Physics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Physics - Essay Example With relation to topic of World, physics encompasses essentially all of nature including the laws and properties of matter and the forces acting upon them. Especially the causes, that modify the general properties of bodies, like light, magnetism, electricity, quantum effects, gravity etc. Physics studies every motion, from objects as small as neutrons to as massive as planets. It also studies the forces, and the interactions between bodies. It is the study of the most fundamental interactions between time, space, energy and matter. "We have sought for firm ground and found none. The deeper we penetrate, the more restless becomes the universe, all is rushing about and vibrating in a wild dance."(Max Born) Physics answers these and many such questions. Let us consider our last question, we often wonder why an object in motion stops suddenly, it is due to the Frictional force. There are many things in this world that makes the presence of Friction felt. For example, when we try to push a table across a room, we experience a resisting force which makes our work much more difficult, and this is the frictional force. It is a well known phenomenon in the universe that any bod... . Physics answers these and many such questions. Let us consider our last question, we often wonder why an object in motion stops suddenly, it is due to the Frictional force. There are many things in this world that makes the presence of Friction felt. For example, when we try to push a table across a room, we experience a resisting force which makes our work much more difficult, and this is the frictional force. FRICTION: It is a well known phenomenon in the universe that any body which is in state of motion on any plane, left to itself automatically comes to rest after traveling through some distance, this is due to Friction. It is the resistive force acting between bodies that tends to oppose and damp out motion. Types of friction: 1. Static friction 2. Kinetic/dynamic friction 3. Rolling Friction Static friction: The Static force of friction ( fs ) is the force of friction between two objects when there is no motion. Consider a block' B' which is resting on a horizontal table. Let a small pan be attached the block by means of a horizontal thread passing over a smooth frictionless pulley. When the weight in the pan is less, the block does not move because the pulling force or applied force' p' is balanced by the frictional force' f' which is called static friction.. If the weight in the pan increases further then the block tends to slide over the surface. At this stage the force of friction also reaches a maximum value called limited friction. Thus the maximum or limiting value of force of friction that comes into play when the body just begins to slide over the surface of another body is known as Limiting Friction. Dynamic Friction or Kinetic Friction: The Kinetic force of friction ( fk ) is the force of friction between two objects

International Accounting Standard 19, Employee Benefits Research Paper

International Accounting Standard 19, Employee Benefits - Research Paper Example This paper will also focus on how to improve the financial reporting regarding the pension benefits and identify the main problems in the current financial reporting system for pension. IAS has issued several directives on employee benefits. Employee benefits can be subdivided into short term, long term, post-employment and termination benefits. The new IAS 19 is a great achievement because it offers many advantages to the employees. On the other hand, it also suffers from certain disadvantages, which can be mitigated in due course of time with suitable amendments. Roadmap: The paper first deals with the IAS 19 frameworks and explains the standards of IAS 19 relating to employee benefits. IAS 19 is the framework for evaluating the employee benefits. Then the paper takes up the controversies in IAS 19 standards relating to various schemes especially pension related issues. The next discussion segment in the paper is the old IAS 19 standards and the latest IAS 19 standards. The last di scussion segment is the latest amendments made in the IAS 19 standards. The papers dwell not only on the latest amendments but also such amendments which have been proposed to be implemented. All specific points relating to the IAS 19 have been stated considered in the paper. Evidences taken to support the ideas projected in the paper have been provided as references. Lastly, appropriate conclusions have been drawn and stated in the paper. Subheadings with specific points supported by evidence The IAS 19 framework: Under the wide term of IAS 19 come all employee benefits which include short term, long term, post employment, retirement, termination and compensation benefits. The short term employee benefits can be categorized as salary and bonus payments, paid and unpaid leaves and other short term non monetary benefits like medical and housing facility etc. The long term benefits include the employee’s long term leave and service benefits. The main aspect in IAS 19 is the pos t employment benefit section or to be more specific, the subject of pension. IAS 19 is the direction provider to post employment and post retirement benefits and pension benefit is one of the most important post employment benefits. Controversies in IAS 19: IAS 19 became a controversial standard and one of the main reasons for this was that the accounting standard for pension was not correctly adhered to. IAS 19 is an accounting standard which covers the reporting of all employee benefits and the most debated topic is the discussion on pensions, especially the employer sponsored, defined benefit pension plans. Pension plans can basically be divided into two categories. It can either be a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan. In the defined contribution plan the employer has to bear a lot of expenses because the unfunded benefits are usually recorded as a liability in the balance sheet. â€Å"Under IAS 19 recommendations, unfunded benefits are to be recorded, as a general rule, as liabilities in the balance sheet of the sponsoring employer. In defined contribution plans, the employer’s annual contribution under the terms of the occupational plan should be recognized as an expense.† (Yermo& Stewart, 2007, P.48). IAS 19 has been subjected to several amendments but still organizations have been incurring high losses due to several reasons. IAS 19 has

The impact of the life course in health and social care

The impact of the life course in health and social care Drawing on the concepts you have studied in Block1, critically reflect on the ways in which your own life course has affected how you work in, or use, health and social care. In this essay I will look at the life course perspective, and how it has provided me with an essential tool to offer a more personalised service. I will describe how my own life course and ‘Biographical Disruption (Bury 1982) has changed the person I am beyond the expectations I had of my presumed journey, and how it has impacted on my practice. Where it has proved to be a strength or a weakness, and how it has made me more sensitive to people’s needs and behaviour. I will look at how my personal values have been shaped and influenced by my life course, and discuss possible ethical conflicts. I will start off explaining the concept of life course using the five principles discussed by Bengtson et al. (2005). Recognising the course that people’s lives take is relatively new to study and research. Until relatively recently the understanding of human development was based on the life cycle approach, one of the oldest accounts of how life’s and families are organised over time (Bengtson, et al 2005, p.9). The approach is based on the idea that people’s lives go through a series of relatively predictable and chronological stages and transitions from birth to death, providing insight in peoples changing roles and identities in relation to landmark occasions such as coming of age, marriage, childbirth and old age. From the 1960’s onwards the life cycle approach began to incorporate psychological elements, which considered the relationship between an individual’s inner world, and the social context in which they live. This idea of considering the whole of a person’s life as offering opportunities for development and change (Crawford and Walker p.2) is re ferred to in literature as life –span development (Sugarman, L. 1986, p.3) or the life-span perspective (Baltes, P. 1987, p.3). At the same time these approaches began to merge with the idea that age and ageing is not only related to a chronological stage in human development, but also to subjective experiences between the individuals own construction of their life course, and social constructions such as schools, labour markets and normative pathways. Ageing is a lifelong process, in general common to all of us, but throughout our journey from birth to death, events can be imposed upon us from which we may have to make decisions and choices that change the path of our life course. Timing is often unexpected and change may not happen at a time we would have chosen it to; this not only impacts upon our own life and future but on those we are linked with. understanding my own life course also supports me professionally working in social care, Crawford and Walker (2003, p.2) point out that social work practice involves interactions between people, which are influenced by each person’s life course, their e xperiences and perceptions about their own life, emphasising the quality of these personal relationships between service users, their families, carers and professionals. In order to understand the impact human development and life events have on individuals I need to have a critical, reflective understanding of how my own life course has shaped me, my behaviour and influenced my beliefs and values. This will enable me to engage with people better, respond more sensitively to people’s experiences and needs and explain why people don’t always act in ways that appear to be in their best interests (K319, Learning Guide 3, 2013). My self-perception and my values and beliefs are very much shaped by my own life courses’ significant events, experiences and transitions, such as growing up in a very large family in the seventies, being a divorced woman with young children and being a main carer for my terminally ill mum. Bengtson et al (2005) identifies five principles that are essential to the life course perspective. First there is the principle of linked lives, which emphasizes on the fact that people’s life courses are interdependent with others, especially relevant in the context of families. Having grown up in a very large family my life has been linked to my siblings and parents, so when my dad fell seriously ill, and never recovered enough to ever return to work, and he needed almost constant supervision and support. The impact on all the family was life changing, my siblings that still lived at home had to find jobs to help the household finances, and they all feel this event ended their childhood. I was 10 years old I was taken to live with my eldest brother and his family. This felt very strange and I remember feeling afraid I would not see my parents again. It was thought that I was too young to understand what was happening so I was never told how ill my dad was, I was never allowed to visit him in hospital, and he was there for a full year. I was just told to be good and not ma ke a fuss. I then stayed for short periods of time with my grown up siblings and extended family, this went on for many months , living a very transient existents and not staying in one place long enough to develop friendships with children my own age. Looking back from my adult self, I can now relate to my difficulties in developing long term relationships and poor self-esteem. On the positive side I was able to develop a lifelong close relationship with a maiden aunt which looking back I don’t feel would have happened if I had stayed in the family home over that period. Secondly there is the principle of historical time and place, â€Å"emphasising the importance of social and historical context in shaping individual lives† (Bengston et al, 2005 p11). This is discussed as how events such as wars, trauma, depression or a period of prosperity affects our lives, Impacting on the life courses of all generations living in that particular time and place. My dad’s illness in the seventies meant he could no longer work and provide for his family, so from being a provider he became cared for, which changed the whole dynamic of the family structure. He also had to rely on sickness benefit, which in the seventies welfare system was very difficult to get and the financial support was very low. This impacted on all the family. We were poor prior to his illness but this plunged us further into poverty. This had a negative effect on us all, but for me at a time when I was just about to start secondary school I felt the stigma of being subjectively po or. I spent many difficult days in school feeling marginalised and bullied by my peers, because I didn’t have nice clothes and had to have free school dinners, at that time children on free dinners had to queue in different lines, this compounded the feelings of inferiority. My mum did her best, and managed to get some part time work alongside her being the main carer for dad, and mother to her children. Looking back, I realise my mum must have been a very strong person to cope with the situation she found herself in, she instilled a strong work ethic into her children, believing hard work would bring rewards. She influenced me with her single minded determination, like Enid with her mother (k319, Learning Guide 3 Audio 3.1). With hindsight this period of my life forced me to become more independent as I had to fend for myself a lot, it also provide me with a valuable lesson in managing on very little money. This benefitted me when I was a single parent following a divorce I was able to budget with a small income. The next principle considers â€Å"the timing of significant life transitions and whether they fit well with cultural expectations of when things should happen† (K319, Learning Guide 3, Activity 3.1). I came into my career as a result of two biographical disruptions in my life. First I was divorced in my mid-twenties and needed to get work to support my children. Then my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer and I became her carer. I was able to get part time paid work as a home care assistant through social care, I found I could transfer the skills I had used as a carer and the training I received helped me to support my mum better. I discovered I had very good people skills and enjoyed supporting older people to stay independent. Even later in my life I commenced my social work degree studies in contradiction to society’s view of what is ‘normal’. As with Mike, the case study in Learning Guide 3, Activity 3.5, I had concerns that studying as a mature stu dent would lead to ‘sub-normative’ feelings of being different but on reflection my life skills and experiences have enriched my learning experience. The fourth principle considers the control most people have over their own lives and â€Å"they make choice about what to do and have plans for the future† (K319, Learning Guide 3, Activity 3.1). Although I did not have any influence on my upbringing and not a large amount over my divorce. My experiences have provided me with the power and choice over my future which included a career in social care. I feel my life experience has made me aware of understanding everyone has past life events that impact on their current life. So when I am working with service users and planning for social work interventions, having an understanding of the potential of disruptions such as illness, and other life changes can be major turning point in their lives, and can help people see how they can become an opportunity for them to make changes (agency) in their lives. As in the story of Doireann and Iskender (K319 Learning Guide 3, Audio 3.7), where Iskender’s heart attack became a turnin g point in both his and Doireann’s life. Finally the fifth principle that affirms that ageing is relevant to both the young and old, and development is not exclusive to younger people and children. Our lives are fluid as we travel our life course and we continue to change and develop whatever age we are. My life is still developing and changing as I age, in the sense that I am developing my academic skills, and my experience of caring for my mum throughout her terminal illness and the impact this had on my life. The life cycle assumed that people would have a ‘normative life course’ (K319 Learning guide 3, Activity 3.5).That is to say people will have a life that is expected to be desirable and virtuous by society that is free from problems. Whereas a person with a â€Å"non-normative life course† is often considered to be judged and having to justify and explain their lifestyle. As a divorced woman in my mid-twenties, with two young children, which was not the normal status in the social groups I mixed in, this resulted in me feeling ‘different’ and stigmatised. I felt I had to explain my single status and felt I was seen as a threat to my married friends. I felt I had failed both myself and my children and was worried my children would feel as I did as a child, being bullied for not having a normal childhood. These feelings gave me insight into the lives of others with ‘non-normative’ life courses, whether due to their sexuality or life style c hoices.it has also made me question as a social care provider, does that service user feel as I did, and feel I am judging them therefore they have to explain themselves?. My own experiences of feeling ‘different’ has made me sensitive to the feelings and needs of those who society judges as non-normative, in comparison to people who follow the expected ‘norms’ and pathways we are expected to take. My own life course was in my early childhood a non- normative course, due to the biographical disruption of my dad falling ill and resulted in me having an unconventional childhood. As I grew into adulthood my life course was comparable to the life cycle in that it had proceeded in a socially accepted pattern within a presumed time span which Giele and Elder (1998) described as â€Å"a sequence of socially defined events and roles that the individual enacts over time.† My early adult life followed a life that was considered ‘normative’, I was following the cycle of â€Å"completing formal education, working, forming relationships, marrying and having children†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (K319 Learning Guide 3, Activity 3.3).I did not predict that in my mid-twenties my life would suffer more biographical disruption that would have a huge impact on me, my family and lead into a future I would not have predicted. Bury (2012) describes biographical disruption to be a negative experience but I would disagree with that in relation to my own experience so far as a career in social care is concerned. If I had stayed married and my mum had not got ill, I am sure I would not have followed this path and likely I would have had a very different life now. However I had not consciously thought about entering into the social work profession, I presumed my entry into social care was the result of events that has steered me in the direction of this profession and opportunities that have presented themselves to me i.e. I was in the right place at the right time. Having read ‘Life experience: A neglected form of knowledge in social work education and practice, by Christie et al 1998,I am inclined to agree that my career choice has not been a coincidence but a choice I have made based on the knowledge I have acquired as a result of my life experiences. I am able to draw on my experiences as a knowledge base for my practice alongside the ever developing knowledge I am gaining from my studies. However, I do not â€Å"persist in viewing social work as the profession effective in bringing about social change† (Christie et al 1998). I feel my role is to support others in bringing about their own change, as I have been able to do. How ever I am mindful that the experiences I draw on in my practice are my personal experiences and are owned by me, and others experiences are exclusive to them. I am aware that my knowledge within in my work is limited to my own personal experiences and my personal feelings could influence my approach to service users and the decisions I make in my assessments of them. In conclusion the article from Christie and Weeks has in fact made me question my theory that I did not choose social work as a profession purposefully; perhaps my life experiences have directed rather than influenced my choice to be a social worker, †my own working class background, marriage difficulties, poverty, powerlessness, has influenced me strongly† (Christie el at 1998).This assignment has shown that our life course is an unpredictable path that we follow; it is constantly being reshaped from what we have imagined our life path to follow, by the events that take place around us. But although it presents us with many situations that are out of our control that impact upon us. The understanding of our life course gives us the strength to move forward in our lives, it also presents us with choice and power and positivity to look forward to the future. And as Winston Churchill says â€Å"the farther backwards you can look, the farther forward you are likely to seeâ €  (Churchill circa 1941) Word count 2601 References Baltes, P. (1987) in Crawford, K. and Walker, J. (2003) Social Work and Human Development, Exeter, Learning Matters Ltd. Bengtson, V. L., et al. (2005) ‘The lifecourse perspective on ageing: linked lives, timing and history’ in Katz, J., Peace, S. and Spurr, S. (ed) Adult Lives; A life course perspective, Bristol, Policy press/Milton Keynes, The Open University. Bury, M. (1982) ‘Chronic illness as biographical disruption’ in Katz, J. Peace, S. and Spurr’ S(eds)Adult Lives: A life course perspective, Bristol, Policy press/Milton Keynes, The Open University. Christie, A Weeks J (1998): Life experience: A neglected form of knowledge in social work education and practice: Social work in Action. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09503159808411477 (accessed 25 November 2013) Crawford, K. and Walker, J. (2003) Social Work and Human Development, Exeter, Learning Matters Ltd. Hareven, T. K. (1982) in Hutchinson, E. (2011) Dimensions of Human Behaviour ; The Changing Life Course, London, Sage Publications. Hutchinson, E. (2011) Dimensions of Human Behaviour; The Changing Life Course, London, Sage Publications. National Churchill Museum: Miscellaneous Wit and Wisdom http://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/wit-wisdom-quotes.html (assessed 25 November 2013) Phillips, D. (2006) ‘Quality of Life’ in in Katz, J., Peace, S. and Spurr, S. (ed) Adult Lives; A life course perspective, Bristol Policy press/Milton Keynes, The Open University. Sugarman, L. (1986) in Crawford, K. and Walker, J. (2003) Social Work and Human Development, Exeter, Learning Matters Ltd. The Open University, (2013), ‘Learning Guide 3.1 The life course perspective’, K319 Block 1 Approaches to adulthood and ageing, [online] available at http://www.learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=255389 (Accessed 23 November 2013) The Open University, (2013), ‘Learning Guide 3.5 ‘unusual life course’, K319 Block 1 Approaches to adulthood and ageing, [online] available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=255389 (Accessed 23 November 2013) The Open University (2013) ‘Learning Guide 3: Introduction’, K319 Block 1 [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=255389 (accessed 23 November 2013). The Open University (2013) ‘I Think I’m still working through it’ [Audio], ‘Learning Guide 3.3: Biographical Disruption’, K319 Block1 [Online]. Available at https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=255389section=3 (accessed 26 November 2013). Page 1 of 8

Behavioral Genetics Essay examples -- Psychology

Is behavior learned? It is inborn? What of aggression, intelligence, and madness? There is a crucial relationship between the behavior of humans toward their own kind and the view of life they hold. Interest in behavioral genetics depends on wanting to know why people differ. According to Jack R. Vale, in Genes, Environment, and Behavior, recognition of the importance of hereditary influence on behavior represents one of the most dramatic changes in the social and behavioral sciences during the past two decades. A shift began toward the more balanced contemporary view that recognizes genetic as well as environmental influences on behavior. Behavioral genetics lies in its theory and methods, which consider both genetic and environmental sources of behavioral differences among individuals. Behavioral genetics is simply the intersection between genetics and the behavioral sciences. Behavior is a phenotype that is, an observable characteristic we can measure. On the other hand, behavior is not just another phenotype. According to Robert Plomin in Behavioral Genetics, â€Å"Because behavior involves the action of the whole organism rather than the action of a single molecule, a single cell, or a single organ, behavior is the most complex phenomenon that can be studied genetically. Unlike some physical characteristics, behavior is dynamic, changing in response to the environment indeed, behavior is at the cutting edge of evolution text, because its focus is on the complexity of behavioral phenotypes†(2). Obviously, there can be no behavior without both an organism and an environment. For a particular behavior, what causes differences among individuals? For example, what causes individual differences in c... ...al; Human Studies. Boston: Little, Brown, 1970. Print. Eaves, Lindon J., Judy L. Silberg, Joanne M. Meyer, Hermine H. Maes, Emily Simonoff, Andrew Pickles, Michael Rutter, Chandra A. Reynolds, Andrew C. Heath, Kimberly R. Truett, Michael C. Neale, Marilyn T. Erikson, Rolf Loeber, and John K. Hewitt. "Genetics and Developmental Psychopathology: 2. The Main Effects of Genes and Environment on Behavioral Problems in the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 38.8 (1997): 965-80. Print. Plomin, Robert, J. C. DeFries, and G. E. McClearn. Behavioral Genetics: a Primer. New York: W.H. Freeman, 1990. Print. Rothstein, Carson. Behavioral Genetics. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP, 1999. Print. Vale, Jack R. Genes, Environment, and Behavior: an Interactionist Approach. New York: Harper & Row, 1980. Print.

Leadership Style Paper Essay

Leaders create structure in the company and provide information to managers properly to guide them. Leaders have the responsibility of completing research to guide the company’s path properly into profits and better run the company. Leaders have a vision, and they develop plans for that vision. According to Sullivan and Decker, a leader influences others to accomplish the vision. A leader develops the ability to do backward planning. Leaders are managers, but managers are not necessarily leaders. Effective leaders know and understand their organization and continue to ask how we can do things better (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). Leadership styles set direction for their team. It is known how to identify one natural style of leading, knowing the needs and maturity of the team and knowing the ministry situation. The topics addressed in this paper, will be: who the writer see as having a successful leadership style? Why is this person, considered a successful leader? What management and leadership theories does this person use? How does leadership style compare with the writer and a successful leader identified? What traits does the successful leader have that the writer may need to develop? What strengths does the writer have that the example leader can benefit? In addition, the writer will address the self-management assessment. Successful leadership style Angelina Jolie is a 39-year-old actress, director/producer, wife, mother and humanitarian. She may be one of the biggest paychecks in Hollywood, California. She still finds time to be the voice of the people. She joined forces with the United Nations refugee agency in 2001 as a goodwill ambassador. Jolie has missions in countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan. Jolie vision is to end the plague of rape in war-torn regions. Ms. Jolie is able to influence governments and move public opinion at the same  time; she chooses to use her global influence to highlight neglected human right (â€Å"Fortune Ranks the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,† 2014) Management and leadership theories When comparing the leadership style of Angelina Jolie, both the writer and Ms. Jolie have organized leadership qualities. The writer can be autocratic, charismatic, bureaucratic, and democratic. Autocratic comes involved when depended on thoughts and reactions without someone else’s supervision, whereas, using personality and charm as a charismatic leader to get people to do the task without using force, and bureaucratic shows when needed to rely on the guidelines and rules in certain times such as safety prevention. However, democratic should be a part of everyone’s style, especially if he or she is working with other team members. Traits to develop from a successful leadership The traits learn from Angelina Jolie to become a successful leader is: †¢ Do not take things for granted †¢ Be a visionary leader and act on one’s dreams and move toward them †¢ Be courageous and bring ideas into public awareness †¢ Be fond of talking to a larger group of people †¢ Being fluid of speech and thought †¢ Be more of an optimistic †¢ Have high energy Strengths the writer has from which Angelina Jolie could benefit from will be supportive leadership focus on the needs of the person displaying concern for the well-being and creates a friendly environment (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). The ability that the writer has is to listen, willingness to learn, thoroughness when performing tasks and commitment. Being loyal and thorough shows the leader is committed and can complete tasks without constant supervision. Conclusion Leadership style is the way and method of giving direction, motivating people and executing a plan. Individuals use a mixture style of his or her values, beliefs, and likings in addition to the structural culture and norms, which will inspire certain styles and disappoint others. This paper has addressed  Angelina Jolie’s leadership style and why she is a leader. It compared her leadership styles to the writer along with identifying any traits that the writer has learned from her success. Strength and influence, in which may be beneficial to her success as a leader. Nevertheless, Angelina Jolie has visions, and her visions make things happen. She is one of the most influential women in the world. Based on the leadership and the team self-management assessment the reader got a score of 77. References Fortune Ranks the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. (2014, March). Fortune Magazine. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2014/03/20/frotune-ranks-the-worlds-50-greatest-leaders/ Sullivan, E.J., & Decker, P.J. (2005). Effective leadership and management in nursing (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Life of Pi analysis Essay

Life of Pi â€Å"Life of Pi† written by Yann Martel is an incredibly philosophical novel that tells the story of survival. Pi Patel, a young Indian boy, is faced against the impossible when his familys boat is shipwrecked and he is left stranded in a lifeboat with an interesting and potentially harmful group of animals: a zebra, an orangutan, a vicious hyena, and the magnificent Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger with a human like name. Throughout the novel, due to his situation of being stranded, Pi had to take drastic measures in order to survive. Part of his need to survive resulted in Pi giving up his egetarian ways. Slowly throughout the book, readers witness the transformation from Pi’s civil eating habits to an animalistic devouring of food . His transformation of eating habits leaves readers to question how, after reaching such a gruesome point, is Pi able to return to the life he lived pre-shipwreck, and return to his old eating habits as if nothing happened? In the beginning of the novel, it is quickly established that Pi was vegetarian. With being so close to the zoo keeping industry allowed Pi to develop a love and understanding for animals that many carnivorous eaters don’t. His religion of Hinduism also played a part in Pi’s original eating habits. The strictness in his diet made it hard for Pi to, at first, get accustomed to life on the sea. Imagine going from eating a strict vegetarian diet to being required to eat anything in plain sight Just to survive. Pi’s first scene where he breaks his vegetarian diets occurred a days after the shipwreck. After realizing that the sea is full of edible life forms, Pi makes an executive decision and decides that, in order to survive, he must eat food that would defy his vegetarian ways. After unsuccessfully using a leather hoe as bait for fish, Pi is interrupted by a school of flying fish. Luckily for P’, some of the fish fall into the boat, making them readily available for Pi and Richard Parker to eat. Being the animal that he is, Richard Parker does not hesitate to eat his portion of the fish. However the same does not go for P’. Eating the fish meant doing what he considered to be the unthinkable. Pi â€Å"proceeded with great deliberation† (182) and â€Å"unwrapped the fish carefully’ (182). It was apparent that killing the fish went against all of Pi’s morals because â€Å"the closer the fish was to appearing, the more afraid and isgusted† (182) he became. Pi’s contemplated a lot before making his decision because â€Å"a lifetime of peaceful vegetarianism stood between and the willful beheading of a fish† (183). After deciding that the best way to kill the fish was to break its neck, Pi had â€Å"tears flowing down his cheeks† (183). The simple killing of a fish left Pi in an emotional state. Now instead of an innocent sixteen year old boy, Pi was a killer and guilty of taking a life away. In other words, Pi now â€Å"had blood on [his] hands† (183). Despite Pi’s utter disgust and emotional breakdown, he continued to fish using the dead fish’s head as bait. As a result, Pi was able to attract the attention of a hungry Dorado bird. Once Pi realized that he had his next victim, he began to reel it in. However, the Dorado bird was not going to go down without a fight. Although it was a struggle for Pi to reel in the distressed bird, â€Å"killing it was no problem† (185). Pi beat the bird vigorously witha atc et n n . Unlike the tisn, Pi nad no issues witn killing the Dorado. He maintained emotionally stable and didn’t really care whether or not the bird suffered while it was being beaten. At this point in the novel, readers begin to see how Pi’s eating habits are transformed. In such a short time, Pi went from â€Å"weeping over the muffled killing of a flying fish to gleefully bludgeoning to death of a Dorado† (185). This is proof to the believe that â€Å"a person can get used to anything† (185) regardless of what it is. In Pi’s case, he got accustomed to killing. As time passes by, Pi’s eating habits only become more brutal. After discovering the simplicity in catching turtle, Pi began to eat them. More specifically, Pi butchered the turtles and drank the â€Å"sweet lassi† (212) that would spurt from the turtle’s neck. Not only did turtles become Pi’s â€Å"favorite dish† (212), but it also ate everything that urtles had to offer, whether it be their liver, heart, lungs, flesh, or intestine. Pi’s methods for killing the turtles and his behavior when eating the turtles showed how Pi was slowly transforming into a version of Richard Parker. His eating habits were becoming animalistic and they continued to worsen as Pi spent more time stranded out in the Pacific. In addition to ravenously eating his prey, Pi’s mood began to reflect the amount of food he ingested. Once Pi’s rations were gone, â€Å"anything was good to eat† (213). Instead of using his morals and sense of reasoning, Pi would Just eat nything he could find, regardless of the taste. Even Richard Parker’s feces caused Pi’s mouth to water. Pi’s need for food numbed his mind from making reasonable decisions. In Pi’s mind, everything was edible, much like how animals perceive everything to be edible. On top of atrociously killing turtles, Pi began to kill small sharks that would swim by the lifeboat. Instead of fishing for these sharks, Pi would â€Å"catch [the sharks] with [his] bare hands† (219) and eat their flesh. This sort of behavior Pi demonstrated further proves how his eating habits resemble those of Richard Parker. Whenever Pi would throw the tiger its ortion of the prey, Richard Parker would â€Å"attack immediately’ (219) by striking the animal with his forepaws. Similarly, Pi is beginning to â€Å"attack† his prey with his hands, and then devour it. Pi also reached a point where he, himself, realized how his eating habits resembled Richard Parker’s. He became known of â€Å"how low [he] had sunk† when he compared his eating to the tiger’s. Both ate their food with a â€Å"noisy, frantic, unchewing wolfing-down† (225) nature. Even though at that point of Pi’s journey he seemed to have become a completely new individual, Pi still had some of his morals intact. When Pi became temporarily blind, a French cook boarded the lifeboat and began to talk to him. At the time, Pi thought that he was talking to Richard Parker. Pi and the cook discussed food, and the cooks view on food caused Pi to feel â€Å"sick† (245). Unbeknown to Pi, the cook was actually a cannibal and had every intention to eat Pl. Luckily for P’, Richard Parker was there to save him by killing the French cook. However, although Pi was sickened by the thought of eating another human being, Pi’s actions following the death of the cook showed how hunger truly numbed his mind from remembering his morals and his vegetarian ways. After â€Å"catch[ing] one of [the cooks] arms with the gaff’ (256), Pi used the Frenchman’s body part as bait. Pi’s extreme need for food also drove him to eat some the man’s flesh. Although the amount ot tlesn Pi ate was small and went â€Å"nearly unnoticed† (2 still ate the flesh of another human. That by definition is cannibalism. For Pi to go to such an extreme Just to satisfy his hunger confirms that he was willing to do anything to survive, even if it meant disregarding all of his religious and moral believes. Even if it meant that he had to become an animal, Pi was willing to do anything to survive. In the end, despite the food Pi was exposed to while stranded in the ocean, Pi did return to his peaceful life as a vegetarian. When the interviewer went to hear Pi’s incredible story, the interviewer made note of the fact that Pi was an â€Å"excellent cook† (25). Pi happily made the interviewer some vegetarian tacos and zesty macaroni and cheese. It would seem as if Pi never viciously slaughtered turtles or sharks, or had eaten the flesh of another human being. It was as if Pi had forgotten the horrid things that happened on the lifeboat. However, that was the case. Those memories were forever mprinted in Pi’s memory, but Pi was able to move past the killings and continue with the lifestyle that truly made him happy and comfortable before his misfortunes. As Pi stated before, â€Å"a person can get used to anything†. In regards to his eating habits, once Pi returned back to normal civilization, he became accustomed to the habits he had before the shipwreck.