Hayden Christensen Comes to MIT, Looks Pretty

Hayden Christensen Comes to MIT, Looks Pretty Tonight LSC hosted a pretty exciting event a screening of a few selections from the upcoming movie Jumper, as well as a discussion panel including Hayden Christensen, director Doug Liman (who also directed Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Identity trilogy), and MIT physics professors Edward Farhi and Max Tegmark. Its not every day that we get former Darth Vaders up on the stage at 26-100, so there was a pretty sizable crowd lining up all the way out to the building 56 Athena cluster, including local press and MIT alums. And so, because itd be faster and more interesting and also because I dont remember exactly what was said, I give you HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN AT MIT IN 15 MINUTES! (and pictures.) LSC GUY: Hello, and on behalf of LSC, thank you for coming to this free screening of Jumper! Speaking of Jumper, Im wearing a blue sweater. And now, here to talk about his movie, Doug Liman. DOUG LIMAN: Hello, my name is Doug Liman and this is my movie. These clips are from a week ago, which is like a year in Hollywood time, so its like going back in time for me. And also, I didnt get to pick them Fox did. Okay, here we go. CLIP 1: (DAVEY, the movies main character, discovers he can teleport. Joke about a library.) AUDIENCE: HAHAHAHA! DL: And this clip is why I fell in love with the movie. CLIP 2: (DAVEY robs a bank. Lots of money.) DL: And this clip is where we see Hayden. FEMALE AUDIENCE: Woo! CLIP 3: (HAYDEN gets beaten to a pulp by SAMUEL L. JACKSON) MALE AND FEMALE AUDIENCE: WOO! DL: And this is the clip where we see another one of the jumpers, who is played by Jamie Bell. HALF OF THE AUDIENCE: Hey, wasnt he Billy Elliott? OTHER HALF OF AUDIENCE: Ohhh yeah. DL: Some of you thought you were going to come see the whole movie tonight, but we actually just finished it last night, so uh, sorry, thats pretty much it. I have no idea how that rumor got out. Uh, now the guy you probably actually came to see. HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN: Hi, Im Hayden Christensen. LSC GUY: OKAY! Now were going to have a discussion panel! HC: Oh, uh, okay. LSC GUY: Talking about the physics of teleportation tonight Professor Edward Farhi! AUDIENCE: WOO!!! (more cheering and applause than for HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN) LSC GUY: And Professor Max Tegmark! AUDIENCE: WOO!!! (more cheering and applause than for HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN) EDWARD FARHI: Hey, this is like teaching 8.01 all over again. AUDIENCE: Guhhh. EF: Wow, major Debbie Downer. Anyway, Im going to talk about quantum teleportation. But in order to do that, I have to teach you quantum mechanics. Itll just take a minute. SOME FRESHMAN COURSE 8 MAJOR: Oh good, so I dont have to take 8.05 now. EF: So you take an entangled pair of electrons, put each one at point A and point B, and put the electron you want to teleport at point A. Then you take a measurement function which collapses the wave function of the electrons, which will give you any number 1-4. You pass that information through conventional methods, like radio or light, to point B, and you do some quantum thingy (his words) depending on the quantum number to the electron at point B, which will result in the electron having transported over there. So.. basically to do this with Hayden, from Earth to Mars, youd have to destroy him on Earth. (This explanation brought to you with major help from The Angela Monster.) HC and DL: K. MAX TEGMARK: So now Im going to talk a little more about classical teleportation which isnt necessarily teleportation, per se, but is more like transporting someone from point A to B very quickly. But Im going to do it with a power point that isnt always grammatically correct, and features a lot of pictures of Hayden Christensen in various poses. MT: You would never be able to do what Eddy said, because there would be a LOT of energy required. So, say you wanted to classically teleport someone from here to another solar system. The problem with doing it that way is that once you get there, someone would’ve built a better and faster approach to do it. So you’d get there and it’d be like, uhh, who’s that guy? MICROPHONE: (random feedback) RANDOM GUY: LSC! AUDIENCE: SUCKS! LSC GUY: Lets open up the panel to questions! MIT STUDENT: Physics question! EF: Physics answer! DL: Hahaha! MALE MIT STUDENT: This question is for Doug Liman. How much effort do you put in trying to stay true to real-world science? DL: I do a lot of research for my movies. Like I talked to a real world assassin when I was doing the Bourne movies. I try to still think of the science of my movies, you know, like, if Haydens sitting over here, and you teleport him, the air should like collapse in, so much so that there might be condensation created.. MT: Mmm. Yeah. EF: Actually, I have a question for you guys (Liman and Hayden Christensen). What do you think we, as scientists, can do for Hollywood? HC: Go see Jumper. And then, you know, get on it. Make it happen. MALE MIT STUDENT 2: This questions for Hayden I was just wondering what you were expecting when you agreed to come talk to us at MIT tonight.. AUDIENCE and HC: HAHAHHA MALE MIT STUDENT 2: Like, were you expecting just normal kids, or did you think wed be like (nerd voice) huhhh, flux capacitors? AUDIENCE and HC: HAHAHAHAH HC: Uhh.. I guess I wasnt expecting you guys to be such a lively group.. but ah, no.. this is cool. OTHER MIT STUDENTS: Other various physics and/or film related questions! PANEL: Other various physics and/or film related answers! FEMALE MIT STUDENT: This question is for Hayden. My best friend is recently single; would you ever consider dating an MIT girl? HC: Uh- yeahhhh- no- I LSC GUY: And thats it for tonight! Make sure to come to our other LSC events coming up, like Hotel Rwanda this weekend co-hosted by MITs STAND.. STEPH SHIM: I LOVE YOU HAYDEN!!! HC: (head nod) And thats pretty much how it went. I didnt get to talk to, touch, or even really see Hayden because I was in the back row, but here is a pretty good picture of the top of Hayden Christensens head that I rushed the stage for just for this blog entry. Tomorrow, its back to Matlabbing and UROPing, but tonight, JUST FOR TONIGHT, I got to photograph the top of Hayden Christensens head. And also, learn the mechanics behind quantum teleportation. Not bad for a Wednesday night!

Which Matters Moreâ€High Grades or Challenging Courses

A strong academic record is the most important part of nearly all college applications, but theres no simple definition of what makes an academic record strong. Is it having straight As? Or is it taking the most challenging courses offered at your school? The ideal applicant, of course, earns high grades in challenging courses. A student with a GPA in the A range and a transcript filled with AP, IB, dual enrollment, and honors courses will be a contender at even the countrys most selective colleges and universities. Indeed, the great majority of students who get into the countrys top colleges and top universities have A averages and a transcript filled with demanding courses. Strive for Balance When Choosing Courses For the majority of applicants, earning straight As in a slew of demanding courses isnt realistic, and setting goals that arent achievable can lead to burnout, frustration, and a general disillusionment with education. The ideal approach to course selection for the typical student is one of balance: Take at least a few challenging courses (AP, honors, etc.) in core subjects (math, science, history, English, language).Spread out your AP, dual enrollment, and honors courses over your sophomore, junior, and senior years. Trying to accomplish too much all at once is a recipe for burnout and low grades.Dont set yourself up for failure by taking AP courses in subject areas where you struggle. For example, if you dont have much aptitude for math, choose an AP English Language course, not AP Calculus.Dont give up extracurricular activities you love in an effort to put all of your energy into academics. For one, the best college applicants have interests outside of the classroom. More importantly, youll be miserable. A Word on Weighted GPAs Keep in mind that many high schools recognize that AP, IB, and honors courses are far more difficult than other courses, and as a result, give weighted grades for those courses. A B in an AP course will often be calculated as an A or A- on a students transcript. That said, the most selective colleges tend to recalculate applicant GPAs by ignoring courses that arent in core subject areas, and by converting weighted grades back to unweighted. Think About What Your Grades Say to a College For selective colleges, C grades will often close the admissions door. With far more applicants than spaces, selective schools will typically reject applicants who struggle to succeed in difficult courses. Such students will likely struggle in college where the pace is even faster than in high school, and no college wants to have low retention and graduation rates. That said, students with some B grades in difficult courses will still have plenty of college options. A B in AP Chemistry shows that you are able to succeed in a challenging college-level class. Indeed, an unweighted B in an AP class is a better measure of your ability to succeed in college than an A in band or woodworking. This doesnt mean you should avoid band and woodworking (all students should pursue their passions), but from an admissions standpoint, band and woodworking show the breadth of your interests. They dont show that you are prepared for college academics. Put Your Coursework Into Perspective True, your academic record is going to be the most important piece of your college application unless you are applying to an arts program that gives significant weight to your audition or portfolio. But your transcript is just one part of the application. A good SAT score or ACT score can help make up for a less-than-ideal GPA. Also,  extracurricular activities, the admissions essay,​ and letters of recommendation all play a role in the admissions equation at highly selective colleges. Strong extracurricular involvement wont make up for a 1.9 GPA. However, a college may select a student with a 3.3 GPA over one with a 3.8 if that student has demonstrated remarkable talent in sports, music, leadership, or some other area. Colleges are looking for more than smart students. They want students who will contribute to the campus community in meaningful ways. A Final Word The best advice is to take the most challenging courses available and put in the extra effort to earn high grades. However, dont sacrifice your sanity and extracurricular interests to attempt an overly ambitious academic schedule. Finally, its important to realize that students dont need to get straight As in tough courses to get into 99% of the colleges in the country. Places like Harvard and Williams are not your typical colleges, and in general, a few Bs or even a C wont destroy your chances of getting into a good college. Also, students who struggle with AP courses would probably find themselves in over their heads at the countrys most selective colleges.

The Marketing Strategies of Apple - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 808 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/09/19 Category Marketing Essay Type Argumentative essay Tags: Apple Inc Essay Did you like this example? The Marketing Strategies of Apple, Inc. Market segmentation strategy involves dividing the market into groups, where individuals have similar needs and wants for services and products. It could also be a segmentation of people on the basis of behavior, culture and economic status. To get a clearer picture of what is market segmentation, one can always look into the definition provided by business dictionary. com, market segmentation is defined as, Process of defining and sub-dividing a large homogenous market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics (Meadows, 2008). Companies need to segment their market for different reasons. Before one markets products or services, one needs to understand their customers, and find ways and means to satisfy their wants. This is imperative to stay ahead of the competition and build the brand. This is done through extensive market research. Although it is not possible to satisfy individual ne eds and even to understand all of them, a clearly defined market segmentation strategy will help create a market to cater to groups of individuals that will make economic sense to mass produce and distribute. The concept of target market segmentation strategy also falls under the blanket of market segmentation, except the former recognizes and understands the diversity of customers and provides them with products and services that suit their specific requirements (McDaniels Kolari, 2008). A successful market strategy strives to understand different segments and its different needs; works on the exhibited common wants and responds immediately. Apple has historically been troubled by big-box sales staffers, who are ill-informed about its products, a problem that made it difficult for Apple to set its very different products apart from the rest of the computing crowd. By creating a store strictly devoted to Apple products, the company has not only eliminated this problem but has made an excellent customer-loyalty move. Apple stores are a friendly place where Mac and PC users alike are encouraged to play with and explore the technology that the company offers. This is a space where Macheads can not only get service but also hang out with others who enjoy Apple products just as much as they do. By creating this space, Apple encourages current and new customers to get excited about what it has to offer. Apple carefully considers what consumers are looking for, so its products are a result of both extensive research and strong design (Piddshetti, 2007). This meticulous planning is a large contributor to Apples high customer-satisfaction rates. Its plain and simple: Robust and easy-to-use products not only make customers happy, but also makes them want to buy more products from Apple in the future. Apple Inc. , led by Steve Jobs virtually rewrote the book of strategy as well as the history of consumer electronics, with its pioneering â€Å"i productsâ₠¬ : the iPod and iPhone (Peckham, 2010). These products are differentiated with features that multiple niche market segments would appreciate and pay for but are also cost-competitive helping most people become the users of the products. The niches that each of the products occupies, therefore, cover almost the entire market place questioning the very definition of niche. The introduction of iPod and iPhone generated so many competitors, yet iPod and iPhone remain the pioneers with an amazing invincibility (Peckham, 2010). The sustainability of Apple products relates to the fact that they ushered in, and successfully maintained a whole new and complete user experience, which could not be matched by any competitor products in totality despite their being superior in parts. They were highly effective products that were reached to customers with attractive ownership options and distinctive retailing formats. The products constituted the core that created the markets, however. An example of one product and multiple segments would be Apple’s iPod which was produced and targeted towards different demographic segments including male and females, different age levels and different income levels. The iPod was also targeted towards different geographic segments where the product had variations in price and features (Piddshetti, 2007). Common elements of a successful business plan include competitive analysis, value proposition, a pricing structure, and market segmentation. Market segmentation enables companies to become more understanding and knowledgeable of their customers’ needs. Marketers are able to develop strategic marketing plans based on this information which is directly geared towards a target market. By understanding customers, a company can become more responsive and better adapt to changing customer needs. ? References McDaniel, Stephen W. and Kolari, James W. , (2008). What is marketing strategy? Journal of Marketing. 1(3), October , 19–30. Retrieved September 1, 2010, from ProQuest Direct database. Meadows, Maurine. (2008). Assessing the implementation of market segmentation in retail financial services. International Journal of Service Industry. 9(3). 266-285. Peckham, Terry. (2009, January 25). Market segments strategy: the new apple iPhone. The New York Times, 24, 116-122. Piddshetti, Mahesh M. (2007). Secret of Apple Inc. Marketing: by ex Apple Marketing Executive. Financial Industry. Retrieved from https://hitechstartups. wordpress. com/2007/09/10/secret-of-apple-inc-marketing-by-ex-apple-marketing-executive Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Marketing Strategies of Apple" essay for you Create order

Futility Case Free Essays

Baby Chris was born at 23 weeks gestational age (40 weeks gestation is full-term) and weighs about 1. 2 pounds. Because of extreme prematurity and extremely low birth weight, this baby has less than a 10% chance of surviving. We will write a custom essay sample on Futility Case or any similar topic only for you Order Now Even if the baby survives, the likelihood of very serious physical and developmental damage (cerebral palsy, blindness, hearing impairments, respiratory impairments, and other problems) is very high. (In one recent study, ALL of the infants who survived long enough to be discharged from intensive care had significant long-term damage. ) Treatment, that is, treatments, would be invasive, painful, and would continue over a long period of time. It is really so sad that a newborn baby would begin his life under such very difficult circumstances. What is worse is that the treatments that would supposedly save him would instead condemn him into the most compromised existence possible. Instead of living the normal, carefree existence of a child, Chris would have a life that is forever associated with pain, medicines, surgeries, and rehabilitation. Not even an adult can handle such a distressing way of life. But the doctors of Chris cannot just refrain from giving him treatments. They are doctors, after all, and it is their duty to cure the sick. Even the hospital policy and the courts would certainly agree with them. Furthermore, it is the right of the sick to receive treatment that would cure him or her of his ailment. Does this mean that the physicians of Chris can virtually turn him into a human guinea pig? While a doctor has an obligation to cure the ailing, the welfare of his or her patient must always be prioritized above this duty (Cohen-Kohler and Illingworth 366). In the context of the subject of the limits of medicine, the concept of patient welfare is synonymous to the rights to informed consent and to have a say on the treatment plan that the doctor devised. Simply put, any steps that a physician will take to continue or withhold treatment must be fully explained to the patient beforehand and carried out with his or her consent. Furthermore, the wishes of the patient must be taken into consideration. However, because Chris is a newborn baby (making him a minor in the eyes of the law), it is his parents who should make the final decisions on a treatment plan for him. In both the legal and the social perspectives, the parents are considered as the primary custodians of their children (Maccoby and Mnookin 282). Unless it has been proven that they are incapable of carrying out their responsibilities as parents, it is they who are supposed to decide for their minor children. It is permissible to make Chris comfortable but not start treatments that would prolong his life. It must be remembered that because he is premature and has very low birth weight, his survival rate it less than 10%. Should Chris survive, he will spend his entire life battling serious health conditions such as cerebral palsy, blindness, hearing impairments, and respiratory impairments. Furthermore, the treatments that will be administered in order to prolong his life are invasive and painful and would last indefinitely. The problem with many doctors is that in their excessive zeal to carry out their duty, they reduce the concept of human life to biological normality (Stark 6). Their idea of a cured patient is someone who is biologically alive and is free of infirmity, never mind if the treatments that are given to him or to her severely reduce the quality of his or her life. Medicine should not be limited to the elimination of disease or the treatment of an injury. Rather, medicine must treat illness and/or injury with the goal of restoring the overall health and functionality of a person. As the World Health Organization (WHO) puts it, health is â€Å"a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity† (qtd. in Furber 192). Under the present circumstances, therefore, it is not permissible to do everything possible to save Chris’ life. Even the most radical treatments would save him only in the sense that he would be kept biologically alive. These would not completely spare Chris from the debilitating effects of cerebral palsy, blindness, hearing impairments, and respiratory impairments. Worse, these treatments would make him suffer even more pain. Subjecting Chris to more treatments defeats the very purpose of medicine – restoring people to their fullest functionality by curing them of their disease and or injury. How can Chris live the life of a normal child if he cannot even get out of bed without machines attached to him? How can he and his parents enjoy life as a family if he constantly has to undergo painful and invasive long-term treatments? What is the point of keeping Chris alive if he will just spend the rest of life in illness and pain? Putting him on aggressive lifesaving treatment would merely worsen the situation. To begin with, his chances of survival are only less than 10%. Should Chris live, he will endure a host of complications that would most likely end in death. He could likewise die while undergoing treatments – the human body can only take so much pain, medicines, surgeries, and rehabilitation. Simply put, with or without treatments, Chris is likely to succumb at any moment. By putting him on aggressive lifesaving treatments, his doctors are giving his parents false hopes. Instead of enabling them to prepare themselves for the impending death of their son, they are making them hold on to futile case. Babies are human beings and therefore, they also have the right to live and die with dignity. Doctors do not have the right to withhold this from them simply because they do not have the capacity to decide for themselves and/or because of a misplaced idea of what medicine should accomplish. Works Cited Cohen-Kohler, Jillian Clare and Patricia Illingworth. â€Å"Access to Medicine and the Role of Corporate Social Responsibility: The Need to Craft a Global Pharmaceutical System with Integrity. † The Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics Eds. Peter A. Singer and Adrian M. Viens. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. 359-368. Furber, Christine. â€Å"Promoting Health to Men. † Men’s Health: An Introduction for Nurses and Health Professionals. Eds. Tony Harrison and Karen Dignan. London: Harcourt Brace and Company Limited, 1999. 191-210. Maccoby, Eleanor E. and Robert H. Mnookin. Dividing the Child: Social and Legal Dilemmas of Custody. 3rd ed. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992. Stark, Andrew. The Limits of Medicine. New York, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. How to cite Futility Case, Papers

Different Models of Consumer Behavior †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Different Models of Consumer Behavior. Answer: Introduction: In advertising, there are various consumer behavior models that explain how buyers make purchasing decisions. One major consumer behavior model is the economic model that suggests buyers purchasing pattern is based on the gaining the highest utility while minimizing the costs associated with obtaining the product (Paine). On the other hand, the learning model suggests that a buyers behavior is guided by the desire to meet and fulfil a basic need and learned needs. While the basic needs include food, clothing and shelter, the learned needs comprise of guilt and fear (Paine). Hence a consumer tends to purchase those goods and services that satisfy their needs and offer satisfaction. Therefore, it is important for a an advertising firm to understand these behavior models to understand how consumers make purchasing decisions management. Generally, various factors influence the consumers purchase decisions among them environmental, marketing, personal, cultural and psychological factors. As such, these forces cause consumers to develop product and brand preferences, thereby influencing their consumer behavior (Heshmat). For instance, personal factors such as the age, lifestyle and economic status of a consumer influence the type of goods and services that the consumer prefers. In the same way, social factors such as family, social status and reference group may dictate the kinds of goods and services that an individual purchases (Heshmat). Furthermore, cultural forces have a slight influence on an individuals purchasing decision process. All these factors combined determine the consumers purchasing behavior. Works Cited Heshmat,, S. "10 Factors That Influence Your Purchase Decisions". Psychology Today, 2017, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/201712/10-factors-influence-your-purchase-decisions. Accessed 6 Apr 2018. Paine, M. "What Are The Different Models Of Consumer Behavior?". Bizfluent, 2018, https://bizfluent.com/info-8083297-different-models-consumer-behavior.html. Accessed 6 Apr 2018.

Research Paper on Psychoanalytic Theory Essay Example

Research Paper on Psychoanalytic Theory Essay Psychoanalytic theory was developed by Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century and is closely related to his psychotherapeutic practice. It is a theory that seeks to describe the etiology of mental disorders, the development of man and his personality, and explain human motivation. Based on this of theory, Freud developed a type of psychotherapy. The complex formed by the theory, based on psychotherapeutic practice and methods he used, received the name of psychoanalysis. Freud imagined the psyche (or mental apparatus) of the human being as an energy system: Each person had, he said, for a limited amount the psychic energy. This means, first, that the energy required to perform certain activity (e.g., artistic expression) will not be available for other purposes (e.g., sexuality), on the other hand, if a person cannot spend his energy in some way (e.g., sexuality), the person must do so in another way (e.g., artistic expression). This energy comes from the drives (sometimes incorrectly called instincts). According to the author, the human being has two innate, sexual and death instincts. These two drives are opposed to the ideal of society and therefore need to be controlled through education, so that the energy generated by the drives cannot be released directly. The human being is thus sexual and aggressive by nature and function of society is to tame these natural human tendencies. The situation of not being able to vent this energy generates the individual a state of internal tension that needs to be solved. Every action of man is thus motivated by hedonistic search to vent accumulated psychic energy. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Psychoanalytic Theory specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Psychoanalytic Theory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Psychoanalytic Theory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Human beings, however, are not aware of this whole process of generating and releasing the energy. To explain this fact, Freud describes three levels of consciousness: Conscious (Bewusste), which includes all phenomena that at any given time can be perceived by the individual conscious way; The preconscious (Vorbewusste) refers to phenomena of which an individual is not aware at any given time, but can become, if the individual wishes to know them; The unconscious (Unbewusste ) refers to phenomena and contents that we are not aware of, and only under very special circumstances can become. (The term â€Å"subconscious† is often used synonymously, despite having been abandoned by Freud.) Freud was not the first to propose that part of the psychic life develops unconsciously. He was, however, the first to investigate deeply that territory. According to him, human desires and thoughts often produce content that would cause fear to the individual, if they were not stored in the unconscious. This well has an important stabilizing function of conscious life. His research led him to propose that the unconscious is alogical (and therefore open to co ntradictions); timeless and aespacial (i.e., content belonging to different times or spaces). Dreams are seen as symbolic expression of unconscious contents. When you need a good, reliable source of relevant data, you may want to use free example research paper on psychoanalytic theory. Are you looking for a top-notch custom research paper on Psychoanalytic Theory topics? Is confidentiality as important to you as the high quality of the product? Try our writing service at EssayLib.com! We can offer you professional assistance at affordable rates. Our experienced PhD and Master’s writers are ready to take into account your smallest demands. We guarantee you 100% authenticity of your paper and assure you of dead on time delivery. Proceed with the order form: Please, feel free to visit us at EssayLib.com and learn more about our service!

Analysis Of Critical Analysis Of Leaves Of Grass B Essays

Analysis Of Critical Analysis Of Leaves Of Grass B Essays Analysis Of Critical Analysis Of Leaves Of Grass By Walt Whitman Alex Perez Perez 1 Mrs. Michels 05/00 Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman In the twentieth century, the name Walt Whitman has been synonymous with poetry. Whitmans most celebrated work, Leaves of Grass, was the only book he ever wrote, and he took a lifetime to write it. A large assortment of poems, it is one of the most widely criticized works in literature, and one of the most loved works as well. Whitman was unmarried and childless, and it has been noted that Leaves of Grass consumed him greatly; James E. Miller Jr. writes: he guided his poetic offspring through an uncertain, hesitant childhood, a lusty young manhood, and a serene old ageit is difficult to write the life of Whitman without writing instead of the life and times of his bookWhitman was the kind of parent who lives his life through his child. (Miller 15) The poetic offspring that Miller writes of is of course Leaves of Grass. Whitman poured his soul into the work, as he questioned himself and observed his demeanor through his writing. He fathered the tome, as after its initial publishing Whitman went on to release revision after revision as time progressed. Miller goes on to reflect on Whitmans methods, as he tells the reader of Whitmans curiosity towards life, particularly curious about his own meaning in the world in which he lived. Like any individual of depth and complexity, Whitman was continuously curious about who he was(he had) a lusty enthusiasm, a hearty relish for life lived at all times to its fullest intensity. (Miller 17) The life Whitman lived to its fullest intensity started in West Hills, Long Island, May 31, 1819. He was one of nine children to Walter and Louisa Whitman, his father a farmer and his mother a devout Quaker. Quakerism was the only religious inheritance the Perez 2 family passed on to Walt, and, as Miller notes, could also be seen later in his famous sea-poem. Out of the cradle endlessly rocking, Out of the mocking-birds throat, the musical shuttle, Out of the Ninth-month midnight Passage to more than India! Of secret of the earth and sky! Of you o waters of the sea! O winding creeks and rivers! O day and night, passage to you! (Whitman 180-294) His use of thee and thou in his poetry, his reference to the months by their sequential number (ninth month for September), and his instinctive adoption of the inner lightall of these Walt could trace back to his Quaker background. (Miller 17) This Quakerism also contributed to the style of Leaves, told with certain closeness and a certain emphasis paralleling that of a preacher. Miller comments on this style: His was a day of evangelism and oratory. As a child he was no doubt frequently exposed to both. The passionate intimacy and pleading of many lines in Leaves of Grass couldhave been used by an itinerant preacher (Miller 43) Aside from his Quaker traces, Leaves of Grass has been criticized as being an extension of Whitmans life. Just as Miller described the work as Whitmans child, John Kinnaird comments on the great level of importance at which Whitman held his masterpiece: Leaves of Grass suggests so much of the original existential Whitman that criticism must continue to recover and understand, particularly since this is the first poet who ever insisted that his book was in reality no book. (Kinnaird 24) Kinnaird reinforces the criticism of Miller Jr. as he emphasizes the autobiographical and introspective nature of Leaves. It seems that Whitman used this work as a release, and Perez 3 had a marvelous interpretation of life in general. He also had a unique estimation of poetry itself. In his introduction to Leaves of Grass he writes: The power to destroy or remold, is freely used by him (the greatest poet) but never the power of attack. What is past is past. If he does not expose superior models and prove himself by every step he takes he is not what is wanted. (Whitman 8) The introduction from which the passage was taken is one of great length, with elaborative and expressive sections, in which Whitman further explains the muse behind his book, the child he conjured up at the time, as he was without any family