Estimation Model And Decomposition

Estimation Model And Decomposition In this lecture we introduce project estimation to estimate project resource requirements, time duration, human effort, and cost. We also discuss the models and techniques used in the project estimation. We also discuss the estimation methods such as comparative, top-down, bottom-up (engineering), historical analogy and expert judgment. Then we presented decomposition technique to break down the project into tasks to assist us in estimating the project. We focus on the work breakdown structure (WBS) decomposition method. Learning Outcomes Understand estimation model Understand decomposition technique and planning tools 1.0 Introduction In this lecture we continue discussion of project management in software engineering. We start by introducing the project estimation to estimate project resource requirements, time duration, human effort, and cost. We discuss the models and techniques used in the project estimation. We also discuss the estimation methods such as comparative, top-down, bottom-up (engineering), historical analogy and expert judgment. Then we present decomposition technique to decompose the project into tasks to assist us in estimating the project. We focus on the work breakdown structure (WBS) decomposition method. 2.0 Estimation Model Project estimation is a highly subjective and person-dependent process. A project task could be done in one day by one person but could take a few hours by another person. Hence, different estimates could be given by different persons of the time it takes to perform a task. After actual execution and performing of the task, the time it has taken to be performed is a measured, actual and real time. Accordingly, any time estimate to performing the task that is not close to the actual time is inaccurate. Project estimates are established at early in a project by the software development team and corporation management. These estimates are required for project resources, work to be done, project cost, project schedule, and time to delivery. Project estimates are required during project planning which is a crucial phase of the project lifecycle. Project estimating techniques are available based on metrics accumulated from past similar project experiences. Projects should be estimated in a structured and formal way, otherwise, estimates are inaccurate and projects could be handed in late. Structured and formal project estimation methods that use sound techniques and understanding have the following advantages: They make estimates more accurate They allow the project team to reach a consensus on the estimates They improve the accuracy of those estimates They make it much more likely that projects will come in on time Project planning requires estimates of the: Resource requirements Human effort- in person-months Time project duration- in calendar time Project cost and budget In practice, project history and past experience are often used as a guide in estimating the above values. The estimation usually requires breaking the project into pieces. At early stages in a project the software development team and management team must establish estimates for resources required (human resources, equipment, software, space, tools, etc.), work to be done and time to product delivery. Cost, time, and resource estimating techniques are available based on metrics accumulated from past similar project experiences. Usually, several approaches and methods are used to estimate these values. Then, estimated values that result from different estimation methods are compared. If these values vary widely, then this variance is taken as an indication of the need for more information. Projects could fail due to different causes related to project estimation. For example, the initial estimation of the budget needed for the completion of the project could be too little or too much. This can also be applied to the duration of the project, as some projects fail due to too little time being assigned for completion. As well as this, another factor that leads to project failure is ill planning, where the whole project is not planned out right from the start. Also, the goals and objectives of a project, which are developed at the start of the project may be regularly altered/changed which as a result causes confusion within the workforce. In addition to this, due to technology being a fast-paced industry, the personnel of the project need to stay up-to-date with this rapid change in order to use the correct the technology for the project. Finally, a lack of or ineffective communication between the workforce of the project, regardless of their role and position, can also l ead to broken interactions and project failure. Estimates could be inaccurate due to different reasons including people injury, sickness, or resign. Project development teams could run into unexpected technical problems, etc. Therefore, the objective of estimation is that people in the organization who have the training and knowledge to give an honest, well-informed opinion of the effort (time, cost, resources, etc. ) required to do a task. The uncertainty about the project could be reduced and more accurate estimates could be generated by producing well-documents about the project scope and vision by the organizations management and by reaching a consensus on the tasks that must be performed by the development team members. This consensus could be reached through discussion of assumptions. The following are some project estimation techniques (models): Source Lines of Code (SLOC): Source Lines of Code (SLOC) is the oldest metric for estimating project effort and thus is the primary input of older cost estimation models. The accurate estimation of a software project estimate is based on size of the project to be built. Project size is translated into human effort, time and money. Software Equation: In software equation estimate data is collected for thousands of similar projects and a the estimation model is a software equation as given below: EPM = (L x Sk(1/3) / PP)3 x (1/d4) Where EPM- is the Effort in Person Months L is the number of code Line Sk is the factor of Special sKills PP is the Parameter of Productivity D is the project Duration Using SLOC as input for cost estimation has some disadvantages because estimating the SLOC early in the software development lifecycle can be difficult. Therefore, if the SLOC estimate is inaccurate, the output of the dependant cost estimation model will be inaccurate. Software LIfecycle Management (SLIM): SLIM was developed in the late 1970s. Wideband Delphi: Wideband Delphi is an effective technique in estimating software tasks. Proxy Based Estimating (PROBE): This is an estimation method that looks at the history of a person in terms of components he has built in the past. It states that a person constructing a component that he has previously constructed (or one similar to it) then the amount of effort that will go into building this component will roughly be the same. The Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO): COnstructive COst MOdel (COCOMO) is a software cost and schedule estimating method which was developed in the early 1980s. It was developed through an experiment which involved the analyzing and evaluating of results for 63 software development projects. COCOMO was updated in 1991 for modern development life cycles, in order to accommodate larger sets of data. It is calculated on the basis of 15 cost factors. These factors, sometimes called variables, cover the cost of the software needed, any computer hardware that will be used, and the cost of labor (wages). These are inputted into the model and as a result, an output is arrived at estimating the size and effort that need to be put into the project for it to succeed. The Planning Game: The Planning Game is the software project planning method developed by Extreme Programming (XP). It was developed in the 1990s. It is basically used to manage the negotiation between the development team and the stakeholders (Business customers). Unlike Delphi, PROBE, and COCOMO, the Planning Game does not require a documented description of the scope of the project to be estimated. Rather, it is a full planning process that combines estimation with identifying the scope of the project and the tasks required to complete the software. Estimates use comparative estimate, grass roots estimate, engineering estimate (bottom-up), top-down estimate, historical analogy estimate, expert judgment estimate, models estimate, and/or rules-of-thumb estimate. Typically, estimates are made using some combination of these/some of these estimate methods. These estimate methods are described in the following paragraphs. Comparative estimate: Comparative estimate compares project with past similar projects. One advantages of this method is that estimates are based on actual experience. One disadvantages of this method is that truly similar projects must exist. Engineering estimate (Bottom-up): Engineering Estimate (Bottom-up) assigns different components of the project to individuals to estimate. Then, component estimates are summed to obtain total estimate of the project. Advantages of this method include generation of accurate estimates because of detailed basis for estimate, promotion of individual responsibility, and support of project tracking. Some disadvantages of this method are that the method is time- consuming, detailed data is needed which may not be available, especially before the project starts or early in the project, and integration costs may be disregarded. Top-Down estimate: Top-Down estimate partitions the project into lower level components where life cycle phases begin at highest level. Some advantages of this estimate are that it is more applicable to early project estimates, it considers system level activities, it is faster, and easier to implement. Some disadvantages of this estimate is that it is less accurate than other methods, it tends to overlook lower-level components, and it provides little detail. Historical analogy estimate: Historical analogy estimate is based on using the software size, effort, or cost of a comparable project from the past. The comparison is made using measures or data that has been recorded from completed software projects. Analogical estimates can be made at high levels using total software project size and/or cost for individual Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) categories in the process of developing the main software cost estimate. Expert judgment estimates: Expert judgment estimates specifies that software development team consults with one or more experts. Some advantage of this estimate is that little or no historical data are needed, and it is good for new or unique projects. Some disadvantages of this estimate is that experts tend to be biased, and their knowledge level is sometimes questionable. This is a subjective estimate based upon what the estimator remembers from previous projects and gets modified mentally as deemed appropriate. If the estimator has significant recent experience in both the software domain of the planned project then, expert judgment can be relatively accurate. Model-based estimate: Model-based estimate uses mathematical relationships or parametric cost models. Parametric cost models are empirical relationships derived by using statistical techniques applied to data from similar previous projects. Rules-of-thumb estimate: Rules-of-thumb estimate come in a variety of forms and can be a way of expressing estimates as a simple mathematical relationship (e.g. cost = Lines_of_Code / 10) or as percentage allocations of effort over activities or phases based upon historical data (e.g. coding task is 22% of Total Effort). The popular project estimates approach is to use several methods and compare values. If these values vary widely, then this variance is taken as an indication of the need for more information. Model-based estimates along with high-level analogies are the principal source of estimates in early conceptual stages. At early stages of the project or before it starts, we usually do not have a clear estimates, but as a project matures and the requirements and design are better understood, analogy estimates based upon more detailed functional decompositions become the primary method of estimation, with model-based estimates used as a means of estimate validation or as a correctness check. Whatever method is used, it is most important that the assumptions and formulas are documented to enable more thorough review and to make it easier to revise estimates at completion of the project when assumptions may need to be revised. Expected Value for Software Size is computed as follows: Suppose that: Expected value for estimation variable (size) estimate = S, Weighted Average of Optimistic estimate = (S opt) Most likely estimate (S m) Pessimistic estimate (S pess ) Then, S can be computed as: S = (S opt +4 S m + S pess)/6 The calculation of the effort put in, in terms of persons-month, in a dynamic multi variable model can be defined as follows: Software Equation (E) = [LOC * B0.333/P]3 *(1/t4) Where: E is effort in person-months, t is the duration of the project, B is special skills factor, P is productivity. 2.1 Decomposition Technique Decomposition technique is used to estimate the project as presented in the previous section. After decomposing the entire project into a number of smaller tasks, we make project estimates. It is easier to handle smaller tasks than to handle a very larger project as a whole. So, the entire project (problem) is broken down into number of smaller tasks (problems) and then each smaller problem could be solved easily. Decomposition technique is used as a technique or model for cost and project estimate. It is difficult to estimate the project as one task. Therefore, the project is decomposed into smaller tasks and each task is estimated individually and then the partial estimations of project tasks are added up for the whole project. Decomposition technique is used as a technique or model for cost and project estimate. It is difficult to estimate the project as one task. Therefore, the project is decomposed into smaller tasks and each task is estimated individually and then the partial estimations of project tasks are added up for the whole project. A sound and formal estimate starts with a work breakdown structure (WBS). A WBS is a list of project major phases, deliverables, and work components (tasks) that will be built by the project that, when completed, will produce the final product. These work components/tasks can then be broken down into the activities that are required to build them. The concept of this technique is to break down the work into smaller tasks. Each task can in turn be broken down further. This technique is very useful for the project development team and project management team to become familiar with the scope of the project, identifies work tasks, needed resources, and cost estimation. It also helps to monitor the projects progress. Project managers use the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to estimate projects and make complex projects more manageable. Some advantages of using WBS include: Assists with more accurate project estimation in cost, effort, resources, and schedule Assists with project organization Helps with assigning responsibilities to project development team members. A WBS that is correctly designed allows for the easy assignment of tasks to a specific element of the WBS, cutting down on confusion/duplication of assigned tasks. Shows the control points and project milestones Helps explain the project scope to customers and stakeholders Assist in planning and control of the project Tasks and Subtasks are related to each other in the sequence of project task networks. Project Task networks graphically visualize the tasks/sub-tasks and their relationships. Project Task networks are also known as activity networks. The Work Breakdown Structure is a tree structure. The root of the tree is the whole project and the children of the root are the main tasks at first level of the tree which compose the project. At level 2 of the tree are the sub-tasks of the main tasks of the project at level 1. The rest levels of the tree are constructed similarly. Using the tree structure of the WBS allows the determining of secondary costs for tasks, resources, etc., into their advanced level parent tasks, materials, etc. The WBS is the basis for dividing work into defined tasks from which the, schedule, cost, and labor hour reporting can be established. There are many ways to decompose a project into tasks. Different project break-down ways lead to different estimates. If the generated WBS is incorrect, then the project estimates are wrong and time is wasted in doing the estimates. The project can be broken down by feature, by project phase (requirements tasks, design tasks, programming tasks, QA tasks, etc.), or by some combination of the two. WBS uses similar previous projects history and previous experience of projects that have been developed to generate project t estimates. Large projects are broken into more tasks than smaller projects or they can be broken into larger tasks than smaller projects. WBS, when created, is used by the project team to create an estimate of the effort required to perform each task. The most accurate estimates are those that rely on similar projects history and prior experience. Team members should review previous project results and find how long similar tasks in previous projects took to complete. Sources of delays in the past should be taken into account when making current estimates. The level of granularity of WBS varies depending on the level of abstraction and what information is available. At lower-levels of the WBS, expert judgment is the primary method used, while at higher levels of the WBS model-based estimates are more common. It is not possible to define a task set for the project uniquely. No set of tasks is appropriate for all types of projects. Project breakdown into tasks is dependent on the size of the project, complexities involved in the project, constraints of the projects and the skill set and capabilities of the team members working on the project. Project tasks have to be properly distributed according to the needs of the project deadlines and schedule. To develop a project schedule, a task set must be distributed on the project time line. The project set of tasks is defined based on the category of the project which is dealt with by the development team. Summary In this lecture we introduce project estimation to estimate project resource requirements, time duration, human effort, and cost. We also discuss the models and techniques used in the project estimation. We also discuss the estimation methods such as comparative, top-down, bottom-up (engineering), historical analogy and expert judgment. Then we presented decomposition technique to break down the project into tasks to assist us in estimating the project. We focus on the work breakdown structure (WBS) decomposition method. Exercises Is it possible to create a realistic estimate before the project team has agreed on the technical design for the software? When the team is working together to generate an estimate, should the testers estimate tasks which will be performed by the programmers? List three models of project estimate. What is estimated using project estimate? Describe the objectives of using decomposition technique? List advantages of decomposition technique for company managers. Describe the Source Lines of Code (SLOC) estimation method. List two advantages and two disadvantages of using The Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO). What is the difference between Engineering estimate (Bottom-up) and top-down estimate? Explain decomposition techniques. How do you define a task set for the software project? What are project task networks?

The Colliding Dynamics of Class Structure Essay -- Social Studies

The rigidity of class structure is the culprit for the vast number of inequities in society. Power is concentrated in the hands of a small sector; leaving a few individuals to have more authority and influence, in comparison to others. The construction of class structure identifies the way groups are divided into social positions. Differences stemming from social position are further exemplified by the accessibility to valuable resources–such as wealth, education, occupation, and status. Those with distinguished command in society have access to these increasingly wide ranges of resources, which may be present in limited forms to the less powerful. Used as a device of supremacy, power is a style of control when the basis is acquiring these societal possessions. Even though class structure is considered to be fluid in nature, for some it is a complex web of entanglements hard to deal with it. Groups who suffer from social and material deprivations are not doing so by choice, b ut hugely in part to economical and occupational factors. These prominent distinctions have led several to fall victim to the systems of hierarchy. Built within these schemes are the inequalities that arise due to one’s position; and captured inside are the outcomes that influence levels of individual, educational, and occupational independence. People who do observe the inequities between classes may feel the impact of social stratification in various ways. Similarly the dynamics of class structure are very significant elements found throughout the works of Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, and Karl Marx. They are all in agreement that society host the series of conflicts underlying that of class structure. Class structure as a whole denotes differing realit... ...ist Feminism." Critical Sociology (Brill Academic Publishers) 25.2/3 (1999): 196-217. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. Marx/Engels Selected Works, Vol. One. Moscow. Progress Publishers, 1969, N. pag. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist- manifesto/index.htm. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. Orwell, George. "Shooting an Elephant". The Seagull Reader Essays. 2nd Edition. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2008. 243-250. Print. Peet, Richard. "Inequality and Poverty: A Marxist-Geographic Theory." Annals of the Association of American Geographers 65.4 (1975): 564-571. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One's Own. New York. Quality Paperback Book Club, 1992. Print. Woolf, Virginia. Three Guineas. New York. Quality Paperback Book Club, 1992. Print.

Career College vs. Community College Essay

After schooling a student may have a number of options. A number of colleges have come up that can meet up the various requirements of the students. The new era students are having now expanded demands and desires for their career and future. So, to meet their needs the various colleges are also coming up in the help of the students. What is a Career college? Career Colleges are the new day colleges. They are the modern colleges that have provided the modern students a new scope in the various fields. They are not the general colleges of doing bachelor degree and master’s degree in general streams. They have specialist subjects that offer professional training to the students. These days the mentality of the students and also the parents has changed drastically. In previous days parents and students had only some of the limited choices such as medical, engineering and government services. But now a number of choices have come as add on to this career option. The varieties of career options now available are the hotel management course for services in various hotels, restaurants and clubs, management degrees for various corporate offerings and much more. Now a time has come when a person can even convert his or her hobbies to a study. This has only led to a vast number of diverse courses such as art, aviation, animation, web designing, linguistics and many more. Both bachelors and masters degrees are provided by these colleges. Even other types of degrees are also provided from here. What is a community college? Apart from choice, students have also got colleges that offer them studies as per the comfort zone of the students. There can be a number of students who have problem of joining and regularly attending a college. There can also be students who are not that financially strong and are not able to afford the cost of the career colleges. In these circumstances there are a number of colleges that support the students in all areas. These are the Community college. These days the community colleges are becoming great options for many of the students. These colleges are flexible in their cost, time and  methods. They provide all types of courses from full time to part time, from 3 year courses for 6 months courses, all depending upon the candidate’s capability and need. The pros and cons As everything has its own pros and cons so does the colleges also. Both the colleges, Career College and the Community College have their own pros and cons. The career college is the most sophisticated academic center. They are the most professional and properly handled colleges that provide the most technical and professional training to its students. On the other hand Community Colleges serve the most cost efficient and time efficient academics. The fees of these countries are lesser than the career colleges and have time flexibility for the students to attend the classes as per their requirement and need.

The Government Should Play an Active Role in Managing an...

The government should play an active role in managing an inflationary economy. I agree that the government should play an active role in managing an inflationary economy. Buck (2011), stated that â€Å"The overwhelming majority of economists around the world believe it is appropriate for the government to take actions to promote economic growth and maintain low unemployment and low inflation.† Parkin (2012: 522) described inflation as â€Å"a persistently rising price level† and price level as â€Å"the average level of prices, and the value of money†. A price increase would cause people to buy less, and a decrease in demand for products would cause prices to fall. Parkin (2012) said that expected inflation is promoting a healthy and a strong†¦show more content†¦The government takes measures in a short or long run to ensure a stable currency, enforce property rights, foster credibility, attract investment and promote a healthy environment through sound monetary and fiscal policy. A credible reliable government would lead the country towards a sound economic growth, provide the best opportunity to individuals and firms to grow their profits as well as to achieve national investment growth objectives and goal. Especially in current uncertain economic environment, the government should act more active to minimise the impact of Eurozone crisis and eco nomic turndown to both consumers and firms and help the economy recovery. It will be a disaster if the government takes no action to control the economic risks. In conclusion, I agreed that the government should play an active role in managing an inflationary economy, keep a close watch on change on the economy and trends, response with an adequate policy to strengthen the business environment, maintain the stability of currency, and develop a sound and sustainable economy. BIBLIOGRAPHY Advameg, 2012, Gunited States - Economy,Advameg.Inc. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/United-States-ECONOMY.html [2 Dec 2012] Buck, J, 2011, The Economic Role of Government, http://econperspectives.blogspot.sg/2011_08_01_archive.html [2 Dec 2012] MAS, 2012b, Macroeconomic Review-Volume XI Issue 2, Monetary Authority ofShow MoreRelatedGovernment s Role Of Managing Instability2340 Words   |  10 Pages Government’s Role in managing instability in the economy â€Æ' Introduction: The economic crisis is a situation when country’s GDP tends to decline, Unemployment increases, the rate of inflation rises faster than it should etc. All these factors combined bring short-run instability in an economy. All of these elements play a major role in creating economic issues in a country (Trading Economics, 2016). 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Giant Short-Faced Bear Bread Profile

Name: Giant Short-Faced Bear; also known as Arctodus simus Habitat: Mountains and woodlands of North America Historical Period: Pleistocene-Modern (800,000-10,000 years ago) Size and Weight: Up to 13 feet long and one ton Diet: Mostly carnivorous; possibly supplemented its diet with plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; long legs; blunt face and snout About the Giant Short-Faced Bear (Arctodus simus) Although its often described as the largest bear that ever lived, the Giant Short-Faced Bear (Arctodus simus) didnt quite measure up to either the modern Polar Bear or to its southern counterpart, Arctotherium. But its hard to imagine the average megafauna mammal (or early human) worrying whether it was about to be eaten by a 2,000- or a 3,000-pound behemoth. Simply put, the Giant Short-Faced Bear was one of the scariest predators of the Pleistocene epoch, full-grown adults rearing up to heights of 11 to 13 feet and capable of running at top speeds of 30 to 40 miles per hour. The main thing that distinguished Arctodus simus from that other famous ursine of the Pleistocene epoch, the Cave Bear, is that the Giant Short-Faced Bear was slightly bigger, and subsisted mostly on meat (the Cave Bear, despite its fierce reputation, being a strict vegetarian). Because nearly as many fossil specimens dont represent the Giant Short-Faced Bear as the Cave Bear, theres still a lot we dont understand about its everyday life. In particular, paleontologists still debate this bears hunting style and its choice of prey: with its presumed speed, the Giant Short-Faced Bear may have been capable of running down the small prehistoric horses of North America, but it doesnt seem to have been robustly built enough to tackle larger prey. One theory is that Arctodus simus was essentially a loafer, popping up suddenly after another predator had already hunted and killed its prey, driving the smaller meat-eater away, and digging in for a tasty (and unearned) meal, much like a modern African hyena. Although it ranged across the expanse of North America, Arctodus simus was particularly plentiful in the western part of the continent, from Alaska and the Yukon Territory down to the Pacific coast as far as Mexico. (A second Arctodus species, the smaller A. pristinus, was restricted to the southern part of North America, the fossil specimens of this lesser-known bear being discovered as far afield as Texas, Mexico, and Florida.)Â  Contemporaneous with Arctodus simus, there was also a related genus of short-faced bear native to South America, Arctotherium, the males of which may have weighed as much as 3,000 pounds--thus earning the South American Giant-Short Faced Bear the coveted title of Biggest Bear Ever.

Applied Marxism Essay - 1234 Words

Liberalism is a theory that claims to have certain benefits that it does not provide. Karl Marx believes that the founders have liberalism did not understand that human nature and predicted the actions of society incorrectly. Marx uses history to explain what needs to happen in the future, his interpretation of human nature is more accurate. Marx decides to write the Communist Manifesto to apply Marxism for Communism is only applied Marxism. The Manifesto gives a summary of Communism so that it can be better understood and can be applied. Marx explains the history of classes and often states that the Liberalist view is incorrect in their studies, Marx’s theories are more accurate and provide better understanding of the current situation.†¦show more content†¦Poets, writers and political scientists studied the Industrial Revolution and found that many aspects were not what was predicted. Many believed the free market gave opportunity to everyone, even the poor, but rea lly it only made the rich richer and the poor poorer. The middle class began to become more wealthy and the gap between the rich and poor increased greatly. The free market creates a mindset that everyone is for themselves and you need to fight for yourself only. This gives an advantage to those who have more to begin with and doesn’t allow the less fortunate to become rich or successful. As this continues to happen, the lower class or the Proletariat class will grow larger. In the Communist Manifesto Marx uses the second chapter to relate Communists and Proletariats. Marx states that there are three goals of Communists. The first is to form the Proletariats into a class. The second is to overthrow the Bourgeois supremacy and the third is to gain all political power. Through these three steps a Communist state would be instituted and the nation could begin the other steps of establishing a just society. 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Growing Up free essay sample

This short story looks at children and two of Carys ovels were directly concerned with childhood. Themes Children and growing up is the central theme of this story, as it is with several of the other stories in the Anthology. However, the central character is an adult and so it links well with Flight, where the story follows the emotions of a grandfather trying to accept his granddaughters forthcoming marriage. Your Shoes also has a central narrator, although that story is written in the first person. This short story is certainly concerned with relationships between the generations. Children as a destructive orce appear in Growing Up, in the came way that the boy in Chemistry has an urge to damage his mothers boyfriend. Superman and Paula Browns new Snowsuit also examines the theme of the destructive power of children. Adults struggling to understand the behaviour of children are a central issue in Growing Up, as they also are in Superman and Paula Browns New Snowsuit. We will write a custom essay sample on Growing Up or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Notes The first paragraph establishes the central character, a businessman Robert Quick. He is named, unlike the anonymous central characters of several of these stories. He is described as a conventional businessman, in a dark suit and hat. Significantly, he sheds some of his formal clothes as he goes into the garden, perhaps representing that the rules and values he will encounter there are far from civilised. Ls. 7 19 The garden is described as a Wilderness. It has been neglected because Mr and Mrs. Quick are too busy to tend it. It has suggestions of other gardens, perhaps the Garden of Eden, or Paradise. Perhaps also there is a suggestion that Mr and Mrs. Quick are too busy to other civilising their daughters, Just as they have ignored their garden? Could the story symbolise the wild, untamed nature of the children who run wild in it? l. 23 a suggestion of the frontier, primeval forests.. Cary hints that there may be the possibility of fear and menace in the garden. It is not a place of easy comfort, as Mr. Quick thinks. L 27 the children have previously enjoyed a close relationship with their father and have made a fuss of him when he returns home. However, this contrasts with the way they ignore him this time. Is the reason they snub him because he is a man? Quick recognises that they will be women soon in lines 42 to 49; later on in the story they are wellbehaved for their mother and he feels rejected. Cary is specific about their names and ages; Jenny is twelve and Kate thirteen. They are both deep in their own worlds and Quick doesnt mind that they pay hardly any attention to his arrival. He thinks it represents their honest attitude to him. Perhaps he is too easy going with the children. Do they need to show him a bit more respect? Ls. 58-81 the two girls Growing Up free essay sample November 4, 2010. I am in the car going home from school, telling my mom I won two movie tickets for the best website design. Her cell phone goes off, interrupting our conversation. She answers it and shock illuminates her face. â€Å"What!?† she yells. The tears stream down my face before I know what happened. She pulls over and stops driving. I look to her for an explanation. â€Å"Grandpa. He’s gone.† A flashback enters my mind of a crowded hospital room from a few weeks before. My grandpa wasn’t doing well, but he was healthy enough to go home. And now he is gone. I think of my grandmother, an incredibly strong woman. How will she handle the loss of her husband of almost 60 years? By this time, my mom resumes driving and we are now at my brothers’ school. My mom takes us to the library for privacy and shares the devastating news. We will write a custom essay sample on Growing Up or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Now I have to survive the long night with my family. But I know we will make it†¦eventually. I went through this in March of the same year, when I lost my other grandfather. His death was easier to accept, as we knew it was coming. Now, there is another funeral and I am better prepared this time. I know my family will be there to support each other. I know it is going to be hard. And I know that since I am the older sibling, I have to care for my younger brothers as. They aren’t ready to accept that Grandpa is gone, but we will get through it together. Death was, and still is, hard to understand, but I wasn’t a child anymore, shielded by my parents. I was growing up and learning to accept death and life. I focused on my schoolwork and my friends helped me through my loss. I accepted my grandpas were gone, but I still miss them. Summer finally comes—I have completed my freshman year. I participate in summer gym, and enjoy the warm weather. But in July, my life changes again. We are eating dinner as a family when the phone rings and my mom gets up to answer it. She goes into the living room. When she comes back, there are tears in her eyes. My uncle was found unconscious in his shed. No one knows if he will make it. I cry and pray he will live. And again, my thoughts go to my grandma. She lost her husband eight months ago. Will she have to lose her son too? The news isn’t good. My uncle Jim passed away of a heart attack at the age of 50. And so I attended my third funeral within 16 months. I now truly was an adult. I think of my grandma all the time. I know that she says her prayers, attends church, and sheds a tear every day for her husband, son, and the rest of her family. I learned a lot through the experience of losing close relatives. These lessons include how important family and friends are, and how important it is handle difficult situations maturely. But most importantly, I learned that no matter what life throws at me, I can’t give up.