Comparison Of Windows Unix And Linux Computer Science Essay

Comparison Of Windows Unix And Linux Computer Science Essay In this term paper study of different OS are done. To know which is better the features , pros and cons are compared. Also the reliability of each OS is consider for this study. Since OS is the most important program of a computer, therefore the study of good software is also plays an important role. WHAT IS OPERATING SYSTEM: An operating system is a main program that is designed to run other programs on a computer. A computers operating system is its most important program. It is considered to the backbone of a computer, which manages both software and hardware. Operating systems are made for everything from the control and allocation of memory to get input from external devices and display output to computer screen. They also manage files on computer hard drives and peripherals. The operating systems acts as the human guide to interact with the computer hardware. They are responsible for linking application programs with the hardware, thus achieving an easy user access to the computers. Figure : Operating System terminology; TYPES OF OS: Real-time Operating System: It is a multitasking operating system that used to executing real-time applications. Real-time operating systems often use special scheduling algorithms so that they can achieve a better behavior. The main object of real-time operating systems is their quick response to events. Multi-user: The operating systems of this type allow a multiple users to access a computer system concurrently. Time-sharing system can be classified as multi-user systems as they enable a multiple user access to a computer through the sharing of time. Multi-tasking and Single-tasking Operating Systems: When a single program is allowed to run at a time, the system is called a single-tasking system, while in case the operating system allows the execution of multiple tasks at one time, it is classified as a multi-tasking operating system. Multi-tasking can be of two types namely, pre-emptive or co-operative. Distributed Operating System: An operating system that manages a group of independent computers and makes them appear to be a single computer is known as a distributed operating system. Embedded System: The operating systems designed for being used in embedded computer systems are known as embedded operating systems. They are designed to operate on small machines like PDAs with less autonomy. DIFFERENT OPERATING SYSTEMS: WINDOWS: Windows is a personal computers operating system from Microsoft corporation that, together comes with some commonly used applications. Windows has become a standard for common users in most organizations as well as in most homes. Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Windows has approximately 91% of the market share of the client operating systems. The most recent client version of Windows is Windows 7; the most recent server version is Windows Server 2008 R2; the most recent mobile OS version is Windows Phone 7. UNIX: Unix is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of ATT employees at Bell Labs. Todays UNIX system is split into number of branches, developed over time by ATT as well as various commercial vendors and other organizations. UNIX was created to provide a multiuser, multitasking system for users. The object behind the design of UNIX was to provide simple, yet powerful utilities that could be pieced together in a flexible manner to perform a wide variety of tasks. Unix is a family of multi-user operating systems. Unix has a very strong security and model and relatively simple design, making it popular and fairly easy to implement. Many operating systems are either based on or modeled after the first Unix systems, such as Linux, Solaris, or Mac OS X. The UNIX operating system comprises three parts: The kernel, the standard utility programs, and the system configuration files. LINUX Linux is a Unix based operating system that was designed to provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost operating system comparable to traditional and usually more expensive Unix systems. Linux has a reputation as a very efficient and fast-performing operating system. Linux is a remarkably complete operating system, including a graphical user interface, an X Window System, TCP/IP, and other components usually found in a traditional systems. Unlike Windows and other proprietary systems, Linux is free and publicly open and modifiable by contributors. Because it conforms to the Portable Operating System Interface standard user and programming interfaces, developers can write programs that can be ported to other operating systems. The development of Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed, both commercially and non-commercially, by anyone under licenses such as the GNU General Public License. FEATURES OF UNIX The UNIX Operating System is available on systems with a large range of computing power, from microcomputers to mainframes, and on different manufactures machines. No other operating system can make this possible. We see the reasons of popularity and success of UNIX. The reasons are the following: Portability: The system is designed in high-level language making it easier to read, understand, change and, therefore move to other machines. The code can be changed and complied on a new machine. Machine-independence: The System hides the machine architecture from the user, making it easier to write applications that can run on micros and mainframes. Multi-User Operations: UNIX is a multi-user system designed to support a group of users simultaneously. The system allows for the sharing of processing power and peripheral resources, white at the same time providing excellent security features. Hierarchical File System: UNIX uses a hierarchical file structure to store information. This structure has flexible in grouping information in a way that reflects its natural state. It allows for easy maintenance and efficient implementation. UNIX shell: UNIX has a simple user interface called the shell that has the power to provide the services that the user wants. It protects the user from having to know the hardware details. Utilities: UNIX has over 200 utility programs for various functions. New utilities can be built effortlessly by combining existing utilities. FEATURES OF LINUX Linux has the following features as an outstanding operating system which is strong in security and networking. Multitasking Several programs can run at the same time since it provides number of consoles at the same time. Multiuser Several users can use to the same machine at the same time There is no need to have separate user licenses for different users. Multiplatform: Linux can runs on many different CPUs, that means it supports multiprocessor machine as well as single processor system. Multithreading Linux has native kernel support for multiple independent threads of control within a single process memory space to provide better performance. Crash proof Linux has the feature of memory protection between processes, so that one program cant bring the whole system down. Virtual memory: Virtual memory uses paging for disk to a separate partition or a file with the possibility of adding more swapping areas during runtime . Memory pool Linux has a unified memory pool for the programs run by user and disk cache, so that all free memory can be used for caching, and the cache can be reduced when running large programs. Open source: Free and Open source code for all: All source code of Linux is available, including the whole kernel and all drivers for all the users . Also, all of it is freely distributable. Plenty of commercial programs are being provided for Linux without source, but everything that has been free, including the entire base operating system, is still free. Networking Linux performs well with TCP/IP networking, including ftp, telnet, NFS, etc. FEATURS OF WINDOWS Microsoft was the first to introduce the idea of an operating system which was named as Windows in as an attachment to the MS-DOS in reply to the increasing curiosity in Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). Microsoft Windows in the end started to monitor the world market of the personal computers, going far ahead of Mac OS, which was the leader before its era. Microsoft has designed and marketed the Windows operating system as a collection of several operating systems. Windows is the most known OS to a lay man. It is trustworthy in the users point of view. First to introduce plug and play rule. UNIX VS LINUX. 1.Most common difference: UNIX is propriety system while Linux is an Open Source system. 2. Technical: In UNIX Development is targeted toward specific users and platform. Linux development is diverse. Linux standard base was formed to remove this problem but it wasnt of much help. UNIX maintains consistency and ease of access between different versions. UNIX has a published standard that they follow for their customer. Linux have inconsistencies between versions and no strict standards for tools, environment and functionality. In UNIX developers of the OS are bounded by standard for development while in Linux developers are free and have no restriction. In UNIX commands, tool and utilities etc are hardly vary over versions. Hence it is easy to administrate to update their skills. Moreover tools can be used on new edition of OS without a large body of testing. In Linux commands, tools and utilities may change over time and with the distributions. 3. Hardware : UNIX was coded for some specific hardware platforms. Linux was designed to be as compatible as possible. It can run on dozens of Architecture and support numerous I/O devices other external devices. Linux has limitless Supported devices are. 4. Kernel ; UNIX kernel is not freely available. Linux kernel is freely available. UNIX patches are available with highly tested. Linux patches are not highly tested as UNIX patches. 5. Updates and Bugs : Every OS, including UNIX and Linux, suffers from vulnerabilities and bugs that have to be patched, fixed and updated. But Linux enjoys a clear advantage over UNIX in this category. Linux bugs tend to die an early death, because the OS undergoes an incredible amount of scrutiny in the global open-source community UNIX VS. WINDOWS Stability: UNIX systems are more stable than windows. There are many factors to support this fact but to name just a big ones: UNIX handles high server loads better than Windows and UNIX machines seldom require reboots while Windows is frequently need them. Servers running on UNIX enjoy extremely high up-time and high reliability. Performance: While there is some doubt which operating system performs better, in our view both perform comparably in low-stress conditions. However UNIX servers under high load are strong than Windows. Compatibility: Web sites designed and programmed to be host under a UNIX-based web server can easily be hosted on a Windows server, whereas the reverse is not always true. This makes the programming for UNIX sites the better choice. Security :Unix has greater built-in security and permissions features than Windows. Until about the year 2000, i.e., before the launch of Microsoft Windows XP, Windows was considerably weaker in security as compared to Unix systems but today, it is really difficult to compare the two on this basis. Windows XP service pack 2 introduced various tools in areas such as emails, web browsing, memory, networking and even the kernel of the OS. The newer versions of Microsoft Windows that have recently been launched such as Windows Vista and Windows Seven, lay too much emphasis on security. They are far much secure than their elder versions. They have built in feasibility for permissions similar to UNIX which prohibits malicious programs from taking over the control of the system resources without user permission. LINUX vs WINDOWS Price The majority of Linux distributions are available for free or at a much lower price than Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Windows can cost between $50.00 $150.00 US dollars per each licensed copy. Ease Although the majority of Linux have improved in ease of use, Windows is still much easier to use for new computer users. Microsoft has made several changes that have made it a much easier to use operating system. It is still Easier than Linux. Reliability The majority of Linux variants are more reliable and can often run for months and years without needing to be rebooted. Although Microsoft Windows has made great advancements in reliability over the last few versions of Windows, it still behind the reliability of Linux. Softwares Linux has a large variety of software programs and utilities. However, Windows has a much larger selection of available software. Because of the large amount of Microsoft Windows users, there is a much larger selection of available software programs for windows. Hardware Hardware manufacturers have made great advancements in hardware support for Linux. Today Linux will support most hardware devices. However, most companies still do not offer drivers or support for their hardware in Linux. Because of the amount of windows users and the broader driver support, windows has larger support for hardware devices. Security Linux is and always been a very secure operating system. Although it still can be attacked. When compared to Windows, it much more secure. Although Microsoft has made changes over the years with security on their operating system, their operating system continues to be the most vulnerable to viruses and other attacks because of the large users. Open Source Many of the Linux programs are open source and enable users to modify the code however they desire. Microsoft is not open source and the majority of windows programs are not open source. Support Although it may be more difficult for users to familiar with all Linux distribution, there are vast amounts of online help, available books, and support is available for Linux. Windows includes vast amount of available online documentation as well as books on each of the versions of Windows. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: In this case study of which is better windows, Unix or Linux. From all the studies it was concluded that from the point of view of a lay user windows is still better for its ease of access. For the stability the UNIX is best among all. For the security feature the LINUX is best among all because of its large community. I conclude that windows is best for the personal use and for the new user , because it is widely used and easy to use. Moreover drivers and support fir the windows is largely and easily available. It also support GUI which helps user to interact easily with the OS. For commercial use LINUX is best to use. Because Linux is very stable and secure than windows ever. So for the large industries where the data is very important thing Linux is most secure OS to be used. Its true that UNIX is more stable than Linux and also compatible, but Unix is rarely used these days. Therefore Linux is still better and secure to use for commercial use.

Cavemen :: History

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In early times, cavemen lacked useful tools to communicate and survive. Their early weapons were brittle and made it difficult to successfully hunt. They were always on the move, traveling to find food and shelter. Because of these things, groups of cavemen remained small. The caveman eventually overcame these problems and grew to be civilized. The caveman made many great advances throughout history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some fundamental things that cavemen discovered were fire, hunting weapons, tools, and a verbal language that was much more complex than their animal ancestors. The first discovery, fire, provided them with warmth and protection, light, and heat to cook things. The second, hunting weapons, were made mostly of flint and dulled easily. The third advance was tools. They had tools that helped them in hunting and farming. Because they now had tools for farming, they could remain more stationary than their ancestors. Their language, consisting of only syllables, allowed them to communicate with less hindrance than their predecessors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason these advances were so great was that they provided them the â€Å"stepping stone† for becoming civilized. They could now remain in one location instead of being nomadic. The tools they had for farming allowed them to make agriculture worth the effort. It also gave them much free time to work on other things such as inventing the wheel. They also developed art, which shows us their higher level of thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The caveman's discoveries changed people’s way of life for years to come.

aaron copeland :: Free Essay Writer

Aaron Copland (November 14 ) was an American composer of modern tonal music as well as film music. Copland's music achieved a difficult balance between simple and effective composition. His often slow harmonies were near motionless recalling the vast American landscape. He incorporated percussive orchestration For the use of the term "orchestration" in computer science, see orchestration (computers) Outside of composing, Copland often served as a teacher and lecturer. During his carreer he also wrote books, articles and served as a conductor. Copland born in Brooklyn, New York He spent his childhood living above his parents' Brooklyn shop. Although his parents never encouraged or directly exposed him to music, at age fifteen he had already taken an interest in the subject and aspired to be a composer. His music education included time with Leopold Wolfsohn and Rubin Goldmark Rubin Goldmark (August 15, 1872 (New York City) - March 6, 1936 (New York City)) was an American composer, pianist, and educator. He studied composition with Robert Fuchs at the Vienna Conservatory, and later with Antonin Dvorak at the National Conservatory in New York. He taught composition at the National Conservatory and at the College Conservatory in Colorado, and spent the last twelve A symphony is an extended piece of music for orchestra, especially one in the form of a sonata. The word symphony is derived from the Greek syn (together) and phone (sounding), by way of the Latin symphonia. The term was used by the Greeks, firstly to denote the general conception of concord, both between successive sounds Other major works of his first (austere) period include the Short Symphony (1933 Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century This jazz inspired period was brief, however as his style evolved toward the goal of writing more accessible works. Many composers rejected the notion of writing music for the elite during the depression, thus the common American folklore served as the basis for his work along with revival hymns, cowboy and folk songs. Copland's second (vernacular) period began around 1936. Perhaps Copland's most famous work, Fanfare for the Common Man Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer of modern tonal music as well as film music. Copland's music achieved a difficult balance between simple and effective composition. His often slow harmonies were near motionless recalling the vast American landscape. He incorporated percussive orchestration, changing meter, polyrhythms, polychords and tone rows.

Ted Hughes Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow Essay -- Crow Fr

Social Issues and Creation Stories in Ted Hughes' Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow      Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many mythological stories that exist in this age.   Within these different myths, there are many answers to how our world was created.   Yet, one must become open-minded to other myths that do not necessarily discuss creation; Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow can be seen to fall into this category.   This collection of Ted Hughes' poetry is intertwined with social issues and creation stories.   Throughout this collection, the poems not only involve Classical and Christian related ideas they also include several twentieth century advancements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The myths that Hughes creates have the central character as the crow.   In the book Myth in the Poetry of Ted Hughes, Hirschberg gives a brief statement of how crows are viewed in different mythologies, "In folk mythology the crow is an animal figure predominantly associated with the twin motifs of death and guilt, a stark figure who embodies boldness, intelligence, adaptability to change and a twisted vitality" (126).   This description is widely evident throughout Ted Hughes' collection.   Crow goes through many phases and meditations.   Among the topics found in Crow   are views of religion, human actions, and destruction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout Crow, there are many references to Christianity.   Yet, in each poem that includes this topic, the original stories are altered to give a new style of myth.   "A Childish Prank" is one of the poems that Hughes begins altering the original biblical references.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "A Childish Prank" is a poem about a malicious trick that Crow plays on Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.   This poem is about Adam and Eve l... ...en though we hear ideas from different sources, we must still make our own interpretations. Crow is a great mythology that has unique parallels with society and human struggles.   A mythology is meant to relate to people, and give them warnings and answers.   Through looking at the religious, emotional, and destructive implications in the collection, we see that it is a mythology; thus, if we are open-minded enough to study and accept other mythologies, why not accept the life, songs, and philosophy of Crow as well? Works Cited Hirschberg, Stuart.   Myth in the Poetry of Ted Hughes:  A guide to the poems .   Totowa, New Jersey: Barnes and Noble, 1981. Hughes, Ted.   Crow:   From the Life and Songs of the Crow.   New York:   Harper and Row, 1971. Scigaj, Leonard M.   The Poetry of Ted Hughes:   Form and Imagination.   Iowa City, Iowa: U of Iowa P, 1986.

Doubt and the Acquisition of Knowledge Essay

Is doubt of any value in acquiring facts and knowledge? There are a number of approaches to tackling this question. If we were to look at various religious philosophies such as the teachings of Hinduism, Buddha and Christ, the disadvantages of doubt can be ascertained. The Bible says that there is a proper time for everything under the sun: â€Å"Every activity and every purpose has its proper time† (Ecclesiastes 3:17) This statement has bearing on the question as to the role doubt can play in acquiring knowledge. It implies that there is a proper time for doubt. I feel that one such time is when doubt serves as a driving force towards acquiring knowledge. Doubt certainly can be a stumbling block in acquiring knowledge and using it. Doubt can make an individual leery and hesitant. Yet, like most aspects of life, doubt can have both positive and negative effects on anything, including the process of learning and acquiring knowledge. While doubt can make one skeptical, it can also serve as a driving force to motivate a person to find the truth. In the opening quote, Dr. Bartus points out that insecurity and uncertainty can have value. Elsewhere in his book, he says that false assumptions and self-delusions are our greatest obstacles to solving problems (p. 107). This idea has bearing on the role of doubt in acquiring knowledge. Certainly, doubt can be an obstacle to acquiring knowledge, but when doubt causes a person to examine (or re-examine) his or her assumptions and discover his or her self-delusions, then doubt has served a valuable service that can lead to a search for answers and knowledge. While doubt can make people closed minded, I feel that doubt can drive people to ask probing questions that increase one’s knowledge when they pursue the answers to their questions. Columbus and Magellan doubted that the world was flat. They resolved to prove their point by sailing around the world to India. Even though the world is round, these explorers took a great chance. There was no guarantee that one could sail from Europe to India even if they were correct about a round world. They had no idea as to what dangers might lay ahead. There could have been scorching deserts, impassable jungles, large continents covered by marshland, hostile people, man eating animals, bitter cold or any one of an infinite number of unknown dangers. Whatever they encountered would have confirmed or refuted their doubts and added to the knowledge of the time. So, doubt can definitely assist one in acquiring knowledge. Attempting to answer questions that arise from doubt can cause/create insecurity. It takes courage to face the uncertainties that arise when challenging and facing your doubts and the unknown, but the reward gained in pursuit of the challenge can be worthwhile and valuable Ultimately, I must conclude that doubt can serve as both an asset and a hindrance in acquiring knowledge, but those who are willing to face their doubts may find their efforts rewarding. In the end, perhaps doubt leads to questions that bring about the acquisition of knowledge. I would like to think that is the best outcome and reward from doubt. We do not progress by being perfect. We progress by making mistakes and correcting them, and we do not acquire knowledge without doubt, but by having doubts and resolving them. Perhaps that is as it should be. The uncertainty and insecurity of doubt propels us forward towards greater knowledge.

New Historic Criticism of Pudd’nhead Wilson

The striking lack of agreement about the merits of Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson, is undoubtedly related to the equally striking disagreements over the interpretations and analysis of the novel. In a crucial senses, related to all the thematic analysis presented so far, leave important aspects of the novel unaccounted for. As a result, those who are inclined to praise the novel dismiss certain parts as finally inconsequential evidence of Twain’s predictably careless technique. On the other hand those who have serious reservations about its merits stress its lack of coherence, lack of an action suitable to embody what appear to be the author’s chief concerns.Although the interpretations vary widely, ranging from the view that its theme is the conflict between reality and appearance to the assertion that it has no clear meaning, two interpretative emphases are most common. First, there are critics who stress upon racial themes, especially slavery and misceg enation or marriages between different races. And second those who argue for the centrality of the theme of environmental determinism and see slavery as simply a metaphor for Twain’s more general concern, with the influence of training of the individual. While both these approaches give valuable insight, both are unsatisfactory because they leave too many questions unanswered.It was once considered that the integrity of imagination was violated by interpretation, considerations of race, class and sex have not entered into the most formalist readings.In Pudd’nhead Wilson, Twain presents a critique of slavery and race relations in the American South. He highlights the arbitrariness of racial distinctions and classifications by showing how easily Roxana, a slave is able to switch her own son with the offspring of her master. The young usurper grows among the whites without suspicion, and Twain is able to demonstrate how artificial and constructed racial distinctions actua lly are.Race, Conflict and CultureThe recently increased interest in Mark Twain’s â€Å"Pudd’nhead Wilson† is a text that turns the misapprehension of gender and race in a mid-nineteenth century Southern town into a complicated spoof of the â€Å"fiction of law and customs† in the United States. Pudd’nhead Wilson depicting race and custom identity within legal and scientific discourses lends itself readily to the new kind of historic readings related to â€Å"Race, Conflict and Culture.†A white skinned man, robs and murders and he subsequently discovers, through the science of fingerprinting, that he is actually a descendent of African race and a slave. In his infancy, he was changed with his young master, Valet de Chamber or (Chambers), alias Tom Driscoll, seems almost to be tailor-made for the audience of 1990’s. This book is considered as an intriguing depiction of complexities and constructions of race in the late nineteenth centu ry United States.Recent attention to racial issues, and renewed interest of literary criticism in history, has helped define the precise nature of cultural tragedy which is presented in the novel. The traditional plot of European comedy in which confusion over identity disrupts a hierarchical order that is restored when true identity is revealed, does not seem to work in democratic America, especially not when the confusion involves race. As in Pudd’nhead Wilson, Roxy tries to justify her act of cradle exchange of her son for her master’s and reasons with herself, â€Å"white folks has done it.† But her efforts as a mother to have her son defy the fate allotted a slave in racist America, ends in futility.The new historical criticism of the text certifies the different ways of reading narrative incoherence and different ways in formulating relationship between culture and literature. Some critics argue that Twain was unaware of Pudd’nhead Wilson’s p enetrating indictment of race slavery and that the discontinuities of the text mark a retreat to the illusion when none has occurred. While Myra Jehlen (1990) sees more ambivalence than outright evasion and manifests a familiar dilemma in Twain as a stalemate, between racial criticism and implicit conservatism. David Wilson stands in for the author, who recognizes competing rights that render incompatible social order and social justice.Carolyn Porter (1990) sees similar ambivalence in Roxana’s powerfully subversive, and David Wilson’s repressive plots. She also argues that the novel does not resolve, but only plays out the tension between them. Some read a more deliberate authorial strategy into the text’s disjunctions. Through David Wilson as a businessman, Twain meditates on the speculative postwar economy as an outgrowth rather than rejection of the slave economy. If the new historicism performs a textual reading of culture, they have not ceased to read the literary text as a special entity. When the critics analyze a fictional character or episode, there is no way the analysis can be proven wrong and all take satisfaction in being right. But whether Pudd’nhead Wilson is an extension, a reflection or a critique of cultural dynamics remains a matter of debate.Main Characters in the novelRoxana or Roxy in Pudd’nhead Wilson is cited as an exceptional woman, â€Å"her gestures and movements distinguished by a noble and stately grace,† is the rarest of beings depicted in Twain’s work, though the white women characters in his work tend to be static and stereotypical.   She is a passionate and an attractive woman and according to Fishkin (1995) is cunning, physically possessing, enterprising and genuinely interesting and engaging. She is conceived by Twain as something other than matronly old ladies or prepubescent schoolgirls. Roxy is also more complex of the stereotypes which were most commonly used by white au thors to portray women of her race and status.David Wilson, â€Å"Pudd’nhead Wilson,† is a character that gained its name from the book but many critics have ignore, denied, or belittled his significance to the story. The result is that Wilson role is considered that of a mere lever, or someone who moves the plot along but has no intrinsic importance. Though Wilson is referred to as an ass in the opening chapters, but like a donkey he has a number of admirable attributes. He is intelligent, courteous and diligent and it’s only Roxy who describes his as â€Å"de smartes’ man in dis town.† His hobbies though they seem odd to the average townsperson, demonstrate his sharp and meticulous mind.Thomas a Beckett Driscoll (Tom) is the name given by Percy Driscoll to his child and after Roxy switches the babies, the slave usurper is referred to as â€Å"Tom.† From the beginning, Tom turns out to be a bad boy and his bad behavior continues to grow wit h age and is described by Roxy as â€Å"fractious.† He is cruel towards Chambers and rude towards Roxy’s affection, viewing his mother as â€Å"merely a slave and chattel.† Valet de Chambers, (Roxy’s son) on the other hand is raised as a slave and grows up to be docile and meek but a strong fighter and a good swimmer. Tom not only forces Chambers to be his bodyguard but is also cruel and jealous of the slave’s natural physical abilities. But even upon discovering that he is the real Tom Driscoll and is rich and free, Chambers still   feels uncomfortable in the company of whites because of his slave upbringing.Slavery in the mid-nineteenth centuryAccording to Jehlen (1990), Mark Twain while associating the black race with the female sex, represents racism in the unconventionally loathsome form of slavery. Roxana’s status as a mulatta (feminine) is clearly crucial to Twain’s story. Roxana as a mulatta most certainly exposes the covert tradition of miscegenation, but her serial ordeal as a mulatta mother intent on saving her son exposes much more ( Porter, 1990). The ideologies of race and sex Mark Twain used in the novel Pudd’nhead Wilson were not controllable through literary form, because the writing posed problems that the history of racial and sexual thinking in America, impossible to resolve.Percy Driscoll on having some money stolen threatens to sell the guilty servant â€Å"down the river† which shows that life for the slaves on large cotton plantations was far harsher than for the Missouri slaves. To be sold â€Å"down the river† was equivalent to be condemned to hell, with old slaves being sold away to be replaced by the new slaves. Dawson’s Landing is a highly stratified hierarchical society and at the apex of this social order were the first descendants of Virginia, represented by Judge Driscoll down to the lowest rung of the social ladder-the slaves.And so powerful is this social hierarchy, that those on the bottom were forbidden from eating or sitting with citizens of higher status. This segregation was visible in the layout of the town structure where the snug houses for the white population were situated up front while the portion for the slaves was hidden in the backcountry. Through constructing this social framework, Twain delivers a stinging critique of slavery and in the South of America. Pudd’nhead Wilson is unique to its time in portraying the slave characters as dishonest, lazy and at times dangerous. But in Roxy’s views, slavery is a crime committed by the whites against her race.ConclusionCritics seem intent on challenging the new directions in literary analysis and laying down the terms of debate as to what standard   has the literary works been classified to up to this point and the terms by which we read literature and by analyzing the relationship of literature to the larger question by which we govern our lives. Today the problems of race and sex have become vastly complicated than when a literary work was thought to invent its own sufficient language.The task of the critics then was to show how all parts worked together to reveal coherence. But today, with no available assurance no one can be certain that in a particular work the history is internally coherent or that the issues it treats finally hang together. Though not simple, but the task of literary criticism is to analyze works, not to dismantle them. In the light of these questions, Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson contributes not only to Twain’s single work, but also adds to the growing number of works both participating in and questioning new directions in the study of literature.BIBLIOGRAPHYJehlen Myra. Spring, The Ties That Bind: Race and Sex in Pudd’nhead Wilson. American Literary History. Vol. 2, No.1. 1990. pp. 39-55.Fishkin, Shelley Fisher. Mark Twain and Women. The Cambridge Companion to Mark Twain. Cambridg e University Press: New York, NY. 1995.Jehlen, Myra. The Ties that Bind: Race and Sex in Pudd'nhead Wilson. Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson. Duke University Press: Durham, SC. 1990.Porter, Carolyn. Roxana's Plot. Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson. Duke University Press: Durham, SC. 1990.Wald, Priscilla. Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson: Race, Conflict and Culture. Studies in American Fiction, Journal Article. Vol. 23, 1995.Thomas, Brook. Tragedies of Race, Training, Birth and Communities of Competent Pudd’nheads. American Literary History, Vol. 1, No.4.   Winter, 1989. pp. 754-785.

12 Years a Slave Themes

The pain and abuse experienced by Solomon Northrup in his 12 years of slavery, like the millions of other slaves who were kidnapped in Africa and sold across the U. S. , is a tragic example of the pain one society can inflict upon another group of people. The movie 12 Years A Slave graphically portrays the horrors of slavery in America, and demonstrates the shame of the system, using the incredible irony in the story of Solomon Northrup. Since he had a dpcument that said he was a free black man, he was treated by others as a fellow man, but after he was kidnapped he was considered property, like an animal.There was no change in Solomon himself as a person; only a corrupt system declared that he could now be owned as nothing said otherwise. Only a paper could take away your humanity. Additionally, the slave masters and traders, including Solomon Northrup’s, felt that they did not just have the right to treat their slaves however they liked, they also claimed they had the right to, even more simply, own their fellow man. And by decree of the American government, they were fully at liberty to do so.Both examples point to a major theme of the movie, and applies to the slavery system that was in existence all over the Western world: dehumanization. The black slaves who were abused and exploited by the American policy of slavery had their humanity stripped away from them, and were considered the same as any other property of the owner. In contrast, the slave owners who considered fellow humans their own property and whom they could abuse at their leisure had their ideas of justice led so astray by the permitting of slavery that they seemed to lack basic human qualities themselves, including compassion and a sense of reason.The plight of the slaves is summed up perfectly when a fellow slave tells Solomon Northrup, after throwing the body of another slave into the ocean, that â€Å"he was better off dead†. It is quite astounding that such young men and wo men felt that their best option was to die, instead of being faced with the horrors they did daily. Although, it can appear quite reasonable, as slaves were most often born on a plantation, and had no hope of dying free. They could not establish any goals for themselves, as their entire life was forced to be devoted to fulfilling the needs of their masters.This is quite like the lives of many animals, and not humans. Animals are born and try to maintain their existence, but establishing goals to accomplish anything greater is strictly a human attribute. With this basic human characteristic taken from slaves, they were only left with a few human attributes- their own physical bodies, and their spirits; although the former was often abused by the frequent lashes â€Å"awarded† by the masters, which left very prominent scars on the back. For slaves however, maintaining their spirit and dignity, was probably far more complex. Every single event in the life of a slave dehumanized them.Firstly, the auctions, where slaves were forced to strip down and dance like monkeys so prospective buyers could evaluate their abilities. Then, a price was put on their head, and white men could simply buy another human being, and then take him home and enslave him. Also, no differentiation was made between men and youth (as displayed in one scene where all slaves walk beside each other) to carry an identical workload, no matter if one was 12 or 25. Masters had the power to do as they pleased with their slaves after purchase, but only them as a slave was their own personal property.In a confrontation, a plantation supervisor instructed some others after trying to lynch Solomon that â€Å"Ford (plantation owner) holds the mortgage, and you have no hold to his life†. It is incredibly ironic that since they did not own Solomon, they could not lynch, but whoever does can do as he pleases. All this dehumanizing torture would definitely break the spirit of almost any human. B ut, Solomon tried to maintain his, and ensure others did as well, at all costs. He was willing to take vicious punishment for standing up to a supervisor.Also, after noticing another female slave crying endlessly, he told her that â€Å"You let yourself be overcome by sorrow, you will drown in it†. Clearly Northrup tried his best to maintain his dignity, but prior to the exciting conclusion of his story, there is a very telling scene. Solomon was playing violin at a dance for his master and their friends. The violin represented for him a human experience, as he was able to accomplish more than just picking cotton, and the sound of an instrument is one of the most powerful human experiences.Although, at this ball, as he plays, the sorrowful background music of the movie plays over his song, and clouds out the sound of his violin. After the ball Solomon smashed his violin into thousands of pieces. He recognized that even in a very human activity, he was still serving his master , and the music he played and everything he felt as a result of the music, all belonged to his owner. Despite the dramatization, it still vividly shows the despicable dehumanization suffered by slaves, and even those who tried to maintain their human dignity, eventually had everything stripped away.The slaves who had their humanity taken away were abused so greatly by their masters that for a viewer, it was hard to imagine these masters as human, just as they thought of their slaves. Especially further down the Mississippi, like at Northrup’s plantation in Louisiana, the masters treated their slaves so poorly it was impossible to see them as human beings. Most notably, when whipping their slaves, masters stood over their workers and lashed them, with the lack of remorse of a jockey standing over his horse. When talking about whipping his slaves, Solomon’s Louisiana master said: â€Å"Sin. There is no sin.A man does as he pleases with his property. † The master m akes no recognition of the pain he inflicts upon his â€Å"property†, and it forces the viewer to see him as almost a sociopath. The same master also singled out an individual slave, Patsy, and tormented her in a way no true human would do. He was involved sexually with her, most likely against her will. He also whipped her brutally, and even once got Solomon to whip her, in order to see both of them suffer. Other white men demonstrated similar non-human characteristics. At a slave auction, one buyer rhetorically asked a slave: â€Å"Are you a slave or nigger? †.He showed so little respect for another human that it was simply impossible to see him as one either. The extreme cruelty was probably not something the owners were born with, though. It was something engrained in them by slavery being officially permitted and promoted. With official support for slavery, and no real regulations, owners were practically encouraged to abuse their slaves. They learned nothing abou t the history of slavery or their individual slaves, so it was impossible for them to have any connection or compassion for their slaves. It could be considered the original ill-informed, American-centric principle.Truly, the masters such incredibly poor conduct and abuse of their slaves, no matter the justification dehumanized them as well, as no proper person could act in such a terrible way. It is quite impossible to understand the moral justification for slavery in the U. S. No doubt the economic prospective was immense, but the responsibility of a government established â€Å"for the people† is responsible for just that, and encouraging slavery does just the opposite.It is indicative of a society, which at times even today, is more concerned with mythical end goals, than  for the people who build and achieve them. The dream of the American South was to develop a perfect agrarian society, where man’s religion and property were his own, and were respected by the g overnment and others. However, only the plantation owners were considered in this fantasy. Yes, the quantity of labour from the slaves was essential in the development of the country as a whole, and a failure to fully employ their ample natural resources would have greatly stunted the development of the new country’s economy, but the method taken contradicted the true goals of the country when it was established.Even Thomas Jefferson decried slavery in the Missing Clause of the constitution, and said â€Å"†. However, slavery existed for nearly 100 more years in the U. S. after Jefferson, as the South still considered it the best option for developing the country. Maybe it was justified then because the 14 million slaves who built American industry weren’t even considered human, they were only considered slaves.