US Inventions Electronic Appliances and Transport

Most of the electronic appliances and transport facilities that exist in the modern world originated from America. Although Britain colonized America, it remains the world superpower because of its ability to invent powerful war machineries such as rifles, bombs, war jets and other gadgets.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on US Inventions: Electronic Appliances and Transport Facilities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The US is the home of famous ancient scientists who carried out inventions and discoveries especially in the scientific field. Since 1800 up to today, there are a number of discoveries/inventions especially in the medical field. Historically, though colonized, America was a rich nation that had funds and facilities for research for its scientists. Currently, all the modern appliances whether electronic or not are a modification of America’s inventions. In addition, most of music genres like jazz and pop first played in America. The paper therefore seeks to justify that since historical times America has invented various electronics, transport, medical and even entertainment facilities that have dramatically upgraded the lifestyle, health, and culture of all the people in the world. The US ancient inventions are in four major categories, the first category occurred earlier than 1890. The inventions before1890 took place during the Britain’s colonialism. Swim fins were the first inventions by Benjamin Franklin in 1717. Although made of wood, they assisted swimmers to attain speed during sporting or when diving in deep sea. Moreover, he invented the stove and cataloging in 1742 and 1744 respectively, to improve the lighting and mailing systems respectively. In 1731, Thomas Godfrey discovered the octant, which is an important tool in water navigation. One of Franklin’s medical discoveries was the urethral catheter that assists patients especially those w ith kidney failures to drain fluids. In collaboration with Charles James, Franklin invented harmonica, a glass musical instrument. In 1776, a swivel chair came into existence courtesy of Thomas Jefferson while in 1782 Jacob Yoder built a boat to enable him navigate the rivers in America. Additionally, due to his deteriorating vision, Franklin invented bifocals, which could enable him read through magnification of words. In the late 1700, there were more inventions, which included automatic flourmill (1787); Oliver Evans, Eli Whitney Thomas Jefferson respectively, invented cotton wheel (1793), and wheel cipher (1795). The cigarette invention also came up early (Kilborn 1983, 8). Due to existence of colonialists, some of the early inventors had to collaborate with their British counterparts and sometimes the accreditation could go to the Britons and not the Americans.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To curb fire breakouts, Frederick Graff senior invented a fire hydrant, which is an essential tool in firefighting. Through research and upgrading of the original fire hydrant, Birds Holly was able to come up with the current fire hydrant. Oliver Evans did not only invent the first vehicle (amphibious vehicle in 1805) but also invented the refrigeration, therefore, through his ability to compress the air; a modern fridge came into existence. To improve the kitchenware, Robert Thomson Rumford invented the coffee percolate, which he used to prepare coffee. On the other hand, Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist recommended the use of silk floss to clean teeth as away of keeping plague at bay. Through his invention, came the dental floss, which most dentists of the modern times recommend for their patients. To accelerate the number of his word works, Thomas Blanchard invented the profile lathe in 1816 while Simeon North invented a milling machine to assist him in shaping h is metals in 1818. There are many US inventions like the sewing machine, combine harvester, solar compass, graham cracker, detachable collars, threshing machine, the circuit breaker, and the ether for amnesia among others (Philbin 2003, 15). The list of inventions, which occurred before 1890, is endless. Nevertheless all the machinery and technology in the communication, media, music, transport, clothing and medical industries trace back in the first era of invention before 1890. The second category is between 1890 and 1945, which led to improvement of lifestyle and transport facilities. The major inventions by different people in 1890 were the traffic signs to assist in flow of traffic, tabulating machine, which helped in accounting and mathematics, the Babcock test to measure the content of fat in milk, the smock detector and the jack home. In 1891 the inventions included the Ferris wheel by Washington Gale, dow process by Herbert Henry, tesla coil by Nikola Tesla, pastry fork by Anna Mangin, zipper by whitcomb Judson, Schrader valve by August Schrader among others. The bottle cap, tractor and the dimmer were all invented in 1892 by William Painter, Granville woods and John Froelich respectively. Silicon carbide, laxative and radio came into existence in 1893 while clip less pedal, volleyball and cyclocomputer inventions occurred in 1895. Therefore, as the years went by the US scientists invented more machineries, which were an improvement of the previous inventions. Airplane, air conditioners, cars, sporting activities, and other electronic devices were the major inventions in the second phase.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on US Inventions: Electronic Appliances and Transport Facilities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consequently, the inventions progressively improved the lifestyle of the American people and other people in the world. Additionally, pop, rock and jazz music or iginated from the US. Fortunately, the inventions of recorders, compact disks, and radio led to the spread of the music in other parts of the world. Unfortunately, the emergence of World War II between 1939 and 1945 slowed down the rate of invention in the United States. The third category is between 1946 and 1991, which saw to the advancement of technology not only in the US but also in the whole world. Planes flying at supersonic speed, diapers, computers, defibrillator, cancer chemotherapy, and video games were among the inventions during the third era. Due to advanced technology, the communication, security, and survival rate especially in children improved. Scientists particularly in the medical field collaborated to cure or put under control diseases like cancer. The final category, which is between 1991 and 2009, has led to the invention of advanced medical tools and facilities in communication and medical industry. The vaccines of diseases like Hepatitis and measles among ot hers came into existence. Furthermore, inventions of laptops, flash disks, advanced medical surgery, or transplantations applied and internet services took place (Hafner 2005, 2). Additionally, the medical scientists established surgery machines and artificial transplant organs like the kidney and the heart. Therefore, the health of people in the current world relies on the American inventions since ancient times to date. The impact of the US inventions is highly profound in the contemporary world. Most of the inventions in one way or another relied on each other, which accelerated more inventions. For instance, the discovery of electricity led to the discovery of electric bulbs, electric trains, cookers, kettles among others. Therefore, the US scientists relied on the intelligence of one another to come up with a new discovery. The scientist involved in the inventions whether ancient or current not only became famous but also received honor from their leaders. For instance, Dr. Ben jamin Franklin is one of the early scientists who modified the medical industry through his creative inventions. Franklin received a number of awards from the president for most of his inventions. Although he died long time ago, his name still exists in the world books as an important figure in the medical industry. The major reason why US has the highest number of inventions is its ability to honor and fund scientists. Currently, the whole world largely depends on the US inventions. The medical, clothes, food, communication, and transport industries depend on the US inventions. Although most of the inventions have undergone modification by scientists from different parts of the world other than US, the idea or inventory traces its roots from the US.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In summary, nearly all inventions are from US while Benjamin Franklin is one of the major inventors in the world. All the industrial and technological machinery or ideas originated from the US. Though colonized by the Britain, America is the top world inventor because it posses nearly all the major inventors in the world. The world perceives all the inventors as celebrities and most of them have received honor and presidential awards. The reason why America is successful in inventions is the ability of government to provide research funds to the scientists. All the machinery in the medical, transport and other industries primarily originated from the US. The only major challenge during the invention was the breakout of the Second World War that decelerated the rate of inventions. Nevertheless, after the war the US inventors did tremendously in their inventions. Reference List Hafner, Katie. 2005. Laurels for Giving the Internet Its Language. The New York  Times (February): 2. Kilb orn, Peter. 1983. The Twilight of smokestack America. New York Times (May): 8. Philbin, Tom. 2003. The 100 Greatest Inventions of All Time. New York: Kensington Publishing Corporation. This research paper on US Inventions: Electronic Appliances and Transport Facilities was written and submitted by user Clarissa Alford to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Cricket in Times Square book report Essays

Cricket in Times Square book report Essays Cricket in Times Square book report Paper Cricket in Times Square book report Paper Name Class Date Imagine that you were living In a peaceful country with grass, trees, birds And suddenly you were moved to an extremely crowded clay Everything Is strange, and new for you. Do you think you will like it? This is the story of a fictional book called The Cricket in Times Square by George Selene, where a cricket who came from Connecticut starts living a new life in New York. Chester, the cricket is a very good singer. His owner is a newsstand boy called Mario. He finds Chester under a pile of papers, and he felt like he wanted to have Chester as a pet immediately when he first sees it. The problem is that Chester is from the country, which Is different from New York. So, Tucker the mouse and Harry the Cat helps Chester get used to this new city, and also become friends with Chester. As Chester Impresses people by singing Its songs, they make their own concerts. Tucker becomes the manager, and Chester sings the songs. People in the station enjoy and even poke their fingers in Cheaters cage, which Chester doesnt like. He wants to go home, but he also doesnt want to because he just didnt want to leave money who took care of him everyday. Also, he doesnt want to leave his new friends behind. Will Chester choose home or friendship? This is a great book that shows friendship. For example, usually mice and cats are enemies. But in this book, the mouse and the cat are friends. And usually when you see a cricket In the streets, what would you do? If I was In that situation, I would say Newman. , and run away. But Moral accepted Chester as a pet regardless of what Mama and Papa Bell said. The book has no enemies between the characters, which makes it appropriate for all ages. But since it is not a picture book, I do not recommend it to kids under six years old. But once you read the book, you will get sucked into the book like me, and not put it down Cricket in Times Square book report By zee_teacher Imagine that you were living in a peaceful country with grass, trees, birds And suddenly you were moved to an extremely crowded city! Everything is strange, and new for you. Do you think you will like it? This is the story off fictional book called room the country, which is different from New York. So, Tucker the mouse and Harry As Chester impresses people by singing its songs, they make their own concerts. Wants to go home, but he also doesnt want to because he Just didnt want to leave you see a cricket in the streets, what would you do? If I was in that situation, I would say Mew. , and run away. But Mario accepted Chester as a pet regardless of what Mama and Papa Beeline said. The book has no enemies between the characters, sucked into the book like me, and not put it down!

Man and Soceity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Man and Soceity - Essay Example The role of society with relation to a human being has been thus described in this paper because this is the aspect of a human being’s life that helps him to achieve greater heights in his personal life. Society is the main factor that influences a person and formulates his characteristics and actions towards other people. Keywords: human being, society. Man and Society Man has been surviving within society since times immemorial. As discussed in the abstract of this paper, society is a very wide concept, meaning the collective environment within which a group of people come together and live in a way that their actions influence the habits of each other. Whatever a person does is an influence of the kind of societal environment he has been brought up in. Most people condemn society by making it sound like a bad thing, or an aspect through which people only learn how to ‘gossip’ or talk behind other’s backs. However this is not true entirely because society is also a measure through which people can understand others, learn new things from each other, as well as utilise their potential of the greater benefit of everyone else. The concept of nurturing a person is a very widely used concept; it is according to this that a human being grows with respect to other people around him. Society consists of a vast number of different kinds of people that have grown into beings in their own ways. Each of these people, influence others in some or the manner and help him thus inculcate habits that they possess. A person is attracted to anything that seems mostly impossible for him to achieve; thus, this is how a human being picks up different kinds of habits from his surroundings, or from society, and thus affects his own life. Every group that persists in society must also show a willingness to accept a human being into their group. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, â€Å"The best university that can be recommended to a man of ideas is the gaunt let of the mobs.† He wrote this in his famous piece of writing, ‘Eloquence’. Emerson means to say that the factors that persist in a human being’s environment are enough to help him grow as a person; this is because there are enough tests that a man faces in his external surroundings in the form of experiences that arise by being with other people. However, Emerson, even by writing about a man’s surroundings and society, was afraid of being a part of the same. This can be seen through Holmes’ writing, where he stated that â€Å"Emerson is afraid to trust himself in society much, on account of the failure of his memory and the great difficulty he finds in getting the words he wants. It is painful to witness his embarrassment at times.† By taking this example, one can understand the psychological pressure that a human being is faced with by being with his peers, in society. If we look at this from a wider aspect or point of view, it can b e explained as thus; when a person is young, during the course of his childhood or infancy, he is very carefree and does not care much about the people around him. A child is not prone to comprehending how he becomes a part of society, or the kind of proper behaviour that he must emit in order to be accepted as part of the same. At the same time, other people in society also do not pay much heed to the bad habits of a child and pardon hi for not being aware of the ways of the world or societal behaviour and etiquette. However, when the same child grows up into an

Medical Negligence and Malpractice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Medical Negligence and Malpractice - Essay Example Personal cases of medical professionals will also be discussed where they reveal the true face of pharmaceutical industry in addition to the existing laws against such practice. Finally suggestions and recommendations will be made to effectively handle such problems. According to the Canadian Bar Association (2010), Medical professionals are under strict legal binding to provide their patients with the best care and treatment possible. Rule no. 3A of Medical Duty states that it is a duty of any medical professional as he/she legally owes proper care to the patient (Khan, et al 2002, p.71). They may completely refuse to undertake any given case due to any reason, personal or other. Once they accept any patient, they are bound to providing proper medical treatment. As Keir et al (2007, p.33), providing detailed and the best possible care to their patients is what actually constitutes proper and efficient practice of medicine. If in case the professional fails to deliver the kind of ser vice that would be given in any normal circumstances then it is referred to as Medical Negligence (Barnes, 2001, p.113). In such a case, if the patient suffers an injury due to the doctor’s negligence of medical professional, then the patient reserves the right to sue the medical professional against medical malpractice (Bardale 2011, p.23) In the recent times of capitalism, pharmacies are also not left behind in the rat race of increasing profits (Gad, 2009, 04). Following table gives the evidence Table: Top 25 Drug Companies by Sale (2006) According to Rat h (2003, p.50), pharmaceutical industry is now striving to driving its forces to increase the sale of its product rather than achieving its main motive of curing the diseases in the world. The ultimate aim to innovate new medicines is only to relieve symptoms of any disease, not to eradicate it. Eradicating and eliminating any disease through thoughtful research in the field of medicine would mean destroying the chance to earn millions of dollars in form of prescriptions. For this purpose, new breakthrough and advancement in the field of curing any disease are suppressed and do not get the kind of attention it deserves. This suppression is the reason why many fatal diseases are still incurable. In order to boost sales, pharmaceutical companies are deliberately holding back information which the public has every right to know like the common side effects and risks to other organs of the body.(Company, 2002, p. 326) The real face of drug companies (Luisa, 2011) shares the experiences of Gwen Olsen, who used to belong the same industry. Gwen states the frightening and alarming truth about this industry which has become extremely corrupt, running only after the financial gain rather than medicating its patients. Olsen (2009, p. 09) even states that as a Medical Sales Representative, she was trained by the company to give misinformation to doctors and medical professionals about the medicines her company produced. It has just become a game of money where disease seasons are awaited and KPIs matter more than empathy towards curing their patients. Agell (2004) talks about her personal experience with the viciousness of pharmaceutical industry. She had the honor of spending about twenty years of her life for â€Å"

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Essay Example for Free

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Essay Teen deaths for any reason are tragic losses of life and potential. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five teenagers in the U.S. seriously considers suicide annually, and approximately 1,700 die by suicide each year. Both the CDC and the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) point out that suicide rates for teens have tripled since 1960 making it the third leading cause of adolescent death and the second cause among college students. Yet, according to the American Psychological Association, teen suicide is preventable, and they identify possible warning signs. They also note that more than 90 percent of suicide deaths are from mental illness and substance-abuse disorders. Not letting facts stand in their way, activist groups continue to claim, based on a flawed 1989 study that has been completely discredited, that 30 percent of all teens who attempt suicide are homosexuals. Instead, teen suicide reports from the major psychological and pediatric associations either do not even mention sexual identity or mention it near the bottom of a long list of other risk factors associated with teen suicide. Other teen suicide factors family breakup through divorce, alcohol or drug abuse, and family dysfunction are mentioned in all the major health organization publications as main factors in teen suicide. Research from Columbia University Medical Center, published in APAM, cites different reasons for girls and boys suicides. The researchers collected data from over 8,000 students in New York City high schools in 2005. For females, recent dating violence is a primary cause of attempted suicide. For teen males, a lifetime history of sexual assault is associated with suicide attempts. Dr. Elyse Olshen, lead researcher for the study, reported that girls who have been physically abused by a boyfriend are 60 percent more likely to attempt suicide than those who have not. For boys, sexual abuse over an extended period of time is more likely to be the determining factor for male teen suicide. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) identified the strong risk factors for teen suicide as depression, alcohol, or drug abuse and aggressive, disruptive behaviors. They also mentioned family loss, instability, and unplanned pregnancy. Suicidal teens, they reported, feel alone, hopeless, and reject ed and are especially vulnerable when they have experienced a loss, humiliation, or trauma, such as poor grades, breakup with boyfriend or  girlfriend, argument with parents, parental discord, separation, or divorce. The APA declared that 53 percent of young people who commit suicide are substance abusers. NMHA identifies feelings of anger and resentment and the inability to see beyond a temporary situation as the main factors in teen suicide attempts. KidsHealth quotes Dr. David Sheslow, a pediatric psychologist, who identifies drugs and alcohol as leading causes of suicide in teens. Further, KidsHealth reports, A teen with an adequate support network of friends, family, religious affiliations, peer groups or extracurricular activities may have an outlet to deal with his everyday frustrations. A teen without an adequate support network may feel disconnected and isolated from his family and peer groups. Its these teens who are at increased risk for suicide. Other problems identified by KidsHealth are divorce, alcoholism of a family member, domestic violence, physical and sexual abuse, repeated failures at school, substance abuse, and self-destructive behavior. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry publishes a fact sheet about teen suicide. Causes they list? Stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, fears about growing up, divorce, formation of a new family with step-parents and step-siblings, and moving to a new community. They clearly identify suicide feelings as a mental disorder. The American Academy of Pediatrics, in their publication about preventing teen suicide, identifies the long term impact of child abuse as the leading cause of attempted suicides among women. They emphasize the greater pressures of modern life, competition for grades and college admissions, and increased violence in the media as contributing factors. They also cite the lack of parental involvement because of divorce, parents work schedules, and limited family life. One study reported that 90 percent of suicidal teenagers believed that their families do not understand them. Viewing teen suicide through the distorted, single-vision lens of the homosexual activists puts large numbers of teens at risk. Those who insist that the problem of teen suicide is primarily among teens who struggle over their sexual identity overlook the vast majority of potential teen suicide victims those who have other emotional or psychological issues, those who abuse drugs and other substances, and especially those who have suffered sexual violence and abuse. The problems of emotionally and physically battered teens must be  faced and their minds and bodies healed; otherwise, the rate of teen suicides will continue to rise. Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D. is executive director and senior fellow of Concerned Women for Americas Beverly LaHaye Institute.

Separation Of Church And State Essay -- History Historical Education R

Separation of Church and State By the middle of the 20th Century, the United States had emerged as a world power. It accomplished this through its leadership in defeating Germany and Japan in World War II. These two countries' main objective was to enslave the world and destroy political, religious, and economic freedom. In Germany or Japan, anyone who disagreed with these goals, or was different was destroyed. This was a common practice in these two fascist countries. Unfortunately, at the same time of its emergence as a world power, the United States began to slip into a form of judicial fascism. This slide began when the U.S. Supreme Court began to abandon the religious principles on which this nation was founded. The abandonment officially began in 1947 in Everson v. Board of Education, when the court announced, â€Å"The 1st amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.† (Barton, Original†¦ p.13) This exact case began the reversal of Supreme Court trends and opinions that had lasted for one hundred and fifty years. Now, for almost fifty years, the Supreme Court , and the United States population in general, has used the phrase â€Å"separation of church and state† when referring to the religion clause of the 1st Amendment. The 1st amendment's actual wording is â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.† (Barton, America: To†¦ p.15) But, because of the Supreme Court's continuous citing of a â€Å" wall of separation† and â€Å"separation of church and state†, the public's idea of the 1st amendment's religion clause has been shaped by phrases which do not appear anywhere in the Constitution. The First Congress, which passed this Amendment in 1789, intended to prohibit the establishment of a national religion. In fact, they didn't mind the establishment of â€Å"official† religions by states. At the start of the American Revolution, nine of the thirteen colonies had established religions, so obviously no one was opposed to the coupling of church and state. Unfortunately, this separation talk has been so furiously pounded into our heads, that a picture is painted falsely into our heads; a picture of a roomful of godless atheists, agnostics, and deists framing our Constitution in 178... ...efore Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court made countless decisions regarding religion that directly contradict the past 50 years of religious oppression. Some of these decisions refer to the U.S. as a Christian country. One, Davis v. Beason, in 1889, strikes down bigamy and polygamy, rejecting arguments that they were religious exercises. The Court states Davis, a Mormon, was wrong, and that his actions were crimes by â€Å"the laws of all civilized and Christian countries.† This decision clearly shows the intent of the legislators of the era.(Barton, Original.. p.64-65) The solution to this problem lies in educating the people of this great republic as to the intent of the Founders. In the evidence presented, it can be clearly seen that the judicial fascism being practiced today and now, is clearly not what the Founding Fathers intended for our country. The solution to the religious liberty/school prayer debate lies in the hands of Congress.(Barton, A guide.. p.36) The media portrays supporters of a school prayer amendment as a radical fringe minority, when recent studies and surveys have shown that 71% of people favor an amendment for school prayer. Separation Of Church And State Essay -- History Historical Education R Separation of Church and State By the middle of the 20th Century, the United States had emerged as a world power. It accomplished this through its leadership in defeating Germany and Japan in World War II. These two countries' main objective was to enslave the world and destroy political, religious, and economic freedom. In Germany or Japan, anyone who disagreed with these goals, or was different was destroyed. This was a common practice in these two fascist countries. Unfortunately, at the same time of its emergence as a world power, the United States began to slip into a form of judicial fascism. This slide began when the U.S. Supreme Court began to abandon the religious principles on which this nation was founded. The abandonment officially began in 1947 in Everson v. Board of Education, when the court announced, â€Å"The 1st amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.† (Barton, Original†¦ p.13) This exact case began the reversal of Supreme Court trends and opinions that had lasted for one hundred and fifty years. Now, for almost fifty years, the Supreme Court , and the United States population in general, has used the phrase â€Å"separation of church and state† when referring to the religion clause of the 1st Amendment. The 1st amendment's actual wording is â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.† (Barton, America: To†¦ p.15) But, because of the Supreme Court's continuous citing of a â€Å" wall of separation† and â€Å"separation of church and state†, the public's idea of the 1st amendment's religion clause has been shaped by phrases which do not appear anywhere in the Constitution. The First Congress, which passed this Amendment in 1789, intended to prohibit the establishment of a national religion. In fact, they didn't mind the establishment of â€Å"official† religions by states. At the start of the American Revolution, nine of the thirteen colonies had established religions, so obviously no one was opposed to the coupling of church and state. Unfortunately, this separation talk has been so furiously pounded into our heads, that a picture is painted falsely into our heads; a picture of a roomful of godless atheists, agnostics, and deists framing our Constitution in 178... ...efore Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court made countless decisions regarding religion that directly contradict the past 50 years of religious oppression. Some of these decisions refer to the U.S. as a Christian country. One, Davis v. Beason, in 1889, strikes down bigamy and polygamy, rejecting arguments that they were religious exercises. The Court states Davis, a Mormon, was wrong, and that his actions were crimes by â€Å"the laws of all civilized and Christian countries.† This decision clearly shows the intent of the legislators of the era.(Barton, Original.. p.64-65) The solution to this problem lies in educating the people of this great republic as to the intent of the Founders. In the evidence presented, it can be clearly seen that the judicial fascism being practiced today and now, is clearly not what the Founding Fathers intended for our country. The solution to the religious liberty/school prayer debate lies in the hands of Congress.(Barton, A guide.. p.36) The media portrays supporters of a school prayer amendment as a radical fringe minority, when recent studies and surveys have shown that 71% of people favor an amendment for school prayer.

The Pedestrian

The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury Utopia: an ideal place (fictional) This short story is an example of Dystopian fiction – dealing with a society that embodies a flawed perfection – achieved at a cost. In the story, Ray Bradbury attacks a society which is, in effect, a police state – a totalitarian regime. The sole representative of the regime is, appropriately, the police car. Mead is a non-conformist whose ‘crime’ is to walk for pleasure – a most simple and natural activity.The oppressive nature of the regime is emphasised by the fact that such a basic human activity is prohibited and has been eradicated – as indicated by the disused sidewalks. The nature of this soulless society is emphasised again and again by numerous images connected with death: â€Å"dark windows† â€Å"not unlike walking through a graveyard† â€Å"tomb-like buildings† and â€Å"grey phantoms†By contrast the vivid sensory description of M ead’s walk is conveyed through crisp natural images which evoke the senses and show his delight in simple pleasures and sensations: breathing in the cold November air and its â€Å"crystal frost† makes his â€Å"lungs blaze like a Christmas tree inside† the â€Å"branches filled with invisible snow†. This is a society which (it is implied) is kept docile and uninformed by a diet of poor quality TV programmes (which, we assume from the Police Car’s incredulity when Mead explains that he has no TV, are controlled by the State).The minds of the population have been dulled by the TV they are incessantly and acceptingly fed. Only Mead can see through the banality and predictability of the programmes: †Where are the cowboys rushing? † †A dozen assorted murders† †A comedian falling off the stage† There is nothing to stimulate the intellect of the population here. Despite the (large) number of channels, there is a comple te absence of any political programme which might challenge the government. Possibly suggesting brain-washing.If not, it is clear from the way that the population is described that they are not capable intellectually of challenging the government – they are portrayed as automatons – unthinking, unchallenging, uninformed. The suggestion is that the minds of this population are chained and dulled by the government’s actions. Informed, intelligent, alert people would pose a threat and ask awkward questions. Mead is the last of such people and his nightly covert walks are, we presume a way to find like-minded people.His rebellion, if we can call it that, is hardly the most active – he seems to have accepted or resigned himself to the fact that he can no longer pursue his career and seems a broken man at the end of the story. Setting In contrast to the rest of the population, the individuality and free-thinking nature of Mead’s mind is emphasised by nat ural images. The simile â€Å"only his shadow moving like the shadow of a hawk† conveys both an impression of a hunter and an image of soaring freedom.The fact that â€Å"he could imagine himself upon the centre of a plain, a wintry, windless Arizona desert† highlights his individuality and the sense of emptiness that he feels in a society that is, effectively, dead. The rest of the population and the city itself are portrayed as being dead. The buildings and city are architecturally dead – the â€Å"buckling concrete walk† suggesting decay and â€Å"tomb-like buildings† suggesting that those inside are dead. Even Nature itself seemed outraged by the setting and tried, it seemed, to bury it â€Å"like cement was vanishing under flowers and grass†The Police Car The imagery associated with the police car is harsh, cold, threatening, oppressive, that of hunter and its paralysed prey â€Å"flashed a fierce white cone of light upon him† â €Å"It smelled of riveted steel. It smelled of harsh antiseptic† Images which mirror the nature of the regime which is personified and represented by the car. Frequent use of word-choice linked to metallic, robotic, mechanical ideas. The voice of the police car also sounds robotic: short, sharp peremptory commands contrast with Mead’s fuller more warm and personal replies.The clearest indication of the nature of the regime comes in the interrogation: The lack of recognition of Mead’s profession and the incredulity that he does not have a TV set hint strongly at state control. In this dystopian society, anything connected with the arts: creativity, beauty, the senses†¦ is not recognised. Only that which is manufactured is recognised. Books and writing have no place in this regime. In a similar manner, the police car is unable to comprehend that Mead was simply walking for its own pleasurable sake. â€Å"Walking, just walking, walking? The repetition of walk ing gives the impression of the car’s brain malfunction. It cannot grasp that anyone would do something simply for the pleasure of it, not without a reason. Only Mead is capable of wry humour (a human quality) Are you married, Mr Mead No Nobody wanted me, said Leonard Mead with a Smile. Irony Mead is to be taken to an asylum – â€Å"To the Psychiatric Centre for Research on Regressive Tendencies†. Note the use of official sounding language – a euphemism designed to hide the true purpose of such a place – echoing SovietAsylums in which those who actively opposed the state’s political ideals were sent to an ‘asylum’ to be ‘re-educated’ – brain-washed until they did accept what the state wanted them to believe. The great irony here is that Mead – the only sane man in this insane society is being sent to an asylum. Symbolism. On their way to the asylum through, they pass Mead’s house. It is ablaze w ith lights in contrast to the dark city. â€Å"electric light brilliantly lit, every window a loud yellow illumination. It is a symbol of hope of vibrant life – light is a universal symbol of hope, but the car is swallowed up once more into the darkness (literally and figuratively). â€Å"The car moved down the empty river-bed streets† natural images of decay and life-lessness. Structure Mead’s capture is represented in stages. Contrast the positive, empowering image of him as a hawk – conveying a sense of freedom with his reaction to the car †not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination† The short story remains fairly uneventful throughout, therefore the structure reflects this.However, the featurelessness of structure (which in turn reflects the bleakness of the landscape) is broken by the tension created by the interrogation of the police car. The apparent tedium of the walk through the grey town is transformed into a gripping tens e episode. Near the end, the short story bursts into another high point of hope with the wonderful climactic symbol of the house ablaze with light – a symbol of hope. Nevertheless, we are again plunged into dark anti-climax as we realise that the house is only one lone point of hope, soon to be submerged within the blanket of darkness everywhere.Themes: 1. The distrust and ultimate destruction of the individual in a totalitarian state 2. Bradbury considers such a police state to be alien to the natural laws of Mankind – man should be free to voice his feelings. 3. He points to the dangers of state-controlled media which can brainwash a nation, State-controlled TV programmes being, effectively, propaganda. 4. He points to the dangers of a docile, unquestioning society. 5. Glancing euphemistic references to ‘psychiatric hospitals’. 6. Pessimistic – the light in the darkness is extinguished.