Themes Depicted in the Play Summer of the Seventeenth...

Summer Of The Seventeenth Doll is a timeless play as it can be transposed to be as relevant today as when it was written. The play is definitely a tragi-comedy but more than the ideas raised in the statement the play is about change and the inability for some to deal with it, the battle between dream and reality and loyalty and mateship. It also serves as a social document of Australia in the 1950s. Lawler uses symbols, the actions of the characters, the structure of the play and mise-en-scene to effectively portray his feelings to the audience. The main theme expressed in the play is change and the characters inability to cope with this. Like many working-class people from this time the characters in the play are fairly uneducated†¦show more content†¦She embraced the change that was happening and Olive mistakes this for treachery. The downfall of the characters (especially Olive) really is rather tragic. In the final scene Roo accepts that change - as much as he does not want it - must happen, he asks Olive to marry him. Her dreams are now shattered and she sees Roo as the one who has taken them from her; I want what I had before. You give it back to me - give me back what youve taken. (Pg. 93) Change is inevitable and a person has to learn that the same pattern of living cannot serve them feasibly forever. Summer Of The Seventeenth Doll a battle between dreams and reality. The characters are living in a dream world where everything - for them - is perfect. This, of course, is until Pearl comes along and sees through the thin faà §ade of their existence; Glamorous nights! (Pg. 57) she scoffs at their seemingly pathetic excuse for a New Years Eve party. She is the classic realist in the play, as is Emma, and brings reality to the characters lives. These two also create an exceptional contrast and help to magnify Olives illusions. Olives dream of living a carefree life forever is shattered when she is brought down to a reality which she refuses to accept; the lay-off season is not what it once was, and Roo is no longer the Aussie hero she thought him to be. His dream is to always be top dog in the caneShow MoreRelatedThe Multiculturalism of London: Perceptions of Five Authors4563 Words   |  18 Pagesfive authors, i.e. Zadie Smith, Charles dickens, Daniel Defoe, John Gay and Ben Jonson and their separate views about London. Table of Contents Introduction 3 Discussion 4 The Ben Jonsons Bartholomew Fair (Fayre) 4 The Social Unifier Depicted by the Fair 5 The Fair and the Social Identity 6 The Bartholomew Fair of Jonson and Social Identity 6 The John Gays The Beggars Opera 8 The Slums of London 9 The Plots of Opera 10 The Daniel Defoes Journal of a Plague Year 10

Financial Statement Analysis of Amazon.Com Free Essays

Financial Statement Analysis of Amazon. com, Inc. Introduction The purpose of this essay is to perform financial statement analysis on Amazon. We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Statement Analysis of Amazon.Com or any similar topic only for you Order Now com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN ). We start with an introduction of Amazon and its industry. We then evaluate the company’s financial position, liquidity, operating capability and financial flexibility using different ratios. To evaluate the financial performance of Amazon. com, Inc we disclose recurring NICO and do full ROE disaggregation. Amazon. com’s stock price increased from $44. 29 per share at the end of fiscal year 2004 to $134. 2 per share at the end of fiscal year 2009. Earnings per share increased from $0. 63 to $2. 06. The stock closed at $118. 87 on 02/01/2010. Recommendation Amazon. com is a fast growing E-Commerce company. Although facing the recent U. S. and global economic down turn and intense competitions from various industries, its sales increased 28% in 2009, diluted earnings per share increased 31%. Based on our analysis, we project the company to continue maintain the high growth rate. We project the two year target price range of Amazon’s stock to be $193 to $209. The stock is currently undervalued. Consequently, our recommendation of Amazon. com is BUY. Industry Analysis Amazon. com, Inc. is an American-based multinational electronic commerce company. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Amazon was founded in 1994. As one of the largest online retailers in the world, Amazon claims to offer â€Å"Earth’s Biggest Selection†. In addition to online retailing, Amazon also offers programs that enables seller to sell their products on Amazon. com and to fulfill orders through Amazon. It earns fixed fees and revenue share fees etc. hough those transactions. Amazon turned its first profit in the fourth quarter of 2001 and maintained high growth rate since then. We believe that the below are the key factors important to the future success of Amazon. com: * Successful in efforts to expand into international market segments – Amazon needs to further expand internationally to maintain its sustainable growth. * Successful in optimizin g fulfillment process and operating its fulfillment centers – Amazon needs to continue to expand and optimize the operation of its fulfillment centers. Successful in finding new revenue streams – Amazon needs to seek new ways to diversify revenue generation and drive its overall growth. * Manage growth effectively – Amazon’s global expansion increases the complexity of the business. Financial position, liquidity, operating capability and financial flexibility Financing structure of Amazon. com Table 1 summarizes how Amazon. com was financed as of each of the last 6 fiscal year ends. As of December 31:(in millions) | | | | | | | 2009| 2008| 2007| 2006| 2005| 2004| Operating liabilities| $ 8,447 | $ 5,233 | $4,006 | $ 2,685 | $1,929 | $ 1,620 | Financing liabilities| 109 | 409 | 1,282 | 1,247 | 1,521 | 1,855 | Equity| 5,257 | 2,672 | 1,197 | 431 | 246 | (227)| Total Assets| $13,813 | $ 8,314 | $6,485 | $ 4,363 | $3,696 | $ 3,248 | | | | Table 1| | | | Amazon’s fixed assets additions steadily increased between fiscal year 2004 and 2009. Its possession of marketable securities increased each year other than 2007, which was due to the anticipation of an acquisition in 2008. At the same time, Amazon. om has been aggressively paying off its long term debt. Its debt continues to decrease between 2004 and 2009. The debt to total assets ratio dropped from 57% in 2004 to only 1% in 2009. Between 2006 and 2008, Amazon repurchased total 17 million shares of common stocks. Overall, Amazon. com shows good financing structure and operating capability over the past five years. Buy decreasing its debt level, Amazon’s management team shows well ou t looking of the company. Liquidity Three liquidity ratios of Amazon in the past 5 years are presented in table 2. The liquidity ratios of Amazon’s competitor, Ebay, are also presented for 2008 and 2009. The three liquidity ratios show Amazon has very good liquidity, which means it could easily satisfy current liabilities with current assets. Comparing to Amazon, Ebay is even more liquid as it could satisfy its short term liabilities purely by cash and cash equivalents. | | Amazon. com| |   | eBay| | | 2009| 2008| 2007| 2006| 2005| 2004| 2009| 2008| Current Ratio (to one)| 1. 33| 1. 30| 1. 39| 1. 33| 1. 52| 1. 57| 2. 32| 1. 70| Quick Ratio (to one)| 1. 04| 1. 00| 1. 07| 0. 99| 1. 22| 1. 27| 2. 32| 1. 70| Cash Ratio (Acid Ratio) (to one)| 0. 86| 0. 79| 0. 84| 0. 80| 1. 04| 1. 10| 1. 10| 0. 86| | | Table 2| | | | | | Financial Flexibility Financial flexibility (Solvency and leverage) is a company’s ability to adapt to unforeseen events and opportunities. Leverage means using debt (or other third party funds) to increase earnings for the owners. Table 3 presents some financial flexibility and leverage ratios of Amazon. com from 2005 to 2009 and for Ebay from 2008 to 2009. Amazon. com is a fast growing company and in the fiscal year ended 2004, they had a negative total equity, which could skew the ratios. Therefore, we did not present the ratios in 2004. From table 3 we can see that at the end of fiscal year 2009, both Amazon. om and eBay have high financial flexibility due to low or even zero long-term debt. Their usages of leverages are both low. Although a company should try to use leverage to increase earnings for the owner, in the current economical environment, have low or zero long-term debt is actually an advantage, which means they don’t need to rely on creditors to maintain their high growth rate. Overall, Amazon. com has good operating capability, high liquidity and high financial flexibility. One thing to note is that in the current economy environment, while a lot of companies are seeking for credit yet they could not find it, Amazon. om is using cash to paying off its debt. This shows that the company’s operation is healthy and the management team is confident about the future growth of the company. | | Amazon. com|   | | eBay| | 2009| 2008| 2007| 2006| 2005| 2009| 2008| Financial Leverage| 2. 8| 3. 8| 6. 7| 11. 9| 365. 5| 1. 4| | Debt to Assets| 1%| 5%| 20%| 29%| 41%| 0%| 0%| Debt to Equity| 2%| 15%| 107%| 289%| 618%| 0%| 0%| Debt to Capital| 2%| 13%| 52%| 74%| 86%| 0%| 0%| Liabilities to Equity| 1. 63| 2. 11| 4. 42| 9. 12| 14. 02| 0. 34| 0. 41| Liabilities to Assets| 62%| 68%| 82%| 90%| 93%| 25%| 29%| | | | Table 3| | | | Operations and Profitability As shown in Table 4, we reconciled Amazon’s NICO as reported to â€Å"recurring NICO† for 2004 – 2009. The diluted net earnings per common share – as reported and â€Å"recurring NICO† per common share are included too. We also included similar reconciliation for Ebay’s fiscal year 2009. Table 5 shows the complete disaggregation of profit margin and return on equity. From the ROE disaggregation we can see that between 2004 and 2009, Amazon. com maintained a gross profit margin between 22% and 24% and operating margin between 3. 6% and 6. 4%. Especially, since 2007, its operating margin stabilized at around 4. % with a slight increase in 2009. Its profit margin steadily increased 0. 2% each year from 3. 3% to 3. 7%. Amazon. com’s ROE decreased over the years due to their pay back of most of their debt. Overall, Amazon. com maintained stable operating efficiency in recent years. At the same time, its overall profit efficiency is in a sli ght uptrend. Amazon. com has negative operating cycle, which means Amazon doesn’t pay its suppliers until after it receives the payment of the sales. Therefore, Amazon doesn’t need to hold much inventory while it can hold the money for a longer period of time. This is the advantage of the online retailing. Its operating cycle decreased from -27. 58 days in 2006 days to -37. 16 days in 2009, which shows improved operating efficiency over the years. Amazon. com’s operating margin and profit margin both were pretty stable with a slight increase in 2009. We expect its profitability continue to maintain at the same level or slightly increase. Amazon. com’s operating cycle and Asset Turn Over Rate both continue to drop in the past three years (annual rate around 20% and 5% separately), which shows its improvement in operating efficiency. We expect Amazon. com continue to improve its operating efficiency. Table 4 Table 5 Business and Investment Risks As a result of our analysis, we discovered the following business and investment risks that could result in downgrading of Amazon’s stock. Intense competition – Amazon’s business is intensely competitive. It has many competitors in different industries, including retail, e-commerce services, digital content and digital media devices, and web services. The intense competition has corresponding negative impact on prices, which in turn would hurt profit margins. For example, to compete with Apple, Amazon has to lower the price of its Ebook reader – Kindle. Weakening of the U. S. or global economies — A softening of demand caused by a weakening of the U. S. or global economies may result in decreased revenue or growth. Taxation Risks – Currently, Amazon doesn’t collect sales or other taxes on shipments of most of its goods into most states in the U. S. This situation could change in the future due to regulation changes. This could decrease its ability to compete with traditional retailers. Growth Potential and Recommendation As a fast growing company, Amazon. com has a diluted recurring NICO per common share CAGR of 27% over the past five years. The diluted recurring NICO per common share increased 35% in 2009. The sustainable growth rate in 2009 was 23%. We expect Amazon to continue to maintain its growth rate. Therefore, we project the future growth rates of Amazon to be between 25% and 30%. The two year target diluted recurring NICO per common share would be between $3. 22 and $3. 48. We project Amazon’s P/E ration will be around 60. Therefore, the two year target price range for Amazon would be $193 to $209. The closing price of Amazon. com on 02/01/2010 was $118. 87. As the result of the above analysis, our recommendation of Amazon. com is BUY. How to cite Financial Statement Analysis of Amazon.Com, Papers

Screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary

Question: Discuss about the Screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary. Answer: Introduction: Geronimo, a 12 years old boy, has been diagnosed of suffering from asthma since the age of 6 years, has recently been found to be presented with exacerbation of asthma. The probable reasons for the exacerbation of asthma in this case may be attributed to three chief causes related to the cold seasonal condition, harboring of the upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and non-adherence to prescribed medication for asthma. The case has been reported to occur in the month of November when the weather is essentially cold. Moreover mention has been made about thunderstorms. Exposure to cold, dry air in the winter season has been found to trigger asthma and has the potential to aggravate the symptoms. Furthermore, the windy, cold air due to thunderstorms might stir up pollens and allergens in the air thereby causing severe problems for those already afflicted by respiratory disorder like asthma (Walter et al., 2008). URTI may have been possibly acquired from school by Geronimo due to sel f limited viral pathogens also contributed to deterioration of his asthma symptoms. Human rhinovirus may be the causative factor for the URTI responsible for further contagious spreading of infection through inhalation of respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing (Gern, 2010). Additionally it has been revealed that Geronimo has run out of his prescribed medication of salbutamol comprising of 2 puffs per night in the last three days. Research has shown that non-compliance to medication in asthma like condition results in adverse outcomes thereby impacting on morbidity and mortality with more pronounced effects in case of children and adolescents (Desai Oppenheimer, 2011). Based on the history provided by Geronimo and his mother it is evident that Geronimo encounters perpetual difficulty in playing sports during his soccer games. He has been reported of wheezing and coughing while laughing. Moreover he reportedly avoided running around with his peers for preventing the symptoms of feeling breathless. Till date plethora of studies carried out on the ailment of asthma has depicted that a number of causative factors are responsible for triggering the disease. In case of the pediatric population, depending upon the type of asthma and the nature of education imparted for mitigating the condition, appropriate interventions have been suggested for tackling the situation (Coffman et al., 2008). Therefore as per the information obtained regarding the symptoms for Geronimo, the type of asthma he is suffering from may be acknowledged as exercise induced asthma. Physical exertion coupled with difficult breathing, chest tightness and coughing normally characterizes exercise induced asthma and is likely to ameliorate in absence of physical exertion or exercise. The narrowing of the airway makes it difficult for the affected person to catch up with the breath and generate wheezing and cough like symptoms. Exercise induced bronchospasm culminates in the expression of heterogeneous inflammatory response that has the capacity to get cured by potent bronchodilators through opening of the blocked respiratory passage (Parsons Mastronarde, 2009). Hence, for Geronimo, exercise induced asthma is the closest possibility as his symptoms of asthma fits nearly matches with those exhibited in the said condition and increases more from participation to physically demanding activities. For Geronimo, spirometry was conducted to assess the specific lung function parameter related to FEV1. Spirometry is considered as the cornerstone of all pulmonary function tests in which medical test is performed for the purpose of measuring the volume of air an individual inhales or exhales as a function of time. Spirometric analysis has huge clinical relevance whereby obstructive and restrictive lung disorders may be detected from the assessments. The FEV1 or Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second parameter as measured in this case depicted a value of 1.64 L (55% of predicted) under the effect of exacerbating asthma condition. This reduction in the FEV1 value is suggestive of the presence of moderate obstruction in the airway. However upon administration of anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator drug named prednisolone and salbutamol respectively, the value was found to increase to 2.2 L (74% of the predicted) thereby accounting for improvement under the effect of medication a nd lessened obstruction. FEV1 basically predicts the volume of air exhaled during the first second of the forced vital capacity (FVC) maneuver and normal range lies between 3-4.5 L (Calonge et al., 2008). The recommendation of an arterial blood gas (ABG) analyzer by a Junior Doctor for Geronimo is rationale and appropriate. ABG will likely to reveal vital information regarding severity of the asthma, extent of efficacy of the therapeutic intervention for asthma, measurements related to partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide, pH of blood, oxygen content as well as oxygen saturation values (Lian, 2010). Therefore data retrieved from ABG might serve to better treat the clinical condition of asthma for Geronimo. Asthma refers to a chronic inflammatory condition in which the airway is narrowed thereby causing obstruction to breathing due to swollen airway and tightening of the respiratory muscles around the airway. Symptoms of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath are common in asthma. Asthma although not curable may be controlled to a large extent following proper intervention strategy and management. Different forms of asthma medication are available however their application varies depending upon the ensuing circumstances. Long term asthma control medications are generally prescribed for daily administration and include anti-inflammatory drugs of inhaled corticosteroid, oral medications comprising of leukotriene modifiers along with bronchodilator medicines like inhaled medication of long acting beta agonist, combination inhalers and Theophylline. This type of medications helps to keep asthma under control through daily dosage regime (Chung et al., 2013). Again for the sake of providing quick, short term symptom relief in case of an asthma attack quick relief mediations are effective. These include short acting beta agonists, bronchodilators like Ipratropium and various oral as well as intravenous corticosteroids. Moreover in case of asthma triggered by allergies, certain allergy medications are found to be effective through utilization of allergy shots or immunotherapy and Omalizumab medication. Allergy shots act by gradually reducing the immune system reaction in response to specific allergens. Alteration of immune function is acted upon by Omalizumab medication for treatment of patients having severe asthma. Thus for effective control of asthma through mitigation of the symptoms is recommended by means of following a step wise approach based on the severity of the condition (Tran et al., 2014). References Calonge, N., Petitti, D. B., DeWitt, T. G., Gordis, L., Dietrich, A. J., Gregory, K. D., ... Loveland-Cherry, C. (2008). Screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using spirometry. Annals of internal medicine, 148(7), 529-534. Chung, K. F., Wenzel, S. E., Brozek, J. L., Bush, A., Castro, M., Sterk, P. J., ... Boulet, L. P. (2013). International ERS/ATS guidelines on definition, evaluation and treatment of severe asthma. European Respiratory Journal, erj02020-2013. Coffman, J. M., Cabana, M. D., Halpin, H. A., Yelin, E. H. (2008). Effects of asthma education on children's use of acute care services: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 121(3), 575-586. Desai, M., Oppenheimer, J. J. (2011). Medication adherence in the asthmatic child and adolescent. Current allergy and asthma reports, 11(6), 454-464. Gern, J. E. (2010). The ABCs of rhinoviruses, wheezing, and asthma. Journal of virology, 84(15), 7418-7426. Lian, J. X. (2010). Interpreting and using the arterial blood gas analysis. Nursing2016 Critical Care, 5(3), 26-36. Parsons, J. P., Mastronarde, J. G. (2009). Exercise-induced asthma. Current opinion in pulmonary medicine, 15(1), 25-28. Tran, N., Coffman, J. M., Sumino, K., Cabana, M. D. (2014). Patient reminder systems and asthma medication adherence: a systematic review. Journal of Asthma, 51(5), 536-543. Walter, M. J., Castro, M., Kunselman, S. J., Chinchilli, V. M., Reno, M., Ramkumar, T. P., ... Calhoun, W. J. (2008). Predicting worsening asthma control following the common cold. European Respiratory Journal, 32(6), 1548-1554.

Kill Bill as a Feminist Statement Essay Example

Kill Bill as a Feminist Statement Paper Kill Bill Church Feminism , in general terms, is a movement for womens empowerment. It comprises a wide range of social, cultural and political movements and Is concerned with gender inequalities and equal rights for women. Feminist movement has generated feminist theory which puts feminist Ideas Into theoretical background. It alms at understanding the nature of Inequality and focuses on gender politics , power relations and sexuality. It explores a broad scope of themes such as discrimination, stereotyping, objectification, especially sexual one, oppression and patriarchy. Feminist literary criticism derived from feminist theory and It deals with traditions and conventions of patriarchy, a social system In which , from the feminist point of view , men hold all the power. The dominance and superiority of men over women which result from this social construct exist In literary, historical and cultural contexts. Feminist criticism studies texts and considers the approaches to womens portrayal and position in the text. From this particular point of view , a feminist text, a work of literature or a film , needs to posses certain features and stress particular issues such as encouragement of female empowerment and abandonment of the stereotypical way of portraying a woman, it should challenge gender role model and a patriarchal system of society. We will write a custom essay sample on Kill Bill as a Feminist Statement specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Kill Bill as a Feminist Statement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Kill Bill as a Feminist Statement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In 2003, an American film director Question Fiction, Reservoir his fourth film Kill Bill, which was released in two installments, Kill Bill Volvo. in 2003, Kill Bill Volvo. 2 in 2004. During the press conference before the premiere of Kill Bill Volvo. L in August 2003, Question Titration was asked if he considered his film a feminist statement since it was dominated by strong women. He answered Erm, I would probably use the word girl power (www. Camera. Co. UK) which has generated a great deal of heated debate among feminists. The structure of Kill Bill is based on the structure of a novel. It is divided into two volumes, with five chapters each. It tells the story of The Bride aka Black Mamba aka Beatrice Kiddo, who takes revenge on Bill, her former lover and master at the art of assassination. , and also on his subordinates , the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (D. Iv. A. S) for trying to murder her and her unborn baby during her wedding rehearsal (volume 1, chapter 2). They kill everybody present In the church and The Bride is the last one to be assassinated. Before she manages to tell 8111 he Is the babys father, he shoots her In her head. However, The Bride survives and falls Into coma of which she comes out after four years. She finds out that she had lost her baby and Is determined to take revenge on the assassins who led her to that point. In order to analyses the film from the feminist point of view, It Is necessary to mention the term of the male gaze, Introduced by feminist film theory. The term the gaze/ look generally refers both to the way all audience views he people presented In different forms of visual culture and to the gaze of those appearing in visual texts . Feminist film criticism theory has pointed to the male gaze predominantly present in Hollywood cinema. Laura Mulled, a British film theorist and maker, in her essay Visual Pleasure And Narrative Cinema argues that a cinema provides a spectator with different pleasures, like chipolatas, ( 587) which Is a pleasure Trot looking an a Intercalation Walt n ten male actor appearing In a value medium, however, she believes it is only true for a male spectator . The male gaze roses the audience to perceive the action and characters from the male perspective , which sexually objectifies women and exhibit unequal power relationship. She points out that In a world of sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/ male and passive/ female. ( Mulled 589) In this regard, cinema oppresses women , not only those being looked at, but also female spectators who do the looking. Taking it into consideration, Kill Bill seems to be quite innovative. Although it is an action film which is traditionally directed at a male spectator, it does not employ the male gaze. Female characters are portrayed in a manner that may be viewed as breaking the convention of the genre. The stereotypical image of a woman in an action film is reducing them to the position of sexual objects rather than subjects with their subjective way of thinking. As Mulled notices: The determining male gaze projects its phantasm onto the male figure, which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-news. Woman displayed as sexual object is the leitmotif of erotic spectacle Olds the look, plays to and signifies male desire (Mulled, 589) Women are generally portrayed as flat characters, constructed in a way that would meet a male heterosexual spectators expectations and epiphanies. The role they perform is simply decorative. However , Kill Bill moves away from this practice. Female characters are very attractive but, at the same time, they are not reduced to the status of sex symbols. Their sexuality is hidden in a way, it is not overemphasized and does no create an opportunity for a male spectator o get sexual pleasure from looking at them. The clothes the women are wearing are not gendered, they resemble rather a kind of elegant modern armor and do not evoke any sexual connotation. The Brides most memorable outfit is her yellow and black Jumpsuit, which seems to suggest she is deadly dangerous, like poisonous animals. An interesting example of playing with the male gaze in Kill Bill may be found in the scene in which Bud ( Michael Madsen ), Bills brother manages to enable The Bride from killing him and shoots her in the chest with rock salt ( Volvo. , chapter 7 ) . While The Bride is lying on the ground, Bud is kneeling beside her and the gaze appears- they exchange looks. The whole scene is constructed in a classic western film manner. Beatrice looks very fragile, Bud is masculine, the position of their bodies suggests male dominance and female passivity. When Beatrice spits into Buds face, a spectator expects him to wipe his face with a superior smirk, however, he does something else. He spits back with a heavy load of thick saliva and makes a comment Ã'›l win. Paradoxically, it reveals his weakness and feeling of inferiority, he is very proud to have captured a dangerous arrow and cannot resist the temptation to humiliate her. The whole scene does not evoke any sexual connotations and is a kind of the reversal of the male gaze. The issue of power relations present in the scene mentioned above, is frequently accentuated in Ã'›Kill Bill. The most explicit example is the relation between The Bride and her male counterpart Bill ( David Circadian), who has all the features of a patriarchy figure. Bill is a very authoritarian person, he manipulates people, especially women, cynically slung tenet emotions to make teem moment to Nils orders, like it is illustrated by his relationship with Ell Driver( Daryl Hannah). Beatrice Kiddo used to be his pupil whom he mastered in the art of assassination and was his lover as well, however, she managed to free herself from dependency on men and become a self- assured woman who do not need a male authority to help her create and define herself. The moment she does that, she assumes the power and takes the dominant position. Bills weaknesses are exposed, it is him who is driven by emotions and overreacts, as he calls it. His attempt at killing Beatrice was caused by his hurt leaning, after she abandoned him to start a new living with another man. Their last (Volvo. 2. , last chapter) meeting, preceding their duel, reveals his real nature, ruled by male ambition. In order to find out the true reason for her betrayal he shoots her with a dart filled with truth serum. After she reveals the truth about her pregnancy and decision not to let her child be born into the world of crime and violence, a spectator could expect they will resolve to stay together especially bearing in mind that The Brides daughter, B. B. ( Pearl Haney-Sardine) was saved after the massacre in he church and lives with Bill. Nevertheless, The Bride has freed herself from an influence of Bill, she also rejects the typical model off family and after a fight she kills him. In the end he salutes to her and seems to admit it is her who has a superior position in their relationship. Bill is only one of the examples of male inferiority in comparison to moral and physical supremacy of women. The Bride is obviously the strongest female character, nevertheless, she is only one of the whole gallery of dominant female figures. They are portrayed as multidimensional harassers, with their past and psychological profile. Their cruelty is in a way explained by the story of their lives and a spectator sympathizes with them whereas the overall image of the majority of male characters in Kill Bill is fairly negative. They are full of vices, they are driven by primitive forces and lack any respect towards women. Moreover, they are punished by women for their inappropriate attitude towards women. The examples are numerous , including Beatrice killing Buck (Michael Bowen) who has been selling sexual access to her body as she laid comatose, as well s assassinating a man who had Just paid Buck for raping her(Volvo. L, chapters) . Furthermore, another illustration of female empowerment is the case of O-Rene Sushi ( Lucy Lieu ) who becomes the leader of Tokyo gangs. After one of the bosses Tanana ( June Kumara ) expresses his disagreement and offends her, she decapitates him, stressing her new dominant position in the world of Japanese crime. The only positive male figures appearing in Ã'›Kill Bill are Hatters Hanna ( Sonny Chubb) , a swordfish who breaks an oath he has made not to produce any tools that kill, urges a sword for her. Another positive figure is Pap Me (Gordon Lieu), a legendary martial arts master who trains her and whose tutelage turn out to play a crucial role in The Brides life twice once, she is able to rescue herself from the buried coffin, second time she uses Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, to kill Bill. What needs to be emphasized, is the fact that Hatters Hanna and Pap Me do not belong to the Western culture and simultaneously, are not representatives of the patriarchal structure of society associated with Western world by feminists. In contrary to the active relations between men and women, the relations between women are embedded with mutual respect, even if deeply hidden, and to some extent, a feeling AT loyalty related to Dealing a woman. I en aspect AT womens solitary Is Illustrated In numerous ways, for example in the scene of the duel between The Bride and O-Rene (Volvo. , chapter 5), when the latter apologies for underestimating and mocking at the former one. Moreover, even The Brides enemy, Ell Driver ( Darryl Hannah) who is jealous of Bill, reveals her respect and admiration for The Bride, by means of assassinating Bud(Volvo. 2, chapter 9) . As she explains to Bud before he dies, The Bride ,whom she considers dead , was the greatest warrior Ell has ever known and did not deserve to have been killed by such a pathetic figure as Bud. Another good illustration of the point is the scene in which Beatrice finds out she is pregnant(Volvo. 2, last chapter). The woman she is to assassinate, Lisa Wong, Aviatrixs last assignment, agrees to withdraw simply because of the fact Beatrice is pregnant. If it was a man it would never be possible for Beatrice to convince him to give up on the clash. Ã'›Kill Bill is innovative not only by means of creating a new image of a woman in an action film, it breaks new ground in terms of presenting a new image of a mother. Throughout the whole film, the main driving force giving The Bride the strength and determination is the will to take revenge for, as she believes, killing her baby. The issue of maternity is highly debatable among feminists. One of the aspects is single motherhood, still condemned by a society. Kill Bill presents a new image of a single mother, who would do anything in order to be with her child, regardless the amount f pain she has to bear. One could even claim that it is the motherhood that moves the plot and signifies the most important moments in the film. The first one is the moment Beatrice finds out she is pregnant. In the aforementioned scene, in which Beatrice is supposed to kill Lisa Wong, she appears at the door the moment Beatrice interprets the result of the pregnancy test to discover she is going to have a baby. The woman breaks into the hotel room and , while Beatrice and Lisa are aiming at each other with their guns, Beatrice reveals to Lisa she is pregnant and begs her to go away. At this particular point she makes her first sacrifice on behalf of her unborn daughter, because she is aware that not fulfilling the assignment is highly unprofessional and will not be easily forgotten by Bill whom she decides to leave in order to save her child from the influence of the crime world. Another moment , in which maternity unifies women hostile to each other is the fight between Beatrice and Veering Green ( Vicar A. Fox) . Len the middle of their vicious fight , Veronicas daughter arrives home and it makes the two woman stop in order to enable the little girl from eyeing her mother in such a situation. Furthermore, the moment The Bride finds her daughter B. B. Perfectly safe, living with her father Bill, she is so determined to keep her only for herself that she does not hesitate to kill Bill in order to protect her daughter from the negative influence not only of the criminal world of hired assassins, but also from the patriarchal concept of a family. The next morning after her fight with Bill, she cries hysterically on the motel bathroom floor and she seems to suffer after her lovers death, but as the camera moves closer it turns out that she s constantly repeating Thank you, happy and grateful for staying alive and having her daughter back. The importance of motherhood in the film is very much stressed by the exit quote : The lioness has rejoined the cub. All is right in the Jungle. ( Kill Bill Volvo. 2, Last Chapter) To summaries, Kill Bill has all the features of a feminists statement. It presents the dominance of strong impressive women who are contrasted Walt weak, morally Ana phonically Interior men. I en Tamale snatchers are assuming their position of power and finds a new place in the patriarchal world f men. The film rejects gender stereotypes and seems to redefine a woman by merging two aspects-being a warrior and a mother. However, it would be difficult to call it an iconic feminist film, bearing in mind the words of the director, Titration, who asked about his popular success replies: I dont think about the audience. The audience is above all me; Im my own audience. I make films for film lovers like me. The question I ask myself is, What would I pay $7 to seer (http://www. Festival- Cannes. FRR/en/article/42898. HTML). Probably it would be more reasonable not to treat he message of the film too seriously and instead of that, simply enjoy the play with stereotypes and genre conventions. BIBLIOGRAPHY Mulled, Laura. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Literary Theory : An Anthology.

Media Control essays

Media Control essays As citizens of a capitalist society we need to consider the dangers that corporate media imposes on democracy. Big corporations interest lies in the betterment of the corporation. So what interest does big corporation have in the media? This discussion usually begins with the question: What purpose does the media serve in a democratic society? Society currently faces a controversy over the definition of democracy. Democracy (di mokr sà ª) n., pl. -ies 1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. 2. a state having such a form of government. 3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges. 4. political or social equality; democratic spirit. 5. the common people, of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power. There are two forms of democracy widely discussed yet only one is acted out. The first is a democracy for the people, where people take part in the political process. The second is the idea that the masses lack the superior qualities needed to make good decisions; we elect individuals who have the superior decision making qualities to make our decisions for us. These two interpretations run parallel in some cases but there is much discrepancy in the role the people should take in democracy. Should people take an active role in the decision making process? Or do we refrain from letting our ignorance get in the way and let our leaders do their job? In this country we let the leaders take the power. Theoretically speaking, it makes sense. Some people are better leaders than others, so they should be in charge. But what happens when the people in charge do n ...

How To Adopt CoSchedule With This Simple Change Management Process

How To Adopt With This Simple Change Management Process Odds are you’ve been managing your projects, campaigns, workflows, team communication, reporting, and more in non-marketing tools. And you’ve got spreadsheets for days. So. Many. Spreadsheets. You’ve been weighed down with single-solution tools that do one thing†¦ but they don’t integrate†¦ ⠝Å' You use Asana or Wrike for project management. ⠝Å' You’ve got Hootsuite or SproutSocial for social publishing. ⠝Å' You’ve got Google calendar, docs, or a spreadsheet for your editorial calendar. ⠝Å' And of course endless email threads. We call this â€Å"Makeshift Marketing† and this is the problem marketers like you face every day. Fortunately, it’s also the problem that solves.    ^^^ does this look familiar? It’s a perfect visual of Makeshift Marketing. So, if you’re stuck wasting time, missing deadlines, and without visibility into ALL of your marketing details†¦ it’s time for . Why is seeing it all in one place important? Marketers who organize their marketing strategy AND plan are 538% more successful than those who don’t.    Want another reason? Marketers who organize their process workflow to create a scalable repeatable process are 466% more successful than those who don’t.    Now that you’ve chosen , you will solve each of these problems!

Mental models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mental models - Essay Example Basically, these mental models are ideas and beliefs that people instinctively or intentionally acquires from their experiences and which consequently influence their behavior and mindset (Uitdewilligen, Waller, & Pitariu, 2013). These images of recognized reality inform individuals of cause and effect, and push them to predict specific outcomes, interpret occurrences, and prompt them to act in specific ways. However, mental models can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, particularly with regard to perceiving other people. This essay discusses how mental models both assist and limit an individual’s perception of people they will meet for the first time. Individuals all have assumptions about other people. These assumptions guide individuals in a variety of ways. They assist individuals in anticipating and interpreting the behavior of other people. Assumptions about others are also helpful when an individual has to give a description of another person. Yet, the main import ance of a mental model is its capacity to help individuals conduct their interactions with other people (Young, 2011). People’s assumptions about other people have significant impact in their daily lives. ... In the real world, people obviously do not have the luxury of time to get to know all the people they meet personally. According to Senge (2010), mental models help individuals make decisions and anticipate how other people will act in specific circumstances instantly. The usefulness of mental models becomes pronounced in a culturally diverse organization (Matteson, 2013). For instance, a senior executive in a multinational company is urgently looking for a new project manager. The applicants come from different racial backgrounds, and the senior executive is assigned to interview each of these applicants. He is meeting all these applicants for the first time. His mental models of various racial groups will definitely influence his choice. These mental models will guide his decision of who to hire for the position of project manager. Mental models are valuable tools in unfamiliar situations and circumstances requiring quick decisions. These mental models can also be useful in instanc es where an individual will be meeting another person from a different culture. These mental models may guide an individual’s behavior or attitude toward another person. Having an assumption of one’s culture helps create a meaningful and respectful interaction between individuals of different cultures (Lundquist & Jarvella, 2000); for instance, if person A, an Australian, will meet person B, a Japanese, for the first time it would be helpful if person A assumes that Japanese, unlike Australians, are not straightforward people. This assumption will help person A conduct a harmonious, polite conversation with person B. Even in business negotiations, mental models of individual characteristics and culture may help resolve conflict and make personal and cultural

Family Law, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Family Law, - Essay Example Under such circumstances, the state is bound to uphold and protect family interests in its constitution, as a pre-condition for ensuring social order and preserving the sanctity of marriage bonds. The preservation and development of the institution of marriage is also intrinsic to the growth and development of the Irish State and nation. Specifically, the law acknowledges the fact that the role women play at her home is important without which common progress cannot be realised. Therefore, the common contention is that family economic burden should not perforce a woman to seek income avenues and neglect in the carrying out of household duties and child-rearing activities, particularly because this forms the nucleus of the family establishment in Ireland. The sanctity of marriage and its continuance is also a state promise in Ireland. It is now sought to consider the family under the following Articles: Article 119: Marriage is the formation of family for expansion and growth of national population and the constitution is bound to protect marriage. In it both the male and female members enjoy equal status in the eyes of law. Article 120: It is of paramount importance that the parents raise their children in the right manner, in physical, mental spiritual and social fitness and this is to a very large extent, assisted by the government policies and programmes which are conducive to family rearing. Article 121: This article gives equal status to illegal children (children born out of wedlock) as to legitimate children Article 122: The lives of young people must be protected against exploitation of any kind and they must be prevented from indulging in moral and spiritual debauchery, and not tending to their minds and bodies properly. It is also the duty of the state to take proper steps for ensuring this. The concept of a nucleus family is based on the lives of a married couple wherein the man is the head and provider of the family and the woman is the sustainer and mother figure, who takes care of the family duties and the development of the physical, intellectual, spiritual and moral aspects of the children. Lifelong values to be cherished and implemented are passed on from the parents to their children from generations to generations and this evolutionary process is continued. The traditional stronghold of marriage gives it a social context based on natural law, and this is further sanctified by the discouragement of divorce, and also, the social disapproval of cohabitation. The campaign against the use of contraceptive devices promotes the birth of off-springs and the continuance of the proliferation of the humans in the state. Homosexuality is also strongly disregarded in the Irish Constitution. Article 41 & 42 of the constitution has been enacted with the sole purpose of the protection of the sanctity of marriages and the family. The Irish Constitution under Section 41.3.1 validates the family as a natural unit of social life, and the state is under commitment to carefully preserve this aspect of family life. The stronghold of marriage systems of which the family is a natural outcome, needs to be protected against outside incursions. In delineating this position, the law distinctly recognises the valuable contribution made to the welfare state. It is not

This Is What I Do Essay Example for Free

This Is What I Do Essay Conformity involves the changing of one’s attitudes, opinions, or behaviours. It causes sound-minded individuals to go against their best judgement, to engage in behaviour which they usually would not engage in, even accept and welcome an idea they internally disagree with, all in order to not be a deviant from the group. When faced with a challenging or trivial task, there are two common ways of handling the situation. One is to do so according to your own personal desires and beliefs. The other is to base the decision on the how others will view and respond to it. Remember that time in class when you thought you had the right answer but changed it because a majority of the class thought different, or that time you made fun of the nerdy kid in your class because it was considered the cool thing to do? Their might have been no problems at the time but when you found out your answer was the correct one and you got in trouble for picking on the nerdy kid, the majority of us would find ourselves saying everyone else was doing it. The main reason for conforming is the guarantee that you will never be left alone. It is so often that people commit wrong acts, then when accused, they retreat into the numbers of those involved. Personal desire, like conformity, is essential to life even though we may not appreciate its value. At one point we want to be different from all the rest in one way or another. So we might dress a bit differently and choose to do things we really like. For once, we might form our opinions based on what we really feel. However, sooner or later we are forced to change our spontaneous desires so that society does not label us as different or weird, simply because we are scared of being alone. It seems though that the more unique and out going individuals make an impression on others in life, people like Martin Luther King Jr. who took a stand for what he believed in even though the majority of people were against him. Maybe one day you stand out as unique to someone of great distinction, a C. E. O. of a major company or a director of a new movie, it could change your life indefinately to be someone offbeat from everyone else. In life we must balance our personal desires with what other people think is right, follow your own path and do what you believe in but do not disregard how others feel or think about you. one day the way you present yourself might just make the right impression on the right person.

Go Tell It On The Mountain Essay -- essays papers

Go Tell It On The Mountain In James Baldwin’s 1952 novel â€Å"Go Tell It On The Mountain† the characters in the novel each embark on a spiritual journey. Baldwin has dedicated a chapter to each member of the Grimes family, detailing their trails and tribulations, hopes and aspirations, as each one’s quest to get closer to God becomes a battle. I have chosen the character John because I admire the fierce struggle he endured to find his spirituality. I will examine how he’s embarked on his quest and prove that he has done it with integrity and dignity. This novel is set in 1935 in Harlem, New York City. A small church congregation comes together for Sunday evening mass. The congregation is made up of close friends and family. The novel is centered around the Grimes family. They go to a Baptist church, â€Å"Temple of the Fire Baptized† and it is a very close congregation which every member has a personal bond with one another. This fact, I believe adds to the dynamics of the way they worship and ultimately the way they identify with god. John Grimes, the eldest son of Gabrial Grimes whom was a former well-respected and dynamic preacher, is in search of answers to his unhappiness. John wants to find his place within the church, define his relationship with god, and wants to flush the dislike he has for his father out. His father favors John’s younger brother Roy over himself. Although Roy is a bad seed and has an impeccable ability for getting into trouble he undoubtedly remains the apple of his father’s eye. John has been compared to another young man named Elisha, whom is a member of the church. Elisha is a few years older than John and has the respect of all the congregation members because he showed great intere... ...soul.† He then heard the voice of Elisha, telling him to come through. He heard the singing of the congregation. Elisha said, â€Å"Rise up, rise up, Brother Johnny, and talk about the Lord’s deliverance† John has been saved and exaltedly claimed, â€Å"Lord, I been introduced to the Father, and the Son, and I ain’t no stranger now!† John’s quest to be closer to God was phenomenal. I too have had a rocky relationship with my father and like John has had to fight the demons caused by that relationship and atoned for them. It is very important to practice forgiveness. I believe that John has done that. Hatred is a heavy burden to bare, and lead to destruction. I believe through his newfound relationship with God, he will forgive then rebuild his relationship with his father. And has proven to me that he’s embarked on his quest with integrity and dignity.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company Essay

Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo was a family amusement park located in Angola, Indiana, USA. Although it was small in comparison to parks in neighboring states, such as Cedar Point and Michigan’s Adventure, it remained one of the most popular parks in the region. It also once boasted the only operating roller coaster (Afterburner) with an inversion in the state of Indiana Fun Spot boasts that it is one of only a few amusement centers in the nation that offers multi-level cement go-cart tracks – four separate tracks. In addition to go-carts, there are bumper cars, bumper boats, a number of other thrill rides and the children’s section known as Kid Spot. The Kid Spot section includes a small carrousel; the Frog Hopper, a ride that drops its riders in small increments and then bounces back up; a kiddie’s swing; a kiddies train and other rides. Fun-Spot Fun Park began as a small amusement park in 1985, with nothing more than a merry-go-round, a slide, pony rides, and an ice cream stand, Fun-Spot grew into a popular family attraction with 20 rides, a restaurant, and an outdoor performing arts theater. â€Å"My wife, Gail, and I didn’t know what we were getting into,† commented Ron Hart, the owner. â€Å"We just knew that weekenders coming to the lakes in our rural area represented an untapped market. † Today, thousands of visitors flock to Fun-Spot—families, children of all ages, even senior citizens who enjoy strolling through the gardens and arbor At Fun Spot, elementary school age children, teenagers and parents, will find plenty of fun and thrills at this mini-amusement park that packs a lot of excitement into a very small area.. â€Å"There’s something here for everyone,† Gail Hart says. â€Å"Dozens of companies hold annual company picnics here. We have welcomed class field trips. And we even had one wedding here at the park! † â€Å"Here’s the funny thing,† Ron chime in. â€Å"We really don’t know why we’ve been so successful! There is nothing else like Fun-Spot Fun Park in the area. We were just lucky. † â€Å"I think it’s the ambience of the park,† Gail added, â€Å"that has brought so many visitors. We provide a ‘total package’ of entertainment. Plus, we try to change our rides and various attractions from time to time. † Ron and Gail Hart admitted that making every visitor happy is a priority. â€Å"That has always been our philosophy,† they said. â€Å"And we’ve always been able to deliver on that because we’ve never allowed ourselves to grow too big too quickly. †

Intro to Marketing Final Review

1. Explain the importance of the marketing mix. Product Price Promotion Place 2. Describe and analyze the marketing management functions. Developing marketing strategies and plans Capturing marketing insights Connecting with customers Building strong brands Shaping marketing offerings Delivering value Communicating value Creating long term growth 3. Explain the elements of a marketing plan. Executive Summary Situation Analysis Marketing Summary Target market Market Demographics Geographics DemographicsBehavior factors Market Needs Trends and Growth S. W. O. T. Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Competition Product Offering Keys to Success Critical Issues Marketing Strategy Mission Marketing Objectives Financial Objectives Target Markets Positioning Strategies Marketing Mix Distribution Price Advertising and Promotion Customer Service Marketing Research Financials Breakeven Analysis Sales Forecast Expense Forecast Controls Revenue Expenses Customer Satisfaction New Pr oduct Development ImplementationMarketing Organization Organization Chart Contingency Planning Difficulty and Risks Worst Case Scenario 4. Describe the stages of the product life cycle. Introduction Growth Maturity Decline 5. Explain and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of entering international markets. Advantages Economies of scale in production and distribution Lower marketing costs Power & Scope Consistency of Brand Image Ability to leverage good ideas, quality and efficiency Uniformity in marketing process DisadvantagesDifferences in Consumer needs, wants and use patterns for products Differences in response to marketing elements Differences in trends and products Differences in the legal environment Differences in marketing institutions Differences in administration procedures 6. Explain the impact of e-commerce on the marketing functions. Information more rapidly available Direct customer relationship easier to develop Economies of scale by leveraging advertising coll aterals 7. Describe the new product development process Idea generation ScreeningIdea evaluation Development Commercialization 8. The adoption curve Innovators Early adopters Early majority Late majority Laggards or nonadopters 9. The consultative selling process Develop an understanding of needs Provide general benefit statement Ask questions Listen carefully Agree on needs Discuss how to meet needs Close sale Sometimes called the need-satisfaction approach 10. One price and flexible price policies One price: Same price to all customers Flexible price: Offering the same product and quantities to different customers at different prices.

Manifest Destiny Essays

Manifest Destiny Essays Manifest Destiny Essay Manifest Destiny Essay The belief in Manifest Destiny. America’s right to spread out due west. was popular among the Democratic Party. which paved the way for struggle in U. S. political relations. In the 1840’s. Manifest Destiny was used as justification for the appropriation of Texas. the war with Mexico. and to get parts of Beaver state from the British. The argument over whether America truly had a manifest fate to spread out all the manner West or if it was used as an alibi to get more land led to arguments in U. S. political relations. Advocates of manifest fate. largely democratic. argued that the U. S. . as a more advanced civilization. had a God-given right to spread out its boundary lines. They believed the enlargement would educate the West and America’s democratic. cultural. and spiritual values would profit the Native Americans. In add-on. protagonists would reason that the belief would beef up the brotherhood. doing it invulnerable. On the opposing side. dwelling largely of the Whig party. the God-given right to spread out all the manner due west at the monetary value and rights of 1000s of guiltless indigens was blasphemy. The Whig party was non manifest fates merely critic. emancipationist. fearful of bondage spreading. argued that the fundamental law did non give the state the right to derive new land and the cou ntry’s critical establishments would endure as America was spread excessively thin. As more and more people migrated to the region in hope of becoming a successful farmer and becoming rich, the area became highly dense with slaves and wore out the soil very quickly. The invention of the cotton gin made it easier to harvest cotton, causing slave owners to buy more slaves and plant more plants, ventually causing them to need more land. This caused the southerners to pursue territorial expansion westward. The answer to many of these problems was the annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered a part of itself despite the Revolution of 1836. The northern states were largely opposed to the annexation of Texas because of the widespread fear of a war against Mexico and the danger of slavery growing; as Reverend William Ellery Charming wrote: l proceed now to what is to me the strongest argument against annexing Texas This measure will extend and erpetuate slavery (Document B). This disagreement led to some internal tension between the North and the South. The dispute over the borders of the new Republic of Texas and Mexico were never officially settled in 1835. Texas claimed the territory all the way to the Rio Grande River, whereas Mexico claimed that it only gave up the land past the Nueces River. After annexing Texas as the 28th state into the union in 1845, President James Polk claimed the border at the Rio Grande River, which provoked the Mexican-American War. The war was Justified by irrational reasons; for xample, an editor of the New York Sun wrote: The [Mexican] race is perfectly accustomed to being conquered e shall teach [them] that our victories will give liberty, safety, and prosperity (Document H). After a year and a half of conflict, the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848, creating the Texan-Mexican border at the Rio Grande River and increasing the area of the United states Dy almost Oue to tne lana galnea In tne Mexlcan cession. Altnougn, efforts were made to prevent slavery from flourishing in Texas, it was declared a slave tate due to the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This enraged northerners as Texas was a gigantic state compared to any other state at the time; this would keep the House of Representatives in balance with slave states and free states but would allow slavery to grow tremendously over the period of the next few decades. The annexation of Texas put a big dent in the relationship between the North and the South. On the opposite side of the Mexican Cession, in the North-West, the Oregon Country was held in Joint occupation between Britain and the United States due to the Treaty of 1818. British trappers, farmers, and missionaries started settling in the Oregon Country starting in the 1830s. As there was no central government in the region, the residents of the region started meeting to discuss organizing a government for the area. This led to the American government being concerned and encouraging American citizens to migrate to the Oregon Country in order to prevent the British immigrants from taking over. As Thomas Hart Benton said in his speech in the U. S. Senate. . the Government will give protection and land Let the emigrants go on hey will make all quite there rive [the British] off our continent, quiet their Indians, and protect the American interests (Document A). One of the first migrations of U. S. citizens into the area was in 1839 when a group of 18 men set out to settle the area on behalf of the American government; this was followed by The Great Migration of 1843 when almost a thousand emigrants left for Oregon. Following the inauguration of James K. Polk as president after the election of 1844, the border of the Oregon Country was finally settled at 490 latitude, despite the riginal demand of 54040 latitude, in an agreement known as the Treaty Line of 1846. Emigrants flooded into the area in thousands, partly due to the California Gold Rush which started in 1849 but brought wealth to only a few. As more and more people migrated into the area, southerners started bringing slaves along with them, despite California being a free state. This, combined with the Compromise of 1850 which required all states to return run-away slaves to their owners due to the Fugitive Slave Act, enraged abolitionist and anti-slavery societies in the North causing a strain in he relations between northern and southern states. As more Americans moved westwards, many unsettled territories started being settled. Two of these territories were Kansas and Nebraska, set up in the Kansas- Nebraska Act of 1854 by Stephen Douglas. Despite the Missouri Compromise, the state government allowed voters to choose if they allowed slavery within each territory; this voting method later became known as Popular Sovereignty. Although both states were considered free states, this led to the Bleeding Kansas, a series of political confrontations about whether Kansas should enter the Union as a slave state r a free state. After a very lengthy debate, Kansas entered the Union as a free state, angering southern slave owners. This was reversed in the Dred Scott vs. Sanford case; it was brought to the Supreme Court when a slave, who was brought to a free state by his owner, tried to sue him and gain freedom. Although this was a huge failure due to the Supreme Court ruling that blacks, free or slaves, should not be considered American citizens and thus could not sue in court, it sparked wide public aeoates over slavery an IT t a ne Drea Scott vs. sanTora aeclslon was constltutlonal or ot. As it was determined to be unconstitutional, the decision to the case rendered many U. S. citizens angry due to the government breaking a constitutional law. This, in turn, angered many northerners over the fact that the government supported slavery, severely damaging the connections and associations between the North and the South. As the mid-1800s gradually went by, many events changed the relations, for the better and the worse, between the northern and southern states. Different points of views, like these, on numerous different things would eventually be the cause of he Civil War in the 1860s. Although, it united and expanded the country after the Civil War, manifest destiny divided the United States in the mid-19th century by incorporating to contrasting philosophies about social, political, and economical foundations of the new regions gained by the United States within that time period. Territorial expansion shaped many types of social divisions in the American society due to slavery, created new enemies for the States as a result of the annexation of Texas, and severed the relations between the North and the South because of the Dred vs. Scott decision.

Faith in ourselves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Faith in ourselves - Essay Example To be able to get enlightened, disciplined pursuit of truth is necessary. Salzberg talks about how her own spiritual journey was marked by phases of doubt and confusion. Indeed, it is these challenges which make knowledge concrete, pulling away from its conceptual abstractions. In her own case, she encountered confusion whether to follow the Burmese or the Tibetan tradition of spiritual contemplation. She states that such challenges are a rite of passage for entering a higher realm of consciousness. Even when it comes to techniques of meditation there are numerous methods. As far as spiritual awakening is concerned there is no one text-book method to follow. Spiritual progress is a personal journey and it is achieved through the individual’s own striving. Salzberg contends that although Buddhist teachers can offer guidance, the ‘truth’ cannot be revealed through instruction. Salzberg cites her own experiences as an abused child to explain how Buddhist philosophy c an come to aid. Having been abandoned and abused by her parents at a very young age, Salzberg was yet able to overcome such trauma. It was purely as a result of Vipassana meditation, that she successfully conquered her past. What more, the example of her life is in itself an inspiration for many of us with similar childhoods. Salzberg forewarns that though the fruits of meditation are undeniable, attaining them requires lots of patience and persistence. Buddhism does not offer any quick-fix solutions but instead takes the seeker through trials and tribulations. It is only those with conviction and faith that come through this arduous journey. Salzberg implores us to take up this challenge, for the fruits it bears are invaluable. I personally subscribe to what Salzberg has said in her book. Although I am not a Buddhist, I am able to see the value of Buddhist contemplative practices, especially meditation, for healthy living. It should be remembered that most modern illnesses are stress related.

Illustration and Example Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Illustration and Example - Essay Example It has also been observed that children of divorced people normally lack confidence and they start involving in bad habits soon. However, the other side of the story is even worse. Divorce is better for America than long-term marriage because divorce 1) decreases the chances of violence, fights and mental depression, 2) saves children from the feeling of being neglected and insecure and 3) stops the bitterness for opposite sexes which may arise due to regular misunderstandings and fights between the partners. Long-term unhappy marriages cause disputes, violence, abusing and harsh behaviors. Healthy relationships always require for a flexible attitude. If both the partners remain stiff in their attitudes then it is more likely that their life would be full of mental and physical depression. And this mental and physical depression can lead to other diseases in their lives. Individuals who are unhappy in a relationship but still do not part their ways are more probable to do commit actions of insanity. For e.g. daily fights in a household between the husband and spouse may lead both of them to develop a sense of grudge in each other. And in many cases it can be seen that this feeling of grudge has lead the husband or wife to cheat on each other and further worsen the relationship. The actions of wife and husband not only do change in an unhealthy relationship but also does the relationship affect the environment of the house. Another example can be viewed here in which fights between husban d and wife can lead to lethal actions by one of them.Children are an important part of a household who need to be properly taken cared of. However if fights take place between their parents they may not get proper attention from them and this may affect their overall life standards. It would lead the children to indulge in activities which are not desirable. In cases it has been seen that children also lose their will of living in the same house in which these fights occur. For e.g. in a household in which fights occur on a daily basis, children are not paid heed properly. These children develop a sense of insecurity in the house and thus this leads them to indulge in activities such as smoking and drinking. Here the option of divorce can be considered to be better so as to save the future of the children. Furthermore another example can be considered here in which the fights which happen on a daily basis in the house affect the confidence level of the children. This leads the child ren to have a lower confidence level. Similarly if unhappy marriages continue husband and wife might also suffer from the problem of insecurity. Insecurity in a relationship can affect the lives of both the individuals in a relationship. It can ruin the whole life of the individuals as they won't ever be able to find a perfect match for themselves. They develop a sense of

Exams Taking Strategy for College Students Research Paper

Exams Taking Strategy for College Students - Research Paper Example Daily review of notes and finding relevant questions and assignments is crucial. One has to prepare a timetable for every day and weekly study sessions. Looking for an ample place without any disturbance and ensuring one has all the necessary tools and equipment is another major step. Regular study prior to the exam will ease the final preparations for tests. Assigning every subject a time like an hour will ensure that one gives adequate time to all the subjects. Short breaks in between such as stretching and moving around increases absorption rate. Short period study foster retention of information and reduces fatigue and stress (Durham, 94). Making a study group also becomes handy so that students/learners can exchange ideas. Preparing of revision tools is very crucial towards performing in tests. Learning to take good notes is useful for learning as well as taking the notes. Review notes after class, daily and on weekly basis. Notes review before exam acts as a reminder of the broader knowledge one has gained. Some lecturers give notes at a fast rate and a student may not be able to listen and write. One can record the notes using means such as tape recorder and listen to them later as he writes in a notebook. To widen the scope of knowledge of the subject, other reliable sources such as textbooks and internet can be utilized. To ensure adequate coverage and understanding of a subject, the student should make a list of all topics he is supposed to cover and allocate time to each (Scruggs, Thomas & Margo, 93). Index cards can also be the best review tool. They help one review easily without having to use books and notes, concentrate on specific details and ease memorization (Kesselman-Turkel, Judi & Frank lynn, 52). The main word is written on one side and facts on the other side. One can also take short notes after reading a chapter and writing down main points.

Customer Service Excellence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Customer Service Excellence - Essay Example Further theoretical insights would be rendered in terms of understanding potential service strategies that needs to be developed or followed in by organisations to gain an enhanced space in the target market for its products and services. The Case of Google The level of consumer trust for the online services rendered by Google in terms of operating as an effective search engine and faster networking site has countered problems owing to the failure of the company to sustain the parameter of privacy. Google is found to have entered with a contract with another online advertising firm DoubleClick thereby servicing the same with encrypted information relating to the Internet Protocol or IP Addresses of the users through their clicking on the search engine to retrieve results. This activity of the concern is taken as a breach of trust for the user base spread around the world in that the company failed to inform the same about the reason for their merger with DoubleClick. Moreover the org anisation looking after elements concerning electronic privacy also mentioned about the same as a case of deception in trade practices for the online company. This case strongly reflects in how the deceptive practices of Google in terms of its merging with the online advertising company happens to potentially disturb the privacy of users in terms of conducting online surfing. Thus the level of trust for Google actively declines in the online user sphere (Pasquale, 2010, p.405). The Case of Starbucks The case of Starbucks also reflects a reduction in the level of consumer satisfaction and trust in savouring coffee preparations from its different outlets owing to reduction of focus on customer servicing standards. Starbucks is found to focus on moving over to an opening spree where it focuses on opening a large number of different outlets spread along a small region. These large number of outlets created in a closed network tends to increase the level of competition between the differ ent outlets thereby cannibalising its own sales and consumer force. Moreover the company is also found to focus on diversifying into sales of compact discs such that the initial focus of the company on developing its coffee brand goes for a toss. Thus other small coffee brands operating in the same sector are found to gain the lead over Starbucks to help gain over cultivating a larger market share. It is also found that the brand identity of Starbucks in the coffee market is easily copied over by other firms like McDonald’s and similarly by Dunkin Donuts in terms of enhancing their product and service portfolio. This fact adds to the problem of the company in failing to sustain the consumer trust and loyalty (Smale, 2008). The Case of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) The case of Royal Bank of Scotland reflects that how the banking corporation happened to strike on a low customer servicing event owing to the emergence of a software problem. The software of the bank was held for up gradation matters that in turn created a problem for the bank executives in servicing the needs of its customers pertaining to banking transactions. The

Analysis Of Farewell My Concubine English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Farewell My Concubine English Literature Essay The film farewell my concubine is a Chinese film which has received much attention from the world. It explores the impact of the Chinese political turmoil on its citizens during the middle 20th century. The movie illustrates this by using two stars in a form of traditional Chinese theatre maybe with some music playing along, and in this movie there is a woman who comes between the two stars. This movie uses two stars in a Peking opera troupe and a woman as an object to illustrate the predicament and frustrations of the Chinese people which was brought about by its political turmoil. This film was adopted from Lilian Lee novel entitled farewell my concubine. This film is centered on a love triangle which involves two opera singers and a former prostitute, this provides emotionally charged lens through which one is enabled to view and visualize the major chinas historical events of the mid 20th century and also brings clearly out the oppressive communist rule of Chairman Mao. The plays structure is provided by the historical context of the time period then. This play explores a number of themes for instance sex, survival and love. Cheng Dieyi who is a man effeminate, as a boy and through opera trainings he is trained to act like a woman to symbolize the limitations of art and also to demonstrate power in the real world. Dieyi is used as an object to demonstrate power and limitations of art being faced in the actual real world. In this play we also notice that many of the younger characters are being referred to as Xiao meaning small and an indication of childhood. This film starts with an introduction where the audience is introduced to the two stage characters namely YuJi who was effeminate therefore the woman and the man General Xiang Yu, it is important to keep in mind, that the two actors are men. At the beginning of the film we see that when the little boy, Xiao Douzi is taken for training to the Peking opera instructor, Master Guan refuses to take him until Yanhong(his mother) chops off Douzis extra finger, a birth defect with a clever and the contract is signed with a thumb print in blood. This symbolizes the hardships to be endured by the little boy, Douzi in order for him to be trained; it also reflected the numerous challenges awaiting him on this journey which he had to follow. This is also seen in the following proceedings where a ten year contract is signed between the Peking opera trainer and Yanhong during which Douzis life and his earnings goes to the trainer in exchange for the training. At the beginning we said that this film was done to illustrate the frustrations of the Chinese people in the mid 20th century after the political turmoil and this is reflected here in that, this training is not comfortable and the conditions being met for the student to be trained are tough. His extra finger has to be chopped off and this is accompanied with a lot of pain, Douzi has to work for ten years without ever seeing his salary or not even touching it, on addition to already existing tough rules his life belongs to this man meaning he can use him for anything and in any way that he wants. Douzi because of his craving for freedom tries to escape and only returns after seeing a performance that makes him to weep and also enquire on how much they had to endure in order to become stars. Shitou is brutally beaten for allowing Douzi to escape who also after returning receives his share of punishment. It appears like the boy has been sold completely in exchange for the opera training yet life and freedom is important than all this. As away to consol himself he befriends Xiao Shitou who is the informal apprentices leader and due to the long days of practice they both distinguish themselves as the most talented. When the play starts Douzi is chosen dan, or female lead while Shitou is chosen sheng or in other words a male lead (Silbergeld 96-97). As adults having graduated they are employed by an opera company and given new names and Douzi becomes Cheng Dieyi while Shitou becomes Duan Xiaolou the characters we are introduced to at the beginning of the play. In this play theres a lot of weeping as a result of the beatings received which symbolizes the anguish and pain of this people and that is why Douzi yearns for freedom from this imprisonment. During the training Douzi dreams of the outside world to the extend that instead of saying I am a girl by nature, not a boy he says I am in nature a boy. The future of the troupe is brought at risk because of Douzis problem of identifying himself with his new gender and there arises a need for quick remedy in order to secure the troupe. The solution to this is very frightening as his friend Shitou twists a tobacco pipe into his throat until Douzi gargles blood in the pipe which in turn forces him to softly whisper I am in nature a girlà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦not a boy. The pipe is used as an object to symbolize the kind of enforcement they applied to force its victims to subject to the world that was created for them. With such kind of punishment and torture one has no other option but to obey. This is the second time we are coming a cross blood and since life is in the blood whenever you come across blood theres fear since it posses threats to life and it also brings about uncertainty its like venturing in the unknown, in the dark. After the performance Douzi is summoned to meet eunuch Zhagy alone who during there meeting looks at him lustfully and in the process molests him. From the act of the eunuch its clear that those in power and with resources care less about other people and that is why they exercise this power in unspeakable disgusting way that lowers other peoples dignity to the point that it becomes hard to the people victimized to share the predicament that befall them even to there best friends. This is seen by the fact that his frien d whom he really longed for to be near him so that he could tell him what he was feelings fails to get him to say a word about the proceedings at the eunuchs place and maybe even the purpose for the invitation or more to that why he had to go alone. Also when Douzi notices an abandoned baby on the street and expresses his concerns to take him but he is urged by his master not to do so because even each one of them knows not there fate. People seem to care only for themselves and do not think about the need people around them or even the innocent like that baby who can not speak for themselves or rather struggle to survive as many would do if life became hard or when faced with difficulty circumstances. The form of training given to do this kind of a job is one that hardens and excludes you from the normal life and society norms or culture. On stage the adult Dieyi is in love with Xiaolou though sexually his affection is not being met. Though the two are courting, Xiaolou starts to like Juxian who is allegedly said of as being a prostitute. When Xiaolou intervenes in Juxians attack she proposes marriage to him which is followed by an engagement in order to free her from prostitution and as a result wrangles emerges between the two famous actors who were in love and they fall out. Dieyi after accepting Yuan Siyes invitation due to his frustrations of being left by his love falls in another trouble since he is raped after being made drunk and in the morning ashe lives he takes the sword that they had early seen in the market place which he had wanted to give to Xiaolou as a wedding gift. Dieyi starts to use opium in order for him to get over his frustrations and this symbolizes the crimes and wrong decisions made by the people in order to rid there pain and humiliation. We also see the Japanese soldiers beating up the Chi nese patrons which makes Xiaolou angry to the extend that he refuses to perform the opera farewell my concubine again, this leads to his imprisonment and his freedom is bought by Dieyi thou they fail to keep the terms of that agreement. During the play betrayal is seen and a lot of insincerity as the people fail to keep the promises made and as a result they hurt the other parties in the agreement. Theres fighting for power and this is witnessed when Xiao Si usurps Douzis position as a reflection of the turmoil in the Chinese economy brought about by the fightings for position and power after the withdrawal of the Japanese government. The maliciousness of the leaders is seen and this brings the chinas economy down. The aspect of bribery comes out when Dieyi is released after performing for the government when he had been arrested for treason. Also in the drive and the urge to protect one another Juxian is hit in the stomach and she looses her baby. The baby was as a simple of a new birth, hope, a new beginning but because of strive amongst them its lost through a miscarriage. This sudden death brings about Chinas fall since its surged and put under the control of the liberation army of the communist people. This complex relationship between the three involved parties is an illustration of the political issues affecting china as a nation since its second mid 20th century war. The three actors have been used as a simple to illustrate the underlying issues for instance betrayal emerges when Xiaolou who is in love and also courting Dieyi engages Juxian. This enormous war that frustrated the Chinese citizens was caused by imperialist policy aimed at securing raw material reserves in particularly food and labor and also to cause its domination in politics and military at the expense of its people. There is a few happenings after the airing of the film like for instance the theater troupe is turned to the government and the abandoned baby whom Dieyi trained and was given the name little brother, Xiao Si. In this film we are told that little forth brother has the same sound as little death this is very symbolic as its followed by the burning of the film in china (Zhu 127-130). It can also symbolize an end to the freedom that was there for this people. The limitations in the peoples freedom of speech is seen also when Shitou is questioned by the communist party about the words he uttered many years back which they consider them to be unpatriotic. Theres unknown fate for Xiao Si for usurping Douzis position and Juxian hangs herself when she is rejected by her husband and as a result the reunion of the first relationship between Douzi and Shitou occurs. These deaths are not just for fun but they symbolize dead or an ending. Throughout we are seeing a frustrated people, people that are oppressed and weeping because of the many things that are happening to them and around them. The Chinese people who have been frustrated by war until they lost all the hope and that is why there are children who are very innocent but they have been abandoned by there loved ones, the only people they knew and trusted, people responsible of taking good care of them and giving them brighter future. All this symbolizes the cry of the people who have been abandoned by there government and subjected to a lot of pain and suffering. Hopes only revive in china after the death of the chairman Mao which is followed by his political sect being overthrown and consequently there arrest for the crimes they have committed against the people of China. Finally when Xiaolou and Dieyi met a few important things happened which symbolized a re-birth of a better life for the Chinese people, since they had lost most of there former school boys as a result of the numerous chinas political campaigns. These two main actors forgive each other for the ugly things they had spoken and done to each other. Where theres forgiveness theres growth and incomparable peace meaning that the citizens of china have an obligation to forgive each other in order to live in harmony, peace, unity and in love with one another. And once this is done it will pave way for development and on addition it will be easy for everyone to move on with there own lives. Work cited Jerome, Silbergeld. China Into Film. London, UK: Reaktion Books, 1999. Ying, Zhu. Chinese Cinema during the Era of Reforms. Westport,CT: Greenwood publishing group, 2003.

Anne Conway’s Critique of Cartesian Dualism :: Dualism Essays

Anne Conway’s Critique of Cartesian Dualism ABSTRACT: I describe and analyze Anne Conway’s critique of Cartesian dualism. After a brief biographical introduction to Conway, I sketch some of the influences on her philosophy. I then describe her non-Cartesian view of substance. According to Conway, there is only one substance in created reality. This substance contains both matter and spirit. A purely material or spiritual substance is, she argues, an impossibility. Next, I discuss several of Conway’s arguments against Cartesian dualism. Firstly, dualism is inconsistent because dualists, while denying that concepts such as divisibility and extension are applicable to spiritual substance, nevertheless use such terms when describing the soul or spirit. They assume that soul or spirit is something particular which can be located somewhere. Secondly, she argues that dualism results in mechanism because it makes too sharp a distinction between body and soul, thus regarding the body as a mechanical machine and the soul a s something which is not integrally related to the body. Thirdly, dualism cannot account for the interaction between mind and body. The two substances of which a dualist speaks are defined on the basis of the exclusion of characteristics. But the two things which have nothing in common cannot influence each other causally. 1. Introduction During his lifetime and in the centuries following, the dualism and mechanism of Descartes' philosophy gave rise to a great number of objections and discussions. In this article, I would like to consider a response to Descartes' views which is somewhat less well-known than others, that of Anne Conway. Conway's reaction to Descartes is interesting because she speaks from out of a metaphysical tradition different from those of many other philosophers who discussed his ideas. (1) In addition, she makes use of a pre-modern, non-abstract idea of spirit, a conceptualisation of spirit which has been lost or sidelined in the philosophical tradition after Descartes. On the basis of an entirely different ontology of matter and spirit from that of Descartes, Conway questions the presuppositions of dualism as well as its abstract view of spiritual substance. In this paper, I will begin with a short biographical sketch of Conway and a survey of some of the main influences on her thought. I will then briefly describe her philosophical system. I will then discuss her critique of Descartes' dualism. Finally, I will consider the question of how her views can be of value to us today.

Hamlet and the Man in the Iron Mask Essay

The Man in the Iron Mask, by Alexandre Dumas, and Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, both follow similar plot lines and relate to each other through their themes. Shakespeare and Dumas both discuss themes of family, justice and judgement, lies and deceit, loyalty and the consequences of revenge. These major themes blend seamlessly in the stories of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and The Man in the Iron Mask. The themes are consistent throughout the play and the book, ultimately addressing the search for truth and justice in each of the protagonist’s situations. Although a number of similarities exist between the two stories, they approach the subject of loyalty differently. What Shakespeare and Dumas have discussed in their stories demonstrates a similar challenge, the search for the truth behind the lies. Hamlet and Philippe suffer mentally as they consider the consequences of their actions and inaction. As other characters become tied to their reactions, they too pay a price for their involvement. First, in both books there are themes about the consequences of revenge. The main theme is that revenge leads to destruction instead of solving the problem, ultimately escalating the primary problem further. Both forms show justice and judgement in the revenge displayed towards the kings. In the play of Hamlet, the main character is confronted with the ghost of his father who reveals that his death was not an accident but a murder. As Hamlet takes revenge, other people become involved and a cycle of revenge for death takes place. In order to accomplish what he knows as justice, Hamlet uses sound judgement as he takes revenge, both physically and emotionally, on those around him. In the Man in the Iron Mask, the musketeers want to take their own revenge on the king for the lack of food for the starving people in the village and his cruelty in general toward his people. Vengeance in this book turns into a cycle as the three musketeers take revenge on the king; the king later takes revenge onto his people. The son of the recently deceased king is known to us as a young man named Hamlet. The truth of the death of his father becomes known to Hamlet when his father’s ghost appears to him, explaining that he was murdered with poison at the hand of his own brother, Hamlets uncle. This method of death by poisoning foreshadows the death of the main characters later in the play. Prince Hamlet then devotes himself to avenging his father’s death, but delays the physical death of his uncle in order to torture him psychologically. The people involved enter into a deep melancholy and madness as Hamlet lets go of his closest relationships, judging family and friends for their disrespect toward his dead father. Hamlet psychologically tortures his uncle by arranging for a play named â€Å"Mouse Trap. † Hamlet plans it so that it parallels his father’s death, in an effort to witness Claudius’, Hamlet’s uncle’s, reaction. Claudius goes through physiological distress as he begins to wonder if Hamlet knows the truth behind the death of his father. Claudius then runs out of the theatre in order to pray for forgiveness. Hamlet follows and begins to draw his sword as this becomes the ideal moment to enact justice onto his uncle. However, Hamlet takes notice that Claudius killed his father while his father’s sins were unforgiven. King Hamlet had no time to repent due to the fact of his murder and was left to the divine to judge him. Hamlet decided to kill Claudius another time, perhaps when the king is drunk, angry or in the middle of an immoral act. This way, there would be no uncertainty about whether Claudius would go to Hell or not. Hamlet admires his father to the extent that he is determined not only to kill Claudius but also to make him suffer the wrath and judgement, sending him to a similar afterlife in Hell. (Shakespeare pg. 85 Act III, Scene 3). As Hamlet goes to his mother in anger, he is determined to inflict pain on her emotionally, using his own judgement again to enact justice. â€Å"Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love Over the nasty sty. † (Shakespeare pg. 89. Act III, Scene 4). As the queen cries out for help, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, Claudius’ adviser, as he thrashes his sword into the curtain in hopes that it is Claudius. This causes Ophelia, Polonius’ daughter, great distress as she quickly becomes psychologically distressed and senseless. â€Å"And will ‘a not come again? And will ‘a not come again? No, no he is dead, Go to thy deathbed, He never will come again. † (Shakespeare pg. 109. Act IV, Scene 5). In this state of mind, she dances to the river and falls in, drowning to her death. Laertes, Ophelia’s brother and Polonius’ son, arrives from his travels. He is enraged and takes revenge for the death in his family. King Claudius takes this opportunity to turn Laertes against Hamlet as he devises a plan with Laertes so that they both can take their revenge on him. Again poison is used for the death. Poison is placed in a cup of water that is offered to Hamlet during a sword fight. Furthermore, Laertes places poison on his sword before the duel. This scheme radically backfires on the King as his new wife, Gertrude, drinks out of the cup, and Laertes and Hamlet get stabbed with the poison. In the end Claudius is forced by Hamlet to drink the poison and all four major characters die to poison. Shakespeare pg. 140 Act X, Scene 2). Fortunately, before his death, Hamlet was finally successful in his revenge as the details surrounding the death of Hamlet’s father become revealed to the crowd of people watching the dual. Therefore, by taking revenge, it leads the avengers to their own destruction as they took justice and judgement into their own hands and accomplished what they had promised. In The Man in the Iron Mask the theme on the consequences of revenge in justice and judgement are similar to that in Hamlet, as it begins a cycle of death. In this novel, justice is whatever King Louis XIV says it is. This explains how the system of government worked in France during the 16th and 17th century. At the beginning of the novel, Paris is starving but King Louis XIV is more interested in economic gain and seducing women. Madame de la Valliere becomes the woman after whom the king is lusting and sends Raoul, her finance to war. As Raoul begins to become depressed from his broken heart, he is sent off to battle. According to the king’s orders, he is sent to the front lines and all men are to abandon him. Raoul inevitably dies in battle. When Athos, Raoul’s father, hears about the death of his son, he becomes enraged at the king. Athos forcefully criticized the King for his behaviour regarding La Valliere and the death of his son. Aramis, Athos and Porthos band together with a plan to replace the king (Alexandre Dumas, chapter 10. pg. 79). This plan involves the replacement of King Louis XIV with his twin brother. The three musketeers free the imprisoned Philippe who has been behind prison doors for six years and placed in an iron mask. In the end, all three musketeers die and Philippe is placed back in prison hidden, forever beneath the mask of iron. Although all of the characters in the novel seek out revenge, their efforts fall short of being truly successful. The Man in the Iron Mask and Hamlet show the consequences of revenge depicted in each of the characters’ struggles to take justice into their own hands. Their revenge ultimately results in a cycle of death. The main difference between the play Hamlet and the novel The Man in the Iron Mask is the theme of loyalty. In the play, loyalty remains consistent as Hamlet is loyal to his father and his vengeance. However, in The Man in the Iron Mask, loyalties are continually being changed as the characters are pitted against each other. The characters in the novel are expected to always be loyal to King Louis XIV; however, this requirement in the king’s subjects conflicts with loyalties between friends, family, and the self-interest of the musketeers. This main theme demonstrates that the search for the revelation of truth comes at the price of either breaking loyalties or staying true to loyalties, and facing death in the process. In Hamlet, there are several different characters that portray loyalty continuously throughout the novel. The main character, Hamlet, shows his loyalty to his father, growing angry at the fact that he was murdered by his uncle. When his father asks Hamlet to take revenge on Claudius, Hamlet becomes enraged and his willingness to take revenge becomes revealed. â€Å"Ghost: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Hamlet: Murder? Ghost: Murder most foul, as in the best it is But this most foul strange and unnatural. Hamlet: Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift, As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge. † (Shakespeare pg. 29 Act I, Scene 5). Hamlet stays loyal to his father’s memory through the whole novel, seeking revenge on Claudius until he is able to kill him, accomplishing this task as he dies alongside Claudius. Loyalty is also shown by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, courtiers and former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg. They are summoned by the new king, Claudius, to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange, negative and morbid behaviour. Their loyalty to the king causes them to lose Hamlet’s friendship and respect. As Hamlet discovers this, he arranges their death, making them pay for their betrayal to him with their lives. Loyalty is also shown in Act I, when Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo reveal to Hamlet what they see of ghost of his father. They also swear to keep silent about the event, which remains kept secret throughout the novel. Again, Horatio shows loyalty to Hamlet as he watches the reaction of the king during the play â€Å"Mouse Trap† performed by the players. He later tells Hamlet about the facial reactions of the king as he watched the performer kill the fake king, revealing his guilt in the murder of Hamlet’s father. However, in The Man in the Iron Mask, loyalties change continuously, most notably demonstrated in the ending of the famous friendship of the three musketeers. The broken loyalties within the kingdom break the trust of all characters through scandals and lies. For xample, the queen gives her loyalty to Philippe but sacrifices Philippe for her political stability. Also, Aramis demonstrates betrayal in his disloyalty to the new prince Philippe. At the beginning of the novel, Aramis praises Philippe through his love, respect and service; however, he leaves Philippe to fend for himself without a backward glance. Aramis chooses his career advancement over his friendships and loyal ties. This is revealed to us by his treatment of Porthos and Philippe, when he suggests Porthos be killed to preserve the secret of Philippe. Another example of disloyalty is when Aramis, one of the main three musketeers shows true and loyal feelings to Philippe, but chooses political stability gain over faithfulness to Philippe. â€Å"A friend’s word is the truth itself. If I think of touching, even with one finger, the son of Anne of Austria, the true King of this realm of France; if I have not the firm intention of prostrating myself before his throne; if, according to my wishes, to-morrow here at Vaux will not be the most glorious day my King ever enjoyed, – may Heaven’s lightning blast me where I stand! Aramis had pronounced these words with his face turned towards the alcove of his bedroom, where d’Artagnan, seated with his back towards the alcove, could not suspect that any one was lying concealed. The earnestness of his words, the studied slowness with which he pronounced them, the solemnity of his oath, gave the Musketeer the most complete satisfaction. (Alexandre Dumas, chapter 14. pg . 104) Later on in the novel it is clear that Aramis no longer feels any real loyalty to Prince Philippe. â€Å"Warn the Prince, and then- do what? Take him with me? Carry this accusing witness about with me everywhere? War, too, would follow,- civil war, implacable in its nature! And without any resource- alas, it is impossible! What will he do without me? Without me he will be utterly destroyed! Yet who knows? let destiny be fulfilled! Condemned he was, let him remain so, then! (Dumas, chapter 21 pg. 231) By the end of the novel, King Louis XIV has obtained absolute power, where his word is law, accepting no disagreement to what he says. Aramis desires to have influence and power alongside of King Louis XIV. Soldier, priest, and diplomat; gallant, greedy, and cunning; Aramis took the good things in this life as steppingstones to rise to bad ones. Generous in mind, if not noble in heart, he never did ill but for the sake of shining a little more brilliantly. † (Alexandre Dumas chapter 6. pg. 34). In order to live and have power, loyalty needed to be kept to the king. Philippe’s friends chose loyalty to Philippe; and they were killed as a result. In the end, after the death of his friends, Aramis retreats to a Spanish estate in his glorious riches. The Queen, however, wants the kingdom to succeed and she sees that the only way to do so is to listen to the people. The people beg for food and help from the king. However, King Louis XIV shows no compassion towards his people and is only interested in personal pleasure. For the sake of the country, Anne of Austria, the Queen and mother of Philippe, chooses to help her son, but as her power begins to decline she sacrifices Philippe for her political stability. In Hamlet and The Man in the Iron Mask loyalty is portrayed differently. Both stories show that being loyal exacts a high price. The death of all those who are loyal in these stories is an example of the high price that must be paid. In Hamlet, loyalty is continuous throughout the play, but in The Man in the Iron Mask, there is no loyalty when power begins to corrupt the characters. Therefore, all these examples show that the portrayals of the themes of loyalty in Hamlet and The Man in the Iron Mask are very different. In Hamlet, the truth is found through the loyal bonds of Horatio as he tells the story of the death of the true king. In The Man in the Iron Mask the truth of Philippe is revealed to the kingdom through the courageous acts of the three musketeers.