A Synopsis of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOB

A Synopsis of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOB In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOB), Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are immersed in a setting that appears to transcend the known limits of the physical world. A demoniacal hound roaming the moors of Devonshire is rumored to have been responsible for the death of the affluent Sir Charles Baskerville. Dr. Mortimer, a family friend, is left no choice but to recruit the renowned detective and his partner to investigate the case. The narrative, recounted through Dr. Watson’s perspective, soon abandons the familiarity of Baker Street in exchange for the ghastliness of Baskerville Hall and its vicinity. Upon Watson’s arrival, Dartmoor proves to be every bit as ominous as it was hyped up to be. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses the valuable tool of location throughout to leave open the possibility that there are crimes beyond the scope of rational analysis. The setting first asserts itself when, in the midst of presenting the details of the case to Holmes, Dr. Mortimer reads aloud the myth of the Baskerville curse. One could have easily mistaken the piece for an excerpt from a Gothic novel, for it is ridden with the genre’s elements. The reader learns Hugo Baskerville of Baskerville Manor ruthlessly abducted the daughter of a yeoman. After she attempted to escape from the chamber upstairs one night, Baskerville and others chased her onto the moor. Eventually, she and Hugo were both found dead. Beside the body of the latter was, to the astonishment of the other men, â€Å"a great, black beast, shaped like a hound, yet larger than any hound that ever mortal eye has rested upon† (Doyle 9). The linkage between the plot and setting of the myth is important. As mentioned, they are both rooted in Gothic tradition and thus play off each other. The somber estate and the damsel in distress are both common elements of Gothic fiction. The degree to which Baskerville is alleged to have been infatuated with her is also indicative of the genre. Furthermore, the hound that lurks at night and the dark moor it inhabits are intentionally portrayed as demonic and supernatural, inviting the possibility that the â€Å"Father of Evil† may very well be Sir Charles’ assailant. Holmes—the embodiment of the Enlightenment—is, notably, more skeptical than the others, but even he does not completely rule out the chance that â€Å"forces outside the ordinary laws of Nature† may be at work (19). Additionally, the gloomy, Gothic setting established in the exposition matches the description Watson later gives of Dartmoor when he and Sir Charles actually arrive there. Suddenly, it seems less likely that the mystery is capable of being solved in the physical world through deductive reasoning. The great Grimpen Mire, capable of sinking one in its depths, evolves into a grisly metaphor for the mystery itself. Not coincidentally, it is navigable only by the naturalist Mr. Stapleton—the perpetrator of the crime—and eventually found to be the location of the hound’s fortress. Watson, after observing the mire’s capabilities, says, â€Å"Life has become like that great Grimpen Mire, with little green patches everywhere into which one may sink and with no guide to point the track† (54). This comparison expresses the imminent danger and apparent hopelessness of their predicament, which contributes to the suspense of the Gothic atmosphere. It also portrays Watson as an ill-equipped assistant in the absence of Holmes’ analytical mind. One could imagine that Doyle added in this additional component specifically to evoke despair. How will Watson alone—a mere mortal—be able to solve a murder as complex as this one? The presumption that the case is ultimately out of Holmes’ and Watson’s control again seems feasible toward the end of the story, when a blinding fog threatens the plan the former had concocted to lure the hound out onto the moor. Using Sir Henry—the heir to Baskerville Hall—as bait, Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade wait anxiously behind a series of rocks for the hound to appear. When the fog begins to engulf the moor, Holmes observes, â€Å"If he isn’t out in a quarter of an hour the path will be covered. In half an hour we won’t be able to see our hands in front of us† (111). Fog has traditionally been interpreted as a metaphor for confusion. If it had prevented the hound from being caught, the beast’s nature and other pertinent information would also remain clouded. But perhaps just as importantly, Sir Henry would almost certainly meet his doom if no one could get a clear shot on the hound. This adds yet another Gothic twist to t he climax, and the case—for one last time—seems as if it may be out of Holmes’ grasp. HOB deviates from the typical Sherlock Holmes mystery. Setting is imperative in creating the illusion of a world that would render even the elite detective powerless. As later affirmed, however, a supernatural world is merely a world not yet understood. Though complex, the physical world—at its core—is an orderly, comprehensible place if analyzed rationally. The eventual unmasking of Stapleton and demystification of the hound are testaments to this. But before that happens, the reader is, albeit temporarily, fooled into thinking HOB is a full-fledged Gothic novel. For the sake of creating a believable work, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle abandons this, just as Holmes and Watson return to a natural explanation for phenomena after shortly contemplating a supernatural one.

Transitioning From Closed to Open Systems Research Paper

Transitioning From Closed to Open Systems - Research Paper Example Apparently, the nursing sector has an open and closed system of solving problems. In the open system a nursing facility is at freewill to look for external help from other facilities and organizations. However, closed system perspectives state that a facility will only seek solutions from the internal environment. The latter limits the number of solutions to the existing problems. In recent times, many health facilities have experienced a shortage in the number of nurses that should attend to patients. Nurses are considered vital in ensuring all the patients are recuperating at a desirable rate. This is owing to the basic services that are offered by the nurses which include exercises, administering drugs, feeding and cleaning of patients. Without adequacy in such services patients will not recover in good time. Therefore, shortage of nurses in the nursing sector is a blow as the patients rarely get the services they need (Smith, 2010). One prevalent issue is the lack of sufficient number of nurses, especially in the ICU. Most patients who are taken to the ICU require intensive care that involves various delicate services. Acceptable standards state that there should be at least one nurse taking care of two patients in the ICU. Nevertheless, in most health facilities this is a rare ratio. Most of the nurses have to offer their services to at least three patie nts, which obviously overworks the nurses leading to poor service delivery. In bizarre incidents a single nurse is forced to serve four patients in the ICU. This highly degrades the quality of services offered across the nursing profession. As such, it jeopardizes the health and safety of the patients in the ICU as well as the reputation of particular health institutions. Shortage of nurses is a prevalent problem that risks the lives of patients. There are various ways of solving the problem though. However, it would be a hard task to use a closed

International Monetary Fund, International Financial Statistics Essay

International Monetary Fund, International Financial Statistics - Essay Example In Euros this would amount to 100,000/1.4950=66889.63. The ask rate is being used because the buyer of the share would first sell the Euros in the American market to get a 100,000 dollars to buy the shares. b) If you sell the shares you would receive 110,000 in USD. The buying rate would be used because the seller would have to buy the Euros from the market after selling in dollars. Therefore they would receive 110,000/1.4550 = 75601.37 Euros c) The cost of the broker when buying the shares= 100,000 *0.2%= 200 In Euros this cost would be 200/1.4950=133.77 Cost in Dollars = 100200 Cost in Euros =67023.409 Cost of the broker commission when selling the shares= 110,000 * 0.2%= 220 In Euros this cost would be= 220/1.4550=151,20, as the investor would buy from Dollars to pay the commission. The total proceeds would be 109,780 USD and 75752.58 Euro. 2 You are the manager of an American pension fund and decide, on January 5, to buy ten thousand shares of British Airways listed in London. Yo u sell them on February 5. Here are the quotes that you can use: January 5 British Airways share price (?): Buying = 3.50 and selling = 3.52 Exchange rate (dollars per pound): Buying =1.5000 and selling = 1.5040 February 5 British Airways share price (?): Buying = 3.81 and selling 3.83 Exchange rate (dollars per pound): Buying =1.4500 and selling = 1.4540 You must pay the U.K. broker a commission of 0.2% of the transaction value (on the purchase and on the sale). (a) What is your sterling rate of return on the operation? (b) What is your dollar rate of return on the operation? Answers: Buying Cost in Pounds: 3.5 *10,000 = 35000 ? Buying Cost in USD: 35,000 *1.5= 52500 USD Commission on Purchase: 35000*0.2%=70? Commission on Purchase USD= 70 * 1.5= 105 Sale Proceeds in Pounds: 3.83*10,000= 38,300 ? Proceeds in USD: 38,300 * 1.4540 = 55688.2 Commissions on Sale : 38,300 * 0.02% = 76.8 ? Commission on Sale in USD: 76.8 *1.4540= 111.37 a) Sterling rate of return Total Investment : 35000 + 70= 35070? Total proceeds: 38300-76.8= 38376.8 Profit= 3306.8 Return= 9.429% b) Dollar Rate of return Investment in dollars: 52500+105=52605 Total Proceeds in USD: 55688-111.37= 55576.63 Profit in USD: 2971.63 Return: 5.648% 3 You are a U.S. investor and wish to buy ten thousand shares of Club Mediterranee (â€Å"Club Med†). You can buy them either in Paris or in London. You ask the brokers to quote you net prices (no commissions paid). There are no taxes on foreign shares listed in London. Here are the quotes: London (in ? per share): Buying at 56.75 and selling at 58.125 Paris (in â‚ ¬ per share) Buying at 78 ? and selling at 78 ? The exchange rates are: Dollars per pound: buying = 1.9450 and selling = 1.9950 Dollars per euro: buying = 1.4850 and selling = 1.4855 What is your total dollar cost if you buy the Club Med shares at the cheaper place? Answers: If you buy the shares in London: 10,000 * 58.125 = 581250 ? If you buy the shares in Paris: 10,000 * 78. 75=787500 à ¢â€š ¬ Cost in Dollars in London Purchase= 581,250 * 1.9450=11,30,531 USD would be required. The buying price is used because investor would first sell dollars to get the pounds to buy the shares. Cost in USD of Paris Purchase: 787500*1.4850=1169437.5 USD The cheaper price to buy the shares would be 11, 30,531 USD. 4 Assume the following quotes: ii Mexican peso/USD 9.3850 –