Nurse symbolises Essay

In contrast to these three characters, the next characters show the opposition facing the accusations. Firstly I will discuss the protagonist of the play – John Proctor, whom I have already mentioned. Proctor is a steady man, in whose presence â€Å"a fool felt his foolishness instantly†. He is described as â€Å"a man in his prime, with a quiet confidence, and an unexpressed, hidden force†, which reveals his nature to the reader. Despite his affair with Abigail that becomes the source of the accusations, the reader feels sympathy towards him due to his preference of rationality over the supernatural, and his modern quality in his logic and his willingness for a better life for future generations. The Nurses, particularly Rebecca Nurse, are represented as near saints who rely upon practical wisdom and experience. Miller reveals that the Nurses have held a grudge against the Putnams both over land, and also over Putnam’s wanted man in the ministry. Rebecca Nurse symbolises the good in the community although this does not affect Putnam’s motivations and the accusations that are made. The last character is Giles Corey. He is a man who â€Å"didn’t give a hoot for public opinion†, but is able to oppose Putnam and Parris due to his contentious, and combative manner. Finally, there is the Reverend John Hale, who approaches religious matters with the conviction of a scientist. He holds the belief that they cannot rely upon superstition to solve the girls’ problems but they may find a supernatural explanation for the events. Although he does not side with anyone, he is wrapped up in the hysteria that has been created, and evokes further paranoia. He shows the essence of the conflict of religion and superstition that is at the foreground in ‘The Crucible’. The First Act of ‘The Crucible’ shows several significant themes that continue during the play. I think that one of the most important themes is the ability for accusations to snowball, gaining pace and involving others that were in the background. An early example of this is the charges against the girls and Tituba. At first they are accused of simply dancing, then of dancing naked. These accusations proceed until Tituba is deemed a witch, and others are accused of Satanism. Another important theme is the shift of blame from one character to another. This is largely due to the minority of people willing to accept the consequences of their actions. The ability of characters to choose whichever position suits their self-interest is encompassed in the First Act largely with Abigail, who uses everything for her own purpose. As I mentioned during my introduction, the play is aptly named ‘The Crucible’, which serves as an instrument in which tensions reach a climax under the cloud of accusations. In Act Three, Danforth refers to the title in saying â€Å"We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment†. This is true in the sense that all the motives of the characters are revealed, but these have to be firstly explained, and this occurs in Act One. Miller uses imagery and language to add to the tensions and conflicts encountered in the First Act. He uses double negatives as a way to emphasise and also to set the play in the right period of history. Miller uses such imagery as â€Å"sweated like a stallion†: an image taken straight from the farm to reflect the themes and set the period. Miller writes that Abigail states that â€Å"Let either of you breath a word †¦ sun go down†. This quote contains very powerful language and gives a sense of the harshness of the atmosphere that they lived in. After Act One, the accusations spiral out of control with countless others being accused including Elizabeth Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor himself. The mass hysteria reaches a climax with the accused being hanged after refusing to confess to a sin that they did not do. Reverend John Hale sides with Proctor and says that these accusations are not based upon anything, just personal vendettas. In conclusion, Arthur Miller uses the First Act of ‘The Crucible’ as a strong foundation for the mass hysteria and the intensity of the paranoia that follows in the play. The themes of the play need to be sown into the play quickly and effectively so as to ensure the quick rise of tension. The main issue throughout the play of the conflict of religion and superstition is involved straight away and Miller establishes the stem of all the accusations of Abigail’s affair with Proctor quickly, as well as giving an insight into the motivations of the other characters. Miller establishes the characteristics of the Salem community that make it so receptive to the witch hunt and how accusations can ignite fears and panic which can seize a town to such a great extent. ‘The Crucible’, thought of as an allegory to the McCarthyism that gripped America is elaborately constructed to illustrate how fear and hysteria mixed with an atmosphere of persecution may lead to tragically unjust consequences. The seeds of future conflict are intricately sown in the first Act to provide ‘The Crucible’ with a solid base on which the accusations raise the tension and conflict to such extreme heights and where characters are wrapped up in the hysteria that make the play so compelling. All the important themes are encompassed during the first Act, such as the shifting of blame, and the conflicts of characters, that allow the rest of the play to spiral out of all proportions permitting ‘The Crucible’ to be so powerful and utterly riveting.

Prejudice vs Discrimination Essay

Typewrite a 1 ? to 2 page paper comparing and contrasting prejudice and discrimination. Relate the use of stereotyping and racial profiling to prejudice and discrimination. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines prejudice and discrimination as: Prejudice (1) : injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one’s rights; especially : detriment to one’s legal rights or claims (2) a. (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b : an instance of such judgment or opinion c : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics. Discrimination (1) a. : the act of discriminating b : the process by which two stimuli differing in some aspect are responded to differently (2) : the quality or power of finely distinguishing (3) a. : the act, practice, or an instance of discriminating categorically rather than individually b : prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment The main distinction between prejudice and discrimination is found in Michael LeMay’s definition of discrimination, where he says â€Å"Discrimination is applied prejudice†. As in the definition above, prejudice is some preconceived notion about an individual, a group, or a race that demonstrate some sort of judgment upon them. This idea of prejudice is usually kept inside of the individual, so as to have a quiet judgment among people. Discrimination, however, is prejudice put into practice. Those who discriminate actively practice prejudice; it is no longer kept inside, but rather openly practiced against the people. Prejudice is best described as an attitude towards a certain group of peoples based solely on their membership in that social or ethnic group, whereas discrimination are actions taken against those members, the behavioral manifestation of prejudice. The practices of prejudice and discrimination stem from an individual’s perception of a certain group ?these predetermined perceptions of a group usually come from stereotypes of a people, or racial profiling. LeMay’s definition of stereotypes is this: â€Å"Oversimplistic and Overexaggerated beliefs about a group, most often acquired second hand. These images are highly resistant to change†. Stereotyping often derive from social categorization and the idea of ? in’ group vs. ?out’ group. Social categorizations is sort of the lumping or classification of people into groups based on common characteristics among them, while the concept of the ? in’ group versus the ? out’ group is based on a ? we’ vs. ?they’ view, by Peter Rose. The difference between the two is that in social categorization, the person removes themself from their judgment, whereas in the ? we’ vs. ?they’ approach, the person is included among others in their judgment, but those judged are not part of their own majority group. This process of thought views ? we’ in favorable terms, and ? they’ negatively. The impact of stereotypes, as I have stated, directly affect the perceptions of a people in a negative light; when we think of those people, these traits come to mind ? when we meet people from this group, we will focus more on those traits and process them before others. Stereotyping affects our social judgments about a group of people: how much we like the person, our mood and attitudes toward the person, as well as our expectations from that person. Racial profiling is not much off from the principles of stereotyping. Racial profiling is the use of race as a consideration in suspect profiling or other law enforcement practices. This ties into stereotyping in that we suspect suspicious activity from a particular race or people based solely on their ethnicity. A common example of racial profiling would be â€Å"DWB† or â€Å"driving while black†. This is the practice of police or other law enforcement officers targeting African Americans for traffic stops because they believe that African Americans are more likely to be engaged in criminal activity (racial profiling, www. ethnicmajority. com). Overall, one could say that one instance leads to another. Stereotyping can lead to prejudice, which can lead to discrimination. Stereotyping fuels prejudice, though people are not willing to admit this ? they will not admit to stereotyping or being prejudiced, nor discriminating, yet all practices and beliefs of these are rampant today.

Bandipur - A Quaint Town of Nepal

Bandipur - A Quaint Town of Nepal Bandipur is one of the most beautiful towns, where there is a living museum of Newari culture. A village where there is a crowning ridge and its main street lined with the traditional row houses. There is a lot of preserved Newari cultures with the cafes and lodges. It is famous for historical temples with the attractive 18th century architecture and outdoor dining which has got distinctly European feel. Bandipur is a hilltop town which is located in Tanahu District, Gandaki zone of Nepal. Bandipur is famous for the preserved, old time cultural atmosphere. It has increasingly dragged the attention of tourist. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census, it had a population of 9952 people residing in 1929 individual households. Bandipur was the trade by Newari traders from Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu valley. There are many places which can be visited in Bandipur Bazaar. Like the famous historical Temple khadga Devi which is one of the most revered temples in Bandipur. It is opened once in a year on the day of Phulpati during the festival of Dashain. Another famous place is the Bindabasini temple which is located on the main bazaar area and it is constructed in the pagoda style. On the New Year the Newari community worship this goddess and wish to be happy for the upcoming future. There are also many temples like Chandithan, Mahalaxmi temple, Narayan Temple etc. the other places like Tundikhel, surrounding areas, Paharpani Mahadev, Purano kot and Tandrang Tundrung are some of the most beautiful places makes Bandipur the most attractive one. Bandipur is also famous because we can experience our old culture which has been lost in this 21st century and to enjoy the natural beauty of Nepal and lifestyle of the ethnic newar community. It also allow us to observe how people are living in such situation where there is no such technology available. It provides the quality accommodation in hotels and resort in Bandipur. Those who are the budget travelers, home stay is available in several old newar homes that provide bed and breakfast. Bandipur is most important place for tourist to visit. ETHNIC NEWARI COMMUNITY IN BANDIPUR As, Many Newari people lives in Bandipur they have their own cultural values, norms, tradition, rules and regulations. Newari community distinct from all the other ethnic groups of Nepal. Newars are from linguistic and cultural community. In Bandipur, the Newars are primarily farmers and traders as the Bandipur valley had the fertile land which are mainly suitable for rice cultivation and also trade between India and China. The culture used in newar is called Nepal bhasa, commonly known as Newari and has its own rich literature. The people living in Bandipur are Buddhist who follow their main religion Buddhism. The highest class is obviously the priest classes that are Shakya and Bajracharya. The people living in Bandipur follows all the traditions which are included in Newari Community. In Bandipur, the people celebrates all the festival very joyfully and lovingly. The main Festival is Dashain when they worship the goddess Durga. In Newar community, all the people love to get together with their relatives and friends. They like to have the feeling of the belongings, brotherhood and friendships. Mostly the newar community people like to have alcohols like beer, the special drink named CHYANG which is made by the rice and another special drink THO. These types of drinks are served in the special occasions like get-together and other festivals like Dashain, Tihar etc. in each and every special occasion they celebrate and throw a party called BHOJ. The main type of party is Sukuli Bhoj. One of the most special festivals of Newari community is Indra Jatra which is celebrated by worshipping the living Goddess Kumari where the God Ganesh and the god Bhairav are also worshipped. It is one of the most special festivals celebrated among the Newari community. In this festival mainly, the Kumari are from the Shakya community. There are many foods which are mainly made in the special occasion like Bara, Samaya baji, Chhoela, Chatamari etc. These are mainly famous in Bandipur Bazaar where each and every famous dishes are prepared by every restaurants. Every tourist like to taste the special dishes in Bandipur. The women there prepare delicious foods which is loved by every visitors. In Bandipur there are lots of Riverside so the fishes are also special called sukeko maccha. These all are the special dishes which are really delicious and good for the health. And lots of the tourist love the food which are famous in Newari community. OBJECTIVES To know about social factor and economic environment. To fulfil the requirement for field, visit according to the curriculum. To perform a survey regarding to topic. To enhance personal skills. To create mass awareness. To empower youth forces for creating social engagement. To add awareness among the youths on importance of technical skill sets for individual growth. To arrange pre-program orientation to village students. To study the nature, scope, extension and magnitude of case work in the organization. METHODOLOGIES: Survey Survey is the act to examine some specific purpose and to inspect or consider the reviews and survey research is the collection of data attained by asking individuals questions by direct contact with peoples, through questionnaire or through online. Conducting survey is the primary research, where first step is to collect the first hand data. The information collected may also be accessed subsequently by other parties in secondary research. Survey research is used to gather the opinions, beliefs and feelings of selected groups of individuals, often chosen for demographic sampling. These demographics include age, gender, ethnicity or income levels. Common types OD surveys include interviews and questionnaires, which comprises of multiple choice questionnaires, opinions and polls. Now-a-days questionnaires are distributed through mails surveys, group administered questionnaires or in -person drop-offs. Interviews can be hold in person or over the phone and are often a more personal for m of research than questionnaires. Survey research is used academia, government and business. Governments use research surveys to learn about their population to help better serve its citizens, while political candidates use survey research to gauge the preferences and opinions of voters. In academic, surveys are applied in fields like demographics, statistics and social research. Field Visit A field trip is an excursion which is carried out for educational and observational purpose such as museum, a factory, or a historical site. It is an expedition as by group of students or research works, to study something at first hand. It is a trip away from the classroom to permit the gathering of data at first hand. Field visit is very important for the students and for every peoples life. Students are likely have an educational experience that they never could have had in the classroom. Field trips help students interact with what they are learning. The experience goes beyond reading about a concept; students are able to see it, manipulate it or participate in it physically. Students are able to see elements with their eyes rather than reading about it and believing what they are told because its in print. Visiting a farm and milking a real cow is much more powerful than reading about milking a cow. Field trips provide entertainment for students. They often serve as a powerful motivator for students, stirring up excitement as the trip nears. Breaking away from the routine provides kids with a refresher that might make them more focused back in the classroom. Learning and fun make a great combination. Field trips take the book learning from the classroom and extend it to life. Students often question the importance of topics they study in class. While field trips take a great deal of work and energy, broadening the horizons of the students is worth it. In our country ever school should organize educational tours so that it can practically enhance the skill of students. Observation Observation is one of the process of methodologies which is most essential while preparing report. Observation is a systematic data collection approach. Researchers use all their senses to examine people in natural settings or naturally occurring situations. Observation of a field setting involves: prolonged engagement in a setting or social situation. There are six types observation which are required for every report making. These observation helps to define our objective and what we have we observed through the activities. The main types of observation are listed below: Casual and scientific observation: An observation with the casual involves observing the right thing at right place and also at the right time by a matter of chance or by luck whereas a scientific observation means the use of the tools of the measurement. Natural Observation: In this type of observation no efforts are made to bring any type of change in the behavior of the observation. It involves the behavior in the normal setting in this type of observation. Subjective and Objective observation: All the observation contains the two main components which are subject and the object. The subject refers to the observer whereas the object refers to the activity or the type of operation which is being observed. Direct and Indirect observation: In direct method of observation the persons come to know how the observer is physically present in which type of situation is he present. Here indirect observation involves studies of mechanical recording by some of other means like electronic or photographic. Controlled and Non Controlled observation: Controlled observation means the type of observation in which some of the external forces influence and such observation rarely lead to some of the improvement in the precision research results. Non controlled observation are made in the natural environment and reverse to the controlled observation. Activities Three places were selected as the sites of the field visit conducted by college management: Ghale gaun, Bandipur, Gorkha. Due to the heavy rainfall we could not visit Ghale gaun and Gorkha because of high risk of landslide. In this field visit, I was assigned to do various activities for the student welfare in Bandipur village. I got chance to expose my talent, skill and knowledge fulfilling the curriculum requirement of our course. As field visit is very important for every student life and every students should go in different places every year. In Bandipur, first day we went to silkworm industry. There we learned the process of how silk is made and what are the different stages for producing silk. We also learned about the products made out of silk which is one of the source for the economic activities in that village. Second day, we went to shree bhanu primary secondary school where we set up library for the student, painted the classroom and distributed them with the new notebooks which are required for the studies. We conducted various activities which are related with entertainment and studies. We also conducted basic hygiene classes including techniques for brushing, washing hands and personal cleanness. We were also involved in recreational activities with the student by engaging them in outdoor games like football and different ice-breaking games. In simple words, it can be said that theory without practice is empty and practice without theory is meaningless. Learning An important part of learning is writing down the findings, experiences, ideas, and other thoughts during the course in a so-called learning report. A learning report thus supports your professional learning and personal growth. Our visit to bandipur village taught us a great deal about the miserable lives of the students residing there. In this field visit I learned many things on various factor which are the social factor and the economic factor of the people living in that valley. As the social factor includes the factors which affects the lifestyle such as religion, family or wealth. These can change over time. In Bandipur the social factor has influenced individual personality, attitudes and lifestyle. When we talk about the growth of a country, we take various factors into consideration and education is one of them. Being a part of this educational visit, I was given a chance to teach and interact with the village children. In bandipur, I went to shree bhanu higher secondary school of Bandipur where I came to know that there is only one private school and many government school. There is less education facilities and most of the time children are demotivated to attend school on regular basis because of distance. The lack of basic equipment and facilities necessary in schools is also a major drawback. We visited to silk worm industries and learn the process of how silk is manufactured. The primary aim of this visit was to create a knowledgeable and empowered rural Nepal through education and as a student this helped me gain a lot of knowledge and new experiences. We even distributed new textbooks to the students there to enable them study. Infrastructure also plays a very significant role in the learning process. None of us can study in untidy surroundings. So to take a step forward towards this we painted the rural classrooms and gave them a completely new look so as to create an environment and bring in the students the enthusiasm to study. It was altogether an amazing and wonderful experience that was very knowledgeable. CONCLUSION After conducting the survey, I get to understand more about the education and knowledge about small scale industries. In Bandipur, we visited silk worm industry and other educational institution. There are different industries that runs with in purpose to accomplish certain tasks or to achieve the goals. Every industries have its own structure and each members are assigned with their roles according to their experience and qualifications. In Bandipur, we also visited shree bhanu secondary primary school which was established in 1950s. There is only one private school and different government school. The lack of equipment and education facilities is a major drawback which bring obstacles in development of bandipur. Lack of proper transportation facilities demotivate the children to go school in regular basis. There is no proper connectivity from one place to another. But with the proper implementation of government plans and local participation there can be increment of progressive changes. Hence, it was a great pleasure to do social activities at Bandipur as it was favorable place for our report.

Smoke alarms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Smoke alarms - Essay Example There is the need to look for ways of preventing and reducing the damages and deaths caused by fires in our homes. A smoke alarm is a device that can help in this fight by detecting the presence of smoke. The debate has however been on whether or not homeowners should install these devices. Homeowners should be required to install smoke alarms because they can save lives, help in protecting property, and the purchase of smoke alarms and reducing fires helps boost the economy. Discussion There a number of arguments against the use of smoke alarms in homes. First, it has been argued that many of the fire detectors in the market today are ineffective and are near useless. In an article written by Richard Patton (2010), the author argues that most of the deaths caused by fires are due to the inability of existing smoke alarms to relay alarms. For instance, he states that the ionization fire detector that has been marketed for more than forty years is defective and unreliable (Patton, 6). He argues that most of the smoke alarms in the market today endanger the lives of the users, and therefore should not be promoted for use in homes. He backs this claim by quoting a report by Gordon Vickery prepared in 1980 in which 50 million detectors were placed in buildings across America in a period of two years yet the fire loss and death rate went up in the same period (Patton, 6). However, Patton’s claim is not sufficiently convincing. Although some of the alarms in the market today might be ineffective, the solution lies in designing better alarms that have a better response. Furthermore, the study he is quoting to support this claim was conducted more than 30 years ago and it is likely that improvements have been made on these alarms. A related argument against the use of these alarms has been on the health risks they pose. In an article titled ‘the Potential Hazard of Ionizing Radiation in Smoke Detectors’ (2005) by Rosalie Bertell, the author states t hat ionizing smoke detectors have a radioactive component- Americium 241. This component has a half life of 458 years. It may be inhaled by the users as a result of the deterioration of the packaging of the detector when it is discarded in landfills. Therefore, having these detectors in our homes is likely to increase this threat, and the population may be exposed to diseases such as cancer and other genetic disorders. According to this article, this compound is absorbed in the body easily through the intestines or lungs. This is a major danger to the future generations, and therefore should not be used in our homes. The problem with this argument is that the author fails to explore the different safe options that can be used in disposing these detectors. Although they may have some form of radiation, proper disposals mechanisms can help eliminate this threat. In addition, the author does not clearly state the actual threat posed by these detectors. The arguments are not backed up w ith figures to illustrate this threat. The threat may not be significant after all. The use of these detectors cannot be trashed on the basis of the above claims since the benefits outweigh the costs by far. First, the purchase of smoke alarms and the reducing of fires is important to the growth of the economy. In a study conducted by Haddix et al (2001), the authors attempted to estimate the cost effectiveness of a smoke alarm giveaway program conducted in Oklahoma City. The results of the study showed that using these

Change Management in Telecommunications Sector Omantel in Sultanate of Essay

Change Management in Telecommunications Sector Omantel in Sultanate of Oman - Essay Example This indicates that the country is highly literate and privatizations of government owned corporations indicate a liberalization of government economic and trade policies. However, not all organizations keep up with the social, economic and political changes in the country, there are those who remain traditional and resist change. Change is inevitable if the organization wants to pursue progress and growth. Change in the organizational structure, management and use of technology indicates that the organization is moving towards better measures of effectiveness and industry standing. â€Å"Change will not disappear nor dissipate. Technology, civilizations and creative thoughts will maintain their ever-accelerating dive onwards† (Paton & McCalman 2008, p. 5). As with any process and change, this is often met with negativity and apprehension. Even if the change is for the greater good of the company, there will always be anxiety and tension that is caused by the process of change . The study is talks about the extent to which change management process are taken by the company Omantel. It is the first Oman based Telecommunication Company and also pioneer of complete solutions for communications in the Sultanate of Oman. The Omantel is established in 1987 and the target customer of the company includes government, residential and corporate. The company provides complete solution for all the communication related problems. Organizational change is brought about by a number of factors; this could be from mergers and acquisitions, a government take-over or the privatization of the organization. The anxiety provoking aspect in any organizational change is not actually the transformation of the organization or the change in management but the fact that the employees have to leave their old ways of doing things; it is the learning of new tasks, new protocols and new operating procedures that threaten employees to face the organizational change. By definition, change means discarding the old and embracing the new, the new may not always be accepted and appreciated by the employees. â€Å"Two underlying beliefs and their associated assumptions about how change occurs have shaped much of the development of organizational change models. First is the belief that organizational change can be planned and managed through an understanding of its sequential steps. The second belief which has largely evolved due to the criticisms of planned change has been the belief that change is an organic process which cannot be managed† (Turner et al. 2009, p. 27). But some form of anxiety and apprehension are actually natural reaction to any change, and it is welcomed by the agents of change as an opportunity to make the employees become aware of what is happening in the organization. It is the time when questions can be answered, when fears and doubts can be placated and when employees are engaged as advocates of the change process as they now have the know ledge and information that they can share to other employees who may have the same concerns. Change Management in organization is all about the actions necessary for an organization to recognize, organize, execute and take full advantage of considerable change. The ultimate aims of Change Management organizations are: The successful plan, execution, measurement and preservation of a change initiative of the organizations and improvement of their on-going ability for managing change. Here the study is talks to evaluate change management in Telecommunications sector Omantel in Sultanate of Oman. â€Å"The Sultanate of Oman is among the Region’s most progressive countries in the telecom sector in terms of

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership - Essay Example The study will discuss different aspects of an effective leader. The study will cover three areas, such as role of a leader, different leadership styles, and impact of leadership style on the organizational culture and employee motivation. The Role of a Leader Effective leadership style is important for an organization or a group of several individuals to perform effectively. Role and Responsibility of a Leader The major responsibility of a leader is to organize entire team and motivate them to attain the goals and objectives. Development of attainable goals and objectives are also key responsibilities of a leader. A good leader generally shares several information and effectual experience with the sub-ordinates to accomplish a common task. Sharing experience or knowledge actually influences entire team to give full effort. One of the major responsibilities of a great leader is to implement both top-down and bottom-up approach in order to enhance organizational communication process (Daft, 2008, p.44). Knowledge and Skills Required for a Good Leader An individual cannot be called as an effective leader without effective leadership knowledge and skills. A leader has total authority to manage entire team and develop potential strategies, decisions and goals so that a team can effectively achieve those. Knowledge and skills generally differ from each other. A leader has to have some key skills, such as effective communication skills, speaking power, listening skills, memory skills and skills to motivate entire team. An individual cannot become a leader and lead a team without having these fundamental skills. In terms of knowledge, a good leader has to obtain time management knowledge. It is true that the entire member within a team cannot have similar competencies and views. Therefore, there are some possibilities of conflict of ideas and conflict of skills between the team members (Walker, 2011, p.259). A leader generally has to deal with a diverse team in a spec ific workforce. Knowledge about workplace diversity, team direction, inspiring initiatives and self-motivation process of a leader can help an organization to become successful. Role of a Leader differs from Role of a Manager The major role of a leader is to develop effective attainable and perceived goals and objectives. On the other hand, role of a manager is to administrate entire team to ensure effective workplace performance and good business output. It is true that a leader always can become an effective manager due to effective leadership skills. Generally leadership skills direct the managerial skills. But, a manager cannot become an effective leader due to lack of leadership skills and visionary power. It is quite challenging for a leader to develop goals and direct an entire team towards success. But, it is quite easy for a manager to assist and administrate a team based on the showed path of a leader to accomplish developed tasks or goals or objectives. Development and Co mmunication of

Negotiations - Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Negotiations - Case Study - Essay Example Lack of management skills makes the firm not to be at par with advances in technology (Hastings, 2009). Technical support makes it possible for the business to be aware of modern technologies. With this can be able to understand the operations of the industry resulting to familiarity with clients. Therefore the industry can provide reliable services and appropriate solutions to the client problems. Lieutenant observed that the company suffered from insufficient training because of one stenographer who was in charge of five semi-skilled workers. This is due to ineffective management of the company. The firm is the only one producing the special machine but has very complex production processes that have made the employees to be resistant to new innovations (Vanden & Consulting, 2008). These employees basically resist new training because top managers have not been fully trained. Ineffective management also results in high expenses as a result of ignorance over security measures. Contingency are the allowances that help the management in addressing risks within the firm. The contingency allowance ensures that managers are able to account for all the errors and omissions made in the firm. Lieutenant Early should ensure that all the company operations and activities are performed perfectly. This calls for changes in the operations of the company (Hastings, 2009). This will reduce the amount of money paid as contingency allowance because there will be an improvement in the efficiency of organizational processes. The changes will also ensure that the organization is able to address risks accordingly. The entire unknown amount should be paid for in order to reduce the contingency allowance. This makes the payment to be in time hence reducing the accumulation amount. The Trustworthy equipment company should be principled enough to pay for all the known and unknown expenses. This eases the future budget of the firm making a similar contingence allowances (Steams,

Sam 386 unit 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sam 386 unit 6 - Assignment Example There is a special set rules that apply to the prosecution of defamation of public figures. In order for a private citizen such a neighbor or a friend to prove defamation against an individual, they only must prove that the individual acted negligently. The concept of negligence means that a â€Å"reasonable person† would not have made or published the defamatory statement. For a public figure, it is much harder to prove defamation since the accused must show â€Å"actual malice† in their statement. The plaintiff must prove that the accused published the statements with knowledge that the statements are untrue or in restless disregard of the truth. This makes the prosecution of defamation of a public figures much harder to proof for the plaintiff in a court of law. For a public figure it is important to recognize these differences in the treatment of defamation cases. Although it may not seem fair for public individuals to be treated differently under the law, a public figure by definition has agreed to have their private lifes scrutinized under the public lens as part of their responsibilities as a public

Process Analysis In Software Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Process Analysis In Software Engineering - Essay Example There are various goals of process analysis. One of the goals of process analysis is to understand the processes that are run in these processes. It is good to understand the processes that are run in a system. This will give a clear working relationship and will enable one to update the system with ease. Another goal of process analysis is to be able to understand the relationships that exist between processes and their associated activities. This will enable the system analyst to understand the process that is being analyzed to the various processes that are integrated in the software that is being developed. The last goal of a process analysis is that of relating the specific process that is found in a system with a process that is found in another part of the organization. This will help to analyze the processes and know which one is optimized and perform a better than the other one. This will help in undertaking an analysis of the performance of the processes in the various depa rtments and parts of an organization (Patten, G. Larry, 2007). When one undertakes a process analysis, what they are doing is that they want to know about the process and undertake the necessary corrections that will improve on the inefficiencies that have been found in the program (Kerzner, 2003). It is important to know how the program works in the system. In the agile method of undertaking process analysis which is: Exploration phase This is the phase where the different requirements of the user will be translated to different tasks that are to be performed by the user. These tasks are then noted done on task cards. Commitment phase This is the stage where the tasks that have been identified are given to different programmers. The programmers are also given the approximate time when the tasks will be required to end. Steering phase This is the stage where tasks are undertaken and then the user story and the products are compared to see if there is an outcome. There are tools that are used in the undertaking. One of the procedures that are used is that of process mapping. With this, it is possible to analyze a process and know what is required and how information flows between them. Process mapping tools include Flowcharts. These are used to analysis the flow of information in the system. This is an important tool that is commonly used to analyze a process. It brings out the issues that are associated with the various processes. References Kerzner, H., 2003. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. 8th ed. New York: Wiley. Patten, G. Larry. 2007. Strategic Organization Development. AuthorHouse. Question 2 There are various processes metrics that are mentioned in the text. The three metrics that are mentioned include the time that a process takes to be completed. This is an important issue that should be taken into consideration. Another process metric that will be considered is that of the resources that should be used in undertaking a particular process. The last metric is that of the number of occurrences that have been experienced in a particular process(Sprankle, & Hubbard, l 2008). The time that is taken for a given process to undertake a given task is very important. The time that a process takes can be evaluated based on the time that a particular process has been assigned to operate. This process measurement metric can be used to gauge whether a process has improved the efficiency of a particular process. In a normal system development, there are various paints that are considered when developing the processes. These points could include collecting system requirements, the development

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The legalisation of drugs (Class C) will benefit society as a whole by reducing crime - Essay Example Several countries throughout the world are working to decriminalize or legalise less harmful drugs such as marijuana, currently classified as a Class C drug, as a means of addressing the growing problem of the war on drugs. Rather than providing the United States and other countries with the elimination of undesirable drugs as was anticipated, the war on drugs has instead served to heighten violence, contribute to the development of organised crime, fill the prison system past capacity, consume large amounts of capital and has still had very little effect on the availability of these drugs or the numbers of individuals who use them. It has been suggested, and in some cases demonstrated, that legalizing or at least decriminalizing less harmful drugs, such as marijuana, can help to reduce the violence, significantly decrease the numbers of people incarcerated for drug use, allow more individuals to remain a contributing member of society and free up funds and manpower to combat against more harmful substances. To understand these various effects, this paper seeks to evaluate the available literature on the topic, comparing instances such as the Netherlands and England, where marijuana has been decriminalized and regulated to some degree, examine the economic theory that led to the development of the war on drugs as well as its effectiveness and net results and finally explore the types of crime that have been associated with drug trafficking and possible alternative measures to address some of these related concerns without actually legalizing marijuana. Current trends in public opinion suggest a growing interest in the decriminalization of Class C drugs, such as marijuana, as an alternative approach from the war on drugs that has proven ineffective.

Assesment Reporting Essay Example for Free

Assesment Reporting Essay Reporting and Resource Development Kate McGrath Student ID 11479964 Emt446 Assessment, Reporting and Resource Development 08 Fall 08 Fall Indicative Time Allocation The HSC course is 120 hours (indicative time). The following table shows the appropriate amount of time you should spend on each unit of work. HSC modules| Approx. number of weeks| Hours | The Australian Food Industry| 8 weeks| 25| Food Manufacture| 12 weeks| 40| Food Product Development| 12 weeks| 40| Due week 10 Weight 20%| Food manufacture ‘ Developing the undeveloped’Students are to research an Australian Food product and analyse the chosen product from ‘Farm to fork’. This includes the process of transforming the raw materials into a new product. The level of manufacturing and of the organisation will influence the amount of information gathered and the processes used. The assignment should include: manufacturing diagram, HACCP, QA, QU, principles of preservation along with external impact. Due week 10 Weight 25%| Product Design ‘The never ending design’Students are design, develop, create and produce a food item which caters for high school students. This item must be relevant to their recommended daily intake and the requirement that it helights, the food item must also have appeal to this target market. The food item must be designed for consumption for breakfast, recess or lunch, and is to be consumed at school. The limitationas that this places must be explored and addressed along with a list of product criteria. The food item can be a breakfast food item, a snack consumed during recess or a lunch product. The product must be relevant to the recommended daily intake for teenagers ager 13-17, the food item must also have appeal to this target market. The product must be justified as to how it meets these requirements. A series of tests and surveys must be conducted in establishing the target market and the products ability for success, this will be written in experimental format as found on page 261 of foodtech in action text.

The Concept of Luxury Brands Essay Example for Free

The Concept of Luxury Brands Essay Paper about the Definition and Categorization of Luxury Products and Brands consisting of a Taxonomy of Luxury and a Handbook for the Creation of Luxury Products and Brands This paper defines both luxury products and brands and also distinguishes similar concepts such as premium and masstige and differentiates between major types of luxury products and brands such as accessible vs. exceptional luxury products and connoisseur vs. Star brands. In that way, it should create a better understanding of what actually constitutes luxury products and brands, and thus should be useful for both researchers and managers within the field of luxury brand management. As luxury is constantly on the move, this paper will be constantly up-dated. Therefore, please feel free to send me your feedback and ideas. The latest publication can be foundhere and previous publications below. According to its objectives, the paper is split into the following two major components: Taxonomy of Luxury: The tasks of distinguishing between luxury and non-luxury and of categorizing luxury into different types reminds one of the work of taxonomists, who try to order organisms into groups based on their similarities and differences. The classification of organisms is not that simple, not only because of their vast variety, but also because boundaries between species are diffuse. However, similarly to the taxonomy of organisms, the taxonomy of luxury should provide a definition of luxury products and luxury brands that, for any products and brands, allows one to decide as best as possible if they are part of what is meant by these terms. In addition, the taxonomy should give an overview of the major types of luxury products and brands, as well as of similar concepts. Handbook for the Creation of Luxury Products and Brands: For mankind, classification had to be carried out from the very beginning, because the accurate identification of food, predators, mates, fuel, building materials etc. was crucial to survival. This demonstrates that classification also leads to a better understanding about the objects of investigation. Besides their value in the classification of luxury, the characteristics of luxury products and brands thus also help to develop an understanding about how they are actually created. As this is a distinctive area of application, the explanations about their characteristics are consolidated in a separate part of the paper, which should serve as a handbook for the creation of luxury products and brands. PART I LUXONOMY The task of distinguishing between luxury and non-luxury and of categorizing luxury into different types is reminiscent of the job of taxonomists, who try to order organisms into groups based on their similarities and differences (Stace 1991, p. 5). Taxonomy is more generally used today for classifications of any types of objects of investigation, including, for instance, shopper motivations (Westbrook and Black 1985), vehicles (Pirotte and Massart 2004, p. 2) and luxury consumers (Han et al. 2010, p. 16). This part of the paper presents a taxonomy of luxury particularly for use within the field of luxury brand management. Starting from a basic definition of luxury, it distinguishes between the major understandings of luxury put forth by different areas of research, defines luxury products and brands and gives an overview of the major types of luxury products and brands and also of similar concepts. The definitions of luxury products and luxury brands should allow one to decide as best as possible, for any products and brands, if they are part of what is meant by these terms. 1. The Basic Definition of Luxury 1. 1. The Necessity-Luxury Continuum Despite confusions, researchers across all disciplines share a basic understanding of luxury. To begin with, luxury is defined as something that is more than necessary (e. g. by Bearden and Etzel 1982, p. 184; Muhlmann 1975, p. 69; Reith and Meyer 2003, p. 10; Sombart 1922, p. 85). In contrast to necessity, some authors also characterize luxury by non-necessity and superfluity (e. g. by De Barnier et al. 2006, p. 5; Dubois et al. 2001, p. 15; Csaba 2008, p. 3; Geerts and Veg 2010, p. 2; Jackel and Kochhan 2000, p. 75). The distinction between necessity and luxury is based on the availability or exclusivity of resources. While necessities are possessed by virtually everyone, luxuries are available exclusively to only a few people or at least only on rare occasions (Bearden and Etzel 1982, p. 184). Bearden and Etzel (1982, p. 186) imagined the necessity-luxury dimension as a continuum ranging from absolute necessity to absolute luxury. Accordingly, they developed a six-point Likert scale ranging from a necessity for everyone’ to a luxury for everyone in order to measure the luxuriousness of a number of product categories (see also Kemp 1998, p.594). Today however, people spend the biggest portion of their income on goods that satisfy more than their necessary or basic human needs, but most of these goods might still not be considered a luxury. Therefore, Chaudhuri (1998, p. 158 et seqq. ) criticized the necessity-luxury continuum produced by Bearden and Etzel (1982) and measured necessity and luxury as two separate variables on a seven-point agree/disagree scale (This product is a luxury [necessity] for me. ) No significant relationships were found among these variables (p.163), which supports the approach of these authors. However, there were goods with low ratings on both variables such as cornflakes, frozen dinners, and potato chips, indicating the need for another category of ordinary goods. Bearden and Etzel (1982, p. 186) actually already considered this category, as they defined luxuries as not needed for ordinary, day-to-day living. ’ Instead of subsuming ordinary goods into the necessity category, the scale can also be extended to the necessity-ordinary-luxury scale, which might be more intuitive for today’s consumers. In very old lexica, luxury is defined as anything that is more than necessary (e. g. Brockhaus 1846, p. 179). After the increase in the standard of living over many social classes in the late 19th century, the definition was further narrowed by luxury being also that which is more than ordinary (e. g. Meyers 1890, p. 1035). Since then, most lexica share the notion of luxury as anything that is more than necessary and ordinary (e. g. Meyers 1995, p. 189). However, not everything that is neither necessary nor ordinary is a luxury. For instance, most people rarely have moths in their wardrobe, but still do not consider this extraordinary occurrence a luxury. This demonstrates that the characterization of luxury as non-necessary and superfluous can be misleading because luxury is always meant to satisfy some human needs and desires (Berry 1994, p. 4 et seqq. ; Geerts and Veg 2010, p. 2; Giacalone 2006, p. 34; Goody 2006, p. 341). Accordingly, luxury is also associated with dream (e. g. by Seringhaus 2002, p. 5; Dubois and Paternault 1995, p. 69). While necessary and ordinary goods are also desirable (or required), a study by Kemp (1998, p. 599; 603) points out an essential difference: similar items [are] more likely to be perceived as a luxury if they [produce] a positive effect for the recipient than if they [relieve] a state of discomfort [†¦ so that luxuries are†¦] positive instead of negative reinforcements. Therefore, Kemp (1998, p. 592) compares the necessity-luxury continuum with the hierarchy of needs produced by Maslow (1970), which ranges from basic physiological needs such as hunger (necessities) up to needs of self-actualization (luxuries). These facts demonstrate that the luxuriousness of any resource is not only based on its availability, but also on peoples’ desire for it. Accordingly, the basic definition of luxury may be summarized as follows: Luxury is anything that is desirable and more than necessary and ordinary. | Luxury usually refers to single items, in which case it is described as qualitative luxury. In contrast, quantitative luxury refers to the profusion of an excessive amount of resources, which are not necessarily luxurious. For instance, this includes lighting a cigar with a handful of matches (Sombart 1922, p.86). 1. 2. The Relativity of Luxury The decision of what is desirable and more than necessary and ordinary is relative and depends on the perspective (Buttner et al. 2006, p. 9; Jackel and Kochhan 2000, p. 75; Kapferer 2008, p. 96; Nyeck 2004, p. 1; Sombart 1922, p. 85; Valtin 2004, p. 20 et seqq. ). The relativity of luxury splits into a regional, temporal, economic, cultural and situational relativity, which is illustrated in figure 1 and explained below. Regional relativity refers to the classification of resources on the necessity-luxury continuum depending on their local availability. Some goods are widely available and worth very little in some regions, but acquire luxury status by virtue of their rarity in another environment (Merki 2002, p. 85; Reith and Meyer 2003, p. 10). For instance, in the 19th century, kola nuts could be freely collected in the forests of West Africa and became a luxury in Europe, where they were used for kola biscuits and kola wine (Goody 2006, p. 347). In addition, a sunny day at the beach might be considered a luxury in most parts of Europe, while it is almost an everyday experience for people living in Miami. Temporal relativity refers to changes in the perception of the luxuriousness of resources over time, which are based on changes in their availability and desirability (Fuehrer 2008, p. 214; Kisabaka 2001, p. 119 et seqq. ; Matsuyama 2002, p. 1038). The major causes of these changes are technological progress and societal trends (see also Konig 2002, p. 118). Technological progress is also the main reason for the decreasing relevance of the regional relativity of luxury goods. For instance, modern production methods enabled the development from luxury kola to mass-marketed Coca-Cola (Goody 2006, p.348). There are many other examples of the metamorphosis of luxury goods into mass market commodities such as butter, chocolate, coffee, spices, sugar, and tea (Reith and Meyer 2003, p. 10). This process runs especially fast for technical products, as exemplified by TVs, PCs, and mobile phones. However, this process can also run in the opposite direction, as seen with some historically ordinary resources, such as clean air, silence and space, which have become increasingly rare, at least in some regions (see also Koschel 2005, p. 41). Temporal relativity represents the particular character of luxury as being not stable and constantly changing over time (Kapferer 2008, p. 96; see also Jackel and Kochhan 2000, p. 89; Mortelmans 2005, p. 504). Economic relativity refers to differences in peoples’ perceptions of luxuriousness depending on their access to resources (Kapferer 2008, p. 96; Kisabaka 2001, p. 121; Meffert and Lasslop 2003, p. 4; Vickers and Renand 2003, p. 461). While mostpeople consider a watch costing 50â‚ ¬ as an ordinary item, there are some who see it as a luxury, and still others who would not even regard a watch costing 5,000â‚ ¬ as a luxury. Economic relativity also refers to differences among countries with varying states of economic development. For instance, cars are generally considered as ordinary goods in Western Europe, but remain a luxury in developing countries (Christodoulides et al. 2009, p. 397; Matsuyama 2002, p. 1038). Culutural relativity: In any cultural context, luxury refers to something that exceeds necessity and ordinariness. However, in contrast to the previous categories, cultural relativity does not refer to the availability, but to the desirability of resources to people depending on their culture. The same resource might be considered luxurious in one culture, but just ordinary or even useless and undesirable in another culture (Kapferer and Bastien 2009b, p. 314; Kemp 1998, p. 604; Kisabaka 2001, p. 121 et seqq. ). For instance, champagne can be considered as a luxury in European countries, but generally is not desired in Islamic societies. The same is true for a Lamborghini from the perspective of someone from a secluded Amazon tribe (Berthon et al. 2009, p. 49). However, Mortelmans (2005, p. 497) argues that every social group can be said to have its own luxury. There are culture-specific symbols of good taste and luxury, which are determined by the elite of any cultural group or subculture and are used for social distinction (Bourdieu 1994, p. 64 et seqq. ; Fuehrer 2008, p. 135 et seqq. ; Merki 2002, p. 90; Reith and Meyer 2003, p. 24). While gold teeth grills are considered a luxury in the hip-hop scene, the majority of people do not find them desirable. The preferences of luxury are rooted to a great extent in cultural values (Kemp 1998, p. 596; Sombart 1922, p.87), which differ by demographic variables such as gender, age, and education (see studies by Hudders and Pandelaere 2009, p. 6 et seqq. ; Jackel and Kochhan 2000, p. 75). However, the members of a cultural group also differ in their knowledge of the symbols of luxury (Kisabaka 2001, p. 121). These facts demonstrate that there are also differences in the perception of luxury among the members of a cultural group. Therefore, Berthon et al. (2009, p. 47) state that luxury has an intensely individual component as well: what might be luxury to one person will be commonplace, or perhaps even irrelevant and valueless, to another. As the culture-specific symbols of luxury are a result of social learning, it must also be possible to influence peoples’ ideas of luxury using marketing measures (Jackel and Kochhan 2000, p. 81). For instance, De Beers managed to position diamonds as a symbol of love and luxury. Situational relativity implies that the same resource could be differently classified as necessary, ordinary or luxurious depending on the circumstances. For instance, ordinary food might become luxurious if a person has not eaten it for a long time, and any luxury food could be considered ordinary after eating it for several days (Kemp 1998, p.598). 1. 3. General Perspective for the Definition of Luxury These types of relativity can be used as follows to determine a general perspective from which luxury should be defined, particularly with regard to the requirements within the field of luxury brand management: Regional relativity: Due to the globalization of business, especially of the luxury industry, luxury should be defined from a global perspective, which leads to the omission of regional specialties from the definition of luxury for the sake of a broad international coverage. Temporal relativity: The definition of luxury should refer to the present. Economic relativity: Luxury should not be defined from the perspective of the very poor or the very rich, but of the entire society of developed regions. Despite the differences in the notion of luxury between the poor and the rich, Kemp (1998, p. 596) found that to a large extent, a gross-societal consensus exists concerning the classification of goods as either luxury or non-luxury. Culutural relativity: The desirability of resources and the appearance of luxury are determined by the upper class, which also includes the relatively homogeneous segment of the global elite (Vickers and Renand 2003, p.461). Consequently, hip hop-style gold teeth grills cannot be considered luxuries (as long as they are not adopted by the upper class). Basically, luxury appeals to everyone, if defined as something that is desirable and more than necessary and ordinary from his or her perspective. However, studies on the attitudes towards luxury usually refer to luxury as determined by the upper class. Consequently, the attitudes of respondents range from admiration to rejection (Reich 2005, p. 33), which often reflects their general opinion of the societal system. Besides that, the upper class also consists of different segments, which means that a variety of luxury tastes and lifestyles exists. Situational relativity: Finally, the definition of luxury should generally not consider any temporary or individual circumstances, but should be restricted to normal conditions. Accordingly, the basic definition of luxury may be complemented as follows: Luxury is anything that is desirable and which exceeds necessity and ordinariness. As a general rule, this is defined from a global perspective, for the present and for normal conditions. While the exclusivity of resources is evaluated by the entire society, the desirability of resources and the appearance of luxury are determined by the upper class. | Based on that, table 1 exemplifies some of the many resources that can be differentiated from luxury. Accordingly, theextended basic definition limits the scope of luxury from almost anything to a more reasonable level and therefore already helps to dissolve a large part of the controversies about its definition. Table 1: Examples of Non-Luxury Items| Example of Non-Luxury| Type of Relativity| Explanation|. Clean air| Regional relativity| A luxury in Jakarta, but not from the perspective of most people| Color TV| Temporal relativity| A luxury in the 1950’s, but not from today’s perspective| VW Polo| Economic relativity| A luxury for a student, but not from a gross-societal perspective| Gold teeth grill| Cultural relativity| A luxury in the hip-hop scene, but not from the perspective of the upper class| McDonald’s Hamburger| Situational relativity| Might be a luxury after a strict diet, but not under normal circumstances|. However, there are two limitations: First of all, the necessity-luxury continuum indicates that all luxuries are not equally luxurious, which means that there is also a hierarchical relativity. Consequently, it seems reasonable to distinguish different levels of luxury (see Kisabaka 2001, p. 120 et seq. ; and section 8. 4. 1). In addition, even though the extended basic definition limits the scope of luxury, it still covers a wide variety of resources such as musical talent, self-determination or Daikin air conditioning systems, which are not relevant within the field of luxury brand management research. Therefore, the scope of luxury will be limited further in the following chapter by differentiating the understandings of luxury by area of research. 2. The Major Understandings of Luxury The literature analysis suggests differentiating luxury definitions by area of research into three main categories, which will be explained below. 3. 1. The Philosophical-sociological Understanding of Luxury The proponents of a philosophical-sociological understanding of luxury concentrate mainly on the evolution of attitudes towards luxury and its societal benefits (e. g. Berry 1994; Mandeville 1724; Sombart 1922, p. 86 et seqq.) and on the changes in the appearance of luxury and preferences for luxury (e. g. Dohrn-van Rossum 2002; Fuehrer 2008, p. 185 et seqq. ; Koschel 2005 and Reitzle 2001, p. 26 et seqq. ). According to these research objectives, this understanding represents the broadest scope of luxury that can be referred to as luxuries or luxury resources. Examples include musical talent, time, and true love (see also Sombart 1922, p. 85). Luxuries are defined as follows: Luxuries correspond to the philosophical-sociological understanding and the broadest scope of luxury, comprising all resources which are desirable and exceed what is necessary and ordinary. | 2. 2. The Micro-economic Understanding of Luxury The proponents of a micro-economic understanding of luxury investigate the relationships between price and the demand for luxury (e. g. Chaudhuri 1998; Kemp 1998; Lipsey 1975, p. 107 et seqq. ; Poll 1980, p. 38), as well as between income and the demand for luxury (e. g. Deaton and Muellbauer 1980; Lancaster 1971, p. 68; Poll 1980, p. 30). There are also some researchers who focus on the moderating sociological effects (e. g. Bearden and Etzel 1982, Leibenstein 1950, Veblen 1899) and on the benefits of the luxury goods industry for the economy (e.g. Thomas 2007, p. 53 et seqq. ). In light of its research objectives, the micro-economic understanding of luxury represents a middle scope that is limited to goods that are suitable for exchange on the market. In microeconomics the term luxury goods was established for that and mainly refers to entire product categories (see Meffert and Lasslop 2003, p. 4; Reich 2005, p. 36). The marketability of micro-economic luxury represents its major difference from the philosophical-sociological understanding of luxury. According to Chaudhuri (1998, p.162), product categories such as barbecue and golf equipment are (still) regarded as luxury goods. The definition of luxury goods can be summarized as follows: Luxury goods correspond to the micro-economic understanding and the middle scope of luxury, comprising all goods which exceed what is necessary and ordinary, and are suitable for exchange on the market. | Luxury goods are distinguished from necessary or ordinary goods by consequence-related measures; thus the luxuriousness of any good is not determined by its characteristics, but by peoples’ reaction (changes in demand) to exogenous stimuli. These measures include price and income elasticity of demand (Poll 1980, p. 29). 2. 3. The Managerial Understanding of Luxury 2. 3. 1. Areas of Research The proponents of a managerial understanding of luxury focus on the development of business and in particular, on marketing strategy guidance for a relatively small group of luxury product manufacturers. The areas of research can be categorized into studies focusing on luxury brands (including products and industry segments) and on studies which rather focus on their consumers. The first group includes image analyses about luxury brands (e. g. Matthiesen and Phau 2005, Wong and Zaichkowsky 1999) and studies about the luxury brand identity (e. g. Dubois and Czellar 2002, Heine 2009a, 2010a,b, Heine and Trommsdorff 2010a). The existing studies about luxury consumer behavior focus on the characteristics of luxury consumers, their consumption preferences and on environmental influences affecting luxury consumption. Studies about luxury consumer characteristics cover consumers’ purchasing motives (e. g. Tsai 2005), attitudes (e. g. Dubois et al. 2005), values (e. g. Dubois and Duquesne 1993, Heine 2010a, Sukhdial et al.1995) and demographics (e. g. Dubois and Duquesne 1993). Results of these studies serve as a basis for the segmentation of luxury consumers (e. g. Dubois et al. 2005). Additionally, there are studies focusing on luxury consumer preferences (e. g. Nia and Zaichkowsky 2000, about country-of-origin preferences) and studies about environmental influences on luxury consumption incorporating the impact of reference groups (e. g. Bearden and Etzel 1982; Wiedmann et al. 2007), culture (e. g. Casaburi 2010), product types (e. g. social/private by Bearden and Etzel 1982) and situational factors (e. g.Dubois and Laurent 1996). On top of that, there is a growing interest in the phenomenon of counterfeit luxury products (e. g. Perez et al. 2010, Phan et al. 2010, Phan and Lu 2008, Phau and Teah 2008, 2009, Phau et al. 2009, Wilcox et al. 2009). 2. 3. 2. Scope of Luxury The managerial understanding represents the smallest scope of luxury. The major difference separating it from the micro-economic perspective is that the managerial understanding of luxury does not usually refer to entire product categories, but only to the best products of a category, or to products with certain characteristics. Accordingly, products that fall within the managerial scope of luxury should be referred to as luxury products. The broad definition of luxury products can be summarized as follows: Luxury products correspond to the managerial understanding and the smallest scope of luxury, comprising all products which exceed what is necessary and ordinary compared to the other products of their category. | The definition of luxury brands is closely linked to the definition of luxury products and usually refers to specific associations about their products’ characteristics. Accordingly, the broad definition of luxury brands is summarized as follows: Luxury brands are associated with products which exceed what is necessary and ordinary compared to the other products of their category. | These definitions allow one to state some typical examples of luxury products and brands including Louis Vuitton bags and Rolls-Royce automobiles. For the sake of simplicity, the luxury product business will be referred to as the luxury industry. The managerial scope of luxury becomes even clearer in comparison with the other understandings of luxury. This is not a horizontal differentiation (such as dog, cat and bird), but a vertical differentiation (such as dog, animal, living being), which refers to the relation between terms of different levels of abstraction (Eckes 1991, p. 120). As demonstrated in figure 1, luxury products constitute a subset of luxury goods, which, in turn, form a subset of luxuries. This means that the characteristics of luxuries also apply, to a large extent, to luxury products (see also Hoffmann 1986, p. 31 et seqq. ). 2. 3. 3. Limiting the Scope of Luxury. Despite its small scope in comparison to luxuries, the definition of luxury products still covers a wide variety of different products. Therefore, and according to the basic idea of definition by reduction sentences, the scope of luxury products is further limited by differentiating the major luxury market segments as follows: Luxury Products, Services and Real Estate: The managerial luxury understanding usually refers to movable assets (products in the classical sense), as the luxury industry was and is characterized by craftsmanship and engineering (Belz 1994, p.648; Berthon et al. 2009, p. 50). Beyond that, luxury services and luxury real estate form distinct luxury segments. Marketing knowledge about products offers a basis for other luxury segments, but still needs to be adapted to their specific characteristics. Branded vs. Unbranded Luxury Products: Unbranded luxury products are usually made on commission by craftsmen. Because of the high relevance of brands in the luxury segment, this paper considers only branded luxury products (see Kisabaka 2001, p.104; Vigneron and Johnson 2004, p. 486). Private vs. Public Luxury Products: Instead of public luxuries such as altar pieces or national monuments, the term luxury products usually refers to private luxury, which is owned by a person or a private organization (Sombart 1922, p. 86; see also McKinsey 1990, p. 13). B2B vs. B2C Luxury Products: B2C luxury products, also referred to as personal luxury products, are marketed to end consumers and can be used by a person to enhance his or her personal life (Sombart 1922, p.86; Reith and Meyer 2003, p. 10; Valtin 2004, p. 186). In contrast to that, there is a distinct B2B luxury segment, which includes luxury-specialized suppliers to luxury brands. One such supplier is Peter Bock, a manufacturer of nibs for luxury fountain pens. Founder-independent vs. Founder-dependent Luxury Products: This paper considers only founder-independent luxury products, which means that the existence of brands and the manufacturing of products should not depend on the life of their creators. The manufacturers of luxury products should possess a distinct brand personality and at least the capacity for infinite business operation. Although an artist could become a brand, these requirements are not fulfilled as he or she may only create founder-dependent products. Compared to other products, the luxury art market follows very specific rules and therefore forms a distinct luxury segment. The same is true for other industry segments such as (star) architect offices and the relatively complex and fast-changing market of (fashion) designer products. Uni-regional vs. Multi-regional Luxury Products: This paper disregards uni-regional luxury products, which are only available in specific regions. For instance, shopping in the KaDeWe is only possible in Berlin and spending the night in Le Bristol is only possible in Paris. However, many uni-regional luxury brands have the potential to become global. For instance, the luxury group Hilton developed the New York-based Waldorf Astoria into a global luxury hotel chain. Contemporary Luxury Products vs. Luxury Antiquities: With reference to temporal relativity (see above), only new products are considered. Luxury antiquities (including antique cars) form a distinct luxury segment. Accordingly, the broad definition of luxury products may be complemented as follows: Luxury products correspond to the managerial understanding and the smallest scope of luxury not comprising services or real estate, but products which exceed what is necessary and ordinary compared to the other products of their category. These products are branded, founder-independent, multi-regional, contemporary and possessed or used by a person to enhance his or her personal life. | Differentiating between the various understandings of luxury and major luxury market segments helps to further limit the scope of luxury in the area of management studies. Based on that, table 1 exemplifies some of the many luxuries that can be differentiated from luxury products. However, this is still not enough to distinguish clearly between ordinary and luxury products. Therefore, the broad definition of luxury products needs to be specified further, which will be addressed in the subsequent chapter. 3. Luxury Products 3. 1. The Definition of Luxury Products Although the term luxury products is broadly defined and therefore basically comprehensible (see previous section), it still needs to be operationalized because it is not yet clear which products are actually more than necessary and ordinary compared to the other products of their category. The broad definition of luxury products can be modified and further specified by an operational definition. For this purpose, adequate indicators for a term need to be determined. According to the dimensional analysis, it was decided to operationalize luxury products by their characteristics. The operationalization relies on a literature analysis and an empirical study (as outlined in the paper). The results suggest that consumers perceive that luxury products have six major characteristics including price, quality, aesthetics, rarity, extraordinariness and symbolism. These constitutive characteristics and their typical sub-categories are explained in detail in one of the following chapters. In that way, the operationalization helps to decide for most products if they are part of what is meant by the term luxury product (see also Kromrey 2009, p. 110). The definition of luxury products can be summarized as follows: Luxury products have more than necessary and ordinary characteristics compared to other products of their category, which include their relatively high level of price, quality, aesthetics, rarity, extraordinariness, and symbolic meaning. | Comparative terms such as luxury rely on continuous characteristics (as explained in the paper). Therefore, the major characteristics of luxury products can be considered as dimensions ranging from a minimum level that is also necessary for non-luxury products to a maximum level that corresponds to the highest form of luxury. As these major characteristics must apply to virtually all luxury products at least to some degree, they are therefore referred to as constitutive characteristics. Although luxury products require a relatively high rating for all of the major characteristics, there still exists a wide range of possible ratings within the luxury segment. According to the principles of the prototype theory, luxury products therefore differ in the degree to which they are qualified as representatives of their category. The luxuriousness of a product increases when the level of at least one of these characteristics increases. Not surprisingly, the luxury level therefore is one of the major means of differentiation for luxury products and brands (Esteve and Hieu-Dess 2005). The characteristics of luxury products are not independent of each other.

English Literature Essays Beauty Truth Art

English Literature Essays Beauty Truth Art Beauty Truth Art In his famous apostrophe to the â€Å"Grecian Urn†, the immortal poet, John Keats, wrote: â€Å"Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, â€Å"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,†Ã¢â‚¬â€that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.† This very famous statement on Beauty and Truth and their interchangeability poses a very important question in the postmodern era. Art and its convention of the ‘Beauty’/‘Beautiful’ has imperceptibly changed over the decades, from something that should reflect the Ideal (and in reality, twice removed from it, as per Plato), or in essence complete and offering pleasure to the senses to something, that expresses the unique consciousness/angst of the creator. Art has thus rediscovered its definition for beauty. If beauty is truth, then it may dare to be grotesque too, for truth may be harsh or horrific. Beauty does not suggest something beautiful in the actual sense of the term, but that, which comes closer to the true expressions of the self and the vision of a generation’s psyche, that is fragmented, kitsch-like, complex and beyond the metanarratives of a suffocating conformity. Beauty has evolved into a freedom for expression. Contemporary art, especially questions the paradigms of aesthetic values, with artists like Chapman Brothers or Justin Novak producing artwork that are clearly meant to provoke reactions and challenge notions of beauty, that had it’s roots in Kant’s â€Å"Critique of Judgment† (1790). It contemplated on the â€Å"pure† aesthetic experience of art consisting of a â€Å"disinterested† observer, pleasing for its own sake and beyond any utility or morality. Now, the very word ‘pleasing’ may have different boundaries and contemporary art is trying to escalate their claims. If Marcel Duchamp made a fountain out of a urinal in 1917, that hurtled the Dadaist movement and that later amplified into a surrealist tendency looking into primitive art for their subconscious inspiration, to reveal the mental process, then the essential motivation behind the whole thing was subversion. If primitivism was motivating a new dimension by which beauty of the mind was revealed, then Picasso completely subjectified art and personal experience into a fourth dimension and created a cubist movement to claim a break down of a canon that no longer held on to techniques, symbols and least of all universal criteria for judging anything. There are many socio-ideological forces behind the same and the destructive World Wars had many reasons to question the notions behind the traditional idea of Beauty, and it addressed the subjective, transcendental and alienated psyche of modern man. Metaphysical hopelessness gave way from absurdity to beauty, while the meaninglessness of this ‘Being’, made beauty seem more akin to grotesque, either by derision or by the light of their tragic truth. What makes the question more intriguing is that, whether contemporary art has found a better form of beauty (constructed to please and create a certain discursive paradigm) in the grotesque, since it frees us from any moral and political/ideological constraints? Can it be linked to greater dimensions of teleological magnitude, or should it be treated as an alternative method of understanding true aesthetic, if not the complete aspect of aesthetic itself? Is grotesque possible without the knowledge of Beauty itself? I shall attempt to answer the following questions that I raised, with a few examples. One must first understand the idea behind perception and the dialogical force that surrounds it. If the world is raised as an illusion in one’s mind then the mind has been symbolically trained to read it as a language. This matrix of complex spontaneity is ‘paradigmatically’ and ‘syntagmatically’ (Roman Jakobson, 1987) being challenged, when Grotesque plays the part of Beauty. The Dystopia arises out of a shattered archetype that must restructure itself to include elements of the grotesque within the beauty, and reach towards the same aesthetic experience: the sublime. But interestingly what produces sublime is shock. But one must not confuse this with the cathartic experience of the ‘Tragic’ pity and terror, but something quite opposite to an ideal communicative situation that all such art produces. Thus this element of mimesis and/or representation of the ideal have given way to an â€Å"infinite subjectivity† (Hegel, Lectures on Fine Art, given in the 1820s), or the abyss of the human mind and condition. But the self is â€Å"interpellated† as per Lacan and later Althusser too estimated the impossibility of a single position from where one can judge, since the self was preconditioned with a lot of â€Å"logocentricism† (Derrida), which are again socio-culturally specific as per Barthes. Thus there is a complete inquiry into art through the artists’ personality or self (or selves). Justin Novak’s â€Å"disfigurine† often conforming to the bourgeoisie values, distort them to such an ironic extent that one cannot miss the counter realism that it offers. Often it serves to offer no alternative reality, but just launches one amidst a grotesque re-examination of old values and with its attendant disillusionment. Once the silent barrier between class and gender is dismantled, the escape is into nothingness – the sublime height of vast unending problems, and this underscores the definite presence and the horrors of undying conformism. If truth is beauty, then Novak’s artworks reveal the finer sides of it by shattering the comfortable and compartmentalized thought processes with which one can objectify art from a safe distance. The grotesque closeness of these truths, give beauty to the mind by releasing it from the shackles of confinement and overpowering illusions. Truth is not universal, but a power to accept the inextricable complexity of human behaviour, mind and his/her interrelationship with their social, cultural and historical environment. With Novak’s work one is left to ponder these very questions. Is Grotesque a rebellion? Or is it an inextricable element of beauty? Grayson Perry’s ceramic works portray this polemic, further, by making them superficially beautiful (as beauty has been notoriously claimed to have been) and underneath it remains the darker motives of an artist who tries to wrest with disturbing truths (or shall one call them home truths, with a larger social back drop to them) that question issues of public/private dialectic. His works that deserve mention here are, â€Å"Coming Out Dress 2000†, â€Å"We’ve Found the Body of your Child 2000†or the â€Å"Boring Cool People 1999† (reminds one of Eliot’s famous lines from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock â€Å"In the room the women come and go, Talking of Michaelangelo†). Not only does he deal with issues like cross-dressing, child abuse and social sterility (about spiritually hollow â€Å"cool† fashionistas or the demanding violence of the utilitarian age), but also, he plays with this abnormal interrelation between beauty and grotesque. He raises questions about taste and the sublime. In short he subverts the notion of beauty with beauty that is skin deep! Grotesque thus becomes Beauty that is kin deep in this works! Reality is a diabolical faà §ade and Perry questions whether hegemony denotes or connotes the medium of taste in art. Thus equating expression with grotesque beauty beyond the limited categories of high or low taste, his avant-garde expressionism becomes a solitary modicum of aesthetic experience, which is new and which is whole (if whole comprises of an aesthetic stance that offers no definite and certain understanding of art’s end but generates a range of teasing/shocking possibilities of that, which is an illusion in itself: Bourgeois ideology). Figure 1: Coming Out Dress, 2000. He poses as Claire, his feminine alter ego. All his works deal with these two sides to his sexuality quite deeply, especially in ‘Transvestite Brides of Christ 2000’ and ‘Contained Anger1999’, respectively, that questions the significance of male-role models. But what is interesting is that Perry is experimenting with representation, rather then pottery, and that is why his artwork combines issues of an innocent observer or rather tries to destroy the comfortable distance with which an observer may guard their subjective spaces. Transvestite to transgression, the Chapman Brothers question the inevitability or orthodox value of canonical (classical) artworks. This travesty or mockery of canonical lofty seriousness is reflected in their works, through devises of defaced and tortured figures, which for them amount to the complete picture of Beauty (of an era that is grotesque, in it’s realization of a past, present and future that cannot bear to sift through the beastly side of socio-cultural conditions, anymore or unlike the others). This becomes a subject behind their sculptures that bursts with mockery, tragedy exploding with grotesque farce. They usher in a new experiment with taste, bad taste and the notions of good taste. Art moves into the realms of public or mass ‘low’ category, which becomes an essential democratic medium for evoking or carrying forward a provocation to rouse the sense of that horrifying answerless void. With the Chapman brothers there is a sadist tone attached to their insult or reiteration of Goya’s influence especially in their recreation of his â€Å"Disasters of War†, which inflict bold horror. But the grandeur of that horror is reduced to a trivial and yet a sardonic sensation taste comes off them. They twist the sensation of violence into an aesthetic ground and arouse a variety of physical and mental demands for perceiving Beauty amidst such a squandering grotesqueness. Beauty here lies in the release from holding back appreciation, awe and complete shock. Violence does not stand-alone and nor does any other human emotion. â€Å"Sex, 2003† is thus desire, decay, diabolical, deliberate, freedom or defeat. Purity is not that far from its pornographic mockery of it and they are interrelated in their apparent verisimilitude. A true representation of kitsch art, their works like Fuckface and Zygotic Acceleration, roused shock as they attempted to portray the sexualisation of children due to the media and increased gender awareness. These treatments nevertheless push questions about morality that grotesque beauty actually challenges. Thus morality and beauty in its aesthetic straight forwardedness seem to flatten out newer boundaries of experiences, which the Chapman brothers challenge through their craftsmanship. Traditional Sculpture, especially in the hands of the Chapman Brothers and Justin Novak or Grayson Perry are objects of anti-canonical parody, grotesque imitations or thought-provoking reverse-discourses. All these postmodern artists are challenging aesthetic experience. All these artworks succumb to one the power of the grotesque that sublimates beauty with its truth, and they make us realize that truth is not about a fixed standard, but accepting the actual absence of it. What makes contemporary art more beastly in its beauty is the power to derive happiness (or sado-masochist satisfaction) out of this grotesqueness. The grotesque shocks but this is a pleasure in itself, because it is the very representation of the consciousness. Theatre and artwork met with experimentalism in the stage by Artaud, who made audience a spectator to cruelty that is harsh, exceptionally brutal and yet beautiful. By shattering estrangement and by creating something that allows no ‘objectivity’ (in the likes of Kant or Brecht) Artaud demands a complete involvement of the senses. Moreover, this is where art threatens to change the soul of the perceiver by its dominating beauty, which horrifies the perceiver with its verity and unique angst. Wittgenstein’s concept of seeing-as, allows contemporary art to shun master narratives completely and standout on their own purely as visual sensations. From British Avant-Garde art that confuses common and the uncommon (like use of mannequin by Chapman Brothers or genitals replaced by the faces in their remake of Goya’s Disasters of Wars series). Grotesquerie is about questioning the status quo, about unflinching self-criticism and about embracing outsiders. From Simon Carroll deconstructing the chronology of ceramic vases with his pastiches like â€Å"Thrown Square Pot2005†, engages the observers mind with complex questions that he poses through the irregular construction of his surfaces. The artists seem to dwell on the apparent hyperreality of contemporary situation, where art has become a vastly reproduced object – fractured beyond identity. Formlessness becomes the beauty without symmetry and deliberate cruelty an aesthetic grotesqueness. Thus the gap between what is apparent and what may actually exists gives the artists ample space to bridge this defined categories with crushing forces of expressions that though grotesque to the shocked senses is ultimately beautiful by virtue of its truth. Works Cited Eliot, T. S â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†. Eliot, Thomas Stearns. Prufrock and Other Observations. London: The Egoist, Ltd, 1917; Bartleby.com, 1996. www.bartleby.com/198/. [30.01.2007]. ON-LINE ED.: Published May 1996 by Bartleby.com; Copyright Bartleby.com, Inc. (Terms of Use). Hegel, Lectures on Fine Art, (edited by Hotho) â€Å"Aesthetics: Lectures on Fine Art,† Vol. 1.translated by T. M. Knox, 1973. < http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/ae/contents.htm > 30.01.2007. Jakobson, Roman. â€Å"Language in Literature†. Ed. Krystyna Pomorska and Stephen Rudy. Cambridge, MA: Belknap, 1987 Kant, Immanuel: The Critique of Judgement (1790), translated by Meredith, J. Adelaide: ebooks, 2004 Keats, John. Poetical Works. London: Macmillan, 1884; Bartleby.com, 1999http://www.bartleby.com/126/41.html. [29.01.2007]; Online-Ed: First published February 1993; published July 1999 by Bartleby.com; Copyright Bartleby.com, Inc.

The Fate of Food Essay -- Health, Unethical Methods, Chemicals

The Fate of Food The hidden methods used to produce the food we consume today are unethical. These methods include the usage of chemicals, and abuse of workers and animals. The process of producing food goes on everyday but as consumers, we are unaware of how it is done. A vast majority of Americans are not aware of the highly mechanized structure of the industrial food system. Determined to capitalize on profit and production, social responsibility and food safety has taken a backseat to the industrial food system. The three most significant problems of the industrial food system are animal cruelty, the lack of biodiversity, and the treatment of farm workers, and these problems can be resolved by creating more efficient food agencies, government subsidies for small organic farmers, and agencies that protect farmers’ rights). The industrial food system is the cause of animal cruelty because of factory farms. The treatment of farm animals is â€Å"barbaric† (Blatt 2008, 195). The procedure for raising farm animals is inhumane. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) is a process of the industrial farming system that separates animals from their natural habitat and confines them into farmhouses with thousands of other livestock. (Walsh 2009) In modern factory farms, animals are crowded into dirty, windowless farmhouses and cramped in â€Å"wire cages†, and â€Å"gestation crates†. (Niman 2009, 101) Hogs for example are confined in these factory farms for twenty-four hours a day. This raises a lot of issues because these animals will never have the chance to raise their families, enjoy free-range, or roam in grassy fields. Newborn piglets are separated from their mothers. The animals are deprived of access to fresh air and are fed through ... ...d health. I propose the creation of the Farm Workers’ Labor Protection Agency (FWLPA). Through the FWLPA, farmworkers can address their concerns without fear of being fired or deported. The FWLPA will work with OSHA to apply its safety standards to individual farms. Farmers prior to being hired will be taught safety standards and ESL classes will be provided twice a week to immigrant farmers who do not speak English. Workers’ compensation, living conditions, and wages will be respected as part of the FWLPA’s standards which will include a $10 dollar starting pay, and overtime pay. Industrial farm workers face dangerous work conditions and should be rewarded accordingly. With the creation of new and efficient agencies, the industrial food system in the United States will lower health issues, protect animals and workers’ rights, and develop a sustainable strategy.

Heart Of Darkness :: essays research papers

Final Rewrite   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marlow, the speaker of the story, states that them going to Africa is no different than in previous years the Romans entering England. He describes the struggles that the Romans had to go through like the savage inhabitants, diseases, weather, and even to some it meant death. He says that the Romans were conquerors and their only goal was to rob other countries by brute strength, while the British were colonizers who tried to make changes for the better wherever they went.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The monologue isn’t very clear but to me it says that England was a dark place not too long ago. Compared to the existence of the earth 1900 years ago was like yesterday. Also, technology hasn’t changed much and there are many dark places still left on this earth. The things that are intense and seem most important in ones life are insignificant in time. He uses words like â€Å"a running blaze on a plain† and â€Å"flash of lightning in the clouds† to emphasize the quickness of time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The commander sees England as a place like the men see Africa. It is a â€Å"sea the colour of lead† and â€Å"sky the color of smoke† which makes it a dark and gloomy place. There isn’t much to do around as they are on the boat because they can’t dock anywhere and there are â€Å"savages† that would probably sabotage their things if not kill them. Even though the journey might have been scary for them, the commander kept himself happy by thinking that if he survives the journey and gets back to Rome he might get a promotion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The young citizen goes on the trip to â€Å"mend his fortunes†. He goes out to see what England is like and is simply mesmerized by the power of the wilderness. He thinks that there really isn’t a way to fight against it to survive even though you seem powerless.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marlow contrast the â€Å"conquerors† to the â€Å"colonists† by showing their reasons for exploration. The Romans were out to conquer the world and they were robbing countries of their land. Their strength rose from the weakness of others and they did what they could to get the most land possible. The Romans were lesser men by doing this. The English at least had a reason to go to Africa.

the cathedral :: essays research papers

At a glance Carver’s writing style of the â€Å"Cathedral† seems simple but after further interpretation of the story one realizes that the â€Å"Cathedral† is about the interactions and epiphanies that regular people have that changes their entire life. This idea is perfectly represented at the end of the â€Å"Cathedral†, throughout the story the husband knew nothing about blind people and wondered how can they live their life without being able to see. He continually made references to the effect of how can he be married and not be able to see his wife, if she had makeup purple slacks and so on he would never know. At the end of the story the husband became closer to the blind man through the drawing exercise and when he asked him to close his eyes so the husband was able to â€Å"see† things as the blind man saw them he realized that being blind wasn’t that bad it was just a different type of life style. Because Carver writes about simpl e commonplace situations this makes the story more affective to the average person. Topics such as loss and drug and alcohol use are things that almost everyone can relate to because it affects almost everyone’s life in one facet or another. Because this is the concentration of Carvers story it allows more people enjoy and relate to the stories; this also leaves the story for more personal interpretation. Each person has their own thoughts about drugs, alcohol and loss and because of these feeling the interpretation of the story is left up to the reader. The husband was amazed at the blind mans ability to smoke a cigarette and eat food as well as he was able to. These are all commonplace objects and task that many people would believe that the blind would have trouble with, but this stereotype was quickly done away with once they began to eat and smoke. Carver is defiantly an optimist, he believes in the ability for people to change and be more acceptable of people that are different, and disabled.