Billy Pilgrims Coping Mechanism for PTSD in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhousee Slaughterhousee

â€Å"Post traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating condition that follows a terrifying event† (Marilyn 8). It occurs when one has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event, such as war, child abuse, or other types of violence. Victims may claim to relive or re-experience events that were traumatic to them. They may even â€Å"feel† or â€Å"hear† things from the event. Other symptoms may include: â€Å"forgetfulness†¦amnesia, excessive fantasizing†¦trancelike states†¦imaginary companion, sleepwalking, and blackouts† (Putman 2). A lot of times, coping mechanisms fail and the following inner dissonance can lead to a multiplicity of upsetting emotional and physical symptoms (Robert Saperstein 2). Some children suffering from PTSD may show traumatic play. This refers to the reenactment of a traumatic experience. Usually, children will change the ending to make it happier. This is an extreme example of using the imagination as a way to escap e the terrible memories. Billy has all the symptoms associated with the disorder as he also used his imagination to escape his bad memories. When Billy Pilgrim goes to war in Germany, he is soon captured by the Germans and taken to a prisoner camp. While there, he is mocked and ridiculed. He is a very passive character, and so is not bothered by this taunting, but when Billy realizes that the war doesn’t just affect soldiers and people, but all animals, such as the horses they find after the bombing of Dresden, his life is scarred forever. He sees that the horses are bleeding from their mouths and that they are in agony when walking. When Billy sees that his colleagues had mistreated the horses, he realizes that that is what war does to the entire world. Billy is forever changed and even weeps (197). This may have been the trigger for PTSD in Billy’s life to begin with. One of case post traumatic stress disorder tells of a Vietnam veteran sleeping with a gun under his pillow and having nightmares so intense that he woke up strangling his wife. Another time, the same veteran saw a neighbor walking outside after dark and dodged under a bush and started crawling around with a gun (McGirk 1).

Report and project plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Report and project plan - Essay Example Due to numbers of internal and external problems and issues, the company’s Board of Directors has decided to overhaul the whole company in all aspects. The board is aimed to formulate a plan to bring revolutionary changes in the working and operational environment of the company. Spector (2010), states that managers are generally more responsible to carry out such kind of revolutionary plans. The detailed report of this project plan is summarized in the form of Gantt chart prepared by Microsoft Office Project as Appendix-I. The main aims and objectives for the plan are: Establishing a vertical integration structure so that dependability of Pipework is minimized on external agencies Setting up of integrated information technology system throughout the company Improve the overall standards and minimizing the grievances of the workforce Enforcing of democratic leadership style instead of autocratic style Improving the quality control TASK 1: VERTICAL INTEGRATION STRUCTURE Pipewor k is not directly related to selling. Basically it is a manufacturing company which deals with the manufacturing of pipes, boiler, and household items. Besides several administrative and non-technical issues, the company is also facing challenges at its production and quality department. These challenges include some macro level issues like political and economic constraints in different countries. In respect of production, company is not capable of making the branded items. For manufacturing of some accessories or certain parts of an item, Pipework is highly dependent on other manufacturing organizations. Thus bargaining power of suppliers is high. As far as quality of production is concerned, the imported items are not conforming to the desired specifications. Although, company has managed to procure some manufactured items from third world countries, but even then boilers manufactured from Taiwan and Korea has created difficult conditions for Pipework because their prices are rel atively too low. Pipework cannot compete the price war because it has to cost extra amount on transportation of goods from other countries as well as the custom and import duties take the prices even more high. In recent years, the situation has reduced the overall revenue of the company. Therefore, in order to improve the market share, Board of Directors has intended to invest heavily on the vertical integration structure in the company. A vertically integrated company is generally independent of external supporting factors thus becomes more competitive (Slack, 2010). Zara fashion retailer and Apple Inc. are excellent examples of vertically integrated companies. Successful execution of this plan will not only generate the turnover of the company but will also support it to set up other tasks effectively. Objectives To reduce the dependency on external agencies, setting up a well-established vertically integrated structure in the company. It will be executed by: Setting up of separa te independent plants equipped with latest design and

A Plague in Labelle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Plague in Labelle - Essay Example Although we study these types of events, from an historical point of view, nothing of this magnitude has ever happened in Labelle. I would be just as shocked. The initial deaths would be treated with suspicion. Many theories would probably be offered to explain the deaths. Some people might believe the deaths to be the result of terrorism. They might speculate that water and food supplies have been poisoned. Others might come up with conspiracy theories. These types of speculation often attend events which we don't fully comprehend; in the beginning, a plague would be incomprehensible. I would also be indecisive at this point. I would be fearful. Gradually, however, the people in the community will come to the realization that a consistent and pervasive problem is occurring. The deaths would not stop. That would be the most dangerous time. Many people would consider fleeing. They would pack up their bags and leave Labelle. Many, however, would stay. Those that stay will have to deal with the dangerous environment. I would probably leave Labelle. Without more knowledge, it would seem the safest course. I wouldn't want to be the next to die. I believe that government officials would panic. As advanced as we profess to be, government officials rarely react well in crises. ... They would probably try to quarantine people affected by the plague. This would divide families and friends. They would divide Labelle. Most likely, people would then resist these efforts. The local government and the local police would be affected personally as well. I don't believe they would be able to govern effectively. More specifically, I believe that the local government and the local police would collapse. They would be required to request state and federal assistance. In addition, there would be divisions along religious lines. An event this horrific would definitely appeal to deeply held religious beliefs. Many people would believe that God is punishing us for some grave offense. Others would ridicule the religious explanations. This would exacerbate the emotions of people in the community. Rather than helping each other, and trying to remain calm, I believe that people would start blaming each other for the pandemic. The religious citizens, of whatever faith, would blame the sinners for incurring the wrath of God. The non-religious citizens would fight back. Common resources, such as food and shelter, would be divided rather than shared. This would lead to more problems. The fighting would be organized into groups. Looting, theft, and murder, for example, would probably be employed as survival techniques. There would be disorder; perhaps, there would be chaos. People are dying and there is hardly a greater fear than death. People would feel justified, to some degree, in behaving more immorally than under normal circumstances. Old feuds might be settled with guns instead of in courtrooms. Businesses would be stripped bare by people in need or food or stockpiling for the future. Women would