Jingle A Fiction arrative Essay - 2623 Words

â€Å"Oil exploration and increased sea traffic are encroaching on polar bear habitat, throughout the Arctic. With the increase economic activ—choo! Cut!† As soon as that word left the young reporter, Alrick Spencer mouth the news crew began to move. They all were moving the cameras and the rest of the equipments into the van as they were calling it a day. Alrick can see the tiredness in their eyes and the annoyances after retaking the same shot over and over again. It wasn’t his fault that his boss decided that his first job would be at the middle of no where in the Arctic. How was he supposed to make a great impression on TV with snot running down his nose? He was currently with his crew doing a story on the environmental changes that are†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sigh†¦ I’ll wait here. I’m sure they’ll look for me,† he said as he pulled his cap down to his eyebrows and wrapped his scarf tighter around his mouth and nose to protect him from the biting wind that was picking up. He sat down on the ground as he pulled his knees up to his chest to keep somewhat warm. Jingle. Alrick looked up after hearing a bell like sound. He looked around and didn’t see anything. He noticed that the wind was picking up and he assumed that it was just that, the wind. Jingle Jingle There it was again and he knew it wasn’t just the wind. He got up and looked around noticing the wind was picking up faster. He squint his eyes to see through the snow and wind that was blowing all around. Jingle Jingle Jingle â€Å"Hello! is anyone there?,† he called out as he walked towards the bell sounds. Alrick shut his eyes causing ice to encrust his lashes, and causing darkness in his vision. Distantly though, he heard a crunching. Were they footsteps? He wasnt sure how long hed been stumbling through the snowstorm when he heard the bell sounds and foot steps. In the back of his head he knows that he should have stayed where he was but in his heart he knew that it’ll bother him not finding out where the sound was coming from. Like a fool he was running towards an unknown direction hoping something was there. Jingle Jingle Jingle Jingle Jingle Jingle He forced himself to increase his speed but he stumbled and fell onto the ice

The Music That Changed The World - 1797 Words

Beethoven Edgar Gallegos South Piedmont Community College There are have been many composers are there will be new composers that will come in time and they will have their different ideas. They come from many places and many different time periods. And they all have their different styles like we do know.Today’s music is very strange as it has different styles rhythms and totally different instruments. For example the techno music that is being played today. There are no instruments being used just computers manipulating sounds, tones, pitches and many different things that make it sound different like the music that Skrillex makes. But one composer that has astonished the world for a long time for many different†¦show more content†¦First father would is another story. His father was a court singer and an alcoholic which he was most known for. The start of his musical career can be said that his father started. At a young age his father was the one who wanted him to become a musician. At 6 years old his father staged a open recital for people to see him. He wanted them to see that he was going to be a musical prodigy which he later did become. â€Å"At the age of ten Christian Gottlob Neefe, the newly appointed Court Organist. And at the age of 12 Christian Gottlob Neefe introduced Beethoven to Bach. Another thing is that at the age of 12 Beethoven published his first composition called Dressler. Beethoven’s father s voice was worsening and his alcoholism was getting worse and he could not keep supporting his family and Ludwin had to step up and provide for his family. He would ask for a permanent position for a courtship. A courtship is being hired by a king, queen, or a duke and playing or composing music for them. This could be a bad thing or a good thing. The good part of it was that they had and gave everythin g you. They would pay you, give you food for your family, and they had places for them to live. The bad part of being in a courtship was that the music that you created was intended for the person that â€Å" hired† them. They would create the music that they taught would be of the liking of the people that hired them. But as it has

Missing Scene Essay Example For Students

Missing Scene Essay The scene is set in the interior of a bar at the Flamingo Hotel in Laurel. The bar has a mysterious quality to it and is very hazy with smoke. Its crowded with drunken men, many are crowded around the centre table drinking excessively together and occasionally shouting loud bawdy jokes to one another. There are four round wooden tables surrounding the centre one in front of the bar which has six tall stools standing at it. They are dark mahogany and upholstered with tattered and frayed red velvet. To the right there are two pool tables and a set of saloon doors leading to a hallway of guest rooms. The walls of the bar are painted light blue; however the paint has peeled at various places and appears to be fading. Three dwindling chandeliers are hanging from the ceiling exuding a gentle yellow glow that lends to the room an almost spectral quality mixed with the cigarette smoke. A small familiar band of Negro entertainers sing an upbeat but gentle rendition of the Count Basies Bolero at the Savoy. Blanche Dubois enters through the main door on the far left of the bar. She is wearing a luxurious hand-woven red silk dress lined with sable which compliments her figure and sits eloquently against the curves of her body. A gold diamond and ruby necklace with a double-link rope chain rests delicately on her neck. The ruby appears to pulse and there is an element of simplicity about her appearance which lends itself nicely to her radiance. Her face is made up with a combination of mascara, lipstick and foundation. She is carrying a small red snake skin purse with a starburst design on each side and a shiny gold trim. The men crowded around the centre table lower their voices and gaze at her as she crosses the bar to sit at one of the stools. For almost a second it seems like the entire bar comes to a standstill and time as an entity ceases to exist. As she sits they return to their prior state of drunken stupor and continue talking noisily. A few moments after Blanche enters and orders a drink, Laura enters through the same door. She wears a plain pale mint lace dress made from silk with cream sheer lace panelling. It has a slash neckline and sheer cropped sleeves. Its fitted neatly to her slender figure, emphasising the curvature of her bosom. A small silver necklace is placed around her thin neck. There is something unworldly about how delicate yet elegant she is. None of the men at the table take notice of her and she is thankful for the orange-red glow of the chandeliers which covers her flushed red cheeks. She wears no makeup and carries a small, unpretentious white leather quilted shoulder bag which has a gold tone chain and gold stud fastenings surrounding the designer push lock. Blanche is seemingly unaware of Lauras entrance and lights a cigarette as Laura approaches her. Laura gently touches Blanche on the shoulder. BLANCHE (to LAURA): Goodness Laura, I never saw you come in. Its been three months since weve last seen each other! Well with all that a few weeks ago, Im not surprised it has taken this long. LAURA: Blanche, why you look beautiful tonight. Its been too long; I didnt think I would have gotten out of that place without you. We were lucky BLANCHE: So how are you, dear? Did you get the message I left you? LAURA: Im okay and yes, I wasnt sure if you would be here already though. Ive been worrying you know. Blanche signals the bar tender. He is a young man with handsome features; high cheek bones, a strong jaw and deep-set blue eyes. There is a faint touch of stubble on his chin and his hair is strikingly black. Its swept back from his face and has sharp sides which show up quite starkly through his dark hair. Hes wearing a white shirt with a black waistcoat and bow tie. He polishes the glass he holds and then tends to Blanche. .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 , .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .postImageUrl , .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 , .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466:hover , .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466:visited , .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466:active { border:0!important; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466:active , .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466 .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u35b268459753c901624cdb9b6c7d6466:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Holocaust (1353 words) EssayBAR TENDER: Good evening maam, can I get you a drink? BLANCHE: May I have a crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½me de Violette, sir. LAURA: That sounds exotic! BAR TENDER: Would you like one too, mlady? LAURA: I suppose it wouldnt hurt to try it. Can you make me one as well? BAR TENDER: (With exaggerated courtesy) Certainly, it would be my pleasure. I shall be right back with your drinks shortly. LAURA: (turning to Blanche) The man and woman living in the room above me are terribly noisy, Blanche. It sounds like a war going on up there! They are constantly moving furniture around and decorating. There hasnt been any silence the whole time Ive been there. The people are so noisy; its a lot noisier than my mothers house. I miss her. She was always pressuring me to go find a man and settle down, but I was too shy. Now Im living here on my own. Tom must be worried sick. BLANCHE: Tom? Yes I remember you showed me a photo. Hes your brother isnt he? BAR TENDER places their drinks in front of them. LAURA (frowning): Yes, its so strange not being around my family, I feel like I have grown up too fast. You see, I used to have a little set of glass animals I would play with, a bit of a menagerie. It all seems so long ago. My childhood died along with my mother and it was so fast. BLANCHE (reminiscing): I was married once Allen Sometimes I wish he was still here now; maybe I wouldnt be so lonely. Being single is hard for us, though Ill never admit it, but it has its perks, for instance She sees a man approaching her and finished her drink in one go. LAURA laughs to herself. BLANCHE sits up straight and waits for the man. The man smiles and takes her hand. BLANCHE (smiling): Im going to dance with this gentleman over by the piano, Laura. Will you be okay to sit here for a minute? LAURA (awkwardly): okay BLANCHE walks off into the smoky haze of the dim lit room with the man and starts to dance at the back of the room by the piano. She becomes nothing but a mere shadow amidst the ominous fog from burning cigarettes. LAURA turns and faces the bar and orders another drink. She begins to look around and reluctantly makes eye contact with a young man. As he approaches, taking a draw on his cigarette, she turns around quickly out of embarrassment. The man is dressed very casually. He has a beige pair of trousers on, a pair of boots and quite a tight t-shirt. He looks like a mans man, muscular with his box of cigarettes tucked into his sleeve at the top of his arm. He is twenty nine and in his prime. He is the epitome of masculinity. STANLEY (smiling with confidence): Evening miss, its nice to meet you, Im Stanley. LAURA (blushing): Evening Stanley, Im Laura. how do you do? STANLEY: Yeah Im good, thank you. And you miss? I dont believe weve met before, have we? LAURA: Why I dont think so. Are you having a nice evening Stanley? STANLEY: I sure am. Ive been out with the men from work tonight. We like to come up here every now and then. I live in New Orleans, its a bit of a ride up here. One of my acquaintances lives near here and I stay at his place while Im visiting. You with anyone tonight? A girl like you shouldnt be alone at the bar, you should be dancing with a gentleman like myself (smiling seedily). Believe me lady, Im not the type of guy to hand out compliments to a woman frequently. LAURA (going red now): Im afraid not, Ive never had much luck with gentlemen callers you see, Im not very good at talking to men. Would you like to dance with me Stanley? .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a , .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .postImageUrl , .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a , .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a:hover , .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a:visited , .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a:active { border:0!important; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a:active , .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u38b62eceacc760bbae8c7e16e6a6d47a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Is Jay Gatsby Tragic? EssayLAURA moves through a yellow streak of light and radiates a sense of innocence yet there is an underlying sensuality about her. Stanley appears to become instantly infatuated as a moth would be with a street light. STANLEY (with a smouldering aura): Sure thing miss. As they move across the room together, STANLEY notices BLANCHE. He has been drinking fairly heavily since he arrived at the bar. He slams his glass down on a nearby table as he walks past and leaves LAURA to confront BLANCHE. STANLEY (suprised and angry): Well I cant believe what Im seeing. If it isnt Miss Blanche DuBois! I thought Id gotten rid of you! What are you doing here? I thought you had never heard of this place? BLANCHE (improvising feverishly): How do you know my name? STANLEY: What are you talking about, I know its you! Suddenly an unshakable fear comes over BLANCHE and a dead silence falls over the room as STANLEY raises his voice. A mood of hysterical panic fills her as she realises the situation she is in. A murmmering of a group of spectral men is hushed. BLANCHE step back and begins to sob uncontrollably. BLANCHE (her voice trembling): Get away from me Stanley. I havent hurt anyone, just leave me alone. The air begins to fill with ominous and inhuman voices like calls in a jungle. The shadows and pallid reflections move deviously as serpants along the sand. STANLEYS mouth slowly curving into a grin as he watches BLANCHE delve into an unforgiving and bleak void of insanity. The barely audible Blue Piano begins to play louder turning into a roar of a herd of charging cattle. BLANCHE passes out and the Blue Piano goes softly as the stage descends into darkness.

Wealth Gap free essay sample

Gap There are the rich and poor in every period in human history and everywhere in the world. Has the disparity between the rich and poor existed since ancient time? How does the disparity between the rich and poor come out? Has the disparity between the rich and poor became more narrow or wider? Although some people think that the gap between the rich and poor is more narrow because of the development of human society, the fact is that the disparity between the rich and poor is gaining because of the change of the structure of workforce, Matthew Effect in economy, unscientific social welfare system, unreasonable tax policy and knowledge explosion. Many people think that the rich-poor gap is more narrow today because of the development of human society. In their opinions, human civilization made great processes with the pass of time. People have paid more attention on equality and human rights and have taken measures such as establishing income tax policy and social welfare which are protected by law to create a fair society. We will write a custom essay sample on Wealth Gap or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But the fact is not as same as their wishes. As Roger Bootle, a chief economic adviser to professional services firm Deloitte and Touche, says that the gap between the richest and poorest could become worse (Roger Bootle). The first reason for the increasing disparity between the rich and poor is the change of the structure of workforce. As people can see, today is a technological time. The knowledgeable or skilled people can find high paying jobs, on the contrary, the uneducated people have to do simple job and get low pay. In fact, this fact is only an apparent phenomenon caused by the change of the structure of workforce. Today, technology improves the efficiency of production a lot. Many jobs which used to be very simple and need many workers become more complicated and need only a few workers now because the content of technology in the jobs has increased. So these jobs require staffs to have much more knowledge than before so that they can equal to these jobs. The process of simple jobs becoming complicated jobs is called the change of structure of workforce. In other words, the number of complicated jobs has increased and the number of simple jobs has been reduced because of the improvement of technology. In The Reason The Rich-Poor Gap is Widening, Ross Gittins reports a fact that the number of people in professional occupations grew by 27 percent, the number of associate professionals grew by 26 percent and he number of managers grew by 12 percent in Australia (Ross Gittins). The phenomenon that the number of complicated jobs has increased is really existent and it is also happened in other countries too. Because the competition of simple jobs is keen, many uneducated people are unemployed. The uneducated people get a little pay or even no pay and become the poor naturally. Take the case of China, Dexter Roberts points out a fact that the closures of many Chinese manufacturer are mainly hitting lower-value, labor-intensive exporters that pollute heavily and use energy inefficiently(78). It means the number of simple jobs for uneducated people is reduced in China. So many worker in these factories will lose their jobs and it will become more and more difficult for them to find new simple jobs. Many rural migrant workers have lost their jobs and go back to their hometown in China. So the change of structure of workforce result in many uneducated people lose the chance to get pay and widen the rich-poor gap at the same time. The Matthew Effect in economy is increasing the degree of the disparity between the poor and rich while the change of the structure of workforce is increasing the number of the poor. The term Matthew Effect comes from a story of parable. As Marie Rippel says in The Matthew Effect and Teaching Reading, the idea behind the parable become a maxim which is the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. (Marie Rippel). Specifically, Matthew Effect in economy means the rich can get richer because of their fortunes and the poor will be poorer because of their destitution. The Matthew Effect can widen the gap by affecting the next generation. If a child’s parents are poor people, they can not afford a good education, good food or good medical care condition for their child. Their child still can not do complicated jobs and get high pay in the future because the child have no chance to receive a education to grasp necessary knowledge or skills. The possibility of their child falling ill is also much higher than the children in rich family because of the child’s poor growing condition. So the child may not change the situation of the poor family and may be a poor person like his or her parents. The phenomenon keep going, poverty will be passed down from one generation to another generation. So the family will never get out of poverty and only have to be poorer. The Matthew Effect also can widen the gap by disturbing the poor to earn money with their assets. The rich can use their disposable money to do somethings which can bring them more benefits, such as banking, investment. It means the rich can earn more money by managing money. The more assets the rich have, the easier for them to make money. The poor have a little or even no disposable money, the only function of their money is offering the daily cost of their families. So they have no chance to earn money from their asset and it also will be harder for them to earn money. Matthew Effect in economy is consisted of some aspects like these, it really can widden the disparity between the rich and poor. The third reason for the increasing disparity between rich and poor is the unsound social welfare. What is welfare? As Bent Greve point out in What is Welfare, the word welfare comes from wel fare, it is from well in its still familiar sense and fare, primarily understood as a journey or arrival but later also as a supply of food (Williams 1976, 281), and has historically been related to happiness and prosperity, where as its current understanding first emerged in the 20th century(51). Modern social welfare mainly means government redistribute the whole social fortune in order to help the vulnerable groups by establishing revelant law. So the goal of social welfare is obviously to help the vulnerable groups which includes the poor. As the opinion in Goal of Social Welfare, the goal of social welfare is to fulfill the social, health, and recreational requirements of all individuals in a society (Goal). The social welfare can narrow the rich- poor gap by redistributing the social fortune, on the contrary,the unsound social welfare will not work and even widen the rich-poor gap. A character of unsound social welfare is that it can not redistribute social fortune effectively. For example, if the strength of a unsound welfare system is not enough, it will not really redistribute whole social fortune. The poor still can not get enough help from the society. Another character of a unsound social welfare system is that it can not really change the poor’ s situations with the limited money. Some countries are developing countries, the money spend on social welfare is not enough because of these countries’ underdeveloped economies. The benefits the poor get from government through social welfare is so little that it can not really make a difference in their lives and change their bad situation a lot. A reasonable social welfare system should use the rich’ s money to help the poor. It should increase the level of helping the poor so that the benefits can really provide a chance to the poor to let them change their lives. A reasonable social welfare also should help the poor more than just giving the poor a little money. If government can not afford a sound socual welfare, the welfare should spend on some measures that can really change the poor’ s situations such as offering a chance of receiving a good education to children from poor families or providing a chance of receiving a training to the poor so that the poor can get jobs and change them bad situations rather than just giving them a little money as benefits to make them can sustain lives. An effective social welfare can have a positive effect on narrowing the rich-poor gap. The unreasonable tax policy also play a important role in the problem that the rich-poor gap is wider. As social welfare systems, one of the basic functions of tax policy is to redistribute the whole social fortune, it is the source of funds of social welfare. As Janet Novack saya in Tax Shelters 2. 0, bad tax ideas which like viruses tend to mutate and claim new victims (126). A bad tax policy will widen the rich-poor gap rather than just do not work. The income tax is one of the most important tools for governments to narrow the rich-poor gap. But many countries’ tax policies are not perfect, some of them even are very unreasonable. The common characteristic of unreasonable income tax policies is that the tax policy is no use adjusting the balance between the rich and the poor. Some tax policy do not fit the change of the development of society and economy. Some tax policy will not work effectively because they have no basis in fact when government make it. Because of the development of economy, many countries’ bill will become more and more depreciatory. So the starting line of income tax should be raised in time. Only in this way can the income tax really use the rich’ s money to help the poor. As Lindy Paull, a managing partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers and former chief of staff for Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation, says in Read My Lips, taxes are going to go up one way or another and the new tax policy will get hit will be higher –income people first (102). So if a income tex policy can not be revised in time, it will become a unreasonable tax policy. Take the case of a Chinese tax policy which is obeied four years ago, the income tax collection starting line is 800 yuan at that time. It means if people’ s wage is higher than 800 yuan, they should pay tax for the extra part of their wages. In New Tax Law Needed to Narrow Income Gap, China Daily point that, the threshold of the old tax has not been raised since the personal income law was adopted in 1980. At that time, a monthly salary of 800 yuan was beyond the imagination of most Chinese people who lived on a monthly income of just tens of yuan (In New Tax). But most Chinese’ salary is higher than 800 yuan some years later. The old tax policy do not change until 2005. It means many people whose wage is not high have paid the income tax for many years and the rich have paid much more little tax than they should pay. The old tax policy is a unreasonable tax policy before 2005. The tax policy which have no basis in fact such as the tax policy with a wrong taxation target also can widen the rich-poor gap by many ways. The result of these wrong tax policies is as same as the tax policies which are out of date. They all fail to take enough money from the rich and still take money away from the poor. These kinds of unreasonable tax policy all can not work and help the rich-poor gap become wider and wider in some way. The most essential and important reason for the increasing gap between rich and poor is knowledge explosion. Human knowledge become more and more with the development of huiman civilization. As a Daniel says in Knowledge Increased, according to research studies, the summation of human knowledge is now doubling every eight years now. 80 percent of all the scientists who have ever lived are still alive today. They add 2000 pages to mans scientific knowledge every minute and the scientific material they produce every 24 hours would take one person 5 years to read. There are almost half-million new books being published every year (Daniel). The fact that the amazing increase of knowledge is called explosion of knowledge. The new knowledge change people’s lives enormously and become more and more important to production. Knowledge can impove the efficiency of production so that the factories in every kinds of industries all can produce more value in a short time than before. Many work which is used to be done by worker can be done by machines. Controlling these machines only need a few workers who possesses knowledge and skill. The important change in factories causes the change of the structure of workforce and a fact that many uneducated people can not get jobs. The knowledgeable or skilled people can produce more value in a short time, so they get high pay. The uneducated people or the people do not have enough knowledge to produce much more little value or even have no chance to produce value, so they get low pay or even no pay. So the knowledge explosion make a important difference between people, it make the rich-poor gap wider. All in all, the Matthew Effect in economy, unscientific social welfare system, unreasonable tax policy, the change of the structure of workforce and the explosion of knowledge all make contributions to the fact that the rich-poor gap is much wider today. It is very harmful to the stability and development of human society. As the founders of America writes in The Declaration of Independence, â€Å"we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. † But the larger rich-poor gap has kept people from pursuiting happy lives fairly. So we should pay enough attention on the social phenomenon and try our best to take measures to reduce the disparity between rich and poor so that we can live in a peaceful, fair and compatible world.

Ppp in Bangladesh free essay sample

For the purpose of the analysis, different types of data and information were used as measured to identify the feasibility of public private partnership in our country. In this paper we examine the different information of PPP activities in different countries like India, Malaysia, South Korea and Philippine. From that information we found that there is a close relationship between PPP and the growth rate. If we deeply concentrate on PPP activities in our country then we can easily achieve high GDP growth. So the development of our country mostly depend on how we efficiently done the PPP activities. Most of the People believe that PPP is a idea to develop a country. Key words: Public Private Partnership (PPP), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), development. Introduction A public private partnership is a legally-binding contract between government and business for the provision of assets and the delivery of services that allocates responsibilities and business risks among the various partners. We will write a custom essay sample on Ppp in Bangladesh or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In a P3 arrangement, government remains actively involved throughout the project’s life cycle. The private sector is responsible for the more commercial functions such as project design, construction, finance and operations. At present per capita income in Bangladesh is only USD 695 (BDT 47,955) and almost 40percent (58 million) of population live below the poverty line. Income from industry is 29. 7 percent of total national income, and external trade is 40 percent of total national income. However, we are still considered as one of the least developed countries. Present government has vowed to eradicate poverty, attain highest possible growth by 2021, and build the country such that a thriving economy will fulfill basic human needs. Increased investment is a must for attaining higher growth. Bangladesh economy failed to gather momentum until 1990. Average growth rate during this time was stagnant at less than 4 percent per year. The growth rate is also on the decline due to impact of the global economic downturn. Lack of investment in infrastructure, especially energy and power, port and communication has been identified as root cause behind sluggish growth. In order to achieve 8-10 percent growth, rate of investment needs to increase from 24-25 percent of GDP to 35-40 percent of GDP. A lot of resources are required to raise rate of investment to 35-40 percent of GDP. It is challenging for the government to arrange such huge resources. Moreover, due to current global economic downturn, the prospect of receiving foreign assistance has diminished. Resource mobilization is not the only challenge for the government. It is also imperative to ascertain whether the government has skilled manpower and required institutional framework to implement mega infrastructure projects. So, the government of Bangladesh has taken the initiative of public private partnership to increase the GDP growth. Objective of the Study The objective of the paper is to investigate the impact of PPP on GDP growth of Bangladesh. The concept of the study is taken from one of the working paper of Finance Division â€Å"Invigorating Investment Initiative through Public Private Partnership A Position Paper†. Moreover after completion of this paper we will know the rules and regulation of PPP contract, the pros and cons of PPP, how many project has already been taken under PPP contract, what are the other countries follow the PPP contract. For the purpose of the study we have selected different countries from south Asia whose are the follower of PPP and by the help of PPP they develop their country. The ultimate objective of this paper is to identify whether any importance of PPP in economic development of Bangladesh or not. Historical perspective of PPP In 1996, the government adopted a private sector power generation policy to promote private sector participation. In 1997, under administrative control of the Economic Relation Division, Infrastructure Development Company ltd (IDCOL) was established in order to promote private sector investment in infrastructure development. Similarly, Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Center (IIFC) was established by the government to assist relevant ministries, divisions or agencies with formulation of project proposal and screening as well as to provide technical assistance. Later in 2004, under Public Private Partnership initiative, Bangladesh Private Sector Infrastructure Guidelines (PSIG), which forms the basis of the current PPP, were issued in order to boost individual investment in the development and maintenance of infrastructure. In 2007, a 5 year term Investment Promotion and Financing Facility (IPFF) endowed with BDT 4. 18 billion (equivalent to USD 60 million) was set up in Bangladesh Bank to finance government approved PPP based infrastructure development projects to be implemented by the private sector. Later in 2008, policy to promote private sector participation in power sector was formulated. Although these initiatives have been successful in financing and implementing a few small scale infrastructure development projects, they are not sufficient to cater to the requirements and potential of the country. Therefore, to reduce the plight of the public and to boost economic development, an initiative is being undertaken to revisit the current PPP framework and facilities. Benefit of PPP The government, the private sector investors, and public can all benefit if private sector can be enticed into infrastructure development under PPP. The likely benefits to the relevant three parties are as follow: Public Sector Maintaining Economic Stability ? Since the private sector invests in the infrastructure development, there is no need for the government to take loans and pay interests. This does not exert excess pressure on money market, thereby diminishing upward pressure on interest rate and inflation. Gains from Private Sector Innovation and Expertise ? Since the private sector is responsible for developing infrastructure, they use the most cost? effective and innovative means and technologies. This enables the best source of value for money gain. Logical Estimate of Expenditure during the Lifecycle of the Infrastructure ? The private sector promoters coordinate and implement different aspects of the project such as designing, financing, construction, maintenance, and management. Therefore, it is possible to make logical estimate of expenditure during the lifecycle of the infrastructure. Achieving Desired Growth Rate ? Desired growth rate cannot be achieved if the government is unable to invest in infrastructure development at the appropriate time. Participation of private sector allows additional investment and increased production capacity that feeds into higher growth rate. Private Sector Expansion of Business ? PPP facilitates expansion of business. The private sector can engage in sectors where conventionally public sector invests. Innovation ? Under PPP the private sector not only supplies materials, they are also engaged in multitude of activities such as financing, construction, ownership, maintenance, and management. As a result they have to be very innovative. Public/ Users Accountability ? Since services are purchased from the private sector by paying fees or charges, the service providers remain accountable to the government and public. More Responsible Government ? Since the government approves the PPP projects, it has to supervise whether the private service providers are abiding by the contracts. Guarantee of Safety ? Since the private sector has to bear the costs resulting from accidents and damages, they use reliable and quality materials to ensure safety. Risks Associated with PPP Implementation There is no apparent fiduciary risk if infrastructure is developed under public? private partnership as government does not invest or invests very little in such schemes. However, there might be some other risks as follow: Loss of ownership of public properties Approval of inflated costs Overlooked public interest when pricing the services Dysfunctional Infrastructure once ownership is handed over to the government

Underclass stereotypes in the media.

Underclass stereotypes in the media. STEREOTYPING IN THE MEDIA:A response to Gregory Mantsios' essay Media Magic: Making Class InvisibleFor decades media has helped stratify culture by serving as a means to inform the public of the occurrences that take place in our society. "The mass media is arguably the most influential in molding public consciousness" (Mantsios 101). The more media plays a prominent role in highlighting situations in our society the more media stereotypes become inevitable. Stereotypes in the media usually classify individuals by their class, ethnicity, occupation, gender, and sexual orientation, giving the audience a generalized ideal of the characteristics of a particular group. However, Mantsios' essay Media Magic: Making Class Invisible focuses on the segregation of the middle-class and under-class, creating a division between one another, where "we" or "us" the middle-class are humiliated by "them" the under-class. False representation of the under-class and the victimization of the middle-clas s by the under-class are two points continuously exemplified in the media today.English: Differences in national income equality a...The media has a tendency "to focus on the plight of the poor, these stories are about middle-class opposition to the poor. Such stories tell us that the poor are an inconvenience and an irritation" (Mantsios 103).In a recent article titled Closing the Education Achievement Gap, the government is to make a major provision to the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Act will provide $200 billion dollars, from "our" pockets, to schools with children from low-income families. The goal of the revision is to raise the achievement of children in low-income schools to those in higher-income, predominately white, families.When reading over the editorial and reviewing the photograph that accompanied the article, it was evident that the term "low-income" was portrayed by grueling neighborhoods populated by ethnic and visible minorities. The photos por trayed are a false representation...

The Chain Finance Model Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Chain Finance Model - Personal Statement Example My research provided me a deep insight into the two different attitudes in Banking. Commercial Banks tend to be more conservative and consider current financial position of the borrower while making lending decisions whereas Investment banks tend to bet on the future of the firm as they view future cash flow trends as the true means of the financial strength of a firm. It is because of this reason that the firms in China tend to bank with investment banks because they want to take benefit of their future growth now. The above facts provided me very different and alternative views about the theory working behind the banking as a field as I soon realized that by being conservative, as the theory may suggest, banks may not achieve their full potential and thus I embark upon to radically change my approach and methodology by shifting my analysis from the current cash flows to the future projection and growth of the cash flows. I did that, however, by taking into considering, all the risk aspects involved in making lending decisions. While analyzing one of the clients, I found that the practice adapted by him was that he used to buy a large variety of products from small Chinese firms and supply them to the Wal-Mart. This prompted me to think deep as funding to such client was lot more easy for us since Wal-Mart tend to benefit its customers therefore the cash flows of our firm seemed to be reliable and stable and secondly the suppliers of our client were small and mostly devoid of the traditional financing methods as banks traditionally avoid to lend to such clients. However, my analysis provided me an opportunity to go beyond theory and find a very unique blend of theory and practice where lending was to be done based on the basis of the supply chain. This model, which is wholly developed by me, provided our bank a necessary chance to be as aggressive as an investment bank while remaining as traditional commercial bank catering the needs of different clients and providing services which matched with that of an investment bank as its supply chain finance model was not only unique but aggressive too.

Critique the study of the article Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critique the study of the article - Lab Report Example The measurement tools were translated from Finnish versions. These instruments have already been validated and evaluated. Content of Individualized Care Scale (ICS) has been refined after multiple revisions. Factor analysis and structural equation model were utilized for the validation Selection of study respondents was in a consecutive way without following any recommended sampling strategy. Respondents were not selected randomly. How the issue of various surgical specialities was addressed How the severity of disease of the respondents was taken care of Informed consent was taken during the ward stay and those patients who agreed to complete the questionnaire were provided these questionnaires at the time of discharge. It means that there was a time lag between identification of respondents and actual completion of questionnaire. This has got important implications as far as bias is concerned. There are chances that these patients would have been provided excellent care in a way to address all the components present in all measurement scales. As informed consent was taken by a nurse and this study also tried to assess the patient satisfaction from nursing care. Those who were being assessed were part of the assessment and may have influenced the results and outcome. Patients usually have some complaints while they stay in the hospitals. As time passes and when patients start feeling improvement then their complaints also start vanishing, this is like; all is well when the end is well. This time may not be appropriate for getting correct information. Data management issues have not been discussed or even stated any where in the article. How data quality was ensured to be of high level What was the data editing and entry process Which software was used for data entry Were data entered doubly and how data were cleaned Analysis Mean age of the respondents is very high, suggesting that majority of the respondents surround this age. There should have been age description in more than three categories to get an idea of representation of various age groups. In old age, satisfactory level may be different from younger age group. On the other hand, although, education was understandable in binary variable but more than 85 percent of the respondents were with less than or up to lower secondary level education. Those who were with this level of education may have different level of satisfaction and have influenced the results of this study. Non-randomization has got its own deficiencies and this type of data could have resulted due to that issue. Mean hospital stay was 2.85 days based on which satisfaction level was assessed. This seems to be a shorter time for a

Out sourcing man power strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Out sourcing man power strategy - Research Paper Example Finally, I give high regards to my parents who assisted me financially and in advisory terms. This inquiry is directed at analyzing the current state of the HR outsourcing market in Borouge and the trends that are dominant in the same. Today, in this epoch of globalization, there is a high level of competition in all arenas (Anikin & IL, 2009). One really significant trend in the recent times has been the maturation of human resource outsourcing. The dynamic nature of the market and global competitive pressures in the organizations are inducing the organizations to concentrate on their burden clientele (Baca, 2009). Many organizations are rapidly identifying that they cannot provide everything to all consumers. For that reason, many companies are opting to outsource some of their HR for specific purposes in the organization (Coase, 2005, pp. 2-3). Where they let somebody else manage the rest in a more effective and cost-effective fashion. As a consequence, human resources outsourcing is becoming more and more dominant. The number of organizations outsourcing HR roles are con tinuously growing, and the scope of outsourced HR activities continues to inflate (Allen, et al., 2003, pp. 1-2). Outsourcing has become a normal response in the management and technology resources that encourages strategic measure in enhancing quality services and reduction of cost of running businesses effectively (Baca, 2009). Companies where organizations outsource their HR function hires professionals who have the knowledge and resources expected for the specifically fulfil the client’s needs partially or wholly of a clients’ human resources role, leaving the customer to streamline their internal operations and focus on getting profit in their burden clientele (Coase, 2005). With the increased globalization, outsourcing has become a crucial aspect in efficient administration of a business.

Does Nursing Need Theory?

Does Nursing Need Theory? =Do nurses need theory? A question that can be considered on many different levels. If one considers the evolution of nursing over time, one can observe that the nurse of antiquity was arguably as dependent on the prevalent theories of the day as the current nurse. Theory determines practice and theory justifies practice (Einstein paraphrased in Kuhse Singer 2001). The nurse who changed the blood letting bowls of antiquity was as dependent upon the theories of imbalances in the humors for her practice as were the nurses in the wards of Ignaz Semmelweis (Semmelweis IP. 1861) who may well have found the idiosyncratic insistence on hand washing to remove the presence of the unseen agents of infection completely bizarre until the evidence base of reduction in puerperal infection could be clearly established. In this latter comment we can find one of the major dilemmas facing the nursing theorists of today. The plethora of nursing theories have been subsumed into a goal (albeit defined by the theorists themselves) of finding a unified nursing theory. One that will define the human condition and also medical science’s response to the management of the various conditions of pathophysiology that can befall it. The stumbling block of many theories is the difficulty in establishing a credible evidence base to support it. (Brechin A et al. 2000). To revisit the Einstein quotation cited earlier, one can have a theory that may determine practice, but it is only with the demonstration of an evidence base that the theory can actually be used to justify practice. One of the luminaries of nursing theory and practice was Martha Rogers, the late Dean of Nursing at New York University. To illustrate the point, Rogers published many nursing theories in her working life. Some (the Unitary theory) have gained a degree of general acceptance others have faded in the mists of time. It was her stated goal to define a unified theory of nursing. (Meleis, A 1997). The Rogerian approach appeared to have little room for establishment of evidence bases and we would suggest that this approach is essentially flawed. (Halpern S D 2005). To consider an extrapolation into other scientific disciplines by way of analogy, we note that it has not been possible to define a unified theory of biological science. Biology is essentially a study of life in general. It does not seek to be a theory of life. Although theories may be postulated in the explanations of the various phenomenon encountered in the field, such as natural selection or the function of the genome, these are used to test the various hypotheses underpinning practical observations, laboratory work and in some cases, mathematical models. There is no all-encompassing biological theory. At a more fundamental level we can observe that biology is based on chemistry which, in turn, is ultimately based on principles of physics. Again we can observe that there is no unified theory encompassing the entire field. (after Green J et al. 1998). This analogy is applicable to nursing theory if one considers the huge range of skills and requirements needed by the modern profes sional nurse. The spectrum of tasks required and expected of the nurse in a variety of situations is legion. To be effective the nurse must understand the human condition from the viewpoint of the pathophysiology, the psychology, the human dynamic and socio-economic elements of the patient’s presentation and disease trajectory. (Yura H et al. 1998). Much of our understanding of these elements is encapsulated into various concepts or theories which are perhaps best regarded as dynamic and fluid or in a process of evolution. (Wadensten et al. 2003). A practical consideration would suggest that the nurse is responsible for giving medication, undertaking procedures of medical intervention as well as caring for the general physical well-being of the patient, they record various parameters of their patient’s progress. They can be the patient’s advocate in terms of their dealings with other healthcare professionals, organisations or even commercial concerns. (Hogston, R et al. 2002). In order to carry out these ( and many other) functions efficiently. The nurse needs to be competent in a huge number of areas with skills in interpersonal relationships, organisational, technical and clerical areas. It follows that these skills are derived from a large number of disparate areas such as anatomy, physiology, therapeutics, psychology, management theory, bookkeeping and tabulation. (Mason T et al. 2003) The point being made here is that, in the light of these comments, it seems inappropriate to consider that there should be, in Rogerian terms, a unified theory of nursing (Rogers, M E 1970). The overall goal would undoubtedly be that the professional nurse should seek to improve the overall well-being of their patients. This target is the accumulative result of any number of different and disparate processes and skills form many differing academic and human disciplines. We would suggest that it is not amenable to the reductionist philosophy of Rogers. Despite the notable article by Christensen (P et al. 1994) which criticises authors who have applied such strategies to both extrapolate from and to expand implications of Rogerian theory, reductionist strategies are not totally inappropriate. In a further scientific analogy, we can point to a classic case of reductionism which contributed greatly to our understanding of the natural world. When Newton made his mathematical models linking orbiting planets, projectiles and falling apples, he produced one of the most dramatically valid reductions in scientific literature. Reductionism per se. is not an inappropriate process. Herein lies a frequently perpetuated fallacy that permeates the field of literature on nursing theory. The term â€Å"Reductionâ€Å", in a nursing context, can have two distinct connotations. It can be observed that some nursing theorists apply the term to the tendency of some healthcare professionals to visualise and regard the patient as a number, a set of symptoms or a demonstration of a particular element of pathophysiology rather than as an individual in their own specific socio-economic, cultural and psychological setting. (Alcock P, 2003). Although this is a completely appropriate and specific use of the term, it is distinctly different from the implications of â€Å"Reductionism† in the scientific and analytical sense. Some nursing theorists (viz. Christensen) use the term in a derogatory or disparaging form that does not appreciate or even acknowledge the positive aspects of the technique. (Hott, J R et al. 1999). We would suggest that such confusion in the terminology has led to some nursing theory being discredited. If we expand this theme by staying with Rogerian theory as an illustration of the point, we can suggest that in the broader context of medicine generally, scientific reduction has enabled progress in medical science by allowing the accurate identification of causal agents of disease and thereby allowing the development of appropriate strategies to combat and eliminate them. Nursing theorists should embrace this aspect of the concept of reductionism while combating any suggestion of a reduction of the status of the patient from that of an autonomous human being (Mill JS 1982). To consider the situation as Christensen does and to decry the use of reductionism and to treat events as essentially causal, does no favours for the analytical process that is central to any theoretical process. It effectively takes nursing theory out of the realms of science which, almost by definition, considers processes as cause and effect. (Polit, D F et al. 1997). Even if we consider processes that are essentially acausal such as the spontaneous degradation of atomic nuclei, one can point to the fact that these processes are still quite capable of being considered reliable processes because they can be detected, demonstrated, quantifiable, repeatable and amenable to statistical analysis. If we contrast this to the nursing theorists in general, and perhaps Rogers in particular, we can show that their writing and reasoning is largely devoid of causal argument and subsequent reasoning. (Barnum, B J. S. 1998). The reasons for this are clearly a matter of speculation. The less charitable analyst might be tempted to conclude that some of the theories propounded do not meet common sense standards. Few of the theories meet the criteria that would satisfy a reputable evidence base as they appear to avoid rigorous testing. To take a specific example, the theory of therapeutic touch is certainly complete enough to permit a degree of submission to testing. Much of the literature cited by Rogers is however, very subjective, done by unblinded clinicians and very speculative. Some is purely in the form of no more than reported anecdotes (Rosa, L et al. 1998). This trend has done little to increase the confidence of the analytically minded investigator in the usefulness and relevance of nursing theory. To a casual observer, who considered only these elements of nursing theory, it might appear that the theorists had allowed themselves to become detached from the scientific rigour of logical deduction or experimental validation and thereby effectively deprived the field of any degree of precision of predictive possibility (which any useful theory should have). To support this view, one can cite Rogers herself (cited in Meleis 1997). Reality does not exist but appears to exist as expressed by human beings. In this respect, we can put forward a coherent argument that nursing does not need theory. Having presented this argument, we can also examine the opposing view put forward by Prof Margaret Rosenthal (Rosenthal 2000) in her thought provoking book â€Å"Changing Practice in Health and Social Careâ€Å". The book itself is primarily about accountability in healthcare, but in its discussion it considers the relevance of the nursing theorists in general. The author puts forward the view that the public have experienced a decline in the trust and standards of the healthcare professionals. She cites the media as being one of the major contributors to this erosion, rather than the actual reality of the situation and suggests that the way forward is to submit all types of clinical practice to the scrutiny of its evidence base. She suggests rejecting practices that do not have a secure evidence base in favour of those that do so that â€Å"at every level so that the public in general and the patients in particular, are able to feel confident in every therapeutic manoeuvre that t hey are offeredâ€Å". (quote from McNicol M et al 1993 Pg 219). As an overview the author suggests that all dealings, whether they are practical or theoretical, should have â€Å"accountability as their watchword†. In some respects, this is a simple conceptual extension of the comments advanced by Florence Nightingale a century and a half earlier, that the ultimate objective of working in a healthcare environment as a healthcare professional is to provide the best form of support, treatment and care for the patient. (Nightingale F 1859). We would both concur and expand the sentiments expressed by adding that this may be best achieved by considering that the best form of treatment is the one that has the strongest evidence base for its use. Having made these comments, it is appropriate to consider the more positive aspects of nursing theory. If we accept Wadenstein’s view (Wadenstein B et al. 2003) that it is an important purpose of theories to challenge practice, create new approaches to practice and remodel the structures of rules and principles, then we could usefully progress this argument by considering some of those theories which help to explain patient behaviour and thereby modify the nursing approach. The basic nursing process is traditionally based on assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. The particular theories that we shall consider here, together with the models that they support, all basically follow the same pattern, but each analyses the patient situation from a different aspect or in different terms. (Fawcett J 2005) The Roper Logan Tierney model (Roper, Logan and Tierney 2000) is primarily concerned with the activities of daily living. It requires identification of the problems and then dealing with them on a problem solving basis. This type of model has been extensively reported, evaluated and is one of the most generally accepted models of the nursing process. (Holland K et al. 2003). This type of approach is very useful for problems which are mainly or primarily based on a physical or disability orientated disease process. Its major shortcomings revolve around the fact that it is not very useful in describing strategies that cope with patient responses that are overtly manipulative or psychological in nature. The theories that underpin this model have largely withstood the test of time and clinical practice and have accumulated a large evidence base in the literature. (Holland K et al. 2003). For patients who fall into the category of manipulation or functional symptomatology as a result of an adaptation process for coping with their illness the Roy adaptation model (Roy 1991) is useful in describing the abilities of a patient to adapt (or maladapt) to the evolving pattern of their illness. This model allows for changing perceptions and adaptation mechanisms on the part of the patient and can be used to explain the various behaviour patterns exhibited by various patients as their disease trajectory unfolds. It allows for the major patterns of illness adaptation but has the major shortcoming that it does not allow for the behaviour patterns that are consistent with denial of the underlying diagnosis. The patient who has a diagnosis of terminal cancer but copes with a total refusal to accept it and continues as if all is well, is not described in this particular approach. The model dismisses this as a degree of cognitive distortion rather than a coping mechanism. It can be seen as possibly choosing to ignore the reality of the situation and changing the theory to make it more coherent. It would categorise the patient as not adapting to the situation by choosing to ignore it. (Steiger, N. J. et al. 1995) This particular situation is better dealt with by the application of the theories associated with the Johnson Behavioural System ( in Wilkerson et al 1996). This model can be considered useful in describing the situation of denial considered above but it too has shortcomings insofar as most experienced clinicians would note that a patient in denial of a terminal illness almost always is forced into acceptance by the progressive nature of the illness itself. (Johnson, D. E. 1990) The majority therefore have to accept their terminal status as they are overtaken by progressive physical manifestations of the disease process and other symptoms. This element of the argument is presented as showing that the basis of some nursing theories is valid and useful but also even the most accepted theories have their shortcomings and limitations. (Tomey A M, Alligood M R 2005). To paraphrase the comment of Wadensten (et al 2003), one can observe that the nursing models and theories all have their place, but one has to add the caveat that there is not one satisfactory theory or model which can account for all aspects of care and all eventualities. The thrust of this essay is directed at the preposition that some nursing theories are indeed useful and some are not. Even a brief consideration of the literature on the subject will reveal a plethora of opinions. (Powers, B. A 1995). It is vital to consider each theory or model in isolation and make a critical judgement relating to its ability to inform the nurse and to predict practice for the overall benefit of the patient. Those, such as the ones discussed in the early part of this essay, which rely heavily on intuition and anecdote and also have a marked lack of independent validation, are clearly less likely to be of value to the practical nurse and, in the worst analysis, in the opinion of Prof. Rosenthal, may contribute to the reduction of public confidence in the healthcare professions in general terms. By contrast, the more accepted, reproducible and statistically valid theories which have predictive value and are amenable to independent validation are much more likely to be considered of value to the profession in general terms. In direct consideration of the title of this essay â€Å"Does nursing need theory?† the considered answer must be a qualified â€Å"Yes† but within the limitations that we have outlined here. References Alcock P, 2003  Social policy in Britain,  Macmillan 2003. Barnum, Barbara J. S. 1998 Nursing Theory: Analysis, Application, Evaluation. 5th ed.  Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams Wilkins, 1998 .; 2 : 217-21. Brechin A. Brown, H and Eby, M (2000)  Critical Practice in Health and Social Care  Open University, Milton Keynes. 2000 Christensen, P., R. Sowell and S.H. Gueldner. 1994.  Nursing in Space: Theoretical Foundations and Potential Practice Applications within Rogerian Science. Visions: The Journal of Rogerian Nursing Science 2. 1994   Fawcett J 2005  Contemporary Nursing Knowledge: Analysis and Evaluation of Nursing Models and Theories, 2nd Edition  Boston: Davis Co 2005 ISBN: 0-8036-1194-3 Green J, Britten N. 1998  Qualitative research and evidence based medicine.  BMJ 1998; 316: 1230-1233 Halpern S D 2005 Towards evidence based bioethics BMJ, Oct 2005 ; 331 : 901 903 ; Hogston, R. Simpson, P. M. 2002  Foundations in nursing practice 2nd Edition,  London : Palgrave Macmillian. 2002 Holland K, Jenkins, J Solomon J, Whittam S 2003  Applying the Roper-Logan-Tierney Model in Practice Churchill Livingstone 2003 ISBN 0443071578 Hott, Jacqueline R., and Budin, Wendy C.1999 Notters Essentials of Nursing Research. 6th ed.  New York: Springer Pub. Co., 1999.   Johnson, D. E. 1999.  The behavioral system model for nursing. In M. E. Parker (Ed.), Nursing theories in practice (pp. 23-32).  New York: National League for Nursing. Kuhse Singer 2001  A companion to bioethics  ISBN: 063123019X Pub Date 05 July 2001   Mason T and Whitehead E 2003  Thinking Nursing.  Open University. Maidenhead. 2003 McNicol M, Layton A, Morgan G. 1993  Team working: the key to implementing guidelines.  Quality in Health Care 1993 Meleis, Afaf. 1997.  Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress, 3rd ed.  Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams Wilkins Mill JS 1982  On Liberty, 1982,  Harmondsworth: Penguin, p 68. Nightingale F 1859  Notes on Nursing: What is it and what it is not  London : Harrison 1859 Polit, Densie F., and Hungler, Bernadette P. 1997 Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal, and Utilization. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins, 1997 Powers, B. A. Knapp, T. R. (1995).  A dictionary of nursing theory and research (2nd Ed.) Thousand Oaks,  CA : Sage Publications. 1995 Rogers, Martha E., 1970  An introduction to the theoretical basis of nursing.  Philadelphia, 1970. F.A. Davis Company Roper, Logan and Tierneys (2000)  Ã¢â‚¬ËœActivities of Living model London : Churchill Livingstone 1983 ISBN 0443063737 Rosa, L., E. Rosa, L. Sarner and S. Barrett. 1998.  A Close Look at Therapeutic Touch.  JAMA 1 April : 1005-1010. Rosenthal MA 2000 Book: Changing Practice in Health and Social Care BMJ, Nov 2000 ; 321 : 1355 ; Roy C 1991  An Adaption model (Notes on the Nursing theories Vol 3)  OUP: London 1991 Semmelweis IP. 1861  Die aetiologie, der begriff und die prophylaxis des kindbettfiebers. Pest, Wien und Leipzig:  CA Hartlebens Verlags-Expedition 1861. Steiger, N. J. Lipson, J.G. (1995).  Self-care nursing: Theory and practice.  Bowie: Md. 1997 Tomey A M, Alligood M R 2005  Nursing Theorists and Their Work, 6th edition Mosby ISBN 0323030106 Published November 2005 Wadenstein B Carlsson M 2003  Nursing theory views on how to support the process of ageing. J Adv Nurs. 2003 Apr ; 42 (2) : 118-24. Yura H, Walsh M. 1998  The nursing process. Assessing, planning, implementing, evaluating. 5th edition. Norwalk, CT: Appleton Lange, 1998. ################################################################ 16.6.06 PDG Word count 3,272

Exam 1 Study Guide – Marketing 360

Chapter 1 – Overview of Marketing * Inertia to Passion * * 80/20 Rule * â€Å"80% of profits come from 20% of consumers† * Economies of Scale * The more you make of something, the less it costs per unit * i. e. Microsoft Office 2014 * Wholesale – Costco * Understand Marketing Mix (4 P’s)/From Customer Perspective 4 Cs * Marketing Mix: A combination of the product itself, the price of the product, the place where it is made available, and the activities that introduce it to consumers that creates a desired response among a set f predefined consumers * Marketing Mix consists of;Marketer| Consumer| Product| Customer Solution| Price| Customer Cost| Promotion| Communication| Place| Convenience | * Exchange * Pg. 12 â€Å"Occurs when a person gives something and gets something else in return. The buyer receives an object, service, or idea that satisfies a need, and the seller receives something he or she feels is of equivalent value† * Trade currency * Tr ade services * Trade behaviors * Exchange Value * Criteria for a Market A market consists of all the consumers who share a common need that can be satisfied by a specific product and who have the resources, willingness, and authority to make a purchase * Utility – Time, Place, Possession, Form, Info * Utility: The usefulness or benefit consumers receive from a product * Time Utility: Storing products until they are needed * Place Utility: Making products available where customers want them * Possession Utility: Allowing the consumer to won, use, and enjoy the product * Form Utility: Transforming raw materials into finished products * What is Value?Components of Value * Value: Benefits a customer receives from buying a good or service * Value from the customer’s perspective: Price and benefits * Value from the seller’s perspective: Is the exchange profitable to them, has it made money * Build Value: Goal is to satisfy customer over and over again so that they can build a long-term relationship rather than just having a â€Å"one night stand† * Customers have value: Firms recognize that it can be very costly in terms of both money and human effort to do whatever it takes to keep some customers loyal to the company.Samsung Distribution ChannelVery often these actions pay off, but there are cases in which keeping a customer is a losing proposition * Lifetime value of a customer: How much profit they expect to make from a particular customer * Provide value through competitive advantage: Distinctive competency- a firm’s capability that is superior to that of its competition * Value from society’s perspective: * Customer Satisfaction Model * Customer Equity * Combined customer lifetime value of all customers Firing Customers * Sustainable Competitive Advantage * Competitive Advantage: Ability of firm to outperform competition, providing customers with benefit competition cant * Identify distinctive competency (firm’s capability superior to competition) * Turn distinctive competency into differential benefit (important to customers) * Sustainable Competitive Advantage * Distinctive Competencies; Differential Benefits * The Value Proposition * Philosophies (eras) Societal Marketing Orientation (New Era); Triple Bottom Line * Emphasis on satisfying broader needs of society (employees, stockholders, etc. ) This is like market orientation by there is a little something more * Being concerned with social issues†¦ doing things better for society and being genuinely concerned * Building long-term relationships * Also referred to as the â€Å"triple bottom line† * Environmental, social and financial bottom line * Building long-term relationships, not just satisfying a one time need * i. . McDonalds * Ronald McDonald House * Using paper hamburger cases vs. * If the bottoms (financial, social, environmental) become the norm, it becomes the marketing orientation * Marketing (customer) Orientatio n * A company that practices the marketing concept. Determining and then satisfying consumer needs and wants at a profit * Selling Orientation * Getting the product out the door! Reducing inventories.Product supply is greater than demand * Getting excess products out the door, the decisions you make will reflect on what orientation you will use * One time purchases, do not establish relationship with the customer * Competitor Orientation * Focus is on competitor intelligence. Learning and reacting to what the competition is doing * i. e. Lowe’s – Wherever there was a Home Depot, they would place a Lowe’s * Product Orientation * Emphasis is on making the product better, production efficiencies.Best when demand surpasses supply * How is this different from a marketing orientation? NOT asking what the customers want, making what they want. (It’s going to be cool and you’re going to want it) Chapter 2 – Strategic Planning * Mission, Marketing My opia * Mission statement describes organization’s overall purpose * How should we develop firm’s capabilities? * What products and benefits can we create for customers? * What business are we in? * What customers should we serve? Avoid marketing Myopia – Having a really narrow mission statement, or being short sided * SWOT ANALYSIS Assessment of Organization’s internal and external environment SWOT Analysis, SWOT interactions * * External Environment Identify opportunities and threats to firm from consumers, competitors, economy, etc. Internal Environment Identify strengths and weaknesses in firms employees, technologies, facilities, finances, etc. Leverage: Strengths + Opportunities * Vulnerability: Strengths + Threats * Constraint: Weaknesses + Opportunities * Problem: Weaknesses + Threats * Portfolio Analysis Portfolio Analysis – a management tools for evaluating a firm’s business mix and assessing the potential of its SBU’s * Indi vidual units within a company – Nike Swimming within Nike * SBU’s (Strategic Business Units)– Individual units within a firm, each having its own mission, objectives, resources, managers and competitors * BCG Matrix; Star, Dog, Question Mark, Cash Cow * Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Growth Matrix – Analyzes the potential of products to generate cash for a firm. Tells managers which products they should grow * i. . Different Products Owned by Larger Firm * Strategies for Each Portfolio * Business Portfolio: Stars * High industry growth * High relative market share * Consider potential to stay star * Requires much investment * Generates relatively high revenues * Cash Cows * Low industry growth * High relative market share * They are not spending a lot of money to communicate with consumers, they are just bringing in business * Economies of scale and high profit margins * Requires less investment * Generates relatively high revenues Helps you support other businesses and launch other business/ventures * Question Marks * High industry growth * Low relative market share * Consider potential to be star * Requires too much investment * Generates relatively low revenues * i. e. Samsung Galaxy – how to move it over to get more money? * Spending more money with less or a market share in comparison to other products * Dogs * Low industry growth * Low relative market share * Generates little profits * Fish or cut bait * Either get rid of it or reinvent it – determine a new use for it.Find a way that it has never been used before * **Exam Question** Selling cutting boards, more people are cooking at home, market for cutting boards (market growth rate) is high. Company makes bamboo cutting boards, has 10% market share * Relative to competition * Product-Market Growth Matrix * Marketers use the product-market growth matrix to analyze different growth strategies pg. 52 (the left of the table would read MARKET EMPHASIS with â€Å"New Markets† on the bottom left and â€Å"Existing Markets† on the top left) PRODUCT EMPHASIS Existing Products New ProductsMarket Penetration StrategySeek to increase sales of existing products to existing markets| Product Development StrategyCreate growth by selling new products in existing markets| Market Development StrategyIntroduce existing products to new markets| Diversification StrategyEmphasize both new products and new markets to achieve growth| * Strategic Alternatives – Market Penetration; Market Development; Product Development; Diversification * Market Penetration: Growth strategies designed to increase sales of existing products to current customers, nonusers, and users of competitive brands in served markets * Market Development: Introduce existing products to new markets (geographic area, or it may mean reaching new customer segments within an existing geographic area) * Product Development Strategies: Create growth by selling new products in exist ing markets.May mean extending the firm’s product line by developing new variations of the item, or it may mean altering or improving the product to provide enhanced performance * Diversification Strategies: Emphasize both new products and new markets to achieve growth. Chapter 3 – Marketing Environment * Economic Environment * Marketers must understand economy and business cycle * Level of Economic Environment; LDC, Developing Country, Developed Country * Level of economic environment: the broader economic picture of a country * Deciding whether or not a country will be a good prospect * LDC: Least Developed Country: A country at the lowest stage of economic development * In most cases, its economic base is agriculture * Africa and South Asia * Standard living is low and so are literacy levels * Developing Country When an economy shifts its emphasis from agriculture to industry, standards of living, education, and the use of technology rise * The future market for con sumer goods like skin care products and mobile phones * Developed Country * Boasts sophisticated marketing systems, strong private enterprise, and bountiful market potential for many goods and services * Economically advanced and they offer a wide rand of opportunities for international marketers * Competitive Environment Marketers must know what competitors are doing (Competitive Intelligence) * Micro vs. Macro Competition * Macro – Overall industry, big picture Monopoly – one seller controls market, some companies sued for owning a monopoly * Oligopoly – small number of sellers, each with large share of market, i. e. cars * Monopolistic Competition – (we often see this as consumers) Many different sellers each offering a different benefit and each having a small share of market, i. e. soaps * Perfect Competition – Many small firms all offering similar products, no influence (rare) * Micro environmental competition– Competition for $â€℠¢s with products in the same class, what product alternatives will consumers choose * Competes on 3 levels * For discretionary income – how are people spending disposable income * Product competition – different products meeting the same need, i. e. ravel * Brand competition – same product trying to meet the same need, i. e. treadmills * Competitive Market Structures; Perfect Competition, Monopolistic Competition, Oligopoly, Monopoly * See Competitive Environment * Levels of Competition – Brand (Direct), Product, Total Market Competition (Discretionary Income) * See Competitive Environment * Technological Environment; how does this change industry? * Understanding the impact of technology on all aspects of the business * Distribution * Inventory Control * Communication, etc. * Political/Legal Environment/Federal Legislation (Acts) * Legislation that influences business. Make sure people compete fairly. Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) – intended to eli minate monopolies by prohibiting price fixing or predatory pricing * Vertical price fixing: When a manufacturer tells a retailer to sell at a fixed price * Vertical price fixing overturned by supreme court 2007 * Horizontal price fixing: When companies get together at the same level and agree to sell a product at the same price (Illegal) * Predatory price fixing: setting prices low to drive others out of business (Illegal) * Clayton Act (1914) – Prohibits tying contacts, take one product must take others * Nike – Violation of this act, LeBron shoes – Florida sued Nike for not delivering the shoes on time for â€Å"withholding† * Federal Trade Commission Act (1914) * Created the Federal Trade Commission to monitor unfair practices * Sociocultural Environment * Refers to the characteristics of the society, the people who live in that society, and the culture that reflects the values and beliefs of the society * Whether at home or in global markets, marketer s need to understand and adapt to their customs, characteristics and practices * Ethnocentrism The belief that one’s own norms and the products made in one’s country are superior * Bias occurs because we tend to use our own cultural frame of reference to judge other people * Ethnography: Researcher lives with people they are studying * Demographics * Statistics that measure observable aspects of a population * Population size * Age * Gender * Ethnic Group * Income * Education * Occupation * Family structure * Social Norms * Specific rules dictating what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable * What ways to dress, how to speak, what to eat and how to behave * Cultural Values * Deeply held beliefs about right and wrong ways to live, that it imparts to it’s members * Talking about sex in public * Product Standardization vs. Localization Advocates of standardization argue that the world has become so small that basic needs and wants are the same everywhere * A focus on the similarities among cultures is certainly appealing * Realize large economies of scale because it could spread the costs of product development and promotional materials over many markets * Consistent exposure also helps create a global brand because it forges a strong, unified image all over the world * Advocates for localization feel that the world is not that small; you need to tailor products and promotional messages to local environments * Marketers feel that each culture is unique, with a distinctive set of behavioral and personality characteristics Chapter 4 – Market Information/Research * Steps in Conducting Market Research (this bullet will answer almost every bullet in this section, so just read over this one it’s in detail) 1.Define the Research Problem a. Specify the research objectives: i. Symptom or problem? ii. Selling the wine for too much money – symptom†¦ problem is the type of cap! What is the true issue? b. Identify your po pulation of interest: iii. Look at surrounding environment iv. What’s happening in the environment, is it a symptom or a problem? 2. Determining Research Design c. Research Design: Specifies what information will be collected and what type of study will be done d. Must determine if we are collecting primary or secondary data v. Primary: We collect data ourselves 1. Finding exactly what you want vi. Secondary: Someone else collects the data . Quality may be cheaper, but not as precise 3. Often outdated e. Determining Specific Information Needs vii. Primary information: Data specifically collected and organized for a particular marketing information need. Original viii. Secondary information: Data gathered for some purpose other than the current marketing information need (i. e. f. Primary Data – 3 types ix. Exploratory (problem identification) 4. Qualitative technique used to generate insights for future, more rigorous studies a. Interviews (1 on 1) b. Focus Groups (8-1 0) c. Ethnographies (researcher lives with people they are studying) d.Projective techniques (take yourself and â€Å"project† yourself into the situation based on information given) i. i. e. Folgers instant coffee – surveyed women ii. If you were making instant coffee you were â€Å"short-changing† your husbands iii. Benefits and features x. Descriptive (problem solving) 5. Quantitative technique that probes more systematically and with more respondents e. How to quantify a qualitative data – use a scale 6. Think frequencies f. Identifying numbers (how many people walk by the mall on campus) 7. Helps identify attitudes of consumers that buy the products g. Satisfaction survey xi. Casual (problem solving) 8.Quantitative techniques that attempt to understand the cause-and-effect relationships h. Test hypotheses i. Independent variable: manipulation j. Dependent variable: measureable outcome 9. Experiments: lab 10. Field Studies: real world 11. Causal Resea rch Example k. I work for Nestle and I believe that chocolate country of origin has an impact on satisfaction with the chocolate iv. Dependent = satisfaction v. Independent = country of origin vi. Independent variable with 5 choices (USA, Mexico, Canada, etc) 1. The more conditions you add, the more subjects you need to have vii. Let’s add an additional IV nuts or no nuts 2.Country of origin (5 choices) x Nuts (2 choices) = 10 conditions 12. You can have as many IV’s as you want, but this increases the number of subjects you need 13. To determine causality you look to see if there is a difference | Exploratory| Problem-Solving| Purpose| Investigation| Actionable information| Research Problem| Not well defined| Specific| Type of data| Qualitative | Quantitative| Sample| Small| Large| 3. Primary Data Collection Methods g. Communication, surveys xii. Mail questionnaires xiii. Telephone interviews xiv. Face-to-face interviews xv. Online questionnaires h. Observation xvi. P ersonal 14. Stores hire researchers to watch people xvii. Mechanical 15.Device that tracks behaviors (black strip that measures how many cars pass a street†¦) * Different Research Study Designs * A plan that specifies what information marketers will collect and what type of study they will do * Cross-sectional design: A type of descriptive technique that involves the systematic collection of quantitative information * Longitudinal Design: A technique that tracks the responses of the same sample of respondents over time * Types of Data: Qualitative, Primary, Secondary * Primary: We collect data ourselves * Finding exactly what you want * Secondary: Someone else collects the data * Quality may be cheaper, but not as precise Often outdated * Qualitative: You cannot put a number on it†¦ i. e. are you happy? Yes or no * Quantitative: You can put a value/scale number on it * Validity and Reliability * Validity: The extent to which research actually measures what it was intended to measure * Reliability: The extent to which research measurement techniques are free of errors * Construct – did we measure what we intended to measure? * Internal – can you identify the true causal relationship (most important) * External – generalizability; does this hold true for my population of interest? * Sampling * The process of selecting respondents for a study Probability sample: Each member of the population has some known chance of being included * Nonprobability sample: The use of personal judgment to select respondents (some cases, they just ask whoever they can find, some members of the population may not be included at all) * Convenience Sample: Nonprobability sample composed of individuals who just happen to be available when and where data is being collected * Independent/Dependent Variables * Independent – manipulation * Dependent – measureable outcome * Advantages/Disadvantages of Primary Data Collection Techniques * Advantage s of primary data collecting * Original * Gathering information for a particular need * Disadvantages of primary data collecting * Expensive * Advantages of secondary data collecting * Cheaper, saves time * Disadvantages of secondary data collecting * Outdated * Data Mining Process in which analysts sift through data to identify unique patterns of behavior among different customer groups * Data mining has 4 primary applications for marketers 1. Customer Acquisition: Many firms include demographic and other information about customers in their database 2. Customer Retention and Loyalty: Firm identifies big-spending customers and then targets them for special offers and inducements other customers won’t receive 3. Customer Abandonment: A firm wants customers to take their business elsewhere because servicing them actually costs the firm too much 4. Market Basket Analysis: Develop focused promotion strategies based on the records of which customers have bought certain products * Data Collection in Other Countries and Cultures Market conditions and consumer preferences vary worldwide and there are major differences in the sophistication of market research operations and the amount of data available to global marketers * Some countries may not have phones, literacy levels may affect mail surveys * Understanding local customs and cultural differences can affect the responses * Solve this problem by including local researchers in decisions about the design * Language: To overcome language barriers, researchers use the process of back-translation – the process of translating material to a foreign language and then back to the original language Additional Topics * Stealth Marketing * When you’re being marketed to, and you don’t realize you’re being marketed to * i. e.Camera phones – Nokia, having employees ask people to take pictures with their camera phones (w/o launching a campaign) * Guerilla Marketing * Doing something in a non-conventional, unique way * i. e. shooting someone from behind a tree†¦ * First time using QR codes * Buzz vs. Hype * What’s the difference? Guerilla marketing is all about creating buzz (goal is to get people to talk about us) * Buzz – people talking about it * As a consumer, we believe buzz over hype * Hype – comes from the company * i. e. television commercial * Hull’s drive theory * As humans, we are wired to know what we need which drives us * Homeostasis -> equilibrium * i. e. shivering when you’re cold Study in 70’s (rise of mini theories) claim there are many contributors to consumers * Darwin’s biological determinism * What motivates us * Cowbird; lays eggs in another species nest * When that egg hatches, it automatically knows the cowbird song * BORN with what motivates us * Cannibalization * When a new product takes sales away from original (existing) product * i. e. Apple 4S to 5, or Coca cola to diet coke * Can b e good and can be bad, depending on the situation * When you introduce a new product and it isn’t good†¦ It can motivate people to move away from the brand as a whole * Negative- having to sell what’s in inventory * Traditional vs. non-traditional media types * Traditional vs.Nontraditional * Subliminal messaging * Self-help cassette tapes * Lose weight label – people got the stop smoking message * Stop smoking – people got the lose weight message * Placebo * All of the Knuff’s Knuggets * Syphilis study – KNUGGET * Testing the spread of syphilis across the spread of African Americans * Infected some people with syphilis, some were given treatment, some were told they would be given treatment – but weren’t * Unethical, U. S. Government backed this study and eventually was sued for millions by families * Milgrim Shock Study * †¦Why we have the IRB * Institutional Review Boards * QR Codes Measures the effectiveness of th e ad * Allows a large amount of information to be displayed in a small space * Part of technological environment * Internal validity is necessary, but not sufficient for establishing external validity *KNUGGET * We have to have internal validity, otherwise its garbage * Just because we have internal validity, does not mean we can generalize or say that we have external validity * Heider’s Balance Theory is one explanation * Suggests that we need to keep triangle in balance * or NIKE GOLF TIGER WOODS YOU All positives around the outsides, or two negatives and one positive

John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ Essay

John Steinbeck was born in 1902, in Salinas, California. He was the third eldest of the four children born, but was the only male in the family, besides his father. He graduated from Salinas High School in 1919, and attended Stanford University, but leaving without a degree. He was employed in the beginning as a sales clerk, farm labourer factory worker. Later, in 1925, he became a construction worker in New York. He wrote his first novel, â€Å"Cup of Gold†, in 1929. During the period of the 1930’s, he produced most of his eminent novels such as â€Å"To A God Unknown†, â€Å"Tortilla Flat†, â€Å"Dubious Battle†, â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. The themes of his books can all be classified as social novels dealing with the economic problems of rural labour, but there is also a streak of worship in his books, which does not always agree with his matter-of-fact sociological approach. After 1935, his novels moved to more serious fiction, often bellicose in its social criticism. The novels are mostly set in remote farms or by the usual rustic country side. He died in New York City in 1968, and his ashes lie in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Salinas. Part 2: Exploration of the setting of ‘Of Mice and Men’ The context of this novel mainly focuses on a small working ranch in the Salinas Valley of Northern California, sometime during the 1930’s. It starts beside a stream, close to the Salinas River, a few miles south of Soledad. The four major settings are the clearing by the pond, the bunkhouse, Crook’s room and the barn. The action occurs over a period of four to five days and in only four specific locations: a wooded area next to the Salinas River, a bunkhouse on the ranch, the stable hand’s room on the ranch and the main barn. The tight structure of setting, revolving around single locations and continuous timing, almost makes the novel seem like a play. It takes place during the Great Depression, hence the main characters seem poor and desperate for work. Steinbeck had chosen the area of Soledad because in Spanish, it means loneliness, and therefore adds to the essence of Steinbeck’s story which tells us of how to part-brothers go to find work. Part 3: Historical Context The Great Depression (1929-1939) – * Was a time of extreme hardship for people in Australia * Was caused by the stock-market crash on Wall Street, 1929 * Before this happened, unemployment issues in Australia was already at 10% * After the crash, unemployment in Australia more than doubled to 21% in mid-1930, and reached its peak in mid-1932 when almost 32% of Australians were out of work. Migrant Farm Workers – * In the early 1930’s thousands of desperate workers across America migrated to California * California advertised an abundance of fertile land, and many migrants were agriculturists * Because the massive drought had encompassed the Great Plains, many farmers abandoned the land * Californian farmers produced mostly fruits and dairy products, but the central valleys of California were poorly irrigated The American Dream – * Is essentially an idea that suggests anyone living in the US can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a flourishing life * Was created in the 1600’s, by immigrant workers on farms Part 4: Meaning of the title The perfect schemes made by smart organisms (mice and humans) often go wrong because they were not thought out thoroughly. The failing schemes leave nothing but grief and pain, but in the end, it promises joy.

The Journey of the Magi TS Eliot Essays

The Journey of the Magi TS Eliot Essays The Journey of the Magi TS Eliot Paper The Journey of the Magi TS Eliot Paper Essay Topic: Poetry The poem The Journey of the Magi is T. S. Eliot recalling the journey of the three Wise Men to witness the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Also it depicts Christs lifetime through signs the Magi see. As well as this, the poem covers Eliots journey from being an atheist to becoming a member of the Christian faith. In this Critical Evaluation, I am going to examine the poem, in depth, and show how the poet captures the emotion of the Magi. Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965) was born in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. to an old New England family. He was educated in three of the worlds best institutes for learning: Harvard University, The Sorbonne and Merton College, Oxford. He moved to England in the 1920s and became a British Citizen. At around the same time he joined the Anglican Church and became a devout Christian. His writing between 1917 and 1943 reflects his development as a Christian writer. In the first stanza, the first five lines are a quote from Lancelot Andrewes sermons of the Nativity. These lines are: A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of year, For a journey, and such a long journey, The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter. Eliot sets the scene in his memory in both the above lines and in the next two lines: And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. That scene describes a very cold winter and three important people are going on a long journey. The camels have sores where the baggage straps have rubbed against their skin. They are being stubborn and wont get up. At this point the magis attendants are becoming unruly and want to turn back. Also the Magus, who is telling the story, feels himself the temptation to go back but kept on going anyway as shown in this passage: Then the camel men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile, and the towns unfriendly, And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At this point we see some repetition of the words we had of it from the first line. Also, Eliot, at this point, starts off a list with a lot of ands meaning that the Magus did not want such inconveniences. More setbacks are seen at this point in the poem with the Magi resorting to sleeping very little and travelling dangerously at night, with all the people that they meet saying that it was the wrong thing to do: At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly. Also, the voices could be seen as the people back in their home telling them that it was a stupid idea to go in the first place. The start of the second stanza sees the travellers coming down into a warmer environment: Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation, The line structure also reflects this happening because the lines are written in chronological order when the Magi came down the slope; the temperature rose, the snow turned more into slush the further down they got. Also, the lines got longer, to signify the hill. They got to the point where the snow ceased to exist and they could smell the plants in the valley. Now we see the signs of what will happen to this baby they are going to see. And three trees on the low sky. And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver And feet kicking at empty wine-skins. All of the information above has something to do with the last days of Christ. The three trees represent the three crosses on Calvary, where Jesus and two thieves were crucified. The old white horse symbolizes Christ when he was resurrected. The Tavern represents the vinegar wine that was offered to Christ while on the cross by Roman guards. The vine leaves over the lintel represents the crown of thorns placed on Christs head by the Romans soldiers that mocked him. The six handsdicing represent the Romans gambling over Christs clothes, while he was still alive on the cross and the pieces of silver are the thirty silver coins Judas received for betraying Christ. Lastly, the empty wine skins represent the Last Supper of Christ and the Apostles. The arrival of the Magi at the stable seems to only be satisfactory experience for the poet, as it seems that he disapproves of the Messiah being born in a stable. In the third and final stanza, the Magus looks back at his journey and thinks about Births and Deaths. The Magus talks about the birth of a baby, Christ, and at His death, the birth of a religion, Christianity, and, at the same time, the death of the old ways and the old religion: This: were we led all this way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death The Hard and bitter agony like Death is an example of a simile that means that the journey for the Magus was like dying to him, because he had gone from the comfort from his home, travelled a great distance and suffered hardships that he had probably never had to endure through before, all to see a baby being born in a stable whilst at the same time, sees the babys death on the journey. At the end of the stanza, and the end of the poem, the Magus finishes with thoughts of his own subjects still believing in an old religion and he looks forward to his own death With an alien people clutching their god. I should be glad of another death The poem The Journey of the Magi is T. S. Eliot recalling the journey of the three Wise Men to witness the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. In this Critical Evaluation, I examined the poem, in depth, and tried to show how the poet captured the emotion of the Magus.