Thursday, March 5, 2020

Rivalry Between Beijing vs. Shanghai

Rivalry Between Beijing vs. Shanghai Beijing and Shanghai are arguably China’s two most famous and most important cities. One is the center of government, the other the center of modern commerce. One is steeped in history, the other is a glittering tribute to modernity. You might imagine that the two fit together like yin and yang, complimenting each other, and maybe that’s true... but they also hate each other. Beijing and Shanghai have a fierce rivalry that’s been going on for decades, and it’s fascinating. What Shanghai Thinks of Beijing and Vice Versa In Shanghai, people will tell you Beijing ren (Ã¥Å'â€"ä º ¬Ã¤ º º, â€Å"Beijingers†) are arrogant and uncouth. Although the city is host to more than 20 million people, Shanghai’s denizens will tell you they act like peasants- friendly, perhaps, but blustery and uncultured. Certainly not as refined and fashionable as Shanghaiers! â€Å"They [Beijingers] smell like garlic,† one Shanghai resident told the LA Times in an article on the rivalry. In Beijing, on the other hand, they’ll tell you that Shanghai people only care about money; they’re unfriendly to outsiders and selfish even among themselves. Shanghai men are said to place too much importance on business while being impotent pushovers at home. Shanghai women are supposedly bossy dragon ladies who push their men around whenever they’re not too busy spending their money shopping. â€Å"All they care for is themselves and their money,† a Beijinger told the LA Times. When Did the Rivalry Originate? Although China has dozens of huge cities these days, Beijing and Shanghai have played a major role in China’s culture for centuries. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Shanghai clearly had the upper hand it was the center of Chinese fashion, the â€Å"Paris of the East†, and Westerners flocked to the cosmopolitan city. After the revolution in 1949, though, Beijing became the center of China’s political and cultural power, and Shanghai’s influence waned. When China’s economy was opened up following the Cultural Revolution, Shanghai’s influence began to rise again, and the city became the heart of Chinese finance (and fashion). Of course, it’s not all macroeconomics and geopolitics. Although denizens of both cities would like to believe their cities are more influential, there is also a grain of truth to the stereotypes and jokes that get passed around; Shanghai and Beijing do have very different cultures, and the cities look and feel different. The Rivalry Today These days, Beijing and Shanghai are considered mainland China’s two greatest cities, and although the government being located in Beijing means that Beijing will probably have the upper hand for the foreseeable future, but that hasn’t stopped the two from competing. The Beijing Olympics in 2008, followed by Shanghai’s World Expo in 2010, have been a great source of fodder for comparative arguments about the virtues and faults of the two cities, and denizens of both will argue it was their city that put on the better show when they were on the world stage. Of course, the rivalry also plays out in professional sports. In basketball, a match between the Beijing Ducks and the Shanghai Sharks can be counted on to be contentious, and both teams are among the best in the league historically, though it has been more than a decade since the Sharks made an appearance in the finals. In soccer, Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua duke it out for bragging rights each year (though again, Beijing has had more recent success than Shanghai in the league). It’s unlikely that Beijingers and Shanghaiers will ever see totally eye to eye. It’s worth noting that the Beijing versus Shanghai feud sometimes even extends the ​city’s expatriate communities, so if you’re looking for a Chinese city to live in, choose wisely.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Host family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Host family - Essay Example This was mainly due to the fact that most of the interactions that I came to experience as well as the culture of the society within which I lived was absolutely different from the one that I was used to. In fact, when one considers my experiences in the United States, one would say that it was a completely opposite from the way of life in China, my home country. When I first learnt that I my application for foreign exchange had been approved and that I was to go to Oregon, United States, I was extremely excited. This was mainly because I had never before left my home country and I was eager to experience another place which was dissimilar from home. I found out that I had been assigned a host family and while I met this news with some apprehension, since I did not know what to expect from these people, I later came to be glad that they had been selected for me. The family that I went to live with were known as the Johnsons, and they were honest and hardworking individuals who were a lso strong in their Christian faith, a fact that I found highly impressive. In my home country, where not many of the people are religious, and the latter is often discouraged, we has often heard rumour that the people in the west only professed the Christian faith yet rarely practiced it. The Johnsons, however, proved this impression to be wrong, and by their taking me into their home and treating me as one of their own, I felt like a real part of their family. Among the things that most impressed me about this family is that they had adopted a girl from China, treating her as if she was their own biological child through their provision of their love and support. Lily, the little girl, had been adopted as a baby when her parents died and she was left an orphan. Despite this tragic beginning of her life, Lily seems to have adjusted well to her new environment, to the extent of not remembering any Chinese, a fact that I learnt from my futile attempts to address her in her native lan guage. In China, I had learnt some English but while this had been the case, when I went for exchange, I could not speak it very well. Despite the language barrier between me and my host family, the latter took in stride and they often encouraged me to express myself the best way that I could through the use of my limited vocabulary. When all attempts at communicating using English failed, and it happened often, we would resort to using signs, a factor of communication that I found to be most interesting. The experience of the Johnsons when raising Lily might have helped a lot in their communication with me since after a fortnight or so; we could communicate with almost no problem at all since we had learnt each other’s speech and sign patterns. Since I went to school with the other two older Johnson children, Josh and Mary, who were close to my age and attended almost the same classes, I found it much easier to adjust to the new school environment than if I had had to go alo ne. These two, who became very close friends and my constant companions, gave me the motivation to learn my English so that I could communicate with them better. My thirst to learn might have also played a role in my wanting to better my English and in all my attempts, the Johnsons often gave me their support. Since I am a fast learner, within a few weeks of living with my host family, I could confidently express

Monday, February 3, 2020

TEXT ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TEXT ANALYSIS - Assignment Example dy the trial’s circumstances as well as look into the circumstances that resulted to his accuser seek his death as well as the Athens’ people to agree in it. As far as this accusation goes, the scenario is not that different from the religion of St. Theodore of Sykeon. Theodore is sick and this could be a likened to Socrates’ being in court. Just as judges were there to look into the accusations against Socrates, in the cases of the saint there is God as well as the angles who come as doctors. Upon being asked why he is weeping, the saint answers that it is because he is unrepentant (The Life of St. Theodore of Sykeon ,1.2). This represents the accusations against Socrates. One of the major accusations against Socrates was denying gods that the state recognized as well as introducing to the state strange religions instead of such Gods. In the case of St, Theodore, earthly spirits that torment people can be seen. It the saint who continues to do miracles that does away with weaknesses as well as sicknesses. The spirits, weaknesses, as well as these spirits represent earthly gods that the state believes in, in the Socrates’ scenario. Theodore explains that something else that makes him cry is the young believers who need a shepherd. He is afraid that he will die and leave them without one. This is quite common the second accusation directed towards Socrates. That he turned away young people from their parents to serve the new religion he introduced. They accusers called it corrupting the young people. Socrates had associates whom he taught to despise State laws, amongst them, election through lots. Theodore has followers too: those who liked his works left their homes and came to be with him as well as change their lives to conform his teachings. Some of those healed by him as well opted to live by his side as well (The Life of St. Theodore of Sykeon, 2.2). Socrates during his presentation for his apology, his first words were that he was not sure if the

Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Cold War Between The USSR And US

The Cold War Between The USSR And US The time in the Cold War era between 1945-1991 was a turbulent direction for both the newly amassed superpowers of the United States and Soviet Union. The cold war is referenced as a continuous time of military and political tension between powers of the United States with NATO and other allies and the Soviet Union with the Warsaw Pact and other allies. The Arms race in the Cold War, had profoundly negative effects on the opposing superpowers. These effects created a deteriorating relationship between the USA and the USSR, the Cuban Missile Crisis and contributed to the financial downfall of the Soviet Union in its final days. The United States and Russia have a much more acceptable relationship in the current day, but in the Cold War era, the hostilities rose to a near breaking point level. Hypothetically, if hostilities were not prevented in time, the world could have been permanently silenced through a potential Nuclear holocaust. The United States and the Soviet Union relationship during the Arms Race period in the Cold War era was one of unpredictable possibility; brimming with hostility and tension. The two nations promoted opposing political and economic ideology and the two nations competed for international control. This aroused a geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle, lasting from 1947 to the period leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991. With Capitalism versus Communism as a constant factor; ever present between the two factions, relationships between governments and citizens of two began to disassemble. Stocking of Weapons of Mass Destruction, also kept the intimidation factor present along with unrivaled competition between both countries. With these factors present, the Mutual Assured Destruction doctrine of military strategy and national security policy was put into effect. M.A.D consisted of full-scale use of weapons of mass destruction by two rivaling sides. W hich, would effectively result in destruction of both the attacker and the defender, becoming a war that has no victory but only total destruction. With this as an ever present danger, both sides remained hostile but did not commit to weapon fire. Obviously knowing the dire consequences that would result. The compilation of Nuclear Armament was only one tool used between the two nations in this Silent War. Propaganda by both countries and assimilation of other nations by the U.S and Soviets was a factor as well. Propaganda posters consisted of anti-communist art on the US side while anti-capitalism was present on the Soviets side. With propaganda influencing citizens of both countries, any Necessary actions needed to be taken by either country, would have most likely been uncontested by civilians. Due to the rising hostilities and danger. Present danger not only due to Nuclear armaments, but from shadow wars as well. An example would be the communist occupation of Vietnam. War histo rians often say that the viet cong who fought aggressively against the United states, were only the tools of communist Russia to indirectly fight the united states. With immense numbers of casualties present for both vietnam and united states, relations between them soured. This war helped fuel the Russian machine to create more weapons and fuel communist encroachment upon other countries. This war was not only of contested territory, but a source of wealth for russia. With Viet-cong needing weapon and russia supplying them, wealth was made. The united states had discovered this and it became essentially a war against communism. The United States and Russia often had times of dà ©tente; which gave the race brief periods of break for negotiations and other settlements. The presence of periods eventually allowed the competing superpowers to come to a settlement and end superpower cold war/arms race, allowing the world to finally relax from pure tension. The Cuban missile crisis was the most severe Cold War confrontation between the United States and the USSR and that took place in October, 1962. The U.S. discovered that the Soviets were in the process of positioning nuclear missiles in Communist Cuba. The United States then tried to interrupt and stop the process by placing naval blockade to stop Soviet ships carrying missiles to Cuba. On October 22, U.S. military alert was set at Defcon 3 and Fidel Castro began to mobilizes all of his military forces. On October 24, Soviet ships entered the quarantine line placed by the US and received orders from Moscow to hold their positions while being backed up by Soviet reinforcements. President John F Kennedy concluded that if he attempted to invade within ten days, the missile bases in Cuba would likely fire a portion of the missiles at US targets. With the missiles armed with nuclear warheads, the result would have disastrous. On October 25, American military units were forced to enter Def con 2- the highest of all time in U.S. history. On October 26, Khrushchev received a cable message from Fidel Castro demanding a nuclear strike against the US in the event Cuba was actually invaded. The intensified moment of the Cuban Missile Crisis was during the evening of Saturday, 27 October 1962, when the negotiations of the crisis, had disappeared . Soviet ships didnt try to break the U.S naval blockade of Cuba, but, Soviet missile bases stayed on the island and were becoming operational and ready to fire. President Kennedy was pressured to order an air strike or invasion was increasing rapidly, especially after the American U-2 reconnaissance plane was taken down over in cuba that same Saturday afternoon and its pilot was unfortunately killed. Any hope of a resolution to the crisis that could be achieved between Washington and Moscow had begun to disappear. A letter from Soviet leader Khrushchev arrived on that Saturday morning demanding that the United States needed to agree to remove its Jupiter ballistic missiles from Turkey in for the Soviets removal of missiles from Cuba. Khrushchev`s letter was felt to U.S. officials as an ominous event of the Soviet decision from the older letter from Khrushchev, didnt mention the U.S missiles in Turkey but instead implied that Washingtons agreement not to invade Cuba at the time would have been sufficient to end the need for Soviet`s nuclear protection of Castros government. On October 28, the crisis finally ends with the U.S agreement to remove their Jupiter missiles from Turkey. During a speech aired on Moscow Radio, Khrushchev announced the process of dismantling the Soviet missiles in Cuba and insisted on his demands concerning the elimination of U.S. missiles from Turkey. During the Cuban missile crisis, both superpowers discovered that risking war in pursuit of political ideals and gain was intelligibly too dangerous. It was the final event during the Cold War that both sides would escalate hostilities to create a hazard of this level. Even after the Crisis, the USSR and U.S still imposed their competition in conflicts in other locations of the planet . Africas independent nations such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, received military interruption from the United States and the USSR. In this era, Cuba played a significant role alongside the USSR. The Chinese, who were now cautious of the USSR, participated against them on the side of the United States. The early 1980s was the concluding area of disputes between the United States and the USSR, resulting directly from the 1979 Soviets invasion of Afghanistan to establish and create a Communist regime. In 1983, president Ronald Reagan announced the creation of Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). SDI is was brought forward as a satellite defense system, which would destroy incoming missiles in space. During August of 1985, the Soviet Union announced a nuclear testing pausing. In December of 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces; the first arms accord signed by both Washington and Moscow that calls for the elimination the intermediate-range ballistic missiles. During July of 1991, the U.S. and the USSR signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Act finally ceasing anything related to a Cold War or an Arms race. The world was finally at peace from a possible Nuclear fallout. The downfall of Soviet Union can be connected to the Arms race between the two superpowers of the U.S and the USSR. The results from the arms race left too much unused waste material, such as the stockpile of nuclear warheads and costed both superpowers a hefty sum. The Soviets continued to invest too much currency into their government to keep up with the U.S. The Soviets had to increase effort to reach where they were before the escalation and the results to this upsurge were not pleasant. The Soviet economy was becoming stagnant, while their military spending passed the threshold of acceptable. President Reagans Defense Initiative was a threat that needed to be countered, and the Soviets threw increased amounts of money at the military . The US had spent about 18% of its Gross Domestic Product at their military, while the Soviets were spending up to 35%. This resulted in Russia bankrupting itself. There was far too much nepotism of government elites, and tampering with the account s and ledgers to fulfil the plans. The Soviet economy was becoming stagnant, while their military spending passed the threshold of acceptable. To stop all stagnation occurring, Gorbachev introduced the ideals of Glasnost and Perestroika to patch the communist system, and make it work more suitable. All it really did was allow people to openly criticise their system and soon there was a calling for it to be replaced by citizens. The Communist ideology was not delivering theparadise for workers the government had promised, wages were stagnant, housing was poor, transport was difficult and from the lifestyle was extremely different from the West. Soviet children were becoming languor of being told that they watch certain films, that they couldnt listen to music from the west, and listen to Western Radio station. Glasnost had allowed them to speak out against their regime and allowed them to listen music they chose. In the Republics, people were becoming tired of the Soviets. Citizens w anted to govern themselves, or have more choice within the Soviet idea, but the government would not falter. Glasnost created the opportunity where they could criticise and begin to organise themselves. Eventually the people in the Republics started protesting, requesting independence, and after the collapse of the union, it was achieved. The event that finally ceased the Soviet Union into the history was the failed coup of August 1991. Communist associates attempted to remove Gorbachev from office, and place in a more stalinist style government. In two months of the coup the Soviet Union was no longer existed. In all of this, was the fact that the state elite no longer believed in communism ideals, and began to see how capitalism gave the chance to gain wealth like their Western rivals earn. The elite abandoned any previous thoughts of communism from 1989 and below, setting up banks and businesses and taking ownership of the companies where they worked. The final revolution had end ed the Soviet Union. In conclusion, the Arms race in the Cold War era between the USSR and U.S in 1945-1991 was a poor situation for both superpowers. The Arms race in the Cold War, had negative results on the opposing superpowers. Due to the cold war being a continuous state of political and military tension between the United States with NATO and other allies; against powers like the Soviet Union with the Warsaw Pact and other allies.These effects created a deteriorating relationship between the USA and the USSR, the Cuban Missile Crisis and contributed to the financial downfall of the Soviet Union in its final days. The United States and Russia have a much more acceptable relationship in the current day, but in the Cold War era, the hostilities rose to a near breaking point level. The events that occured, created a time in history that can be referenced for many generations of how competing ideologies and too much power competition between superpower countries can result in dire situations like the of October 25 of 1962 if not handled correctly.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Calculus

This is a take-home exam. You may consult different sources of information including but not limited to class notes, homework and/or textbook. You may also collaborate with your classmates but you must write your own solutions. It is fairly obvious when a student is Just copying the work from an external source; if I deem a solution has just been copied I may give you a warning for Academic Dishonesty (ADD for short).Solutions to some of these problems are available elsewhere, if you happen to come cross one of them you should make your best effort to understand it, then write your own using your ideas and understanding of the topics. Question: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total Points: 25 20 200 Score: Please do not answer the questions in the limited space provided; use scratch paper and attach it to this cover page. Name: Signature: Page 1 of 6 Please go on to the next page†¦ Questions (10 puts) 1. I. Use Roller's theorem to prove that f x ex. root . 013 xx 2 has at most one real Hint: If has two roots (say a and b) then FAA Feb. O. What does Roller's theorem say in this situation? (1 5 puts) it. Let f be continuous on a, and differentiable on a, b . Show that there exists c a, b such that the tangent at c, FCC is parallel to the secant through a, FAA and b, Feb. . In other words, show that FAA Equation (1) is known as the Mean Value Theorem formula. Hint: Apply Roller's theorem on a, to the function G x Feb. FAA Feb. Keep in mind that a, FAA , b and Feb. are constants. 2.True or false. (5 puts) I. Iffy O, f is neither concave up nor concave down around x a. I. It. If is continuous on a, b and c iii. If f is continuous but not necessarily differentiable on O, then the absolute maximum and the absolute minimum off exist. V. If f is differentiable on a, b then it is also continuous on a, b and the absolute maximum and absolute minimum exist. V. If x a corresponds to an inflection point off , then f ii a around x a. A, b is a local maximizes then fix O. O and f ii x changes sign 3.Henry is pulling on a rope that passes through a pulley on a MM t pole and is attached to a wagon. Assume that the rope is attached to a loop on the wagon 2 Ft off the ground. Let x be the distance between the loop and the pole (see figure 1). (10 puts) I. Find a formula for the speed of the wagon in terms of x and the rate at which Henry lulls the rope. We say that x a is a root (or is a zero) off x , if FAA O. We say thatch is a local maximizes if f c is a local maximum. Page 2 of 6 Henry Figure 1: Henry pulling the wagon from problem 3. 10 puts) it. Find the speed of the wagon when it is 12 Ft from the pole, assuming that Henry pulls the rope at a rate of 1. 5 Ft sec. (25 puts) 4. Olav Adagio -a former student of mine- was asked to sketch the graph of a function. Unfortunately Olav often forgets things. Luckily for you, he wrote down some statements. Regarding the function f x , he wrote: * It is only defined on , and it is continuous. * It is strictly positive, e xcept at x 2 and x O where its value is zero. *f 2 2, f 3 1, and f 4 1. 1 when x O.Regarding if x , he wrote: XSL * On the interval (-2, 1) it exists only at those points where g x is well defined. Moreover, it is positive when g is positive; negative when g is negative; and zero when g is zero. * On the interval (1,2) it is identically equal to zero. * On the interval (2,4) it is negative. Lastly, regarding f ii x , he wrote: * On (-2, 1) it exists whenever h x signs on this interval. Is well defined. They also have opposite On (2,4) it changes sign from negative to positive at x 3. Help Olav sketch the graph off .Make sure to clearly identify the local and global extreme as well as the inflection points. 5. A piece of wire 24 CM long is given to you. You can choose to either cut it into two pieces or leave it the way it is. If you decide to cut it, one piece must be bent into the Page 3 of 6 shape of a square, while the remaining one must be bent into the shape of a circle. If you decide not to cut it, you can bend it into either shape. (5 puts) I. Denoting by x the length of the piece of the wire that will be bent into the shape of circle, obtain an expression for the area enclosed by the wire.Make sure that the formula works regardless of whether or not the wire is bent into one or two pieces. (20 puts) it. Find the maximum area that can be enclosed by the wire. Explain how this area can be obtained by specifying the dimensions (ii. , length of sides and/or radius) of the objects to be constructed. The following facts might come in handy: If a square has perimeter.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Kennedy’s New Frontier

The New Frontier a term used by John F. Kennedy in his inaugural speech in 1960 that revealed Presidents Kennedy's intention to create programs to aid in economic, International and social issues with a clear focus on key points such as Increasing the economy, creating international aid programs, adding to national defense, and the creation of a more ambitious space program. Although met with resistance from congress President Kennedy was able to fulfill some of the Initiatives mapped In his acceptance speech.Economically, he was able to pass bills providing financial lad to depressed Industrial and rural areas (Davidson, 2005), Increased the minimum wage and blocked big business from price gauging. Socially, he was an advocate for call rights for minorities and women. Internationally, President Kennedy accomplished two major agendas with creation of the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress. The peace Corps concentration was education In poorer nations and the Alliance forProgre ss focused on assisting Latin American with health and education. President Kennedy increased the armed forces ground troops and signed an agreement with the Soviet union to limit nuclear testing to underground only. He also advocated the expansion of the U. S. Space program including challenging congress to authorize a manned space mission to the moon in efforts to surpass the Russian cosmonaut orbiting the world after Kennedy's inauguration.Despite resistance from Congress ND his untimely death President Kennedy's New Frontier Program in many ways was considered a great success by influencing reform socially, economically. Internationally and politically. References Davidson, J. (2005). Nations of nations: A concise narrative of the American republic. New York: McGraw-Hill. New Frontier. (2012, March 24). In Wisped, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:33, April 13, 2012, from http://en. Wisped. Org/w/index. PH? Title-New Kennedy’s New Frontier The New Frontier a term used by John F. Kennedy in his inaugural speech in 1960 that revealed Presidents Kennedy's intention to create programs to aid in economic, International and social issues with a clear focus on key points such as Increasing the economy, creating international aid programs, adding to national defense, and the creation of a more ambitious space program. Although met with resistance from congress President Kennedy was able to fulfill some of the Initiatives mapped In his acceptance speech.Economically, he was able to pass bills providing financial lad to depressed Industrial and rural areas (Davidson, 2005), Increased the minimum wage and blocked big business from price gauging. Socially, he was an advocate for call rights for minorities and women. Internationally, President Kennedy accomplished two major agendas with creation of the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress. The peace Corps concentration was education In poorer nations and the Alliance forProgre ss focused on assisting Latin American with health and education. President Kennedy increased the armed forces ground troops and signed an agreement with the Soviet union to limit nuclear testing to underground only. He also advocated the expansion of the U. S. Space program including challenging congress to authorize a manned space mission to the moon in efforts to surpass the Russian cosmonaut orbiting the world after Kennedy's inauguration.Despite resistance from Congress ND his untimely death President Kennedy's New Frontier Program in many ways was considered a great success by influencing reform socially, economically. Internationally and politically. References Davidson, J. (2005). Nations of nations: A concise narrative of the American republic. New York: McGraw-Hill. New Frontier. (2012, March 24). In Wisped, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:33, April 13, 2012, from http://en. Wisped. Org/w/index. PH? Title-New

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Quotes From Charles Dickenss Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens second novel, Oliver Twist, is the story of an orphan growing up among criminals in London, England. The book, one of Dickenss most popular works, is known for its harsh depiction of poverty, child labor, and life in the London slums of the mid-19th century. Poverty Oliver Twist was published at a time when many of Dickens countrymen were living in great poverty. The most unfortunate were sent to workhouses, where they received food and lodging in exchange for their labor. The protagonist of Dickenss novel ends up in such a workhouse as a child. To earn his gruel, Oliver spends his days picking oakum. Please, sir, I want some more. (Oliver, Chapter 2) Oliver Twist has asked for more! (Mr. Bumble, Chapter 2) I am very hungry and tired...I have walked a long way. I have been walking these seven days. (Oliver, Chapter 8) Bleak, dark, and piercing cold, it was a night for the well-housed and fed to draw round the bright fire, and thank God they were at home; and for the homeless starving wretch to lay him down and die. Many hunger-worn outcasts close their eyes in our bare streets at such times, who, let their crimes have been what they may, can hardly open them in a more bitter world. (Chapter 23) Human Nature Dickens was admired not only as a novelist but also as a social critic, and in Oliver Twist, he uses his sharp eye to dissect the weaknesses of human nature. The social canvas of the novel, which includes the poor underclass of London and the criminal justice system designed to contain it, allows Dickens to explore what happens when humans are reduced to the basest conditions. The doctor seemed especially troubled by the fact of the robbery having been unexpected, and attempted in the night-time; as if it were the established custom of gentlemen in the housebreaking way to transact business at noon, and to make an appointment, by the twopenny post, a day or two previous. (Chapter 7) Although Oliver had been brought up by philosophers, he was not theoretically acquainted with the beautiful axiom that self-preservation is the first law of nature. (Chapter 10) There is a passion for hunting something deeply implanted in the human breast. (Chapter 10) But death, fires, and burglary, make all men equals. (Chapter 28) Such is the influence which the condition of our own thoughts, exercises, even over the appearance of external objects. Men who look on nature, and their fellow-men, and cry that all is dark and gloomy, are in the right; but the sombre colours are reflections from their own jaundiced eyes and hearts. The real hues are delicate, and need a clearer vision. (Chapter 33) Oh! the suspense: the fearful, acute suspense of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the racking thoughts that crowd upon the mind, and make the heart beat violently, and the breath come thick, by the force of the images they conjure up before it; the desperate anxiety  to be doing something  to relieve the pain, or lessen the danger, which we have no power to alleviate; the sinking of soul and spirit, which the sad remembrance of our helplessness produces; what tortures can equal these; what reflections of endeavours can, in the full tide and fever of the time, allay them! (Chapter 33) Society and Class As the story of a poor orphan and, more generally, the downtrodden, Oliver Twist is filled with Dickens thoughts about the role of class in English society. The author is highly critical of the institutions that protect the upper classes while leaving the poor to starve and die. Throughout the book, Dickens raises questions about how society organizes itself and treats its worst-off members. Why everybody lets him alone enough, for the matter of that. Neither his father nor his mother will ever interfere with him. All his relations let him have his own way pretty well. (Noah, Chapter 5) I only know two sorts of boys. Mealy boys, and beef-faced boys. (Mr. Grimwig, Chapter 10) Dignity, and even holiness too, sometimes, are more questions of coat and waistcoat than some people imagine. (Chapter 37) We need be careful how we deal with those about us, when every death carries to some small circle of survivors, thoughts of so much omitted, and so little done- of so many things forgotten, and so many more which might have been repaired! There is no remorse so deep as that which is unavailing; if we would be spared its tortures, let us remember this, in time. (Chapter 8) The sun—the bright sun, that brings back, not light alone, but new life, and hope, and freshness to man—burst upon the crowded city in clear and radiant glory. Through costly-coloured glass and paper-mended window, through cathedral dome and rotten crevice, it shed its equal ray.  (Chapter 46)