Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Context and principles for early years provision Essay

1.1 Within a setting practitioners have to follow and refer to all relevant early years framework. This framework is relevant to all children aged 0-5 who attend a playgroup, preschool or a nursery/ reception class at school. The framework clearly sets out all the legal requirements that the practitioners must meet. In section 2 of the framework the legal requirements relating to a child’s learning and development are explained and set out. This section explains the early learning goals, educational programmes and assessment arrangements. Section 3 of the EYFS framework explains the legal requirements regarding a child’s welfare. This section sets out principles and requirements about safeguarding and promoting a child’s welfare, what suitable environment, setting and equipment would consist of and the organisation/ documentation regarding the child and their education. This framework provides guidance for practitioners which allows them access to useful advice and detailed information when supporting a child’s learning, development and welfare. This help them to improve their practice which helps give children a better start to their life in education as the practitioner will understand how to help them move forward with their learning and development yet still be safe and comfortable within the setting. Practitioners would be able to refer to national guidelines such as Ofsted. Guidelines are used by practitioners to help them bring out the best and care for the children in their care. The guidelines such as the EYFS framework set out clear information and cover all aspects of a child’s safety, health, development, welfare and so on. They help to point practitioners to success and efficient practice when working with children. 1.2Â  There are different approaches that can be taken by a practitioner when they are working with children in the early years. There are theories that were carried out by educational pioneers that stood up for what children need. These theories are still referred to and used in practice today. One of the educational pioneers is Maria Montessori and she worked with children who had learning difficulties. She spent a lot of her time observing children. Her theory was that every child is unique, in comparison to adults and other children, and that their individuality must be respected throughout the education process. She believed that if a child was placed in the correct environment they children would ‘normalize’. This means that they will develop into whole, peaceful adults with love of learning. She devised a structured teaching programme based on her observations. By doing this she designed, what she called, didactic materials. These encouraged children to use their hand and help them move onto more complex exercises. Maria thought it was important that children learnt how to work independently when they were young so that they can maintain that skill throughout their lives. Maria Montessori theory is used more in private schools. A way that schools use her theory is by teaching the children to become independent and learn to do things for themselves and by themselves at a young age. They send children home with homework so that they work independently at home away from the teachers or other children’s help and are encouraged to only seek the help of their parents when the y need help to understand the homework. This then helps the practitioner assess the child’s knowledge and helps them become aware of the areas they need more help with. Observations are used within a school regularly to determine what stages a child is at. Practitioners will then evaluate these observations to come up with teaching programmes and ways in which they can promote certain areas of development and learning. The high scope approach encourages children to make their own decisions when it comes to activities within a setting. This helps to encourage independent and active learning getting the children involved when practitioners are planning, carrying out and reviewing activities. The key features of the high scope approach are active learning- children learn best by being involved and being active; personal initiative- children have a desire to learn and develop; consistency- this helps children to become confident, independent learners; Relationships- children need to feel happy, comfortable and secure; Partnership- practitioners need to be able to build a strong relationship which children parents and to achieve and the appropriate curri culum- children need to be guided by a curriculum that suits their development and learning. All of these features are used within a setting every day. My setting follows all the key features of the high scope approach. For example the practitioners are always vibrant, enthusiastic and warming allowing them to build effective relationships with children and their parents. They carry out all sorts of activities and follow a curriculum that promotes all areas of development and learning. They have a range of different toys, materials and resources to help them make fun but educational ways of encouraging a child’s development and learning. This helps a child to blossom and grow the best way they can yet still be excited about continuing their learning. 1.3Â  Every child within a setting has individual needs and between children these needs will vary. A child’s individuality, ideas and feelings need to be valued and respected by practitioners as well as other children. This is an important aspect of developing a personal and individual approach to a child’s learning and development. There are needs that apply to all children within in a setting. Some of these are physical needs such as food, drink and shelter so that they are healthy, warm and safe. They also have psychological needs such as affection, comfort and love as these feelings will allow the children to build stable relationships and friendships. This will help the child develop a personality and will allow them to let their individuality shine and develop and share their own ideas and feelings. Intellectual, stimulation and independence are all needs that need to be full filled by every child. However, children have independent needs. For example, a child that has got a cough may have been to the doctors and been prescribed some medicine to help them recover. This child would then have to rely on the practitioner to remember when they need to take the medicine and how much they need to take. When practitioners are recognising and attempting to meet a child’s needs they have to take into consideration the child’s age, gender, maturity, their emotional development, intellectual abilities, social skills, past experiences and the relationships they have built with others. Practitioners should experiment different activities and ways to full fill children’s needs; this will help them to decide what they enjoy. It will also give them the chance to be imaginative and develop in different areas in several ways.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

The Fashion Channel Case

Introduction The Fashion Channel is losing highly valued viewers to competitors, causing a projected decrease in advertising revenue. TFH needs a plan to improve its ratings and increase its advertising revenue. We recommend that TFH implement scenario three and target the Fashion's and Shoppers/Planners. As we will show, this dual targeting plan has the highest income potential by bringing in the younger, highly valued viewers needed to increase advertising revenue. Analysis We recommend the third scenario of targeting both the Fashion's and theShoppers/Planners because it offers the highest ad revenue potential (see Appendix 1). Even though this plan has the highest total expenses, it results in the highest net income and margin potential (see Appendix 1). If TFH implemented scenario two and targeted only the Fashion's, the CPM would go up drastically. However, Fashion's only represent 15% of households and the average number of viewers would go down (see Appendix 2). On the other hand, if TFH targets both Fashion's and Shoppers/Planners the CPM and the average number of viewers will increase, exulting in higher revenues (see Appendix 2).The first scenario is not a good option because it increases advertising revenues only a small amount. Implementation The implementation plan involves 3 major steps. The first step is to research the two segments and find out what kind of programming will attract and retain both segments. The second step would be to invest in the new programming. The third step is to begin an advertising, promotions, and public relations campaign targeting the two segments. Risks The implementation of this plan has some risks that need to be mitigated.The three ajar risks are: 1) the plan only attracts Fashion's 2) the plan only attracts Shoppers/Planners 3) the plan alienates TFTP current customers. If the plan only attracts the Fashion's, then revenue will not be as high as expected, as shown in Appendix 1 under scenario 2. However, the exp enses would be much lower and income would still be much higher than in 2006. If the plan only attracts the Shoppers/Planners, then CPM would go down causing advertising revenue to decrease (see Appendix 3). This can be mitigated by focusing more on Fashion's than Shoppers/Planners while still trying to attract both. The Fashion Channel Case Starting in 1996 TFH (the fashion channel) had a great success because of a big audience and no competitors in the business. Noticing the great success competitors such as CNN and lifetime started to also have fashion-based programmer. Since viewers now having a choice to decide which channel they want to watch the viewer numbers of TFH starter to decrease. A reason for this is shown by an alpha research which pointed out that both CNN and lifetime got a better feedback in customers satisfaction in consumer interest as well as in awareness and also perceived value.Having their viewer numbers decreasing, TFH has to pay even more attention on their two main revenue streams: cable affiliate fees and advertising! Therefore they wanted to know who their audience is to can better react to them. They reached this with help of a detailed demographic breakdown which leaded to the result, that 61% of their viewers are female and 33% being aged 18-34 which is less then 45% being aged 35-54, but the younger group is stronger in this business Additional to this they did a SFA associated survey which divided the audience into 4 groups:Factionists: highly engaged in fashion with being 15% of all viewers, 61% being female and 50% being aged 18-34; Planners and Shoppers: participants in fashion on a regular basis with being 35% of all viewers, 54% being female and 25% being aged 18-34; Sustainability: participants in fashion for specific needs with being 30% of all viewers, 50% being female and 30% being aged 18-34. Also they have 45% with children in the household; Basics: not interested in fashion with being 20% of all viewers and 45% being female. 2) Which research method was most helpful to you in developing and evaluating the segmentation options?As mentioned before, there are four groups resulting from the SFA associated research. Combines with the results from the demographic breakdown we think it is really helpful for ETC. Indeed, with these researches they have the opp ortunity to realize who their audience is and so they can work on getting a new audience, probably within the other groups. They also understand who is the most powerful group in their business so that they can work on reaching their needs and with these information it was possible to work out the segmentation options. 3) What are the segmentation options?Broad-based marketing: The goal is to develop a multi-segment strategy with a strong focus on â€Å"Factionists† and the â€Å"Planners&shoppers† and also have a focus on women aged between 18 and 34 since this is the most powerful group – as mentioned before. â€Å"Fashions† segmentation: In this segmentation the focus is strong only on â€Å"Factionists†. The plan is to spend $ 15 million on programming. It is a single segment concentration. â€Å"Factionists† plus â€Å"Planners & shoppers† segmentation: This one is a product specialized segmentation with focus on both â€Å"Fact ionists† and â€Å"Shoppers & Planners†.TFH has to spend $ 20 million on programming in this case. 4) What is the project financial impact of each of the option? Scenario number 3 has the best financial result: against an increment of $20. 000. 000 in fixed costs and an increment of $4. 151. 347 in variable costs, the increment of revenue by Ad sales increases by $138. 378. 240 and the company can have the maximum net income ($168. 867. 232) and also the maximum margin (39%). Scenario number 1, instead, is the worst one: The Fashion Channel doesn't have extra fixed cost but also their income are the lowest one ($249. 080. 832) that is $96. 864. 68 lower than in scenario 3. In this case, the firm can match the same result that reached in 2006. Scenario 2 is a little worst than scenario 3: they have a little few fixed cost ($70. 000. 000) as they gain less revenue by Ad sales ($322. 882. 560) and also the net income and the margin are not performing as in scenario 3. 5) C ompare the segmentation options. What are the Pros & Cons (Strengths & Weaknesses) of each option? 1 . Broad Appeal (Broad multi-segment approach) – Scenario 1 Cross segment of Factionists, Planners & Shoppers, and Sustainability Woman aged 18 to 34 in all of the clusters 2.Factionists – Scenario 2 Alternative to a broad, multi-segment approach – focus on single segment (Factionists) 0 aggressive approach. Strong in the highly valued 18-34 female demographic. 3. The Factionists and the Shoppers/Planners – Scenario 3 Dual targeting of two segments (Factionists and Shoppers/Planners). 6) What is your recommendation? After the analysis of costs, revenues and net income and the review of advantages and disadvantages of the three options, according to us the best solution is the scenario 3: the â€Å"Fashions† plus â€Å"Planners/Shoppers† segmentation.We understand that the risk involved with this scenario is very high. TFH will lose some of the ir most loyal consumers by re-positioning the channel towards factionists and the planners/shoppers. Furthermore, Exhibit 5 show us that this scenario also requires more programming and operational expenses. On the other hand, â€Å"Factionists† has superior interest in fashion and â€Å"Planners & Shoppers† has the largest cluster size, so it is a good choice to combine them. Indeed â€Å"Planners & Shoppers† will improve he rating in order to attract more ad buyers and at the same time â€Å"Factionists† will enhance the CPM to gain more ad revenue.Moreover, from the Exhibits 4 and 5 we can observe that scenario 3 gives the more revenue that the others and it provides more net income and a better margin than the other two options. To conclude, the benefits truly do seem to outweigh the risks in this scenario and we recommend that targeting at two valued groups â€Å"Factionists† and â€Å"Planners & shoppers† is the best solution to this p roblem. It will create more revenues (above all from advertising), aka TFH get back market shares quickly and maintain Tiff's leading status and core viewer loyalty.Obviously, The Fashion Channel will also implement this new marketing plan. One of the more difficult challenges for TFH is trying to keep their older loyal consumers while attracting the new factionists and planners/shoppers (18-34 female audience), otherwise they could certainly lose more than they gain. In order to achieve this aim, TFH should analyze the loyal consumers' favorite programs and make sure to keep these programs when they begin their new marketing plan.Moreover, The Fashion Channel should look at Lifetime and their Fashion Today program to gain a better understanding of how they market to their 18-34 year-old female audience, so they will be in a very advantageous position to capture a large share of the market. Furthermore, TFH must continually find ways to improve consumer interest, awareness, and perc eived value. Lastly, TFH must be aware of its competition and be ready to differentiate and re-position its programs in order to earn the best TV ratings and capture the most market share. The Fashion Channel Case Introduction The Fashion Channel is losing highly valued viewers to competitors, causing a projected decrease in advertising revenue. TFH needs a plan to improve its ratings and increase its advertising revenue. We recommend that TFH implement scenario three and target the Fashion's and Shoppers/Planners. As we will show, this dual targeting plan has the highest income potential by bringing in the younger, highly valued viewers needed to increase advertising revenue. Analysis We recommend the third scenario of targeting both the Fashion's and theShoppers/Planners because it offers the highest ad revenue potential (see Appendix 1). Even though this plan has the highest total expenses, it results in the highest net income and margin potential (see Appendix 1). If TFH implemented scenario two and targeted only the Fashion's, the CPM would go up drastically. However, Fashion's only represent 15% of households and the average number of viewers would go down (see Appendix 2). On the other hand, if TFH targets both Fashion's and Shoppers/Planners the CPM and the average number of viewers will increase, exulting in higher revenues (see Appendix 2).The first scenario is not a good option because it increases advertising revenues only a small amount. Implementation The implementation plan involves 3 major steps. The first step is to research the two segments and find out what kind of programming will attract and retain both segments. The second step would be to invest in the new programming. The third step is to begin an advertising, promotions, and public relations campaign targeting the two segments. Risks The implementation of this plan has some risks that need to be mitigated.The three ajar risks are: 1) the plan only attracts Fashion's 2) the plan only attracts Shoppers/Planners 3) the plan alienates TFTP current customers. If the plan only attracts the Fashion's, then revenue will not be as high as expected, as shown in Appendix 1 under scenario 2. However, the exp enses would be much lower and income would still be much higher than in 2006. If the plan only attracts the Shoppers/Planners, then CPM would go down causing advertising revenue to decrease (see Appendix 3). This can be mitigated by focusing more on Fashion's than Shoppers/Planners while still trying to attract both.

Monday, July 29, 2019

The relevance of Chapter VIII(watchkeeping)of the code Standard of Essay

The relevance of Chapter VIII(watchkeeping)of the code Standard of Training Certification and watchkeeping STCW - Essay Example Spokespersons of the industry were unanimous in addressing the core issue of the matter, which was to ensure that an effective watch is maintained on all the seagoing ships by qualified and fit personnel under all circumstances. With a single pointed focus, the pressing need of an internationally acceptable body, which could lay the road map for outlining the guidelines for protecting its valuable assets was consensually agreed upon.The International Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (Abbr: STCW) thus came into being on July 7, 1978 and its Standards were adopted for implementation on April 28, 1984 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) – an established nodal agency for monitoring compliance and implementation by `Parties to the Convention‘; two major revisions of the Standards have since been undertaken in 1995 and 2010 respectively . It became binding on all its members to comply to its stipul ations, in which Part `A‘ measures are `Mandatory.‘ `Recommendations‘ for guidance purposes constitute its Part `B‘ regulations, however with sustained implementation efforts by its members being urged upon. STCW Standards comprise of eight chapters. Chapter I deals with General Provisions; Chapters II & III are `Marine Vessel‘- specific, while Chapters IV, V & VI deal with the Radio Communications, Specialised Manpower Training and Certification aspects. This article is aimed at examining the relevance of the last and concluding Chapter VIII , dealing exclusively with ``Watchkeeping‘‘! Watchkeeping Roles and STCW Regulations ILO (International Labour Organisation) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) Rules are the premise on which a large number of STCW Regulations have been drawn up. Drafted in tune with the MLC 2006 Rules in general, Standards pertaining to Watchkeeping are driven by the age old adage: ``Prudence is the better part of valourà ¢â‚¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬Ëœ.The Maritime industry can ill afford the luxury of lack of vigilance on the part of its seafarers to be the reason for suffering losses; hence, a prudent Watchkeeping role is deemed pertinent by STCW. There had been several inconsistencies fuelled earlier by a diverse range of interpretations driven by outdated provisions on the Watchkeeping front preceding the advent of STCW, which caused administrative and operational problems. These issues needed immediate redressal. Enunciation of a slew of curative measures then became imminent. Seafarer is a sensitive biological animal too. Cut off from civilisation while on the high seas and working to the rigorous demands of the marine industry in multiple capacities, he is exposed to its occupational hazards, stresses and strains, and thereby to the dangers posed by `fatigue‘, both physically and mentally. There is therefore a lot of emphasis laid on `Rest‘ and to address this issue, STCW brought out the first lot of Amendments under Section A-VIII. It has specified a `Period of Rest’under its mandatory Regulation A-VIII/1, which stipulates

Sunday, July 28, 2019

The contemporary history of United States Essay

The contemporary history of United States - Essay Example Also, they tell us that why don't we know the answer. Besides, their works contains the message that the U.S citizens have to do something urgently to save our two-century old democracy. Both Kinzer and Johnson trace the roots of current crisis back to the much celebrated 'little splendid war': in which America declared war on Spain in the name of liberating the colonialized nations of Latin America. The oppressed nations got liberated from Spanish imperial rule as the result of the Spanish-American war which broke out in 1868, were soon became U.S protectorates in order to protect the interests of American businesspersons in those lands. Kinzer points out that 'the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was the culmination of a 110- year period during which Americans overthrew fourteen governments that displeased them for various ideological, political, and economic reasons' (Kinzer, 2007, p.1). In our country, people commonly identify us as citizens of an innocent nation which stands only for virtues. The prevailing attitude is that whatever we do is for good. Behind all this fashionable rhetoric, there lies the ugly side of the truth. The story of American interventions in foreign countries that were supposed to be for prompting democratic culture and liberal values is just farce. The very beginning of America's regime change policy with the overthrow of Hawaiian monarchy was founded on lies. The then governing class in the U.S propagated the view that it is for the sakes of the democratic rights of Hawaiian people. In reality, when the Queen Liliuokalani gave voting rights to all the people without considering ownership of pro perty, the U.S had to intervene to protect the interests of large planters and other riches. Kinzer has an altogether different take on American history from the ideological state apparatus that nourishes the official view at the expense of truth. He convincingly argues that the overthrow of Jose Santos Zelaya, the president of Nicaragua in 1909 was with the direct knowledge of then president of U.S, William Howard Taft.Importantly, Kinzer also notes that 'the United States rose to power at the same time multinational corporations were emerging as a decisive force in world affairs' (Kinzer, 2007, p.4). It is a telling observation. Much of the American interventions was to pave easy way for exploitative activities of the multinational corporations and was simulated by the business elites who penetrated to public offices. Moreover, the democratic movement in our country that is composed of civic movement, trade unions and progressive political parties were not able to become blocs of counterbalance power against the tyrannical corporations. Besides, the hegemony of corporate ideas such as free enterprise, personal growth and crass individualism prevented the American public from being a democratizing force in effect. For the rest of the world, it was impossible even to imagine countering American corporate power. The corporations were 'the vanguard of American power, and defying them has become tantamount to defying the United States' (Kinzer, 2007, p.4). As corporations substantially increased their economic power, they started wielding

The purpose of ventilatory management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The purpose of ventilatory management - Essay Example So Mr. Bryants condition did not deteriorate. Oxygen therapy, bronchodilator and antibiotic therapy worked effectively. As to the further entilatory management it is possible to use non-invasive ventilation to reduce a need of hospitalization and future complications or respiratory failure. To avoid so called late failure it is necessary to continue monitoring the patient, have an intubation available and receive NIV in a place with trained staff of nurses. Taking into account the age, lifestyle and diagnosis of Mr. Bryant all the precautions must be followed. As initial level of ph was 7, 25 it is possible to say that Mr. Bryant’s condition was unsatisfactory. Taking into consideration that patient had an acute exacerbation of COPD and a respiratory failure it was necessary to manage support ventilation by means of oxygen therapy. An effect of the therapy was positive, ph factor increased, so it is possible to say that treatment corresponded to the situation. It is also possi ble to use long term oxygen therapy during the time of hospitalization. Ventilatory management in cases of COPD and pneumonia is of a great importance. The survival of the patient and his further recovery depend upon appropriate managing respiratory failure. 6. Scientific and technological revolution provided a wide use of technology in different spheres of life. Medical care achieved a high level due to the technological innovations. The work of the medical men is speeded up and supported by means of technology.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Journal Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Journal - Article Example Statistics indicate that homeownership among the young people who are through with college and whom are under 35 years of age has reduced from 43% to 36% from 2004 and this is a massive decrease. Even though with the reduction in inflation the debts are bound to be reduced, this is just a speculation and is yet to be fulfilled. The government should be encouraging an increase in homeownership amongst the younger generation and they should start with reduction of the interest rates in college loans. The increase in interest is discouraging those aspiring to join college to pull back as they foresee a future with no other development other than student loan repayment which is bad for the economy in future. Even though the college student loan comes as a savior for most families that cannot afford college education, it is still a burden people are continually afraid of and it drains their morale of development leading homeownership for example for old people who are not bound to enjoy more. Mitchell, J. (June 20th, 2014). â€Å"Student Debt Takes a Toll on Some Home Buyers.† The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from:

Friday, July 26, 2019

Health Administarion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 20

Health Administarion - Essay Example As nurses require good knowledge regarding human body and medications, it is essential that they must get trained by instructors having great expertise in the field. For a nurse, a patient should be someone very important to him/her. Obviously, it is from their preceptors that the novice nurses must learn such values. In other words, nurses can acquire the required level of knowledge to work well in the healthcare sector only if they are trained by proficient academicians. Visual media and powerpoint have greatly enhanced the ease of teaching. Using video clips, animations and presentations are handy in conveying certain topics to the students. When it comes to learning topics like internal organs, visual media can provide an aid in imparting the concept to students rather than explaining it verbally. It also saves a lot of time by relieving instructors from preparing bulky lecture notes. Powerpoint makes it possible for them to add photos, videos and audio clips to their notes. Therefore, instructors get a single platform through which they can supply study materials in different forms. Internet helps them clarify doubts by interacting with experts from various parts of the world. However, putting multimedia in the first priority in teaching is not a laudable practice; it should act only as a reference aid and teaching should definitely be done by the

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Weather Phenomenons vs. Crop Prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Weather Phenomenons vs. Crop Prices - Essay Example These elements are composed of what is known as weather phenomena such a drought, hurricane, wind, heavy rainfall, and snow. Drought, for example, tends to destroy crops, thereby decreasing its supply in the market and increasing prices. Other weather phenomena also affect the prices of the crops commodities in different ways, as will be discussed in the paper. Weather Phenomenon vs. Crop Prices Introduction In its literal meaning, weather refers to a state of the atmosphere, to the extent to which it is cold, hot, dry, wet, stormy, calm, cloudy, or clear. In general terms, it refers to the day-to-day temperature and rainfall activities. According to Arnold (2010), weather is associated with a number of phenomena that influence greatly the prices of crops. The phenomena include droughts, prolonged heavy rainfalls (El-Nino), hurricanes, hailstorms, lightning, clouds, snow, and wind. The objective of this paper is to explore the current weather phenomena and their impact on crop prices . Drought Drought refers to a period of a dry spell when there is no rainfall. It is one of the major weather phenomena that affect the prices of crops. This is due to the fact that during a dry spell, crops usually dry up in the farms leading to poor harvest. This in turn, will lead to shortage of crops in the market (Bolling, 2000). When such a shortage occurs, the demand of the crops in the market will likely outweigh their supply. This will result in an increase in the price of these crops, as many buyers will be competing to buy them. Such a situation is being witnessed in the Midwest of the USA, where persistent drought has seen the prices of corn increase tremendously over the past few weeks (Sosnowski, 2012). Johnson (2012) notes that 10-months corn futures and soybeans’ prices hitting unprecedentedly high since 2008 are due to the speculation that the spreading drought currently witnessed in the Midwest of the US will cut the US’s supplies of these crops, as i t is the world’s largest producer of the crops. This was after the meteorological department predicted that the Midwest would experience unusually hot and dry spell in the next 10 days, as occasional light showers would be too little for more than brief crop improvements. Gim Gerlach was reported as saying that the crops are shrinking daily, while prices are shooting up for less available supply of crops for domestic use and export (Johnson, 2012). Statistically, corn futures for December supply jumped 4.4% to close at $7.725 per bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade. The trade market also had hit $7.78 high early on. This general increase in corn and soybeans due to the drought would also probably lead to inflation. Demand and supply curve: Price S2 S1 P2 D2 P1 D1 D Q2 Q1 Quantity Before the drought hit Midwest, production of corn stood at Q1 at S1 supply curve while price charged was P1and demand D1. However, after the drought hit the country, the supply curve shifted to S2 and the quantity supplied moved to Q2, thereby increasing prices from P1 to P2. The price increase in this case was caused by a fall in supply of corn, as people scrambled for the few remains, shifting the demand to D2. Adequate Rainfall Theoretically, farmers perceive rainy seasons as a period of bumper harvest. This is because the proper frequency of rainfalls leads to a good yield (Libecap & Steckel, 2010). The result would be that there would be enough supply of the crop in question to feed the nation and to export. Similarly, the forces of demand and supply would help determine the prices of the crops. Since supply would be high, this means

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Niagara-Mohawk - Art Deco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Niagara-Mohawk - Art Deco - Essay Example This essay discusses that there are various distinctive characteristics that differentiate this building from the rest. First, the building is constructed with a central tower that protrudes upwards compared to the rest of the building, giving it the characteristic Mohawk structure. The other distinguishing characteristic of this building is the figurative winged sculpture, which is embedded on one face of the building and installed with decorated lighting systems, which allows the sculptor to beam the lights and give a very attractive glow of mixed-color electric lighting1. The building is 112 feet tall and comprises of 7 floors, with its outward surface completed with an element of fine dà ©cor, which makes the building stand very attractive even from the outside2. From the essay it is clear that the building is installed with an electric system that gives it an outward flood light glory especially at night, with the stainless steel material that is used to construct the building adding to the glow of the building electric lighting, due to its shiny appearance. The building comprises of a set of gray stones and bricks, with an additional matching aluminum and black glass, which combines to give this building one of the finest dà ©cor1. The statue/winged sculptor has fashioned in a manner that it is the region where the electric lights emanate and then spread to form a winged lighting system. The combination of aluminum and stainless steel, as well as gray stones and bricks, allows the building to gleam in day light.... The combination of aluminum and stainless steel, as well as grey stones and bricks allows the building to gleam in day light, while glittering at night when the material combination is added the lighting element 2. The building is installed with extensive interior lighting, which allows people to notice it from very far, while also possessing powerful floodlight illumination at night, the characteristic of a powerful source of lighting. Compared to other art decor buildings such as The Fisher Building, The Niagara-Mohawk building stands out, since it is constructed using stainless steel, aluminum, black glass and grey stones and bricks, while The Fisher Building is a skyscraper that is constructed using limestone, granite, and several types of marble1. In terms of height, The Fisher Building is 30-stories, compared to The Niagara-Mohawk building, which has only 7-storries and is 112 feet tall2. Nevertheless, both buildings are embedded with sculptors, with The Niagara-Mohawk having a winged statue that is supplied with lighting systems that seems to emanate the light from the base of the wings and spread it upwards to the rest of the wing surface. The lighting systems for both art decor buildings are different, with The Niagara-Mohawk having an extensive interior and exterior lighting system, characteristic of a lighting source2. The motifs on The Niagara-Mohawk building relate to represent an electric company, since it is characterized by gleaming during the day and glittering at night, owing to the combination of the extensive interior and exterior lighting system, with the materials used for construction, which include stainless steel, aluminum, black glass

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Ethical issues - New centry financial corporation Case Study

Ethical issues - New centry financial corporation - Case Study Example These decisions prompted the stakeholders of the company to quit thus leading to its bankruptcy. It is notable that the ethical issues associated with New Century Financial Corporation were damaging to various groups of people in the subprime mortgage industry. The groups included mortgagors, investment banks, and mortgage brokers, rating agencies, lenders and investors (Palepu, Srinivasan & Sesia, 2009). The low quality of loans that the company offered affected the Mortgagors (borrowers). Investment banks realized massive losses from the money they had invested by offering New Century Financial Corporation mortgages. Mortgage brokers also made losses by conducting business with the corporation. Lenders and investors, likewise, realized massive losses due to New Century Financial Corporations misuse of their funds. By 2005, the subprime market was already experiencing advancement both in technology and loan quality. However, New Century Financial Corporations management failed to adapt to these changes. Instead, the companys performance continued to deteriorate due to a poor management. Most of the decisions New Century Financial undertook based on efficiency. The company ensured that the distribution of its securities to investors was favorable. It also terminated loan applications for efficiency due to the withdrawal of its lenders. The companys decisions and operations were associated with various ethical issues. First, it was unethical for New Century Financial Corporation to lack proper documentation of its operations. Proper documentation would enable the company to keep perfect records. Secondly, the corporation had an ethical issue in the valuation of the loans it was selling. For instance, the management was unable to account for purchase of its mortgage loan reserves. Next, the loan quality offered by New Century Financial Corporation was an ethical issue. The company

Monday, July 22, 2019

Coca Cola Essay Example for Free

Coca Cola Essay Historically, many companies and corporations have received recognition for their growth and success over time. However, although praised, discoveries of controversial issues lead consumers to question various companies’ ethics and operations. Coca-Cola, or simple coke, has existed for over a century, originating in Atlanta, Georgia in 1892, and eventually expanding and providing drinks internationally. Today, the company produces concentrate, which then sells to Coke licensed bottlers internationally; and ultimately ending up sold to retail stores and vending machines for consumers to purchase. Along with the regular â€Å"coke†, the company has also been able to produce other cola branded drinks including water, energy drinks and coffee. The most common of all, Diet Coke; others include Caffeine-Free Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Coke Cherry, Coke Zero and Coke Vanilla. All of which could be found in over 200 countries within the year 2013, with consumers drinking at the least 1.8 million servings each day, according to the book, Citizen Coke: An Environmental and Political History of the Coke Company (Elmore p. 717). However, while extremely popular and high in demand, the Coke Company has faced much controversial issues from the public in India throughout its years of growth. Out of every country that Coke operates in, India has the fastest growing market (KillerCoke). From the start of production in 1999 to present day, Coke has spent $2 billion and will continue to spend an addition $5 billion in India. According to the article Coke rejigs bottling arm management, Coke has a plan to pursue expansion for the following few years (until 2020) in India with the plan to double their revenues to $200 billion (TOI). India is among the top seven markets globally for Coke, the CEO of Hindustan Coke stated â€Å"we have made significant investments in the marketplace and as we get ready to further accelerate growth, it is very important to develop a high quality talent pipelines. This team will work closely with Coke India to achieve our 2020 vision.† Part of their expansion was focused on a plan t in Mehdiganj, India. The emerging markets with Coke like India and China will result in about 60% of the incremental sales volume growth (TOI). According to the book Business and its Environment, 80 percent of the world’s population lives in emerging markets countries, and 90 percent of the world’s population growth will be in these countries over the next 30 years (Baron p.477) The start of production for a few of their bottlers in India has raised issues because of  Coke’s use of the water supply of nearby villages. Amit Srivastaba, of the India Resource Center, a center that works to support movements against corporate globalization in India said, Three communities in India — Plachimada in Kerala, Wada in Maharashtra and Mehdiganj in Uttar Pradesh — are experiencing severe water shortages as a result of Cokes mining of the majority of the common groundwater resources around its facilities (KillerCoke).† One of their issues comes from its production in Mehdiganj, near Varanasi, India, that has been in operation since 1999, and has been the center of attention in many surrounding villages since 2003 and especially after Coke announced that they are planning to expand by $25 million. In August of 2012, according to the article Coke Abandons Expansion Plans in India Because of Water, the company halted their plans to expand in Mehdiganj because of a delay in a no-objection certificate and locals becoming concerned about environmental dangers (The Wire). Organizations such as the India Resource Center and others who organize protests increase the awareness of issues, and therefore private regulation have been made an alternative to government regulations. As a result, the strategy Coke had all along failed to see through when the locals did not approve of their actions. If Coke does not have an affective nonmarket strategy in place for their activities in other countries, major opportunities can close when issues of any kind arise. A nonmarket strategy is important to avoid government regulations and to keeping the company’s opportunities open. Aside from the government, the company’s opportunities can also be controlled by private politics such as protests, public criticism, interest groups as well as public sentiment towards the company. (Baron p.31). The other factor that can affect opportunities is moral concerns, which Coke seems to be going through this issue right now. Coke should formulate a policy that oversees the use of water in India, which is the major concern of groups in private politics. Interest groups that are in play from the surrounding villages in India include: anti-coke nongovernmental activist groups, Varanasi-based activist, environmentalist, politicians, farmers and the villagers that have created lives in sur rounding areas. Leading from within these interest groups is The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board; a statutory organization entrusted to implement Environmental Laws and rules within the jurisdiction of the state  of Uttar Pradesh, India (UPPCB). The Control Board had found that Coke violated a number of conditions of its license that had to do with the use of water. The company had not yet obtained clearance for the extraction of groundwater from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), a government agency that monitors and regulates the process in water-stressed areas (The economic Times). But Coke had some objections to these accusations. According to Coke, a Central Ground Water Authority report from 2012 stated that the reduction of groundwater in the area was not due to their company. According to the article UP pollution board shuts down Cokes Varanasi unit, the maker of sprite said in a statement that the plant in Mehdiganj has complied with regulatory approvals and applicable laws in India (The Economic Times). Despite these statements, according to the Central Ground Water Authority, the groundwater in Mehdiganj has gone from â€Å"safe† back in 1999 when Coke got back into operating in India to â€Å"critical† in 2009. The closure order by the Central Ground Water Authority stated that Coke increased its production capacity from 20,000 cases to 36,000 cases a day without the board’s permission. Similar to this problem was one in 2004, when one of the 68 Coke plant in Plachimada, Kerala was shut down over accusations that the operation led to the reduction of groundwater (see Exhibit #1). The company faces legislation holding it liable for $47 million in damages (The Economic Times). Initially, Coke had looked beneficial for the local economy, but then the regulations and protesters hit the company as a result from the critically low levels of water. Although this may have halted the company’s expansion plan of $25 million into Varanasi, Coke is seeking permission from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to expand into Mehdiganj. With authorization, they will increase productivity by opening a second bottling line. However, the struggle continues as the recent closure has already inspired other protest to start, starting problems down the company’s future operations in their bottling factories. Over 10 years ago, a protest by farmers and anti-globalization activist successfully launched a â€Å"Quit India† campaign in order to stop Coke’s expansion into Varanasi. Many villages are saying big companies like Coke are coming into India and using their drinking water, even when levels are critically low for basic living consumption (see Exhibit #2). According to  the article Coke has a bottler of a headache in India; the level of water for the villagers became even lower as Coke proceeds to operate in India. Amar Signh Rathor, a farmer in the village Mehdiganj, has noticed the continuous decline of water levels by simply observing his own well. Within three years, the water level below his water table has fallen by over 18 meters. Most of the population of Mehdiganj (approximately 10,000 people) blamed Coke for the shocking decrease in their water supply (Sydney Morning Herald P.13). The plant that is to blame is at the edge of the village. A villager named Shakuntala Devi said, â€Å"If the Coke plant isn’t closed it will be impossible to live here (Sydney Morning Herald P.13).† Coke violates human rights for the people of India by taking their water and in the process they damage the environment. According to the article Coke’s Crimes in India, they are draining a vast majority of groundwater from farms and turning farming communities into virtual desserts. These farmers livelihood that have been destroyed have resulted in a increase of suicide, and everyday for many years now, there are protests of some sort, big or small, against Coke’s abuse in India (KillerCoke). On November 24, 2004, a protest outside of the Mehdiganj plant broke out and quickly turned violent. Multiple villagers had attempted to break the barrier of the police in order to reach Coke property, resulting in a defensive attack in return from the police. Organizers stated that there were approximately 2,000 people – mainly woman and youth – who took part in the protest, although Coke reported a much smaller number. This was the first of many protests to start, even though they were at a smaller scale. In this protest alone, two hundred villagers were reportedly arrested during the brawl (Sydney Morning Herald P.13). According to the article Indian villagers want Coke plant shut amid water fears, later in June of 2007, four hundred people marched and rallied at the Varanasi district magistrates (DM) office, demanding that the Coke bottling plant in Mehdiganj be shut down effective immediately. Within the four hundred, included people from twenty different villages, all of who submitted a letter to the district magistrate, Vina Kumari Meena, drawing attention to the water shortage and pollution of groundwater and land caused  by Coke’s operation. The letter demanded that the operation be shut down (Monitoring South Asia). Due to the severity of the situation, the director of The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) declared the water issues in India as â€Å"dark zoned†. A dark zone category infers that ground water resources are over-exploited, and more than 85 percent of the total recharging of ground water resources is being extracted, which resulted in all new underground installations being approved by the government (BBC Monitoring South Asia). Accusations of unethical acts against the environment can lead to nongovernmental organizations forming, which affect the organization in question by mobilizing people to work for causes. â€Å"These groups have been instrumental in advancing the causes of environmental protection, health and safety protection for consumers, and civil and human rights (Baron p.75).† The lead of the campaign Lok Semiti (People’s Committee), a nongovernmental organization that is against Coke, Nandlal Master, said When people themselves do not have enough water to meet their basic water needs, why should Coke be allowed to siphon hundreds of thousands of liters of water every day (BBC Monitoring South Asia)? But the issues with Coke go beyond the use of water and its reduction impacting a majority of the villages. Coke provides waste product from their operation to farmers as fertilizers for their crops. A BBC study found that the fertilizer contains toxic chemicals, stating, â€Å"Dangerous levels of the known carcinogen cadmium have been found in the sludge produced from the plant in the southern state of Kerala (BBC news).† Face the Facts, an investigative journalism for BBC, sent presenter, John Waite, to further investigate the allegations. Part of the investigation consisted of sending a sludge sample to the University of Exeter in the UK, and the results were very alarming. The test revealed that the sludge was a useless fertilizer that contained the toxic metals cadmium and lead. David Santillo, a senior scientist at the university’s lab, affirmed that the levels of cadmium and lead have not only contaminated that sludge provided to the farmers, but the entire water supply as well. The levels are  way above those approved by the World Health Organization. Britain’s leading poison expert, professor John Henry, said, The results have devastating consequences for those living near the areas where this waste has been dumped and for the thousands who depend on crops produced in these fields (BBC News). The professor is correct to assume these consequences because cadmium is a poison that can accumulate in the kidneys and with repeat exposure it can cause kidney failure. Lead is also dangerous, and more to children than to anyone else. Even at low levels, lead can cause mental retardation and even anemia, a blood deficiency (BBC News). The professor also explains that with the levels of chemicals in the water, pregnant women in the villages in India consuming from the farm’s goods can fall vulnerable to miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births. After these alarming results, more test where conducted on the soft drinks. In the year 2003, the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE), a non-for-profit and nongovernmental organization based in New Delhi, India, tested 12 cold soft drinks (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Mirinda Orang, Mirinda Lemon, Blue Pepsi, 7-Up, Fanta, Limca, Sprite, Thumbs Up and of course Coke). The article, Pepsi, Coke contain pesticides: CSE, based in India was the one to write about the cold drinks, which included 2 big companies, Pepsi and Coke. Both companies failed health standards when both drinks tested positive for pesticides. The tests from three samples of each of these Pepsi and Coke brand drinks that was conducted by the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML) of the Centre of Science and Environment showed that the samples contained residues of four very toxic pesticides and insecticides: lindane, DDT, malathion and chlorpyrifos. These four pesticides are known to cause cancer, damage the nervous and reproductive system, and severely damage the immune system (Rediff) . These tests were conducted in the year 2003 from April to August with samples from across the city. The samples from Coke were found to contain pesticides that exceeded global standards by 30 times the limit at 0.0150 mg/l, with the EEC limit of total pesticides being at 0.0005 mg/l. Coke defended its position by saying their plants use a multiple barrier system to remove potential contaminants and unwanted natural substances including  iron, sulfur, heavy metals as well as pesticides, â€Å"Our products in India are safe and are tested regularly to ensure that they meet the same rigorous standards we maintain across the world (Rediff).† But despite these statements the citizens of India seem to believe the Centre of Science and Environment, as sales have been impacted in the so-called safe and high-quality drink and investors from the company in India have lost confidence (Coke India). Looking at the nonmarket issue cycle, Coke is way past the issue identification, interest group formation, legislation, and has now reached the Administration phase in India (see Exhibit #3). The issues were identified soon after they got back into India in 1999. Villagers, farmers and environmentalist noticed the problem, starting many groups interested in the closure of these factories, sparking the many protests stated above. Legislations already started within the Indian Parliament banning Coke drinks from its cafeterias. Amit Srivastaba, of the India Resource Center, stated that the ban came as a result of tests by the Indian government and private laboratories, which found high concentrations of pesticides and insecticides in the cola drinks (Indian Resource Center). If Coke wants to prevent their company from becoming the next Enron in the ethical sense, they need to take the right action now before they sink too low in unethical actions and laws of the government that are way out of their control start to enforce legislations. Enron was a energy company that was found out to be engaging in unethical marketing malpractices including; misrepresentation of reports regarding the financial position of the organization in order to continue from benefiting from the investments provided by the stakeholders, a false energy crisis to gain more money from investors and finally, executives of the company embezzled money from unsuspecting investors which led to the bankruptcy of the company. Coke’s name is a global brand that can definitely work its way out of the unethical characteristics in the communities of the countries it operates in by simply providing the same quality of goods around the world. So far, Coke’s way of handling the issues in India has been very questionable. Their strategy thus far is to globalize their company no  matter the cost, ethically and environmentally. Protesters from many interest groups have eliminated many opportunities for Coke and have been attacking the company for over exploitation and pollution of water that is already dangerously low. Interestingly, Coke responds with public relations scams, deceptive statements and points out awards of how they are corporate socially responsible (KillerCoke). The article Coke’s crimes in India further expands by saying that Coke stated, For four consecutive years, Coke plants in India have won the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award for environmental practices from the Institute of Directors, which grants the award in association with the World Environment Foundation. Similar remarks were made in late 2005 when the company claimed to be recognized for being a ‘Water Efficient Unit’ by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) (KillerCoke). Coke continued on with their misleading information in 2007 at two Canadian college campuses about their activities in India and Colombia. Coke bragged that The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), described as an Indian-based nonprofit research organization, had begun an assessment of our companys water resource management practices in India (KillerCoke). TERI is a respected Dehli-based nongovernmental organization with deep experience in sustainability issues, and Coke falsely stated they were working closely with them on their water management. However, Coke already began to make social responsibility a top priority by investing in new innovations and plant processes to help make more improvement moving forward. The Coke webpage of the UK indicates that outside of their plants they attempt to replenish more than 100 percent of the water that they use by creating rainwater harvesting structures, restoring ponds, and leading interventions that focus on improving water efficiency, a mong other things. And by 2012 they met their goal and exceeded it to 110 percent of water replenished throughout India (Coke UK). From the article Villagers to Coke: Go away; In India, foes claim company is depleting water supply, a Coke spokesman stated the shortage of monsoons in India from June to October is to blame for water depletion affecting India’s agriculture. Harry Ott, the director of Cokes Global Center for Water Excellence said, If the monsoons are good, these problems dont come up.† Today in mehdiganj â€Å"the land around  Cokes plant looks lush. Fields brim with mustard plants, potatoes, peppers, wheat and rice (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).† But the struggle continues as people focus more on the bad rather than the good. Coke like many other businesses focuses on the profitable side of their operation, without realizing the environmental damages it can cause to surrounding communities. When Coke is looking into the future of the company, it is looking to double their revenues more than working on a nonmarket strategy that will prevent interest groups from the communities they operate in to question the company’s morals. Doubling their revenues further proves that Coke, being the number one beverage company in the world, has some money to play with. In Kala Dera, protests are starting because of the lack in Coke’s corporate social responsibility, leading back to the use of water and the damage being done to the communities around it. In 2010, shareholders at a meeting taking place in Duluth, Georgia, were told by Amit Srivastaba of the India Resource center, â€Å"It is only a matter of time before the Coke company will be held financially and criminally liable for their operations in water-stressed areas in India.† He continued by stating â€Å"The company management is being seriously derelict in its duties by not acknowledging the real exten t of the liabilities Coke has incurred and continues to incur in India (KillerCoke).† By investing a few million dollars a year of the billions of earnings they have reached ever since the late nineteenth century when the company first got started, they will be showing the shareholders that Coke is doing something to get on the right track. Coke could start with compensation of the crops that farmers lost when they initially started to operate in India, and also assure the farmers that Coke is investing in new innovations to solve the water issue so it will not be a problem in the long-run. Also, Coke could invest into the education in India by opening new schools; increase awareness of diseases through nongovernmental programs, as well as investing in the communities in which their bottling factories reside. With the issues out for the public to read about, it should be an incentive for the company to not continue down this horrific path in developing countries. Other things Coke should considering doing for the sake of their image is stepping up in community service, donations focused to help clean up the streets that their distributors travel in, donations to nongovernment organization, show the public that  they are actually working to stop the shortage and contamination of water without spreading lies of what they are actually doing. One way to do is by continuing their activities so far to stop the shortage of water and further help the environment by planting trees. The article Trees Reduce Air Pollution mentions that trees can help with the gas pollutants from the factories by absorbing them through the pours in the leaf surface (DNR). Furthermore, the company can look to work with the nongovernmental organization TERI in efforts to better sustainability of water resources, instead of just talking about doing it because in the end actions speak louder than words. Bibliography Coke rejigs bottling arm management. The Times of India (TOI). (September 24, 2013 Tuesday ): 425 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15.Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board. June 5, 2014 UP pollution board shuts down Cokes Varanasi unit. The Economic Times. (June 19, 2014 Thursday ): 430 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15. Coke has a bottler of a headache in India. Sydney Morning Herald (Australia). (February 17, 2005 Thursday ): 1181 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15. Indian villagers want Coke plant shut amid water fears. BBC Monitoring South Asia Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring. (June 7, 2007 Thursday ): 622 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15. June 7, 2007 Thursday Villagers to Coke: Go away; In India, foes claim company is depleting water supply . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (May 29, 2005 Sunday ): 1908 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15. UP Pollution Control Board, Lucknow (UP Pollution Control Board, Lucknow). Was Accessed http://www.uppcb.com/ â€Å"Indian Resource Center. PRESS: Groundwater Levels Continue Downward Spiral Around Coke Plant.† March 11, 2010. Was Accessed http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2010/1001.html India Resource Center. Coke Mehdiganj The Issues. March 7, 2013. http://www.indiaresource.org/campaigns/coke/2013/mehdiganjfact.html Ray Rogers. â€Å"Coke’s Crimes in India.† Campaign to Stop Killer Coke | Cokes Crimes in India. Killer Coke. Was Accessed http://killercoke.org/crimes_india.php Was Accessed http://www.cseindia.org/ â€Å"Pepsi, Coke contain pesticides: CSE.† Was Accessed. http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/aug/05pepsicoke.htm Coke India. Was Accessed http://www.Cokeindia.com/factsmyths/varanasi.html Coke India. Was Accessed http://www.Cokeindia.com â€Å"Easy Guide to Understanding ENRON Scandal Summary.† (Enron Scandal Summary). 2013 Was Accessed http://finance.laws.com/enron-scandal-summary â€Å"Coca‑Colas water is used responsibly in its operations in India : FAQ (Coke GB).† 2010. Was Accessed http://www.Coke.co.uk/faq/community/responsible-Coke-water-use-in-operations-in-india.html â€Å"Trees Reduce Air Pollution.† Was Accessed http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/publications/urban2.html Mosendz, Polly. â€Å"Coke Abandons Expansion Plans in India Because of Water.† August 26, 2014. Was Accessed http://www.thewire.com/business/2014/08/Coke-abandons-india-production-expansion/379128/ Elmore, J Bartow. 2013, Citizen Coke: An Environmental and Political History of the Coke Company. P. 717 Baron, David P. Business and Its Environment. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2012. 784. Print.

Suicide Bombing Essay Example for Free

Suicide Bombing Essay Suicide terrorism is not mainly the product of Islamic fundamentalism or any other evil ideology independent of circumstance. The world leader in suicide terrorism is the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka theyre a Marxist group, a secular group, a Hindu group. The Tamil Tigers have committed more suicide terrorist attacks than Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Instead, what more than 95 percent of all suicide terrorist attacks since 1980 have in common are not religion, but a specific secular goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory the terrorists view as their homeland. From Lebanon to Chechnya to Kashmir to Sri Lanka to the West Bank, every suicide terrorist campaign since 1980 has had as its main objective to compel a democratic state to withdraw combat forces from territory that the terrorists prize. Mostly are organizational motivated and fanaticism and religiously motivation are two different angles of same picture. Religious rhetoric may help persuade attackers that their cause is either necessary or noble, and that glorifies or renames suicide as martyrdom, but it does not explain why suicide attackers choose that particular tactic. These can be explained by considering some other factors like individual, organizational, environmental and trauma-based motivations. Suicide Bombing is an act of violence that kills the attacker himself in addition to bystanders, but that also represents a tactic of terrorist organizations. The bomber perceives in his mind that by dehumanizing others he will be getting extra rewards like the extremists and fanatics of religious segments think; by giving their life they would be free to enter the heaven. Some other reasons which psychologically influence the mind of a terrorists are personal motivation, organizational, environmental, trauma- based motivations. Organizations provide the means, methods and group self-motivated fundamental suicide terrorism operations and often the ideology as well. They arise from a complex mix of social and political circumstances, psychological and religious context and interplay between the actions, sentiments and rhetoric of terror groups, their constituency and the perceived oppressor/enemy. When looking at the motivations on the organizational level we must acknowledge that terror-sponsoring organizations are largely political in their motivations and resort to terrorism when other political solutions have failed and to suicide terrorism when a specific set of circumstances exist. When one considers the suicide terror groups uses of religion to motivate individuals to sign up to die, it makes strategic sense. Any believer of any faith who is persuaded of the will act in extraordinary ways. Its history depicts that in south India, in the late 11th century, the local Kulasekhara kingdom had special suicidal squads to fight against their mighty neighbors, the Cholas. These Nair warriors were specially trained in so called Kalaris. These Nair race later transformed as the rulers of the region, and in war festivlas like Mamankam, they were still in use aganist the Zamorin rulers of Calicut. In the late 17th century, Qing official Yu Yonghe recorded that injured Dutch soldiers fighting against Koxingas forces for control of Taiwan in 1661 would use gunpowder to blow up both themselves and their opponents rather than be taken prisoner. However, the Chinese observer may have confused such suicidal tactics with the standard Dutch military practice of undermining and blowing up positions recently overrun by the enemy which almost cost Koxinga his life during the siege. During the Belgian Revolution, Dutch Lieutenant Jan van Speijk detonated his own ship in the harbour of Antwerp to prevent its capture by the Belgians. Another example was the Prussian soldier Karl Klinke on 18 April 1864 at the Battle of Dybbol, who died blowing a hole in a Danish fortification. In the 18th century John Paul Jones wrote about Ottoman sailors setting their own ships on fire and ramming the ships of their enemies, although they knew this meant certain death for them. Modern suicide bombing as a political tool can be traced back to the assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1881. Alexander fell victim to a Nihilist plot. While driving on one of the central streets ofSaint Petersburg, near the Winter Palace, he was mortally wounded by the explosion of hand-made grenades and died a few hours afterwards. The Tsar was killed by a member of Narodnaya Volya,Ignacy Hryniewiecki, who died while intentionally exploding the bomb during the attack. Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff intended to assassinate Adolf Hitler by suicide bomb in 1943, but was unable to complete the attack. During the Battle for Berlin the Luftwaffe flew Selbstopfereinsatz against Soviet bridges over the Oderriver. These missions were flown by pilots of the Leonidas Squadron under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Heiner Lange. From 17 April until 20 April 1945, using any aircraft that were available, the Luftwaffe claimed that the squadron destroyed 17 bridges; however the military historian Antony Beevor when writing about the incident thinks that this was exaggerated and that only the railway bridge at Kustrin was definitely destroyed. He comments that thirty-five pilots and aircraft was a high price to pay for such a limited and temporary success. The missions were called off when the Soviet ground forces reached the vicinity of the squadrons airbase at Juterbog. Following World War II, Viet Minh death volunteers fought against the French Colonial Forces by using a long stick-like explosive to destroy French tanks. It has suddenly taken off like a wildfire spreading from Lebanon to Palestine, Sri Lanka, Chechnya, Morocco, Indonesia, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iraq and now sadly even originating in Europe and European bred bombers now even targeting Europe itself. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carries out its first suicide bombing at the Nelliady army camp killing 40 security force (SF) personnel. May 21st 1911 Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and 18 persons are killed by a female suicide bomber in the town of Sriperumbudur, approximately 30 miles from Chennai, capital of the southern State of Tamil Nadu. This was the history of suicide bombing which shows that none of them were moved cause of Islam. The terrorist assumes he is in a extraterrestrial battle, involving apocalyptic forces which will wipe out either his side or the other, hence challenging a war of defense; He should dehumanize and his enemies by seeing them as the enemies of God; In joining the group and taking on its values and teachings, he has learned the mind of God is authorized to act in the battle by the will of God; The battle in which he is fighting is for sacred values and he must go to extraordinary means to eradicate and spot out those he sees as evildoers even innocent civilians who he believes are standing in the way of and offending God’s will. It may be noteworthy that suicide bombers mostly are rather young males between the ages of 18 and 27. This fact is momentous for a number of reasons. First, it is the age when testosterone soars. Studies significantly linked testosterone production to dominance orientation in males. When the desire to dominate is satisfied, high testosterone is not related to a rise in aggressiveness, however when such desire is frustrated it results in increased probability of aggressive response against oneself or others. The first motivational set is a trauma based and occurs within zones of active conflict. It is often: nationalistic; viewed in terms of self and community defense; expressive regarding meting out justice to the perceived enemy occupier; and includes acts of revenge. The individuals motivated within this set have witnessed firsthand and over the television their neighbors, family members and loved ones killed by what they view as an occupying force. Many have grown up witnessing countless acts of violence and as a result have not developed normally and often suffer from posttraumatic stress and dissociative disorders. Many have lost jobs, educational opportunities, been humiliated, and often struggle for basic daily needs and security. While the majority of traumatized individuals in conflict zones will not become suicide bombers even if invited to do so, an extremely small group will become vulnerable to terrorist ideologies that promote this tactic. Whereas suicide terrorism is planned and executed by individuals who are members of organizations, groups, or cells, these two levels are in turn influenced by broader environmental conditions that include the political, social, historical, cultural, economic, and religious context. Clearly, some of these sub-elements of the broader environment are more relevant in some cases than in others. Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago and a renowned expert on suicide terrorism, argues in his new book Dying To Win that although Islamic fundamentalism seems to be the obvious central cause for suicide terrorism, at least half of the suicide terrorist attacks during the period 1980-2003 were not associated with Muslim fundamentalists. The belief for the strong link between Islamic fundamentalism and suicide terrorism, Pape says, has fueled the belief that to avoid future attacks like those of 11 September 2001, there is an urgent need for a radical transformation of Muslim societies. However, this presumed connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism is misleading and maybe encouraging domestic and foreign policies that are likely to worsen Americas situation. Between 1980 and the end of 2003 there were 315 suicide terrorist acts. The overall leader is the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, a secular group fighting to establish an independent state. According to some accounts, the Tamil Tigers have carried out at least five times more suicide attacks than other similar organizations put together. Tamil Tigers are said to be behind a very notorious suicide terrorist attack , the assassination of former Indian Prime Minster Rajiv Gandhi by a female bomber during an election rally in 1991. Cultural or religious worldviews enable people to feel that they are part of something larger, more meaningful, and, ultimately, longer lasting than themselves. Suicide bombing offers not only an identity, but also a place in community history life is exchanged for identity. Self-sacrificial behavior is present in many cultures, and is not exclusively linked with Islam. It is an assertion that you will survive as an identity even if you cannot survive in physical form. Individuals can attain symbolic immortality deciding to die for their country. But if offered other ways of achieving symbolic life, they may be encouraged to leave a legacy in a pro-social way, rather than through violence. Pro-social methods of extending identity beyond death include raising children, starting a company and the preservation of peaceful cultural or religious practices. Apart from one demographic attribute – that the majority of suicide bombers tend to be young males – the evidence has failed to find a stable set of demographic, psychological, socioeconomic and religious variables that can be causally linked to suicide bombers’ personality or socioeconomic origins. With the exception of a few cases, their life stories show no apparent connection between violent militant activity and personality disorders. Typically, most suicide bombers are psychologically normal and are deeply integrated into social networks and emotionally attached to their national communities. Randomly attached labels such as â€Å"mad† denote one’s inability to fathom the deeper reasons but don’t advance our understanding of the causes of the phenomenon of suicide bombing. Rather, they impede us from discovering its real nature, purpose and causes. The meaning and nature of suicide in a suicide bombing are strikingly different from ordinary suicide. Suicide bombing falls into the category of altruistic suicidal actions that involve valuing one’s life as less worthy than that of the group’s honor, religion, or some other collective interest. Religiously and nationalistically coded attitudes owards acceptance of death, stemming from long periods of collective suffering, humiliation and powerlessness enable political organizations to offer suicide bombings as an outlet for their people’s feelings of desperation, deprivation, hostility and injustice. Suicide is a major sin in Islam The Quran does tell Muslims, Do not kill yourselves and warns that those who disobey will be cast into the fire. The Prophet Mohammed is reported to have said that a suicide cannot go to paradise. If people do good to you, do good to them; and if they mistreat you, still refrain from being unjust. Another story tells of Mohammed ordering his soldiers not to mistreat women and children, even during a battle. Both the Quran and hadiths offer examples of respect given to Christians and Jews – both considered along with Muslims as people of the Book. But bin Laden and some other terrorists say the less militant parts of Muslim teachings simply dont apply to their war with the West. This belief can be traced to a few well-known figures of relatively recent Muslim history. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was a contemporary of George Washington. His supporters say he was a religious reformer who cleaned up a corrupted version of Islam practiced in his part of Arabia. Opponents call him a political opportunist who used religion as a weapon. In either case, he declared that Islam had been corrupted a generation or so after the death of Mohammed, and he condemned any theology, customs or practices developed after that. Islamic laws oppose the practice. This religious prohibition has had the intended effect. According to Franz Rosenthal a scholar of the subject suicide was of comparatively rare occurrence in traditional Muslim society. The most extreme ways that people can invest in their world view is to sacrifice their own life for it. Physical risks help to secure their own immortality this is self sacrifice as self-defense. Harming innocent bystanders, even in times of war, was forbidden by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This includes women, children, noncombatant bystanders, and even trees and crops. Nothing is to be harmed unless the person or thing is actively engaged in an assault against Muslims. The predominant theme in the Quran is forgiveness and peace. Allah (God) is Merciful and Forgiving, and seeks that in His followers. Indeed, most people who spend time on a personal level with ordinary Muslims have found them to be peaceful, honest, hard-working, civic-minded people. In the fight against terrorism of all forms, it is important to understand who or what is our enemy. We can only fight against this horror if we understand its causes and motivations. The entire Quran, taken as a complete text, gives a message of hope, faith, and peace to a faith community of one billion people. The overwhelming message is that peace is to be found through faith in God, and justice among fellow human beings. At the time the Quran was revealed, there was no United Nations or Amnesty International to keep the peace or expose injustice. Inter-tribal violence and vengeance was commonplace. As a matter of survival, one must have been willing to defend against aggression from all sides. Nevertheless, the Quran repeatedly urges forgiveness and restraint, and warns believers not to transgress or become oppressors. If anyone slays a person- unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land it would be as if he slew all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people. Quran 5:32Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching. And argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious And if you punish,let your punishment be proportional to the wrong that has been done to you. But if you show patience, that is indeed the best course. Be patient, for your patience is from God. And do not grieve over them, or distress yourself because of their plots. For God is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good. Quran 16:125-128 The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree) but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from God, for God loves not those who do wrong. But indeed, if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong done to them, against such there is no cause of blame. The blame is only against those who oppress men with wrongdoing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice. For such there will be a penalty grievous (in the Hereafter). But indeed, if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an affair of great resolution. Quran 42:40-43. Goodness and evil are not equal. Repel evil with what is better. Then that person, with whom there was hatred, may become your intimate friend! And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, none but people of the greatest good fortune. Quran 41:34-35 The key motivator for a violent actor who seeks to die like a martyr is a strong attachment to a community, usually a religious community. There are dozens of reasons for killing, but violent martyrdom is first and foremost about belonging. Strong emotional ties and strong feelings of mutual obligation often hold religious societies together. They act out of personal despair, rage, hatred, belief in paradise or having been brainwashed. We also assume that their actions are completely irrational and destructive. What we need to look at, in order to correct these misconceptions, is the martyrs discourse and the rituals that surround religiously sanctioned suicide terror. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_attack http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1066254.html http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1934101,00.html

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Realism in English Literature

Realism in English Literature In general, realism can be defined as the aspect of tending to lean towards being factual and practical on matters of life by representing things, actions, or social circumstances in point of fact, without presenting them in their conceptual form and neither without the influence of feelings or other artistic ideas. However, in order to clearly define or discuss the major distinguishing features of realism, it is best to discuss it under different viewpoints so as to get an extensive description of what this theory of realism in American literature is all about. The theory of realism emphasizes on objectivity and being indifferent, along with unemotional social criticism. By critically referring to minute details and being concerned with petty, insignificant issues. Therefore, through use of literature, realism refers to the attempt of a writer to portray human actions and environment precisely as it appears in every day life. In reaction to romanticism, realists claimed that precise documentation, sociological approach and vernacular diction were the basis of literal realism. The subject matter was sourced from everyday life, and in this case, the people in lower-class life were considered. After the Civil War, it is when realism entered American literature; with authors such as Mark Twain and Henry James being the major initiators of this fictional style of realism in America. The American realistic authors aimed at presenting observations that were objective and without bias. In this light, we can broadly discuss literal realism from the literature point of view. In the school of literature, realism is described as the theory through which fidelity to the natural world or towards life is represented accurately without the practice of idealizing occurrences of life. The works of Daniel Defoe and Henry fielding are some of the earliest cases of realism in English writing, dating back to the 18th century. Through the schools, types and modes of literature, realism can be described as the conformity to accurate literary depiction of real and everyday life without any form of idealization. Through this genre of realism, individuals were just perceived as real people, as opposed to other genres such as romanticism which described an individual as a god and naturalism which perceived a person as a helpless object. (Gray) Realism in American Literature dates back to the 19th century, 1860-1900. In American literature, realism is described as a term that covers the period from the time of the Civil War to the 20th century-an era during which the realism of Twain and James was highly praised. Realism in America was therefore a 20th century idea in literature through which reflections of this era were portrayed. A time in which authors like Mark Twain, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway, Toni Morrison and others wrote literature that was dedicated to accurate description and a study of how the Americans lived in different situations during that era. After the Civil War, there was a fast growth in the economy and population in the United States. This rapid growth in the rates of industrialization, urbanization, an escalating population base as a result of immigration, general literacy, social equality and a rise in the affluence of the middle-class population presented a rich base for wri ters and readers who had the urge to understand these rapid changes in the American civilization. In defining the realism in the literary history of America, we refer to that period ranging from 1865 to l914, which has been commonly referred to as the Era of Realism in the American 1iterary history. Therefore, in defining Realism as a literary movement, it should be specifically located in history and not simply artistically labeled to escape being dated. Hence, Realism being seen as a literary movement, it should doubtless be limited to the age from the late 1840s to the mid 1860s. This implies that the theory of focus concerning literal realism of the content should be centered on the ordinary, everyday lives of the lower-class preferably. The American realist writers went ahead to build their plots and characters around the ordinary, daily lives that people led. In addition, their fictional works contained local languages and wide-ranging conversations that attached well with the community. Consequently, readers were ideally attracted to the realistic writers because they coul d see their own struggles in print. The American public had advanced socially, economically and politically and so they tended to prefer writers who plainly described the difficulties of every day life for individuals as opposed to the slow paced writings and symbolism of the romantic writers, which the public had come to develop distaste for. The Americans had transformed to a new age, and realism was the only theory that clearly depicted the situation as it really was during that age. (McDonald) Mark uses local colorism as a theme through which he presents life through representing the characters in his novel as locals from a particular region. The way they did things in a native manner, the clothes that they wore and even how they talked described their lifestyle in a profound way. Mark Twain unlike James Henry wrote about people in the lower-class. Being the kind of life he had lived, he understood this class of people better as seen in his novels. Through use of local colorism, Mark was able to i1lustrate and shed light on issues in the contemporary society. The Gilded age, as Mark Twain commonly refers to as the period of American realism, was a time of materialism and political corruption in the United States. These elements formed ideas on which some important works of fiction on political and social criticism were based on. The novel Gilded Age (1873), which was authored by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, presents a clear depiction of Washington D.C. The scene describes fraudulent politicians and insatiable industrialists. The novels of this age characterize the beginning of a new twist in the American literature, with the novel acting as a vehicle of social grievances. In an attempt to describe a contemporary view of how things were in reality; writing was used to portray how the culture of the people and the scenic outlook of New York City had transformed in this age. During this period of time, the writers, journalists, musicians and painters had made a major contribution to the thought of realism in the American setting; they had actually come of age. This was actually a new kind of generation writers, journalists and painters who through their writing and works of art were concerned with representing the usual and common aspects of life in a straightforward and unemotional manner, which was assumed to portray life as it actually was. Their approach of treating matters that portray a careful depiction of daily life, more so by the lower and middle classes was partly influenced by the new city life of a people who were more urban as opposed to leading a rural life and partly by the works of older American writers. These American realists did believe that humanitys preferences and freedom of choice were constrained by the supremacy of outside forces, which influence our ways of thinking and consequently our behavior and personality. This was a new age and it had come with a new style and approach of writing and presenting other works of art. (Patterson) Henry James and Mark Twain are some of the renowned writers in this era and together they achieved to bring out the indigenous style in the realistic description of the land and social activities by using the colloquial speech style. By using this approach they managed to survey and use the fictional potential of the interior life of people living at the time. However, the three writers differed in their perception of what they termed as the truth in reality. For instance, Mark and William gave more emphasis to the general life of the Americans, while Henry gave more attention to the sub conscious elements of a person. Henry was of the opinion that literary artists should use words to explore the deepest extents of the mental and ethical nature of people in addition to examining the exterior of social life in certain circumstances. This made him a realist of both the inner and outer life, while Mark and William were merely realists of the exterior life. The contribution of these five authors; Mark Twain, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway, Toni Morrison to the American realism through Literature can be viewed as fitting in the realistic period in the American literature in this context. Samuel Clemens, commonly known by his pet name Mark Twain is famous for how he represented realism in his writing (1835-1910). His well-known literary works are Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In his book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, his most prominent account of realism, he introduced a character Huckleberry Finn who is a mistreated and neglected thirteen years old boy, whose father is a cruel drunk. From Finns view point, we get to see the world as he tries to make sense of the social world around him. In the story, Mark portrays various societal formalities by representing the double standards of the civilized American society in every day life. Mark Twains style, which was based on a dynamic, practical and slang American language, gave to the American writers and readers an admiration of their speech that represented a new form of American fiction. Despite Mark coming from the interiors of the country, he was actually among the most important authors who managed to capture this unique colloquial language and the aspect of iconoclasm of the Americans in his writing. But in his opinion, realism was not just a literary skill: It was a way of revealing the truth and abandoning old-fashioned principle of life. Like other realistic writers at the time, Mark Twain represents life in a practical way. His mode of writing was hilarious, descriptive and one which incorporated the colloquial language of Americans with both slang and iconoclasm. Mark Twain is regarded as a major writer in the realistic period. Through his literature, Mark created the worlds view of the United States. From how he managed to combine the American peoples h umor and serious writing, he produced a very superb form of literature than the earlier novelists had ever done. Throughout his writing career, Mark Twain used the technique of humorous narration in most of his major works of fiction. In his accounts, he ridicules the pompous, self-indulgent old world in mocking tones. He developed his work by drawing upon the views and sensations of his childhood. He narrates about his boyhood ambitions to be the pilot of a riverboat. The episodic encounters of Huck and Jim present us with an illustration of the world in a social perspective by symbolically using the banks of the river and the river that runs through them it to portray our actions in the world, in a realistic way. In The Gilded Age, he uses social satire to explore individuality in a world of speculation and unsteady values, all in the name of getting rich, whether at the expense of others or not. Twain, who over the years had turned in to a disillusioned pessimist, he cynically described the human race as a lost society, which had become obvious due to individualism. Mark also uses the aspects of vernacular in the realism movement. His use of col1oquial words which are real and express in effect, and use of simple sentence structures makes his work very unique. He also uses grammatical incorrect wording that is characteristic of the spoken 1anguage. He uses this colloquialism to powerfully cast his characters unique in their daily lives in a magical way. The fact that his characters have different cultural settings indicates that they speak differently probably with strong accents, which is the basic ideology of local colorism in his work. Like is the case with Huck and Jim, who talk differently because of their different cultural settings. His use of humor is another element he uses to describe realism in his work. Most of his writings are comical and contain practical jokes. Most of his jokes and remarks are his exaggerated stories of his life experiences. He not only uses this jokes to make people laugh but also as a type of artistic approach of criticizing social injustices and mocking the romanticism genre. In the book Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses the character Huck, a young lad who described as using the local dialect in scene development plays the role of narrator. The illustration of characters and story renditions are both comical and cleverly iconic. Huck is described as being illiterate and superstitious; however, he happens to have native wisdom and concern-instinctive trends that help him reach the right decisions on certain important matters. After running away from his cruel father, he meets Jim, a runaway slave and together they start on a long voyage down the Mississippi River on a boat. This describes how we are at times faced by lifes challenges and we opt to run away, instead of face them. During the passage, Huck meets members of different communities, which helps him overcome his earlier narrow-mindedness and he learns to revere Jim. The book describes the different classes of people that Huck meets symbolically through the river banks on their journey. The thread which runs through exploration after exploration is the aspect of human cruelty to others. The significance of mark as a realistic writer is the literary creativity he employs in his novels. First of all, the language he uses to write his novels is simple and direct colloquial speech. Secondly, the plot and shape of his writings gives his novels both a realistic and symbolic aspect. Thirdly, he describes how the human race is damned following the kind of actions and decisions wee make concerning various issues. Although Mark and Howells shared the same perception in describing the realities of life in the American culture, each of them had a different stress. Howells preferred to base his argument on how the middle class people lived and conducted themselves in life. Twain focused his argument on having people from a certain region take the center-stage in his stories-local colorism, which was a unique style in the American fictitious realism. Local Colorism was an extraordinary approach in the literary realism age. Generally, the writings by the local colorists were focused on the life of some small, distinct regions. This type of literature portrayed the characters from a specific time, which are manifested by its traditions, language, outfit and other odd customs that have failed to come of age through cultural pressure. The writing is done from a personal experience perspective, whereby they committed themselves to minutely and accurately describe the way of life in theses regions. Thro ugh personal experience, they depicted an exceptional environment, which suggested that the life of the natives was greatly influenced by the conditions of the environment. The works of Mark Twain and Hamlin Garland are characterized by this element of local colors of the people. (Railton) Henry James (1843-1916), was a well-known American-born English author and writer of the realism movement. Among his highly attributable works of fiction are The American (1877), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Turn of the Screw (1898), and The Ambassadors (1903). His works were mostly romantic narrative with well developed characters that were set amongst revealing social observations on political affairs, social class and status. He vastly explored topic on feminism, personal freedom and moral decency. In his novels and short stories, he makes use of the interior monologue technique and approach to ensure the readers delight of character approach and sensitivity. James often compares the lifestyle and perceptions of New World with the Old World. In his writing, Henry James who greatly admired the early European culture portrayed a negative image of the money-oriented and twisted life of the Americans. He became a British citizen through naturalization, arguing that he believed that the Americans lacked a culture, a reason why he preferred the European civilization. In his major works more so the novels and essays made him a prominent figure in the American world of literature. There are three periods in his literary profession, in the first his main interest was in global subject matters. Jamess international theme is also another aspect that he uses in fictional realism. He uses America and Europe as the international environment, which centers on the conflicts between these two very diverse cu1tures. Having diverse moral, Americans are naive, ignorant, unsophisticated and individualistic in comparison with European whose personality was that of cultural erosion, deceit and urbanity, a conflict arises. The American in search of success in Europe would be easily deceived and betrayed by the civilized Europeans. In the same context he also uses love and marriage as central points of the conflicts between these two value structures. The character goes through an agonizing progression of spiritual nourishment and achieving an awareness of good and evil from this confrontation. He regards the conflicts between two diverse societies and the emotional and ethical problems Americans in Europe and Europeans in America experienced. Jamess international theme is also another aspect that he uses in fictional realism. He uses America and Europe as the international environment, which centers on the conflicts between these two very diverse cu1tures. Having diverse moral, Americans are naive, ignorant, unsophisticated and individualistic in comparison with European whose personality was that of cultural erosion, deceit and urbanity, a conflict arises. In The Portrait of a Lady, he describes a conflict between the Old and the New World, through the life of an American girl in a European society and environment. The American in search of success in Europe would be easily deceived and betrayed by the civilized Europeans. In the same context he also uses love and marriage as central points of the conflicts between these two value structures. The character goes through an agonizing progression of spiritual nourishment and achieving an awareness of good and evil from this confrontation. Henry Jamess realistic elements are distinguished by his psychological realism style that he uses to approach the subject matter. His world of fiction is more concerned with the inner aspects of life of an individual in preference to the obvious human acts. He makes individual perception and expression of every moment senses of personal experience to be the dramatic production of puzzlement and great findings. We get to view individuals and actions as they are sorted out in an individuals awareness and involve ourselves in this experience. This stress on psychological realism on the human perception shows that this was a major advancement in the writing of novels and a kind of big influence on future generations. James is commonly considered as the initiator of psychological realism, an idea which he incorporated in his work, whereby the characters are portrayed as having a stream of consciousness. In Daisy Miller, one of his most famous works, Henry James uses Frederick, an American emigrant as the narrator of the story. While on a visit to Switzerland, Frederick meets the Millers. The Millers, who are American, believe in social freedom and individuality unlike the Europeans. Daisy, daughter to Mrs. Miller does not regard the complex policies underlying conduct in European society. Daisys adventurous behavior and lack of concern form her mother leave Winterbourne shocked. She later dies of malaria. The theme of the novel is a comparison between America and Europe, centered on the conflict of these two cu1tures as regards their different social values, the moral decadence in Europe and its repercussion as described through the death of Daisy. Jamess literary criticism, described as the theme of the Art of Fiction. His fictional criticism is a crucial element of his input to literature. It is both apprehensive with outward manifestation and dedicated to personality values. This theme plainly signifies that the plan of the narrative is to present life as it really is. He depicts occurrence such as fantasy, desolation, incentives, agony and encouragement. His narrative standpoint and the language he uses are other themes in his realistic literature. Through this literary skill, he places a psychological emphasis in the story. By making his characters build themselves in the plot, devoid of authorial intrusion, we capture the core story by reading it through the minds of the protagonists and in that respect we get to share in their realistic perspectives of life. For his language, James makes a careful selection of words that is intended to bring out the clear and intended meaning without any ambiguity even though it is not e asy to understand his vocabulary. This made Henry James one of the most important realists of this era through his skilled style of writing. The stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) present the edgy and bold atmosphere of the 1920s, a disappointment that resulted from the war. Fitzgeralds distinctive subject matter is articulated expressively in his novel The Great Gatsby. He argues that there is a propensity of the ambitions that youths yearn for end in letdown and disillusionment. Fitzgerald reveals that the failure of some chief American moral standards such as liberty, social harmony, promoting peace and good governance are elements which were endangered by the demands of the 20th century civilization. Ernest Hemmingway, who was also another author during the time (1899-1961) argued that death, violence in the World War I and the bloodshed influenced him to conclude that conceptual verbal communication was typically empty and as such a misleading element. He left out over emphasized wordings from his works, to simple sentence structure. In some way his writing was inspired by Mark Twain who influenced his style of writing. He dwelt on realistic things and actions. He stuck on to an ethical code that emphasized the essence of elegance under pressure, with his central characters being quiet physically powerful who treated women inappropriately. His novels include: The sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms. He was one a writer who greatly detested this new civilization in which the people were inelegant and their actions were very much individualistic. Through her novels, Toni Morrison (1930-1950) has used a variety of themes and Practices which represent her contribution to realism in the American literature scene. She uses the element of sense of loss to describe how she deeply feels for the Afro-Americans for losses they have experienced in their movement from the rural areas of the south to the urban centers in the north. They are depicted as a people who have lost their sense of living as a society, a disconnection with their past and traditions. Their culture of oral tradition of story narration and folktales was no longer a basis of their strength as a people. Other foundations of their togetherness like music which they used as a healing element, had been adsorbed by their integration into the white community. Hence portraying a society that had completely lost touch with their roots and had sought to live in a more sophisticated and realistic way, as opposed to their traditional way of life that entailed living as a depend ent community and having a shared history. (Baym) She also portrays her characters as people who are in a constant struggle of trying to identify with society and fulfill oneself. Thee elements of having societal roots, and a community to identity with, which implies having a shared history is what these African-Americans have given up to adopt the American culture. Anybody who does not belong to a community is generally regarded as lost, while those who still hold on to their traditions and communities are depicted as having a high chance of surviving. The lack of societal roots and the detachment of an individual from the society lead to their being alienated. According to her, ancestors are also a necessary part of life for they give cultural information and a link to the past. They are supposed to guide and be concerned about our welfare like parents and grandparents. In her novel, The Bluest Eye, ancestors is one of the distinctive uniqueness of the black community literature, which they have actually given up for a more realistic and fulfilling life. The aspect of characters in extreme situations is also another theme Toni Morrison uses in her literature. She sets her characters in intense situations; she then forces them to the edge beyond their points of endurance. These circumstances disclose their basic personality. Even the good people end up acting in some very horrifying ways. Through this induced push, people are described in their real manner and not in their pretentious good self. Other themes in her works include responsibility, freedom and loss of innocence.

8 Ways to Tell If a Website Is Reliable

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