Growing role of Shale Gas

Growing role of Shale Gas Introduction Background Adequate, affordable and reliable supplies of energy are essential for social-economic development of any nation. Global energy demand has been rising consistently. High demand for energy in the recent past has led to general increase in global oil prices. Frequent energy crises in the recent decades have motivated innovation in energy sector.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Growing role of Shale Gas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most recent research studies in energy are oriented towards developing alternative source of energy to supplement or replace fossil fuel. National and international consumption of fossil fuels are anticipated to rise over nest several years. The increase in consumption is however expected to be slower that in the recent years. Projected increase in fossil fuel consumption in the U.S is, among other factors, as result of anticipated increases growth domestic unconve ntional gas supplies (Haines, 2006, par 7). According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2009, there is high anticipation of increase production of oil, coal and natural gas in the country (Ziff, 2009, par 2). Increased production of shale gas is expected to bring high impact in energy mix not only in the United States but also in other parts of the world. The report addresses effect of increasing production and consumption of Share gas in the country. It focuses on technological impact, commercial consideration, and implication of use of Shale gas to conventional gas. Unconventional natural gas is at the top in national energy discussion. The increasing importance of unconventional natural gas on national energy has led to significant impact on the country’s energy. The significance of unconventional natural gas is not felt only in the U.S but also in other parts of the world such as Australia, Canada, China and some countries in Europe (For tson, 2009, par 15). Debate on conventional natural gas is relatively new. In 2000, unconventional natural gas contributed less than 1% of the countries gas consumption. The impact of the unconventional natural gas was not felt until about 2007-2008, but reached its peak in the second half of 2009. Currently, unconventional natural gas is considered as one of the important innovations in energy sector and one that has high potential energy supply in the future. Shale gas leads as the unconventional natural gas that has significant impact on national and global energy (New Standard Energy, 2010, par 5). It is natural gas derived from Shale. Shale is natural gas potential rock made up of mud that is composed various clay minerals and other minerals.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Shale gas has developed significantly as source of energy in the country in the recen t years. Due to its scale, shale gas is considered as one of the sources of energy that need assessment for development. With development in technology for developing Shale gas, the unconventional natural gas is considered to lead to a paradigm shift in national and global energy in the future. The figure below shows natural gas production in United States: Source: Natural Gas Production By source. Available at (all-llc.com/publicdownloads/ALLShaleOverviewFINAL.pdf ) Unconventional natural gas, particularly shale gas has led to a revolution in energy sector. The impact of shale gas is already being felt in the US and globally. The unconventional natural has led to a transformation in supply and price forecast for natural gas. It has also led to significance on competition among various options for energy. Today Shale gas contribute to about 20% of gas used in United states, a rise from about 1% 2000 (Kuuskraa, 2007, par 3). It is anticipated that Shale gas and other unconventional natural gases will continue to grow contributing to about half of gases used in the country by 2035. Such an increase will have high impact on energy sector in the country. For instance, unconventional natural gases contributing 50% of national consumption enable electric power industry to increase is natural gas consumption to about 35 Billion cubic billion per day, up from 19 Bcf currently. Abundant resource for natural gas will have effect o various sectors of the economy. It will have significant influence on choice for power generating technologies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Growing role of Shale Gas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Considering the consistent growth in demand for electricity and pressure to replace some of the current plants, shale gas and other unconventional natural gas will contribute highly on the overall energy mix (Whitney, Behrens, Clover and Hederman, 2010, p. 108). Shift to uncon ventional natural gas will affect the relative cost of handling greenhouse gas emissions. The abundant supply of Shale gas could also have effect on transportation fuels. It could lead to focus on natural gas vehicle while the gas could be used to run power stations that could be used for recharging batteries for electric vehicle. Revolution in energy sector brought by unconventional natural gas has influenced consumption of natural gas. It has lowered price outlook for natural gas, gas as a source of energy to be more competitive. The Abundance in supply for the unconventional natural gas has boosted confidence on security of supply for natural gas (Jolly, 2008, par 7). This is a great shift from high natural gas insecurity experiences some few years ago. As gas consumption is expected to raise, greenhouse regulation with become more of a reality than a possibility. Although there is high expectation for impact of Shale gas and other unconventional natural gas, the limit is subject to relative economies of fuels. Other factors that are expected to affect shale gas consumption include structure of the transport system, configuration for power systems, and public policies such as Greenhouse gas emission control. Figure shows outlook for unconventional Natural gas Source: United States Unconventional Natural Gas Outlook. Available at: (all-llc.com/publicdownloads/ALLShaleOverviewFINAL.pdf )Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Technology analysis Although unconventional natural gases are widely available, they were ignored in preference of conventional natural gas. Shale gas deposits in particular were ignored by producers as they sought deposits with higher concentration. The producers mainly preferred high concentration reserves in order to optimize returns from their heavy investments. Although Shale gas mining has been there for a long time, it was not considered a viable source of sustainable natural gas (Westervelt, 2010, par 5). It is through technological improvement in Shale gas mining that is has become a competitive source of natural gas. Cost effectiveness of modern drilling, well simulation and conversion has turned Shale gas to potential source of natural gas. The significance of new Shale gas mining technology is evident in increase in Shale gas in the market thus reducing import for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in the country and its demand globally. Shale gas production is significantly di fferent from production in conventional petroleum reservoirs. Petroleum reservoirs mainly rely on pressure oil-dissolved gas and gas-cap during early stages of development. Mining also depends on upward hydraulic pressure from water trapping the reservoir. The production is therefore easier and cost effective due to the nature of the reservoirs. This method of production where water drives and pressure of natural gas is referred to as conventional drive (Curtis, 2002, p. 37). When conventional drive drops due to reduction reservoir’s production, pumping is required in order to bring the petroleum to the surface. Artificial lift, as the process is referred, leads to increase in production cost. As a reaction to cost effectiveness of artificial lift, drilling companied started to induce hydraulic pressure. The technology helped to increase a well’s production, effectiveness, and reduce cost. Today, advancement in drilling technology has led to a shift from reliance of ve rtical drilling to horizontal directed to reservoir formation (Mccallum and Womack, 2010, par 13). Horizontal drilling has not only led to high production but also allows drilling of more than one well from a single well pad. This not only helps in cutting cost but also reduce environmental effect (Sumi, 2008, par 4). Hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling has played a significant on Shale gas production; making it a major competitor to conventional natural gas. Shale gas production has to consider some factors for it to be successful. The most important factor to be considered in Shale gas extraction is the level of gas in Shale gas reservoirs. Since Shale has low permeability, commercial production of Shale gas requires fracturing in order to produce permeability. Although natural fractures are sometimes available, they cannot be able to support commercial production making artificial fracturing to be necessary (Ghosh and Prelas, 2009, p. 73). Modern technology in hydraulic fracturing has enabled Shale gas extraction to be commercially viable leading to the current boom. Most of the current Shale gas wells are horizontal. Horizontal drilling and need for hydraulic fracturing tend to make cost for Shale gas production to be higher that in conventional wells. Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are very important to Shale gas production. Horizontal drilling allows production of Shale gas from a wide geographic area without having to sink many vertical wells. Through the technology, gas production can be done below surrounding farms, schools, airports and other natural and man made features, without interference. Hydraulic fracturing increases gas production making Shale gas production to be commercially viable. Commercial Consideration Until recently, Shale gas was not consideration for commercial use. Various factors in energy market such as price increase and instability, together with advancement in hydraulic technology has changed the situa tion. Today Shale gas makes up about 20% of natural gas consumption in the United States (Lashley and Hobbs, 2010, par 4). Other countries such as Australia, China and some European countries are considering Shale gas as substitute to natural gas. As unconventional natural gas, extraction of Shale gas is challenging. Difficulty in extracting Shale gas has been the major factor limiting production of Shale gas and other unconventional natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing required for extraction of the gas was expensive making cost of production to be extremely high. The high cost of production made produced Shale gas to be expensive than imported liquefied natural gas. Therefore, importation was preferred way of acquiring fuel gas. Horizontal drilling and advancement in hydraulic fracturing have reduced Shale gas production substantially making Shale gas as a major competitor to liquefied natural gas (Congressional Research Service, 2009, par 9). Cost effectiveness of the Shale gas prod uction has therefore made economically viable. The high rate of growth of Shale gas in the country is a major threat to conventional natural gas. Not only is Shale gas reservoirs in the country large but also the gas can be sold at competitive prices. Shale gas therefore has been able to emerge as potential source of energy for the future. The large reservoir for Shale gas and improving effectiveness of Shale gas production is having high impact in national and global natural gas market. The United States has been relying almost entirely on imported liquefied natural gas. Relying on importation meant that any effect in production in source countries has high implication to the United States. The US currently consumes about 21percent of global natural gas. This is a large portion from an individual country. Considering the US’s high consumption of natural gas, increase in Shale gas usage in the country will have high implication on global natural oil industry. Considering the countries high potential in Shale gas, the US might turn as an exporter of natural gas in the future (Durham, 2010, par 9). Currently, the US has shale gas potential capable in supplying the country with natural gas for the next a hundred years. The effect of Shale gas has already started to be witnessed. Before Shale gas revolution in 2009, world prices for natural gas were in constant fluctuations. High commercial production of shale gas has led to stabilization of the prices. Anticipated growth in Shale gas production in the country is anticipated to exert more pressure on liquefied natural gas. Other countries such as Australia and China are also taking moves to increase Shale gas production in the counties. The national and global increase in Shale gas production is likely to major effect on OPEC (Arthur, Langhus and Alleman, 2008, par 6). The high monopoly and control in natural gas is likely to change. Russia is the country that will be affected most by the changes. Russia an d other oil producing and exporting countries will have implement major changes in the natural gas exportation in order to remain competitive. Shale gas has competitive advantage over conventional natural gas. The gas has less carbon content relative to conventional natural gas. As urge environmentally friendly fuel alternative continues, Shale gas will be preferred over conventional natural gas. Shale gas is not only environmentally friendly is considered to commercially superior to conventional natural gas. Exploration for Shale gas is relatively cheap as compared to natural gas. New production technologies have lowered the cost of producing Shale gas substantially making it highly competitive. In addition, Shale gas reservoirs are easily available as compared to natural gas. Shale Gas versus Conventional Gas Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has made Shale gas to be a boom in natural gas market. Analysis is HIS CERA has found Shale gas resource base of about 2,000 Tcf. It is also estimated that additional 3,000 Tcf is going to be discovered in the near future. Shale gas potential in other countries is also high (Lewis and Lawler, 2010, par 8). For instance, in Canada Shale gas resources is estimated to be more than 500 Tcf. The high potential in Shale gas has major impact on conventional gas. Shale gas is a substitute to conventional natural gas. This mean that increased demand for Shale gas has negative impact on demand for conventional natural gas. In United States, Shale gas consumption has risen to about 20 percent up from about 1% in 2000. The effect of this increase is already being felt in natural gas market. This has led to stability in prices for natural gases while outlook for future prices indicate price fall. Many countries are considering Shale gas. Other countries, which have shown strong interest on Shale gas production, include Australia, China, Canada and some European countries such as Poland. Full-blown production of Shale gas will have severe effect on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Shale gas might replace LNG as the dominant natural gas. Low cost of Shale gas production enabled by new production technology has made Shale gases a potential source of natural gas. Worldwide production of Shale gas will exert competition on LNG leading to drop in prices. The increased Shale gas production will have negative effects of LNG producing countries such as Russia. The countries may loose revenue due to drop in natural gas export and reduction in prices. Shale Gas Development in USA United States among the countries that have shown great interest in Shale gas production. Shale gas is considered a solution to natural gas problems in the country. Although Shale gas extraction started in early 1820s in Fredonia, New York, it is not until recently that is has gained popularity as a potential source for natural gas (U.S. Department of Energy, 2009, par 5). The country has high reserve for Shale gas. Currently Barnett Shal e is the largest reservoir for Shale gas and the most active. Other potential Shale producing areas are also being explored. For instance, there has been exploration in West Texas. The country’s Share gas resources are estimated to be about 600 Tcf, a high potential for natural gas supplier (Paltsev, Jacoby, Ejaz, Morris and Kragha, 2010, par 9). Investments in Shale gas has increased with new and more effective share gas producing technologies. In total, the country has about 35,000 producing Shale-gas wells. Many companies have shown interest in Shale gas. Among the major investors in this area, include Royal Dutch Shell, Contango Oil Co., Chesapeake Energy Corp., Denbury Resource Inc., Devon Energy Corp., Noble Energy Corp. and Murphy Oil Corp (US Energy Information Administration, 2008, par 11). Investment in Shale gas is continuing to attract more investors mainly because high profitability prospect. Currently US Shale gas consumption is about 20% of natural gas consumed in the country. The consumption is estimated to continue to rise as more investments are made in the area. It is anticipated that about half of the country’s natural gas will be produced locally from Shale gas by around 2030. The high investment in Shale gas might may turn the US as a major exporter in natural gas in the future. This will be a major contrast of the current situation where the US consumes about 21% of world’s natural gas, mainly imported. Conclusion Source of energy is very crucial for development of any country. Recent energy crises have demonstrated the importance of sustainable source of energy. Many research studies in energy sector have focused of on coming up with alternative source of energy to ensure stability in energy supply. Shale gas provides one of the most viable alternatives to conventional natural gas. Technological advancement and high investment in Shale gas has made it one of the potential supplies for natural gas. In United State, S hale gas is estimated to contribute about 50% of the country’s natural gas consumption. The impact of Shale gas is expected to be felt in global natural gas production. Reference List Arthur, D., Langhus, B. and Alleman, D. 2008. An overview of modern shale gas development in the United States. Available [online] at all-llc.com/publicdownloads/ALLShaleOverviewFINAL.pdf Congressional Research Service. 2009. Unconventional Gas Shales: Development, Technology, and Policy Issues. Available [online] at http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40894_20091030.pdf Curtis, J. 2002. Unconventional Petroleum System. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Vol. 86 No. 11, pp 1921-1938. Durham, L. 2010. Prices, Technology Make Shales Hot. Available [online] at aapg.org/explorer/2008/07jul/shales.cfm Fortson, D. 2009. Shale gas blasts open world energy market. Available [online] at http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article6898015.ece Ghosh, T . and Prelas, M. 2009. Energy Resources and Systems: Fundamentals and non-renewable resources. New York: Springer. Haines, L.2006. Shale Gas Available [online] at oilandgasinvestor.com/pdf/ShaleGas.pdf Jolly, D. 2008. Europe starting search for shale gas. The New York Times. Available [online] at nytimes.com/2008/08/22/business/worldbusiness/22iht-eurogas.4.15555534.html?_r=1 Kuuskraa, V. 2007. A Decade of Progress in Unconventional Gas. Available [online] at adv-res.com/pdf/ARI%20OGJ%201%20Unconventional%20Gas%20Progress%207_24_07.pdf Lashley, M., and Hobbs, D. 2010. Fueling North America’s Energy Future. The Wall Street Journal. Available [online] at http://www2.cera.com/ceraweek2010/NAm2010-03-10.pdf Lewis, B., and Lawler, A. 2010. Analysis: Oil major model challenged by shift to gas. Available [online] at http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-48557420100517 Mccallum, k., and Womack, J. 2010. Mitsui Bets on U. S. Shale-Gas Project. Available [online] at http://online .wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748704804204575069542803027352.html New Standard Energy. 2010. What is Shale gas? Available [online] at newstandard.com.au/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=78Itemid=93 Paltsev, S., Jacoby, H., Ejaz, Q. Morris, J., and Kragha, O. 2010. The Future of U.S. Natural Gas Production, Use, and Trade. Available [online] at https://www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/resources/download/5093.pdf Sumi, L. 2008. Shale Gas: Focus on the Marcellus Shale. Available [online] at earthworksaction.org/pubs/OGAPMarcellusShaleReport-6-12-08.pdf U.S. Department of Energy. 2009. Modern shakes Gas Development in The United State: A Primer. Available [online] at netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/publications/EPreports/Shale_Gas_Primer_2009.pdf US Energy Information Administration. 2008. Top 100 oil and gas fields. Available [online] at eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/data_publications/crude_oil_natural_gas_reserves/current/pdf/top100fields.pdf Westervelt, A . 2010. Shale Gas Booming Globally, Despite Chemical Dangers. Available [online] at http://solveclimate.com/blog/20100809/shale-gas-booming-globally-despite-chemical-dangers Whitney, G. Behrens, C., Clover, C. and Hederman, W. 2010. Energy: Natural Gas: The Production and Use of Natural Gas, Natural Gas Imports and Exports, Epact Project, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminals and Infrastructure Security. New York: The Capitol Net Inc. Ziff, P. 2009. Shale Gas Outlook to 2020. Available [online] at ziffenergy.com/download/pressrelease/PR20090408-02.pdf

Safety and Security

Safety and Security Safety and Security Safety and Security By Maeve Maddox Cora wants to know the difference between safety and security. Safety and security and their adjectives safe and secure are often used in tandem, as in the hymn: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarm Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms These definitions from the OED treat them as synonyms: safety: a. The state of being safe; exemption from hurt or injury; freedom from danger. safety chain, a chain providing additional security security: The condition of being protected from or not exposed to danger; safety. Nevertheless, the words differ in connotation and writers will weigh the context when deciding which to use. Safe and safety, for example, push emotional buttons that secure and security dont. We speak of national security, but personal safety. Threatened townspeople seek the security of castle walls, but a frightened child runs to the safety of her fathers arms. Security surrounds, but safety enfolds. Perhaps the lingering differences between the words can be found in their differing etymologies. Safe comes from Latin salvus, uninjured, healthy. Its related to salus, good health. Secure comes from Latin securus, without care, from se, free from, and cura, care. To my mind, security suggests freedom from worries that derive from knowing that certain external safeguards are in place and that I can rely on them to protect me and my property. Safety is a richer word that includes an inner certainty that all is well. In a sense, security is external, while safety is internal. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?Taser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?Hyphenation in Compound Nouns

Project Evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Evaluation - Assignment Example The document also summarises the theories and concepts learnt in the unit, how these theories influenced my work, example/case study of a successful IT project and its comparison with the developed database. Lastly, the document includes the impact of these lessons on my future work, and what I would do differently along with its rationale. Database of Local Recruitment Agency A local recruitment agency requested to have a database in order to store their business information and access the information in the form of reports. The agency deals with the information of customers (job applicants), jobs (currently available and archived) and tracks contact between customers. In order to fulfil the requirement of the agency, I have developed a database in Microsoft Access 2007. As mentioned in the (previous) assignment, the agency has the following requirements: i. A database to be developed in Microsoft Access that is able to store, retrieve and update the information regarding customers, jobs and track contacts between customers. ii. The agency should be able to add new customers, jobs and their information or details in the database through a form (separate for each) of MS database Access. iii. The agency wants several reports to be produced from the database; however, they specified only three reports that include the customer list; jobs list grouped by job type and the report showing contacts and track follow up. iv. The database tables should be populated with data of at-least 20 customers, 10 jobs and 20 contacts. To fulfil the requirements of the agency, I have developed a database in MS Access 2007 that has four tables, which include tblCustomer, tbljobs, tblContact, and tblJobType. The agency can store all the relevant information in these tables (requirement â€Å"i" fulfilled). I have developed three forms to add/update new customers and jobs along with their details (requirement â€Å"ii" fulfilled). I have developed three specified reports that show t he customer list, jobs list and contact group by the customer (requirement â€Å"iii" fulfilled). I have populated the database with required data in the respective table (requirement â€Å"iv" fulfilled). Features of a Smart Database The developed database should also be evaluated in terms of the characteristics of a high quality database as given below: Accuracy The database is considered accurate if the values stored in the fields of the database are correct. After developing, the database for the agency presumes that the information that is input into a database is faultless as well as accurate. Completeness The end user (agency) of the database has to be aware of the information to be provided to the developer(s) for the development of the database, as if they provide less or inaccurate information, the developed database would definitely be useless and inaccurate. In our case, the information of the customer has to be complete in every aspect, for example the customer profil e, education and experience etc. is missing in the developed database, which has not been asked by the agency. Consistency The consistency is as important as the accuracy and completeness of a database. As in our case, the database is considered to be consistent as we have stored the information/data of one item in a single field only. Uniqueness The data in one field must represent

Nothing But The Truth by avi book talk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nothing But The Truth by avi book talk - Essay Example There are larger social and community forces at work when it comes to the actions of men. Young people are introduced into these in this work. These things make the book a worthwhile read, apart from its artistic merits. This is an excellent novel for introducing young people into some hard to grasp gray areas when it comes to seeking the truth in human society (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d.). In terms of readability and suitability, the novel is perfect for students in the middle school grades. Moreover, the reading difficulty appropriateness is buttressed by the aspects of the novel that relate to truth seeking, and that relate to imparting lessons about how society works, and how human nature works when it comes to dealing with the truth. Truth is not something that is out there as black and white realities, but is something that is sometimes hard to surface, despite the best intentions. This lesson goes beyond the merely literary and goes beyond language. It has large implications for the understanding of young people of their place in their community, and the ways and motivations of people and of the institutions that impact their lives. Because the novel touches on a larger social reality, I chose it as an excellent material with many layers of meaning and lessons for my students. For these reasons too, I rate this 4 stars out of 5 (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Win ston, n.d.). The obvious curricular connections are in social studies, especially as the novel touches on the interplay of many social institutions and how they influence the thinking and behavior of the different key characters in the story. The mainstream media as an important group in society is a focus of attention, as well as the larger social reality of the school system, and the political system as well. These are all explored with some depth as they relate to the issue at hand in the novel, and tie very well with related concepts in social studies (Avi, 2003; Holt,

Archimedes :: essays papers

Archimedes Archimedes of Syracuse (ca. 287-ca. 212 BC) Greek mathematician who flourished in Sicily. He is generally considered to be the greatest mathematician of ancient times. Most of the facts about his life come from a biography about the Roman soldier Marcellus written by the Roman biographer Plutarch. Archimedes performed numerous geometric proofs using the rigid geometric formalism outlined by Euclid (Greek geometer who wrote the Elements, the world's most definitive text on geometry.), excelling especially at computing areas and volumes using the METHOD OF EXHAUSTION(a integral-like limiting process to compute the area and volume of 2-D lamina and 3-D solids.). 2-D Lamina ¡Ã‚ ¦s: 3-D Solids He was especially proud of his discovery for finding the volume of a sphere, showing that it is two thirds the volume of the smallest cylinder that can contain it. At his request, the figure of a sphere and cylinder as engraved on his tombstone. In fact, it is often said that Archimedes would have invented calculus if the Greeks had only possessed a more tractable mathematical notation. By inscribing and circumscribing polygons on a circle, for instance, he was able to constrain the value of (pi ) between 3 10/71 and 3+1/7. Æ’Ã   Archimedes was also an outstanding engineer, formulating Archimedes' principle of buayancy and the law of the lever. Legend has it that Archimedes discovered his principle of buoyancy, which states that the buoyancy force is equal to the weight of the liquid displaced, while taking a bath, upon which he is supposed to have run naked through the streets of Syracuse shouting ``Eureka!'' (I have found it). Archimedes is also purported to have invented the Archimedean screw. Some of Archimedes's geometric proofs were actually motivated by mechanical arguments which led him to the correct answer.

Blood Brothers Evaluation Essay

In June 2004, myself and the rest of my GSCE Drama group travelled to London to watch a performance of the play ‘Blood Brothers’ by Willy Russell. Having studied the play in great detail four weeks previous to that day, we eagerly awaited seeing the play on stage. A workshop with the narrator beforehand gave us an insight to what it was like to be a member of the cast and helped us further in relating to the characters themselves. I shall now evaluate the performance I saw discussing the medium and elements of drama used in the play, and themes and symbols noted throughout. The play began with a still image placed behind a gauze curtain. The still image was that of the death scene between the two brothers at the end of the play, and the image was distorted slightly by red and blue ripples of light that were shined on the curtain itself. These ripples of light can be thought of on many levels and can represent many different things. When I thought about it the first thing that came to my mind was the saying ‘looking through the ripples of time’ which, in effect, was what we were doing. We were looking through the curtain and the ripples, and looking through time – seeing an event that had not yet come to pass. The still image was constructed by each actor in turn walking on stage and taking up their positions, this was effective in building up tension in the audience as we were left wondering what the final picture would look like. Once the actors had taken up their positions, the gauze curtain lifted so we could see the image properly, and then having waited a while the actors left the stage, one by one, in much the same way they entered. The narrator, however, did not leave the stage and proceeded to deliver his lines, explaining the image we had just seen. The beginning of the play, in contrast to the ending, built up an atmosphere of mystery and tension. The ending was much more of a sudden burst of shock. The begging of this play is not unlike that of the famous play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Both plays begin with the end, as it were, with the opening lines telling us the events in the play and, indeed, the way it ends. This line describes how Romeo and Juliet’s fate was ‘written in the stars’, as if it were their destiny. This theme is very significant in both plays. The ending of the play was very tense, due to a number of factors, and the climax to the final gunshots was successfully moving. The way that the policemen entered through the audience gave the play a much more real feel to it. The audience went from sitting and observing something, to being involved in it, and suddenly the audience found themselves right in the middle of all the action. This was a very effective technique to use, as it meant that the audience could relate more to what was happening. Mickey’s body language built tension. They way he shifted his weight, constantly, from one foot to the other and his in-ability to find any words to say, showed his conflicted emotions and also made the audience feel nervous and anxious. After this sudden build up in tension, it seemed from the audience’s point of view that the ending was clear. Both men, now knowing who they truly were would accept things and get on with their lives, living happily ever after. Even knowing what the end would, in fact, be, the thought still crossed my mind and when the gunshots went off, it was so unexpected that it took some time to realise exactly what had taken place. This scene was extremely well portrayed, as it really made the audience feel what the characters were feeling and the fact that the audience just did not expect what was to come made it even more effective still. In the play the narrator played a very important part. It was he who took on the role of fate and destiny. Throughout the play it seemed, on occasion, that it was he who was controlling the events that were taking place. For example in the scene where the mothers made their pact the production showed it was the narrator who introduced the idea of the bible. It was he who passed it to Mrs. Lyons, had he not done this then she may never of thought of the idea. This is not unlike that of a Greek chorus. In the olden times a chorus was used to narrate plays and the leader of this would often interact with the characters on stage. The mere presence of the narrator was incredibly foreboding as his body language and facial expressions were very sinister throughout the play. The fact that the narrator never left the stage also added to the feeling that he was controlling the story and watching over everything that happened. Symbolism played a huge part in the play, so much so that it would take days to interpret it all. Props were used well as symbols throughout the play. A significant prop that was used in the play was the locket Mrs Johnstone gave to Eddie to remember her and Mickey as she thought they were never going to meet again. This prop consequently had the opposite effect. Another prop was the sweets Edward gave to Mickey as a gesture of friendship. This showed the audience that Edward was a character who used his personal belongings that he thought little of, to make friends. A prop that was used in different ways throughout the play was a gun. This prop went through the stages of firstly being a child’s finger, then to an air gun and finally to a real gun. Another thing in the play that progressed as the play went on was the ages of the characters, the children especially. One thing that the director chose to do was to keep the same actors all the way through. There was not a 7year old playing the part of Mickey at 7. Nor was there a 14year old playing the part of Mickey as an adolescent. The actors stayed the same meaning they had to adapt to portraying children of different ages. This was done superbly and the actors really did pull off the transitions from child to adult. The different ages were shown mostly by change in costume, however the actors had to adopt a certain balance between maturity and naivety. When they were young, the latter was more prominent but the characters were forced to grow up too soon and maturity took over. This was clear in the way the actors came across on stage. Another very symbolic part of the play was the pact itself, made by the brothers. Making the pact meant spilling their blood – sealing their fate or merely tempting it – it is hard to tell. Much of the symbolism seen in the production was not always that which was written in the script. For example in the production, as I have already mentioned, the narrator handed the bible to Mrs. Lyons, this was not written anywhere in the script in fact in the script, the narrator enters after the pact has been made. It was the director’s choice to have this happen, and I believe it was a very good choice as it really brought across the narrator’s role as fate/destiny in the play. The director of the production I saw, made many more slight changes to the script, each one emphasised the role of destiny and fate more, and overall achieving the desired effect of leading the audience to believe we were being told the story, rather than seeing it as it happened. The play was set in eighties Liverpool and addressed many social and cultural aspects of that time. Class was an obvious issue in the play, separating the two families and the two brothers. This separation was shown by the costumes worn, the way the characters spoke and the set used. Eddie’s smart school uniform was in complete contrast to that of Mickey’s baggy jumpers and scuffed up muddy shoes. The production showed the two houses quite separately with two different backgrounds that would be lowered down whenever a scene was taking place inside a house. The Lyon household consisted of a background of pale flowery wallpaper, a large window, one or two pictures on the walls, and nice furniture. The Johnstone house, however, portrayed an over-crowded, small and very cluttered kitchen, with very brightly coloured wallpaper that looked many years old, as bits were damp, scribbled on, or had been picked off of the wall. This difference in the way the two houses looked showed how the two families were of very separate classes. The Lyons were able to afford a large house, nice sofa and wallpaper still attached to the wall, however the Johnstones could not afford any of these things. Unemployment was a big problem in these times and this issue arose in the play, at one point we saw Mickey waiting to collect the dole with his brother. This was shown in the performance by lots of ‘For sale’ signs descending to position themselves outside the houses, including that of the Johnstone’s. We also saw a change in the attitude of the characters there was a feeling of depression coming from the stage as the characters came to terms with their situations. The way unemployment was portrayed in the play was very effective it made the audience feel sorry for the characters, for Mickey’s poor upbringing and also for Eddie, as his sheltered lifestyle left him very naive and vulnerable when eventually he was thrown into the ‘real world’. In conclusion I feel that the play was incredibly successful in stuffing itself full of as many hidden meanings, symbols, themes and feelings as it possibly could. The way that the play took on another dimension, as it were, involving the audience to such a great level was incredible, heightening emotions and making itself memorable to say the least. Overall a very successful play that used the medium and elements of drama to its advantage in the greatest way possible.

“The World Is Too Much With Us” William Wordsworth - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 629 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/09/17 Category Literature Essay Type Argumentative essay Tags: Poem Essay Did you like this example? Close reading of â€Å"The World Is Too Much With Us† William Wordsworth was a great English Romantic poet whom helped launch the Romantic period of the 19th century. One of his famous works is titled â€Å"The World Is Too Much With Us. † The first eight lines of the poem represent a type of poem called an octet. An octet is defined as an eight-line stanza. The next six lines represents a sestet or better identified as a six-line stanza. The entire poem represents an Italian sonnet made up of fourteen lines total. An Italian sonnet is sometimes called a Petrarch after a famous Italian poet. William Wordsworth gained most of his inspiration to write poetry based on the world around him. Communication with nature is the bases of â€Å"The World Is Too Much With Us. † In the octet, the writer is expressing anger at the human population for being so preoccupied by materialistic things in the world and not focusing the attention on nature. The poem stat es, â€Å"getting and spending† describing human actions on buying things and spending more money than they should on materialistic things in the world. Also, this explains that instead of getting in touch with nature and the spiritual side of life, which is most important, humans have turned out to be selfish and just money oriented. The writer feels that people have given there hearts away from worrying about nature to things in the world that are not as important or as beautiful as the world surrounding them. In the poem, the word â€Å"sordid† means â€Å"filthy† and this truly expresses how filthy rich money will make you, but how filthy your mind will become at the same time. A few lines down the writer describe anger by using winds that are â€Å"howling at all hours. † This is expressing that nature is always calling to humans and expressing how it has been treated by the sounds it makes. The winds would be calm and peaceful if the focus was on nature and not so acquisitive. In the sestet, the writer is expressing feelings to God about becoming a Pagan. Most people would never wish to be raised as a Pagan, but the writer feels so strongly about how nature is being mistreated he would rater become a Pagan than to deal with the terrible feelings he is feeling, and sights he is seeing. He hopes of seeing ancient gods through nature’s reactions to the world around him. If he was to see an ancient god and he refers to â€Å"Proteus† or â€Å"Triton† that would show hope to him of gaining spiritual solace. These allusions to these gods shows that he feels so strongly about nature and the world not being materialistic that he wishes for that power they posses, so he could fix the problem forever. â€Å"Proteus rising from the sea,† shows he feels that the oceans and waters surrounding the world are a striking feature of the earth, and that feature could be brought back to life if a materialistic society did not exist. The poem also alludes to â€Å"Triton† and how the sound of his horn could calm the world back down to the peaceful sounds of nature and the spirits filling the air with comfort. In conclusion, William Wordsworth has written an excellent piece of poetry about nature. Communicating with nature is important because nature and the spiritual side of life controls each day. This poem could truly make society realize how materialistic the world is, and how nature is most of the time completely ignored. Using forms of personification helps the reader allude to information they know to better understand the writer’s expressions. This Italian sonnet â€Å"The World Is Too Much With Us† explains society in a unique way. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "â€Å"The World Is Too Much With Us† William Wordsworth" essay for you Create order