stars are massive role models and so many people look up to them. More people look up too Taylor Swift though because she is young herself and she can relate easier with her young fans. What are we supposed to do now? Hide the television from our children so they can’t see what their favourite idols are doing? It’s up to the celebrities to stop what they’re doing and think about what they are doing to the younger generations and how it’s going to affect them and others around them with their actions, and it’s up to the parents to do what’s right for their children.

The Effects Of Immigration On The Host Economy - 1502 Words

The aim of this literature review is to provide an overview of the various effects of immigration on the host economy. The consequences I will be focusing on are on employment, inflation, wage level, economic growth and the welfare system. I am also going to examine what effect the skill level of immigrants has on the economic development of the host country. Then we will concentrate on papers about the situation in particular countries. There is plenty of research available about that particular topic and I would like to start with one of the earliest papers I found. In 1975 Professor Julian L. Simon (Simon 1975) assessed the aggregate effects of immigration on the incomes of natives in the United States and he found out that immigrants constitute and â€Å"excellent investment†, worth, in 1975, somewhere between fifteen and twenty thousand U.S. dollars to natives. While conceding some negative effects on the citizen work force in the form of job replacement, Professor Simon argues that immigrants not only take jobs, they also create jobs indirectly with their spending. He believes that international immigration is on the whole a positive effect. While he admits that there is some increased competition with citizen unskilled workers, the injury to citizens is very low and immigration has a virtually unmitigated positive benefit in economic terms. Also Professor George Borjas (Borjas 1990) made compelling arguments for increasing immigration to the United States but at theShow MoreRelatedImmigration On The United States1302 Words   |  6 PagesImmigration Rights in the U.S. Immigration has occurred in the U.S. for for many years. Some say it’s the foundation of our country. America is the country where people leave their own country to live. People would leave due to mistreatment, hunger issues or job opportunities. 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