Beginning The Audit Report Essay Example for Free

Beginning The Audit Report Essay I would like to thank you for vesting your company and trust in our firm to be your auditors. In this letter an explanation of the general terms and the process of our audit will be defined. This is only an educational purpose letter and is not an agreement. THE AUDIT PROCESS An audit is an examination and review of companies financial statements. The examination is performed with a view to portray an opinion of whether the companies financial statements prove a true and fair statues of the company. Auditing the activities of the company will be planned, executed properly and thoroughly reviewed to assure that all statements are in compliance with laws and regulations. The following is the process as to which our firm will be conducting the audit: We have a strict clientele screening process, once the screening process of  the company is concluded and confirms that youre company is an acceptable client we will proceed with the next step in the process. Once the screening process is passed we might need to contact the companies previous auditor and have agreed consent from them to proceed. If the previous auditor does not consent or if your company does not allow us authority to contact he previous audit our firm will not perform the audit in your company. After all consents have been given there will be an audit engagement letter that will be issued to your company, which would represent the agreement between your company and our firm. The agreement would give the fundamental basic terms of the way the audit will be performed and what expectations of the firm and company will be. Once your company receives the engagement letter, all data will be collected from your company and the environment. The information collected will allow us to identify problem areas from prior audits. When all data is gathered we will complete a risk assessment of the company so that the best audit approach may be selected. For low risk companies we may test controls to analyze whether or not the companies internal controls are functioning followed by a smaller set of substantive testing. If the company is high risk your internal controls are weak, we would will rely heavily on substantive testing in order to make sure that there is no misstatements in the companies accounts. Whichever approach is chosen the analytical process during different parts of the audit will be the same. Once the main work is completed we will review the audited work and bring forth any issues to you that have risen from the audit work. When the issues are resolved (if any), the audit report will be issued. This would conclude our audit process on the companies accounts and statements for the year. Attached you will find other documents which will give you a better understanding of the audit process. Please if you have any questions please feel free to write to us. Thank you, The auditors. _Attachments:_ Engagement checklist Engagement letter Timeframes for the audit ENGAGEMENT CHECKLIST AUDIT YES/NO Introductory letter sent to client Screening process of client complete First meeting with client complete General issues were discussed with client Consent to contact previous auditor requested Detailed meeting with client discussing engagement terms held Letter of engagement sent to client Changes to scope made (if any) Letter received by client and accepted Audit timetable copy sent to client ENGAGEMENT LETTER To: Directors of Apollo Shoes. This letter serves as representation that we will act as auditors for Apollo Shoes, therefore responsibility of the company and our firm in all respected areas of the audit. MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Responsibility of preparation and accurate presentation of the financial statements in accordance with IFRS and SFAS will be held by management. The respected responsibility includes: Appropriate accounting policies should be selected and applied Internal controls relevant to the preparing and presenting financial statements should be designed and implemented. Financial reports should be free from misstatements. Accounting estimates should be made to a reasonable and circumstantial amount (Apra, 2009). AUDITORS RESPONSIBILITY Our firms responsibility is to give the company an opinion on the financial statements that are presented to us based on our audit findings. We will review all data collected and ascertain that information and work is in compliance with statutes, regulations, GAAP, SFAS, and IFRS. We will also ascertain that the data is in compliance with the code of ethics for professional auditors (Apra, 2009). Audit will include the review and examination of all figures and facts on a test basis. Due to the nature of the test there may still be a risk that some misstatements will go undiscovered. In order to reduce risk we encourage and need Apollo to provide and make necessary arrangements relating to the execution of the audit. Our firm will require unrestricted access to all records, documentation and all information requested by our firm. Any representation that the company makes in connection to the audit will be expected to be confirmed and in writing. When the firm feels that there is sufficient work reviewed and completed by the auditors to establish an opinion, the firm will issue and audit report. The report will be given to the company if all issues and circumstances brought forth by the auditors is resolved by the company. FEE AND OTHER ISSUES The firms fee will be charged on a fixed amount of $12,000 plus an additional hourly wage based on the number of hours worked by the firms staff on your companies audit engagement. This additional fee will vary depending on the level of seniority the individual has and time spent. Our firm will issue a management letter, which will focus on the companies weaknesses in the internal control system, which arose from the audit. This letter is a professional courtesy letter and is not a part of the audit. Please sign this letter and send it back to us. Once signed, this letter will represent the confirmation of the terms of engagement. This letter will remain effective until the letter is superseded, canceled or amended. Sincerely, Auditors On behalf of directors: Signature: __________________________________ TIMEFRAMES FOR THE AUDIT AUDIT DATE COMPLETED DATE REVIEWED Gathering of knowledge about client: Industry stats Product range Markets operated Key customers Key suppliers Competitors Risk assessment Initial analytical procedures Key evaluation of audit approach Selection basis of samples Testing receivables Testing and checking inventory Testing payables Testing long-term liabilities Testing capital and other shareholders funds Testing and verifying non-current assets Verification of cash and bank details Final analytical review Review of post balance sheet events Application of accounting standards Audit finalization Issue of audit report References Arens, A.A., Elder, R.J., Beasley, M.S. (2012). _Auditing and Assurance Services_ (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River , NJ: Prentice Hall.FASB. (2014). Apra. (2009). _Auditor Report._ Retrieved from http://www.apra.gov.au/Superannuation/upload/AuditReport_Vn2-Sept.pdf

Different Religions of the World Essay Example for Free

Different Religions of the World Essay There are many religions in the world. They practice many different ways. There is Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. I like to study about different religions. Islam worships the God Allah, which means God in Arabic Muslims religion is Islam. Mohammed is the prophet to follow and he was the last prophet. Muslims have three holidays. There is Ramadan, Eid and Eid-el-haj. Each year all the Muslims go to Mecca. Muslims believe women should not show their bodies, this keeps the men from sinning. Muslims holly book is the Qur’an. All Muslims pray five times a day and every Friday go to mosque. Muslims must pray in Arabic. Judaism was founded in Israel by a man named Abraham. Jews worship God. Jews have a holly book called Torah. Jews do not believe the Messiah has come yet. They speak and read Hebrew, and do it the most for prayer. Jews pray in a particular way. They have a special holiday called Hanukkah, which is the same as Christmas in America. The different thing is they use a menorah. A menorah holds candles that Jews light each night of Hanukkah. Jews have special celebrations called bar and bat mitzvahs too. This is a family celebration of a boy or girl celebrating being grown up. The new man or woman must prove themselves by saying parts of the Torah. Jews eat special food called kosher and is blessed by their preacher who is called Rabbi. This is for God. Christianity was founded in Israel by Jesus of Nazareth. Christians worship God just like the other religions. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Christians can be free and pray when they feel the need. However, most still attend church, which is like a Muslims mosque. Christians celebrate two religious Holidays Easter and Christmas. Easter is the celebration when Jesus rose on the third day. There is also Good Friday and most things close on this day. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Jesus was born in a manor in Bethlehem, and his mother was Marry. Her husband was Joseph. Jesus was a gift from God because he was born of a virgin. Even though Christians are free, they still have strong faith. In conclusion, all of these religions have their own special ways, but the important part is that they all worship God. God is who made this world. These religions just worship God in a different way from each other. They also live life in a little different way. This is what makes the world special. I am Muslim, but I also like learning about different religions.

Effect of Mutant EDA-A1 Gene on Huvecs

Effect of Mutant EDA-A1 Gene on Huvecs Effect of EDA-A1 gene mutant on proliferation and cell cycle distribution of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cell Running title: The effect of mutant EDA-A1 gene on HUVECs. Ke Lei, MM; Lunchang Wang, MD; Bing Ma, MM; Ping Shi, MD; Longjiang Li, MD; Tuanjie Che, MD; Xiangyi He, MD Highlights: EDA-A1 gene mutant significantly decreased proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs of mutant group were blocked at G0/G1 and S phase. HUVECs of wild group accumulated in S phase and decreased in G2/M phase. Abstract Background: To investigate the effect of ectodysplasin A gene (EDA-A1) on proliferation and cell cycle of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and explore the possible mechanism underlying this process. Methods: Recombinant eukaryotic expression vectors pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-M/W (mutant, M; wild, W) containing the coding sequence of EDA-A1-M/W were transfected into HUVECs. EDA-A1-M/W genes were amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the proteins were detected by western blot. Then MTT assay for cell proliferation of HUVECs in each group was performed and cell cycle was detected using flow cytometry. Results: The EDA-A1 gene and protein were detected respectively by RT-PCR and western blot in HUVECs transfected with pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-M/W, but not in HUVECs transfected with empty plasmid pcDNA3.1(-) (control group) and cells without transfection. Compared with control group, EDA-A1 gene mutant significantly decreased proliferation of HUVECs and the inhibition rate was 45.70% (PEDA-A1 gene did not cause such growth inhibition (P>0.05). A significant increase of the G0/G1 and S fraction was seen in the HUVECs of mutant group, compared with wild group with an accumulation in S phase and a concomitant decrease in G2/M phase population (P Conclusion: Compared with the wide-type, the mutant EDA-A1 gene could inhibit the proliferation and cell cycle of the HUVEC. Key words: EDA-A1 gene; Mutant; Human umbilical vein endothelial cell; Cell cycle; Proliferation Introduction Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED), also called anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (AED) or Christ-Siemens-Touraine Syndrome, is a kind of X-linked recessive genetic disease (XLHED) (1). HED is a rare congenital genetic disorder with a birth incidence of 1/100,000-1/10,000 (2, 3). It is characterized by the diminution or absence of eccrine sweat glands, oligodontia and peg shaped teeth and sparse hair (1, 4). Previous study indicates that XLHED is caused by the ectodysplasin A gene (EDA-A1) mutant (5). EDA-A1, a major causative gene of HED, locates in Xq12-13.1 and encodes a novel tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family protein ectodysplasin A (EDA-A1) and this protein is associated with the nuclear factor-ÃŽ ºB (NF-ÃŽ ºB) signaling mechanisms (5-9). Bayes M et al. (10) indicates that the full-length of EDA-A1 is 5296bp (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, AH007059, Gene ID 4007891), the open reading frame (ORF) of EDA-A1 is 1176bp, and it encoding the protein with 391 amino acids (EDA-A1, GeneID1896). Studies showed the combination of EDA-A1 and ectodysplasin receptor (EDAR) could promote programmed cell death and active the signaling of NF-ÃŽ ºB (8, 11). Recently, the related research on HED are mostly for mutation analysis of EDA-A1, and more than 100 mutations in the EDA gene have been reported to cause XLHED up to now (12, 13). However, there have few reports relating to the function of mutant EDA-A1, and the exact pathological mechanism of mutant EDA-A1 on HED is still unclear. In the present study, EDA-A1 mutant (pcDNA3.1 (-)-EDA-A1-M) and wild type (pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-W) eukaryotic expression vector that we used were constructed in our previous study (14). Then the function of transfected EDA-A1 and its mutant for cell proliferation and cell cycle of HUVECs were analyzed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of EDA-A1 on proliferation and cell cycle of HUVECs and explore the possible mechanism underlying this process. Material and Method Cell culture HUVECs were kindly provided by professor Wang chunming (Lanzhou University, China). HUVECs were cultured in RPMI-1640 (Huamei Company, Shanghai, China) Medium. The medium were consisted of 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) (Evergreen Company, Hangzhou) and 100U/ml penicillin/streptomycin. All these cells were maintained in humidified incubator of 5% CO2 at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ (0.25% trypsin digestion overnight). Inverted microscope was used for the cell morphology investigation. All the experiments were performed at least in triplicate and repeated at least twice. Plasmid extraction EDA-A1 mutant (pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-M) and wild type (pcDNA3.1 (-)-EDA-A1-W) eukaryotic expression vector that we used were constructed in our previous study (14). Totally 3ÃŽ ¼l mutant (M) and Wild-type (W) plasmid DNA was extracted respectively from transfected HUVECs, followed by the sterile deionized water diluted to 1ml. The values of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹A260nm and A280nm were measured by UV spectrophotometer. Plasmid DNA concentration (ÃŽ ¼g / ÃŽ ¼l) = A260 Ãâ€" dilution factor Ãâ€" 50/1000. The plasmid DNA (positive recombinants and empty control) was precipitated by ethanol. Then the DNA pellet was resuspended in sterile deionized water. Cell transfection Cell transfection was carried out according to the instructions of QIAGEN-Effectene Transfection Reagent Kit (QIAGEN). Transfection was carried out when the cell density was up to 70% after 24 hour-cell passaging. Cells were transferred into a complete medium (CM) 2 hours before transfection. Totally 2.5 µg mutant (M) and Wild-type (W) plasmid DNA was slowly added to the 2 M CaCl2 solution (stand for 10 minutes). DNA-CaCl2 solution was slowly added dropwise to the 2 Ãâ€" HeBS (stand for 30 minutes) until the precipitation of tiny particles. The precipitate was uniformly dropwise added to the culture flasks. After a 12 hours growth under standard conditions, cells were washed 2 times with HeBS, followed by the cultured in CM. HUVECs transfected with empty vector were used as the control group. Semi-quantitative real-time PCR To identify the expression levels of EDA-A1 in HUVECs, semi-quantitative real-time PCR (SqRT-PCR) analysis was performed. Total RNA was extracted from cultured cells in each group (cultured for 48 hours) by using reverse transcription (RT) kit (Fermentas Company), followed by the EDA-A1 primers designation (Primer Premier 5.0 software) and synthesis (Shanghai Biological Engineering Company ). The primers used were as follows, EDA-A1 (408bp): 5’- CGC AGG ATC CAT GGG CTA CCC GGA GGT -3’ (forward) and 5’- ATT AAG CTT GCC AAG CGG GCA CCA GGG AGA C -3’ (reverse), ÃŽ ²-actin (230bp): 5’- ACG CAT TTG GTC GTA TTG GG-3’ (forward) and 5’- TGA TTT TGG AGG GAT CTC GC-3’ (reverse). The 50ÃŽ ¼l PCR reaction system were: cDNA template (2ÃŽ ¼l), 10 Ãâ€" PCR Buffer (5ÃŽ ¼l), dNTP (1ÃŽ ¼l), primer (up and downstream, 1ÃŽ ¼l), Taq DNA polymerase (1ÃŽ ¼l), ddH2O (39ÃŽ ¼l). Products were subjected to electrophoresis (1.5% agarose gel, 120V, 90mA). Western blot analysis For Western blot analysis, proteins were extracted from HUVECs in each group. Proteins were collected after cell lysis. Protein concentration was determined using the Bradford dye-binding method (15). The proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to the 0.45ÃŽ ¼m pore size nitrocellulose (NC) membrane (RPN303E, Amersham Company). NC membranes were blocked with TBS buffer (5% milk and 0.5%-Tween) for 1 hour (37 °C). Then, the membrane was incubated overnight at 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ with the rabbit antibodies EDA-A1 and ÃŽ ²-actin (1:200 dilution with TBST solution), followed by incubation at room temperature for 1h with an anti-rabbit secondary antibody (Sigma). Finally, the expression levels of the target proteins were visualized withchromogenic substrate. MTT assay for cell proliferation detection To determine the proliferation of HUVECs in each group, the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay was performed. The 24 hours-transfected and untransfected cells were seeded into 96-well plate with inculation density of 5000 cells/well and incubated at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. After 12 hours, 100 ÃŽ ¼l serum-free DMEM was added in each well. After 72 hours, 20 ÃŽ ¼l MTT was added into each well to continue incubation at 37à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™(4 hours). Then, the medium was removed and the precipitation was dissolved in DMSO. The absorbance at 560 nm was measured by SpectraMax 190 microplate reader (Moteular Devices Company) for colorimetric analysis. Inhibition rate of cell growth was calculated (n=10) based on the experimentally measured absorbance value (OD value). Cell cycle analysis Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell cycle.After incubation for 48 h, the cells were collected and washed with cold PBS. The washed cells were fixed in 70% cold ethanol with incubation overnight at 4à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. To stain the cells, prodium iodide (PI) solution was added. Flow cytometer (Coulter Epics XL, Beckman Coulter Company) was used to analyze the samples. Cell Quest software was used to analyze the cell percentage of G0 / G1 phase, S phase, and G2 / M phase. Statistical analysis All assays were performed in triplicate and datawere expressed as mean values  ±s.d. The SPSS 13.0 software employing ANOVA was used to analyze all data which expressed as mean ±SD. P values less than 0.05 was considered as significantly different. Results EDA-A1 expression pattern in HUVECs influenced by plasmid-mediated transfection To identify the expression level of ED1-A1 in HUVECs transfected with vector pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-M or pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-W, the RNA samples with an OD260/OD280 ration of 1.8-2.0 were chosen for RT-PCR. The HUVECs with pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-M or pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-W transfection showed a band nearly 400 bp compared with control using semi-quantitative PCR and primers specific to EDA-A1 (Figure 1). Additionally, ÃŽ ²-actin band between 200 bp and 300 bp have been seen in all the groups. Then, EDA-A1 protein expression in HUVECs were detected by western blot. Figure 1 shows that the EDA-A1 protein was expressed in the transfected cells with pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-M or pcDNA3.1(-)-EDA-A1-W vector, however, it could not be achieved in control group. In conclusion, the EDA-A1 was expressed in HUVECs after exogenous delivered of EDA-A1, but not in the un-treated control cells. Overexpression of EDA-A1 affects HUVECs proliferation To elucidate the effect of EDA-A1 on HUVECs proliferation, the MTT assays were performed. As shown in Figure 2, the HUVECs viability at 96 h transfection was decreased significantly in the mutant group by comparison with wild type and control. The proliferation of mutant group cells was suppressed by 45.7% compaired to control, while the wild type group was suppressed by 16.0% (Table 1, Figure 3). EDA-A1 overexpression regulates the cell cycle of HUVECs To determine the role of plasmid-mediated EDA-A1 transfection in cell cycle of HUVECs, the flow cytometry was used (Figure 4). We observed that 25.45  ± 1.89 % cells were arrested at G0/G1 phase of cell cycle in the mutant group compared with 20.37  ± 0.6% and 20.30  ± 0.68% cells in wild type and control groups, respectively (Table 2). During S phase, both mutant and wild type groups showed significantly higher cell percentages (14.80  ± 1.45% and 12.4 0  ± 1.75%) than that of control (8.55  ± 0.57%). However, both transfection groups had lower cell percentages than control in G2/M phase. The lowest cell percentage with 62.15  ± 1.94% was showed in the mutant group during S phase. We could conclude that the cell cycle distribution in G0/G1, S, and G2/M of HUVECs were regulated by EDA-A1 overexpression. Discussion HED characterized by impaired development of hair, eccrine sweat glands and teeth is caused by mutations in the EDA-A1 gene (3, 16). Recently, the related research on HED are focused on the mutation analysis of EDA-A1, however, the exact pathological mechanism of HED caused by mutant EDA-A1 is still unclear (17). In this study, we investigated the effect of HED related gene EDA-A1 on proliferation and cell cycle of HUVECs. The results showed that mutant EDA-A1 gene significantly decreased proliferation of HUVECs (P EDA-A1 protein, a type à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡ transmembrane protein, is one of the TNF ligand family members involved in ectodermal development (18). EDA-A1 contains a TNF-like domain (aa: 245–391), a collagen domain, and a furin protease recognition sequence (7, 8, 19-21). The TNF-like domain is necessary and sufficient for receptor molecule EDAR binding (22, 23). Furthermore, EDA-A1 has been shown to specifically bind to EDAR, which could promote programmed cell death and active the signaling of NF-ÃŽ ºB (8, 11). In our study, the reason why EDA-A1 mutant could inhibit the proliferation and block the cell cycle progression in G0/G1 phase and S phase of HUVECs might be the change of protein spatial configuration and biological activity that caused by the EDA-A1 gene mutation and the changed protein could not combined with EDAR and thus inhibit the signaling of NF-ÃŽ ºB. Maria et al. found that HED was related with the blocked signaling pathway of NF-ÃŽ ºB (9). Pascal et al. found th at point mutations in the TNF-like domain of EDA-A1 strongly decreased EDAR binding to EDA-A1 by altering the folding of EDA (21). Moreover, the substitution of Gln306 with Pro in our study was found to be located in the TNF-like domain of EDA-A1 and may influence the epithelial signaling pathway required for the normal ectodermal development through altering the topology of EDA, which is consistent with previous study. HUVECs are cells derived from the endothelium of veins from the umbilical cord, and they are often used as a laboratory model system for the study of the function and pathology of endothelial cells (24). Some studies showed that during vascular development and pathological angiogenesis, the maintenance of blood vessel homeostasis and its functional execution depend on the integrity of vascular endothelium, which is affected by proliferation, migration and apoptosis of endothelial cells (25, 26). Furthermore, Jie et al. showed that recovery of injured endothelial cells through regulated endothelial cell proliferation plays significant roles in thrombosis disease (27). In our study, mutant EDA-A1 decreased the proliferation of HUVECs, therefore, we suspected that pathological mechanism underlying HED caused by EDA-A1 may be the growth inhibit of endothelial cells which could lead to the defection of eccrine sweat glandsis. Despite of all results mentioned above, there were still some l imitations in the present study, whether the EDA-A1 mutant blocked the combination of EDA-A1 with EDAR required further experiment. In conclusion, our study revealed EDA-A1 gene mutant could inhibit the proliferation and cell cycle of HUVECs. We explored the mechanism of HED caused by mutant EDA-A1. The substitution of Gln306 with Pro may influence the epithelial signaling pathway required for the normal ectodermal development through altering the topology of EDA, which could impair the binding of EDA-A1 to EDAR and further inhibit the signaling of NF-ÃŽ ºB. Our finding broadens the spectrum of EDA-A1 mutations and may help to understand the molecular basis of XLHED and aid genetic counseling. Acknowledgements We wish to express our warm thanks to Fenghe(Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd. Their ideas and help gave a valuable added dimension to our research. Conflict of interest The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Authors’ contributions KL and LW participated in the design of this study, and they both performed the statistical analysis. BM and TC carried out the study, together with PS, collected important background information, and drafted the manuscript. LL and XH conceived of this study, and participated in the design and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Figure legends: Figure 1 Detection of mRNA expression of EDA-A1gene in ECV304 cells by RT-PCR: M: mutant group; W: wild group; C: control group. Figure 2 Expression of ECV304 cells transfected with EDA-A1 gene and mutant: M: mutant group; W: wild group; C: control group. Figure 3 OD560 value of ECV304 cells transfected with EDA-A1 gene after cultured for 96h: M: mutant group; W: wild group; C: control group; a: compared with the control group, P Figure 4 The effect of EDA-A1 gene mutant on cell cycle in ECV304 cells. Table 1 OD560 value of ECV cells transfected with EDA-A1 gene after cultured for 96h Note: a: compared with control group, P Table 2 Effect of EDA-A1 gene mutant on cell cycle in ECV304 cells Note: a: compared with control group, P

The Black Cat - Symbolism Essay -- essays research papers

Symbolism in Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Black Cat" In Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Black Cat," symbolism is used to show the narrator’s capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. "The Black Cat," written by Edgar Allan Poe serves as a reminder for all of us. The Capacity for violence and horror lies within each of us, no matter how docile and humane our disposition might appear. In this story, the narrator portrays a man who is fond of animals, had a tender heart, and is happily married. Within several years of his marriage, his general temperament and character make a radical alteration for the worse. He grows moodier, more irritable, and more inconsiderate of the feelings of others. This change for the worse caused by alcohol, ends in the narrator’s waiting on death row for the murder of his wife. The symbolism of the first black cat (Pluto), the second black cat, and the white spot illustrate the narrator’s expanding capacity for evil and perverseness. The most important symbol of the story is the first black cat. The first black cat is symbolic of the narrator’s evil heart and there are many ways one can prove this. Black cat one started out in the story as the narrator’s favorite pet and playmate named Pluto,which is the name of the God of the Underworld. And one night, after returning home much intoxicated the narrator’s love for the pet seem to fade away. That night in which the narrator is...

Gothic Horror in Susan Hills The Woman in Black and H.G. Wells The Re

Gothic Horror in Susan Hill's The Woman in Black and H.G. Wells' The Red Room As with all things, the gothic horror genre of literature did not begin at one definable point, but evolved gradually. Gothic horror evolved out of gothic fiction (as opposed to classical fiction, for example the novels of Jane Austen), before establishing itself as a genre in its own right. However, many literary scholars and critics would point to "The Castle of Otranto", written by Horace Walpole and first published in 1764, as the first true gothic horror novel, containing as it does many of the clichs prevalent throughout the genre. Gothic horror novels are typified by their dark, lachrymose atmosphere of dread and fear. In fact, the key to gothic horror can be summed up in one word: tension. This is created by many devices, as well as having an evil force present working against the hero/heroine. The characters, locations and atmospheres created are designed to be threatening, even when nothing sinister is actually happening. Although the gothic horror genre didn't die out altogether, it certainly lost popularity. However, it has had a minor resurgence over the last decade. Susan Hill is one of the authors who has turned her hand to the gothic horror format, her short novel "The Woman In Black" being released in the late eighties. Susan Hill says she wrote The Woman In Black because she "had the urge to write a story in the old fashioned sense," perhaps because of a dissatisfaction with modern horror writing and its reliance upon gore and physical danger. HG Wells, although primarily a science-fiction author, also wrote a gothic horror story, "The Red Room". I will be comparing these two stories, to see how these ... ...t be too lightly dismissed. These two stories are particularly interesting because they were both written by authors who aren't normally associated with the genre, so they have explored the clichÃÆ'Â ©s more than a seasoned horror writer might. But despite being so blatantly "influenced" by genre standards such as Henry James' The Turn Of The Screw and work of M.R. James, they remain gripping. This is because they appeal to our wish for escapism and a decent scare, a need that is pandered to by almost every work of fiction. This is the basis of horror writing - that the reader wants to be scared; if the reader approaches the story with the attitude of not wanting or expecting to be scared, he or she will not be affected by the story so much. However, gothic horror is still one of the most effective mediums for provoking fear, ensuring its enduring popularity.

Fidel Castro Essay -- essays research papers

Biography of Fidel Castro Fidel Castro was born on August 14, 1927 in Mayari, Cuba. His parents were relatively wealthy and owned a sugarcane plantation. During his childhood, he attended private Catholic Schools and graduated to attend the University of Havana in 1945. His teachers immediately noticed Fidel's amazing memory, which he used to memorize entire books. At the university, he majored in law studies and became a member of several groups that opposed the Cuban regime, aiding exiles from the Dominican Republic in their political movement. The Cuban government dissolved the group in 1947 and Fidel joined in protests in Bogota that were intended to stop the Ninth International Conference of American States. He graduated with his degree in law in 1950 and had seen the power of political movements. He became a full member of the Ortodoxo Party and campaigned for a seat in the Cuban Congress. However, his plans were disrupted when Fulgencio Batista seized control of the Cuban government in order to prevent the rise of the Orthodoxos. Under Batista, thousands of political opponents were murdered and the people were held under massive oppression. He began plotting militant action against the Batista regime, becoming the leader of nearly 200 revolutionaries from all over Cuba. On July 26, 1953, he led them in a guerilla attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiage de Cuba. The militia seized weapons and other supplies and their success caused the citizens there to rally...

George Orwells Animal Farm

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, power and control of the farm shifts from Mr. Jones to Snowball and from Snowball to Napoleon. Each, no matter how well their leadership, was corrupted by power in some way as compared to Russian leaders of the time. The most corrupt, Napoleon, uses several methods of gaining mocontrol the Handmaids in almost any way they desire. It is clear that the theme of power and control through the depiction of it’s citizens creates a severely oppressive society. This theme is portrayed by the role of government and the patriarchal society. The government strikes fear on its citizens with the Wall and the Salvaging in the Handmaid’s Tale, the military force in V for Vendetta and the outcasting of animals that do not follow orders in Animal farm. Fear and intimidation are used in the texts and furthermore, power is shown through the patriarchal society, which includes the Commanders, the Commander's Wives, and the Handmaids assigned to them. Overall, the Republic of Gilead institutes power and control in society, therefore forcing its residents into submission and causing them to loose control over their own lives. . re power and luxury.Power and Control â€Å"Once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission† (V, â€Å"V for Vendetta†). Throughout history there has been struggle of power and control between a governing body and it's people. In the movie â€Å"V for Vendetta,† the government has ultimate control over it's people in a dystopian future, created by a series of strategic events that could be in the near future for the United States. Good morning/afternoon teachers and fellow students. Today I will be talking to you about Power and Control related to my three texts, Animal Farm by George Orwell, V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Yes it is necessary for the government to impose a certain amount of power and control on its citizens in order for a society to function properly. However, too much power and control in a society eliminates the freedom of the residents, forbidding them to live an ordinary life. In the dystopic futuristic novel, The Handmaid's Tale demonstrates the theme of power and control through an oppressive society called the Republic of Gilead. The government establishes power and control through the use of the Wall, military control, the Salvaging, and the Particicution. The Patriarchal society allows the Commanders to hold immense power over the citizens, while the Commander's Wives hold the power in the household. Generally, the Handmaids do not hold very much power because they are of a lower class in the Patriarchal society. The Republic of Gilead institutes power and control in society, therefore forcing its residents into submission and leaving them completely helpless in a totalitarian regime. Just like in George Orwell's Animal Farm, power and control of the farm shifts from Mr. Jones to Snowball and from Snowball to Napoleon. Each, no matter how well their leadership, was corrupted by power in some way as compared to Russian leaders of the time. The most corrupt, Napoleon, uses several methods of gaining more power and luxury. The citizens in The Handmaid’s Tale know that they are constantly under surveillance, so they try their best to conform to avoid getting caught. The patriarchal society is another factor that develops power and control. The Republic of Gilead is male dominated; the Commanders exercise authority over all the citizens. The Commander has a high status in society, as explained by Ofglen when she says, â€Å"He's way up there†¦ He's at the top, and I mean the very top. At such time it's hard to imagine it† (Atwood 262). The Commander's Wives hold power, for â€Å"they can do almost anything to [the Handmaids]† (Atwood 344). Clearly, the Commander's Wives are permitted to control the Handmaids in almost any way they desire. It is clear that the theme of power and control through the depiction of it’s citizens creates a severely oppressive society. This theme is portrayed by the role of government and the patriarchal society. The government strikes fear on its citizens with the Wall and the Salvaging in the Handmaid’s Tale, the military force in V for Vendetta and the outcasting of animals that do not follow orders in Animal farm. Fear and intimidation are used in the texts and furthermore, power is shown through the patriarchal society, which includes the Commanders, the Commander's Wives, and the Handmaids assigned to them. Overall, the Republic of Gilead institutes power and control in society, therefore forcing its residents into submission and causing them to loose control over their own lives. .