Environmental Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Analysis Paper - Essay Example The Hershey Company markets brands such as Hershey’s Kisses, Ice Breakers, and Hershey’s Reese among others. Also, it is the leader of the dark and premium chocolates such as Hershey’s Extra Dark, Cacao Reserve, and Hershey’s Special Dark. Other popular brands such as Milk Duds, Payday, Kit Kat, and Almond Joy have tremendously contributed to the success of the company to achieve revenues of about six billion dollars (The Hershey’s Company, 2012). Like other businesses in the world, the Hershey Company operates with business environment that is pre-disposed with business environmental factors such as legal-political, socio-cultural, economic, and technological factors. This paper will seek to conduct an environmental scan and economic analysis on Hershey’s, including the remote, industry, and operating environments. Macroeconomic Forecast Macroeconomic forecast helps provide the consumers, businesses, and government with information necessary in making better decisions (Kew and Stredwick, 2009). The macroeconomic forecast indicators affect Hershey’s in the future and are important that they are considered to be part of the strategic planning of the Company. Increasing GDP in America (though at a smaller rate) and in other countries where its products are sold is favorable in boosting the purchase of the products and increases the prospects of the Hersey’s success (McGuigan, et al., 2011). In the light of this, the strategic planning of Hershey’s will include considering increasing its supplies especially after global financial crisis has completely faded away. Also, reducing rate of unemployment widens the pool of people earning income and therefore increasing the number of people able to buy Hershey’s products (Brenner, 2010). However, unemployment rates in some countries have remained constant or have soared therefore threatening to reduce sales of Hershey’s products in those countri es. Thus, Hershey’s strategic planning will moderate supply in various markets based on the prevailing unemployment rates (McMahon., 2008). In addition, inflation as a macroeconomic factor affects the Hershey’s products presently and in the future. Increase in prices of commodities in various markets that Hershey’s sells its products; tend to affect the performance of the Company (McGuigan et al, 2011). The increase in the cost of production of other consumable commodities including sugar and chocolate confectionary products make the consumers to be cautious in their purchasing, as well as prompting them to focus more on basic commodities than on commodities that they consider to be â€Å"luxurious† (Brenner, 2010). The seemingly high inflation rates in most markets call for a strategy that meets all the market niches. For example, Hersey’s products can be packaged in quantities and prices that reflect the inflation rates of particular markets. Dem and and disposable income is another macroeconomic factor that affects the success of a company like Hershey’s (Morden, 2007). Reduced demand and disposable income of consumers may affect the sales of Hershey’s products in America and in countries where the Company’s products are sold (McGuigan et al, 2011). Therefore, Hersey’s strategy should seek to enhance consumers’ demand and to package quantity and prices that reflect the disposable income of the targeted markets. Non- Economic Factors in the Remote Environment Social and Cultural Social and cultural

Critical Thinking - Inductives & deductive reasoning Essay

Critical Thinking - Inductives & deductive reasoning - Essay Example The argument builds on likelihood of commonness between acquaintances in order to include an additional train that could be common for the two. The premise of this argument is the statement that gives details the close relationship involving the two ladies. The premises try to establish the commonness of the two girls. In this case, the girls are friends and moreover, both of them like fishing and climbing rocks. This argument is inductive because the premises present some evidence to support the truthfulness of the conclusion. Furthermore, nobody can determine its validity or invalidity. Only a comparison can be used to challenge the argument. The conclusion needs not to be certain. According to Teitelbaum & Wilensky (2013), this is a process of reasoning based on one or more statements in order to arrive to a logically certain conclusion. These types of reasoning need to connect premises with conclusion. Deductive reasoning relies on clear and true rules of logic to reach a necessarily true conclusion. In the argument, ‘’ there must be something incorrect with the engine of my truck’’ is the premise that needs to be ratified as true. In deductive logic, this premise will require to be supported with a conclusion that can either be validated or invalidated. In the argument, the conclusion is the fact that the truck’s engine failed to start. In this case, there are two outcomes of the logic: if the car fails to start, it implies that the premise is true, on the other hand, if the engine starts, therefore the premise is untrue. The reasoning illustrated above is a deductive reasoning. This is because the certainty of the conclusion can be established in order to validate or invalidate the premises. In this, someone just requires starting the car’s engine and thus the truth is

Educational Preparation in Nursing Essay Example for Free

Educational Preparation in Nursing Essay With a consistent change in modernizing medicine, along with the continuing advancement in technology, continuing education in nursing is essential for a variety of reasons. The nurse’s main concern is providing safe, efficient, and effective patient care with positive patient outcomes. This paper will examine the differences in competencies between nurses prepared at an associate-degree level versus a baccalaureate-degree level, in order to provide an evidenced-based understanding of the variation in the educational preparation of nurses. An associate-degree nursing program usually takes place over the course of a two year period, providing the nurse with the confidence in skills and knowledge to be placed in an entry-level position upon graduation. These types of programs focus on preparing nurses for care settings including community hospitals and long-term care facilities—and were traditionally designed to compensate for the nursing shortage. A bachelor-degree nursing program typically takes place over a period of four academic years; and is intended to prepare its graduates to practice nursing in leadership and management positions in a number of care settings (Creasia Friberg, 2011, pp 25-27). A bachelor-degree program in nursing provides a further understand of not only the scientific and clinical nursing education, but also a more in-depth overview of specialized skills including: critical thinking, decision-making, communication, leadership, case management, and health promotion (The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice, 2012, para. 1). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing describes evidenced-based recommendations that explain that in order to â€Å"respond to the demands of an evolving health care system and meet the changing needs of patients, nurses must achieve higher levels of education (Fact Sheet: Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce, 2012, para. 5).† The professional nurse holding a baccalaureate-level degree is prepared for a broader role in patient care with a higher understanding of holistic treatment, community health, clinical research, and nursing leadership and management. The added course work provided in a baccalaureate program is designed to prepare the nurse for a broader scope of practice and a better understand of issues that affect patients and their health care, including: cultural, economic, political, and social issues. â€Å"Nurses with Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees are well-prepared to meet the demands placed on todays nurse (The Impact of Ed ucation on Nursing Practice, 2012, para 1).† Patient outcome are the principal for continuing education. The level of educational preparation required by a baccalaureate-degree nurse allows for more equip decision-making in approach to patient care situations. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, In the October 2012 edition of Medical Care researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that surgical patients in Magnet hospitals had 14% lower odds of inpatient death within 30 days and 12% lower odds of failure-to-rescue compared with patients cared for in non-Magnet hospitals. The study authors conclude that these better outcomes were attributed in large part to investments in highly qualified and educated nurses, including a higher proportion of baccalaureate prepared nurses. (Fact Sheet: Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce, 2012, para. 9) With â€Å"Magnet† indicating a higher portion of baccalaureate nursing staff, it is determined that the nurse prepared at a bachelore-degree level is better prepared to approach a patient care situation with the capability of taking immediate action to provide better patient outcomes, than that of a nurse prepared at the associate-degree level. This goes to show that higher education has a strong impact on nursing practice. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, a better educated nursing workforce will improve patient safety and enhance nursing care, decreasing mortality rate—as there is a significant correlation between nurses educated at a bachelor-degree level and lower patient death rates (Fact Sheet: Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce, 2012). Through this research it is apparent that there is a significant connection between patient health care outcomes and the educational preparation of nurses. It is now established that the nurse prepared at a baccalaureate level is more readily capable of caring for critically ill patients; working in situations requiring critical thinking, leadership, and decision-making; and also taking roles in clinical aspects relevant to non-hospital settings. â€Å"Researchers have identified improved patient safety and lower rates of patient morbidity and mortality; lower levels of medication errors and procedural violations; and fewer disciplinary actions for BSNs (Altmann, 2012, para 4).† The need to continue education in nursing is on-going in order to continue to keep up with the changes in technology, advances in medicine, and to provide the best patient care. The Grand Canyon University Philosophy for nursing education explains: Baccalaureate nursing practice incorporates the roles of assessing, critical thinking, communicating, providing care, teaching, and leading. The caring professional approach includes the values of autonomy, altruism, human dignity, integrity and social justice with unconditional regard for all people. Nursing practice includes health promotion, disease prevention, early detection of health deviations, prompt and adequate treatment of the human response to acute and chronic illness, and compassionate care for those experiencing death. (Philosophy, n.d., para. 8) It is essential to maintain competency in nursing practice through the pursuit of continuing education. The difference between educational levels involves clinical competencies in a variety of settings, decision-making skills, leadership roles, job opportunities, and most importantly overall patient outcomes. In order to provide the best care for patients, a higher education, and continuing increase in knowledge is essential. References Altmann, T. K. (2012). Nurses attitudes toward continuing formal education: A comparison by level of education and geography. Nursing Education Perspectives, 33(2), 80-4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1009642651?accountid=7374 Creasia, J. L., Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice [5] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/books/978-0-323-06869-7/id/B9780323068697100029_p0150 Fact sheet: Creating a more highly qualified nursing workforce. (2012, October 24). Retrieved November 8, 2012, from American Association of Colleges of Nursing:

Spiritual Journeys: Dante And St Augustine

Spiritual Journeys: Dante And St Augustine The individual spiritual journeys of Dante in the Divine Comedy and St. Augustine in the Confessions are quite similar, as each man searches for divine love and grace, and true eternal closeness to God. Both Dante and St. Augustine admired and were heavily influenced by Virgil, the classical Roman poet of the Aeneid, in their writing and works; however, because of their strong Christian faith, Dante and Augustine also make it clear in their autobiographical accounts that Virgils pagan beliefs cannot receive salvation, or allow the soul to enter heaven after death. Dantes journey begins with the poet being portrayed as spiritually lost in sin, in the darkness of woods, when a guide is sent to him in the form of the ancient Roman poet Virgil, who represents human reason and wisdom. Virgil tells Dante that the only way out of the darkness is for Virgil to lead him through Hell and Purgatory, in order for Dante to recognize the nature of sin and the consequences of his actions. Once Virgil has guided Dante to the top of Mount Purgatory, where the renunciation and rejection of sin occurs, Virgil tells the Pilgrim that he can no longer accompany him on his final journey to Heaven, because human reason cannot reach the ultimate height of Paradise. Dante is lead instead to Heaven by his beloved Beatrice, who is now living as one of the blessed in the afterlife, and who also symbolizes divine love. Much like Dante, St. Augustines journey also begins with his confessions as being spiritually lost, especially in his earlier years as a sinful youth, turning away from God, and preoccupied with only worldly desires and needs of the flesh. St. Augustine implores in Book VI of his Confessions, Thou hadst made me wiser, yet did I walk in darkness, and in slippery places, and sought Thee abroad out of myself, found not the God of my heart; and had come into the depths of the sea, and distrusted and despaired of ever finding truth (Augustine 94). Here St. Augustine talks about the darkness he walked in during his early life, very similar to Dantes struggle and despair in his own dark woods of sin, where Virgil finds him in the beginning of the Inferno. St. Augustine describes his spiritual void and emptiness further, stating, And I perceived myself to be far off from Thee [God], in the region of unlikeness (134). In this declaration, St. Augustine is associating his many sins with a regi on of unlikeness, which causes him to wander aimlessly without direction or purpose, becoming hopelessly lost. Whereas Dantes descent into Hell in the Inferno is both dramatically real and an allegorical representation of his souls journey towards God, St. Augustines Confessions represents a metaphorical rather than physical journey of the soul, as Augustine searches for divine truth and grace. However, both men view this spiritual descent as necessary in order for the human soul to attain ultimate closeness to God. An example of this is expressed by St. Augustine in Book IV of his Confessions, when he states, Even now, after the descent of Life to you, will ye not ascend and live? But whither ascend ye, when ye are on high, and set your mouth against the heavens? Descend, that ye may ascend, and ascend to God. For ye have fallen, by ascending against Him (64). Furthermore, according to John Freccero, author of Dante: The Poetics of Conversion, In the spiritual life, one must descend in humility before one can begin the ascent to truth, and in the physical world, according to both Dante and A ristotle, one must travel downward with respect to our hemisphere in order to rise (74). This spiritual belief of descending in humility before one can rise again is clearly echoed by both Dante and St. Augustine in their poetic works regarding Christian faith. Virgil, the pagan Roman poet of the Aeneid, also plays an important role in the autobiographical accounts of Dante and St. Augustine as well. Dante uses Virgil as his guide to illustrate Virgils supreme human reason and intellect during his journey, as well as emphasizing Dantes heartfelt admiration for the classical Roman poet. However, to demonstrate and make clear his devout and strict Christian beliefs, Dante places Virgil in Limbo, the first circle of Hell, along with other virtuous pagan Roman poets of the past. Dantes placement of Virgil and the other non-Christians is essential, since they can never be allowed to enter Paradise because of their pagan beliefs. Virgil himself understands this divine judgment delivered by God, when he states to the poet Sordello in Canto VII, I am deprived of Heaven for no fault other than my lack of faith (Alighieri et al. 56). Dante shows that despite Virgils moral perfection, he was without faith, and human reason alone can never reach Heaven . St. Augustine also admired the Roman poet Virgil during his early life, and being a successful teacher of rhetoric, Augustine understood very well a life led by reason. However, he, like Dante, discovers that reason alone is not enough to gain salvation from God, and as a result, was spiritually lost, tormented by temptation and sin. Thus, St. Augustine too realizes it is only when one has true faith in God that eternal salvation can be achieved. As Olson reminds us, Augustine testifies to how reason puts man on the road toward God, and how it is [only] faith that informs and elevates reason, taking it beyond its natural limitations while never being tyrannical or confining in any way. [St. Augustine] summarized this seemingly paradoxical fact in the famous dictum, I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe (Augustines Confessions). History of Portraiture: Changes in Styles and Techniques History of Portraiture: Changes in Styles and Techniques The immemorial fascination of mans own image and of those of his fellow human beings arose a desire in men to attempt and embellish his likeliness into a physical medium. However at the time portrait was exclusive to those who wished to celebrate mans relationship with God and the divine rulers of the times, which makes the Renaissance a revolutionary era for portraiture and the development or artist techniques. The common subjects of royalty and wealth were joined together with the trivial and oppressed, giving artists around the world more latitude to delve into painting intricate and thought-provoking portraits to be cherished for centuries. Deciding to undertake the task of compiling the substantial triumphs for portraiture styles and methods over time, I plan to introduce it in the span of six notable art movements and cover the most significant artist of the time. The theme portraiture hold a special place in my heart, its enigmatic and flexible principles give the artist the u pmost freedom to depict people in a way that suits them. Its a theme that lasted through the test of time, becoming more and more popular as the centuries turn. Jan Van Eyck was a powerful visionary in 15th century with his command of linear perspective and capticating interiors that bathed in golden lights, his art sank into oblivion until the 1930s. Expressing a new awareness of reality through the use of oil paint, he crafted remarkable paintings and portraits that had remarkable attention to detail, observation of nature and light, and constructing spaces steeped in elegant interior which inhabited realistic characters. His careful positioning, golden lights and expert command of the technique of oil painting made him one of the most significant representative of the Renaissance art movement. His style and technique was a step up from the less realistic depiction of human forms by the then pre-Renaissance artists Giotto di Bondone and Cimabue. As the 17th century approached, the subject for painters was changing as the patrons no longer served an essential role in the choice of subjects and composition. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio painted people who were then counted as trivial: peasants appeared alongside sovereigns and saints, crafting a new approach to portraiture for his time. At the beginning of his artistic career he broke through with his loose interpretations of traditional subjects, painting the first still life in the history of art as a subject in itself and knowingly portrayed saints as everyday people. The conventions of his time didnt worry him, nor did the already established art guidelines. He did not make primary sketches but place the paint straight to the canvas, using the foundation coats as an artistic element.   The early works of the artist revealed his love of poetic naturalism that was inspired by his everyday life. Caravaggios approach to chiaroscuro (the artistic play of light and shadow) was a clear departure from the art conventions of Mannerism. These conventions found their way into the most significant Baroque and Rococo artists. In the 18th century, a new freedom became apparent with the French painters as they began portraying a carefree and libertine behavior of society consistently in their artwork. The most noteworthy artist of the time was the Rococo painter Franà §ois Boucher. He was highly adept in many forms of media as he switched traditional bright oil paints to forms of decorative art. Adopting a high tone palette that favoured blues and pinks, he set a definite foundation for most paintings of dream-like quality. His paintings of beautiful women in rich silk clothing endorsed scenes of erotic and passionate love. Oil and gouache sketches were common in preparation for his bigger commissions as his careful attention to finer background detail made the scene more poignant and alive, filling it with character and passion. The dream like qualities of his prominent artwork carried on into the triumph or Romanticism. The spirituality and the influences from the previous eras stimulated the imagination of artists around the world. The art historian and theoretician of colour, Eugà ¨ne Delacroix was and still is the acknowledged master of Romanticism and one of the last great decorative painters. His passion for colours and the depiction of lively composition is reflected in his canvas won the admiration of the public. Everything is the subject; the subject is yourself: our impressions, your emotions when faced with nature. he professed. His skill in the thick impasto unified well with his choice of colours, giving his paintings the form of a sketch. The innovative take on colour, the earthy shades and the use of rich varnishes changed the way most artists composed their portraits and subject matters, crafting their styles to match Delacroixs. The analytical approach to colour is recognised in almost all realism, impressionism and art nouveu paintings that dominated the early 20th century. The creations of Vincent Van Gogh, albeit spanning over a short period of ten years, contained distinguishing marks of his life and the tourment he endoured as well as the places he lived in. The canvases beared his trademark frantic colours and figures in the form of various self-portraits, landscapes and scenes from ordinary day to day life. His impact on art gave colour a new meaning in the works of artists and put forth a new style in which the painter can place his brush on the canvas. A new approach to light and colour enabled him to go beyond both Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism, enabling his style in his self-portraits to experience a change that brough critisim upon him at the time. The intense expressiveness, accompanied by a turmoil of brush strokes produced a new wave of artists stimulated to create more illusive and stylised paintings to continue the tradition of expressive portraiture.

Power in Congress Essay -- essays research papers

Power In and Over Congress I feel the system is biased because there are inequalities among the representation and participation of interest groups and constituents in the political system. Unfortunately, poor and uneducated citizens aren’t as organized as interest groups, lobbyists and PACs because they lack the money, resources and connections necessary to influence congress members on legislative bills. It is evident that, â€Å"businesses, interest groups and labor unions are spending more than $100 million a month to lobby the federal government†(Associated Press, SFC, 3/7/98). â€Å"The actual population of interest groups in Washington surely reflects that there is a class bias in the membership of interest groups†(JBG). â€Å"Interest groups are organized bodies of individuals who share some political goals and try to influence public policy decisions. Representatives from interest groups are referred to as lobbyists† (JBG). â€Å"Lobbyist seek to bring about the passage or defeat of legislative bills and to influence congress, often using large sums of money in a variety of ways to influence legislative outcomes† (APD). I feel that lobbyists have a great deal of influence within congress because they may have direct connections with congress members in high positions. Through PACs, organizations can pool campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office. Personally, I feel that PACs have the most influence over congress because their ...

Jack The Ripper Essay -- Papers

Jack The Ripper 1. From looking at the newspaper article on source A, I can determine the following information regarding the murder of Polly Nichols. Firstly, I can ascertain that it was the second of the Whitechapel murders. I can draw this conclusion from the first few words 'the two murders which have so startled London'. The second point we can learn from this article is that the killer had no apparent motive for the killings, supposedly because money wasn't missing from his victims; 'no adequate motive in the shape of plunder can be traced'. Also, the article tells us that the victims have been 'the poorest of the poor' Even though these pieces of information are product of the media, they appear to be true, as there would be no need for the newspaper to sensationalise such facts. The source also suggests the killer is a 'demented being', due to the 'extraordinary violence' exhibited in each of his murders. Finally, the source makes reference to the 'excess of effort' used by the killer 2. The report of Dr. Frederick Blackwell on the body of Elizabeth Stride supports the coroner's report on source B when it states that 'in the neck, there was a long incision which commenced on the left side, two and a half inches below the jaw, cutting the windpipe completely in two'. This account supports source B which states; 'there are no meaningless cuts' and that 'the injuries have been made by someone with considerable anatomical skill' obviously because the killer knew where to reach the windpipe. The extract also supports source A where it talks about the 'extraordinary violence'. However, source C contradicts source A when ... ... that a disgruntled customer of one of the local Jewish craftsmen's shops may have just written this graffiti to express his anger. The only thing linking this graffiti to the Eddowes murder was a tiny piece of Eddowes's apron found nearby. Source A mentions the victims being 'the poorest of the poor'. This is important, as maybe the police weren't worried as much about the poor people. Also this suggests that the killings may have been in hard to reach places for the police. Source B mentions the 'anatomical skill and knowledge' required to carry out such murders. Maybe such a man could also have enough knowledge to be able to out wit the police. Source F, the leaflet is another reminder of the police effort to stop the Ripper getting away, but it could also have let the Ripper know of the police involvement too much. Jack The Ripper Essay -- Papers Jack The Ripper 1. From looking at the newspaper article on source A, I can determine the following information regarding the murder of Polly Nichols. Firstly, I can ascertain that it was the second of the Whitechapel murders. I can draw this conclusion from the first few words 'the two murders which have so startled London'. The second point we can learn from this article is that the killer had no apparent motive for the killings, supposedly because money wasn't missing from his victims; 'no adequate motive in the shape of plunder can be traced'. Also, the article tells us that the victims have been 'the poorest of the poor' Even though these pieces of information are product of the media, they appear to be true, as there would be no need for the newspaper to sensationalise such facts. The source also suggests the killer is a 'demented being', due to the 'extraordinary violence' exhibited in each of his murders. Finally, the source makes reference to the 'excess of effort' used by the killer 2. The report of Dr. Frederick Blackwell on the body of Elizabeth Stride supports the coroner's report on source B when it states that 'in the neck, there was a long incision which commenced on the left side, two and a half inches below the jaw, cutting the windpipe completely in two'. This account supports source B which states; 'there are no meaningless cuts' and that 'the injuries have been made by someone with considerable anatomical skill' obviously because the killer knew where to reach the windpipe. The extract also supports source A where it talks about the 'extraordinary violence'. However, source C contradicts source A when ... ... that a disgruntled customer of one of the local Jewish craftsmen's shops may have just written this graffiti to express his anger. The only thing linking this graffiti to the Eddowes murder was a tiny piece of Eddowes's apron found nearby. Source A mentions the victims being 'the poorest of the poor'. This is important, as maybe the police weren't worried as much about the poor people. Also this suggests that the killings may have been in hard to reach places for the police. Source B mentions the 'anatomical skill and knowledge' required to carry out such murders. Maybe such a man could also have enough knowledge to be able to out wit the police. Source F, the leaflet is another reminder of the police effort to stop the Ripper getting away, but it could also have let the Ripper know of the police involvement too much.

Breathing Underwater

Breathing Underwater is an interesting story of a young boy’s self discovery. Nick’s journey towards self discovery is somewhat forced upon him when he assaults his girl friend Caitlin. The judge sentences Nick to six months of counseling that involve dealing with anger issues. In addition, due to the fact that nick claims that he doesn’t know how he got into this mess, the judge assigns Nick to write in a journal daily 500 words about what happened in his and Caitlin’s relationship (Finn, 2001). The question of this book is if Nick will lean anything about himself and what he does about it.In addition, it is important to understand that this book is about not judging people’s lives just by looking at them. This book, at first glace has a very odd title; however very early on we get a glimpse at what breathing underwater might mean. The day of the first class, Mario asks all the students if they ever feel like they are breathing underwater and life is coming at you too fast (Finn, 2001, 20). It seems like breathing underwater means that we all are actors in our lives; we try to show people that we are brave when we are actually afraid.Moreover, we are forever trying to show others that we in control of ourselves when in fact we feel completely out of control. Nick hits Caitlin because he feels that he and his life are out of control. However, when he goes to class, he feels as if he doesn’t need anger counseling. In addition, nobody in the class thinks they need to be there. Moreover, when one of the classmates ends up killing is girlfriend and himself, Nick sees that he needs counseling and how anger can and does destroy lives. The end of the book deals with Nick trying to take back his life.He tries to apologize to Caitlin for hitting her and he tells her that he loved her, he and Tom rekindle their friendship, and Nick stands up to his dad. Nick says that he is tired of breathing underwater and by the end of the book he has stopped himself from drowning in his anger. I think this book shows us that there are times when we feel as if we are breathing underwater. It also shows us that there are better ways to manage our anger such as writing about it in a journal. Works Cited Flinn, A. (2001). Breathing Underwater. New York: Harper Collins