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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Performance of the British Government and the Bank of England in Essay

Performance of the British Government and the Bank of England in Running the British Economy between November 2008 to November 2010 - Essay Example This research paper talks about how successful the British Government and the Bank of England was able to control UK Economy in spite of the the challenges were present in the global economic condition, displays events that took place in Great Britain between November 2008 and November 2010 as confirmation of its forehanded economy. 'Performance of the British Government and the Bank of England in Running the British Economy between November 2008 to November 2010' is the best example of comparison the historical trends of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment rate, balance of payment, and price stability (in particular inflation rate, Consumer Price Index (CPI), and GDP Deflator) over determined period of time. This essay also examines the most important macroeconomic policies used by the British Government and the Bank of England to success its economy: fiscal policy - the Her Majesty's Treasury on behalf of the British government is aiming at being able to maintain a sound mac roeconomic condition by maintaining a low level inflation rate and monetary policy that means the Bank of England can control the country's money supply and interest rates in order to maintain a maximum level of employment, a stable price and avoid high inflation rate by controlling the interest rates. Using such strategy make able to the British government of creating a better quality life-style for the local citizens by controlling, restructuring, and imposing fair taxes to low income earners.

Monday, October 28, 2019

3-Year Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

3-Year Marketing Plan Essay Introduction Company G is a very well-known company in the electronics industry and is highly regarded by consumers for their high quality products and this new product line that is being introduced by Company G continues the excellence of quality for which they are known. The â€Å"Tub-Scrubbie† is an innovative new product that is a first in a new line of electronic home care products that is being introduced by Company G. The Tub-Scrubbie is an automatic bathtub scrubber that is designed to allow people the freedom to spend more time doing what’s important to them instead of working on household chores. Mission Statement â€Å"We enable consumers to improve the quality and convenience of their lives by providing innovative electronics solutions.† The Product The Tub-Scrubbie is an automatic bathtub scrubber that is completely self-contained and rechargeable. This product is designed to scrub the bathtub for those that are physically unable to do so themselves and for people whose lives are very busy and would rather be spending quality time with their family than spending extra time doing household chores. The Tub-Scrubbie is quick to set up and very simple to use. There are no complicated instructions, no small parts to lose or parts that easily break. The unit contains a cleanser and water reservoir that is easy to fill and holds 16 oz. of liquid which is enough for one use, an automatic timer which switches the unit off when the time has expired, replaceable bristle brushes that can be used on all surfaces and a metal tube frame set. To use, the metal tube frame is attached to the bathtub using spring tension rods, the  scrubber is filled with the no rinse cleaning solution and water mixture, the scrub unit is attached to the frame, turn on the unit and set the timer and let it go. The scrubber unit will spray the cleaning solution in 15 second intervals as it scrubs the tub. It will move along the metal frame and move up and down on the drop post to scrub the walls of the tub. Once it has completed two revolutions around the frame, the scrubber will detach from the drop tube and scrub the bottom of the tub until the timer shuts the unit off. Rinsing the tub is not required, the cleaning solution is designed to be â€Å"no rinse† and is non-toxic and will not damage surfaces with regular use. Consumer Product Classification After in-depth research, we have determined that the Tub-Scrubbie would be classified as a shopping item. Even though this item has several characteristics of being a convenience item, such as being low in price and being available in multiple sales outlets, and the purchase frequency is infrequent as a specialty item, it maintains the shopping item profile. The consumer factors that direct this product to the shopping item classification are a considerable planning time involved in making the purchase, the importance of a convenient location, the considerable comparison of price and quality. The marketing mix factors include a relatively short distribution channel, the sellers’ image is very important for the reliability and durability of the item and that this item can be sold and promoted by the producer and the seller of the item. Target Market The target market for the Tub-Scrubbie actually covers two different demographic groups. The first group type to target will be the elderly from the age of 55 and over and disabled people of any age that are living alone. The second group type to target for marketing are the people that are too busy to spend time doing household chores such as scrubbing the bathtub, this group will consist of parents with children that are enrolled in multiple after school activities and the overworked business professional. The elderly/disabled group will be in a very low income bracket, and may or may not have been educated, they will most likely be living on a pension,  retirement or collecting a monthly check from social security, their annual income will average $10,000 $25,000. This group will most likely be living alone in an apartment or single family home in the low income section of town that is situated close to strip mall type of shopping center, which may or may not have a major anchor store. The business professional group will be in the medium income bracket; this group will be highly educated, holding either a Bachelors or Master’s degree. They will be working hard and very long hours so that they can remain in their income bracket range. Their average income will be between $40,000 and $60,000, enough to cover their living expenses and small extravagances, but not enough that they can hire someone to do their housekeeping regularly. This group will be living in an apartment community or in a condominium that is located close to an upscale shopping center or mall. Competitive Situation Analysis Analysis of Competition using Porter’s 5 Forces Model The following is an overview of factors that may have an impact on the introduction and future sales of the Tub-Scrubbie. In the cleaning product market, consumers are always looking for a new and innovative way to take the work out of their daily house cleaning chores. Competitive Rivalry At this time there would be no direct competition for the Tub-Scrubbie. As the sales of this item rise, competitors will start to develop their version of this product, if we patent our item that will reduce exact replicas. With the introduction of the Tub-Scrubbie, the main competition would be the companies that produce the well-known tub and bathroom cleaners such as Clorox Co, Proctor Gamble and S.C. Johnson Son, Inc. Each of these companies holds at least 50% or more of the market share of the different cleaning products that customers have been using for years. Threat from New Entrants The home cleaning product market is extremely large and the competition is very high among the leaders of the industry, this makes entering this market very difficult. Due to the cost involved with entering the cleaning product  market, the threat from new entrants is relatively low. The internet can be used to monitor any new competition that may try to break into the market with similar products to ours. Threat from Buyers With the cleaning product market being as large as it is, the threat from individual consumers would be relatively low; they would have no effect on price or placement of the item. The threat from buyers would be greater, big box stores such as Wal-Mart and Target would be able to refuse to purchase the item unless they received a discount per number of units ordered, they would also have control of where the product would be placed in their stores. Internet sales would not be considered a threat from buyers; this would be set up as direct sales to consumers. Threat from Suppliers Since we would be producing the main product in our own factories, there is no threat from a manufacturing standpoint. We would partner with Clorox Inc to provide the cleaning solution for the Tub-Scrubbie. Since Clorox is a very large producer, the threat from this supplier would be very low. The only threat from supplies that we would face would be from the suppliers of the raw materials that we would use to create our products. The internet could be used to watch for disruption to the raw material chain. Threat from Substitutes In the beginning there will be very little threat from substitutes, at this time there is no product on the market that will directly compete with this item. After this item is introduced, other companies such as P G, 3M and Clorox will flood the market of their version of the Tub-Scrubbie, which will then introduce direct competition for our item. Most of the substitute products for the Tub-Scrubbie do not offer the convenience of the â€Å"automatic cleaning† feature of our product, there is only one product at this time that offers this feature which is the â€Å"Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner†. This product is designed to clean shower stalls, not bathtubs and therefore should not pose to be direct competition. The only alternatives that are available to our product would be the â€Å"old fashioned† way by using a scrub brush or sponge and liquid or powdered bathtub cleanser and water. The internet could be utilized to monitor similar products bei ng offered  worldwide. SWOT Analysis In this section, we have highlighted Company G’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the production and sales of the Tub-Scrubbie line of products. STRENGTHS *indicates core competency Well-known brand name Innovative products Outstanding product support WEAKNESSES New to cleaning product market Introducing a new concept in cleaning Dependent on partner companys cleaning product OPPORTUNITIES Online marketing Expanding into new market Partner with industry leader of cleaning products THREATS Replication by competitors Cleaning products already on the market Consumers unwilling to try a new product Strengths The first of our strengths which is also a core competency is that we have a very well-known brand name in the electronics market. We have a name that consumers know and trust for quality products and excellent customer service; consumers would be more likely to purchase our product. Our second strength, also one of our core competencies is that our company is known for its innovative new products. We have spearheaded many different markets with new products that consumers have not ever seen before and have done very well in sales with these products, capturing at least 10% of the market. Our third strength is our outstanding product support. We offer the most extensive and longest warranties on our products, combined with a money back guarantee if not satisfied. We also have an excellent customer service department that receives customer feedback and requests by email, phone or  instant chat and concentrates on resolving customer issues within 48 hours. Weaknesses The first weakness is that Company G is a new entrant to the cleaning product market. We will have many competitors that have been selling quality products in hundreds of different outlets for many years. Our next weakness is that we are introducing a new, modern concept in cleaning to an older market that is mainly reluctant to change. Many of the consumers in our target market are older people that are afraid of technology or just may feel that its just not clean if they dont scrub it themselves. Our third weakness would be Company Gs dependency on our partner company, Cloroxs’ name to sell our product. Since the Tub-Scrubbie will be sold with cleaning fluids provided by the Clorox Company, we are depending on their reputation and popularity in the industry to help sell our product, if their product doesnt sell, then ours wont either. Opportunities One of our first opportunities with this product is to expand on our internet sales opportunities. All of our products can be found online on hundreds of websites as well as direct sales, by offering this product online we can expand into new internet outlets that have not previously carried our electronics. Another opportunity that this product will give us is the advantage of expanding our company into an entirely new market. This will be Company Gs first venture into the cleaning product market which will give us the opportunity to introduce future cleaning products and expanding our sales into new territories. Our third opportunity is that we are going to partner with Clorox, which is one of the leaders in the cleaning industry. Their name is seminomas with clean and germ free and by partnering with Clorox, it will only boost initial sales as well as residual sales of the refill cleaning fluids. Threats One threat would be replication of our product by competitors. Once our Tub-Scubbie is introduced, there is a possibility of the market being flooded with similar products. Even though their design will be different, the concept will be the same, this will ultimately bring down our sales. Another threat would be the wide variety of cleaning products that are  already available on the market. Consumers are creatures of habit and have their favorite products that they buy repeatedly and they refuse to change, if they dont use Clorox products, they are not likely to purchase our product. A third threat is that many consumers are unwilling to try a new product that will change the method they use to clean their bathtub. Many people do not like change and are unwilling to buy something new, they may feel it wont clean as well as it should or that its just another electronic device that will break after a few months. Market Objectives Product Objective The main objective for the Tub-Scrubbie is to offer a quality product that is simple and ready to use, uses very little energy, is rechargeable and is covered by our 60 day money back guarantee and 1 year warranty. Price Objective The Tub-Scrubbie will be available at an introductory price of $29.99 and after 6 months the regular price will be $34.99. There will also be color varieties available at $39.99 and an upgraded model bundled with cleansers will be introduced after one year for $54.99. Place Objective The objective for placement of the Tub-Scrubbie will be to introduce the product in a partnership with the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Corporations by Dec of 2013 and by Feb 2014, the Tub-Scrubbie will be available in most retail outlets. Promotion Objective The objective for promotion of the Tub-Scrubbie is to gradually introduce our product to the public through television and radio advertisements, newspapers and holiday circulars and free standing store displays by the end of January 2014. Marketing Strategies In order to make this product successful in the market place, we must ensure that the consumers receive the superior quality products that they have come to expect from Company G. This entails providing our customers a long lasting product that is energy efficient, available in a variety of colors at an affordable cost. We have created a three stage marketing strategy for  the Tub-Scrubbie by first placing the item in one of the largest retailers during the holiday shopping season, setting a pricing plan that will fit into the budget of most of our consumers and by offering price reduction in lower income areas. Product Strategies The Tub-Scrubbie will be sold with rechargeable batteries and AC adapter. The Tub-Scrubbie will be covered by our standard 60 day money back guarantee and 1 year warranty. The Tub-Scrubbie will be fully assembled and ready to use out of the box. Price Strategies The Tub-Scrubbie will have an introductory price of $29.99, after 6 months the price will increase to $34.99. The Tub-Scrubbie will be offered in a variety of colors for $39.99. The Tub-Scrubbie will be offered in a bundle with a larger cleanser reservoir and 2 bottles of cleanser in their choice of color for $54.99. Place Strategies The Tub-Scrubbie will be launched in December of 2013 in all Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores. In January 2014, the Tub-Scrubbie will be released at all other major retailers such as Target, Raley’s, Bel Air and Nob Hill markets. By February 2014 the Tub-Scrubbie will be available at all smaller retailers and at online stores. Promotion Strategies In November of 2013, the Tub-Scrubbie will start to be featured in television and radio commercials sponsored by Wal-Mart. In December of 2013, the Tub-Scrubbie will be featured in holiday circulars and newspaper ads. In January of 2014, in stored displays will be set up at most retail outlets and $5.00 of coupons will be circulated as a â€Å"New Year cleanup special.† Tactics and Action Plan Shown below are the plans that have been put into place to carry out the objectives stated above. Each manager indicated will be responsible for completing the task by its due date. Product Action Plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Ensure that all packaging includes rechargeable batteries and AC cord Daily – As items are manufactured and packaged. Manufacturing Supervisor A copy of our guaranteed return policy and warranty are included with each unit. Daily – As items are manufactured and packaged. Manufacturing Supervisor Each unit is fully assembled and ready to operate out of the package. Daily – As items are manufactured and packaged. Quality Assurance Manager Price Action Plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Ensure that the packaging reflects the introductory price of $29.99 Daily through the first 6 months of production. Manufacturing Manager and Promotions Manager Ensure that the packaging with the color varieties indicate the correct color and the price of $39.99 Daily – As the items are manufactured and packaged. Manufacturing Manager Ensure that the packaging for the bundled enhanced product and cleaning fluids indicate the color of the unit as well as the price of $54.99 Daily – As the items are manufactured and packaged. Manufacturing Manager Place Action Plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Ensure that shipments have been received by all Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club distribution centers. November 1, 2013 Distribution Manager Ensure that shipments have been received by remaining large chain retailers. December 1, 2013 Distribution Manager Ensure that shipments have been received by all remaining retailers. January 15, 2013 Distribution Manager Promotion Action Plan Tactic Due Date Responsible Party Ensure that television and radio spots are ready to be aired. October 31, 2013 Promotion Manager Create and submit ads for circulars and newspapers. November 15, 2013 Promotion Manager Order POS merchandisers and distribute to retail outlets. November 30, 2013 Promotion Manager Monitoring Procedures In order to ensure that our marketing plan is achieving Company Gs desired goals, we must put into place and regularly review monitoring procedures. We will be using the following procedures from the first day that the product is introduced through the first 5 years of sales. Monitoring Activity Due Date/Frequency Responsible Party Overall Sales Volume Quarterly Distribution Manager Effectiveness of Advertisements End of each month Promotion Manager Accumulated Expenses Quarterly Accounting Manager Customer Satisfaction End of each month Customer Service Manager

Saturday, October 26, 2019

People In The Government :: essays research papers

Approval of the Journal 1. The Speaker shall take the Chair on every legislative day precisely at the hour to which the House last adjourned and immediately call the House to order. Having examined and approved the Journal of the last day’s proceedings, the Speaker shall announce to the House his approval thereof. The Speaker’s approval of the Journal shall be deemed agreed to unless a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner demands a vote thereon. If such a vote is decided in the affirmative, it shall not be subject to a motion to reconsider. If such a vote is decided in the negative, then one motion that the Journal be read shall be privileged, shall be decided without debate, and shall not be subject to a motion to reconsider. Preservation of order 2. The Speaker shall preserve order and decorum and, in case of disturbance or disorderly conduct in the galleries or in the lobby, may cause the same to be cleared. Control of Capitol facilities 3. Except as otherwise provided by rule or law, the Speaker shall have general control of the Hall of the House, the corridors and passages in the part of the Capitol assigned to the use of the House, and the disposal of unappropriated rooms in that part of the Capitol. Signature of documents 4. The Speaker shall sign all acts and joint resolutions passed by the two Houses and all writs, warrants, and subpoenas of, or issued by order of, the House. The Speaker may sign enrolled bills and joint resolutions whether or not the House is in session. Questions of order 5. The Speaker shall decide all questions of order, subject to appeal by a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner. On such an appeal a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may not speak more than once without permission of the House. Form of a question 6. The Speaker shall rise to put a question but may state it sitting. The Speaker shall put a question in this form: â€Å"Those in favor (of the question), say ‘Aye.’ †; and after the affirmative voice is expressed, â€Å"Those opposed, say ‘No.’ †. After a vote by voice under this clause, the Speaker may use such voting procedures as may be invoked under rule XX. Discretion to vote 7. The Speaker is not required to vote in ordinary legislative proceedings, except when his vote would be decisive or when the House is engaged in voting by ballot.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Twelve

â€Å"Good practice,† Christopher said, stopping next to Matt as he headed out of the locker room. â€Å"You've got some great moves, man.† â€Å"Thanks,† Matt said, glancing up from putting on his shoes. â€Å"You were looking pretty good out there yourself.† He could tel Christopher was going to be a solid team-mate, the kind of guy who did his job and focused on the big picture, working to help the rest of the team. He was a great roommate, too, generous and laid-back. He didn't even snore. â€Å"Want to skip the dining hal and order a pizza?† Christopher asked. â€Å"This is my night to beat you at Guitar Hero – I can feel it.† Matt laughed. In the couple of weeks they'd been living together, he and Christopher had been working their way through al the Wii games Christopher had brought with him to school. â€Å"Al right, I'l see you back at the room.† Christopher slapped him on the back, grinning widely. After Christopher left, Matt took his time getting his things together, letting the other guys get out of the locker room ahead of him. He felt like walking back to the dorm alone tonight. They were a nice bunch of guys, but he was sore and tired. Between footbal practices and Vitale Society pledge activities, he'd never worked his body quite so hard. It felt good. He felt good. Even the stupidest of the Vitale activities – and some of them were pretty stupid: they'd had to work in teams to build houses out of newspaper the other night – were kind of fun, because he was getting to know some amazing people. Ethan had been right. As a group, the pledges were smart, determined, talented, everything you'd expect. And he was one of them. His classes were interesting, too. Back in high school he'd gotten okay grades but had mostly just done what he had to do to pass. The Civil War, geometry, chemistry, To Kill a Mockingbird: al his schoolwork had sort of blended into the background of his real life of friends and sports. Some of what he was doing at Dalcrest was like that, too, but in most of his classes, he was starting to see connections between things. He was getting the idea that history, language, science, and literature were al parts of the same thing – the way people thought and the stories they told – and it was real y pretty interesting. It was possible, Matt thought, with a self-mocking grin, that he was â€Å"blossoming† in col ege, just like his high school guidance counselor had predicted. It wasn't ful y dark yet, but it was getting late. Matt sped up, thinking about pizza. There weren't a lot of people roaming the campus. Matt guessed they were either in the cafeteria or holed up in their rooms, afraid. He wasn't worried, though. He figured there were a lot more vulnerable targets than a footbal player. A breeze started up, waving the branches of the trees on the quad and wafting the smel of grass to Matt. It stil felt like summer. In the bushes, a few early-evening fireflies blinked on and off. He rol ed his shoulders, enjoying the stretch after a long practice. Up ahead, someone screamed. A guy, Matt thought. The cry cut off suddenly. Before he could even think, Matt was running toward the sound. His heart was pounding, and he tried to force his tired legs to move faster. That was a sound of pure panic, Matt thought. He strained his ears but didn't hear anything except his own ragged breaths. As he came around the business building, a dark figure that had been bent over something in the grass took off, its long skinny legs flying. It was moving fast, and its face was completely concealed by a hoodie. Matt couldn't even see if it was a guy or a girl. He angled his own stride to race after the figure in black but came to a sudden halt by the shape in the grass. Not just a shape. For a moment, Matt's mind refused to process what he was seeing. The red and gold of a footbal jersey. Wet, thick liquid spreading across it. A familiar face. Then everything snapped into focus. He dropped to his knees. â€Å"Christopher, oh no, Christopher.† There was blood everywhere. Matt frantical y felt at Christopher's chest, trying to figure out where he could put pressure to try to stop the bleeding. Everywhere, everywhere, it's coming from everywhere. Christopher's whole body was shaking, and Matt pressed his hands against the soaking footbal jersey to try to hold him stil . Fresh blood ran in thick crimson streams against the brighter red of the jersey's material. â€Å"Christopher, man, hold on, it's going to be okay. You'l be okay,† Matt said, and pul ed out his phone to dial 911. His own hands were covered with blood now, and the phone was a slimy mess as he held it to his ear. â€Å"Please,† he said, his voice shaking, â€Å"I'm at Dalcrest Col ege, near the business building. My roommate, someone attacked my roommate. He's bleeding a lot. He's not conscious.† The 911 operator started to ask him some questions and Matt tried to focus. Suddenly Christopher opened his eyes, taking a deep gulp of air. â€Å"Christopher,† Matt said, dropping his phone. â€Å"Chris, they're sending an ambulance, hold on.† The shaking got worse, Christopher's arms and legs vibrating in a rapid rhythm. His eyes settled on Matt's face, and his mouth opened. â€Å"Chris,† Matt said, trying to hold him down, trying to be gentle, â€Å"who did this? Who attacked you?† Christopher gasped again, a hoarse gulping sound. Then the shaking stopped, and he was very stil . His eyelids slid down over his eyes. â€Å"Chris, please hold on,† Matt begged. â€Å"They're coming. They'l help you.† He grabbed at Christopher, shook him a little, but Christopher wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. Sirens sounded in the distance, but Matt knew the ambulance was already too late.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Case study: Authority and leadership Essay

Introduction Question 1: Julie’s advantages and disadvantages of belonging to a group As a leader, it is imperative to understand the personality differences and cultural diversity of the employees. This is one of the main advantages that Julie has as a leader. She will be managing a group of people, whom she knows their strengths and weakness. She understands who amongst the employees can be able to perform particular tasks or not. The second advantage is that she understands what she has to do to motivate the employees, and foster productivity within the institution. Having been with these friends, she understands pretty well their wishes, and how the company can assist in improving their morale. On the other hand, though, the main disadvantage will be the expectation of favours from the friends. For instance, they may want to be treated in a special way, like being given more off days, increase their salaries or reduce the amount of work that they have been performing. This may interfere with their productivity or lead to some conflicts (Allen, & Judd, 2009). Secondly, how to separate friendship and business may be a daunting task. The friends may fail to give her the respect that she deserves as a leader, which negatively affects the effectiveness and discipline within the institution. Question 2: how Julie will establish herself as a legitimate authority Julie will need to define the relationships, both at the workplace and out of the institution. She should let her friends know that she is a leader of the institution, and has a duty to perform and objectives to achieve. This will ensure that her friends respect her at the workplace, and learn how to draw a line and respect the boundaries of their relationships. Secondly, Julie should let her friends know that by respecting her, they will be submitting to the institution that has employed them. Her authority comes direct from the constitution establishing the health institution, and therefore everyone has the duty to obey, and perform their duties. Thirdly, she should treat everyone fairly, regardless of whether they are her friends or not. This will ensure that she is respected as a leader. Case study 2 Question 1: how to motivate oneself in the new position The new position in the workplace leads to a number of challenges. This may emanate from the fact that one is not familiar with the new environments, new systems and the capability to perform the tasks. Under this situation, the level of confidence may be affected, which on the other hand will interfere with performance. However, motivating oneself through positive attitude and thoughts will lead to productivity, and effectiveness (Bowling & Beehr, 2006). One should have the motivation to learn new tactics in the new position in order to become more competent. Question 2: motivation state of HIM staff At the time of assuming the position of director, the majority of the HIM staff had low morale that was affecting their work. This was attributed to the previous leadership that failed to focus on the growth and development of the staff members. The majority of them did not have the right skills to perform their duties, and this continued to affect their competence and motivational level. Question 3: proactive strategies to reduce conflicts From the podcast provided, conflicts are inevitable within an organization, but can be managed to avoid making affecting the normal operations. enhancing communication, and encouraging the employees to express their emotions are some of the proactive means that can be used to mitigate conflict in the workplace (Liu, Spector, & Shi, 2006). The managers should also be weary of the personality differences and cultural diversity, and seek to create harmony. References Allen, J. F., & Judd, B. B. (2009). Participation in decision-making and job satisfaction: Ideal and reality for male and female university faculty in the United States. Human Communication, 10(3), 157–179. Bowling, N. A., & Beehr, T. A. (2006). Workplace harassment from the victim’s perspective: A theoretical model and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(5), 998-1012. Liu, C., Spector, P. E., & Shi, L. (2007). Cross-National Job Stress: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28(2), 209-239.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Lifestyles Under Means of Control in the Colonies essays

Lifestyles Under Means of Control in the Colonies essays The colony of Boston began to develop rapidly in the early 18th Century, and family life was no exception. Family life became a methodical process where each person, male and female, had a specific part that they filled to ensure the prosperity of the household. It was methods and procedures such as these that paved the way for the colonies themselves to prosper. These people must surely have known that their lives would be analyzed in the future to great extent by historians. It is interesting though that our families today dont seem to share that kind of feeling. Our lives are not as structured, and we dont write down every single thing we do. This could relate to the fact that now we have more in mail billings, expenses are not paid directly in hand, but through mail services. There is also a lot more long distance communication because of technology and the Internet. Perhaps records seemed more detailed and precise in the early 18th Century compared to now because our soc iety these days doesnt feel our lives will be analyzed in the future by historians. Records of daily life today can be found everywhere on the Internet through various peoples online journals. These may not be nearly as accurate as journals such as William Byrd, but they are journals nonetheless, and thus they do demonstrate a way of life in that they notate what is on the writers mind. A definite clause of your way of life is what is on your mind. It is evident through documents such as the Balch family probates where every possession is listed with its liquid value displayed that your familys net worth was a great factor in determining your social status. This is why the government collects taxes based on our wealth; the government also in effect is the record-keeping body performing tasks such as inventory. The only time that the family ever really takes their possessions and lists them off is when so...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Child Abuse and Neglect

Child Abuse and Neglect Child abuse and neglect is a rising problem in America. However, numerous cases are not reported every year and they go unheard of. This causes the public to not be as informed as possible. This issue is something everyone needs to understand and deal with. Schools, teachers, families, and even society need to further educate themselves on the issue of child abuse and neglect because it has a huge impact on everyone.Child abuse and neglect are very similar ideas. Neglect is a form of child abuse. Neglect is to give little attention or respect to, leaving unattended through carelessness. Abuse is defined as to use so as to injure or damage. Child abuse would be to injure or damage a child. Many people do not always associate them together because most people probably do not think of neglect as a form of child abuse.Among more than 1,400 adult females, childhood sex...When people think of child abuse, they usually are thinking of just physical abuse. This happens because physical abuse is the most common and it is easier to spot. However, this is not the only form of child abuse. Other forms of child abuse are sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect.Physical abuse accounts for twenty-five percent of all abuse cases. It is the most recognizable and lethal causing over fifty-six of the fatalities related to abuse. Some warning signs of abuse are broken bones, unusual scars, burns, bruises, and repeated accidental injuries. Sexual abuse accounts for about six percent of abuse cases. There are no physical signs or warnings to catch this type of abuse. Usually, sexual abuse goes unreported. It is estimated that only one in ten cases are reported. Some reasons for this are the children may be too young to talk or they are confused about what happened. Also,

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Quipu - South Americas Undeciphered Writing System

Quipu - South Americas Undeciphered Writing System Quipu is the Spanish form of the Inca (Quechua language) word khipu (also spelled quipo), a unique form of ancient communication and information storage used by the Inca Empire, their competition and their predecessors in South America. Scholars believe that quipus record information in the same way as a cuneiform tablet or a painted symbol on papyrus do. But rather than using painted or impressed symbols to convey a message, the ideas in quipus are expressed by colors and knot patterns, cord twist directions and directionality, in cotton and wool threads. The first western report of quipus was from the Spanish conquistadors including Francisco Pizarro and the clerics who attended him. According to Spanish records, quipus were kept and maintained by specialists (called quipucamayocs or khipukamayuq), and shamans who trained for years to master the intricacies of the multi-layered codes. This was not a technology shared by everyone in the Inca community. According to 16th-century historians such as Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, quipus  were carried throughout the empire by relay riders, called chasquis, who brought the coded information along the Inca road system, keeping the Inca rulers up to date with the news around their far-flung empire. The Spanish destroyed thousands of quipus in the 16th century. An estimated 600 remain today, stored in museums, found in recent excavations, or preserved in local Andean communities. Quipu Meaning Although the process of deciphering the quipu system is still just beginning, scholars surmise (at least) that information is stored in cord color, cord length, knot type, knot location, and cord twist direction. Quipu cords are often plaited in combined colors like a barber pole; cords sometimes have single threads of distinctively dyed cotton or wool woven in. Cords are connected mostly from a single horizontal strand, but on some elaborate examples, multiple subsidiary cords lead off from the horizontal base in vertical or oblique directions. What information is stored in a quipu? Based on historical reports, they were certainly used for administrative tracking of tributes and records of the production levels of farmers and artisans throughout the Inca empire. Some quipu may have represented maps of the pilgrimage road network known as the ceque system and/or they may have been mnemonic devices to help oral historians remember ancient legends or the genealogical relationships so important to Inca society. American anthropologist Frank Salomon has noted that the physicality of quipus seems to suggest that the medium was exceptionally strong in encoding discrete categories, hierarchy, numbers, and grouping. Whether quipus have narratives embedded in them as well, the likelihood that well ever be able to translate story-telling quipus is very small. Evidence for the Quipu Use Archaeological evidence indicates that quipus have been in use in South America at least since ~AD 770, and they continue to be used by Andean pastoralists today. The following is a brief description of evidence supporting quipu use throughout Andean history. Caral-Supe culture (possible, ca 2500 BC). The oldest possible quipu comes from the Caral-Supe civilization, a preceramic (Archaic) culture in South America made up of at least 18 villages and enormous pyramidal architecture. In 2005, researchers reported a collection of strings twisted around small sticks from a context dated to approximately 4,000-4,500 years ago. Further information has not been published to date, and the interpretation of this as a quipu is somewhat controversial.Middle Horizon Wari (AD 600-1000). The strongest evidence for the  pre-Inca use of quipu record keeping is from the Middle Horizon Wari (or Huari) empire, an early urban and perhaps state level Andean society centered at the capital city of Huari, Peru. The competing and contemporary Tiwanaku state also had a cord device called a chino, but little information is available about its technology or characteristics to date.Late Horizon Inca (1450-1532). The best-known and largest number of surviving quipus are dated to the Inca period (1450-Spanish conquest in 1532). These are known both from the archaeological record and from historical reports- hundreds are in museums around the world, with data on 450 of them residing in the Khipu Database Project at Harvard University. Quipu Usage After the Spanish Arrival At first, the Spanish encouraged the use of quipu for various colonial enterprises, from recording the amount of collected tribute to keeping track of sins in the confessional. The converted Inca peasant was supposed to bring a quipu to the priest to confess his sins and read those sins during that confession. That stopped when the priests realized that most of the people couldnt actually use a quipu in that manner: the converts had to return to the quipu specialists to obtain a quipu and a list of sins that corresponded to the knots. After that, the Spanish worked to suppress the use of the quipu. After the suppression, much Inca information was stored in written versions of the Quechua and Spanish  languages, but quipu use continued in local, intracommunity records. The historian  Garcilaso de la Vega based his reports of the downfall of the last Inca king Atahualpa on both quipu and Spanish sources. It might have been at the same time that quipu technology began to spread outside of the quipucamayocs and Inca rulers: some Andean herders today still use quipu to keep track of their llama and alpaca herds. Salomon also found that in some provinces, local governments use historical quipu as patrimonial symbols of their past, although they do not claim competence in reading them. Administrative Uses: Santa River Valley Census Archaeologists Michael Medrano and Gary Urton compared six quipus said to have been recovered from a burial in the Santa River Valley of coastal Peru, to data from a Spanish colonial administrative census conducted in 1670. Medrano and Urton found striking pattern similarities between the quipu and census, leading them to argue that they hold some of the same data. The Spanish census reported information about the Recuay Indians who lived in several settlements near what is today the town of San Pedro de Corongo. The census was split into administrative units (pachacas) which usually coincided with Incan clan group or ayllu. The census lists 132 people by name, each of whom paid taxes to the colonial government. At the end of the census, a statement said the tribute assessment was to be read out to the natives and entered into a quipu. The six quipus were in the collection of the Peruvian-Italian quipu scholar Carlos Radicati de Primeglio at the time of his death in 1990. Together the six quipus contain a total of 133 six-cord color-coded groups. Medrano and Urton suggest that each cord group represents a person on the census, containing information about each individual. What the Quipu Say The Santa River cord groups are patterned, by color banding, knot direction, and ply: and Medrano and Urton believe that it is possible that the name, moiety affiliation, ayllu, and amount of tax owed or paid by an individual taxpayer could well be stored among those different cord characteristics. They believe they have so far identified the way the moiety is coded into the cord group, as well as the amount of tribute paid or owed by each individual. Not every individual paid the same tribute. And they have identified possible ways that proper names might have been recorded as well. The implications of the research are that Medrano and Urban have identified evidence supporting the contention that quipu store a great deal of information about the rural Inca societies, including not just the amount of tribute paid, but family connections, social status, and language. Inca Quipu Characteristics Quipus made during the Inca Empire are decorated in at least 52 different colors, either as a single solid color, twisted into two-color barber poles, or as an unpatterned mottled group of colors. They have three kinds of knots, a single/overhand knot, a long knot of multiple twists of the overhand style, and an elaborate figure-of-eight knot. The knots are tied in tiered clusters, which have been identified as recording the numbers of objects in a base-10 system. German archaeologist Max Uhle interviewed a shepherd in 1894, who told him that the figure-of-eight knots on his quipu stood for 100 animals, the long knots were 10s and single overhand knots represented a single animal. Inca quipus were made from strings of spun and plied threads of cotton or camelid (alpaca and llama) wool fibers. They were typically arranged in only one organized form: primary cord and pendant. The surviving single primary cords are of widely variable length but are typically about a half centimeter (about two-tenths of an inch) in diameter. The number of pendant cords varies between two and 1,500: the average in the Harvard database is 84. In about 25 percent of the quipus, the pendant cords have subsidiary pendant cords. One sample from Chile contained six levels. Some quipus were recently found in an Inca-period archaeological site  right next to plant remains of chili peppers, black beans, and peanuts (Urton and Chu 2015). Examining the quipus, Urton and Chu think they have discovered a recurring pattern of a number- 15- that may represent the amount of tax due to the empire on each of these foodstuffs. This is the first time that archaeology has been able to explicitly connect quipus to accounting practices. Wari Quipu Characteristics American archaeologist Gary Urton (2014) collected data on 17 quipus which date to the Wari period, several of which have been radiocarbon-dated. The oldest so far is dated to cal AD 777-981, from a collection stored in the American Museum of Natural History. Wari quipus are made of cords of white cotton, which were then wrapped with elaborately dyed threads made from the wool of camelids (alpaca and llama). Knot styles found incorporated in the cords are simple overhand knots, and they are predominantly plied in a Z-twist  fashion. The Wari quipus are organized in two main formats: primary cord and pendant, and loop and branch. The primary cord of a quipu is a long horizontal cord, from which hangs a number of thinner cords. Some of those descending cords also have pendants, called subsidiary cords. The loop and branch type has an elliptical loop for a primary cord; pendant cords descend from it in series of loops and branches. Researcher Urton believes that the main organizational counting system may have been base 5 (that of the Inca quipus has been determined to be base 10) or the Wari may not have used such a representation. Sources Hyland, Sabine. Ply, Markedness, and Redundancy: New Evidence for How Andean Quipus Encoded Information. American Anthropologist 116.3 (2014): 643-48. Print.Kenney, Amanda. Encoding Authority: Navigating the Uses of Khipu in Colonial Peru. Traversea 3 (2013). Print.Medrano, Manuel, and Gary Urton. Toward the Decipherment of a Set of Mid-Colonial Khipus from the Santa Valley, Coastal Peru. Ethnohistory 65.1 (2018): 1-23. Print.Pilgaonkar, Sneha. The Khipu-Based Numeration System. ArcXiv arXiv:1405.6093 (2014). Print.Saez-Rodrà ­guez, Alberto. An Ethnomathematics Exercise for Analyzing a Khipu Sample from Pachacamac (Perà º). Revista Latinoamericana de Ethnomatemtica 5.1 (2012): 62-88. Print.Salomon, Frank. The Twisting Paths of Recall: Khipu (Andean Cord Notation) as Artifact. Writing as Material Practice: Substance, Surface and Medium. Eds. Piquette, Kathryn E. and Ruth D. Whitehouse. London: Ubiquity Press, 2013. 15-44. Print.Tun, Molly, and Miguel Angel Diaz Sotelo. Recovering An dean Historical Memory and Mathematics. Revista Latinoamericana de Etnomatemtica 8.1 (2015): 67-86. Print. Urton, Gary. From Middle Horizon Cord-Keeping to the Rise of Inka Khipus in the Central Andes. Antiquity 88.339 (2014): 205-21. Print.Urton, Gary, and Alejandro Chu. Accounting in the Kings Storehouse: The Inkawasi Khipu Archive. Latin American Antiquity 26.4 (2015): 512-29. Print.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Eastman Kodak and Fujifilm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Eastman Kodak and Fujifilm - Essay Example On the other hand, Fujifilm is a Japanese concern, established in the year 1934, operating in the segment of photography and imaging. But within a very small time frame, the organization became successful in captivating the entire market into its grips that contributed in cementing its reputation and competitiveness in the market of Japan (Fandel, 2007). Soon, it tried to expand its popularity and brand image on the entire globe by offering value-added products at a quite competitive price. This strategy proved effective for the organization of Fujifilm to enhance its leadership and reliability in the global market as compared to others. In order to amplify the sustainability and productivity, Eastman Kodak offered more attention over innovation as well as development of products. However, in order to offer innovative products, the organization concentrated more over digital imaging by utilizing digital print Kiosks in the entire globe. This strategy or product innovation proved extremely effective for the organization that amplified its reputation and demand in the market. Moreover, due to the utilization of digital kiosks, the organization was able to offer online photo services to its target customers that intensified its image and loyalty within their minds among others. Furthermore, in order to improve the customer base and profitability in the segment of ink jet printer, the organization developed digital camera. This helped the organization to increase its total sales and dominance in the market, in spite of numerous competitive rivalries. On the other hand, Fujifilm, tried to implement a different management strategy, in order to amplify its reputation and customer base (Markham, 2006). The organization ventured in different markets and offered varied types of new executions to its existing technology. This strategy of making various alliances and

Tree Farming vs Agricultural Farming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tree Farming vs Agricultural Farming - Essay Example Agricultural farmers are employees rather than private land owners and this farming involves cultivation of food crops, cash crops as well as farming of animals for food and milk. Agricultural farms tend to grow a variety of crops on the same land and large harvestings take place over a small period. Whereas tree farming is a long process, where it takes about twenty to twenty five years for a sapling to grow into a big tree and only one type of tree is planted across the whole plantation. The two terms however are not to be intermixed as they both share some similarities and differences. (Agriculture) Agricultural farming demands a lot of attention from the farmers. They have to keep a constant check on the quality of the yield as well as the health of the animals. Trees, on the other hand do not require rigorous cultivation, but like agricultural farming there are certain practices that need to be followed in order to keep the growth and the quality of the trees to the best level. The land of the plantation should be carefully monitored so that it is prevented from wildfire, overgrazing and the trees should be kept free from diseases and insects.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Describe and discuss what, in your opinion, are the main difficulties Essay

Describe and discuss what, in your opinion, are the main difficulties facing Records Managers attempting to manage the electronic records of an organisation - Essay Example Unless these challenges are addressed, valuable government information may be lost forever (Bearman 1990; Cox 2000; Dearstyne 2002; Veatch 2002; and Kurtz 2004). Electronic records management or ERM that is mainly managing and preserving access to digital records is not and never will be easy; but it is not an impossible task. ERM provides a digital environment for capturing electronic documents and applying standard records management practices. Supporting the medium to long term information management needs of the business, it manages a corporate filing structure, document classification within the filing structure and formal retention and disposition scheduling. This is based on an approved disposition and review schedule of the organization (eGovernment 2001). The following three events noted by Kurtz (2004) speak of the value of maintaining sensible ERM practice today. They point to neglect of preserving information and ignoring the impact of technology. First, in March 2002, the FBI's handling of the investigative records of the Timothy McVeigh case was attributed to outmoded computer systems and systemic information management problems that created a last-minute delay in the execution of McVeigh. According to the report, thousands of pages of FBI investigation reports were not turned over to McVeigh's lawyers before the trial due in part to antiquated computer systems that could not locate and retrieve the needed information. Timothy James McVeigh was an American convicted of eleven federal offenses and ultimately executed as a result of his role in the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing. He is commonly referred to as the Oklahoma City bomber. The bombing, which claimed 168 lives, was the deadliest act of terrorism in U.S. history until the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and remains the deadliest incident of domestic terrorism in U.S. history (Cole 1996). Second, on September 11, 2001, the tragic events at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon highlighted the importance of having continuity of operations plans in the event of a disaster. In both places, business operations were affected because critical information was destroyed. Without such plans, agency information assets and future business operations and services are at risk (Kurtz 2004). Third, numerous allegations have been made concerning the Departments of Interior and Treasury destroying Indian trust account records related to a class action lawsuit filed against the Government. The plaintiffs allege that the Government has mismanaged and lost information on individual Indian trust accounts that will deprive the plaintiffs of billions of dollars in royalties (Kurtz 2004). This paper looks into the main difficulties facing records managers attempting to manage the electronic records of an organisation. They include old ways of operation, patchy compliance to laws, absence of corporate control, the dysfunctional ways archivists look at records, resistance of archivists to changes, governments and universities ignoring ERM, leadership void, lack of guiding principles, diminished role of archivists and records managers in information policy, and lack of competency of archivists and records mangers. In this paper, the terms "archivists" and "records managers" are used interchangeably. DIFFICULTIES Old ways of Operation. Prior to

Effects of capitalism and socialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Effects of capitalism and socialism - Essay Example The system of socialism does not have the objective of accumulation of capital as followed by profit driven entities. The methods of accounting for a system of socialism does not follow financial calculations but is recorded on the basis of physical quantities, labor and time. Capitalism on the other hand is a system of economy where the means of production are owned by the corporate houses and the private businesses. The management of the ownership structure in a capitalist system is based on the production of goods and services for earning of profits. In a system of capitalism, the prices of goods and services are based on the market forces like competition, customer base, etc. The motives of capitalism are based on the accumulation of capital by the ownership structure. The methods of accounting in a capitalist structure in based on financial calculations. Effects: socialism and capitalism The systems of socialism and capitalism in the economy are different from the management of ownership of these two structures. The motives of socialism and capitalism also vary from each other. Due to this, the effects of socialism and capitalism are different from one another. The system of socialism is aimed at production of goods and services solely for the economic conditions of demand. ... The system of socialism has an effect on the labor wages and rights of the workers. The wages of labor are not reduced below a certain level in socialist economy. The minimum labor wages are sufficient to earn the livelihood in a socialist economy. However, due to absence of competition in the market, the employment level in the market is nor too high. There are a lot of people in the economy who are unemployed. Due to equitable distribution of goods and services in the structure of socialism, the demand of goods and services do not exceed the supply by much. Thus there is very little scope of inflation in a socialist economy. Also the production of goods and services are much lower in order to only meet the minimum demand of the population. Thus the GDP growth rates of the economy are much lower. On the other hand, the capitalism structure is driven by the profit motives. The system of capitalism includes the market forces of competition, labor wages, prices of goods and services fo r the growth of economy. The ultimate objective of the owners in a capitalist economy is the accumulation of business capital (Jones, 2010). The increase in competition of the market forces leads to increase in the production capacities. The increase in the production capacities and the requirement of labor for increased production gives rise to the employment level in the economy. Thus the availability of more jobs raises the bargaining power of the employers for which the labor wage rates decline in a capitalist economy. However, the rise in liquidity in the economy and shortage of employment among a few sections of the population gives rise to disparity of the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Analiza Web-sites, blogs, pod cast, videos, articles, and powe points Essay

Analiza Web-sites, blogs, pod cast, videos, articles, and powe points - Essay Example He had short summaries of each of his books on a separate page so that the reader could examine only one book at a time. This page was all about the fantasy world that Silverstein has created. In contract to Silverstein’s site, Charlotte’s Library was boring. It is written by a woman who is an archeologist and she reviews fantasy books for children. The website itself does not really do much for fantasy except give someone who is looking for fantasy books an idea of some that may be good to read. The website is very structured and it seemed more geared towards adults who were looking for good books for their children or teenagers. This was disappointing in a way because the reviews were written more for parents than they were for children. Unfortunately, I would say that this website would not be one that I would send anyone to because it did not really make me want to read the reviews. Another site that is similar to Charlotte’s Library is the Annotated List of Children’s Poetry Books. This is a great site that has annotations about the books that makes a reader want to check them out from their local library and read them. This is an opportunity to see how well the author of the site, Wendy E. Betts, liked the books. Her annotations are intriguing and some of them leave you hanging for more.

Air Force Careers and Benefits in Military Aviation of Canada Essay

Air Force Careers and Benefits in Military Aviation of Canada - Essay Example The air force also supports the Canadian interests in the foreign lands outside North America. This includes providing support to the organizations like UN, NATO and also other contingency operations where air force involvement is necessary. The military organization also provides assistance on humanitarian gronds to the other countries. Now the basic research question that remains is whether the military aviation of Canada and America should operate together or not. In the national level the military organization (Air Force) assists other government bodies in enforcing the Canadian law and regulation and also provides a national level air search and most importantly plays a big part in the rescue operations. Being one of the major military unit in North America as it is, the air force of Canada influences the domestic and international operations of the government in a huge way. For that reason when an individual gets into the system he or she has to undergo rigorous training schedu le. The primary training is the trade and technical training where the individual is informed about the technical complexities of the operations and gradually they get well acquainted with the technical details.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Analiza Web-sites, blogs, pod cast, videos, articles, and powe points Essay

Analiza Web-sites, blogs, pod cast, videos, articles, and powe points - Essay Example He had short summaries of each of his books on a separate page so that the reader could examine only one book at a time. This page was all about the fantasy world that Silverstein has created. In contract to Silverstein’s site, Charlotte’s Library was boring. It is written by a woman who is an archeologist and she reviews fantasy books for children. The website itself does not really do much for fantasy except give someone who is looking for fantasy books an idea of some that may be good to read. The website is very structured and it seemed more geared towards adults who were looking for good books for their children or teenagers. This was disappointing in a way because the reviews were written more for parents than they were for children. Unfortunately, I would say that this website would not be one that I would send anyone to because it did not really make me want to read the reviews. Another site that is similar to Charlotte’s Library is the Annotated List of Children’s Poetry Books. This is a great site that has annotations about the books that makes a reader want to check them out from their local library and read them. This is an opportunity to see how well the author of the site, Wendy E. Betts, liked the books. Her annotations are intriguing and some of them leave you hanging for more.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

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

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

Monday, October 14, 2019

Inanna vs. Oedipus Rex Essay Example for Free

Inanna vs. Oedipus Rex Essay She wondered: How long will it be until I have a shinning throne to sit upon? How long will it be until I have a shinning bed to lie upon? The huluppu-tree is a metaphor of Inanna herself. The trees growth symbolizes Inannas growth in her own life. When she mentions that she wants to make a thrown and bed for herself, she is foreshadowing her destiny of becoming a queen. This was her first test in becoming a leader. A leader needs to know how to be responsible for something or someone. They need to show that they care and can put forth tremendous effort toward what is important. In many instances through out the story, Inanna showed responsibility and maturity, but this was her first sight of it. After a couple years of waiting for the bark to split so that she can build her thrown and bed, A serpent who could not be charmed made its nest in the roots of the huluppu-tree. The Anzu-bird set his young in the branches of the tree. And the dark maid Lilith built her home in the trunk. (Pg. 6;Lines 1-4) The three things that built their home in the tree was the next test that he needed to overcome so that she can start her life in becoming a woman. When these struggles started in her life, she knew that she couldnt do it alone, so she asked for help. She first asked her brother Utu, The Sun God. He would not help her. So she then asked her other brother, Gilgamesh who agreed to help. He put on his armor and grabbed his bronze ax and entered Inannas holy garden. He struck the serpent and then the Anzubirds flew away. Finally the Lilth smashed her home and fled. Gilgamash then carved a throne and bed for Inanna using the tree trunk. This portrays a strong leadership quality in Inanna, which is openness. A leader needs to be able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. They need to be able to know that sometimes they might not be right, and have to listen to someone else. Inanna knew she couldnt do it on her own, and she needed help. Asking for help was a learning step for her in maturing her leadership qualities. Oedipus showed different leadership qualities as Inanna, which were determination and integrity. When the plague hit the town the second time, Oedipus as determined to end it. Just as he did when he first entered the town and solved the riddle. He sent many men out to find who killed the king and promised the town that he would find this man and end the plague. Ironically, who he was looking for was himself. He was the murderer of the king and the husband of his mother. When his guilt, no longer see those they should never seen, nor see, unseeing, those he had longed to see, henceforth seeing nothing but night To this wild tune he pierced his eyeballs time and tie again, till bloody tears ran down his beard. (Pg. 1 ;Lines 7-12) Oedipus was a very strong leader. He put an exceptional amount of effort and responsibility towards the people of the city. He was determined to end the plague for his people of Thebes. When he found out that he was the man he was looking for, he punished himself. Instead of killing himself, he pierced his eyes out so he has to live the rest of his life knowing that all of his answers were right in front of him, but he couldnt see it. This is why he was a great leader. He had the most power in the whole city and could have easily accused someone else. Yet he punishes himself Just as would if it was another man. This shows a great amount of integrity. He never veered from his inner values, even when it was expeditious to do so. I think that Inanna has better leadership skills than Oedipus because she is more experienced. Oedipus has natural leadership qualities. Inanna was tested throughout her life, which made her a stronger leader. The one part of her life that made her a better leader than Oedipus was when she decented herself to the underworld. My Lady abandoned heaven and earth to decened to the underworld. Inanna abandoned heaven and earth to decened to the underworld. She abandoned her office of holy priestess to decened to the underworld. (pg. 52;Lines 4-6) This shows great leadership qualities. She was striving so much to be great, she never experienced the difficulties of life. So she descended herself so that she can experience the other side of life. This was the biggest step into making her the leader that she was. Oedipus is nothing like Inanna in the sense of leadership. Through out the story of Inanna, she works to achieve royality, experience both sides of life and doesnt help nyone but herself on the way..

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Criminology Essays Merton Anomie Durkheim

Criminology Essays Merton Anomie Durkheim Merton Anomie Durkheim How does Merton’s theory of anomie differ from that of Durkheim? Durkheim usefully conceptualised the phenomenon of anomie, and I consider the context in which this occurred. I look at Durkheims examples of crime and deviance and his discussion of social solidarity to clarify how his terms are understood. I discuss how, for Durkheim, anomie was a product of social change, resulting in loss of social cohesion and I go on to examine why, for Merton, the concept needed reconsideration. I examine Mertons view that society is in constant flux and his distinction between anomie and strain toward anomie, between social structure and individual responses, discussing briefly his five modes of adaptation, loosely divided into conformity and deviance. Finally, I identify key points of difference between their two theories of anomie. Emile Durkheim conceptualised the term anomie in The Division of Labour in Society (1893). In this treatise he discusses in detail the subject of social solidarity. Durkheim holds that all members within society are a product of society, bound together by societal bonds. Durkheim used the term anomie to describe lack of social cohesion or relative normlessness, where bonds break down or are undefined. (p.212) According to Durkheim this blurring of societal bonds causes members of society to become detached from societal regulatory constraints that govern and control their behaviour and aspirations, leaving them with no set guidelines within which to act or to aspire, resulting in anomie. Durkheim was a positivist; he was not interested in the study of individuals subjective meanings but aimed to identify and study different social facts. Many forces contributing to anomie can be measured only by their visible effects as some forces are invisible, like gravity. Durkheim studied the observable effects of invisible social forces. Anomie can be observed through effects such as societal disorganization and deregulation, leading to criminal and deviant behaviour but also social facts as personal as suicide (discussed below). Durkheim suggests that an anomic state is more likely to be present during periods of social unrest, perhaps caused by social changes like increases and decreases of economic prosperity, due to the disruption of traditional values (p.201) Durkheim believed that crime and deviance were socially constructed. Durkheim saw acts of crime and deviance as an integral part of society’s temporal transition; he suggested that a certain amount of crime and deviance is an essential component of the healthy functioning of society, and he suggested it reinforces society’s moral code and causes social solidarity, change and innovation. Although crime and deviance could threaten the stability of society, Durkheim suggests that a society without crime would also produce an anomic state. (p.226) In Durkheim’s treatise Division of Labour in Society (1893) he differentiated between two types of societies, characterised by their degree of social cohesion: mechanical solidarity, which has strong social cohesion, and organic solidarity, which has weak social cohesion. Durkheim suggested that society has evolved from a mechanical society, based on similarity, to an organic society, based on difference. (p.226) Mechanical societies describe the solidarity found in traditional societies; these societies existed before the modern industrial era. In mechanical societies communities were smaller, societal bonds were stronger; people shared collective norms and values which Durkheim described as collective consciousness. These societal bonds were reinforced by peoples shared religious beliefs. People in this society performed similar tasks and worked to achieve collective goals which benefited the whole group. In this type of society individuals were not as dependent on each other as later, organic, societies. In mechanical societies everyone was doing similar work and did not rely on others for their needs; they did, however, rely on society to function adequately as a whole: â€Å"In societies where this type of solidarity [mechanical] is highly developed, the individual is not his own master†¦. Solidarity is, literally something which the society possesses.† (Durkheim, ed Giddens, 1972, p.139) Durkheim suggests that anomie was less likely to exist in mechanical societies because of society’s strong cohesion. He states The state of anomie is impossible whenever interdependent organs are sufficiently in contact and sufficiently extensive. If they are close to each other, they are readily aware, in every situation, of the need which they have of one-another, and consequently they have an active and permanent feeling of mutual dependence. (Durkheim, 1893, p.184) The second type of solidarity, organic solidarity, Durkheim linked to complex modern industrial societies, suggesting that they are constituted, not by a repetition of similar, homogeneous segments, but by a system of different organs each of which has a special role, and which are themselves formed of differentiated parts. (p.181) In organic societies the division of labour increases and work tasks become more complex, specialised and individualised. The labour force is divided; therefore individuals are no longer working on similar tasks but segregated to individualised tasks. Members of organic societies are highly dependent on each other to produce what they need. Durkheim suggests that this functioning is similar to the functioning of the human body, all different parts working on specialized tasks to sustain the organism as a whole. However if the organ fails to function it causes the other parts of the organism that are reliant on that part to fail as well. This dependence is significant to the survival of society; healthy functioning of the society is based on the reliance of others. (Durkheim, 1893, p. 226) Organic societies differ from mechanical societies as they are based on differences in individual functions, rather than similarity. These differences can cause members to become detached from society which in turn causes misidentification with society. The breakdown of interpersonal bonds (without which individuals lack guidance and feel detached from society) thus produces anomie. Durkheim noted that Man is the more vulnerable to self-destruction the more he is detached from any collectively, that is to say, the more he lives as an egoist. (Durkheim, ed Giddens, 1972, p.113) This organic form of society, he suggested, was the cause of the decline of social cohesion and integration, and the creation of anomie (p.200). This is demonstrated by Taylor, in his publication Durkheim and the Study of Suicide (1982) Taylors interpretation of Durkheim suggests that suicide is present in modern organic societies because of the decline of social cohesion: Durkheim held that in modern society there were two principle causes of high (and rising) suicide rates: (egotistic) suicide was higher where individuals were not well integrated into collective social life; and (anomic) suicide was higher when societys norms and values were too weak to regulate individual desires and drives The relationship between levels of social integration and regulation and suicide rates demonstrated that society exerted an independent influence over the individual. In Durkheims terms, society was external to the individual, so much so that even such a supremely individual act as suicide had its roots in society. (p.21) Durkheim suggested that when social conditions change, the traditional norms and values needed for public consciousness no longer remain the same. An anomic detachment from societal restraints frees members of society from limits to their aspirations causing anomic suicide. (Durkheim, 1893, p. 203) Durkheim writes in Suicide (1897) that, â€Å"The limits are unknown between the possible and the impossible, what is just and what is unjust, legitimate claims and hopes and those which are immoderate. Consequently, there is no restraint upon aspirations.† (p.253) Robert Merton elaborated on Durkheims work on anomie; however, he did not always agree with Durkheim’s theory. Merton adapted the theory of anomie to a general sociological approach to crime and deviance. He considered that deviance was not caused by sudden social change, as suggested by Durkheim, but was, rather, a symptom of a constantly changing social structure. Merton was writing in America at a time when there was inequality between ethnic groups. Merton observed that not all individuals within society have an equal chance of success; he believed that inequality in society blocked people from attaining the means needed to achieve their goals. Many Americans were aiming to achieve â€Å"the American dream† and he was interested in how they pursued their goals, and whether or not dreams were equally attainable to everyone. (Merton, 1957, p.121) Like Durkheim, Merton held that crime and deviance were caused by society: â€Å"the functional analyst†¦ considers socially deviant behaviour just as much a product of social structure as conformist behaviour†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p.121) but Mertons view of deviance is different to Durkheim’s. While Durkheim believed that identifying deviance is a demonstration of society’s norms, and a barometer of cohesion and change, Merton held that crime does not generate social solidarity or social progress and that crime and deviance demonstrate poor societal organization. Merton suggested that society does not evolve from mechanical to organic, but that society is constantly changing and generating new goals if not necessarily the means by which to achieve these goals. (p.121) Merton’s theory of anomie is not easily conceptualized in his writings, as he spoke about both anomie and strain towards anomie, which can be hard to distinguish. For clarity, I have discussed these as if they were two different concepts. Firstly, when Merton talked about anomie, his theory does not refer to the normless societal state identified by Durkheim. Merton suggested â€Å"no society lacks norms governing conduct. But societies do differ in degree to which [such] institutional controls are effectively integrated with the goals which stand high in the hierarchy of cultural values† (p.121) Merton’s theory suggests that there is no decline or undefined presence of societal norms governing behaviour but a disjunction â€Å"between valued cultural ends and legitimate societal means to those ends† (Akers, 2000, p.143). Merton’s anomie theory, like Durkheim’s, can be used as an explanation of deviant and criminal behaviour. Merton held that individual goals and aspirations are regulated by societal restraints unlike Durkheim, who suggested that the anomic state causes no limitation to members aspirations. Merton suggested these societal restraints put pressure on members of society to conform to societal norms. He held that an anomic state is caused by a de-institutionalization of societal norms. This occurs when society emphasizes culturally preferred goals and their achievement but does not emphasize the culturally approved means to achieve these goals: â€Å"any cultural goals which receive extreme and only negligibly qualified emphasis in the culture of a group will serve to attenuate the emphasis on institutionalized practices and make for anomie.† (Merton, 1968, p.235) This disjunction, Merton suggested, is the cause of macro-structural anomie. Mertons structural anomie theory is similar and compatible with what Durkheim suggested as both theories can be used to explain macro-level implica tions of anomie, but the development of the concept of strain allows the application of the concept of anomie to individual experience of society. (p.189) This micro-individual level of anomie, Merton suggested, is caused by strain, and an anomic societal state is needed for strain to occur. In turn, the strain experienced by individuals fosters anomie. Merton’s strain theory can also be used as an explanation of deviant behaviour: â€Å"cultural (or idiosyncratic) exaggeration of the success-goal leads men to withdraw emotional support from the rules† (p.190). Individuals are more likely to pursue illegitimate means to attaining culturally prescribed goals when they are blocked from accessing the institutionalized means to these goals: The social structure†¦ produces a strain toward anomie and deviant behaviour. The pressure of such a social order is outdoing ones competitors. So long as the sentiments supporting this competitive system†¦ are not confined to the final result of â€Å"success†, the choice of means will remain largely within†¦ social control. When, however, the cultural emphasis shifts from satisfaction deriving from competition itself to almost exclusive concern with the outcome, the resultant stress makes for the breakdown of the regulatory structure. (Merton, 1957, p157) Merton also suggested that â€Å"some individuals are subjected more than others to the strains arising from the discrepancy between cultural goals and effective access to their realization. They are consequently more vulnerable to deviant behaviour.† (p.235) Merton described those who are restricted by inequality. This can be used as an explanation of the suffragette movement: women prevented from achieving their goals were provoked into deviant acts of protest. Merton identified five types of response to societal pressure: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. (p.136) The first two modes accept, and the last three modes reject societal rules. Firstly, Merton described conformity which he considered the most common response to strain. It describes the process by which people strive to succeed using the most socially acceptable means they have available to them. This conformity to social values is cohesive of society according to both Merton and Durkheim. The second mode, ritualism, describes individuals who accept they have no opportunity to achieve their goals. These individuals maintain what they have but are discouraged from doing more: they don’t believe they can become more than what they are. In effect, they join the conformists. (p.200) However, not all people conform. The third mode is rebellion; this describes individuals who have rejected the idea that everyone can achieve success. These individuals have rebelled against the system and rejected socially acceptable means to achieve their goals. The fourth mode is retreatism which occurs when individuals choose to drop out of society, give up on their goals and make no effort to achieve because they see it as impossible. Merton suggested this response is associated with drug addicts and alcoholics. (p.267) The fifth mode is what Merton called innovation: innovation describes the process through which people conform to atypical forms of acquiring means; however, they also seek success that would be unachievable without taking advantage of illegal goals available to them. (p. 267)Each of these modes of adaptation demonstrates the individual’s response to societal strain arising from anomie; modes that accept societal pressures are not as likely to pursue illegitimate means. In conclusion, Durkheim suggested that anomie is caused by the undefined presence of social bonds. This undefined presence causes a decline of social cohesion therefore individuals become detached from society and recognise no limits to their behaviour. Durkheim also suggested that anomie is caused by the decline of social cohesion representative of today’s organic societies, and that mechanical societies found in pre-modern societies had a stronger degree of social integration, reducing the occurrence of anomie. However this view was not shared by Merton; he considered that there has been no time when society lacks norms. He held that the presence of societal norms and their pressure on society and individuals causes anomie and strain towards anomie. Durkheim and Merton also differ on when anomie occurs. Durkheim suggested that anomie is present during periods of social change due to the disruption of traditional bonds. However, Merton disagrees as he believes that anomie can be found in relatively stable societies. For Merton transition was not from one specific type of social structure to another but a constant state of flux, with changing goals. Both Durkheim and Merton agree that crime and deviance are consequences of anomie. However, they differed on whether crime has value to society Durkheim held that some crime and deviance is a product of a normal functioning society, reinforcing solidarity and encouraging social progress, while Merton suggested that crime and deviance demonstrates societal disorganisation. Durkheim and Merton’s theories differ most strongly on what constitutes the causes of anomie. Durkheim looks at anomie from a structural perspective, whereas Merton looks at the causes of anomie from both a macro and micro level, giving the theory a more detailed explanation. Merton looks in detail at the individual’s response to societal strain not discussed intensively in Durkheim, as his positivist ontology did not consider individuals internal motives and drives unless they had objective effects. For Durkheim anomie is the effect of the breakdown of societal bonds; for Merton, strain is a mechanism of anomie and can occur during anomic societal states: strain towards anomie describes the individual’s battle to obtain the necessary means needed to achieve their goals. Durkheim suggested that during an anomic state individual aspirations are not limited because of the undefined presence of societal norms; without these norms, he suggested, members of society are deluded as to what is realistically achievable (Durkheim, 1897, p.253). Mertons theory, on the other hand, offers an explanation for why social forces influence some people to commit deviant and criminal acts and why some individuals conform to societal pressures and why some do not. Bibliography Akers, R. (2000) Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application. Los Angeles: Roxbury. Durkheim, E. (1893) The Division of Labor in Society, tr. W. D. Halls, (1984) New York: Free Press. Giddens, A. (1972) Emile Durkheim Selected Writings. London: Cambridge University Press Merton, R.K. (1957) Social Theory and Social Structure. 2ed ed. New York: The Free Press. Taylor. S. (1982) Durkheim and the Study of Suicide. London: The Macmillan Press. Thompson, K. (1982) Emile Durkheim. London: Tavistock Publications.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Plutonium, Our Countrys Only Feasible Solution :: science

Plutonium, Our Country's Only Feasible Solution Abstract: Should we begin to manufacture one of the most destructive and infamous substances on the face on the Earth once again? The engineers say yes, but the public says no. The United States stopped making this element with the ban on manufacturing nuclear weapons. But with the continuing problem with our ever diminishing energy sources, some want us to begin using more nuclear energy and less energy from natural resources. This paper is going to discuss what plutonium is, the advantages and disadvantages of its use, and why we should think about restarting our production of this useful element. After the United States dropped "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" on Japan ending World War II, the public has had some type of understanding about the power of plutonium and its devastating properties, but that is all anyone heard. After WWII, Americans started to think about what the atomic bomb could do to the U.S. and its people. When anyone mentioned plutonium or the word "nuclear" the idea of Hiroshima or Nagasaki being destroyed was the first thing people thought about. No one could even ponder the idea that it could be used for other more constructive things like sources of energy or to kept a person's heart beating. Then we started to build more reactors and produce more of the substance but mostly for our nuclear weapons programs. Along with reactors, sometimes comes a meltdown which can produce harmful effects if it isn't controlled quickly enough. After such instances as the Hanford, Washington reactor meltdown and the accident in the U.S.S.R. at the Chernobyl site, no one wanted to hear about the use of plutonium. The United States government banned nuclear testing and also ended the production of plutonium.(Ref. 5) Now we are in a dilemma. We are in need of future sources of energy to power our nation. We are running out of coal and oil to run our power plants.(Ref. 7) We also need it to further our space exploration program. People need to understand the advantages to using plutonium and that the disadvantages are not as catastrophic as they seem. With the turn of the century on its way, the reemergence of plutonium production will need to be a reality for us to continue our way of life. In 1941, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, discovered something that would change our planet forever.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Ted Hughes Birthday Letters

BIRTHDAY LETTERS Introduction: Conflicting perspectives are different points of view expressed and influenced by ones context and values. â€Å"Birthday Letters† by Ted Hughes is an anthology of poems challenging the accusation that he was responsible for his wife, Sylvia Plath’s death. The three poems The Minotaur, Your Paris, and Red are an insight into Hughes justification of the death of Plath using a very subjective and emotive poetic form. The poems possess many deliberate techniques such as extended metaphors, connotations, diction and juxtaposition to encourage the audience to accept his argument that he was not the one to blame for this world renown tragedy. The poem Daddy by Sylvia Plath also displays conflicting perspectives of the relationship between Plath. THE MINOTAUR Techniques: The destructive power of her personality is vividly conveyed through verbs, such as ‘smashed’, with its sense of overstated activity. Sarcastic dialogue – Sarcastic dialogue is used as Hughes words within the context of the incident. Get that shoulder in your stanzas and we’ll be away† is focusing on the anger within her personality and suggests she fails to incorporate these tendencies in her poetry. Hughes positions himself as calm and encouraging her in her art. Quotes: She was â€Å"Demented by my being†, and â€Å"Twenty minutes late for baby minding. † Here we see how truth depends on perspective, on who is telling it, based on how they saw it, and now how they tell it. That she was ‘demented’ may have been simply to his trivial error or that carelessness on Hughes’s part may have been the last straw in a sequence of events which had driven her mad. Towards the end of the poem the repetition of ‘your, â€Å"Your marriage, your children, your mother† creates an accusatory tone. Hughes has purposefully written himself out of the equation. Conclusion: This poem highlights the conflicting perspective of Hughes and his relationship with Plath, and gives reason that because of Plath’s mental instability he could not possible be responsible for her death. RED Techniques: Redness is present physically, but for Hughes its essential truth is metaphorical. Quotes: In this poem, we can see how variable one’s perspective can be in poetry and in this collection in particular. Hughes begins decisively â€Å"Red was your colour†. This appears to be a factual statement, a simple declaration, but immediately he undermines it â€Å"If not red, then white. † When he tries to understand why red might have been so important to Plath, he puts his suggestion in the hesitation of a question, â€Å"Was it blood? † His interpretation is complicated by uncertainty. Our perspective of others can be obscured and complicated by our uncertainties. A third colour concludes the poem, Blue. This was not Plath’s colour. Hughes is arguing, but it was â€Å"better for you†. It has healing powers also. Whiteness and the extremity of redness represent the polarities if her life, her quest for purity and the pain and passion of her existence. Hughes concludes that Plath’s inability to be nurtured by the kindly spirit of blue was what destroyed her. He feels that when she gave up blue, she lost normality, symbolising blue as a precious jewel which she lost. To support the originally firm statement that red was Plath’s colour, Hughes presents evidence which clearly supports its truthfulness, â€Å"Our room was red†. Curtains and window-seat all matched, however there was an exception, â€Å"the bookshelves escaped into whiteness†. This suggests that they were exceptional. The idea of red as Plath’s colour is reinforced. Conclusion: The summary of Plath through symbolism of these colours reveals everything about Plath and their relationship, reinforcing many arguments Hughes presents throughout his anthology. YOUR PARIS Quotes: The poem â€Å"Your Paris† indicates that from the beginning of their marriage, their perspectives on life were different, antagonistic. It also shows how Hughes was uncomprehending in the face of his wife’s personality and how he tried to come to terms with it. His version of the city was so different that â€Å"I kept my Paris from you†. It was the wartime city, occupied by the Germans, As Hughes registers their different responses to the city, and he finds a way of telling the truth about their different selves and the tension between them. The irony of this is that the situation is taking place on their honeymoon, although this is a biographical fact to which Hughes does not explicitly refer. That omission is suggestive of the problems of the relationship. Plath’s spoken responses to Paris, which enabled her to cope with the intensity of its impact upon her, produced a negative reaction in Hughes, â€Å"It was diesel aflame†, and â€Å"To the dog in me†. Conclusion: Your Paris is written from Hughes’s Perspective about Plath’s perspective, thus it is unclear whether Plath truly valued the significance of Paris. Hughes initial conflicting perspectives of Plath are represented in the poem. YOUR DADDY Quotes: In Plath’s poem ‘Daddy’, Hughes begins by pointing out that mere human beings were insufficient for Plath’s worship, she needed â€Å"a god†. The psychological explanation for this desire is the death of her â€Å"Daddy†. Hughes writes, â€Å"His death touched the trigger†. This sets in motion Plath’s search for a god to replace her vanished father. This is a plausible psychological explanation, but it is not necessarily true, this is his perspective of that matter. Plath’s life after her father’s death was like â€Å"The fury, of a high velocity bullet†. Those she chose as gods were â€Å"too mortal† to withstand the impact. Hughes undoubtedly includes himself in that category. The scar which Plath had on her cheek is seen, not as an imperfection, but like a groove in the barrel of a shotgun â€Å"To keep you true†, that is to fire the bullet correctly. Hughes is a target, but the real target was behind him, â€Å"Your Daddy†. Hughes laments the fact that he was not able to manage the deadly bullet of her personality. He could only handle the remains of her life, â€Å"a wisp of hair, your ring, your watch, your nightgown. The image of Plath’s father as â€Å"the god with the smoking gun† suggests a duel between father and daughter. She was aiming to get revenge on her father for betraying her by dying. He had the final victory however, in her suicide which took her back to him, â€Å"To bury yourself at last in the heart of god†. Conclusion: The poem Daddy allows us to discover the true perspective of Plath and Hughes’ relationship, which contrasts against Hughes own perspective. Their collective representations of Plath’s father do not conflict their perspectives. Conclusion: Overall, it is evident that Ted Hughes represented Sylvia Plath as a young and talented woman in his descriptions in the letters to Aurelia Plath. Hughes perspective of Plath changes and he details his former wife’s emotional struggle in his ‘Birthday Letters’ anthology. Thus, it is obvious that perspectives change overtime, and thorough analyse and viewing of different texts created by various composers relating to the relationship of Hughes and Plath, we discover that each text represents a different perspective regarding their relationship.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Great response from Arthur Miller Essay

The Crucible was written in 1953, by Arthur Miller. Miller has said that the purpose of the play is to comment on the parallels between the unfair Salem Witch trials and the ‘Red Scare’ that lasted eight years 1948-1956. A Crucible is a large container that is used in the production of steel, where they are heated until they melt. A Crucible can stand extremely high temperatures. This is a direct comment on what the play is about. Arthur Miller provided an artistic response to the political climate and he wrote to tackle certain issues such as intimidation. Under McCarthyism, the United States was afraid of communisms influence. McCarthyism came from Senator John McCarthy, who set out to find any threats to the American life and their security. Anybody suspected of communism, mainly those in the entertainment industry, either confessed and gave names of other people or the American Government blacklisted them. Miller, in the entertainment industry, who was protecting his business and friends from any negative outlook it gave, refused to testify to the Committee and was blacklisted. McCarthyism has a great likeness to the play ‘The Crucible’. In both situations people only wishing to save themselves falsely accuse many people who suffer. John and Elizabeth Proctor don’t have a normal husband and wife relationship, although they are married. They are distant with one another. Their relationship is full of suspicions and clearly has a lack of trust: â€Å"What keeps you so late?† is an accusation. Elizabeth really means what have you been doing or where have you been to keep you so late. The strength of their relationship is tested. John tries to please Elizabeth but she cannot forget her suspicions. John explains to her: † I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you, and still an everlasting funeral marches around you heart.† This shows that John feels guilt. John Proctor is an honest man. We see this through the way he acts and what he says. John works hard to provide for his family. He has a good clean name in the village and is well respected. However, when the hysteria begins, he wonders whether to expose Abigail for what she really is, even though his name will be ruined. We see that he truly loves Elizabeth when he confesses lechery in order to protect his wife. The audience are drawn to John Proctor. He is one of few people in the play to be truthful throughout, along with Reverend John Hale. Elizabeth is also an honest person. She is a good Christian woman and acts the way she’s supposed to as a wife and mother. However, sometimes she can be very cold. She, along with many others, is accused of witchcraft simply because she fired Abigail when she suspected that her and John were attracted to one another and didn’t want it to go any further. Even though she has suspected John of lechery and is distant towards him, we know that she deeply loves him. Hale is called into Salem to find out what is going on. He seems a respectful man and gives everyone a chance to prove his or her innocence. He is sort of the plays saviour or hero.  We get to know Abigail Williams through her language and what other characters say. We see that she has power over the other girls and just how far she will go to protect herself, especially in Act 1: â€Å"†¦ I have seen some reddish work done at night and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!† Abigail leads the girls in accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Abigail saw the Indians murder her parents. This could have had an affect on the way Abigail is and how she acts. I think that she is able to threaten danger to the girls partly because of her childhood and what she has seen. In Act 3, Abigail shows her power by the way she speaks to Danforth in the courtroom. She even threatens him, saying that the Hell can take him: â€Å"Let you beware, Mr. Danforth †¦ Beware of it!† After realising what she has said, she immediately pretends she is in another trance and can see things. This is to allow her to get away with what she has said and so Danforth can’t reply to her. There is a great change from Act 1 to Act 3 with regards to hysteria. In Act 1, the girls accuse a few names and they tell just enough lies to protect themselves. Abigail and John Proctor take a gentle lighthearted approach to it in Act 1 and they laugh and joke about it. However, in Act 3 it becomes much more serious. They tell a massive amount of lies and act to make their story believable. Act 3 starts straight away with hysteria. The audience are aware of the gradual build-up because of the characters’ dialogue. As the play moves further along, the plot thickens as more names are thrown into it and even more unbelievable acting takes place with more and more lies being told. In Act 3, Mary Warren tries to go against the girls with the help of John Proctor in order to save Elizabeth and the other innocents. Mary Warren is already a weak and feeble character and when Danforth questions and speaks to her, he uses cruel vocabulary to fade her. It is obvious that he is on the girls’ side and doesn’t believe a word of what Mary Warren is saying. The girls then accuse Mary Warren of witchcraft. Then she sees that she cannot tell the real truth and overcome the girls’ lies so she decides to rejoin the girls. To protect herself she accuses John of making her go against the girls and tell ‘lies’ to them by threatening her. The stage directions in this act build up tension. They add to the drama and the way the girls convincingly act. The stage directions are just as important as the speech. They let us know what is going on and help us understand the characters more. The language also builds up tension. There is a lot of talk about God in the courtroom. Also, there is a lot of cutting each other off. Abigail always tends to cut off Danforth from speaking, so he can’t respond to her, this also shows her power. It is almost like Abigail is speaking and saying things just to stop anyone else from doing so.  Personally, I really like the play. I think it’s a great response from Arthur Miller. There is a mixture of characters and it’s interesting to see how they interact with one another. I like the play partly because it’s a true story and I was interested in finding out what happened.