Pollution control and waste management Essay Example for Free

Pollution control and waste management Essay The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (the Department) has recognised that they are not always successful in policing and enforcing environmental laws. However, the Department is making strides to meet these challenges and to ensure that our laws are practically implemented. In March 2000, the Department published its White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management (the White Paper). The White Paper proposes a number of tools to implement the objectives of the waste management policy it sets out. The promulgation of new pollution and waste legislation such as the amendments to the Environment Conservation Act, 73 of 1989 (ECA) comprise one such tool. The objective of the Environment Conservation Act: Amendment Bill, 2003 (the Amendment Bill) is to facilitate governments general policy on integrated pollution control and waste management so as to give effect to waste management as proposed in the White Paper. The Amendment Bill will amend the ECA in three separate ways: †¢ the management of waste sites will be transferred from the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (the Minister); †¢ the Minister will have the power to make regulations for the imposition of compulsory charging for identified waste streams (for example, plastic bags) and deposit systems (for example, second-hand non-reusable tyres); and †¢ the Minister will have the power to make regulations regarding products which, by their nature, may pose a hazard to the environment and/or human health if and when they reach the waste stream (for example, asbestos products). Transfer of power The ECA governs environmental waste pollution. In particular, the ECA provides for the permitting and related control measures for the operation of waste landfill sites. The ECA specifically stipulates that the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry should administer these facilities. In accordance with the governments philosophy on integrated pollution control and waste management inherent in the White Paper, the amendment transfers the administration of these facilities from the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry to the Minister. Economic incentives In order to promote recycling and waste minimization in respect of certain waste streams such as plastic bags, glass and tyres, certain additional regulatory powers will be allocated to the Minister. The Amendment Bill proposes a financial incentive approach which will complement the existing traditional command and control approach to controlling pollution. Whereas the command and control approach relies either on administrative sanctions (for example, permitting requirements on scheduled emissions) or criminal measures (for example, fines or imprisonment if such permit conditions are breached) to regulate pollution emissions, the amendment will give the Minister the power to make regulations to encourage the re-use, reduction and recycling of specific waste types. To this end, the proposed amendment to the ECA provides that the Minister may make regulations with regard to waste management, concerning the imposition of compulsory charging, deposits systems and levies on certain waste types or specified items in waste types. The intention is that the revenue raised from such charges will be used to encourage recycling and a compulsory deposit system will promote the collection and return of types of waste. A compulsory charge on a particular waste will encourage its re-use, for example, the controversial compulsory charge on plastic bags has promoted re-use. The Minister intends to use these mechanisms to impose a deposit scheme on second-hand and unusable tyres and glass. Regulating products Currently, the ECA does not give the Minister or the Department regulatory power over products, materials or substances that may cause harm to the environment or human health should these enter the waste stream (for example, asbestos, which is found in building material, friction material and other elements). The Department does not have regulatory powers over such substances until the relevant material becomes waste. The Amendment Bill will give the Minister the power to make regulations with regard to the prohibition, control or regulation of products that may have a detrimental effect on the environment or on human health if and when they reach the waste stream.

Sonnets 18 and 130: Defending and Defying the Petrarchan Convention Es

Sonnets 18 and 130: Defending and Defying the Petrarchan Convention  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the Renaissance, it was common for poets to employ Petrarchan conceit to praise their lovers. Applying this type of metaphor, an author makes elaborate comparisons of his beloved to one or more very dissimilar things. Such hyperbole was often used to idolize a mistress while lamenting her cruelty. Shakespeare, in Sonnet 18, conforms somewhat to this custom of love poetry, but later breaks out of the mold entirely, writing his clearly anti-Petrarchan work, Sonnet 130. In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare employs a Petrarchan conceit to immortalize his beloved. He initiates the extended metaphor in the first line of the sonnet by posing the rhetorical question, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" The first two quatrains of the poem are composed of his criticism of summer. Compared to summer, his lover is "more lovely and more temperate" (2). He argues that the wind impairs the beauty of summer, and summer is too brief (3-4). The splendor of summer is affected by the intensity of the sunlight, and, as the seasons change, summer becomes less beautiful (5-8). Due to all of these shortcomings of summer, Shakespeare contends in the third quatrain of this sonnet that comparing his lover to this season fails to do her justice. While "often is gold [summer's] complexion dimmed," her "eternal summer shall not fade" (6, 9). She, unlike summer, will never deteriorate. He further asserts that his beloved will neither become less beautiful, nor even die, because she is immortalized through his poetry. The sonnet is concluded with the couplet, "So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, / So long live this, and this gives life to thee" (13-14). T... ... 1999. Available HTTP: library.utoronto.ca. Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 18." The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1. M. H. Abrams, ed. W. W. Norton (New York): 1993. ---. "Sonnet 130." The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1. M. H. Abrams, ed. W. W. Norton (New York): 1993. Sidney, Philip. "Astrophel and Stella." Online. Renascence Editions. U of Oregon P. 6 Apr. 1999. Available HTTP: darkwing.uoregon.edu. Spenser, Edmund. "Amoretti 18." Online. Sonnet Central. Available HTTP: www.sonnets.org. Wootton, John. Untitled. Online. Sonnet Central. Available HTTP: www.sonnets.org. Wyatt, Sir Thomas. "Avising The Bright Beams of These Fair Eyes." British Library Egerton MS. 2711, fol. 22, ed. Richard Harrier. Canon, 1975: 125-26. Online. U of Toronto Lib. Internet. 6 April 1998. Available HTTP: library.utoronto.ca.   

After Apple-picking by Robert Frost Essay

The â€Å"apple†: In this poem, Robert Frost uses the symbol of picking apples to represent the speaker’s hard work and decisions throughout his life. In the Bible, the apple symbolizes knowledge; this analogy reinforces the knowledge gained from the speaker’s life experiences. â€Å"My long two-pointed ladder’s sticking through a tree/Toward heaven still† emphasizes that the act of picking apples can be interpreted as something related to religion. In the book of Genesis in the Bible, Eve was tempted by a snake to eat the forbidden fruit of the apple because the snake convinced her that eating it would make her more knowledgeable than God. This story can be related to the poem because when Eve eats the apple, she can go up the â€Å"ladder to heaven† because she is â€Å"omniscient† enough to do so. A freshly picked apple could also symbolize opportunities in one’s life. In the poem, the speaker does not successfully pick all the apples, this shows that there were a lot of opportunities in his life that he never accomplished. â€Å"Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough/But I am done with apple-picking now† show that the speaker is quick to give up on the opportunities he was offered during his life. The imagery of the thousands of apples that struck the earth and became bruised also means that the speaker has wasted a lot of opportunities in his life. â€Å"Winter† Frost also uses â€Å"winter† to symbolize a long resting period or death. Towards the end of the poem, the speaker contemplates whether death is merely the state of hibernation, meaning that there is life after death or just â€Å"human sleep† where the speaker is able to wake up the next day only to find that he has to continue living his old life. In line 12: â€Å"And held against the world of hoary grass†; the word â€Å"hoary† means frosty, the poet has chosen this specific word in order to show the speaker’s pessimistic view about the world and reiterate the speaker’s contemplations about death. > Structure: The poem is not structured into any stanzas because the whole poem is one stanza. It contains forty-two lines but only fourteen sentences. If the sentences were highlighted, it would look like the steps of the ladder mentioned in the second line of the poem. These â€Å"steps† emphasize the speaker’s longing to die in order to go to heaven. The poem has multifarious end-rhymes, but it doesn’t have a regular pattern. â€Å"I was well/Upon my way to sleep before it fell/And I could tell† is an example of some end-rhymes that allows readers to vicariously imagine an image where the speaker is drowsing off with his head slowly going down and up again. The rhyme words â€Å"well†, â€Å"fell†, and â€Å"tell† emphasizes deep sleep. There were also some assonance present in the poem: â€Å"Stem end and blossom end,† and â€Å"Magnified apples appear and reappear†. These assonances were also used to provide readers with a drowsy feeling. The number of syllables of each line of the poem varies from two to eleven syllables. The longer lines of the poem add to the sleepy mood of the poem but the short and abrupt lines create a sense of hesitation and the sudden awake of the speaker from his sleep. For example: â€Å"Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall† shows the speaker’s dreaming state of mind while â€Å"For all† emphasizes a sudden alarm for the speaker. > Tone: The overall tone of the poem is pessimistic because the speaker is upset with his failures in life and is just passively waiting for his ‘long sleep’ or death. This can be seen when the speaker was picking apples and gives up when he was unable to successfully pick all the apples. â€Å"Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough. But I am done with apple-picking now† shows that the speaker gives up his opportunities in life so easily by simply saying he’s done with â€Å"apple-picking†. Towards the end of the poem, he sarcastically says: â€Å"Long sleep, as I describe its coming on/Or just some human sleep†. By adding â€Å"or just some† in front of â€Å"human sleep†, the speaker hints to the reader that he is sick and tired of having to wake up from his sleep to find that he has to run the same old, monotonous life that has no meaning. The speaker wants to be like the woodchuck that is able to hibernate during winter and is able to start a new life after it wakes up from hibernation. The speaker wants to have a new life and not the current one he’s leading. > Repetition: The word sleep is repeated six times in the poem, to strengthen and reiterate the speaker’s feelings of drowsiness. The word â€Å"sleep† gives the strongest effect at lines 35-40. There is a rhyme between the word â€Å"Heap† in line 35 and the word â€Å"sleep† in line 38†³. Another â€Å"Sleep† is repeated in the same line: â€Å"This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.† The last the lines of the poem: â€Å"Long sleep, as I describe its coming on/Or just some human sleep† nicely ends the poem with a sleepy tone. This ambiguous line leaves readers uncertain whether the speaker is indeed just having some â€Å"human sleep† or has already entered his â€Å"long sleep†. â€Å"Long sleep† as mentioned above, was an euphemism for death. Frost juxtaposed the words â€Å"long sleep† and â€Å"human sleep† in order to contrast the fact that â€Å"long sleep† implies ‘life after death’ and â€Å"human sleep† implies ‘boring and old life†. The speaker is being a little sarcastic because he doesn’t even care whether he is going to die or not. He says he might go for a â€Å"long sleep† or just a normal â€Å"human sleep†. The poet raises a question to readers about whether humans know what happens after they die. Humans cannot know what comes after death; it is only through their faith in a religion that can give them a sense of where they are going after death.

Antigone Was Willing To Take Full Responsibility - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 827 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/05/20 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Antigone Essay Did you like this example? Antigone says to her sister Ismene, I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, it will not be the worst of deaths- death without honor (Sophocles 80) when Ismene refuses to help her bury their dead brother after the king made burying their brother illegal. Antigoners I am not afraid of danger, shows her resolution to do the right thing, even if that meant going against the kingrs law. Ismene is rightfully afraid to help the brother because death is the most probable consequence of defying the king. Antigone was willing to take full responsibility for her actions because she believed that her crime is holy especially because she believed that the afterlife is more important than life on earth. This is because Antigone felt that burring her brother would honor the dead hence showing that she was willing to go against the kings directives in order to honor the higher laws set by the gods rather than the laws set by men. Therefore Antigone expresses her will to stand up against Creon based on her belief that the Gods are superior to the king and that they were more powerful to provide her with protection if she does the right thing or destroys her submitting to Creon. Antigoners sister Ismene, on the contrary, finds the punishment to be too steep to risk being defiant. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Antigone Was Willing To Take Full Responsibility" essay for you Create order By displaying fear of Creons law, Ismene reveals her inner thoughts about kingrs superiority and her conviction of horrible repercussions that would ensue instantaneously if she decided to help her sister. Most importantly, Ismene is convinced that because she and Antigone are women, they cannot override the command of the man, the king. Antigone finds her brothers dead body undisturbed by the animals after some days, and she saw this as a sign that the gods wanted a proper burial for him. Antigoners it will not be the worst of deaths- death without honor shows her superstitious nature in that she believed in the afterlife and bad omen. Also, the quote shows her acknowledgment that each individual is bound to die despite the timing. Additionally, it shows her resolution to honor the dead and appease the gods rather than please a man whors based on her idea that dying in honor would make more sense than dying without it and having eternal troubles. On the contrary, Ismene is not as superstitious, therefore she believes that it makes more sense to follow set rules and regulations. This quote encourages people in society to be courageous enough to stand up for what they believe is right despite the negative repercussions that may ensue, whether the issue is on sexuality, on discrimination, on harassment by the police. Creoners Whoever is chosen to govern should be obeyed- must be obeyed in all things, great and small, just and unjust (Sophocles 530) was said by the king, Creon following Antigoners defiance that made her bury her brother yet he had made it illegal. The quote whoever is chosen to govern should be obeyed is significant in the play as it reinforces the theme of rules and order within the Greek society. Finally, the quote must be obeyed in all things, great and small, just and unjust is significant as it shows how the Sophocles thought of dictatorships and how dictators ruled the people. On the contrary, this same statement allows readers to reflect on Antigoners character that shows how she is driven by justice and refuses to follow the dictatorship of the king, such as directives on what she should do with her late brotherrs body. Most importantly, this statement may explain Antigoners character in that she seems fed up with the tyrannical rule that required everyone to follow blindly. For this reason, she was willing to face whichever consequences so as to stand up against oppression, so as to open the eyes of others in society to see the outright oppressions that they faced, and so as to set an example to other women that the choices and directives that men make are not always great. Sophocles may have chosen the words just and unjust in this particular play to highlight that Creon was commonly unjust and that Antigone was tired of the cycle. Today, the quotes remind all individuals to obey rules and laws regardless of how insignificant they seem so that they do not get themselves in trouble. As much as these quotes by Creon are extreme, they remind people to be courageous to stand up for what they believe in but to always try and negotiate with the governing bodies to try and find middle ground before acting on their beliefs which may get them in trouble. For example, in the play, Antigone may have approached Creon to plead or request him to allow her to bury her brother rather than being defiant. Therefore, people, today can utilize ways that are legal to achieve or lobby for what they want as well.