The Tree House by Ronald Frame An Analysis free essay sample

The story under discussion is called the tree house by Ronald Frame. He is a prize-winning novelist, short story writer and dramatist. He was educated in Glasgow, and at Oxford University. Unwritten Secrets[1], a novel and his fifteenth book of fiction, was published in 2010. The title of the story speaks for itself. The tree house is the main symbol of the story which describes the development of the character’s relations. It perfectly represents the main character’s friendship. It reflects the content of the text as the tree house plays a significant role in the story. The narrator tells the story from a first-person perspective in order to allow the reader to experience the events firsthand, to experience the main character’s feelings and emotions. One of the literary devices of the story is that it is practically all written as a flashback. This device also helps to integrate the characters drama with the development of the plot and contributes to the overall dramatic effect of the story. We will write a custom essay sample on The Tree House by Ronald Frame: An Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The text is mainly a narration and partly a dialogue between the characters.The text represents a narration about the childhood of the main character and his friendship with the girl Claire and another boy Alan. The story opens in a rather different manner. The story opens when the narrator looked at the window of the house and oversaw the man and the woman who were his childhood friends. But as we get to know later, now there is nothing common between them. So Claire and the narrator have already been friends when the narrator’s mother introduced Alan to them. They suddenly decided to build together the tree house.When this tree house was ready they began to spend a lot of time there. But suddenly Alan’s relation towards the narrator changed. It seems that he was jealous of Claire and his jealousy provoked his aggressive behavior. But soon the situation was out of control and Alan just pushed off the narrator from the tree house and continued to humiliate him. As a result their friendship was destroyed like their tree house. The author reveals particular features of the main characters directly and indirectly describes their personalities.The main characters are revealed in the story by the description of their behavior. So the protagonist of the story is the narrator and the antagonist is his friend Alan. The theme of the story touches upon the problem of trust, friendship, family resemblance, treachery. The main idea indicates that the children partly resemble their parents and take some traits from them. To my mind the symbol of the story is the tree house as it reflects the main character’s friendship.

Strategic Project Management

Strategic Project Management Preamble Zenith PM is a traditional contracting company, which has been affected by the economic crisis. It has also faced a problem of maintaining a health order book for long-term contracts. This has made the company to employ workers on a contractual basis.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Project Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This has led to a high rate of turnover of employees. There is a need to change the core business model in order to solve these problems. This report involves the process of changing from the traditional manufacturing to the offsite manufacturing. Introduction Most companies have several projects running at the same time. However, the current economic downturn has made various manufacturing companies to re-evaluate their current situation. This has enabled them to shift from the traditional manufacturing to offsite manufacturing technique. Offsite manufacturing may al so be described as the modern method of construction. It involves the establishment of structures in different places from the location of use. It involves constructing modules at the factory and then transporting these modules to the site using specifically designed trailers. It is a modern method of construction, which depends on offsite construction elements (Jones, 2000). This method is commonly applied in various sectors of the economy to improve efficiency in the construction process. This includes housing for health sector and education sector providing economical and social advantages. Offsite Manufacturing Off site, manufacturing entails designing of building modules whereby operations are carried in a factory. (Petridis, 2009). Modular units are then taken to the site and used in constrution. The method helps in providing effective and cost effective solutions to the company. It applies modern manufacturing processes and technology to improve construction. The management o f Zenith PM should change from its current traditional site built construction, to the offsite construction method (Womack, 2001). This method of construction reduces the project construction time; this is because the buildings are structured at the same time with site preparation. It may even take less half the time taken by the traditional construction method.Advertising Looking for report on project management? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A lot of work is not done in the project site, and this reduces the amount of disruption in the site. The management should adopt this method of construction as it fits well in places where labor is expensive. Materials can also be bought in large quantities because a lot of work is done in the factory. This construction method will also enable Zenith PM to achieve manufacturing efficiencies. Zenith PM is a traditional construction company, so it can be served better by offsi te manufacturing due to its limited space (Gibb, 2001). The offsite construction will enable the company to provide quality facilities at a less cost. The method involves program simplification, which increases productivity levels on the site. Using the product and process innovation off site construction enables a construction company to provide quality facilities. This method will help Zenith PM to provide complex building facilities, which will make it competitive. It will also help in reducing the operational cost as well as defects units (Gil, 2000). The improved manufacturing design and the process will help zenith in maintaining its workers and reduce the rate of turnover. Off site, manufacturing will also help the company to gain sustainability from enhanced performance and efficiency. Zenith will also benefit from significant waste reduction and a further reduction in site traffic. It creates safety-working conditions to employees due to its well-controlled environment. The company will maximize its return on investment by using off site manufacturing (Roger, 2008). It leads to high standards of workmanship, which is beneficial to the company. It involves great architecture, which will correspond with savings. Today, most companies especially contracting companies have recognized the benefits of the offsite manufacturing method and zenith pm should follow suit in adopting this method. Business Strategy Considerations Off site manufacturing provides a crucial advantage in a major contractor’s portfolio, as it provides innovation into the market. Most companies are working hard to change from the traditional manufacturing to the offsite manufacturing method. However, there are some problems encountered in adopting this manufacturing method. These problems may include public sector spending reviews as well as economic crisis. For instance, a company like Tata Steel had to close down its off site manufacturing operations in North Wales. Britspace M odular Buildings Limited was forced to go into liquidation. The company should develop efficient business strategy considerations to change into off site manufacturing method. First, it should consider the current security and logistic issues to be affected by this change.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Project Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Waste management strategy is another consideration. It has been proved that waste constitute of around 25% of the project costs in the traditional construction process (School, 2007). Current quality control and work schedule strategies of Zenith PM should also be considered during the change management process. The company should also consider the appointment of suppliers and manufacturers. Pre-contract services agreement is the appropriate logistic method used in offsite manufacturing sites. The company should also consider the skills availability and the recruitment strategy. Project cost management should also be considered as off site manufacturing will lead to a cost reduction. These costs include the costs of fully finished modules as well as site installation costs. The current marketing strategies of Zenith PM should also be considered. Market segmentation issues such as niche marketing will influence the offsite manufacturing processes. Product quality will also be affected by using the offsite manufacturing technology. It will lead to production of high quality products at a lower cost and at a reduced time. The current organizational structure of the company should also be taken into consideration. This should also include the entire workforce of the company. Changing to offsite manufacturing process will affect the entire workforce of Zenith PM hence the need for all workers to be ready for a change. New Business Model Solution and Implementation Strategy Zenith Company should implement the offsite manufacturing which is regarded as the modern method of manufacturing. The new project should fit into the company’s strategic framework (David, 2006). The project design should be able to fit the manufacturing process. The project management, as well as the project team, should be committed to the installation of manufactured modules. All the people participating in the implementation process should understand the changed process (David Lewis, 2002). The company needs to reduce the number of workers in order to allow for innovation and cost reduction. The number of management layers will also be reduced in order to increase employee satisfaction. This will lead to a more efficient company, which will be able to adopt the offsite manufacturing technology. The new business model will create a growth in the rate of turnover and employees satisfaction.Advertising Looking for report on project management? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The management will design the new business model as well as the organizational chart. The entire workforce will be involved in the implementation process (Gerard, 2009). The company should also contact models consultants during the implementation process. The project managers will lead the project team in the implementation process. Change agents and a steering committee should also be appointed in order to monitor and evaluate the implementation process. Workers should be committed towards the change management process. They need to be trained in order to prepare for the coming change. Communication plan should be designed in order to enhance communication by the members of the project team in all stages of the implementation process. The actual implementation of the offsite manufacturing model should take a period of 12 months. Risk Management Risk involves something that may occur during the implementation process, and if it happens, it will have a negative effect on the project . During the risk management process, the company should design a risk management plan (Harold, 2009). The plan will have four stages of risk management. In the first stage, the company should identify the potential risks. People from the manufacturing and IT department should brainstorm and identify the potential risks associated with offsite manufacturing. There are various risks, which may affect the project process such as business risks, which will be handled by the business (Crouhy Mark, 2006). There can also be generic risks that may affect the project. Risk quantification is another factor to be considered by the company in the risk management process. This involves assessing the impact of the potential risk to the project. The company should use the probability matrix to evaluate the impact of a potential risk. Another component of risk management to be considered by the company is the risk response. This involves how the company will respond to a potential risk (Galai, 20 02). The final step in risk management will be the risk control. This involves monitoring and evaluation of risks to identify changes that may occur. It will also help in identifying the probability and the impact of risks in the project implementation process. Risk control may also enable the company to identify new risks. The company should follow the four steps in order to effectively manage potential risks. Conclusion Offsite manufacturing is a modern innovation method of construction. It involves the design of individual modules in the factory and then transporting the units to the construction site. Most manufacturing companies today are changing from the traditional manufacturing to offsite manufacturing. It provides a cost effective solutions to the manufacturing industry. It is based on modern manufacturing processes and technological improvements (Luecke, 2007). It has enabled the manufacturing companies to become competitive through producing quality products. Zenith PM C ompany is in the process of adopting the offsite manufacturing in order to solve its current problems. The company should adopt this modern and innovative technology in order to remain competitive in the manufacturing industry (Thompson, 2007). The problem of economic downturn affecting the company may be reduced using off site manufacturing technology. Many designers, manufacturers as well as contractors, have been exploiting the benefit of offsite manufacturing. However, one of the major limitations of implementing this method is its complexity. This has made some companies using this method to close down leading to job losses for many people. Lack of skilled personnel is another limitation in the adoption of offsite manufacturing. However, Zenith Company should change its manufacturing operations from the traditional manufacturing to the offsite manufacturing. This is because off site manufacturing has several benefits as compared to the traditional manufacturing. These manufactu ring benefits include improved productivity, improved control, improved cost, improved quality as well as improved processes. Reference List Crouhy, M Mark, R 2006, Risk Management, New York, Wiley. David, C, 2006, Strategic Management:Strategic Project Design and Implementation, California,California University Press. David, C Lewis, I 2002, Project Management:Strategic Design and Implementation, New York, McGraw Hill. Galai, D 2002, The Essentials of Risk Management. Chicago, Chicago University Press. Gerard, H 2009, The complete project management methodolog, California, CRC Press. Gibb, A 2001, Off-SiteFabrication, Scotland, Whittles Publishing. Gil, T 2000, Contribution of Speciality Contractor Knowledge to Early Desig, London, Sussex University Press. Harold, K 2009, Project Management:A System Approach to Planning,Scheduling, and Controllin, New York, Wiley. Jones, D 2000, The MachineThat Changed The Worl,. New York, Wiley. Luecke, R 2007, Managing Change and Transition, Lo ndon, Harvard Business Press. Petridis, P 2009, Manubuild Construction Site Training Simulator for Offsite Manufacturin,. Manchester, University of Salford Press. Roger, L 2008, Designers and General Contractors Perceptions of Offsite Construction Techniques, International Journal of Construction Education and Research , 177-188. School, H 2007, Managing Chang, London, Harvard Business Press. Thompson, R 2007, Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals, Chicago, Thames and Hudson. Womack, P 2001, How the World Has Changed Since the MachineThat Changed The World, Chicago, Lean Enterprise Institute.

6 Common Career Regrets to Avoid

6 Common Career Regrets to Avoid We all have regrets in life. Regret after eating those tacos at 11:30 last night. Regret over not asking that perfect person on a date back in college. Your career isn’t immune to that same level of â€Å"what if?†, but by identifying some common areas of potential regret, you might be able to change your professional destiny a bit. 1. Playing it too safeDid you avoid asking for a promotion because your manager might say no? Have you waited for colleagues to speak up with their ideas because you weren’t sure how yours would be received? Being bold and taking a risk (or a stand) once in a while can lead you to workplace opportunities you might never have noticed otherwise.2. Staying for the moneyA large salary can be hard thing to walk away from- but if you think about your current career path and the biggest (or only) positive is your paycheck, you might want to reconsider. Without the fulfillment of a job that challenges you and makes you greet projects with ent husiasm, your 20-years-from-now self will likely  be stressed and unhappy.3. Staying for the friendsAs with the money, if your awesome colleagues are the only reason you’re excited to head into the office in the morning, you might want to rethink your job. Sure, the friendly chats, goofy emails, and bonding over office absurdities can get you through the day, but don’t let that cover up your relationship with your job.If you’re not satisfied with your day-to-day workload or the way you’re managed, friends may not make up for that in the long term. And what happens when your buddies move on to other jobs and opportunities, leaving you behind at a job you don’t especially like?4. Not making an effort with your coworkersOn the flip side, we’ve all seen coworkers who have zero interest in being one of the gang. If you’re that coworker (you know, the one who wears headphones 24/7 or awkwardly avoids small talk at the espresso machine), y ou might want to reach out a little more and get to know your colleagues.You don’t have to go to every happy hour, or â€Å"like† everything they post on Facebook. But you spend many hours a week with these people. You all share a common goal (workplace success), and knowing people’s personalities and strengths can help make your own work more effective. Besides, a little bonding can help you get through those tough projects and long days together.5. Not maintaining your networkRemember whatsherface, whose cubicle was across from yours six years ago? Well, now she works for your dream company, and she could totally get you a foot in the door- if only you had maintained a relationship.Once you start at a new job, â€Å"out of sight, out of mind† can be tempting as you meet new colleagues and learn a new workplace culture. However, keeping in touch with your former colleagues and mentors can help you build a large and fruitful network as you move through yo ur career. You never know when you’ll be perfect for an opening at your old boss’s new company†¦ but you’ll definitely never know if you haven’t bothered to email him since your last day together in the office.6. Neglecting work-life balanceIf you go to a colleague’s retirement party and ask them to reflect on their long career, you know what you’re not going to hear? â€Å"I wish I’d worked more 14-hour days.† Whether that means leaving the office on time, not answering emails after 9 p.m., or just making sure you take a lunch break, it’s important to maintain boundaries.Working (or thinking about working) all the time can lead to stress and burnout. Making sure you’re able to devote time to your family (or to your longtime hobby of knitting sweaters for cats) can help you get the balance you need to be productive and satisfied throughout your career.

Latin history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Latin history - Essay Example While no underlining meta-narrative or explanation has been presented to account for the state of poverty in these regions, through the juxtaposition and comparison of these perspectives on urban poverty, shanty towns, and social violence, a pragmatic understanding of the issues affecting all societies and cultures is developed, ultimately promoting an empathetic understanding of the state of these marginalized poor. The film Bus 174 opens with an overhead shot of the Rio de Janeiro city landscape while voices from inhabitants leaving on the city streets are heard. The effect is very moving as the viewer begins to comprehend the expansive nature of the city and get a feel for the economic depravity facing many residents. The narrative voices explain how they are forced to beg for food, and attest to the difficulties of seeking shelter. They explicitly state that these issues are primary factors in their growing up enraged at the social order. The film consistently returns to the overhead shots of the city leading the viewer to consider the nature of the city landscape and the on-goings that are central to the film. The film is structured around a hostage situation perpetrated by a man named Sandro. The film reveals that it was the rampant crime in the city that led to Sandro’s mother being murdered when he was 6 years old, and ultimately leading to Sandro becoming a part of a street gang. The viewer becomes introduced to the depravity of Rio de Janeiro street life where large amounts of homeless children fend for their daily existence. In a sense, these inhabitants are presented almost like a scavenger or animal-like race that have been cast off from mainstream society. At one point during the film, a man states that if the police officers were aware that Sandro was a street kid they would have been more aware that he was

The Major Attributes of the Fisher & Paykel Brands Essay

The Major Attributes of the Fisher & Paykel Brands - Essay Example According to the paper Fisher & Paykel have been successful in building their brand through the Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model of consistently delivering on high quality. Their cutting edge design won them a household name. This model identifies four steps which denotes questions asked by the customers as diagrammatically illustrated below. This paper highlights that the second stage is mainly concerned with establishing brand meaning. Customers may not be at liberty to buy something they do not understand hence the need to link brand with certain properties. The third question is about brand response where responses to identification and meaning are sought. The fourth question is about relationship where brand loyalty is created. The DCS developed its brand equity through building strong associations between a brand name and a category or set of benefits based on the CBBE model. On the other hand, ELBA developed through a consistent imagery through the use of the same model by Fisher and Paykel. This model is very important because it seeks to identify the stages involved in the creation of brand loyalty from grassroots level. The benefits and advantages of using social communications or public relations (PR) as part of Fisher & Paykel’s integrated marketing communications strategy for rejuvenating the brand inc lude the following.

Government control Essay Example for Free

Government control Essay There are many challenges that have to be faced by humanity in the twenty first century. Some of these challenges are major that have to be addressed immediately while there are some challenges that do not require immediate action. The stronger nations are somehow able to tackle some issues but still there are some issues that are difficult to handle. However, the smaller and the weaker countries that lack finances find it difficult to come up with solutions to these 21st century problems. Diversity and unity Diversity is one of the major issues that need attention as people are moving from their native countries to other countries where they find better opportunities. Diversity means differences in cultures, beliefs and habits that create a mixture of cultures. Here, the issue is to maintain harmony amongst the people belonging to different cultures and so it is essential to ensure that harmony does not collapse. Besides diversity, unity is also one major challenges that have to be worked upon and since one country has many different cultures residing in it, maintaining unity is indeed something difficult to achieve. Today, there is an influx of people who have become selfish and they have opted for individualistic approach that has further spoilt the society. Other problems that can be seen are communalism, regionalism and the increase in the rate of violence that is directly and indirectly affecting the value system of the world. Technological advancements Technological advancements have greatly affected the world and are serving as a major challenge. Since these advancements are taking place at a very fast pace, all the nations are trying hard to keep pace with this and for the weaker nations, this serves as a Herculean task to achieve the goals. The first and the foremost thing that has to be done to cure this is to spread literacy and to make everyone educated. It should not be the aim to get degrees and diplomas but the real essence of education should be understood as this will further lead the people to expand their knowledge, wisdom and to develop positive attitudes. However, it is not just important to educate the people but it is also essential to provide with opportunities to the people so that they can use their talents but this is also serving as a major challenge as many people remain unemployed despite of being educated. Industrialization As progress is taking place, industrialization is increasing rapidly and the natural resources are being consumed at a very high rate. Moreover, increase in pollution is also evident and this can bring adverse affects on the people and the environment especially if no action is taken to cure this problem. There are many other strategic challenges that will be faced in the 21st century and most them are caused due to the changes in styles of businesses that have now introduced. Previously, the marketers used to sell one product to the entire market but today, the customers have become more intelligent and savvy and they seek for customer value and since all the companies are battling against each other to grab the share of their piece of cake, it is hard to achieve targets easily as it was done previously. Market volatility has increased and rate at which organizational change is taking place is high and all these changes have a dramatic affect on the business strategies that are made and implemented. When the business needs are changing, it is also a must that there are changes occurring in the requirement of human input too. Employing the right workforce One of the strategic challenges being faced by the companies is the employment of the human resources. The management has to ensure that it employs the workforce that is not only efficient but effective too. However, there are some factors that affect the global instability and there is a huge global impact and people are entering in high numbers in the market that makes it hard for the social arrangement to sustain. Other than this, there is a very vast pool of human resources that are being wasted and this means that the human beings who are being employed are not able to work at their full potential as they not employed in a productive manner. Moreover, more and more people are added to the entire human workforce each year because of which there is a high pressure on the institutions and on the resources. Wastage of resources The non-human resources that are available to the human beings are being wasted at a very high rate. Both the renewable and non-renewable resources are not being fully utilized and are exploited and if this continues, the people will not be left with anything in the future. The environment is having a very negative impact on it because of the human activities that are taking place. The technological explosions are one of the most dangerous as well as costly damage to the society. Other disruptions that are serving as 21st century challenges are air pollution, soil pollution as well as depletion and desertification. Besides this, deforestation and misuse of water are two other factors that are serving as great challenges and if they will not be controlled, this can lead to major problems in the future. Biospheric disruption is another major challenge that needs attention. Despite of the fact that these are unavoidable, we can at least lessen the destruction that can be caused by the natural disasters that includes the climatic, geological, meteorological and space-oriented disasters. Global warming and ozone loss are climatic, earthquakes and eruptions are geological, floods, storms and droughts are meteorological while asteroids are space-oriented. Human insecurity Human insecurity is also a major challenge and this also leading to global unrest due to the violence that is persisting in the world and inter-human combat is occurring due to the ethnic and religious differences. Moreover, hazardous frustration has to be reduced and since the weapons are being created, they are being used as well and since there is an increase in unemployment, terrorism is increasing in the society. People have to fulfill their basic needs without which survival is more than impossible because of which they are doing crime. Due to this, the crime rate is increasing and is leading to unrest in the society and also affecting world peace. The numbers of extremists are increasing day by day and drug dealers have also outnumbered because of which the youngsters are getting immune to drug usage and are doing crime. Medical challenges Countering the medical challenges also needs immediate action and there are two main trends that are causing increase in health concerns. Firstly, both the people and the things are moving and this has caused transfer of various kinds of diseases that the other people are getting from the humans and from the animals. Even the animals that have some kind of disease are a major threat of spreading diseases. Moreover, the animals that are consumed by the human beings are getting diseases such as bird fly and mad cow disease and if any animal suffering from any such disease is consumed by the human being, it will create serious problems for that individual. Secondly, people are using antibiotics at a very high rate and this has produced more resistant mutations. For this, tighter preventives and control measures are required to ensure human security. Rules and laws A global rule is lacking in the world and so it is serving as a challenge to the society as the world is lacking universal rules and these should be created so that global standards are formed. Today, the world has become a global village and for this it is essential for it to have some universal laws and regulations that must be followed by all the countries. However, the international law must keep pace with interdependence as well. Therefore, global rights must be developed and should also be accepted and implemented by the society. It is argued by some governments that human rights are based on the cultures but universally there should be one common ground or code on the basis of which a norm should be developed. Migration Compared to the previous years, the rate of migration has greatly increased and people are looking for more opportunities outside their home country. It has indeed become difficult to handle all these immigrations and to provide jobs to the people who are moving to the other countries such as United States, UK, Canada and Australia. There are refugees too, who are forced to move out of their own countries and these people have to be settled in other countries where they move. These people create problems when they move to other countries and this is resulting in increase in the global issues that have to be dealt on a global level only. Financial money transfers and trade It has also become difficult to maintain global financial checks and since the number of financial transfers is increasing day by day, the role the government plays and the government control is reduced. Moreover, it also threatens the stability of the currencies and so it is suggested to apply certain percentage of taxes on such transfers. International trade is also growing but it is creating new problems for which negotiation has to be done between the trading countries. Moreover, regulation and adjustment is also needed to keep things smooth. The World Trade Organization ensures that it deals with the rapidly growing trade in a proper manner; however there are still some challenges that have to be met. Trade of services is also growing and the world has to face chronic problems with agricultures and other issues such as problems related to international investment. Corruption has also increased at a major rate and this has also become a major challenge to the world trade. There are many economic agreements that are treated globally and they are becoming more and more complex with the increase in trade. Taxing of international trade has become an issue as well and negotiations have to be made to come up to a common stand. Conclusion Due to all the problems that are being faced by the human beings, the rate of global distress is accelerating day by day and this is leading to serious problems. People become frustrated and hopeless due to the current situation. Income divergence is also increasing between nations and this challenge must be addressed immediately. All the 21st century problems that have been talked about above are sociological, philosophical, economic, historical, and geological and they relate to the human activities in some or the other way. The goal of the human beings should always be to minimize the threat that they get from these challenges if they cannot fully be removed. Moreover, the people should be educated about these disasters and challenges and they should be told about the ways they can adopt to reduce any negative impact created by the human activities. Besides this, backup plans should be made to ensure that the destruction is dealt properly and results in least problems. Work Cited Ciulla, Joanne. B. The Working Life: The Promise and Betrayal of Modern Work. 1st Edn. Crown Business / Times Books, 2000. Colwin, Laurie. Goodbye Without Leaving. Harper Perennial, 2000. Hochschild, Arlie. R. The Commercialization of Intimate Life: Notes from Home and Work. University of California Press, 2003. IMF. (2006). Meeting the Challenges of 21st Century Globalization: The Medium-Term Strategy of the IMF. June 4th, 2010. Retrieved from: http://www. imf. org/external/np/speeches/2006/090806. htm

the patriot review :: essays research papers

The Patriot Movie Review The Movie, The Patriot, was a rousing and vigorous Revolutionary War epic from the view point of a family full of revenge and strong wills. This movie began with the majority of colonists angered. This part of the movie caught my attention and intrigued me to keep watching until the last minute. I especially enjoyed the heartbreaking moments and the realistic war scenes in the movie. Although I liked those aspects of the movie, the storyline was exceptionally good as well. To understand this historical fiction movie, a historical background is needed. If a person does not understand what is meant by â€Å"Taxation without representation,† then the subject of conflict will not be understood. The plot of the movie began to develop when Benjamin Martin’s son, Gabriel, was captured by British troops. Benjamin Martin was a former hero of the French and Indian War, but he renounced fighting so that he would be able to raise his family in peace. Attempting to save his brother, Benjamin’s other son stood up to the British soldiers, but was killed in the process. Benjamin, only wanting to save Gabriel, ended up fighting in battle, rescuing Gabriel, and killing the murderer of his other son. After all of this happened Benjamin realized the importance of being involved in the war, so he sent his other children to live with their aunt in order for he and Gabriel to join the army. Once they became part of the army, Benjamin became a general and lead his colonial militia, including Gabriel, into trifling battles. During battle Gabriel was killed, which deeply depressed Benjamin and made him so distraught that he does not feel like fighting anymore. His feelings stayed this way until (while at the camp) he saw the Brit that killed Gabriel. Benjamin then killed that man and understood at that moment why so many men had been dieing. Because of this, Benjamin became extremely patriotic and decided to move on with the Americans because he then had something t o fight for. Everything that happened kept me on the edge of my chair wanting to know what was going to happen next. Overall, I thought that this movie was very moving and vigorous. Although I enjoyed the main portion of the movie, there were some obvious likes and dislikes in my opinion. I believe that I learned from this movie and it helped me understand more of what the people of that time were feeling.