Saturday, August 31, 2019

Assignment 1 Demand Estimator Essay

Imagine that you work for the maker of a leading brand of low-calorie, frozen microwavable food that estimates the following demand equation for its product using data from 26 supermarkets around the country for the month of April. For a refresher on independent and dependent variables, please go to Sophia’s Website and review the Independent and Dependent Variables tutorial, located at http://www.sophia.org/tutorials/independent-and-dependent-variables–3. Option 1 Note: The following is a regression equation. Standard errors are in parentheses for the demand for widgets. QD = – 5200 – 42P + 20PX + 5.2I + .20A + .25M (2.002) (17.5) (6.2) (2.5) (0.09) (0.21) R2 = 0.55 n = 26 F = 4.88 Your supervisor has asked you to compute the elasticities for each independent variable. Assume the following values for the independent variables: Q = Quantity demanded of 3-pack units P (in cents) = Price of the product = 500 cents per 3-pack unit PX (in cents) = Price of leading competitor’s product = 600 cents per 3-pack unit I (in dollars) = Per capita income of the standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) in which the supermarkets are located = $5,500 A (in dollars) = Monthly advertising expenditures = $10,000 M = Number of microwave ovens sold in the SMSA in which the supermarkets are located = 5,000 Option 2 Note: The following is a regression equation. Standard errors are in parentheses for the demand for widgets. QD = -2,000 – 100P + 15A + 25PX + 10I (5,234) (2.29) (525) (1.75) (1.5) R2 = 0.85 n = 120 F = 35.25 Your supervisor has asked  you to compute the elasticities for each independent variable. Assume the following values for the independent variables: Q = Quantity demanded of 3-pack units P (in cents) = Price of the product = 200 cents per 3-pack unit PX (in cents) = Price of leading competitor’s product = 300 cents per 3-pack unit I (in dollars) = Per capita income of the standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) in which the supermarkets are located = $5,000 A (in dollars) = Monthly advertising expenditures = $640 Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you: 1. Compute the elasticities for each independent variable. Note: Write down all of your calculations. 2. Determine the implications for each of the computed elasticities for the business in terms of short-term and long-term pricing strategies. Provide a rationale in which you cite your results. 3. Recommend whether you believe that this firm should or should not cut its price to increase its market share. Provide support for your recommendation. 4. Assume that all the factors affecting demand in this model remain the same, but that the price has changed. Further assume that the price changes are 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 dollars. 1. Plot the demand curve for the firm. 2. Plot the corresponding supply curve on the same graph using the following MC / supply function Q = -7909.89 + 79.0989P with the same prices. 3. Determine the equilibrium price and quantity. 4. Outline the significant factors that could cause changes in supply and demand for the product. Determine the primary manner in which both the short-term and the long-term changes in market conditions could impact the demand for, and the supply, of the product. 5. Indicate the crucial factors that could cause rightward shifts and leftward shifts of the demand and supply curves. 6. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia does not qualify as an academic resource. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: 7. Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or  school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. 8. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: 9. Analyze how production and cost functions in the short run and long run affect the strategy of individual firms. 10. Apply the concepts of supply and demand to determine the impact of changes in market conditions in the short run and long run, and the economic impact on a company’s operations. 11. Use technology and information resources to research issues in managerial economics and globalization. 12. Write clearly and concisely about managerial economics and globalization using proper writing mechanics. Click here to view the grading rubric.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Job Analysis vs. Job Evaluation Essay

Describe the differences between job analysis and job evaluation and how these practices help establish internally consistent job structures. Job analysis is the organized gathering, documenting, and analyzing information to describe a job. A job analyses describes the job duties, worker requirements, working conditions, etc. Job evaluation is the recognition of differences within a set of jobs and establishes pay rates according to the job. A job analysis provides information about what duties the job consists of and what is required to perform the job which in turn allows the manager to know what types of people to hire for the positions. The job analysis results aid in establishing compensation for the various positions by the differences between job content and work requirements. Job content refers to actual job duties as well as the tasks that employees must perform on the job. Worker requirements are the minimum qualifications and skills that people must have in order to perform the job in question. Companies use this to develop pay grades and salary ranges to determine how much pay each position is worth. Describe the challenges in developing compensations that are both internally consistent and market competitive. Internally consistent compensation systems help allows companies to develop relative pay scales. Relative pay scale means that jobs within the company pay different rates in comparison to other jobs within the same company. The means that these internally consistent compensation systems are developed are based on simple principles and fundamentals. Jobs that require a person to have a higher level of education, experience, or a specific skill will be assigned a higher pay than a job requiring less. Another factor that affects the relative pay of a job within the company includes the complexity of the job as well as the level of responsibility that comes with it. This is very useful for a company but it will become necessary for employees to take on the duties of  other positions or even duties of newly created position in order for the company to remain competitive within the market. This could be caused my several different things. The company may downsize in the future, making employees take on more tasks. Or responsibilities can be added prior to the company becoming fully staffed or adding staff. This would increase the employee’s responsibilities or skills without increasing pay. One way to plan for this would be for the company to have the ability to give additional pay for additional responsibilities as defined by a defined policy allowing the company to grow based on market changes while still being able to fairly pay the employees for the work they do. This would make the company have a market competitive compensation policy which mean that the pay scale for jobs will attract and retain the most skilled and knowledgeable workers. A draw back to a market competitive compensation policy would be that it would not help keep costs low. An example would be the company paying too much for a specific job based on what the company can afford to pay, which can limit the company from doing other important things like training and development. Discuss whether it is fair to give one employee a smaller percentage merit increase because his pay falls within the 3rd quartile but give a larger percentage merit increase to the other because his pay falls within the 1st quartile and explain why. I do not believe it is fair to give one employee a smaller percentage merit increase because their pay falls within the 3rd quartile but give a larger percentage merit increase to the other because his pay falls within the 1st quartile. I think both should be evaluated on the work they are doing and their contributions to their team no matter what quartile they are in. Employees are rated by their management on job specific objectives as well as performance ratings over a course of time in order to determine whether an employee is due to receive a merit increase and the amount of increase. This typically happens after management does a performance appraisal of their employees work. If it is found that both employees do the exact same work, and they both have the same skill sets, and the same statistics on job performance then both should be given the same percentage merit increase. Discuss the basic concept of insurance and how this concept applies to health care. The basic concept of insurance is that it covers the costs of a group of services that provide employees with coverage for services. This is to provide the employees with the ability to take care of their physical and mental health. This includes and is not limited to covering physical examinations, diagnostic testing, surgery, hospitalization, dental care, vision coverage, as well as prescription drug coverage. Health insurance can be purchased by an individual directly through an insurance carrier, or it can be purchased through payroll deduction with their employer. The costs can be a lot more expensive if purchased directly from the carrier, deductibles may be higher, and the benefits may not coverage as much as group health coverage through an employer. Group health coverage through the employer is for a larger group of people and coverage negotiated. The company pays a portion of the benefits, allowing their employees to pay a lesser cost. In a fee for service plan there are deductibles, and this means that over a period of time an employee will have to pay for services needed before insurance benefits start to pay for services received. Describe the changes in the business environment and society that might affect the relevance or perhaps the viability of any of these benefits. Companies faced with rising cost of benefits and health care may cut employment in order to reduce benefits costs. This will make unemployment rise. Unemployment insurance payments for are there to provide temporary financial assistance to unemployed workers who meet their specific state requirements. Eligibility for unemployment insurance, benefit amounts, and length of time benefits are determined by the state law under which employment insurance claims are awarded. The problem with unemployment benefits is that due to a decline in revenue there are budget deficits. Other factors affecting the business and/or society that might affect the relevance or viability of benefits are things like companies closing, off shoring work, as well as layoffs. Anything that’s causes people to lose their jobs to pay for coverage’s and out of pocket expense or just loosing the coverage itself affect this. Without employer group coverage’s for health insurance, employees may not be able to afford to pay for medical services. References Dessler, G. (2011). Human Resource Management: 2010 custom edition (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Martocchio, J. J. (2011). Strategic compensation: A human resource management approach: 2011 custom edition (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. What is health insurance? Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.investorwords.com/2289/health_insurance.html

Thursday, August 29, 2019

New Years

Gabriela J. Bachman Professor Lathrop Writing 1 19 October, 2009 New Years at Home As I described in essay one, New Years for my family is a very important event and we celebrate it with a number of activities based in superstition. According to Wikipedia (1) superstition is defined as â€Å"a credulous belief, not based on reason. The word is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, prophecy and spiritual beings, particularly the irrational belief that future events can be influenced†.Despite the fact that Catholicism is the main religion in my country, all Peruvians believe in superstition. New Years Eve is when people confirm these superstitions by performing a variety of strange rituals such as burning a â€Å"Muneco de Ano Nuevo†, wearing yellow wrist bands, eating grapes at midnight, and placing lentils in our pockets, all these in order to push some luck and prosperity into our life. In the following paragraphs I will be making a deeper analysi s on the meaning of these rituals and explaining why these rituals are still being carried by Peruvian families.One of the most famous rituals and the first I described in essay one is building and burning our first â€Å"Muneco de Ano Nuevo. † A â€Å"Muneco de Ano Nuevo† is an effigy of an important public person that had caused a big commotion during the year. Since in the past decades, politics has been a topic that has caused deception and discontent to Peruvians; this is the reason why effigies are mostly created to represent politicians as showed in this passage from essay one: â€Å"we made an effigy of Alberto Fujimori, who was the president at that time, and who didn’t have a good reputation. Since my family is very interested in politics, this ritual is a joy for them. The part of the ritual they enjoy the most is the burning of the effigy. This doesn’t mean we want to see the real person in flames, but we see it as type of anger therapy, as m eans of getting rid of all the frustrations we have accumulated towards the politician during the past year, hoping he will change and consequently, he will help to bring prosperity to our country. Besides releasing our anger, building and urning the â€Å"Muneco† is also intended to bring the family together into a last activity of the ending year, and first activity of the starting year, hoping family unity will be maintained throughout the entire year. Everyone has an important role in this activity. Although my siblings and I were in charge of building the â€Å"Muneco de Ano Nuevo,†, my whole family contributed in different aspects, as this sentence from essay one clearly illustrates it: â€Å"we used mom’s tan pantyhose to build the face, dad’s old blue jeans and black suit jacket to build the body, and my grandfather’s white tennis shoes to make the feet. A very important role in this ritual is the role of the males, which is to protect the ir children by doing the most dangerous activities involved in this ritual, as this passage from essay one shows â€Å"my dad and uncles closed the street, sat the â€Å"Muneco† in the middle of the street, bath it on gasoline, and lighted it on flames†. A superstition that is more focused with our history is wearing a yellow wristband in New Years Eve. As I said in essay one â€Å"my mom gave to each of us a yellow wrist band which we wore the entire night†. In Peru, yellow is the dominating color of New Year because is associated with hope, happiness, and optimism.Likewise, yellow is the color of the good things in life such as the sun and gold. But this superstition has a deeper meaning of just being the color that identifies a celebration; in fact it has a connection with the past. For our ancestors, the sun was our God, and the gold was the treasure used to venerate him, but when Spain colonized Peru, they stole our gold and forced natives to change their r eligion. This is the main reason why we celebrate New Year in Yellow, as a way to award homage to our roots and ancestors, hoping our country will never have to go through this pain again.Lastly, two family oriented superstitions that were also mentioned in essay one are eating grapes at midnight and placing lentils in our pockets. Eating grapes right when the clock strikes midnight is a common superstition practiced in Peru and Latin America in general. â€Å"†¦ Right after, my mom and aunts ran to the kitchen to get the grapes (†¦) they handed us a bowl with twelve grapes each, which we ate under the table†. This example, as strange as it seems, involve us getting under the table to eat twelve grapes in only twelve seconds.Per each grape that we eat, which represents a month of the year, we get to ask a wish. If all the grapes are sweet, it means it will be a good year; in contrast, if for example the fourth grape was sour or not as sweet as the other ones, it mea ns that April is not going to be a good month. As for the reason why we have to get under the table to eat the grapes, I think this just help us on concentrating when asking for the wishes and to avoid choking since all the grapes must be eaten very fast. Another family oriented superstition I mentioned is to carry lentils in our pockets during New Years Eve.In my country, people consider lentils as being a very nutritious food because it contains a big amount of proteins, minerals, and vitamins. As I mentioned in essay one â€Å"my mom handed us a handful of lentils that we put in our pockets for the entire night. † The illustration of the mother handing out lentils to her kids symbolizes the love and care the mother has towards their kids, providing nourishment and making sure they have the vitamins they need to grow strong. By practicing this superstition, we believe food will be available on our table throughout the whole year.Also, lentils resemble coins, thus we believe that carrying lentils in our pockets during New Years Eve will bring money to our home. (Transition) Although I have immigrated to a new country and culture, I will maintain these beliefs in my family, and I will pass it onto my children as my grandparents did to my parents, and my parents did to me. And whether or not all these superstitions are true, they have become part of the Peruvian history and folklore, making our New Year’s celebration unique. Work Cited (1) Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. â€Å"Superstition. † Web. 19 Oct. 2009. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Superstition

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Critically review the opportunities and limitations of policy Coursework

Critically review the opportunities and limitations of policy transfer, with examples - Coursework Example However, beginning the mid-2000s, we find that several geographers have as well played a critical role in these discussions; usually they use the word political motilities in place of the term policy transfer (Araral, Fritzen and Howlett, 2012). However, the most important review of the literature on the policy transfer that was carried out in the year 1996, examined several questions including the definition of policy transfer; who transfers policy; the reason for transfer of policy; what is transferred; whether there is existence of policy transfer; and the factors that limit the transfer of policy. Nonetheless, to different levels or degrees, the literature on the policy transfer has from then examined several such questions substantially. For instance, when reviewing the question of ‘who,’ the things that are cited include the role and responsibilities of officials who are elected, civil servants, political parties, policy professionals, and pressure groups (Knill and Tosun, 2012). Policymaking is always about the planning of lessons among and between those that carry it out, policy governance, institutions, together with governance units, at all the governance levels. Consequently, a central or key feature of the policy-making encompasses taking lessons from the errors that may have been committed in the past so that they cannot be repeated again; from the possible analysis or review of what the future carries; and usually from what are being done by others or even what others have done. This paper is going to critically review the opportunities and limitations of policy transfer. The, opportunities and limitations are discussed, and then a conclusion, which will be a summative review of the ideas discusses in the paper. In general, there are opportunities that are presented or exist in the transfer policy that vary from one feature or context to another. In the discussion of the policies and

Moneyball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Moneyball - Essay Example After three outs, the other team gets a chance to bat and the game goes on. At the end, the team grabbing the maximum number of runs wins. This is what the game is all about. A person can be known as a clean hitter and would have a clean chit for over 22 straight games. These are excellent statistics on the paper. But as soon as you step into the field, with over ten thousand pair of eyes gazing you with enthusiasm and envy, your hands will start sweating. Your heart beats increase and your mind races faster than a maglev train. You start thinking about the psychology of the pitcher, the manner he curves the ball in the air, the speed of around 100 miles an hour ball that approaches you like a meteor and the manner in which he last set you out. You gaze at his pasture at the mound and the tired look on his face after pitching for over four hours without a break. What is he going to ball today Will he rely on his best deliveries that he had bowled earlier, or has he experimented with his delivery this time. These are some of the different thoughts that engulf a hitter's mind. They think about the last time they did a clutch hitting. But how is it possible to hit a 100 miles per hour delivery without even looking at its trajectory for less than a micro second Baseball hitter can concentrate on the ball for loner than most oth... ds that are impossible to follow- a player can farthest follow the ball to 5.5 feet in front of the bat; or they watch the first few feet of the ball movement and latter on believed in their instincts to move to they place they expect the ball to go. So, the coach's advice of following the ball till it touches the bat is practically impossible. These are some of the ways that governed the rapid evolution of baseball hitters. The balers only keep one thing in mind- swing the ball in air, clutch it in a manner for the hitter to not understand the trajectory, keep it as close to the body of the hitter as possible and make him attempt the ball in an un orderly fashion to let him out. Getting a miss is like a bonus for them. Both the players have ample amount of challenges therefore. Their carrier can be mended or totally broke down by even one hit or a miss. The players deal with a lot of physical, mental and psychological pressures while playing and can commit mistakes in the interim. But there are no options left for them than not to make any. There is no security for a baseball player, neither of their health or their career nor to their families, if they get injured enough not to play again. The excessive fitness levels expected out of the players are really challenging and all have to abide by the game rules. This is the manner in which the game has progressed and taken this form since its inception in 1344. The baseball organization has a lot of politics involved within. They make offensive strategies and the coach is made to learn that they are not teaching baseball, but are training baseball players. So their main emphasis revolves around the fact that who is doing what, rather than what is done. A good understanding of the game situation is more important in

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Mergers and acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Mergers and acquisition - Essay Example Firms in different industrial sectors tend to respond differently when entering a M&A process. Current study focuses on the effects of M&A process on the increase of shareholders value and the creation of shareholders wealth. Reference is made on a specific industrial sector: the financial services industry. The case of a recent merger of two financial institutions - banks in Britain, Lloyds and HBOS, is used in order to show all the potential aspects of the issue under examination. Employees from both these institutions have accepted to participate in the study. The results - along with the material published in the literature - indicate that M&A can be a valuable strategic tool for the increase of a firm's profitability; however, its effects on the creation of shareholder wealth are not quite clear. The study focuses on the examination of the following issues: a) how can mergers and acquisition benefit a firm's shareholders, b) which are the effects of mergers and acquisition on a firm's equity' c) are there specific measures taken for the increase of shareholders' wealth in the case of a merger or acquisition, d) which is the role of state in the development of the relevant procedure - control by antitrust authorities, e) does the leadership style affects the development of mergers and acquisition' And f) does the n... 2. Literature Review The development of M&A through the decades has been continuous; the specific strategic tool has been used by managers in order to support the improvement of their firms' performance - even if the results have been found to the different in each particular firm. M&A have been used since the 1940s but their use was then limited; through the years M&A have been significantly developed reaching in 1980s an important level. However, it was necessary that changes are made on the existing M&A practices in order to meet the demands of the market but also the firms' potential to respond to the requirements of the particular processes. Regarding this issue it is noted that 'the market for acquisitions changed dramatically in the 1980s as government policies facilitated 'mergers for efficiency' rather than 'merger for diversity'' (Lubatkin et al., 1997, 59). On the other hand, it is proved that the effects of M&A on a firm's performance can be differentiated - the financial strength of the acqu irer may not directly supported or increased - long term benefits are rather to be expected in case of development of the relevant process. The above issue is highlighted in the study of Flanagan (1996) where it is noted that 'purely related acquirers benefit more than purely unrelated acquirers; acquiring firm stockholder returns were also higher if the acquisition was friendly or a tender offer' (Flanagan, 1996, 823). At a next level, it is noted that 'acting in a socially responsible and lawful manner is a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for increasing shareholder wealth' (Frooman, 1997, 221).Of course, it is possible that the effects of M&A do not appear within a short period after the completion of the process. The reasons

Monday, August 26, 2019

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

INTERVIEWS - Essay Example However, some health educators are employed with a bachelor’s degree in health education or other fields like sociology, anthropology, and at least two years work experience in the field of health. Additionally, health educators are required to always continue learning in order to increase or maintain their professional skills. The health teachers who accept to become Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) normally develop some pride and accomplishment according to the NCHEC. The CHES helps to discover ones skills and knowledge enabling the employers to identify the qualified personnel. To be in a health field, it is important to have several skills that can boost your work. It is important to have communication skills. This helps while presenting educational information to different groups of people. Secondly, it is necessary to consider leadership skills. Leadership skills are mainly needed while coordinating and directing your work or others. Additionally, for planning purpose, organizational skills are needed. According to my knowledge, there are very many responsibility and duties of a health teacher. Most health workers work at places such as community civic centers and high schools to educate people in health matters. For instance, they teach about the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle, using the available health services and avoiding health emergencies from occurring frequently. Additionally, the main requirements needed of a health teacher are planning and directing health learning programs and lectures for companies, schools and community groups. The main task is to develop health goals with the students and help in promoting good health and varies ways of protecting or preventing diseases. Furthermore, the professionals are required to prepare and distribute educational materials on health matters. These matters may include: drug abuse and smoking, sexually

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 105

Journal - Essay Example All phrases in the sentence have the same form, and the same grammatical function. Parallelism makes each sentence an element in a series owing to the deliberate repetition. An example of parallel structure is â€Å"They struggled in a foreign country, without food, without friends, and without accommodation†. This sentence has the same form, in that it uses the word ‘without’ and their grammatical function is the same because they all complete the verb ‘was’. One has to cut out useless words and phrases. Instead of saying, â€Å"The type of people in the party were women and children†, one should write, â€Å"The people in the party were women and children†. Another method is substitution of an economical expression for a wordy one. Instead of saying, â€Å"the essay tends to focus on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  one can cut out unnecessary wordiness by using the word ‘emphasize’. In addition, it is necessary to reduce emphatic repetition in

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Autobiographical Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Autobiographical Paper - Assignment Example The 1939 movie has its basis on Margaret Mitchell’s novel of a similar name published in 1936. Among the different movies that I have watched, Gone with the Wind remains the most outstanding. The impact, which the film made in my perception of life and all its challenges continue to last. Fleming’s Gone with the Wind’s most appealing aspect is its thematic approach. Despite being old and produced in 1939, the film remains influential in my life to date. It expresses the need for courage as the best way of surviving through times of crises in life. The movie’s approach to life is that it is characteristic of conflicts. In the movie, Fleming depicts conflicts in life through characters’ experience during the American Civil War period. Despite all the challenges of life, there is a need that people hold on by never giving up. The movie, therefore, emphasizes hope as a virtue that can keep people going. Fleming’s expression of the virtue of hope in life renders the movie influential in life. Based on the characters’ conduct, it is clear that determination is a sure way achieve every goal that an individual desires. Based on the movie’s themes, I established a fundamental life principle of endurance in the face of challenges after watching Fleming’s Gone with the Wind movie. The principles are invaluable to everyone regardless of gender, age, religion, or orientation in life. The movie, therefore, exceeds the limitations of time and lives on to represent the past and the present. The film explores essential characteristics of successful people by highlighting that there are always challenges along the path of all successful people. Perhaps an individual could be unaware that great leaders must learn to endure challenges that emanate from experiences. It is unprecedented that there will be a movie to remain relevant through history and inspirational to viewers in the same way as Fleming’s

Friday, August 23, 2019

Reflective Diray Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reflective Diray - Essay Example I believe that in order for me to triumphantly finish this academic year, I need to improve on learning, and this I can to by working harder. During the ICT lecture that I have attended last Tuesday, I encountered problems regarding the database table. Apparently, this was the major conflict I’ve had so far. I was able to overcome it however I am still a bit unsure of how to use it. This week was a little intense for me. This week, I finally became conscious of the difficulty of jumping from one approach to another in order to keep up with the courses. First, I went to the library to research on for the Educational Development module. There I found books which will enlighten me better with our topic. Our lecture was about â€Å"how to take notes†, incorporating active learning in the lesson. During the lecture, we were given tasks and they were to be done as a group however at first I was not that engaged in the group work. It was then I realized that this was what the lecture was teaching me – to become more active and to be more engaged in tasks as much as possible. This is what I have to try, and I know that in so doing I will be able to understand the lecture better. Group tasks can help me explore more things, I learn from my group mates and in return, I contribute some knowledge. Perhaps, this is another aspect of active learning. I do not only learn from reading, but I learn fro m experience, not just of my own but of others as well. Mates are like authors, with the authors, you read carefully their ideas, with mates, you have to listen to them carefully and observe them. Through listening and observing, you learn new ideas (Voeks 1979). I also realized that I need to do some more reading during my spare time as this will help me as well.   Through active reading, we begin to search new ideas and in vigorously

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Overcoming the fear of speaking in public Essay Example for Free

Overcoming the fear of speaking in public Essay I heard several stories of how it was like speaking in public for the first time. While some would be tongue tied for the first few moments and stare in to a blank space, others knees would simply give way to the painful fact that no force would blow them away or hide them from the drowning gaze of their audience. My experience was in no way different from theirs. I had resisted and vehemently opposed every attempt to bring me to speak before the congregation of my local church. ‘I am not good at debating,’ or ‘I got the information late, so I could not prepare’ were among the several excuses I would bring up whenever I was enlisted for any debating competition in the church. But this day, I was ‘shoed’ to the front by my mother to give a testimony on my escape from a deathly road accident. At first, my buttocks felt like they were glued to the seat. I went blank and no words would form in my head. Standing before the congregation, I felt like running away. I searched for what could distract me and then I found the shape of the pulpit attention drawing. I slurred on the first few words, but I later gained confidence. Right there and then, I was completely discharged of all stage fright. I delivered my first public speech, if I may call it that. Ever since then, I find it easy and less disturbing to address the public, their number notwithstanding. I joined a freelance writing company recently. I used to have problem with meeting deadlines, customers were always sending back my works for revision and I was losing my earning with the company. I was frustrated and I felt like leaving. But I decided to take it as a challenge and to resist giving in to frustration. I have been doing fine ever since. I also learnt how to relate well with customers. I acquired also professional writing skills.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Compare and contrast plato and decsartes Essay Example for Free

Compare and contrast plato and decsartes Essay Descartes and Plato are two of the most influential thinkers within philosophy. The allegory of the cave and systematic doubt are also two of the most famous concepts within philosophy. Plato at the time of writing the cave allegory was trying to resist the growing influence of the Sophist philosophers who prioritised semantics and rhetoric over truth. 1 Descartes by introducing radical scepticism to philosophy was challenging traditional scholastic philosophy which had dominated the philosophy for many centuries. While both pieces of writing are separated by different ages of time and space, they share many  similarities as well as fundamental differences. This essay will attempt to compare and contrast these two bodies of work by firstly explaining what is Descartes’ systematic doubt and Plato’s Allegory of the cave before finally examining the similarities and differences between them in the final paragraph of analysis. Descartes in his first meditation introduces the concept of Radical doubt which similarly places suspicion on the senses and the appearance of things. This involves stripping away all one’s beliefs and preconceived notions in order to find the foundational bedrock of  knowledge in which all sciences could then grow2. Descartes begins his first meditation by casting doubt on all his beliefs, if a belief can be even slightly doubted it must be discarded. He wants to ‘reject as absolutely false anything in which I could imagine the least amount of doubt3’ this is called radical scepticism where all beliefs must be challenged. Through this experiment Descartes conceded that the physical senses are not to be trusted as they have deceived him before, this is known as sensory deception and this revelation forces him to  doubt any beliefs about the external world and knowledge that is gathered by the five senses. His examination also reveals that dreams states can be difficult to distinguish between waking life, this has happened before where he thought he was in bed but wasn’t. Henceforth one cannot truly know if they are awake observing reality or asleep enjoying a dream, this is known as the dream hypothesis. Descartes also uncovers the evil demon hypothesis whereby all external reality observed may be just an illusion that is perpetrated by an evil demon  seeking to deceive him, also there is the problem that all previous memories about oneself could simply just be imagination and not grounded in any reality. The system of radical doubt leads Descartes into murky territory where he cannot believe in the existence of anything at 1 JULIAS, ANNAS: INTRODUCTION TO PLATO’S REPUBLIC(NEW YORK, 1998)P. 252 2 JOHN, COTTINGHAM, DESCARTES: THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIND(LONDON, 1997) P. 21 3 JOHN CORRINGHAM, DESCARTES: MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY (NEW YORK, 2013) P. 33 all. This thankfully is changed when he discovers the cogito’ I think therefore I am’, his  starting point which saves him from uncertainty, allowing him to prove that he exists. In Plato’s allegory of the cave, there are prisoners who are locked up within the depths of a cave. All day long, they are situated in front of a wall and behind them is a fire which reflects shadows on the wall. Unbeknownst to the prisoners, there are puppeteers who use the firelight to reflect shadows of their puppets upon the wall while making noises ‘the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows’4. The prisoners are unaware of this illusion and mistakenly believe these shadows are real images. One day, a prisoner is released from his chains and allowed to walk freely about the cave. Although it is confusing for him to see the puppets and fire, he is forced to accept this clearer version of reality and eventually ascents through the cave, spending a day and night under the sun and the stars. As he becomes familiar with the world above, he realises the sun is the giver of light, how it casts shadows and how his prior life in the cave was an entire illusion. This newfound enlightenment Plato remarks will prevent him from ever returning to the life in cave, nor will his old inmates  believe him if he tried to free him, instead ‘they would put him to death5’ This intellectual awakening will cause the inmate to grasp the idea of good, the eternal form which will urge him to act ‘rationally in public or private life6’. Ultimately Plato suggests the inmate should return to his old friends and seek to help them. The cave analogy is concerned with the human condition and its’ lack of enlightenment7, for Plato the prisoners represent ordinary citizens who hold false beliefs (shadows), reality is dictated to them by their senses (appearance of things) allowing them to be easily manipulated8. Ignorance is then symbolised by darkness and the intellect and reason is symbolised by the light. The journey of the inmate from darkness to light is a metaphor for education which allows one to progress from the ignorance in the depths of the cave to the intellectual plains of the enlightened one in the outside world. The outer world symbolises true knowledge, the realisation of eternal forms while the cave again illustrates the world of appearance and false beliefs, Woozley writes ‘most men without knowing it live in this shadow world’9 4 PLATO. ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE. P. 74 5 IBID. P. 75 6 IBID. P. 75. 7 ANTHONY, WOOZLEY: PLATO’S REPUBLIC: A PHILOSOPHICAL COMMENTARY(LONDON, 1989)P206 8 JULIAS, ANNAS: INTRODUCTION TO PLATO’S REPUBLIC(NEW YORK, 1998)P254 The cave analogy and Descartes systematic doubt have much in common. Both are concerned with the illusory nature of the senses and external reality, for Plato people place too much emphasis on the senses, on the appearance of things as illustrated in by the shadows on the wall, this leads them to hold false beliefs and to be easily misled, only by entering the realm of thought can people free themselves by gaining knowledge and becoming enlightened. Descartes through the systematic doubt also maintains that external reality cannot be truly known; the sensory deception and evil demon hypothesis cast doubt on the authenticity of the outside world. Indeed the evil demon hypothesis is an almost identical scenario to that of the prisoners whose sensory perception is distorted by the shadow wielding puppeteers. Only through the mind or intellect can an individual overcome the illusory nature of the senses, it allows the prisoner to access the outside world to gain enlightenment and help his fellow inmates while for Descartes the mind by way of the cogito is the one thing  that cannot be doubted which through it allows him prove the existence of the outside world in his later meditations. The cave is an analogy which illustrates how people can possess false consciousness and how through reason and knowledge one can overcome this while systematic doubt is an instruction on how to discard false beliefs, the ascent through the cave into the intellectual world is the finishing point for Plato while the cogito for Descartes is a starting point for further investigation. The two authors also differ on the type of philosophy employed in their argument. Plato insists that after the ascent , the prisoner will experience the idea of the good ‘ the lord of light in the visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual’10 the good then is the highest point of knowledge and represents Plato’s philosophy of perfect types or forms known as idealism, Descartes through highlighting the sensory, dream and demon hypothesis illustrates how the external world cannot be relied upon as a basis for true knowledge, but the cogito is a starting point, the attempt to find secure beliefs that allow a foundation for further knowledge to be rested upon  is known as Foundationalism which is credited to Descartes. In conclusion, both Descartes and Plato in their attempts to challenge the prevailing doctrine of their respective times introduced two of the most influential concepts in the world of Philosophy. Descartes through his examination of systematic doubt uncovers the limitations of the physical senses in acquiring knowledge and introduces further challenges to understanding external reality with the dream, memory and evil demon hypothesis. Only 9 ANTHONY, WOOZLEY: PLATO’S REPUBLIC: A PHILOSOPHICAL COMMENTARY(LONDON, 1989)P. 223 10 PLATO. ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE. P. 77  through the mind alone can one grasp the nature of reality starting with the cogito. Likewise Plato is concerned with the appearance of things, how the senses can deceive us and humanity like the inmates in the cave can live in a state of ignorance or darkness if they don’t use the power of the mind to acquire knowledge and reason. Only through using the intellect can humanity gather true knowledge and escape the darkness in the cave. For both the intellect is the only means for gathering true knowledge, the senses are illusory. Descartes systematic doubt and cogito provide the foundational starting point for the sciences while the  cave allegory offers advocates a way of life for humanity to feign the world of ignorance and seek true knowledge so that those who acquire it will return to the cave and help their fellow man. Works Cited: Annas, Julias. An Introduction to Plato’s’ Republic. New York: Oxford University Press Cottingham, John. Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013 Cottingham, John. Ed. Ray Monk. Descartes’ Philosophy of Mind. London: Phoenix Publishers, 1997 Plato. The Allegory of the cave. Week 5 Handout Woozley, Anthony. Plato’s Republic: A philosophical commentary. London: MacMillan Publishers, 1989.

Influences of Egyptian Art on Art Deco

Influences of Egyptian Art on Art Deco A dissertation on Art Deco how it was influenced by the discovery of Egyptian art, more specifically the findings at Tutankhamens tomb. Explore how the London exhibition of these findings was of great significance to the worlds of fashion interiors in the 1970s and how many designers started to redeploy Egyptian motifs in their work. Introduction Egyptian art and design was very much centred on decorative motifs and patterns for both large and small items. As Egyptian artefacts were uncovered and became known to modern civilization, their art designs began to have an influence on modern design.[1] This paper will look at how these Egyptian motifs and designs became hugely influential on the Art Deco movement in the 1920’s and 1930’s, as well as the revival of the movement in the 1970’s. There will be a particular focus upon the artefacts found in the legendary tomb of Tutankhamen. Through the London exhibition of this work, its decorative motifs spread into what we now know were the beginnings of the Art Deco movement. It also had a strong influence on the resurgence of Art Deco designs in 1970’s home decorations and furnishings. The paper will be split into two main sections, with the first section looking at the general influence of Egyptian design on Art Deco design. The second section will then look at specific examples of designs and designers to support the claims of Egyptian influence on Art Deco design through the artefacts of the Tutankhamen exhibition. Firstly, though, it is worth mentioning a brief history of how Egyptian design began to influence modern design, particularly in the Western world. It was in the 18th century that Egyptian design first became fashionable for furnishing within British homes, mainly through the influence of Italian design at the time. This is when obviously Egyptian items were being used as designs within homes, including obelisks and sphinxes. As Western society learnt more about Egypt through the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone, the opening of the Suez Canal and an exhibition of Egyptian artefacts by Belzoni in 1821, the trend for Egyptian design as a fashion continued throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th century.[2] However, during this time much of the Egyptian designs were limited to copies or replicas of large, visible artefacts of Egypt. It was not until the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 that the styling of Egyptian design began to really influence modern design. The artefacts in Tutankhamen’s tomb were of amazing quality and style, and it is these artefacts that inspired the Art Deco movement. Examples first appeared in architecture such as the Hoover Building in London in 1931/32, which is still around today. Many other aspects of design from this period such as furniture, jewellery, and even clothing were influenced by Egyptian design. However, it was the Art Deco movement that took Egyptian motifs and designs and used them in a different way, rather than exactly copying or reproducing existing designs. [3] The artefacts of Tutankhamen again had an influence on design in the 1970’s as they were exhibited in London. This sparked a renewed interest in Egyptian design and again clothing, furnishing and decorations were created in an Egyptian style. The next section of the paper will look at the general design similarities between Egyptian design, particularly the Tutankhamen artefacts, and the Art Deco movement. Influence of Egyptian Motifs on Art Deco At first glance, the obvious similarity between Egyptian design as seen in Tutankhamen’s tomb and Art Deco design is the use of decoration to cover as many different surfaces as possible. Egyptian designs were highly decorative, and this was a huge influence on the Art Deco movement that used decorative patterns and design elements wherever there was space to do so. [4] However, the term Art Deco itself was not coined until the 1960’s, and in the 1920’s and 1930’s the movement which is later known as Art Deco was more concerned with mixing the glamour of Hollywood with the mystical and spiritual designs of ancient cultures such as Mayan and Egyptian. The concept of Art Deco was to do with forms, shapes and geometric lines which signified the rise of the machine age, the aeroplane and the automobile. However, they also mimicked the geometric patterns found in Egyptian design and hieroglyphs.[5] As 1930’s Britain and America were reaching a more advanced stage than modern society had ever achieved, the style of Art Deco paid homage to this through its use of the Egyptian motifs – the motifs of the ‘pinnacle’ of ancient society. The influence from Egyptian design also had to do with a fascination for the primitive and the primeval of ancient times. The influence of the Tutankhamen artefacts can be seen in the adoption of pharaonic imagery in Art Deco, such as scarabs and cats.[6] An article in Harpers Bazaar in 1928 showed this influence directly by showing women’s accessories of the time against profiled heads of Egyptian females.[7] There was a very clear influence from Egyptian design on the Art Deco architecture in cities like London and particularly Manhattan in the 1930’s. Symbolically, the beginning of the era of skyscrapers is like the looming of the ancient Pyramids. There is a certain sense of mystery in such powerful and dominating structures, and this was certainly part of the Egyptian influence on Art Deco architecture at the time.[8] Other designs in Europe more showed more direct influence from Egyptian design, with pyramid style apartments and buildings being planned in London, New York and Paris as a sign of luxury and sophistication.[9] Hybridism is another area where Egyptian design has influenced Art Deco. Egyptian design was based upon a mix of traditional and contemporary styles, and mixed decorative style with function and purpose. Art Deco also did this by mixing not only Egyptian styles but the styles of other ancient cultures as well as the functionality and precision of modern design.[10] Whilst Egyptian design was a hybrid of designs from the cultures and peoples that were dominated by the ancient Egyptians, so Art Deco was a mixture of the traditional and the modern from all over the world. Egyptian design was also important as a social influence on Art Deco, because the discovery of Tutankhamen and the tomb’s wonderful artefacts represented a time when luxury, mysticism and a ‘golden age’ were occurring. During the 1920’s and 1930’s people were still recovering from the ravages of the First World War, and they wanted to move away from those times of hardship into a new era of peace, fashion and decadence. Egyptian design was a perfect representation of such an era, and this is another reason why the Art Deco designs of the time incorporated Egyptian motifs.[11] The geometric patterns of Art Deco however are perhaps the main focus of the movement’s aesthetic, and came not only from Egyptian design influences but from the influences of Cubism. It was the geometric patterns of Cubism mixed with the decorative aesthetic of Egyptian design that influenced much of the European and American movements of Art Deco during the 1920’s and the 1930’s.[12] A further design aspect of Art Deco influenced by the Egyptian, or at least the perception of Egyptian, design was the concept of feminine style. The 1920’s and the 1930’s were the start of a new era for feminine style after the austere fashions of the early 1900’s. Egypt, with its female gods and female ruling figures, is seen as a barometer of classic feminine elegance and style. Therefore, many of the fashion styles and interpretations of Egypt at the time were based on this idea of femininity. Nowhere can this be better seen than in the 1930’s film version of the story of Cleopatra, where Cleopatra is played by Claudette Colbert. The movie was made on the back of the popularity of Egyptian-inspired Art Deco, or ‘Nile Style’ as it was sometimes referred to in Hollywood circles. Colbert’s image as Cleopatra was far more about current Art Deco style than historic recreation of Egyptian design.[13] She even advertised her hair in a curled ‘Egyptian’ style and endorsed Cleopatra Egyptian-inspired dresses and gowns like those shown in the movie. Even the physical feminine style for women at the time of being tall and thin was similar to historical records of the feminine style preferred in ancient Egypt. Her costumes in the film were influenced by those historically recorded for Isis. Below is an example of this style, showing the influence of Egyptian style on Art Deco even in contemporary movie-making of the time. This may have been a film based on an Egyptian story, but Colbert was known for wearing modern styles even in such movies and this is reflected in the Art Deco Egyptian dress worn. Colbert’s Art Deco Cleopatra Look[14] The Art Deco movement’s use of Egyptian motifs and design was certainly launched fully by the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, and this set off the recreation and interpretation of Egyptian artefacts and design in almost all areas of art and design. This ranged from costumes such as those designed by Sonia Delaunay, the Egyptian Theatre by Grauman and the biscuit tins of Huntley and Palmer. Some of these designs will be examined more closely in the next section of the essay. What all of these designs share is the sense of decadence, elegance and sophistication that people craved during this era and was expressed through the use of Egyptian motifs.[15] Art Deco architecture was influenced by Egyptian architectural techniques in that it places a certain importance on aesthetics as well as functionality. This makes the architecture closer in some ways to painting or art rather than merely the design of buildings. Art Deco buildings like the Egyptian buildings were highly functional, but not at the cost of style and decoration.[16] Jewellery of the Art Deco period was also greatly influenced by Egyptian design as well. The fascination with Egyptian culture meant that artefacts from Tutankhamen’s tomb were reproduced or at the very least elements of their design were used for highly sought after jewellery pieces. Although Egyptian motifs had been used before this time, this was the first time that they were used to such an extent in modern, fashionable design. Van Cleef and Arpels in Paris set tiny Egyptian figures in coloured stones into a diamond background, and Cartier designed Egyptian-inspired clocks. A heavy use of previous metals such as platinum and gold as well as diamonds became more popular, inspired by the hugely elaborate and stunning gold pieces found in the tomb. However, this type of jewellery became less popular after the 1929 Wall Street crash and cheaper materials were again used.[17] However, not all of the Art Deco movement was influenced so heavily by Egyptian design. The Art Deco movement in Paris was influenced more by the visit of the Russian ballet and the aesthetics that came with their performance. However, in London and New York the scenes, particularly architecture and interior decoration were highly influenced by Egyptian design.[18] However, towards the end of the 1930’s the style started to become less fashionable, and tastes changed. The Art Deco movement though would be revived in Britain in the 1960’s and 1970’s, again when it was heavily influenced by the arrival of the London exhibition of the Tutankhamen artefacts. The first stirrings of the Art Deco revival in London were through retail styles of stores like Biba in Kensington. The ceramic designs of Clarice Cliff were still in high demand, and even the headquarters of MI6 has a number of Art Deco touches in terms of detail and symmetry. [19] However, it was the arrival of the Tutankhamen exhibition in London in 1972 that again sparked a revival of Egyptian-inspired Art Deco style. The sheer excitement and opulence of the exhibition of these world famous treasures meant that Egyptian design once again became fashionable. The exhibition attracted around 1.7 million viewers in its year run and inspired the revival of the Egyptian inspired Art Deco movement that is sometimes referred to as ‘Egyptian Revival Art’.[20] This revival of the Art Deco was also a response to Modernism that had deemed Art Deco too decadent and had replaced the decoration with ‘cleaner’ looks. The Postmodernist architecture and design began to pay homage to the decorative excesses of Art Deco and ornate jewellery, ostentatious sports cars and lacquered furniture once again moved design back towards a more decorative aesthetic.[21] It was almost as if the arrival of the Tutankhamen exhibition sparked a remembrance of the Art Deco style, and this created the first real collecting phase of Art Deco in the UK. Exhibitions and retrospectives began to flourish and the movement was looked at again in a new light. It once again became fashionable as celebrities such as Elton John and Barbra Streisand began to collect Art Deco pieces. [22] We have seen in this section how Egyptian motifs were one of the key elements in the Art Deco movement in the 1920’s. The real spark of inspiration came with the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen by Howard Carter in 1922. The decadence and decorative appeal of the artefacts in this tomb appealed to the tastes and fashions of the time and became imbedded in the Art Deco movement. The architecture of New York and London during this period is highly influenced by Egyptian motifs, as well as the furnishings, fashion and art. Although the movement was replaced by Modernism in the 1940’s, the arrival of the Tutankhamen exhibition in London in 1972 once again created a demand for Art Deco designs that were inspired by Egyptian motifs. The next section of this paper will examine some of the key examples of Egyptian motifs within Art Deco design in the 1920’s/30’s and the 1970’s in Britain and how they are inspired by the artefacts found in Tutankhamen’s tomb. Examples of Egyptian Motifs in Art Deco Fashion and Interiors The Egyptian motifs appeared in Art Deco in the 1920’s and 1930’s most prominently in the architecture of Britain and America. In Britain, perhaps the best surviving example of this Egyptian inspiration in Art Deco is the Hoover Building in Perivale.[23] Other good examples still to be seen in London are The Daily Telegraph Building designed by Ernest Elcock (1928-1931). This building has huge, bulging Egyptian columns. Another building of the same era is the Carreras Building in Camden which features an imposing Egyptian colonnade. [24] The Carreras Building is influenced by the Temple of Bubastis, the cat-headed goddess. It had a sense of spaciousness and light to match the mystical feeling of the ancient temple, and was adorned with a wide variety of Egyptian motifs and designs.[25] In America one of the earliest examples was the Egyptian Theatre (1922) by Sid Grauman. However, many of the skyscrapers in New York built during this era have some Egyptian influence – even the famous Empire State Building with its needle-like point and angular edges similar to many of the ‘needles’ found in Ancient Egypt.[26] The rebuilding of San Francisco after the terrible 1906 earthquake was masterminded by Timothy Pfleuger. He built a number of Art Deco buildings including the Castro Theatre and the Telephone Building. Pfleuger mixed all types of ancient cultural influences into his decorative works including Egyptian and Mayan motifs.[27] Interior design was also influenced by the Egyptian motifs from Tutankhamen’s tomb. The Harrods Egyptian escalator hall in London may not be the best example of Art Deco, but it shows how the influence of Egyptian design continues even as art movements change. The designer, William George Mitchell said that he wanted the â€Å"staircase to be a walk-in sculpture, a journey from the Lower Nile to the Upper Nile.†[28] It is also clear that the areas where Art Deco was most prevalent tend to have the most examples of Egyptianized architecture. London has some, but the Art Deco movement was more prevalent in New York and this is where the largest concentration of Egyptianized buildings is located. The influences of Egyptian design could even be seen in the writings of famous literary minds of the time. F. Scott Fitzgerald begins one of his most famous short stories known as ‘May Day’ with a sort of Mock Arabian introduction of how New York will be reborn for the Art Deco. It establishes the importance of exoticism within Art Deco, which is certainly something that Egyptian design can add to the mix.[29] This exoticism can be seen in the jewellery of the time, particularly the high-aesthetics of Cartier. As Bracewell discusses an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum on Art Deco, a 1925 vanity case is mentioned as an example of this Egyptian-inspiration in Art Deco. The vanity case is the shape of a sarcophagus, and illustrates the exotic luxury that is synonymous with Egyptian designs in Art Deco pieces. The catalogue option for the vanity case reads as a veritable plethora of luxurious materials and decorative design – Gold, platinum, carved bone, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, onyxes and enamel; interior with folding mirror, tortoiseshell comb, lipstick holder and cigarette compartment.[30] The Cartier jewellery epitomised both the visual design aspects of Egyptian design in Art Deco, but also the ethos and ideals of the Art Deco movement. The jewellery was decadent, but because it harkened back to the past and primeval culture it was not ostentatious in the same way as the Art Nouveau movement before it. The Cartier brand and its use of precious materials using modern lines, but combined with ancient motifs and symbols, shows the glamour and escapism that Art Deco was trying to create.[31] The furnishings of the time were also examples of the almost Pharoah-esque aesthetics of the Art Deco movement. Two houses in England – Coleton Fishacre and Courthauld house – are excellent examples of the use of luxurious fabrics and different textured materials within Art Deco interior design. The influence from Egyptian design is less obvious here, and is more to do with the luxurious fabrics and importance of aesthetics that are stylistically similar to the ancient Egyptian palatial interiors. Both use clean lines mixed with good colours, sensitive lighting and textured materials to create a tactile environment. The interior of Coleton Fishacre was designed by Basil Ionides, who invoked a Jazz Age feel in the house. Dining rooms contained Lalique lights, and ornate iron framed furnishings. The sea-blue tabletop was clearly influenced by the colours within the Tutankhamen tomb. [32] The initial movement of Art Deco was certainly geared towards the upper classes and incorporated not only the influences from the Tutankhamen tomb but also the improvements in transport technologies and communication. This brought new and exotic materials to the market such as ebony, shark skin, mother of pearl, lacquer and tropical woods. This allowed for experimentation with new and exciting materials, but still paying tribute to the traditional and ancient cultures where they came from. The Egyptian influence was just one of these influences, although perhaps the most striking of all thanks to the artefacts found and the decorative beauty of the items in the tomb. The rise in consumerism reflected the dawning of a new and wonderful age, and so it was only natural that elements of previously successful and respected societies would be included in design. With no society more famed and revered in the ancient world than Ancient Egypt this meant the design elements crept into many of the styles of age including the Chrysler Building by William Van Alen (1927-1930). Just as the pyramids of ancient times were engineering wonders that looked like they could not be built by the hands of humans, the modern skyscrapers of the 1920’s and 1930’s were designed to look like they were made by machines, with their huge heights and angular structures.[33] However, the movement changed somewhat in the later era of Art Deco and the revival in the 1970’s, where again ‘Tutmania’ took over and the demand from the masses for Egyptian inspired design meant that mass production techniques and cheaper materials were now used and the focus was less on luxury and more on the motifs and exoticism of Egyptian design. The designs became more like reproductions of Egyptian designs than inspirations within a distinct movement. Fashion throughout the Art Deco period though was perhaps one of the most heavily influenced areas of design. Delaunay was one such fashion designer of the Art Deco period who was influenced by Egyptian designs. She had always incorporated different styles into her work, including influences from Fauvism, Cubism and ethnic trends. Her career saw her develop from a painter to a designer, and it was in her capacity as a designer that she was involved in costumes for Diaghilev’s version of Cleopatra (1917). Many of the costumes for dancers of this production could not be full recreations of Egyptian clothing, but instead were Art Deco pieces that hinted at Egyptian motifs through the scarves and other accessories for the costumes.[34] However, it must also be shown that there were a number of designers within the Art Deco movement influenced by other designs. Clarice Cliff marked her Art Deco with different ethnic designs, but was perhaps most famous for her use of bold colours and Cubist designs. Although there are certainly some Egyptian influences in Cliff’s work, it was her hybridity and blending of styles in pottery that made her a success in the late Art Deco period, and still makes her work sought-after today. Cliff mixed themes from the Jazz Age and exotic elements of different ethnic cultures with elements of De Stijl and Cubism to create Art Deco pottery that was influenced by everything yet looked like none of the individual influences. The items she created were meant as household items and used materials that were less expensive than the opulence associated with the earlier Art Deco period. However, the concept of hybridity is certainly an idealistic homage to the hybridity seen within the great and Ancient Empires such as the rule of the Egyptians. Their culture mixed together all of the cultures they had observed and the knowledge they had learnt, which was evident in their beautiful but elaborate designs. Cliff’s design mimics this with its use of hybridity, and whilst visually there are few influences in Cliff’s work to Egyptian design, her use of Art Deco hybridity is indirectly influenced by the hybridity of Egyptian design. [35] Virtually all of the major Art Deco designs have some influence from Egyptian design, either through their visual aspects such as Egyptian motifs or through the ideals of hybridity, exoticism, decoration and aesthetics. The designers that have been looked at in this section give a glimpse at both the visual influence of Egyptian design on Art Deco design as well as the idealistic influence. From the deep-sea blues of the table at Coleton Fishacre to the bejewelled sarcophagus-shaped case created by Cartier, Art Deco owes a great deal of its stylistic and visual appeal to Egyptian Design. This is most evident in large cities such as London and New York where the giant architectural monoliths carry the motifs and flourishes of Egyptian design. Whilst Egyptian design was popular before the Art Deco movement, it was the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 that really influenced the movement. The artefacts found in this collection were so mesmerising and unlike anything seen before that their style was sought-after as an escape from the previous designs of the late 19th century and early 20th century. This link to Egyptian design is not only in the visual aspects but in this ideal of luxury, exoticism and hybridity that epitomises Art Deco. The next section will conclude the paper, and look at the main points of similarity and influence between Egyptian design and Art Deco, and how this is particularly linked to the Tutankhamen artefacts. Conclusion Art Deco’s goal was to break away from the Art Nouveau of the 19th century and break the rule of not paying tribute to past styles, whilst still looking forward. Art Deco did this by looking at truly ancient motifs and styles from Egypt that was at once primeval and dazzlingly modern because of the distance of time between the modern era and the ancient era.[36] The need to move away from the horrors of the First World War and embrace and new, elegant and decadent present meant that the 1920’s were a place where decorative design took precedence. However, it was the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter that really caught the imagination of the public and pushed Egyptian design as a major influence for the Art Deco movement. Although the term Art Deco was not coined until the 1960’s[37], the influences of Egyptian design on the movement in the 1920’s and 1930’s can be seen throughout all aspects of design at this time. The Art Deco architecture of New York and London was heavily influenced by Egyptian motifs including the pyramid shapes, the decorative interiors and exteriors and the sheer size and dominating presence of the buildings themselves. The design aspects of furnishings, jewellery and even fashion were influenced by Egyptian design during the Art Deco period. The two styles have similarities in concept and meaning as well as visual appearance, with both styles being a synergy of different styles and techniques from the past and the present. This is why the influence of Egyptian design within Art Deco is so far reaching, with all the different materials and types of design being used in this movement. Also, both movements place the bulk of importance upon decorative aesthetics, with function important but not at the cost of decoration. The use of precious metals, frequent and multiple design elements and geometric designs also match. Even the ideas of femininity were fairly similar as can be seen through Hollywood movies of the time and their use of sleek, tall women wearing clothes that enhanced their appeal as ‘Goddesses’ or powerful, mysterious women. The movement was replaced by modernism in the 1940’s, but it was once again revived in the UK in the 1970’s with the arrival of the London exhibition of the Tutankhamen artefacts. Egyptian-inspired furnishings, decorations, jewellery and fashion became popular, and this era is often dubbed as the ‘Egyptian Revival Movement’. It coincided with a renewed interest in Art Deco, and shows the deep links between the Art Deco movement and Egyptian design not only in visual similarity but in design ideals and principles. In conclusion, the influence of Egyptian design on Art Deco both in the 1920’s/1930’s and the 1970’s was significant, constituting not only a visual influence on the movement but a stylistic and symbolic significance. Although Art Deco’s primary style of geometric patterns and lines was perhaps more heavily influenced by Cubism, the decorative aesthetics of Egyptian design brought many of the design aspects and motifs that we associate with the Art Deco movement. Bibliography 20TH CENTURY LONDON. (2008) Art Deco Style. (Online). Available at: http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/server.php?show=conInformationRecord.72 (Accessed 25th October 2008). BINNEY, M. (2007) Vibrant motifs from the old world found new life in Art Deco. The Times, November 15th, 2007. Available at: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/specials/tutankhamun/article2864301.ece BRACEWELL, M. (2003) Another Time, Another Place. New Statesman, 132(4631), p. 38+. CHILVERS, I. (1999) A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art, Oxford, Oxford University Press. CLOUZOT, H. (1997) Art Deco Decorative Ironwork, Courier Dover Publications. CONDON, S. (2007) How Hollywood manipulates history through costume, University of Portsmouth Dissertation. Available at: http://dissertations.port.ac.uk/179/01/CondonS.pdf CRANFIELD, I. (2001) Art Deco: An Architectural and Interior Design Source Book, Devon, David Charles Publishers. DAWSON, J. (2003) Deco Rationale. The Architectural Review, 214(1275), p. 21+. DOWS, D. (1942) Review of Egyptian Architecture as Cultural Expression by E. Baldwin Smith. American Jo

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Violence Against Children

Every day, about five children in the United States are murdered by a parent or caretaker. In 2014, more than 3 million reports of child abuse were made in the United States involving more than 6 million children. Child abuse kills more children in America than does accidental falls, choking on food, suffocation, or fires in the home (Newton). As if these statistics weren’t horrifying enough, they are inaccurate in relaying the actual number of children that have fallen victim to child abuse in the United States. The sad reality is child abuse is severely under-reported in the United States. Most abused and neglected children never come to the attention of government officials. Victims almost never speak of their abuse for fear of retaliation from their perpetrator (Newton). Even if the abuse has been reported, the victim will often deny the offense took place. This is especially prevalent in cases of abuse, in which the victim shows no physical injury (Thompson). The main reason children do not speak of their abuse or just flatly deny that their abuse had occurred is due to their lack of comfort within the situation. It is very uncomfortable for a child to accuse a parent or caretaker of abuse or neglect. The child can also feel an intense amount of shame and can become very withdrawn and secretive, in regards to their abuse. It is much easier for the child to take the abuse and allow their cries to go unanswered. The most common pattern of abuse is a child vic...

Monday, August 19, 2019

Andy Warhol Essay -- essays research papers

Andy Warhol Never before have I encountered more intriguing works of art than those done by Andy Warhol. I have been curious about his life ever since I saw his work in Milwaukee. I saw his famous work of the Campbell's Soup Can. By viewing this, one can tell he is not your average artist. I'm sure his life is full of interesting events that shaped him into who he was. As an artist myself, I would like to get to know the background of his life. I may then be able to appreciate his styles and understand why and how his works were created. His life is as interesting as his artistic masterpieces. Andrew Warhola (his original name) was born one of three sons of Czech immigrants, somewhere in Pennsylvania on either August 6, 1928 or on September 28, 1930 (the date on his birth certificate). His father died when Andy was at a very young age. Thus, it forced Andy into a deep depression containing lack of self confidence. Much of his young life has been kept secret. However, he did report being very shy and depressed because he never felt comfortable with his homosexuality. His childhood life may have been full of the torture that children threw at him for being the different person he was. He was able to attend college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in pictorial design from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949, he went to New York City with Philip Pearlstein, who was a fellow student that later became a well-known realist painter. In 1960, Warhol finally began to paint in earnest and to view art seriously as a career. He began his career with commercial drawings of women's shoes. In 1961, an early manifestation was his Dick Tracy, an enlarged version of the comic strip that was placed in the window of Lord & Taylor's department store. He followed in his own footsteps to keep going in the ever-so-famous "pop art" track. Warhol's use of images are so close to the images themselves, thanks to the photographic silkscreen technique, which is a process of applying the same image over and over again without changing the original. In 1963, he began turning film into his next aesthetic. He was the recorder of the world around him. Warhol saw this world as populated by hustlers of various sorts, motivated largely by money and the goods it would buy. Later that next year, he started to experiment in underground film. In the late 70's he ... ...Amis 1732). Others saw the diaries as a simplistic record of events. "His diaries are more or less just records of who went where and did what with whom, that anybody else who'd been along could have kept" (Plagens 1732). It's too bad he didn't start the diaries earlier in his life, such as the 60's, "when it would have been more interesting to know what he did and whom he was with, instead of waiting until 1976 to begin" (Plagens 1732). Some even complained of the editing job done by Pat Hackett. "One problem with the diaries is their postmodern polish, such as the casual proofreading and editing" (Trebay 1732). The reason the editor didn't fit up to par was the mere fact she wanted it to sound how Andy explained the day. "...still the book is great social history with its lip-smacking tales of loveless, sexless marriages, its gimlet-eyed view of other people's success, and its rampant unclosetings" (Trebay 1732). I, myself, found the book very entertaining and a great nonchalant look at the famous and their everyday lives. It may have been organized better and condensed a bit, but none-the-less it was still interesting and kept me reading.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Populism and Progressivism in America Essay -- Populist Party Progress

Populism and Progressivism in America I. The Populist Party A. Background: What changes were taking place in agriculture in the U.S. between 1870 and 1900? 1. Mechanization- machine were replacing people and animals of doing agricultural. Tractors being developed produced right after civil war. Problems: need money to own tractors, banks load money to farmer, interest. Upkeep and maintain it to keep tractors running. Money to paid mechanic Added to the financial risk of farming, already gambling on soil and weather and crops. 2. Opening of new agricultural lands (West) - more and more land offered to people, land needed to be develop. Farmer could maintain more land than before because of technology. Problem: crops price were falling, land rush to make up for money lost on crops and to pay loans. High interests rate from bank. Huge drought in the Midwest, many farmers lost their farm, being taken over by banks (1886). More debt to get their way out of debt. 3. Growth of specialization in farm products – didn’t diverse crops, only produced one crop. 4. Changing character of markets for agricultural goods – shipped produce overseas (international market) 1860- 1900 agricultural produces become 75% of US exports. RR owner made profits off farmer. Farmer didn’t benefit much. 1880, market for farmer starts to fall apart. More produce than demand. Farm produces price fall, too much produce worldwide. B. The â€Å"Agrarian Myth† and the Grange (the farming myth) - Jefferson believe independence farmer was the foundation of Americans society. Farmer discovered they were at mercy at banks and government because they were losing money. Grange- first farmer organization formed in the 1867 in response to problems farmer felt, clubs for farmer to establish connection with other farmer. Hang out and drank and shared ideas. Promoted railroad regulation. COOP- cooperative, way for farmer to try and save their money together and avoid using railroad. Getting rid of middle man and railroad so farmer would have a place to store their crops without paying railroad. Sold equipment at a lower price, and established their owned banks. Social Group. C. Farmers’ Alliances (South and Midwest) replace the Grange movement because the grange fallen apart since it wasn’t well organize. Similar to Grange, offered s... ...to vote. Reason why woman should get right to vote changed during this period. Woman equal to man, or woman have a better insight in homes. 1920, 19th amendments woman right to vote. 3. Social settlement movement: Jane Addams hull house, working immigrant in Chicago, place for immigrant to come and be educated about America. A new way to help immigrant. Lived among these immigrant, attracted many other young Americans woman. Setup nursery, playground, saving bank and club for immigrant woman. 1919 established Social Work as a profession. 4. Labor reform and socialism – a lot of labor union fighting for better working condition. Child labor- limitation on hour’s children can work. Workman confiscation- get money if injure on job. Limitation woman work hours. 1911 in NYC fire broke out, no escape because owner locked them in. 146 die because they jumped out of the window. Socialism should control the profit, control own labor, no one on top. C. Progressivism in Politics -Theodore Roosevelt (republican) didn’t like monopoly became president in 1901 â€Å"Bull Moose† Party to reform society. -Woodrow Wilson 1912 ran for president and won beat out Teddy Roosevelt.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Conservation of natural resources †essay writing Essay

conservation of natural resources Introduction  conservation of natural resources, the wise use of the earth’s resources by humanity. The term conservation came into use in the late 19th cent. and referred to the management, mainly for economic reasons, of such valuable natural resources as timber, fish, game, topsoil, pastureland, and minerals, and also to the preservation of forests (see forestry), wildlife (see wildlife refuge), parkland, wilderness, and watershed areas. In recent years the science of ecology has clarified the workings of the biosphere; i.e., the complex interrelationships among humans, other animals, plants, and the physical environment. At the same time burgeoning population and industry and the ensuing pollution have demonstrated how easily delicately balanced ecological relationships can be disrupted (see air pollution; water pollution; solid waste). Conservation of natural resources is now usually embraced in the broader conception of conserving the earth itself by protecting its capacity for self-renewal. Particularly complex are the problems of nonrenewable resources such as oil and coal (see energy, sources of) and other minerals in great demand. Current thinking also favors the protection of entire ecological regions by the creation of â€Å"biosphere reserves.† Examples of such conservation areas include the Great Barrier Reef off Australia and Adirondack State Park in the United States. The importance of reconciling human use and conservation beyond the boundaries of parks has become another important issue. Read more: conservation of natural resources: Introduction | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/conservation-natural-resources.html#ixzz2gvJZaFAX Water Conservation We can live without food for three to five days a week, but we cannot stand for living without water for a day. Water is the basis of lives living on earth. But without a proper condition of water, there must be a bad effect on all types of lives as well. As it becoming worse because of the pollution and the climate change, water conservation is the perfect way to improve the quality of water as well as to balance the current and future water needs. To get through the water conservation, we should know the important, the goal and how we can conserve the water. If you have any questions, I’ll be very happy to answer them at the end of my presentation. Ok, to begin with, let’s have a look on what the important of water conservation. To human, water provides us a huge need for the basic needs as we need fresh water for drinking, to cook thing and to use in things we cook; for example, in the soup, cake, dessert, porridge and so on and we also need freshwater to wash ourselves for being clean and hygiene, to wash clothes for being fresh, to wash dishes for getting away from any kinds of gems, and even to wash our vehicles as needed. Freshwater is used in many ways. We can also use freshwater to improve the sanitation, irrigation, industry and so on. To animal, freshwater plays a very important role as their fundamental needs including the home for species and for drinking. Not different from the human kind, animal need water to support their buddies to survive. For water species, water is not only a basic home but also a place for them to get food. To the environment, freshwater can create the green which can also help both human and animal living in a good condition, for they will live in a kind of environment without pollution. Also, by growing greenery everywhere, it is a great function to cause the rainfall from the forest. And that really benefit to the living situation. That’s all I have time for the important for water conservation.

Friday, August 16, 2019

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” – Selfish Grandmother

Grandparents are the parents of one’s own parent. Grandparents spoil and care for you whenever your parents are not. In some situations, grandmothers are more involved with the grandchildren than any family member. In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the main characters is the Grandmother and her son, Bailey. The son’s family goes on a family vacation to Florida. The grandmother tags along after she insisted not to ride along. She didn’t want to be left alone at home and wanted to keep the kids company on the ride to Florida.Throughout the whole story, the family experienced certain events that the grandmother is to blame for the family’s fate and tragic ending. She told stories to the children about the old days and compared it to present day in the story. Also she insisted to make a couple stops and gestures that could have been avoided if she did not come on the trip. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is an ironic title for this short st ory by Flannery O’Conner. The southern Gothic writer wrote about the things she observed in Georgia. Her stories were far from the normal because her ending fates of the characters were dramatically disastrous.Clearly stated, the grandmother is to blame for the family’s fate because of the unexpected effort to stop at the plantation house, the cat a board the car ride, and recognizing the Misfit and his fellows. Bailey and his family resided in Georgia. The road trip was expected to be a success, but made a tragic turn at the end. They left Atlanta with the grandmother, Bailey, his two children, June Star and John Wesley, and the mother of the children with the youngest child in her arms. The grandmother sat in the middle of the back seat with John Wesley and June Star on either side of her.Bailey and the children's mother and the baby sat in front. Their planned vacation to Florida had an additional unplanned member in the car. Pitty Sing, grandma’s cat, was th e uninvited member, who sat on the grandmother’s lap in the back seat. The grandchildren listened to the grandmother’s childhood stories of Tennessee as they focus on their comic books. Halfway to Florida they made their first stop at The Tower and decided to eat dinner. After dinner, Bailey and his family continued their journey to Florida. As they drove off, the grandmother continued telling her stories.She started one childhood story about a plantation that she spent most time at a young age. The kids got interested in her story because she spoke about the house having a secret panel where silver was hidden. The kids were excited and wanted to know more. The grandmother noticed a plantation with very similar features like the one she visited a lot. Her announcement of recognition made the kids beg. â€Å"The baby began to scream and John Wesley kicked the back of the seat so hard that his father could feel the blows in his kidney† (O’Conner, 1080).As s tated above, the screams of excitement and curiosity of the children and the convincing grandmother persuaded Bailey to turn around and go down the dirt road where the entrance of the house with the secret panel stood. The grandmother finally convinced her son to go up the dirt road because she kept describing the rush of joy to see the house with the secret panel was nearby. The grandmother’s insistence to stop at the plantation house by driving down a road off the highway is one supporting fact proving that slowly all the events caused by the grandmother will be the reason for the family’s fate.On the quiet road, everyone kept to themselves all the excited as they watched the trees pass by. Bailey asked, â€Å"how further more†, and the grandmother replied, â€Å"Not much further. † The grandmother thought to herself as she remembered that this plantation house they were driving to be actually in Tennessee and not in Georgia. Instantly, â€Å"the thoug ht was so embarrassing that she turned red in the face and her eyes dilated and her feet jumped up upsetting the valise in the corner. The instant valise moved the basket under it rose up Pitty Sing, the cat, sprang onto Bailey’s shoulder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (O’Conner, 1081).After she realized this drive down the road was unnecessary and held it in because she knew Bailey and the children would be upset. Driving over a long hill, she rendered to what would actually be on the other side of the hill. Since the plantation house didn’t exist. When Pitty Sing jumped onto Bailey, he was so surprised and lost control of the car. The car with the whole family flipped twice then landed in the ditch off to the side of the road after the big hill. Again the grandmother is responsible for another event the family has experienced.The cat jumped on Bailey causing the car to crash. This could have been prevented if she would have left Pitty Sing at home like Bailey requested because he did not want the cat with them on the family vacation or if she could have stayed home since she did not want to go to Florida, but Tennessee instead. But then again, the grandmother seemed it was alright and nothing would be wrong with bringing the cat. Moments after the chaos of the accident had settled; Bailey spotted a car coming from the end of the road. The car approached the family and parked near the car and the family.Three individuals came out the car and looked into the ditch onto the family. The whole family was in pain and hurt from the car flipping. They screamed for help as the three walked down to them. The grandmother noticed that one of the individuals was someone she knows or saw before. She realized and spoke out loud that all three men were convicts that have escaped from prison and were driving down to Florida to hide out. The leader of the trio was the Misfit. He told the grandmother that the best thing she could have done was stay quiet.The two accomplice s of the Misfit took Bailey and his son, John Wesley, into the woods. Soon after the mother, the baby, and June Star were walked into the woods. Gunshots went off in the woods. â€Å"The Misfit's statements and actions take to a much more blatant extreme that which is hinted at by the grandmother's behavior†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Owens). Leaving the grandmother alone and last to kill by Misfit since the other two men were in the forest. She kept reminding him how good of a man he was to stop and help them. She exclaimed to Misfit, â€Å"You’ve got good blood!I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray! Jesus ought not to shoot a lady. I’ll give you all the money I’ve got! † (O’Conner, 1086). Misfit had enough of her yapping and shot her dead with three gunshots to the chest as she lay in the ditch. â€Å"In her final moment, the Grandmother reaches out and touches the Misfit, whispering ‘You're one of my own chil dren! ’. The Misfit's final commentary on the grandmother is that ‘she would of been a good woman . . . if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life’† (Overview: Wilson).The family’s fate ended with them being murdered by the Misfit and his companions. The grandmother could be perfectly blamed for this whole event because if she would have stayed home, left the cat behind, and not recognize the Misfit. The tragic and sad finale was the final situation that the grandmother will ever put the family into ever again. The â€Å"good man† the grandmother claimed the Misfit was and his two friends are murderers. Throughout the story the ironic title is connected to all three situations the grandmother placed the family in causing their ending fate of death. She is selfish and pushy; in fact, her desire to see a house from her childhood results in the family's death at the end of the story† (Overview: Wilson). Clearly stat ed, the grandmother is to blame for the family’s fate because of the unexpected effort to stop at the plantation house, the cat aboard the car ride, and recognizing the Misfit and his fellows. Persuasion was a key part that played by the grandmother throughout the short story of O’Conner. The moral of the story helps the reader realize that it is â€Å"hard to find a good man†. ? Works CitedO'Conner, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find. † Literature and Ourselves. 6th ed. New York: Pearson, 2009. 1075-087. Print. â€Å"Overview: ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find'. † Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Sep. 2012. Owens, Mitchell. â€Å"The Function of Signature in ‘A Good Is Hard to Find. ‘. † Studies in Short Fiction 33. 1 (Winter 1996): 101-106. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 61. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resour ces from Gale. Web. 24 Sep. 2012.

Whilst Lady Macbeth

In this essay I am will be analysing how Shakespeare and Duffy present madness in â€Å"Macbeth† and â€Å"Havisham†. Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare. It starts off with three witches who tell Macbeth that he will become the king. Macbeth kills the king and becomes king. Macbeth is beheaded by Macduff who was born by Caesarean section which was not considered to be born of a woman. The play was set in the Jacobean era. The Jacobean Era refers to the time in English and Scottish history that concurs with the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who also received the crown of England in 1603. Havisham† is a poem written by Carol Ann Duffy. This poem is spoken by Miss Havisham, a character in Dickens’ Great Expectations. Jilted by her scheming fiance, she continues to wear her wedding dress and sit along with the remains of breakfast for the rest of her life, while she plots her revenge on all men. She hates her spinster state – of which her unmarried family name constantly reminds her. In this section, I will tell you the similarities in Lady Macbeth and Miss Havisham. Lady Macbeth and Miss Havisham share some similarities in their madness. For example, Lady Macbeth shouts, â€Å"Out damned spot! Out I say! † This quote indicates that she sense that she is responsible for the murder of the king so she hallucinates and imagines that the king’s blood is still on her. Also Miss Havisham says, â€Å"Beloved sweetheart bastard. † This quote shows that she still cares for him but she also hates him. This Language device that is used is called an oxymoron. Another Similarity is that metaphors are used in both texts. For example, Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"will these hands ne'er be clean? † This quote suggests that she cannot get rid of her guilt like she cannot get rid of the blood on her hands. Miss Havisham says, â€Å"Ropes on the back of my hands†¦ † This quote represents her aging, as well as the years spent ‘wringing her hands’ with emotion, anger and nerves. In this section, I will tell you the differences in Lady Macbeth and Miss Havisham. Lady Macbeth and Miss Havisham also share some differences in their madness. For example, Lady Macbeth deserves her madness whilst Miss Havisham didn’t. You can see this when Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? † This quote shows that she is feeling anxious about the killing of the king and is afraid that someone might challenge her authority. Whilst Miss Havisham says, â€Å"the dress yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe. † This quote indicates that time has passed and that she literally trembles when she looks at the clothes of her past as she was an innocent victim. Another difference is Lady Macbeth’s madness is rooted from her guilt of murder and repentance whilst Miss Havisham’s madness is rooted from revenge and the pain and sorrow she has felt. This can be seen when Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him† This quote shows that Lady Macbeth has become delusional over the sin she has committed and is losing her mind and is going on a psychotic rant. Whilst Miss Havisham says, â€Å"Not a day since then I haven’t wished him dead. This quote shows that Miss Havisham is being tormented by a memento from her wedding dress which reminds her of the betrayal of her fiance. Havisham also uses enjambment to show the feelings of her past are ongoing and is reflected through the use of the run on lines. In my opinion, I think that Miss Havisham deserves more sympathy than Lady Macbeth as Havisham was jilted on her wedding day and I think that having your lover leave you on the most special day of your life can leave you traumatised and upset. I think that Lady Macbeth as an evil lady as she actually decided to kill Duncan when she saw Macbeth’s letter even though Macbeth didn’t decide to kill him and wasn’t ready to do it either. Lady Macbeth deserves to go mad since that is like her own punishment for her crime In conclusion, Shakespeare and Duffy both present madness in Lady Macbeth and Miss Havisham in a number of ways, both similarly and differently. Readers are bound to feel more sympathy for Havisham then they are for Lady Macbeth due to the fact that Havisham is the victim in her story whilst Lady Macbeth is portrayed as the villain. Havisham is seen as the victim because she has been left by her fiance on the day of her wedding and then was left to suffer the rest of her life alone. Lady Macbeth is seen as the villain as she killed King Duncan with absolutely no remorse in her actions whatsoever at the time, she has just shown remorse after falling ill and ranting about the blood from the king being irremovable. It is common psychology that we feel more sympathy for Havisham as she has done no wrong and was betrayed. We view Lady Macbeth as evil as she killed a man out of greed and for her own gain.