Strategic Crisis Management in Enhancing Business Continuity and Research Paper

Strategic Crisis Management in Enhancing Business Continuity and Stability - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that organizations in different sectors encounter the risk of disruptive events. The effects vary from simple or minor inconvenience that briefly disrupts the usual activities to the closure of the business. This problem necessitates crisis management. Crisis management is an enterprise’s pre-established strategies and activities that are intended for planning, responding as well as rectifying significant disastrous incidents or events An organization’s success is greatly associated with its formulation of crisis management programs which incorporate risk management, disaster recovery, communication and emergency response programs. The organization should develop the competence to respond flexibly and promptly as soon as crisis occurs. Crisis management may include rehearsal and teamwork in the attempt to establish the most appropriate response to unforeseen, detrimental occurrences. If an enterprise is adequately equipped for the most detrimental circumstances, then it is capable of handling other scenarios as well. Businesses can be better equipped to solve sudden events that may possibly result in stern or severe damage, jeopardizing their stability as well as continuity. In respect to business continuity, crisis management will facilitate recognition of potential issues which threaten an enterprise, and provide strategy for establishing resilience as well as the capacity for an efficient reaction. Crisis management facilitates business stability by eliminating or reducing losses associated with unforeseen, negative incidents. Managers encompass a strategic duty and a role to ensure their businesses or organizations are conscious of all aspects of business crises as well as planning in advance so as to minimize their effects. Thesis Statement In respect to business stability, several aspects that are likely to weaken the operations of an organization are emphasized. The essential and fundamental strat egy that various businesses implement to respond to business crisis in an attempt to enhance their stability will be considered. Contributions of crisis management in ensuring continued existence of businesses will also be studied. Speight defined business continuity as the procedure that indicates potential factors that intimidate an enterprise and offers a stratagem for creating flexibility as well as the aptitude for responding to business-related risks effectively. During a business crisis, a response should essentially safeguard stakeholders’ interests, and organization’s brand, reputation, long-term survival as well as value-creating actions. In the article, Speight provided a detailed perspective of crises, emergencies as well as disaster mitigation in an enterprise. The chief business disaster is considered to be an incident that extremely affects business operations with the highest chance of terminating its entire activities. An organization should formulate and adopt several procedures or strategies that it may be used to respond to disasters. Modern techniques used in business continuity management, include business continuity and risk assessment plan which ensures that businesses are resilient as well as prepared to offset risks. These techniques are significant in crisis management since they not only facilitate the assessment of risks but also assist in formulation of risk management plans. The issue of business continuity is identified to be of critical concern which has continuously being researched and enhanced over time. Business continuity aspects are upheld by safety standards or legislation.

Introduction to case study research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Introduction to case study research - Essay Example In this regard, the research may involve exploring the reasons for existence of such issues in certain places. In addition, the research may involve description of certain environmental aspects, business aspects as well as economic aspects of the environments where such a research is conducted (Green, 57). The results to those researches are well documented in the case studies. In this regard, the case studies will therefore act as the best secondary sources to use when one intends to carry out a research concerning specific aspects. This will be made easier if such a research topic had already been covered in one of the case studies that had been conducted with reference to such topic in question, or anything in close relationship to the topic that is to be researched on. In relation to the above case, the case study researches would be critical in the sense that they will act as references (Saunders, 27). In this manner, they will give additional information relevant to the research in question. In this perspective, it is of crucial significance to understand the meaning of a case study as well as a case study research. It is of critical significance to note that the term case study may have very many meanings. However, the difference in those meanings is not quite large. Every meaning tied to the term case study always has several similarities with each other. However, there are slight differences in such meanings with regards to what is being referred to (Thomas, 41). These meanings may vary with regards to the topic being researched on. Again, the difference in meanings of the term â€Å"case study† may be evident in reference to the specific environment where the case study research is conducted. On the same note, it is of critical significance to note that the difference in meanings of the term case studies may depend upon the different views of different individual personalities. This may be in relation to

Do Animals Have the Right to be Free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Do Animals Have the Right to be Free - Essay Example What did human do today? They use mice in laboratories for experimentation – they will electrify them, or they will do whatever to satisfy their studies or assumptions about the welfare of human beings. Non-humans are â€Å"means† to save human beings, is that justifiable? Is that fair enough to let them suffer and die just to save us? For some reason, we will insist that our lives are more valuable than those of the mice and cats, but it's not good enough to let them suffer to death. A cat has injected a chemical just to prove something, the poor animal suffers – can we also let human suffer like that? Therefore, what's my idea about animal liberation? Animals should be treated just like us. Even it's inevitable to consider them as food and kill them for that purpose, but we would take extra consideration about their â€Å"suffering† in the long run. Experimentation and tortures of animals should be banned in all places with very few exemptions. Their suf fering somehow means life to us – in case of medical practices, yet, let's put some limitations. It's not really good to see this practice so â€Å"common†, and even medicals students commonly do this as a habitual practice. Can we at least abide a just law for animals? Factory farm animals, for instance, are like machines and robots, they are confined, they are deprived of anything as if they are simply machines that produce food for us. Did you ever realize why chicken have wings? Because they are designed to be flying animals.

The sea of Galilee Essay Example for Free

The sea of Galilee Essay Louis Joseph Watteau’s â€Å"The Storm† is more of a romantic painting while Eugene Delacroix’s â€Å"The sea of Galilee† is more of a neo-classical painting. Let me begin with Watteau’s â€Å"The Storm. † This painting is a romantic work of art because of the general effect that its appearance brings to its onlookers. The storm is not yet present; it is only foreboding of its eventual coming. Half of the portions of the clouds are still filled with some sunny light but the other half was already covered with some dark clouds, signifying the threat of an upcoming storm. Below the clouds, we see some people working, doing some farm work while the weather is still quite good and the storm is not yet pouring. They are maximizing the time doing what needs to be done as perhaps they cannot afford to put off the peasant’s work. Looking more closely at the painting, we will see that what unassumingly takes the center of the canvas is a tree that is slightly tilted and is seemingly bald with the verdure of luscious leaves. The fading light of the sun reflects itself on the awkwardly standing tree, emphasizing its lanky stems and its listless stature. From what we can see on the surface, this painting by Watteau typifies the characteristics of a Romantic painting and the moods of the Romantic Movement in general. The Romantic Ideal frolics and jubilates on the meadows of individualism, emotions and nature. It also promotes the subjective moods of the individuals and the eschewal of reason in favor of intuition and imagination. The Romantic Movement, whether in literature or visual arts, is said to have three primary cults: the cult of the individual, the cult of emotion and the cult of nature. It is a reaction towards the rapid rise of Science which espoused rational and utilitarian thinking. Specifically, it stemmed from the abrupt social change which was trail blazed by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The movement called for a retreat towards nature to regain the loss substance of humanity which was caused by the arrival of machines and other technologies. The Romantic also looks into the human nature – the human tendencies and behaviors and his reactions towards his surroundings. While science tried hard to explain the origins of things and the rationale of their existence, the Romantics focused on man’s experience and his engagement with the world where he resides. The Romantic also probes the folk culture, the national and ethnic origins, the exotic, the occult and the diseased – the areas which Science and rational thinking consciously chose to avoid. In â€Å"The storm,† we can notice that the focus is not on the people but on the images of nature – the awkwardly standing tree and the clouds. There is an element of being diseased in the people, as they were toiling hard for their livelihood. However, this element was put into the background as we were more primarily led to notice the bleak image of nature. Despite the threats of an upcoming storm, as visualized in the appearance of the clouds, the people keep on working. The striving of the people only depicts the endless struggle between the intention to achieve perfection and the limitations of man. Even though the people know that a storm is forthcoming, they do not stop from working until it arrives. The cult of nature is likewise evident. In this insular setting, we can see nature stripped off extravagant portrayals. This is nature at its barest form. There were not so many colors; in fact the hues of brown and orange were the dominant hues in this picture. The painting limns nature as it is, without exaggerations and attempts to be swanky. Meanwhile, â€Å"Sea of Galilee† is a Neoclassical painting as looking at it will likely bring into mind the paintings of the Classical times. It is reminiscent of the visual arts existent during the times of Ancient Greeks and Romans. What we can see in this work of Delacroix is a dark background and a seemingly fragmented landscape. The group of people riding the ship was marked by a sense of defeat as the ship was faltering against the ravaging weather. The sails are beginning to get shattered as it travels below the dark clouds and above the dark grey ocean. The people in the ship are trying their best to save themselves and the ship they are riding. Obviously, they were facing a tough situation and in order to triumph, an earnest, concerted effort must be put. The neoclassical painting goes back to the lost luminescence of the Classical paintings during the Ancient civilization. It incorporates every element that can be possibly used to recast the Classical. They reused the Classical styles, recalled the Classical themes and reinterpreted the Classical subjects. By doing that, they lead in pushing forth the resurgence of the loss tradition and rendering them in slightly new, and better forms. With the advances in techniques and artistic devices, the Neoclassical extends the Classical by attempting to render their arts and make their interpretations of their subjects in a more accurate manner. Majority of these subjects have references to history and mythology. As we can see in this dominantly dark painting, there is much emphasis on the quality of lines that the elements of color and atmosphere were quite downplayed. It also has a tendency to appear as simplistic as possible. We can see the elements of the people, the straggling ship with its breaking sails and the dark sea. With just three elements incorporated in the painting, it was able to convey a strong idea – man’s being caught in the thick of a wide adventure that is life and encountering tough challenges where a mettlesome character is needed to attain victory. References Antal, Frederick. (1966). Classicism and romanticism: with other studies in art history. London : Routledge Irwin, David G. (1966). English neoclassical art: studies in inspiration and taste. London: Faber. Sypher, Wylie, ed. (1963). Art history: an anthology of modern criticism. New York: Vintage Books.

Factors Affecting The Rate Of Photosynthesis Biology Essay

Factors Affecting The Rate Of Photosynthesis Biology Essay The purpose of this experiment is to observe the factors affecting the Photosynthetic rate of leaves, which is measured in two ways. Firstly changing the light intensity, this will determine the rate of increase or decrease in photosynthesis. Secondly changing the availability of nutrients (Concentration of CO2) to the plants, this will directly affect the photosynthetic rate. To test the light intensity, an elodea submerged in a beaker was placed at different measurement away from the plant, to see if oxygen (bubbles) is produced. To test the availability of nutrients, different molarities of Sodium Bicarbonate was diluted in 500 ml of water with Elodea, to see if rate of photosynthesis increased or decreased. The result shows, as light intensity increases, the rate of reaction will increase at a proportional rate until a certain level is reached. At a light intensity of 400 the average increase in rate of reaction was 746v. At 4 the average increase in rate of reaction was 8676v, a difference of 7930v, which shows the rate of reaction is greatly influenced by light intensity. As the molarity of Sodium Bicarbonate increases, the rate of reaction will also increase at a proportional rate with respect to light intensity. At 0.05M the average increase in rate of reaction was 0.80r. At 0.1M the average increase in rate of reaction was 1.90r, a difference of 1.1r, which shows the rate of reaction is also significantly influenced by the availability of nutrients. Both light intensity and availability of nutrients are important factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis. Aim To investigate how different factors affect the rate of photosynthesis. The variables that will be changed are different intensity of light and different molarities of Sodium bicarbonate and then measuring the rate of reaction (photosynthetic rate). Hypothesis Throughout this experiment the light intensity and different molarities of Sodium Bicarbonate will be varied. The variable that is measured will be time, for rate of reaction. As light intensity increases the rate of reaction will increase at a proportional rate. As the concentration of NaHCO3 increases the rate of the reaction will also increase at a proportional rate. Introduction Every species on earth needs some kind of energy source in order to survive. In animal cells, the mitochondria produce ATP from cellular respiration. However, the plant cells have a different type of center that produces energy-chloroplasts. Plants go through the process of photosynthesis. The main process of photosynthesis is the absorption of light by chlorophyll, found in leaves and the immersion of carbon dioxide from the environment, and together they produce oxygen and sugar (energy). The equation below represents the photosynthesis reaction: The purpose of this experiment is to test whether factors such as light intensity and level of Carbon dioxide, will affect the rate of photosynthesis, which are the two most important variables in the photosynthesis process. This was demonstrated by Robert Hill in 1938, known as The Hill Reaction. Robert Hill and his associates at the University of Illinois found that the photosynthetic rate varies with light intensity, and as the light intensity increases, the reaction rate also increases up to a certain point. Apparatus needed for the Experiment Elodea 20mm ² syringe Capillary tubing Stand Stopwatch Ruler NaHCO ³ Solution Bench lamp Distilled water Figure A) Potometer Method The apparatus is set (see Fig. A) with the syringe full of the 0.01M solution of NaHCO3 solution. Two marks 10cm apart are made on the capillary tubing. The syringe is placed 0.05m away from the lamp. Using the syringe plunger the meniscus of the NaHCO3 is set so that it is level with the first mark. A stopwatch is then started. The meniscus should gradually move down the capillary tube as the elodea produces oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. As the oxygen is produced it increases the pressure in the syringe and so the meniscus is pushed down the tube. Light Intensity = 1 / Distance ² (m) When the meniscus reaches the level of the bottom mark the stopwatch should be stopped. Light intensities have been worked out using the following equation: 6. Using the same piece of elodea and the same distance between the lamp and the syringe the experiment (steps 1 to 5) should be repeated for the other concentration of NaHCO3. 7. The experiment (steps 1 to 6) should then be repeated at each different distance between the syringe and the light for all the NaHCO3 concentrations. The remaining distances are 0.05m, 0.06m, 0.07m, 0.08m, 0.1m, 0.2m, 0.3m, and 0.5m. 8. The entire experiment should then be repeated three times in order to obtain more accurate data and to get rid of any anomalies that may occur in a single experiment. In order to make this experiment as accurate as possible a number of steps must be taken. The same piece of elodea should be used each time in order to make sure that each experiment is being carried out with the same leaf surface area. The amount of NaHCO3 solution should be the same for each experiment. 20mm ² should be used each time. The distance should be measured from the front of the lamp to the syringe. Although taking these steps will make the experiment more accurate, its accuracy is still limited by several factors. From these recorded times I will work out the rate of the reaction using the following equation. Rate of the Reaction = 1 / Time (s) Results Table1. (Average of the 4 trails of Molarity against Light intensity): Molarity of NaHCO3 Light Intensity 1/d ² (m) 0.00 (Distilled water) 0.01 0.02 0.05 0.07 400 3571 1666 1099 523 200 278 1670 5183 988 600 375 204 4998 4485 1175 1005 473 156 5590 2300 1770 1445 621 100 9990 3150 2900 2552 1224 25 4762 3984 2850 1640 11 5945 4348 3780 2830 4 16480 11904 5196 6578 Using these results I worked out the rate Rate Of the Reaction = 1 / Time(s) x 1000 The rate was multiplied by 1000 to make the numbers easier to handle. Table2.Average of the 4 trails in rate of reaction: Molarity of NaHCO3 Light Intensity 1/d ² (m) 0.00 (Distilled water) 0.01 0.02 0.05 0.07 400 0.28 0.60 0.91 1.91 5.00 278 0.60 0.19 1.01 1.67 2.67 204 0.20 0.22 0.85 1.00 2.11 156 0.18 0.43 0.56 0.69 1.61 100 0.10 0.32 0.34 0.39 0.82 25 0.21 0.25 0.35 0.61 11 0.17 0.23 0.26 0.35 4 0.06 0.08 0.19 0.15 Light intensity against NaHCO3 Graph1. Analysis Discussion of Results Analysis: Distilled water: With the distilled water the rate of reaction went up from 0.1 to 0.4 when the light intensity was increased from 100 to 400. This is a 4 times rise which is quite large. The curve on the graph does however level out quite soon showing that the rate is being limited by the lack of NaHCO3 in the water. 0.01M NaHCO3: At a light intensity of 4 the rate is 0.06 but this rises to 0.6 when the light intensity is brought up to 400. The curve is very shallow and levels off towards a light intensity of 350 400. 0.02M NaHCO3: The amount of NaHCO3 is double that of the 0.01M NaHCO3 experiment. The rate also finishes off twice that of the 0.01M experiment. This would suggest that there was a directly proportional relationship between the amount of NaHCO3 and the rate of reaction. 0.05M NaHCO3: The curve for the 0.05M NaHCO3 is steeper than the previous curves. The rate rises to 1.9 at a light intensity of 400. 0.07M NaHCO3: The 0.07M NaHCO3 test produces a line which is steeper than all the previous curves. The plant is using the extra CO2 to photosynthesize more. As the plant has more CO2 the limiting factor caused by the lack of CO2 is reduced. This test did produce a big anomaly. The rate for a light intensity of 400 is 5. By following the line of best fit I can see that this result should be more like 3.5. The elodea for this test was very close to the light source. It is possible that it had been left here for a while which caused the lamp to heat the elodea up. This would have increased the rate of reaction of the plants enzymes which would have increased the photosynthesis rate. 0.1M NaHCO3: The 0.1M NaHCO3 produced the steepest line. Near the end of the line it looks as if the rate of reaction is hit by another limiting factor. The line goes up steadily but then between a light intensity of 300 and 400 levels off very quickly. This would suggest that at a 0.1M NaHCO3 is sufficient for the plant to photosynthesize at its maximum rate with its current environmental conditions. Increasing the NaHCO3 concentration after this level would therefore have no effect unless the next limiting factor was removed. Discussion: The hypothesis was that the rate of photosynthesis would increase if the light intensity and NaHCO3 levels were increased (please refer to Graph1). As the elodea absorbed the light and CO2 it produced oxygen gas which increased the pressure in the syringe. This pushed the air bubble in the capillary tube down. The chloroplasts produce ATP and reduce NADP to NADPH2 when exposed to light. It is at this stage of the reaction that oxygen is produced as a waste product, furthermore, the data collected was supported by the results obtained by Robert Hill and his associates at the University of Illinois, where they predicted, as the light intensity and NaHCO3 levels increased, the rate of photosynthesis will also increase up to a certain level (please refer to Graph2) As predicted when the light intensity increases so does the rate of photosynthesis. It was predicted that a level would be reached where increasing the light intensity would have no more effect on the rate of reaction as there would be some other limiting factor which limits the rate of the reaction. The rate increases at a steady rate as the light intensity increases until near the end of each line where the rate decreases. This is either because the photosynthesis reaction has reached its maximum rate of reaction or another factor is limiting the rate. As 6 different CO2 concentrations were used I can see that the first five reactions are not occurring at their maximum rate as there is the 0.1M NaHCO3 rest which is occurring at a faster rate then the other 5. The photosynthesis reactions of the other five tests must therefore be limited by the concentration of CO2 to the plant. As predicted when the NaHCO3 concentration is increased the plant in able to get more CO2 which causes the rate of reaction to go up. It was predicted that once the NaHCO3 had been raised above a certain level increasing the rate further would have no effect as there would be other limiting factors limiting the rate of the reaction. As the NaHCO3 concentration the water was increased the rate of photosynthesis also increased. The plant therefore made more oxygen as a waste product. At a NaHCO3 concentration of 0.1M once the light intensity gets above 300 the rate of reaction decreases significantly. This could be because photosynthesis is occurring at its maximum possible rate or because another limiting factor is restraining the rate of reaction. The fact that the curve levels off so quickly indicates that there is another limiting factor restraining photosynthesis. It could be temperature. These tests are being carried out at room temperature so the temperature would have to be raised another 15 °C before the enzymes in the plants cells were at their optimum working temperature. More tests could be done by using water that was at a higher temperature to see what effect this would have on the photosynthesis rate. It is however impossible to raise the plants temperature without affect other factors. For instance the actual amount of oxygen released by the plant is slightly more than the readings would suggest as some of the oxygen would dissolve into the water. At a higher temperature less oxygen would be able to dissolve into the water so the readings for the photosynthesis rate could be artificially increased. It is also possible that the photosynthetic reactions in the plant are occurring at their maximum possible rate and so cannot be increased any more. The light is probably not a limiting factor as all but one of the curves level off before the maximum light intensity of 400 is reached. The maximum light intensity that the plants can handle is therefore just below 400.Water will not be a limiting factor as the plants are living in water. They therefore have no stomata and absorb all their CO2 by diffusion through the leaves. Graph1. Light intensity against NaHCO3 MY RESULTS Graph2. Light intensity against NaHCO3 SOURCE Limitations and Improvement The accuracy of this experiment is limited by a number of factors. Some of the oxygen give off is used for respiration by the plant. Some of the oxygen dissolved into the water. Some was used by small invertebrates that were found living within the pieces of elodea. The higher light intensities should be quite accurate but the smaller light intensities would be less accurate because the light spreads out. The elodea will also get background light from other experiments. The lights are also a source of heat which will affect the experiments with only a small distance between the light and the syringe. This heating could affect the results. Using the same piece of elodea for each experiment was impractical as the elodeas photosynthesis rate decreased over time. By using a different piece of elodea for each experiment did create the problem of it being impossible for each piece to have the same surface area. This experiment could be improved in a number of ways. It could be repeated more times to help get rid of any anomalies. A better overall result would be obtained by repeating the experiment more times because any errors in one experiment should be compensated for by the other experiments. Each person should have done their experiments in a different room to cut out all background light. All the experiments should be done sequentially. A perspex screen could have been placed between the light and the syringe to reduce any heating effect that the light may have. The experiment could have been carried out with higher NaHCO3 to see if increasing the concentration would increase the rate of photosynthesis, or if a concentration of 0.1M NaHCO3 produces the maximum rate of photosynthetic reaction. Conclusion The intention of this experiment was to investigate different factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis. The hypothesis was, as light intensity increases the rate of reaction will increase at a proportional rate. As the concentration of NaHCO3 increases the rate of the reaction will also increase at a proportional rate. This was correct, supported by the data collected which shows at a light intensity of 400 the average increase in rate of reaction was 746v. At 4 the average increase in rate of reaction was 8676v, a difference of 7930v, which shows the rate of reaction is greatly influenced by light intensity. This was demonstrated by Robert Hill and his associates, with similar results to this experiment, which they found that the photosynthetic rate varies with light intensity, and as the light intensity increases, the reaction rate also increases up to a certain point.

Free Essay on Shakespeare’s Sonnet 65 :: Shakespeare Sonnet 65

Here's Shakespeare's sonnet no. 65. I'm going to (a) space it out and (b) add in a running commentary that might be helpful to suggest the kinds of reactions one might have in reading it. Let me know if this helps. Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea "nor"="and not". A list . . . a slowly paced list. Of what sorts of things? what scope? what do they have in common?. . . Sentence is just beginning . . . But sad mortality o'er-sways their power, Ah . . . none of them last. And yet they sure seem strong and long-lasting. Is it true what he says? And anyway, so what? why mention this? Sentence not yet reached its main clause . . . How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, Aha: here's the point: the sad pathetic vulnerability of "beauty". Very general though. Does he mean any particular beauty? "Hold a plea" is nice: a sort of legal image, no? Whose action is no stronger than a flower? Beauty doesn't have much going for it to oppose time. "Action" seems to continue the legal metaphor. The image gets more particular--"a flower"--though it's still relatively general. We're most conscious of the tone of the lamenting speaker, less so of any particular things he's naming. . . Poor pathetic beauty . . . Sentence has ended. Oh, how shall summer's honey breath hold out Against the wreckful siege of battering days, Fresh start: new sentence. Saying it again, more intensely. It's getting better, more specific. Lovely fresh sensuous appeal in "honey breath". Summer is a sweet-smelling person, a beloved presumably (you'd hardly enjoy smelling the sweet breath of anyone else). Its breath can hardly "hold out": wonder what that means? Last long enough? A singer sustaining a long note or phrase needs breath that will "hold out." And to "hold out against a siege" means to withstand a siege: so now the summer has turned into a besieged fortress or city. And the besieging enemy is using battering rams, and trying to wreck everything. Imagery: note that we're not totally visualizing summer as a person; it's a delicate suggestion that glides into the next image, that of the besieged town. And we don't visualize summer as a town, either. In fact "visualize" is too crude a term for what imagery this subtle does.

Jean-Paul Sartre Essay

Existentialism focuses on the idea that life has no meaning and is considered absurd. Existential philosophers believe that humans create their own values and determine a meaning for their lives because, from the start, the human being does not possess any inherent value or identity. â€Å"Existence precedes essence† is one of the most well-known existential statements and describes how our concrete being is more important than its purpose. The existentialism movement introduced a new way of perceiving life and was illustrated through poetry, visual art and lecturing. Using these methods poets, artists and philosophers were able to convey the understanding that searching for a meaning to life is futile, and pursuing it can lead to the brink of complete comprehension about one’s purpose for existing, and in turn can cause one to recognize that life is only as meaningful as one makes it out to be. In â€Å"Freedom vs. Determinism† by Tom Greening, the poet rhetorically questions how the universe works in order to show the reader the impossibility of knowing why things happen. Greening uses the line â€Å"While we argue, life goes by† to illustrate the point that no matter how much time and effort is put into fighting over why things happen, life will continuously move forward. He is arguing that if we waste time attempting to understand the meaning of life, we will only reach the edge of understanding. Through the struggle to achieve this â€Å"understanding,† our personal lives can begin to elude us. In â€Å"Untitled† by Jackson Pollock, the artist uses abstract paint dripping and brush strokes to express the idea that life is not meant to be understood. With the painting, Pollock is showing how life is abstract at times, especially when its meaning is pursued. This is similar to the idea in the unifying thematic statement of the futility of searching for the meaning of life. Life’s conceivable meaning is not meant to be understood, much like the painting. In â€Å"Existentialism is a Humanism† by Jean-Paul Sartre, the lecturer defends existentialism from criticisms of being pessimistic and gloomy. He explains that man materializes at birth, and only after this occurs can he make something of himself, creating his own life without any outside force pushing him. He states that man is what he conceives himself to be, and nothing else. Sartre says â€Å"man is nothing other than what he makes of himself,† to convey the idea similar to the one in the unifying thematic statement, that life is only as significant as an individual makes it out to be. All three existentialists used their mediums to come to the conclusion that there is not one concrete meaning to life. Each individual puts meaning to their own lives. Through understanding this principle meaning of existentialism, Greening, Pollock and Sartre exhibited the fact that one should realize the mere existence of life is the only thing that matters, and should not be wasted on vain attempts to understand its meaning.