Monday, November 25, 2019

Whos for the game and Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum est and Disabled Essay Example

Whos for the game and Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum est and Disabled Essay Example Whos for the game and Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum est and Disabled Paper Whos for the game and Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum est and Disabled Paper Essay Topic: Jessie Pope War Poetry Literature Ross Gay Poetry At the start of the First World War, war was portrayed as a glorious and credible cause. Fighting in a war on behalf of your country was deemed as the duty of any credible man. The ability to represent ones country on the battlefield was one of the greatest honours a man could have. Through the interference of war there was an outcry of patriotism. Men were overwhelmed with ideas of being able to fight for their countrys prosperity. Men flocked to sign up and fight for their country. Women forced their husbands and sons to go and carry out what was believed as their duty. The newspapers and the pro-war journalists who wrote in them played a very influential part in convincing men to recruit. One such journalist for the Daily Mail was Jessie Pope who composed unsophisticated war poetry encouraging men to enlist in the army. The patriotic ideals and the concept of war were all dismantled when soldiers returned from war and spoke of the horrors of war leading to a change in peoples attitudes towards war. Wilfred Owen was a soldier who experienced war and showed his hatred of it through his poetry. But before joining the British army, Wilfred Owen was an English teacher who visited hospitals during the First World War and subsequently became acquainted with many of the wars wounded. These visits deeply affected him and consequently led him to enlist in the British army. He said that he joined the army to witness the suffering and to be able to speak out against it. Wilfred Owen felt enormous pity and sympathy for his fellow soldiers. His famous poetry was written to show his horrifying experience of war and also to bring people out of the disillusionment that they were under. He also wanted to obliterate the image of war created by war propaganda. Wilfred Owen particularly hated Jessie Pope because of her lighthearted attitude towards war portrayed in her poems. Wilfred Owen was finally machine-gunned to death a week before the armistice was signed. Whos for the Game? was a poem written by Jessie Pope used as a piece of propaganda telling men to recruit. It exploits the fact that it was every mans duty to fight on behalf of his country. It is a lyrical poem with a strong, yet simple, rhyming scheme, similar to that of a nursery rhyme. This simple rhyming indicates that Jessie Pope was trying to get her message across clearly to the common man rather than making it more sophisticated. She makes it apparent that the image she has of war is that it is just a big game. The strong rhyming scheme helps her to get this point across because it makes the audience feel as if they really are in a game. Whos for the game, the biggest thats played, The red crashing game of a fight? Right from the beginning of the poem she mentions war as a game and repeats it in the second verse as well showing that she is comparing war to a game. In the second verse she uses the word fight which plays down the significance of war and it makes war seem as trivial as a fight. Wholl grip and tackle the job unafraid? And who thinks hed rather sit tight? In these verses she glorifies the men who fight in the war while she infers that those who do not, are cowards. This is a very insinuating way to put pressure on men who arent fighting in the war. Once again she bears reference to a game by using the phrase grip and tackle. Anyone who wasnt fighting in war would feel intimidated when they read these two verses. Wholl toe the line for the signal to Go! ? Wholl give his country a hand? She is asking the audience who is always ready and waiting to fight for their country. By using the word his she makes the reader feel personal about their country, and if it is their country they should help it. Many people were very patriotic during the war and this one line would make them feel like joining. Who wants a turn to himself in the show? And who wants a seat in the stand? She is feeding peoples self-esteem with these verses because she refers to war as a performance and a chance for soldiers to parade their skills. She portrays it as a chance for people to show off their talent. The second line says that those who do not fight in the war will only be onlookers of the performance. She compares the men that dont fight in the war to the fans in the stands at a match (war like a game). Who knows it wont be a picnic-not much- Yet eagerly shoulders a gun? An understatement of the hardship faced during war is made during the first verse which shows that she really hasnt had any experience of war and that she is trying not to put people off going to war. It also tells us that the knowledge she has about war is incorrect. In the second line she is motivating men to join the army because she knows that the opportunity to hold a gun and be able to use it will attract many men (boys with their toys). Who would much rather come back with a crutch Than lie low and be out of the fun? The message Jessie Pope is telling us in these verses is that if a soldier goes to fight in the war and in the process attains an injury, they are better off than someone who didnt fight in the war, as they missed out on the so called fun. She is saying that an injury incurred during the war is like a souvenir, which these soldiers will have of war, which is a very relaxed way of looking at an injury considering that a soldier could die because of a wound that wasnt properly treated. Come along, lads but youll come on all right For theres only one course to pursue, She is prompting the men and telling them that there is really only one path that they should follow and that is fighting for their country. She infers that these men have no choice but to recruit. She uses colloquial language (lads) so that she appeals to the common man, who will be the majority of the readers of this poem. This sort of language makes men think that she is conversing on a more personal level with them. Your country is up to her neck in a fight, And shes looking and calling for you. She crudely uses the stereotype of men being the protectors of women in these verses. She personifies the country as being feminine by using words like her and she. She uses more colloquial language when she uses the phrase up to her neck in a fight. The stereotypical view being used here is that there is a woman in trouble and that every man should try to help her because that is what they are supposed to do. Throughout the poem Jessie Pope repeatedly uses the word Who? because she is questioning the audience to see who is willing enough to fight for their country. In the final two lines of the poem Jessie Pope tells us exactly who this Who? she refers to is, and its You. the readers. She uses the word You to clearly emphasise who she is talking to. As the poem was published in the Daily Mail it would have been read by tens of thousands of people. Throughout the poem she uses simple language so that everyone can understand it and therefore it will have a widespread effect on the people. The image Jessie Pope is trying to portray in this poem is that war is like a game. The atmosphere of the poem is cosy which is totally opposite to war. The poem is not threatening at all and is inviting men to go to war. The poem continuously praises men who fight in wars while it calls those who dont, cowards. This is part of the way in which she wanted to appeal to the people because she knew that men who read this poem would feel intimidated enough to join the army. I feel that Jessie Pope was misinformed about war and felt she could explain war without experiencing it. As war progressed the feeling of patriotism demised and this happened as the death toll was escalating. People came out of the idea war is all things great and glorious and began to take in the realities of war. When soldiers returned they spoke from experience and therefore the reality of war. Poetry was written to explain war and how it is. One of the soldiers who became a poet was Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen wrote the poem Disabled about a young man who enlisted in the army for all the wrong reasons, lost his limbs and now leads a pitiful and bitter life thinking of his past. These wrong reasons are the various influences Owen sees this man as a victim of. It is a narrative poem with a sophisticated structure. The structure is such that it reflects the sincerity and the seriousness of the poets message. The poem starts with the man sitting in his wheelchair, longing for the dark, which is the only thing he is capable of doing. The darkness helps him escape his pathetic life. He is fed up with life and is waiting to die. And shivered in his ghastly suit of grey, His face has gone grey showing how he is in between life and death (black=death, white=life) because his soul is dead but his body is living. The next verse says how he is legless and how the happy voices of children are saddening to him, which is the opposite of a reaction you would expect from a normal person. He is sad because he knows he can no longer be a part of it even if he wanted to. When night finally comes, sleep is like a mother to him because it the only thing that provides relief for him from this hell of a life. About this time Town used to swing so gay It is evening and he remembers the atmosphere and the fun he used to have dancing with girls. But this was all before he threw his legs away in the war and he knows that none of it is ever going to come back. Now no one comes to him and everybody treats him like a disease. He used to enjoy life and girls but now the girls dont like him and this makes him miserable. Now, he is old; his back will never brace; And half his lifetime lapsed in the hot race He used to be good looking but in the time span of a year it looks like half of his life has gone. His back has become weak and he has lost the colour from his face. It looks like it drained while the blood was draining from his legs on the battlefields. He has become aged. One time he liked a blood-smear down his leg, After the matches, carried shoulder-high. He was a football star and had got cut once on his leg. He had enjoyed it because of all the attention he got. This contrasts to show that he has lost his legs now, but this time no one takes note of him. This shows that Jessie Pope was wrong to compare war to a football game because war can destroy peoples lives while a football game cant. If you lose a football match the consequences are insignificant in contrast to when you lose a war. He was drunk when he signed to join the army. He joined because a girl had said he would look good in the uniform (vanity) and also to please his girlfriend. These are the influences that Owen said this man was a victim of. Aye, that was it, to please the giddy jilts He asked to join. He didnt have to beg; Owen uses various styles of writing but in the above line he imitates everyday Northern speech. He was too young to join the army but when he asked to join the army the recruiting generals enlisted him despite knowing that he was lying because they needed men. This person had joined the army for the wrong reasons and wasnt interested in why the war was going on. He rarely thought of the Germans or the Austrians. The thoughts he had were of the weaponry and uniform he would receive and making smart salutes. He thinks of the Esprit de corps (army spirit) and pride in his unit. He hadnt bothered to think about the hardship that he would face during the war. He had always got a buzz when he was cheered for in a game and when they sent him off to war with all these cheers he felt very important like a hero. All this left him very optimistic about the war. Some cheered him home, but not as crowds cheer Goal. The reception he gets when he comes back from war is in stark contrast to what he had imagined. Only a few people are cheering and this is ironic to him. The only one person that inquires about him is the priest. This makes him feel bitter and betrayed that they only cheered him when he was of use, but now that he is no use to them they disregard him. He now has to stay in an institute where the liberty for him to make his own choices has been taken from him. He will have to do what people at the institute tell him to do and pathetically take any sympathy that he may get. He noticed how all the women took no notice of him and paid all the attention to men who were complete. This is mental torture to him because he is used to being so popular and getting all the attention. How cold and late it is! Why dont they come And put him into bed? Why dont they come? His final thoughts of the poem are of total depression. He has become so dependent on others that it is becoming intolerable. All he looks forward to is being put into bed. This point was mentioned at the beginning of the poem emphasising how pitiful his life is. He feels like his life isnt worth living. The verse why dont they come? is used twice to accentuate how dependant he has become. In Jessie Popes Whos For The Game? she mentions that it is better to take part in a war and attain a crutch rather than take no part. In Disabled Wilfred Owen replies to this statement by showing a man who went to the war and came back with a crutch. He describes all the physical and mental hardships this person goes through and disproves Jessie Popes statement. Wilfred Owens main message in Disabled is that people arent joining the army for the right reasons because of poems like Jessie Popes. Dulce et Decorum est is another excellent war poem written by Owen describing his personal experience at war. It is structured such that it appeals to the audience and informs the readers of the realities of war. He depicts a first hand account of the harshness and also the hardships faced at war. This is vividly portrayed in the opening lines: Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, He uses very dramatic words to describe the soldiers. Words such as old beggars and hags wouldnt usually be associated with the glory of soldiers. The use of the word cursed also suggests that the soldiers are unhappy. Owen goes on to talk about how committed men were and also how brave they had to be to survive this horrific predicament. He says that the men were so tired that they could barely stand up and he mentions that they have none of their reactions to such an extent that they hardly realise the gas shells exploding. Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. He speaks of how everybody is stumbling to put their gas masks on and how one of the soldiers didnt have his mask on in time. He uses the word floundering to describe this scene. The word floundering is usually used to describe the state of panic a fish is when it is out of water. Dim, through the misty panes and the thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. He describes how he can hardly see anything as everything has a tinge of green because of the gas all around and this gives him the feeling that they are under a green sea. The use of the word drowning to describe the man contradicts his first description of the man floundering. In this section of the poem Owen uses his sensory style of writing to make us visualize the situation that he was in, and the images that come into our minds are striking as well as ghastly. He speaks of how helpless he was as the man was falling towards him. He uses three powerful words guttering, choking, drowning successively to emphasise the grotesque experience. As he remembers how they placed the man into a wagon he communicates with the reader on a more personal basis using the word you. His hanging face, like a devils sick of sin; If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the forth-corrupted lungs. Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud These four lines portray the man who had just died using very forceful and hideous words that make the reader cringe. He uses words such as devils sick of sin to compare the mans face to something unimaginable. These lines enlighten the audience of what soldiers have to go through and that not everything a soldier does is glorious, as it may seem. My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. In these final lines Owen assumes a relationship of friendship with Pope to get his message across in a polite manner. He makes her seem ignorant for promoting the message that war is all things glorious, without personally experiencing it. He makes it apparent to the readers and to Pope as well that the glory of war is a lie and that no one that would have experienced the situation Owen was in, would encourage anyone to go to war. In the final stanza Owens main message in the poem is evident and that is: people are joining the army for the wrong reasons because of poems like Popes. He concludes his poem by stating that the old Latin saying about war is a lie. The old Lie: It is sweet and fitting to die for ones country. In conclusion it can be noted that mass propaganda took place at the beginning of the First World War because of the need to recruit men into the army. Jessie Popes views towards war were light hearted and she exploited patriotism, which is why she contrasted so much with Wilfred Owens views. This led him to write truthful poem through personal experience because of how much he hated Popes fickle views.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Language Awareness[ 10th edition] Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Language Awareness[ 10th edition] - Assignment Example It is a negative word and should be left at that, as it has a significance that should not be forgotten. Since the true meaning of the term is founded in racism, it should not be plucked from its role and meaning, in an effort to render it impotent. Suppressing the word and restraining it in the confines of racist conduct continues to give the word social significance and a place in history from which today’s generation can learn of the progress made by society (Asim, 2007). Although efforts of making the term impotent have been made by various entities, due to the historical significance of the word, such efforts remain unsuccessful. The word can only be made impotent by restricting its use to history, where it played a specific role (Asim, 2007). Not using the word in today’s setting to try and change its meaning only serves as a reminder of past history and the tension that existed between the white and black community, since the word tags more than mere

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Research methods - Literature review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research methods - Literature review - Assignment Example The tone of the article also supports that he is addressing the literate class. In addition, the literature review presented is well referenced using footnotes, a factor that ascertains that it is scholarly. The author explores the balancing and bandwagoning, as the two options that states have during conflicts. Schweller seeks to highlight the factors that motivate states to settle for any of the two alternatives. His thesis is very evident that balancing and bandwagoning are not opposites, and a range of different factors motivates states adopting either of them. The goals of balancing and bandwagoning are different as well, with states opting for bandwagon to gain something, while the purpose of balancing is ensuring that values are protected (p. 75). From the literature review, it becomes evident that many scholars have not focused on exploring the issue of bandwagoning effectively. The author highlights that other authors who have tried to explore this topic previously have misconceived the concepts of bandwagoning. The literature review highlights that rewards are of central significance to states that opt for bandwagoning. It emerges that other reasons also prompt states to consider bandwagoning as the preferred option. The theory of the balance of interests is more realistic in explaining bandwagoning (p. 100). Schweller believes that the topic of bandwagoning has not been explored as it deserves. This is because the balancing theory that has often been used in explaining this concept seems insufficient. Moreover, the goals of bandwagoning have not been explained in details as required. He discerns the need for the development of new theories that can effectively explain the concept (p. 105). In his literature review, he focuses on filling this gap. He does this by reviewing the balancing theory, and explaining the reasons that prompt states to opt for bandwagoning. He

Monday, November 18, 2019

Disaster in Gwinnett County Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Disaster in Gwinnett County - Research Paper Example Gwinnett County Emergency Management Agency needs to be created in order to manage future disasters and after effects related to the calamity. The country should synchronize the action of Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) with other emergency services (Gwinnett County Emergency Management Agency). They should take help of National Traffic System (NTS) in order to reduce public panic regarding the disaster. Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and medical examiner are needed in order to deal with medical exigencies Human service agencies Fire department Law enforcement Question 2 Gwinnett County needs to create incident management system in order to prevent ill effects of future disasters. National incident management system is needed to be created and NIMS should concentrate on following areas (Walsh 7). Command and Management Human Resource Management Communication and information management Technological support Operation management Multiagency coordination system Question 3 Nati onal incident management system needs to work with incident command system (ICS) in order to fillip the scope of Area command. Command structure should be created in the following manner. (Source: Walsh 13) [Note: Above mentioned picture shows that command structure of EOC group can be bifurcated into two parts such as Agency executives and unified area command. Unified area command covers two types of commands such as unified command and incident command] Prevention (including Mitigation) NIMS needs to measure amount of physical and financial damage caused by disaster in the districts of Snellvill, Lawrenceville, Duluth & unincorporated Gwinnett regulatory in order to prevent further disruptions. In the prevention NIMS need to use following sources to foster the prevention activity. (Source: Walsh 14) Command structure should follow â€Å"Unified Command† structure in order to facilitate joint determination process. Strategic planning for resource allocation should be done i n unified manner. Agencies will be appointed to resolve for utilizing resources (Walsh 25). Question 4 The overall strategic objective of NIMS is to ensure a systematic and effective mechanism for mitigating the ill effect of disaster. Strategic objectives can be underpinned in the following manner. Determining overall incident management strategy Integrating tactical operation with strategic objective Mainstream disaster management in pertinent areas such as Lawrenceville, Duluth, Snellville and Unincorporated Gwinnett. Creating joint planning for tactical activities (Walsh 26) Using available resources at optimum level Question 5 NIMS was focusing on removing debris, providing emergency service to affected people as a part of the initial command but now the equilibrium of the situation has changed after reports of traffic incidents revealed. Gwinnett County Emergency Management Agency needs to recruit more number of volunteers in order to help people affected by disaster. Initial command structure can be explained by following diagram. (Source: Walsh 29) The command structure should be elongated in order to resolve traffic problem. Addition traffic emergency workers can increase the strength of the structure. Initial command

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Traditional Narrative Structure Of Thomas Hardy English Literature Essay

The Traditional Narrative Structure Of Thomas Hardy English Literature Essay In order to assess the validity or otherwise of Thomas Hardys assertion, we first need to consider whether or not any such construct as traditional narrative structure can properly be said to exist and, assuming that it does, provide a definition of what this structure might be. This is not as straightforward as it may appear. For one thing, there are many different traditions in world literature and therefore many different concepts of traditional narrative structure. It would be unwise, for instance, to attempt to assert that the storytelling devices employed by the anonymous authors of the stories later compiled as The 1,001 Nights or The Arabian Nights Entertainments complied in all respects with the narrative strategies pursued by Dickens, Trollope, Defoe, Austen and the other writers of the novel form as it has been understood and developed over the past two hundred years within Western society. It is possible to understand from Hardys statement the kind of narrative structure that he had in mind, the progression from event A to B to C suggested by the regular formulation of beginning, middle and end. That Hardys statement should exhibit a strong implied attachment to this sort of narrative structure is in no way surprising, for it was an important aspect of his writing. However, there had already been changes to what Hardy considered the traditional narrative style. Narrative trickery of one kind or another had been apparent in many authors works. Experimentation with form began very early on in the novels development. Indeed, it is arguable that such experimentalism had been present in the English novel since its earliest days. Samuel Richardsons Pamela or Virtue Rewarded , for instance, arguably one of the first novels written in English, may conform to the beginning-middle-end formula looked upon so fondly by Hardy one hundred years later, but it is far from being a standard third party text. The book is an epistolary novel, which is to say that it consists of a series of interlinked texts, purporting to be letters written by the novels protagonist and no fewer than five other correspondents, each of whom has his or her unique literary style, psychology and point of view. Richardson was not the first novelist to adopt this epistolary approach. Other writers, both in France and England, had preceded him. Yet there is no doubt that Richardson displayed a profound and unprecedented facility with the form. In Margaret Drabbles words, he raised the form to a level hitherto unknown and transformed it to display his own particular skills.  [1]  And Richardson was not the only English novelist to have departed sharply from Hardys norm during the English novels formative years. His inventiveness and willingness to experiment with form had been equalled by several other writers, most importantly Lawrence Sterne. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, published in several parts between 1759 and 1767, stands out as a paragon of unconventionality even today. Its many stylistic novelties and tricks of form include flashbacks, typographical eccentricities, missing pages and multiple perspectives. Not for nothing has it been referred to as the progenitor of th e twentieth century stream-of consciousness novel  [2]   The traditional narrative structure that Hardy had in mind had, therefore, been altered and subverted from within for many years prior to the start of his own literary career. It is, nonetheless, true that the notion of a novel having to possess a beginning, middle and end had become firmly embedded in the psyche of most readers and writers by the late Victorian era. Hardy suspected that the dominance of the traditional narrative structure was under threat by the time he abandoned novel writing around the beginning of the twentieth century. The Age of Realism, in many ways the last great affirmation of the Enlightenment, with its impressively self-confident faith in reason and in reasons access to the real, drew to an end as the nineteenth century began to spill into the twentieth,  [3]  writes Andrà © Brink in his overview of the novels long development as a form: In a turmoil of uncertainty prefiguring Eliots later wry conviction that human kind/ Cannot bear very much reality, Modernism was born. A remarkable revolution swept through all the arts. The faith in representation, which for so long had shaped Western culture, was wavering; and, in Santayanas famous phrase, mankind was starting to dream in a different key  [4]   Both novels, Italo Calvinos If on a Winters Night aTraveller and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez are arguably experimentations into a different style of traditional narrative fictions, that are far removed from what Hardy had in mind. If on a Winters Night a Traveller is probably Calvinos best known novel, published in Italian in 1979 and translated into English by William Weaver in 1981. Since then it has become firmly established as a classic of post-modern fiction. An examination of the books form quickly explains why. Far from being a conventional narrative, in which events are described from the outside by an omniscient narrator and everything proceeds smoothly from an initiating incident to a denouement, the novel has a bewitching and playful form. It is self-reflexive, in that it is a book about a reader who is trying to read a book called If on a Winters Night a Traveller. The first chapter and each subsequent alternate chapter are written in the second person. They form a linking narrative between the intervening, even-numbered, chapters, which all purport to be extracts from various books which the reader tries, at different times, to read: You are about to begin reading Italo Calvinos new novel, If on a Winters Night a Traveller. Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade. Best to close the door; the TV is always on in the next room.  [5]   One prominent way in which If on a Winters Night a Traveller resists traditional narrative structure is by violating boundaries of the structure. These are the boundaries comprised by the inside and the outside of the novel. If on a Winters Night a Traveller resists these boundaries because its premise is a readers attempt to read a work entitled If on a Winters Night a Traveller, whilst being aware that the narrative is instructing the reader to read and how to. This external, authoritative narration in the narrative has the effect of rupturing any traditional narrative sequence in further ways. It causes there to be various acts of reading, both within and without the text, which are out of synch with each other. A key example of this is Calvinos statement that, You are about to begin reading Italo Calvinos new novel If on a Winters Night a Traveller.  [6]  Not only is the readers identity destabilised by the fact that the you may refer to the reader outside or the reader insid e the text in a way not common in traditional narrative, but also the acts of reading are temporally disrupted: You are about to begin reading Italo Calvinos new novel If on a Winters Night a Traveller, the boundary of narrative, narrator and reader is broken, the reader is being instructed by the narrative to read. Another key example of the boundaries, set out by traditional narrative is the set of short orders, orders directed at us, the reader, to physically move our body: Stretch your legs, go ahead and put your feet on a cushion, or two cushions, on the arms of the sofa, on the wings of the chair, on the coffee table, on the desk, on the piano, on the globe. Take your shoes off first. If you want to, put your feet up; if not, put them back. Now dont stand there with your shoes in one hand and the book in the other.  [7]   This address to the reader has the effect of pulling the reader into work. This is very much a departure from Hardys view of the traditional narrative form. However, this is not to say that there is not a traditional narrative thread binding the work together. As the book continues, a clear, if unconventional, story begins to take shape. The reader, who is referred to and addressed throughout the novel becomes the protagonist in a convoluted narrative that revolves around an international conspiracy involving fraud, a mischievous translator, sinister government agents and a number of other elements. There may not be a traditional plot embedded in the book, but there is definitely a plot and it is one that has enough narrative muscle to keep a reader enthralled. There is a clear sense, throughout the book, that the author is solicitous to the reader and eager to retain his or her interest. This desire to aid the reader is borne out by something Calvino once wrote: My working method has more often than not involved the subtraction of weight. I have tried to remove weight, sometimes from people, sometimes from heavenly bodies, sometimes from cities; above all I have tried to remove weight from the structure of stories and from language.  [8]   If on a Winters Night a Traveller also highlights the problems of the one dimensional aspect of traditional narrative structures. If on a Winters Night a Traveller resists linearity. Traditional narrative structures are mentioned only in the context of their non-appearance, complaints such as that of chapters interrupted right at the climaxà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦lets hope we get to the end satisfactorily.  [9]  Here the vocabulary of traditional narrative climax and satisfying ending, though present is subverted. Calvino comments on his own narrative throughout and his most clear comment on this particular form of resistance to traditional narrative structures occurs when, making explicit the sexualised connotations of interrupted climax, and satisfying ending, he describes how Lovers reading of each others bodiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ differs from the reading of written pages in that it is not linear. It starts at any point, skips, repeat itself, goes backward, insists, ramifies in simultaneous and divergent messages, converges again, has moments of irritation, turns the page, finds its place, gets lost. A direction can be recognized in it, a route to an end, since it tends toward a climax, and with this end in view it arranges rhythmic phases, metrical scansions, recurrence of motives. But is the climax really the end? Or is the race toward that end opposed by another drive which works in the opposite direction, swimming against moments, recovering time?  [10]   One Hundred Years of Solitude could loosely be described as a family saga. It deals with the varying fates of numerous individuals drawn from seven generations of one South American family, but it is in not a type of narrative. The book includes multiple time-frames and numerous supernatural elements, including ghosts and prophecies, all of which are treated in a matter-of-fact fashion by the novels many characters. This makes it a clear embodiment of magic realism and it has, indeed, been identified by many critics as the quintessential magic realist text.  [11]   The American science fiction and fantasy author Gene Wolf, for instance, has said that Magic realism is fantasy written by people who speak Spanish,  [12]  while the British fantasy author Terry Pratchett has said that it is like a polite way of saying you write fantasy  [13]  . Despite the difficulty many have experienced in pointing out its exact nature, however, the term continues to have resonance for many readers and One Hundred Years of Solitude continues to be seen as its most characteristic text. What is it about this book that qualifies it as magic realism and in what way is its narrative distinguishable from Hardys cherished mode of traditionalist storytelling? The books difference is undoubtedly the mythic and timeless quality Marquez brings to bear in his treatment of the fictional town of Macondo and its multi-layered connection with the Buendà ­a family, whose patriarch, Josà © Arcadio Buendà ­a, is also Macondos founder. Macondo is, in a way, a leading character in the novel and yet its geography and character remain remarkably opaque throughout. As Ian Johnston has pointed out: There is something clearly magical about the world of Macondo; it is a state of mind as much as, or even more than, a real geographical place (we learn very little about its actual physical layout, for example). And once in it, we must be prepared to meet whatever the imagination of the author presents to us.  [14]   The capacity of the imagination to which Johnson alludes is immense, and so the ability to enforce a willing suspension of disbelief in the mind of the reader that co-exists with it  [15]  . It is Marquezs ability to make the reader accept and even fail to question events that could not possibly take place in the real world that give One Hundred Years of Solitude its unique flavour. An excellent example of the kind of trick Marquez plays repeatedly, comes early on in the novel when an act of suicide is followed by a physically impossible perambulation by a trail of blood: A trickle of blood came out under the door, crossed the living room, went out into the street, continued on in a straight line across the uneven terraces, went down steps and climbed over curbs, passed along the Street of the Turks, turned a corner to the right and another to the left, made a right angle at the Buendà ­a house, went in under the closed door, crossed through the parlour, hugging the walls so as not to stain the rugs, went on to the other living room, made a wide curve to avoid the dining-room table, went along the porch with the begonias, and passed without being seen under Amarantas chair as she gave an arithmetic lesson to Aureliano Josà ©, and went through the pantry and came out in the kitchen [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]  [16]   The blending together of the real with the imagined, the plausible with the impossible, is what characterises the book throughout. Time becomes a blur, characters reflect the personalities of long dead ancestors or unborn descendants, history and chronology are obscured by the interplay of broadly similar events (invasion after invasion, birth after birth, death after death). Only Macondo seems stable, in the end, and yet even Macondo blows away to nothingness in the final, apocalyptic chapter, leaving the reader uncertain regarding the status of everything that has happened. And yet, all of this has to be set alongside the extremely detailed and persuasive nature of Mà ¡rquezs writing. He may be concerned with the fantastical and the fabulous but he also a sharp-eyed literary observer. The translator Edith Grossman made exactly this point when she gave the keynote speech at an event held in New York in 2003. Focusing on the quality of his prose and on his approach to narrative, Grossman said of Mà ¡rquez: He is a master of physical observation: Surfaces, appearances, external realities, spoken words everything that a truly observant observer can observe. He makes almost no allusion to states-of-mind, motivations, emotions, internal responses: Those are left to the inferential skills and deductive interests of the reader. In other words, Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez has turned the fly-on-the-wall point of view into a crucial aspect of his narrative style in both fiction and non-fiction, and it is a strategy that he uses to stunning effect.  [17]   One Hundred Years of Solitude also resists traditional narrative structures with its relation to traditional boundaries of, and within, narrative. If on a Winters Night a Traveller contravenes boundaries; One Hundred Years of Solitude goes further by collapsing these traditional boundaries. A very significant way in which this is affected is through the names in the novel. Spread over several generations, there are three women with a forename Remedios, five male characters with the forename Aureliano, and five characters sharing both a forename and a surname: Josà © Arcadio. What should be a straightforward, linear piece of historiography is made more complex and convoluted by Marquez. It becomes unclear exactly which characters of the names Aureliano, Remedia or Josà © Arcadio are interacting at certain points in the narrative. One such example is that of Aureliano and Amaranta Ursula, in the rooms where Colonel Aureliano had also made love, made mad love on the floor of the porch à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they were awakened by a torrent of carnivorous ants who were ready to eat them alive.  [18]   One Hundred Years of Solitude often resists traditional narrative structures at the same time as drawing attention to them. One key example of this is the flashback with which the novel begins. As a traditional narrative structure, the flashback has a very definite sense of the present through which the past is framed. However, Marquez resists this traditional structure by destabilising this present tense, and the presence of the character having the flashback: Many years later as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember[à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]  [19]  The suggestion of a traditional flashback is preserved in the act of remembering, yet Marquez resists the traditional structure of the flashback by locating it into the future , Many years later, was to remember, a ruptured linearity which is, in a further resistance to traditional narrative structures, explained only at the end of the novel, when Aureliano finally realises that the parchments he discovered are a prophecy of the novels events: at that prodigious instant Melquiades final keys were revealed to him and he saw the epigraph of the parchments perfectly placed in the order of mans time and space.  [20]   Both One Hundred Years of Solitude and If on a Winters Night a Traveller depart quite radically from the traditional narrative structure utilised by Thomas Hardy and yet neither Marquez nor Calvino is willing to jettison the idea of narrative or deny their readers a satisfying encounter with the elemental power of storytelling. These texts resist traditional narrative but they do not reject or repudiate narrative itself. On the contrary, they provide meaning and pleasure by taking the novel further and beyond the structure in which Hardy worked in. Both writers resist traditional narrative structure by rupturing the linearity of the narrative and creating problems of time and engagement of the reader. Bibliography

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

McCarthyism :: Joseph McCarthy Communism

The era following WWII and the era we are currently in portray times in United State's history that united our country in some ways, but in other ways were times of constrained freedom and illustrated the limitations of our country. McCarthyism, the period in the early to mid 1950's, was a time that arose from once good relations with the Soviet Union to a time where there was fear of communism within our country. Terrorism, a term that has been around, but now brings new meaning. The U.S had attacks in the 90's in Oklahoma, the Olympics, and the previous attacks on the World Trade Center, but none amounted to September 11, 2001 with the amount of casualties, the desperate measures of the attackers and the cracks in our security system. Terrorism is not like the "ism" of communism; communism is a political ideology that infringed on our capitalistic ways, but terrorism is much more destructive. As defined by the FBI, "the unlawful use of force against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in the furtherance of political or social objectives". Terrorism is a technique, but as we have come to know it present day it is enacted by radical religious individuals who are opposed to globalization and the western way of life. The ideologies of these Islamic extremists do not transfer an ideology to terrorism, because it is spread among many groups and has become too broad a concept. Looking back on communism and its affect on American society, the present day terrorism can draw many parallels. The parallels are similar, yet they are not quite on the level of paranoia that communism instated within the U.S. and against our own society. To be accused of being a communist, one did not have to have a certain appearance; it was an ideology that that individual accepted, however to be accused of a terrorist is mostly along the lines of an appearance and the Muslim community. The invention of the television in 1946 brought the scare of nuclear weapons into the home. There was an abundance of bomb footage from the testing sites and infiltration of McCarthyism into the home with other broadcasts. On the first H-bomb footage, "Projected on the motion picture screen, in crisp 35mm,

Monday, November 11, 2019

Poverty Eradication Programmes in India Essay

1. The National Food for Work Program The National Food for Work Program was launched on 14 November 2004 in 150 of the most backward districts of India with the objective of generating supplementary wage employment. The program is open to all rural poor who are prepared to do manual, unskilled labor. It is implemented as a centrally-sponsored scheme. Food grains are provided to the States free of cost. 2. Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana for providing self-Employment to Educated Unemployed Youth was announced by the Prime Minister on 15th August, 1993 to provide self-employed opportunities to one million educated unemployed youth in the country. The Scheme has been formally launched on 2 nd October, 1993 . The PMRY has been designed to provide employment to more than a million Person by setting up of 7 lakhs micro enterprises by the educated unemployed youth. 3. Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) with effect from 1st April, 1995 . Its objectives are * To generate employment in rural areas. * To develop entrepreneurial skill and attitude among rural unemployed youth. * To achieve the goal of rural industrialization. * To facilitate participation of financial institutions for higher credit flow to rural industries. 4. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) is an initiative launched by the Government of India on April 1, 1999. The SGSY aims at providing self-employment to villagers through the establishment of Self-help groups. Activity clusters are established based on the aptitude and skill of the people which are nurtured to their maximum potential. Funds are provided by NGOs, banks and financial institutions. 5. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana It was introduced in 2000 – 2001 with the objective of focusing on village level development in five critical areas, i.e., Primary Health, Primary Education, Housing, Rural Roads and Drinking Water and Nutrition with the overall objective of improving the quality of life of people in rural areas. Rural electrification was added as an additional component from 2001 – 2002. 6. The Antyodaya Anna Yojana The Antyodaya Anna Yojana was launched on December 25, 2000. It contemplated providing 25 kg. of food grains per month at highly subsidized rates of Rs. 2 per kg. For wheat and Rs. 3 per kg. for rice to each Antodaya family. The total number of families to be covered under this scheme was placed at one crore. Antyodaya Anna Yojana has started in six States – Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Comparison of Two Commercials Essay Example

Comparison of Two Commercials Essay Example Comparison of Two Commercials Essay Comparison of Two Commercials Essay Outline Thesis statement: When compared side-by-side, there are differences in the two. Some of these include that the Lexus ad uses predominantly the logos, or logical, appeal whereas the second uses pathos, the emotional appeal, the target audiences for both commercials, and the effectiveness of each. 1. Pathos or logos? 1. VW uses more pathos than Lexus. 1. Humor is effective tactic in advertising. 2. By using humor, advertisers make their product more memorable. 2. Lexus uses more Logos than VW. II. Target audiences. 1. VW targets younger viewers but could be effective on almost anyone. 2. Lexus targets a more mature, serious audience. III. Effectiveness. 1. VW is more effective because it provides information, and it is entertaining as well. 2. The Lexus ad fails to be memorable. Rough Draft: Volkswagen vs. Lexus Over the last few decades, American culture has been forever changed by the huge amount of advertisement the people are subjected to. Advertising has become such an integral part of society, many people will choose whether or not they want to buy a product based only on their familiarity with it rather than the product’s price or effectiveness. Do to that fact, companies must provide the very best and most convincing advertisements as possible. Those companies have, in fact, done just that, and often times use varied methods of persuading consumers. By comparing two automobile commercials, this essay will look at how the first ad uses predominantly the logos appeal whereas the second uses pathos, the target audiences for both commercials, and the effectiveness of each. First, the commercial by Volkswagen uses primarily the pathos appeal (â€Å"Meet†) whereas; the Lexus commercial uses mainly logos (â€Å"Engineering†). The VW ad uses humor to get its message across (â€Å"Meet†). Humor is a very effective tactic used in advertising because it entertains the viewer, and that makes them more likely to remember the product being promoted. In contrast, the advertisement by Lexus presents facts about their product to persuade the audience to consider their vehicles (â€Å"Engineering†). This is also a good way for companies to inform their potential customers. Businesses build up credibility by presenting factual information rather than meaningless entertainment. In that way, they are using the ethos appeal by using the logos appeal. These two approaches to advertising are both effective, and which appeal a company focuses on may be largely contributed to the audience being targeted. On that note, the target audiences for both commercials will be compared. The commercial by Volkswagen uses humor to captivate the viewer and throws in a few facts while the audience is being entertained (â€Å"Meet†). The Lexus commercial, on the other hand, is much more serious (â€Å"Engineering†). It leads the viewer to believe that they have the answers to questions about future fuel demand and provides information in support of that (â€Å"Engineering†). The audience being targeted by VW is made up of more young people than the Lexus ad; however, it could also appeal to some older individuals as well. Lexus is targeting specifically a more mature audience in their ad. One can tell this because they spend less time on entertainment and more time for facts. This type of advertising would appeal to more serious and educated individuals. The goal of advertising is to convince the target audience to buy the product being advertised. With that being said, which one of these two commercials is the most effective at doing that? Though both do a good job getting their messages across, the ad by VW is more effective. This is because VW uses pathos, logos, and some ethos. By using all of the appeals, Volkswagen of America is able to grab the viewer’s attention, use ethos, in the form of an old car that they used to make, to establish credibility, and then provide logical information about the vehicle to inform the consumer (â€Å"Meet†). The Lexus ad does a good job of providing information, but fails to provide a way for the audience to remember their advertisement for very long after watching it (â€Å"Engineering†). In conclusion, the commercials by Lexus and Volkswagen both make the viewer consider their product. To do this, they use different methods of advertising. Also, both companies target different audiences. When all is said and done, they have varying degrees of success in doing so. Advertising is a fundamental force in today’s society, and because of this, companies must provide the most effective commercials with presentation of as many logical appeals as possible. Word Count: 607 Meet The Volkswagens – Jetta TDI Meets Prius Youtube. 18 May 2009. Web. 10 October 2011. † youtube. com/watch? v=JXK63kvUi6U Engineering Amazing Commercial Wall Youtube. 9 June 2011. Web. 10 October 2011. † youtube. com/watch? v=AJTYPq0gNCofeature=pyv Final Draft: Volkswagen vs. Lexus Over the last few decades, American culture has been forever changed by the huge amount of advertisement the people are subjected to. Advertising has become such an integral part of society, many people will choose whether or not they want to buy a product based only on their familiarity with it rather than the product’s price or effectiveness. Do to that fact, companies must provide the very best and most convincing advertisements as possible. Those companies have, in fact, done just that, and often times use varied methods of persuading consumers. Two commercials that provide a good view of the different types of advertising used today include a commercial by Lexus Motor Company featuring all the ways that their car is prepared for the future (â€Å"Engineering†) and a commercial by Volkswagen of America that provides some factual information but mainly focuses on humor (â€Å"Meet†). When compared side-by-side, there are differences in the two. Some of these include that the Lexus ad uses predominantly the logos, or logical, appeal whereas the second uses pathos, the emotional appeal, the target audiences for both commercials, and the effectiveness of each. First, the commercial by Volkswagen uses primarily the pathos appeal (â€Å"Meet†) whereas; the Lexus commercial uses mainly logos (â€Å"Engineering†). The VW ad uses humor to get its message across (â€Å"Meet†). Humor is a very effective tactic used in advertising because it entertains the viewer, and that makes them more likely to remember the product being promoted. In contrast, the advertisement by Lexus presents facts about their product to persuade the audience to consider their vehicles (â€Å"Engineering†). This is also a good way for companies to inform their potential customers. Businesses build up redibility by presenting factual information rather than meaningless entertainment. In that way, they are using the ethos appeal by using the logos appeal. These two approaches to advertising are both effective, and which appeal a company focuses on may be largely contributed to the audience being targeted. On that note, the target audiences for both commercials will be compared. The commercial by Volkswagen uses humor to captivate the viewer and throws in a few facts while the audience is being entertained (â€Å"Meet†). The Lexus commercial, on the other hand, is much more serious (â€Å"Engineering†). It leads the viewer to believe that they have the answers to questions about future fuel demand and provides information in support of that (â€Å"Engineering†). The audience being targeted by VW is made up of more young people than the Lexus ad, however, it could also appeal to some older individuals as well. Lexus is targeting specifically a more mature audience in their ad. One can tell this because they spend less time on entertainment and more time for facts. This type of advertising would appeal to more serious and educated individuals. The goal of advertising is to convince the target audience to buy the product being advertised. With that being said, which one of these two commercials is the most effective at doing that? Though both do a good job getting their messages across, the ad by VW is more effective. This is because VW uses pathos, logos, and some ethos. By using all of the appeals, Volkswagen of America is able to grab the viewer’s attention, use ethos in the form of an old car that they made in the past to establish credibility, and then provide logical information about the vehicle to inform the consumer (â€Å"Meet†). The Lexus ad does a good job of providing information, but fails to provide a way for the audience to remember their advertisement for very long after watching it (â€Å"Engineering†). In conclusion, the commercials by Lexus and Volkswagen both make the viewer consider their product. To do this, they use different methods of advertising. Also, both companies target different audiences. When all is said and done, VW’s advertisement is the most effective because it uses all of the appeals to convince their audience. Advertising is a fundamental force in today’s society, and because of this, companies must present as many logical appeals as possible and provide the most effective commercials possible. Word Count: 675 Meet The Volkswagens – Jetta TDI Meets Prius Youtube. 18 May 2009. Web. 10 October 2011. † youtube. com/watch? v=JXK63kvUi6U Engineering Amazing Commercial Wall Youtube. 9 June 2011. Web. 10 October 2011. † youtube. com/watch? v=AJTYPq0gNCofeature=pyv

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Working Across Boundaries Analysis

Working Across Boundaries Analysis Introduction Companies often encounter boundaries when it comes to creating efficient business processes whether in the form of distance or differences in business culture, however, by overcoming such boundaries better business operations can be attained.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Working Across Boundaries Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As indicated by Piercy (2006) in order for any company to continue to be competitive within the present day global market place it is necessary for it to be highly responsive to changes, receptive to new developments within its market, highly creative as well as espouses actions of innovation and continued increases in efficiency (ex: Six Sigma) (Piercy, 2006: 3). Such aspects though are dependent on the employees of a company wherein through the use of proper management practices a company is able to create stable internal procedures to ensure proper operations and p roduct development which would inevitably result in a successful company. The purpose of this project is to explain the advantages and disadvantages to working across boundaries, in this case distance and a diversified workforce. Through such a method of examination, it is expected that a greater understanding of todays globalized business environment will be developed resulting in the promotion of the appropriate management practices to overcome such boundaries. This paper is divided into 2 primary sections; the first section discusses the boundary of distance as exemplified by the outsourcing industry. The second section deals primarily with the diversified workforces that have come about as a direct result of the present day orientation of multinational companies to expand into different markets. Through both sections, a clear idea can be developed regarding both the advantages and disadvantages of working across boundaries. It is the assumption of the researcher that, proper man agement practices can help to overcome boundaries such as distance and a diverse workforce thereby creating effective business operations. What is Outsourcing? As explained by Marchington et al. (2005), corporate executives are under pressure to improve the competitiveness of their companies through cost reduction, increased efficiency as well as the improvement of various services. It is due to this that they have been turning towards outsourcing as of late in order to resolve such issues (Marchington et al., 2005: 4).Advertising Looking for essay on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The term outsourcing actually refers to the practice wherein a company contracts another company to perform a particular business function for them at a reduced cost as compared to the main company doing it themselves (Young Bong Gurbaxani, 2012: 1043). Outsourcing can take the form of manufacturing, accounting, cu stomer services and a variety of other practices that can be done in another location. The main purpose of outsourcing is to reduce the inherent cost of operations by leveraging aspects related to cheaper workforce costs or reduced utilities expenses found in other location. (Young Bong Gurbaxani, 2012: 1043) Through globalization, the internet and the process of outsourcing and off shoring, technology/manufacturing teams are no longer isolated to merely being within the same building, state or country, rather, they are scattered across a wide breadth of countries, cultures and business environments which management practices of contemporary technology intensive enterprises need to take into consideration (Allen et al., 2005: 301). For example, as indicated by Dey, Houseman Polivka (2012) when it comes to doing business within the U.S., the costs encountered by mosts businesses are often taxes, employee salaries and benefits as well as utilities (Dey, Houseman Polivka, 2012: 533) . The problem with such factors is that they in effect increase the cost of doing business within a particular country. It is due to this that outsourcing various aspects of a companys operations becomes more attractive since locations such as China, India and the Philippines enable a company to gain significant cost savings (i.e. lower tax rates, salaries, benefits expenses etc. (Whitaker, Mithas and Krishnan, 2010: 11). For example, within China alone the sheer cost of doing business is so low that companies have been outsourcing their manufacturing departments to the country since the late 1990s (Whitaker, Mithas and Krishnan, 2010: 11). This can also be seen in the case of India and the Philippines wherein outsourcing has become a $100 billion a year industry (Magtibay-Ramos et al., 2008: 41). Cost Savings The main reason behind working across the boundary of distance are the cost savings involved in hiring a local within the Philippines, China or India for example as compared t o hiring someone from the U.S., U.K. or Canada to do the exact same type of job (Marion Friar, 2012: 44).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Working Across Boundaries Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Minimum wage requirements, taxation and other costs related to doing business are simply far lower in various places in Asia as compared to countries in the West and, with the integration of global financial markets and supply chains due to globalization, it has now become more practical to simply have certain aspects of a companys operations (usually manufacturing and customer service) to be located in other countries with lower business costs (Yang, Wacker Sheu, 2012: 4462). Companies do not even need to manufacture their own products. This can be seen in the case of Apple, Sony and Microsoft wherein the Apple iPad, the Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 have all been manufactured by the same o utsourcing company, namely Foxconn (Ngai Chan, 2012: 383). Problems with Distance It should be noted that Marchington et al. (2005) also explains that outsourcing should not be considered the go to solution when it comes to reducing corporate expenses. Utilizing the example of Railtrack and the faulty maintenance procedures that resulted from outsourcing aspects of the companys operations, it can be seen that by not keeping things in-house this actually exposes the company to a multitude of possible problems related to mismanagement and improper operational practices that would not have occurred if they had been done by the main company instead of an outsourced firm (Marchington et al., 2005: 6). This shows how problems can occur in numerous areas of a company’s operations as a direct result of outsourcing which can have dire consequences for consumers and businesses alike.  Working across boundaries such as distance and business culture is advantageous for any company due to access to a greater talent pool and product markets, however, the fact remains that along with such advantages comes distinct disadvantages in the form of ill-suited management practices in dealing with a diversified global workforce and the potential for problems in a company’s supply chain due to lax standards on the part of their international partners (Wee Wee, 2010: 2081). Management practices in some of todays technology oriented organizations need to facilitate better collaboration and communication between global teams despite the distances and diverse cultural differences involved.  There are distinct problems related to this particular model of doing business in the form of lax product quality standards, unethical worker treatment as well as issues related to proper communication in between various outsourced departments (Tambe Hitt, 2010:62). For example Microsoft, which is one of the worlds largest software manufacturers, has development teams scattered ar ound the world working on different aspects of the operating systems that it produces. The inherent problem with this situation is that different methods of coding procedure combined with a variety of problems related to time difference, business culture and the sheer distance involved invites problems in all stages of OS (Operating System) development (Ulanoff, 2007: 74). The software â€Å"Windows Vista† for instance (which was largely considered one of Microsofts worst operating systems) had problems not only during its development but also during its sale and promotion. Such problems were attributed to ineffective management practices in helping to consolidate efforts across different borders and cultures (i.e. between different technology teams within the company’s software development divisions in the U.S. and India) (Ulanoff, 2007: 74).Advertising Looking for essay on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This situation is not limited to the development of software but rather also includes the production processes of certain electronic goods. For example, lax management practices in the form of insufficient quality control procedures as well as improper sales and repair procedures were blamed for one of Dell corporations recent fiascos (occurred in 2006) wherein faulty components within several of its laptops that were sourced from foreign partners were seen actually leaking some sort of fluid during normal operational processes and had the potential to burst into flames (Mullins Weiss, 2006: 6). Another issue in this case was that Dell knowingly resold such units despite the identification of the inherent flaws which is indicative of a failure of management practices from not only a production point of view but from an ethical sales perspective. Other companies such as Apple and IBM have been highly criticized due to falling product standards as a result of lax quality control chec ks with their overseas factories. Apple, Microsoft and Sony have also been criticized for contributing towards the continued unethical treatment of workers within the factories of Foxconn which has severely damaged the image of these companies in the eyes of the general public (Ngai Chan, 2012: 383). Studies such as Holweg Pil (2012) that issues related to proper communication (i.e. English and non English speaking) between various overseas operational departments have resulted in problems related to shipping delays, erroneous inventory requests and an assortment of related problems that have resulted in increased costs for companies (Holweg Pil, 2012:98). Such a situation necessitates the implementation of new methods of cooperation through team exchanges (members of one team visiting the other), implementing methods of open communication and conceptualization between teams located within the U.S. and those within off-shored development/manufacturing facilities and facilitating better cooperative practices through the development of cultural understanding regarding how particular business cultures work over diverse locations (Young Bong Gurbaxani, 2012: 1043). Utilizing such a strategy, effective practices can be implemented which result in the characteristics mentioned earlier that are deemed necessary for a technology oriented company to survive and to thrive. A Diversified Workforce As explained by Marchington et al. (2005), organizations within the past few years have become increasing stratified an diversified as a direct result of not only the need to expand into new markets but the changing face of how people are employed within various companies today (i.e. in-house, contracted, part time etc.) ((Marchington et al., 2005: 11). This also due to the fact that companies have become more â€Å"networked† in that exchanges have become more horizontal rather than vertical due to the way in which the boundaries between companies/ organizations hav e become weakened as a direct result of new collaborative arrangements in the form of strategic partnerships, industrial networks etc. ((Marchington et al., 2005: 13). Since globalization and multiculturalism have become synonymous aspects of the global market place, companies tend to respond to the diverse consumer and cultural demographics to which they sell their products and services to stay relevant by also diversifying their methods of operation to match the needs of such markets (Jones, 2012:207). A company that limits itself in terms of diverse employee demographics runs the risk of being unable to understand the quirks and cultural norms in certain ethnic and racial markets resulting in the creation of an ill-equipped marketing and sales strategy which very likely will result in adverse consequences for the company in terms of the number of products sold and the degree of market penetration. Most modern day companies attempt a certain degree of racial, gender and cultural d iversity in the employees they hire, especially when it comes to attempts to access new markets in foreign locations. This enables the creation of unique product concepts, sales strategies and marketing mixes based on the views and backgrounds of this diversified workforce within that particular country resulting in a greater likelihood of a successful market penetration (Jones, 2012: 207). Other benefits derived from workforce diversity come in the form of greater employee retention due to a company culture that supports equality and racial acceptance rather than discrimination and divisiveness. Multiethnic and multi-gender companies tended to have higher rates of productivity due to greater employee satisfaction over the companys policies which results in better overall profits for the company due to increased productivity (Grey, 2009: 44). It cannot be stated though that the implementation of a racial, cultural and gender diverse workforce will automatically result in better comp any performance. Grey (2009) states â€Å"there must be a distinct benefit derived from the implementation of a diverse workforce otherwise it doesnt make sense for a company to implement a hiring strategy that focuses on it† (Grey, 2009: 44). Disadvantages of Workforce Diversity One of the inherent challenges involving workplace diversity is in creating sufficient channels of communication within an organization. Channels of communication are one of the cornerstones of any successful business when it comes to having a diverse workplace environment since it entails the use of added practices so as to sufficiently relay messages across different ethnicities and cultures (Pardo and Martinez, 2003:148). People from different cultures and ethnicities tend to perceive messages in many different ways due to the unique quirks of their method of understanding. Some messages are at times interpreted as insulting and vice-versa and, as such, it is important to implement methods of comm unication that take this into consideration so as to reduce possible misinterpretations (Joslin, Waters and Dudgeon, 2010: 22). Another challenge to take into consideration are factors related to cultural bias and prejudice that affect the ability of workers to work harmoniously at their respective jobs. Companies that have various branches and teams spread across several international markets have noted that there are instances that occur involving cultural bias or even prejudice resulting in work related conflict as well as instances of intentional discrimination resulting in not only substantial reductions in performance but the loss of certain operational capacities (Wu et al., 2012: 178). Companies that want to be able to take advantage of a diversified workforce need to implement measures to reduce cultural bias and prejudice. This comes in the form of team building exercises, company sponsored behavioral training or even joint vacations all of which should help necessitate pr oper communication and collaboration between members of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The final challenge that companies should take into consideration is the concept of corporate assimilation and how this affect an individuals productivity. As noted byDam (2008) assimilation is a way in which a worker is negatively affected by an organizations business and corporate culture wherein they are unable to sufficiently express themselves utilizing their ethnic and cultural backgrounds due to constraining rules and regulations at their work environment (Dam, 2008: 313). As a result, this impacts not only the effectiveness of management decisions (in the case of managers) but productivity and responsiveness (in the case of employees. An example of this is seen in the case of a manager from the U.S. being placed in charge of a new outsourced branch of the company (i.e. in China, India, or the Philippines) or in instances where a local company is taken over by a foreign multinat ional corporation. It is based on this that companies need to take into consideration implementing new business culture practices that enable people to express themselves based on their cultural and ethnic background so as to encourage positive employee productivity rather than negative employee performance due constraining factors on their ability to express themselves (Hilton and Whiteford, 2010: 435). Benefits of Workforce Diversity With the global financial downturn affecting not only the U.S. economy but the global economy, this necessitates the need for creativity and innovation in being able to access new markets in order to sell particular products and services. Workforce diversity through international expansion actually enables a company to utilize a pool of individuals that come from different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. This enables a company to relate with and understand the needs of consumers within markets the company is attempting to penetrate (Allen et al ., 2005: 301).  The original marketing and sale strategies that had been implemented by a company within its original market should not be considered as effective when applied to new markets and, as such, calls for views and opinions of people that either belong to that particular consumer segment or understand it to an extent in order to implement sufficient strategies for sales and market penetration (Allen et al., 2005: 301). For example, when Coca Cola tried to enter the Chinese market their marketing campaign consisted of merely translating their slogan of We bring you to life into Chinese and using that in their marketing and print ads (McDonald, 1996: 5). Unfortunately, its translation wound up as we bring your dead relatives to life and, as such, wound up costing the company millions in changes to its original slogan (McDonald, 1996: 5). Another example of failures in marketing and sales came when Gerber expanded into Africa and did not take into account the predilections of local companies to place a picture of what was inside a product on a product label due to many Africans not knowing how to read (McDonald, 1996: 6). This of course resulted in a rather embarrassing recall by Gerber due to Africans perceiving each product by Gerber as containing babies. These examples show how having a diversified workforce with multiple viewpoints and different levels of understanding is important for any company. A diverse workforce enables better methods of problem solving, allows the company to successfully market itself to different international consumer groups, helps to promote innovation and furthermore creates a good corporate image due to its practice of creating a multicultural and multiethnic workforce (Vithessonthi Schwaninger, 2008: 141). Conclusion As seen in the paper, there are numerous advantages and disadvantages when it comes to working across boundaries. In the case of distance and workforce diversity this can often entail problems related to communication, proper cooperation, the implementation of effective management practices and culture shock. Working across boundaries can result in cost reductions for a company, the ability to access new markets as well as the creation of a diversified workforce that would expand a companys knowledge base. Reference List Allen, R. K., Becerik, B., Pollalis, S. N., Schwegler, B. R. (2005). Promise and Barriers to  Technology Enabled and Open Project Team Collaboration. Journal Of Professional  Issues In Engineering Education Practice, 131(4), 301-311. Dam, K., Oreg, S., Schyns, B. (2008). Daily Work Contexts and Resistance to  Organizational Change: The Role of Leader–Member Exchange, Development  Climate, and Change Process Characteristics. Applied Psychology: An International  Review, 57(2), 313-334 Dey, M., Houseman, S., Polivka, A. (2012). Manufacturers outsourcing to staffing  services. Industrial Labor Relations Review, 65(3), 533-559. Grey, C. (2009). Human relations theory and people management. 2nded, Sage Publications  Ltd,London, pp. 44-64 Hilton, M. F., Whiteford, H. A. (2010). Interacting with the public as a risk factor for employee psychological distress. BMC Public Health, 10435-441. Holweg, M., Pil, F. K. (2012). Outsourcing Complex Business Processes: Lessons from an  enterprise partnership. California Management Review, 54(3), 98-115. Jones, R. (2012). Organizational design and strategy in a changing global environment.  6thed. Upper Saddle, New Jersey. pp.207-239 Joslin, F., Waters, L., and Dudgeon, P. (2010). Perceived acceptance and work standards as  predictors of work attitudes and behaviour and employee psychological distress  following an internal business merger. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25 (1), 22-43 Magtibay-Ramos, N., Estrada, G., Felipe, J. (2008). An Input–Output Analysis of the  Philippine BPO Industry. Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, 22(1), 41-56. Marchington, M. (2005) . Fragmenting work: Blurring organizational boundaries and  disordering hierarchies. (1 ed., pp. 1-33). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Marion, T. H. (2012). Managing Global Outsourcing to Enhance Lean Innovation. Research Technology   anagement, 55(5), 44. McDonald, M. (1996). Strategic Marketing Planning: Theory, Practice and Research  Agendas. Journal Of Marketing Management, 12(1-3), 5-27. Mullins, R., Weiss, T. R. (2006). Dell, Users Scramble to Cope With Battery Recall.  Computerworld, 40(35), 6. Ngai, P., Chan, J. (2012). Global Capital, the State, and Chinese Workers: The Foxconn  Experience. Modern China, 38(4), 383-410. Pardo, D, and Martinez, C. (2003). Resistance to change: a literature review and empirical  study. Management Decision, 41(2), 148 Piercy, N. F. (2006). The Strategic Sales Organization. Marketing Review, 6(1), 3-28.  Tambe, P., Hitt, L. (2010). How Offshoring Affects IT Workers. Communications Of The  ACM, 53(10), 62-70. Ulanoff, L. (20 07). The Vista Conspiracy. PC Magazine, 26(13), 74. Vithessonthi, C., Schwaninger, M. (2008). Job motivation and self-confidence for learning  and development as predictors of support for change. Journal Of Organizational  Transformation Social Change, 5(2), 141-157. Wee, H., Peng, S., Wee, P. P. (2010). Modelling of outsourcing decisions in global supply  chains. An empirical study on supplier management performance with different  outsourcing strategies. International Journal Of Production Research, 48(7), 2081-2094. Whitaker, J., Mithas, S., Krishnan, M. S. (2010). Organizational Learning and Capabilities  for Onshore and Offshore Business Process Outsourcing. Journal Of Management  Information Systems, 27(3), 11-42. Wu, L., Yim, F., Kwan, H., Zhang, X. (2012). Coping with Workplace Ostracism: The Roles  of Ingratiation and Political Skill in Employee Psychological Distress. Journal Of  Management Studies, 49(1), 178-199. Yang, C., Wacker, J. G., Sheu, C. (2 012). What makes outsourcing effective? A  transaction-cost economics analysis. International Journal Of Production Research,  50(16), 4462-4476 Young Bong, C., Gurbaxani, V. (2012). Information technology outsourcing, knowledge  transfer, and firm productivity: an empirical analysis. MIS Quarterly, 36(4), 1043-1063.

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Last Supper Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Last Supper - Research Paper Example For centuries, Jesus Christ is the most prominent religious figure. His life is mostly chronicled in the Bible and a historical account of Tacitus mentioned about the death of Christus in the hands of Pontius Pilatus (Canfield 144).Prior to his death, Christ and his disciples were recorded to have the supper before Passover and this later on would be one of the important events not only in the history of Christianity but will also shape the sociological, cultural and political history of the world. Immortalized in painting as early as the 1300s (Dyas 139), the famous scene depicting the last meal of Jesus Christ with his disciples was rendered in varied styles by artists from different art genres. Two of the most famous versions of the last supper were Last Supper created by Renaissance painter Leonardo Da Vinci (Kleiner 582) and the painting by Mannerist Jacopo Robusti generally known as Tintoretto with the same title created in 1594 (615). Differences can be observed immediately up on viewing the two last supper paintings. Both paintings vary mainly because the two painters belong to different periods and relatively, the social, political and cultural situations during their respective times had influenced Da Vinci and Tintoretto in creating their renditions of the last supper.Aside from the surrounding conditions during the era of the two artists, a close comparison of the two versions with the Biblical accounts about the famous last meal would enlighten as which artist had depicted the scene exactly or was close enough to what really transpired during the night before the Passover. Probing on the accuracy of the two paintings, may demystify the misconceptions regarding the last supper which in recent times had largely influenced the social, political and cultural beliefs. An example of which is the controversial story about the last supper in Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. A fresco made for the church refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Italy, Da Vinciâ₠¬â„¢s Last Supper measures 13 feet and 9 inches by 29 feet and 10 inches (4.2 meters by 8.9 meters), oil and tempera on the plaster wall were used by the artist (Kleiner 582). The symmetrical painting depicts Jesus Christ at the center of the tabl

Saturday, November 2, 2019

How African-Americans have put an end of segregation, discrimination, Research Paper

How African-Americans have put an end of segregation, discrimination, isolation to attain civil rights and equity - Research Paper Example How African-Americans have put an end of segregation, discrimination, isolation to attain civil rights and equity? African Americans transformed their ways of viewing. They decided to cooperate fully in nation building because they knew that they had a duty to play in their nation for them to be considered patriots. They worked hard in school in order to be employed in large companies by the whites and not to be considered irresponsible people to their nations. These helped to improve their situation, as well as, improved their health standards since many people who had decent jobs were relocated to live in lavished houses. Africans remained loyal to the white land owners despite the intimidation and racial discrimination. African Americans were faced with many incidences of violation and intimidation. With this, they sought ways to object and make their wants voiced out. Black Africans formed and supported organizations that dealt with racial issues such as the NAACP, which refers to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was spearheaded by W.E.B Dubois. Initially in America, women were demeaned and had no control over their husbands, they were subjected to household chores and nurturing children. This took place mainly in the 19th century. This barbaric act came to an end when a woman by the name Chelly Dawance came out protesting against this inhuman act on women, and advocating together with the likes of Kate Chopins and Charlote Pekinns Gilman. For example, in the book written by Kate Pekinns that is narrating her marriage to a black man. She speaks of denied freedom of expression in her house. After their successful strike against stereotyping of women to promote equality between husbands and their wives in marriages, balance was achieved because the people realized that both parents had a collective responsibility in the family planning and in building their country (Meyer, 2001 P. 77). Through this equality, women became entrepreneurs and engaged in trade reducing the high number of people leaving in poverty, therefore, reduci ng the high death rates in youth and old age who usually succumb to illnesses such as malnutrition. Abolishment of slavery, segregation and racism For decades, African Americans fought for their rights because all through they had been subjected to cruel treatment by the whites. Men, women and their families were taken from Africa and brutally chained while ferried to America to work on plantations for years. Jim Crow laws that were enacted between 1876 and 1968 that mandated racial segregation undermined the status of blacks. This demonstrated what they were undergoing by deny of access to many things, which were supposed to be shared by people equally irrespective of the race or colour (Thurber, 2009 P. 93). The Jim Crow originated in the nineteenth century minstrel show song. Step by step, these acts came to be implemented, and the people who subjected African Americans