Black Leotard and Pink Tights free essay sample

The moments in life when your heart drops to your knees and your breath catches in your throat are the most inspiring moments in life. When I step on stage before a dance it feels like I can’t breathe and it feels like my heart is going to pound out of my chest. It feels as though all the emotions and work that I put into a piece are all converging on one moment. Dance has changed me, improved me and protected me throughout my entire life. I was five years old when I decided I wanted to dance. I still don’t know why I decided dance was something I wanted to do, but I did. My mom signed me up for classes at the local studio right away. When I was younger and naive I loved dance because of the social opportunities it provided me. Every week I would dress in my pink tights, black leotard and ballet slippers and scurry to class. We will write a custom essay sample on Black Leotard and Pink Tights or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At that age, I had no idea that dance would not only save me from demons, but help me find myself too. When I was thirteen I became obsessed with how many calories I was eating and how many calories I was burning every day. I knew the calories and fat percentages in many foods and I also knew how many calories certain exercises burned. I saw my mother on a diet and I saw celebrities whom I admired who were stick thin and beautiful. That was the key; they were beautiful because they were skinny. I would fall asleep at night with a rumble in my stomach which was disconcerting, or should have been. I loved the feeling because it meant I was losing weight. My friends would say, â€Å"Steph! You’re so skinny! Eat!† I secretly relished every single time someone would call me â€Å"skinny† or a â€Å"twig.† I never was clinically anorexic, I never lost enough weight and I never sought medical help to get diagnosed. It was just a phase, a dangerous one by all means, but a phase. Luckily for me, dance pulled me out of this thought process. One day, when I was dancing I realized I could not perform like I used to be able to, and worst of all my normally sponge-like memory was suddenly missing. My instructor put a CD on and taught us a combination, she then told us to perform the combination ourselves. I looked in the mirror and realized that I had no idea what the first move in the routine was. I thought that maybe it was just a fluke, so I followed another dancer’s steps. However, I again looked in the mirror and realized that my limbs seemed to be disconnected from my body. My hands and my feet moved independently of what my brain was telling them to do. I was flabbergasted. What was happening? I rushed home that night and tried to figure out what was wrong with me. Slowly, it dawned on me that my lack of nutrition was affecting my ability to memorize information. This realization made me realize how unsafe and unhealthy a pattern I had fallen into. I am proud to say that I no longer worry about calories, or how many I am burning. Dance is my passion in life and anything that stops me from performing has to go. Dance was, and is, so important in my life because it gives me a place to express myself, without using words. I know that even if I have the worst day I can imagine, I will be able to dance my emotions out. This has made me an extremely independent and determined person. I refuse to let bad situations or mindsets prevent me from living my life. Dance also allows me to recognize goals. My ultimate goal, no matter what profession or career I end up in, is to make other people smile. I believe that a smile can help turn a rough day around. Dance has helped me achieve this goal because my studio often dances at community functions. When our studio dances at local nursing homes, the smiles on the seniors’ faces are immeasurable in their worth. Even if that smile only lasts a few minutes, the knowledge that I helped improve someone’s day is what I care so much about. Without dance, I am not sure where I would be today. I am a determined and strong person because of what dance has helped me through. I could still be suffering from an eating problem, but instead I am here and I am healthy, happy and making the most of my life. Through dance I was also able to realize that my goal to make people smile is completely achievable. I am proud that I am a dancer and I am proud of the type of person dance has helped me beco me.

Free Essays on Poe - Insanity In His Characters

Poe uses a myriad of settings and plots in his stories and poems. The common thread is that his narrators appear to be insane. This is exhibited in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, and â€Å"The Black Cat.† Montressor, the narrator of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† exhibits insanity. At the beginning of the story, Montressor speaks with intense anger and remorse. The reader is then told that the incident occurred fifty years ago. Obviously, a person who would hold a grudge for fifty years so strongly that he desires to kill a man, this narrator has psychological problems. Also, the way that Montressor meticulously planned out the murder of Fortunato shows that he is obsessive and has psychological problems. The murder that Montressor killed him, by chaining him up to a wall and building a wall around him, is a warped, cruel way to kill him. Montressor exhibits insanity in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† The second narrator that exhibits insanity is the anonymous narrator of â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart.† The narrator was driven to callous murder of the poor elderly man because of a strange eye. The narrator even doubts his own insanity stating, â€Å"But why will you say that I am mad?† (Poe) Yet the irony is, had not the narrator immediately assumed that he had to defend himself against us thinking that he is mad, that in itself promoted the very idea to the reader, that he is mad. He later on states, â€Å"Now this is the point. You fancy me mad,† (Poe) confirming the initial hypothesis that he is insane. At the conclusion of the story, the narrator is arrested by the authorities because he imagines hearing a heart beat that no one else hears. The anonymous narrator of â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is without a doubt insane. The third narrator that exhibits insanity is the anonymous narrator of â€Å"The Black Cat.† The author begins the story stating, â€Å"I neither expect nor so... Free Essays on Poe - Insanity In His Characters Free Essays on Poe - Insanity In His Characters Poe uses a myriad of settings and plots in his stories and poems. The common thread is that his narrators appear to be insane. This is exhibited in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, and â€Å"The Black Cat.† Montressor, the narrator of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† exhibits insanity. At the beginning of the story, Montressor speaks with intense anger and remorse. The reader is then told that the incident occurred fifty years ago. Obviously, a person who would hold a grudge for fifty years so strongly that he desires to kill a man, this narrator has psychological problems. Also, the way that Montressor meticulously planned out the murder of Fortunato shows that he is obsessive and has psychological problems. The murder that Montressor killed him, by chaining him up to a wall and building a wall around him, is a warped, cruel way to kill him. Montressor exhibits insanity in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† The second narrator that exhibits insanity is the anonymous narrator of â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart.† The narrator was driven to callous murder of the poor elderly man because of a strange eye. The narrator even doubts his own insanity stating, â€Å"But why will you say that I am mad?† (Poe) Yet the irony is, had not the narrator immediately assumed that he had to defend himself against us thinking that he is mad, that in itself promoted the very idea to the reader, that he is mad. He later on states, â€Å"Now this is the point. You fancy me mad,† (Poe) confirming the initial hypothesis that he is insane. At the conclusion of the story, the narrator is arrested by the authorities because he imagines hearing a heart beat that no one else hears. The anonymous narrator of â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is without a doubt insane. The third narrator that exhibits insanity is the anonymous narrator of â€Å"The Black Cat.† The author begins the story stating, â€Å"I neither expect nor so...

Cybercrimes for IT Professionals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cybercrimes for IT Professionals - Essay Example Tribunals consider establishing a global cyber court with a single aim to contest and adjudicate all cyber felons who committed various cyber crimes around the globe. For example, a cyber felon from Japan, who was caught hacking a business system in the United States, will be tried through the cyber court. However, this idealistic notion is in the process of development and agreement between countries. Nevertheless, it is best for business organizations to ensure and perfectly manage their cyber systems in order to avoid an attack by cyber felons, such as strengthening the computer network access made by the organizational management. In this way, business management can first handedly secure and elude any potential threat onto their system database (McConnell International, 2000; Johansson, 2006b). The problem on cyber crime is not far from resolution because of new and evolving ways to stop such offense. The basic way to stop cyber crime is not through a litigation process held by legal professionals, but it will depend on the IT professionals who are hired to make sure that the company’s data system is secured and

The Slave Trade in Colonial America Research Paper

The Slave Trade in Colonial America - Research Paper Example Slave traders, nevertheless, justified slavery, using British common law, some Christian beliefs, and natural rights philosophy, where these sources promoted slavery through racism. These sources stressed the inferiority of other races and the supremacy of the white race and culture, as well as the authority of Catholicism.1 For centuries, slavery progressed in Colonial America, but not without resistance from abolitionists and slaves themselves2. This paper describes the history and important events during the slave trade in Colonial America. It no longer deals with the abolition of slavery, but focuses on the economic aspects of the slave trade. The Beginnings of Slavery The history of slavery does not begin in colonial America but centuries before that, and it is said to have started in Europe. Booker T. Washington said that slavery of Africans began in A.D.990.3 The Moors who did not have â€Å"curly hair† also actively traded slaves in various countries in Europe and the Middle East.4 The Arabs even brought their â€Å"black ivory† to Cyprus and distributed them across Europe.5 The Portuguese, however, were attributed to be the originators of slavery in Christian Europe.6 Prince Henry, the Navigator (1394-1460), third son of King John I of Portugal, established a navigation college at Sagres on Cape Saint Vincent in 1419, because he wanted to discover new lands and convert the heathens into Catholics.7 All non-Christians were then called as â€Å"heathens,† a pejorative word for people considered as uncivilized. During this time, the world was divided between the Portuguese and the Spaniards, the two Catholic powers with naval capabilities. The British wanted to emulate these old superpowers and explored North America as its colonial territory. From here, they brought and traded slaves, who sustained their new economy.8 The first group of English people sent to the Americas in 1590, the Roanoke, was not a success; they mysteriously dis appeared and were never found again.9 Still, this did not dent the English from pursuing the colonization of America. In 1606, a group of English investors had created the Virginia Company.10 They recruited people who were willing to be the new settlers in America. These new settlers did not originally conceive the need for slavery in their blueprint, because they focused on freedom and the opportunity to own land. Later on, it became clearer that in order to become rich, it was crucial to have the necessary labor to conduct economic activities competitively.11 This â€Å"peculiar institution† of slavery expanded as part of the plantation systems, first in sugar plantations, and then to tobacco and cotton plantations.12 The slaves are then called â€Å"black gold† because of trading profits and plantation profits. One scholar stressed that slavery is not based on color alone, but more for economic reasons: â€Å"The reason for Negro slavery is economic, not racialâ₠¬ ¦[it has more to do with] the cheapness of labor. As compared with Indian and white labor, Negro slavery was eminently superior†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 13 Slavery spread deeply and widely in South, where slave trading generally became predominant. Slave Trade in Colonial America The exact time and place of when and where the slave trade began in America is still debatable. One source

Introductin to Managment and Welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introductin to Managment and Welfare - Essay Example The project encompasses three departments: activities manager, funding manager and volunteering manager. My role in the project incorporates activities manager whereby I will facilitate recreational and therapeutic activities for the elderly. The role of the funding manager is to adopt grant models of funding the project, as well as managing and allocating finances to the project’s activities. The volunteers’ manager, on the other hand, will be responsible for recruiting, coaching, organizing, encouraging, and supporting volunteers. Project Objectives The elementary objective of this project is to mitigate feelings of social isolation among the elderly residents. Pursuing the comfort of the elderly is not farfetched as it reinforces their productivity within the society. The provision of comprehensive leisure activities suited for the elderly is geared towards enabling them to remain active throughout the later stages of their life. This is vital in curtailing seniorsâ €™ predisposition to isolation by actively engaging them into leisure activities. Similarly, the project is geared towards integrating the elderly into the community via group interactions and social functions. Ultimately, the project is directed at promoting healthy living and reinforcing social networks among the elderly (Kunstler & Daly 2010, p.341). Roles and Responsibilities of Activities Manager One of the core mandates of activities manager is to encourage the elderly residents to suggest enjoyable leisure activities, which are then implemented. The involvement of the elderly into choice of activities is essential; active involvement aids in maintaining an elevated mood state within the group. As activities manger, I will have to coordinate with agents such as social administrators in order to plan and implement programs geared towards enhancing the lifestyle of the elderly. In addition, I will also need to develop innovative activity programs and events for my clients as well keep abreast with the recent trends in recreational facilities. Recruitment of the Participants Recruiting the seniors into the envisaged physical and social spaces will not be an easy endeavor. To start with, we will approach the local community leaders to gather firm support for the project. Seeking support and endorsement by the local community groups and leaders enhances solid commitment from the community in terms of ongoing support principle, action, and finances. In the recruitment process, we will seek the indulgence of the local community through the use of events and a study so as spot the target audience. Since this project is a daycare facility for the elderly, the project targets older residents who have not yet been incorporated into the residential housing for the elderly, and who bear the blunt of increased levels of social isolation and depressed community involvement. The operation of the project is similar in many respects to other resident care facilities f or the elderly. We are seeking to attract retirees, a maximum of 50, and have devised several ways in which to interact with them. The project is in its resident recruitment phase, which incorporates sourcing information from the social administrators within the community and inviting retirees to apply. We will also hold an â€Å"open afternoon†

The Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube

The Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube David Newson Abstract The Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube is a simple mechanical device often used for refrigeration in industrial manufacturing as it requires only a supply of compressed gas. Despite having no moving parts the vortex tube is able to separate the compressed gas into two separate streams – one hot and one cold with temperatures observed in the range of -5 to 55. Different explanations for the processes taking place within the device haven been proposed but there is currently no single accepted theory. A fundamental understanding of the vortex tube and the equipment has been reached and the groundwork has been laid for further experimental investigation and numerical computational fluid dynamic modelling. Introduction The Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, often referred to simply as a vortex tube, is a mechanical device involving no moving parts that can be used to separate a stream of high pressure compressed gas into two lower pressure streams of varying temperatures. The cold stream is able to reach temperatures as low as -30 ºC whilst the hot stream can reach temperatures of up to 110  ºC [1]. First invented by French physicist G. Ranque in 1933 [2] the vortex tube was unpopular at the time due to its low efficiency and the idea was discarded until 1946, when German engineer R. Hilsch took it upon himself to improve the design [3]. With increased efficiency the vortex tube became an effective and popular spot cooling device for laboratory equipment, cutting tools such as lathes and mills, and other industrial processes. Since then there has been numerous attempts to find ways to further increase its efficiency and fully understand the processes leading to the temperature separation. The processes taking place within the vortex tube are simple to observe, but more difficult to accurately explain and model. It begins with compressed gas entering the vortex tube tangentially through a swirl generator creating an initial vortex inside the tube with rotational speeds of up to 1,000,000 RPM. The vortex moves along the length of the tube until it reaches an adjustable valve allowing a fraction of the gas to escape. The remaining gas is forced back down the centre of the tube, creating a secondary vortex. This secondary vortex has a reduced diameter and is contained within the initial vortex and travels in the opposite direction back along the length of the tube. When the secondary vortex reaches the other end of the tube all remaining gas is expelled through an opening. While this is taking place, energy is transferred from the inner vortex to the outer vortex, causing the temperature of the outer vortex to increase, and the temperature of the inner vortex to decrease. As the gas from the outer, hotter vortex and the gas from the cooler, inner vortex are expelled at opposite ends of the tube the two streams of varied temperature can be directed as required and the ratio of the temperatures controlled by changing the amount of gas allowed to be expelled at the adjustable valve. Figure 1. Initial and secondary vortexes within a vortex tube [4] There are currently different explanations for the temperature separation within the vortex tube with no theory being conclusively proved. It is currently thought that the energy transferred between the vortexes is through friction of the two vortexes rotating against one another but it is unknown whether the gas within the tube experiences â€Å"solid body rotation†, where the angular velocities of the of both the inner and the outer vortexes are the same or if the two vortexes are rotating at different angular velocities. Further investigation into the speed of rotations of the vortexes within a Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube will provide greater understanding of the energy transfer. Equipment The experimental set up consisted of a Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube, two flow gauges that could be placed at positions A,B or C, two thermo couples, a gate valve and a pressure gauge positioned as shown on figure 2 below. Figure 2. Schematic of experimental setup The vortex tube was supplied by compressed air with a mains pressure of 6.6 bar with the gate valve used to control the pressures and flow rates into the vortex tube. The flow gauges used were rota meters with a range of 30-300 litres per minute. Rota meters are made of a tapered tube with a â€Å"float† inside that is lifted up by the drag force created by the flow of the liquid around it and pulled down by gravity. A higher flow rate increases flow speed and drag causing the float to be lifted higher up the tube, however, as the float is lifted higher up the tube the tube widens due to the taper and the drag force decreases until the float reaches its new equilibrium. The equilibrium can be found using the equation . (1) Where is the mass of the float, is acceleration due to gravity, is the density of the fluid, is the velocity of the object relative to the fluid, is the reference area and is the drag coefficient. With the float in equilibrium the flow rate can be read off scale at a specified point on the float. Due to the simple nature of rota meters they are affected by changes in pressure and temperature and the displayed numbers are only valid at atmospheric pressure and standard atmospheric pressure. Correcting for the effects of pressure (2) Pressures above atmospheric pressure allows greater capacity for a flow meter and the above equation is used to determine the actual flow rate at varying pressures. Correcting for the effects of temperature (3) Temperatures above standard atmospheric temperature decreases maximum flow rate and the above equation is used to determine the actual flow rate at varying temperatures. The flow gauges have an unknown impedance which has to be calculated in order to make sure placing them in the system doesn’t affect the measured pressures nor the fraction of gas expelled through the hot end valve. If it does affect the system knowing the impedance allows corrections to be calculated. The impedance is calculated by measuring the rate of flow through a single flow gauge as a function of pressure. Figure 3. Experimental set up to calculate flow gauge impedance The vortex tube itself has no moving parts and consists of very few pieces. Compressed gas is fed in through the air inlet and as it passes through the generator creates a vortex inside the spin chamber, the vortex propagates along the length of the tube with air exiting out both the hot end valve and the cold end cap. Figure 3. Schematic of Meech Vortex tube [5] The only interchangeable part of the vortex tube is the generator. The generators determine the volume of gas flow through the vortex tube and the fraction of the incoming air that exits in the cold stream – the cold fraction. The cold fraction may also be altered by adjusting the hot end valve. The total flow can be calculated using (4) Where PSIG is pounds per square inch gage. The cooling and heating power in BTUH (British Thermal Unit per Hour) can be found by using the following: For Cooling: (5) For Heating: (6) Where 1 = 0.293W, = cold fraction, = cold airflow, = hot airflow, = inlet pressure, = cold stream temperature, = hot stream temperature Results The impedance of the flow gauges were calculated by plotting flow against pressure and calculating the gradient. Figure 4. Calibration of flow gauges The gradient calculated from figure 4 is which equals The gradient was then used to calculate impedance using (7) This gives a value for the impedance of the flow gauges of acoustic ohms. Figure 5. Temperature of streams as function of pressure Figure 5 shows the relationship between the temperatures of the stream and the inlet pressure. The two trend lines intersect at 0 pressure at 23 which is the temperature of the compressed air before it entered the vortex tube. The gradient of the hot stream trend line is 8.3 and the gradient of the cold stream trend line is -7.8 0.05. This shows the temperature of the hot flow is increasing faster than the cold flow is decreasing suggesting a cold fraction of above 0.5. Figure 6. Flow rates as a function of pressure Figure 6 displays the flow rates at each of the 3 positions A,B and C from figure 2. The flow rate of the cold stream is higher than the flow rate of the hot stream confirming that the cold fraction is above 0.5 as proposed from the findings in figure 5. This figure demonstrates the corrections to the flow rate using equation (2) as before the equation is applied the measured flow rate in (green) is significantly lower than the measured flow rate out (cyan). After the correction is applied the measured flow in (magenta) is equal to the measured flow out. This is based on the assumption that the pressure at the flow gauge in position A is 6.6 bar – the pressure of the mains gas supply. Figure 7. Energy flow rates as a function of pressure Figure 7 shows the rates of flow of internal energy of the gas at points A,B and C calculated by combining the following equations (7) (8) Into (9) Where is pressure, is volume, is number of moles, is the molar gas constant, is temperature and is internal energy. From this figure it seems that no energy is lost from the system and it is simply transferred between the two flows of the gas. This is expected based on the previous result as internal energy is proportional to volume and the volumes of gas flowing in and out of the tube were constant. Discussion After much investigation the temperature and energy separation and rate of flow appear linear as a function of inlet pressure. This was not always the case as for a long period of time the volume of gas measured being expelled by the vortex tube was vastly larger than that being measured entering the tube and the rate of flows were not linear. However, after studying the equipment it was found that this was due to the flow gauges being effected by temperature and pressure. Once the raw data was corrected by taking into account for these varying conditions the data matched up to initial predictions and with far fewer anomalies. The temperature difference of the two streams was observed and; with a cold fraction greater than 0.5 the cold stream was measured to have a higher rate of flow but there was a greater temperature difference in the hot stream from the initial temperature of the gas. The current data suggests that the gas as a whole does not gain or lose any internal energy and that energy is only transferred between the gas from the cold stream to the hot stream, however, this is under the assumption that the pressure at the flow gauge in position A was constantly at 6.6 bar. If this is not the case a slight difference in pressure could reveal changes in the internal energy of the gas which could help explain the processes happening within the tube. Conclusion The equipment has been calibrated and raw data is able to be corrected to provide correct results. Temperature separation has been measured in the range of -5 to 55 with the rate of change of temperature corresponding to the cold fraction of the generator. The internal energy of the gas has been observed to remain constant; transferring only between the cold and the hot stream but there is scope to further investigate this. A basic understanding of the vortex tube has been reached and the groundwork has been laid for further investigation. With further sampling it is hoped the energy separation will be understood in greater detail and that the theory that the gas undergoes solid body rotation will be proved or disproved. Future work Future work will include experimental investigation continuing looking into the transfer of energy within the vortex tube including more detailed analysis of rate of energy flow examining whether the gas loses, gains or conserves internal energy. Different generators of varying efficiencies and cold fractions will be investigated and documented and an attempt to build a probe to determine whether the angular velocities within the vortex tube vary or are constant will take place. Aside from the experimental work computational fluid dynamics will be used to numerically explore the inner workings of the vortex tube by creating a two dimensional computational model of a vortex tube using COMSOL software using the k-ÃŽ µ model to simulate the temperature separation phenomenon. Figure x shows the temperatures of the hot and cold streams achieved by three different generators as a function of flow. The results show that the generators that produce the lowest temperatures have a lower flow rate, this is expected as there is a similar amount of energy separation for each of the generators and you can choose to have a smaller quantity of very cold gas or a larger quantity that is not as cold, or a compromise as desired. This is important as it makes the vortex tube more adaptable for industries using it for spot cooling and the temperature and flow rate can be adjusted as required. References [1] Meech air technology brochure. 2013. http://www.meech.com/resources/362/MAT.pdf [2] G. J. Ranque, â€Å"Experiments on Expansion in a Vortex with Simultaneous Exhaust of Hot and Cold Air,† Le Journal De Physique et le Radium (Paris), Vol. 4, 1933. [3] R. Hilsch, â€Å"The Use of the Expansion of Gases in a Centrifugal Field as Cooling Process,† Review of Scientific Instrument, Vol. 18, 1947. http://scitation.aip.org/docserver/fulltext/aip/journal/rsi/18/2/1.1740893.pdf?expires=1386863841id=idaccname=freeContentchecksum=2218A70412ADD7B3EFBAAC108BCC9ABE [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_tube [5] Meech Static Eliminators Ltd www.meech.com

gullivers travel :: essays research papers

I want to outline in this essay some of the ways in which Swift's texts - in particular the shorter prose works and the poetry concerned with the female body - take up and make explicit contradictory philosophical positions. Much time and critical effort has been spent attempting to trace some unifying philosophical thread through the maze created by these and other of Swift's writings, when such a thread may be elusive to the point of vanishing altogether.1 It seems possible that one cause of this critical need to establish consistency in Swift is the influence of Postmodernist thought, which tends to cause a conditioned response to eighteenth century literary works in which the instinctive move is to look for that which totalizes, compartmentalizes, reveals a master narrative or supplies a clearly defined linear teleology. If, however, this kind of pre-imagined consistency proves unavailable, the critic is left with the notion of a multi-vocal, polychromatic Swift which should not , perhaps, be so surprising as there seems nothing alien to the intellectual trends of early-eighteenth century England in Swift's assumption of positions that appear radically opposed to one another. Periods of transition necessarily involve the existence of contradictory positions in constellation often within the work of a single writer or thinker. Even Sir Isaac Newton, the greatest of all icons of Enlightenment rationality, can be represented in such a way: "Newton was a Janus figure, emblematic of the new, rationalist, scientific and secular future, yet also using his mathematical skills for abstruse astrological and biblical calculations." (Corfield, 11). Clearly any attempt to attribute a definitive philosophical position to Swift is fraught with difficulty.2 Not only must the reader attempt to penetrate multiple levels of irony at a micro-level, but at a macro-level the fact that Swift was an Anglican clergyman complicates any philosophical interpretation. The origins of the debates on this issue are contemporaneous with the publication of the texts themselves (William Wotton's observations, for example), and criticism up to the end of the nineteenth century continued, predominately, to insist on an irreligious Swift an approach that survived into the twentieth century: "no defence of Swift's fundamental religious orthodoxy can stand the test of such writings. He is a sceptical humanist who again and again tilts at Christian belief". (Wilson Knight, on "The Tale of a Tub",124). This strain of criticism has been long overtaken, however, by