Who is Responsible for Military Robots’ Lethal Actions? Essay

I) Introduction Robotic technology has enabled the US military to use autonomous robots (or unmanned systems, UMS) in modern warfare. In the war with Iraq, the US military sent 12000 ground robots at the end of 2008 (P. W. Singer). One of the most popular robots used in Iraq is the iRobot Packbot, an unmanned ground vehicle, which is capable of detecting and destroying improvised explosive devices. Exploiting robots in warfare can save lives of many human soldiers. Moreover, robots are faster, have longer endurance, high precision and immunity to chemical and biological weapons (Ronald Arkin).In the National Defense Act of 2001 the U.S. Congress, obviously impressed by the potential of robots saving lives on the battlefield, established the requirement for one-third of the ground vehicles and one-third of the deep-strike aircraft in the military to be robotic within the decade. Consequently, in the â€Å"Fiscal Year 2009-2034 Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap† of the office of the secretary of defense showed the four categories that will be focused on are reconnaissance and surveillance, target identification and designation, counter-mine and explosive ordnance disposal, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear detection (Stew Magnuson). As for now, most of the robot soldiers in the field are not fully autonomy. They are controlled by human soldier operators. However, the pressure of wars and the superior advantage of robots which can make decisions on their own will shift the interest in developing autonomous robots. In battle field, the time to decide whether or not to take action is too short that it would be impractical that a robot must send a signal to an operator and wait for the permission to fire (Ronald Arkin)... ...gner, A.R., and Duncan, B., â€Å"Responsibility and Lethality for Unmanned Systems: Ethical Pre-Mission Responsibility Advisement†. GVU Technical Report GIT-GVU-09-01, GVU Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. Asaro, P. M., â€Å"Robots and Responsibility from a Legal Perspective†. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Roma, Italy. April 2007. Magnuson, S., â€Å" Robo Ethics†. National Defense (Volume 94, Issue 672, Nov 2009), 28-29. Singer, P. W., â€Å"Military Robots and the Laws of War†. New Atlantic: A Journal of Technology & Society (Volume 23, Winter 2009), 25-45. Sparrow, R., â€Å"Building a Better WarBot: Ethical Issues in the Design of Unmanned Systems for Military Applications†. Science and Engineering Ethics (Volume 15, Number 2 / June, 2009), 169-187. Sparrow, R., â€Å"Killer Robots†. Journal of Applied Philosophy , Vol. 24, No. 1, 2006.

Rethinking Calculus

Mathematics can sometimes seem scary for me, and I am sure that a lot of other high school students feel the same way. Maybe, it’s because we often see math as merely a series of problems to be solved and rules to master and apply. Calculus is one of the branches of math that some students like me find intimidating to learn.This paper aims to establish an appreciation and better understanding of calculus by reviewing its historical groundings and giving the practical application of the subject.The foundation of calculus did not just appear in history, in fact, mathematicians had encountered numerous difficulties and problems that had led to their desire to find ways in which to offer solutions. It is the case that although Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz were the ones to formulate the theorems of Calculus we know today, a fair share of mathematicians began utilizing concepts of calculus as early as the greek period. Calculus was developed from ancient Greek geometry.It was mainly use to Democritus calculated the volumes of pyramids and cones, probably by regarding them as consisting of infinitely many cross-sections of infinitesimal (infinitely small) thickness, and Eudoxus and Archimedes used the â€Å"method of exhaustion†, finding the area of a circle by approximating it arbitrarily closely with inscribed polygons. In fact it was Archimedes who was the first person to find an approximation of the area of the circle using the â€Å"method of exhaustion†; it was the first samples of integration and led to the approximated values of ?(pi). In line with the developments in the field of theoretical mathematics, it can be said that mathematicians encountered their own difficulties with math problems before they were able to actually find the answers through calculus. It was not until the 16th century when mathematicians found the need to further develop the methods that could be used to calculate areas bounded by curves and spheres.Johannes Kepler for example had to find the area of the sectors of the ellipse in order for him to proceed with his work in planetary motion. He was lucky enough to find the answer in two tries despite the then crude methods of calculus. Imagine if he was unable to compute the area of ellipses during that time, chances are there would have been a delay in the development of astronomical science. It was through Kepler’s exploration of integration that laid groundwork for the further study of Cavalieri, Roberval, and Fermat.The latter especially contributed a great deal to calculus by generalizing the parabola and hyperbola as y/a = (x/b)2 to (y/a)n = (x/b)m and y/a = b/x to (y/a)n = (b/x)m respectively. It is the case that some mathematicians (like Joseph Louis Langrange) consider Fermat to be the father of calculus, especially with his formulation of the method used in acquiring the maxima and minima by calculating when the derivative of the function was 0; this method is not far fro m that which we use today in solving such equations.The formulas we use today to determine motion at variable speeds use calculus. Toricelli and Barrow were the first mathematicians to explore the problem of motion by implicitly applying the inverse of differentiation, integral and derivative as inverses of each other in asserting that the derivative of distance is velocity and vice versa. Newton and Leibniz are considered to be the inventors of calculus because of their discovery of the fundamental theorems of calculus.However though both shares credit for the latter, Newton was able to apply it further showing its use both in his works in physics and planetary motion which are considered the most significant of all his contributions. The three laws of motion echoed if not are born out of the notion that since the world changes and derivatives are the rates of changes, and then the latter becomes pivotal to any scientific endeavor that attempts to understand the world. Newton was a ble to use calculus in determine a lot of things during his time.We must remember though, that in voicing Newton it is good to reminisce his advice that abstractions and concepts don’t stand alone, they’re pieced together with other ideas to find a solution, an answer. This goes with his Newtonian laws, which if we are to really understand we must see how it relates with his law of gravitational force. Calculus bridges the gaps between theoretical math and the applied sciences/mathematics; if we are to look at it exclusively then we would miss the entire point of why we use it as such fail to realize its true value.Calculus plays a role in the natural, physical as well as the social sciences; it is being employed in solving numerous problems that wishes to determine the maximum and minimum rates of change. It is capable of describing the physical processes that occur around us. It has even been used to solve paradoxes created during the time of Zeno in ancient Greece. It is impossible to imagine how we can be able to understand the world today without the calculus as one of our tools in acquiring knowledge. We may perhaps still be slaves to mystical forces that were claimed to be the cause of change in this world.Mathematics would remain to us mere abstractions if calculus was not introduced to become the mediator of thought and practice. The development of other disciplines would have not followed without first establishing the existence of the fundamental concepts of calculus. Things which in history were thought to be inconceivable were able to have a figure that man can understand and therefore have the capacity to manipulate though not complete control. Students like me get frustrated when trying to solve a mathematical problem and failing once or twice.Reading on the history of calculus made me realize that mathematicians would not have come up with the theorems and methods we use today if they too decided to simply get frustrated. In as mu ch as Calculus teaches you at what rate things change and how the infinite can be understood, one could also learn the value of knowing something even if exclusively it seems unimportant. In order for us to appreciate the subject we must look at it as part of the greater system of knowledge, without it all things would not be coherent.

How To Say Let in Spanish

Let is one of those English words that can be translated numerous ways in Spanish, because let itself has numerous meanings. Take the example of translating Let me write that down to Spanish. One possibility say, Quiero apuntar eso, which has a literal meaning of I want to write that down. If you wish a more precise translation and indeed are seeking permission to take notes, use Dà ©jame apuntar eso or Dà ©jeme apuntar eso, depending on whether you are speaking in the familiar or formal second person, respectively. Dejar is the most common verb meaning to allow, so what youre saying is allow me to write that down. What is important when translating from one language to another is to look for the meaning of what you want to say and translate that rather than attempting to translate words. You simply cannot translate let the same way all the time. And if what you mean by let is I want to, then just say the equivalent of that — its much simpler! Choices for Translating ‘Let’ A few of the verbs you can use to translate let or phrases that use let include liberar (to let go), alquilar (to rent out), avisar (to let someone know), soltar (to let go), fallar (to let down or disappoint), perdonar (to let somebody off, to excuse) and cesar (to let up). It all depends on the meaning of what youre trying to say. And, of course, in English we use let to form first-person plural commands, as in lets leave or lets sing. In Spanish, that meaning is expressed in a special verb form (the same as the first-person plural subjunctive), as in salgamos and cantemos, respectively. Finally, Spanish sometimes uses que followed by a verb in the subjunctive to form an indirect command that can be translated using let, depending on the context. Example: Que vaya à ©l a la oficina. (Have him go to the office, or let him go to the office.) Sample Sentences Here are sentences illustrating possible translations for let: El gobierno cubano liberà ³ al empresario. (The Cuban government let the entrepreneur go.)Dà ©jele hablar sin interrupcià ³n. (Let him speak without interruption.)Te comunicaremos si algo ha cambiado. (Well let you know if anything has changed.)Los captores soltaron a los rehenes a las cuatro de la madrugada. (The captors let the hostages free at 4 a.m.)Me fallaba muchà ­simo. (He let me down a lot.)Vive y dejar vive. (Live and let live.)A mi no me decepciona nadie porque no espero nada de nadie. Nobody lets me down because I dont expect anything from anybody.Mis padres alquilaron un piso en 2013 por 400 euros por semana. (My parents let out a floor in 2013 for 400 euros weekly.) ¡Me deja en paz! (Let me be alone!)Avà ­same si no puedes hacerlo. (Let me know if you cant do it.)Por fin aflojà ³ la ira de la tormenta. (The fury of the storm finally let up.)Hay ciertos amigos a los que no quiero dejar entrar en mi casa. (There are some friends I dont want to let into my house.)D esde entonces, se desmejorà ³ y crecià ³ su abatimiento fà ­sico y moral. (Since then, he let himself go and sank deeper physically and morally.)

The Desegregation Of The United States - 1633 Words

In the 1970’s desegregation was a main concern and differences in the quality of education based on socioeconomic factors became apparent. Brown v. Board of Education deemed it harmful to African Americans to be segregated. Integration of public schools did not happen until Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. The ruling of Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education mandated school districts to bus students to different schools so integration would be possible (Wilson). President Lyndon B. Johnson was also a key part in education reform during this time period, which will be discussed later. The federal government became involved to create additional benefits for low-income students. Head Start and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) were created to reduce poverty by providing equal opportunities for all students (Cross). Leading up to the 21st Century quality of education finally was addressed. In 1983 under the Reagan administration A Natio n at Risk, was published and exposed the poor quality of education in the United States. A Nation at Risk noted that 23 million American adults were functionally illiterate, 13% of all 17 year olds were functionally illiterate, and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) demonstrated a significant decline in English and Math scores. A Nation at Risk exposed to the world that the United States educational system was broken (Toppo). Charter schools, schoolwide choice, and area wide choice, allowedShow MoreRelatedDesegregation Of The United States1720 Words   |  7 PagesThe education system in the United States has gone through many changes spanning all the way from the 1800’s to today. The integration of other races and cultures into our schools have played in integral part in the historical development of the U.S. educational system. It has also allowed more access to all students to experience education. The desegregation of schools also started the conversation about allowin g Blacks to have equal access to the same water fountains, public transportation, restroomsRead MoreThe Desegregation Of The United States791 Words   |  4 Pagesfollowed by President Reagan who epitomizes conservatism. Reagan guts the integration busing fund and tells black families that their children would be better off attending their segregated neighborhood schools, which was not factually proven. Desegregation had actually been shown to be greatly beneficial to the minority students and minimally detrimental to the white students. Nixon makes deal with South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond to stem the tide of integration as much as possible in exchangeRead MoreThe Desegregation Of The United States Supreme Court Essay1382 Words   |  6 PagesThe School Desegregation Decision of the United States Supreme Court signified the end of a clashing national minority game plan - heightened of a total of parts in perspective of two incongruent sorts of human affiliation and control, greater part manage government and white supremacy. In pivoting Plessy v. Ferguson it, basically, signified the legitimate end to required restriction of one social affair of subjects from another with no attempt at being subtle workplaces essentially because ofRead MoreEssay on desegregation historiography1258 Words   |  6 Pagespeople of the United States. They wrote about freedom and equality for men, but historically it has not been practiced. In the twentieth century large steps have been made to make the United States practice the i deals declared in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The major changes following Rosa Park’s refusal to give up her bus seat to a young white man and the Brown v. Board of Education trial in 1954. These Supreme Court rulings altered American society and began the desegregation and integrationRead MoreHow Racism Impacted The Game Of Baseball And The Lives Of African Americans Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesHow Racism Effected the Game of Baseball and the Lives of African Americans Introduction Racial tension has been around since the foundation of the United States. The climax of racism in the United States started near the twentieth century (PBS, 2003). The south had many racial segregation laws and restrictions. Black men were victims of propaganda and were thought as ravening beasts lusting after white women (PBS, 2003). This was a tactic used to justify lynching. African Americans had to constantlyRead MoreRacism And Discrimination During The Civil War1690 Words   |  7 PagesRacism and discrimination in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial and slavery era. White Americans were given privileges like voting rights, education, full citizenship, influential political power, and etc. whereas those same privileges were not granted to African Americans and other persons of color. After the Civil War, the 13th Amendment in 1865, legally abolished slavery and that is where the start of racial tensions began. Many things like grandfather clauses, lyn chingRead More(Final Draft). . Brown V. Board Of Education. . . . . .1660 Words   |  7 Pagesinfluenced American segregation, because unlike other instances of desegregation, it overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, ended school segregation, and progressed the civil rights movement. Overturned Plessy V. Ferguson What caused Brown V. Board of Education What is Plessy V. Ferguson How the Brown decision overturned the Plessy decision Ended school segregation What was school segregation Resulting decision on school segregation Desegregation Began the civil rights movement What was the Civil Rights MovementRead MoreJudicial Process Research Paper1738 Words   |  7 PagesBoard of Education adopted the plan by a vote of four to two. The plan was approved by the Michigan Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. It was then endorsed by other national and local agencies and organizations such as the United States Office of Education. Following the adoption of the plan, Detroit School officials began to prepare procedures to carry it into effect at the beginning of the 1970-1971 school year. The Michigan Legislature enacted, and the Governor of MichiganRead MoreSummary And Decision. In A Unanimous Decision On May 17,996 Words   |  4 PagesVirginia, and District of Columbia) asserted complaints of inadequate conditions in black schools and sought admission to public schools in their community that were presently reserved for white students. Each of these jurisdictions fought for desegregation as a way to obtain equal educational opportunities for students of color. In the Brown case, the court ruled in favor of educational equality and found separation of black students to be unconstitutional, as it violated the equal protection clauseRead MoreSwann v. Charlotte935 Words   |  4 Pagesactually been done to desegregate public schools. Brown v. Board of Education ordered the end to separate but equal and the desegregation of public schools; however, the court provided no direction for the implementation of its decision. Authority was pushed to the Attorney Generals of each state to create and submit plans to proceed with desegregation. Southern states were against the court’s decision and many refused to pass any new legislation. Swann sued the Board of Education in Charlotte

Use Of Photoshop And Its Effect On Today s Society

Fictional Perfection The use of Photoshop is found in just about every image seen in the media today. Although Photoshop was originally intended for good uses, it has a negative effect on today’s society. Photographers and other artist use Photoshop to enhance the quality of their work, whereas, the media uses it to alter images beyond fictional standards. Photoshop can alter someone’s entire appearance, and basically create a whole new person. On a daily basis, we see a multitude of images of what is supposed to be â€Å"flawless perfection† through many different media sources. You can open any magazine today, and not one single image shown in unaltered. Every image has been changed in one way or another. This issue is directed more towards†¦show more content†¦The amount of people eighteen years or younger that went through plastic surgery increased between the years of 1997 and 2003, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Just in the year 1997 approximately sixty thousand teens transformed their bodies with surgery. That numbered skyrocketed to two hundred twenty-five thousand in 2003, just because teenagers wanted their bodies to be more acceptable (Photoshop Effect). The media is held most accountable for these actions. People have an issue of trying to recreate the perfection that they often see. This has become a major concern for our society today. The sad truth is that it is not just females whose ideas are affected by body imaging and photoshop. Males often are attracted to these â€Å"perfect† looks that they see. This also can lead to females becoming insecure from not feeling good enough for a male. Has photoshop gone too far? The real question to ask is, how far is too far? In my opinion, photoshop has gone beyond the line that should have never been crossed. It should have been created strictly for the purpose of enhancing photos to look more realistic and vivid than unrealistically fake. Why are females so obsessed with being â€Å"perfect†? I am a female, and I have difficulties answering this question. I have caught myself on multiple occasions being obsessed with perfection. Some may say that it is how the female brain is wired. However, I believe that we are wronglyShow MoreRelatedNegatives And Negatives Of Photography1439 Words   |  6 PagesToday, in technology we can do anything we want with images, and it has been used as a tool for evidence. Photographers can do many things for example, keeping records of people s lives, allowing memories to last forever and intriguing people. I can t imagine living without photography because photography is more than just a image. Without photography, we wouldn t have pictures of our childhoods, siblings, and pasts. Since digital manipulation existed, it started to make people feel deceived.Read MoreTechnology And Its Effect On Society946 Words   |  4 Pagesdigital era are introduced to unprecedented amount of information about the ideal body through the use of the internet, which portrays this image through advertising, music videos, and celebrity social media accounts. With the introduction of connected technology, teen’s lust over a body that has most likely been photo-shopped and may be almost impossible to obtain. In other words, Photoshop sucks. Photoshop is a way of hiding a realistic image, converting it into a false idea of a perfect picture. ThisRead MoreEssay about The Fashion Industry Promotes Eating Disorders1133 Words   |  5 Pagescontrast between their bodies and the models and pressures on society make them feel they must look like models. Currently the standard set by the fashion industry is to be thin; for some people thinness to this extent isn’t easily attainable causing people to adapt unhealthy dietary habits. Pressures from the fashion industry promote eating disorders. This is because the fashion industry largely influence what is beautiful in society. Through history the image of beauty has changed thousands ofRead MoreModels : The Reality Of Being Fake2144 Words   |  9 Pagesmajority of today’s society knows that many images in magazines are retouched or edited. What people do not know, is that practically every image in magazines are edited and models in them are completely photoshopped to be thinner, flawless, and unrealistic. Models should not be photoshopped because Photoshopped models have harmful effects on women in society, models themselves, and those images are bad for advertisement. There are many companies taking stands against Photoshop in advertising to helpRead MorePhotoshop should be banned for models1535 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Digitally altering pictures or ‘Photoshopping’ is the norm of not only the fashion industry but any industry related to print media nowadays. Retouching pictures has not blossomed due to technology, we can trace it back to 1500’s when the period of high ren aissance art was fading away a new form of art was emerging known as Mannerism which applauded the modified physic of the subjects over the regular ones(1). Setting impossible standards, models are made to look like virtual perceptions and nothingRead MoreHow The Media Creates Beauty Standards And Shine A Light On The Truth Essay2021 Words   |  9 Pages For many years, society has been told by the media that there a certain way that people should look. We are shown that true beauty in what we see in the media and advertisements. They celebrities and models in the media are beautiful, symmetric, flawless and perfect in all the right places. There is something that society needs to realize. Society is being fooled. The beauty shown in media is not realistic and it is not obtainable. For our public advocacy project, we want to dispel media’sRead MoreEffects Of Social Media Essay1322 Words   |  6 Pagesresearch all types of effects social media has on society, especially adolescent girls as that age group is mainly targeted. The role of media has changed drastically from when it first started to now. It was first created for the main purpose of communicating information. Although that is still true to this day, there are also other purposes for the media now. Media presents information through books, posters, the web and etc. One of the most popular forms of media today is social media. That includesRead MoreSocial Media Has a Negative Effect on Body Image and Self Esteem1202 Words   |  5 Pagessources of communication for the upcoming generation. For young people growing up in today’s society, social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have provided pictures and news that have become the first thing that their eyes see in the morning and the last thing that they see before bed. These pictures have provided unrealistic standards as to what is considered beautiful in today’s society. As young people refer to these images as a form of comparison, it has created harmful circumstancesRead MoreThe Negativity Of Media Towards Woman1646 Words   |  7 Pageswe see†(Ossola, Alexandra). In the world we live in today we are constantly bombarded by impossible standards of how we should look and behave, and this has a very negative effect on women of all ages. Women suffer from horrible stereotypes and images that make them think less of themselves. Women start to believe they need to work harder yet stay home with their families, be skinny but not too skinny how can this be acceptable in today s society? Media also presents the idea to young children thatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Goldilocks And The Three Bears 2259 Words   |  10 PagesHere s a suggestion: Why don t we take a page from Goldilocks and the Three Bears and learn successful editing by processing our images three times to create the not too hot, not too cold, but ahhh, this is just right version of our images. For anyone growing up in suburbia, taking Little Red Riding Hood or Hansel Gretel too literally may not seem relevant; but as an adult, the more images I process, the more the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears rings tru e. If Goldilocks used Adobe

Reflection free essay sample

And also there some difficulties and things which I have to correct for next time if I have to write this type of assignment. First I will write about positive things which I found helped me finishing this case study on time. Case study started on 17 th September, when I went ward for this I was clear of my objectives and goal to achieve. I got chance to select any patient I want from any where I choose, so I have chosen the patient from same ward I m working. Therefore I was very familiar with patients and their relatives, especially disease condition of the patients. I have chosen a patient whom I was caring since her admission. But for the case study I needed more than just routine caring but patient. Thus very easily that patient has given verbal consent to make case study on her disease condition. I built good rapport with the patient which made it easily to communicate and give health education to her. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Next things is I got so much support from ward incharge, as I couldn’t get any kind of leave, she arranged my duties all morning shift as I wanted and allocated me only for that cubicles where my case study patient was. I’m really thankful for her doing that. In ward other nurses also tried to make those 5 days duties easily for me and helped a lot in my work.Similarly my lecturer helped me a lot during the case study, she came to ward when I was doing case studying explained objectives and gave time to clear doubts. She watched closely during the course and advised to finish when there was time. She advised lot of time to plan and organize the time. However there were some difficulties like doing duty and part time studying is hard. I can’t give as much time I give for studies. During this case study period, in some weeks I got only one off mostly that will be on Sunday, and sometime called for duty because of lack of nurses. I tried my best to finish before, so that I can give for feedback.But duties were too hectic and too tiring, some days I was unable to touch the assignment. Unavailability of books from library after reserving that book for long time most difficult situation I faced. Similarly inaccessibility for hinari and ebsco full text researches was also a problem I faced. Lot of my time I spend on searching for articles, researches and journal for literature review. Likewise because of unable to manage time, ACLS classes and exam took lot of time which I could have given to case study. Unfortunately, I m not very good at managing my time, I believe this was biggest problem.So for future improvement I must learn how to manage my time. There were so many other interruptions during the case study time. Although there was a lot of work in preparing this assignment, improvements always can be made. If again I got chance to write this type this of assignment, I will start writing case study same day I start caring the patient. This time i started writing case after finishing five days of clinical. I thought I can write this with in few days. But know I realized that if I would want best out this assignment I would have given enough time for this, prepared more, and organized.

Miguel Street free essay sample

Naipaul’s Miguel Street Miguel Street is his semi-autobiographical work which occurs during World War II in Port of Spain, Tobago and Trinidad. The island of Trinidad, where the stories are set, was a Spanish colony,that was ceded to Britain when they had already passed through many other coloners’ hands. Trinidad and Tobago owes their main origins to massive eighteenth and nineteenth century importations of African slaves and East Indian servants who were needed to work on the sugar plantations. During the 1930s, Trinidad and Tobago suffered severely from the effects of the worldwide depression. The book may be set in a particular time during the 40s, but not in a real chronological order. The author of this work, V. S. Naipaul is an Indian writer from Trinidad who has written many novels that are set in a continuous changing world: The Caribbean Islands of the Commonwealth. He seems to focus on writing about the story of places and peoples that are usually forgotten. Miguel Street, as I have said before, seems to be a semi-autobiographical work, since is divided into seventeen chapters; which are interpreted to be based in the author’s personal life. All stories take place in a small community in Miguel Street, Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago). However, Naipaul himself remains unnamed throughout the entire novel. Naipaul seems to be himself the narrator; he writes from the first-person and describes his own experiences in each episode through several characters. In every chapter, he focuses in one individual; while the rest of them, remain in the background as they were part of the setting. All together helps to depict that small world of failure and disillusionment in Miguel Street. The chapters are almost interchangeable, the only obvious exceptions being the two last chapters which I consider the climax of the novel. What links the story and the characters together is the destiny of disillusionment in which they all take part. In the end, the escape seems to be the main theme; while a constant recalling of childhood is present with all the nostalgia and feeling of alienation that links all those community members of Miguel Street. But a closer examination of the book reveals us another pattern far from being just an inventory or collection of characters. It opens with the story of Bogart; who uses the nickname of a Hollywood star. To escape the boredom the community produces him, Bogart tries to be the most glamorous men of Miguel Street. The truth comes out when police catches him and accuses him of bigamist who has run out of two women â€Å"to be a man, among we men†. Popo, the following character, is said to be a carpenter; but actually he has never build a thing with his own hands. The narrator expresses how he liked watching him pretending to work. The failure comes when Popo is discovered to be a furniture thief. When he comes out of prison, he establishes a stable family and starts making real furniture. George of the Pink House, is depicted as a bully whose failure to manage his family leads to his inevitable failure in life. He is the very antithesis of the father-figure. He beats his wife to her death, and the only channel of escape is oppressing his children, especially his daughter. He is said to be â€Å"too stupid for a big man† inside the community. The story of George’s son Ellias, is also another great example of frustration and failure. His ambition is to be a doctor, but he is depicted as being not very intelligent, although he works hard enough to reach a school level. In the end, Ellias, disillusioned and finding no escape anywhere, becomes a scavenger (Sp. â€Å"chatarrero†? ). One of the most well drawn characters in Miguel Street is the mysterious B. Wordsworth (B for Black) who comes and goes as well. He lives in a house full of symbolism; coconut trees, plum trees, and a big mango tree: â€Å"The place looked wild, as if it wasn’t in the city at all†. He is like living among nature, typical romantic, and â€Å"living as if he was doing it for the first time in his life†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . He is comparable to Popo in doing a â€Å"thing with no name†, which means he is being involved in a never ending pursuit of writing â€Å"the best poem in the world†. Here, the element of escapism is obvious. B Wordsworth also develops a great friendship with the narrator. When the pseudo poet dies, the boy-narrator finds himself just like a poet: â€Å"full of grief†. The narrator explains how he felt when he returned to the pink house a year after, and he could not see anything similar to the pink house: no evidence of coconut tree nor plum tree. â€Å"Just as if B. Wordsworth had never existed†. In all those stories Naipaul depicts a whole bunch of men and their vulnerability, their failure, their passive- willing to escape. Not to mention that he depicts some women characters as well. Such is Laura, who is introduced as â€Å"holding a world record for having eight children by seven fathers†. Lorna, Laura’s daughter, becomes pregnant. Laura’s world seems to crumble, so she drowns into the sea. For her, it seems to be no escape from failure. Moreover, again a woman enters into Miguel Street’s world. This woman, who is related to the character of Hat; affects the relationship within the community of Miguel Street. She is later discovered with another man and becomes finally a victim of Hat’s violence. Hat ends up in prison accused of murder. Although the two principal characters in Miguel Street (Hat and the narrator) are always present; we don’t see them in detail until the end, when the failure and disillusionment and departure has been established. We can see Hat as a kind of â€Å"the adult consciousness† of the narrator. The departure of Hat from the street is quite sad for all of them, even more for the young narrator; but the life in Miguel Street keeps going forward. When Hat is released, four years have passed, and the narrator is already a man; and he no longer needs Hut. â€Å"when Hat went to prison, a part of me died†. In the final chapter, we find the narrator’s departure from Miguel Street, and Trinidad. His escape from failure is to go away from the disappointing changelessness of Miguel Street. Indeed, his escape appears to be a scholarship abroad, maybe equivalent to emigration. In Miguel Street, Naipaul stresses the fact that in a society like this which has not yet defined its goals, the individual is unlikely to achieve fulfillment in life. We find a little bit of humor among all those men in Miguel Street; because as the author says â€Å"life in the West Indies would be impossible without sense of humor†. But behind humor, a bitter reality undergoes. In a region where a constant racial and cultural mixing over centuries have resulted in heterogeneity, any ethnic ideal clashes with the reality of everyday life. Naipaul wants us to understand this willingness to change, a readiness to accept anything that comes; relating it with the dilemmas of Trinidadian working class life; victim of colonialism. 2. Lucy, Chapter 1: Poor Visitor (By Jamaica Kincaid). Jamaica Kincaid; is the author of Lucy; novel from which â€Å"Poor visitor† fragment is taken. The author was born as Elaine Potter Richardson, in Antigua (in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region). Antigua, would not gain full independence from British colonial rule until 1981. The author then, original from this particular island in the West Indies, seems to look back at her life to inspire fiction; such as the effects of colonialism, and feelings of alienation; mostly. In this chapter called â€Å"Poor Visitor†; the narrator is the protagonist at the same time. As readers, we just know that she comes from a tropical zone; that we associate directly to the home of the author; somewhere in the Caribbean Islands. Our protagonist is a young woman who has emigrated from her wild home land to live in the big city and start over new in a new land â€Å"full of opportunities†; which I guess it would be New York (although any name of countries or places are revealed, at least in this first chapter , we have some clues such as â€Å"there were lights everywhere†, â€Å"a famous building, an important street, a park, a bridge that when built was thought to be a spectacle†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦). However, she never appears to fit in her own American Dream. From the beginning, she expresses the disillusionment of arriving in a new country that she may had idealized before: â€Å"In a day-dream I used to have, all these places were points of happiness to me, all these places were lifeboats to my small drowning soul, for I would imagine myself entering and leaving them†. She is disappointed because all the landmarks were not as vivid as they were in her daydreams. Now these landmarks are worn down and dirty. This disillusionment may come from the great wish of departure; which at first was seen as something she really wished to; but how she depicts it herself, as not fitting in the big city nor with anything surrounding her. In America, Lucy is now bombarded with all the new elements which seem so integrated in our globalized society (refrigerator, lift, radio, the apartment); and forcing herself to adjust the way she thinks about the world. During her first unhappy days Lucy constantly thinks how uncomfortable the new can make you feel. Not to mention the feeling of alienation she may feel taking care of a bunch of â€Å"yellow-haired† kids and going to school in her only spare time at night. Moreover, the layer of dreams are also important to mention, since they are part of the symbolism in the text, and they intercalate every now and then among the bitterness of the chapter. We can see how she dreams about her cousin, or how she dreams about a cotton flannel nightgown made in Australia (female dresses to sleep; as a pajama made of flannel). It is not till the end of the chapter where we can see the full symbolic meaning of dreams: She is at a dinner table; explaining a dream that she had to the members of the family. In the dream, the family appears; and this fact makes them feel little pity for Lucy. In these last lines of the chapter, she is discussing with herself whether she shall leave America again or not. She is also reasoning what she had meant, by telling them that dream. She concludes that she had taken the family in, â€Å"because only people who are very important to her had ever shown up in her dreams† . There she is putting the family in the same sack where she once had put the cousin dream or the pijama dream . A good example of this alienation is that Lucy never mentions her job as â€Å"au pair† for example. She has entered bravely into a new world, but now she feels alone in it. She sometimes feels homesick and surprised that she is missing even the things she disliked â€Å"a person would leave a not very nice situation and go somewhere else, somewhere a lot better, and then long to go back where one came from it was not very nice†. Here is when she sleeps and sleeps just because she doesn’t want to take in anything else; that those dreams recalling her home land appear. Somewhere in the past, the thought of being in her present situation had been a comfort, but now she does not even have this to look forward. Once her dream was escaping from her home land, but now that she has achieve it, looks like it is not enough for her. The alienation is such, that even the family whom she is living with; is able to feel it â€Å"they began to call me The Visitor. They said I seemed not to be a part of things, as if I did not live in their house with them, as if they weren’t like a family to me, as if I were just passing through†. Jamaica Kincaid, the author of Lucy, has well depicted this feeling of alienation she may had felt once; hrough Lucy’s disconnection from what she is actually doing to make a living abroad. She may had forced herself to the outside world; being ready or not. She may had pretended to be happy or fulfilled once. She may had felt this â€Å"artificial happiness† just like Lucy when dancing with the maid.