Racism in football Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Racism in football - Essay Example In Cashmore’s book Black Sportsmen, he identifies many factors which have influenced blacks and contributed to their decision to enter the field of sport. Firstly, Cashmore attempts to illustrate and empathise with the tendency for black families to be unstable. How many African/ Caribbean children have been raised in a broken home by a lone parent, typically the mother? By the age of 13 or 14, the child tends to seek out a father figure. In many cases, this results in them building a relationship with their coaches. This relationship/bond usually lasts until the child becomes an adult and is ready to face the real world on their own. â€Å"The surrogate father guides his protà ©gà © through his turbulent teens into his twenties when he develops into a mature and secure sportsman with an abundance of technique and conviction challenging enough to take him to success † (Cashmore, 1982: 79). The majority of afro/Caribbean children did enter sport through the encouragement and support received from coaches and trainers. However, it was only a small proportion that became successful as they held the vital physical assets such as strength and speed. In essence, black parents tended to neglect their child’s development in sport. They generally offered no encouragement and at times made it obvious that they had no interest in sport. Carlos Francis (black footballer) commented on the influence of his parents: â€Å"They’ve never even seen me play. They gave me no encouragement at all and didn’t even realise I was so into football. Even now they don’t take an active interest† (Cashmore, 1982:81). As Cashmore goes on to explain the reasons behind the lack of support, he elaborates on the fact that black parents tend to be pre-occupied in maintaining a material existence, and trying their very best to make ends meet. Most parents were uneducated; when they migrated over they had taken up the work that was made available to them. These

Leadership, Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership, Management - Essay Example Therefore similar to artist leaders have a path which is not predefined and challenges which are unknown. Through their own intuition and capabilities they make new and unique decisions. Answers: There is a key difference when it comes to comparing mangers and leaders. The role of leaders and mangers is very different in organizations. The manger for examples takes care and follows procedures to complete organization tasks and goals. This would include roles of line mangers and floor managers. A floor manager in a bank follows a set standard in dealing with issues and problems. They do not innovate in their tasks and roles. Leaders on the other hand do not have a manual to follows. This means that their job is far more difficult and serious. They have to make instant judgments based on past experiences and intuition. Answers: The expectations and the sources of these expectations are different for each category of leaders. The expected leader has a stronger bond with their subordinates. This would also suggest that the level expectation is higher. Moreover an elected leader would feel more in command when taking to his/her superiors rather than subordinates who appointed him. An elected leader on the other hand can exercise mush more raw power. This is because the subordinates do not feel that they own him. The appointed leader is also more isolated from his subordinated which can lead on occasions to reduction in efficiency and increase malcontent. Answers: The level of empathy is higher in Female managers. They engage in roles where employees enjoy better communication with the leaders. Male managers however are more obsessed with exercising power rather than engaging with their employees. Therefore the dynamics of this relationship are rather different for both female and male leaders. Answers: Case studies are internationally considered the best form of

Contemporary Ergogenic Aids

Contemporary Ergogenic Aids A literature review of contemporary ergogenic aids which have been recommended within the lay literature to improve exercise performance A number of psychological, mechanical, nutritional and pharmacological factors shown to limit exercise performance have been identified. Driving towards success, professional and amateur athletes attempt to identify these factors and to find techniques to minimise their likely impact. Specific nutrients or compounds used in an attempt to enhance the capacity of an individual to perform a specific task beyond effects attributable to training alone have been described as ergogenic aids (Williams, 1983).Currently, two nutritional aids have identified which are thought to reduce the rate of intramuscular metabolite accumulation, beta alanine and sodium bicarbonate. Beta alanine supplementation increases intramuscular buffering capacity by enhancing intramuscular carnosine synthesis. Whereas, sodium bicarbonate has shown to increase the extracellular buffering capacity by increasing the blood bicarbonate concentration (Requena et al. 2005). During high intensity exercise, fatigue is often associated to the excessive accumulation of metabolites, such as potassium ions (K+), hydrogen ions (H+), and phosphate ions (Pi+), and the availability of metabolic fuel sources (Fitts et al, 2008). The ergogenic potential of beta alanine and sodium bicarbonate have both become increasingly topical avenues of exploration due to the growing popularity of their supplementation by amateur and professional athletes.Therefore, this review will focus on critically evaluating the evidence on beta alanine and sodium bicarbonate, which are both currently recommended within the lay literature to enhance performance. Furthermore, to make a reasoned conclusion about nutritional manipulations which could enhance performance. Recently, a lay article claimed that beta alanine supplementation enhances performance for short duration and high intensity workouts, however decreases long duration performance (Oches, 2016). The rationale for this is based on well substantiated evidence that an increased level of beta alanine in the body elicits increased carnosine synthesis. Muscular acidosis has been recognized as one of the main causes of fatigue during intense exercise and carnosine has been shown to play a significant role in intramuscular pH regulation (Artioli et al, 2010). Therefore, Carnosine loading may enhance fatigue threshold and increase high intensity exercise performance (Blancquaert et al, 2014). Nearly a decade ago, it was demonstrated that chronic beta alanine supplementation was able to increase intramuscular carnosine content, suggesting that beta alanine is the rate-limiting factor for carnosine synthesis (Harris et al, 2006). Shortly after this, Hill et al (2007) demonstrated that increased skeletal muscle carnosine content was able to increase performance in various high intensity exercises. Following on from this, several high quality studies have explored the effects of beta alanine supplementation on sport-specific high intensity performances. These studies demonstrate that 1-10 minutes appears to be the effective time window where beta alanine is most beneficial (Salles Painelli et al, 2013). Looking closer we can see that studies which have attempted to enhance performance in exercises lasting less than one minute (Miro et al, 2013; de Salles Painelli et al, 2013) or over ten minutes (Thienen et al, 2012; Chung et al, 2014) have not found beneficial effects on performance. Whereas, studies which have examined exercises within this optimal time window have reported enhanced performance (de Salles Painelli et al, 2013; Hobsen et al, 2013). This would suggest that beta alanine supplementation may not be beneficial for enhancing short bouts of high intensity or endurance performance. A reason no positive effects are being seen in high intensity exercises lasting less th an one minute may be that these exercise models are not limited by intramuscular acidosis, thereby the increased buffering capacity of beta alanine is unable to show an effect. On closer observation we can see that some studies (Saunders et al, 2012; Ducker et al, 2013; Smith-Ryan et al, 2012) have reported that beta alanine is unable to improve repeated sprint performance and intermittent activities, where each exercise bout has been 30 seconds, signifying that beta alanine is unlikely to be beneficial in team sports, such as rugby and football. Although, it is important to mention that currently there is limited evidence examining the effects of beta alanine on sport-specific endurance events and team sport performance, consequently more research is needed before a reasoned conclusion can be made. Robust evidence suggests that the oral dosage of 4 to 6g beta alanine per day, over 4-10 weeks, increases carnosine concentrations by 40-80% (Blancquaert et al, 2015). Regarding the studies mentioned above, a dose response relationship is observed were the studies which prescribed >4g for a longer duration, reported greater improvements in performance compared to those that prescribed 4g for a shorter period of time. Looking closer we can see that Derave et al (2007) observed no significant differences in 400 meter running time trial performance following 4 weeks of beta alanine supplementation (4.8 g ·dayà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1) suggesting that a larger dose over a longer duration may be needed to see enhanced performance. For example, two studies previously mentioned, showed that 4-6 weeks of 6.4 g ·dayà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 beta alanine supplementation improved time trial performance in well-trained subjects (de Salles Painelli et al, 2013; Hobsen et al, 2013). Regarding training status, Bex et al (2013) showed that well-trained subjects may be more responsive to beta alanine supplementation compared non-trained subjects. Furthermore, a recent study (de Salles Painelli, 2014) directly comparing whether well-trained subjects respond differently to beta alanine in comparison to non-trained subjects reported that beta alanine improves performance to a comparable extent in both well-trained and non-trained subjects. These observations are in agreement with the studies mentioned above where improvements were seen in well-trained subjects (Hobsen et al, 2013; Derave et al, 2007; de Salles Painelli, 2014). This illustrates the efficacy of beta alanine as an ergogenic aid irrespective of the training status of the subjects. Therefore, athletes as well as recreationally fit subjects could benefit from beta alanine supplementation. Overall, the scientific literature supports the claim that beta alanine supplementation has the potential to enhance sho rt duration high intensity workouts performance. In addition, the evidence supports that beta alanine has a weakened ergogenic affect with regards to long duration performance (Oches, 2016). Another recent claim made within the lay literature, states that sodium bicarbonate improves endurance performance by lowering blood lactate levels (Strength Fitness UK, 2017). Further recommends are that endurance athletes should supplement with 0.3g ·kg-1 of body mass to see improvements in endurance race performance. Lastly, it is suggested that the dose of beta alanine should be split into several smaller doses and ingested throughout the day. The rationale for this claim is based on the putative concept that the disassociation of lactic acid forms lactate and H+ which in turn decreases intracellular and extracellular pH. As mentioned before, sodium bicarbonate increases the extracellular buffering capacity by increasing the blood bicarbonate concentration, thereby causing an efflux of H+ from the muscle cells to the blood. Consequently, any ergogenic potential that sodium bicarbonate may impose depends upon the physiological demands of the exercise being adequate enough to induce a performance inhibiting level of metabolic acidosis. Looking closer we can see that there is substantial evidence demonstrating the ergogenic effect of sodium bicarbonate improving performance during short duration high intensity exercise. This effect has been reported within a range of exercise modalities which are known to elicit decreases in intracellular and extracellular pH, such as single bouts of supramaximal exercise (Thomas et al, 2015; Driller et al, 2012), high-intensity intermittent activities (Tan et al, 2010; Miller et al, 2015), and certain skill-based sports, such as judo and tennis (Tobias et al, 2010; Wu et al, 2015). In contrast, research investigating the use of sodium bicarbonate as a buffering aid in endurance performance has shown more inconclusive results (George and MacLaren 1988; McNaughton et al, 1999; Stephens et al, 2002; Northgraves et al, 2014). Delving deeper, studies which reported improvements in performance were those that tended to exhaust subjects in 1 to 7 minutes using repeated exercise bouts or single intervals (Thomas et al, 2015; Driller et al, 2012; Miller et al, 2015). The improvements seen here are likely to have been due to the energy system being utilized at the time, as much evidence illustrates that sprint-based exercises accumulate more intracellular and extracellular acid compared to endurance-based exercises (McNaughton et al, 2016), so it is likely that they will benefit more from the buffering capacity of bicarbonate than endurance athletes. For example, Northgraves et al (2014) reported no improvements for 60 minute time trial performance following sodium bicarbonate supplementation (0.3g ·kg-1 body mass) compared to Thomas et al (2015) where performance was enhanced by a 2.2% increase in mean power output during 70 seconds of all-out sprint. It must be pointed out that not all anaerobic based studies have observed a benefit following supplementation. The major differences in these studies are the timing of the dose and the trained state of the study subjects. It is also possible that large individual differences exist as far as response to supplementation is concerned.   For instance, a recent observation shows that individuals respond differently to 0.3g ·kg-1 body mass sodium bicarbonate supplementation, where time to peak pH ranged from 10 to 90 min post ingestion (Miller et al, 2016). This shows a high variability in the dose-response from sodium bicarbonate and holds a considerable limitation to all previous research that have usually utilized a standard pre-ingestion time of between 60 and 90 minutes and interpreted the response as an average of the group. This observation may have considerable practical implication, as a more personalized approach to sodium bicarbonate supplementation can be employed by athletes to elicit larger ergogenic effects. Wi th regards to the dosage, substantiated evidence suggests that 0.3g ·kg-1 5g ·kg-1 body mass of sodium bicarbonate is effective. Doses which are not within this range show to be less advantageous for enhancing performance and have shown to cause gastrointestinal discomfort (REF). Regarding training status, a common conception is that well-trained athletes are less likely to benefit from the use of sodium bicarbonate as their buffering systems are already so well developed. Although, a recent observation is that well-trained subjects are able elicit gains in performance from sodium bicarbonate more readily compared to non-trained subjects (Carr et al, 2011). This observation appears to be in line with the studies mentioned in this review which employed short duration high intensity exercise. For example, studies involving well-trained subjects showed improvements in performance (Thomas et al, 2015; Driller et al, 2012) whereas, smaller improvements were observed in studies involving non-trained subjects (Peart et al, 2013; Vanhatalo et al; 2010). Looking closer we can see that Vanhatalo et al (2010) reported no improvements in 3-min all-out sprint performance were observed following a dose of 0.3g.kg.bm sodium bicarbonate, among recreationally active subjects. Whereas among well-trained subjects, Driller et al (2012) reported ~3% performance improvement in average power during a 4 minute all-out sprint following the same sodium bicarbonate supplementation (0.3g.kg.bm). Conclusion To summarise the literature reviewed, offering conclusions on the value and appropriateness of lay literature available to modern day athletes and performers. (Synergist with bicarbonate ; Co-supplementation of ÃŽÂ ²-alanine and sodium bicarbonate, to increase both intracellular and extracellular buffering capacity, was shown to result in additional improvements above ÃŽÂ ²-alanine alone). This is where you will make your conclusions about the truth of the claims. References Artioli, G.G., Gualano, B., Smith, A., Stout, J. and Lancha Jr, A.H., (2010). Role of beta-alanine supplementation on muscle carnosine and exercise performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 42(6), pp.1162-1173. Bex, T., Chung, W., Baguet, A., Stegen, S., Stautemas, J., Achten, E. and Derave, W., (2013). Muscle carnosine loading by beta-alanine supplementation is more pronounced in trained vs. untrained muscles. Journal of applied physiology. Carr AJ, Hopkins WG, Gore CJ. Effects of acute alkalosis and acidosis on performance: a meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2011; 41:801Y14. Chung, W., Baguet, A., Bex, T., Bishop, D.J. and Derave, W., (2014). Doubling of muscle carnosine concentration does not improve laboratory 1-hr cycling time-trial performance. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 24(3), pp.315-324. de Salles Painelli, V., Roschel, H., De Jesus, F., Sale, C., Harris, R.C., Solis, M.Y., Benatti, F.B., Gualano, B., Lancha Jr, A.H. and Artioli, G.G., (2013). The ergogenic effect of beta-alanine combined with sodium bicarbonate on high-intensity swimming performance. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 38(5), pp.525-532. de Salles Painelli, V., Saunders, B., Sale, C., Harris, R.C., Solis, M.Y., Roschel, H., Gualano, B., Artioli, G.G. and Lancha Jr, A.H., (2014). Influence of training status on high-intensity intermittent performance in response to ÃŽÂ ²-alanine supplementation. Amino acids, 46(5), pp.1207-1215. Ducker, K.J., Dawson, B. and Wallman, K.E., (2013). Effect of Beta alanine and sodium bicarbonate supplementation on repeated-sprint performance. The Journal of Strength Conditioning Research, 27(12), pp.3450-3460. Mero AA, Hirvonen P, Saarela J, et al. Effect of sodium bicarbonate and betaalanine supplementation on maximal sprint swimming. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2013; 10:52. Fitts RH. The cross-bridge cycle and skeletal muscle fatigue. J. Appl. Physiol. 2008; 104:551Y8 Nieper, A., (2005). Nutritional supplement practices in UK junior national track and field athletes. British journal of sports medicine, 39(9), pp.645-649. Oches, E. (2016). Everything You Need To Know About Beta Alanine. Available: https://gymjunkies.com/beta-alanine/. Last accessed 12th Feb 2017. Petrà ³czi, A., Naughton, D.P., Pearce, G., Bailey, R., Bloodworth, A. and McNamee, M., (2008). Nutritional supplement use by elite young UK athletes: fallacies of advice regarding efficacy. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 5(1), p.22. Saunders, B., Sale, C., Harris, R.C. and Sunderland, C., (2012). Effect of beta-alanine supplementation on repeated sprint performance during the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test. Amino acids, 43(1), pp.39-47. Solheim, S.A., Nordsborg, N.B., Ritz, C., Berget, J., Kristensen, A.H. and Mà ¸rkeberg, J., (2016). Use of nutritional supplements by Danish elite athletes and fitness customers. Scandinavian journal of medicine science in sports. Smith-Ryan, A.E., Fukuda, D.H., Stout, J.R. and Kendall, K.L., (2012). High-velocity intermittent running: effects of beta-alanine supplementation. The Journal of Strength Conditioning Research, 26(10), pp.2798-2805. Van Thienen, R., Van Proeyen, K., Vanden Eynde, B., Puype, J., Lefere, T. and Hespel, P., (2009). b-Alanine improves sprint performance in endurance cycling. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 41(4), pp.898-903.

Grape Growing :: Botany

Grape Growing Plants have been the most important objects which people have borrowed from their neighbors in their business of advancing civilization. All the high civilizations have been built up upon cereal grasses, barley, wheat, rice, and maize. The introduction of the potato from the Andes to the Old World brought a series of major economic and social revolutions, and examples of the same kind are many. But the case of grape-vine, Vitis vinifera, is a special and peculiar one. Its wine is not a necessity of any people's diet, yet it has colonized the greater part of those climatic zones which are congenial to it, and it has done so, very often to the detriment of the people's essential food supplies. There have been three principle forces for this, spleen, religion, and profit. First, the human condition being what it is, only a very small number of very primitive tribes have failed to develop some intoxicant to help man face the facts of life. Poppy juice, toxic fungi, the dried flowers of a coccus, the leaves of coco bush, but neither of them can compare in economic and social importance with alcohol. And the wine of the grape has long been the least concerning medium in which alcohol can be taken and the least liable to dangerous abuse. Secondly, the strange power of intoxicants to release the human spirit from the control of mind led to their being regarded with superstitious awe. Their use became a religious rite and this was the case of wine, as of others. In the sixth century B.C., Orphism gave a new, long and civilized lease of power to the formerly savage and barbarous religion of Dionysus; the use of wine in the rites entered into the later religious of the Mediterranean peoples; and Christianity, by the encharistic use of wine, borrowed from elder cults, carried the religious significance of wine-drinking forward into the two Christian civilizations, the Greek and the Latin. The massive conservation of these two branches of Christianity accomplished what no other social force could have done--maintained the religious attribute of an intoxicant into a sophisticated technological epoch. Thirdly, the cash yield per acre-man-hour of viticulture has nearly always been from three to ten times as great as that from any other kind of fanning or gardening. However, in fact, two forces working against the vine, one natural, the other social, have limited the spread of vineyards even further.

Main Conflict in the Terrible Transformation

The main conflict about the The Terrible Transformation was the way they started a new social and economic system by practicing slave trade. They would determine your freedom based on your skin color. European traders would go to west africa and bring slaves over to the united states so that slave owners could purchase them to work on their crop fields. This was very unfair because they sold colored people to benefit themselves economically. That is why the free blacks rebelled against society and returned the brutality their masters had shown them. The European traders would kidnapp the African slaves and have them walk almost 1000 miles to the European Coastal forts. Only half of the people survived the ones who were too weak or sick were either killed or left to die. They traveled for almost 4 months across the Atlantic ocean. The Africans were treated like animals while they were being transported to the Americas. After they were enslaved and The Declaration Of Independence took the place the enslaved Africans made petitions to end slavery but nothing ever happened. When they were free they rebelled because they were denied citizenship. The Africans were clearly affected more than anyone involved in this. Sadly they were taken from their homeland, and used as objects to benefit the wealthy people economically; which of course was the rich white americans. Therefore after they complete the labor they were assigned and are set free the least thing the government officials could’ve done was grant them citizenship. Europeans would do this because having someone work for free , would help them gain more land. The more slaves they brought in and sold the more land they obtained . It was a very unfair thing to do . Footnotes: Source: â€Å"The Terrible Transformation† Documentary The reason the slaves acted they way they did was because they lied to them. They had a real good reason to rebel the way they did. If you promise someone something you should keep your word. The Africans looked forward to obtaining their citizenship , after working so hard to obtain their freedom. I don’t blame the salves for doing this, it’s only common sense. The reason they didn’t grant the free blacks citizenship was because this probably wouldn’t benefit them. If the blacks obtained their citizenship they would have greater opportunities to do things and obtain land. See, if this were to happen the whites would loose land. This was quite unfair, i am not surprised the blacks rebelled the way they did. The reason the blacks rebelled the way they did was because they were angry at the fact they got lied to. They felt that God had given them the power to rebel against the white masters that were once brutal to them. There was more blacks than whites, if you combine slaves along with freed slaves they outnumbered the whites. The blacks did this to gain respect, because technically whites wouldn’t respect them because they thought blacks had no power. This was to show they weren’t so weak and that no one had the right to take advantage of them just because they weren’t white. This is why the blacks rebelled the way they did.

Clear Light of Day

Tara and Bim attempt to reconcile their childhood dreams with their adult lives and work to resolve the lingering guilt of past family conflicts. When Tara returns for a visit with Bimla and Baba, old memories and tensions resurface and blend into a domestic drama that is intensely beautiful and leads to profound self-understanding. Their struggles with autonomy and independence are echoed in the backdrop of the newly-partitioned nation Plot summary The book is split into four sections covering the Das family from the children’s perspective in this order: adulthood, adolescence, childhood, and the time perspective returns to adulthood.The book centers on the Das family, who have grown apart with adulthood. It starts with Tara, the wife of Bakul, India’s ambassador to America, greeting her sister Bimla (Bim), who is a history teacher living in Old Delhi as well as their autistic brother Baba’s caretaker. Their conversation eventually comes to Raja, their brother w ho lives in  Hyderabad. Bim doesn’t want to go to the wedding of Raja’s daughter, showing Tara an old letter from when Raja became her landlord, unintentionally insulting her after the death of his father in law. 2] In part two the setting switches to partition era India, when the characters are adolescents in what is now Bim’s house. Raja is severely ill with  tuberculosis  and is left to Bim’s ministrations. Aunt Mira (Mira masi), their supposed caretaker after the death of the children’s often absent parents, becomes alcoholic and dies of alcoholism. Earlier Raja’s fascination with  Urdu  attracts the attention of the family’s  Muslimlandlord, Hyder Ali, whom Raja Idolizes. When he heals, Raja follows Hyder Ali to Hyderabad.Tara escapes from the situation through marriage to Bakul. Bim is then left to provide for Baba alone, in the midst of the partition and the death of  Gandhi. [3] In part three Bim, Raja and Tara a re depicted in pre-partition India awaiting the birth of their brother Baba. Aunt Mira, widowed by her husband and mistreated by her in-laws, is brought in to help with Baba, who is  autistic, and to raise the children. Raja is fascinated with poetry. He shares a close bond with Bim, the head girl at school, although they often exclude Tara.Tara wants to be a mother although this fact brings ridicule from Raja and Bim, who want to be a hero and a heroine, respectively. [4] The final section returns to modern India and showcases Tara confronting Bim over the Raja’s daughter’s wedding and Bim’s broken relationship with Raja. This climaxes when Bim explodes at Baba. After her anger fades she comes to the conclusion that the love of family is irreplaceable and can cover all wrongs. After Tara leaves she decides to go to her neighbors the Misras for a concert and she then decides that she will go to the wedding Amazon. o. uk Clear Light of Day  is an examination of contemporary India and a family history in which two sisters, Bim and Tara, learn that, although there will always be family scars, the ability to forgive and forget is a powerful ally against life’s sorrows. Twenty years ago when Tara married, she left Old Delhi and a home full of sickness and death, while Bim continued to live in the family home taking care of their autistic brother, Baba. Now Tara has returned, her first visit in 10 years, for their niece’s wedding.Bim refuses to attend; she can’t visit their brother Raja who, like Tara, left her many years ago. Instead Bim dwells bitterly on her feelings of abandonment and the impact on her of her country’s recent history: the violent conflict between Hindus and Muslims, the death of Gandhi and the ensuing struggle for political power and the malaria epidemic that killed so many. In Bim’s presence, Tara once again feels â€Å"herself shrink into that small miserable wretch of 20 years ago, both admiring and resenting her tall striding sister†, while â€Å"Bim was calmly unaware of any of her sister’s agonies, past or present†.With language that describes both the harshness and beauty of family and the land, Anita Desai takes the reader with Tara and Bim on their struggle to confront and heal old wounds. —Alex Freeman, Amazon. com From  500 Great Books by Women; review by Holly Smith Clear Light of Day  is both an examination of contemporary India and a family history in which two sisters, Bim and Tara, learn that although there will always be family scars, the ability to forgive and forget is a powerful ally against life’s sorrows.Twenty years ago when Tara married, she left Old Delhi and a home full of sickness and death, while Bim continued to live in the family home, taking care of their autistic brother, Baba. Now Tara has returned, her first visit in ten years, for their niece’s wedding. Bim refuses to attend; she canà ¢â‚¬â„¢t visit their brother Raja who, like Tara, left her many years ago. Instead Bim dwells bitterly on her feelings of abandonment and the impact on her of her country’s recent history: the violent conflict between Hindus and Moslems, the death of Gandhi and the ensuing struggle for political power, and the malaria epidemic that killed so many.In Bim’s presence, Tara once again feels â€Å"herself shrink into that small miserable wretch of twenty years ago, both admiring and resenting her tall striding sister,† while â€Å"Bim was calmly unaware of any of her sister’s agonies, past or present. † With language that describes both the harshness and beauty of family and the land, Anita Desai takes the reader with Tara and Bim on their struggle to confront and heal old wounds. —For great reviews of books for girls, check out  Let’s Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. Ce texte fait reference a une edition epuisee ou non disponible de ce titre. .[5] Desai’s warm and compassionate novel about the ebb and flow of sisterly love, set in Old Delhi against the backdrop of some of India’s most significant historical events (the death of Gandhi, the malaria epidemic that killed so many), does what only the very best novels do: it totally submerges us. It takes us so deeply into another world that we almost fear we won’t be able to climb out again (Anne Tyler, New York Times Book Review).A book where passages must be read and reread so that you savor their imagery (Washington Post Book World), Clear Light of Day is a beautifully written story about family scars, the ability to forgive and forget, and a woman’s reactions to the political events of her time. I consider Anita Desai’s â€Å"Clear Light of Day† as a poetic novel as it considerably deals with symbols and suggestions. Her use of â€Å"the house† imagery is at the center which signifies dust, d ullness and decay. As the novel begins, you’ll notice that the house of the Das family does not change except decays.Like Anita Desai’s other novels, the setting is Old Delhi. The interesting thing you’ll notice is she skillfully synthesizes the image of house with the lives of the Das family. The house is associated with sickness, dust, and disorder. And for that reason, the â€Å"grey† color is described again and again. So, the house reflects the mentality and sickness of the entire Das family. In other words, nobody in the Das household enjoys life, all merely exists! The sickness and disorder pervade in the mind of the family members. This house is exactly in contrast with the house of Haider Ali and that is why Raja gets attracted towards it.For this house of Das family, the symbol of â€Å"web† is described which is apt from every point of view. As I say the house does not change but decays, it is fair to remark that because of such sickness and dusty atmosphere of the house everybody feels â€Å"suffocated† and that is why they try to find escape in one thing or another. For that reason, Raja is attracted towards Haider Ali’s house. Tara often goes to Mira Mansi and finally, she succeeds in escaping completely by marrying off Bakul. Baba seeks escape in music and plays his gramophone all the time.Bimla becomes the professor of history. In this way, the house plays a vital role behind the escapist nature of the Das household. Anita Desai beautifully describes the state of the Delhi city. Sometimes, the whole city seems to be dead and the houses are referred to in the novel as the â€Å"tombs†. The house of the Das family seems to be deserted and therefore, Bimla does not prevent Baba playing his gramophone loudly because she thinks that the silence of the house is more dreadful. For her, the noise produced by Baba’s gramophone gives peace to her. Even when Mr.Das and his wife were alive, the y were just like the outsiders as Mr. Das was known for his entrance. The mother was either engrossed in the cards or confined to the bed. That is why Tara sometimes feels that even the ghost of her father could create the noise of papers and nothing else! The decaying aspect of the house is felt on the Das family and this why the whole family gets scattered and only Bim remains with Baba in the â€Å"dead house†. This is how, the house has symbolic significance, which plays a major role in the actions and deeds of the Das household and becomes the central episode in the novel.

Our schools face serious problems

Our schools face serious problems, including overcrowded classrooms, teacher incompetence and lack of security. Local education budgets hardly cover salaries, books and paper (Stoll 127). He goes on to say that computers cannot solve any of these problems facing our school system. At least he was half right. Computers can be used to compensate for teacher incompetence, eliminate the need for most books and paper, and can reduce the cost of educating a growing number of students with a shrinking supply of teachers. Computers can be used to an even greater extent by teaming it with the Internet and using online education. Online education has the potential to be used as a tool to bring education to a whole new population of students and provide easy access for those already in school. In Stolls book, he brings up an example of a teacher, Professor Maria Domoto, who teaches Japanese through an interactive video system to four different high schools (117). He continues to say that she cannot teach more than thirty at a time even with the interactive links because she loses the personal contact. The part that he forgets to mention is that she teaches to four different high schools. This would not be possible without the use of this interactive technology and would not be necessary if there was not such a shortage of teachers. Stoll tries to argue the evils of online education by showing how learning first hand is much better than seeing it on a computer screen. Once again, Stoll is only half right. If you wanted to learn about a thunderstorm you obviously would rather encounter a real storm than look at a picture in a textbook, but nearly all information learned through modern education methods is through association. The professor shows a student how!to do s omething and then the student is expected to be able to apply it in the real world. The only han

Young Generation To help Trinidad essays

Young Generation To help Trinidad essays We the YOUNGER GENERATION have a different view to that of our older generation. To us, Government is a business, a system of people working as one to finish set deadlines the people of the country voted them in to do, to fulfill the promises they made at the election, as well as control the countries funds economics and to make final political decisions. However the government is failing to keep the promises that they themselves set out do, disappointing the voters constantly and making our country look disorganized. So many incidents have occurred, showing us the government is failing us for example the investigation being launched looking into the incident of criminals having police uniforms, connecting to the robbery at a gas station. We the people are not hearing the outcome of these investigations. We arent being informed; we are once more kept in the dark. Everyone knows that there are No friends in Business however the government is considered to be the Board of Directors of Trinidad and Tobago. The Opposition and the rest of the nation are to be considered as the shareholders. The shareholders are to be looking for solutions to maximize their profits. This type of business is supposed to be a non-profitable organisation. The two types of services we are supposed to be producing are; 1. Sales (oil, natural gas, ammonia and etc) 2. Services (public sector) It has been argued that privatisation has not led to greater competition. In some cases public companies with no competition have become private monopolies. These companies have been able to exploit their position. This has been a criticism levelled at state owned companies. Firstly, privatisation of any government company or organisation as a thought should NEVER be entertained. Why not try looking at your managers and ministers of these ministries, state own enterprises, etc. Reviewing the daily operations and the entire system o...

Indium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Indium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements Indium  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 49 Symbol: In Atomic Weight: 114.818 Discovery: Ferdinand Reich and T. Richter 1863 (Germany) Electron Configuration: [Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p1 Word Origin: Latin indicum. Indium is named for the brilliant indigo line in the spectrum. Isotopes: Twenty-three isotopes of indium are known. Only one stable isotope, In-127, occurs naturally. Properties: The melting point of indium is 156.61  °C, boiling point is 2080  °C, specific gravity is 7.31 (20  °C), with a valence of 1, 2, or 3. Indium is a very soft, silvery-white metal. The metal has a brilliant luster and emits a high pitched sound when bent. Indium wets glass. Indium may be toxic, but further research is required to assess its effects. Uses: Indium is used in low melting point alloys, making bearing alloys, transistors, thermistors, photoconductors, and rectifiers. When plated or evaporated onto glass, it forms a mirror as good as that formed by silver, but with superior resistance to atmospheric corrosion. Sources: Indium often is associated with zinc materials. It is also found in iron, lead, and copper ores. Element Classification: Metal Indium Physical Data Density (g/cc): 7.31 Melting Point (K): 429.32 Boiling Point (K): 2353 Appearance: very soft, silvery-white metal Atomic Radius (pm): 166 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 15.7 Covalent Radius (pm): 144 Ionic Radius: 81 (3e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.234 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 3.24 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 225.1 Debye Temperature (K): 129.00 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.78 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 558.0 Oxidation States: 3 Lattice Structure: Tetragonal Lattice Constant (Ã…): 4.590    References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.)    Return to the Periodic Table Chemistry Encyclopedia

My thoughts and opinions that i have created Research Paper

My thoughts and opinions that i have created - Research Paper Example It is through such things that people’s lives change dramatically and before they know it they are physically, emotionally or socially disable and challenged. Once people are in such situations, they find themselves isolated as the rest of the community regard them as problematic and unfit to mix with others. My course has made me realize that this kind of perception is very wrong and the worst ever (Powaski, 1987). It is important for everyone to know that human beings are all the same despite their situations in terms of health, state of living or finance. My class taught me a lot in terms of human life and its possible variations and I was able to know that life may start well and end bad and vice versa. It is also important as I learnt, that in life people should expect anything and when a person does not understand other humans’ unfortunate situation and show remorse, they are likely to also suffer in the same way due to luck of attention from sympathizers. I also was able to understand that people may see the unfortunate on the streets or neighborhood and ignore them not because they despise or hate them, but because they do not know how to approach the situations. Sometimes people also ignore them due to the fact that they experience a creepy feeling due to how the individuals look (bad state) even though they may be willing to assist (Langley, 2009). I will also admit that before the course I had a somehow similar problem of not knowing how to go near such a person, but now I am professionally capable of doing what needs to be done in order to change the persons situation and at least make them feel accepted and loved in the society. Taking a career as a Community Help profession has made me proud because apart from assisting people in the community to change their living conditions and encourage them in life, I have also been able to make other people who are fortunate to understand that they are not more special or important than the les s fortunate. Through my course, my way of thinking greatly changed and instead of having a shallow mind on issues such as community help and change, I am now able to think critically and weigh things step by step starting from being in those peoples’ shoes and imagining how they feel, their wishes and their experiences especially in terms of isolation from the society. This group of people according to what I have learnt has no one else to look up to except us as the community which is capable of assisting them. I learnt that luck of knowledge on such an issue is one of the factors contributing to poverty and diseases in our community yet these are some of the things which the community keeps preaching that it needs to eradicate. It is through people like us that such plans can be accomplished. This topic takes me back to problems that were caused by calamities which I would say were intentional such as the Atom Bomb on Japan for instance and the Confrontation in the Tiananme n Square. In these two incidences, many innocent people were killed and injured especially women and children. Students were also killed in large numbers and many were injured. Most of these people who suffered during the two incidences were people living normal lives (Chaffee, 2011) just like most of us

The Myth of Education and Empowerment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 33

The Myth of Education and Empowerment - Essay Example The books in the libraries are tattered, dated and discolored while many of the books are in a state of disintegration. "The available books contain outdated facts as well as theories that may not be much help to the students. There are no important books with information relating to AIDS or other diseases, past USA history, exploration and such books" (163) as Moore depicts. To make the education system even worse, "president bush government proposed to reduce and cut federal government spending on libraries by a total of $39 million, a reduction of approximately 19 percent (162)". The Americans view and consider education as the gateway to success as well as a crucial ascend to socio-economy ranking. Nevertheless, writer of this essay depicts that there is no equal distribution of education to students in schools across the different socio-economic course. He depicts it as a fraudulent mirage that the country leadership uses to keep the middle class and working class students in go od schools while the others lament in schools without some crucial education materials such as books and qualified teachers. The writer portrays the poor education system, lack of educational materials and different education philosophies in the school systems affect the standard of education and empowerment in the country. In empowering the students through education, the writer says that it is very important to develop and provide the necessary learning materials such as funding libraries and construction of classes.

ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

ART - Essay Example Zellij Panel is made from polychrome earth ware mosaic and resembles a panel of a wall covering from Bahia palace. The famous Bahia Palace in Marrakech, Morrocco incorporated polychrome mosaic with Zellij Panels on the walls of the palace. In fact, this piece originates from this palace as it was rescued during its abolishment. The name Bahia means brilliance. Bahia Palace got its name from the beautiful polychrome mosaic used to build it. Therefore, Zellij Panel is a beautiful art, which adopts a design of star shapes, squares, and triangles (El Khatib-Boujibar web). Zellij Panel comprises of blue and black lines that originate from the centre and cross each other assuming star shapes, squares, and triangles. According to Khatib-Boujibar, Zellij Panel is a Thin network of lines alternating between blue and black spread from a centrepiece. The network consists of 16-pointed stars surrounded by a black fillet to form a large cross shape delimited by black knot work. On the inside, the re is a myriad of small white twinkling stars (web). Another set of yellow lines join the network outside the centre making larger compositions and star motifs. Zellij Panel use lines that pass around an enclosed area in horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and curve shapes to create three-dimensional shapes. According to Getty Museum, â€Å"A line is an identifiable created by a point moving into space,† (web). These shapes express breadth, length, and depth. The shapes created by different lines create balance to the space, texture, and the colours used. The balance created is symmetrical since similar lines pass through every direction of the square. The central part has a radial balance and although some lines differ on the sides, a symmetrical balance is still achieved. The artist emphasized the central part by making it lighter than the other parts to depict the source of the lines flowing form it. The artist uses colour to capture

Discuss the activity in the laboratory that are designed to assure Assignment

Discuss the activity in the laboratory that are designed to assure Quality (Collection of specimen - Reporting ) - Assignment Example It is also important to collect the specimen with sterile instruments while preventing the specimen from coming into contact with any disinfectants (Stokes & Ridgeway 1980, p10). These precautions prevent the specimen from becoming contaminated while avoiding killing off any pathogens in the specimen. Lastly, there are specific procedures to be followed depending on the type of specimen being collected. Proper collection of specimens ensures that laboratory testing is accurate and safe. Once a specimen reaches the laboratory, thorough records must be kept for quality assurance and accuracy. It is especially important that care "should be taken to prevent reporting results on the wrong specimen and transposing digits in reporting quantitative data" (Kumari & Bhatia 2003, p160). The records must be detailed enough to determine any possible sources of error during testing. Keeping detailed and accurate records is essential for quality

Legalization of Marijuana Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legalization of Marijuana - Research Paper Example Teenagers are naturally inquisitive, one of the justifications given for this age group experimenting with drugs. They also are inclined to become bored easily and experience recurrent emotional highs and lows, all probable factors in teenage marijuana use. Drug use increases the chance that teenagers will contract a social disease, become pregnant, perform inadequately in school and attempt suicide as this paper will examine. State and Support Three Claims Adolescents are in a more vulnerable life circumstance than are adults because teens are still developing in every facet of their lives. Regrettably, it is this same group that has the most access to marijuana as schools have become prolific illegal drug stores. Statistics collected by the National Institute on Drug Abuse demonstrate that schoolchildren have easy access to drugs and alcohol. â€Å"The average age of first alcohol use is 12 and the average age of first drug use is 13. Almost two-thirds of all American young people try illicit drugs before they finish high school† (Anderson, 1996) The relationship between illegal drug use among teens and an increased occurrence of sexual activity is a broadly accepted reality by both researchers and the general public. Many studies have time and again demonstrated an association between unsafe sexual behavior and illegal drug use by teenagers. Drug users are more prone to take risks than do teens that don’t use drugs. This may be an obvious assertion but a tendency to take unnecessary chances with their health combined with a lowering of inhibitions while on drugs and the inherent need of all teens to feel accepted by their peer group leads to increased sexual activity. This problematic circumstance also enhances the chance of teens having multiple sexual partners, having sex at an earlier age and decreases the odds that they will utilize contraception than those that do not use marijuana. â€Å"Teens 15 and older who use drugs are five times mo re likely to have sex than are those teens who do not use drugs and teens who have used marijuana are four times more likely to have been pregnant or to have gotten someone pregnant than teens who have never smoked pot† (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 1997). Teenagers are more emotionally unstable younger children and adults which explains the higher suicide rate among that age group. A study involving teenagers found that of those who attempted suicide, illegal drug abuse was the most often shared aspect of their lives. Of the teens that committed suicide, 70 per cent were regular users of illegal drugs and/or alcohol. However, this study and current research reveal that drug use alone may not instigate suicide just that drug use and teen suicide is statically related. Teens who experience emotional troubles to a higher degree than their classmates have an even greater likelihood of considering suicide and to use illegal drugs. Additionally drugs could magnify a pre-existing emotional condition and â€Å"may impair the judgment of teens considering suicide, making suicide attempts more likely† (Shaffer et al, 1996). Discussing Arguments: Dialogue The majority and probably all countries of the world face the steady trafficking of illegal drugs across their borders. Countries are increasingly realizing that the illegal importation of drugs, a criminal act, generally involves people of foreign origin, is ultimately more harmful to society than is

Hospitality Company Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hospitality Company Analysis - Essay Example Although, Virgin America was established by British tycoon Sir Richard Branson, it operates within the US airspace only. Of the company’s capital assets, three-quarters are under the ownership of the citizens through VAI Partners. The outstanding one-quarter of the corporation is under the ownership of Virgin Group, the mother company which also issues Virgin brand licenses. It is notable that Virgin America’s head offices are in Burlingame, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, form where it operates autonomously from any other Virgin brand firms. Their relationship is only limited to partnerships. The airline aims to capitalize on its organizational resources to fend off competition and gain a significant market share in the country. As Bachman (2013) has said, with six years of service in world-class passenger transit services in the fledged American market, Virgin Airlines strives to heighten the level of its services by creating an effective risk management system backed by cutting-edge technology solutions. In light of this, Virgin relies on a flexible, Internet-based platform to handle its customers’ needs such as making reservations and facilitating general inquiries expeditiously and in a more efficient manner. Virgin Group has built a strong brand for many decades, an asset that can be traced to its fledged British roots. With each brand having a unique appeal, the mother airline company has earned itself and the American subsidiary a strategic position in the country’s airline industry that provides passenger services to guests from all walks of life (Christman, 2004). Despite the fact that the company focuses on the domestic market, setting up an inclusive atmosphere for the company’s business partners, guests and members of the supply chain in the multi-cultural American society is not just logical, but a priority of the organization. In addition, through Virgin’s unique brand positioning,

Legalization of Marijuana Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legalization of Marijuana - Research Paper Example Teenagers are naturally inquisitive, one of the justifications given for this age group experimenting with drugs. They also are inclined to become bored easily and experience recurrent emotional highs and lows, all probable factors in teenage marijuana use. Drug use increases the chance that teenagers will contract a social disease, become pregnant, perform inadequately in school and attempt suicide as this paper will examine. State and Support Three Claims Adolescents are in a more vulnerable life circumstance than are adults because teens are still developing in every facet of their lives. Regrettably, it is this same group that has the most access to marijuana as schools have become prolific illegal drug stores. Statistics collected by the National Institute on Drug Abuse demonstrate that schoolchildren have easy access to drugs and alcohol. â€Å"The average age of first alcohol use is 12 and the average age of first drug use is 13. Almost two-thirds of all American young people try illicit drugs before they finish high school† (Anderson, 1996) The relationship between illegal drug use among teens and an increased occurrence of sexual activity is a broadly accepted reality by both researchers and the general public. Many studies have time and again demonstrated an association between unsafe sexual behavior and illegal drug use by teenagers. Drug users are more prone to take risks than do teens that don’t use drugs. This may be an obvious assertion but a tendency to take unnecessary chances with their health combined with a lowering of inhibitions while on drugs and the inherent need of all teens to feel accepted by their peer group leads to increased sexual activity. This problematic circumstance also enhances the chance of teens having multiple sexual partners, having sex at an earlier age and decreases the odds that they will utilize contraception than those that do not use marijuana. â€Å"Teens 15 and older who use drugs are five times mo re likely to have sex than are those teens who do not use drugs and teens who have used marijuana are four times more likely to have been pregnant or to have gotten someone pregnant than teens who have never smoked pot† (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 1997). Teenagers are more emotionally unstable younger children and adults which explains the higher suicide rate among that age group. A study involving teenagers found that of those who attempted suicide, illegal drug abuse was the most often shared aspect of their lives. Of the teens that committed suicide, 70 per cent were regular users of illegal drugs and/or alcohol. However, this study and current research reveal that drug use alone may not instigate suicide just that drug use and teen suicide is statically related. Teens who experience emotional troubles to a higher degree than their classmates have an even greater likelihood of considering suicide and to use illegal drugs. Additionally drugs could magnify a pre-existing emotional condition and â€Å"may impair the judgment of teens considering suicide, making suicide attempts more likely† (Shaffer et al, 1996). Discussing Arguments: Dialogue The majority and probably all countries of the world face the steady trafficking of illegal drugs across their borders. Countries are increasingly realizing that the illegal importation of drugs, a criminal act, generally involves people of foreign origin, is ultimately more harmful to society than is

Automobile and Toyota Company Essay Example for Free

Automobile and Toyota Company Essay 1. Toyota has built a huge manufacturing company that can produce millions of cars each year for a wide variety of consumers. Why was it able to grow so much bigger than any other auto manufacturer? The Toyota Company grow so much bigger than any other auto manufacture because of the act according to preference of the customer Market segment. Toyota Company produce large range of subcompacts to luxury and sports vehicles to SUVs, trucks, minivans, and buses. They segment their product according to need of customer. They create their market segment. They produce Scion car that is target the teenage and it becomes famous among the teenage. 2. Has Toyota done the right thing by manufacturing a car brand for everyone? Why or why not? I think Toyota Company done the right thing by manufacturing a car brand for everyone. They manufacture a really great range of exciting new cars which will open people’s eyes and minds. They analyze what a customer need and develop the same feature automobile in the comparable price. They divide their market segment. In the market there are different people with different perception. Toyota prove they produce wide variety of the auto that will use by different types of customer. They try to develop the auto according to the customer perception. They want to satisfy each customer. The price range of the Toyota Company is lies very expensive to inexpensive. Toyota automobile are in the reach of middle class to high class such that the user of the Toyota automobile are very much higher than other automobile company. Toyota understands that each country defines perfection differently. 3. Did Toyota grow too quickly as Toyota suggested? What should the company do over thenext year, 5 years, or 10 years? How can growing companies avoid quality problems in the future? Toyota Company grows too quickly as their suggested. Toyota is integrating its assembly plants around the world into a single giant network. They do customize on the car according to the need of the customer. Toyota’s need to keep their product’s selection and quality superior to their competition. Toyota company are become one of the successful manufacturing company due to  their consistent quality. They have to maintain their performance quality. Whether they customized the car or develop new model according to customer need they need to maintain same core quality all around the world. They need to maintain reliability on automobile. The same superior quality and dependable should be maintaining. The design of the automobile should be unique and while developing new model design car they need to maintain core material as same. They need to customize regular according to the customer. They need to maintain extraordinary look for each model. Such that it will look very distinctive than competitor. They need to produce high quality and high specific design automobile. They need to give services after the purchasing the product and more ever they have to delivery every item in the time. They need to create more value of automobile by giving some of the discount or either by various services. They need to provide e-support for their customer and they need to update their information through the media. As we know people perfection are different according to the geographic area. A great product by itself is not enough so the Toyota need to advertise themselves according to customer perfection at that place. They need to make market strategy differently in different country. The Toyota Company is giving Guaranteed Auto Protection to their customer. They need to keep it up.

Case Study on Avon Products Inc

Case Study on Avon Products Inc Should Top Management at AVON explicitly shape and change the culture of its organisation? Should Kroft, Woodbury, Jung or Gold has hopes of Succeeding Perrin, what should they do to develop their competencies and managerial leadership further so that the AVON board would look at them, and conclude that they have been there, and they have done that? Identify the problems and issues at AVON, and suggest ideas how the company could gain the competitive advantage in the global trade. Answer to Question 1: Yes, the AVON top management should explicitly continue to shape and change the culture within the organization. Based on our study, we found some issues faced by AVON Company as the following: AVON Managers are lack of sensitivity and slow response to the external environment change. In example: AVON managers were slow to realize that the influx of women in to corporate America had important consequences for home-based cosmetic sales. Resulted profitability slumped in 1980s. Poor financial performance at AVON has signalled the company for a need to become more responsive to a changing consumer market. Some unnecessary internal activities such like company session tickets for the Knicks and Yankees in the pass has also factored unnecessary cost to company. Those activities were scrapped later. As stated in the case study. Multiculturalism is the main challenge to the company as vital element in meeting customer demand and gaining competitive advantage. Those issues had badly contributed to AVON corporate culture and created impact for company performance in the pass. Definition of Corporate culture: So what is the definition of Corporate Culture? The definitions for corporate culture are numerous and are being refined and added to every day. The general academic view is that it is the shared, beliefs, assumptions, values, rules and norms the members of a collective such as a corporation or department hold. While this is perfectly acceptable we prefer to take the view expressed by Marvin Bower of McKinsey who said corporate culture is the way we do things around here. There are more sophisticated and certainly convoluted definitions for corporate culture but it is succinct and provides a good starting point for those who are new to corporate culture. Source: Corporate Culture, nd. Dudley Consulting, Inc. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 30 September 2010] Its difficult to change AVONs culture, the way we do things around here does not practice a positive corporate culture this is due to wrong believes, value and rules applied to the company culture. They dont lead by good examples and good leadership. But AVON has done it and turns those wrong doing to a positive culture started 1990s, as following: AVON start creates leadership campaigns such as sending middle managers for leadership development training. The entire management team participated in awareness training by leading diversity consultants. Management launch multicultural planning research project to evaluated company policies and practices regarding promotion. Indentify potential barriers to the advancement of women and minorities. Set up a task force across corporate head quarters multiple profit centres with more than 100 employees. Company has developed goals. To continue built a positive corporate culture, AVON shall consider below suggestions which is not practice from above example that AVON have done : Stories. A group packages up its culture into stories which are frequently told and re-told, and which typify the values of the group eg the time we all stayed late on Xmas Eve to get the last orders finished and then has an impromptu party at the local. Heroes. Individuals who typify to an extreme the values of the group. Symbols. These may be staff mottoes, the corporate mission statement or anything that symbolises the core values. Rites. These are specific occasions, such as the annual office party, when the core values are publicly displayed. Formal award ceremonies are another example. These are especially important for enculturing new staff. Rituals. This means a standard pattern of behaviour at a specific occasion, such as the office party if things are always done in a particular pattern. Courses. Attending in-house courses is an important way of team-building and communicating the core values. Cultural Networks. This means the informal contacts between employees where they reinforce core values, especially by passing them from older to younger group members. Source: organisation building a positive corporate culture, nd. tutor2u. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 30 September 2010] With above ideas to shape the company culture, AVON is likely achieve the following advantages of Strong Corporate Culture A common interpretation of the Instruction, so work is done to a similar standard and in a similar manner. Increase employee loyalty, and avoid expenses of employee turnover. Increase productivity of the company. Increase the Management control. Answer to Question 2: Before we jump to the point for discussing who shall be taking over AVON dealership there are something more vital to discuss first. Definition of Leadership : Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience (Jago, 1982) A simple definition of leadership is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Source: Leadership, Susan Ward, About.com Guide. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 30 September 2010] Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership knowledge and skills. This is called Process Leadership (Jago, 1982). However, we know that we have traits that can influence our actions. This is called Trait Leadership (Jago, 1982) Leadership is simply showed by good example, lead people to right things and do things right. A good leadership can groom another good leader. However, AVON does not groom any successful leader by any mentor. It caused AVON suffered many years. Until the company decided to source another leader who is experienced as chief executive in another global company. It had shown that company direction is to hire another guru to be the mentor and lead existing executive which hope to groom them in future. Definition of competencies: A competency is a skill, ability, or knowledge set that can be taught or developed. All competencies have indicators that allow them to be observed and measured. A leadership competency model is a group of competencies linked to leadership excellence in a specific organization. A leadership competency model supports the organizations vision and strategy by providing a framework by which the organization can select, develop, and evaluate leaders. Source: Joaquin Roca, 2009. What Is a Leadership Competency and How Do I Create a Competency Model? [Online] Place: USA/ Human resources and labour relations community. Available at: [Accessed 30 September 2010] A successful company should have a good leader with good leadership and competencies. In AVON, one of the main issues that that are facing is most of them are not processing comprehensive leadership and appropriate core competencies. A core competency is fundamental knowledge, ability, or expertise in a specific subject area or skill set. Source: Rafael Gutierrez, 2003. Core Competency. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 30 September 2010] Base on the AVON case study, should Susan Kropf to be the next leader of AVON, she not only needs to process a good operation and global marketing core competency skill which she already has. But also develop the following core competencies: Financial and Administrative skill which Edwina Woodbury has. To able to sustain company financial health growth. Crisis management and cost cutting skill from Christina Gold. Answer to Question 3: The main issue of AVON is due the lack of competitive advantage in global trade. Should AVON, like to gain a better business position, they should focus on building up the Completive Advantage in the globalisation era. Definition of Global Trade: Also refer to Globalisation. As economies become more connected to other economies, they have increased opportunity but also increased competition. Source: globalization, nd. Investorwords. [online] Available at: [Accessed 30 September 2010] Globalisation describes a process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade. The term is sometimes used to refer specifically to economic globalization: the integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and the spread of technology. Source: Bhagwati, Jagdish (2004). In Defense of Globalization. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. Definition of Competitive Advantage: The Competitive Advantage is the ability gained through attributes and resources to perform at a higher level than others in the same industry or market (Christensen and Fahey 1984, Kay 1994, Porter 1980 cited by Chacarbaghi and Lynch 1999, p. 45) In VAON, they do not gain a Cost Advantage simply because their internal cost is high, unnecessary expenses such like New York City Ballet and the New York Philharmonic session ticket. They also not leverage the advantage of internet technology and still relay on Door-to-Door selling approach. They also do not seem to have differentiation advantage within the company. AVON should consider taking below steps to gain Competitive Advantage in the Global Trade: Cost leadership Is there any way to make cost advantage among all the competitors in this borderless era? They can move the production line move to a country to provide lower cost of production. Or leverage Technology advantage such like internet to cut the advertisement cost or agent cost? Like Dell has been very successful on its direct model to outreach consumers using the internet order system. Differentiation How to make AVON product unique from other product? AVON can consider using product development strategy to improve product packaging to maintain the market awareness. Focus AVON should avoid participate in all product range. And focus on niche product that they are good with. And become the leader of that particular area/product.

Garden for the Blind Essay :: Architecture Design Essays

Garden for the Blind Essay One of the first actions needed in constructing a garden for the blind on the south lawn of Hume Hall is to construct a barrier on the northern end and eastern end surrounding the garden so as to block out any unwanted street noise. The wall would preferably be cement, with the sides facing Museum Road and North-South Drive unpainted so as to absorb as much sound as possible. However, the sides facing the garden should be painted so as to reflect the sounds of the garden back to its occupants. This wall may need to be as high as seven feet or larger, however high it needs to be in order to block as much external noise as possible. When a person walks through this garden, the first sense that is triggered is the sense of sound, for the walkway is wooden at the beginning of the garden path. Since this garden is situated on a steep hillside, the walkway needs to be level and built up next to the hillside, with steps going down leading to the next level walkway. The garden path continues, winding back and forth to the bottom of the hill. The entrance to this garden is to the west of the north wall, and the first realization that one is in the garden is the aroma of the mints lining the edges of the walkway on the hillside. Wooden railings line either side of the walkway to help guide the visitor, and the person would be able to touch, smell, and even taste the different mint plants lining this area of the garden. The different mints would include chocolate mint, pineapple mint, spearmint, and peppermint. The next area of the garden a person encounters is one that appeals to the active touch, for these plants have appealing textured bark and leaves. A person realizes that this next stage of the garden applies a different sense because the walkway changes to a brick path, which reflects a different sound to the person, whether he or she is tapping the path with a cane or simply listening to the sound of his or her own footsteps. The first plants found in this ?texture? area are crape myrtle, which have smooth bark. These plants can be considered small trees or shrubs, and occupy some space, so the visitor can walk along the path, gently touching the leaves and bark until the next plant, the lamb?

International economic institutions serve western

International economic institutions serve western interests. Do you agree? The international economic institutions refer to the Bretton Woods institutions which are the IMF and World Bank which were created after World War 2 and GATT was also created after the war and later became the WTO. I agree with the statement, due to the disproportionate amount of power held by Western countries compared to the rest of the world and the fact that these institutions attempt to press or force western neo-Liberal values on the rest of the world. In this essay I will go through each individual economic institution explaining how they serve western interests and how recent reforms have attempted to curb western powers within these institutions and then I will later discuss how these institutions play out in terms of international political theories. The international monetary fund was set up in 1944 to head off any future world economic crisis similar in magnitude to the great depression and to manage the Bretton Wood’s fixed exchange rates. However over the decades it has gained the reputation of being the lender of last resort and have attempted to enforce neo-Liberal principles on countries who take the loans. This is shown clearly through the procedure of the Structural adjustment programme where it aims to create â€Å"a business climate attractive to investors †. They do this through prescribing Washington consensus politics which involves opening up markets to foreign competition, close down unprofitable markets; reduce public expenditure and privatisation programmes. This has served western interests as this opens up new market for western countries to exploit, as shown in Ghana where it â€Å"used to be self reliant on r... ...ns would act in their self interest when using IGO’s. Realists focus on the fact that liberals tend to overlook power politics which would be played out within these IGO’s. For Marxists they view the failure of IGO’s to spread wealth equally as the failings of the capitalist system where only the rich can gain and by allowing the poor to stay poor due to the greed of capitalism. Overall it is clear that in the past and currently the west have dominated the international financial institutions in order to serve western interests. However the west have started to lose grip of all three of these institutions as the emergence of the BRIC’s have forced the west’s hand, as they have hinted that they would create their own IMF . So I foresee a more balanced international institutions or the west facing BRIC led rival organisations in the form of the BRIC’s own versions.

How Are Othello and Blanche Dubois Alienated in Their Societies? Essay

‘Compare the ways in which alienation of individuals from their societies is presented in the two texts you have studied.’ George Bernard Shaw once said that ‘conflict is the essence of drama’, and if that is true, then the plays Othello and A Streetcar Named Desire would thus be rife with drama, as conflict in inexorably presented by the two respective playwrights, Shakespeare and Williams, through the alienation of individuals from their societies. This creates constant conflict and friction within the plays as the relentless efforts of their ‘outsiders’ is constantly pushed back by an even greater force that rejects them from being a part of society. In each of these plays, there are common literary devices that each playwright uses to bring about this alienation, with the most obvious of them being the juxtaposition of the characters to other characters and to their ‘newfound’ homelands, as well as the imagery and words that the other characters use against them or to describe them (with diction and its various forms also being an overarching factor that achieve s this effect of alienation). In the very first scene of the play, Iago already plays on Othello’s ‘otherness’ towards Brabantio, purposefully making jabs at Othello’s race, giving him a reason to disapprove of his daughter’s new marriage by painting a vile picture of what Othello will do to his daughter in ‘you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse’. The bestial imagery invoked by Iago is only further propagated throughout the play in which he constantly uses Othello’s skin-colour to give others a reason to distrust him. The most obvious way in which the alienation of individuals is presented in the two plays are the juxtaposition of the ‘outsider’ to their new surroundings, namely Othello the Moor from Othello and Blanche Dubois from Streetcar. For Othello, the Moor general is considered an outsider to everyone in Venice, where the play is set, simply because he is of African descent whereas everyone else is a fair-skinned Venetian. Thus, every single character that he interacts with paints an almost immediate contrast as he does not share the same heritage as them. The most crucial contrasts that are portrayed through Othello are that between his wife, Desdemona and his counterpart and adversary, Iago. Similarly, in Streetcar, the alienation of Blanche Dubois, an ‘upper-class’ woman who comes from a wealthy background (Belle Reve) is presented through her sister Stella, and brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski as they are unable to accept the changes that comes with her moving into their lives. Stanley, whom Blanche considers to be a Polish immigrant (derogatively referring to him as a ‘Polack’) has already established an extremely comfortable lifestyle with his wife and the introduction of Blanche threatens all of this, and so he ultimately decides to eliminate her from the picture. This is presented in the contrast between these two polar opposites. Where Stanley is proud to be in his own skin and confident of his physical attractiveness, ‘My clothes’re stickin’ to me. Do you mind if I make myself more comfortable?’, Blanche is shown to always be covered up and shielded from natural light, as she is afraid that the people and compan y in her life (what she needs the most) will resent her when they see her real and natural looks. The extent to their differences run further than that though, as Stanley (along with the other characters who lives in the French Quarter) is used to being outspoken and blunt, speaking his mind towards whatever he sees fit, whereas Blanche is constantly hiding behind lies and falsifications, and it is fundamentally, in these conflicts of interests and behaviors that society as a whole is generally unable to accept Blanche into their lives, because she is so different from them and is unable to adapt wholly to them. As an offspring from the characters being unable to accept these individuals into their respective societies, it can be seen that the setting itself is another dramatic device in which the playwrights use to highlight the alienation of an individual from its society. In Othello, Shakespeare uses the setting of Venice in Act 1 and then later on, Cyprus in the rest of the play to again, show how Othello (at the time of the play) would never be accepted into such cultures. Firstly in Venice, there is an inherent xenophobia within the society that is unable to accept Othello into their personal lives, thus showing that Othello’s value in society is nothing more than a tool, and that the respect that he is accorded with is only due to his contributions to the state, without which he is nothing. This can be seen from the treatment he receives from others, most notably the First Senator and the Duke in ‘Here comes Othello and the valiant Moor’Â  and ‘Valiant Othel lo, we must straight employ you’ respectively. Even though the noblemen speak to him with respect and dignity, it is shown that they treat his ‘otherness’ as an intrinsic part of his character that they cannot refrain from addressing him with, therefore showing that Othello had always been considered an outsider that only has a place in the Venetian society as someone who can offer service. In Act 2 onwards, the introduction of a new setting Cyprus shows Othello’s further alienation from his society. Ironically, Cyprus is a somewhat more ‘hostile’ environment in which most of his travelling companions are unused to feel uncomfortable in as it is much more ‘rough’ than genial Venice. It is in Cyprus which Othello feels more at home at, unleashing his innate behavior such as the rage he unleashes in Act 3 and the violence he commits onto Desdemona in Act 4, showing the contrast that he is much more comfortable in this ‘foreign environment’ than the rest of his Venetians. Thus, the dramatic setting is another device that Shakespeare uses to present the alienation of the individual Othello from the rest of his society. Again, this is true for A Streetcar Named Desire as the main setting, ‘Elysian Fields’ is basically a cramped apartment that Blanche is completely unable to adapt to, given her background living in a huge plantation in the Southwest for most of her life. In Elysian Fields, Blanche is not only forced into a small two-room compound shared with what she feels are ‘foreigners’ above her but also, to share it with the very person she is most uncomfortable with, Stanley, and it is her constant efforts to change this environment to better suit her that so enrages Stanley in the first place, as it threatens his very way of life. In the very introduction of Blanche in scene 1, ‘[She touches her forehead shakily.] Stella, there’s – only two rooms?’ she already expresses her disappointment and disdain in putting up in such an environment, and thus it shows that from the start, Williams had already shown that Elysian Fields is a place that Bla nche definitely does not belong in. Furthermore, Blanche constantly revels (or shows off) to the other characters about her old home in Belle Reve, which literally means ‘beautiful dream’, juxtaposes heavily with the cramped and obviously uncomfortable Elysian Fields in which she currently resides in, and this inability to let go of the past thus shows that Blanche will never be able to fit into society, which is what Stanley will inevitably drive her out from. Therefore, the use of dramatic setting is also used in Streetcar to alienate Blanche from the society.

American History Essay

â€Å"The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil† was a wise phase once uttered by Hannah Arendt. I love this quote because is perfectly describes the two boys from â€Å"American History X,† Danny and Derek. These two boys have seen and done it all when it comes to hate groups, as both were members of a neo-nazi hate group. Neo- Nazi hate groups use authoritarian, scapegoat, normative, and exploitation theories to justify their hate, discrimination, and torture of anyone who isn’t a part of the â€Å"supreme race,† or white. Boy Danny and Derek end up in this life from an early age. Parents are one of the biggest, if not the biggest influence on a child’s life. When Danny and Derek were both relatively young they looked up to their father, thought of him as the â€Å"ideal† man. However their father was a racist, influencing almost every thought the boys had. At family dinner when talki ng about about a black school teacher their father said, â€Å"It’s nigger bullshit,† and warned Derek not to buy into the equality teachings. Because Danny and Derek both looked up to their dad so much, this would be and example of the exploitation theory. Exploitation theory is when one societal group, in this case whites, use hostility to keep their position and power intact. This really come into play after Danny and Derek’s father was murdered and Derek believes it was a race related killing. Right after their father died, Derek joined a neo-nazi hate group known as the DOC(Disciples of Christ). Being extreme believers in the white supremacy movement, the DOC acted out with violence and extreme hatred toward any other race, especially blacks. Derek, being a high ranking member, murdered 2 black men for the cause. He served three years for the murders, which impacted his whole family tremendously. At the beginning of Derek’s sentence he did not want any visitors, claiming it would be to hard to see his family. He made friends with other neo-nazi members in prison, but soon started realizing that they were not serious about the cause like he was. He also started becoming friends with his black work partner who said, â€Å"I ain’t the nigger in here, you are† Derek started realizing that white supremacy what basically just a scapegoat. Meaning that the followers of the movement were just trying to find someone to blame for their problems, which in this case happened to be  the blacks. After befriending his black work mate he realized that blacks are human too. Once he could recognize blacks as human he finally felt guilt for killing to people, not niggers, people. Derek was determined to help his brother and family by getting them out of the gangs and hate. One of the biggest influences on Derek while in jail was his principal from high school. He was a black man with experience in dealing with â€Å"troubled youth.† He gave Derek the push he needed by saying, â€Å"Has anything you’ve done made your life better?†. Later Derek told Danny, â€Å"It’s just because I was pissed off†. I think this was Derek’s way of responding to his principal, he really didn’t believe in the cause it was more of just an outlet for his anger that his father would have approved of. While Derek is locked up.

Hostel Ddday

Respected dignitaries on the stage, all the professors and my dear hostelites.. â€Å"Suddenly out from home town, With B. Tech Degree as our Crown, We landed here, here we lived, here we matured, here Spent best years of our life, With best pals of mine, here learned basics and felt happiness with sorrows, People of Old hostel, To thee I bow† It feels like yesterday when all of us came together as â€Å"freshers†, when we met each other, sat together for group studies a day before of the exam, it feels like yesterday when we had all the fun together.But its hard to believe that these yesterdays have lasted for 4 years †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. and soon will die out on us. Its hard for me to believe that today I am giving a speech as a final year student and that our life as undergraduates is coming to an end. I am sure that almost everyone of us in the final yr tech have something waiting for us for a better tom,but given a chance, I am sure, every one of us would like to relive these 4 years. Words just fall short to describe my feelings for this hostel.We have got everything from it; friendship, affection, care, support , knowledge, maturity and what not I am sure that thses walls know our lifes better than us. We have done things, we would have never imagined doing before we came here and also things, which others could just do in their imagination. From mid night bday parties to burning mid night oil before exams, from all day sleep on holidays to full night games and laughter, from Dashera to Holi, from mosquitoes to bed bugs, from mess food to munna’s water †¦. We have seen it all here.I could exactly recall and experience the words of Harshal Chokha, when we all were in first yr, when he said â€Å"here We have undergone the biggest transition of our lives† This place has a culture of its own, where there is just no space for discrimination and ample space for love and unity. ( Here we have shared our deepest sorrows as well as the biggest achievements with friends). Though most of our juniors just have no idea about this culture as they have lived in the new hostel but I, along with everyone of us, have enjoyed this culture and lived every moment of it.We have lived here more like a family and I really feel proud to belong to it. Its been the hostelites who are famous or can I call infamous for attending the maximum of lectures to having the best of leaser. Now when I look back, its so hard to imagine where I would have been if not here. There is so much to say and it will take another 8 years for me to describe my 4 years of life in Old hostel I thank Prof Malshe for preserving this culture here and letting us all be a part of it. He as a person will be tough at times but really soft otherwise. Can never forget those nights when Sir is on surprise visit to the hostel and everybody runs here and there just informing others to be prepared for it. Can never forget how his comments become even mo re popular than the dialogues of the most amazing movies). I would like to thank him for lending his hand whenever we required his help and sir, we request you for your support even when we are not a part of this hostel. How can I forget last year, when hostel day was on the verge of getting cancelled, that he became hope and support for us and yes, we were able to make an eventful festival under the leadership of our GS Shailesh Marwah.As far as the achievements are concerned, the batch of final yr B tech could be called as the batch of achievers. People have got high paying jobs, top ranking universities, unmatchable GATE scores that too in third year, and still there is so much more to come. As far as extra curricular activities are concerened over the years we have excelled in both cultural and sports events. I would like to thank all the professors, who have always lend us their helping hands, all my classmates or I would say my brothers and my juniors for being there during th e highs and the lows. I could never repay you all for your favours ) and guys keep the spirit of old hostel high. I would like to end up on an emotional note, In all I can only say†¦.. â€Å"We lived in the old hostel for 4 years Enjoyed, cried had fun, shared tears, We hostelites live here as a a family with wings of UICT to fly freely now, its time for us to leave making this one of the best place for freshers to live† Thank youRespected dignitaries on the stage, all the professors and my dear hostelites.. â€Å"Suddenly out from home town, With B. Tech Degree as our Crown, We landed here, here we lived, here we matured, ere Spent best years of our life, With best pals of mine, here learned basics and felt happiness with sorrows, People of Old hostel, To thee I bow† It feels like yesterday when all of us came together as â€Å"freshers†, when we met each other, sat together for group studies a day before of the exam, it feels like yesterday when we had al l the fun together. But its hard to believe that these yesterdays have lasted for 4 years †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. and soon will die out on us. Its hard for me to believe that today I am giving a speech as a final year student and that our life as undergraduates is coming to an end.I am sure that almost everyone of us in the final yr tech have something waiting for us for a better tom,but given a chance, I am sure, every one of us would like to relive these 4 years. Words just fall short to describe my feelings for this hostel. We have got everything from it; friendship, affection, care, support , knowledge, maturity and what not I am sure that thses walls know our lifes better than us. We have done things, we would have never imagined doing before we came here and also things, which others could just do in their imagination.From mid night bday parties to burning mid night oil before exams, from all day sleep on holidays to full night games and laughter, from Dashera to Holi, f rom mosquitoes to bed bugs, from mess food to munna’s water †¦. We have seen it all here. I could exactly recall and experience the words of Harshal Chokha, when we all were in first yr, when he said â€Å"here We have undergone the biggest transition of our lives† This place has a culture of its own, where there is just no space for discrimination and ample space for love and unity. ( Here we have shared our deepest sorrows as well as the biggest achievements with friends).Though most of our juniors just have no idea about this culture as they have lived in the new hostel but I, along with everyone of us, have enjoyed this culture and lived every moment of it. We have lived here more like a family and I really feel proud to belong to it. Its been the hostelites who are famous or can I call infamous for attending the maximum of lectures to having the best of leaser. Now when I look back, its so hard to imagine where I would have been if not here. There is so much to say and it will take another 8 years for me to describe my 4 years of life in Old hostelI thank Prof Malshe for preserving this culture here and letting us all be a part of it. He as a person will be tough at times but really soft otherwise. ( Can never forget those nights when Sir is on surprise visit to the hostel and everybody runs here and there just informing others to be prepared for it. Can never forget how his comments become even more popular than the dialogues of the most amazing movies). I would like to thank him for lending his hand whenever we required his help and sir, we request you for your support even when we are not a part of this hostel.How can I forget last year, when hostel day was on the verge of getting cancelled, that he became hope and support for us and yes, we were able to make an eventful festival under the leadership of our GS Shailesh Marwah. As far as the achievements are concerned, the batch of final yr B tech could be called as the batch of achie vers. People have got high paying jobs, top ranking universities, unmatchable GATE scores that too in third year, and still there is so much more to come. As far as extra curricular activities are concerened over the years we have excelled in both cultural and sports events.I would like to thank all the professors, who have always lend us their helping hands, all my classmates or I would say my brothers and my juniors for being there during the highs and the lows. (I could never repay you all for your favours ) and guys keep the spirit of old hostel high. I would like to end up on an emotional note, In all I can only say†¦.. â€Å"We lived in the old hostel for 4 years Enjoyed, cried had fun, shared tears, We hostelites live here as a a family with wings of UICT to fly freely now, its time for us to leave making this one of the best place for freshers to live† Thank you

Thought, Force and Selfishness in Ajax and Prometheus Bound Essay

Thought, Force and Selfishness in Ajax and Prometheus Bound - Essay Example Sophocle's Ajax is a mighty Greek warrior in the time of the Trojan war, second only to Achilles in "perfect prowess" (Sophocles, Ajax 1415). His wife is "spear-won", and his entire presence on stage is marked by Hector's bloody sword, a room-full of "sword-slain cattle", or his "self-dealt wound". After Achilles' death, a competition is set up between him and Odysseus over who will inherit Achilles' armor, symbolizing the inheritance of the latter's prized status. When the Atreidae decide that Odysseus should get the armor, instead of humbly accepting the judges' decision, Ajax's pride over his power and valor spurs him in revenge against Agamemnon and Menelaus, a wild act that is only thwarted by the duplicitous intervention of Athena, the patron goddess of Odysseus. She drives Ajax mad and instead of massacring the Atreidae, he slaughters cattle instead. The double humiliation and the rancor that he has stirred up in the Greek camp against him drive him to commit suicide. Ajax's actions-both the madness-inducing revenge, and his suicide-show not only a lack of wisdom but selfish pride in his lust for power. Despite his wife's pleas not to do anything rash and so cause her and his son to become slaves and to be mistreated by the Greeks, he only responds by insulting her - "Woman, silence graces women" (Ajax 292) - and deceiving her and his friends (Chorus) about his suicidal intentions: "I feel the keen edge of my temper softened by yon woman's words; and I feel the pity of leaving her a widow with my foes, and the boy and orphan" (652). His brother Teucer bemoans the taunts and the revilement that he will receive both at home and abroad because of Ajax's selfish act (1020-2), and the Chorus the future lack of protection that "bold Ajax" provided for him (1214). Ajax's pride in his might is such that he is unable to weigh the effect of his actions on others, and sees everyone else as less than himself (even king Odysseus). Furthermore, we see that it is selfish pride and arrogance that instigates Athena against him, as he spoke arrogantly against her, which is not befitting of his place as a mortal. The messenger reveals that "Ajax, even at his first going forth from home, was found foolish" (760), and when his father encouraged him with the wisdom of his years, "haughtily and foolishly he answered: 'I, even without [the gods'] aid, trust to bring glory within my grasp'" (770). More foolhardily, he spurned the help of the goddess Athena, thinking that he is mighty enough to win any battle as, "where Ajax stands, battle will never break our line" (776). The messenger rightly concludes that Ajax's "thoughts were too great for man" (788). Ajax's downfall or hubris then is that he is nothing more than an empty-headed muscle man, a dangerous comb ination of force and lack of intelligence. Throughout the play, Ajax's use of force is misplaced: against the "poor sheep", in his language to Tecmessa, and against himself. Regaining his right mind, he bemoans: "Seest thou the bold, the strong of heart, the dauntless in battles with the foe,-seest thou how I have shown my prowess on creatures that feared no harm" (364-6). While we can say that the first instance of misused force is as a result of Athena's intervention, his brutish manner to his wife and his suicide are done when he is in full