Life on the frontier Essays - Guggenheim Fellows, Borders, Frontier

Billington's point of view several lines in to America's Frontier Heritage begins with a philosophical question, he poses the question, ?Do they consider their fellow men as equals, or as inferiors and superiors?....? By they Billington is referring to America and in this case specifically to the people of the time he is discussing, people of the frontier in the aforementioned 19th and early 20th century. This quote would be the one posed to I, the reader, throughout not only his book but Limerick's as well. Billington begins by explaining the foundation on which the country was built on, the thought of ?equality? and ?individualism.? These two words as many know are core virtues America was built on along with free enterprise, the pursuit of happiness and essentially the right to earn as much as you work for. All tremendous things that this country since day one has thrived on but the theme Billington implies throughout is that these products of life came without obstacles to most i f not all. He states ?Nowhere could a stake in society be more easily obtained,? interesting, because as most are aware this ?frontier? time was the heart of the most extreme segregation and lack of acceptance unless you were of a specific demographic. Reading along further in the book Billington begins to narrow in on what his essential, main point was to begin with. Which seems to be America is a land for all individuals to come to and prosper without government interference. I realized this upon Billington stating ?....where superabundant opportunity allowed each to rise or fall to his proper level as long as governments did not meddle.? At first Billington seems to be taking the naive route of that America since day one has been a perfect melting pot for all colors and types of people to thrive without resistance much of this sense came from his frequent claims of everyone being ?neighborly? and getting along in the communities. Upon finishing reading it became more obvious this was not his intention at all. His intention was to describe America as a land where government will not interfere which was unheard of to nearly all from every corner of the globe. That it is great here because if you came to America you would have a ch ance, without a lord taking your income for a ?tax,? or a ruler telling you where to live and for this I entirely agree. The Legacy of Conquest brings up an entirely different perspective then Americas Frontier Heritage. Limerick narrates the other side of the story, one would probably say ?uglier? side. She discusses the lesser known hardships endured by the people who at the time frankly just were not as relevant as the majority. The frontier of the West as she describes was yes a diverse place where many could move to to make a living and settlement but if you were not of the majority you would almost definitly encounter resistance. The reputation of the West was that of where minorities: Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Certain Europeans etc. could go to live, ?free? of the South's and Northeast's individual prejudices. This was quite a mirage that most did not see, notice, or at the time frankly care about. She uses the example of Oregon in 1857. Oregon was much opposed to slavery which of course sounded good to the Freedmen but, as Limerick state ?....they also opposed intrusion of free blacks.? Limeri ck brings up the point of was the West and America in that case really such a welcoming place? It seems to be that unless you were white and protestant honestly it was not quite so welcoming. The books, America's Frontier Heritage and The Legacy of Conquest, written by Ray Allen Billington and Patricia Nelson Limerick, respectively, each provide extremely compelling and contrasting views of the frontier in the 19th and early 20th century. Despite the obvious and apparent differences on points of view, neither I believe can be credited with a definite ?wrong? or ?right? assessment. I agree and disagree with both on various points but without dispute I believe bring up tremendous points and valid information that everyone can understand

Co-Dominance in Evolution

Co-Dominance in Evolution Co-dominance is a type of non-Mendelian inheritance pattern that finds the traits expressed by the alleles to be equal in the phenotype. There is neither a complete dominance or incomplete dominance of one trait over the other for that given characteristic. Co-dominance would show both alleles equally instead of a blending of the traits as is seen in incomplete dominance. In the case of co-dominance, the heterozygous individual expresses both alleles equally. There is no mixing or blending involved and each is distinct and equally shown in the phenotype of the individual. Neither trait masks the other like in simple or complete dominance, either. Many times, co-dominance is linked with a characteristic that has multiple alleles. That means there is more than just two alleles that code for the trait. Some traits have three possible alleles that may combine and some traits have even more than that. Oftentimes, one of those alleles will be recessive and the other two will be co-dominant. This gives the trait the ability to follow the Mendelian Laws of heredity with simple or complete dominance or, alternatively, to have a situation where co-dominance comes into play. Examples One example of co-dominance in humans is the AB blood type. Red blood cells have antigens on them that are designed to fight off other foreign blood types, which is why only certain types of blood can be used for blood transfusions based on the recipients own blood type. A type blood cells have one kind of antigen, while the B type blood cells have a different type. Normally, these antigens would signal that they are a foreign blood type to the body and would be attacked by the immune system. People with AB blood types have both antigens naturally in their systems, so their immune system will not attack those blood cells. This makes people with the AB blood type universal recipients due to the co-dominance displayed by their AB blood type. The A type does not mask the B type and vice versa. Therefore, both the A antigen and B antigen are equally expressed in a display of co-dominance.

A project namely as Bisham came up by Virgin Media Inc Essay

A project namely as Bisham came up by Virgin Media Inc - Essay Example The paper tells that investment appraisal techniques basically work on the basis of incremental cash flows and not on the basis of net income. Incremental cash flows are the additional cash flows that a firm generates by investing in a particular project, thus the cash flows being generated from that project are added to the projected net income of the firm. However, in order to ensure whether a certain project is viable for the firm or not, the decision lies on the overall net cash flows pertaining to that project. The net cash flows of a particular project can be obtained by subtracting the net income of the company without accepting a project, from the net income of the firm with accepting a project. The basic formula for the incremental cash flows of a particular project is: Net cash flows of the project = Net Income of the company with the project - Net Income of the company without the project The reason behind using incremental cash flow approach in investment appraisal techniques is that it clearly states the actual cash outflows and inflows of a particular project. In case, when a firm has more than one projects and the firm has to decide which project needs to be opted, at that time this incremental approach assists the financial managers of the company, as the overall net income of the company might increase with every project, but the incremental cash flow approach clearly distinct between every project and their viability. As a result, the incremental approach is more useful in appraising different projects. ... These difficulties are as follows: Future projection of cash flows is subject to judgment of the financial analysts which vary with person to person. Inflation rate is subject to unpredictability as local economy as well as global economy may perform either way. The decision of operating cash flows are subject to pure judgment as nobody knows about the cost of direct material, future wage rates and above all the factory overheads estimates during the project life. The tax rate may change due to change in government’s policy. The working capital requirements are subject to pure judgments as to how to estimate them and the assumption regarding their reversal in the last year of the project. Net Cash Flows of Project Bisham under current conditions The following are the net cash flows of the project Bisham for 8 years project life. Yrs 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NCF (1,400,000) 199,700 334,000 317,125 304,469 294,977 287,857 282,518 398,514 In the above table, year 0 indicates the year in which the initial investment is made in the project in the form of purchasing of two machineries naming as Machinery A and B for $1,200,000 and $200,000 respectively. The other figures included in the net cash flows from year 1 to year 8 are derived in such a manner that operating cash flows are computed first. Cost per unit of the product is first calculated by adding up per unit cost of each material, labor and factory overhead. Then these variable costs are deducted from the selling price per unit to obtain the contribution per unit. Contribution per unit for each year is then multiplied by the total number of units to be produced and sold each year to obtain

The Watergate Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Watergate Scandal - Research Paper Example Nixon effected the American breakthrough with China with his landmark visit. In Moscow, he signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and an Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty to slow the arms race. The Paris Peace Accord ended American military involvement in Vietnam. â€Å"American President: Richard Nixon (1890-1969).† However, Nixon is now largely remembered as the only President to resign from office. Richard Nixon’s legacy is centered on solely one issue: the Watergate scandal, with its connotations of abuse of power and impropriety. The Watergate Scandal originated in June 1971, as a reaction to the publication of an intensive study of the Vietnam War by Daniel Ellsberg. Fearing that these ‘Pentagon Papers’ would reveal his own political secrets, Nixon established the Special Investigations Group (SIG): nicknamed ‘the plumbers’ because of their mandate to prevent any media leaks about the Nixon administration. In an attempt to discredit Ells berg, G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt of the SIG organized the burglary of the office of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, to gather damaging evidence. In 1972, the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP) allocated funds for Operation Gemstone, a campaign to gather information against Nixon’s political adversaries. ... Nixon won a landslide election victory in November 1972, and began his second term as President. (â€Å"The Watergate Scandal†). At this juncture, the dam of the Watergate Scandal broke, and the deluge washed away his Presidency. The exposure of the Watergate Scandal gained momentum due to the reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post. Their informer, called ‘Deep Throat,’ was revealed in 2005 to be the former deputy director of the FBI, W. Mark Felt.  (â€Å"Deep Throat Revealed.†) As Nixon attempted to cover his tracks over past political errors, the axiom that â€Å"the cover-up of the crime can be more damaging than the crime itself† (â€Å"American President: Richard Nixon (1890-1969)†) proved true. It became increasingly clear that the break-in was authorized by top White House officials, campaign funds were diverted for illegal SIG operations, and that the White House attempted to buy the silence of the arres ted men. It was proved that a $25,000 cheque from the campaign fund was paid to Bernard L. Barker and hush money was given to E. Howard Hunt to be distributed by his wife. In January, 1973,  Frank Sturgis,  E. Howard Hunt,  Virgilio Gonzalez,  Eugenio Martinez,  Bernard L. Barker,  G. Gordon Liddy  and  James W. McCord  were convicted of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping. James W. McCord  wrote to Judge James Sirica alleging that the defendants submitted to political pressure from John Dean, Counsel to the President, and John Mitchell, Director of CREEP, to remain silent and plead guilty. Nixon persisted in maintaining his ignorance of the operations, but his defense began to wear thin. (â€Å"The Watergate Scandal†). As the net began to

MKT5A5 Application coursework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MKT5A5 Application coursework - Assignment Example The ‘open skies’ agreement with the US in 2007 and government deregulation in the 90s has seen the two major airline sections alter their strategies to stay in line with these changes (Data Monitor, 2014). There two major sections, one is the major global carriers for instance, British Airways and low budget carriers such as Ryanair. In addition to the 9/11 attack, the volatile economic effects and the rise in oil prices has seen a number of airlines go into liquidation. This essay analyses British Airway’s adverting strategy. British Airlines is the leading airline in the UK and its history can be dated back to 1919, however, the British Airways Group began its operations in 1974 (Data Monitor, 2014). During its years in operation the entity has moved from a government-owned entity to a private firm and has undergone a series of reorganisations making it the second largest airline in Europe and third globally. Currently, the airline has flights in over 300 destinations across the world and has over 33 million passengers (Data Monitor, 2014). It is clear that the airline has been adversely affected by the global economic crisis calling for the need to review their advertising strategy to reach a high number of consumers and manage its brand more effectively. British Airways launched a major campaign in eleven years with a  £20m funding by using its employees to promote the desirable qualities of the airline a few months after solving the controversial cabin crew dispute (Sweeney, 2011). The TV advertisement was displayed on British Airways Facebook page and was first aired in the UK and US markets before it was aired to other global markets. The outdoor campaign and supporting press was included in seven advertisements stressing on the skill and experience of the British Airways staff. One print advertisement was done on a baby jacket to draw attention to the fact that the staff members were trained to deliver babies if need be the

Study On Computer Input And Output Devices

Study On Computer Input And Output Devices The history of ergonomics is start from Greece. The meaning of ergonomics come from Greek words ergon [work] and nomos [natural laws] and first entered the modern lexicon when Wojciech JastrzÄâ„ ¢bowski used the word in his 1857 article Rys ergonomji czyli nauki o pracy, opartej na prawdach poczerpniÄâ„ ¢tych z Nauki Przyrody (The Outline of Ergonomics, i.e. Science of Work, Based on the Truths Taken from the Natural Science). Ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population. It can effective and successful to give user adaptation and guarantee for high productivity ,and avoid the illness or injury risk. Even more ,it increase the satisfaction of labor force. To assess the Ergonomics devices can suitable for user it depend on the devices size, shape, and how appropriate it is for the task. Besides that, Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, industrial design, kinesiology, physiology and psychology. Ergonomics also include 3 types. Physical ergonomics: Human anatomy, anthropometry, physiology and biomechanical characteristics as they relate to physical activity. And how the physical environment around you may affect your performance or understanding of the environment, the impact on people in these areas, especially the harmful effects. Then you can design one that will not damage their environment, they may even enjoy the experience Cognitive ergonomics: concern about mental process like perception, memory, reasoning and motor response , Because they affect interactions among humans and system interaction of other factors. Organizational ergonomics: is trying to organise people and the work to best effect. 3.0 Input devices Input devices is any peripheral equipment (computer hardware chip), data and control signals used to provide an information processing system (such as computer). 3.1 Mouse A mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional movement relative to its supporting surface. Let user to control their personal computer. The first mouse is design by Engelbart in 1963,with the assistance of his colleague Bill English. The first mouse is heavy and big, used two gear-wheels perpendicular to each other: the rotation of each wheel translated into motion along one axis. Before, the ergonomic mouse designed have a old type of mouse named mechanical mice. It use a single ball that could rotate in any direction. But due to the ball touching the other surface ,to make the mouse work, the dust of the surface will stick with ball. After the ergonomic mouse is design, the disadvantage of the mechanical mice will be improve. Ergonomic have many type, such as the mouse using wireless or Bluetooth connect to computer named wireless mouse. So ,this kind of mouse is portable as long as it use inside the range with computer. Besides that, there is a 3D mouse. The method of using this mouse by push, pull, twist or tilt to simultaneously pan, zoom and rotate. So ,this kind of mouse is difference from other mouse. Other than that, there is a mouse is design for gamming ,because this kind of mouse has shortcut key. So, user can use the shortcut key to perform the action inside computer faster. Lastly, design of the sharp for mouse also important in ergonomic mouse. This is because, The sharp of mouse can let user shoulder or the muscle of hand reduce tension and comfortable to grip it. So ,The mouse can reduce the working disease like injury the muscle. 3.2 Keyboard Keyboard, typewriter keyboard, which uses the button or key arrangement, as a lever mechanical or electronic switch. After punch cards, paper tape through fax-type keyboard, interactive computer into the main input device. There is many type of keyboard can use in our life. They are Chorded keyboard ,Software keyboard ,Foldable keyboard ,Laser keyboard ,Optical keyboard technology. Chorded keyboard: Although other associated with a keyboard and keyboard chorded key combination and correlation of each key action, action. Because it use many combination available so can effectively produce more action on a board with fewer keys. Software keyboard: It is a software but display on the screen of the devices. Nowdays ,software keyboard is popular and normally can found inside of the touchscreen phone. Foldable keyboard: Folding (also known as flexible) is made of soft plastic or silicone keyboard can be rolled up or folded travel itself. [2] In use, the keyboard can meet these uneven surfaces, and more resistant to the liquid than the standard keyboard. These can also be connected to portable devices and smart phones. Some models can be completely immersed in water, so that they received in hospitals and laboratories, as they can be disinfected. Laser keyboard: Projection keyboard projects the image of a key, usually with a laser, to a flat surface. The device then use the camera or infrared sensor to monitor, the users finger moves, and will be counted as being pressed, the see the users finger to touch the projected image of the key. Projection keyboard can simulate from a very small projector full-size keyboard. Because the key is only projected images, they can not be considered when pressed. Projected increase in keyboard users often experience discomfort due to lack of their own fingers to when typing. Flat, reflective surfaces do not need to be projected onto the key . most of the projection makes use of the keyboard and PDA, because of its small size. Optical keyboard: This kind of keyboard that can help user neck and shoulders less tension when using it. Or the keyboard can move able ,connect by Bluetooth or wireless to computer. 3.3 Touchpad Touchpad pointing device is a special surface can translate the users finger motion and position in the relative position on the screen composition. They are a common feature of the notebook can also be used as a computer mouse in the desktop space is limited alternatives. Touchpad vary in size , but few make over forty 40 square centimeters (6.3 x 6.3 cm or about 6 inch ²). Touchpad is probably the most common form of tactile sensors. Touchpad is mainly used in a separate laptop, do not need the machine near the surface. Touch pad near the keyboard, only a very short finger movements is the need to move the cursor on the display screen, while beneficial, it also makes it possible for the users thumb moves the mouse cursor when typing accident. Feature is the touchpad on the desktop computer keyboard with the existing built-in touchpad. Touchpad can help reduce the tension of finger ,hand and shoulder. Using it also comfortable. It also consist of mouse function like right and left click ,scroll down or up. 4.0 Output devices Output device is a computer hardware device for communication with any part of the results of data processing information processing system (such as a computer) to the outside world. 4.1 Monitor Monitor is a computer display and related parts packaged in a physical unit that is separate from other parts of the computer. Monitor concern physical ergonomics side is about the height of monitor ,distance Between eye to monitor ,the monitor effect to body and the monitor setting. Normal monitor easy make our neck ,upper back and eye feel tired easily. Ergonomics monitor can help our neck ,upper back and eye reduce the tiredness. this is because ergonomics monitor can change the height ,setting and distance. Monitor distance should located directly in front of the user where the positioned to view monitor. The distance between eye to the monitor screen at less need around 17-20inch away. But if using a small monitor can located it closed a bit. If using a big monitor need to locate little farther away. Monitor setting can change the monitor resolution ,contrast and brightness. As the result, The setting can help user to view the monitor more clearly ,it also help user to reduce eye tiredness. Monitor height is important ,because it can prevent our neck and upper back muscle reduce tension. To determine the correct monitor height ,first sit infront of monitor and then close eyes and make the position of head and body in a neutral and comfortable position ,spine need be straight .After that open eye and note the point where your vision ,that is the correct monitor height. Monitor concern organizational ergonomics side is improve the monitor light weight ,reduce electric comsumption and the speed of display. CRT(cathode ray tube) is the 1st type of monitor. It has high dynamic range ,good colour ,wide gamut and low black level. It can also display natively in any resolution and refresh rate. However, CRT weight is too heavy and big size so now has less people using it. LCD(liquid crystals display) is come after the CRT. LCD is compact ,light weight ,low electric comsumption and no geometric. But ,LCD has a limited viewing angle and slow response times. So ,LCD is suitable for 1 person to view the monitor. Plasma is the lastest design for display. It mostly overcome the problem from CRT and LCD like high speed response ,viewing angle. Plasma same as LCD as compact and light weight ,so it easy to carry. However ,plasma is still facing the input lag problem. 4.2 Earphone Earphones are a pair of small speakers, or less see a speaker, has held close to the users ears, and connection methods, such as audio amplifier, radio or CD player to a method of source Type of earphone The special needs of the listener determines the choice of headphones. Should be noted that the portability of smaller, lighter headset, but it may mean a compromise in Fidelity. Hi-fi headphones as part of a family does not have the same design constraints can be larger and heavier. In general, the shape of the headset can be divided into four different categories: circumaural, supra-aural, earbud, and in-ear. Circumaural: Circumaural headphones (sometimes called full-size headphones) are round or oval-shaped ear pads, which should include the ears. Since these headphones completely surrounded ear, circumaural headphones can be designed completely sealed to prevent the head of any less intrusive external noise. Because of their size, circumaural headphones re, there are some units weighing more than 500 grams. Headband and ear pads requirements designed to reduce the discomfort caused by the weight. Supra-aural: Supra-aural pad sitting on top of the ear headphones, rather than around them. They are usually bundled with personal stereos in the 80s. This type of headphones, generally tend to be smaller and lighter than circumaural headphones, which reduce the external noise attenuation. Earbud: They are a smaller size, directly on the outside of the ear headphones, but it is not completely surrounded. They are generally inexpensive, is its portability and convenience of all ages. Since they can not provide any information they often use high-volume to cover up the environment from the user, thus increasing the risk of hearing loss noise. [2] 90 in the 20th century and 2000s, earbuds became a common type bundled with personal music device isolation. In-ear: Sometime it called as canalphones ,this kind of earphone are inserted directly into ear canal. It similar like earbuds,it portable and act as earplugs to block out environment sound. There are two main types of ear: General and customization. General canalphones provide one or more stock sleeve size (S) to fit various ear canal, which is commonly made of silicone rubber, elastomer, or foam noise isolation. Custom canalphones is installed on everyones ears. Ear tubes used in the manufacture castings made and create a custom casting silicone rubber or elastomer, to provide additional comfort and noise isolation plug. As it involves personal labor, custom ear than in the general ear and very low resale value, because they are less expensive and may be suitable for others. However ,the design of the earphones sharp or the music quality also important. This is because, different user has different needed. Example ,the user need the bass boots earphone so that they can listen the music more bass. In addition, for spot user the earphone can hang at ears and not easy to drop down ,so that user can enjoy the music and no need worry about the earphone drop down. 4.3 Printer Printer is peripheral which produces hard copy (permanent human-readable text and / or graphics) files stored in electronic form, usually paper or transparencies, such as physical print media, documents. Many printer is mainly used for local peripheral devices, and a printer via a cable connection, or in most newer printers, the computers USB cable to connect to it as a file source. Some printers, commonly known as a network printer with a built-in network interface, usually wireless and / or Ethernet-based, and can be used as any user on the network hard-copy devices. The following printing technologies are routinely found in modern printers: Toner-based/Laser printers: This kind of printer rapidly produces high quality text and graphics. As digital copiers and multifunction printers (MFP), laser printer uses electrostatic printing process, but the difference is that the image is made up of a printers photoreceptor cells across the laser beam directly scan analog copiers. Liquid inkjet printers: Inkjet printers operate by propelling variably-sized droplets of liquid or molten material (ink) onto almost any sized page. They are the most common type of computer printer used by consumers. Dye-sublimation printers: A dye sublimation printer (or dye sub printer) is a printer using a thermal transfer printing process using a plastic card, paper or canvas media such as dyes. This process is usually used to lay in a color panel ribbon, once a color. Dye sub printer is mainly used for high-quality color applications, including color photography and text suitable for the disadvantaged. Once the high-end print shops, dye-sublimation printer provincial consumers increasingly are used to dedicated photo printer. Inkless printers: There is two type of inkless printer. They are Thermal printers and UV printers. The work of selective heating thermal printer thermal sensitive paper of special areas. Black and white thermal printer for cash registers, ATM machines, gasoline and some old cheap fax machine. Color can be achieved with special paper, different temperatures and heating rates of different colors. One example is the Zink technology. Xerox is developing a inkless printer will use a special reusable paper, chemicals, UV-sensitive coating of several microns. The printer will use a special UV light bar will be able to write and erase the paper. As of early 2007, the technology is still in development and the printed page can only be maintained between 16-24 hours before fading text. 5.0 Conclusion: In this era ,the devices already improve by the time. So human can enjoy and get more benefit from the new design of devices. So ,ergonomic devices is important that can make our life more good. However ,we must rest around every 30min while using computer ,and also while rest can do some office exercise. This can maintain our body blood flowing.

Arthurian Literature: The Evolution of Merlin Essay -- Literature

Arthurian Literature: The Evolution of Merlin  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In all the long history of literature, some fictional characters have loomed above others, written about again and again by various authors of various eras. Arthurian literature is one area of fiction that has always been popular for writers to recreate in new versions, and one of the most intriguing characters of all Arthurian literature is Merlin, the magician/ prophet who aids Arthur early in his reign. As the Arthurian saga develops, so does Merlin, changing from an aloof, druidical character into a more human, magical being, though always retaining some traces of his Welsh origins. Merlin gains his first mention in eight ancient Welsh poems attributed to the Welsh bard Myrddin. (Bruce) Signs of his Welsh, druidical heritage are all through the verses. One poem invokes an apple-tree to hide Merlin from his pursuing enemies, and magical apple-trees are common in Welsh fairyland. Another of Merlin's purported poems is addressed to a little pig, and in another he mentions a wolf as one of his few companions. Both of these animals are common devotional cult-objects in Welsh druidism. One poem indicates that Merlin/Myrddin spends a great deal of his time with deer, perhaps even appearing in the form of a stag and living as one. This description is reminiscent of the Welsh stag-god Cernunnos, "The Horned One," who appears as a man with a stag's head and associates with deer. (Tolstoy) In the Welsh poem "Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin" ("The Dialogue of Merlin and Taliesin"), written down around 1050, we receive our first indication of Merlin's most prominent gift in la ter literature, that of prophecy. The poem ends with the lines "Since I, Myrdin, am next after ... ...ne of the great and enigmatic characters of the Matter of Britain and, for that matter, of all literature.    Works Cited Bruce, Dr. James Douglas. The Evolution of Arthurian Romance. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith, 1958. Loomis, Roger Sherman. The Arthurian Romance. London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., 1963. Loomis, Roger Sherman, ed. Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History. Clarendon Press, 1959. Ownbey, E. Sydnor. Merlin and Arthur: A Study of Merlin's Character and Function in the Romances Dealing with the Early Life of Arthur. Vanderbilt University, 1932. Paton, Dr. Lucy Allen. Studies in the Fairy Mythology of Arthurian Romance. New York: Burt Franklin, 1960. Tatlock, J.S.P. The Legendary History of Britain. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1950.       Arthurian Literature: The Evolution of Merlin Essay -- Literature Arthurian Literature: The Evolution of Merlin  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In all the long history of literature, some fictional characters have loomed above others, written about again and again by various authors of various eras. Arthurian literature is one area of fiction that has always been popular for writers to recreate in new versions, and one of the most intriguing characters of all Arthurian literature is Merlin, the magician/ prophet who aids Arthur early in his reign. As the Arthurian saga develops, so does Merlin, changing from an aloof, druidical character into a more human, magical being, though always retaining some traces of his Welsh origins. Merlin gains his first mention in eight ancient Welsh poems attributed to the Welsh bard Myrddin. (Bruce) Signs of his Welsh, druidical heritage are all through the verses. One poem invokes an apple-tree to hide Merlin from his pursuing enemies, and magical apple-trees are common in Welsh fairyland. Another of Merlin's purported poems is addressed to a little pig, and in another he mentions a wolf as one of his few companions. Both of these animals are common devotional cult-objects in Welsh druidism. One poem indicates that Merlin/Myrddin spends a great deal of his time with deer, perhaps even appearing in the form of a stag and living as one. This description is reminiscent of the Welsh stag-god Cernunnos, "The Horned One," who appears as a man with a stag's head and associates with deer. (Tolstoy) In the Welsh poem "Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin" ("The Dialogue of Merlin and Taliesin"), written down around 1050, we receive our first indication of Merlin's most prominent gift in la ter literature, that of prophecy. The poem ends with the lines "Since I, Myrdin, am next after ... ...ne of the great and enigmatic characters of the Matter of Britain and, for that matter, of all literature.    Works Cited Bruce, Dr. James Douglas. The Evolution of Arthurian Romance. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith, 1958. Loomis, Roger Sherman. The Arthurian Romance. London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., 1963. Loomis, Roger Sherman, ed. Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History. Clarendon Press, 1959. Ownbey, E. Sydnor. Merlin and Arthur: A Study of Merlin's Character and Function in the Romances Dealing with the Early Life of Arthur. Vanderbilt University, 1932. Paton, Dr. Lucy Allen. Studies in the Fairy Mythology of Arthurian Romance. New York: Burt Franklin, 1960. Tatlock, J.S.P. The Legendary History of Britain. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1950.