Comparing Ethiopia to Other Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing Ethiopia to Other Countries - Essay Example â€Å"According to the neo classical growth theory, output growth results from one or more of three factors: increases in labor quantity and quality, increases in capital, and improvements in technology† (Todaro & Smith, 2003 p 164). Thus, the concept of neoclassical growth theory states that growth of an economy stops when the technological change ends. A technological change leads to an increase in saving and investment and there by increases the real GDP per capita. In the context of Ethiopia the theory of neoclassical growth theory has relevance in the respect of underdevelopment. The lack technology has pulled back Ethiopian economy from attaining development. In other words technological backwardness has contributed to the lesser growth of Ethiopia. This is clear from the GDP ratios of the country. Ethiopia’s GDP remained at â€Å"$1000 in 2010† (Human Development Report 2009: M Economy and Inequality, 2009). The Human Development Index indicates that the H DI of Ethiopia were just 0.328 in 2010. In HDI ranking Ethiopia had171st rank† (Human Development Report 2009: M Economy and Inequality, 2009). ... This will increase income, savings and investments, which, in turn, can lead to economic development. â€Å"The role of Lewis theory in Ethiopia is also showing a negative trend. The relevance of the theory in a country is highlighted when there occur a shift in the employment rate from agriculture to industry sector. The data regarding the employment in agriculture and industry of Ethiopia shows that the role of the Lewis theory in the development of a country is more relevant. The employment rate of Ethiopia in the agriculture sector during 2009 was 85% while that of industry was just 5%† (Intelligence Throughout History: Birth of Overhead Reconnaissance, 1861). The Big Push Theory: The Big Push Theory by Paul N. Rosenstein Rodan calls for a big investment from the government’s side, for attaining economic growth in an underdeveloped country. â€Å"The Big Push is a model of how the presence of market failures can lead to a need for a concerted economy wide and proba bly public policy- led effort to get the long process of economic development underway, or to accelerate it† (Todaro & Smith, 2003 p 162). A big investment by the government encourages more growth in that sector, which ultimately leads to the development of that particular sector and, therefore, attracts more investment by individuals and firms. The relevance of big push theory in Ethiopia is seen from the aid given by the government and the UN in various situations including the natural calamities. This big push has helped the Ethiopian economy in improving their HDI rank during past years. Market friendly approach: Market friendly approach was first put forward by World Bank, which gave a much

Summary of Critical Theory

Summary of Critical Theory The Central Claims of Critical Theory In order to understand the central claims of Critical Theory, it must first be defined. What is Critical Theory? Critical Theory first coined as such in 1937 is a name given to a series of new approaches to the study of culture, literature and thought that developed during the 1960’s primarily in France (Leitch, 2001). It refers to a series of pathways for intellectual inquiry that first emerged with the end of the 18th century European Enlightenment (mid 1600’s to late 1700’s) (Nowlan, 2001) in which the causes associated with it were legal equality, the right of ordinary Europeans to hold their rulers to account, the rule of law, transparent government, freedom of expression, the right of nations to self-determination and to freedom from colonial domination – and they are as relevant today as they were two hundred years ago (Glendening, 2003). Critical theory questions and challenges that which seems obvious, natural and simple in the world around us â⠂¬â€œ the conviction that what is, or what is in the process of becoming, or what appears to be, or what is most commonly understood to be, or necessary and inevitable – it does not accept any of this (Nowlan). The Frankfort School is the name given to a group of German Jewish intellectuals associated with the Institute for Social Research (Institut fur Sozialforschung) founded in 1923. Their work was an attempt to integrate psychoanalytic insights and the domain of culture into a Marxist analysis of twentieth century societies. The group composite was that of thinkers such as Horkheimer, Adorno and Marcuse (Agger, 1993). According to these theorists a â€Å"critical† theory may be distinguished from a â€Å"traditional† theory according to a specific practical purpose: a theory is critical to the extent that it seeks human emancipation, â€Å"to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them† (Horkheimer, 1982, 244). Theories aim to explain and transform circumstances; critical theories provide the descriptive and normative bases for social inquiry aimed at decreasing domination and increasing freedom in their forms. A clarification is given to what is not clearly understood or is questionable. Theories arise in many ranges – anthropology, film, religion, linguistics and political science – and even family lifestyle. Critical theory is not a system, nor it is reducible to any fixed set of proscriptions (Bronner, 2002). Today, social theory is in crisis because of growing dissatisfaction with the dominant methodologies and conceptions of social theory and research. The 1960’s is when Stephen Eric Bronner became interested in critical theory as new theoretical paradigms emerged that questioned prevailing quantitative, empiricist, and positivist conceptions of social theory. But where did the central claim of critical theory begin? Since the Frankfort School was the first Marxist-oriented research center affiliated with a major German university directed by Carl Grunberg, it tended to be empirical, historical, and oriented toward problems of the European working class movement. Works by Karl Korsch, Georg Lukacs and others also had works published in its journal Archiv fur die Geschichte des Sozialismus und der Arbeiterbewegung. Grunberg retired in 1930 and Max Horkheimer became the director. Under Horkheimer, the Institute sought to develop an interdisciplinary social theory which could serve as an instrument of social transformation publishing a journal Zeitschrift fur Sozialforschung (1932-1941) that contained a wholesome collection of articles and book reviews. These compilations detailed social theory and defined any misconceptions of their meaning. Horkheimer, upon assuming his position as Director, delivered an inaugural address on January 24, 1931, entitled â€Å"The State of Social Philosophy and the Tasks of an Institute for Social Research (Bronner and Keller 1989: 25-36). Within the contents of the text, he defines social philosophy as an attempt to elucidate the â€Å"fate of human beings, insofar as they are parts of state, law, economy, religion, in short, with the entire material and spiritual culture of humanity. He criticizes Kant for grounding social philosophy in the experience and faculties of the particular individual (Ibid: 33) and praises Hegel’s theory as an improvement but yet questions speculative metaphysics and their tendencies to celebrate a higher transcendental sphere of Being and meaning over concrete existence. (ibid:38-39). Horkheimer continued to defend the importance for critical social theory and envisaged a program of supra-disciplinary research which would investigate current social an d political problems. Philosophers, sociologists, economists, historians, and psychologists would be united in and ongoing research community who would do together what in other disciplines one individual does alone in a laboratory, which is what genuine scientists have always done: namely to pursue the great philosophical question using the most refined scientific methods; to reformulate and to make more precise the questions in the course of work as demanded by the object; and to develop new methods without losing sight of the universal (ibid:41). Hence we see the first steps toward the formation of critical theory in the making. It is impossible to characterize the â€Å"Frankfort School† as a whole since its work spanned several decades and involved a variety of thinkers who later engaged in sharp debates with each other. Rather, one should perceive various phases of Institute work: 1) the empirical-historical studies of the Grunberg era; 2) the attempts in the early to mid-1930’s to establish a materialist supra-disciplinary social theory under Horkheimer’s directorship; 3) the attempts to develop a critical theory of society during the exile period from about 1937 to the early 1940’s; 4) the dispersion of Institute members in the 1940’s and the new directions sketched out by Horkheimer and Adorno; 5) the return of the Institute to Germany and its work in Frankfurt during the 1950’s and 1960’s; 6) the development of critical theory in various directions by Fromm, Lowenthal, Marcuse, and others who remained in the U.S.; 7) the continuation of Institute projec ts and development of critical theory in Germany by Jurgen Habermas, Oskar Negt, Alfred Schmidt, and others in the 1970’s and 1980’s; and finally 8) contributions to critical theory by a variety of younger theorists and scholars currently active in Europe and the United States. Kellner believes that a crisis of critical theory emerged with its fragmentation after World War II. Social theory stopped developing despite some empirical research projects and sustained meta-theoretical analyses be certain of its members, especially Adorno (Kellner, 1989). He believes that critical theory provides the most advanced theoretical perspectives within contemporary social theory from the 1930’s through the early 1960’s; new socio-cultural developments since then have rendered obsolete some of its theses concerning on-dimensional society, the media, technology, and so on. In particular, critical theory has not continued to theorize new technologies, new developments in the media, changes in socialization practices, and new cultural developments. This is surprising as earlier contributions were precisely in these areas (Wiggershaus, 1986). Adorno did a great deal of work in social theory in the 1950’s and 1960’s, as well as turning out an incredible profusion of texts in the areas of literary criticism, cultural critique, philosophy, and aesthetics. His work turned from supra-disciplinary research to philosophical reflections (Kellner, 1989). Herbert Marcuse argued that Marxism had degenerated into a rigid orthodoxy and needed concrete experience to revivify the theory and that it neglected individual’s problems. He was concerned about individual liberation and well-being in addition to social transformation. The intentions of his writings were of great interest, yet many were unpublished and unknown (Kellner, 1984). The theory of hegemony by Antonio Gramsci reserves a place for the intellectuals in society. Men find themselves born in a process independent of their will, they cannot control it, they can seek only to understand it and guide their actions accordingly was noted to be economic determination by Marx. Gramsci was concerned to eradicate economic determinism to develop its explanatory power with respect to super-structural institutions. His holdings were that class struggle must always involve ideas and ideologies, ideas that would make the revolution and also that would prevent it. He stressed the role performed by human agency in historical change: economic crises by themselves would not subvert capitalism. He was more â€Å"dialectic† than â€Å"deterministic†: he tried to build a theory which recognized the autonomy, independence and importance of culture and ideology (Strinati, 1995). The works in the last decade relative to critical theory has followed Habermas in attempt to develop a more adequate philosophical aspect of critical theory (Heinemann, 1986). A deficit of social research and elaboration of new theoretical perspectives has come about with contributions from members of the postmodern camp who attempt to theorize the impact of new technologies, the media, and other socio-cultural developments (Kellner, 1988 and 1989). The focus on democracy as the location for cooperative, practical and transformative activity continues in the work of Jurgen Habermas, as does the attempt to determine the nature and limits of â€Å"real democracy† in complex pluralistic, and globalizing societies. Habermas’ work is concerned with rethinking the tradition of critical theory and German social philosophy. He has advanced that tradition in distinctive ways. His rationality consists not so much in the possession of knowledge and thus primarily concerned with the consistency and conten of one’s belief’s, but rather in â€Å"how speaking and acting subjects acquire and use knowledge† (Habermas, 1984). Rationality, freedom and justice are not just theoretical issues to be explored and debated. Habermas’ entire work aims to defend and continue the enlightenment project against the challenge of Weber’s instrumental rationality, Horkheimer and Adorno’s earlier critical t heory and Nietzscheanism in the forms of post-structuralism as presented by Foucault and Derrida and the postmodernism of Lyotard. The reconciliation of the competition of claims of the reason of the life and the world are contributions of Habermas to contemporary and social theory. His account and his answers are not complete, but raise questions without losing the hope of continued research (Rasmussen, 1990). People create conditions and deal with them. Their opinions influence the thoughts of others. In his theory, Habermas fails to incorporate or appreciate gender and racial inequality. Habermas’ calls for particular â€Å"reconstructive sciences,† whose aim it is to render theoretically explicit the intuitive, pre-theoretical know-how underlying such basic human competences as speaking and understanding, judging, and acting. It is not certain if Habrmas’ theories are built on a conception of the world in which essentialist characteristics (middle class, white, males, or class) dominate. Historically discourses of rationality and progress have sided with men over women (Stanley and Pateman, 1991). Certain valuable elements are cited of by Selya Benhabib (1986) that can provide basis for a wide-ranging normative critique of contemporary society. An excerpt from Critical Theory and Society: A Reader: â€Å"essay is a stylistic vehicle with its inherently unfinished quality is the logical form for generating anti-systemic claims and fostering the existence of reflexivity† perhaps best describes the logic that inspired Bronner and Kellner to publish this book. Within is a collection of seminal essays, many appearing in English for the first time, which provides an excellent overview of the critical theory developed by the Frankfurt School. An essay is a short work that treats of a topic from an author’s personal point of view, often taking into account subjective experiences and personal reflections upon them (Wikipedia). What better way can a criticism be announced than through an essay? Personal opinions are relished because they may have something within their contents that was not seen by others. In the essay Le Prix Du Progress by Max Horkheimer exemplifies the nature of discussions that were presented to the early theorists. A French physiologist, Pierre Flourens, was disenchanted with the use of chloroform. He states his belief, and cites his reasoning. The essay ends with Horkheimer’s comments. Somewhat in the form of an editorial for a newspaper, but yet an answer is given. A concern was presented – a problematic thought was answered. Another famous essay by Theodor Adorno elaborates on Culture Industry Reconsidered. In it Adorno explains the term culture industry, corrects inconsistencies from a prior publication and remarks on the term â€Å"mass culture† (from â€Å"The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Cuture† London: Routledge, 1991). In Critical Theory and Society: A Reader are included the works of Horheimer, Erich Fromm, Lowenthal, Pellock, Herbert Marcuse, to mention a few. The time realm of critical theory displays evidence that modern culture needs to redefine the conclusions of its predecessors. The understanding of theories, imply that they have to be updated continually to include new circumstances. Modernization has to be critiqued to include the changing of the times. We should be concerned with something other than uncovering the past. Instead we should reinvigorate the present, salvage the Enlightenment legacy, and contest those who would institutionally freeze its radicalism and strip away its protest character (Israel, 2001). The inclusion of the way people act and why they act can begin with critical theory of family. Family history provides an example of some of the theoretical deficiencies as in social scenes. The family is attacked and defended with equal vehemence. With a dominant empiricist tradition, historians have come to the field of family history without a clear sense of what the significant questions are. They have not self-consc iously theorized the family as a field of investigation. Instead they began by adopting the conventional wisdom of sociology which, goes back for Federic Le Play (L’Organisation de la famille selon le vrai modele signale par l’histoire de toutes les races et de tous les temps –Paris, 1871), and saw a broad change in the family from an extended form of the Middle Ages to a nuclear form of modernity (Shorter, 1975). From the family come the leaders of the world. Understanding distinct family structures enables an outline to the future tasks of its members. The tendency of Marxist social theorists is to view the family as a dependent variable, a secondary structure, unintelligible in its own right, which will change after the revolution. The family is an intelligible as a structure (Morgan, 1975) composed of race, religion, gender, which impose these factors towards their beliefs. From a â€Å"Gramscian† perspective the mass media have to be interpreted as an instrument to spread and reinforce dominant hegemony – or they can be used to spread counter-hegemonic ideas too. â€Å"Pop culture and the mass media are subject to the production, reproduction and transformation of hegemony through the institution of civil society which cover the areas of cultural production and consumption. Hegemony operates culturally and ideologically through the institutions of civil society which characterizes mature liberal-democratic, capitalist societies. These institutions include education, the family, the church, the mass media, popular culture, etc. (Strinati, 1995: 168-169). From Strinati’s point of view the main problem with Gramsci’s ideas is the same as the the Frankfurt School’s theories and Althusser’s work: their Marxist background. The framework does not allow history to contradict the theory, and the interpretation of reality becomes rather elementary. Critical Theory offers an approach to distinctly normative issues that cooperates with the social sciences in a nonproductive way. Its domain is inquiry into the normative dimension of social activity, in particular how actors employ their practical knowledge and normative attitudes from complex perspectives in various sorts of contexts. It also must consider social facts as problematic situations from the point of view of variously situated agents. In conclusion, Kellner feels that in order to find a way out of the contemporary crisis of social theory, it must develop new perspectives. Critical Theory should be responded to with theoretical analyses of developments within the capitalist economy and of changes in class stratification, the labor process, new technologies, the media, and politics. The central claims of critical theory should be emphasized by those who wish to revitalize it in an attempt to politicize it with new social movements and existing political struggles to buil d a better society. The development of both its â€Å"analysis of the present situation and a new politics is in order to become once again the cutting edge of radical social theory† (Kellner, 1989). Critical theory enables the development and refinement of the ability to engage in comments as critics, through movements encompassed around incomprehensible situations of society. All productive and concerned citizens should be the empowered critical agents that are able to question, challenge and contribute toward the progress of transformation of the prevailing status quo within the communities, societies, and cultures that are worked in to help maintain and reproduce every day. In relation citizens should not only be inescapably interested, but also vitally important as participants to opinionate on theory (Nowlan). BIBLIOGRAPHY Agger, Ben. 1993. The Discourse of Domination: From the Frankfurt School to Postmodernism. Northwestern University Press. January. Bronner, Stephen Eric. 2002. Critical Theory Its Theorists. Routledge Publishers: 2nd Edition. April. Bronner, Stephen Eric and Douglas Keller. 1989. Critical Theory and Society: A Reader. New York and London: Routledge. Glendening, Marc. 2003. Visions for a democratic Europe. Brussels, December 12. Habermas, J. 1987. The Theory of Communicative Action. Volumes 1 and 2. Boston: Beacon Press. Heinemann, Benhabib, Seyla. 1986. Critique, Norm, and Utopia. New York: Columbia University Press. Horkheimer, M, 1982. Critical Theory. New York: Seabury Press. Israel, Jonathan. 2001. Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and theMaking of Modernity 1650-1750. Oxford University Press. Kellner, Douglas. 1984. Herbert Marcuse and the Crisis of Marxism. London and Berkeley: Macmillian and University of California Press. 1988. Postmodernism as Social Theory: Some Problems and Challenges,† Theory, Culture Society, Vol. 5: 240-269. 1989. Critical Theory, Marxism, and Modernity. Cambridge and Baltimore: Polity Press and John Hopkins University Press. Leitch, Vincent B. et al. (eds), The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism (New York/London: W.W. Norton, 2001. Morgan, D.H.J. Social Theory and the Family. London, 1975. Nowlan, Bob. Introduction: What Is Critical Theory and Why Study It? University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. September 21, 2001. Stanley, L and Pateman, C. 1991. Feminist Interpretations and Political Theory. Cambridge: Polity. Rasmussen, D. 1990. Reading Habermas. London: Blackwell. Shorter, Edward. The Making of the Modern Family. New York. 1975. Strinati, Dominic. 1995. An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture. Rouyledge, London. Wiggershaus, Rolf. 1986. Die Frankfurter Schule. Munich: Hanser. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essay

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: An Analysis of Parallel Scenes Essay

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: An Analysis of Parallel Scenes The anonymous author of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" was supposedly the first to have originated the alternation of temptation and hunting scenes, which both contribute importantly to the effectiveness of the poem (Benson 57). The two narratives are obviously meant to be read as complementary. Therefore, the parallel juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated episodes is the basic characteristic of the narrative. The narrative, which appears parallel, contrasts temptation and beheading tales; which posed the major problem of unity for the early critics (Benson 26). H. L. Savage analyzes the relation between the hunting and temptation scenes and concludes that they are probably the best known explanation of narrative variation in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Benson 25). Simultaneously, one scene takes place in a bedroom, while the other in a forest. One scene concerns courtship, while the other the vigorous excitement of the chase of wild prey. These two sets of scenes differ in content and emphasis, however ...

The Five- Forty Eight

Peaceful Triumph in the Face of Evil Atonement can be achieved without vengeance. Revenge is so basic, so animal a reaction to evil; it takes a higher level of thinking to achieve redemption without hateful spite and revenge. Atonement is satisfying after the anguish of rancor and internal violence brought on by maltreatment. When the goal is to equalize one’s enemy rather than destroy him, the end result is fulfilling. Although one immediately wants to take down his aggressor, in the long run, he will discover that this does not bring him the peace that they seek. In the short story â€Å"The Five- Forty- Eight† by John Clever, a businessman named Blake is kidnapped at gunpoint by his former secretary, Ms. Dent. She is mentally ill and angry with him for ignoring and promptly firing her after their one night stand, bringing him to a warehouse where she contemplates shooting him in revenge, but instead simply walks away. Having confronted the man that has wronged her without taking his life, Ms. Dent eventually leaves the scene, reborn without her anger. Redemption found in the absence of revenge is far more fulfilling a solution to a problem than one found through vengeance and violence. â€Å"The Five- Forty- Eight† is a prime example of this philosophy. Ms. Dent feels that Blake’s malice is the root of her unhappiness. While her mental illness has contributed to her deep inner turmoil, a great deal of it has been stirred up by his cruelly insensitive actions towards her. He preyed on her as he had other women, revealed through the narrator’s assertion that â€Å"most of the many women he had known had been picked for their lack of self- esteem† (Cheever). This gives us a brief glimpse into Blake’s past treatment of women. It is meant to be assumed that the women that Blake has â€Å"known† in the past are others that he was intimate with in brief and loveless affairs. Having said â€Å"picked† allows the reader to recognize that these were not simply women he happened upon in passing, these were in fact women that he specifically chose amongst all others, having perceived them as the easiest targets. Most importantly, the narrator says that these women were picked for their â€Å"lack of self- esteem. This reveals Blake’s true predatory nature. He wanted a woman he perceived to be weak and easy to manipulate for his own devices. Blake used Ms. Dents â€Å"oversensitivity† (Cheever) and â€Å"lack of self- esteem† (Cheever) in order to satisfy his own desires. Blake personifies evil within this story, and his actions against his secretary are the execution of aforementioned evil. Had Ms. Dent killed Blake and therefore vanquished evil, she would not have found peace with her inner demons. Ms. Dent was quite ill to begin with, having spent eight months in a hospital prior to her work for Blake, and her handwriting giving â€Å"the feeling that she had been the victim of some inner—some emotional—conflict that had in its violence broken the continuity of the lines she was able to make on paper† (Cheever). The use of the word â€Å"victim† incites that she is suffering unduly by no fault of her own. The idea that there is â€Å"violence† in her illness lends to the reader the severity of her disease. That the disease should have â€Å"broken the continuity of the lines she was able to make on paper† shows that the troubles of her disease are now pouring outward, evident through things so ordinary as her handwriting. Ms. Dent is quite ill, the impact of this illness becoming obvious long before she kidnapped Blake. Shooting him and thereby expressing the violence and â€Å"conflict† within her would push her over the edge and completely destroy her. Had Ms. Dent destroyed Blake, the evil in her life, she could never and been vindicated of the burdening emotional pain she felt. She is quite capable of overcoming the sadness he caused without killing him. Ms. Dent successfully overcomes the reprobate, evil character in her life without killing him. After bringing him to the warehouse, Ms. Dent forces Blake to the ground, repeating several times, â€Å"Put your face in the dirt† (Cheever). He is now beneath her, having been forced to bend to her will so far as to put his face against the dirty floor of a city warehouse. She then goes on to say â€Å"I can wash my hands of this† (Cheever) several times as well. The washing of hands is an allusion to the Bible, where Pilate, the Roman general who decided to hang Christ upon the cross, also claims to wash his hands of any fault he has in persecuting Jesus. In saying this, Ms. Dent cleanses herself of the â€Å"filth† in her life that has caused her such misery. She then leaves Blake there on the ground, crossing a wooden footbridge and disappearing. This crossing of the bridge metaphorically shows that she is now beyond the obstacle that had impeded her ability to be happy, having done so without harming the obstacle itself, much like a bridge continues one’s path over a river without ever disrupting it. The narrator goes on to say that â€Å"he saw by her attitude, her looks, that she had forgotten him† (Cheever), and we finally know that she is ultimately at peace with herself, and has managed to find this peace without resorting to the ultimate violence of murder. Ms. Dent had purged herself of evil without ever having to destroy its source. The root of nearly all great pain and emotional toil is evil. However tempting it may be to destroy this evil, to vanquish it, to kill it, this will never bring he who suffers the peace he seeks. Should Ms. Dent have killed Blake, she never would have found the redemption she sought. Forcing him into the dirt, lowering him below her, and therefore allowing her to elevate herself above evil gave her the fulfillment that she desired and alleviated the pain that she felt. John Cheever’s â€Å"The Five- Forty- Eight† shows us that the destruction of evil is not necessary when overcoming it. It is in elevating oneself above evil, the realization that one is greater than that which has caused one such suffering, that peace is finally found.

Vasilauskas Callie Unit

At first England is referred to as, ‘This other Eden, deem-paradise/ This fortress built by nature for herself' (2. 1, p. 677-720, 41-44). Gaunt compared the garden of England to the Garden of Eden, Gods Garden! Soon that image is destroyed with descriptions of England defeating itself, much like pests and rodents destroying a garden from the inside out. Referencing both the Garden Of Eden and the internal destruction of the garden, it is obvious that this speech is more than just rambling about flowers and bugs.Describing England as much more than just place to live while also commenting how it is those that live in England that will destroy it is much more religious than some might think. While in the Duke of Works garden, it becomes evident who the â€Å"pests† of the garden really are. King Richard and his merry men are the parasites that are destroying the Garden of England. â€Å"When our sea walled garden, the whole land is full of weeds/ Her fairest flowers chok ed up, her fruit trees all unpinned/ Her hedges ruined, her knots disordered and her wholesome herbs swarming with caterpillars (3. , p. 1836-1919, 40-46). In the same scene on lines 51-65, it is made clear that it is the king that has not trimmed and dressed his land. While he does not directly come out and say the word, â€Å"garden†, Blinkered speaks of the, â€Å"Caterpillars of the commonwealth/ Which have sworn to weed out and pluck away† (2. 3, p. 1277-1 357, 166-167). We know, of course, that Blinkered is speaking of the Kings advisors, Bushy, Bogota, and Green. Talking about the pests of the garden that are destroying it is a very important part of the play.Knowing who is letting weeds flourish in the Arden makes it easier to get the plants in a row. In regards to the gardens in the play, feel that Shakespeare was writing on more of a religious front than anything. Using the Garden of Eden as a way to describe England was my first tip off. The beauty, bliss, a nd purity that we all know of the Garden of Eden made it easy to picture England as a beautiful garden. Once the ugliness and betrayal made an appearance, Adam and Eve and their betrayal to God came to mind. While they could not resist temptation, King Richard could not resist either.He became greedy and money hungry with the desire of land and power. This led to the internal failure of the garden since the main â€Å"gardener† was failing at his duties. Religion was a major undertone in The Tragedy of King Richard II, and when I realized this I finally noticed how wonderful the writing of Shakespeare truly is. Once you get past the different style of writing, it is easy to admire the beauty within the play. It is clear why John of Jaunts speech about the garden is one of the most famous speeches of the play.

Leveling and unleveling of the ego in Full Metal Jacket essays

Leveling and unleveling of the ego in Full Metal Jacket essays Leveling and unleveling of the ego in Full Metal Jacket This movie is different from all that I ¡ve considered till now to be good war movies, like The Patriot, Saving Private Ryan, The Platoon or Braveheart. The proper word that would describe my first impression at seeing the movie would be 'shock ¡, because I felt that it said in a loud and ironical voice all that we think about war. From the first scene in the barbershop, where the new recruits are having their heads shaved in military style and to the last scene, when the marines are marching into the night singing a song about Mickey Mouse, the movie impresses with its sense of real life. Also, Kubrick has no hero in his film, only one protagonist and that ¡s the collective mind of American marines. The movie has two parts. The shifting to the second part is done rather abruptly (just like the beginning), the viewers expecting to see an explanation or maybe the consequences of Pyle ¡s suicide, or even the end of the movie. But the two parts are linked together by the presence of one character, Private Joker and, although he is not the central character, he is an important one because he represents the duality of human nature. Also, he is the one we have to talk about when speaking of the leveling and the unleveling of the ego. The movie opens with an unusual scene. Me, as a viewer, I didn ¡t know how to react: to laugh at that stupid song that said  ¡Goodbye, my sweetheart, hello, Vietnam ¡ or to try to figure out what was on the minds of those men from looking at their serious faces. Well, not all of them were serious. Since the first scene, we can distinguish two men who have a sort a grin on their faces: is it a stupid one, an ironical one or is it just as expressionless as the other faces? We discover this out in the next scene where in comes sergeant Hartman, a Drill Instructor at the Marine boot camp from Paris Island, South Carolina, where all these men ...

Comparison of hip

Comparison of hip Introduction Dance is and always shall be a form of expression where the movements performed speak volumes of the emotions and feelings that the dancer is trying to impart to the audience. The unique aspect of dance is that it is not limited to an assigned constraint or form but rather adapts to the type of music that is being played which as a result has created a myriad of different dance forms reflecting the plethora of available music in the world today.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of hip-hop dancing and ballet specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What must be understood though is that just as different versions music must convey different messages so to do different forms of dance portray different feelings and emotions. In order to better understand this concept an examination of contrasts is needed to clarify just how different yet similar certain styles of dancing are to each other. To this end Hip hop and ballet have been chosen due to the obvious differences in their manner of conveying emotion and eliciting reactions from various audiences. It is actually a rare sight for audiences of either form of expression to interact and even rarer still to see them within the same area however this is precisely why both styles of dance were chosen, for it is in their contrasts that make them dissimilar that the obviousness of their similarity comes to light. It is based on this that this paper assumes that despite their inherent differences in style both hip hop and ballet contain similar attributes when it comes to precision movements and their ability to tell the story of a song through movement and body rhythm. What must first be understood is that despite the assumptions of this paper, hip hop and ballet are still inherently different styles of dance. When a person performs ballet their body follows a certain flow, moves delicately in precise accordance with the music with strict adherence to form and style. Hip hop on the other hand has no particularly distinct style, in fact the basis of this particular form of dance is in improvisation where dancers develop dance moves and patterns as they see fit. If ballet is a soft form of dancing involving delicateness, hip hop is a hard form of expression employing explosive movements. It is on this basis that this paper will elaborate on the basis of the forms and styles utilized in both types of dance and will break down just how similar and different both particular methods of dance are to each other. Similarities Emotion, pure unadulterated emotion and expression, this is basis of the style of ballet, every bodily movement, every graceful step, leap and raised limb, all of this is done to convey some form of message to the audience. While many may assume that the ballerina merely dances along with a song it must be understood that the song itself is merely complimentary, what must be observed is how the movement s flow, if they are meant to portray lust, sadness or demurity.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It must be noted that the human body is in fact capable of multiple types of bodily expression all of which can be interpreted in any manner ways. Ballet takes advantage of this by utilizing body language as a means of telling a story without words. The songs, backgrounds and costumes all contribute to building up the story however it is the ballet dancer that is the true story teller. On the other hand ballet is also done to impress, precise movements, breathtaking rhythm and timing as well as slight acrobatics are all done in order to entertain the audience. In reality ballet is not only a form of expression but also a form of entertainment that is meant to draw in crowds for a profit. Comparatively Hip hop is also based on sheer raw emotion; its movements though convey the baser aspects of emotion such as anger, the need for freedom and recklessness however they convey emotions none the less. Just as ballet is precise in its movements and rhythm so too is Hip hop, one present day example of this can be seen in the Step Up movie series where Hip hop dancers move together under the same rhythm, express themselves through their dancing and let the music compliment what they do instead of their dancing complimenting the music. Similar to ballet Hip hop performances are also meant to impress and entertain audiences during various events to also make a profit. Differences The inherent difference between the two styles lies solely with the fact that one advocates absolute conformity while the other encourages improvisation and redefinition, this of course refers to ballet and Hip hop respectively. What must first be understood is that the each form of dance developed under a different type of culture. In the culture of Hip hop redefinition, recreation, and improvisation are at the heart of this dance style due to fact that that imitation is highly frowned upon in Hip hop culture. For them, originality and uniqueness defined the utilization of styles with each performance actually being slightly or even divergently different than what came before. This is done in the name of ensuring that particular dance numbers are done in way where they always seem original, that they are not reliant on imitation and that they are the sole creation of those who dance them. Ballet on the other hand is all about conformity, performances done on one night must be the same as the next night and the night after that. For classical ballet dancing it is not all about improvisation and creativity rather it is the development of talent to its zenith through sheer repetitive action. The development of perfect form, perfect grace and perfect steps, to give the perfect performance over and over again is what ballet strives to do. While there are certain improvi sations done, these are relatively minor when compared to manner in which the style seems to keep repeating itself. In this repetition a ballet dancer can develop himself/herself into a figure of absolute grace and beauty. While Hip hop can be considered constant surprise and innovation ballet is considered the achievement of the absolute zenith in grace and fluidity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of hip-hop dancing and ballet specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion Based on the findings of this paper it can be seen that while Hip hop and ballet may have inherent differences in the intent and focus of their various dance movements the fact remains that they are still inherently similar in their desire to express and entertain. While it is still not quite clearly understood, precision and coordinated movements that can be seen in both ballet and Hip hop apparently have a similar appeal to the human s enses. Perhaps it is in the body language, movement styles or sheer rhythm, regardless both styles of dance are the same in their ability to entertain and impart a message through their movements. This ability is distinctly different as compared to ballroom dancing since there does not seem to be any message that ballroom dancing is trying to impart to an audience and in fact rather than the song complimenting the dancer, in this case it is the dancer that is complimenting the song. This is why ballet and Hip hop are so similar, they are able to convey messages other forms of dance cannot; they alone can use their bodies to weave stories, elicit strong responses, cause excitement and tension and most important of all entertain audiences beyond mere body movements and knee jerking.

How to Correctly Use German Adverb Auch

How to Correctly Use German Adverb Auch Sometimes the littlest words can have a big meaning. Take the German adverb auch. In its simplest form, this word means also. But it also (get it?) holds greater significance.   Auch can mean even. It can also be a modal particle and imply anything from I hope to Youre sure. Heres a closer look at the power behind this common, little adverb.   When Auch Is Accentuated This type of auch relates to the subject of the sentence and will usually be in front of a verbal group. Its meaning is also. For example:   Mein Sohn will jetzt auch Klavier studieren. My son now also wants to study piano. Meine Oma isst gerne Bockwurst und auch Bratwurst.My grandmother likes to eat Bockwurst and Bratwurst, as well. When Auch Is Not Accentuated This type of  auch bears directly upon the elements of phrase that follow it. It usually means even. For example:   Auch fà ¼r einen fleißigen Schà ¼ler, war dies eine große Hausaufgabe.Even for a hard working student, this was a lot of homework. ï » ¿Ihr kann auch kein Arzt helfen.Not even a doctor can help her. Take note that in the above sentences, the unaccented auch draws attention toward an accented word: fleißigen or Arzt, respectively. Auch Can Express Mood An unaccented auch can also be used to indicate the mood of the speaker. In such cases, you will find  auch to help underline the speaker’s irritation or reassurance. For example:   Du kannst auch nie still sein!You can never be still, can you? Hast du deine Brieftasche auch nicht vergessen?I hope you didn’t forget your wallet. Context Is Everything Consider the following two dialogues and the meaning implied by the context. Sprecher 1: Die Freunde deines Sohnes kà ¶nnen gut schwimmen.  / Your son’s friends can swim really well. Sprecher 2: Mein Sohn ist auch ein guter Schwimmer.  / My son is also a good swimmer.Sprecher 1: Mein Sohn treibt gerne Basketball und Fußball. Er ist auch ein guter Schwimmer.  / My son loves playing basketball and soccer. He is also a good swimmer. Sprecher 2: Ihr Sohn ist sehr sportlich. / Your son is very athletic. As you can see, in both dialogues, the phrases with auch are practically the same, yet a different meaning is implied. Tone and context mean everything. In the first case, auch is accented and serves the subject of the sentence:  Sohn. In the second case, auch is unaccented and the emphasis is in on guter Schwimmer, implying that the son is, among other things, also good at swimming.

Experimental economics summary paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Experimental economics summary paper - Essay Example These aspects tend to be the deciding factors as to when and why humans cooperate or they don’t. The author has used the single trial public goods and the multiple trail experiments to analyse human behaviour and how that affects the economy to a certain extent. In case of the former, it was found that the players could be segregated in two categories- 1: strong free riders, who did not want to contribute anything to the economy 2: weak free riders, who may or may not contribute towards public good and just want to enjoy the benefits (Dawes & Thaler, 1988) In case of the latter, it was found that more the subjects were put through repetitive experiments, the lesser cooperative they grew and even lesser they contributed towards public good. However, both cannot be considered as precise predictions or concrete results to any research. The other theory that has been highlighted by the author is that of reciprocal altruism being a major factor in deciding the contribution level. I t has been observed through experiments that humans tend to cooperate more when there is expectation that the same will be reciprocated. However, this theory has its own drawbacks.

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Research Paper - Essay Example Rate of Incarceration The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, but incarcerate roughly a quarter of all the prisoners in the world. According to a report released by the Bureau of Prison Statistics, one out of every 32 adults in the United States was in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole at the end of 2005. In fact, imprisonment has become the immediate response to far too many of the social problems that burden people who are ensconced in poverty. These problems often are veiled by being conveniently grouped together under the category "crime" and by the automatic attribution of criminal behavior to people of color. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages. This system cannot last much longer, it’s stretched to the breaking point. There are too many prisoners for the system to be sustained. The only results are more violence, riots, racism. The system is failing because it was not designed to succeed. The criminal justice system disproportionately occupies people of color in the United States (Abramsky, 2008). According to Angela Davis, â€Å"Almost two million people are currently locked up in the immense network of U.S. prisons and jails. More than 70 percent of the imprisoned population are people of color. It is rarely acknowledged that the fastest growing group of prisoners is black women and that Native American prisoners are the largest group per capita.† We can see the impact socioeconomically by examining information from the Department of Justice itself, Irwin and Austin report that "Between 1980 and 1995, the prison population ballooned from 329,821 to 1,104,074--a rise of 235%" (Irwin & Austin, p.1). Zimring and Hawkins write "Never before has a prison system grown by so much in so short a time during a period of political and social stab ility" (Zimring & Hawkins, 1994 p.83). The incarceration rate in the U.S. increased from 138 per 100,000 in 1980 to 403 in 1995. "We now imprison at a higher rate than any other nation in the world, having recently surpassed South Africa" (Irwin & Austin, p.1). What we clearly see here is that mass imprisonment in local communities is continuing to grow faster and faster over time. The impact of this is astonishing when you consider the amount of individuals and families of non-caucasian decent who are harmed psychologically and physically because of a system clearly designed for the purpose of turning profit under the guise of helping the population. There are now about 1.5 million children in the U.S. who have a parent in prison. According to a report by Marc Mauer, â€Å"African American children, 1 of every 14 has a parent behind bars on any given day. Over the course of a year or an individual’s childhood, the figures would obviously be much greater. For these children, the experience of shame, stigma, and loss of financial and psychological support becomes a profound aspect of their life experience. The effect on these communities is compounded by the fact that imprisonment has become an almost inevitable aspect of the experience of growing up as a black male in the U.S. Government figures now show that a black male born today has a one in three chance of spending at least a year in prison at some point in his life. Thus,

Constitutional Law of the EU Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Constitutional Law of the EU - Case Study Example Individuals were given the right to bring actions before the ECJ for judicial review of the acts of Community institutions under Article 173. However, as a means of enforcing individual rights, this Article has limited utility as, first, individuals are not permitted to bring actions against Member States and therefore have no rights or remedies where a State violates their Community law rights and, secondly, individuals are required to demonstrate that the measure is a decision which is of direct and individual concern to the applicant. An individual cannot challenge regulations unless it is demonstrable that it is merely a decision in the garb of a regulation1. The individual must show that the effects of the decision apply directly to the applicant without depending on the exercise of discretion by another body2. Moreover, the decision must affect the individual's legal position3. The ECJ has taken its own view as to the nature and effect of treaties known as the doctrine of 'direct effect.' The concept of Direct Effect of EC law was developed by the ECJ to allow individuals and organisations to use the provisions of EC law within their Member States' domestic courts without having to wait for the Member State to fulfil some obligation which it had omitted to do. Although, individuals could complain to the Commission, nevertheless they could not compel the Commission to ensure that their rights were enforced if the Commission was chary of doing so4. The implication of this jurisprudential concept is that individuals can obtain the required mandate directly from community law, for enforcement in their own national courts. It also places control in the hands of ordinary individuals, as per the provisions of Article 226 EC, which enables the Commission to initiate proceedings against Member States for breaches. Direct effect has in this manner empowered every citizen of the Union to participate actively and in this manner has brought the community into their lives. Its legal foundations were established in Van Gend En Loos 5 in which the Court held that an individual was entitled to invoke Article 25 EC in order to prohibit Member States from introducing new customs duties on imports and exports and other charges having equivalent effects. The Court held that Article 25 EC was directly effective and could be challenged by individuals in the national courts. However the ECJ reasoned that direct effect exists and that the individuals may have the rights conferred upon them directly under EC treaties. This reasoning was based on the need to carry out the political and legislative programme that the treaties had set out to create a community not only of states but also of personsthat calls for the participation of everybody. The spirit of the preamble to the EC implies that reference has to be made not only to member governments but also to individuals, and is therefore, more than an agreement which creates mutual obligations between the contracting states. In this way it is distinct from other international treaties and constitutes a new legal order of international law for the benefit of which the stated have limited their sovereign rights, although within limited fields, the subjects of which comprise not only member states but also their nationals. Therefore it was concluded that, community lawis intended to confer upon individuals righ ts which become part of their

Adolescent Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adolescent Behavior - Essay Example It is the phase which could not be always unconstructive but it is the phase where the individuals experience thoughtfulness, idealism, understandings for surroundings and self and at the same time they become judgmental. Thus children belonging to this group are more energetic as well as enthusiastic (Thomas, 2008; A Parent's Guide to Surviving the teen years). Understanding is required by the parents to deal with their growing adolescent child. It is the phase that is different for everyone, anytime between 8 years to 14 years. Some of the kids belong to the category of premature bloomers, some are delayed arrivers, some may show speedy developments while others may display steady growth. This onsets the adult signs and child display physical changes. It is essential to understand that with these physical changes comes the behavioral changes as well (Thomas, 2008). It is generally observed that kids illustrate rebellious nature towards parents and start counting more on their frien ds and peers. They believe more what their peers say as compared to what parents are saying, thereby they rely on peers more for any kind of decision. They try to change their outlook and appearance as per the need of time, in doing so they may encounter conflict with the parents. The adolescent kid may face some emotional turmoil as well as they aim in achieving independence in terms of thoughts and in every pursuit.

Local and Global policy contexts for senior schooling Essay

Local and Global policy contexts for senior schooling - Essay Example Not only does this form of education bring in an immense form of economic growth to the country but is also assists in a great improvement in the quality of life available (Pollard 2003). Thus, while the individual benefits from this type of education by securing better paying and working conditions, the country also benefits in the form of economic growth and a higher standard of living. However, there are certain factors which continue to affect the rates of post compulsory education. If not controlled they can harness and affect the rates at which this type of education is excelling and spreading today. A change in taste, cyclical factors and interventions by government policy makers might all be responsible for harnessing the growth of post compulsory education today. Most education systems require their students to stay in school till the age of fifteen. Thus, the education system does not require the child to attend school till any specific class, instead deciding on a legal age to leave school. The progression made in post compulsory education is checked through statistics and studies which examine the change in rates. In Australia, the participation rates showed that half of all students above the required school age continued with their education. The number of females who preferred to stay within this system was also higher than those of male retention rates. The grades obtained by these students were also great with the students achieving a higher grade in classes 11 and 12 then they had before. However, the study showed the females preferring to gain a higher education and achieving higher grades with far more persistence than their male counterparts (Lewis & Koshy). The participation in this type of education system is observed through two factors: the demand for post compulsory education and the supply for post compulsory education. But because no school system forbids or prevents an individual from achieving a secondary education, the demand for it proves to be far more effective in understand the reasons behind the participation in this education method. There are several factors affecting the rates of education in the post compulsory sector. The student has to be able to divide the costs and benefits they will achieve from obtaining this education. This includes the full-time or part-time opportunities that are available to them before they leave school. Thus, by participating in a continued education system, the individual forgoes the chance of being part of the labour market and earning wages. The diminishing job opportunities available to these students led them to drop the idea of working after the legal education age and pursue a higher education (ABS Labor Force). Yet, the job must also be able to provide adequate wages for the student to prefer it over an education system. This is because wages are the main reason behind the youth choosing to participate in the labor force (Long, Carpenter & Hayden). If the wages factor was removed from the labour force then most individuals would seek to continue with their studies. Where the student is incapable of finding a job they are able to find a trainee or apprenticeship program which teaches them the ethics

E-Business and Value Chains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

E-Business and Value Chains - Essay Example This paper will seek to develop e-value and e-customer chains in terms of e-business to show the means by which information technology (IT) has been influencing the Virgin Atlantic Airways apparel business innovation, transformation, and development among other benefits (Godwin, 2009:4). Additionally, this paper will focus on opportunities brought about by electronic business and asses strengths as well as weaknesses experienced by this organization due to information technology. Changes in supply chain management practices of Virgin Atlantic Airways Virgin Atlantic Airways is an acclaimed leader in the aviation industry. Being the first airline to introduce or launch customer for the Airbus A340-600, it accords its name a great deal of success and innovation (Buhalis, 2003:7). This airline revolutionized the business when it created the Upper Class ‘Suite’ and started offering regular services to 25 destinations globally. With development of internet, the supply chain m anagement and practices of this airline transformed. This is because; information communication technologies transformed the entire business world of aviation. In particular, the airline industry fostered its dependency on technology due to its strategic and operational management. Virgin Atlantic Airways was an early adopter of information communication technolo

Local and Global policy contexts for senior schooling Essay

Local and Global policy contexts for senior schooling - Essay Example Not only does this form of education bring in an immense form of economic growth to the country but is also assists in a great improvement in the quality of life available (Pollard 2003). Thus, while the individual benefits from this type of education by securing better paying and working conditions, the country also benefits in the form of economic growth and a higher standard of living. However, there are certain factors which continue to affect the rates of post compulsory education. If not controlled they can harness and affect the rates at which this type of education is excelling and spreading today. A change in taste, cyclical factors and interventions by government policy makers might all be responsible for harnessing the growth of post compulsory education today. Most education systems require their students to stay in school till the age of fifteen. Thus, the education system does not require the child to attend school till any specific class, instead deciding on a legal age to leave school. The progression made in post compulsory education is checked through statistics and studies which examine the change in rates. In Australia, the participation rates showed that half of all students above the required school age continued with their education. The number of females who preferred to stay within this system was also higher than those of male retention rates. The grades obtained by these students were also great with the students achieving a higher grade in classes 11 and 12 then they had before. However, the study showed the females preferring to gain a higher education and achieving higher grades with far more persistence than their male counterparts (Lewis & Koshy). The participation in this type of education system is observed through two factors: the demand for post compulsory education and the supply for post compulsory education. But because no school system forbids or prevents an individual from achieving a secondary education, the demand for it proves to be far more effective in understand the reasons behind the participation in this education method. There are several factors affecting the rates of education in the post compulsory sector. The student has to be able to divide the costs and benefits they will achieve from obtaining this education. This includes the full-time or part-time opportunities that are available to them before they leave school. Thus, by participating in a continued education system, the individual forgoes the chance of being part of the labour market and earning wages. The diminishing job opportunities available to these students led them to drop the idea of working after the legal education age and pursue a higher education (ABS Labor Force). Yet, the job must also be able to provide adequate wages for the student to prefer it over an education system. This is because wages are the main reason behind the youth choosing to participate in the labor force (Long, Carpenter & Hayden). If the wages factor was removed from the labour force then most individuals would seek to continue with their studies. Where the student is incapable of finding a job they are able to find a trainee or apprenticeship program which teaches them the ethics

Feminist organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Feminist organizations - Essay Example Accordingly, the following brief analysis will make an inventory of each of these aspects as a function of further delineating and defining the National Organization for Women. Firstly, the website which was analyzed denoted that fact that the ultimate goal of the group was to take immediate action for the equality of women. Although this is specifically tied to the manner in which women’s issues and women’s rights are exhibited within the United States, the group also seeks to effect change in various regions around the globe on behalf of women and their needs/rights. The mission statement itself further seeks to hone the areas of focus that NOW seeks to integrate with. Accordingly, the mission statement is as follows, â€Å"the purpose of NOW is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men† (NOW 1). Similarly, with regards to the political orientation of the group, the website itself promotes the understanding that the group is specifically interested in engaging in actions that promote women’s rights, feminism, anti-racism, ending homophobia, promoting LGBT rights, and promoting reproductive rights. As might be easily inferred, the group generally promotes a more liberal interpretation of the political paradigm; siding more often than not with liberal and progressive elements within the United States and typically aligning with the Democratic party. However, with that being said, it must also be understood that NOW does not promote any one single political party; rather, their interests are supra-political and the group only sides with more progressive and liberal ideologies due to the fact that these most specifically represent the goals and ends that the group is trying to effect. With such a constraining level of missions and values, the group is invariably at

Company Profile For Shine Communications Business Essay

Company Profile For Shine Communications Business Essay The assignment mainly focuses on understanding the nature of small business with the variety of business and management concepts. In this assignment target on performance evaluation of small business, applying changes to improve business performance, assess business objectives and plans , introducing new business plans. Scenario 1 Company profile for Shine Communications Among almost all the marketing communication agencies Shine Communications is ranked as one of the best small company in UK. Shine Communications was founded in 1997 as an agency for public relations and marketing communication and the company runs on four basic values: Smart, Fresh, Connected, Committed. Shine Communications awarded as the best small business / company at Sunday Times Best Small Companies To Work For 2012 and also the CEO Rachel Bell was recognized as the best leader. The company is changing day by day with the latest requirements. Shine organize many campaigns under different ways but the major way of delivering is social media activities. Team strength of the company is highly counted in scale of small business. Shine Communications is running with a team around fifty heads and they are able to work with most strong brands around the world. SWOT analysis for Shine Communications Strengths Market position Shine Communications is the most sought after personal relations agency over five years in UK. Working Partners Shine Communications has strong working capacity with strong brands across the world as BARCARDI , ebay, paramount , Intercontinental hotel group etc. it is a huge advantage for Shine Communications to have such large dealers in their business. That cause to build a magical reputation to the company name. Diversification Shine Communications is well diversified across their pattern of delivering campaigns. Shine 1 is the place where all the campaigns are built on with strategies , valuable ideas and PR related materials via marketing mix. Shine 1 also focus on delivering solutions for brand Management. Shine Studio capable enough to deliver high quality collateral design , production of videos, photography to client. Shine Live is currently engaged in for develop events , direct marketing , sampling , guerrilla marketing. Shine creations are mostly backed by social media. This way of interacting is highly demanded. When comes to Shine Social Media it based on five C s ; content, channel, community , carrots and connection. The diversifying factor within the business is attain higher strength to the company. Research and Development For the development and sustaining in the industry each and every business need RD. Shines Communications particularly does not has a department to carry out such procedures. But they always alert on latest trends and fashions in market , culture and society. In that way they are able to keep their campaigns refreshing. That ability of being alert add more and more values to the business. Weakness Revenue Concentration When compare to the same scale business the expected revenue is not much satisfied that is about  £35000 (36%). it is not enough revenue because the company operates under different categories. Count of heads Shine Communications work with a team of less number about 56. All the functions carried out by them in a tight schedule. In one side it adds weak point to the company . Opportunities Client Base The company has the ability of building strong client base due to the versatility behavior of the company. At present they are also working with iconic brands in the market under different categories. As the company get to know day by day ,with their achievements and awards it will lead to marketing efficiency in the industry. Threats Shine Communications has to face competition posed by other local small firms with the special client base they have from surrounded areas. And also the competition from large scale PR firms that serves nationwide. Analysis of the business performance Performance of a company depends on different factors. To evaluate performance of a company comparatively Porters five forces model gives a large cover up. The task facing managers is to analyze competitive forces in an industrys environment in order to identify the opportunities and threats confronting a company. Michael E.Porter of the Harvard school of business administration has developed a framework that helps managers in this analysis.(Morden ,2007) According to the Porter establishment of many companies pose a threat. Industry of PR is fully filled with thousands of companies , so the buyers can easily move on to other company. As PR is not much capital oriented industry so entry is much easier compare to another industry. so there is high threat of new entrance. Bargaining power of customers is the power customers have to stress up companies in a particular industry. In PR applying this factor is not identical. Some firms highly depend on customers while others neglect that so the bargaining power can be ranked as moderate factor. PR is a industry build with knowledge. It is very hard to find good PR people so they can demand more. There is competitive rivalry among companies in the PR industry because loosing a one customer may cause to lose ten. Value chain analysis contains interlinked activities that finally targeted to achieve customer needs and requirements. In each stage it adds value to the final product. In the industry of PR it targets to grant customer satisfied final product. Activity of the value chain consists which are related to sales, marketing, promotional. As a small business in PR industry it needs to pay attention on that activity. Elements of service represent activities related to after service, assisting, handling complains. As a company in PR industry it is highly connected with those element. Scenario 2 How to overcome weaknesses As pointed out in SWOT analysis there are few weaknesses identified. The less revenue compared to other companies in PR industry is an issue related with the company. To overcome this problem company needs to focus on generating more and more profits. For that they need to target as well as high budget and low budget campaigns. Because sometimes profit margin of low budget is higher than profit margin of high budget. And also they must carry out promotional campaign emphasizing their awards in order to attract more and more valuable customers Strength of a working team is not always depends on count of heads. But in Shine Communications there are only 56 employees in the company. Because they are in PR industry they always have to deal with people who need everything perfectly done. As the few number of work force they have a very busy and tight work plan so sometimes they have to face problem of flexibility when dealing with customers. So it is better to hire well selected employees to overcome being inflexible amidst customers. How to maintain and strengthen existing performance Shine Communications operates with core values inside the business that helps to run business functions smoothly. That leads them towards more achievements. In order to maintain performance they need to refresh their ideas continuously. Customers expect different type of outcomes from the company. Identifying new trends in cultures, market and society is important because customers preferences change with those trends and factors. In this type of business it is needed to build great team spirit and relationship. To strengthen up existing performance in a company team playing plays vital role. Shine Communications already having good team spirit and that should be keeping up and strong to maintain performance. Shine Communications reach their customers in different ways and they value their customers. It is better to tie up a knot between customers in a small scale business because one customer means lots. To attain more performance it is required to value people indeed. Performance of a company rather depends on capabilities of the employees of the company. So in order to acquire high performance it is needed to improve performance of individuals. For that employees should be trained, push to gain new knowledge, encourage to learn. Those will definitely leads to improve performance of the company. New area which the business could be expanded It is a way of performing well by entering to a new field of business. As a company in the field of PR the Shine Communications can expand their business operations in to different fields. As per the behavior of the business and the way they conduct their business activities most lead to the sector of marketing research. Marketing research is the function which links the consumers, customers , public and the market through information. Information used to identify define marketing opportunities and problems , generate refines and evaluate marketing action and activities monitored marketing performances and improve understanding of marketing as a process(Macolam,2007). Shine Communications already in the position of understanding behavior of customers and they are deeply study the changes in market as well as every aspect of the society in order to carry out their campaigns. So shine communications has a passion for researching. In a marketing research it is important to measure what we done. Validity refers to the extant to which we captured data and are we measuring what we intended to measure(Naresh,2006) . Shine Communications measure the output of their effort that they achieved the required target. So by using those techniques they will be able to measure the impact and benefits of conducted marketing research to a particular company. Scenario 3 Identify and assess the existing business objectives and plans Objectives of a business define where the business wants to go in future and what we want achieve in a given period of time(Baker, 2008). Shine communications are in a plan of getting more and more closer to their customers in order to deliver standard service to them. As per the Truban(2002) the customer is the person receiving the outcome of the campaign in fact we must look at the deepest level of specific satisfaction. So according to that shine has a plan to customize their distribution channels suit to the present day demand. They are planning to use LIS Shine the mailing list and other social web sites to make aware and advertise what is happening , new posts , new applications for those who are interest. According to the Rothwell(2004) the main objective of staff training and development are to improve the quality of employee for achieve different tasks. Shine is not in strength of allocating time for series of training and development. But they are having a plan to develop s kills of their employees by using twitter and LinkedIn. In that method they are having objective to allow their members to share skills and experience with others over the social media. Revise the existing business plans of the organisation and suggest new business plans As per the Pinson(2004) business plan is extremely important for the success of business and it is main purpose is to give a picture of the future business. Business plan is very much important to have a integrated vision about the company , mutual understanding among the team , recruiting, determine financial requirements and many more things. Shine Communications should focus on raising their profit margin for that they need to develop business plans in order to achieve that task. Also the company must concentrate on recruiting procedure. To build up strengthen high spirit team they must have a good plan for manage human resource. According to the new business era suggested Shine Communications is needed to develop new business plans and objectives in order to capture the market. Business plan is not a fixed written document that cannot be amended according to the changes within the company (Carig,2009). So as the suggested new business field of marketing research they are expected to develop new aims and objectives to the company s business plan. First company needs to develop a methodology to conduct the researches. That means they should experiment on different ways to gather information and measure the result. The best result methodology can be selected. Then the company needs to hire capable human resource to carry out field work as well as indoor work. Then they must develop a business plan to promote new business area to existing customers , new customers and outsiders by social media. à Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬   Prepare an action plans to implement the suggested changes According to the ideas of Bozeman and Straussman(2003) action planning guide to day today activities in a small scale company. It should be a strategically build up framework that must significantly impact on the business activities. It is important to plan operationally and strategically when a company move to a new business , product or service. As per the ideas of Homburg , Kuester , Krohmer(2009) when preparing a action plan first required to develop statement of what must be achieved. In there it is needed to specify the types of the outputs and results that should come out. Then it is needed to spell out the steps that need to follow in order to achieve the objectives and how it is going to take place. Each and every step of the action plan should be carried out carefully by delegating the responsibilities and power. To determine the best methodology first need to collect information from direct contacts already they have with the company. Then focus on small and medium scale g roups to collect information. Then use shines social media activities in order to gather activities. After collecting enough information it should be processed to select the best methodology. For the selecting appropriate methodology company has to follow above specified steps accordingly by the existing staff in a given timeframe. But for the future tasks the existing staff not be sufficient enough and they are not technically and skillfully ready to carry out the tasks. So the next action should be recruiting research capable human resource to the company. Then they will be able to carry out the next level tasks efficiently and effectively to meet customer requirements Scenario 4 Outline the changes of the organization with the new revised plans The rapid change affects the organization development as well as the organizational environment. The transformation of the organization can be a competitive advantage while it may cause to collapse the entire organization structure (Hudson , 2001). Organizational structure As per the idea of Robbins(2007) structure of organsation reflects the meaning of framework organized on the group who are connected under one roof. It shows the way they are working , power delegation , responsibilities , leadership and how the decisions flow. According to the new plans the organsational structure is liable to change. Because of the new recruitment procedures and new business field new posts are generating , new leaders are emerging . so the existing structure of the organization has to change according to new business plans. Business policies According to the Smith and Fingar(2003) business policy provides guidance to predetermine aims and targets of the company to cover up aspects of structural , functional manner. With the establishment of new business field in a existing company it cause to do changes in the existing business policies. Impact that the proposed changes on business and personnel Small scale enterprises rarely believe in policy changes and business changes. They mostly do changes with the intension of creating better work place and work environment (Obien 2011). In the Shine Communications the changes going to made may occur different impact on both business and personal. By proposed changes the business will get new dimension towards the success. The business will be more profit oriented in a budgeted framework and have to focus on both iconic brands and locally distributed brands. Shines policy changes may lead business to more and more customers locally and nationally. Until new policies and practices become familiar and established organizational performance can be affected according to the changes made. Performance may grow up while employees are confident enough to suit with the new business procedures (Smith and Fingar 2003) With the new business aspect employees should be able to work in each and every department without any hesitation. For that the existing staff need to study the new business area and its operations thoroughly. Because being a small scale company no one can limit only tone field of activities. They are expected to get on the job training by sharing experience among one another. Managers are to use the listening and questioning methodology that transfer employees to correct frame work that leads to target organization objectives in a team spirit (Conaty and Charan ,2011 ). To build up team spirit within the organization there should be a bond between new and existing staff. For that it is required to plan and develop campaigns which allows to join together and share skills and experiences. That changes help to develop employees personally and finally it leads to whole performance of the company. How the changes on business going to manage and measure the performance As per the ideas driven by Pinson(2004) significant changes within a business may cause to change management , production , policy negatively. When applying changes to existing business it is needed to systematically minimize negative effects on the business functions, employees and management. Specially there can be competition among new and existing employees because of the level of skills and experience. A smart competition can be admired but if it is growing up to rivalry it should be attended. Employees with different abilities must be appreciated while giving others a chance to improve their skills. The term diversification is connected with changes of a business function , market , product line . Diversification can bring business towards while much diversification pulling business backward. By adding more business fields to the existing business it may cause complex situation because of too many business functions and activities. But by concentrating on each and every functio n clearly and particularly identifying specific factors the negative impact on business can be reduced. As per the Malhotra(2006) performance of a new plan should measure and report in detail in order to significantly identify. Performane by daily basis Tasks of new plan Task1 Task2 Task3 Task4 Task5 Task6 1 2 3 Total value 4 High performance 3- Average Performance 2-Poor Performance 1-Not performing Conclusion The business environment of small scale business is rather different to large scale business environment. Business functions of a small business is not much complex to understand and also it is easy to measure the performance. The selected company has activated business plans and it can be advanced by applying minor changes. Though it is an small company changes in business policies , business functions and objectives cause large impact on the performance of the company.

Becoming An Educator :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Becoming An Educator Waking up every morning, excited, motivated and ready to go to school. This is how I felt as a child and now how I want to make other children feel. When I attended school all children loved to be there, but in today's society that isn't the case. So many of the rules in school today have changed. So many issues have arose in today's society like war and violence that students are scared to be at school where they feel unsafe but I , as a future educator would like to change children's outlooks on school. There are many reasons for public schools. The rules however changed tremendously. When you walk into a kindergarten classroom today you see students learning their alphabet, their numbers, playing with others, and coloring pretty pictures. This is what education should consist of. Even though everyone bases everything around learning, it has to include fun to catch the students' attention. Education is so important because without an education you can't proceed in everyday life. When you're young, education is fun and then things get somewhat more difficult as you continue on throughout college. You wonder, is it really worth it, doing all this work just to make a living? Yes it is because if doing all this work can lead you to doing something you love then every minute is worth it. When I walk into a classroom I look at every student and set goals for myself and hope that everyday when I leave that classroom I have taught someone something new that they didn't know before they met me. As a teacher I hope to accomplish achievement in my classroom. I will only set my standards at a high level because that is how I was taught when I was a child, I will not push my students to do more then they think they can. I always remember having a teacher walk into your classroom the first day of school and saying, "I want to be just like that when I grow up." I hope my students can look at me and say that and I also hope they learn something they didn't know before. In my classroom I want my students to enjoy themselves but at the same time I want them to walk out of my classroom with a new perspective.

Higher Education Organizational Theory and Leadership :: Public Administration

Higher Education Organizational Theory and Leadership The following briefing paper has been prepared to assist you in preparing your speech to the local chamber of commerce. The topic you have been asked to speak on is outlining the differences in leading an institution of higher education as opposed to running a for-profit business. The briefing highlights key points from three oft-referenced scholarly articles on the topic of higher education organizational theory and leadership. These points explain higher education structures and the differences between higher education organization and leadership and what your audience might be accustomed to. I have included references for your aid. Introduction. Higher education and private business have much in common. They use resources to produce a product for a defined client base. They are led by individuals with vision, passion, and leadership for their organizations. At their heart are dedicated people that make up the organization. However, there are also many differences, especially in making these organizations work well. The Complex Structure of Higher Education. The university is a complex organization. Baldridge, Curtis, Ecker and Riley (1982) found that colleges and universities have characteristics that distinguish them from private enterprises as well as other government organizations. They describe the higher education environment as one where resources allow individuals within the organization room to grow in different directions without the tight restraints seen in other types of environments. They go on to describe the role of the president and other university leaders as catalysts or facilitators rather than the â€Å"my way or the highway† mentality of some private CEOs. Baldridge et al. describe this environment as â€Å"organized anarchy† where this facilitation role, also described as collegial decision making, leads to an environment where decisions â€Å"happen† rather than are â€Å"made.† Politically, this environment tends to be mostly inactive wi th very fluid, fragmented participation. The president assumes the role as â€Å"first among equals†, a mediator between power blocs on campus. This is very different in all but a few private corporations. Loosely Coupled Systems. Weick (1976) takes a very similar view of this organizational theory but from a slightly different perspective. He writes of the higher education institution as a â€Å"loosely coupled system†, a system that differs markedly from the organization system of a private enterprise. The basic theory is that, unlike the militaristic ideal of the â€Å"tight ship† that many private organizations have adopted, loosely coupled systems have â€Å"softer† linkages between each unit of the organization.

Cyrano de Bergerac vs Romeo & Juliet Balcony Scenes Essay

Shakespeare and Rostand employ unique writing methods in order to show the battle the characters in each of their plays, Romeo and Juliet and Cyrano de Bergerac partake in to express their true feelings for one another. Each play utilizes the motifs and themes of light versus dark and societal views that work against or shows the true meaning behind their love for one another through a balcony setting which resembles each other well. Settings are important components in any piece of literature, they set the mood and atmosphere for the particular scene. In both plays the balcony scenes occur at night under the cover of darkness, which plays an important similarity in the plays as well. While the scenes occur at night both Romeo and Cyrano compare their lovers to light. In act three of Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano agrees to help Christian court Roxane and by doing so he must hide underneath the balcony to conceal his identity. Eventually Cyrano takes over for Christian because he wishes to express his fondness for Roxane himself, but still hidden by the darkness. Night, making all things dimly beautiful, one veil over us both†¦ and I [see] the whiteness of a summer gown, you are all light- I am all shadows. † Cyrano is comparing his repulsive nose to Roxane’s beauty, calling himself the darkness of the night which cannot be described or mentioned, versus Roxane’s exquisiteness which reminds Cyrano of summer. Not only does he compare her to light but he calls her the light of his life, that without her his life would be dismal. Technically Cyrano is supposed to be speaking for Christian in this situation but he is in fact speaking from the heart. He is concerned that Roxane will not love and respect him because of his nose, and because of this he keeps himself in the dark literally and metaphorically. Whereas Cyrano has loved his dear cousin all his life, but hidden his true feelings, Romeo falls in love at first sight and takes no hesitation to express his love for Juliet. While hiding in the gardens surrounding Juliet’s window, Romeo states, â€Å"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun! † (II, ii 2-3). This scene initiates one of the plays most beautiful and famous sequences, it is a prime example of the light and dark motif that runs throughout the play. The beauty of the night, with the moon rays shinning, adds to the romantic nature of the scene and seems to â€Å"light up† the act. Shakespeare uses a metaphor here to express Romeo’s love for Juliet. He has such belief in her that he knows she has the power to banish the night and turn it into day with her beauty. They both feel as if the other is the bright light in the darkness, and that they will guide each other through the dark obstacles to a life of pure love and happiness. Through out the plays society also fights against each set of lovers, society has taught them that it is not reality for them to spend their lives together. Rostand expresses through the play that society during the 1600’s did not consider a person for their inner personality but only judged them for their outer appearance. During Cyrano’s speech to Roxane in the third act he says, â€Å"Is it not so to be myself to you, and have no fear of moving you to laughter? In this situation Cyrano does not feel confidence in himself and almost lets his hidden identity to become discovered. He does not feel he is worthy of Roxane’s attention so he hides behind the poetry he reads to her. Because Cyrano doesn’t think that Roxane will have him, he enters into the deceptive relationship with Christian, who is society’s standard of physical beauty in a man. Cyrano verbalizes his innermost thoughts to Roxane through Christian’s name which reveals his true love for her. He successfully woos her with his words, and Christian and Roxane eventually marry. Thus, he loses the love of his life because he can’t approach her due to his lack of confidence based on society’s views of him and his rather large nose. Much of Romeo and Juliet involves the lovers’ struggles against social standards that oppose the existence of their love. Without knowing that Romeo is below her window, Juliet speaks, â€Å"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. And I’ll no longer be a Capulet† (II, ii 33-35). Juliet knows that not only society but the raging families would not approve of their love, but that does not stop her from caring for Romeo. She asks him to deny his family for her love but adds that if he will not, she will deny her family in order to be with him if he merely tells her that he loves her. There is clearly tension between family names and personal identity. Juliet believes that love comes from one’s inner identity, and that the feud between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s is based only on names. She later states, â€Å"What’s in a name that which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet† (II, ii 42-43). Her love for Romeo surpasses her family’s hatred for the Montague name. She says that if Romeo were not called Romeo he would still be the person she loves and that societal views will not deteriorate their love. The characters within each play express true feelings and work hard and fight the odds in a balcony scene in order to live with one another, expressing their love eternally. Rostand paralleled Shakespeare’s balcony scene in order to convey the true love Cyrano held for Roxane the way Romeo expressed his love for Juliet.

The Meaning and Significance of Books to Three Characters in Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Ever since the first caveman delved to carve out pictures on rock, life has been changed, shaped, molded, and transformed by the magic of writing. The written word—or images, as in the case of the old caveman—as created by the combined efforts of experience and the musings of the human mind has opened doors and paths for otherwise enclosed spaces and dead ends. One may be physically alone yet feel surrounded by a wealth of friends and exotic locations brought upon by the narratives of gifted writers.The experience of reading, while often done on one’s own, has the power to strengthen and expand the mind and the mindset, allowing entry to ideas that may not have been available to the reader previously. Such was the collective effect of books on the young minds of Luo, the Little Seamstress, and The Narrator; while they were each exposed to practically the same thoughts as gleaned from the legendary writings of iconic Western authors—Balzac, in particularâ⠂¬â€their interpretations made the ultimate difference.The magic of the words spun so engagingly and in a thought-provoking manner eventually cast its spell on the specific need of each individual. While The Narrator and Luo were marked for re-education as a requisite of the Cultural Revolution, the Little Seamstress, on the other hand, was in dire need of education. The ending revealed the outcome of these goals in terms of friendship, love, life, power, and respect.II. Power and Life as Read By The Narrator Of all three characters, The Narrator achieves the traditional level of one who comprehends the nature and purpose of reading books—which is the equivalent power resulting from learning new ideas and exploring uncharted territories. Books gave him the confidence to be what he never thought he could, and do things he would have never considered.The discovery of this newfound power ironically meant new life in the midst of his training to eliminate intellectualism; thus i t was a non-negotiable fact to claim the source, even if it meant breaking into Four-Eyes’ home, or having his â€Å"body as a rallying ground for armies of lice† (Dai Sijie 71) at the miller’s. The Narrator is a boy of gentle and unassuming character, making him the perfect foil to Luo’s aggressive and devil-may-care stance, born out of his privileged background.The Narrator was of ample means as well, but Luo would outdo him in almost every aspect. The Narrator’s knowledge was the acquired taste of violin music, whereas Luo’s affinity for storytelling made him the more popular of the two. Even in their common interest in The Little Seamstress, Luo emerged as the victor. Thus when The Narrator discovered the power afforded not just by Balzac, but also of â€Å"Flaubert, Gogol, Melville, and even Romain Rolland† (Dai Sijie 119).The last author’s work, Jean-Christophe, proved to be the most significant to The Narrator; it was pe rhaps the singular theme of â€Å"one man standing up against the whole world† (Dai Sijie 119) that resonated within his own reality. The separation from his parents and the humiliation that awaited them as part of the ostracized bourgeoisie, his forced stay in Phoenix Mountain, and the rules that he had to follow may have been the factors that The Narrator believed he had to fight.At the end of the story, it was the values of love and loyalty imparted to him by the books he read that led him to act on the greatest adventure of his young life: protecting The Little Seamstress as a promise to Luo. III. Adventure and Conquest as Read by Luo The boy Luo appeared to be the most complete of all characters, specifically since his attitude and interests were simply within the conventional concept of heroes in books. A typical hero was one who exhibited exceptional courage, devoid of weakness, and saved the damsel in distress.While Luo did read the books he and The Narrator got their hands on, he was particularly fixated with the work of Balzac, the first of which was about a â€Å"French story of love and miracles† (Dai Sijie 57). With this in his arsenal, Luo proceeded to use the book’s allure to capture the heart of The Little Seamstress, his own version of a storybook princess. Clearly, Luo’s relationship with books had more to do with his goal to conquer, rather than to enrich his mind.Luo already had the gift of gab and an innate talent for spinning tales, and traveling great distances to read Balzac’s stories to The Little Seamstress was part of his concept of adventure. If heroes in novels presented jewelry and clothes to their ladies, Luo’s offering was his borrowed stories, intending to educate the girl on culture, as he was of the mind that â€Å"’she’s not civilised, at least not enough for me! ’† (Dai Sijie 27). Little did he know that his constant sharing of knowledge from Balzacâ€⠄¢s books would not only impart culture, but change the way The Little Seamstress viewed her own life and value.As an added note, it is apparent that Luo, among all the characters in the novel, did not undergo much change or progress; what he was in the beginning was the same as in the end. Again, this correlates with the narrative of a hero, who always begins and ends with the same amount of strength and bravado. IV. Freedom and Discovery as Read by The Little Seamstress The Little Seamstress, being a country girl, was the exact opposite of The Narrator and Luo; all she had to offer were her sewing skills, her sense of daughterly duty, and her exquisite beauty.The last quality had been expounded upon by The Narrator at length, her face at one time he described as â€Å"oval†¦ and the sparkle in her eyes—without doubt the loveliest pair of eyes in the district of Yong Jing, if not the entire region† (Dai Sijie 21). Being of no formal education, The Little Seamstre ss could not read, and thus relied on Luo to take her through the fascinating worlds she could not access. Her life, until the arrival of Luo and The Narrator, was dull, mundane, and repetitive—as life in the country during the Mao era was characterized.It could be assumed that her skills in sewing were simply acquired for lack of choice; her father was a tailor, and a successful one at that. Women like The Little Seamstress, hidden in the mountains and tasked to do female-oriented jobs, had little or no chance to grow intellectually; and the ban on intellectualism during this period made this even worse. Thus her attraction to Luo may not just be seen on the superficial level, but also because she saw the boy as her only source of the kind of knowledge she lacked.Ironically, it is her acquired knowledge of her celebrated beauty that allowed her to move forward and embark on a new life; by taking Balzac’s words to heart, â€Å"a woman’s beauty is a treasure bey ond price† (Dai Sijie 184), The Little Seamstress set forth to make use of the one quality she knew she had and explore opportunities that would separate her from the mechanical life she was doomed to live. Literature offered her not just the exotic locales described to her by Luo, but also the understanding that she had to be part of such a world for her new dreams to be realized.Dai Sijie’s description of her eyes as her best feature had become a metaphor for her new outlook. V. Conclusion The appropriation of books as the catalyst in the novel is more than just a technical device to introduce the idea of learning new ideas and philosophies; the more integral aspect is the environment in which they exist, a society where intellectual growth and exploration is deemed illegal and immoral. By creating this setting, the hunger for knowledge had become more palpable, and the acquisition of it, albeit secretly, became the weapons needed by the more vulnerable members.Having young people on the verge of adulthood is perfectly suited for this argument, as they are the most capable of traversing the distances of new knowledge. Ironically, books and young people do not always mix, in less restrictive circumstances; but because of the situation into which they had been forced, books became their sole ally. Clearly, the author took on a critical view of Communism and how it greatly affected China and its people; by exposing the practice of ‘re-education’, Dai Sijie put forth a believable discussion regarding the natural human need for growth, individuality, and knowledge.