The Edge by Dick Francis (Novel) and Stingers (TV Drama) Essay Example for Free

The Edge by Dick Francis (Novel) and Stingers (TV Drama) Essay Rationale The texts I am studying are The Edge, by Dick Francis (Novel), and Stingers (TV Drama). The Edge is about an undercover agent working for a Jockey Club. His job is to rid the racing world of its biggest villain. The agent goes undercover on a racing train as a waiter. The episode of Stingers I refer to is titled Payback. The main character, Peter Church, is investigating the murder of a man. He goes undercover as a personal assistant to a man who is working for a prominent businessman and also the main suspect of Peters investigations. These texts are both based around crime, with the familiar themes of ridding the world of corruption, and also the triumph of good over evil. I chose these texts because they both present an insight into the minds of an undercover agent and the procedures and processes they follow to stay undetected, which I find very intriguing. The link between these texts is their themes. They both attempt to rid the world of corruption and make good triumph over evil. I chose this link because it comes through very strongly in both texts. They both centre on their themes and the processes and techniques that are used by the characters. Describing my views on this link become easier because it is the themes of the texts. I believe that a lot of troubles of the world would not come about if there were no corruption in the world. Things such as corrupt police officers, and even whole police forces in some countries, make the running of society a harder job for the people responsible for the smooth running of a society than it already is. I believe that evil never triumphs. Anyone that goes down the path of evil will never go far. There will always be something to stop them eventually. Journal A TV Drama: Stingers Episode 119 Payback. Directed by Kevin Carlin Stingers is a TV drama about a group of undercover agents. They disguise themselves as a particular identity to go into a crime group and found out inside information on the group. Plot Outline In this particular episode, Peter Church, the main character, is investigating a number of suspects involved with the killing of a man. Peter is sent in undercover as a personal assistant for a man named Rick Tyson. Peters jobs involve doing personal deeds for Tyson. On one occasion, his job is to take a briefcase full of money to a man as payment for trying to kill someone who was not doing as Tyson asked. The man, named Conrad, told Peter that he was a rich businessman named Stig Endquists hit man. All through this investigation, Peter has had suspicions about his Head of Special Investigations, Detective Harris, but has never been able to figure out how he was involved. Peter later figures out that there is a circle of people involved, and they all revolve around Stig Endquist. Tyson is Endquists personal messenger, Conrad is his hit man and Harris is using his position in the police force to keep Endquist out of trouble. The plot is continued into the next weeks episode, so this is all that has been discovered for the moment. Generic Techniques There are a few techniques used in most TV dramas to help shape character. In Stingers, there were techniques such as camera angles and the most obvious technique of dialogue. Camera angles can be used to show emotions and feelings visually, while the dialogue can get those feelings across verbally and elaborate for the viewers. In some cases, setting can also help to shape a character. If they are seen in a particular place with certain surroundings, it shows viewers a little bit about their attitudes and life. For example, in this episode, Peter is seen a lot in a quiet local pub. This shows me the viewer that he is a quite, personal man that likes some casual time to himself or with a partner. Themes and Values I believe that the themes of this TV drama are based around ridding the world of corruption. All the episodes are about stopping the criminals of society and keeping society safe. The main example of this theme is Harris. He uses his position of power to help the criminals. This is corruption within the police force. This is what the undercover agents in Stingers aim to rid society of. Television Drama Essay The episode of Stingers Payback, directed by Kevin Carlin, explores the themes and values of ridding society of its corruption and letting good triumph over evil. Peter Church, an undercover operative for the Australian Police, goes in disguise to gather inside information about crime groups and use the information to rid society of the groups evil deeds. In this particular episode, Peter is gathering information on suspects that may be involved in the killing of man. Every text, no matter what form it may take, will always have some theme or value behind it. No text is ever just a rambling, which has no meaning behind it at all. With the use of camera angles, setting and dialogue, the characters in this drama present the values and themes of the drama. Camera angles are the most prominently used technique in any visual text to show certain things within the text. Close ups, long shots, low angles and high angles are all examples of how the camera angle is used. In the episode of Stingers, all these are used at some point, especially to help display the themes and values through the characters. Peter Church is the main character, so he would be the one that the camera angles are concentrated on most of the time. He has a range of emotions throughout the episode. At times hes confused, others angry, and others quiet. But one thing that he is always is working as hard as he can to solve the crimes and stop the corruption. Peter is a very determined person, and the camera shows that in one scene with a close up. He is studying the whiteboard with a list of suspects on it. The camera closes right in on his face and the viewer can see the concentration and determination on his face as he tries to make some sense of the information on the whiteboard. In another scene, Peter is delivering a briefcase for his employer while he is undercover. While doing this, he meets a man who killed his former partner in a previous episode. He confronts the man and is on the brink of shooting him and ridding society of another villain. The camera gets a close shot over the villains shoulder of Peters face as he is close to shooting him. His face shows anger at the villain who caused so much harm to an innocent person. This anger and emotion that is shown from the use of the camera angles in the drama has helped to let the viewers know how determined the character is to solving the problems of corruption in society. This can have an effect on the viewers because it will show them that the text stands for something and is not just a bit of dialogue and a few actors thrown together to make a TV show. Setting is another element of a TV drama that can show values and theme through characters and is also shown through the camera angles. Setting helps to show a lot of things in any form of text. It is a lot easier to show things with setting using a visual text as there is less description needed. Setting helps to show values and themes as well in some cases. In Stingers, it is shown quite easily. Being an undercover police unit, most scenes are shot in the offices, so there are always things around the setting of the rooms showing the theme of ridding corruption. For example, in the main room where Peter does all his planning of the cases, he has things such as boards with suspects pinned on them, certificates showing the achievements he or a member of his team have made while stopping crime in society, and police uniforms, which all give the viewers the impression that the characters are supporting the themes and values of the drama. The other main setting that is used throughout the drama is out at the battle scene. This setting will usually show a contest between good and evil (police and criminal) and a majority of the time, it will be the good that comes out on top, and once again, backing up the view that the corruption of society is slowly diminishing due to the works of the characters. While setting shows the themes and values visually, dialogue can be used in conjunction with setting to show viewers verbally. Dialogue is obviously a very important part of any text whether it is print or non-print and probably the easiest way to get a message across, or in this case, show a theme or value through a character. Unlike with the setting, dialogue makes the theme or value come across easier because it can be said straight out rather than the viewer have to analyse the setting to find out. Although the theme or value can be shown easier, there is more to the dialogue than just the words. The way it is spoken can get it across stronger because it may have the ability to make the viewer sit up and listen and realise what the character is saying straight away. For example, in the scene where Peter is confronted by the man who killed his friend and former partner, the man says you wont kill me. Blokes like you need a reason and Peter replies very strongly saying Ive got a reason. and his name is Oscar Stone!! It comes across to the viewers very strongly that Peter is committed to not only the reveng e of his friend, but also to ridding corruption from society. These three techniques work well together to set the viewers mind and thoughts to show them that the characters in the text are committed to the themes or values that are trying to be brought across. They convince the viewers that the text has meaning, so the viewers are more willing to believe and support the text. Journal B Novel Analysis: The Edge, Dick Francis Dick Francis The Edge explores the life of Torquil Kelsey, an undercover operative for a Jockey Club in England. Torquil is assigned to be the invisible needle in the haystack. He wonders around the racecourses like any other racegoer, but in doing so, listens in and explores all business that goes on inside the courses. His main objective is to rid racing of one of its notorious villains, the successful but dodgy Julius Apollo Filmer. For months the Jockey Club have been trying to find some dirt, any dirt, on Filmer and have so far been unsuccessful. Torquil later takes a train ride in which Filmer will also be on. Torquil knows all too well that Filmer will be up to something. Filmer is later found guilty of paying someone to sabotage the train ride and Filmer himself of wilfully attempting to kill Daffodil Quentins horse. Torquil Kelsey: Torquil, or Tor as some characters call him as a nickname, is an undercover operative for an English Jockey Club. He has been assigned to go from course to course and find out any illegal deals going on. He has an inquisitive nature. Being an undercover operative, he has the ability to be in a crowd without being noticed. He is very cluey. He can guess that certain things are going to happen before they do. Hes your typical good guy. Hes not the mean cop who beats people up to get information. He has the good guy charm with women. Julius Apollo Filmer: Filmer is the major racehorse owner around the area that the Jockey Club operates in. They have tried to get him warned off the course in the past but have never caught him. He is smart and smug. He never does his tasks evil deeds himself; he will always have a hired goon to do his work. He always has some evil deed planed out in his mind and does whatever he can do complete it. He associates with dodgy people, such as Daffodil Quentin. Themes The main themes of this novel are based around the triumph of good versus evil. Its really your typical police story. Police get a suspicion that the bad guy is going to do something evil, police try catch the bad guy doing it, police do a lot of investigating, bad guy eventually gets caught. Beliefs One major belief that I got out of this text was that the world should be rid of corruption. The aim of Torquil Kelsey is to rid the racing world of Julius Apollo Filmer and inturn ridding the racing world of the corruption he brings. Oral Task Based On Novel I believe the target audience of this novel is probably adults. Although I enjoyed reading it myself, I think the majority of the readers will be older. Also, the novel, like most other Dick Francis novels, has an element to do with horseracing, so this may also appeal to anyone interested in horseracing. If this interview were real, it would probably be broadcast on an AM radio station such as 720, which the station itself is aimed at the older part of society. The tape of this interview will be included with the rest of this assignment. Transcript Presenter: Im privileged to have a great author in the studio with me now. He has written such books as Smokescreen, Risk and High Stakes just to name a few. He is in Australia to promote his new novel The Edge. Good Afternoon, Dick Francis. Francis: Thankyou. Its great to be here. Presenter: So, your new novel The Edge. It has just been released here. How do you expect it will sell? Francis: Well I certainly hope it will sell very well. I have worked long and hard perfecting it. Presenter: I recently read this novel in preparation for this interview. I thought it to be a very good read. Me being 36, is that the age of audience you were intending this novel to be aimed at? Francis: Yes, thats about what I was thinking. Its definitely too complex for anyone below maybe 16, but middle school onwards was the target. Its really a matter of choice though. No matter what age you are, if youre just not into crime novels, which this novel is, then you just wont like it. Presenter: Yes. Now on that, would you like to fill our listeners in on the plot of this novel? Francis: Certainly. The Edge is about a young man named Torquil Kelsey working as an undercover operative for an English Jockey Club. He is required to be the invisible needle in the haystack if you like. He must roam around various racecourses in England and investigate any odd activities that take place and any odd characters to go with it. His main target is a villain named Julius Apollo Filmer. Filmer is a leader of corruption amongst the racing world. He is a bit like a King of Evil. He never completes his dirty deeds himself, but gets hired goons to complete them for him. He is in suspicion of a number of offences, so it is Torquils task to nail Filmer. He gets his best opportunity on a racegoers train around Canada, which Filmer is attending. Ill stop there as to not ruin the story for anyone by giving too many details. Presenter: Thats probably a good idea. You were formally a jockey before you turned to writing. Are any of the characters in the novel based on people youve come across in your time as a jockey? Francis: There is always a certain amount of truth involved in some parts of every novel, but nothing is an exact copy of the truth. Presenter: Tell us about our two main characters. Torquil the hero and Julius the villain. Francis: Well, Torquil has been brought up by his Aunt Viv, an avid racegoer. He has always been associated with horses and horse racing since he was a wee boy, so his knowledge of horses has helped him with is job around the racetracks. He is very inquisitive, very cluey, is able to spot things that most people would simply turn a blind eye to. He is a charmer also. Very good with the ladies. Julius is your typical villain. Seems fine on the outside, but you know that on the inside, theres evil brewing and his mind is devising a plan. He is an evil mastermind. Has the ability to devise the plans, but will never execute them himself. He must keep a clean look with the public otherwise his plans will be given away, so the hired goon is his way of going about getting that done. Presenter: I found it interesting to note that you always made the story continuos. You would rarely jump from scene to scene, instead you always describe exactly where your characters where going. I recall a part where Torquil must go from one end of the train to the other, and you describe exactly where he is walking, instead of just jumping straight to where he was heading to with a new paragraph. Was this deliberate? Francis: Yes, I believe that you must be very descriptive when writing a novel. Its not like a film where you can show viewers visually, so you must describe the exact surrounding very thoroughly. I find that if you jump straight to it, you can sometimes confuse readers and miss important details of the surroundings. Presenter: Well, thankyou Dick. I hope all goes well with the release of the novel and Ill look forward to reading more of your future novels. Francis: Thankyou Journal C I received a very insightful view into the industry of undercover policing after studying both the texts I chose. They showed a set of values that I had never really dwelled on before. The triumph of good over evil is something I am regularly exposed to, but ridding the world of corruption and the reasons for doing so had never really been considered. I realised from these texts that corruption in any industry can ruin the industry completely for society if untreated. The racing industry for instance, I was shown in The Edge that if the villain Julius Apollo Filmer had gone on with his evil deeds forever without anyone ever even trying to stop him, he would have eventually taken control of that industry and injected so much corruption into it that the public would eventually lose out. For example, if he had taken control of every horse in some way, he would be able to dictate races and the public would lose in some way or another. These texts both support my views and in some ways su pport them more than I do. A majority of the people in society would not support corruption of any form and I am no different, but it never really meant much to me. I support the views of the texts but I have never realised the effects corruption can have until I studied these texts. Like the texts, I believe corruption should be stopped at all costs. I would hate to be in a society where things can happen like they did in Stingers. If the chief of a police unit was corrupt and letting crime go and even going to the extent of helping the crimes be committed, then I would be horrified because I put my trust in that unit only to find out it is supporting the things it is supposed to be protecting me from. I support the view of good triumphing over evil. To drop this view down to an example at my level, it would have to be bullying in schools. It always brings a smile to my face when I see a bully getting what he deserves in return for his wicked deeds he has performed on an innocent student. Another example of this would be in a game of football. When an opponent tries to pull off an illegal move on someone but cant fool the umpire, it is always rewarding to see the player who was doing the right thing get rewarded the free kick. In The Edge, it was rewarding when I read at the end that Julius Apollo Filmer is caught and convicted of his crimes after the determination of Torquil Kelsey to find that last ounce of information that would put Filmer away. So I very much support all values identified in these texts. The episode of Stingers that I refer to in my studies is not a complete story. It just focuses on part of an ongoing story that has continued from previous episodes, so the villains have not yet been caught. I enjoyed studying these texts, because they challenged and changed my views. Although they didnt have a different view to what I already had, they allowed me to explore the views with more depth than I had before.

An Overview of Indigenous Culture in the Amazonian Floodplains Essay

The Amazon Basin has long been occupied by indigenous populations. Those populations that live closest to the basin, in the lo west elevations, are subject to the extreme seasonal changes. Social order, therefore, is shaped largely by the fluctuations of the seasons and of the river. There are two seasons, one wet and one dry. Issues concerning shelter, transportation, food, and social interaction are largely determined by the seasons. Creative expression – mythology, religion, celebration, and visual art – are rooted in nature. The wet season, lasting approximately from January to June, involves the flooding of the Amazon River. People are forced to travel by canoe, for there is no dry ground in their communities. Ho wever, because it is difficult and uncomfortable to move around, social interaction outside of the household is largely limited during this time. People spend much of their time in hammocks (one of the indigenous inventions), where they might repair clothing or tools. Crops cannot be grown during this time, and fishing is much more difficult, so people tend to lose ...

The Importance of Reading

I had an epiphany about reading and it changed my life. It was a day only several years ago when I first realized the numerous benefits I could realize from reading. Of course, I had been told all my life that reading was important. I was forced to do it in class after class beginning in elementary school and on up through high school. I had never read for enjoyment, had never gone to a book store and surveyed the stacks of tomes with pleasure, had never been to the library except when it was required for researching a particular assignment. To me reading was drudgery, a chore which interfered with more important things in life, like eating and sleeping. It wasn’t until I took an English class in my senior year, however, that the importance of reading finally penetrated my brain. I realized my teacher for that English class, Mrs. Smith, was different from others I’d had in the past from the first day I walked into her classroom. While she looked like a typical, older lady with her graying hair and pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses continually perched on the end of her nose, it was her attitude that set her apart from other instructors. From her roost atop a stool at the front of the room, Mrs. Smith ruled the classroom with short legs swinging to and fro above the rungs while her arms – complete with flabby â€Å"schoolteacher arm† – would wave about to lend emphasis to her words. Mrs. Smith could tell I was uncomfortable in her English class almost immediately. She watched me squirm in my seat during her lectures and saw the visible signs of upset when she handed out a reading assignment. I’m sure the groan I emitted was another clue to my discomfort. The next day, Mrs. Smith decided to address this issue with the entire class, without naming me specifically as the impetus for this particular lecture. I’ll never forget what she said, however. It was something along the lines of this: â€Å"If you are going to get ahead in this world, you need to continually inform yourself about many different matters. In order to keep yourself informed, you must read. I don’t mean sitting down to read â€Å"War and Peace† front to back, but more general reading. Take the opportunity to read anything you can. If you are sitting at the breakfast table eating a bowl of cereal, read the back of the cereal box. Take time to read a magazine article about something which interests you. Reading doesn’t have to take a lot of time or be boring.† For some reason, Mrs. Smith’s words made me come to the realization that reading was beneficial in a way that other teachers had failed to do. I took her advice. I began by reading the back of the cereal box while eating my breakfast later that week (and Trix, by the way, has the best reading material, although Cap’n Crunch comes in a close second). I started reading newspaper articles; smaller ones at first and then lengthier columns. While waiting for a doctor’s appointment or to get on an airplane, I read the signs posted on the wall, the advertising posters and billboards, and magazines that were left behind. Just a little bit at a time, I told myself. Remember what Mrs. Smith told you – that reading doesn’t need to take a lot of time. Mrs. Smith’s first assignment to the class included reading two short stories, William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and â€Å"Everything Rises Must Converge† by Flannery O’Connor. We were to read the assigned stories and then analyze their meanings, and structure. Mrs. Smith helped us with an initial story we read in class and showed us how to read efficiently and what things to keep in mind as we read. She taught us to look beyond the obvious and delve deeper into the author’s motivation, history, and the lesson, or lessons, they were trying to convey. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed reading the two short stories. It didn’t take much time to read through them the first time and, using Mrs. Smith’s directives, the second time of reading brought to light many aspects of the story I had previously missed. There was a depth to the words that caused me to sit back and reflect further on what I’d read. In particular, Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"Everything Rises Must Converge† made a great impact on me with its important statement regarding racism and reverse racism. Prior to reading that story, I’d really had no idea just how prevalent such issues were in the South and how it might adversely affect people. Although O’Connor wrote the work some decades earlier, the issues raised are as important today as they were back then. I wish I could say I became an avid reader overnight, but that’s not the way it happened. I did, however, begin to take a peek at some of the books for sale in various stores. If I happened to be at the drug store, I snuck into the aisle of bestsellers and looked over the covers, reading the blurbs of praise on the front. I wasn’t sure what subjects would interest me, but after reading some excerpts online, I decided that science fiction was the best fit for me and my personality. I tried reading â€Å"The Hobbit† but its length made it a chore so I opted, instead, for some shorter books, like novels based on the â€Å"Star Wars† movies. The volumes I chose couldn’t be classified as classical literature by any means, by I enjoyed reading them and I figured that if there were books that could hold my interest, me – the self-proclaimed non-reader – then they couldn’t be all bad. Next on my list are some of the more classical works of science fiction, like those by Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne, and H. G. Wells. I’ve learned a lot along the way in my reading adventures. I’ve gotten an insider’s view to history, as well as what the future might hold. I’ve identified with characters and been surprised at endings which left me wanting to know more. An added benefit which I never would have guessed is that of greater confidence in writing. Attending college means that essays, term papers, and theses are required in order to pass most classes. When once I used to dread doing such assignments, I’ve found that, through reading, I am much more comfortable with the written word. This is what literacy means to me. It is the ability to use our skills – of reading and writing and comprehension – to further our knowledge as well as the desire to do so in order that we may better ourselves. No matter if you read a mystery novel or a history book, there is something in that volume which imparts further knowledge to the reader. In some cases, it is obvious – such as learning about the mistakes in history so future generations are not doomed to make the same mistakes. In other cases, it is not so obvious. But any book that causes the reader to think about something in a different way is doing its job by expanding our knowledge and inciting our curiosity. As Frederick Douglass once said, â€Å"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.† And by the way, thank you Mrs. Smith, wherever you are! The Importance of Reading I had an epiphany about reading and it changed my life. It was a day only several years ago when I first realized the numerous benefits I could realize from reading. Of course, I had been told all my life that reading was important. I was forced to do it in class after class beginning in elementary school and on up through high school. I had never read for enjoyment, had never gone to a book store and surveyed the stacks of tomes with pleasure, had never been to the library except when it was required for researching a particular assignment. To me reading was drudgery, a chore which interfered with more important things in life, like eating and sleeping. It wasn’t until I took an English class in my senior year, however, that the importance of reading finally penetrated my brain. I realized my teacher for that English class, Mrs. Smith, was different from others I’d had in the past from the first day I walked into her classroom. While she looked like a typical, older lady with her graying hair and pair of wire-rimmed reading glasses continually perched on the end of her nose, it was her attitude that set her apart from other instructors. From her roost atop a stool at the front of the room, Mrs. Smith ruled the classroom with short legs swinging to and fro above the rungs while her arms – complete with flabby â€Å"schoolteacher arm† – would wave about to lend emphasis to her words. Mrs. Smith could tell I was uncomfortable in her English class almost immediately. She watched me squirm in my seat during her lectures and saw the visible signs of upset when she handed out a reading assignment. I’m sure the groan I emitted was another clue to my discomfort. The next day, Mrs. Smith decided to address this issue with the entire class, without naming me specifically as the impetus for this particular lecture. I’ll never forget what she said, however. It was something along the lines of this: â€Å"If you are going to get ahead in this world, you need to continually inform yourself about many different matters. In order to keep yourself informed, you must read. I don’t mean sitting down to read â€Å"War and Peace† front to back, but more general reading. Take the opportunity to read anything you can. If you are sitting at the breakfast table eating a bowl of cereal, read the back of the cereal box. Take time to read a magazine article about something which interests you. Reading doesn’t have to take a lot of time or be boring.† For some reason, Mrs. Smith’s words made me come to the realization that reading was beneficial in a way that other teachers had failed to do. I took her advice. I began by reading the back of the cereal box while eating my breakfast later that week (and Trix, by the way, has the best reading material, although Cap’n Crunch comes in a close second). I started reading newspaper articles; smaller ones at first and then lengthier columns. While waiting for a doctor’s appointment or to get on an airplane, I read the signs posted on the wall, the advertising posters and billboards, and magazines that were left behind. Just a little bit at a time, I told myself. Remember what Mrs. Smith told you – that reading doesn’t need to take a lot of time. Mrs. Smith’s first assignment to the class included reading two short stories, William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and â€Å"Everything Rises Must Converge† by Flannery O’Connor. We were to read the assigned stories and then analyze their meanings, and structure. Mrs. Smith helped us with an initial story we read in class and showed us how to read efficiently and what things to keep in mind as we read. She taught us to look beyond the obvious and delve deeper into the author’s motivation, history, and the lesson, or lessons, they were trying to convey. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed reading the two short stories. It didn’t take much time to read through them the first time and, using Mrs. Smith’s directives, the second time of reading brought to light many aspects of the story I had previously missed. There was a depth to the words that caused me to sit back and reflect further on what I’d read. In particular, Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"Everything Rises Must Converge† made a great impact on me with its important statement regarding racism and reverse racism. Prior to reading that story, I’d really had no idea just how prevalent such issues were in the South and how it might adversely affect people. Although O’Connor wrote the work some decades earlier, the issues raised are as important today as they were back then. I wish I could say I became an avid reader overnight, but that’s not the way it happened. I did, however, begin to take a peek at some of the books for sale in various stores. If I happened to be at the drug store, I snuck into the aisle of bestsellers and looked over the covers, reading the blurbs of praise on the front. I wasn’t sure what subjects would interest me, but after reading some excerpts online, I decided that science fiction was the best fit for me and my personality. I tried reading â€Å"The Hobbit† but its length made it a chore so I opted, instead, for some shorter books, like novels based on the â€Å"Star Wars† movies. The volumes I chose couldn’t be classified as classical literature by any means, by I enjoyed reading them and I figured that if there were books that could hold my interest, me – the self-proclaimed non-reader – then they couldn’t be all bad. Next on my list are some of the more classical works of science fiction, like those by Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne, and H. G. Wells. I’ve learned a lot along the way in my reading adventures. I’ve gotten an insider’s view to history, as well as what the future might hold. I’ve identified with characters and been surprised at endings which left me wanting to know more. An added benefit which I never would have guessed is that of greater confidence in writing. Attending college means that essays, term papers, and theses are required in order to pass most classes. When once I used to dread doing such assignments, I’ve found that, through reading, I am much more comfortable with the written word. This is what literacy means to me. It is the ability to use our skills – of reading and writing and comprehension – to further our knowledge as well as the desire to do so in order that we may better ourselves. No matter if you read a mystery novel or a history book, there is something in that volume which imparts further knowledge to the reader. In some cases, it is obvious – such as learning about the mistakes in history so future generations are not doomed to make the same mistakes. In other cases, it is not so obvious. But any book that causes the reader to think about something in a different way is doing its job by expanding our knowledge and inciting our curiosity. As Frederick Douglass once said, â€Å"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.† And by the way, thank you Mrs. Smith, wherever you are!

Could Matter-Antimatter Reactor Technology Work

The starship Enterprise, familiar to fans of the  Star Trek series, is supposed to use an incredible technology called  warp drive, a sophisticated power source that has antimatter at its heart. Antimatter supposedly produces all the energy the ships crew needs to warp its way around the galaxy and have adventures. Naturally, such a power plant is the work of science fiction. However, it seems so useful that people often wonder if a concept involving antimatter could be used to power interstellar spacecraft. It turns out the science is quite sound, but some hurdles definitely stand in the way of making such a dream power source into a usable reality. What Is Antimatter? The source of the Enterprises power is a simple reaction predicted by physics. Matter is the stuff of stars, planets, and us. Its made up of electrons, protons, and neutrons. Antimatter is the opposite of matter, a sort of mirror matter. Its composed of particles that are, individually, antiparticles of the various building blocks of matter, such as positrons (antiparticles of electrons) and antiprotons (antiparticles of protons). These antiparticles are identical in most ways to their regular matter counterparts, except that they have the opposite charge. If they could be brought together with regular matter particles in some sort of chamber, the result would be a giant release of energy.  That energy could, theoretically, power a starship. How Is  Antimatter Created? Nature does create antiparticles, just not in large amounts. Antiparticles are created in naturally occurring processes as well as through experimental means such as in large particle accelerators in high-energy collisions. Recent work has found that antimatter is created naturally above storm clouds, the first means by which it is produced naturally on Earth and in its atmosphere. Otherwise, it takes massive amounts of heat and energy to create antimatter, such as during supernovae or inside main-sequence stars,  such as the sun. We are nowhere near being able to emulate those massive types of fusion plants. How Antimatter Power Plants Could Work In theory, matter and its antimatter equivalent are brought together and immediately, as the name suggests, annihilate each other, releasing energy. How would such a power plant be structured? First, it would have to be very carefully built due to the huge amounts of energy involved. The antimatter would be contained separate from the normal matter by magnetic fields so that no unintended reactions take place. The energy would then be extracted in much the same way that nuclear reactors capture the expended heat and light energy from fission reactions. Matter-antimatter reactors would be orders of magnitude more efficient at producing energy than fusion, the next best reaction mechanism. However, it still isnt possible to fully capture the released energy from a matter-antimatter event. A significant amount of the output is carried away by neutrinos, nearly massless particles that interact so weakly with matter that they are nearly impossible to capture, at least for the purposes of extracting energy. Problems With Antimatter Technology Concerns about capturing energy arent as important as the task of getting enough antimatter to do the job. First, we need to have enough antimatter. Thats the major difficulty: obtaining a significant amount of antimatter to sustain a reactor. While scientists have created small amounts of antimatter, ranging from positrons, antiprotons, anti-hydrogen atoms, and even a few anti-helium atoms, they havent been in significant enough amounts to power much of anything. If engineers were to gather all the antimatter that has ever been artificially created, when combined with normal matter it would scarcely be enough to light a standard light bulb for more than a few minutes. Furthermore, the cost would be incredibly high. Particle accelerators  are pricey to run, even to produce a small amount of antimatter in their collisions.  In the best-case scenario, it would cost on the order of $25 billion to produce one gram of positrons. Researchers at CERN point out that it would take $100 quadrillion and 100 billion years of running their accelerator to produce a single gram of antimatter.   Clearly, at least with technology currently available, the regular manufacture of antimatter doesnt look promising, which puts starships out of reach for a while. However, NASA is looking for ways to capture naturally created antimatter, which could be a promising way to power spaceships as they travel through the galaxy.   Searching out Antimatter Where would scientists look for enough antimatter to do the trick? The Van Allen radiation belts—doughnut-shaped regions of charged particles that surround the Earth—contain significant amounts of antiparticles. These are created as very-high-energy charged particles from the sun interact with Earths magnetic field. So it might be possible to capture this antimatter and preserve it in magnetic field bottles until a ship could use it for propulsion. Also, with the recent discovery of antimatter creation above storm clouds, it could be possible to capture some of these particles for our uses. However, because the reactions occur in our atmosphere, the antimatter will inevitably interact with normal matter and annihilate, likely before we have a chance to capture it. So, while it would still be quite expensive and the techniques for capture remain under study, it might be possible someday to develop a technology that could collect antimatter from the space around us at a cost less than artificial creation on Earth. The Future of Antimatter Reactors As technology advances and we begin to understand better how antimatter is created, scientists can begin to develop ways of capturing the elusive particles that are naturally created. So, its not impossible that we could one day have energy sources like those depicted in science fiction. -Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen