The Construction of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Essay Example for Free

The Construction of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Essay The Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN) is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a government owned authority. The site is approximately ten miles south of Spring City, TN, approximately 1. 25 miles south of the Watts Bar Dam that it is named for, and on the west bank of the Tennessee River. There are two units, Unit 1 which is operational and Unit 2 which is unfinished. The Groundbreaking for Unit 1 took place in 1972, with major construction beginning in 1973 (TVA website). However Unit 1 did not begin commercial operation until 1996 – twenty-three years after major construction started and according to Munson (2002) at a cost of $7 billion – and Unit 2 has yet to be completed. Construction licenses for both units were awarded by the nuclear regulator of the time the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in 1973, and construction of both units was supended in 1985. Unit 1 construction was restarted in 1990 and the full power operating license was issued in 1996. Unit 2 remained only partially constructed until 2007 when TVA announced it would resume construction. Detailed information about the original tender, construction process, numbers of workers, time scales and original budgets is not available for Unit 1 as the project began in the early 1970s and the information is archived and not easily retrievable (Johnson, personal communication). However Unit 1 is typical of the reactors of its time so some general information is available. For example, in terms of the plant overall, figures from 1974 (Peterson, 2003) indicate that the construction of a typical nuclear plant required 40 metric tons (MT) of steel and 190 cubic meters (m3) of concrete per average megawatt of electricity (MW(e)) generating capacity. With a capacity of over 1000 MWe, figures for the construction of Unit 1 can be estimated as over 40,000 MT of steel, and 190,000 m3 of concrete. Due to the geologic features of the site (see below), it is reasonable to assume that the real figures were even higher. There is some information with regards the restart of construction for Unit 2. Reactors Both units are Westinghouse Four-loop Pressurized-Water Reactor (PWR), as shown in the figure below (TVA website) capable of electrical output of 1125 MWe. A four-loop Westinghouse plant has four steam generators, four reactor coolant pumps, and a Pressurizer. There are 193 fuel assemblies arranged in a 17 x 17 array inside a reactor vessel that has an internal diameter of 173 inches. The reactor vessel is constructed of a manganese molybdenum steel, and all surfaces that come into contact with reactor coolant are clad with stainless steel to increase corrosion resistance. The reactor coolant flows to the steam generator (USNRC, 2003). Typically, PWR containments typically consist of heavily steel-reinforced concrete cylinders ranging in thickness from 3. 5 feet to 4. 5 feet, capped by a hemispherical dome of steel-reinforced concrete. The cylinder is typically 140 feet high, with a 140-foot diameter. Reinforcement bars that form a cage within the concrete are typically Grade 60 #18 steel bars on 12-inch to 15-inch centers. A #18 rebar is two and one-quarter inches in diameter (ABS Consulting, 2002). Additional reinforcement may be called for depending on the results of the seismic survey undertaken for the site. This was the case for the Watts Bar reactors. The Final Safety Analysis Report for WBN (TVA 1991), reported that the plant is located in the Valley and Ridge Province of the Appalachian Highlands, and the major geologic feature at the site is the Kingston thrust fault, which developed 250 million years ago. The fault has been inactive for many millions of years, and recurrence of movement is not expected. The fault lies to the northwest of the site area and is not involved in the foundation for any of the major plant structures. The SAR for the WBN states that it was designed based on the largest historic earthquake to occur in the Southern Appalachian Tectonic Province the 1897 Giles County, Virginia earthquake. This earthquake is estimated to have had a body wave magnitude of 5. 8. The Safe Shutdown Earthquake for the plant has been established as having a maximum horizontal acceleration of 0. 18 g and a simultaneous maximum vertical acceleration of 0. 12 g WBN Unit 2 Restart of Construction As Unit 2 is essentially identical to Unit 1, the scope of work for Unit 2 duplicates that of Unit 1 as much as possible with some additional scope for Unit 2 not included in the Unit 1 startup such as another cooling tower, transmission system, various upgrades and work completed since Unit 1 startup such as a process computer upgrade (Moll, 2007). Estimated cost of the project to complete startup is 2. 49 billion, over 54 months with commercial operation of the unit scheduled for early 2012 (Westinghouse, 2008). Moll reports that peak staffing is estimated at 2,300 craft and technical personnel. The project phases will include the Engineering and Analysis phase, which will include plant walk downs to establish the current condition of the plant, the engineering evaluations of program work and identification of design discrepancies. The second phase as outlined by Moll is the Design Production phase to correct identified deficiencies and design changes required to maintain consistency between units. The third phase is the implementation phase which will include the construction, the modifications required in supporting two units, the maintenance activities, testing, non-design repairs and clean up. Finally the Startup Test phase that will ensure the systems are capable of safe shutdown before the operations phase. Major Issues Affecting the Contruction of WBN Unit 1 Nuclear power reactors are regulated by federal and state laws to protect human health and the environment. These regulatory requirements are of paramount consideration in the construction of any nuclear facilities. Regulatory costs for the nuclear industry are a significant percentage of construction and on-going operating costs and as such regulatory considerations play a large role in dictating all aspects of the project from the chosen site to the reactor design to the management of on-going operations. The construction period of the Watts Bar reactors coincided with significant changes in the regulatory environment. The most significant nuclear regulatory authority in the US is United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC). The Watts Bar reactors were in the construction phase when the accidents occurred at Three Mile Island in 1979, and later, Chernobyl in 1986. Reaction to these events resulted in further and more stringent regulatory requirements. Environmental obligations have also become ever more important, and operators must also satisfy requirements for environmental impact statements. Construction of both units was suspended in 1985, primarily because numerous TVA staff made complaints that the construction process was inadequate and that there may be resulting safety risks (NRC, Safety Evaluation Report, 1995). On September 17, 1985 the NRC required TVA to address various deficiencies in its activities and TVA withdrew its certification that Unit 1 was ready to load fuel. The NRC Safety Evaluation Report notes the findings that there were significant problems in construction quality and quality assurance. Deficiencies in construction involved a number of systems and issues including the quality of welding and cabling. There were many staff concerns and complaints that also needed to be addressed. In the report the NRC itself recognises its own role in not providing sufficient regulatory oversight. The report notes the extensive corrective actions performed by TVA, which included a Nuclear Performance Plan to address material, design and programmatic deficiencies and included inspection and testing of the construction issues and programs to respond to staff concerns. Unit 1 construction was resumed in 1990. In terms of estimating and producing time lines for such a project, The Watts Bar example demonstrates that as well as being aware of industry codes and building standards it is crucial to understand the regulatory requirements for the relevant industry. Unforseen delays also need to be considered, as does whether risks of such are allocated to the contractor. If risks are allocated to the contractor, the risk of a long delay should be considered in the estimate. Some of this risk may be offset when components in a project can be worked on independently or concurrently with each other, rather than build components that need to be constructed sequentially. The Watts Bar Unit 1 reactor is a good example of unforseen events affecting the construction process (for example, discovery of the fault, the changes in the regulatory environment after the Three Mile Island accident in 1979). Although Unit 1 was on-line by September 11, 2001, security requirements for installations such as nuclear power stations were increased, and on-going construction projects for security sensitive projects were affected at that time. Changes to regulatory requirements, standards and codes need to be tracked for any project. Quality Assurance systems must be in place, and accounted for in the initial estimating process. References 1. TVA Website Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Retrieved April 3, 2008 from : http://www. tva. gov/power/nuclear/wattsbar. htm 2. Munson, Richard.The Electricity Journal, Vol:15, Issue:10, December 2002 pp76-80. 3. NRC, Partial Chronology WB Unit 2 (Table) (2007 August 23) Retrieved April 3, 2008 from: http://www. nrc. gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/watts-bar/watts-bar-partial-chronology. html 4. (Terry W Johnson, Communications, Tennessee Valley Authority, personal communication, April 5, 2008). 5. Peterson, F. â€Å"Will the United States Need a Second Geologic Repository? † The Bridge National Academy of Engineering Vol:33, No. 3, Fall 2003. 6. TVA Website (Figure of Reactor). Retrieved April 3 2008 from: http://www. tva. gov/sites/wattsbarnuc. htm# 7. USNRC Technical Training Center, Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Systems 2003. Retrieved April 7, 2008 from: http://www. nrc. gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/teachers/04. pdf 8. ABS Consulting and ANATECH, Aircraft Crash Impact Analyses Demonstrate Nuclear Power Plant’s Structural Strength, December 2002. Retrieved April 7, 2008 from: http://www. stpnoc. com/EPRI%20study. doc 9. The Final Safety Analysis Report for WBN (TVA 1991), excerpt retrieved from: http://www. hanford. gov/rl/uploadfiles/ea/ea1210/section4. htm

Perspective of Nick Carraway, Narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrator's Perspective in The Great Gatsby  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Nick Carraway has a special place in this novel. He is not just one character among several, it is through his eyes and ears that we form our opinions of the other characters. Often, readers of this novel confuse Nick's stance towards those characters and the world he describes with those of F. Scott Fitzgerald's because the fictional world he has created closely resembles the world he himself experienced. But not every narrator is the voice of the author. Before considering the "gap" between author and narrator, we should remember how, as readers, we respond to the narrator's perspective, especially when that voice belongs to a character who, like Nick, is an active participant in the story.   When we read any work of fiction, no matter how realistic or fabulous, as readers, we undergo a "suspension of disbelief". The fictional world creates a new set of boundaries, making possible or credible events and reactions that might not commonly occur in the "real world", but which have a logic or a plausibility to them in that fictional world. In order for this to be convincing, we trust the narrator. We take on his perspective, if not totally, then substantially. He becomes our eyes and ears in this world and we have to see him as reliable if we are to proceed with the story's development.   In The Great Gatsby, Nick goes to some length to establish his credibility, indeed his moral integrity, in telling this story about this "great" man called Gatsby. He begins with a reflection on his own upbringing, quoting his father's words about Nick's "advantages", which we could assume were material but, he soon makes clear, were spiritual or moral advantages. Nick wants his reader to know that his upbringing gave him the moral fiber with which to withstand and pass judgment on an amoral world, such as the one he had observed the previous summer. He says, rather pompously, that as a consequence of such an upbringing, he is "inclined to reserve all judgments" about other people, but then goes on to say that such "tolerance . . . has a limit".   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is the first sign that we can trust this narrator to give us an even-handed insight to the story that is about to unfold. But, as we later learn, he neither reserves all judgments nor does his tolerance reach its’ limit.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmar Essay

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare, tells the morbid tale of a young man’s quest for revenge. Set in Denmark during the Middle Ages, the play chronicles the assassination of a king and his brother’s usurpation of the throne and insinuation into the king’s old life, to the point of marrying the king’s own widow. Hamlet, the young prince, is charged by his dead father’s ghost to bring his uncle to justice and restore the rightful crown. When Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, comes to the realization that his young nephew has uncovered his murderous conspiracy, he resolves to assassinate the young prince as well. However, when his attempt to have Hamlet executed in England is foiled, he must find another means to surreptitiously remove the threat to his kingship. After Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, Claudius’ chief counselor, Polonius’ son is filled with rage, resulting in Claudius concocting a plan to match Hamlet against Polonius’ son, Laertes, in a duel to the death. II. THEME The theme primarily seen throughout the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is one of dilemma and indecision. This theme is reiterated often in the play, habitually in situations surrounding young Hamlet himself, due to his immaturity and inexperience. This is demonstrated as early as the opening of the play, in which Old Hamlet’s ghost appears to Hamlet. Hamlet’s difficulty in determining the difference between appearance and reality causes him to question whether the ghost is really a good spirit, or a devil trying to trick him. † Angels and ministers of grace defend us! — / Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn’d, / Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, / Be thy intents wicked or charitable, / Thou com’st in such a questionable shape† (Ham. I. iv.623-627). This theme can also be seen in Act III, Scene iii, in which Hamlet is debating on whether to truly kill Claudius or to spare his life. Hamlet is at the point of deliberation as he sees his uncle kneeling in prayer and remorse, and thus, vulnerable. â€Å"Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; / And now I’ll do’t;–and so he goes to heaven; / And so am I reveng’d. –that would be scann’d:† (Ham. III. iii. 2350-2353). However, at that very moment, Hamlet wavers and begins to have misgivings about doing the actual deed. â€Å"But in our circumstance and course of thought,/ ‘Tis heavy with him: and am I, then, reveng’d, / To take him in the purging of his soul, / When he is fit and season’d for his passage? / No† (Ham. III. iii. 2360-2363). Another example of this theme is seen during one of Hamlet’s darkest hours, in which he is disenchanted with life since his father’s death, as well as disgusted with is mother’s hasty marriage to Claudius. To Hamlet, these momentous events have degraded the Danish court. Hamlet’s strongest impulse to kill himself to avoid debasement, and yet, he fears the damning consequences of suicide. â€Å"To be, or not to be,–that is the question:– / Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them? –To die,–to sleep† (Ham. III. i. 1710-1714). A minor theme in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is remorse. In Act III, Scene iii, Claudius reveals his profound guilt about his crime, and states that he will never be able to seek God’s forgiveness for it. â€Å"My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer / Can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder! — / That cannot be; since I am still possess’d / Of those effects for which I did the murder,† (Ham. III. iii. 2327-2330). This minor theme can also be noted when Hamlet regrets not telling Ophelia that he really did love her when he stumbles upon her funeral in Act V, Scene i. Earlier, he had insulted and rejected Ophelia during one of his bouts of madness. â€Å"I lov’d Ophelia; forty thousand brothers / Could not, with all their quantity of love, / Make up my sum. –What wilt thou do for her? † (Ham. V. i.3466-3468). III. DICTION In the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare utilizes an assortment of vivid images to describe certain objects. This enables the reader to form a clear mental picture of what is happening in each scene and of what had happened in the past. †¦ in my imagination it is! my gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kiss’d I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen? Now, get you to my lady’s chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that (Ham. V. i. 3375-3381). Shakespeare also makes good use of idialect in the play, which is particularly seen in Hamlet’s involvement with the gravediggers. â€Å"A pickaxe and a spade, a spade / For and a shrouding sheet; / O, a pit of clay for to be made / For such a guest is meet† (Ham. V. i. 3283-3286). These terms are expressions that are commonly used in the mortuatory business. Due to the fact that the play was written centuries ago, the language of the play contains a large amount of poetic diction, with antiquated pronouns as well as inverted sentence order, such as seen in â€Å"‘Tis now struck twelve. Get thee to bed, Francisco. / For this relief much thanks: ’tis bitter cold, / And I am sick at heart† (Ham. I. i. 11-13). Precise, exact meanings are used when describing scenes, as well. This is clearly seen in Act III, Scene ii in which the actors are reenacting Old Hamlet’s poisoning by Claudius. â€Å"Neptune’s salt wash and Tellus’ orbed ground, / And thirty dozen moons with borrow’d sheen / About the world have times twelve thirties been, / Since love our hearts, and Hymen did our hands, / Unite commutual in most sacred bands† (Ham. III. ii. 2023-2027). The use of diction greatly contributes to the subject and theme of the play, as well. The use of vivid images, as well as precise, exact meanings enable the reader to visualize the action that is taking place in each scene as well as understand the relationships that are occurring in the play. The inverted word order and use of antiquated pronouns help the reader picture a forbidding time period as well as visualize the conspiracies hatching around Denmark. Why, let the strucken deer go weep, The hart ungalled play; For some must watch, while some must sleep: So runs the world away. – Would not this, sir, and a forest of feathers–if the rest of my fortunes turn Turk with me,–with two Provincial roses on my razed shoes, get me a fellowship in a cry of players, sir? (Ham. III. ii. 2142- 2150). IV. TONE The major tone of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is ominous. With the play opening in the dead of night at the walls of Elsinore Castle, the reader can immediately sense the gloom, uncertainty, and anxiety that hangs over the kingdom of Denmark. It seems that everyone is aware of the terrible evil that surrounds the monarchy, particularly all of the circumstances that led to Claudius’s coronation. The threatening possibility of further evil to descend upon the kingdom is unconsciously on the minds of every character within the play. Minor tones can be sensed throughout the story during certain areas. A feeling of morbidity can be felt while looking at specific sections of the story. This gruesome feeling is often felt in association with the scenes involving death, such as the graveyard scene in which the gravediggers are chuckling and singing as they dig Ophelia’s grave. Irony is also another minor tone that can be found in several areas of the play. Hamlet truly loved Ophelia, and, by a twist of fate, he also caused her death in a roundabout way, in the murder of Polonius, whose death so depressed Ophelia that it lead her to insanity, and ultimately suicide. Irony is also especially evident in Claudius’ death, in which he was forced to die in the same manner that he had planned for Hamlet. V. SYMBOLISM Different symbols represent different universal meanings in life and in the story. The most obvious symbol in the play is the poison that is used by Claudius in the murder of Old Hamlet. Poison is also used on the tip of Laertes’ sword and in Claudius’ drink in another attempt to assassinate Hamlet. This poison could also be seen as a symbol of the death and corruption spreading throughout Denmark as a direct result of Claudius’ rule. Another symbol seen in the play is the murder of Old Hamlet by his own brother, Claudius. The death of Old Hamlet by Claudius traces back to the time of the first murder between brothers, and shows a religious parallelism in going back to the story of Cain and Abel. Flowers are common enough in the play, but daisies hold a special meaning as well. Ophelia’s ‘mad scene’ is a scene which is full of flowers. In particular, however, she gives a daisy to Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, which symbolizes faithlessness, in reference to Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius less than two months after her first husband’s death. Upon his suspicion of Claudius’ involvement in Old Hamlet’s death, Hamlet is struck with the inspiration to have actors reenact the death of his father in order to observe Claudius’ reaction. When the moment of his father’s murder is in the theater, Claudius is compelled to leave the room, and the play that the actors perform is symbolic of the guilt that Claudius feels. Perhaps the most famous of all symbols in the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is the skull of the king’s former jester, Yorick. Hamlet holds a few sentimental memories of the jester, who used to give him piggyback rides and play with him. Yorick’s death gives Hamlet an opportunity to contemplate human mortality, as well as remind him that life is not all pessimistic and glum and that there was a happier time in his life. VI. SPEAKER In Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the speaker is in the third person. The author, William Shakespeare, is unnamed and uninvolved. The speaker does not have an active role within the story, yet is omniscient of everything that is occurring within the context of the play. VII. STRUCTURE Within Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare uses chronological order. The play begins with Hamlet discovering that the ghost of his father has been spotted wandering Elsinore castle, and ends with Hamlet avenging Claudius for the death of his father as well as his own death. Although references are made to events that have occurred in the past, such as the murder of Old Hamlet, these events are revealed as the past. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, written by William Shakespeare, is a paperback book consisting of 342 pages. The front cover depicts a man in the foreground, presumably Hamlet, with the image of a lady in the background, presumably Ophelia. The play consists of five acts, with as little as two scenes and as many as seven scenes within an act. VIII. Imagery William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark includes a wide variety of figurative language that helps the reader visualize the story and to guide in the understanding of the plot and the characters. Similes are used frequently throughout the play; the author uses similes often in describing objects around the scene, such as, â€Å"By the mass, and ’tis like a camel indeed† (Ham. III. ii. 2249). Irony of situation is also used in the story. For example, throughout the last half of the play, the reader is aware of Claudius’ plot to assassinate Hamlet by planting poison inside a goblet of wine, and assumes that Hamlet will be poisoned and die. However, in reality it is Claudius and Gertrude who drink the poison instead â€Å"No, no! the drink, the drink! –O my dear Hamlet! — / The drink, the drink! –I am poison’d †¦ Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane, / Drink off this potion. –Is thy union here? / Follow my mother† (Ham. V. ii.3788-3810). Alliteration is also used in the play by Hamlet. For instance, he refers to his â€Å"long life† (Ham. III. i. 69). and a â€Å"bare bodkin† (Ham. III. i. 76). An obvious and famous antithesis that can also be found in the play is the line, â€Å"to be or not to be† (Ham. III. i. 58), in which two opposites are juxtaposed next to each other for a dramatic effect. Metaphors were also used to imply comparisons between certain objects. This is clearly demonstrated in Act I, Scene ii during Hamlet’s soliloquy where he is comparing his own flesh to melting ice. â€Å"O that this too too solid flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! † (Ham. I. ii. 312). The play also includes several soliloquies by Hamlet in which he is conversing with no one in particular save himself or the audience. During one long monologue, he is agitated and visibly upset over his mother’s marriage to Claudius and addresses the heavens â€Å"Like Niobe, all tears;–why she, even she,– / O God! a beast that wants discourse of reason, / Would have mourn’d longer,–married with mine uncle† (Ham. I. ii. 333-335). To help the reader understand certain situations and see circumstances from his point of view, Hamlet described certain objects with human characteristics, such as in â€Å"She married:– O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! † (Ham. I. ii. 340-341). Hyperbole is the use of figurative language that greatly exaggerates facts; for example, at Ophelia’s burial, Hamlet and Laertes are arguing and Hamlet calls for â€Å"millions of acres† (Ham. V. i. 3478) of earth to be piled onto all three of them. The phrase â€Å"Tis an unweeded garden,† (Ham. I. ii. 19). is the beginning of a conceit that extends throughout the book. Shakespeare is comparing Denmark to Eden, relying on the theme of corruption and how it spreads from the head monarch of Denmark (Claudius) throughout the entire court. IX. Genre The Handbook to Literature states that a revenge tragedy is a â€Å"form of tragedy made popular on the Elizabethan stage †¦ largely Senecan in its inspiration and technique. The theme is the revenge of a father for a son or vice versa, the revenge being directed by the ghost of the murdered man†¦ (440). The play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark perfectly fits this description in that Hamlet literally is the son that is directed by the ghost of his father, Old Hamlet, to avenge his death and bring Claudius to justice. Hamlet seeks revenge for the death of his father, which leads to much bloodshed and violence later in the play. According to The Handbook to Literature, a Senecan tragedy †¦ combined native English tragic tradition with a modified Senecan technique and led directly toward the typical Elizabethan tragedy†¦ though reflecting nsuch Senecan traits such as sensationalism, bombast, and the use of the chorus and the ghost, departed from the Senecan method in placing the murders and horrors on the state, in response to popular Elizabethan taste†¦ (472). This genre is also greatly accentuated in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, particularly towards the climax of the play during the duel between Hamlet and Laertes, in Act V, Scene ii, which leads to the dramatic, and somewhat sensationalized, deaths of Hamlet, Claudius, Laertes, and Gertrude onstage. X. Metrics Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a play that primarily uses blank verse. The Handbook to Literature defines blank verse as â€Å"unrhymed but otherwise regular verse, usually iambic pentameter† (62). The four lines below are spoken by Hamlet as be deliberates on whether to commit suicide or not. To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, (Ham. III. i. 1710-1714). These lines are written in iambic pentameter, although each of these lines contain an extra unstressed syllable at the end of each line. The majority of the play uses blank verse. However, there are certain areas in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark that employ prose in order to show intense feeling, as demonstrated in Act II, Scene ii. â€Å"†¦ l tell you why; so shall my anticipation / prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the king and / queen moult no feather I have of late,–but wherefore / I know not,–lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises† (Ham. II. ii. 1340-1343). Prose is also commonly used for expressing madness.

Sexual Harassment in Malaysia - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1359 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Topics: Sexual Harassment Essay Did you like this example? SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN MALAYSIA Sexual harassment is a serious offense, such offense often happen to woman especially in a workplace where majority employees are male or often the employer to the female worker is a man. In Malaysia, sexual harassment victims are usually the female workers. Sexual harassment could be anything from a verbal harassment, making inappropriate remarks, suggestion inappropriate stuff towards a female employee. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Sexual Harassment in Malaysia" essay for you Create order Sexual harassment could also be persistent flirting and making distasteful inappropriate body contact like light touching, pinching, patting, hugging and fondling. It is surprise to know that Malaysia does not have a law specifically for combating sexual harassment in workplace until the amendment done on Employment Act 1955 in 2012. Before that, sexual harassment is governed by a code of practice called the Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. This code of practice was introduced by the Ministry of Human Resources after the issue of sexual harassment has reached to its peak, forcing the authority to come out with this solution as the only law before this code is Section 509 of the Penal Code which reads à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any women, utters any words, makes any sound or gesture or exhibit any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or such gesture or object shall be seen by such woman, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 5 years or with fine, or with bothà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Section 509 Penal Code only deals with sexual harassment in the physical aspect, that means making inappropriate remarks does not amount to sexual harassment.[1] Clearly by the enforcement of this law alone is not sufficient to combat this issue and eventually pressured the Ministry to produce such code of practice. This Code offers a much more practical rule for employers and employees to follow in the protection of the employee from sexual harassments. This Code also provides a far wider definition of sexual harassment. It is stated in article 4 of the Code that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature having the effect of verbal, non-verbal, visual, psychological or physical harassment: that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as placing a condition of a sexual nature on her/his employment; or that might, o n reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as an offence or humiliation, or a threat to his/her well-being, but has no direct link to her/his employmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ .[2] This definition is indeed an improvement compare to the Penal Codeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Section 509 which only covers physical aspect of sexual harassment, by this Code, those suffers from verbally harassment and psychological harassment are protected. Furthermore, this Code had distinguished sex harassment into two categorized which is sexual coercion and sexual annoyance. According to article 5 of the Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, sexual coercion is where an employer took advantage of his or her position to coerced the employee for sexual favors which if the employee refuses to execute those favors might be put in a position where they loses their job or benefits in the workplace. As for sexual annoyance, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s where the victim is subject to offensive harassment which causes annoyance for the victim and it distracts the victim from performing their job properly. This category usually falls between employee to employee and sometimes between client to employee.[3] This Code also provides protection for employees outside of the workplace due to the job requires the employee to work outside. Article 6 of the Code explains that circumstances under which such employment-related sexual harassment may occur incorporates, yet is not limited to: (i) at work-related social capacities; (ii) over the span of work assignment outside the working environment; (iii) at work-related meetings or preparing sessions; (iv) throughout work-related travel; (v) via telephone; and (vi) through electronic media Next, after the introduction of the Code, another problem arose which is that the Ministry has no legal force to pressure all companies into adopting the Code, thus the amendment to the Employment Act 1955 was proposed by the Ministry of Human Resource in 2010 to give legal backing to the Code to combat sexual harassment more effectively and to give legal acknowledgement of the sexual harassment outside of workplace.[4] The proposal was to amend the Section 2 of the Employment Act 1955 to introduce a new definition for the term sexual harassment into as any unwanted behavior of a sexual nature, whether verbal, non-verbal, visual, gestural or physical, steered at an individual which is infuriating or humiliating or is a threat to his prosperity emerging out of and over the span of his employment. This definition is different compare to the definition given in the Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace which reads à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature having the effect of verbal, non-verbal, visual, psychological or physical harassment: that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as placing a condition of a sex ual nature on her/his employment; or that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as an offence or humiliation, or a threat to his/her well-being, but has no direct link to his/her employment.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [5] Plus the proposed amendment plans to include Section 81G which will enforce on all employee under any contract of service. In addition, the proposed of Section 81B, makes it a compulsory responsibility for all employers to set up a channel to investigate all allegations regarding sexual harassment between employees and employers.[6] This section also demands that a complaint is to be inquire in a manner prescribed by the Minister. The proposed amendments of Employment Act 1955 demands that the employers whom failed or refused to investigate the complaints made, the employers must within 30 days let the person who made the complaints the reason why the complaints was not investigated in written form. This proposed amendment is a very positive proposal , it could effectively help the victims that did not get closure over the harassment that happened to them, an explanation to the victim could help them not feel like injustice has been done upon them. In 2012, finally, the amendment has pass through the Parliament and was enacted in 1st April 2012, a new law on sexual harassment was introduced where an employee can make a complaint against another employee or against the employer, the new law also allows the employer to made sexual harassment complaint against their own employees as well. The new laws had made it compulsory for the employers to investigate all the sexual harassment complaints and impose punishment to the employee if found guilty.[7] Conclusion is, Malaysiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sexual harassment law are in slow pace in the growing process, more can be done to provide better protection against sexual harassment. Such amendment on the Employment Act 1955 are just a small step into protecting the people and it is a positive beginning on the betterment of the laws of sexual harassment. [1] Lee Li Hoong (2011). Dealing with Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.skhttps://www.skrine.com/dealing-with-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplacerine.com/dealing-with-sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace. [Last Accessed 24 April 14]. [2] Kementerian Sumber Manusia (2014). CODE OF PRACTICE ON THE PREVENTION AND ERADICATION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.mylabourlaw.net/quick-guides/36-sexual-harassment.php. [Last Accessed 24 April 14]. [3] Kementerian Sumber Manusia (2014). Code Of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication Of Sexual Harassment In the Workplace. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.mylabourlaw.net/quick-guides/36-sexual-harassment.php. [Last Accessed 24 April 14]. [4] Alagappar, P.N. Marican, S, (2013). Media Coverage of Sexual Harassment in Malaysia: A Content Analysis Case Study. International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research. 64 (4), pp.17-21 [5] Kementerian Sumber Manusia (2014). Code Of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication Of Sexual Harassment In the Workplace. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.mylabourlaw.net/quick-guides/36-sexual-harassment.php. [Last Accessed 24 April 14]. [6] Ismail, M.N. Lee, K.C. Chan, F.B., (2007). :Factors Influencing Sexual Harassment in The Malaysian Workplace. Asian Academy of Management Journal. 12 (2), pp.15-31 [7] T. Balasubramaniam (2012). LABOUR LAW AMENDMENTS: Little awareness of changes. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/labour-law-amendments-little-awareness-of-changes-1.73562. [Last Accessed 25 April 14].