Types of birth control for women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Types of birth control for women - Essay Example The choice that most women make depends on their health, how frequent she copulates and whether she whether she wants children. Lifestyle plays a big part in the choice of birth control methods. On the contrary, contraceptives vary in their effectiveness to prevent birth control to women. Possible side effects play a crucial part in how women choose their birth control methods. The types of birth control methods are abstinence, natural methods and methods that prevent unwanted pregnancies.Women can decide to abstain from sexual activities as a method of birth control. It is the best method for women who want to control unwanted pregnancies and protect themselves from STI. On the other hand, natural method helps women in birth control to prevent the pregnancies by copulating during their safe days. Safe days are the days during their menstrual cycle when they can copulate without getting pregnant. Women who use this method have to be certain of the menstrual cycle. The method is commo n for women who are in a stable relationship but do not want to have a baby. The method prevents birth control but does not stop the women from being infected with sexually transmitted diseases.Women are administered with injections that prevent their bodies from releasing eggs into the ovaries. Women also attach a patch on their body that boosts hormones into the bodies of women to regulate the release of eggs in the ovary. Other methods of the same kind include vaginal ring and birth controls pills.â€Æ'

Human resource development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human resource development - Essay Example The company employs about 50,000 personnel, in 34 countries and worldwide branded returns in 2011 were approximately ?13bn ($21bn). All the success of Virgin Group can be attributed to Richard Branson effective leadership. Branson dropped out of school at the age of 16 and yet he has managed to build a business empire through his ability to influence his employees towards achievement of his vision and the set goals. Some of the quality leadership traits of Richard Branson are extravert; he is charismatic, loves being around people and fun. Secondly, he respects people and as a result provides great value to the people who work under him. Thirdly, time management; he has managed to build many companies in a short-duration of time- there are always new projects undergoing in the company (Zacharo, 2001). Fourthly, delegation- Branson portrays willingness to step back and allow others to take on key positions in the company. Branson argues, â€Å"For as much as you need a strong persona lity to build a business from scratch, you must also understand the art of delegation. I have to be willing to step back now," he admits. "I have to be good at helping people run the individual businesses – it can’t just be me that sets the culture when we recruit people† (Crush, 2010, par. 4). Branson also encourages people to generate ideas and then he backs them up. He connects with employees across all levels and verticals. He has also build trust among the top management as he gives stakes and does not interfere. Branson is also a leader who always has a vision; he has more than 400 companies yet he is still looking out for more: he sees opportunities for growth everywhere. In spite of his prosperity, he has not let go his profit-making objectives and sometimes he appears to initiate new undertakings on a nearly daily basis (Dearlove, 2007). Lastly, Branson is a friendly and outgoing person, as portrayed in the book â€Å"Business the Richard Branson Wayâ⠂¬  by Des Dearlove (2007). He captivates the employees and public through the unexpected prospect of making the grey world sparkle with fun as well as excitement. He creates an exciting work culture in order to motivate and retain good people (Dearlove, 2007). Richard Branson is a great leader and his unique leadership style has been quite effective; he has shown that any person can get very far in life in spite of the type of background they have and the kind of history they have. He has many leadership abilities and an electric personality, which makes him one of the most influential and effective business leaders in the world. Training and Development for Increasing Branson Attributes Development of the right people- The Virgin Group has developed rapidly because of a clear focus on the development of the right people, using the right systems, the right organizational structure and motivating the groups’ new projects. Leaders should have a clear leadership strategy like Sir Richard Bryson in which the key to build business shrewdness is developing a work environment that enables the employees to use their ideas as well as let go of their pent-up frustration which can build when people have ideas but experience difficulties realizing them

Video games in pop-culture Essay Example for Free

Video games in pop-culture Essay Video games and computer games (from here on both categories will be simply referred to as video games for simplicity) have entered the domain of pop culture fairly recently. Although the first video game was developed in 1958 by William Higginbotham, their popularity didn’t occur until the seventies with the appearance of Pac-man and Frogger in the arcades (Computer and Video Games). If the younger generation of video game consumers would take a look at what was out there when the video game boom begun they wouldn’t be able to understand what was so attractive (and addictive?) about Pac-man and Frogger? The truth is, video games from over three decades ago share the same basic principles with the games we have out there right now. Let’s face it, we like video games because they provide us with interactive entertainment. In other words, we’re genuinely entertained by colorful objects that move on the TV/computer screen when we press certain buttons. I suggest that it is the overwhelming gratification that we experience from actually having absolute and unconditional control over something in our lives. Another suggestion that I have is that video games share the same elements or even directly imitate traditional games such as tag, ping-pong, chess, hopscotch etc. ; video games allow us to engage in these games easily, without any stigma or significant effort on our parts. Video games are fun, inexpensive, can become a social activity allowing friends to play along, and sometimes they’re even mentally stimulating if not challenging. They’ve been a real hit every since they came out and today the video game industry has grown significantly. However, let’s examine the circle of people that are involved in production and design of video games. As long ago as video games first became popular their manufacturers turned them into sellable products. It seems a bit ridiculous that a video game can cost as much as $50 (for a good video game), however, this amount seems almost justified if we consider all the effort put into the creation of a good video game. There are perhaps more steps involved in the creation of video games then in a production of a music album. First of all, behind every great game there’s a great idea, which most often have been proven to be interesting to human brain in real life (tag, chess, checkers, etc.). However, this idea has to be turned into machine language, so then it could be displayed on the TV/computer screen in the digital format. Second, there’s a wealth of robust and â€Å"well-polished† computer software behind every good video game. Good video games are well-implemented and, therefore, run with no problems – example of good computer design. Bad games are poorly â€Å"written†, therefore, crash often and require frequent resets (turning the video game console/computer off and back on). Third, there’s the testing stage, where beta-testers (pro gamers, hired by manufacturers) test the games for â€Å"bugs†, â€Å"glitches†, and â€Å"crashes† (various code problems). If the game passes the tests with few problems it gets released and advertised. Highly anticipated games are advertised long before their release by means of internet teaser videos, information from the developers and screenshots taken during the development/testing phase. Games that are expected to make it big are even advertised on television. But why do we listen to these ads and buy video games, one might ask, don’t we have more important things to occupy our free with? This question brings to the discussion of the social world involvement in the video game industry. Indeed, we, as consumers, both passive and active, create the context and content for video games. A lot of games, as I’ve already mentioned earlier in this essay revolve around activities we enjoy in real life such as analog games, sports, social interactions, operating various devices, working a job, solving problems, managing finances, dancing but most importantly fantasizing. Most people given the possibility would love to engage in a variety of activities that are outside their usual mundane existence. While the living out these activities might be a bit complicated for a variety of reasons starting from time and ending with money, their virtual representation are readily available in a digital format. There are literally tons of video games out there that simulate all sorts of sports, their popularity is especially high among Americans who idealize a fit, toned and healthy body image and an active lifestyle. Video games also burrow heavily from other forms of popular entertainment such as movies, cartoons, books, music, television game shows, commix etc. These genres sometimes attempt to do the same and burrow content from video games only to fail miserably every single time (Bloodrayne, Doom, Dungeons and Dragons). Perhaps, the reason why this happens is because video games in addition to mind blowing special effects and often great story lines and excellent voice-over/soundtrack also offer interactivity (active participation f the player). Refined of participation element video game-to-movie adaptations are like about as entertaining as a video game with no controller to manipulate the characters and the outcomes. This gives evidence that shows that although video games represent a humongous industry and have a great diversity of products, they are nothing without the social world. Whether we’re simulating a football game, controlling an army of monsters or flying on a magic carpet we’re doing nothing else but living out our fantasies which are based on something we’ve (a) actually participated in, (b) would like to participate in or (c) simply heard of, read about or saw on pictures/video. However, there are of course more complex situations when games come very close to offer the players a virtual reality filled with possibilities limited only by the context of the game. There are games that offer entire virtual islands with their own flora and fauna for players to explore. In a sense, this puts the idea of content of video games being dictated by reality under question and opens a debate on whether video games will ultimately become substitutes for reality. As consumers it is up to us to answer this question for ourselves. Before we explore our options, however, let’s take a look around and see who the consumers of video games are. Video games have gained massive popularity due to their dramatically increasing variety. Decades ago when video games were just starting to develop this domain of the market was aimed primarily at high-school age boys. This was primarily due to the character of older video games, which centered on shooting, fighting and other activities typical (although not exclusive) to males. Now, as games are becoming more and more diverse women have been steadily joining this entertainment industry branch and now constitute 26% of the entire gaming world (Ulmer). Adult males (18+) are currently the world’s biggest video game consumers (38%), younger boys (ages 6-17) now only represent 21% of the total consumers. The mean age of video game consumers has risen to 29 (Ulmer), which means that this sector of the entertainment market is now dominated by college students and young working professionals, as opposed to high school boys. Other data from presented by James Ulmer of hollywoodreporter. com reveals that video games is a multi-billion dollar industry which keeps growing larger each year. It has shifted its consumer base by expanding towards a more mature audience and towards women as well. A direction of such character, based on the data, did not only help this industry acquire new customers but also dramatically increased this industry’s annual profits worldwide. Returning to the consumers, as we’ve observed, video games today are no longer an exclusively younger male entertainment; by expanding the market to both sexes and raising the target age average video game industry has now become inseparable from pop-culture. Movies, books, music and other segments of pop-culture inevitably influence content and context of video games; in fact video games are so closely tied to the rest of the media these days that one can find these products bundled together in one item at stores like Virgin, Borders, Best Buy and others. However, video games is multi-faced phenomenon; it’s as much a part of world’s pop-culture as it is an art form and a simulator of reality. It is only a matter of time before people realize and experience a fuller range of applications of video games. These discoveries are, however, in minds and hands of researchers and developers, we are but passive observers of their innovations and active participants of their popular products. Only time will show. Works Cited â€Å"Computer and Video Games†. 8 Mar. 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 7 Mar. 2006. Ulmer, James. â€Å"Broadband rules in rapidly expanding global video game market†. TheHollywoodReporter. com. 27 Sep. 2004. VNU eMedia, Inc. 7 Mar. 2006.

Discuss The Concepts Of Health

Discuss The Concepts Of Health This assignment is a reflection of team work in the first enquiry. This assignment is going to discuss the concepts of health, my beliefs about health and illness, and how the unit may have altered my views on health. Health as a concepts means different to different people. Some believe health as a state of being free from disease but some believe that this definition is limited. It is so hard to define health. There is no any universal definition of health (Taylor, 2008- p5frog). So health is a dynamic concepts and complex whose definition varies with the context in which the term is used. There are various prospective to understand health. Health can be understood on biological approach, biomedical approach, behavioural approach, spiritual approach, health education approach, public health approach and many more. Biological approach explores the role of genes. Biomedical approach looks health and illness in terms of pathology of individual. Behavioural approach promotion of health that focus on risk factors and lifestyle behaviour. Public health approach stress on reducing disease prevalence rate and prevention of non-communicable disease (Keleher and MacDougall, 2008- p5 cactus). However, heal th can be culturally understood differently to Indigenous Australian and differently to western countries and non- western countries. For instance, Indigenous believe that notion of health and well-being related to family, community and connectedness to traditional land. They rather ignore individual as a separate entity (Taylor, 2008- p6frog). According to Keleher and MacDougall (2008), understanding health is built upon broad notions of health that recognise the range of social, economical, and environmental factors that contribute to health (p. 6-7 cactus). It seems that people are the focal point to derive the proper concepts of health. Keleher and MacDougall (2008-p6 cactus) argue that peoples prospective is the major steps to understand the health. Many studies show that health is related to state of wellbeing and illness. Western cultural countries like Australia also believe that health is the absence of diseases or pathogens in an individual (Taylor, 2008 p 10frog). Different people think health in different ways. Sandra Taylor (200 8 p6 frog) argues that meaning of health is influenced by socio-cultural factors like gender, age, ethnicity and also culture. Number of studies show that men and women have different ratio to seek health information. Sandra Taylor claims that female are proactive than man to seek health information (p.6). Beside this demography is a consistent factor influencing health of individual. Sandra Taylor argues that people living in rural area associate health and wellbeing as more productive, experienced better health care and able to get health services in time (P-7). I am from very remote and isolated town. I have experienced the important of health. I believe that health is a wealth that an individual earn in life. Without the sound health it is hard to perform life sustaining activities like job, physical activities and much more other things. Socio-Culture affects the beliefs of people. There are strong religious thoughts and practice to cure illness and analyse heath issues. I born in Hindu family and being a Hindu family, one has different ways to treat the disease or illness. People believed that illness use to be due to wrong work done upon spirit. There are number of places in Asia where still people believe on god of spirit for the family and community welfare. God or goddess was worship when a person gets sick. Only few people living in and around the town areas could get heath measures. But many people passed away without seeing a single hospital bed. Though, people used to take patients to hospital, at the last hours only after a person with supernormal skills give-up, and the patients die before reaching to the hospital. So, in this contexts, health meant different to those lived with me and to the others lived in and around the town. This was the understanding of health when I was in Bhutan and also in Refugee camp in Nepal. It has been claimed that; All of these variables have an impact on patients health care usage. General practitioners need to be aware of the individualism of their patients, and recognise that predisposing culture and beliefs may influence the management of patients in general practice (Ten Wett, 1998. p 773). I believe health is also influences by behaviour also. Cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of physical exercise and many other day to day activities could accelerate the health problems. Health studies show that lung cancer is the effect of smoking (Taylor, 2010), asthma cause by smoking and environmental pollutant (Dawbin and Roger, 2008), diabetes type-2, obesity, are cause by the lack of physical activities, food habit, and junk food consumption. All the above mentioned causes are practiced first and felt in the trouble with diseases and illness. People could change this behaviour and standardised their lifestyle if they really think about it. For instance, smoking behaviour could be reduced and physical activities could be increased to avoid asthma or lung cancer. Financial condition influences the heath. For instance, to receive appropriate health services or medications, a person had to have a good amount in hand. It still exists in many parts of the world. I have had an experience of visiting traditional herbalist when I was sick in Bhutan instead of treatment in hospital. It was free in my country because of big forest where we get herbs. It was hard to get General Practitioner (GP) and consult about the issues surgical operation and organ transplantation in those places. One had to keep whole land in mortgage to visit doctor in India or Bangladesh. Illness is the condition of health. Richard; Cumming, Robert; Woodward, Alistair and Black, Megan [2010]. Passive smoking and lung cancer: a cumulative meta-analysis. [Online]. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, v.25, no.3, June 2001: 203-211. Retrieved on 24 Apr10 from http://0-search.informit.com.au.alpha2.latrobe.edu.au/fullText;dn=200111944;res=APAFT> ISSN: 1326-0200. Dawbin, D., Rogers, A.(2008). Age Care in Australia; Common Health Conditions, pp 147. Press: Ligare Pty., Riverwood NSW2210 Ten, V., Wett, L. (2010). Caring for the Chinese patient in general practice. Australian Family Physician. Australian Family Physician v.27 no.9 Sept 1998: 773-775. Retrieved on April 24, 2010 from http://0-search.informit.com.au.alpha2.latrobe.edu.au/search;rs=4;rec=1;action=showCompleteRec MY Thoughts This is my reflective thoughts on health issues. This reflection is based on the learning outcome that I have achieved and done oral and written presentation in the first enquiry. This reflection will help me to understand the concepts of health and strategies used in treating different diseases and viewed through different perspectives by individuals and social responses. Concepts of human health have broad meanings and concepts. People have different thoughts and different connotation for health. Some believe health as a state of being free from any disease. For some health means having balance and stability in their lifestyle, for others it could be their capability in carrying out their responsibilities and also to remain fit and healthy (Taylor, 2008, p5). According to World Health Organisation (WHO, 1974) health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. However, this definition is criticised by many people due to its subjective nature and the problems in the definition of health. According to Sian Keane, health professionals must understand the concept of health from the perspective view of people with disabilities. She argues that health professionals must not focus on the narrow clinical aspects of illness and disability; rather it is best to accept these indivi duals as fully fit and capable of health within the context of their disability. She further says that health professionals often overlook the proper management and promotion of health for people with disability. They have wrong perceptions about their specific needs and their treatments. In fact, health promotion for people with disability is the same as appropriate with non-disable people (Keane, Disability; A guide for Health Professionals, (1996, p320). As such the concept of health is dynamic and complex whose definition varies with the context in which the term is used. In fact, the concept of health is rooted in the unique individual, family, social, cultural and geographical contexts in which the term is used; as such, it is said to be socially and culturally constructed (Taylor, p5). Culture and ethnic background plays an important role in influencing concepts in understanding health, health related issues, illness, their beliefs and expectations of health services from health care providers. Understanding peoples belief and their needs are very important for the care givers or health professionals. The concept of health is well understood by the main-stream Australian society on the basis of illness and disease in individuals and the belief in biomedical approach and the absence of pathology in human body (Taylor, p5). Indigenous people and people from other cultures have different approaches or typical way of understanding of health and health related issues in relation to physical, mental, emotional and their possible causes and treatments. For example in our culture, we believe in our traditional medicine (Herbal or Ayurvedic medicine) extracted from medicinal plants to prevent or cure certain diseases. We also believe in homeopathy, an alternative form of me dicine. Besides western biomedical treatments, traditional medicines are normally prescribed representing the co-existence of different cultural beliefs. Health is understood by people in different perspectives through experience and influenced by different factors such as biological, psychological and social through complex interactions between different cultures. According to Taylor men and women in Australia have different approaches to health related issues, behaviours and exposure to risk factors. Women are more vulnerable to psychological stress than men but more positive in seeking first hand information regarding their health and actively take preventive measures. There are some other factors that impact on health of people according to their family history, their disposable income and experience. It also depends on their living standards and geographical locations. As I come from different culture and place where we didnt have access to basic health facilities so I always wondered what it would be to understand the whole setting. I lived in a refugee camp where I had spent more than eighteen years and I had seen people affected with different diseases both communicable and non-communicable. Most of them could not get medical help as there were no doctors or nurses available and lack of financial support on time so they were just left with no options but to seek help from local shaman to ward off evil spirits from their bodies. As most of the people were illiterate who didnt understand and trust modern medicine and doctors, most of us did not know how it worked as there were no health promotion campaign and awareness of different diseases and their possible treatments. I have seen people afflicted with some of the worst kind of diseases and spent their whole miserable life without any help until they died. Most of the family members in the commu nity just waited helplessly to end his or her life. I have seen some of my own friends, relatives and neighbours dying of diseases which were treatable only if they had access to medical facilities and medicines in time. For example I nearly died of typhoid, jaundice and cholera when I was in the refugee camp and on top of that I was malnourished and didnt know that it is all due to unhygienic food, lack of clean drinking water and polluted environment. I relied on herbal medicines and animism form of worship, as there were no possible help to get treated with western medicines. As such the whole scenario has changed my understanding of health and treatment of different diseases through different means of settings. It is all possible to understand the concept of health by following the correct form of practising health and hygiene. Now we have been resettled here in Australia so we have access to medical facilities but still some of the elderly people in our community do not trust m edicines prescribed by the practitioners. Better health is central to human happiness and well-being. It also makes an important contribution to economic progress, as healthy populations live longer, are more productive, and save more. Many factors influence health status and a countrys ability to provide quality health services for its people. Ministries of health are important actors, but so are other government departments, donor organizations, civil society groups and communities themselves. For example: investments in roads can improve access to health services; inflation targets can constrain health spending; and civil service reform can create opportunities or limits to hiring more health workers. WHOs work on Health and development tries to make sense of these complex links. It is concerned with the impact of better health on development and poverty reduction, and conversely, with the impact of development policies on the achievement of health goals. In particular, it aims to build support across government for higher levels of investment in health, and to ensure that health is prioritized within overall economic and development plans. In this context, health and development work supports health policies that respond to the needs of the poorest groups. WHO also works with donors to ensure that aid for health is adequate, effective and targeted at priority health problems. This website provides an update on WHO activities in the area of health and development, including recent publications, reports of country work and information on training courses and capacity-building activities

Frankenstein essay :: English Literature

Frankenstein essay The monster is called such because of his appearance; Frankenstein could be judged a monster because of his actions. Who do you think is most monstrous and why? Support your opinion with references to Shelly’s book, Pullmans play and any other interpretations you have seen. To answer this question we must first define the term monster. There are many ways a person can be a monster. If someone does not look good they are defined as a monster, if someone kills people they are defined as a monster, and if their beliefs are different to ours we also call them a monster. Keeping all this in mind it is very hard to label someone or something a monster, but in this essay I will try to describe who is more monstrous- the creator Frankenstein or his creation the monster. Frankenstein could be called a monster because he is trying to play god. He created the monster from the bodies of the dead so this makes him a monster because he will be causing masses of emotional pain to the relatives of the dead. However this could also be a strong proof of his humanity because his experiments show the curious nature that is in every human; he has just taken it one step further and decided to act on his curiosity. Atheist’s who don’t believe in life after death could even call him good hearted because he is recycling! Another reason for Frankenstein being monstrous is that he decided to try and play god a second time when he wanted to create the monster a bride. However this was done at the monsters request so it could be argued that this shows the humane side of Frankenstein because it shows compassion for others. He realized the monster was lonely so decided to create him a companion. The monster could be called more monstrous than Frankenstein because of two reasons. One he looks like a monster and as he is made from the rotting flesh of dead he probably smells like one too. The second reason is because he kills innocent people; this is portrayed in all versions of the story that I have seen/read so far. Pullmans play explains the murder by saying it was a revenge act against Frankenstein who in abandoning him caused him lots of emotional pain. The monster wanted to see him hurt. Most versions of the story agree with this view but brook’s version explains the murder of the child as an experiment. The monster had seen flowers can float so wanted to see if humans could float as well.

Bowen/Differentiation Ouline for Essay with Goals and Intervention Samples

Outline for Bowen paper on Beginning, Middle, End goals/interventions 1. a joing family as a coach, healthy triangle look up beginning stages of therapy limit emotional reactivity experimental therapy – teacher/coach b. therapeutic alliance/relationship c. how change brought about? Through insight†¦ For Bowen theory – insight gained by looking at patterns in famly/genogram For Behavior therapy – shaping For cognitive therapy – challenging destructive schema Structural therapy- realigning structure Bowen – 1. Insight2. Multi-generation transmission 3. Differentiation of self 2. skip . vignette – conceptualization/hypotheses 4. 3 stage treatment plan (beginning, middle, end of therapy) a. global goals b. interventions Beginning goals/interventions 1. Make client feel safe/build rapport/build relationship 2. Ask their goals 3. question about their family positions 4. empathy/active listening 5. symptom relief – ask about symptoms, wh at brings them to therapy, not taking sides, repeat (mirror), no judging a. Build working hypothesis – ask clarifying questions, seating position Middle goal for Bowenian Therapy 1. Id subsystems, hierachy, genome relationships . Bowen Goal: Begin challenging pathological beliefs/faulty cognitions (intervention) – genogram 3. Bowen Goal: Reach differentiation Intervention – 4 Bowen Goal: Assist family in looking at family dynamics: Intervention – Genogram End 1. Time to end when believe they are able to maintain change/and how a. Client/clients have maintained change for some time in therapy b. Learn to deal with loss, if attached to therapist c. Have a plan i. resources ii. index cards d. Review progress iii. Bowen copy of genogram, beginning and end iv. Bowen – copy of CED, other tests

The Cask of Amontillado and A Rose for Emily

Edgar Allan Poe and William Faulkner are both prize-winning American authors and poets, who wrote some of the most memorable short stories, novels, and poems in the world. The two short stories that stand out the most to perhaps every student are titled The Cask of Amontillado by Poe and A Rose for Emily by Faulkner. Both of these stories include death, revenge, mystery, and murder. The Cask of Amontillado is about two men named Montreso and Fortunato. Montreso is seeking revenge on his friend, Fortunato. The only matter that is certain is that Montreso is angry with Fortunato, so angry that he seeks evil revenge. The story leads on allowing the reader to wonder will happen to Fortunato. Then there is the story, A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. He tells the story of an old woman who has died, named Emily. She was the talk of the town for many years, and the secrets of her life are revealed as her funeral allows the townspeople to enter her home. A few particular ways that Poe and Faulkner’s stories compare and contrast each other is by point of view and how each story is or is not told in chronological order. Each piece of literature effectively uses literary devices and conventions to illustrate the main points of the story and theme. They are alike in many ways, as they are different. Setting, point of view, characterization, climax, imagery, mood, and other effective literary devices are used throughout each story. Additionally, Poe and Faulkner were two men quite similar to one another, as in the two authors are known for being â€Å"dark† individuals with especially unique literary styles. While these stories contain specific differences in plot, such as holding onto the past and revenge, Poe and Faulkner’s works are as similar as the authors themselves. Edgar Allan Poe and William Faulkner The two authors are quite similar to one another, as they were both private men who expressed themselves in their writings. They are so much alike that their stories are quite similar. Both stories are considered to be â€Å"dark,† while Poe was always viewed as a dark and disturbed man. Faulkner wrote many different types of stories and not only dark stories like A Rose for Emily. Since they were such amazing writers, they were forced to be figures of the public eye while they fought for privacy. In 1827, Edgar Allan Poe enlisted in The United States Army using the name Edgar A.  Perry. After two years of service, he was discharged and went back to his hometown, Baltimore (Wilson, 2004). William Faulkner also tried to join the U. S. Army Air Force, but was turned down because of his short stature (Padgett, 2008). Death and Despair/Culture and Identity Poe and Faulkner’s stories coincide with one another because they are about death and despair. The underlying theme in The Cask of Amontillado is about death and despair. By the end of the story, the author has the reader pondering whether or not it would be justified to murder someone. In A Rose for Emily, the main theme is about culture and identity. The town of Jefferson is described as a small city that knows everyone’s business. Additionally, it is also about letting go of the past. The people of Jefferson keep worrying about the past and not the present, and so did Emily. She kept her dead lover’s body in an upstairs room in her house and did not want to let go of the past. Poe and Faulkner’s stories are somewhat alike, as the authors are alike. They took various literature classes before they became famous authors. Poe joined the Jefferson Literary Society and was quite successful (Wilson, 2004). On the other hand, Faulkner never graduated from high school, and quit school for good in 1915. Edgar Allan Poe suffered from a tragic, mysterious death that is still unknown to this day. William Faulkner died from a heart attack at the age of 64 and is buried at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Oxford (Padgett, 2008). The â€Å"Murderers† in The Cask of Amontillado and A Rose for Emily The authors of these stories create their main characters to be murderers. Therefore, both stories contain death. Montreso and Emily are the main characters of The Cask of Amontillado and A Rose for Emily, and both characters murder another character in the plot. There is one aspect of both stories that are related to one another, which is that both characters are not punished for their crimes. The only difference is that Fortunato’s body is never found in Montreso’s palazzo, and Emily’s lover, Homer, is found years after his death, and after Emily’s death. Montreso’s crime never comes to light, as he is writing about the murder 50 years after the fact. However, the townspeople of Jefferson end up discovering Emily’s crime. Even though the crime was eventually discovered, Emily was already gone and she could not be punished for murdering her lover. The reader may also believe that Poe and Faulkner’s stories are about revenge. While analyzing each story, one may discover that The Cask of Amontillado is about revenge and A Rose for Emily is more about holding on to the past. William Faulkner’s symbolism in A Rose for Emily is Homer’s body that was never put to rest. Emily was so focused on the past and what she had with Homer that she could not let him go. Therefore, she murdered him and kept him close to her. Both of the murderers, Montreso and Emily, are portrayed as crazy individuals to the reader who use creative, untraditional ways of murdering their victims. For example, Montreso kills his victim by chaining him to the wall of his palazzo and blocking him in by building another wall, as to bury him inside. Emily murders her love by purchasing arsenic and fooling Homer into consuming it. In some cases, it may even seem as though the authors portray their fictional characters to the people that they know in their lives. Homer and Fortunato Fortunato’s insult to Montreso was obviously extremely hurtful, which caused Montreso to seek a creative way to hurt his friend. The Cask of Amontillado is centered on revenge and death, as Montreso murders Fortunato. This also seems true with the plot arrangement for A Rose for Emily. However, it could be evident that Emily did not want to be embarrassed in front of the whole town. It is apparent that Homer and Emily slept together, which would be considered shameful for a single woman to sleep with a man at this time in America. Perhaps Emily did not want the townspeople to discover that Homer was not going to make her an honest woman and marry her; therefore she did the unthinkable. Characters Related to Authors Edgar Allan Poe and William Faulkner are known for incorporating their personal friendships, and even their own personalities, into their writings. One thing that I noticed in The Cask of Amontillado is that Montreso resembles Poe in appearance and mannerisms. The reader never sees what Montreso looks like; however one can imagine that he looks like Edgar Allan Poe, and he seems to act just like him as well. Additionally, the language that is used in both stories majorly reflects the time difference, as they were written many years ago. In Poe’s short story, Fortunato is murdered because of an insult he told Montreso. Poe’s personal and social life did not seem to fit Montreso’s, as he did not seem to have many friends. The reasons being are Poe’s famous poems about despair, loneliness, and heartache. Relationship with the Setting William Faulkner also incorporates his personal life into his writings. It is said that Faulkner wrote A Rose for Emily based off the personality of Emily Dickinson. Additionally, Edgar Allan Poe definitely seemed to have a fascination of death, as it is displayed in many of his writings including The Tell-Tale Heart. William Faulkner also seemed to have a fascination with death when he wrote A Rose for Emily as well as when he wrote his popular novel titled As I Lay Dying. In this novel, Faulkner uses the town of Jefferson for the setting, which is the same in A Rose for Emily. Perhaps Faulkner had a special relationship with the fictional city of Jefferson, Mississippi, which was really a made-up town much like the city he grew up in, Oxford, Mississippi (Padgett, 2008). Literary Devices and Conventions The overall comparison of the two stories and authors has been discussed and analyzed. Both authors effectively use literary devices and conventions to illustrate the theme including imagery, setting, symbolism, irony, plot, and point of view. What makes The Cask of Amontillado and A Rose for Emily so similar is the point of view and the similarity of the authors’ personalities. Edgar Allan Poe and William Faulkner were private men who expressed themselves through their writings, both were apparently fascinated with death, they enlisted in the Army, and they have used literary devices and conventions effectively to provoke anticipation and mystery throughout the story. Additionally, The Cask of Amontillado and A Rose for Emily are centered on death, revenge, and looking beyond the past. Both of the characters in each story, Montreso and Emily, are alike in that they do not receive punishments for their crimes. While Emily is portrayed as a crazy person to the townspeople, Montreso is also portrayed by the reader as a neurotic madman. Additionally, the characters in both stories are related to the authors who created them, as Faulkner reflected his personal life in his writings, while Poe used his imaginative mind many times. Poe and Faulkner use effective literary devices and conventions in each story, which is extremely important for any piece of literature to obtain. Literary devices comprise the story’s elements, which is how readers gain understanding of and appreciation for an author’s works (Braiman, 2007). The Cask of Amontillado and A Rose for Emily does an immaculate job at using effective literary devices and conventions throughout each piece of literature. Edgar Allan Poe and William Faulkner are somewhat alike in literary style as well as their personal lives, which allow the popular stories they have written to be alike in many different ways. These stories are alike, as they are different because of the two authors, death and despair, and how the characters relate to the authors. Poe and Faulkner’s literary techniques and stories are famous for a reason, which is because they are unique and imaginative.