Learning Experience Essay

For the past years in college, I have faced situations that needed intelligent decisions. Though many times I have considered the possible consequences, nothing could prepare me when I faced them. In the end I always realize that I have made the wrong decisions, and I could not turn back time to change them. However, these experiences taught me lots of things that helped me to become a better decision maker. I admit that there is a part of me that always tries to avoid making the boldest decisions, despite the fact that they are the safest (Arsham, 1994), as it appears risky to me. Moreover, there were times when these decisions are nerve-racking and difficult and I was often left scared to deal with the outcome. At one point in my life, I experienced losing friends who have been with me for years. I did not notice that slowly they were pushing me down despite our friendship. And even if this one person who I just met for a few months warned me about how my ‘friends’ back-stabbed me, I did not believe her because I knew my friends better, or so I thought. It was hard for me to accept that they, out of envy, would tell bad things about me. I have confided in them, my life was an open book to them, and I trusted them with my whole life. Then one day, all of their hate words reached me. I was in shock, because my friends treated me well whenever I am around. I was in a state of denial for a few weeks. During those weeks, I was like another person. I was apathetic and unemotional (Messina, J, and C. Messina, 2007). It was like those years of friendship that we have built for almost three years were broken in just a few days. Later on I was angry at them. And then I realized that my anger was a reaction for being hurt and insulted (Richmond, 2008). The hardest part was turning my back on them because I knew I do not deserve to be friends with persons who would deliberately say bad things about me. It was really a difficult decision, because somehow I have treasured those moments when we were genuinely happy with each other’s company. What made it more difficult was seeing them in places where we have hang out before. Seeing them always reminded me how I was not careful in choosing people who would be a part of me and my life. Up to this day I am still hurt when I think about them. But the good thing is that I became better at choosing friends. I do not judge somebody easily, but since then I have found friends who are better than best. And that is enough for me. References Arsham, H. (1994). Leadership decision making. Retrieved December 15, 2008, from http://home. ubalt. edu/ntsbarsh/opre640/partXIII. htm Messina, J. J. , and C. Messina. (2007). Tools for handling loss. Coping. org. Retrieved December 15, 2008, from http://www. coping. org/grief/denial. htm

The Global Cement Industry and Cemex’s Penetration Strategy Into International Markets

The Global Cement Industry and Cemex’s Penetration Strategy into International Markets My report argues that demand and capacity creation in developing economies is a major driver in the global cement industry, which given the nature of the product (high transportation costs arising from its bulk) is prone to major company expansion by mergers and acquisitions. Cemex’s expansion strategy focuses on merger and acquisition (M&A), mainly exploiting its expertise of operating in difficult institutional environments and taking advantage of opportunities arising from difficulties in developing market economies.The company successfully adapts best practice and technologies from its acquisitions throughout the wider company. My report begins with definitions, presents an overview of the global cement industry (section two) key players in the industry (section three) and M&A trends (section four). I then analyse Cemex’s entry strategies by exploring in turn the regions in to which it has expanded (section five) drawing conclusions on its penetration strategy. 1Introduction and definitionsCement is a binding substance, which sets and hardens independently binding other materials together. It is intended for use in building or construction material and can withstand varying environmental conditions. About 75% of cement production is used in ready-mixed concrete to be utilized in construction. The remaining 25%, Portland Cement Association (2009) shows, is used for paving roads or extracting oil. As Selim and Salem (2010) indicate basic raw materials for cement production are iron, aluminium, silicon and calcium.Normally cement is divided as Portland cement, Portland cement blends and non-Portland hydraulic cements. Portland cement, which can be roughly divided into White Portland and Gray Portland, is the most commonly used type as it is the basic ingredient of concrete (Cemex, 2013a, PCA, 2013). There are two different processes used in the manufactur e of cement – dry process and wet process. In the wet process, the raw materials, after properly proportioned, are ground with water, thoroughly mixed and fed into the kiln in the form of a â€Å"slurry† (containing enough water to make it fluid).In the dry process, raw materials are ground, mixed, and fed to the kiln in a dry state instead. In other respects, the two processes are essentially alike (PCA, 2013). However, the dry process was considered to be more sufficient than the wet one since it consumes less energy. On the other hand, the dry process requires more investment in equipment and plants. Cement manufactures in developing countries have widely adopted the wet process but the transformation to the dry process is underway on a large scale. 2An overview of the global cement industryThis section discusses the nature of the global cement industry, including the market size and market potential, the nature of cement products, market supply and demand and relat ed environmental issues, to provide a broad view to understand the nature of competition. The following are the main characteristics of the global cement industry. Huge market – especially emerging markets Cement is the primary and indispensable material in infrastructure construction for every country. Although it only accounts for around 6–13% in construction costs (Chandramouli, 2012), there are few substitutes for it (Wesley, 2009).Hence there is a potential huge global market with strong contracts between developed and developing countries. While the developed countries mostly have steady and limited demand for cement, the developing world is a more promising market, as a result of large-scale constructions: the demand of cement is positively correlated with a nation’s economic development. World demand for cement is growing by 4. 7% per annum reaching 6% growth in 2012, with total consumption of 3. 78 million tons (CW Group, 2012).Consumption in developing countries drives this growth in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East regions; China is the strongest driver. In contract, consumption in Europe has been stalled and the growth rate of consumption in the US is a steady 2%. Therefore, developing countries are the main drivers of the growth in cement demand – a trajectory likely to continue. Cost is dominated by oil price and transportation Due to the specificity of cement products, in the cement industry, oil price and transportation cost are dominant factors affecting cost.The cement industry is energy intensive and thus fuel costs is the most critical part in cement manufacturing, constituting 35% of total cost of production (Das, 2011). Therefore, the fluctuation of fuel price, especially oil price, has impacts greatly on production cost. During the first quarter of 2012, the oil price had kept rising and was 12% up by the end of 2011. At that time, the cement industry increased prices to cover hig her fuel cost. In June 2012, Caribbean Cement Company Limited increased the price of bagged cement by 9. %, and the company claimed that its ex-factory was still among the lowest in five other regional markets. Cement is, clearly, a type of high weight-to-price ratio product and it is usually purchased in bulk. As a consequence, transportation expenditure is relatively high and restricts the spatial reach of markets. It is more feasible to produce cement domestically or to import cement products from neighbouring countries to reduce the transportation fee. Hence, the scale of international cement trade is small (5%-7%) when compared with total cement production worldwide (Selim and Salem, 2010).The demand of cement can be unpredictable Since cement production is largely dependent on infrastructure constructions, as Wesley (2009) argues, national construction polices and projects drives demand: sales volume is more sensitive to construction levels than to price. Over the long-term pe rspective, changes in social factors such as population and economic growth also affect cement consumption. The residential day-to-day demand for cement can be uncertain; it may be disrupted by unexpected situations such as bad weather (Wesley, 2009). Constantly related with environmental issuesAlthough cement is locally produced in most cases, the impact of cement production is global, especially its environmental aspects; as Selim and Salem (2010) argues. The mass production with high-energy consumption brings pollution, producing 5% of the world’s total emission of greenhouse gases Loreti (2008) and Uwasu et al. (2012) estimate This pollution is produced mainly in developing countries, which are the main production locations of cement. China alone, being the world’s leader in carbon dioxide emission and cement production, has 15% of its emission contributed by cement the World Resources Institute (2008) suggests.The environmental issue becomes extremely urgent and p ushes major global players to set up stricter emission standards on the cement industry. 3Top players and in global cement industry The table below shows the largest 20 cement producers in the world. It can be seen that top global players in this industry are either from Western Europe or from emerging markets, especially China. Rank| Company/Group| Country| Capacity (Mt/yr)| No. of plants| 1| Lafarge| France| 225| 166| 2| Holcim| Switzerland| 217| 149| 3| CNBM| China| 200| 69| 4| Anhui Conch| China| 180| 34| 5| Heidelberg Cement| Germany| 118| 71| | Jidong| China| 100| 100| 7| Cemex| Mexico| 96| 61| 8| China Resources| China| 89| 16| 9| Sinoma| China| 87| 24| 10| Shanshui| China| 84| 13| 11| Italcementi| Italy| 74| 55| 12| Taiwan Cement| Taiwan| 70| -| 13| Votorantim*| Brazil| 57| 37| 14| CRH**| Ireland| 56| 11| 15| UltraTech| India| 53| 12| 16| Huaxin| China| 52| 51| 17| Buzzi| Italy| 45| 39| 18| Eurocement| Russia| 40| 16| 19| Tianrui| China| 35| 11| 20| Jaypee***| India| 34| 16| Table 1 Global cement companies 1-20 ranked by capacity Source: Global Cement Magazine, 2012 * Includes 15Mt/yr of capacity from Cimpor shares. * Cement capacity calculated from clinker capacity assuming clinker factor of 95%. ***As in April 2012. Table 2 indicates top cement producing countries – again, fast-developing countries are the main force driving cement production. Rank| Country| Capacity (Mt)| 1| China| 2000| 2| India| 210| 3| USA (inc. Puerto Rico)| 68. 4| 4| Turkey| 64| 5| Brazil| 62. 6| 6| Russia| 52| 7| Iran| 52| 8| Vietnam| 50| 9| Japan| 47| 10| Korea, Republic of| 46| 11| Egypt| 45| 12| Saudi Arabia | 44| 13| Thailand| 36| 14| Italy| 35| 15| Mexico| 35| 16| Germany| 33| 17| Pakistan| 30| 18| Indonesia| 22| 19| Spain| 20. 7| Other countries (rounded)| 480| | World total (rounded)| 3400| Table 2: Top global cement producing countries by installed capacity (2011, estimated) Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2012 From the tables above, it can be concluded that China is the leader in both cement production and consumption due to its large scale infrastructure construction and fast development, representing more than half of the world’s total consumption. India follows China as the second largest consumer while also having large producing capacity. The United States is the largest cement consumer in the developed world. Major M&A trends As the Economist (1999) illustrates, larger players in the cement sector frequently undertake mergers and acquisitions (M&A) domestically and globally, to increase market share and benefit from economies of scale. The Economist goes on to argue that this high level of M&A activity is driven by the nature of the cement industry since cement production is localised and transportation costs are high; thus global producers need to purchase local companies to enter new markets, especially when a domestic market is saturated or in downturn.Since the 1970s, the cement industry in the developed world has bee n saturated and there is little space for market expansion. Developing countries have consequently become the target market for expanding new capacity and seizing market share a trend clear since the 1990s. The industry is therefore becoming more of a monopoly with oligarchic key players taking the important decisions, making M&A decisions, guided of course by changing economic and market conditions. In the 1990s, global cement giants saw great opportunities for M&A and competed to purchase market share in rapidly developing markets at good prices.For example, the Mexican Peso crisis (1994) resulted in a currency flight to US dollars and Peso devaluation, a situation Cemex turned to their advantage, Wesley (2009) argues, by purchasing Latin American cement companies at undervalued prices. Similarly, after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the Asian cement industry fell into a downturn. Global cement giants took advantage and purchased leading cement companies in the Philippines, T hailand and Indonesia as bargains.At that time, six global giants purchased seventeen of the nineteen Philippine cement companies leaving Lafarge, Holcim and Cemex controlling 88% of the nation’s cement capacity. When the regional economy recovered, Cembusiness (2006) suggests, the price of cement rose again quickly and these multinational giants benefited from huge profits in Southeast Asia. 5Cemex’s entry strategy into international markets Cemex is currently the world’s third largest cement producer headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico.Although Cemex founded 107 years ago, it had been a domestic player for its first 80 years and did not start its global expansion until the 1990s. Its M&A progress has been remarkable: it now operates profitably in 50 countries in the world with 44000 employees and annual sales of US$15. 14 billion (Cemex, 2013a). In general, as Hill (2008) points out, a firm’s entry modes into foreign markets include exporting, contracts (licensing or franchising), foreign direct investment (joint venture and wholly owned subsidiary, including M&A) and strategic alliances.As discussed above, global cement giants, including Cemex, mainly enter foreign markets through M&A. Specifically, as a global player from an emerging market, Cemex needs to build its own competitive advantage during its internationalisation processes to cope with its disadvantageous competitive position vis-a-vis companies from developed countries. In short, Cemex is diversifying its market position through internationalisation (Liu, 2013). As Cemex’s expansion history extends spatially, I now turn to discuss its entry strategies into the global market by regions, which are shown in table 3. Cement production capacity (Million metric tons/year)| Cement plants controlled| Sales (millions of US dollars)| Mexico| 29. 3| 15| 3,474| United States| 17. 1| 13| 2,521| Northern Europe| 11. 9| 7| 4,729| Mediterranean| 18. 8| 12| 1,719| South, Central America and the Caribbean| 12. 8| 11| 1,745| Asia| 5. 7| 3| 505| Others| -| -| 445| Total| 95. 6| 61| 15,139| Table 3: Global review of Cemex’s operations As of December 31, 2011 Source: Cemex Annual Report 2011 Europe Europe was Cemex’s first step in global expansion.In July 1992, as Wesley (2009) reports, Cemex acquired two of the largest cement companies – Valenciana and Sanson – in Spain, with Valenciana becoming its regional hub holding company for all of Cemex’s future international acquisitions. However, significant movement into Spain, Europe did not become the main destination of Cemex as this region had limited potential for growth. More importantly, European players such as the French Lafarge and German Heidelberg controlled the European region.These European giants had advantages of scale, market share and advanced technology. What Cemex needed was not only the action of acquiring: it needed the advantages of the post-merger integratio n to catch up and improve. After purchasing Valenciana and Sanson, Cemex integrated its two Spanish subsidiaries by merging and streamlining the organisations and improved its technological and operational implementation. Cemex’s other substantial step in Europe was the purchase in 2005 of RMC, the world’s largest producer of ready-mixed concrete based in the UK.With this acquisition Cemex doubled its size, adding 20 mainly European markets (Cemex, 2013a) and managed to extend its product mix, becoming top producers of not only cement but also concrete and other construction aggregate (China Cement Net, 2005). Latin America Cemex made a series of acquisitions in Latin America, benefiting from the close psychic distance and geographic proximity to Mexico. Furthermore, in the 1990s, Latin America was an underdeveloped market with a high growth trajectory.Although at that time, Latin American countries were in a turbulent political and institutional condition with poor in frastructure and limited market information, Cemex viewed these conditions as advantages Fleury and Fleury (2011) argue, exploiting its experience in dealing with chaotic market environments in its home country and captured the opportune moment of the Peso crisis in 1994. Cemex moved into Latin America, including Central America and the Caribbean, by acquisitions in Venezuela (1994), Panama (1994), Dominican republic (1995), Colombia (1996), Costa Rica (1999), Nicaragua (2001), and Puerto Rican (2002) (see Cemex, 2013a).Latin America has been an important destination for Cemex, especially in the decade since the Peso crisis. During this decade foreign cement giants divided up the Latin American market due to the collapse of local producers and Cemex gained the dominant position. After acquiring those companies, Lessard and Reavis (2009) suggest, Cemex also upgraded its administration, production and technologies in this region, exploiting learning from the company’s operation s in Mexico and Spain. Although Cemex has a noteworthy presence in Latin American countries, its production capacity in South,Central America and the Caribbean accounts for only 13. 4% of its total sales in 2011, less than its capacity in the United States, Northern Europe and Mediterranean respectively and less than half of its domestic capacity (Cemex, 2011). However, there has been a rapid increase in South America and the Caribbean since mid-2000s, as a result of higher levels of public expenditure on infrastructure, industrial and commercial development and housing construction (United Nations ECLAC, 2007).Hence Cemex controls its closest emerging market area, with the exception of Brazil. The USA The United States, unlike other developed countries, remains a major consumer and producer of cement products; however, few its cement producers are American-owned. In the 1970s, Wesley (2009) points out, when Cemex was a domestic firm, most US cement producers were already taken over by European companies. Cemex’s significant incursion into US market was the purchase of American producer Southdown in 2000.Southdown was one of the largest American cement producers and it was state-owned. Cemex’s purchase followed a 20-year joint venture with Southdown called Sunbelt in 1986: following disagreements on management fees and the price of imported cement, the partnership dissolved and Southdown supported anti-dumping measures against Mexican producers (Wesley, 2009). By late 1990s, Southdown was making profits from its upgraded plants and lower costs whilst unsatisfactorily performing on the stock market, enabling Cemex to buy Southdown for $2. billion in November 2000 (Cemex, 2000), becoming North America’s largest cement producer, obtaining Sothdown’s advanced production capacity and markets and circumventing anti-dumping duties. Another Cemex step into North America (Black, 2007) was the purchase of the Rinker Corporation, an Australia- based concrete maker that had about 80% of its sales in the US, notably increasing its share of the U. S. concrete market. Asia Cemex turned its attention into Asia after 1997, seeing the potential in Asian growth and M&A opportunities following the financial crisis in southeast Asia (Wesley, 2009).In the next few years, Cemex made acquisitions in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and India. Following rapid economic development and large-scale construction in Asia, by 2011 Cemex only managed to have the capacity of 5. 7 million metric tons in this region, representing only 6% of Cemex global capacity. Cemex failed to gain significant market share in China and India, the two largest Asian cement markets: the company continues to pay attention to the burgeoning Chinese and Indian markets (China Cement Net, 2005), however, institutional restrictions inhibit its growth.Indeed, the cement industry in China has excess capacity following slowdown in construction growth: many cement plan ts having been built during the boom. Currently Cemex does not have specific expansion plan of for China although it expresses a lot of interest (China Cement Net, 2006). In India, Cemex is more positive and in negotiations to acquire several Indian producers. Middle East and Africa (MENA) In 1999, Cemex acquired Assiut Cement Company, the largest cement producer in Egypt, started operating in Africa and increased its capacity following acquisitions (Wesley, 2009).Cemex also has operations in Israel and United Arab Emirates. The total presence in Middle East and Africa is limited since the African cement market is underdeveloped and as Digital Cement (2010) point out, the MENA cement markets are locally controlled. In summary, Cemex’s expansion into the global market is not only the strategic choice about competing and bidding for acquisitions, but also the integration process that ensued, as an opportunity to drive change, and as a result, continuously evolve as a corporatio n (Lessard and Reavis, 2009). 6ConclusionsCemex’s penetration strategy is shaped by the nature of the product and structure of the industry. Since cement is bulky and costly to transport global-global entry strategies are unavailable to it. The industry structure reflects the product in a wide array of regional-scale producers. Like other major players in the industry (such as Lafarge, Holcim and Heidelber) has sought to penetrate international markets by M&A rather than direct investment, strategic alliances or licensing. Another characteristic of the global cement industry is that developing economies are the drivers of demand.Often these markets remain difficult to enter being overly regulated, protected or subject to corruption and political interference. Cemex uses its origins in a developing market as an advantage: the company has expertise in overcoming these barriers, knowledge it has successfully exploited in numerous markets. Additionally, Cemex has taken advantage of other adverse trading conditions in its target markets (Asian financial crisis, Peso crisis) to conclude M&A deals when target company prices are depressed. Bibliography 1. Black, T. , 2007.Cemex Wins Control of Rinker With $14. 2 Billion Offer (Update3). [online] Available at: . 2. Chandramouli, R. , 2012. Cement contributes to less than 10% of construction cost. The Times of India. [online] Available at: . 3. Cembusiness, 2006. (The opportunities in the cement industry under the upsurge of international industrial capital M&A). online] Available at: . 4. Cemex, 2000. Annual Report 2000. [PDF] Available at: [last accessed 28/02/2013]. 5. Cemex, 2011. Annual Report 2011. [PDF] Available at: . 6. Cemex, 2013a. About us. [online] Available at: . 7. Cemex, 2013b. Product and Services. [online] Available at: . 8. China Cement Net, 2005. â€Å" †Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€? CEMEX †¢ (The master of acquisition – interviewing Armando Garcia, executive director of Cemex). [onli ne] Available at: . 9. China Cement Net, 2006. Cemex (Cemex clearly expresses its interests in the Chinese market). [online] Available at: . 10. CW Group, 2012. CW Group: Global cement demand to reach 4bn tons by 2013. CemWeek. [online] Available at:

Government Discussion Question ( Essay) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Government Discussion Question ( ) - Essay Example rment to overturn any unconstitutional act by the Congress and observed that the judiciary â€Å"will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution because it will be least in capacity to annoy or injure them†. His observation was on the basis that the judiciary has â€Å"no influence over either the sword or the purse† meaning the Court could not influence either the legislative or the executive. Agreeing with Hamilton’s views on the power of the Court, O’Brien in his analysis of the role of the Supreme Court in American democracy acknowledges limitations of the Court in the matter of policy making and bringing social change having by itself â€Å"no chance to resolve great issues of public policy†. However, he contradicts Hamilton’s contention that the Court is â€Å"least dangerous† and contends that it is no longer so. The Supreme Court, according to O’Brien, by getting increasingly activist has b ecome a â€Å"storm center† of national politics. Hamilton’s vision of a completely independent Court has not materialized and instead the judiciary has found itself acting under external pressures from the executive, legislature and the public opinion. Devoid of the power of â€Å"the sword or the purse†, the Court depends for the impact of its rulings and their influences on the policymaking on the political institutions of the country and the public opinion. The confrontations consequent upon the school desegregation ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education case (1954) is a pointer to the Court’s policymaking limitations. Hamilton’s observation that â€Å"there is no liberty if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and executive powers† was intended to mean that people’s democratic right would be in danger if the Court does not independently act to uphold that right. The same concern is reflected in O’Brien’s argument for the Court to be an institution of prestige freeing itself from the political

Strategic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Strategic Marketing - Essay Example This paper will look at Costco’s foray into the bridal market and its attempt to cater to the readymade wedding gowns segment for brides to be, albeit using the services of Los Angeles designer Kirstie Kelley. Discussion It seems that Costco has been deliberating its move into the market for bridal gowns for some time now. It had already been offering engagement rings, invitation cards and even honeymoon packages for the bride and groom- but the move into designer inspired wedding dresses leaves no doubt that Costco sees a future in this segment of the population that visits its store. Marriages and divorces are increasingly a part of our lives, whether in the media, on film or in real life. The marriage rate has declined since the 1970s, with the median age for first marriage increasing to as much as 28 years for males and 26 years for females- since couples either now wait till they can afford it, or live together and marry later in life. The highest rate for marriages and d ivorces was recorded in Virginia, being 21 per 1000 and 19 per 1000 male residents respectively in 2011 (Morello, 2011). The store will unveil its offerings via in-store trunk shows, which will allow the prospective customers not only to inspect the dresses but also try them on for size and look. The first state to have a show will be California, with arrangements for Oregon, Arizona, Colorado and Washington to follow. Costco has been giving tough competition to target and Wal-mart in the USA and both its sales and profits registered an increase over the last quarter, revenues rising from $312 billion to $320 billion over the period ending November 20 (Daniel, 2011). With the cost of the bride’s dress being a big part of the wedding expenses, Costco’s move will help many to tie the knot in style without being an added burden on their pocket. The average wedding costs $27,000. The business has been growing over the website, where couples can also select invitations and flowers. The initiative has also been highlighted in Costco’s local membership magazine. The six designs being offered range in price from $699 to $1399, compared to the $2000 to $7000 Kelley usually charges for a designer creation. Typically a bride will spend $1099 on a wedding dress, as noted by media company the Knot. The same research also found that there is a wide difference between wedding expenses across the USA, with the high average being around $70,000 in New York and the low being around $12,000 in Utah. All the same, 12 percent of brides surveyed spent over $40,000 on their wedding day. Taking all this into account, we can see how Costco is really making a change in the social phenomena by reducing the cost of wedding gown, ring, invitation and honeymoon package- which is almost everything connected with the event from the bride’s perspective at least- to a manageable level. Its coverage of the entire deal will help many tie the knot earlier and with much less of a financial burden. It is a good way to help local communities as well (Anonymous, ‘Pricing’, 2011). Being the work of a designer, Costco can afford to position its line against other designers of repute- showing how to save and yet look like a million bucks on your wedding day. As the tours go on and the trend gets popular, it can become a major

Value of scientific process Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Value of scientific process - Term Paper Example After analyzing and observing the theory from an external perspective, the scientist can then formulate a hypothesis in an attempt to explain this phenomenon. In the process of formulating a hypothesis, the scientist must also predict a logical and reasonable conclusion for the theory he formulated. In the scientific method observation plays a role in the derivation of the theory and in analytical part of the experiment. The different observation by two different scientists should be comparable as humans have both subjective and qualitative senses which make them difficult for comparison. Observation also implements other parameters such as measurement. This is the comparison of a certain observation with a standard value (‘Introduction to the Scientific Method’, n.d). Human senses which are utilized during the observation process are subject to error. Instruments have been created to minimize the margin for error and as technology advances, so are the different instrume nts used. They also allow for the improvement of accuracy during observation. Observation at times comes into play when observation affects the actual experiment and causes a deviation in the final results. The results obtained are also influenced by many different factors. These factors are referred to as paradoxes. This occurs when a similar event illustrates different conclusions depending on the viewpoint of the scientist. Observations are also subject to biasness as the complex process by which human senses observe and perceive data is determined by internal neural mechanisms that are built up throughout our lives and to a certain extent, beyond our conscious control. The different types of biasness include, confirmation, which refers to a scientist observing only the expected outcome and not the actual results. Others are processing bias, which involves the processing of data before it is actually observed. This usually occurs in computer based experiments. Observational bias refers to the subjection of the observer to the ‘street light effect’, when scientists also observe places which they presume will provide them with results (Freedman, 2010). However, they could end up omitting or neglecting vital aspects of the experiment. Prediction refers to the act of foretelling the outcomes of a particular experiment. For this purpose, research is usually conducted for theories that possess logical outcomes. The prediction helps to provide a guideline for the experiment. However, this also has a negative side as, scientists’ mode of observation maybe biased. Predictions also help to establish the probable outcome using hypothetical values and a certain framework. When making predictions, they must be based on a scientific theory. A common example of formulating a good prediction can be witness in the work of J.J Thomson (Shuttleworth, 2009). Prior to completing an experiment and attaining results that coincided with his prediction, he would proceed to create another prediction on the next stage of the research. This would allow him to expand on his research and make new discoveries. Physics is largely involved with the prediction part of the scientific method. Theorists such as Albert Einstein utilized mathematical

Response Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response - Movie Review Example Such books are preserved in the forbidden library, as they would question the authority of the church. One of the key ways through which Umberto Eco compares Brother Williams to Sherlock Holmes is through the assessment of the murders of the monks. In the contemporary setting, Sherlock Holmes was a brilliant detective who understood the inner workings of various aspects about the killers. Williams was able to think outside the box and as well, solve mysterious deaths that no one else would have solved.1 Using such an approach, although Brother William was not a detective by nature, his ability to see through crime in a way that most people would not makes him more like Sherlock Holmes. Bringing in the concept of the supernatural, such as demons, also makes this film more like Sherlock Holmes, as the detective was in a mysterious island, whose inner workings were unclear to humans, but were more of a supernatural nature. Reason is the key strategy of any investigation. Bearing in mind that most people do not have a clue on the inner workings of a murder case, because they have little, if any connection with the murderer, using reason is one of the ways through which such mysteries can be solved. Brother Williams was willing to reason and see beyond the trees, to view the forest. In short, he used the various simple details of a case to create a hypothetical bigger picture, which was much closer to the actual truth. The book is very educational, highly intuitive and a suspense filled packet of

Compare two Human Resource Information System (HRIS) software Term Paper

Compare two Human Resource Information System (HRIS) software - Term Paper Example In some cases, it also takes care of expenses and reimbursements for the employees. This module takes input from the time and attendance for the employee attendance, compensation management and employee information database. Time & Attendance – This module involves implementation of shift management, time-sheets, leave quota management, and leave approval/rejection. In an advanced system, this is integrated with attendance tracking systems like biometric or punch cards. Performance Management – This module is used to measure the performance of all the employees in the organization. The performance management system is linked to the learning management system to identify appropriate learning courses in order to improve the performance. Learning management – This module is made to ensure that the employees are continuously learning. This module enables the organization to have a defined learning catalogue and employees to register for learning in order to learn new skills or add to the existing one. Employee and HR Self-service – This is a web based portal that ensures that all the employees and HR can access their authorized area of the HRIS over web. An employee or an HR can log into the portal and carry out her activities from the system over web. There are a large number of HRIS available in the market. The market is led by SAP and Oracle PeopleSoft for the larger companies. For small and medium sized firms, there are various other solutions. People-Trak HRMS and BambooHR Software are key players in this market. Most of the HRIS now are available in a SaaS model, where the customer is not required to install anything, not procure any hardware and does not have to make any significant capital investments. This analysis compares the two systems. People-trak HRMS is a product of Technical Difference, Inc. which is involved in developing HR software for the last 20 years. People-track is their most widely used HR system. The

Southwest Airlines Fuel Hedge Program. Why Southwest Hedged Fuel Research Paper

Southwest Airlines Fuel Hedge Program. Why Southwest Hedged Fuel - Research Paper Example US Airline Industry Background An overview of the US airline sector reveals an industry setting with numerous considerations where heightened competition and fuel costs are key determinants of performance. Global fuel prices are highly volatile, a trend which has been observed over the last two decades (Carter, Rogers and Simskin 1). Fuel costs greatly impact an airline’s operations since they constitute about 17% of total costs, second to labor costs only. Moreover, ticket prices usually reflect fuel prices, hence, determining profit margins, financial outlooks and forecasts. The competitiveness in the US airline industry translates into a situation where the rising fuel costs cannot be passed to the service consumer. Southwest Airlines, as a major player in the US industry, among other things, specializing in short-haul, provides high-frequency and low fare point-to-point services which in the long run can be largely impacted by such volatilities in the fuel prices (Morrell and Swan 713-714). The inability to pass on fuel costs to consumers forces airlines to consider other strategies for surviving fuel prices fluctuation. Hedging is one of such strategies considered by airlines, such as Southwest, as a solution to the fuel price volatility problem. Hedging: Fuel Price Risk Management: Drastic changes in fuel prices are some of the major risks that may cripple airlines. For instance, political volatility in the Middle East- a major source of crude oil- disrupts global oil prices in two ways. First, war increases the local demand for fuel, hence, lesser exports. Secondly, normal extraction of oil may be disrupted during military operations. Carter et al. (4-5) provide an example of such a situation using the Gulf War, where the average spread rose by 8.1 times, from 3.5 cents to 28.5 cents per gallon. Trempski (1) offers another point of view concerning the jet fuel price volatility stating that a barrel of crude oil price rise from $10.82 in 1996 to $6 9.91 in 2005, had a negative impact on the heavily oil-dependent industry. Control of global fuel prices is not within the power of airlines such as Southwest; hence, there is a need for alternative strategies. Airlines use several instruments to hedge their fuel including over-the-counter (OTC) swaps, future contracts that are exchange traded, exchange traded or OTC call options and OTC or exchange traded collars (Carter et al. 4). Hedging in the airline industry, however, follows a unique format, where risk management is done on fuels other than jet fuels. The first reason for this is based on the refining process; products from the same distillation step share similar characteristics and highly correlated prices and future commercial outlooks. Hence, heating oil can be used to hedge jet fuel prices owing to the fact that their price changes and future contract price changes are highly correlated. Jet fuel is refined from crude oil, thus, crude oil is also heavily applied in hedgi ng jet fuel. The second reason is based on the nature of the jet fuel market which is not sufficiently liquid to warrant future contracts. Derivative contracts on jet fuel have to be based on OTC trading. On the other hand, exchange traded contracts for crude oil and heating oil are active and liquid enough, accompanied by low credit risks. Therefore, airlines interested in hedging traditionally use crude oil or heating oil

Hesiod's Theogony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hesiod's Theogony - Essay Example We can therefore conclude that the cosmogony, as well as the theogony, is a representation of the universality of the world. These are representations of the realistic order of the world. According to mythology, the universe has gone several states from generation to generation and yet humans are still considered part of creation that only serve the balance and harmony of creation. We have no authority or power that could surpass the power of the gods. Theogony and cosmogony are realizations of the governing of things in the universe. Humans are a part of creation and that they have the authority to manage other creations. They are considered more special compared to other worldly creatures. On the contrary, they cannot be as powerful as the gods. They cannot be on the same ground as the gods. The story of Prometheus was an example of this governing and ordering of things. He was punished for his disobedience, and this first part of cosmogony just shows how inferior or powerless humans are compared to the gods. The place or position of humans whether in Greek mythology or the Genesis story of creation expresses authority and governess over the other creations on earth. It is more definite than the story of power struggle among gods. As a whole, humans are the center of balance and harmony in the real world.

Negotiations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Negotiations - Assignment Example The goal of the customer services representative in this case is to increase the company’s membership to enhance the profitability of the business. All measures that he takes to achieve this goal including persuading the customer by exaggerating the benefits of buying the membership, and giving references of customers who have benefited from the membership in particular ways, will be termed as the negotiation tactics. The difference between negotiation strategy and negotiation tactics is basically that of why and how. A new biscuits-making company can use operational negotiation to introduce the new brand of biscuits in the market and increase its popularity among the customers by randomly offering people in the markets and public places biscuits for free. The short-term goals of the company in this situation are to advertise the biscuits and make the customers like the biscuits so that they feel convinced to go and buy the same biscuits from the shops, which is the long-term goal of the

Why I Want to Teach Essay Example for Free

Why I Want to Teach Essay Why I Want to Teach A teacher is defined as someone who gives instruction as well as communicates skills. Teaching is on the top of my list of potential careers, though I am not certain it is going to be right for me. This essay should shed some light on my incentives and hesitations concerning education as a career path and I’ll hopefully gain some insight as well. I can think of many positive reasons to become a teacher. For one, teachers do something relatively different every day and also get an entirely new class every year (in theory). This gives educators a huge opportunity to make a difference in an extraordinary amount of young lives. If I were to become a teacher, it would most likely be at the primary school level, not for the course material, but because of how much I enjoy being around kids. The past few summers I worked as a counselor at a day-camp for elementary aged children, which really showed me how enjoyable and fulfilling a child-centered job can be. I really like the thought of having a summer break for the rest of my career, as well, and not to mention snow days. Traveling is a passion of mine, therefore another reason I am considering teaching is that I would like to join the Peace Corps, teaching English as a second language in other countries. Though helping people in other countries is my goal, the largest part of why I want to become an educator can be attributed to the teachers who’ve influenced me, positively and negatively. I have been inspired by teachers who had a passion for maki ng a difference in the lives of their students, and I have been motivated to surpass, in skill and influence, the sub-par teachers I have had. There are also a few negative aspects of teaching I’d like to address. First and foremost, there is the issue of a teacher’s income, which is generally somewhat low. Though my career plans are not fiscally centered, paying for a higher education and then receiving a lower income than a garbage man or an air traffic controller is not something I find appealing. With teaching there is also a lot of bureaucracy that comes with the job; a lot of red tape, so to speak. Labor laws, non-performance-reflecting salaries, and standardized testing are just a few examples of this. Part of the bureaucracy within the education system can be attributed to the stigma  involving teachers that goes â€Å"Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach† which suggests, frustrating as it may be, how teaching as a profession is viewed by our society. They are few, but my hesitations regarding teaching are powerful nonetheless.

Contrast Between Leadership And Management Management Essay

Contrast Between Leadership And Management Management Essay The paper is about todays leadership and discuss about the impact on leadership from diverse culture. Two leadership models are introduced with application of one famous leader. Mullins (2007) defined leadership as a relationship, which a person influences others on their behaviors. It is always associated with group activities. Many people may be confused with leadership and management. Leadership plays one function of management (Anon., 1997). Management has four major functions, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Kinicki Williams, 2006). Leadership has the function of leading. Leaders have followers by influence them, while managers get subordinates and rule them. Vick (2012) distinguished them by regarding managers as the liaisons between individual success and organizations success, and regarding leaders as instigators. Although its very ideal to play a role with the combination of leader and manager, a manager is not necessary to be a leader, vice versa. 1.3 The way leaders influence others One major reason is leaders can influence others by their power. Bartol and Martin (1991) stated that Power is the capacity to affect the behavior of others. It includes legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power, information power, and referent power. By using different type of power, the followers may have different reaction. Hellriegel, Jackson and Slocum (2002) classified the reactions into three types: commitment, compliance, and resistance. Most Likely Response from Followers Type of power Used by Leader Expert Referent Reward Legitimate Coercive Commitment Compliance Resistance 1.4 Leadership with cultural diversity Nowadays, with the development of globalization, leaders are more likely to face followers with different cultures than before. In organizations, whether companies have international activities, they may have a workforce with diverse culture (Den Hartog Dickson, n.d.). 2 A Leader for Example Todays would is heavily affected by the developed technology. PC has become an indispensable part in the life. And the person who made PC universal is the co-found and chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates. He also founded Bill Melinda Gates Foundation with his wife, Melinda Gates (Bellis, n.d.). Bill Gates is an entrepreneur and a philanthropist as well. He had been the wealthiest man in the world for a long period. Bill Gates has many common traits which also appear in many other successful leaders. The following ones are some of them: Passion on career: Since first exposure to computers in 1968, Bill Gates was inspired passion on computers. He took part in many computer related activities, such as being hired by CCC to find bugs. He even dropped out of Harvard and set up Microsoft to devote into developing software (EVAN CARMICHAEL, n.d.). Spirit of innovation: Bill Gates has the spirit of innovation. Windows 1.0, an operation system which was far cry from existing ones at that time, is a brainchild of Bill Gates (Microsoft, n.d.). Ambition: 3 Leadership Model Leadership models are established for people to follow to 3.1 Transformational Model DuBrin (2010) stated that Transformational leadership focuses on what the leader accomplishes yet still pays attention to the leaders personal characteristics and his or her relationship with group members. Transformational leadership was firstly proposed by James MacGregor Burns in 1978. She conceptualized leadership as either transactional or transformational (Bass Riggio, 2006). The latest transformational model includes four elements, idealised influence (II), inspirational motivation (IM), intellectual stimulation (IS) and individualized consideration (IC), which are also known as 4Is. The variables of transformational leadership (Bass Riggio, 2006) Idealized influence: Idealized influence refers to the leaders generating trust, respect and loyalty from followers by their high level of ethical and moral behaviors. Followers approve the leaders and intend to imitate them. Idealized influence has two aspects, the leaders behaviors and followers perception. Inspirational motivation: Transformational leaders have strong vision for the future. They stimulate followers by giving challenge and meaning to followers work. Leaders make followers involve in imaging fascinating future and drive up followers enthusiasm and optimism. Intellectual stimulation: Transformational leaders encourage followers to be innovative and creative. Individuals mistakes are not to be criticized publicly. New ideas and approaches from followers are encouraged. Individualized consideration: Transformational leaders act as a coach or mentor and lay emphasis on individual followers needs for achievement and development. Different needs and wants of individual are recognized. Leaders prefer a two-way communication with followers and personalized interaction. The full range of leadership model The full range of leadership model is a combination of both transactional and transformational leadership. The components of transactional leadership include contingent reward (CR), management-by-exception (MBE), and laissez-faire leadership (LF). Fig.3.1 The full range of leadershipThe components are evaluated by two dimensions, activeness and effectiveness. Bass and Riggio (2006) stated that optimal leaders display LF leadership most infrequently, and display MBE and CR higher frequently. They choose transformational leadership, 4Is, most frequently. In contrast, poor leaders preform oppositely. Bill gates, a transformational leader Bill gates started Microsoft with a strong vision, a computer on every desk and Microsoft on every computer. He attributed the astounding success of Microsoft to the vision. (EVAN CARMICHAEL, n.d.). 3.2 Situational leadership model 4 Impact from cultural diversity Leaders use a combination of different leadership style. National cultural is one of the important factors which affect the decisions of choosing leadership style (Robbins and Decenzo). With the increasing globalization, the situation of cultural factor becomes more complex for the leaders. 5 Conclusion

The Concept Of Atman In The Upanishads Religion Essay

The Concept Of Atman In The Upanishads Religion Essay Upanishads are regarded as the beginning of philosophy of Indian. Indubitably, Upanishads have some of the earliest detailed discussion concerning topics of philosophy like the nature of existence and the self. Disagreements have emerged on whether or not the Upanishads themselves really constitute philosophy as well as about what is their status within the later Indian philosophical tradition. This study looks at the main ideas presented by the texts and some of their most important influences on successive philosophical developments in India. The analysis part of this study briefly reflects on the whether the Upanishads are pre-philosophical basis or are simply the philosophy for subsequent traditions (Vess 45). The research indicates that no any other book exist in the entire world that is as soul-stirring, inspiring as well as breathtaking as the Upanishad. The Upanishads philosophical teachings have been the source of comfort for many people in the West and in the East. The human understanding has not succeeded in imagining anything that is sublime and noble in the worlds history than the Upanishads teachings. The Upanishads has the Vedas essence and are the ultimate and the source of philosophy of the Vedanta. Philosophical, original, sublime and lofty thoughts come up from all verses. They have the direct religious revelations and experiences of sages. They are the highest divine knowledge and products of the main wisdom thus they rouse the peoples hearts and motivate them always. The Upanishadic grandeur and glory cannot be sufficiently described in mere words as these words are finite and the language used to describe them is flawed. Solace and peace of mankind that prevail in the whole world has been contributed by the Upanishads. They are exceedingly soul-stirring and elevating. Millions of contenders have drawn motivation and direction from these Upanishads. They form part of the Vedas and are fortunes of incalculable worth. Apart from being rich in deep philosophical thought, they have great intrinsic value. Their beautiful language brings out the immense meaning hidden in the verses and passages. The Upanishads offer a vivid depiction of the Atman nature and the supreme soul in different ways and explain suitable techniques that assist in attaining the everlasting Brahman which is the utmost Purusha. It is long since they were first offered to the universe. Yet up to now, they are stll surprisingly charming and sweet. Their freshness is unique. Their aroma is penetrating and it makes more difficult for some people to live nowadays without studying them on daily basis. It is alleged that Schopenhauer who is a famous philosopher from the West, constantly had the Upanishads book and had a habit performing his commitments from its pages prior to going to bed. This philosopher said that there is no any other study that is as valuable and inspiring as the Upanishads. The Upanishads are considered to have undeniably exercised and still carries on in exercising a significant influence on the Indian religion and philosophy. They give a view of realism that certainly satisfies mans philosophic, scientific together with the religious aspirations. The self (atman) is among the most broadly discussed topics during both the late and early Upanishads. During the earliest appearances in text, atman was utilized as a reflexive pronoun the same way self term is used in English. However, this word changed its meaning, occasionally referring to ultimate reality, a life-force, consciousness, material body and even implying something like a soul during the time of early Upanishads and that of late Brahmanas. While atman does not contain a single consistent meaning among all of its appearances in text, there exists a considerable reliability as to atman meaning in accordance to any teacher in particular. In fact, it is conceivably more fruitful to regard as the Upanishads more collected works of teachings from dissimilar teachers than to deem them as integrated texts. Different Upanishads do not only have detectably diversified philosophical agendas but also it is implied that these teachers compete on who owns the best self teaching (Ve ss 45). These teachers frequently pits against each other to secure patronage, enlist students along with winning public competitions in debating. One of the main famous self teachings appears in the Upanishads Chandogya as the Uddalaka Arugis instruction to Svetaketu who is his son. Uddalaka starts by elucidating that one can be familiar with the universal of a material stuff from a specific object that is made from that substance. That is by means of knowing anything made from clay, someone will know clay; through means of knowing an ornament made from copper, an individual will get to know copper; through means of knowing a nail cutter made from iron, one will come to know iron. Uddalaka makes use of these exemplars to give explanations that material things are not made from nothing, but describes creation as a transformation process of a creative being (sat) that emerges into the diversity that describes our experiences of everyday. The explanation of Uddalaka concerning creation is presupposed to have swayed the theory of satkaryavada. This is the theory that was accepted by the Yoga, Samkhya and Vedanta darsanas that says that the effect subsists within the cause. Soon after Uddalakas instruction to Svetaketu, he made a sequence of inferences from a number of comparisons that have empirically observable accepted phenomena to give explanation on self as a non-material essence that is present in every living being. First, he made use of nectar as an example. He described that bees collect nectar from dissimilar sources, but as this nectar is gathered together, it turns out to be a single unit. Equally, water that is evidently seen flowing from rivers that are different joins together when they arrive at the ocean. These examples are utilized to show that the self will one day finally merge into the new being (sat). Svetaketu is asked by Uddalaka to carry out two experiments. With the first experiment, Uddalaka gives him instruction to make a cut to a banyan fruit to get the seed in the fruit. His son realized that he could observe nothing within the seed. Uddalaka makes a comparison to the fine seed essence that was not visible to self. The seco nd one involves Svetaketu getting instructions to put a little salt in some water. Svetaketu could not see salt in water when he returned the next day. Only to realize that salt had evenly distributed in water when he tasted it. Uddalaka made a conclusion that, similar to salt in dissolved in water, the self is not directly discernable, but seeps into the whole body. Uddalaka gets attention to Svetaketu following these natural phenomenal descriptions giving emphasis that the self functions the same way in a single individual as it does in every living being. He continues to say that the fine essence in that case was what the self was in the whole world. The most outstanding teacher in the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajnavalkya, further describes atman in view of consciousness as compared to a life force. Yajnavalkya engages Uddalaka (who was his former teacher and his senior associate) into a debate. He makes it clear that the self is an inward controller which is present in every cognizing and sensing, but it is distinct. He continues to say that it is seer which not seen, the thinker which is not thought about, the hearer which is not heard and the knower which is not known. The explanation that Yajnavalkya gave was that everyone discerns the self existence via self actions and what it does, but not through their senses. He points out that the self, which is considered as consciousness, is not regarded as a consciousness object. Even Yajnavalkya questions his wife Maitreyi in the Brhadaranyaka about the means through which a person really know himself and with what means does one really knows the whole world. On a number of occasion s, Yajnavalkya pays attention to the constraints of language when trying to describe atman. He suggests that since the self is not an object of knowledge, it has no capability of having attributes and as a result it can only be illustrated using propositions that are negative. Yajnavalkya also says to King Janaka that that self (atman), a person can merely say not, not. The self is ungraspable because it can not be clutched. The self is indestructible because it can not be obliterated. Self is unbound because it is trembling and it cannot be damaged. Prajapati is seen in Upanishad as a different prominent self teacher. Like Yajnavalkya, Prajapati views the self in lines of consciousness. He personally portrays atman as an agent which is responsible for cognizing and sensing. On the other hand, regardless of some similarities between him and Yajnavalkya in atman teaching, Prajapati rejects some of his points. The teaching of Prajapati is given in terms of his philosophy to Indra who is considered a god that takes place throughout a number of episodes in a period of over a century. Prajapatis first teaching delineated self as a material body that drives Indra away hoping that he had learnt the true atman teaching. Just before returning to other gods, Indra recognizes that these teachings are untrue, and goes back to Prajapati to be taught more. This trend goes on for a number of times before Prajapati in the end presenting atman as the one that is always aware as his ultimate and true teaching. Some of the teachings which Prajapati gives as incomplete or false are atman description in context of dreamless sleep. Yajnavalkya described this self teaching as the uppermost goal and the main bliss in his teaching to King Janaka. Possibly the most renowned self teachings in the brahman and atman identification was conveyed by Sandilya in the Upanishad of Chandogya. Comparable to the word atman, brahman has numerous different but related implications in the Vedic literature. The ancient word usages are closely related to the influence of speech. According to Brahman, it meant a truthful speech or dominant statement. Brahman still retains this correlation with speech in the Upanishads and eventually comes to refer to this reality too. Sandilya starts his teaching by saying that brahman refers to the whole world. He further gives an explanation of what takes place to the public during death period as in line with their resolve in this humankind. Sandilya describes atman in different ways and equates him with Brahman. He says that self (atman) that is within his heart was brahman. On his disappearance from this world, he would enter into it. As a consequence, if a person recognizes brahman as the whole world and that the self as brahman, then that person turns into the whole world during death. Even though the teaching of Sandilya about atman and brahman is frequently regarded as the central Upanishads doctrine, it is vital to keep in mind that this does not make the only characterization of ultimate of reality or the self. Whereas some teachers like Yajnavalkya, also associate atman with brahman, teachers like Uddalaka Aruni, do not create such assumption. In fact, Uddalaka, whose famous phrase tat tvam asi is usually a statement of the brahman and atman identity by Sankara, he by no means uses the expression of the Brahman. Even in his teaching to Svetaketu who is his son and on some of his numerous Upanishads appearances (Deussen 33). Furthermore, it is habitually unclear, even in the teaching of Sandilya, whether or not relating atman to brahman denote to the complete self identity and ultimate reality or if atman is believed to be a quality or aspect of brahman. These types of debates regarding the way to interpret the Upanishads teachings have persistent all through t he philosophical tradition of India and are principally Vedenta darsanas characteristic. Besides, while the majority of brahmans teachings make assumptions that the universe came from one undifferentiated theoretical cosmic principle, several passages explains creation from a materialist viewpoint, relating the world as rising from an original natural element like air or water. For example, the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad has a teaching accredited to the Kauravyayanis son that portrays brahman as being equivalent to space ( Easwaran and Nagler 18). The Brhadaranyaka Upanishads section comprises of a passage that describes the world as starting from water. Correspondingly, Raikva in the Chandogya Upanishad draws the worlds beginnings to microcosmic breath and cosmic sphere wind. Despite the distinctions among various conceptions of teachers of atman about the self, there exist various general tendencies. The majority of the Upanishads philosophers believe that atman resides within the body only when it is still alive. They assume that atman is responsible for keeping the body alive, and it does not perish when the entire body dies, instead it finds a residence in another persons body. Yajnavalkya gives details that when a caterpillar reaches the end of a grass blade when it takes one more step, it collects itself together. In the same way the self (atman), after throwing down the body along with having drove out ignorance, to take another step, it collects itself together (Hume 7). These portrayals of atman have been a catalyst for selfhood of Buddhist conceptions in the early hours of Upanishads. The Buddhists overtly rejected all notions of an unchanging and inseparable Self without introducing the phrase no-self (anatman in Sanskrit; anatta in Pali) to illustrate the deficiency in any fixed soul, but also to clarify karmic connection from one generation to the next in context of five skandhas. Five skandhas is a theory upholding that what the thinkers of Upanishads mistake as a cohesive self is really composed of five components that are focus to change. Other than the pure influences of philosophical, the Buddhist texts in the early hours utilized numerous metaphors, tropes and mythical scenarios that were Upanishadic characteristic. For instance, the Samannaphala and Ambattha Suttas in the Upanishads, share related structures of narrative among stories. These literary borrowings merged with influences of philosophy designate that the Buddhists in the early days who had changed from families of brahmin recognized the Upanishads much faster. Though the immediate Upanishads influence on the Buddhist tradition took place mainly in the early era. Upanishads knowledge wipes out ignorance which is the Samsara seed. Shad in this context means to destroy or shatter and through getting knowledge of the Upanishads a person is capable of sitting next to Brahman to reach Self-realization. Thats why the name Upanishad that implies Brahman knowledge, leads to Brahman and also facilitates aspirants to achieve Brahman. Two ideas govern the Upanishads teaching: the first one denotes the final emancipation which can be reached only through Ultimate Reality knowledge, or Brahman. The second one involves those who are endowed with the four ways of salvation, Vairagya (dispassion), Viveka, (discrimination), Mumukshutva (yearning for liberation) and Shad-Sampat (the six-fold treasure; etc.), can acquire Brahman. The Upanishads educate the philosophy of utter unity. In accordance with the Upanishads, the mens goal is the recognition of Brahman. Self-realization by itself has the capability of driving out ignorance and presenting immortality, everlasting peace and eternal bliss. Brahman Knowledge can remove all delusion, sorrows and soreness. Vedanta is usually set aside for those people who have unchained themselves from the chains of reserved religion. Upanishads are only meant for the chosen few that are fit and creditable to be given the instructions. Conclusion There study has been identified that no any other book exists in the entire world that is as soul-stirring, inspiring as well as breathtaking as the Upanishad. The Upanishads philosophical teachings have been the source of comfort for many people in the West and the East. Moreover, it is shown that the Upanishads offer a vivid depiction of the Atman nature and the Supreme Soul in different ways and explain suitable techniques that assist in attaining the everlasting Brahman which is the utmost Purusha.

Ernest Hemingway and Fitzgerald on the Expatriate Experiance Essay exam

Hemingway and Fitzgerald on the Expatriate Experiance "You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed with sex. You spend all your time talking, not working. You are an expatriate, see?" (Sun Also Rises, 115)1 Paris in the 1920's was a place that seemed to embody dynamic artistic achievement. Many of the great artists of modernist movements were either there or had passed through at some point. It became the living embodiment of the old joke "So Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Modigliani walk into a bar..." For Americans traveling to Paris after the war with artistic intentions, it was a win-win situation: Freedom from stultifying artistic conventions and the burgeoning corporate culture, and life in a bohemian community with cheap francs, an old order debunked by the war, and an already established network of expatriate heavy hitters (Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound). Even among the American expatriate class, however, there was a division between groups. There were those who went to Paris to fully immerse themselves in the bohemian lifestyle (even if part of it was more show than reality) and interact and bicker with other self-proclaimed artists, while the other went to Paris due to its burgeoning reputation as a place to see and be seen among the literati (much like the latest trendy eatery in Los Angeles). Some were there for the art, others for the atmosphere. Hemingway, in his retrospective "A Movable Feast", would consider himself a staunch member of the former and Fitzgerald a hopeless member of the latter. While Paris had a crucial formative effect on Hemingway that it did not have on Fitzgerald, it would be... ...n R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, St. Martin's Press, 1998 4. http://ntsrv2000.educ.ualberta.ca/nethowto/examples/bradley/mansfiel/paris.htm 5. http://www.lib.unc.edu/rbc/french_expatriates/paris.html [1] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg 1 [2] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg 6 [3] 5 [4] Hemingway, Ernest A Moveable Feast, pg 69 [5] Hemingway, Ernest A Moveable Feast, pg 35-36 [6] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg 233 [7] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg 167 [8] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg Ernest Hemingway and Fitzgerald on the Expatriate Experiance Essay exam Hemingway and Fitzgerald on the Expatriate Experiance "You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed with sex. You spend all your time talking, not working. You are an expatriate, see?" (Sun Also Rises, 115)1 Paris in the 1920's was a place that seemed to embody dynamic artistic achievement. Many of the great artists of modernist movements were either there or had passed through at some point. It became the living embodiment of the old joke "So Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Modigliani walk into a bar..." For Americans traveling to Paris after the war with artistic intentions, it was a win-win situation: Freedom from stultifying artistic conventions and the burgeoning corporate culture, and life in a bohemian community with cheap francs, an old order debunked by the war, and an already established network of expatriate heavy hitters (Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound). Even among the American expatriate class, however, there was a division between groups. There were those who went to Paris to fully immerse themselves in the bohemian lifestyle (even if part of it was more show than reality) and interact and bicker with other self-proclaimed artists, while the other went to Paris due to its burgeoning reputation as a place to see and be seen among the literati (much like the latest trendy eatery in Los Angeles). Some were there for the art, others for the atmosphere. Hemingway, in his retrospective "A Movable Feast", would consider himself a staunch member of the former and Fitzgerald a hopeless member of the latter. While Paris had a crucial formative effect on Hemingway that it did not have on Fitzgerald, it would be... ...n R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, St. Martin's Press, 1998 4. http://ntsrv2000.educ.ualberta.ca/nethowto/examples/bradley/mansfiel/paris.htm 5. http://www.lib.unc.edu/rbc/french_expatriates/paris.html [1] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg 1 [2] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg 6 [3] 5 [4] Hemingway, Ernest A Moveable Feast, pg 69 [5] Hemingway, Ernest A Moveable Feast, pg 35-36 [6] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg 233 [7] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg 167 [8] Kennedy, J. Gerald and Bryer, Jackson R. French Connections: Hemingway and Fizgerald Abroad, pg

Atwoods Tricks With Mirrors as a Declaration of Female Independence Es

Atwood's Tricks With Mirrors as a Declaration of Female Independence Relationships are complex things, with ever-changing dynamics. Some traditional roles are always played in the constant search for balance between giving and taking in relationships. Women have historically and stereotypically played the role of "giver" in male-female romantic unions. In recent years the gender laws of relationships have been changing and evolving, but even as recently as the 1970s and 1980s women have been restricted to the role of complacent giver in their relationships. Their freedom of thought and even private speech have been impossible to repress, however, and through broadening that communication, things have been forced into change. A perfect example of this form of communication as an attempt to change the role-playing games of relationships is Margaret Atwood's 1974 poem, "Tricks With Mirrors." Through the use of poetic devices such as metaphor and tone in "Tricks with Mirrors," Atwood attempts to explain and break free from the restrictions of these tradit ional dynamics in relationships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Part I of the poem, Atwood uses a seemingly vague introduction to the subject matter, but gets straight to the point. Within five lines, she distinctly identifies her role as a mirror as she says, "I enter with you / and become a mirror," (lines 4-5). She gives the impression that she is merely an object in this relationship - she is a mirror through which her self-absorbed lover may view himself. "Mirrors / are the perfect lovers," she states (lines 6-7). They show a constant and loyal reflection to whoever may stand in front of them. She is objectifying herself as she tells her lover to carry her carefully up the stairs and to ... ...She uses her tone of voice and the metaphors of mirrors and pools to make her case for freedom. Atwood's speaker is merely an object trapped in a relationship in which she serves only to reflect her lover to himself - and she no longer wishes to remain as such. She is seemingly ever patient in her endeavors, and continues to give throughout her quiet rebellion. All her lover ever does is take from her what he pleases - a faithful reflection of what he wishes to see in himself. Atwood defines these traditional roles in relationships while forming her opposition to the nature of these unfair dynamics. "Tricks with Mirrors" is almost an anthem for the oppressed woman - a statement that calmly explains a situation that needs to be changed. A deeper message may be found in the poem, however, as she conveys her detached unhappiness - do not become a mirror, she tells us.

The Dominican Republic Stock Exchange :: Spanish Essays

The Dominican Republic Stock Exchange La Bolsa de Valores: Conceptos En nuestro idioma y en nuestros medios, existen palabras que son sencillamente eso, la expresià ³n de una idea precisa, y existen otros tipos de palabras que nos hacen pensar en una implicacià ³n mà ¡s allà ¡ de lo que realmente expresa esa palabra. Asà ­ en el mundo actual cuando decimos invertir en algo pensamos en un resultado final, que es el lucro, o para ponerlo mà ¡s claro sacar el mayor rendimiento de nuestro dinero a travà ©s de esa inversià ³n. Ahora bien, si se nos ocurre decir vamos a especular con tal o cual cosa inmediatamente hay una connotacià ³n que implica que vamos a tomar un riesgo, y en la mayorà ­a de los casos se toma esta palabra con un sentido totalmente negativo. Si buscamos estas palabras en un diccionario encontraremos que tienen algo de similitud. La definicià ³n de Invertir es: comerciar, traficar, procurar provecho o ganancia. Especular se define como: operacià ³n comercial que se practica con mercaderà ­as, valores, o efectos pà ºblicos con la idea de obtener lucro. El inversionista que acude a la Bolsa de Valores, se puede catalogar como un especulador, la gran diferencia es que es un especulador racional, porque tiene el poder de estudiar y decidir cuà ¡l serà ­a su mejor inversià ³n y para eso hay muchas opciones. En la Bolsa de Valores las inversiones se hacen a travà ©s de muchos tipos diferentes de instrumentos, que el ingenio, y la inteligencia del hombro ha ideado, y los cuales dependiendo de las culturas de los diferentes paà ­ses en donde operan las Bolsas de Valores, se adecuan a las leyes y normas regulativas de cada nacià ³n. Asà ­ se puede encontrar instrumentos de alto riesgo, mediano riesgo y bajo riesgo. El especulador racional que invierte en la Bolsa tiene la oportunidad de analizar estos riesgos y decidir quà © tipo de inversià ³n desea realizar.  ¿Quà © es una Bolsa de Valores? La forma mà ¡s simple posible en que se puede definir la Bolsa de Valores es la siguiente: lugar donde se reà ºnen ofertantes y demandantes de los tà ­tulos de valores para poner en venta y/o comprar tà ­tulos de valores. Los tà ­tulos de valores son las acciones que representan el capital de una empresa; las obligaciones que representan instrumentos de deuda a largo plazo de una empresa; y cualquier otro tipo de instrumento o tà ­tulos que se emiten para ser comercializados en la Bolsa de Valores. En nuestro paà ­s la Bolsa de Valores de Santo Domingo Inc.

The Law Making Process in Congress

In USA the political arena is dominated by two political parties namely the Democrats and the Republicans. Each of the two parties has significant bearing in the governance of US. In them are bred the presidential candidates. When the president wins the elections, it is either because of the Democrats party or because of the Republicans party. What the party does is offering the technical and financial support during the presidential campaigns in form of fund-raising and organizing of the campaign activities (Bacevich, 2009)Out of them will also be born the law makers since they act as a vehicle in which the politicians travel into the senate or the house to make laws. The governments at the city, provincial and national levels are composed by members of law makers who emanate from the political parties. Upon getting into their offices the leaders who were elected from the political parties in US are taken to the noble task of setting up the government strategic plans they will then form judicial system in the government to oversee the constitutional matters including the legal matters as well.It is the also the role of the political parties to furnish the congress with the senators whose hands the public bills pass for approval as laws. The senators can kill the bill or approve it and leave it for presidential decision. The ministers, supervisors and financiers in public offices come from these political parties. The government departments that play pivotal role in the US make up the ministries which are spearheaded by the ministers and supervisors. They therefore have great influence here. (Beard, 1920)Consequently, in the event of enforcing their mandate in the law making process, the individual politicians earn a great deal of benefits. When they see a potential gain in a particular bill to be enacted, they have nothing but to bulldoze it through the obstacles into being a law. When the bill will potentially take something from them, they suppress and kill it. If defeated, they weaken it with amendments (Schmidt ,2008). Besides, as a way of assuring their constituents of their worthy action in the house or senate, they introduce the public bills quite often.By so doing they win the favor of the public and build good grounds for the next election. The Law making process in Congress What gets into the congress as a bill meets a set of steps set to try it out and validate it as a law. These trials mainly done by the law makers in the Senate or the House, sometimes with inclusion of the public or the lobbyists. The steps they subject the bill to makes a total of nine, along which the fate of whether the bill will make it to be a law will be judged.Each step is almost a roadblock to the bill and in most cases, the bill that makes it to a law does so having been distorted through amendments (Hamilton, 2004). The first step introduces the bill into the house or the senate as a new number, denoted as ‘HR’ if introduced to the hou se or ‘S’ if to the senate. Here, the number and the influential ability of the senators introducing the bill have a bearing on its fate. The second step subjects the bill to a blazing fire of a committee which in turn toughens its influence on the bill by assigning it to yet another fire of Sub committee that it selects.If the bill survives death in the hands of the Sub committee, it gets to the committee level. If it survives the second time, it gets approved into the full chamber in the congress. The survival of the bill is owed to the kind of committee spearheading its approval. It could be friendly or not (Schmidt et. al, 2008). The bill then has to secure a place in the agenda for discussion in the House. Placing it on the agenda is the work of Rules Committee drawn from the senior members of each party.As in the name, they give the bill the rule or procedure with which it can be discussed. The bill then proceeds to the fourth step in the full chamber where all th e senators throw in cards in the process of making the amendments in the bill. The participation in this is however restricted depending on whether the bill goes through the open rule or the closed rule. The source of the rule dictates this. In the former any legislator in the house can amend while in the latter the committee member reporting it makes the amendment.Then it enters the 5th step in the senate where, like in the House of Representatives has to go through the same committees with the exception of the rules committee. The passage through this takes it to the floor of the senate where it can be discussed by the full chamber. This step through the other chamber is calling since it can kill the bill if the senators chose to take longer time in discussing it. The bill then gets to the conference committee which harmonizes its form at the house and at the senate to come up with the form that can be accepted by the president.Then it gets into further refinery at the congress by both chambers for acceptance changes or rejection. The accepted bill is sent to the president who will approve, veto or do nothing. The veto may be overridden by two thirds voting from each chamber of congress. The functions and powers of the president The functions of the US president lie within his execution of powers that he has. Being the head of state, he is considered the commander in chief of the armed forces. This mainly gives him a better hand in commanding the defense of the state from external attacks.He also basks in the glory of forgiving federal criminals especially during public functions. He is the one whose call is heard by the congress when there is need for a special session. During the national functions and the international meetings, the president speaks on behalf of the nation, receive ambassadors from other nations. When the US laws have been passed in the house, it is the duty of the president to ensure that they are enforced. The work of appointing officia ls within the executive arm of the government as well as judges in the judicial arm is also a reserve for the president.It is him who is responsible for signing agreements with other nations. In the senate, the president will be the final man to approve the law. Therein, he can sign it, veto it or do nothing to it. This has great implication on the bills. With all these many responsibilities, the nation grants him powers accordingly. In his executive position, he is the man with the power to enforce the law, to make appointments in the executive branch and the senate, to remove officers, to enjoy executive privileges besides commanding the armed forces (Schmidt et. l, 2008).In the legislature, he influence a lot in the law making process, either in calling for meeting or approving laws. The judiciary gives him the powers of appointing the judges and pardoning criminals who have been judged. The president can declare the state of emergency if he sees the government is in a pending da nger. President is one with the power in ensuring the financial stability of the country in addition to maintaining good relationship with foreign nations (Forman, 2008).

A Streetcar Named Desire and Top Girl Essay

â€Å"Man†¦cannot learn to forget, but hangs on to the past: however far or fast he runs that chain runs with him.†- Friedrich Nietzsche (German-Swiss philosopher and writer). In the light of Nietzsche’s opinion, compare and contrast the presentation of the past as a limiting factor to the identities of the female protagonists in ‘A Streetcar named Desire’ and ‘Top Girls’ Williams and Churchill present the past as a haunting spectre that threatens the characters progress in their future life. Both playwrights construct the past as an emerging chain that, parasitic like, has clinged onto the protagonists’ present and immobilised the characters ability to function and progress. The retroactive structure of Top Girls reinforces this. Marlene attempts to escape her working class roots in the city office, but the chain of her past, her daughter Angie, imprisons her in this very environment she seeks to flee. Blanche Dubois seeks refuge in her sister’s world in an attempt to release herself from the chains of her past; presenting herself as a ‘Southern Belle’ in search of a gentleman and holding on to Old Southern traditional values: she is always incongruous to New Orleans and the future America. Initially, both playwrights present the past as a route of future imprisonment for the characters. The initial exposition of Blanche’s marriage and widowing is demonstrated through the constant symbolic sound of the traditional polish Polka; also revealing Blanche’s extreme sensitivity as a woman, to her past and vulnerability as how ‘man cannot forget’. Blanche is glued to her past suffering, and deliberately forces herself to believe that her previous experiences no longer i ntimidates her, but deep down, her remembrances haunt her, infiltrating in her present and future through the subtle sound of the disruptive Polka music, slowly becoming more and more frequent, leading up to the climax point towards the end, where Blanche reaches her tragic ‘self-destruction’, where her brother in law rapes her. The texture of the polka music creates an enhanced contextual setting of the play, where the audience gains a clearer perspective of how the past reflects on the construction of each characters psyche. Blanche ‘cannot forget’ her past, but chooses to ‘hang on to it’. Her choice of constantly remembering the sound of the Polka, is a reflection of her hesitation of wanting to progress; Blanche is her own enemy, therefore being her own barrier to overcome past dilemmas. NOT SURE WHAT ELSE TO ADD Churchill presents lies as a means of liberation for Blanche. When speaking to Stella, she laughs at â€Å"myself, myself for being such a liar. I’m writing to Shep.† Blanche unambiguously admits that she in fact, is a liar; the repetition of the personal pronoun â€Å"myself† emphasises the irony in her statement; Blanche is very well aware of her past, and so chooses to lie to avoid any future consequences through exposing the truth. â€Å"†¦neurotic and corrupted, hiding from herself behind artificial illusions.† as described by Christopher Innes in John Russel Brown (ed.) 1995: 422 Blanche is face to face with Stella, she is desperate for some Alcohol and compulsively searches Stella’s house for some liquor, â€Å"I know you must have some liquor on the place!† Blanche evidently seems to feel no shame of having a â€Å"drink† near Stella but â€Å"nervously† tamps her â€Å"cigarette† however, suddenly, further in the scene, Blanche negates a drink, when stanley arrives home from work, â€Å"No, I – rarely touch it.† and lies to Stanley as â€Å"(He holds the bottle to the light to observe its depletion.)† as he has noticed that someone has drunk some liquor. Blanche clearly feels intimidated and ashamed in having â€Å"some liquor† in the presence of the Alpha male, Stanley Kowalski, and denies the drink; however, Stanley has already seen through Blanche’s pretence and comments, â€Å"some people rarely touch it, but it touches them often†. Blanche is fully aware that the first impressions are the ones that stay, especially as she has a necessity to impress men, so she knows that if she accepts the drink and has it near Stanley, her reputation as a â€Å"Southern Belle† will be destroyed. However, Blanche seems to be quite flattered to have Stanley’s attention; and without a doubt, realises that Stanley is flirting with her, and automatically switches to her ‘past’ seductive self which she initially tried to cover up. The promptness in which Blanche reacts and gives in to Stanleys’ seductive methods, clearly shows how she cannot resist being a ‘fake’ but, cannot help but giving in to her old, past desires. Critic JJ Thompson argues that Blanche is â€Å"trapped by the sins of her past,† which to an extent is true as Blanche may not have needed to create a fake past if she had not done anything wrong. She is desperate to conceal the truth about her previous record of prostitution and promiscuity. However, it is not in fact her sins that trap her, but her desire to hold on to the values of the old south, as society demands spinsters to be the â€Å"visible manifestation of the Southern gentility and purity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We have no clear trace of Stanley’s past, or what leads him into acting in such an manipulative manner, however, in contrast with Blanche, he does not show any signs of being ‘chained’ to his previous experiences, but shows some sort of complexity in his character, as he intimidates Blanche causing some sort of disruption in her care-free lies. This complexion could be the fact that Stanley’s apparent broken character is simply a male instinct of power possession and pride as a man. Critic Londrà © argues that Williams â€Å"intended a balance of power between Blanche and Stanley, to show that both are complex figures whose wants and behaviours must be understood in the context of what is at stake for them.† Felicia H. Londrà © in M.C. Rouande 1997: 50. At stake for both is something essentially selfish- escape for Blanche, sexual satisfaction and dominance for Stanley. Equally in Top Girls, Marlene’s sister Joyce clings on to her past. She still criticises Marlene’s judgement by accusing her that â€Å"I don’t know how you could leave your own child†. By referring still to Angie as Marlene’s child, suggests that Joyce has not accepted the past and this leads to the growth of her resentment and bitterness, and these sentiments are articulated through the monosyllabic tone of the language. Joyce seems to be imprisoned by her past as she has no means of prospering. The womanly domestic environment becomes Joyce’s biggest limitation and the ending, implies that she is enduringly trapped in the past, leaving her with no hope for the future. The stage direction â€Å"Marlene goes. Joyce goes on sitting,† allows the audience to perceive the visual impact the past has created between the mother-daughter relationship, and once again referring back to the post-feminist criticism of Feminist abandoning their concept of sisterhood and embracing a more materialistic society, who care ab out the individual, much like Margret Thatcher’s ideology. Blanche however, uses the figure of Shep Huntleigh to re-establish him as a potential date instead of recalling the past and classifying him as a failed lover in her life. Even though, this can be seen as a weakness of Blanche, she has not released â€Å"the chain† of her past but simply ‘covering the dirt up with the carpet’. Blanche feels enlightened through her ‘untrue’ past which is obvious as she laughs at herself. The tragic protagonist is all too aware of her lies, and seems to be gaining some sort of pleasure through her fake truths, which shows that Blanche is ultimately â€Å"just as phony as can be†. She cannot let go from her desire to be a delicate southern belle, who relies on the â€Å"kindness of strangers† like poor old Mitch, Stanley’s friend (not sure on how I can build on it without losing my point); rather than face her reality of being an ageing, penniless prostitute with a corrupt reputation. Blanche is far from being trapped by her sins; she is trapped by her desires, not for sexual satisfaction but for the past. Churchill also illustrates how the past can set the characters ‘free’. In Act 1, the protagonist Marlene gathers women who suffer with their past together, to feel liberated through sharing their experiences. This is an uncommon part of the play and though we do not know exactly where and when it takes place, we are aware that all the women in this scene are from the past of literature, art and history. Marlene’s story is ironically told through the historical character of Patient Griselda implying her promotion at work, Pope Joan taking over a male role as Marlene had in the office, Dull Gret fighting men, Isabella Bird leaving home and her family behind to independently travel and the historic character from Japan, Lady Nijo, who grew in an imperial court, as one that has her motherhood nature, debilitated due to her three traumas with child abduction; â€Å" taken the child† from the own father, the Emperor, â€Å"I saw my daughter once.† Marlene, the protagonist hosts a dinner party for her friends, where here, all the six women have the chance to share their ‘past’ experiences. When Nijo begins to recall her tragic history, her speech becomes more fragmented and the characters interrupt less while she talks about her past, â€Å"it hurts to remember the past† admits Lady Nijo. By gathering these persistent women in a celebration of Marlene’s job promotion, transmits a message that for the present to be fully valued, the past has to be reviewed. If Lady Nijo had not gone through her losses with her children, she had not learnt the value of being a mother, an independent woman and bearing children, leading her into being a Buddhist monk and living her life completely please herself and benefit her well-being. Marlene says, â€Å"how far we’ve all come†. This comment switches the past form regret to thankfulness of emerging from prejudice against women. The use of the pronoun â€Å"we† demonstrates that this progression is one that all women make together, supporting a feminist reading of the play as one which would argue that women build on successes of women of the past to achieve in future. Churchill presents women in Thatcherite Britain who are trying to establish a future focus, a new society where women were able to be in power. Blanche is too afraid to embrace this attitude to the past; it was essential in 1947 as America needed to establish a forward focus following the war, where the suffering past that women once went through, no longer hindered them in taking a stand. Alternatively, it can be argued that the past actually limits the female protagonists in both Top Girls and A Streetcar Named Desire. The structure of Top Girls reinforces this argument as the retroactive structure implies the past of these characters keep chasing after again and again, being unable to look towards the future, being barred by their past. Protagonist, Marlene ends up in her working class, domestic space and the past- which is ironic as she defines her success against her capacity to escape these things, which suggests that her success is not as valid as it might seem. Streetcar on the contrary, uses a linear structure where the action escalates towards the vertex, yet the characters such as Blanche cannot progress but tragically end up disheartened, owed to the past that limits her. Blanche does not accept the new world and holds on to her old world values of the past. Both playwrights therefore present unlike perceptions on the role of the past; Williams sees it as a form of escape and to move forward from, whereas Churchill insists on evaluating the impact it has on the present, as we end up re-examining Marlene’s success, rather than looking to the future.

Jane Eyre and Social Class Essay

Life is made up of routines and patterns. Every human being has their own unique system of how they carry themselves through the day. These systems are how we survive, and they tend to become part of our subconscious. But there are those who get so caught up in their own conformity that daily life becomes much more demanding than it should be. The results of this perpetual routine can cause someone to forget who they are as a person, and what they are meant to do outside of daily life. Due to the foreboding repetition of their own daily lives, the protagonists in both Hamlet and Waiting for Godot neglect their true purpose, which suggests holding back can be destructive to oneself. In Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon experience each day as it passes without any happenings and with this transition comes their demise. The pair can be described as two interchangeable characters who share the same routine. Even from the beginning of the play, Vladimir and Estragon often argue back and forth. VLADIMIR. It hurts? ESTRAGON. Hurts? He wants to know if it hurts! VLADIMIR. No one ever suffers but you. I don’t count. I’d like to hear what you’d say if you had what I have. ESTRAGON. It hurts? VLADIMIR. It hurts! He wants to know if it hurts! (Beckett 3). Textual repetition between the two is already a sign of something repeating in the lives of our protagonists. Following the basic structure of all stories there is conflict, and with conflict comes the desire to leave. ESTRAGON. Let’s go. VLADIMIR. We can’t. ESTRAGON. Why not? VLADIMIR. We’re waiting for Godot. (Beckett 8). The act of waiting is redefined by the two men who do it day by day. There is no evidence of whom or what Godot is, or what he means to the men. We do not see that there are any physical barriers that are preventing Vladimir and Estragon from getting up and moving on with their lives. All that matters is that everything in the finite lives of these two men depends on the arrival of this mysterious figure. A radical version of Vladimir and Estragon is seen in the characters of Pozzo and Lucky, who have a daily reappearance in the lives of Vladimir and Estragon. Pozzo is the extreme version of Vladimir, since he is the impulsive, more right-brained one. Lucky is the extreme version of Estragon, since he is the left-brained, more intellectual of the two. However, they represent getting through life with someone else just like Estragon and Vladimir. Relating Pozzo and Lucky even more so to Vladimir and Estragon, Pozzo also has a moment of doubt as to whether or not he shall leave this place. â€Å"I don’t seem to be able†¦ (long hesitation)†¦ to depart.† (Beckett 50). The uncertainty of leaving anticipates the same way that Vladimir and Estragon are left waiting at the end of each act. Despite actually admitting that he can’t seem to leave, Pozzo actually does manage to leave, unlike Vladimir and Estragon who remain even as the curtain falls. In Pozzo and Lucky there is an extreme reflection of Vladimir and Estragon, while the messenger represents false hope. He comes only to tell the pair â€Å"Mr. Godot told me to tell you he won’t come this evening but certainly to-morrow.† (Beckett 55). After learning of this, Vladimir and Estragon acknowledge that they both want to leave. The dialogue of â€Å"We’re waiting for Godot† repeats, yet the fact that â€Å"Godot† is not coming tonight is still not strong enough for them to take any direct action. Instead they are left to wait upon their fate from someone or something else to act on. As Hamlet becomes more obsessed with avenging his father, he begins to see more of his own downfall as time passes. Seeing the ghost of his father raises Hamlet’s suspicions of the whole kingdom. Thinking that people will write it off as grief, Hamlet acts strangely, hoping that this will help him catch Cladius as the one who murdered his father. But all this acting and waiting takes up precious time that Hamlet simply does not have, especially as a prince who is not living up to all of his potential. At the same time,  his lover, Ophelia, is forbidden to see him. Ophelia’s father Polonius takes notice of Hamlet’s apparent madness, and tells the king and queen â€Å"Your noble son is mad/ Mad I call it /for, to define true madness, / what is’t but to be nothing else but mad?† (II.ii.92-94). Now it is more about just Hamlet acting mad as a means of trying to catch Cladius, but his madness becomes so realistic that other people in the kingdom take n otice. When Cladius later inquires Hamlet about his state of mind, he replies that he is â€Å"Excellent, i’faith/of the chameleon’s dish/ I eat the air/ promise-crammed† (III.ii.84-86). Since it is not the typical response one would give when one is asked about how they are doing, it only serves to further confirm the fear that Hamlet is going mad. These outrageous acts only push Hamlet further away from his true self. The central point of Hamlet’s waiting and delaying of action is expressed with his â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy. A significant amount of time is passing, and Hamlet has thus seen the ghost of his father and knows what he must do. Yet he asks himself about suicide, and weighs the moral outcomes of living and dying. â€Å"Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/ And, by opposing, end them?† (HAM.III.i.58-61). Even when he considers suicide as a viable option, he questions what happens in the afterlife. If Hamlet therefore chooses to not commit suicide, is he delaying a possibly better life after he dies? He then turns to philosophy as a way to choose between killing Cladius or killing himself. But either path he chooses won’t end or solve his misery. â€Å"And enterprises of great pith and moment/With this regard their currents turn awry,/And lose the name of action.† (HAM. III.i.87-89). With Hamlet, it is evident that despite how miserable he is, he continually ignores any sort of action that can be taken to put an end to this misery. He forgets that he is still the prince and has a significant say it what can be done. The true Hamlet and his purpose are so far gone from his mind that he contemplates things such as suicide. He waits too long for an outside action to push him forward in the right direction, instead of taking the first step himself. In order to deal with the tasks of regular life, humans have been known to  set up routines of how they believe they should go about their day. Each pattern is unique, and they nearly always consist of repetition. These systems become a part of us as we go on. But when routines become more than just something we follow and they become who a person is, life becomes a lot more difficult than it needs to be. In both Hamlet and Waiting for Godot, the protagonists become their routines, and in this they destroy themselves and lose sight of their true purpose. The product of their blindness to the outside contaminates their souls and leaves them trapped in their own destructive ways. Works Cited Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove, 1954. Print. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Washington Square, 1992. Print. The New Folger Library Shakespeare. Due to the foreboding repetition of their own daily lives, the protagonists in both Hamlet and Waiting for Godot neglect their true purpose, which suggests holding back can be destructive to oneself. In Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon experience each day as it passes without any happenings and with this transition comes their demise. As Hamlet becomes more obsessed with avenging his father, he begins to see more of his own downfall as time passes. The product of their blindness to the outside contaminates their souls and leaves them trapped in their own destructive ways.