Using Thin Layer Chromatography To Monitor Reactions Environmental Sciences Essay

Using Thin Layer Chromatography To Monitor Reactions Environmental Sciences Essay Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is a very useful technique for monitoring reactions. It can also be used to determine the proper solvent system for performing separations using column chromatography. TLC stationary phases are usually alumina or silica. They are polar for standard experiments or non-polar for reverse phase chromatography. The mobile phase is a solvent whose polarity is chosen by the person conducting the experiment. In most laboratory work standard phase silica plates are used. Different compounds will travel different distances up the plate depending on the polarity of the components of the mixture. The more polar compounds will be more attracted to the polar silica gel and travel shorter distances on the plate. Mon-polar substances will spend more time in the mobile phase and as a result will travel larger distances on the plate. The measure of the distance a compound travels is called the retention factor (Rf ) value. The retention factor, or Rf, is defined as the distance traveled by the compound divided by the distance traveled by the solvent. For example, if a compound travels 2.1 cm and the solvent front travels 2.8 cm, the Rf is 0.75: The Rf for a compound is a constant from one experiment to the next only if the chromatography conditions below are also constant: solvent system adsorbent thickness of the adsorbent amount of material spotted temperature Since these factors are difficult to keep constant from experiment to experiment, relative Rf values are generally considered. Relative Rf means that the values are reported relative to a standard, or it means that you compare the Rf values of compounds run on the same plate at the same time. 1.1 Thin Layer Chromatography There have been a numbered of important milestones in the evolution of chromatography in the last 100 years. Each of these milestones has signalled the start of an important branch of chromatography. Some examples of these are; partition chromatography (1941), gas chromatography (1951-1952), high performance liquid chromatography (mid- 1960s), capillary electrophoresis (1980) and capillary electrochromatography (past decade). In all the chromatographic techniques mentioned, separation is carried out in a column. However, it is also possible to carry out separations on a planar surface. Two examples of this are paper chromatography (1944) and thin-layer chromatography (1937-1938). Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) replaced paper chromatography as the most popular, routine chromatographic technique. TLC was first used in 1937 to 1938 by Nikolai A. Izmailov and Maria S. Shraiber at the Institute of Experimental Pharmacy of the State University of Kharkov. At the time Izmailov was the head of the institute and Shraiber was his graduate student. They were searching for a method for the rapid analysis of galenic pharmaceutical preparations (plant extracts). As classical column chromatography would have taken too much time they felt that if the absorbent would be prepared in the form of a thin-layer on a glass plate. They believed that it would behave like a column but the characterization time would be much shorter. They coated microscope slides with a suspension of various adsorbents (calcium, magnesium and aluminium oxides). They deposited one drop of the sample solution on this layer and added one drop of the same solvent used in a column to develop separation. The test was a success as the separated sample components appeared as concentric rings that fluoresced in various colour s under a UV lamp. They showed that the sequence of the concentric multicoloured rings on the plate would have been identical to the sequence of coloured rings obtained on a normal chromatographic column. They called this technique spot chromatography and the result on the microscope slides ultrachromatograms. The paper on this experiment was published in a Russian pharmaceutical journal that was practically unknown outside the then Soviet Union. Its abstract was included in a Russian review journal and through it in chemical Abstracts. It was then read by M. OL. Crowe of the New York State Department of Health. He then adapted the technique for his own use. Crowe prepared the adsorbent layer in a Petri dish, added a drop of the sample solution in the centre and then added the developing solvent dropwise until sufficient separation was obtained. In 1947 T.I. Williams described a further improvement of the method of Izmailov and Shraiber in his textbook on chromatography. He prepared the adsorbent-coated glass plates in the form of a sandwich. The adsorbent layer was covered by 2 glass plates and had a small hole which the sample drops could be applied through. Meinhard and Hall made the next major step in the development of TLC at the University of Wisconsin. They used corn starch, which acted as a binder, to hold the coating on the glass plate and added a small amount of Celite powder to the adsorbent particles to improve the consistency of the layer. They called this surface chromatography. They used it to separate inorganic ions. Modern TLC started 50 years ago with the work Department of Agriculture Fruit and Vegetable laboratory in Southern California. He investigated the flavour components of the juices of citrus fruits. However, he stated that very large volumes had to be processed because the amount of flavour material was extremely small. Another problem was in finding an analytical method for the investigation of the juice concentrate composition. He followed the method of Meinhard and Hall that he read in Chemical Abstracts. However, instead of adding just a drop of the developing solvent he developed the plates as in paper chromatography. The plates were developed in a closed chamber and one side was dipped into the solvent. The solvent then ascended through the plate by capillary action. It carried with it the sample components and they were separated as a result. The experiments carried out were published and are considered the start of modern TLC. Egon Stahl was responsible for TLC becoming a universally accepted technique. He was also the first to use the term thin-layer chromatography to characterize the technique. This choice of name was almost immediately accepted. Stahl investigated various essential oils and obtained good results using adsorbent-coated glass plates. However, neither the method nor the adsorbent to be used had been optimized. Also, the adsorbents had to be modified and treated before they could be used for the coating of plates. Stahl started investigating the operational parameters and the adsorbent preparations. In the spring of 1958 his efforts were fulfilled as the necessary basic instrumentation, made by Desaga and silica gel G according to Stahl for TLC, made by E. Merck were both introduced at the international Achema exhibition of chemical equipment in Frankfurt. Stahl also published an article outlining the use of the system and a wide range of applications. Because of this standardized method TLC became a widely used laboratory technique. He also went on to publish a TLC handbook in 1962. Although TLC had a wide application it was still thought to be a qualitative technique for the analysis of simple mixtures. As a result advances were directed toward improving the technique. Instrumentation which permitted more precise spotting of the sample onto the plates and the quantitative evaluation of the separated spots was developed. Faster analysis and higher separation power was also achieved. As a result of the higher performance ability the name was change to high-performance TLC (HPTLC) by R.E. Kaiser, who was instrumental in its development. The particle size and range of the adsorbent was the main difference between TLC and HPTLC. The silica gel for TLC had broad particle sizes of 10-60 µm with an average of 20 µm whereas HPTLC has an average of only 5 µm. the HPTLC plates were also smaller in comparison with TLC plates, 10 x 10cm and 20 x 20cm respectively. The improved method and design allowed reduction in the diameter of the starting spots. These improvements lowered the analysis time and increased the efficiency. Problems arose with flow rate which Kaiser overcame by applying pressure to the TLC plate. This in turn led to forced-flow TLC. Due to the constant condensation-evaporation process associated with developing TLC plates in developing chambers problems can be encountered because of the changing velocity of the mobile phase. To overcome this forced-flow TLC (FFTLC) was developed by Tyihà ¡k, Mincsovics and Kalà ¡sz. In this method the spotted plates (dry) are placed into a pressurized development chamber. The stationary-phase layer is tightly covered and sealed on its side by an elastic membrane and pressurized by an inert gas or water filling up the cushion above the layer. The mobile phase is delivered via a pump at a constant velocity through a slit in the membrane to the stationary phase. There are various configurations which can be handled using this method. TLC is a very simple technique. As a result very little instrumentation is needed. Application of samples to the stationary-phase is carried out using a micropipette or syringe. The developing chambers are simple glass structures. Detection is carried out by visual inspection or made visible by spraying the plate with reagent. Also, a wide variety of precoated plates are available so coating equipment isnt needed. In more advanced systems the samples may be spotted by automated loading devices (dosimeters). This allows the application of small and uniform sample spots. More sophisticated developing chambers are also available (FFTLC). The plates can be scanned by densitometers and quantitatively analysed using absorbance or fluorescence measurements. Chromatograms with peaks of the individual separated spots recorded against the length of the plate are produced with such analyses. Their area is also a proportion to the amount present. More complex systems can also be created by combining TLC systems with other systems such as mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared. 1.2 Ink Analysis Ink analysis is a very important forensic procedure. It can reveal useful information about questioned document. Modern inks contain many substances which are aimed at improving the ink. The most important component of the ink is the colouring material. It comes in the form of a dye, pigment or a combination of both. Dyes are soluble in the liquid body of the ink, also known as the vehicle. Pigments are finely ground multi-molecular granules that are insoluble in the vehicle. The vehicles composition affects the flowing and drying characteristics of the ink and can consist of oils, solvents and resins. 1.3 Chromatography Studies Djozan et al developed a new and fast method for the differentiation of inks on a questioned document. They designed specific image analysis software for evaluating thin layer chromatograms. They sampled forty-one blue ballpoint pens which were purchased from their local markets in Iran (Table 1). They first wrote a circle of diameter 5 mm uniformly by pen on a paper. One fourth of this was then punched out for extraction. They carried out extraction in 1 ml glass tubes and added 0.1 ml of methanol. This was then vigorously shaken for 1 min. the ink component was then fully dissolved in methanol. The supernatant methanoic solutions were then used to spot the TLC plates. A blank sample of paper with equal dimensions was also treated in the same way. Table 1. List of blue ballpoint pens studied List of blue ballpoint pens studied 1 Cello pyramid 0.7 mm fine TC ball 2 OBA 3 AIHAO 4 Bic 01 5 Cenator 6 PARKER 7 A.T.CROSS FINE 8 Pelikan STICK 918 9 Marvy SB-10 1.0 mm 10 Bic 02 11 PIANO crystal 12 My pen 2001 PENS High Quality Bluce CE 13 AIBA 14 STAEDTLER Stick 430M A IRAN 15 Reynolds Medium 048 France 16 EIFEL Elegance 17 CASPIAN STICK 2001 M 18 STABILO liner 308 19 FABER-CASTELL 1.0 mm Medium (transparent) 20 BIC 08 21 Bocheng A-100 22 SCHNEIDER TOPS 505 M Germany 23 FIBER-CASTELL 1.0 mm Medium 24 MILAN PI 1 mm 25 Reform 26 PAPER = MATE FLEXGRIP ultra MED 27 PARKER UK 28 CANDID-DINI 2853 29 STABILO-galaxy 818 M 30 No name 31 No name 32 Zebra Rubber 101 33 SANFORD SAGA 34 Bensia 35 Girls 36 EUROPEN 37 PARS swiss Refill 606 38 STAEDTLER stick 430 M TBRITAIN 39 Lus HF 500 40 No name 41 STABILO bill 508 TLC analysis was carried out on Merck (Darmstadt, Germany) 20 cm x 20 cm silica gel 60 TLC plates without fluorescent indicator. The plates were activated at 60  °C for 20 min and immediately spotted after cooling in a desiccator. The plates were developed in a developing chamber. The mobile phase used was: ethyl acetate/ absolute ethanol/ distilled water (70:35:30, v/v/v). Chromatographic development of the plates was carried out at room temperature for 40 min. All mobile phases were prepared daily with analytical grade chemicals. Enough was prepared to supply the tank for each run. The plates were air-dried after development. The separated compounds were visible on the plate by their natural colour and the plates were scanned into a computer using an office scanner. An IBM compatible PC (Pentium IV) with a 2.6 GHz microprocessor, 256 MB random access memory (RAM) and a hard disk with 40 GB capacity for external storage was used for processing the colour images. The computer was equipped with an on-board graphic card (NviDiA Geforce 7300LE) and a scanner (CanoScan 4200F) was connected to the computer for scanning (300 dpi) TLC plates as digital images. The images were saved as bmp files. Matlab (Version 6.5, The Math Works, Inc.) was used to write a new program to process the previously saved images. Previous studies indicated that Pyridine is the solvent used with ballpoint pen inks. Djozan et al preformed extraction with different solvents using various extraction modes. These modes were immersion of paper into solvent and simple agitation for 1 min, ultra-sound assisted extraction and micro-wave assistance extraction. The results showed that the immersion of paper into methanol or pyridine and simple agitation resulted in complete extraction of the inks from paper (Table 2). Table 2. List of solvents used for extraction of ink components from paper Solvent Solubility of ink colours Ethyl acetate Ethanol Acetic acid Acetone Butanol 1,2-Dichloroethane Butyl acetate Tetrachloroethane Acetyl acetate Cyclohexane Methanol Pyridine Slightly Slightly Slightly Slightly Slightly Slightly Slightly Slightly Slightly Slightly Soluble Soluble No improvement was found using ultra-sound or micro-wave assisted extraction. Methanol was chosen as the extraction solvent due to the safety of the solvent. The selection of the plate was down to the fact that silica gel plates provided the best resolution of dye spots. They selected five mobile phases (Table 3) and found that ethyl acetate/ absolute ethanol/ distilled water (70:35:30, v/v/v) was effective in separating nearly all the dye mixtures. The spot capacity obtained was more than 15. Table 3. Different solvent systems used to develop plate Solvent System Ratio Spot capacity Butanol:ethanol:H2O Ethyl acetate:cyclohexane:methanol:NH3 Ethyl acetate:Butanol:NH3 Ethyl acetate:ethanol:H2O Toluene:acetone:ethanol:NH3 50:15:10 70:15:10:5 60:35:5 70:35:30 30:60:7:2 9 5 10 15 5 Fig. 1. Typical TLC results of 10 different ink samples (Djozan et al, 2008) Fig. 1. shows a typical chromatogram that they achieved in their experiment. To confirm complete separation of all components in the studied sample, two-dimensional (2D) TLC was carried out using various solvent systems. The results proved that the one-dimensional (1D) TLC is able to provide sufficient separation. The first stage carried out was colour image normalization. A function of the input images was computed that is invariant to confounding scene properties but was discriminative with respect to desired scene information. The calculation is as follows: Stage 2 is to compute a colour image profile. The intensity profile of an image is the set intensity values taken from regularly spaced points along a line segment in an image the intensity values are interpolated for points that dont fall on the centre pixel they computed an intensity profile for r, g and b images along the line passing through the centre of the image on the chromatographic development straight of each ink spot. Fig. 2. RGB characteristic of an ink after TLC (Djozan et al, 2008) In stage 3 the colour image profiles were correlated. The intensity profiles were considered as sequences and the normalized cross-correlation of sequences were computed. Cross-correlation is a measure of similarity of two signals. It is used to find features in an unknown signal and compared to a known signal. It is calculated as follows for discrete functions: Eq. (1) For image-processing applications in which the brightness of the images can be due to lighting and exposure conditions, the images can be first normalized. It is calculated as follows: Eq. (2) Stage 4 involved computing image similarity. The weighted mean of and were computed as follows: Eq. (3) The ability of the method to differentiate between various blue ballpoint pens was evaluated by comparing the similarity of different inks according to Eq. (3). Fig. 3. Screen shot of Matlab software running (Djozan et al, 2008) Fig. 4. All possible combination of comparing inks with TLC-IA (Djozan et al, 2008) In 2006 Liu et al published a paper on the classification of black gel pen inks by ion-pairing high-performance liquid chromatography. They stated that black gel inks usually contain several dye components. These components all have different colours and are mixed together proportionally to give the black colour. They used reverse-phase ion-pairing high performance chromatography (RP-IP-HPLC). It was done in such a manner as the dyes couldnt be reversed on the C18 column due to their high polarities. The maximum UV absorption bands of the black gel pen inks obtained were between 500 and 700 nm. The wavelength of the detector was set to 580 nm as most of the dyes had a maximum UV adsorption near 580 nm. They investigated the influence of both volatile and non-volatile ion-pairing reagents on the HPLC analysis of black gel pen ink dyes. All the reagents had different alkyl chain, ammonium acetate, triethylamine (TEA), tributylamine (TBA), dihexylamine (DHA) and tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBABr). The results revealed that the dyes were nearly not retained using ammonium acetate or TEA as the ion-pairing reagent. Using TBABr, TBA and DHA as the ion-pairing reagent, individually, the dyes were separated. TBABr was selected as the ion-pairing reagent as the retention times were shorter than the others and sharper peaks were obtained. They also investigated the buffer solution concentrations and the effect of pH on the separation. The optimum result was: 40 mmol/L TBABr buffer solution (pH 7) with acetonitrile as the organic modifier for IP-HPLC analysis and an identical proportion of the buffer and acetonitrile (v/v = 40:60) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. these optimum conditions were used to separate 50 dye-based black gel pen inks by IP-HPLC. Liu et al carried out another study on ion-pairing HPLC in 2006. This time, however, they studied the degradation of blue gel pen dyes and also used electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. They used ion-pairing reversed phase liquid chromatography as the inorganic compounds they were analysing have weak retention on the ordinary reversed stationary phases when separating on HPLC. This is due to their high polarities. The UV detector was set at 580 nm for the analysis as most dyes have a normal maximum absorption near 580 nm. The UV absorptions of the fluorescence whitening reagents in paper are usually below 500 nm and they had no interference for the detection of the gel pen dyes at 580 nm. Fig. 5. Chromatograms of blue gel pen inks using different ion pairing reagents (Liu et al, 2006) The tested various mobile phases: eluent A: eluent B (acetonitrile) = 50:50 (v/v); eluent A was the buffer of ion pairing reagent with concentration of 40 mmol Là ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 (pH 7.0), and the ion pairing reagent was (a) ammonium acetate, (b) TEA acetate, (d) TBA acetate, (e) DHA acetate and (f) TBABr, respectively. (c) Ammonium carbonate as eluent A (40 mmol Là ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1, pH 9.5) and eluent A:eluent B (acetonitrile) = 50:50 (v/v). they found that 10 mmol-1 TBA acetate (pH 7.0) was suitable ion-pairing agent for the purpose and ink samples stored in different conditions were analyzed by IP-HPLC. Significant changes of ink composition were observed. The noticed that the natural aged inks had the similar but weaker degradation trend than the light aged inks. They used HPLC-MS/MS with ammonium carbonate as ion-pairing reagent to obtain the information of the light aged inks and their photodegradation mechanism. In 1994, Varshney et al analysed ink from typed script of electronic typewriters by HPTLC. They used script from seven electronic typewriters. They used the resultant Rf values and in-situ visible spectra of each resolved band of all the chromatograms indicated that the same chemical composition is being used in six typewriter ribbon inks. However, the seventh one is completely different. Fig. 6. Wavelength maxima values of in-situ visible spectrum bands of electronic typewriter scripts (Varshney et al, 1994) Fig. 6. shows the densitograms obtained after scanning and integration of the chromatograms of tracks of individual typewriters and blank paper. The seven electronic typewriter inks could be categorised into two groups after analysis. The first group resolved the sample to four bands including the base. The second group did not resolve the samples at all with the solvent systems used. Several varieties of blue ballpoint pen inks were analysed by HPLC and IR spectroscopy by Kher et al in 2006. The chromatographic data extracted at four wavelengths (254, 279, 370 and 400 nm) was analyzed individually and at a combination of these wavelengths by the soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA) technique. They used principal components analysis (PCA) to estimate the separation between the pen samples. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) measured the probability with which an observation could be assigned to a pen class. The best resolution was obtained by HPLC using data from all four wavelengths together, differentiating 96.4% pen pairs successfully using PCA and 97.9% pen samples by LDA. PCA separated 60.7% of the pen pairs and LDA provided a correct classification of 62.5% of the pens analyzed by IR. They stated that HPLC coupled with chemometrics provided a better discrimination of ballpoint pen inks compared to IR. Kher et al effectively combined LDA and PCA to classify the HPLC and IR data. PCA gives a general idea of how different a given pair of pens is, whereas LDA can quantify the predictive ability of a generated classification model. The two techniques of PCA and LDA were shown to be complimentary to each other. The PCA and LDA results indicated that although IR cannot differentiate between all classes of pen inks, it can still provide a reasonable discrimination, which can be enhanced further by improving the quality of the spectra. The analysis of such an enhanced IR data with chemometric analyses would provide a valuable non-destructive tool for forensic analyses. Raman Spectroscopy Studies Mazzella and Buzini used Raman spectroscopy to analyse blue gel pen inks in 2004. They sampled 55 blue gel pens. They first separated them into two groups using a preliminary solubility test in methanol. They discovered that 36 were pigmented inks, which arent soluble in methanol, and 19 were dye-based inks, which are soluble in methanol. They applied Raman spectroscopy to the 36 pigmented blue gel inks. Raman spectroscopy is a non-destructive technique. Spectra were first obtained using the 514.5 nm argon ion laser which proved the observation of 4 different groups. They then used the 830 nm NIR diode laser and divided the inks into three groups. They then combined the two lasers and a separation into 5 groups was obtained. They then attempted to identify the pigments contained in the gel by comparison to standard pigments. Two main pigments were detected in the analysed samples: PB15 and PV23. PB 15 is pigment blue 15 and belongs to the class of phthalocyanines. PV23 is the pigment violet 23 and belongs to the class oxazines. The argon laser allowed the detection of a mixture of PB 15 and PV 23. This was a better result than using the NIR diode laser. The results showed that the same gel pen ink (same model and brand) from different geographical locations showed the same Raman spectra. However, it was stated that the Raman technique obtained low discriminating values. 2. Materials and Method 2.1 Materials: Blue ballpoint pens Merck silica gel 60 TLC plates (20 cm x 20 cm) Methanol Ethyl acetate Ethanol (absolute) Paper Dessicator Developing chamber Puncher Glass tubes (0.1 ml) Capillary tubes 2.2 Experimental 13 blue ball-point pens (Table 1) were bought from a number of different shops in the town. A circle with a diameter of 5mm was written by the pen on paper. One fourth of it was punched out for extraction. The samples are placed in 1 ml glass tubes. 0.1ml of methanol was added and vigorously shaken for 1 min. The ink component was fully dissolved in methanol. The supernatant methanoic solutions were used for spot application on TLC plate. A blank of paper only is also treated as was a control which was a permanent marker. TLC analyses were preformed using Alugram 20 cm x 10 cm silica gel/UV plates (Macherey-Nagel). The plates were activated at 60 °C for 20 min and immediately after, cooled in a desiccator, and spotted. The plates were developed in a horizontal developing chamber. The solvent system included: ethyl acetate/absolute ethanol/ distilled water (70:35:30, v/v/v). Development was preformed at room temperature for 40 min. All mobile phases were prepared daily. After develo pment the plates were air-dried. All 13 different pens were tested in triplicate. Retention factors were calculated using the results from the plates and photographs taken using a digital camera were loaded onto the computer and analysed using image analysis software. Table 1: List of pens analysed Number Description 1 No Brand (blue) 2 Pilot G-207 3 BIC ReAction 4 BIC Medium (Bought in Tesco) 5 BIC Medium (Bought in Dunnes) 6 No Brand (Purple) 7 Staedtler Stick 430M 8 Roller Pen 9 Papermate 1.2M 10 Scripto Stick Pen 11 Papermate Write Bros. 12 Comfort Touch 13 No Brand (Tesco Click Pen) 3. Results and Discussion Before carrying out the experiment it needed to be researched. This research pointed out the importance of the correct solvent to remove the ink from the document. Djozan et al used methanol as their choice of solvent after considering other solvents (Table 2). They stated that Pyridine was the reported solvent used with ball-point pen inks. However, they carried out extractions with different solvents using various extraction modes. They realised that immersion of the paper into methanol with agitation resulted in complete extraction of the inks from the paper. Methanol was also chosen because of its safety. Table 2: List of solvents used for the extraction of ink components from paper Solvent Solubility of ink colours Ethyl acetate Slightly Ethanol Slightly Acetic Acid Slightly Acetone Slightly Butanol Slightly 1,2-Dichloroethane Slightly Butyl acetate Slightly Tetrachloroethane Slightly Acethyl acetate Slightly Cyclohexan Slightly Methanol Soluble Oyridine Soluble Different concentrations of the solvent system (Table 3) were analysed to see which gave the greater separation. It was found that the concentration given by Djozan et al, (ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water (70:35:30, v/v/v)) gave the best results. The Alugram silica Gell/UV plates were also found to work better than the suggested, Merck silica gel 60, plates without fluorescent indicator. Table 3: Concentrations of solvent system investigated Number Solvent system 1 ethyl acetate, ethanol, water (70:35:30, v/v/v) 2 ethyl acetate, ethanol, water (70:30:35, v/v/v) 3 ethyl acetate, ethanol, water (70:25:40, v/v/v) 4 ethyl acetate, ethanol, water (70:40:25, v/v/v) Table 4: Retention factors for all separated components pen spot 1 spot 2 spot 3 spot 4 spot 5 Solvent RF1 RF2 RF3 RF4 RF5 1.1 70 73 0.958904 1.2 70 73 0.958904 1.2 70 73 0.958904 2.1 62 69 73 0.849315 81.24194 2.2 62 69 73 0.849315 81.24194 2.3 62 69 73 0.849315 81.24194 3.1 57 60 62 70 0.814286

Dehumanization in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Salesman essays

Dehumanization in Death of a Salesman      Ã‚   Alienation and loneliness are two of the frequently explored themes in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.   Yet they can also cause other effects which are just as harmful, if not more so.   In Death of a Salesman, two of these other results are dehumanization and a loss of individual freedom.   This is a very complex web of emotions, but as Miller said, â€Å"Death of a Salesman is not, of course, in the realistic tradition, having broken out into quite a new synthesis of psychological and social dimensions† (Eight vii).   It did indeed â€Å"break out† in the modernist direction.   It is a wonderful example of the way modernist writers expressed their beliefs.   They believed that the industrialization of society caused people to lose their individuality.   Willy’s seniority at his advertising firm means very little in the larger scheme of things.   He is just one of the many workers.   He begins to wear out and be of little use.   Therefore, he is discarded and presumably replaced with someone who will do the job more efficiently.   He is not treated as a human being but as a part of a larger mechanism, a larger machine.   This crushes what little self-esteem he has left.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This mechanized society can also lead to a loss of individual freedom.   In order to survive, one must be a part of the competitiveness.   This may mean giving up having the freedom to choose a pleasing occupation.   Biff wants to find his own way and do what he wants; he is looked down upon because of his wish.   Happy, his brother, wants to be financially successful.   He knows that in order to do that, he needs to join the work force and persevere where his father failed.   In this society, one can either do what he ch... ...g the Loman family, Miller relates the larger, all encompassing themes of the modernists to a common American family.   Miller relates them, specifically Willy Loman, to society as a whole and to the smaller societal unit of the family.   He then goes on to show the psychological responses to and results of societal conditions.   Specifically, he demonstrates that interaction with modern society without some understanding of what is occurring can lead to alienation and loneliness.   These, in turn, can lead to dehumanization and a loss of freedom for the individual.    Works Cited Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds.   The Norton Anthology of American Literature.   4th ed.   New York: Norton, 1994. Florio, Thomas A., ed. â€Å"Miller’s Tales.† The New Yorker.   70 (1994): 35-36. ---.   Eight Plays.   New York:   Nelson Doubleday, 1981.         

Lodge’s narrative technique Essay

Abstraction: David Lodge ( 1936- ) is extremely respected and regarded as a critic and author who is profilic in both Fieldss in modern British. As a author. David Lodge is chiefly celebrated for his academic novels particularly his Campus Trilogy: Changing Topographic points. Small World and Nice Work in 70-80 in the 20 century. Campus Trilogy is regarded as the research object in the paper. This thesis attempts to do a comprehensive survey of Campus Trilogy from Narratology Angle. It wonders to detect the undetected deduction in the narrative plants to make full the space in this country of research by the macroscopic analysis and microscopic examination. The thesis consists of four chapters. Introduction includes a brief debut to David Lodge. his literary accomplishments. his representative plants Campus Trilogy. its literary reappraisal and the significance of the thesis. In add-on. the constructs and methods are merely presented. Chapter I outlines Narrative Structure of Campus Trilogy. By set uping the binary opposite smudge construction in the clip and infinite which lays out intricately. it makes the fresh fascinating but needs readers to read the novels caregully. Chapter II demonstrates Campus Trilogy from Narrative Perspective. The writer organizes the different focal point manners to run into the author’s need by agencies of different characteristics of the focal point manners. This refelcts Lodge’s academic point of views from one side: oppose the Jacobinic sentiment of The Death of Author. Lodge uses the altering focal point to do you cognize what he wants you to cognize and and hide what he doesen’t want you to cognize. It gives the readers to conceive of and think. Meanwhile the narrative voices in Lodge’s novels are. fro one clip. individual. for other clip. multi-voices with those of the existent writer. implied writer. storyteller. and characters. He manages the diffi cult and soft voices as per the demands of his plants. Chapter III trades with the Meta-fiction narrative techinque utilizing in Campus Trilogy. The writer masters the accomplishment of Parody and Collage to interrupt the true consequence of the narrative. It exposes the fiction of the novels by itself and subverts the readers’expectation. Otherwise it makes the reader maintain the critical attitude to believe the relationship between the world and novelistic. Chapter IV explores the narrative technique of Irony in Campus Trilogy. Lodge hides his point of view by puting the dry characters. sarcasm of state of affairs and dry allusions. Readers are in aesthetic. emotional and ethical multiple state of affairss and dry allusions. The kernel of the manner to success of the bookmans is making the primitve and coarse natural degree of being. They achieve slef-destruction successfully. They lost the humanity spirit non merely owing to the infinite enlargement of the economic system. but besides the divergence and treachery of the humani stic disciplines bookmans. In a word. though Lodge’s novels contain the deep implied significances. they have the strong readability. On the one manus. David Lodge indulges himself to the assorted experimental accomplishments of Meta-fiction. so some of the critics classify him to be a post-modernism novelist. On the other manus. as a traditional author. he has a pots of historical and societal mission. He doesn’t give up the basic traditional realist. The scholar life in Campus Trilogy is based on his ain personal experience or the familliar personal businesss around. It makes the readers know the life of the schilars in the Ivory Tower. In the average clip. his novels reveal the degeneracy of the humanity in the modern society. Consequently his Campus Trilogy hovers among pragmatism. modernism. and post-modernism but non simple post-modernism narratology.

Majority Government in Canada

Majority Government in Canada The way Canada elects its representatives and head of government is different from the process we follow in the United States. Winning a majority of seats in the Canadian Parliaments House of Commons has different ramifications than winning a majority in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. In our presidential system, the head of state and the head of government is the same  person, and he or she is elected independently of the members of the American legislature (Senate and House of Representatives). But in a parliamentary system, theres a head of state and a head of government, and the head of government derives its power from the ruling party. In Canada, the head of state is the Queen, and the prime minister is the head of government. The ruling party determines who will be prime minister. So how does a party become Canadas ruling party? Majority Party Versus Minority Party in Canada The political party that wins the most seats in a general election becomes the governments ruling party. If that party wins more than half of the seats in the House of Commons or legislative assembly, then the party forms a majority government. This is the best-case scenario as far as a political party is concerned (but may not be ideal for voters, depending on how they voted), since it ensures they will be able to steer the direction of policy and legislation without much input (or interference, depending on your point of view) from other parties.  The parliamentary system of government makes party loyalty from Canadian politicians  all but assured. Heres why: A majority government can pass legislation and maintain the confidence of the House of Commons or legislative assembly to stay in power much more easily than a  minority government. Thats what happens when a party wins half or fewer than half of the seats in the House of Commons or legislative assembly.   In order to retain the confidence of the House of Commons and remain in power, a minority government has to work a lot harder. It will have to negotiate more frequently with other parties and possibly make concessions and adjustments in order to win enough votes to pass legislation.   Choosing Canadas Prime Minister The entire country of Canada is divided into districts, also known as ridings, and each one elects its representative in Parliament. The leader of the party that wins the most ridings in a general federal election becomes Canadas Prime Minister.   As head of the countrys executive branch, Canadas prime minister chooses the cabinet, deciding who should oversee the various government departments, such as agriculture or foreign affairs. Most of Canadas cabinet ministers come from the House of Commons, and occasionally one or two come from the Senate. The prime minister serves as chairman of the cabinet. Canadian federal elections are usually held every four years on the first Thursday in October. But if the government loses the confidence of the House of Commons, a new election may be called.   The political party which wins the second highest number of seats in the House of Commons becomes the official opposition party.   The prime minister and cabinet are the key decision-makers in Canadian government. Having a majority party makes their jobs much easier.

Simon Bolivar essays

Simon Bolivar essays The Generals Disunited States of South America Let us hasten to break the chains of those who groan in the dungeons waiting for salvation from you. Do not betray their trust. Do not be deaf to the cries of your brothers. Avenge the dead, save the dying, relieve the oppressed, and bring freedom to all! Those were the powerful words written by Simon Bolivar, which persuaded the people of Colombia to support him with the liberation of foreign states. Never before has South America seen a leader as determined as Bolivar, a man willing to sacrifice his life for the rights and freedom of the people by any means necessary. He was an excellent horseback rider, a man who killed a monk with his sword, an excellent strategist in the battleground, a general who enlisted the help of cannibals in his army, a man who escaped several assassination attempts, and a boy who played badminton with a young Spanish prince Ferdinand in his palace. They fit the description of Simon Bolivar; a man who accomplished more during his forty-seven years of lifetime, than forty seven men could hope to achieve in a hundred years. The Latin American Wars of Independence do not form an easy to tell narrative; there were different levels of violence, different revolutionary ideals and levels of popular participation throughout the Spanish colonies. Simon Bolivar was a man of integrity living among corruption, whose ideals and philosophies were seldom appreciated before his death, but they continue to be a basis of influence in modern South American society. The young and relentless general, Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar became publicly known as the Liberator when he rid the South American colonies of three hundred years of Spanish rule. He was born into an aristocratic family on Caracas, Venezuela in 1783. During his early life, he was taught the non-conformists ways of Jean Jacques...

Facts that make a class productive and enjoyable Essay

Facts that make a class productive and enjoyable - Essay Example In the process, clear distinction will be brought forth between being productive and being occupied. The first step that needs to be observed by teachers is; teaching the right things. It is not accurate to assume that all the things teachers teach are usually relevant and of ‘good practice’. Most teachers have adopted the method of â€Å"mark to the objective†. This method may also be referred to as marking, quality or focused. Such method of teaching disregard objectives of learning. Most teaching methods have been preoccupied with predetermination of what would be called as core subjects to train children on. The focus is much laid on the national curriculum than the actual things from which the students will benefit. One way of dealing with this is to try to use practical things in class especially when illustrating some products. This should go hand in hand with the identification of the right objective and subsequently, teaching these objectives at the right time at appropriate level. Rather than judging the teachers on whether they met the objectives of t he teaching, focus should be on whether those teachers got the objectives right in the first place. Another significant step that the teacher should observe and is a great factor is; getting the students do the work by themselves. There should be a very clear balance between the time students are putting in the work and what the teachers put. Study conducted by Smith, et.al (pg 13) reveals that schools where teachers and student do the work at the ration of 20:80 per cent, performed better than otherwise. This also depended on the teaching of the right objectives at the right time. Introducing the students into actual practice enables them to be more productive and they tend to find learning interesting as well. Another very important stage of making learning productive and fun is; the organizing

What makes religion different from a cult Assignment

What makes religion different from a cult - Assignment Example In general, the main difference between them is that cult can be seen as an extremely closed ideological system based on strict worshiping of a leader. In contrast to the cult, religion can be viewed as a set of internal and external manifestations of human faith. In other words, any religion focuses on the internal search of the self in harmony with God or the Absolute. As is it known, any religion recognizes the value and importance of human desire to know one’s â€Å"I.† Religion can be viewed as a way for self-knowledge by referring to God or to the Absolute. Regardless of the type of religion, a believer should learn to control his/her â€Å"I.† In turn, this is possible as a result of learning the features of one’s soul, mind and psyche. Believers should open the way to their inner world, and religion is the way by which this can be done. Thus, religion is impossible without self-knowledge and the desire to understand the essence of one’s soul and nature. In fact, religion calls â€Å"to confront reality, to master the self† (Galvan). In this regard, religion cannot be identified with the cult. The cult should be viewed as a certain ritual practice, which does not aim at self-knowledge. In reality, the cult is a closed system, where the main role belongs to the leader. The task of its followers is to w orship the cult leader and glorify him. As a result, this understanding does not involve the pursuit of self-analysis and the search for one’s â€Å"I.† Any cult is based on a strict set of rules, where conformity and control play a particularly important role. As an exclusive system designed for a narrow circle of followers, the cult forbids any questions or doubts about its ideological base or leader. A person has the ability to become part of a certain cult only if he/she recognizes the ideas and beliefs underlying the cult. Moreover, religion cannot be considered as a cult for the simple reason that the concept of cult often â€Å"carries a