Canterbury Tales Analysis Essay Example for Free

Canterbury Tales Analysis Essay Physically the two characters appear extremely different. The knight is dressed in a fustian tunic, â€Å"Stained and dark with smudges where his armour had left mark† (Chaucer 5). Although he is a distinguished man, he dresses humbly and does not give the appearance of arrogance. It is also apparent that he carries a sword, which would match his profession as a knight because he is able to fight. The Sea Captain’s attire matches his occupation. He wears a â€Å"Woollen gown that [reaches] his knee† (Chaucer 15); he is tan and has a large beard. He carries a dagger, implying that he knows how to fight and defend himself like the Knight. Considering their occupations, one can find many similarities. They are both very proficient at their jobs. The Sea Captain is described as having no competition: â€Å"None from Hull to Carthage was his match† (Chaucer 16). He is experienced and knows the seas better than any captain. He is known for his skill at commanding his ship, the Maudelayne. He frequently travels the sea. Similarly, the knight is a traveler, except on land. He is an experienced fighter, as he has been in many battles. He was present at the battle where Alexandria was taken in 1365 by the King of Cyprus. In fifteen mortal battles he had been† (Chaucer 5). According to the examples of battles given in the text, the knight rarely loses a battle. He owns fine horses and is skilled at riding horseback. However, behavior is what really sets these two characters apart. The knight is a chivalrous man. He believes in truth, honor, and generosity. People look up to him; he is â€Å"Ever honoured for his noble graces† (Chaucer 4). A Christian and a virtuous man, he is even more humbled by his position as a knight. His many victories did not permit him to lose his modesty; instead, they led him to be wise and honorable. The Sea Captain, in contrast, is a fearsome character. When dealing with prisoners, â€Å"The nicer rules of conscience he ignored† (Chaucer 16); they walked the plank. Not a virtuous man by any means, he has a reputation of stealing goods from traders while they sleep. Those who fight him fear him. He does not have a high position in society, but his brutality and prudence make him successful in battle. He is revered for his skill and success, but people do not look up to him. In summary, the use of foil by Chaucer enables the reader to notice differences and similarities between the Knight and the Sea Captain. They have similar occupations, but different roles in society as well as nearly opposite personalities. The foil emphasizes their characteristics to make them even more prominent to the reader. For example, the knight’s Christian values make the Sea Captain seem extremely harsh and lowly in comparison. The reader will be able to gain more out of the story these characters tell because of how detailed their character sketches are. Specifically, the characters are given more depth by their similarities and differences to other characters in the tale.

What Is Compost? :: essays research papers

The process of recycling brush and leaves from curbside collection saves the city lots of money. When residents place their clean brush at the curb,they mustmake sure the pile is no bigger than six feet long and six inches in diameter.All leaves must be placed in clear plastic bags. Brush is collected separately from the leaves because the leaves are taken to the comppost drop-off facility for recycling. When a waste hauler driver comes to the drop -off facility loaded with brush,he or she must drive onto a scale so the load can be weighed.The driver information,load size and truck weights are then put into the computer for monitoring of driver,location,and weight. This policy helps the city find out which area of the city uses more collection or which area of town was affected more by a storm. THe driver will drive out to the disposal site and bump the brush in a pile.THe piles of brush are then compacted and pushed up until there is no available room on the site. Roughly every three months,the city contracts a grinding company to come out and grind all of the brush on the site.It generally takes the grinding company three weeks to grind all of the material After the grinding stage,the material is screened by using trammel with 3/8 inch screens.The materials are placed into windrows,this process speeds up the decomposition process.The small particles are then separated from the larger first grinds. The small material now becomes a product known as mulch fines. Once the first grinds have been screened, they will be reground using a tub grinder. The reground material is known as reground mulch. The reground material is not treated with any chemicals.It is allowed to cure or sit for 48 to 72 hours after being processed. The much product heats up naturally to temperatures from 140 to180 degrees.The temperture of the leaves is monitored and moisture is added when the leaves start becoming dry.When the leaves start to decompose the temperature can rise up to 200 degrees.After the decomposition process has taken place,the temperature decreaces to about 120 degrees. This natural process eliminates bugs and thier eggs.All trash and plastic bags are taken out of the material and it is now ready to be recycled and sold for public use.

Economic Disparity Essay

The term ‘economic disparity’ would literally translate to the differences in incomes and wealth between different economic strata in society. In any economy, therefore, disparities are bound to exist, since levels of skills, contribution, ownership and wealth do vary. This is as true of fully developed economies as it is of developing and underdeveloped ones. In India, however, we use the term very specifically, to point to the yawning gap that exists between the rich and the poor. We acknowledge, with occasional embarrassment, (and opposition parties with ostensible anguish), the fact that, even six decades after independence, this gross disparity still exists. To us, it is a reminder that we have not yet been able to eradicate poverty – the state in which more than a third of our population exists, without the minimum in food, clothing, shelter and dignity. There is no doubt that, as the economy develops, various economic determiners will show increase at the national (or gross) levels – investments, assets, production, incomes, and so on. This, in turn will progress to growth in national wealth to a point where, as a nation we are as well off or ‘developed’ as any other. However, it must be remembered that a nation is but a sum of the different strata of the society within it, just as a body is the sum of its parts. Looked at in this manner, it can understood that only when all the parts have the minimum required development (or ‘health’), that the whole can be considered developed or healthy. At first sight, it would seem as if there’s a difficult choice to be made – that investing in economic growth would mean the inability to devote national effort and finances towards lifting the poor out of their morass. However, when we take a broader view, we understand that it is through the first that the second objective can be achieved – while the benefits of economic growth must first fuel further economic growth and then be shared by all economic strata, the greater share must find its way to those at the very bottom of the pyramid, the economically disadvantaged, till we achieve the banishment of poverty. This seems altruistic, and may be so. However, it makes good economic sense too. Those lifted out of poverty would be freed from the need to devote every moment to sheer existence and subsistence, and would therefore be able to make positive contributions to social and economic productivity, to economic growth. Both objectives – economic growth and poverty alleviation, are therefore related and should be targeted together, for national development. Clearly, then, it is only when we have eradicated poverty, that we should consider ourselves developed in the true sense. This is why sociologists, and an increasing number of economists, are of the view that true development is reflected not in cold economic indices such as GDP, GNP or GNI, but in the HDI (Human Development Index) which takes into account three critical ‘human’ parameters – life expectancy (that reflects nutrition and health), literacy (that reflects employability) and standard of living (that reflects dignity).

Photon Definition

Photon Definition: A photon is a discrete packet of energy associated with electromagnetic radiation (light). A photon has energy E which is proportional to the frequency ÃŽ ½ of the radiation: E hÃŽ ½, where h is Plancks constant. Also Known As: quantum, quanta (plural) Characteristics Photons are unique in that they have characteristics of both particles and waves at the same time. For students, it remains unclear as to whether a photon is a particle that travels in a wave pattern or a wave broken up into particles. Most scientists simply accept the photon as a unique packet of energy that has characteristics of both waves and particles. Properties of a Photon Behaves like a particle and a wave, simultaneouslyMoves at a constant  velocity,  c   2.9979 x 108  m/s (i.e. the speed of light), in empty spaceHas zero mass and rest energyCarries energy and momentum, which are also related to the frequency (nu)  and wavelength  (lamdba)  of the electromagnetic wave, as expressed by the equation  E  Ã‚  h nu  and  p  Ã‚  h  /  lambda.Can be destroyed/created when radiation is absorbed/emitted.Can have particle-like interactions (i.e. collisions) with electrons and other particles, such as in the  Compton effect  in which particles of light collide with atoms, causing the release of electrons.