DDT and malaria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

DDT and malaria - Essay Example The disease is common in subtropical and tropical regions including a lot of Americas, Asia, and the Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is very common in these regions since they have reliable hot temperatures and large amounts of rainfall. Since mosquitos live in a warm environment with consistent temperatures, they breed continuously in the aforementioned areas. Significance of Malaria Malaria is one of the major contagious diseases in tropical environments and a huge public health disaster. It has been ranked the leading cause of death in the world where almost five million new cases are identified, with deaths of two point seven million annually according to Glaser and Knight (2007). Historically, malaria has infected humans since the creation of mankind. Malaria has not spared is victims despite of their status and position, the American President John Adams for example nearly succumbed to malaria while on a diplomatic mission in Amsterdam. It was until the nineteenth century that fact s about the real cause of malaria became known. So far despite this knowledge, malaria continues to grossly affect the populations of south East Asia, sub-Saharan, and Latin America its victims manly comprising pregnant women and young children (McConnell, 2006). Malaria causing mosquitoes are known to breed in swamy areas or areas that have stagnant waters where they lay their eggs. The Plasmodium parasite apart from infecting humans, also affects reptiles, birds, rodents, chimpanzees and monkeys. Plasmodium enters the bloodstream and damages the red blood cells as well as affecting the spleen, kidney, liver, and other vital body organs. Malaria has other names like falcipurum malaria, quartan malaria, black water fever, plasmodium, and tertian malaria. Thus malaria parasites are transmitted by female anopheles mosquitoes (Capinera, 2008). Information on the economic workload of malaria is needed to focus interventions equitably and efficiently, and to establish investment in contr ol and research of how to combat the disease. Treatment of malaria is costly its asociated expenses a burden to the victims. Many institutions use weak data to estimate indirect costs, which fail to account for seasonal variations, the difference between the marginal and average product of labour, and the means firms and households survive in response to the illness period. Impact of DDT There are several measures used in combating malaria including use of insecticides, mosquito nets and medication that fight the disease. One product that has been used for a long to in fighting malaria is DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). DDT is a synthetic pesticide invented in 1874. DDT opens sodium ion paths in the neurons of insects enabling them to fire suddenly which results to eventual deaths spasms. However, in humans it affects the health through endocrine disruption or genotoxicity. Genotoxic substances are recognized to be potentially carcinogenic or mutagenic, particularly those cap able of causing genetic mutation and of contributing to the growth of swellings as noted by Miller and Spoolman (2008). DDT may be directly genotoxic, although it may also make enzymes generate other genotoxic intermediates. It is also an endocrine disruptor in that it act as an ant androgen. According to Roberts and Tren (2010), the remains of DDT on the walls of the houses can change the transmission mode of mosquitoes. The non contact repellant action of DDT remains can stop a malaria mosquito from entering the house. In

Pragmatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Pragmatics - Essay Example But there has been an inclination to use pragmatics as a division of linguistic semiotics instead of pertaining it generally as sign systems. Another philosopher and logician named Carnap have made his own narrowing version of Morris' three branches of semiotics. It is within the field of pragmatics when the speaker receives open reference in an investigation. It is within the field of semantics when we extract from the user of the language and examine the expressions and their meanings. Finally, it is within the field of syntax when we extract from their meanings and analyze only the relations between the expressions. This trichotomy version of Morris' was the most influential (Levinson, 1983:3). Pragmatics was thought to be "the study of aspects of language that required reference to the users of the language that led to a very natural, further restriction of the term in analytical philosophy (Levinson, 1983:4). The study of deictic or indexical words such as I and you is one aspect that requires that kind of reference. There is also a view that pragmatics is the study of languages, both natural and artificial that contained indexical and deictic terms. However, an implicit version of Carnap's definition in 1960s was embraced by the movement of the generative semantics which means the investigations requiring reference to the users of a language. The history of that movement expects a historian of ideas concerning pragmatics that involves the rebirth of interest in meaning. In this period, the range of pragmatics was completely restricted to investigations that contain at least potential linguistic inferences. Definitions of pragmatics Pragmatics is the "study of language usage" while syntax is the "study of the combinatorial properties of words and their parts" and semantics is the "study of meaning" (Levinson, 1983:5). But the term pragmatics covers both context-dependent aspects of language structure and principles of language usage and understanding. There are actually various definitions of pragmatics that has continuously been improved. The first definition states that "Pragmatics is the study of those relations between language and context that are grammaticalized, or encoded in the structure of a language" (Levinson, 1983:9). In other words, pragmatics is the study of the aspects of the relationship between language and context that are useful in writing grammar. But the problem with this definition is that it excludes the principles of language usage and the very significant implications called conversational implicatures (Levinson, 1983:10). This means that the related fields such as sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics are also excluded from pragmatics. However, the only main strength of this definition is that it restricted the field to entirely linguistic matters. It handled the feature of pragmatics concerned with language usage but not the part about the principles of

Case Study On Firstgroup Plc Information Technology Essay

Case Study On Firstgroup Plc Information Technology Essay This paper outlines the benefits of environment influence on business. The paper specifically discusses about the FirstGroup Plc and environment influence of PESTEL analysis. what is the impact on the business of the stakeholder such as, Governments, customers and communities. The paper concludes the FirstGroup Plc strategy to overcome the demand of the customers risen above the pack because of its extremely ethical and highly exposed business practices, both in regard to its sourcing and its treatment of its employee. Here I have use the case study of FirstGroup and some web site to have clear idea about the company. The operation of FirstGroup Plc is make good strategy to control the external influence factors. PESTLE Analysis is an analyzing of the external influence factor of the business environment. It show the big picture of the company in which area they are working. These are ingredients which are over and over again outside the control or influence of a company, and that is why it is very significant to be aware of them to compact with in the approach of the business. First Group is the leading face of the transportation service in the UK. So here we are reviewing external factors which have influence on internal environment of the business for understanding market growth or decline, in comparable to the situation, possible to lead to good direction for transportation business. The number of employee working with FirstGroup is more than 137,000 in the UK and the USA. Total numbers of people using the rail service are 275 million a year. There are leading transportation service providers in UK. They also provide school transportation service in USA to more than 4 million students a day. What is PESTEL? Now ear days the business is a not only influence by the internal factor but the external factor also play a more importance role while running a business. PESTEL is mainly use to examine the external environment that has an impact on the business. The main point of the PESTEL is to recognize the major environmental tools by considering external factors that business has to face. The PESTLE covers all the external influences factors affecting a business. PESTLE analysis one of the useful tool which help the business to have very close look of large image of the environment in which we are functioning the business, and what are the new probabilities and what harm a business has to face. By knowing more about the environment surrounding the business in which we have to function, it is an external influence to the business or sector. One can also take benefit of the new technology and reduce the harm.  Ã‚  PESTEL stand for Political, Economic, Social, technological, Environment, Legal analysing tools has more major impact on the business. So the business is trying to identify the external influence that has an effect on the operation of the business. Here in this case of the First Group is one the good example of PESTEL analysis. PESTEL is one type of a business tool where all the letters of the word itself describes what impact it would have on the business environment.  PESTLE analysing tool is use for knowing the risk which is linked with market ups and downs , and also with the situation, prospective and path of a business or industry. The PESTLE Analysis is generally use as point of reference tool, see to the area where the company stand or what is demand of product in the situation, which carries more impotence outside the business and what effect will it have on the oppression, what is going inside an business. It is describe in web site that A PESTLE analysis is a business measurement tool, looking at factors external to the organization. It is often u sed within a strategic SWOT analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis (Morrison, 2010). Links and factors affecting business Political There is a good example of influences factor use in the case study of First Group. The Political elements mainly is that, the people should use the public transport more than their personal cars and vehicle to reducing CO2 emissions from the environment which one of the major issue faced by the UK government. So for that FirstGroup need to provide safe and dependable services that will give more confidence to the people for using their bus and trains. If more people decide to make use of the public transportation service then their cars and personal vehicle it would automatically helps the environment. Legal The Legal factor which also has an effect on the FirstGroup is mostly link with the political factor. Most of the time Legal ingredients are separated from the political ingredients mostly because of the growing legal influences external in the national political system, such as European and regional legislation (Strategy Survival Guide) All the legal needs of the UK government is easily full by FirstGroup, they also try to give more than their best and more than the demand of law. For example, they are trying to take steps which are related to take action to reduce CO2 emissions from their vehicle, to mach Europe-wide standards in advance from the governments 2010 targets. Transport companies should also buy carbon credits to reduce their CO2emissions. In advance they have built a budget for this. Environmental Social Even environmental and social link in this case study of PESTLE Analysis factors. For the example of CO2 emissions, is an Environmental ingredient which has Political Legal influence, it has an Social impact in the UK culture where the customer is more Green consumers they like to use the goods and services which are more eco-friendly which also have less impact on the environment study case added. Political, Social Technological Another example is that FirstGroup has invested huge amount to meet up the government objectives for the condition of low down floor so it easy to get in bus for wheelchair users and pushchair responsive in buses which is the most appropriate technology for aged handicapped persons, so we can see the new technology use for them by the FirstGroup it also demands by Political influence to satisfy Social needs. An Economics A Socials Economic factors include changes in demand, like the demand for safer school transport has led to research into the introduction of Yellow Buses, based on the US experience. Another economic factor is high fuel taxation. This encourages people to use public transport more. These are customers demands a Social factor influence the Economic one. (Managing external influences) Benefit of working with government The benefit to work very closely with government is that they will encourage people to use the transportation service provide by FirstGroup to reduce CO2 emission in the environment which is one of the step to make environment eco-friendly. It is said that we are responsible to protect an environment. Working with government is not only the reason to make a profit but it also provides a good service to people. The strategy use by FirstGroup is to improve the fuel efficiency in their vehicles, buy new vehicles which are fuel efficient green vehicles, use of other fuel resource like biodiesel, also by giving training to the divers and use of new technology to keep an eye on performance of the divers. Their main aim is to reduce the CO2 emission form their bus up to 25% and from rails up to 20 % by end of 2020. They also make easy for the people how wish to change from the car to public transport by give them schemes in Parking Ride schemes. It is very difficult to find a parking space in a big city like London. That data itself show the importance of transportation services in the case study. That there is 8% rise in usage of the services to 1.2 billion people have use transportation last year. The FirstGroup has increased their reputation with government and they also has vision like this transform travel, they also enlarged their network with the government circles by the buses were used during the Olympic Committees visit in February 2005 as well as the knowledge to win expectations of new bus contracts to set free hydrogen fuel transport to the public. Their driver does therefore make good business sense. First Response toward the Changes in demand First Group plc is the largest, convenient and safer transportation service in the UK. They are becoming popular because the change that has been made in response to customer and government in the First group. When we analyzed the change made by the First then that gives 100% satisfaction to us. Here I am going to represent some of the change made by the First bus services. The FirstGroup has the potential and resources that allow them to connect their actions to create economic importance and possibly to be ready for action and its reward. The strengths of their business is that they have an ability to create a unique products and services according to demand of the consumers, they believe that customer services should be of high levels. Their strengths as a good business unit are their culture, its employment and teaching method, or the quality of its managers. The change in transportation service in UK is due to the political change and new change in the policy of the government i n transportation business. FirstGroup has invested heavily in new technologies and providing buses that lower the floor for easy entry for the older and handicap people Political Change First is operating throughout UK. The state show that UK has more than 62,113,205 by 2010, and it has been increasing dramatically. In the beginning, the government was worried about the population and usages of private cars by the people that are reasoning Co2 emission was increased and made climate change. However, in 1980, when they made transport service private than First has made a good Climate change Strategy for providing more efficient, novel and sustainable bus service to the people so they like to use more bus service than own cars. FirstGroup main goal is to decrease Co2 emission by 25% till 2020 that is reasoning they implemented different strategy like improving the fuel efficiency, using biodiesel, new technology for driver performance. Economic Change In order to exits in the market, everyone has to the response to change, which needs to meet customers demands. In order to meet customer response, FirstGroup works very closely with the Neath Port Talbat Council for improving the service. Second most striking features of a first group were that they have started the yellow school transportation services. They have designed special pilot service to the students where students can feel safe and friendly in the bus. Additionally, first has an increased Vehicle safety issue like pad seating, included seat belts, additional escape window and CCTV camera. Another economical response done by First was that in major cities like London, FirstGroup made public transportation so easily by providing park and ride schemes to avoid parking problems and high taxation on fuel paid by using own car. Social and technological change In the UK, people are believed that old people are assets of the cultures, so they need to have special care and attention all the time so First has lunched citizen pass where elderly people do not need to pay any money for their transportation. Mostly the old people like to use FirstGroup bus service because they provide easy and safe service. Technological The First are very responsive to new technology. The new technological use by FirstGroup is to low down the floor for the old and handicap people so that they can easy enter in the bus. E.g. as see this daily while using the treanslink service that bus derive low down the floor so that handicap people can come in bus. They provide good convenience service for handicap and old people. Moreover, FirstGroup provide good transportation environment such as new road layout and bus shelters. Environmental and Legal Factors change High CO2 emission is the biggest problems in the UK that is reasoning climate has been changed drastically so first has developed Climate Change Strategy. Furthermore, many of the legal laws have been changed for transportation because of certain issues. The first has prepared all buses that meet all required by new laws. Even they have been preparing a budget to this. Overall, First group has been responding all time to meet customer and government demand. They have made a lot of change during its whole journey, so they can survive in this competitive market and give 100% satisfaction to all their stakeholders. Evaluation of Effectiveness FirstGroup provide dependable, secure, novel and sustainable transport service. When we go through change that has done by First group then we will come to know that they are always targeting customers demand and satisfaction, and they respond quickly to change that is the reason that is successful. When we observe the changes made by First group then we will realize that every time they come up with new strategy and innovation to any type of issues like. Climate Change Strategy Increasing in the CO2 emission, they adopted Climate Change strategy in which they encourage the people to use more bus or rail service by giving more convenient, reliable and safe service. Yellow School Transportation and Pilot Service By providing the yellow school transportation service, they make up student mind to use more school bus service where they can feel the good, reliable and safe way to reach to school and home every day. Also they are focusing more on the safety issue, so they implemented new things like padded seating, seat belts and CCTV. Green Consumers People are more aware about global warming and environmental issues so Green consumers are preferring to use bus and rail services than air or big cars so First has designed their service in the such ways that they can reach to each corner and give more convenient services to all people. Over all, first has made lot of changes to improve their services in order to meet customer and government demands. First group not only takes care about transportation issues, but they do care about social and environmental issues they are reasoning they are a leader in the transportation services. Conclusion SWOT analysis is use to analysis a business sector and whereas a PESTLE analysis the current market demand and situation, mainly demonstrating the growth or the fail back and by this means they try to find out way for demand in market, business possible, and also find out way of market possible. FirstGroup analyses the threats identify the risks take an excellent choose to flop them to an opportunities. Planning scenarios for the future take no chance make FirstGroup a Blue-chip firm in London stokes market. Many factors where Firsts control. Change can from this factor- Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental .The challenge now turned threats into opportunities by looking at feedback of the consumers and to the external influences of the business in order give the consumers best service to their value. FirstGroup make good strategy for the demand of changing environment.

Lord of the flies :: essays research papers

In the exciting novel, Lord of the Flies, there are many symbols. Some more important and more observed than others. One of these more important and more thoroughly observed symbols is Piggy’s specs. Piggy’s specs are crucial to the boys’ survival on the island because they made the fire that they so badly needed for survival. His specs help in there survival because without the specs to make the fire they wouldn’t have been able to keep warm, cook food, or signal the ship that rescued them. The specs were so important that they argued and fought over who got them. One time Jack’s gang stole them and broke them because they wanted them and needed them so badly. So many people desired them because they are needed to survive on the Island. Lastly, the specs represent many things in the book such as power, leadership, and differences between Jack and Ralph.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Piggy’s specs are used for lighting the fire in the beginning of this novel. This is a huge accomplishment because without the fire the kids would have died a long, long time ago. The fire enabled them to eat, keep warm, and signal planes of boats for rescue. His specs are essential to their survival.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The specs help in their survival because the fire is the main priority on the Island. It cooked the food that the hunters kill. Without cooking the food they can’t eat anything except berries and plants. These things run out and are not as nutritional. The kids need meat to survive. The fire kept the kids warm during the nighttime. At night it gets cold out and the kids could get sick if they are exposed to extremely hot or cold temperatures. This would cause the kids to get sick and maybe even die. Also, the fire was used as a signal. The fire signaled the boat that rescued them from the Island. The boat wouldn’t have come to save them if it didn’t see the smoke made by the fire. The fire is an absolute necessity on the Island. The kids would have had no chance of living without the fire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One time, the specs got broken because Ralph and Jack separated and Jacks gang wanted the spec. Therefore, Jack’s gang tried stealing them in the night from Piggy. They didn’t steal them but the specs were broken. Another time, they ambushed Piggy and stole them from him.

Beautiful Boy by David Shelf

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff 1. Sheff intrigued me with his story just by the back of the book. The entire story is about his eldest son, Nic, who is an amazing student as a child; however, his childhood begins to fade when he gets into the life of drugs and alcohol. The experiences and hardships that the author goes through is very emotional which really kept me reading. 2. The setting affects the author and his story. The book takes place in modern day times as in 2008.This impacts the author and his experiences because this is the time where drugs became more known and they were easy to get which made it harder for Nic, David Sheff’s son, to stop the drug abuse. 3. The themes in this book are patience and faith. David must be patient towards the recovery of his son’s drug addiction. He knows that this process cannot happen over-night no matter how hard he wishes it could be that easy. He waits patiently for Nic to get better. Nic, however, goes through rough patches while on this journey to succession, but his father always has faith in him.I think that David and Nic’s experiences were incredibly traumatic. Sheff felt the pain that his son went through while being an addict and felt the need to share it with others. Another reason Sheff might have wanted to share this experience is because he wanted to show the difficulty and how bad it is to take drugs. 4. â€Å"When Nic was growing up, I thought I would be content with whatever choices he made in his life†¦ Now I live with the knowledge that, never mind the most modest definition of a normal or healthy life, my son may not make it to twenty-one†(195-196).This proves the understanding that David has over his son’s life and that even though he believed at one point that Nic’s decisions will be made by himself, Nic has not made all the right decisions. This proved to David that his son needs guidance through out his whole life because once you are a father you ar e always a father. I chose this passage because this to me is David Sheff’s entire understanding of his son and this memoir. It shows that he understands what it means to be a father and what his role is 5.If I could meet the author I would feel a little nervous. I would feel uncomfortable asking him any questions because I wouldn’t know how he would react: would he get emotional? Would he get annoyed? Would he act fine because he gets questions all the time. A hypothetical meeting with David Sheff is if he came to my school to talk about drug and alcohol addiction and how it impacted his life and others around him. A question I might ask is when did you realize that your son was not a casual user, but was an addict?What was your immediate reaction? I would talk about the impact on his family, siblings and friends. I would ask about whom his friends were and if they were older because of the drug use. I would ask how he had the money for the drugs. A story of my own th at I would share with the author is about a kid that I know that ended up not being able to go to college. All of a sudden he began going to rehab and no one knew why. As time went on people began to realize that he did drugs and drank a lot.He became banned form school grounds for a certain amount of time. He was supposed to go off to college, but ended up not because he got in trouble with the law and had separation anxiety. His younger sister had to deal with the fights at home and her brother that she loved very much. I would share this story with Sheff to show that even though this story is not about my family or me, my family was one of the people impacted by this child’s actions.

Analysis of the Short Story: Super Toys Last All Summer Long Essay

What is real? I have been trying to answer this question since we started our project about robots. It’s a very complex question. The classical sense of what is real is something natural, something that is not man-made, for example the nature or the universe. But the world isn’t the same as it was for hundred years ago and the reality concept has moved in time with the technology. For instance I read an article where computers had been taken over the stock trading instead of real manpower. The robots are mechanical artificial agents and because of the advanced technology they’ve become much more real. They become more and more like us, and if computers can take over the stock trading what can robots, who look and act like humans, do to the world? But there must be a limit to how much robots can do if they’re still being seen as machines. In my point of view you are only real if you can feel and think on your own. In that way a robot isn’t real even though they’ve been supplied with human abilities like thinking and feeling by the aid of a programming from a computer. Having said that the robots are still in power to create real emotions in the recipient. This is demonstrated in form of Paro who is a little robot seal designed with the purpose to comfort lonely people. The problem with my definition of real is that love and feelings are artificial as well because it is a chemical reaction in our brain. So what if the robots were added the ability to feel and think would that make them just as real as us? The short story is written by Brian Aldiss in 1969. The story is fiction and an imaginary story of future time in an overcrowded world. The literary genre is science fiction, which is characterized by a fictive environment that has experienced innovations in science or technology, which has a big impact on the society and the individuals in it. This definition is consistent with the short story. There are two places of action and the structure is a pendulum composition because it swings back and forth between the two physical settings. The one setting is at home with Monica Swinton, David and Teddy, and the other setting is at lunch where Synthank celebrates the launching of their new developed and improved robots â€Å"The directors of Synthank were eating an enormous luncheon to celebrate the launching of their new product†, where Henry Swinton makes a speech. These crossovers from the one setting to the other are shown with a star â€Å"*†, which makes it clear for the recipient that we are having a change of place. The story begins with a presentation of Mrs. Swinton’s garden and afterwards we get a presentation of the involving characters. The short story’s many events happen in a chronological order and it follows the common thread through the story from the beginning to the end. The story is told in past tense and the narrator is a third person narrative. The narrator is an omniscient narrative because the narrator knows everything about the characters and their surroundings. The narrator creates sympathy for David because the omniscient narrative makes us identify with the robot and we get inside of his head and can see his good â€Å"heart† and understand his love, the love that know one else can see and understand. The language creates a very detailed description of the events and the surroundings. The language describes the surroundings with the use of adjectives â€Å"The lovely almond trees stood about it in perpetual leaf. Monica Swinton plucked a saï ¬â‚¬ron-colored rose and showed it to David. â€Å"Isn’t it lovely?† she said† and the events by using verbs, which creates thrill and excitement. The excitement is for example seen in line 7 – 10 on page 1 â€Å"Seizing the ï ¬â€šower, he ran with it across the lawn and disappeared behind the kennel where the mowervator crouched, ready to cut or sweep or roll when the moment dictated. She stood alone on her impeccable plastic gravel path. She had tried to love him†. The sudden action makes you believe that he’ll destroy the beautiful rose. This reaction from David is the reason why Monica is so despairing and disappointed. Further more the language isn’t readily accessible but manageable. There is in between some difficult words, which is an obstacle for the understanding of the text, for example â€Å"Lambent, engrossed, moist and mowervator†. The short story is written in 1969 so the choice of words is old and not always so familiar â€Å"Henry, Henry – oh, my darling, I was in despair . . . but I’ve just dialed the afternoon post and – you’ll never believe it! Oh, it’s wonderful!†. The environment in the story is very beautiful, almost perfect. The garden is described with positive words and it makes associations to paradise, for example â€Å"In Mrs. Swinton’s garden, it was always summer†. The Swintons’ house lies in a rich part of the city with no windows. The house and their belongings are very advanced and technical, and it’s clear that there has been a big technological development, for example Monica has her phone on her wrist â€Å"She punched the Post Oï ¬Æ'ce number on the dial on her wrist but nothing came through† and â€Å"The Swintons lived in one of the ritziest city-blocks, half a kilometer above the ground. Embedded in other apartments, their apartment had no windows to the outside; nobody wanted to see the overcrowded external world. Henry unlocked the door with his retina pattern-scanner and walked in, followed by the serving-man†. It seems like they don’t really have contact to the outside wo rld and live in a small bubble of isolation. The humans are described so stunning that they almost seem inhumane, which is quite ironic. â€Å"Their wives were elegantly slender, despite the food and drink they too were putting away. An earlier and less sophisticated generation would have regarded them as beautiful people, apart from their eyes†. Eyes are the human sign of a soul and if there is no life in their eyes is there life at all? In this quote the question about who is real yet appears. The atmosphere in the first setting, the home, is filled with unspoken words and questions, â€Å"â€Å"If she loved me, then why can’t I talk to her?†. They also seem very shallow because they do everything to look good; they use a machine that makes them slender no matter how much food they’ve eaten. There is a tense atmosphere between Monica and David because they aren’t able to communicate with each other and something in their mutual understanding has broken down. Monica misunderstands David’s intensions for example the episode with the rose and the fact that she thinks David is hiding away from her and avoiding her but when David comes down in the living room to see her she is the one who turns away and avoids David â€Å"His mother stood in the middle of the room. Her face was blank; its lack of expression scared him. He watched fascinated. He did not move; she did not move. Time might have stopped, as it had stopped in the garden. At last she turned and left the room. After waiting a moment, David tapped on the window†. David and Monica are both shortcoming because they can’t find a way to express their caring for each other, which makes them unable to reach each other. They are suffering from loneliness and isolation even though the world is overpopulated and the technology is more advanced than ever before â€Å"She remained alone. An overcrowded world is the ideal place in which to be lonely†. The robots are partial developed to avoid this loneliness but instead they increase it. â€Å"You’re being silly, David. Mummy’s lonely. That’s why she had you†. â€Å"She’s got Daddy. I’ve got nobody ’cept you, and I’m lonely†. David is three years old â€Å"At the age of three, he showed no fear of the ultrasonic dryer in the kitchen†. David’s verbal communication is malfunctioning and he has a hard time finishing his sentences and expressing his love. In spite of the defection he loves his mother very much which is expressed in the text several times, for example David’s letters â€Å"Darling Mummy, I’m your one and only son and I love you so much that some times –†. In these messages David also expresses a hate for Teddy because he feels that Teddy is taking his place as the Swintons’ son. Even though David has feelings like a human and other human abilities such as talking, thinking, painting and running, he is a robot, which is told in the ending. I assume David is one of those robots Henry is talking about with synthetic flesh and a mini computer for brain. David tries to define what is real but even though he feels like a boy of flesh and blood he ques tions it because his surroundings make him feel unreal â€Å"I hate that old psychiatrist—he makes me feel like I’m not real†. The other robot in the family is Teddy. The name Teddy gives associations to a little bear. There are many signs that indicate that Teddy is a robot for example â€Å"The speech pattern of his master’s voice activated him† and â€Å"Why waste time talking to this machine†. Teddy sees Monica as his mother but when she refuses this relation he doesn’t seem hurt like a human would have been. Teddy is very helpful when David needs him, for example when writing the letters to their mother. Teddy is also patient, kind, attentive, comforting and listening â€Å"The bear’s eyes regarded the boy unï ¬â€šinchingly. â€Å"You and I are real, David.† It specialized in comfort†. Teddy’s abilities are properly the abilities he is programmed to have; therefore the circuits of teddy’s brain and its capacity are limited. In the text Teddy is categorized as a super toy which is a robot with a computer for brain and without life â€Å"There have been mechanicals on the market with mini-computers for brains—plastic things without life, super-toys—but we have at last found a way to link computer circuitry with synthetic ï ¬â€šesh† Monica Swinton is married to Henry Swinton and is twenty-nine years old, has lambent eyes and a grace full shape. Monica paints â€Å"She could take up her painting†. She desperately wants a child and when Teddy and David haven’t satisfied her needs she is still very lonely and the desperation for a child of her own is even bigger. This desperation finds expression in the choice of replacing her robot child with a biologically child. She has tried to love David but she has given up because he can’t reciprocate her love, and when she can’t understand him and his way of loving she can’t find a way to love him. Monica doesn’t like time very much because it goes by her because she feels it is a waste of time living in this world and it seems like the only thing that can save her is a baby. â€Å"I don’t think Mummy likes time very much. The other day, lots of days ago, she said that time went by her. Is time real, Teddy?†. Henry Swinton is Monica’s husband and the managing Director of Synthank. He is very successful and he only cares for the development of the robots, not the ethics or the consequences of his development. His relationship with David doesn’t seem very strong because David only talks about his mother and Henry appears as a career father who is very busy with his work. He wants, like his wife, a child of their own. The most important symbol in the short story is the rose. The roses appear several times and have a common importance â€Å"Monica Swinton plucked a saï ¬â‚¬ron-colored rose and showed it to David. â€Å"Isn’t it lovely?† she said†, â€Å"Roses occasionally suï ¬â‚¬er from black spot†. â€Å"These roses are guaranteed free from any imperfections† and â€Å"First I’m going to have another rose!† Plucking a bright pink ï ¬â€šower, he carried it with him into the house. It could lie on the pillow as he went to sleep. Its beauty and softness reminded him of Mummy†. A rose symbolizes love, which is the feeling David and Monica can’t show to each other, and the key to the shortcoming. Love is also of crucial importance when defining what is real. The quote from line 42-43 on page 4 the rose symbolize the robots because it says roses occasionally suffer from black spot, meaning they aren’t perfect but Henry replies â€Å"These roses are guaranteed free from any imperfections†, meaning the new developed robots are perfect. But for me this perfection is artificial. The people at the luncheon with Henry also seem artificial because their eyes are without life and they wear plastic face-masks to look pretty â€Å"Some of them wore the plastic face-masks popular at the time†. So maybe the humans have become just as artificial as the robots. Another symbol is the crayons, which Teddy suggests David to use on his letters â€Å"Why not do it again in crayon?†. The crayons help David coloring his letter in a figurative sense and when David can’t express his feelings verbally he can express them in the aid of colors. It also symbolizes that life isn’t in black and white but much wider. The theme of the story is not only one thing but several things. In my point of view an appropriate theme is unreal vs. real because the story’s main focus is on the question: What is real and what isn’t. Another theme is love, which plays a big role between the characters and in the story in general. Technology and the future are also themes in this story because the plot criticizes a possible future where the technology is very advanced, and instead of making the world better it makes it worse and depressing. This brings us closer to the author’s messages. Brian Aldiss criticizes the society for being to technological, which makes the society and the individuals artificial and shallow. It takes away the focus on the things that matter, for example love and caring for each other. Brian Aldiss doesn’t believe that we should have relationships with robots because they’ll never replace the connection between two humans. I don’t believe that there is one definition on what is real but many definitions. In this story the scientists have found a way to develop a robot with intelligence by having a computer working just like a human brain and synthetic flesh so it also looks like a human. These robots are invented with the purpose to reduce the loneliness and isolation that are raging the overcrowded population. â€Å"Personal isolation will then be banished forever!†. I’m a bit skeptical about robots and their future role in our society for example the possible unemployment, an artificial lifestyle and what the advanced robots’ existents will do to the individuals in the society as seen in the story. The fact, that in Japan they have already developed these robots, which look like us, really creeps me out. But will robots ever be able to replace another human being and the connection there exists between two humans? I think the situation with Monica and David is a clear example of this is not the case even though the robots are added human abilities.