Compare the worldview of two societies with contrasting cultures Essay

Compare the worldview of two societies with contrasting cultures - Essay Example (Hollander, P. 1988 p 130) In addition, it will help visitors on Africa to recognize conflicts, which may arise, to accept, and work through difficulties in a positive manner, to identify positive areas of conflict, to accept difficulties they face as natural occurrences, to change to adapt to the African situation and work within the terms and conditions that exist. Finally, is to develop positive appreciation on the reasons of African culture as per the differences. On the other hand, this comparison will help Africans to understand how they can cope with the European cultures. It will also help Africans who want to understand European background. The Africans will also understand why it is hard for the Europeans to fit in to the society in a foreign country and why they act in strange ways. It will also smoothen the tensions which a rise between the Christians of Europeans and African background working together in African setting. In many occasions both sides are not aware why th e difficulties are arising. Differences between African and European Cultures Telephone: Two people communicate by a process. They can be communicating through English, Kiswahili or any other language. For example in USA, children are given basic telephone skills when they are young. Children learn the correct way of answering and calling when they are young before even going to school. Therefore, the Europeans who are in Kenya or the Kenyans who are in European countries should not assume such a background. Cultural assumptions concerning greeting and encounter are complicated by lack of training and experience. Every European must introduce them on the phone even if they are close. This is because of the formal procedure required in their background. However, as per Africans they call or answer and go direct to the point without introduction, which will make communication between Africans and Europeans hard. Permission to leave This is whereby one asks for permission before leavin g to another place or destination from where he/she was before. According to African culture and background, the owner of the house, office, or even compound as whole can leave in his own pleasure without even informing the workers as he/she is the head or is over everyone (Gannon, 2004 p.230). However, in the side of the Europeans one must seek for permission to leave even the father must seek permission from his children before leaving. Therefore, when the Europeans and African are working together they might not understand each other the Europeans will be asking for permission to leave even he /she is the employer. This will leave the Africans wondering. This will be opposite in the side of Africans as they can leave whenever they wish. Missionaries and Modesty In Europe, it was in fashion for women to wear floor length dresses, which had high collars. While in Africa, it was a fashion for women to wear nothing above the waist. This was quite inappropriate as according to the Afr icans they were adhering to their culture while the Europeans were also doing the same. This brought a lot of troubles and misunderstanding as according to Africans especially Zaire they knew that any woman who was covering his body above the waist was prostitute. It was ironical as missionaries were trying to turn good, morally upright, and modest women of the community into prostitutes. Contrasting African and European Cultures

The Role Of the Teacher by Irving Layton critique Essay Example for Free

The Role Of the Teacher by Irving Layton critique Essay The essay The Role of the Teacher written by Irving Layton reviews the current state of our ever criticized school system. The author shows us how we view the problems of the school system and explains how and why we place blame on teachers. He shows how penny-pinching school boards'(p145) are the real ones to blame and not the teaches whom are the easiest to confront. A feeling has grown that schools and universities are not achieving that which they were intended: namely , the enrichment of the individuals life by giving him the tools of self improvement and the cultivated mind to use them'(p145) is how most people view the school board and what the author is trying to discuss. The author uses a logical pattern and an expository purpose. The author uses opinion based format for this essay. Irving Layton uses metaphor in his essay. books have become objects of curiosity; like an atomic pile, something heard about but never seen'(p145) This sentence lets people relate with the point that author is trying to get across to the reader. The reader now has a mental reference or link to what is being described so he can now better understand what he is reading. This stylistic device is used effectively in this essay. Knowledge spills over like a water from a seemingly inexhaustible fountain.'(p146) This is a good use of imagery. By applying this description of endless knowledge to a fountain or waterfall the reader can make a mental picture better allowing him to comprehend exactly what the author is trying to discribe. It is very hard to understand what endless knowledge would be like, so the author puts a picture of a fountain spewing knowledge forever, making the idea more plausible to the reader. The author did not use too many stylistic devices to prove his point. The few that were used only made the facts easier to grasp. The essay was based on opinion and the writer, used very relevant topics to get his point across and make the reader sympathetic to his views. Personal opinion is the main structural device used throughout the essay. If education means anything, it should mean the creation of individuals with a strong sense of social responsibility'(p146) Since this essay is in the Writing To Pursued section of the book the essays must have facts and opinions to move the reader to the writers opinion. The essay is describing the faults of the school system, this is the authors opinion. Since it is opinion based it can be argued that the school system is in a good condition. (I wouldnt) The essay was very effective because it used many relevant topics and ideas. It properly adjusted the blame from the innocent teachers to the greedy school boards, where the blame should be. Parents and alike see the faults of the schools and automatically place the teachers in the spotlight because they are the more tangible then a school board which has no shape to it.

english :: essays research papers

Guidone 1 Throughout time Shakespeare has influenced society in many ways. He has been a great inspiration to literature, plays, painters, movies and language. Many of his plays and poems have been required as a part of liberal education. His idea’s on such subjects as heroism, romantic love, and the nature of tragedy have shaped the attitudes of millions of people and influenced their thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare contributed greatly to the English speaking language. Many phrases and words from Shakespeare’s poems and plays have become apart of our everyday speech. Millions of people that use his words or phrases are unaware they are created by him. Some common words he has invented are assassination, bump, eventful, and disgraceful conduct. Shakespeare introduced almost 3,000 words into the Oxford English Dictionary. There are over 1700 common words of Shakespeare origin in our everyday vocabulary. The most rapid growth of vocabulary in the recorded history of language was the period of Shakespeare. Due to his inventiveness and creative word play he has had the greatest impact on our daily vocabulary. Many people quote Shakespeare almost everyday without knowing it. If a person doesn’t understand my argument and the one party state’s â€Å"It’s Greek to me†, or if someone has ever â€Å"Refused to budge an inch†, they a re quoting excerpts of Shakespeare. Many people re-sight lines from Shakespeare’s plays without even reading them. One of the most famous lines is â€Å"To be or not to be.† He experimented with all sorts of words and phrases to create vivid pictures in the mind. Shakespeare helped shape many English speaking countries. He often invented and changed words around. Some of Shakespeare’s words may be confusing or unfamiliar to Guidone 2 many of the modern readers. However, many of the words he had employed are no longer being used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since Shakespeare’s death he has influenced every generation of writers, painters and still has some impact on contemporary plays. Many rhetoric devices were used in his work, that writers are often using now. Some familiar ones are alliteration, which is the same sound being repeated in a line or group of lines and repetition, which is when something repeats itself. He often used a lot of imagery, which many writers found useful. With imagery writers were able to create excitement. Shakespeare’s Macbeth was one of the famous and brilliant examples of imagery. There are many paintings from Macbeth that have been done by some of the best artist.

History of Psychology Essay

I declare that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another unit, degree or diploma at any university or other institute of tertiary education. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given. I warrant that any disks and/or computer files submitted as part of this assignment have been checked for viruses and reported clean. Student signature: __________________________ Date: __________________________ Abstract This paper aims to trace and analyze the historical development of the subjective nature of truth, the sources and reactions towards the theory. The implications of the theory of subjective truth are vast since a position on the nature of truth permeates one’s personal life goals and purposes, cognition, and morality of individual and hence also affects research methodology and psychotherapy. Subjectivism focuses on individuals’ thoughts and feelings as well as the proposition that knowledge of humans can never be separated from the knower. This literature review covers the existence of truth as being subjective during the time of the early Greek philosophers, present within Hellenistic and Roman psychology and persisting within romantic and existential philosophy, humanistic psychology and the approaches of the postmodernists in the mid-1960s. Keywords: subjective truth, history, postmodernism The Subjective Nature Of Truth: A Historical Development The constant tension of whether truth is objective or subjective has long since existed throughout history and continues to pervade in current schools of psychotherapies. â€Å"Science versus Humanism† is the term Conway (1992) gives to the philosophical dimension along which the values underlying the theories of psychologists differ. A scientific approach to psychology is based on the epistemological tradition of objectivism. Mahoney (1989) summarizes objectivism as beliefs that an objective and separate ‘real world’ lies beyond the organism, independent of perception and that valid knowledge is ultimately rendered from our sensory experiences, and can be totally separated from the knower (Mahoney, 1989 as cited in Conway, 1992). In contrast, the humanistic approach to psychology is based on the epistemological tradition of subjectivism which focuses on thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, knowledge of humans can never be separated from the knower (Conway, 1992). Due to different theories on the nature of truth, methodology for observing consciousness and the role of inner experience differ. The human science approach to psychology seeks to explain behavior in terms of a person’s subjective existence (Kendler, 2005). Humanistic psychology and philosophical phenomenology are two schools of thought that employ the human science interpretation of psychology (Kendler, 2005). The implications of the theory of the relativity of truth is seen in the individuals personal life goals, purpose of life, cognitive styles, morality, ethics, counseling goals, research methodology and conceptualization of definitions. Due to the great relevance of the topic to psychology, this essay traces and analyzes the historical development of the subjective nature of truth, the sources and reactions towards the theory. Early Greek Philosophers and Hellenistic and Roman Psychology The Sophists were a group of philosophers who believed that nothing is inherently right or wrong but that believing something is right makes it right and vice versa (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 41). Protagoras (485-420 B.C.) was the most popular Sophist who proposed that man is the measure of all things, meaning that man determines whether something is true or untrue and hence, truth depends on the perceiver not physical reality (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 41). The context of this perspective of the nature of truth is that Protagoras lived in the Periclean democracy where skills for effective communication were valuable to own especially in the political sphere (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 42) where some beliefs were more advantageous to utilitarian harmony than others. Hence, Protagoras was primarily interested in teaching effective argumentation to demonstrate the practicality of the relativity of truth. Socrates (470-399 B.C.) disagreed with the Sophists’ view that no truth exists beyond personal opinion. In the second century A.D., a school of thought named Skepticism promoted suspension of judgment and preferred to say ‘This is how things appear to me† rather than to claim having arrived at irrevocable truth (Hergenhahn, 2009). They were of the view that dogmatists constantly fought amongst themselves and were always agitated unlike the Skeptics who sought a life of peace and lived by two primary guides: appearances (sensations and feelings) and social convention (Hergenhahn, 2009). Displaying a similarity with the Sophists and the Skeptics, the Cynics such as Diogenes (412-323) advocated individualism and that true happiness depended on self-sufficiency and living a life that was natural, rejecting any type of control, be it bodily or social control. The theme of moving away from absolute truth and towards a relativistic conception of truth, individual feelings, opinions, social convention or whatever ‘truth’ brings gain (e.g., political status or living peaceably with others) will manifest itself again throughout history. Instrumental theory of truth: Profitability as criteria for truth William James (1842-1910) was of the view that ideas become true as long as they help people satisfactorily relate with other parts of one’s experience (De Waal, 2005, p. 43). James proposes that it is far from essential for our thoughts, beliefs or in other words, conceptions of truth, to copy reality. Hence, he opposes the singularity of truth and posits that multiple, though different beliefs are acceptable. In contrast, there can only be one truth for the empiricists and the rationalists since truth is the perfect copy of reality (De Waal, 2005, p. 47). Based on pragmatic principles, James proposes that any hypothesis cannot be rejected if there are useful results that come from it. Pragmatism is hence a principle that views any ‘truth’ as true as long as it profits. In other words, the pragmatist’s notion of truth is that beliefs originating from within one’s self but does not copy anything without the believer will still count as true when these lead people to directions that are worthwhile (De Waal, 2005, p. 50). The theme of moving away from a singular truth independent of the knower and towards whichever concept, idea or belief brings profit is a pattern seen even during the Early Greek Philosophers and Hellenistic and Roman Psychology. A profit-focused approach to handling truth, as proposed by the pragmatists, will strongly permeate and an underlying principle in future philosophies and approaches to psychology such as romanticism, existentialism, humanistic and postmodern psychology. Romantic and existential philosophy: Feelings, human choice and freedom In the late 18th century, an artistic and intellectual movement named Romanticism rebelled against Enlightenment rationality that overemphasized linear and the investigation of causes by trying to add feelings and intuition to rationality (Schneider, 1998). Romanticism emphasized the wholeness of experience via implicit processes such as affect, intuition, kinesthesia, imagination as well as the descriptions of these processes (Schneider, 1998). Rousseau was of the view that facts of history were of less importance than what values can be learned from them and that history should be considered as a collection of fables (Rousseau, 1762 as cited in Robinson, 2008). This type of thinking is seen again in Postmodernist thinking later on in history although to Rousseau, historical facts were not subjective but unknowable because of human error and interpretation. In psychology, romanticism is manifested in orientations of existential-humanistic, hermeneutical, narrative, and transpersonal psychologies (Schneider, 1998). Carl Rogers of the school of humanistic psychology, whose thoughts will be further explored later on in this paper, has much similarity with the romantics since experience is Rogers’ highest authority and makes decisions based on what feels [emphasis mine] right, valuable or worth doing (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 593). Like romanticism, existentialism stresses subjective experience. The existentialists (18th and 19th centuries) encourage us humans to consider the meaning of living authentically, in one’s own personal way (Oaklander, 1992). If one chooses freely, one chooses authentically and leads an authentic life. Since there are no objective values for the existentialist, it depends more on how one chooses rather than what their choice is. An existential philosopher, Kierkegaard proposed that each person’s life individually has its own self-determined meaning. Subjectivity is truth, that is, the person’s beliefs define that person’s reality (Oaklander, 1992, p. 577). Though the existentialist philosophers differ in their views in a few aspects of their thinking, one common theme is the emphasis on human freedom and choice and the related slogan of Sartre that ‘existence precedes essence’ which means that humans have no prepackaged nature or essence but that we are is what we choose to be (Oaklander, 1992). In other words, subjectivity must be the starting point (Oaklander, 1992). Sartre also says that â€Å"Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. Such is the first principle of existentialism. It is also what is called subjectivity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Influenced by existential philosophy, a brand of contemporary psychology which has the key concepts of freedom, individuality, authenticity and responsibility emerged called existential psychology (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 574). The man who is generally considered to be the bridge between existential philosophy and existential psychology is Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) who is of the view that there is no ‘ultimate truth’ but emphasizes interpretation and that there is no ‘real meaning’ behind a phenomenon (Daitz, 2011). He proposed that humans choose nature of their own existence and it is worthy of notice that Heidegger chose to be committed to Nazism (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 574). The theme of moving away from a singular truth independent of the knower and towards â€Å"personal truth† as self-defined by individuals as well as the unfortunate consequence of individuals freely choosing what they think is right or desirable which may conflict with what society views as desirable. This will manifest itself again with slight differences in humanistic and postmodern psychology. Humanistic psychology: An application of subjective truth In the early 1960s, humanistic psychology, a new human science that would study humans as aware, choosing and emotional beings, appeared in reaction to traditional scientific approaches to psychology (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 571). Unlike the two existing schools of psychology, behaviorism and psychoanalysis, which assume determinism in explaining human behavior, humanistic psychology assumes humans are free to choose their own existence and that subjective reality is the most important cause of behavior (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 571). A basic tenet of humanistic psychology is that subjective reality is the primary guide for human behavior (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 586). Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was of the view that humanistic science should allow the individual to be freer and more inner determined (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 586). What he deemed as self-actualization is what humans achieve when they are true to their own nature (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 587). Carl Rogers (1902-1987) also proposed that a person who is likely to live a fulfilling life is motivated by his true inner feelings instead of beliefs, traditions and values imposed by others outside the individual (Hergenhahn, 2009, p. 593). Rogers started the movement of Person-Centered therapy which stress an essential trust in the experiential world of the client and stress three conditions to promote the client’s growth: congruence (genuineness on the therapist’ part), true empathy, unconditional positive regard. A limitation that Owen (1999) notes in his analysis of both psychoanalysis and person-centred therapy is the conflict for the person-centred therapist to both communicate unconditional positive regard as well as congruence with a negative feeling about a client. In other words, prizing the client and also at the same time, being honest with personal feelings towards client. This poses a question of what a therapist should rightly do when being honest also means being non-empathic and withholding unconditional positive regard from the client. This problem of congruency undeniably stems from the theory of truth and its subjective nature since what the therapist believes to be true and what the client believes to be true are both equally ‘true’ if the assumption is that the individual self-defines truth. Postmodernism approaches: Contemporary development of the theory of truth Modernists believe in objective reality that exists independent of any attempt to observe it whereas postmodernists believe in subjective realities that do not exist independent of observational processes (Corey, 2005). Postmodernism is similar to the romantics, existentialists, the Sophists, and Skeptics and aspects of James’ psychology in that there multiple truths and these vary with individual experience, thus paving the way for postmodernism. According to Schneider (1998), the postmodernist were different from the romantics in that postmodernists promote a relativistic chaos when this conflicted with the sensibility of Romanticism (Schneider, 1998). The Romantics assumed knowledge as determinate and argued for the universality of autonomous experience while postmodernism assumes it as indeterminate and relativistic, thus fragmenting knowledge and experience (Webb, 2006). Similar to James’ pragmatism, the postmodernist is of the view that a problem exists only when people agree there is a problem needing to be addressed. Narrative therapy is an application of the Postmodernist approach to psychology and encourages clients to see their stories from different perspectives (Corey, 2005). The client’s reality is focused on without disagreeing whether it is accurate or rational (Weishaar, 1993 as cited in Corey, 2005). Unlike traditional therapists who see the client as the problem, the narrative therapists believe that the problem is the problem (Corey, 2005). This separation of client from problem allows one to take a stance against specific storylines, be hopeful in generating a more positive, healing story and thus reducing self-blame. The therapist searches for times when the client made a choice and times when the client was successful (Corey, 2005, p. 403). Very similar to the assumptions of the Cynics and particularly the Romantics, the Postmodernist approach is based on the optimistic assumption that people are able and that they possess alternative stories that can enhance their lives (Corey, 2005, p. 403). The nature of truth and the approach to psychology: Future research direction Within the United States and internationally, Kirschenbaum and Jourdan (2005) carried out a survey that found an increasing number of therapists who identify themselves as â€Å"eclectic† or â€Å"integrative† amongst Carl Rogers’ client-centered/person-centered therapists over the past 30 years. In his writing on the topic of romanticism’s potential in complementing psychology, Schneider (1998) writes that experimental research, whether in hypothesis-making or verification, cannot fully replace romantic insights and needs to refer back to qualitative data that Romantics emphasize (Schneider, 1998). Hence, there are advantages in employing research as well as therapy methodology that take into account aspects of the intuitive and emotional aspect of human beings that romanticism emphasizes. In view of the advantages, Schneider also writes about the implications for therapists in training. He proposes the provision of rich and sensitive qualitative descriptions of their clients in addition to treatment plans that are problem-oriented or behavioral in focus (Schneider, 1998). Therapists in training should also pay attention to emotional, kinesthetic, and cognitive experiences of clients. Besides just assessing progress toward therapy goals, the meaning of therapy goals for clients should also be considered. Schneider is of the view that therapist with the full range of experiential data about their clients would be in an optimal position to collate essential data for a treatment plan. Hence, research should be done to measure the effectiveness of this approach to therapy in addition to (i.e., eclectic approaches) or instead of traditional approaches. In his comparison of person-centred therapy with psychodynamic therapy, Owen (1999) notes the possibility of conflict that person-centred therapists might face in trying to be congruent to their own personal feelings while at the same time, being non-judgmental and providing unconditional positive regard. Further research should be carried out in the area of long-term consequences to the therapist and to the client as well as strategies that can be employed when there is a conflict in the congruence of the therapist and the therapist’ provision of unconditional positive regard. Research may also include investigating the incorporation of one aspect of the psychodynamic approach which is neutrality (neither making interpretations nor providing unconditional positive regard) towards the client’s sharing of his personal experience or thoughts (Owen, 1999). Neutrality allows for a full range of emotions including negative emotions of the client. Conclusion Whether truth is absolute and independent of the knower and perceiver has been supported and argued against since the period of the early Greek philosophers. Similar themes that focus on the human individual to evaluate and make their own choices, define their own meaning and ultimately, define and act upon what is the nature of truth and the truth itself recur time and time again whether in the form of an emphasis on affect like the Romantics or Postmodernist who selects part of a narrative, whether accurate or true, to put it to good use in helping the individual cope during therapy. The implications of the position taken on the nature of truth have been demonstrated throughout history in major schools of philosophy, psychology and in this paper. Future speculation of this theory of truth is that, after certain negative events that will happen in future times as a result of pragmatic and postmodern thinking, a reaction against relativistic and individualized conceptions of truth that may take a shape of fundamentalism may return to schools of philosophy and the social sciences. References Conway, J. B. (1992). Presidential address: A world of differences among psychologists. Canadian Psychology, 33(1), 1-23. Corey, G. (2005). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (7th ed.). California: Thomson Learning Inc. Daitz, L. (2011). Understanding, truth or resolve? Considering the ‘aim’ of existential psychotherapy and the approaches of van Deurzen and Spinelli. Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 22(1), 140-149. De Waal, C. (2005). On Pragmatism. California: Thomson Wadsworth Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An introduction to the history of psychology (6th ed.). California: Cengage learning. Kendler, H. H. (2005). Psychology and phenomenology: A clariï ¬ cation. American Psychologist, 60(4), 318–324 Kirschenbaum, H. & Jourdan, A. (2005). The current status of Carl Rogers and the person-centered approach. Educational Publishing Foundation, 42(1), 37–51. doi: 10.1037/0033-3204.42.1.37 Oaklander, L. N. (1992). Existentialist phi losophy: An introduction. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Owen, I. R. (1999). Exploring the similarities and differences between person-centred and psychoanalytic therapies. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 27(2), 165-178 doi: 0306-9885/99/020165-14 Robinson, P. (2008). Jean-Jacques Rousseau and history: Moral truth at the expense of facticity. Rethinking History, 12(3), 417–431. doi: 10.108 0/13642520802193 288 Schneider, K. J. (1998). Toward a science of the heart: Romanticism and the revival of psychology. American Psychologist, 53(3), 277-289 Webb, R. K. (2006). From romantic humanist to postmodern pedagogy: How the alien becomes normative in contemporary education. Radical Pedagogy. Retrieved from http://radicalpedagogy.icaap.org/content/issue8_2/webb.html

Blue Nile case study Essay

How strong are the competitive forces confronting Blue Nile and other online retail jewelers? Do a five-force analysis to support your answer. The competition among the competing sellers in the industry is strong. Competitors for Blue Nile not only include the online jewelry sellers such as Diamonds.com, Whiteflash.com, Ice.com and JamesAllen.com, but also include brick-and-mortar jewelers, chain department stores, mass merchants, local jewelry shop, and large jewelry chains such as Zale and Tiffany. The competitive force from new entrants is moderate to weak. The new entrants of the traditional jewelry industry will need a large amount of capital for inventory, established brands to attract customers, and a strong sales team. For new online jewelry sellers, they also need to find ways to build their brand awareness, establish partnership with suppliers, and to keep the operation costs low to ensure attractive prices. The competition from substitute products for jewelry sellers is also moderate to weak. There are synthetic diamonds, manmade jewels and alternative jewels. But for engagement rings and wedding bands, people would still choose those real and precious diamonds and materials. Thus, from this aspect, there could not be substitutes for diamonds and expensive jewels. The bargaining power from the buyers is strong since there are many choices for them to purchase jewelry from. It is easy for customers to change their source for purchase. The bargaining power from the suppliers is strong for the prices for diamond and precious metals depend more on the exchange market in the world. There are limited suppliers creating an established oligopoly over the years. 2. What key factors will determine a company’s success in the online jewelry business in the next 3-5 years? Key success factors in the online jewelry business include the following ones: 1) Lower operation costs to keep prices lower than rivals 2) Partnership with suppliers to reduce inventory 3) Build customers’ trust and loyalty 4) Strong e-commerce capabilities 5) Manufacture customized products 3. What is Blue Nile’s strategy? Which of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely fit the competitive approach that Blue Nile is taking? What type of competitive advantage is Blue Nile trying to achieve? Blue Nile’s strategy is to be the Best Cost Provider. It provides the customer high quality engagement rings, wedding bands and jewelry with low prices to value seeking customers. Blue Nile tries to achieve low costs of its operation and marketing thus maintain its competitive advantage in prices. 4. What do you like and dislike about Blue Nile’s business model? Blue Nile’s business model is to make profits through its online sale of high-quality jewelry at competitive low prices with trusted guidance throughout the purchasing process. The model I like is that it provides value to its suppliers and customers which in return bring about their profits. The lean costs and supply chain efficiency enable them to achieve this goal. Another aspect of the model I like is that they provide a high level of customer service and was continuously engaged in refining the customer service aspects in every step of the purchase order. The business model places great importance on customers’ satisfaction which would help their business to grow. The model I don’t like is that they don’t have their own brand of jewelry established and they depend too much on the jewelry of their suppliers. Quality of their jewelry as well as the brand effects could not be competitive with other well-known brands. 5. What does a SWOT analysis of Blue Nile reveal about the overall attractiveness of its situation? Strengths: 1). Offer high-quality jewelry at competitive prices 2). Provide great customer services 3). Efficient supply chain management 4). Good financial condition with a positive amount of cash flows Weakness: 1). Brand name not widely recognized as Zale and Tiffany 2). only sell online 3). Restricted to US, UK and Canada. Opportunities: 1). Growing jewelry market in US 2).Many recognitions in the online jewelry industry Threats: 1). Competitors from online and offline jewelry retailers 2). Seasonal sale of jewelry 6. What is your appraisal of Blue Nile’s financial performance based on the data in case Exhibit 4? How well is the company doing financially? Is there evidence that Blue Nile’s strategy is working—what is the story of the numbers in case Exhibit 4? Use the financial ratios in Table 4.1 of Chapter 4 as a guide in doing the calculations needed to arrive at an analysis-based answer to your assessment of Blue Nile’s recent financial performance. Blue Nile has adequate competitive strength to compete with its online rivals. It has already created brand awareness and brand loyalty among most of its customers. It also has a large number of jewelry selections thanks to its extensive partnership with jewelry suppliers. The efficient supply management also ensures the low prices of their products. It has built a sustainable competitive advantage in the online retail jewelry business. For offline competitors, Blue Nile should work on putting more marketing efforts to make more people know about their brand and build its brand into a reliable high-quality image. 8. What strategic issues and problems does Blue Nile management need to address? Issues and problems Blue Nile Management need to address: 1). Lack of marketing and advertising makes Blue Nile still unknown to many potential customers. Blue Nile should explore more advertising channels to promote its brand image. 2). International efforts to reach the global market are slow. They currently only reach out to UK and Canada. Blue Nile should try to tap more potential global market and explore new markets. 9. What recommendations would you make to Blue Nile management to strengthen its competitive position and future strategic and financial performance? Blue Nile management should keep on providing customers jewelry at low costs while maintain its high quality of jewelry and customer services. Reducing the costs would help ensure the low prices and continuous efforts on educating the customers and assuring their purchase decisions would help Blue Nile to strengthen its competitive position.

The History of Cellular Phones

The History of Cellular Phones In 1947, researchers looked at crude mobile (car) phones and realized that by using small cells (a range of service area) and found that with frequency reuse they could increase the traffic capacity of mobile phones substantially. However, the technology to do so at the time was nonexistent. Regulation Then there’s the issue of regulation. A cell phone is a type of two-way radio and anything to do with broadcasting and sending a radio or television message out over the airwaves is under the authority of Federal Communications Commission  (FCC) regulation. In 1947, ATT proposed that the FCC allocate a large number of radio-spectrum frequencies so that widespread mobile telephone service would become feasible, which would also give ATT an incentive to research the new technology. The agency’s response? The FCC decided to limit the number of frequencies available in 1947. The limits made only twenty-three phone conversations possible simultaneously in the same service area and gone was the market incentive for research. In a way, we can partially blame the FCC for the gap between the initial concept of cellular service and its availability to the public. It wasn’t until 1968 that the FCC reconsidered its position, stating that if the technology to build a better mobile service works, we will increase the frequencies allocation, freeing the airwaves for more mobile phones. With that, ATT and Bell Labs proposed a cellular system to the FCC of many small, low-powered, broadcast towers, each covering a â€Å"cell† a few miles in radius and collectively covering a larger area. Each tower would use only a few of the total frequencies allocated to the system. And as the phones traveled across the area, calls would be passed from tower to tower. Dr. Martin Cooper, a former general manager for the systems division at Motorola, is considered the inventor of the first modern portable handset. In fact,  Cooper made the first call on a portable cell phone in April 1973 to his rival, Joel Engel, who served as Bell Labs head of research. The phone was a prototype called the DynaTAC and weighed 28 ounces. Bell Laboratories had introduced the idea of cellular communications in 1947 with the police car technology, but it was Motorola that first incorporated the technology into a portable device designed for use outside of automobiles. By 1977, ATT and Bell Labs had constructed a prototype cellular system. A year later, public trials of the new system were held in Chicago with over 2,000 customers. In 1979, in a separate venture, the first commercial cellular telephone system began operation in Tokyo. In 1981, Motorola and American Radio telephone started a second U.S. cellular radiotelephone system test in the Washington/Baltimore area. And by 1982, the slow-moving FCC finally authorized commercial cellular service for the USA. So despite the incredible demand, it took cellular phone service many years to become commercially available in the United States. Consumer demand would soon outstrip the 1982 system standards and by 1987, cellular telephone subscribers exceeded one million with the airways becoming more and more crowded. There are basically three ways of improving services. Regulators can increase frequencies allocation, existing cells can be split and the technology can be improved. The FCC did not want to hand out any more bandwidth and building or splitting cells would have been expensive as well as add bulk to the network. So to stimulate the growth of new technology, the FCC declared in 1987 that cellular licensees could employ alternative cellular technologies in the 800 MHz band. With that, the cellular industry began to research new transmission technology as an alternative.

What to See in Texas for Architecture Enthusiast

What to See in Texas for Architecture Enthusiast Denison, Texas, on the border with Oklahoma, would have remained a sleepy little railroad town if it hadnt been for Dwight David Eisenhower being born there. The Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site is just one of the many out-of-the-way places to visit in Texas.The home state of former Presidents Bush and Bush (father and son) has a lot more than oil and cattle fields. For travelers who are architecture enthusiasts, heres a selection of historic buildings and innovative new construction in Texas. Visiting Houston The Transco Tower, the 1983 landmark skyscraper designed by Philip Johnson, is now known as the Williams Tower, the tallest skyscraper in town. Another skyscraper designed by Johnson and his partner  John Burgee is the building now known as the Bank of America Center, a 1984 example of playful postmodernism. Houston has historic skyscrapers from the 1920s and a Hilton designed by Pritzker Laureate I.M. Pei. NRG (Reliant) Park, including the Houston Astrodome and Reliant Stadium, is the place to see the worlds first domed sports stadium. Rice University Stadium on the campus of Rice University remains one of the best examples of a modern, open-air football arena. Visiting Dallas – Fort Worth Big D architecture is historic, cultural, and truly an American melting pot experience. The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge over the Trinity River was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas helped designed a fully adaptable, modern theatre space called the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. In 2009 the British architect Sir Norman Foster created a high-tech, traditional venue for the Arts District when he designed the Winspear Opera House. Chinese-American I.M. Pei designed Dallas City Hall. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science was designed by another Pritzker-winner, American architect Thom Mayne.   The George W. Bush Presidential Library was designed by postmodernist architect Robert A.M. Stern. Frank Lloyd Wrights last home constructed before his death was the John A. Gillin House, but that is not Wrights only mark on Dallas - the Kalita Humphreys Theater, also known as the Dallas Theater Center, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who reportedly said, This building will one day mark the spot where Dallas once stood. History swirls near Dealey Plaza as the place in Dallas where President John Kennedy was assassinated; Philip Johnson designed the JFK Memorial. Outside activities in Dallas can revolve around the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas - or any number of activities in the historic art deco buildings at Fair Park. Multi-cultural artist Volf Roitman brought a new style of art to Dallas, an international movement known as MADI (Movement Abstraction Dimension  Invention). Its bold geometric forms are on display at the Museum of Geometric and MADI Art.   The MADI is the only museum dedicated to MADI art and the primary point of focus for the MADI movement in the United  States. Pronounced mah-DEE, MADI is a modern art movement known for bright colors and bold geometric forms. In architecture, sculpture, and painting, MADI art uses abundant circles, waves, spheres, arches, spirals, and stripes. MADI ideas are also expressed in poetry, music, and dance. Playful and exuberant, MADI art focuses on objects rather than what they mean. The whimsical combinations of shapes and colors are abstract and free of symbolic meanings. Bill and Dorothy Masterson, lifelong supporters of the arts, were fascinated when artist Volf Roitman introduced them to the colorful and exuberant MADI movement. The Mastersons became avid collectors of MADI art works and spent time with the movements founder, Carmelo Arden Quin. When Mr. Mastersons law firm moved to a 1970s storefront building, the Mastersons decided to convert the first floor into an art museum and gallery devoted to MADI art. The building faà §ade, designed by Volf Roitman, became a celebration of MADI with geometric forms laser-cut out of galvanized, cold-rolled steel and powder coated in bright colors. The colorful panels are permanently bolted to the existing building. Roitmans convex-concave shapes and playful designs created a luscious, almost baroque skin for the once plain, two-story building. The landscape, furnishings, and lighting also reflect Roitmans MADI-ist ideas. Visiting San Antonio The Alamo. Youve heard the phrase, Remember the Alamo. Now visit the building where the infamous battle took place. The Spanish Mission also helped to give rise to the Mission Style of home design. La Villita Historical District is an original Spanish settlement, bustling with shops and artisan studios. San Antonio Missions. Missions San Jose, San Juan, Espada, and Concepcion were built over the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Spanish Governors Palace. Constructed in 1749, the building was the Governors Place when San Antonio was the capital of Texas. Visiting College Station George Bush Library, Presidential Library of the forty-first President of the United StatesCollege of Architecture, Texas A M UniversityThe Texas AM Bonfire Memorial: A memorial stands where once twelve students lost their lives and many more were injured as they built a Bonfire before a football game. Learn about a tradition gone wrong. Also in Texas You cannot go inside these privately owned homes, but Texas is filled with interesting residences worthy of drive-by photography: Amarillo: Sterling Kinney House by Frank Lloyd WrightBunker Hill: William L. Thaxton Jr. House by Frank Lloyd Wright Plan Your Texas Itinerary For tours of historic Texas architecture, visit the National Register of Historic Places. Youll find maps, photographs, historical information, and travel recommendations. Source Photo of the MADI Museum and Gallery Building at Dusk  © Volf Roitman

Casca and the Assassination of Julius Caesar

Casca and the Assassination of Julius Caesar Publius Servilius Casca Longus, Roman tribune in 43 B.C., is the name of the assassin who first struck Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, in 44 B.C. The symbol to strike came when Lucius Tilius Cimber grabbed Caesars toga and pulled it from his neck. A nervous Casca then stabbed the dictator, but only managed to graze him around the neck or shoulder. Publius Servilius Casca Longus, as well as his brother who was also a Casca, were among the conspirators who killed themselves in 42 B.C. This honorably Roman manner of death came after the Battle at Philippi, in which the forces of the assassins (known as the Republicans) lost to those of Mark Antony and Octavian (Augustus Caesar). Here are some passages from ancient historians that describe the role Casca played in the assassination of Caesar and inspired Shakespeares version of the event. Suetonius 82 As he took his seat, the conspirators gathered about him as if to pay their respects, and straightway Tillius Cimber, who had assumed the lead, came nearer as though to ask something; and when Caesar with a gesture put him off to another time, Cimber caught his toga by both shoulders; then as Caesar cried, Why, this is violence! one of the Cascas stabbed him from one side just below the throat. 2 Caesar caught Cascas arm and ran it through with his stylus, but as he tried to leap to his feet, he was stopped by another wound. Plutarch   66.6 But when, after taking his seat, Caesar continued to repulse their petitions, and, as they pressed upon him with greater importunity, began to show anger towards one and another of them, Tullius seized his toga with both hands and pulled it down from his neck. This was the signal for the assault. 7 It was Casca who gave him the first blow with his dagger, in the neck, not a mortal wound, nor even a deep one, for which he was too much confused, as was natural at the beginning of a deed of great daring; so that Caesar turned about, grasped the knife, and held it fast. At almost the same instant both cried out, the smitten man in Latin: Accursed Casca, what does thou? and the smiter, in Greek, to his brother: Brother, help! Although in Plutarchs version, Casca is fluent in Greek and reverts to it in a time of stress, Casca, well known from his appearance in Shakespeares Julius Caesar, says (in Act I. Scene 2) but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me. The context is that Casca is describing a speech the orator Cicero had delivered. Nicolaus of Damascus First Servilius Casca stabbed him on the left shoulder a little above the collar bone, at which he had aimed but missed through nervousness. Caesar sprang up to defend himself against him, and Casca called to his brother, speaking in Greek in his excitement. The latter obeyed him and drove his sword into Caesars side.

Micriobiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Micriobiology - Essay Example (1). Though bacteroides and escherichia are gram-negative bacteria with similar rod like shape, they are in different sections of the Bergey’s Manual, because they belong to different species. Escherichia belongs to the facultative species, while bacteroides belong to the anaerobic species. (2). DNA cloning is the process used for this genetic recombination. This process involves the isolating the DNA from the bacteriophages, and then using restriction enzymes to cut the DNA into fragments called restriction fragments. The restriction fragments are then introduced into the bacteria. (1). A DNA virus on penetrating a host cell releases the viral genome from the capsid and using the host cell polymerases begins transcribing viral mRNA. New virions are then assembled and released through cell lysis or by budding off the cell membrane. Whereas the lytic cycle of an RNA virus is dependent on the polarity of the RNA and whether the genetic material is single stranded or double stranded. In the creation of their genomes RNA viruses are very dependent on virally encoded RNA replicase (1). Viruses cause tumor by changing cells through the integration of their genetic material with DNA of the host cell. It was believed that only DNA viruses could cause cancer, as DNA viruses can directly insert their genetic material into the host cell DNA. RNA viruses can also cause cancer by first transcribing their RNA to DNA and then inserting the genetic material into the host cell DNA. (1). 4. You are growing Bacillus subtilis in nine 16,000-liter fermenters to produce enzymes for industrial use. The Bacillus cultures had been growing for two days when the cells in one of the fermenters lysed. Explain what happened in this fermenter. The phospholipid bilayer is important to living cells as it enables cell coagulation and provides living cells with the ability to sense and react to the

Italian and German Fascism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Italian and German Fascism - Essay Example This essay declares that the fascist movements in both Germany and Italy initially gained power through being invited by conservative parties into government to ensure that leftist parties were countered. Leftist parties, especially socialist parties, had taken a significant share of the opposition of these countries and their influence was steadily increasing. The rise of communism in Russia during and immediately after World War One had made conservative parties in power to become wary of leftist opposition parties and collaboration with fascist parties in both Germany and Italy made possible the removal of their threat. However, the Fascist party in Italy wanted more than a small share of government and although it had won only a small number of seats in parliament, it managed to seize power and maintain it through an alliance with right leaning parties. The same occurred in Germany where the Nazis took advantage of their being in government to lash out against the socialist parti es and strengthen their position, eventually taking over some of the most important institutions within the state. This paper makes a conclusion that the fascist movement within these two countries ended up developing in different ways with Nazi Germany becoming more radicalized while fascist Italy becoming more authoritarian. The Nazi party, once it gained power, aimed at implementing its policies at all costs and among these was the restoration of Germany’s glorious past through military action.

To Live Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

To Live - Movie Review Example The script of the movie is intentionally divided into several distinct parts which cover different periods of time. There are 4 decades represented in the movie. The 40-s are characterized by the civil war and revolution in China. They are changed by the 50-s and building communist industrial China. Cultural Revolution enters the country in 1960-s. The end of the movie covers a period after all these events. All these historical events are showed with the help of fiction story integrated in the narrative. It is a story of Fugui, a former landowner and a person who has to live. The story begins in 1940-s, which Chinese civil war unexpectedly changes lives of all people in the state. Fugui has already lost everything; his addiction to bargaining ruined his family and left his without a tile above his head. He manages to cope with poverty and his hard work brings his wife Jiazhen back to him. He is again inspired to live; he wants to ask for credit from the landowner who won his family mansion, but he gets a set of shadow puppets instead. The war enters his life accidentally; during one of the performances of his shadow puppet theater, the knife stubs the curtain and all actors are taken to the nationalist army. Fugui is adaptable to any change in his life; he happens to entertain people in the army by his performances. Eventually he misses the major attack and finds out that nationalists have been killed; only he and his puppet theater partner Chunsheng survive. They try to run away, but the Red Army catches them. They entertain people here again and get back homes alive. On the battlefield, Fugui says the most important words: â€Å"I want to live. There is nothing like family†. Having survived the war, Fugui’s family has a new challenge – to survive the building of Communism. They become very poor; his wife delivers boiled water to people to earn for living. Their daughter

Sainsbury's the Supermarket Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sainsbury's the Supermarket - Essay Example The business began as a family owned venture, but later changed ownership in 2011 to include shareholders such as Qatar investment Authority who are currently the majority shareholders for this supermarket chain. Despite the challenge they experienced by Tesco who beat them to be the market leader in 1995 and demotion by Asda to be in the third place in 2003, the store rose again to be second largest supermarket in 2013 thrashing Asda. With this, this essay will develop the supermarket’s profile within its target market using the demographic, behavioral, psychographic, and geographic factors. Further, the essay will delve into a well-researched PEST analysis with emphasis on the relevant variables that would have an impact on the Sainsbury chain of supermarkets. Lastly, the essay will give recommendations to the store’s marketing mix based on the PEST results in tandem with the needs and wants of its target market with the aim of increasing its competitive advantage. Sainsbury Supermarkets is one of the established by J Sainsbury Plc and it is the third largest significant supermarket chain in Britain because of its 16.3 share presence in the market. The majority shares belong to the royal family of Qatar who hold up to twenty six percent of the overall shares in the supermarket chain. Presently, the supermarket store has a listing on the stock market in London and is a part of the FTSE 100 Index 1. Businesses operated by Sainsbury The parent Company J Sainsbury plc operates five hundred and eighty three supermarket stores, five hundred and twenty three convenience stores, and the Sainsbury bank entities. Employees As per the standing data, Sainsbury offers employment to at least one hundred and fifty seven thousand people as of the 2013 obtained data. Geographical area of operation The supermarket stores mainly has establishments in the United Kingdom meaning that it does not have stores in other nations. Sainsbury revenue: The annual profit recorded by the company in 2013 stood at 788,000,000 Pounds pre tax and the total sales excluding VAT was at 25,632 pounds. Basic annual share earnings for Sainsbury supermarkets The full ye ar dividend per share earnings for 2013 was at 16.7 per share making the basic share earnings to be at 30.7p. Management team The stores head or Chairman is Mr. Tyler David while the Chief Executive Officer is Mr. King Justin 2. Mr. Rogers John is the acting Chief Financial Officer for the supermarkets where the three operate from the head office in London. Location of the Sainsbury head office The physical location of J Sainsbury Plc is at 33 Holborn in London at ECIN 2HT. Environmental impact assessment Ideally, Sainsbury impacts the environment through the energy usage at their facilities, food packaging wastes, and through the transport and distribution aspects of the company. The carbon footprint by the supermarkets amounts to 60% with the contribution being by the lighting, refrigeration, and lighting systems used by the store. Environmental compliance The supermarket conforms to the ideal requirements and practices making eighteen of its deposits to receive ISO 14001 certific ation. Customer basis for Sainsbury On a weekly basis, Sainsbury supermarket serves at least eighteen million customers in which the store also operates an online shopping store and delivery service. The

Elfego Baca American Hero Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Elfego Baca American Hero - Research Paper Example Elfego Baca’s Help for the Hispanic Community Elfego Baca’s political efforts can be estimated from the fact that he held a whole range of public offices that included but were not limited to the country clerk, the Socorro superintendent County, the Sierra Counties, and Socorro’s district attorney. Various writers have identified Elfego Baca as a peacemaker. Elfego Baca has been recognized as the â€Å"best peace officer Socorro ever had† (Thrapp 50). Elfego Baca has been America’s official representative of the Victoriano Huerta’s government from the year 1913 till the year 1916. That was while the Mexican Revolution was in progress. This post got Elfego Baca indicted for the criminal conspiracy as Jose Ines Salazar, the Mexican general had escaped from prison. Elfego Baca’s case was defended by Octaviano Larrazolo who was both a politician and a layer from the New Mexico which also led to spread of the name of Elfego Baca amongst the Southwestern residents. In the year 1912, when New Mexico attained the status of a state, Elfego Baca ran as a Republican for the Congress unsuccessfully. However, as a result of his immense tendency to turn the votes out among the people of the Hispanic population, Elfego Baca remained a very popular political figure. Sometimes, Elfego Baca worked like a private detective. He worked with Bronson Cutting who was the longtime Senator of the New Mexico. Elfego Baca offered the political investigation services for him and also wrote a column in Spanish on weekly basis in which he praised the work of Bronson Cutting. His praise represented the praise of the whole population of the local Hispanics for Cutting’s work. In spite of the decline in his health, Elfego Baca tried to run for the governor. However, he could not manage to get the nomination of the Democratic Party for district attorney in the year 1944. At the time when Elfego Baca rendered these services, the Hispanics we re far less popular in the US as they are today. They were not adequately represented in the media or the literature. The lack of popularity of the Hispanics of his time was one of the factors that differentiated Elfego Baca from the rest of his countrymen. Over the passage of time, Elfego Baca was represented in the media and literature for all of the aforementioned reasons in general and the famous gun battle with the 80 cowboys that is indeed, the single most severe gunshot battles in the history of the US in particular. â€Å"Baca also stood out as a rare example of a Latino hero at time when Hispanics were rarely seen on American TV. Elfego Baca proved popular enough to be recut and released theatrically outside the United States† (â€Å"Swamp Fox And†). Elfego Baca’s famous gun battle with 80 cowboys Elfego Baca was in the West’s greatest gunfight from 29 October 1884 to 31 October 1884 at Frisco. He was fighting opposite to 80 to 84 cowboys in tota l. At that time, Elfego Baca was no more than 19 years old. Elfego Baca entered Frisco as a Deputy Sheriff upon an electioneering visit. There, he located Charlie McCarty who was a cowboy and was shooting a plaza. Elfego Baca captured him and resolved to escort McCarty for trial to Socorro since the justice of the peace had declared retaliation from the Slaughter cowboys if

Sainsbury's the Supermarket Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sainsbury's the Supermarket - Essay Example The business began as a family owned venture, but later changed ownership in 2011 to include shareholders such as Qatar investment Authority who are currently the majority shareholders for this supermarket chain. Despite the challenge they experienced by Tesco who beat them to be the market leader in 1995 and demotion by Asda to be in the third place in 2003, the store rose again to be second largest supermarket in 2013 thrashing Asda. With this, this essay will develop the supermarket’s profile within its target market using the demographic, behavioral, psychographic, and geographic factors. Further, the essay will delve into a well-researched PEST analysis with emphasis on the relevant variables that would have an impact on the Sainsbury chain of supermarkets. Lastly, the essay will give recommendations to the store’s marketing mix based on the PEST results in tandem with the needs and wants of its target market with the aim of increasing its competitive advantage. Sainsbury Supermarkets is one of the established by J Sainsbury Plc and it is the third largest significant supermarket chain in Britain because of its 16.3 share presence in the market. The majority shares belong to the royal family of Qatar who hold up to twenty six percent of the overall shares in the supermarket chain. Presently, the supermarket store has a listing on the stock market in London and is a part of the FTSE 100 Index 1. Businesses operated by Sainsbury The parent Company J Sainsbury plc operates five hundred and eighty three supermarket stores, five hundred and twenty three convenience stores, and the Sainsbury bank entities. Employees As per the standing data, Sainsbury offers employment to at least one hundred and fifty seven thousand people as of the 2013 obtained data. Geographical area of operation The supermarket stores mainly has establishments in the United Kingdom meaning that it does not have stores in other nations. Sainsbury revenue: The annual profit recorded by the company in 2013 stood at 788,000,000 Pounds pre tax and the total sales excluding VAT was at 25,632 pounds. Basic annual share earnings for Sainsbury supermarkets The full ye ar dividend per share earnings for 2013 was at 16.7 per share making the basic share earnings to be at 30.7p. Management team The stores head or Chairman is Mr. Tyler David while the Chief Executive Officer is Mr. King Justin 2. Mr. Rogers John is the acting Chief Financial Officer for the supermarkets where the three operate from the head office in London. Location of the Sainsbury head office The physical location of J Sainsbury Plc is at 33 Holborn in London at ECIN 2HT. Environmental impact assessment Ideally, Sainsbury impacts the environment through the energy usage at their facilities, food packaging wastes, and through the transport and distribution aspects of the company. The carbon footprint by the supermarkets amounts to 60% with the contribution being by the lighting, refrigeration, and lighting systems used by the store. Environmental compliance The supermarket conforms to the ideal requirements and practices making eighteen of its deposits to receive ISO 14001 certific ation. Customer basis for Sainsbury On a weekly basis, Sainsbury supermarket serves at least eighteen million customers in which the store also operates an online shopping store and delivery service. The

Risk factors for depression Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Risk factors for depression - Research Paper Example The best treatment options are said to be the combination of both medications and psychotherapy, but electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is also an option when others do not work. Depression: Evidences of Risk Factors, Signs and Symptoms, and Treatment Methods Introduction The human experience of sadness and gloom is normal among individuals, but it may be different once it becomes chronic and interferes with activities of daily living. Depression is one of the common causes in seeking professional psychologic help, and timely interventions could greatly help the depressed individual. Although depression may appear to be merely preoccupations of negative emotions, it can lead to dreadful effects, including suicide, once neglected. The diagnosis of depression may also be co-existing with other illnesses as well. It comes in different types with several signs and symptoms, and may be caused by a variety of elements, of which the present text will explore the risk factors associated with th e condition using recent studies as evidences. Risk factors Numerous researches have been published to study risk factors of depression. In a 7-year longitudinal population study, Lorant et al. (2007) determined if longitudinal change in socio-economic factors affect change of depression level. Low socio-economic status, especially in the context of material standards of living, has constantly been associated with increased incidence of depression. Results gathered show that a decline in socio-economic status is consequent to increased risks of depression, looking also into ceasing cohabitation with a partner and unemployment. Ceasing cohabitation with a partner increased risk levels of depression particularly among women; and unemployment did not influence the level or risk of depression, in contrast to other cited studies, but with considerations of the research design and methods (p. 296). It is also seen that generally, the negative effects of worsening socio-economic conditions were greater than the positive effects when these conditions improved (p. 296). This study presents that socio-economic factors, including income, poverty, unemployment, education, and social relationships, are linked to prevalence of depression, where both have an inversely proportional relationship. Netterstrom et al. (2008) focus on work-related psychosocial stressors in relation to the development of depression. Using several models, the authors review previous researches to assess such relationship, basing on either psychiatric scales, scales with with diagnostic classifications, or antidepressant prescription, or depression measured with a questionnaire (p. 121). According to the review, occupational psychosocial factors were associated with the development of depression, especially in instances where there are high psychological demands and low degree of social support (p. 126). Demands would, however, vary according to the job and the work setting. This review, in accordanc e to the studies looked into, implies that an individual’s work, especially job satisfaction and social support in such occupation, is linked to depression. When an individual feels satisfied and fulfilled with his or her job and receives positive reinforcement, there are lesser chances for depression, and vice versa.

Jail and Prison Comparison Paper Essay Example for Free

Jail and Prison Comparison Paper Essay Jail is usually the first place a person is taken after being arrested by police officers. The authority of states to build, operate, and fill jails can be found in the Tenth Amendment, which has been construed to grant to states the power to pass their own laws to preserve the safety, health, and welfare of their communities. Jail is to protect the public and citizens of county by providing a wide range of constructive, professional correctional services for pre-trial and convicted detainees. Jail is also ensure the safety and welfare of staff, visitors, and offenders by operating facilities and programs in a secure, humane environment which meets professional and standards and constitutional requirements. It reduces the rate to reincarceration by providing offenders with the opportunity for self improvement and the inner resources necessary to make a successful adjustment within the community. An act of 1790 brought about sweeping reforms in the prison and authorized a penitentiary house with 16 cells to be built in the yard of the jail to carry out solitary confinement with labor for hardened atrocious offenders. Jails are run by the county of a state and serve as locally-operated holding places, usually for brief periods of incarceration or as a detention place before and during trial and other legal matters. For example, someone convicted of a misdemeanor crime would be jail. In addition, the sentence must be less than a year. Jails are especially for someone being he ld in custody for trail, or they couldn’t afford bail, or they were just arrested will be held in the county jail, not prison. As such, jails are impermanent county residences, and lack many of the amenities and programs that the large prisons have. Jails are usually run by the sheriff or the local government. According to the Department of Justice, there are approximately 3,600 jails in the United States. On the hand, prisons are federal or state-run. Prisons are generally much bigger and much more high-security levels. Inmates convicted of federal felonies usually go to federal prison, and those convicted of state felonies go to state prison. Prisons often have very elaborate education and vocational training programs, halfway house service, work-release programs, and recreational and entertainment facilities. The original history of the federal prison system started back in the 1890s but it was not until 1930 that president Hoover signed a bill establishing a federal prison system that would actually start the building of actual federal facilities. The federal system had been relying on the state and local levels of government to house their prisoners. The Federal Bureau of Prisons was established within the Department of Justice and charged with the management and regulation of all Federal penal and correctional institutions. This responsibility covered the administration of the 11 Federal prisons in operation at the time. As time has passed and laws have changed, the Bureaus responsibilities have grown, as has the prison population. At the end of 1930, the agency operated 14 facilities for just over 13,000 inmates. By 1940, the Bureau had grown to 24 facilities with 24,360 inmates. Except for a few fluctuations, the number of inmates did not change significantly between 1940 and 1980, when the population was 24,252, according to Federal Bureau of Prison. However, the number of facilities almost doubled from 24 to 44 as the Bureau gradually moved from operating large facilities confining inmates of many security levels to operating smaller facilities that each confined inmates with similar security needs. The federal prison incarcerated for longer time and associated with White Collar criminals. Some of the crimes that fall under federal crimes are drug dealer, political person, false insurance, bank robbery, and many more. On the other hand, the state prison system has been in existence since the early 1800s with the building of Sing Sing state prison. Sing Sing state prison is one of the oldest state penitentiaries in existence today and is still in use. The state prisons also refer to blue collar criminals. The state prison system is devised of a network of small prisons that hold most of the United States prison populations. Since the beginning of penitentiaries in each state growth has been a rising issue. Many states have to provide millions of dollars to their prison systems. Those who commit state or break the state roles, they will automatically be sent to state prison and wait for federal if there is any. Some crimes that can be incarcerated within a state prison such as habitual offender, sex offender, drug user , and other violent crime offender. In the State Prison, there are five security level have been established for correctional facilities and inmates are low security, medium security, high security, and maximum security. Inmates have been conditionally released into the community but remain under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. Low security includes Work Farms, Boot Camps, Forestry Camps, etc. Basically these are either first time low-risk offenders or inmates who have worked themselves up in the system and are possibly on their way out of prison. Being considered low risk, affords the inmate to better living conditions and a few more freedoms. They have earned the trust of the institution. This is why we believe it’s imperative to tell your family member to steer clear of any trouble during their incarceration. Minimum security categorize for inmates coming up in their time or those inmates that have committed a less severe crime. This level of inmate can be trusted and is usually designated as a form of trustee or in a trusted work detail. Medium security, 3 inmates are typical of any placement for someone headed to prison. You must earn the trust from the staff at all levels to work your way up. This level of inmate has some rights and freedoms, but not many. Finally, maximum security is typically in lockdown most of their time and are usually the more violent or feared members of the population. To be housed at this level the inmate must have performed an extremely violent crime. There are basically no freedoms unless the Max inmate is housed with other max inmates, and they are only allowed out for one hour per day. This is not always the case with every prison, jail or detention facility. Some offer multiple programs and allow limited movement, classes, details and freedom for all inmates. According to the Department of Justice, there are minimum security, low security, medium security, and high security in the Federal Prison system. Minimum security institution is also known as Federal Prison Camps have dormitory housing, a relatively low staff-to-inmate ratio, and limited or no perimeter fencing. These institutions are work- and program-oriented; and many are located adjacent to larger institutions or on military bases, where inmates help serve the labor needs of the larger institution or base. Low ecurity Federal Correctional Institutions have double-fenced perimeters, mostly dormitory or cubicle housing, and strong work and program components. The staff-to-inmate ratio in these institutions is higher than in minimum security facilities. Medium security have strengthened perimeters (often double fences with electronic detection systems), mostly cell-type housing, a wide variety of work and treatment programs, an even higher staff-to-inmate ratio than low security FC Is, and even greater internal controls. Finally, High security institutions know as United States Penitentiaries have highly secured perimeters (featuring walls or reinforced fences), multiple- and single-occupant cell housing, the highest staff-to-inmate ratio, and close control of inmate movement. Some of the factors influencing the growth in jail are drug offenders sex offenders, violent offenders, increase in time served women offenders. The corrections system does four fundamental things. The first three, basic life care for offenders, risk identification and risk management, cover the bases of managing offenders. However, only risk reduction â€Å"hits a home run† to significantly affect offender outcomes and community safety. According to the National Institute of Corrections, appropriate treatment reduces recidivism by 30%. In recent years community-based corrections has been trained in and begun implementing evidence-based practices. In recent years community-based corrections has been trained in and begun implementing evidence-based practices.

Food Policy in Malaysia

Food Policy in Malaysia Introduction Malaysia is a multilingual and multicultural society. The original culture of Malaysia is come from the indigenous tribes that is been staying in the peninsular and east of Malaysia since century ago. Not long after, the Malays were moved to Malaysia from Indonesia and followed by the Chinese and Indian due to the substantial influence. Dating back to old days Malaysia used to be a colonization of British. Due to that, Peninsular Malaysia has become a foreign trading port for the British and cultural influences start to gather. The culture include Persian, Arabic and British and etc. Due to being part of the ancient spice route in Asia and becoming a foreign trading port for the British, Malaysia’s cuisine reflects on the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. Besides that, the cuisine also is greatly influenced within itself or by the surrounding countries. For example the influences are from the Malays, Chinese, Indian, Thai and etc. In addition, it is very common to find a similar versions of the dish within Singapore or across Malaysia regardless of place of origin because Singapore used to be part of Malaysia. What is Food Policy? According to Wikipedia, food policy are the area of publics concerning how the food is produced, processed, distributed and what kind of chemical ingredient are used when processing the food. Food policies system is designed to guide producer in operating of food and agriculture related product. This commonly include in decision-making of production and processing techniques of food, marketing of food, utilizing and consuming of food in the interest of meeting or furthering social objectives. Food policies can be develop in any level, such as from local to global, by government agency, business cooperation or food related organization. Makers of food policy are often engage in activities such as setting regulation related to food industries and establishing food standards for assistance programs for the poor and ensuring safety of food supplies, food labeling and even the qualification of a specific product to be considered as organic or not. Most of the food pol icy is initiated at the domestic level for the purpose of ensuring a safe and satisfactory level of food supply to the citizenry. Food Policy in Malaysia Malaysia is a multilingual and multicultural society country that mainly consists of the Malays, which is the biggest community group in Malaysia and followed by the Chinese, Indian, and the indigenous tribe. Even though Malaysia has many different cultures and races, it is consider as a Muslim Country due to the Parliament is govern by mainly the Malays followed by the Chinese and Indian. Due to this, Malaysia is very strict when comes to thing such as laws and etc. Food policy is one of it, for example the food that found within the country is mainly Halal even though there is consumers who are Non-Muslim. In Malaysia, Food policy decision and food related law is made between the Ministry of Health Department Malaysia and Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia. Both of the departments worked closely together for public health safety and to provide awareness of what kind of food the consumer are eating. The Ministry of Health Department is the one who has a higher authority when comes to food related because the areas that they involved in are wider such as nutrition assistance, food safety, dietary guidance, and labeling of consumable product. As for Agriculture side such as plantation of corn and etc are govern by the Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia. Most of the food policies are increasingly developing and changed due to the needs of citizens, political climates and circumstances changes. Halal According to Halal Malaysia, Halal are define as a lawful, permitted, pure, wholesome and recommended under Islamic Law. As in food service terms, Halal will affect the quality and hygiene policy in food manufacturing practices as well as food services in restaurant. With the growing of population around the world, the production, food safety, trade and consumption in food chained restaurant are increasingly demanding for Halal Food. Due to this, Halal food in Malaysia is coming from both Muslim and Non-Muslims country or producer because the local Halal food manufacturer did not have the ability to follow up the increasing of local community anymore. Based on Islamic Dietary Laws in the Trade Description Order 1975 of Malaysia, there are three main food categories for Muslims which are Halal, Haram, and Syubba. Halal is a word used for describing food that is lawful for Muslims to consume according to the Al-Quran. As for Haram, it is a term used to describe a subject that is unlawful and prohibited for the Muslims to do or consume. For example, Muslims are not allowed to consume pork and alcohol. The third and the last one is Syubba, it means the ingredient or the process of the food is made are questionable and therefore should be avoided for the Muslims if it is possible. In addition, The Al-Quran stresses that Muslims must eat food that is pure and clean as stated in the Islamic Dietary laws. The trust that is build-in among Muslim customers on Halal Certification is potentially increasing when it comes to deciding to visit an eating premise or a specific product. Malaysia Halal Certification Since the 1970s, JAKIM also known as the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, has been emphasizing its structures to ensure the Halal certification process in Malaysia provide Muslims Community with quality assurance of the products and services which is purchased or used by them.(JAKIM,2010). On the other hand, Malaysia Halal Certification also remarked as â€Å"a total quality health and sanitary system that involve in adopting the procedure for killing, processing and other related operations as drafted by Islamic rules†. Besides that, JAKIM also certifies raw materials, ingredients and products based on the quality of the product, hygiene perspectives and consideration of consumption safety of a specific product. (JAKIM,2008) There are few agencies that develop the standard of Halal food in Malaysia which as JAKIM is one of them and followed by Department of Standards Malaysia, Malaysia Institute of Industrial Research and standard which also known as SIRIM, and Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia. As a result, the four departments developed a comprehensive guideline in Halal food standard called MS1500 in 2004. The general guideline of Malaysian Standard MS1500 is focus on the production, preparation, handling and storing of Halal food. MS1500 also act as a manual for the food industry on preparing and handling halal food. In the other hand, it served as a basic food trade in Malaysia. (Mohd Daud,2004) The practice of Halal system should apply to all processing stages which from farm to table. Halal certification provide consumer a greater confidence and informed choice on what they have purchased (Wan Hassan Hall,2003). According to the Muslim Council of Britain, a statistic of up to 90% of meat and poultry that are sold in the United Kingdom as Halal are illegally sold to consumer and it is not slaughtered based on Shariah Law. In addition, this proved that Halal certification is clearly a potentially useful marketing and branding tools to attract customer to dine in a restaurant or to buy a product. This is an important examples for the Malaysian government to strengthen the Halal Certification in order to prevent the malpractice in the supply of meat to consumers and restaurant. The Demand of Halal Food In Malaysia Based on the research done by Muhammad in 2007, the needs for Halal foods and product within the countries itself and around the world has remarkable increasing. Majority of the Muslim Countries in the world which include Malaysia used to get their Halal product with the local suppliers or imported from other Muslim Countries. Due to the increasing of population and standard of living, it has drives the Muslim Countries to import Halal food from Non-Muslims countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore. These countries with comparatively small or even don’t have Muslim Population has became a valid contributors to the world Halal Trade. (Trade Mart,2006) According to Wan Omar, Muhammad, Che Omar (2008), the world has a total of 1.8billion of estimated Muslim Population and the market for Halal product is worth over US$560 billion annually. With the increasing interested in Halal food, this shows that there is a very huge market segment for food manufacturer. On the other hand, due to the increasing of international trade, cultural globalization and tourism, the â€Å"Halal† label has progressively recognized by non-Muslim and countries such as Europe and America also in demand for it which they don’t really needed it at old times. It also initiate further pressure on emphasizing importance of goods certification and has become the core in food industry. (Al-harrn Low, 2008). Based on Riaz Chaudry(2004), Malaysia was the leader in implementing Halal Laws in the early 1980s and remains in force globally when comes to Halal Certification circumstances. On the other hand, according to Chang(2006), Muslim population of 60% in Malaysia has increased their interest for Halal foods and products over the years. Due to this, Halal standard in food related goods has been widen from meat item to item such as confectionery, bakery and dairy goods. Chang also said that Halal Certification is become known as a standard criteria for food quality, safety and hygiene. It also helped to increase the market value of the product that has Halal label on it. Restaurant In Malaysia Based on the research done by Chang,2006, Malaysia is consider as one of the most advance nations in Southeast Asia after Singapore. As a result, Malaysian lifestyle has been dramatically evolving due to increasing of income and education levels. Besides that, majority of the restaurant that is located within the country have a clear halal logo in front of the restaurant entrance. With the logo sticked at the restaurant, it proves that the restaurant not only the food is halal but also the entire process of processing food is halal. In addition to that, the halal restaurant in Malaysia is not allowed to sell pork and alcohol related product. Based on the survey that made by Shamsudin Selamat 2005, they found that Malaysians are regarded as adventurous espeiclally the young peers in their consuming manner. Malaysian whose median age of 22 years old love to explore new eating places as suggested by friends and relatives because eating out in nowadays is very common and is somewhat not expensive compare to other country in the world. Based on Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia in 2008, Malaysian students who came back after staying abroad also devote to the demand for various food styles as well as eating in a restaurant. According to research done by Chang,2006, Malaysian regularly choose to dine in an open air dining area or street stalls. In addition to that, International cuisines such as Japanese and Korean cuisine were exceptionally demanding awfully over the years. Research done by Shamsudin and Selamat(2005), 172,252 food service matters including stalls and restaurants exited in Malaysia in 2001. In overall, the food service industry in Malaysia can be divided into five main section which is dine-in restaurant (including hotel coffee houses), coffee shops, hawker centers, fast food stalls, food courts and roadside stalls. As for Kueh and Voon(2007), they give a bit different categories and said that foodservice premises in Malaysia consists of Pubs/bars , street hawkers, and dine-in restaurant. According to undertaken by Josiam, Sohail and Monteiro(2007) on curry cuisine and perceptions of Indian Restaurnt in Malaysia, they found that restaurant in Malaysia serve standard and actual food that suit the local customers and tourists taste bud. They also proposed that consumers are keen in term of accepting new foods and explore new tastes. The findings that done by them also shows that general hygiene such as cleanliness of restaurant and restroom and the quality of foods will determine the restaurant weather is value for money or not. The main interest of foods for Malaysian are spiciness of the food, appearance of the food, the taste of the food and last by not least the availability of vegetarian choices and followed by the food with Halal Certification. Conclusion Food served as one of the basic needs for humans needs in the hierarchy of Mashlow. It just that some people religions view and beliefs in regarding food consumption and has dietary constraint. As an example, the most familiar one is the Muslims with Halal, Hindus and a minority of Chinese population constraint themselves from eating beef and some of them being as a vegetarian, and lastly the Jews people with Kosher restriction. As a conclusion, Halal food in Malaysia is not just constraint to the surrounding of the way the animal is killed, it goes deeper than that. It started from the first steps of preparing to handling, distributing, storing, displaying, packaging, labeling, preparation and serving it. In another words, the whole food supply chain must follow the Islamic dietary laws in order it to be Halal. The practice of Islamic dietary laws in Malaysia has educated Muslim and non-Muslims community to eat food that is pure and good based on the Quran and Haditb. As a addition to it, Halal certification that is provided by Malaysia organization is seen as a source of potential to create trust among the Muslims that the foods with the certification are safe to be consume or used. Bibliography (Jakim), T. M. G. a. t. D. o. I. D. M., 2011. Halal Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.halal.gov.my/v3/index.php/en/about-halal-certification/halal-definition [Accessed 1 November 2014]. Abdul Latif, M., 2006. afmaasia Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.afmaasia.org/malaysia_2006/Annex-4.pdf [Accessed 5 11 2014]. Abdul Manaf Bohari, C. W. H. N. F., 2014. The competitiveness of Halal food industry in Malaysia: A SWOT ICT Analysis. Malaysia Journal of Society and Space, 9(1), pp. 1-8. Abdul Talib, H. M. A. K. . J., 2008. Quality assurance in halal food manufacturing in Malaysia. Johor Bahru, Malaysia: ICME. Anon., 2004. Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department. [Online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/MEETING/006/AD698E.HTM [Accessed 20 November 2014]. Anon., 2013. A Food Labelling Guide. [Online] Available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM265446.pdf [Accessed 19 November 2014]. Bonne, K. . V., 2008. Religious values informing halal meat production and the control and delivery of halal credence quality. Agriculture and Human Values, Volume 25, pp. 35-47. Chang, 2008. Malaysia Exporter guide annual 2006. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. JAKIM, 2010. Pengurusan pensijilan halal Malaysia [The management of Malaysia halal certification]. Putrajaya: JAKIM. Josiam, B. S. S. . M., 2007. Curry cuisine: Perceptions of Indian restaurants in Malaysia. Tourismos:An International Multidisciplinary Journal Of Tourism, 2(2), pp. 25-37. Loong, C., 2013. Information on Food Labelling in Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.mfca.org.my/articles/Information on Food Labeling Requirements in Malaysia.pdf [Accessed 19 November 2014]. Malaysia, D. o. S., 2008. [Online] Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=54:population-updated-31072009catid=35:key-statisticsItemid=53lang=en [Accessed 2 November 2014]. Malaysia, M. o. H. E., 2008. Statiscs of Malaysian students studying abroad. [Online] Available at: http://www.mohe.gov.my/web_statistik/statistik_pdf_2008_05/msd_5-1.pdf [Accessed 30 October 2014]. Mart, T., 2006. Export opportunities: Processed food beverages. 2006 ed. Kuala Lumpur: Trade mart. Muhammad, R., 2007. Re-Branding halal. The Halal Journal, pp. 32-34. Riaz, M. . C. M., 2004. Halal food production. Florida, CRC Press. Saeed, M. ,. J. B. . I., 2000. Marketing Malaysia to International Tourists. Journal of International Business and Entrepreneurship, Issue 8(1), pp. 41-61. Sharifah Zannierah Syed Marzuki, M. H. P. W., 2012. Restaurant Manager and Halal Certificate, Malaysia: academia.edu. Toh, P. F. ., 2008. Hawker food industry. Food safety Public health strategies in Malaysia, Issue 38(1), pp. 41-51. Voon, K. K. ., 2007. Culture and service quality expectations: Evidence from generation Y consumers in Malaysia. Managing Service Quality, Issue 17(6), pp. 656-680. 1

Individualism and Conformity in Stephen Cranes Red Badge of Courage :: Red Badge Courage Essays

Individualism and Conformity in Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage    Stephen Crane's pieces are written with the intent to establish individualism as an unfavorable quality. He establishes that group goals are more important than that of the individual and creates groups to which each character should conform. Crane supplies models for the individual to comply to and elucidates that adherence to the group would bring reward but deviation from said groups would be detrimental. Henry, in Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, is created as a child in search of self worth and assurance. Crane establishes Henry as an individual by giving him the ability to think for himself but creates situations that stifle his individualism in order for him to stay within the group. Henry does the one thing that men ought not. He thinks. In his thoughts he sees past the glory and valor that comes with enlisting and comes to question what could happen to him on the battlefield. He acknowledges the presence of something that the other men dare not: death. The realization that lives are at stake, especially his own, cause Henry to question whether he will have to courage to stay and fight or whether he will run. Crane creates Henry as an individual in a mass society. He injects him into the army with aspirations of attaining a sense of identity. Crane establishes Henry as "the youth" to make it apparent that he was not like the other men of the 304th regiment. Henry stands out among the men and "muse[s] seriously upon the radical differences between himself and those men who were dodging implike around the tree"(P.184). Not only Henry's eye catches his obvious detachment from the group. Upon seeing Henry, Wilson responds "What you doing here?"(P.184), extending Henry's exclusivity and insinuating that he is out of place. Henry "continually tries to measure himself by his comrades"(P.181). Consequently, he attempts to quill his lack of confidence by seeking out others from whom he can find confidence. This search leads him to Jim Conklin. Jim states that his actions would be dictated by the surroundings "but if everyone was a-standing and a-fighting, why, I'd stand and fight"(P.180). Jim's claim gave Henry confidence.

“Anthem For A Doomed Youth” By Wilfred Owen Essay

â€Å"Anthem for Doomed Youth† is an elegy in which Wilfred Owen conveys his heart felt sadness and disgust for the loss of life in World War I. This poem shatters the fantasized images of war by juxtaposing the opposite worlds of reality and the romanticized rhetoric that distorts it. He writes about the true experience of military death, and effectively expresses these powerful sentiments in only fourteen lines by use of a somewhat violent imagery that is compounded by the constant comparison of reality to myth. The poem is intriguingly entitled, â€Å"Anthem for Doomed Youth.† Beginning with the title, Owen places his words into a context that contrasts with his message. An anthem is usually a patriotic song of a group of people, country, or nation as a means to honor it, such as in the National Anthem. An anthem is a song that is supposed to conjure up feelings of chauvinism, and love for one’s country or group. Here in America, our National Anthem especially reminds us of the soldier, who is constantly juxtaposed with the image of the† Star Spangled Banner†. The National Anthem is thought to be something that is synonymous with praise for one’s country and support of its troops. For Owen to name his poem â€Å"Anthem for Doomed Youth† implies that those Doomed Youth have no other anthem to honor them. Owen is saying that the experience of the dying youth is not the one that is conveyed in the National Anthem. His argument is that his poem expresses the true sentiment of the dying youth of war. In the first sentence, Owen begins describing what he views as the authentic image of war by use of an eye-catching analogy. This analogy postulates that the youth who are being massacred are dying like cattle. This is such a striking phrase because cattle live and die the worst of lives. Cattle are bred only for mass slaughter, and death is inevitable for them. They are kept in confined places, often surrounded by fences and barbed wire. Cattle are also considered to have no purpose in life except to serve and nourish others. It is clear that this comparison of dying soldiers to cattle is not a flattering one, and it is a comparison that would not be given by an advocate of war. It is in direct opposition to the description of valor and  honor that comes forward from the romanticized description of soldiers. Owen places this striking analogy at the end of a rhetorical question that he himself answers in the next few lines. The question that Owen asks is, â€Å"What passing bells for these who die as cattle?† The passing bells refer to the bells that are tolled after someone’s death to announce that death to the world. Owen says that unlike a funeral procession the only things that announce the death of these soldiers are the sounds of the instruments that killed them. He answers his opening question by saying that the only bells that are tolled are the indelible sounds of war and death. When describing those sounds of war, Owen projects upon the reader the evil pastimes of war through words like â€Å"monstrous,† â€Å"anger,† and â€Å"rattle.† These are words that give the reader a taste of fear, and a sense of echoing loneliness. The second stanza continues in its comparing of the sounds and images of a funeral procession to the sounds and images of a battlefield. He uses vivid words to show the harshness of war in this stanza just as he did in the first stanza. However, in the second stanza, Owen focuses on imagery of sadness and remorse rather than evil and horror. Owen seems to be sequentially describing the problems with the war in the first eight lines. First, he ingrains on the reader the sights and sounds of the battlefield. Then, he expresses the after effects of sorrow and sadness. For example, the second stanza contains the words â€Å"mourning,† â€Å"wailing,† â€Å"bugles,† â€Å"sad,† and â€Å"shires,† all signs and descriptions of remorse. The concluding sestet brakes off greatly from the rest of the poem. The first two stanzas use heavy imagery to illustrate the horrors of war, and the loneliness that accompanies it. The stanzas lament over the fact that the soldiers die a death of vanity, and are not remembered. The words that are used are very harsh and acidic in that they leave the reader with a feeling of the bloodshed and loss. The last stanza is more melancholy and reflective in its words than the previous two. And unlike the first two stanzas, the question that introduces them is answered in a way that leaves the reader with some type of solace. This feeling of hope in the sestet is culminated  in the last lines of the stanza, showing that the boys will be remembered by some. Owen’s sobering imagery is greatly empowered through his juxtaposition of conflicting ideas of war. Another example of this is his formatting the poem into a sonnet. Sonnets are normally written about themes of love and romance. Owen wrote about death and disenfranchisement. The use of the word â€Å"anthem† in the title adds to this style as well. An anthem is usually a superficial, upbeat, sappy song. This anthem is sad, gloomy, and somber. This usage of irony gives the poem a shocking effect by packaging the text of the poem in the form of a sonnet and anthem while the poem has a message that is antithetical to those two genres. This seemingly paradoxical approach makes the reader feel the power of Owen’s concepts because those concepts are so strongly contrasted by conflicting images.