Cover Letter Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Cover Letter - Personal Statement Example In these two organizations, I used to give professional advises to the clients regarding insurance and financial; services. I have learned a lot during the working in these three organizations. In terms of leadership experience, I have founded maple Leaf Funds in which I worked as a President of the organization. I have recruited more than 400 volunteers to organize non-profit charity during my entrepreneurship. I have expertly managed allocated and deposited funds. I am very eager to work in your organization as a supply chain summer trainee. I have invited in global young leaders conference organized by UN. My entrepreneurship and leadership skills took the attraction of industrial leaders. In terms of personal skills, I am extravert and I have expertise in open minded communication process. In addition to these, I have proficiency in several analytical software applications. These experiences and my individual skills will help me to justify my request and your selection

Business Process Management of Domino's Pizza Coursework

Business Process Management of Domino's Pizza - Coursework Example The researcher states that in the United States alone, on the average, over one million pizzas are sold each day. The Dominos Pizza company has a focused menu of pizza and complementary side items. The company has so rightly been using its marketing mix. Instead of focusing on the four Ps (Price, product, placement and promotion), the company considers the four Cs (cost, convenience, customer solution and communication) while developing a new product or promotion. The company has adopted Cost leadership strategy which is an integrated set of actions and activities to deliver service at lowest cost as compared to competitors. Since Domino is all about fast delivery and efficient time management, it needs to reiterate this fact to the customers. But sometimes, due to any unforeseen circumstances, customers do not receive the pizza in due time. This will help the company to satisfy their customers even in circumstances where they are not able to fulfil their promise. So whenever the hun gry customer appears and order for pizza, there should be something for the entertainment of the customers so that they have a good time while waiting for their pizza. The researcher then concluds that overall, Domino Pizza’s business process is well planned. The researcher, however mentiones that there needs to be a little work done for their dine-in services in the franchise. Although, it is definetly concluded that the delivery system of Dominos Pizza is almost perfect and is highly commendable.

Education Essays Deaf Students Education

Education Essays Deaf Students Education Deaf Students Education Deaf Students and Higher Education Easier Access to Higher Education for Deaf Students: An Interdisciplinary Interpretation Introduction There is a high emphasis placed on higher education in the United States today. Many jobs require future employees to have a college degree before they will even consider the applicant. Colleges and universities can be very demanding and rough for any individual to attend, and people with any handicap can find themselves in a situation that is almost impossible to finish. Deaf students that wish to follow their dream of achieving a college degree find themselves in a tough situation, not only by the demands of college life, but also because of the lack of help they receive from these facilities. Deaf students that pursue higher education should have easier access to higher educational opportunities, allowing them to obtain better control over their futures. College degrees are not easily achieved by most individuals. The success of the person has many outside influences, such as, social standing, educational level when the person enters college, and help from the college itself. â€Å"Approximately 70% of the 123,000 deaf students enrolled in 2,300 colleges across the United States will not persist until graduation† (Smith, 2005, p 1). The cause of this high rate must be considered by many different facts as well as different disciplines. Is the educational level of deaf students lacking in some way that causes them not to be ready for school after secondary schools? Are the colleges / universities helping in everyway so these students can achieve their goals? Does society treat these students less significant that hearing students? To fully understand this multifaceted issue, more than one discipline needs to be looked at because one discipline will not lead to a resolution, thus an interdisciplinary interpretation must be used (Repko, 2005). Many disciplines could help explain the cause for so many deaf students not reaching college graduation. Biology could explain set backs deaf children face, such as, were they born deaf or did they lose their hearing at an early age that cause these children difficulties in development. History could be looked at for how deaf people where treated in the past, and see if the stereotypes and stigmas that were present back then still existence today. Psychology should be used to help understand the deaf students and their goals for their life. Sociology looks at how deaf people are treated in the society they live in. Education could help explain if deaf student graduate high school with the knowledge they should have learned throughout their primary education years or if the student fell behind and still continued on to high school graduation. Education, sociology, and psychology will have more of an impact on the planning that will help more deaf students achieve their goal of reaching college graduation. Education is the process that brings together the physical, cognitive, and emotional needs of a child to help that individual develop intellectual (Nath Cohen, 2005). Sociology is the study of various groups and subgroups in a society in a society (Macionis, 2006). This discipline helps illustrate the difficulties deaf students face in the United States and will also show the view that society has about deaf people that they interact with everyday. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and how people behave in everyday situations (Nairne, 2006). This discipline could help understand the mind of the deaf student and the hardships they face daily. These three disciplines will bring many different views about why deaf students do not reach a college diploma. To fully understand the viewpoints and theories that are in each of these disciplines, a detailed review of literature from each of these disciplines will be examined and introduced to help fully understand this difficult issue. In order to help deaf student attain a college education, a system must be implemented that helps with the full range of problems that deaf students face. Deaf students not only face difficulties in education but other areas in their life that hold them back; so, these issues must be studied also. With the conclusions from education, sociology, and psychology a plan can be mapped out from grade school to college graduation that help deaf students succeed throughout all of their educational careers. Background Many deaf people do not see themselves as broken or that they need to be fixed. The opposite is closer to the truth. Deaf people see themselves as a subculture, a minority in society. They feel that American Sign Language is their first language and English is their second language, just the same way Hispanics view Spanish (Unknown, 2007). This is quite a different view point that many hearing people may have when they see a deaf person in their community. Most deaf people do not feel the need to be â€Å"cured’ from deafness and embrace their deafness as their cultural identity. This must be kept in mind when studying this issue because both, the hearing population and the deaf population, have vast differences to why this problem might be happening. Keeping this point in mind we need to look at several reasons for this dilemma. Deaf students receive the same high school diploma that hearing students do, so why does the deaf population have higher rate of dropouts than the hearing population? The typical eighteen year old deaf student reads below a fourth-grade reading level (Bollag, 2006). These students are being taught to read lips and with cued speech (hand movements around the mouth to indicate the sound of the word being spoken) and not in American Sign Language (ASL). Teaching them to read lips and with cued speech is great to develop their English skills but these students also need the access to their â€Å"native† language in order to grabs the world around them. â€Å"ASL exposes children to the world’s knowledge and it incorporates self-esteem and aspects of deaf culture. Mastering English gives them access to the richness of the English world, like Shakespeare and idioms† (Bollag, 2006). These children seem less likely to accomplish the same school work as hearing students their age, if they must first learn to read lips or cued speech, which could take years after they start school. This could be another step in implementing a way to help every deaf student succeed after they complete primary school. Accessibility to the subject content many also play a role. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990, deaf people have the right for qualified interpreter for their classes (U.S. Department of Labor, 1990). This needs a more in-depth look to see if all deaf college students are receiving this service. Qualified is loosely translated and could mean very different things to different organizations. Sign language interpreters have different levels of qualifications from state to state; therefore one state might be more lenient than others. This is a key to any deaf student’s educations and has many negative effect if the interpreter is not highly qualified. The other question about interpreters is; do they understand the course content of the classes the deaf student is enrolled in? When deaf students are taking the basic core classes most interpreters can clearly understand and convey the message of the professors. After the core curricular, more in-depth discipline classes of the major the deaf student has chosen. If the deaf student decides to major in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, will the interpreter be able to fully understand the material and transmit that for the deaf student? This could be a very straing on both the interpret and the deaf student, which in turn could cause the deaf student to become frustrated with the course and drop out because they do not full understand. Are colleges deaf friendly? Some colleges have various programs and clubs for the student population. If only a few select deaf people are attending one univeristy the chances that they have special programs or clubs for these students are slim. Thus the deaf person may feel that they do not belong in the college world. People are social creatures and need the feeling of belonging, if deaf people do not feel this and on the extreme side feel exclused they may not want to continue their education. Another set back maybe how society views the deaf individual. Aristotle thought that hearing was the key to learning and deaf individuals that were not capable of speaking thoughts were thought to be dumb, with this the phase â€Å"deaf and dumb† arose (Hummel, 1993). This however is not the case; a minute encounter with an average deaf person will definitely disprove this theory. The sad truth is that many people today believe that this is true, and will hold on to this stereotype simply because they do not know any deaf people. There is a long history of remarkable deaf people that are not recognized by many hearing people. If this theory is false why do so many deaf people not graduate college? Society makes assumptions about every group and thus the group is stereotyped into something that, in most cases, is not true. Is this the reason why so many fail at higher education, because they have already labeled as less intelligent? The issues listed above show the star players in the education process for the deaf students. The cognitive ability of the deaf student must first be discovered. The educators in primary schools must be observed and taught the proper way to education deaf students. Then the college/universities must be examined to insure that the deaf student rights and needs are being met. Society also plays a key role into the education of deaf students; thus the stereotypes they hold need to be broken down to guarantee that the deaf students can succeed in today’s educational system. If these steps are taking the deaf student should be better able to seize their goal of graduating college. This problem needs not only to be looked at by many disciplines but with many different point of views. With this problem a debate with hearing and deaf arises, what is best for deaf individuals? Should hearing people decide what is best for the deaf child or should these decisions come from adults with hearing loss that have understanding about the deaf child experiences? If this dilemma is only looked at by one strict discipline or one point of view it could go unidentified by other professions and other individuals (Repko, 2005). Deaf students with dreams of higher education need an organization that helps with every aspect of they encounter throughout their educational careers. This organization needs to be design with the deaf student’s needs and also help educate deaf students of the government assistance/programs required under federal laws. This predicament affects many deaf students and has vastly impactions on their life. Without an education deaf people find jobs not necessary careers. This â€Å"real world problem† should be considered more broadly than one discipline can cover (Repko, 2005). In order to complete this task education, sociology, and psychology need to be explored. Education should be researched first to find better ways to help deaf students at younger ages to better prepare them for their future. Sociology should then be studied to see where the deaf students fit into society. The stereotypes of deaf people need to also be considered to inspect what needs to be altered in order for the deaf students, not to be look down on as less intelligent individuals. Psychology is the final stage of the approach because the deaf student also needs to be analyzed, in order to completely understand the full interpretation of the problem at hand. Armed with these disciplines the complete evaluation can be prepared, as a result a resolution can be achieved. Disciplinary Perspectives, Evidence, and Insights This section will present the most valuable material for discussing the topic problem. Both secondary and peer-reviewed sources may be used in this section, but, the primary sources are the most critical for the evidence from each discipline to be presented. Integration The integration for the disciplinary insights is the most significant part of the INTS paper. It is the center stage where all the actors come for the grand finale. Conclusion The conclusion will be the summary and will also mention any future research ideas or possible outcomes or consequences. References Education Bollag, B. (2006, May, 12). The debate over deaf education. Chronicle of Higher Education, 52, Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3hid=104sid=dae8a160-5873-4abe-8913-e7 Hummel, C. (1993).Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). Prospects: The quarterly review of comparative education (Paris, UNESCO: International Bureau of Educaion). 23, 39-51. Nath, J., Cohen, M. (2005). Becoming a middle school or high school teacher in Texas: A course of study for the pedagogy and professional responsibilities (PPR) TExES. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth. Psychology Nairne, J. S. (2006). Psychology: The adaptive mind 4th edition. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth. Sociology Macionis, J. J. (2006). Society: The basics 8th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Smith, J. A. (2005). College is a challenge, but Ive got dreams and I know I can do it!. Dissertation Abstracts International, A: The Humanities and Social Science, 65, 3590-A. Additional Sources Repko, A (2005). Interdisciplinary practice: A student guide to research and writing. Boston: Pearson. Unknown, (2007, September 21 ). Oregons deaf and hard of hearing services: Deaf culture, history and importance . Retrieved March 7, 2008, from Oregon.gov Web site: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/odhhs/tadoc/deaf7.shtml U.S. Department of Labor, (1990). The Americans with disablilties Act of 1990. Retrieved March 7, 2008, from Employment Standards Administration Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Web site: http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/statutes/ofccp/ada.htm

Focal Dystonia of the Hand, And What the Brain Has To Do With It :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Focal Dystonia of the Hand, And What the Brain Has To Do With It The body is complicated, and often the origins of a condition are all but obvious. Focal dystonia of the hand is one disorder whose underlying cause has been found in the more recent past. Although it can be genetic (1), the form of focal dystonia of the hand I look at here is caused by environmental factors (2). Focal dystonia of the hand is a condition characterized by a loss in motor control of one or more fingers. A single muscle or group of muscles is involved: muscles in the hand and forearm tense and tighten, with the result of making the hand (or part of it) curl (2). Musicians who have intensively practiced their instruments over a number of years are a group most affected by this condition. The reason is that focal dystonia can be caused by the repetitive movement of the fingers over a significant period of time. The condition was long known as "occupational hand cramp." (3). It can easily be misdiagnosed as simple overuse or stress of the hand (1). Although it may not be obvious at first sight of the symptoms, the level at which the problem is caused is not the hand, but the brain. Researchers at the University of Konstanz report "overlap or smearing of the homuncular organization of the representation of the digits in the primary somatosensory cortex" (3). Given that functions such as motor control cross over from the right side of the body to be represented in the left hemisphere, they found that the distance between the representations of individual fingers was smaller in the somatosensory cortex side corresponding to the hand that had undergone continued repetitious training (the left hand in case of violin players for example). What does all this mean in terms of the brain? Looking at the central nervous system as an input-output system, in very simple terms we can observe that a specific input is presented over and over again - in this case the stimulation of the fingers that play the violin - and as a result the organization within the box changes. More specifically, there is a one-to-one correspondence between input and internal representations of this input: all fingers are individually represented on the somatosensory cortex. But somehow, as these regions of representation begin to smear or overlap, the one-to-one correspondence is blurred.

The Assassin – Creative Writing

He stood alone in the dilapidated old home. The shadows were gathered and the man in the moon was screaming in agony. His face was expressionless, with eyes as sharp as a spinning needle, His skin was pasty white. The television emitted a soft glow upon his face, highlighting his pupils. In his hand, was as blade, long and sharp, The very point was shimmering as he slid the cloth up and down the side of the machete-like knife, he pulled his slimy, greasy lips back over his yellow stained teeth and smiled. He sat in his armchair in front of the television and slid the knife into the holder around his waist. Then a loud ringing pierced the silence, He picked up the receiver and a shadowed, scratchy voice began to give him details; â€Å"11:45, Elm Street,† He carried on, â€Å"He's a â€Å"6'2†³ft dark haired guy; He will be wearing a suit and will be carrying a gun†. He was waiting for one last detail â€Å"à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16,000†. Then he dropped the phone and looked at the clock, â€Å"10:55pm† He left for Elm Street. The night was cold; snow fell gently, giving the road a smooth, white blanket. The car engine purred as he sat waiting and watching. The victim was seen, the engine was stopped. He stepped out of the car and began to walk to where the victim's car was parked. Both men were headed to the parked car. The victim was a middle-aged man, shivering in the cold. When they both reached the car, the Assassin walked up to the victim from behind. There was a flash of steel, a blood boiling scream and a final splash of blood. Then there was silence. 6 Weeks later. Punchenello's hotel. It was old and beaten up. Most of the guests were drug addicts, drug dealers or prostitutes. On the top floor were two men; the first was Mr.Punchenello and the other was one of his men, Jack Finito, † He took out Louie, cut a great hole n his back.† â€Å"We gotta get this guy boss† Louie Punchenello was getting frustrated, â€Å"Ok, ok, ok! I know just the guy to pop him, leave it to me† Punchenello sounded confident that his man would take care of business. Back at the Assassins home, he was shining his blade when he received a letter that read. Dear Mr.Payne I know of your recent doings. 6 weeks ago you did a little job for someone, now I need you to do a job for me. Come to Punchenello's hotel tonight at eleven if your not there, we will come find you. We need your skills Max, 11'o clock. Yours Jack Finito The letter sounded fishy so Max would have to have a little more firepower, just in case. Max went to see a man called Alex Gigoni A.K.A â€Å"Ammo† he supplied Max with more than a knife. A colt commando, pump-action shotgun and a few Molotov Cocktails. The clock hit 10'o clock and Max was preparing his weapons, shining his blade. The time flew by and it was soon â€Å"10:35† and Max was on his way. The car engine died and he stepped out, In front of the hotel. He knocked firmly on the door and Jack Finito opened it â€Å"Come in Mr.Payne, your late†. The room was suddenly filled with men, all armed and pointing their guns towards Max. Reacting almost immediately Max dived out of the room while hurling a Molotov Cocktail into the room. The bottle hit the floor with a crack and a burst of flames flooded the room, it was like a bottle of fire had been opened. Max stood at the door of the blazing inferno, pulled out dual Berrettas waiting for men trying to get out of the smoke; there were no survivors. Max had been set a trap, but he hadn't taken the cheese, so he was going after the rat, Punchenello at the top floor of the hotel. The elevator obviously hadn't been used in years and there were at least 6 floors. He would have to climb the stairs without being spotted by more of Punchenello's men. Max flew up the stairs and standing there was Finito, Jack jumped out of skin, â€Å"MAX PAYNE! How the hell did you survive that?!?† â€Å"Lets just say an angel was watching over me† â€Å"Your Finito, Finito† and with that Max pulled the trigger on his handgun and blew Jack away. He carried on flying up the stairs still holding his guns firmly between his sweaty palm and fingers, he came to the penthouse door he could hear heavy breathing on the other side of the door. He smashed the door open and saw Punchinello on the phone. Punchinello jumped out of his seat and reached for his gun. â€Å"I wouldn't do that if I were you† Max said in a cocky voice. Punchinello smiled I think that tables have already turned Max. Max felt a guns barrel stick into the back of his head leading him into a chair in front of Punchenello's desk. Max saw him, he was 7ft tall and built like an Ox still pointing his gun straight as Max's forehead. â€Å"Hello Max† He said, Max hid his guns around his back waiting for his back to be turned. Punchenello began to speak to Max about how not to cross paths with serious men † We are dangerous Max, please don't think about making any more business around these parts. We own this town now and we wouldn't think twice about disposing of you†. The large man in front of him pulled the gun away from Max, and Max sighed a sigh of relief. Punchenello carried on talking, but Max wasn't listening he was figuring out how to kill both of them so quickly that no sound could be heard†¦ then Max remembered his blade†¦ with his knife in one hand and his handgun in the other. Max jumped out of his seat and drove the 8-inch knife deep into the hired Assassins back killing him instantly. Max rolled on the floor and jumped up, pumping Punchenello full of lead he could use his finger as a pencil. Someone must of heard the gunshots because the whaling of sirens could be heard in the distance.. Max jumped down the fire escape and ran into the night†¦ then he pulled his slimy, greasy lips over his stained yellow teeth and smiled. The Assassin – Creative Writing Engulfing his surroundings, as it crept out from the opening of his mouth, the smoke slowly drifted away from his lips. He leant back onto the damp wall, creating a haze of thick opaque smog and slowly tilted his head backwards in ecstasy. He gently exhaled into the cold bitter air of the night. Frequently he would be startled by the wail of police sirens, but they became increasingly fainter as they moved further and further away, the occasional barking of a dog and the rustling of leaves through the alleyway in which he was standing were the only other sounds that could be heard. The adrenaline surged throughout his body and he was left fidgeting in anxiety. The potent smell of marijuana was vivid in the depths of the alley where he gripped a neatly rolled and tightly packed cannabis joint; he inhaled deeply and was breathing with deep satisfaction. As the THC floated through his bloodstream and as the dopamine was released in his brain, he suddenly felt tranquilized and more relaxed. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves and he swayed uneasily for a second, before shaking his head and regaining control. The darkness of the early morning was menacing; few stars glittered in the night sky and the subtle glow of the moon was partly concealed by the passing clouds, where black faded into hues of dark blues and deep, daunting violets. The gloom was still surrounding him and the frosty mist shrouded everything wanting to be seen. His shifty eyes watched in anticipation from the corner of an alley way for any kind of living being, while he clenched the revolver that was held in his right hand. The rubber soles of his sneakers were damp from the dew. From his still position, he could see the door of the apartment from the light of a street lamp. He was trying to remain hidden to maintain his stealth. The rest of the scenery was unfocused in his vision, as he stared at the door in expectancy. There was no one to be seen in the empty street. The only breathing creatures around were a few alleyway rats, shuffling around near the dustbins. The sight of marshy greens and soiled browns merged together to create the outlook of a risky situation. He became slightly excited as a midnight blue BMW M3 coupi was approaching from a distance; roaring from afar, before breaking quickly causing a loud screech leaving visible skid marks on the tarmac, the car slid to stop outside the apartment door where it knocked three dustbins over. He noticed the scratch on the driver's side door and the damaged bumper from the collision. Even though the thought of his mission was driving him; he knew it had to be done with care. He kept calm and composed still with the cannabis joint hanging from the tip of his lips. It began to drizzle with rain; he lifted up his hood and placed it over his head to conceal his face. He pushed away from the wall, concentrating on his assignment. He dropped the joint as all of the contents had burnt away and stamped it out. Desperately trying to make as little noise as possible, he stood up straight and prepared himself with not even a prayer in mind, for the sin he was about to commit. A tall middle-aged man emerged from the vehicle; the man looked well off with pinstriped trousers, a white shirt that became drenched instantly due to the precipitation, a colourful tie and a blazer that he slung over his shoulder. He slammed his car door in a manner which made it obvious he was agitated due to his collision with the dustbins. He sighed loudly with disappointment as he observed the damage to the bumper and the scratch. The rain turned from a light drizzle to a heavy shower, the victim walked a couple of paces through the large puddles towards the building. Little did this man know that he was being closely watched, were these the last breaths of his life? He paused at the door while he searched for his keys. As he established the pocket in which his keys were, before he had the chance to reach them, the loud sound of a gunshot echoed through the neighbourhood. A 9mm bullet penetrated through his head like a key in a lock, knocking him to the ground instantly. Within a second, his mind departed the scene of flesh, blood and bones. Tearing his soul away from him, like pulling cotton through a bush of thick thorns. The victim lay there, the most stupid of people would be able to realise that this man was dead. It was a disturbing sight but the assassin still stood in the same position in which he had fired the weapon, with no mercy or reconciliation. The assassin slowly brought the gun back down to his side. He tucked the weapon into the back of his jeans. The assassin withdrew a cigarette from his a box of twenty Silk Cut. He lit it and took a deep draw and exhaled in a way of relief. He poked his head out of the alleyway to check if anyone was in sight, yet nobody but a stray cat was there. The surroundings were still; the atmosphere was damp, depressing and dead. The corpse was lying frozen by the curb. In a cavalier fashion, he walked out of the back alley with his shoulders shrugged in chilliness; his head low in cautiousness, and took a sharp left into a side street towards his carbon black Mercedes SLR. Unexpectedly, the wailing of a distant police siren grabbed his attention. The sound grew louder and louder and it seemed to be coming closer. A single drop of sweat began to form above his brow. What if he had been seen? What if for the first time, he had blown his cover? At that moment, a white police car rapidly passed by as he stood in panic. He sighed in relief and continued towards his automobile, uncaringly rattling his keys in his hand. His firm, steady footsteps represented his attitude, hard, harsh and heartless. He entered his car; seated himself, wedged the key in the ignition, turned on the engine. He took one last look at the scene through his rear view mirror and drove away never to return.

Nick’s Development in “The Great Gatsby” Essay

Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story, reminiscences of the summer he met Gatsby. He had just returned to America from WWI, where he had glimpsed everything from freedom to death. His horizons had been broadened significantly, so when he returned after the war, he felt stifled in the Midwest; thus his longing for the decadent and fantastic lifestyle of New York, but the problem with the fantastic is that it rarely has anything to offer beneath the surface. When he first arrives in New York, Nick is fascinated by the lives of the wealthy and the freedom they embody. However, as the novel progresses, he sees the impact of this behavior on the lives of others; he recognizes the atrocities that the elite of society commit toward those they consider beneath them. Daisy and Tom are too superficial and absorbed in living in wealth and Gatsby set himself a dream as a young child and has stuck to that throughout his life. Nick sees so many corrupt acts around him that he first tries to block them out, by acting artifical to fit in. However, once he realises that the people he is surrounding themselves with are liars and frauds, he begins to distance himself from them. The first obvious instance of this is when Gatsby is ‘watching over’ Daisy, and Nick narrates that â€Å"He [Gatsby] was clutching at some last hope and I couldn’t bare to shake him free. † This quote displays how Nick has given up on Gatsby and society’s superficiality and corrupt doings. This is one of the major instances of change in Nick’s life. By his thirtieth birthday, Nick realizes that this crazy, superficial lifestyle is not what he desires at all, and that he misses the wholesomeness of the Midwest. In this sense, Nick becomes rather representative of the 1920s: the turmoil and free living of the early part of the decade leading into the conservative 1930s. After witnessing the unraveling of Gatsby’s dream and presiding over the appalling spectacle of Gatsby’s funeral, Nick realizes that the fast life of revelry on the East Coast is a cover for the terrifying moral emptiness that the valley of ashes symbolizes. Having gained the maturity that this insight demonstrates, he returns to Minnesota in search of a quieter life structured by more traditional moral values.