Expert Testimony Reliability Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Expert Testimony Reliability - Case Study Example Incompetent experts in criminal cases might be more newsworthy, but surveyors in civil courts face the same pressures. Last year, Geoffrey Wright, of EA Shaw, and I discussed the important role that expert witnesses have to play in dispute resolution (EG 23 July 2005, p90). The General Medical Council had just held that the evidence given by Professor Sir Roy Meadow at the criminal trial of Sally Clarke was "naà ¯ve, grossly misleading, incompetent and careless". He was found guilty of serious professional misconduct and stripped of his licence to practice. On 17 February, Collins J ruled that Professor Meadow had acted "honestly and in good faith": see Meadows v General Medical Council [2006] EWHC 146 (Admin); [2006] 09 EG 182 (CS). The appeal was allowed on the basis that his conduct should not have exposed him to such a sanction. In the same week, Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, announced new measures designed to ensure that expert witnesses in criminal trials give their ob jective opinion only and do not act as advocates. Expert witnesses will have to reveal all of their evidence, and its source, to investigating police. They will also have to declare anything "that might adversely affect their credibility or competence as an expert witness "and must "not give expert opinion beyond their area of expertise". In contrast to a liberal admissibility view, Paul Milich maintains that "the jury's obvious limitations in evaluating complex scientific disputes cannot be overcome by the mythically powerful tools of cross-examination and closing argument." 2 He suggests that it may be over-hasty to assume that an adversarial proceeding will succeed in enabling a jury to understand scientific testimony satisfactorily. According to Mulch, when jurors are presented with complex scientific issues, they might choose to ignore these issues and make a decision based on other factors, such as an expert's physical appearance and his/her demeanor. Mulch's argument seems pl ausible because jurors might have to resort to this alternative if they really do not understand the proffered testimony. Since judges and juries do not share a common base of experience with an expert witness on the specialized matters being discussed in his/her testimony, they can have a difficult time probing into and evaluating the expert's reasoning and opinions. The accessibility of proffered claims can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, some of which were mentioned previously. The subject matter of some expert testimony can be inherently confusing, if not unintelligible, to laypersons. To return to a point made before, one

John Grisham Essay Example for Free

John Grisham Essay Introduction The Capital Area Food Bank has been serving 633,000 unprivileged residents in Washington D. C Metropolitan Area and 200,000 children whose standards of living are precarious inviting utmost care and concern. There are 200,000 children who are in need of food. [source: U. S Census Bureau,2000] Food Bank distributes over and above 62,000 pounds on daily basis and serves meals accounting to 1. 6 million per month apart from serving 700 non-profit partnership agencies affiliated with Washington D. C. Metropolitan Area. The minimum wage of D. C. is $7. 00. Also the minimum wage is $6. 15 in Maryland and $5. 15 in Virginia. [source:Hunger in America 2006, Mathematica Policy Research] CAFB definition of poverty : The Capital Area Food Bank defines poverty based upon 185% of the poverty guidelines. This means that a household may earn up to 185% of the U. S. government’s standard of poverty and still be considered â€Å"in poverty†. This measure (and other multiples such as 125%, 150% and even 200% of poverty) is utilized determine eligibility for many government programs. 1 Contributing factors to Hunger and Homelessness 1. Unemployment The following States have the problem of unemployment [2005]. Sno State High Low 1 Mississipi ^ 2 Louisiana ^ 3 South Carolina ^ 4 Alaska ^ 5 Michigan ^ 6 Hawaii ÐŽ 7 North Dakota ÐŽ 8 Vermont ÐŽ 9 Virginia ÐŽ 2. National poverty indicators: Sno (In millions} Status For the Year 1 25,350 Individuals 2005 2 5,146 Avg monthly individuals 2005 3 25,682 Avg monthly food stamp: individuals 2005 4 38,196 Food insecurity-household 2004 5 7,591 Unemployed individuals 2005 6 36,997 Individuals in poverty 2004 [source:Hunger in America, Draft Report, February 2006] 2. Food Insecurity [2002-2004] 1 Oklahoma ^ 2 South Carolina ^ 3 Arkansas ^ 4 Delaware ÐŽ. 5 North Dakota ÐŽ 6 New Hampshire ÐŽ 7 Minnesota ^ 8 Hawaii ^ [source:National Statistics on Hunger and Poverty]2 3. States with poverty [2004]3 1 New Hampshire 1 2 Minnesota 2 3 Vermont 3 4 New Jersey 4 5 Hawaii 5 6 Delaware 6 7 Masschusetts 7 8 Alaska 7 9 Virginia 9 10 Nebraska 10 11 North Dakota 11 12 Maryland 12 13 Wyoming 13 14 Idaho 13 15 Utah 13 16 Connecticut 16 17 Colorado 16 18 Iowa 18 19 Oklahoma 19 20 Nevada 20 21 Pennsylvania 21 22 Kansas 22 23 Rhode Island 23 24 Washington 23 25 Florida 25 26 Maine 25 27 Indiana 25 28 Ohio 25 29 Missouri 30 30 Illinois 30 31 Wisconsin 32 32 Georgia 33. 33 California 34 34 Michigan 34 35 South Dakota 36 36 Montana 37 37 West Virginia 38 38 Arizona 39 39 North Carolina 40 40 South Carolina 41 41 New York 42 42 Arkansas 43 43 Tennessee 44 44 New Mexico 45 45 Texas 45 46 Alabama 49 47 Kentucky 50 48 Mississippi 51 57% of hunger is prevalent in urban areas and 43% is prevalent in sub-urban/rural areas of U. S4. 4. Income – Household Employment status [2006]5 sno Income – (USD) percentage Employment percentage 1 0-999 60. 6 Full-time 14. 6 2 1000-2499 25. 3 Part-time 13. 2 3 2500 and above 2. 9 Unemployed 72. 2 4 Not known 11. 2 North Carolina – A study. Statistics of hunger and poverty in North Carolina sno year Household income (Avg) % (+) (-) Increase in numbers From To Increase % 1 2000 –2002 (-) $1749 (-) 4. 4 985,000 1. 07 mn 9 According to the survey of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, it was found that the overall percentage of hunger in U. S in 4. 3 and according to Quandt â€Å"food insecurity† is between 35. 6% to 41. 8% in four surveys conducted. North Carolina with a population of 8 million is having an account of 15. 2 % of individuals and 21. 2% of families with small children facing a risk of hunger. Statistics of Polkton. 1 Total population 18,324 2 Households 7,908 3 Families 5,337 4 Average household size 2. 28 5 Average family size 2. 78 6 Household Median income $36,259 7 Family Median Income $45,096 8 Percapita Income $19,804 9 Male – Median income $29,375 10 Female-Median income $23,070 11 Below poverty line-18 under 11. 70% 12 Below poverty line-65 and older 8. 80% 13 Children under 18 23. 50% 14 Married couples 56. 30% 15 Female householders 7. 90% 16 Non-families 32. 50% 17 Individual households 28. 90% 18 65 and older living alone 15% 19 Below poverty line 10. 10% of population 20 Families below poverty line 6. 40%. The break up of people living is: †¢ White : 92. 26% †¢ African American : 5. 89% †¢ Native American : 0. 19 †¢ Asian : 0. 247 Conclusion The result of 25 cities survey of status report on Hunger and Homelessness in U. S concludes that 83 per cent of cities surveyed that there is a dire need of assistance in shelter and food which has risen by 15 per cent, still having 76 per cent of cities reporting to be increasing. There are totally thirteen cities facing the acute and emergency need of home and food. viz. , Burlington, Vermont,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania,Charlotte,North Carolina,Portland,Oregon, San Antonio and Texas. [source:Mayor’s Conference]. North Carolina crisis in budget is expected to exceed $1Billion. Some of the other contributing factors are : increase in accommodation cost, unemployment, and employment problems, poverty, low income or lack of income, increasing utility rates, non-availability of transportation and handicapped and mentally disabled persons. There is an account of 1/5 of homeless persons who are mentally ill in the above cities. According to a survey 60percent of eastern North Carolina have participated in WIC program conducted by U. S Department of Agriculture, as compared to 40 per cent in Forsyth County. 6 Compared to other parts of the world, United States is free from food insecurity and hunger. The nations data accounts that 82. 4 per cent of households were secured with food and 13. 3. Percent of households were food insecure and 4. 3 percent were accounted with hunger. There are several community based organizations and local head departments [CBO, LHD] which are working for North Carolina to assist people in every manner providing comfort for illness and food. There is a severe need for adult care for treating mental illnesses apart from providing all kinds of facilities for children. References [1] Hunger in D C Metro Area, Capital Area Food Bank http://www. capitalareafoodbank. org/hunger/statistics. cfm [2]. A Report on the North Carolina 2003 Public Health Partnership Survey of Local Health Department and community based organization. http://www. schs. state. nc. us/SCHS/pdf/LHDCBOSurveyweb. pdf#search=%22statistics%20of%20hunger%20and%20poverty%20in%20Anson%20county%22 [3] Housing and extreme poverty of extreme poverty http://www. common-sense. org/journal/housing. html.

Shakespeares Othello - Why did Othello Marry? :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Why did Othello Marry? Why did Othello marry is a complex question, the obvious answer would be that he loves Desdemona, but why does he love her and why does his love turn to hate so quickly in Act III scene 3 requires much thought and consideration. Othello likes people to be plain and open because that is what he himself is, he has grown to become his image, he is only on the surface, he hides nothing because that is his image, to only have one side, the military side. Thus Desdemona also seems to him very open, he likes her because he thinks she is like him however when he finds that she might be hiding something from him then he stops loving her. At the same time Othello needs a wife to complete his image, she is the proof that he is a successful general and Christian and he can show her off as such. Othello loves or thinks he loves Desdemona for many reasons, not least because he thinks she is like him. He thinks it will be a good relationship because she seems to be in his eyes just like a soldier thus like him so that he attracted her while telling her tales of his battles as seen in Act I scene 3: "She loved me for the dangers I has passed". He talks to her as he talks to a soldier using images of war and might: "May the winds blow till they have wakened death, And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas". Because she comes with him to the wars, she becomes even more in his mind one of his soldiers so that after he comes back to Cyprus he greets her with: "O, my fair warrior". Othello can not cope with anybody who is different from him, who he cannot understand so that because he sees so much of himself in Desdemona he loves her. She is his "hard bright surface" because she reflects his image when he looks at her. She is commanding, smart and self-confident which he sees as his own best qualities. She shows how commanding and smart she is when she first answers her father in Act I scene 3: To you I am bound for life and education; My life and education both do learn me How to respect you.

Cain and Abel Analysis

Cain and Abel The Graves/Jung model is an interpretative method that attempts to explain a variety of things on a variety of levels. It explains how individuals progress, how societies progress, how theories progress, how we view others, and how others view us; just to name a few. I will be applying the theory to analyze the story of Cain and Abel found in the fourth chapter of Genesis, in the Bible. I will be interpreting the three main characters to assess what level of the model they are functioning in. We meet the main characters of the story in the first two verses.Cain is Abel’s older brother and we learn of their occupations, â€Å"Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. Their nature of their occupations could already be setting up the idea that Abel is physically small and Cain is physically larger. In the Hebrew world, shepherds are historically the youngest children and often girls. Later in the Bible, there is a mirror of this in 1st Samuel. it is King David (portrayed as the smallest amongst his brothers) who is also a shepherd. Typically anyone who â€Å"works the land† is going to have to be physically fit, which leads to more capabilities of physical violence.The author may have put these important details in to start to paint the picture of â€Å"helpless innocent Abel† and â€Å"big bully Cain†. This is just the beginning of why this is a Level 3 story of competitive, survival-of-the-fittest type interactions. Even though the characters might be functioning at the level 3, I think the society they are living in is at least level four. We see this in verses three and five when the third main character is introduced, â€Å"the Lord†. The fact that Cain and Abel’s god needs a offering implies that at some point someone said or wrote that he needed one.They wouldn’t just do that if it were not made clear by society that offerings were expected. This is all fitting with Level fou r. This also implies that the god is at least a level four god. In verses six and seven the Lord states, The LORD said to Cain, â€Å"Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. † This shows that the god of this story can function on level six.He is empathizing with Cain and even offering advice, or at least his challenge to Cain without explicitly telling him to not go through with his anger. However, to get to a level six, one must come out of a level five which came out of a level four. The level four god comes out in his punishment of Cain, â€Å"And the LORD said, â€Å"What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength.You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. † He is saying by this punishment that there are rules and you broke them, a very level four statement. The god in the story of Cain and Abel when the context is not extended to the whole Bible is a level four god. Cain is a textbook level three character he gets â€Å"angry† and jealous that someone else did better and he decided to go through with level three actions in verse 8. â€Å"Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Cain essentially decided that he was bigger and stronger so he could deal with things accordingly. The problem with that is that he is on a level four society with a level four god. Level four was created to stop individuals functioning at level three and this story follows suit with the Lord’s punishment of Cain and the society carrying it out. This is seen in verse 15, Then the LORD said to him, â€Å"Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. † And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. Now we also see a little bit of level two come out in Cain’s words.When the lord asks him where his brother is, Cain responds with, â€Å"I do not know; am I my brother's keeper? † This is a very mischievous thing to say because Cain knows exactly where Cain is. It is very similar to a child being asked by his parents â€Å"Where did all those cookies for the shower go? † and the child who, while knowing it was wrong, ate them responds with â€Å"well I don’t see them anywhere. † Cain is mirroring this. I find it interesting that when it comes to a conflict both the Lord and Cain begin to function in lower levels than their original state.Lastly there is Abel, since the author doesn’t give us and lines of dialogue to reference, we will use the context of the story to evalua te what level character he is. I would say because he abides by the level four standards set by society and the level four god then he is at least functioning at the level. We see this in the fact that not only was he attempting to do the societal norm in making an offering that potentially allowed him to have â€Å"regard† with the Lord but also he succeeded in that. This shows he possibly could be a higher level than four but it is hard to say since we do not know exactly how he responded to Cain’s attack.

Business Communication Essay

?Introduction In this assignment I am required to explain the different types of business information used by the business organisation that I have chosen for example; verbal, written, non-verbal, non-written, multimedia etc. I will also be writing their sources and purposes and analysing the different types of information. I will then evaluate the appropriateness of business information used to make strategic decisions. The business that I have chosen is Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s is a public limited company (PLC). It is the second largest chains of supermarkets in the United Kingdom in the retailing business. Sainsbury’s was first established with a shop in Drury Lane, and then became the largest grocery retailer in 1922. Sainsbury’s provides food and drink, home and garden, technology, toys, entertainment, clothing and much more for their customers. This comes under the tertiary sector business that provides a valuable service that customers and other businesses are prepared to pay for. From where they had first started throughout the years they have expanded it by selling different varieties of products to satisfy their customers as well as giving them new products to purchase. Types of Information Source Purpose Analysis Verbal- Face to face communication about sales reports between staff and sales manager (meetings). Internal Source- Marketing Department. This is because this department deals with sales as they can give information about the results of research undertaken by Sainsbury’s. Face to face discussions could be used by the marketing department to explain/update by communicating sales promotions. Using this opportunity through the meeting the sales manager will also have an overview of how well the employees are doing their job. It is important for Sainsbury’s to have face to face meetings about sales reports often, so that the company itself knows what needs to be improved and how they are progressing currently. Marketing department helps  this type of verbal communication by updating the company using promotions and sales so they can achieve more profit for themselves and shareholders. Verbal-A telephone conversation about a customer enquiring about a product (staff helping a customer through telephone line checking if the product that customer wants is in stock). External Source- Customer Services Department. This is because customer services deals with customer’s issues or any enquiries they might have to do with the products or the store they can speak to a Sainsbury’s representative. A telephone conversation could be used by the customer’s services department to inform future developments on customer’s response to existing products and services. However Sainsbury’s doesn’t just deal with products, they deal with different types on insurances, mobiles, recruitment and so on. It is important for Sainsbury’s to have telephone conversations with customers because this way they are able to know customer’s opinions about certain topics and anything they would like to enquire about it e.g. products, services Sainsbury’s provide. The customer services department helps this type of communication by informing staff and managers about future developments. Verbal-Speeches about expanding on areas that need s improvement (increasing an amount of tills to avoid customers waiting for a long period of time in the queue). Internal Source- Production Department. This is in this specific department because with production they are able to know what areas need improving and so along with past and future levels of production, this department knows how to deal with it in detail. They are able to know what kind of costs Sainsbury’s will be dealing with in order to expand tills which will then move on to the marketing department. Speeches about expanding on areas that need improvement could be used by inviting support for activities so that Sainsbury’s can avoid bad service coming from their employees. This means an explanation needs to be given to employees and others as it is important for them to know why this new improvement in the business is happening. It is important for Sainsbury’s to have speeches on areas that need improvement because in order for the company to expand and improve, improvement on  amount of tills to avoid customers not only helps improve the company but attra cts more new and existing customers too. Also the production department can help as they can specify what areas need to be developed and write in detail about the costs and spacing will be needed to create the new tills for the store. Written-Web-based information about employment and recruitment (information of the company’s website about vacancies available). Internal Source- Human Resources. This is based in this department because human resources can provide information about the staffing and training within Sainsbury’s. Web-based information displays many benefits of multimedia technology. Web-based information about recruitment can be used by human resources to update knowledge and offer employment through multimedia technology. Sainsbury’s website gives different varieties of choices of job roles. They also provide specific searches to allow the people look for a specific store to work in and the kind of the job role they want. It is important for Sainsbury’s to have web based information about employment and recruitment because this helps the company employ people to work for them. It gives a chance for people to use the website find out what kind of vacancies the company has going on and what sort of rules too. It is important that the human resources department deals with this type of communication as they are aware of what kind of resources is needed to create/improve the website. Written-On screen information about sales, advertising, products and promotions on certain products (e.g. food, homecare, TU clothing etc). Internal Source- Marketing Department. This is sectioned in this department because marketing campaigns, promotions and information about the market, Sainsbury’s can take care of this department well. On screen information about sales and promotions could be used by inviting support for activities for a primary purpose of making a profit. By inviting support for activities they can increase more sales on other products to make more profit. It is important for Sainsbury’s to have on screen information about sales, advertising and promotions on products because with promotions on products the company not only will be able to expand by attracting more customers, b ut they will also be gaining more profit which means more shareholders too. It is important that the marketing department deals with advertising, sales and promotions, because they can give information about the results of research they  undertake, which means they can see what their competitors are doing and how their own company can make improvements. Written-Emails for queries regarding certain topics customer’s would like to discuss (Sainsbury’s bank, recruitment and website technical queries etc). External Source- Customer services department. This is based in the customer services department because consumers are able to discuss what kind of issues they want to with the company. Emails for queries regarding certain topics customers would like to discuss, could be used by informing future developments. This is because a business cannot develop and grow more than how much Sainsbury’s is wanting and aiming for if they do not hear what their customers have to say and so emails is one of the communication techniques so that Sainsbury’s can know their views on certain things. It is important that the company lets customers have access to emailing Sainsbury’s for any kind of queries customers would like to discuss. This is because their opinions and allowing them to express their views will help Sai nsbury’s improve/expand. If Sainsbury’s do this customers will feel satisfied that their opinions are being heard and action is being taken. Also it is important that the customer services department deal with this type of communication because Sainsbury’s can give consumers the information they are wanting to know about existing products or even providing a service. Non-Verbal-Deaf person wanting to know which isle in the store is a product in (asking a staff member). External Source-Human Resources. This is located in this department because employees within the stores can help customers who are deaf and wanting a product within the store hence asking help from a staff member. A deaf person wanting to know where a product is in the store could be used by inviting support for activities as information is very important and needs to be required through communications in order to support the business and keeping it running and successful. However for deaf people Sainsbury’s can hire employees that can communicate with deaf people using sign language. It is important in Sainsbury’s that a deaf person wanting to know where certain things are the employees of this company can help them. By doing this Sainsbury’s are able to show that they provide a service that many other stores might not offer. It is important that it is located in the human resources department because employees who can do sign language can help give information towards the customers who are deaf. Some of these  employees might need training for this and human resources department are able to sort that out for them. Multi-Media- PowerPoint presentation showing sales figures (how much profit they have made within 2 months). Internal Source- Finance Department. This is in this department because they will have information relating to Sainsbury’s performance including profit and loss figures, balance sheet and the costs of running Sainsbury’s. PowerPoint presentation showing sales figures could be used by updating knowledge for seeing how much profit they have made during a period of time. This is because so they can know what needs to be done IF they are making less profit. It also updates knowledge to see how well they are doing within sales figures. This is important in Sainsbury’s because PowerPoint presentations that show sales figures allows the company to know how much profit they have made and how well they are doing currently. It is important that the finance department deals with this because they will have an amount of information that includes costs, sales and how much profit the company is making.

jakia business class Essays (588 words) - Pat, Free Essays

jakia business class Essays (588 words) - Pat, Free Essays Jakia Brown Bus 3100 Dr. April Anderson 17 March 2018 Exercise 7-6 Since Jackson has still not complied, it is most likely very frustrated at this situation. Ted not complying is interfering with work schedule and ability to focus on certain provided or assigned tasks. I would follow up with one last email before trying something else. I would watch my tone, because it may become harsh the more frustrated I become, specifically tell Jackson what it is the organization need for him to do. I should follow up with a final or reminder email to Jackson before further actions are taken. I would make sure to have an affirmative yet friendly tone or action in this last email. It is important to specifically tell Jackson what it is I expect or want from him or what I need him to do. I would Make the email clear and transparent and make sure to aim on one main issue at a time. I'd end by explaining why I'm making this request and asking for a response by a certain date. End off the email asking for specific act ion and a deadline to respond to this email. Exercise 7-7 When your company is at fault, always apologize. There are six steps to creating a message. The first step is acknowledging the complaint, and then sympathizing with the customer. After these two steps comes, taking personal responsibility for the incident and your plan for resolution. Finally repairing the relationship and following up to ensure the response was handled correctly. The best thing to do I think is admitting responsibility and maybe doing something to help them get new potential clients to replace the one they lost. If it is your fault the best thing to do to save the relationship is to own up to it and try to smooth things over. Exercise 7-8 I w ould write the letter but be real and truthful. I would say that I haven't worked with them in years, but I remember them being a pleasure to work with. It would be the honest and it might be helpful for the ex-employee. I would handle the situation by looking up the employee's old file and seeing if they had any awards or recommendations in their file. I w ould know the employee was good , but maybe I made a note of it , and that could help me remember the employee better and more of what they did for me that I w as most impressed with. If that did not work, I would try honesty. I would admit that I can't remember any specific details about the job that this employee preformed , but what I can do is give a detailed list of what the employee had to do , and I recall th ey did an admirable job each day they worked for me . I would also apologize to the person reading it and say that this employee worked for me many years ago and I am having trouble remembering details, but I know that the company would not be sorry for hiring this employee and that this employee was one of the best investments that that company ever made. This would be the best thing that I could do given the lack of information or data in remembering the employee. It would be hopeful that I could give a brighten recommendation letter to the best of my ability.

The eNotes Blog 5 Reasons to RereadMoby-Dick

5 Reasons to RereadMoby-Dick Herman Melville’s classic novel about the grand whaling voyage of the Pequod first landed on bookstore shelves exactly 167 years ago. Moby-Dick was widely panned in both England and the United States- Melville’s experimental style flew over the heads of most critics. But today the book is widely read, loved, and discussed. To celebrate the novel’s anniversary- as well as its place in the running for the Great American Read- let’s look at five reasons why we should all reread Moby-Dick. 1. It’s epic. The story that drives Moby-Dick forward is Captain Ahab’s obsessive hunt for the white whale. He wishes to kill the beast that long ago took his leg and, in doing so, stare into its soul. After the ship launches, the crew slowly surmises the mysterious nature of their voyage- no typical whaling venture, but a quest to conquer and understand the godlike whale. He advanced towards the main-mast with the hammer uplifted in one hand, exhibiting the gold with the other, and with a high raised voice exclaiming: â€Å"Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw; whosoever of ye raises me that white-headed whale, with three holes punctured in his starboard fluke- look ye, whosoever of ye raises me that same white whale, he shall have this gold ounce, my boys!† (Chapter 36). 2. It’s funny. For all its grandeur and adventure, Moby-Dick is often side-splittingly funny. The narrator, Ishmael, has an eye for the quirks and oddities of human nature. At times, his shipmates seem more a troop of clowns than a crew of whalemen. If you’re looking for a chuckle, search no further. Least of all, did Flask presume to help himself to butter. Whether he thought the owners of the ship denied it to him, on account of its clotting his clear, sunny complexion; or whether he deemed that, on so long a voyage in such marketless waters, butter was at a premium, and therefore was not for him, a subaltern; however it was, Flask, alas! was a butterless man! (Chapter 34). 3. It teaches you all about whales. Melville was intensely fascinated by whales. In Moby-Dick, Melville devotes nearly as many pages to the behaviour, anatomy, and history of whales as he does to the story. Even though much of the science Melville cites is outdated, his keen attention and descriptive powers make Moby-Dick a continual source of inspiration to whale lovers. The lower subdivided part, called the junk, is one immense honeycomb of oil, formed by the crossing and recrossing, into ten thousand infiltrated cells, of tough elastic white fibres throughout its whole extent. The upper part, known as the Case, may be regarded as the great Heidelburgh Tun of the Sperm Whale (Chapter 77). 4. Melville’s writing is electrifying. Melville stands among the greatest prose writers in the English language. His keen eye, musical ear, and capacious mind make for a truly electrifying style. For lovers of language, Melville is the maestro- and Moby-Dick is his masterpiece. Through the lacings of the leaves, the great sun seemed a flying shuttle weaving the unwearied verdure. Oh, busy weaver! unseen weaver!- pause!- one word!- whither flows the fabric? what palace may it deck? wherefore all these ceaseless toilings? Speak, weaver!- stay thy hand!- but one single word with thee! Nay- the shuttle flies- the figures float from forth the loom; the freshet-rushing carpet for ever slides away. The weaver-god, he weaves; and by that weaving is he deafened, that he hears no mortal voice†¦ (Chapter 102). 5. The characters are unforgettable. After reading Moby-Dick, the rowdy crew of characters remains fixed in the mind: attentive Ishmael, steadfast Starbuck, stout Stubb, maniacal Ahab, courageous Queequeg. Melville’s characterizations are so detailed that each figure emerges from the page with a distinctive voice, gait, and attitude. And they are, for the most part, excellent company. And [his] tattooing had been the work of a departed prophet and seer of his island, who, by those hieroglyphic marks, had written out on his body a complete theory of the heavens and the earth, and a mystical treatise on the art of attaining truth; so that Queequeg in his own proper person was a riddle to unfold; a wondrous work in one volume; but whose mysteries not even himself could read, though his own live heart beat against them; and these mysteries were therefore destined in the end to moulder away with the living parchment whereon they were inscribed, and so be unsolved to the last (Chapter 110). Moby-Dick is a novel of countless depths and dimensions. There are as many ways- and reasons- to read it as there are readers. We’ve rounded up a handful of our favorite reasons to climb aboard Melville’s masterwork for another voyage. Can you think of more?