Moon Palace by Paul Auster Essay Example for Free

Moon Palace by Paul Auster Essay This is the story of Marco Stanley Fogg, an orphan searching for love, his father and the key to the riddle of his origin and fate. Marcos mother was killed in a car accident when he was eleven years old, and he never knew who was his father. Since then he had lived with his Uncle Victor in a small apartment on 112th Street in N.Y. His Uncle was a part of a band who was named Wally Moon and preformed at the Moon Palace diner. When Stanley grew up he went to the University; Uncle Victor gave him for this occasion a present, one thousand books. Afterwards, his Uncle had suddenly died. Then Stanleys situation became worse; He saw his money dwindle to zero, he lost the apartment and wound up living in the streets (He slept for three weeks in Central Park without food and with little money). His friends David Zimmer and Kitty Wu had found him and took care of him til he recover from his illness. Staley lived in Zimmers house until he had moved away to another apartment, then Stanley searched for a new place to live and found a job as a live-in companion for an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair. He lived with him for about half year until the gentleman died. His name was Effing Thomas but his real name was Julian Barber. In the past he was a famous painter but he stopped painting after the death of his brother and he changed his name after being considered dead by mistake. Stanley and Effing were very bonded since Effing was like the father Stanley never had. Dear Diary June, 1967 Today I was again in Broadway Street where was Chandlers Bookstore. I had sold him another box of Uncle Victors book. Sure, I had already read them. I know that they were the only memory, which was left from my uncle, buy I need the money to pay the rent and to buy some food and eat. August, 1968 Today I woke up early in the morning and got out to the street. As I was walking I saw that the drugstore had been opened already, I entered and I dropped a penny into the drugstore Exacto scale to see what was happening to me. From 154 in June, I fell to 139 in July and then to 123 in august. For someone who measured slightly over six feet, this began to be dangerously little. August, 1969 Today Fernandez, the owner of the building, threw me out my apartment. I took my knapsack with a few odds and ends, tucked the clarinet case, that Uncle Victor had left to me, and walked out the door I dont know what Ill do, or where do Ill go October, 1970 Now I have just finished to type down the life story of Effing on the typewriter that he had gave me. I have copied it from the notes I had taken in those nights when we sat down after supper. Me on the sofa and him in his wheelchair. He had told everything; Why had he changed his name and why did he choose this name (Effing), why did he stop painting, what happened to his wife and to his son. And eventually he told me that when he will die he wants his body to be cremated.

Slaughterhouse-Five :: Literary Analysis, Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut was an anti-war book about the bombing of Dresden. The main theme of the book seemed to be fate, or that nobody has free will. Throughout the book, Billy, is randomly traveling in time. Whenever he has the opportunity to make a choice that would seem like the right, or intelligent thing to do, he does not, as he does not have the free will to make that choice. This also leads to Billy not caring about many things, knowing they will happen no matter what anybody does. As explained on the planet of Tralfamadore, Billy can not make any choices. The Tralfamadorians tell him that he lacks free will, saying "Only on Earth is there talk of free will" (109). One of the Tralfamadorians also said they were "trapped in another blob of amber" (108), referring to the fact that neither he or Billy can change anything in life, and that everything has been, is, and will be the same. The Tralfamadorians also know how the end of the universe will come. They will be testing their rocket fuel, and it will fail and destroy the entire universe. When Billy hears this, he asks "isn't there some way you can prevent it?" (149). The Tralfamadorians tell him that they cannot change it, as the pilot has always done it, and always will do it. This is likely when Billy finally loses all belief in the idea of free will. A main example of fate would be when Billy is on an airplane. In Slaughterhouse-Five, it states that "Billy, knowing the plane was going to crash pretty soon, closed his eyes, traveled in time back to 1944" (198). Soon after, "the plane smacked into the top of Sugarbush Mountain in Vermont. Everyone was killed but Billy and the copilot" (199). Instead of doing anything about it, Billy just waits for the plane to crash. If Billy had free will, he would have tried to warn the others on the plane, or not gotten onto it at all. Another good example of the lack of free will would be when Billy is about to die. Normally, someone would care about their death, but Billy does not. He locks up a tape in a safe-deposit box, saying "I, Billy Pilgrim, will die, have died, and always will die on February thirteenth" (180). Before he dies, he is giving a speech, and he knows that he will be assassinated.

Shallow Foundation

Shallow foundations Shallow foundations are those founded near to the finished ground surface; generally where the founding depth (Df) is less than the width of the footing and less than 3m. These are not strict rules, but merely guidelines: basically, if surface loading or other surface conditions will affect the bearing capacity of a foundation it is ‘shallow'. Shallow foundations (sometimes called ‘spread footings') include pads (‘isolated footings'), strip footings and rafts.Shallows foundations are used when surface soils are sufficiently strong and stiff to support the imposed loads; they are generally unsuitable in weak or highly compressible soils, such as poorly-compacted fill, peat, recent lacustrine and alluvial deposits, etc. Pad foundations Pad foundations are used to support an individual point load such as that due to a structural column. They may be circular, square or reactangular. They usually consist of a block or slab of uniform thickness, but th ey may be stepped or haunched if they are required to spread the load from a heavy column.Pad foundations are usually shallow, but deep pad foundations can also be used. Strip foundations Strip foundations are used to support a line of loads, either due to a load-bearing wall, or if a line of columns need supporting where column positions are so close that individual pad foundations would be inappropriate. The main area of strip foundation are buildings with heavy walls (brick, concrete, stone), and heavy floor slabs. Strip foundation is located on the perimeter exterior walls, and placed under the supporting inner walls of buildings or other areas with increased load.Also strip foundation is well-suited for homes, which is planned to create basement, garage or basement. Strip foundation is also suitable in the case of a possible slight deformation of the base. Typically, strip footing located below the level of soil freezing at 20 cm of sandy soil You can lay the strip foundation a nd higher levels of freezing, but not more than 60 cm from ground level. For deep-freezing and highly swelling soils usually strip foundation shall not apply. Process itself strip foundation construction is simple, on the other hand it requires a fairly high cost of materials and work on the construction of the foundation.There are criteria for the minimum thickness of the foundation, which can be used building a house. Thus, the minimum thickness of reinforced concrete strip foundation – 10 cm of concrete – 25 cm, rubble concrete foundation – 35 cm, well and laying of natural stone – 50 cm in the construction of strip foundation to be also take into account the permissible load on the soil under the foundation. For clay soils at a depth of 80 cm load should not exceed 2 kg/cm2. In addition to pouring the foundation concrete mixtures, often strip foundations erected using ready-made foundation blocks or bricks.This speeds up the process of building a foun dation. It should also be noted that during the construction of strip foundation is an opportunity to save money raising the foundation to the full depth only during the construction of heavy structures. There is still the most reliable option strip foundation remains solid foundation, more time-consuming and requires prior creating formwork and reinforcement training design to increase strength strip foundation. And in this case, the valves must be connected to each other by welding. Raft foundationsRaft foundations are used to spread the load from a structure over a large area, normally the entire area of the structure. They are used when column loads or other structural loads are close together and individual pad foundations would interact. A raft foundation normally consists of a concrete slab which extends over the entire loaded area. It may be stiffened by ribs or beams incorporated into the foundation. Raft foundations have the advantage of reducing differential settlements a s the concrete slab resists differential movements between loading positions.They are often needed on soft or loose soils with low bearing capacity as they can spread the loads over a larger area. Deep foundations * Piles Deep foundations are those founding too deeply below the finished ground surface for their base bearing capacity to be affected by surface conditions, this is usually at depths >3 m below finished ground level. They include piles, piers and caissons or compensated foundations using deep basements and also deep pad or strip foundations. Deep foundations can be used to transfer the loading to a deeper, more competent strata at depth if unsuitable soils are present near the surface.Piles are relatively long, slender members that transmit foundation loads through soil strata of low bearing capacity to deeper soil or rock strata having a high bearing capacity. They are used when for economic, constructional or soil condition considerations it is desirable to transmit lo ads to strata beyond the practical reach of shallow foundations. In addition to supporting structures, piles are also used to anchor structures against uplift forces and to assist structures in resisting lateral and overturning forces.Piers are foundations for carrying a heavy structural load which is constructed insitu in a deep excavation. Caissons are a form of deep foundation which are constructed above ground level, then sunk to the required level by excavating or dredging material from within the caisson. Compensated foundations are deep foundations in which the relief of stress due to excavation is approximately balanced by the applied stress due to the foundation. The net stress applied is therefore very small. A compensated foundation normally comprises a deep basement. Types of pilePiles are often used because adequate bearing capacity can not be found at shallow enough depths to support the structural loads. It is important to understand that piles get support from both e nd bearing and skin friction. The proportion of carrying capacity generated by either end bearing or skin friction depends on the soil conditions. Piles can be used to support various different types of structural loads. End bearing piles End bearing piles are those which terminate in hard, relatively impenetrable material such as rock or very dense sand and gravel.They derive most of their carrying capacity from the resistance of the stratum at the toe of the pile. Friction piles Friction piles obtain a greater part of their carrying capacity by skin friction or adhesion. This tends to occur when piles do not reach an impenetrable stratum but are driven for some distance into a penetrable soil. Their carrying capacity is derived partly from end bearing and partly from skin friction between the embedded surface of the soil and the surrounding soil.

Much Ado About Nothing Essay Love - 1047 Words

One of the most complicated experiences in life, love cannot be precisely defined, but some basic indications help to characterize the feeling. Love is a very deep, passionate affection one person has for another or a relationship of the same nature that implies a unique intensity of emotion. It requires an especially strong connection and compatibility between two people, usually identified by a total understanding and respect for each other and a fundamental similarity in ideology. Love can also be seen in the way it alters people’s normal behavior; when someone is in love, the object of their affection seems like the most important thing in the world, and they do extreme things for that feeling to be requited. Love cannot easily be†¦show more content†¦Beatrice says of Benedick, â€Å"I know you of old† (I.1.56), proving they already have a significant connection, which explains their ability to anticipate and quickly counter each other’s remarks. In addition to having an intellectual understanding of each other, Beatrice and Benedick also exemplify the definition of love when tricked into falling in love. Despite their incredibly sharp intuitions, Beatrice and Benedick both blindly believe Hero, Don Pedro, and Claudio’s unconvincing attempts to make them fall in love. When Claudio tricks Benedick, he says Beatrice â€Å"Then down upon her knees she falls, weeps, sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses: ‘O sweet Benedick! God give me patience!’† (II.3.71), clearly something Beatrice, who openly mocks any sign of romance, would never do. However, Benedick’s true feelings for her cloud his better judgement, and he accepts Claudio’s claims. Hero deceives Beatrice in a similar manner, and Beatrice also declares she will â€Å"...requite thee, / Taming my heart to thy loving hand† (III.1.111-112), displaying her willingness to totally change herself for Benedick. This sud den change of character suggests that Beatrice and Benedick unknowingly wanted each other’s love from the beginning, and their desire hinders their usually well-informed instincts. Their love continues to lead them to act uncharacteristically tame, as seen when Don Pedro and Claudio tease Benedick about being in love. When they call himShow MoreRelated Much Ado About Nothing Essay: Beatrice, Benedick, and Love879 Words   |  4 PagesBeatrice, Benedick, and Love in Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing   is set in thirteenth century Italy.   The plot of the play can be categorized as comedy or tragicomedy .  Ã‚  Ã‚   Villainy and scheming combine with humor and sparkling wordplay in Shakespeares comedy of manners. Claudio is deceived into believing that Hero, is unfaithful. Meanwhile, Benedick and Beatrice have a kind of merry war between them, matching wits in repartee.   This paper will attemptRead MoreEssay on Benedick and Beatrices Love in Much Ado About Nothing1356 Words   |  6 Pagesmeeting reunites Beatrice with her archrival, Benedick, and it is here that Claudio and Hero fall in love. React: In Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing, there are the usual characters that show up in most of Shakespeare’s pieces. For instance the characters Hero and Claudio could easily be compared to Romeo and Juliet. Both Hero and Juliet are innocent, quite, and beautiful young women who fall in love instantly without conversing with the other person. 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Much Ado About Nothing portrays the issues of sex, war, marriage and chivalric courtly love in an ironic and satirical way. On a topical level, the play satirises Spanish, Sicilian andRead MoreGender Roles In Much Ado About Nothing1059 Words   |  5 Pages This essay is an exploration of the play Much Ado About Nothing, and the gender roles involved in the deceit and trickery that transpire and develop throughout the story. As gender is one of the main themes in the plot, identifying the expected gender roles of the characters, and how the contrast between characters highlights these expected roles. In Shakespeare s time, known as the Elizabethan Era, men and women’s roles and expectations were starkly different. Elizabethan women, no matter whatRead More How Does Shakespeare portray Women in Much Ado About Nothing?1928 Words   |  8 PagesHow Does Shakespeare portray Women in Much Ado About Nothing? I believe eavesdropping plays a very important role in Much Ado. Therefore, I have chosen to answer this essay question, as I feel strongly about it. In the play, Shakespeare makes use of eavesdropping by using it as a comic device, but also to sort out situations so that the play is able to go on. I will be focussing upon two events in particular to show this. Each event will present a different form of eavesdropping being usedRead More The Dramatic Significance of Act four Scene One of William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing1642 Words   |  7 PagesDramatic Significance of Act four Scene One of William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing Act 4 in the romantic comedy Much ado about nothing is of great dramatic significance to the whole play, as it is in Scene 1 where Shakespeare brings out the different sides of the characters to illustrate the complexities of love and relationships. Act 4 Scene 1 is clustered with different incidents and in this essay, I will go through each event and describe its importance to the