Monday, September 30, 2019

Franzosenbusch Heritage Project Essay

Literature plays an important role in enlightening individuals regarding the situation of their society. These written works substantially help an individual to know more about his or her history. This function of literary works is very essential because knowing an individual’s history will serve as a basis for him or her to understand the present and plans things for the future. In relation to this, literary works is also a form of expression. This is an outlet or a channel for authors to voice out their opinion about things and even reveals their own personal feelings. In doing so, these authors are given the opportunity to make a commentary about the society during the particular time that they lived and even analyzed past events and make their predictions about the future. Nevertheless, the most vital contribution that these literary works has is the way which they could inform the readers of different things and events that happened, are happening, and will likely to happen. In relation to these, there are indeed notable authors that have tremendously contributed in enlightening the general public about important subjects and pressing issues that are taking place in the society. More so, it is indeed very admirable especially for some authors who were able to capture the concerns during their time but was able to write it in a way that transcends the boundary of time. These kinds of literary pieces can be regarded as something that is still applicable during the present time because the issues that they tackled, as well as the lessons obtained from it, are still very helpful in addressing the problems of today. Being the case, it can be said that American poets and authors have played an important role in contributing to the society. It is the main objective of this paper to discuss the importance of authors and poets specifically during the mid-1800s. In doing so, the succeeding paragraphs will elaborate on the life and works of Laura Ingalls Wilder, an example of a notable author that indeed tremendously contributed to the development of literature during her time. Moreover, the paper will also analyze the way she was able to share something to her readers that they might have not known without her works. It will highlight the most dominant information or lesson that she has imparted and how these affected the lives of other people. Moreover, an analysis will also be done regarding her importance during her lifetime and the present time, as well as how her works will be perceived in the near future. The United States of America during the Mid-1800s During the mid-1800s, the United States of America experienced numerous challenges especially with the geographic expansion of the country. The United States during this time was expanding especially with the inclusion of Texas and the other territories that were obtained because of the war that they had with Mexico. Because of these, many settlers rushed through the west in order to escape the conflict that was taking place. Furthermore, slavery was still a continuing source of controversy that attributed to the domestic division of the country. The annexation of Texas and other territories because of the war with Mexico is largely attributed to a neatly expressed vision that even sounded like a religious mission. The main driving force of the Americans in expanding their territory is due to the Manifest Destiny. This is a belief of the Americans that they are destined and divinely ordained by God to expand their territories in North America. However, not all people agreed or supported this mission that the people from United States believed that they have. This disagreement had been most observable with the citizens of the territories that they annexed, as well as other people that were disadvantageously affected by the conflict in the acquisition of these territories. Nevertheless, the most controversial issue that the Americans have to deal with was slavery. African Americans experienced discrimination and inhumane treatment during this time; they were regarded as mere commodities or objects that were used for production. This was quite observable through the Fugitive Slave Act. The United States Congress passed this law in 1850 which stipulated that runaway slaves should be returned to their masters. This was regarded as the most controversial act that was implemented by the American government during that time. As such, it further heightened the division against the Northern and Southern states of the country. In connection to this, some Americans also perceived this act as a way that could further strengthen the power of the slaveholding south. It is important that the situation during the mid-1800s is given due consideration because this can serve as a guide in order to understand the frame of thinking of the people during this time. In relation to this, this will also aid in determining whether the American authors were able to give due attention to the pressing issues at that specific period. Moreover, this will be used as a basis on how they were able to help address the situation through the written works that they have done. Contribution of American Authors in the Mid-1800s The American authors have played an important part in emphasizing the problems of the American society during the mid-1800s. It is because of their written works that they were able to open the eyes of most of the American citizens, as well as other people in the world. This could be exemplified by the famous work of Harriet Beecher Stowe entitled â€Å"Uncle Tom’s Cabin. † This novel was able to give due emphasis to the situation of the African American slaves especially in the southern part of the United States. Stowe was able to provide vivid images of the inequality and inhumane treatments that the African American slaves experienced through the way that she narrated the events and of her story and the feelings of the characters that she created. This novel was deeply affecting as it moves its readers to realize the ill-fated lives of these slaves. It is through Stowe’s novel that she paved the way for other people to feel a sense of empathy by putting themselves in the place of these slaves. In connection to these, Laura Ingalls Wilder is also among the most notable writers that contributed to the awareness of the public regarding the male unrest and female patience of pioneers in the mid-1800s. She also focused on the peculiar American spirit and sense of independence that Americans have during that time. One of the unique characteristics of this author is the fact that she was able to make her stories known to young people because she specializes in making children books. She also used her childhood experiences in order to make her stories mirror the real situation of the society during her younger days. By doing so, she was able to influence and touch the lives of other people especially in fostering good values to children. The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder To be able to clearly understand the motivation of Laura Ingalls Wilder that aided her in making remarkable literary pieces, it is essential that the story of her life is given due consideration. Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on February 7, 1867 in Wisconsin. She was the second of the five children of Charles Philip Ingalls and Caroline Lake. During her growing years, she and her family constantly moved throughout the mid-west. Wilder was a bright child but she was not given the chance to receive quality education because of the isolated places that their family usually went to. She also had to deal with their financial problems wherein sometimes she had to stop school in order to earn money. Nevertheless, they eventually stayed in De Smet, Dakota Territory. This is where she attended school on a regular basis and she even worked as a seamstress and teacher. Afterwards, she married a homesteader by the name of Almanzo James Wilder. She had two children with him, the popular novelist, journalist and political theorist Rose Wilder Lane and a son who died immediately after birth. Laura Ingalls Wilder was able to live the real life of American pioneers because they had to survive by using only the small amount of resources that they earned together with their knowledge and experience. Because of this, they learned how to grow and hunt for foods, as well as build their house and other tools that they need. Laura Ingalls Wilder experienced how it is to grow up in the frontier during the late 1800s. This life experience that she had motivated her to write a historical fiction series for children called the â€Å"Little House. † The series of books that she created were published during the 1930’s. Her written works were able to boost her popularity as she was regarded as a renowned writer during her time; and even up to the present time, her books are still popular and never got out of print. Wilder has an exceptional writing skills that captures the interests of both children and adults. Throughout the years, this author has been able to narrate important and interesting subjects that dealt with her experiences as a frontier girl. Some of the situations that she described involve â€Å"wonderful and heartbreaking times, the poverty and the plenty, the western trails and homesteading issues, and the simple ways of life of an ordinary family who showed great love and tenacity during their years together in the American prairie. † Even though the books that Wilder wrote are considered as fictional, she was able to give true accounts of what it was like to live and survive on the frontier during that period in America. The stories that she created were also characterized by its appeal to all ages, as her books are applicable to all people who want a simple story about a loving family as well as those that are interested by the pioneer times. Written Works of Laura Ingalls Wilder Knowing the basic and important information about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder is not enough. It is also necessary that the some of the books that she wrote are analyzed in order to clearly see how she depicted her experiences as a frontier girl and the pioneer life that she lived. In doing so, a book that she wrote entitled â€Å"Little House on the Prairie† will be analyzed. The story unfolded with the decision of Pa Ingalls to sell their house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and move to the Indian Territory that is near Independence, Kansas. Pa Ingalls decision was influenced by the stories that he heard about the land there, which would be opened to settlement by homesteaders. Wilder narrated the way they adopted to their new environment. Pa Ingalls was responsible in building their house wherein he made the roof and floor, as well as dig the well with his own bare hands. The other members of the family also learned to grow and hunt for their own food. On the latter part of the book, the family acquired a terrible disease, which were referred to as â€Å"Fever ‘n’ Ague† that is commonly known today as malaria. The family was able to recover through the help of their neighbor who took care of them. During the spring, the family started planting, which marked the beginnings of their small farm. However, at the last part of the book, the family was informed that they have to leave the land because settling there is illegal. Pa Ingalls decided to leave the land before the Army forces them to do so. The story that Laura Ingalls Wilder narrated in this children book is actually a reflection of the real life experiences that she had during her younger years. In this story, it is seen how the family risked their usual life in the Big Woods of Wisconsin in order to look for better opportunities in the Indian Territory. The process of establishing a new life in this new land aided the family to use their resourcefulness by building their own house. In relation to this, they also learned how to sustain their everyday needs through their own efforts. However, like in most situations when the family was already gaining grounds with their new environment, things started to go against them especially when the family got sick because of malaria. In connection to this, when they are already beginning to build their small farm another unfortunate event happened. They found out that they were illegal settlers in that land and they have to vacate the area or be forced to do so. The fate of the characters in this children book is not fictitious because it reflects the real situation of the American people during the mid-1800s, the same time as Wilder’s childhood days. The unfortunate situation that has befallen the family at the end of the story highlights the fate of people who are living in the frontiers especially during the time when territorial conflict and border disputes are very observable. The territorial expansion of the United States brought about this conflict in some areas of the country that adversely affected the people. Their situation is similar to that of the Ingalls family whose dream of starting their own farm was shattered. The discussions above clearly show that the American authors of the mid-1800s are important and Laura Ingalls Wilder is an evident proof of it. Wilder’s children books paved the way for the general public, especially the young ones, to be enlightened with the pioneer life of an American family as well as the hardships that is involved in being a frontier girl. Being the case, American authors like Laura Ingalls Wilder indeed, played an important role in informing the people about the status of the society. It is through her literary pieces like these that paved the way for people to realize and become aware of the social issues and concerns that plagued the society during that particular period. BIBLIOGRAPHY Miller, John E. Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder. Missouri: University of Missouri, 1998. â€Å"What was America Like in the Mid-1880s? † Franzosenbusch Heritage Project, (2003). Database on-line. Available from, http://www. franzosenbuschheritageproject. org /Histories/US_Background /America%20in%20the%20mid-1800%27s. htm. Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. , 1963.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Effect of Patient Preferred Music on Pain in Postoperative Patients

The relief of acute pain in adult postoperative patients continues to be a common problem despite the use of pharmacologic therapies. Unrelieved pain can cause various effects including: increased heart rate and blood pressure; increased need for oxygen; tachypnea; increased susceptibility to infection; and anxiety/fear (Swift, 2018). Nurses strive to provide the best care for their patients and this includes finding alternative ways to help with unrelieved pain. Providing music as an adjunct to the standard of care for pain has been shown to reduce acute pain in postoperative patients (Comeaux & Steele-Moses, 2013; Nilsson, Rawal, & Unosson, 2003; Zografakis-Sfakiankakis et al., 2017). The following research proposal intended for the institutional review board (IRB) will discuss the purpose of the study; background and significance; participants and methodology; recruitment; participant confidentiality; participant safety; consent process; risks and burdens; benefits; cost and payment; data and document security; and follow-up and dissemination of results.Purpose of StudyThe purpose of this study is to determine whether allowing patients to listen to their preferred choice of music compared to providing them with pre-selected instrumental music is more effective, when used as an adjunct to the standard of care for pain, on reducing the perception of pain in the adult postoperative patient.Background and SignificanceThe review of literature w as conducted by utilizing the following databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Google, Nursing Times, and Research Gate. Search terms included: music therapy, music, acute pain and postoperative pain. The review of literature proved that music, when used as an adjunct to pharmacologic therapy, is effective in reducing postoperative pain. Pain is an expected outcome of a surgical procedure, however unrelieved postoperative pain can lead to complications, delayed healing and, if not dealt with effectively, can become chronic (Swift, 2018, p. 25). According to Nilsson, Rawal, and Unosson, (2003) the best practice for postoperative pain control management should include both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods (p. 700). Comeaux and Steele-Moses (2013) reported â€Å"According to the Joanna Briggs Institute (2009), music therapy as a non-pharmacological adjuvant to opioid analgesia is best practice in the management of pain and anxiety† (p. 313). In their own study, Comeaux and Steele-Moses (2013) found that the use of music therapy improved patient satisfaction of pain management in the postoperative period (p. 314). Another study also found that using music as an intervention tool in the acute postoperative period could be useful in promoting patient's comfort and improving perception of pain (Zografakis-Sfakiankakis et al., 2017). Nilsson et al. (2003) reported that â€Å"Music is a non-pharmacological technique, that is inexpensive, non-invasive and has no side-effects that have been shown to reduce postoperative pain† (p. 700). Music therapy has been beneficial in treating patients with a wide range of diagnoses and is effective in reducing patients' perception of anxiety and pain as well as the need for analgesia (American Music Therapy Association, 2010). While it has been proven that music can reduce postoperative pain, the preceding studies used pre-selected instrumental or classical music, there is limited research available in the clinical setting on the effects music has on pain with regards to providing patients with preferred music choices compared to providing them with pre-selected music. inlay and Anil (2015) conducted a cold pressor test study to induce experimental pain to determine the impact of music type on pain and stated that â€Å"Simply listening to music may not be sufficiently effective for managing pain if the music is not enjoyable for the listener†¦the more likable the music is to the individual, the better the effects of music listening on the pain† (p. 56). Therefore, it is important for nurses to know which type of music to implement, preferred or pre-selected, as an adjunct to reduce unrelieved postoperative pain.Participants and MethodologyThis study will be conducted as an experimental prospective randomized clinical trial in a Level II Trauma Center that has a complete team of general, specialty and trauma surgeons who perform a broad range of multiple surgeries daily. The anticipated number of participants is between 150 and 200 in a 2 month period. The inclusion criteria includes all patients age 18 or over who will be having an ele ctive surgical procedure done, have an anticipated stay of 3 days or more, are alert and oriented and able to read and write English (for questionnaire purposes). Exclusion criteria includes any patient with hearing loss or hearing deficit making it difficult to hear the music. Data will be collected by placing participants into two study groups, the study group (preferred music choice) and the control group (pre-selected music). Using Zografakis-Sfakiankakis' (2017) random selection algorithm participants, if they meet the inclusion criteria, will be selected by the following: on a typical surgical day, half of the patients, the 1st and 3rd patient or every other, will be included in the study group and then the 2nd and the 4th and so on will be included in the control group. A questionnaire will be given to all participants, since both groups with be listening to some type of music, and will include questions about demographic data including: gender, age, race, type of surgical procedure. The remaining questions will ask the participant to rate their pain using the numeric rating scale (0-10) before the start of and after listening to at least 30 minutes of music; what type of analgesic what administered for their pain; If any other non-pharmacologic intervention took place (i.e. repositioning or application of ice); what was the patient doing before, during and after listening to music (i.e. lying in bed, up in chair, walking in room/hall, talking with visitor, reading etc.); and the date and total time listened to music between each pain medication administration (with at least 30 minutes per session). The study group will be given an easy to use MP3 player with FM radio capability and will also be able to request their preferred songs and music to be downloaded to the device by the nurse researchers. The control group will also be given an easy to use MP3 player, without FM radio capability, that is loaded with pre-selected, by nurse researchers, instrumental/classical music. All groups will be provided with earphones to use in order to prevent disruption to other patients.RecruitmentUpon check-in at the hospital for their elective surgery prospective participants, who meet the inclusion criteria, will be asked if they would like to be involved in a voluntary research study during their hospitalization. The researchers will introduce themselves, including their credentials, and will verbally inform the individual that the study is trying to determine the effects that music has, in addition to receiving the standard of care for pain, on reducing postoperative pain. They will be informed that MP3 players as wells as earphones will be provided to them and that they will be required to fill out questionnaires during the study. Participants will be informed on how their information will be kept confidential, the risks and benefits of this study and after which will be encouraged to ask questions.Participant ConfidentialityTo ensure participant confidentiality and anonymity participants will be assigned a number that will be included on their questionnaires. The number that they are assigned will be determined by the order in which they leave the post anesthesia care unit (PACU). When leaving the PACU the nurse will give the known participants a manila folder that will contain the numbered questionnaires, MP3 player and instructions on use. The first paper that the participant will see when opening the folder will include a statement to them ensuring that the information that is collected from this study from them will not be divulged to others without permission. The instructions will inform the participants to place all questionnaires and MP3 player back in the envelope upon discharge, seal it and then leave it in the designated locked box at the nurses' station.Participant SafetyListening to music is beneficial, not harmful and non-invasive. Participants will still receive the standard of care for pain. Therefore, in this study there is no risk for harm or harmful deception as both groups will be provided with a music intervention, either preferred choice or pre-selected, along with the standard of care for pain. There is no anticipated adverse events seen in implementing the intervention of music listening.Consent ProcessAs part of the recruitment process, which includes providing information about the study, its pr ocedures and allowing for questions, participants who have met the inclusion criteria will be informed that their participation in this study is voluntary and that if they choose to participate that they can withdraw at any time without consequences. The other components of the informed consent will include: basis for selection; duration of participation; risks and benefits; confidentiality of records; names of investigators and contact person; statement of voluntary participation and then signature lines which will indicate consent. Even though signatures will be obtained at the time of recruitment for informed consent, the researcher will not know the identity of the participant once the study begins as they will be assigned numbers randomly as they leave the PACU. All participants will be alert and oriented consenting adults. The participants will also be informed that once this study is finished that it is the goal to have it published in a journal for medical professionals to use as evidence for best practice.Risks and BurdensAs stated earlier, there is to harmful effects or risks in the intervention of listening to music. However, potential burdens of this study could possibly occur when filling out the questionnaire. The participants will have to take time and effort to fill out the questionnaire each time they use the music therapy along with taking prescribed medication. This can pose as a possible inconvenience for them as they will be in a perceived state of pain.BenefitsThere are many potential benefits to the participants who take part in this study. As stated earlier music therapy has been beneficial in treating patients with a wide range of diagnoses and is effective in reducing patients' perception of anxiety and pain as well as t he need for analgesia (American Music Therapy Association, 2010). According to the American Music Therapy Association (2010) in addition to the reduction of pain and anxiety participants may experience: improved respiration, lower blood pressure, improved cardiac output, reduced heart rate, and relaxed muscle tension (p. 4). Furthermore, the results of this study can be beneficial in providing nurses and other healthcare providers with knowledge about the best type of music to use, along with the standard of care, in reducing unrelieved pain for their patients. This information can be shared and may be beneficial as an alternative to reducing pain in various other types of patient populations as well.Cost and PaymentThere will be no cost to the participants of this study as the MP3 players and the earphones will be provided to them by the researchers. No incentives will be given in recruitment or for participation in this study.Data and Document SecurityDocuments for this study will be kept by the patient in the provided manila folder. Once the par ticipant is discharged the sealed manila folder will be turned in by placing it in the designated locked box at the nurses' station. The folders will be picked up on a daily basis. Only the nurse researchers will have access to the locked box as well as the questionnaires. All questionnaire collected from the hospital will then be kept in a locked filing cabinet when not being used by the researchers. The data collected including informed consent will be kept for a period of 3 years.Follow-Up and Dissemination of ResultsParticipants will be given the researchers contact information and will have the option to contact the researchers after 3 months to either get the results of the study or be given an approximate date of when the results will be available. Upon completion of this study the aim is to present the research results at various presentations, submit the research results for peer review and then ultimately spread the knowledge and the evidence-based intervention through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.ConclusionIn conclusion, we have discussed the purpose of the study; background and significance; participants and methodology; recruitment; participant confidentiality; participant safety; consent process; risks and burdens; benefits; cost and payment; data and document security; and follow-up and dissemination of results. Researchers involved in this study welcome the critical evaluation of the IRB in order to ensure that the study will be conducted in a strong, ethical and legal manor.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Tuesdays with Morrie Novel Analysis

3) He lived in the late 1970s. â€Å"It is the late spring of 1979†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 3) Morrie is a sociology professor at Brandeis University. â€Å"†¦the senior class of Brandeis University†¦my favorite professor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 3) Morrie has a wife named Charlotte, and two sons named rob and Jon. â€Å"Morrie with his wife Charlotte; Morrie with his two sons rob†¦ and Jon. † (pg. 91) Mitch is about fifty one years old and lived in the 1990s. He is a sports journalist. â€Å"I earned a master’s degree in journalism and took the first job offered, as a sports writer. ’ (pg. 16) He has an older sister and a younger brother. â€Å"You have an older sister too right? † (pg. 94), â€Å"I do indeed have a younger brother†¦two-years-younger brother. † (pg. 95) Morrie’s fortune changed when he was diagnosed with ALS. â€Å"Morrie had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 7). ALS caused Morrie to â€Å"have trouble walking† (pg. ), and it caused him not to do a lot of other things like use the bathroom by himself. â€Å"Connie would wheel him to the toilet, then lift him from the chair and support him as he urinated into the beaker. † (pg. 49) His moral character also changed because he said, â€Å"Now that I’m suffering, I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before. † (pg. 50) Mitch’s fortune changes when the newspaper he works for goes on strike, â€Å"†¦the unions at my newspaper had gone on strike. † (pg. 44) His moral character also changes because Morrie â€Å"finally made him cry†. pg. 186). Mitch’s knowledge changes because he learns that â€Å"offering others what you have to give† will give you satisfaction. (pg. 126). He also learns how to find a meaningful life by â€Å"devoting yourself to loving others, devoting yourself to your community around you, and devoting yourself to something that gives you purpose and meaning. (pg. 127) I think that Morrie is a round character because we see different sides of him. We see a very emotional side like on page 185 when it says, â€Å"His eyes ot small, and then he cried†¦Ã¢â‚¬  we also see a carefree side like on page 5 when it says, â€Å"He would close his eyes and with a blissful smile begin to move to his own sense of rhythm. † I also think he is a static character because his personality, morals, or feelings didn’t change. I think Mitch is also a round character because we see different sides of him. We see a tough side on page 30 when it says, â€Å"I wear old gray sweatshirts and box in the local gym and walk around with an unlit cigarette in my mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We see an emotional side on page 186 when Morrie finally makes him cry. I think Mitch is a dynamic character because in the beginning of the story Mitch is more concentrated on his work. â€Å"In a few years, I was not only penning columns. I was writing sports books, doing radio shows, and appearing regularly on TV†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 16) Then in the middle of the story he didn’t concentrate on work because he went to visit Morrie every Tuesday. I think the most important lesson Morrie taught me was to appreciate everyday in every way. Morrie said, â€Å"The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted. (pg. 84) After reading this book I truly do realize that I take things for granted. I also think â€Å"detachment† really helped me. Morrie said, â€Å"Detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That’s how you let it go†. (pg. 103) I think Morrie is saying that you should feel one emotion for a sho rt period of time then let it go so you can experience another one. The first lesson to appreciate everyday in every way relates to the world. I think it relates to the world because like Morrie said, â€Å"We are too involved in materialistic things, and they don’t satisfy us. † (pg. 84) By concentrating on materialistic things, we don’t realize the love of our family and the world around us. I think the lesson â€Å"detachment† also relates to our world. Everyday we see and hear people talking about something that happened a long time ago, and they don’t experience another emotion because they are stuck on that one. Tuesdays with Morrie Novel Analysis 3) He lived in the late 1970s. â€Å"It is the late spring of 1979†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 3) Morrie is a sociology professor at Brandeis University. â€Å"†¦the senior class of Brandeis University†¦my favorite professor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 3) Morrie has a wife named Charlotte, and two sons named rob and Jon. â€Å"Morrie with his wife Charlotte; Morrie with his two sons rob†¦ and Jon. † (pg. 91) Mitch is about fifty one years old and lived in the 1990s. He is a sports journalist. â€Å"I earned a master’s degree in journalism and took the first job offered, as a sports writer. ’ (pg. 16) He has an older sister and a younger brother. â€Å"You have an older sister too right? † (pg. 94), â€Å"I do indeed have a younger brother†¦two-years-younger brother. † (pg. 95) Morrie’s fortune changed when he was diagnosed with ALS. â€Å"Morrie had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 7). ALS caused Morrie to â€Å"have trouble walking† (pg. ), and it caused him not to do a lot of other things like use the bathroom by himself. â€Å"Connie would wheel him to the toilet, then lift him from the chair and support him as he urinated into the beaker. † (pg. 49) His moral character also changed because he said, â€Å"Now that I’m suffering, I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before. † (pg. 50) Mitch’s fortune changes when the newspaper he works for goes on strike, â€Å"†¦the unions at my newspaper had gone on strike. † (pg. 44) His moral character also changes because Morrie â€Å"finally made him cry†. pg. 186). Mitch’s knowledge changes because he learns that â€Å"offering others what you have to give† will give you satisfaction. (pg. 126). He also learns how to find a meaningful life by â€Å"devoting yourself to loving others, devoting yourself to your community around you, and devoting yourself to something that gives you purpose and meaning. (pg. 127) I think that Morrie is a round character because we see different sides of him. We see a very emotional side like on page 185 when it says, â€Å"His eyes ot small, and then he cried†¦Ã¢â‚¬  we also see a carefree side like on page 5 when it says, â€Å"He would close his eyes and with a blissful smile begin to move to his own sense of rhythm. † I also think he is a static character because his personality, morals, or feelings didn’t change. I think Mitch is also a round character because we see different sides of him. We see a tough side on page 30 when it says, â€Å"I wear old gray sweatshirts and box in the local gym and walk around with an unlit cigarette in my mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We see an emotional side on page 186 when Morrie finally makes him cry. I think Mitch is a dynamic character because in the beginning of the story Mitch is more concentrated on his work. â€Å"In a few years, I was not only penning columns. I was writing sports books, doing radio shows, and appearing regularly on TV†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 16) Then in the middle of the story he didn’t concentrate on work because he went to visit Morrie every Tuesday. I think the most important lesson Morrie taught me was to appreciate everyday in every way. Morrie said, â€Å"The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted. (pg. 84) After reading this book I truly do realize that I take things for granted. I also think â€Å"detachment† really helped me. Morrie said, â€Å"Detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That’s how you let it go†. (pg. 103) I think Morrie is saying that you should feel one emotion for a sho rt period of time then let it go so you can experience another one. The first lesson to appreciate everyday in every way relates to the world. I think it relates to the world because like Morrie said, â€Å"We are too involved in materialistic things, and they don’t satisfy us. † (pg. 84) By concentrating on materialistic things, we don’t realize the love of our family and the world around us. I think the lesson â€Å"detachment† also relates to our world. Everyday we see and hear people talking about something that happened a long time ago, and they don’t experience another emotion because they are stuck on that one.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Paraphrasing - Essay Example This discovery is according to Ryan and Deci’s (2000), the assimilation of the organization’s demands with personal values and needs. Gaertner and Gaertner’s finding suggests that extrinsic rewards in combination to staff training or feedback to employees on their work have a greater impact on performance other than extrinsic rewards alone. The findings of Gaertner and Gaertner (1985), Dowling and Richardson (1997), Redman et al. (2000) and O’Donnell and Shields (2002) are supported by Frey’s (1997) contention that, once the wages and salaries go past a subsistence level, intrinsic factors are better motivators than extrinsic rewards. It also shows that using extrinsic rewards alone is difficult and motivation of staff will require intrinsic rewards such as recognition and satisfaction of a job well done and a sense of amazing work. Williams (1998) describes how different people have different values, drives and perceptions to things and that not all people are passive recipients who automatically conforms to working systems as the management would want. Etzioni (1988) and Larson (1977), values are a necessity and are crucial to an employee’s development and commitment to a particular organization in achieving required goals and objectives. Berry, Broadbent and Otley (1995) describe the control of an organization which includes elements such as, goal setting, performance measurement and rewards. Organizational control is generalized and employees in the caring services may consider remunerative motivation less effective in comparison to the normative reward of doing a job that can satisfy them As reported above in the results a null hypothesis is rejected. The Employees of this organization occur to be motivated by intrinsic rewards. The results debate with the conclusions of Gupta and Mitra (1998) that extrinsic

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Financial Services Industries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Services Industries - Essay Example This destabilization asks questions about the various organizational practices and balance sheet structures that these two types of financial institutions utilize. Furthermore, the regulatory agencies involved in the monitoring of securities firms play a vital role in protecting consumers and investors, and the solvency of the bank system is a vital component of social stability not only in the U.S. economy but globally speaking. This paper will briefly examine some of the differences in structure and operation of depository institutions as well as examine the regulatory processes involved in supervising the securities firms. As an illustration of the crumbling barrier between banking and commerce consider that during the 1970s there were predictions that there was a decline in banking as balance sheets for commercial banks had fallen to their lowest levels in years (Federal Reserve Bank, 1998). In response a number of deregulation initiatives were instituted to spur growth for depository institutions. To manage the acknowledged increased risk that deregulation would entail the FDIC systematically raised the minimum level of the capital-to-asset ratio. However, because of deregulation and the FDIC response this encouraged depository institutions to move business off their balance sheets, for example, by packaging and selling various product lines in the form of securities. This â€Å"securitization† of assets, such as mortgages, auto loans, and credit-card loans- shifts loans to permanent investors, leaving the depository institutions to service the loans for a fee. "Origination, distribution, and servicing capabilities have therefore become increasingly significant elements of the banking business, while building up the balance sheet, once perceived as a measure of an institutions eminence, has diminished in importance" (Federal Reserve Bank, 1998, p. 61). The operational practices and balance sheet structure are in fact markedly different

Impact of Magazines on their Readers Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Impact of Magazines on their Readers - Article Example However what is currently the case has never been like the one which used to be so in the 19th century. The press of modern times relies more on placing the advertisements rather than giving the readers something to read about. In other words, it is more interested in propagating advertisements than the news and reports on which the readers are focused. There is now an aspect of compromise when it comes to putting a news report and the magazine editor thinks of placing an advertisement on the specified place for the report so that he could earn more and bring more revenues for his magazine. This means that the unethical attitudes are pretty much apparent in the whole contexts of press and these need to be adjusted in a manner which could balance the benefits as well as make the news reports and analyzes visible in between the pages of the magazine. The media has always been used as a tool to educate and stimulate the audience's minds. The hype and controversy surrounding the Terri Schiavo euthanasia case is an ideal example of how language can influence the emotions and consciousness of ordinary people. The terminology used and the method of citing opinions basically created the controversy which turned into one of the biggest ethical discussions of our times. Similarly, throughout the Suffragette movement (1920's), the conservatives and the liberals used newspapers/magazines and pamphlets to circulate their views on the right for women to vote. What was primarily a case of simple human rights became a war of words and media manipulation. Constant exhortation of the word "mother" and "life-giver" in the newspaper issued by Christabel Pankhurst, The Suffragette, gave their requests a tinge of blackmail. During the early 1950's, newspapers, magazines and radio had created such an atmosphere of fear and suspicion over the suppose d communist activities taking place within the United States, that Senator Joseph McCarthy's sometimes far-fetched accusation of subversive activities against certain public figures were taken seriously. His ability further, to maneuver public opinion using words like, "Un-American", "subversive" and "unpatriotic" further deepened the masses mistrust, giving him carte blanche to prosecute anybody he considered guilty of communist leanings. During the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's also, the use of periodicals to promote the viewpoints of both the black community and the white was profound. Language played an important part in the struggle for emancipation. The difference though was in the approach of the two great leaders of the African American movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Where the former hoped to persuade the government to relent, Malcolm X was more vocal against white people, terming them as 'evil'. This battle of ideas within the Black faction itself cau sed great confusion to the Caucasian community. Supporters of Civil Rights themselves were not overtly sure where to stand on the issue. Moving on, David Gaunlett presented his own 'Ten Things Wrong with the Media Effects Model' in which he suggests that media does not necessarily have any direct effect on the lives of the people to which the media is generally addressed and in the related settings,

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Media analysis paper examining leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media analysis paper examining leadership - Essay Example In episode 2 of restaurant impossible, the men’s teams are meeting to chant the way forward on an advertisement campaign to promote restaurant services (Cathy 2014). Robert Irvine who is the project manager depicts a number of characteristics leadership where he portrays a discursive technique by engaging his fellow members. We see Irvine trying to convey direct directives and bringing to the fore challenging questions for other members to ponder and find the best approach to undertake. Irvine comes up with a proposal on division of labour in form of statements, for instance he uses the phrase ‘need’ to assign roles (Northouse 2013). Robert Irvine exemplifies himself as a leader by dominating the floor as the resultant task assigner and spells out his role as the floater. According to the different leadership theories, Irvine portrays that a leader is born and made. In this perspective we find that Irvine is influenced by the situation to stand with his team to make the best alternatives. The situation influences him to stand out as the coordinator of the campaign. This can be cemented by the attributes and the use of ‘okay’ which is an approach that ensures that the members completely comprehend their roles, this is typical to most leaders as a leader as to ensure that the subordinates are ready for the tasks. Irvine displays a high degree of leadership which according to a member of his team is a positive technique (Northouse 2013). In episode 4, Robert Irvine travels to Italy to save a collapsing Italy restaurant. Robert Irvine is recognized as the leader and allowed to adopt all the changes he may require in the group. Robert Irvine accused of trying to curtail the decisions that his team mates makes on the business campaign, a member is quoted saying ‘you’re obviously getting mad that I’m thinking on my own’.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Clinical assessment for Paramedics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clinical assessment for Paramedics - Essay Example It is normally non-server and can last between 30 minutes to several days. This type is linked to things like stress, dehydration, poor posture or skipping a meal. Tension headache really causes nausea and vomiting and may not interfere with the activities of daily living. Migraine headache; is a less tense headache. Usually felt as throbbing pain at the front side of the head. Cluster headache; occurs in clusters for a month or two at the same time of the year. Cluster headache is the most server type with the descried as having a burning sensation or a piercing/ throbbing quality. The pain is usually located behind one eye or in the region of the eye without changing sides (Gladstone & Dodick, 2004, pp. 304–314). Mixed headache; is also called transformed migraine. This is a combination of tension and migraine headache and is experienced by both adults and children. Inferring to case 1, the patient is suffering from a tension headache with the pain rated at 5/10. The patient presents with the headache following stressful episodes and the pain feels like a tight band around the head make the type of headache in case one fit the diagnosis of a tension headache. Ordinary painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, lifestyle changes and hydration are important for its management. Despite the headache being, non-severe the patient will be followed up after discharged, as the headache may be a symptom of an underlying condition. In the process of discharging the patient, neurological test would be necessary to rule out diseases that might cause the headache like multiple sclerosis, epilepsy cerebrovascular diseases. Mental status examination (MSE) would be done to assess the orientation of the patient to person, place and time as an indication of fitness of his/her neurological status (Loder et al., 2008, pp. 88-92). Gladstone, J.P. & Dodick, D.W., 2004. Revised 2004 International Classification of

Monday, September 23, 2019

How is Text Messaging Affecting Teen Literacy Research Paper

How is Text Messaging Affecting Teen Literacy - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that as the microprocessor was being developed, information flow between people was at a higher speed and communication flourished. The entry of the internet saw a change in the entire literacy face. People no longer read books, magazines and newspapers but they are reading online. Recent developments in internet technology have seen an emergence of different ways of communication. People no longer sit down and read lengthy novels as literacy has come to be characterised by short texts on phones and computers. A 2009 study of the University of Alabama found that â€Å"Text messaging has surely given our society a quick means through which to communicate, taking out the need for capitalisation, punctuation, the use and knowledge of sentence structure and the detail that make good statements great†. The current world has seen literacy get its definition from the technology that is used to transfer it. A text message language differs from that of an email. Formal language may still be present in the 21st century but it is probably different from the formal language of the 1950s. In the year 2011, the Oxford English Dictionary included an additional text speak lingo in its lexicon. They include LOL – laugh out loud, OMG – oh my god/gosh/goodness, FYI – for your information, BFF – best friends forever, and IMHO – in my honest/humble opinion. Furthermore, the study revealed that some of the expressions used have a history that shows different usage of the same acronyms. For instance, the st

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Carol Ann Duffys anthology Mean Time Essay Example for Free

Carol Ann Duffys anthology Mean Time Essay Carol Ann Duffys anthology Mean Time is littered with references to the past. With the title Mean Time in its self referring to time in an ambiguous ways, like Greenwhich mean time, or time associated with angry emotions. The most common interpretation being that the characters represented in many of Mean Times poems as in between two states, past and present. The characters are trapped, escaping, or reminiscing about past times retrospectively from a present time. Much of there past is what is now influencing there present situation or state of mind and Duffy accentuates this factor by being explicit and drawing attention to language that would draw a conclusion to that notion. The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team is a 1960s quiz show between competing teams of school children who, representing their school and in school uniform, would answer general knowledge questions in front of an audience of school children. The individually competitive suggestion of the name of the show individual competition was emphasized in the education system of the 50s and 60s (it would not be unusual for a class to be sat in their rank order according to the last set of exams) and it precedes the change to a comprehensive system. This competitive tone, the sense of a hierarchy, is an important element in the poem. This poem questions the romantic view of the past forming a persona to there present as he characterises his children as his thick kids and his wife as stale. He ambiguously illustrates his past in that he want it back, The Captain. The captain is a symbol of his youth and past in that he wants it back but its so isolated and remote that he cant obtain it and only exists as memories in his mind. The comparison between the first six stanzass representing the past and the last stanza representing the present exhibits a barrier between the two. The constant music references mentioned within the poem to past artists and songs reflects the rich memories that are illustrated to the reader, by appealing to more senses, the eyes and hears. Duffys purpose for inclusion of these songs is not only that they are connected to the time period and create a richer spectacle but they clearly reveal the more desired time period of the character, showing him to feel nostalgia. We see the nostalgia form as he describes his family and current situation in the last stanza previously discussed. Carol Ann Duffys dramatic monologue The Suicide provides an intriguing insight into the forces of the past having an effect on a situation in the present. This poem establishes how the past and present are interconnectivly dependant on each other. This is explained as, without a past of experience and events that shape u as a person there can be no present effects. This notion is also reversed in that without a present the past would never be expressed fully either emotionally or physically with no results or effects seen from past causes. The poem title explicitly provides the reader with exactly what the context of the poem is. The reasons for this is possibly to engage the reader into how is Duffy going to describe the feelings of suicide appealing to our macabre sides of personality. It is commonly thought that language fails to describe many feelings especially that of suicide. The poem analyses the nature of suicidal impulse, by letting a would-be suicide talk to us in the moments before her death. It compares with The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team (The captain), as it is also a dramatic monologue but fails in comparison similarities to that poem. It does refer to the past like The Captain does, however not as explicitly. In The Suicide the reference to the past is, Kisses on a collar. Lies. Blood. The above is a strong reference to a past event of what implicitly seems to be infidelity by the partner. This is followed by short sharp sentences of Lies and Blood. These single emphasised words almost tell a complete story; the history of a relationship, written in lies. Lies that lead to blood (perhaps the blood of the suicide). There is a sense that the whole story is told in these few words. But this whole event can not be ignoring the fact that it was all triggered by a past event that is now influencing if not directly causing the present situation of suicide. The Good Teachers is one of Duffys explicit references to the past but written in present tense which instantly makes the reader form the opinion of reminiscence and living in the past letting past events form the future. We believe to be a male because of the hints to passion for female teachers, as he reveals that you love Miss Pirie. It describes his memories of his life in school as a child but most significantly how he retrospectively looks back and regrets the tom foolery that took place then and how he wasted his time in school. This forms similar themes to End of innocence about regret of the past and wants to escape it. The short sentences in the last stanza can be symbolic of time and how it speedily passed by to leave him where he is now which we never quite find out. Again a barrier is formed between the past and the present by the line But theres the wall you climb. The wall denoting the barrier between past and present and shows how the two are separate. The context before the wall line is about the past, the context of the poem after the wall line is about the present. This structure reinforces the separation of the past and present. Also this show how the past forms a barrier that forms the future and weather or not you accomplish successfully by getting over or around the barrier will have an impact on your life to come. The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team, The Suicide and The Good Teachers all portray the past, but in separate ways. In The Captain the past is seen as a rich rejoicing memory, with dignity and pride at the forefront of it where the past was contrasted to the future to reinforce how commendable the past was. The nostalgia was accentuated by the language and references to his current situation of him having a stale wife and thick kids. The suicide depicts the past consuming the character and a direct cause for her present situation. The language illustrates a dyer situation and forms the opinion that suicide is not chosen, it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain. It fails to by the inadequacy of language and context fully describe the emotion and direct feeling of suicide caused from the past events. It only refers to four words to describe the past, kisses on a collar. This is a classic example of the notion that the past is represented as irretrievable and irreplaceable. Also that not being able to alter the mistakes made in life will undoubtedly form the situation of present and which is suicide in this case but also that those events will characterise you for the future. The Good Teachers forms a view of the past being one of regret and wanting to escape from it. This also, like The Captain and The Suicide, forms a barrier separating the past and present by language and contrasting stanzas.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Reflection Paper On Hong Kong Tourism

Reflection Paper On Hong Kong Tourism Hong Kong tourism is one of the four pillars in its economy. With its image as a cosmopolitan city, Hong Kong has attracted millions of tourists each year. However there are tourism issues that should not be overlooked by the government and the Hong Kong Tourism Commission (HKTC) in order to develop strategies to maintain the long term sustainability of Hong Kong tourism. In this paper, a situation assessment is presented and key tourism issues are identified together with the problems associated and relevant strategies to overcome these problems identified. After the handover of Hong Kong back to the hands of China in 1997, Hong Kong developed its strong links with China. Tourism is with no exception. In 2010, Hong Kong recorded 36 million visitors with more than 60% of visitors coming from Mainland China (HKTB, 2011). This was the result of the extension of Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) and the relaxation of visa arrangement that stimulate the demand. In the coming future, demand from Chinese tourists is still in a grow. Despite the stable demand from Chinese tourists, Hong Kong faces huge challenges from nearby destinations. Hong Kong is used to have being a shopping paradise and being a MICE destination as its competitive edges, however these edges seem to be narrowing down. Hainan province in China has launched a shopping tax refund program to attract non-residents to spend in shopping (Peoples Daily, 2011). Singapore and Macau have developed casino resorts together with MICE facilities to attract business tourism. Despite all these, Hong Kong still has its advantage on its geographic location to be a gateway to China which attracts millions of people in and out of Hong Kong as a hub. Besides, Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city and an Asias world city which contains characteristics of the West and the East, tradition and contemporary which is appealing to overseas tourists. Its financial position in Hong Kong has attracted many business travelers to come to Hong Kong for business purpose and its image of being a Shopping and Food Paradise has also attracted many leisure tourists. Though Hong Kong still has these advantages, these competitions should not be overlooked in order to strategically maintain its long term sustainability. Tourism Issue 1 Reliance on Chinese tourists In the light of the huge share of Chinese tourists in the mix of Hong Kong tourist arrivals, it is an issue of whether Hong Kong tourism should rely that much on the Chinese market. Some supporters would say the huge supply and spending of Chinese tourists has stabilized Hong Kong tourism demand. From the statistics obtained by HKTB (2011), while the numbers of short haul tourists from Taiwan and Japan and that of long haul tourists from Europe and USA declined in the past 10 years, the visitor number from Mainland China grew rapidly. It can be said that Chinese tourists have sustained Hong Kong tourism. Moreover, according to another statistics from HKTB (2011), Chinese tourists were big spenders that have accounted for 69% of the total visitors spending in 2010. All these reasons have led Hong Kong to develop tourism policy especially for this group of tourists. However, over reliance on the Chinese market would create problems as well. In case of external forces or simply the change of taste of Chinese tourist would pose difficulties for Hong Kong to maintain its visitors number. The 12th National 5-Year Plan released by the Chinese government is one of the external forces mentioned. It was the first time that Hong Kong tourism was not highlighted in the plan, instead the Chinese government intended to develop Macau as a world-class tourism and leisure center (Hong Kongs Information Services Department, 2011). With this aim, the Chinese government might be policies that favor that development of Macau tourism. In that case, more Chinese tourists would be encouraged to go to Macau instead of Hong Kong. Back to Hong Kong, cases like Ah Zhen incident that happened recently would discourage Chinese tourists to travel to Hong Kong. Ah Zhen has been accused to have damaged Hong Kongs reputation as Shopping Paradise by blaming Chinese tourists for not purchasing souvenirs from designated shops. Similar incidents have also happened after this (Wall Street Journal, 2010). These incidents would hinder more Chinese tourists to travel to Hong Kong for shopping. In the long run, this would pose challenges to Hong Kong tourism. China is a huge market that would supply sufficient demand for Hong Kong tourism, Hong Kong government should continue retaining this group of guests to come to Hong Kong. In order to achieve this, there are several recommendations to protect the interests of these guests. Firstly, the government could expand its Quality and Honest Hong Kong Tours Programme to continue strengthening Hong Kongs image as a quality and value for money destination. At the moment, the programme has been carried out in 27 Mainland cities and also in the virtual world on the Internet. Participating travel agents in the scheme have to commit that their itineraries should not contain designated shopping stops and forced shopping and forced self-paid activities. In the new expansion of the programme, the government can promote these tours together with its benefits in more cities in China. Besides, the government can also promote them more extensively via different communication channels, e.g. TV advertisement, social media, etc. Moreover, secret shopper campaign should be continued and done more extensively to spot out illegal or unethical behaviors of travel guides to maintain a satisfactory level of services. This campaign can be used to facilitate the implementation of the Quality and Honest Hong Kong Tours Programme as well to make sure the travel agencies in China and in Hong Kong if they are following the guidelines offered by Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC) and the Hong Kong Tourism Commission (HKTC). It is hoped that by this campaign, travel agencies would self regulate themselves in service delivery and provision. Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC) should develop a more regulatory system to warn and punish travel agencies or tourist guides once illegal or unethical behaviors have been spotted out. In the case of Ah Zhen, originally she was suspended from being a tour guide after the case discovered, however, after her appeal to TIC, she is now suspended for only half year. This indicates the ineffectiveness of the existing system which could allow similar incidents to happen in the future. TIC should be more careful in designing its regulatory system in order to exercise more regulatory power and punishment on Hong Kong tour operators and tour guides who have offended the rules and gives more confidence to Chinese tourists, thus remedy the bad reputation built. However, for the long term benefit of Hong Kong tourism, over focusing on one market segment could be dangerous, Hong Kong government should also find ways to attract other markets. Issue 2 Sustainability of cultural and heritage attractions In view of this and the keen competition from neighboring destinations, Hong Kong has tried its best to develop new tourism products to overcome these challenges. Cultural attractions are popular among these new attractions in recent years to improve Hong Kongs cultural image. Tsim Sha Tsui piazza and the West Kowloon Cultural District are two of the big projects that the government has under taken as new tourism attractions. Besides, the government has also emphasized in developing heritages to showcase Hong Kongs mixed culture. Examples are the former Marine Police Headquarter in Tsim Sha Tsui which has renovated to become a square 1881 Heritage and a boutique hotel named Hullett House. Another example would be the Central market which will be developed into Central Oasis and the project of revitalizing the Former Police Station is Central. One key issue that can be identified among all these projects is whether they could enhance sustainability. According to the Chief Executive in 1999 (Hong Kong Sustainable Department, 2008), the Hong Kong government would ensure a sustainable development to bring about full integration of economic and social development with conservation of environment. In order to achieve this, local participation is very important in leading to sustainable development which gives win-win situation to all parties of the society. However, one common key critics faced by the government in these big projects is lack of transparency. For example, in the case of Tsim Sha Tsui Piazza, a workshop that aims to gather opinions from different parties was subjected to question as these parties were mostly come from the government or government-related organizations (Tourism Commission, 2007). Another example is from another big project, the West Kowloon Cultural District. The management authority of the project is questioned as all of the 15 members from the authority were appointed by the government. Therefore, it is commonly believed that due to lack of transparency, the interest of the government might have affected the management. For heritage sites development, given that the Heritage Tourism Task Force was set up in 1998, it was blamed to be lack of leadership and lack of influence in the government bureaucracy (Chu and Uebegang, 2002). The essence of sustainable tourism development is how to balance different views from different parties which is actually a huge challenge that the government has to face in planning and developing tourist attractions. In order to fully implement sustainable tourism development, a bottom-up approach has to be adopted to collect more objective views from all sectors in Hong Kong so that specific needs could be satisfied and win-win situation for tourists and locals could be achieved. Cooperation with and involvement of locals or significant cultural group should be guaranteed and local community should be involved at the beginning stage of planning and operation to avoid these heritages to lose its original value, especially to the locals who have grown up with these heritage sites. It is hoped that by this approach, the integrity and authenticity of the heritage could be maintained while new elements like environmental friendly designs could be also involved in the new design. Another problem raised from sustainability is whether these new attractions could showcase the local elements. Perhaps due to the image of Hong Kong as being an international city, projecting an image of East-meet-West, attractions are often blamed to be lack of local characteristics. For example, in the case of West Kowloon Cultural District, even one of the advisory committees of the project criticized that the design is lack of local elements (HKheadline, 2011). This problem has to be dealt properly, or else every new attraction in Hong Kong would deliver similar image to tourists, especially for revitalized heritage attractions which are supposed to deliver a unique image and background knowledge of Hong Kong so that visitors could appreciate and understand more about Hong Kong. One of the solutions is to keep up with public consultations and gather opinions of the public about the kind of local culture to be included in the design of new attractions. By that, local culture could be incorporated into the design and would not be missed out. Conclusion With its strong link to China, Hong Kong relies on the supply of Chinese tourists to sustain tourism. Though the huge number of Chinese tourists remains a consistent supply, there are risks associated with it and as a government body, HKTC should develop measures to also attract other markets and diversify the profile of Hong Kong visitors. On the other hand, sustainable tourism development is often questioned due to lack of transparency and overlook of Hong Kong local elements in development new attractions. HKTC and the government should involve a more transparent public consultation and public engagement so as to guarantee a more sustainable tourism planning and development.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady - Captain Daniel Forrester Essay -- Willa

Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady - Captain Daniel Forrester   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady, Captain Daniel Forrester is a gardener at heart. His lifetime is spent encouraging growth, whether of railroads, personal lives or flowers. His philosophy is to dream â€Å"because a thing that is dreamed of in the way I mean is already an accomplished fact† (44). Close friends described the Captain as clearly looking like â€Å"†¦ pictures of Grover Cleveland. His clumsy dignity covered a deep nature, and a conscience that had never been juggled with† (39). Because of his clear conscience Captain Forrester became a rich soil for many around him to take root in. As this soil, he could always be in the background and many never noticed how important he was until he was missed. Once the Captain’s career outside his home ended he truly opens up to the peacefulness of nature, including his flowers, which eventually illustrate the phases of his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The location of the Forrester’s homes gives a hint towards Captain Forrester’s dreams throughout his life. They had seasonal homes, spending â€Å"†¦winter in Denver and Colorado Springs,-left Sweet Water soon after Thanksgiving and did not return until the first of May† (23). Of three places they stayed during the year, two of them had optimistic names, encouraging ideas of eternal springs, which would be wonderful places for gardening. During the summer at Sweet Water, â€Å"The wild roses were wide open and brilliant, the blue-eyed grass was in purple flower, and the silvery milkweed was just coming on† (10). This picture of wild blooms is a reflection of Mrs. Forrester enjoying summertime, complimented with her barrenness of winter. Niel who enjoyed Mrs. Forrester staying on in Sweet Water throughout the winter noticed â€Å"The frosty air had brought no colour to her cheeks,-her skin had always the fragrant, crystalline white ness of white lilacs† (26). This picture of Mrs. Forrester displays a reproduction of the nature around her. That same day as Niel gave Mrs. Forrester a ride home, â€Å"The poplars looked very tall and straight, pinched up and severe in their winter poverty† (28). Throughout A Lost Lady Mrs. Forrester reacts to the seasons as a rose does. With the Captain around he quietly gives her the support she needs, reacting to all of her seasonal needs, always supplying an endless supply of sweet or spring water.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Capta... ...tain gone could it be seen that: It was Mrs. Forrester herself who had changed. Since her husband’s death she seemed to have become another woman. For years Niel and his uncle, the Dalzells and all her friends, had thought of the Captain as a drag upon his wife; a care that drained her and dimmed her and kept her from being all that she might be. But without him, she was like a ship without ballast, driven hither and tither by every wind. She was flighty and perverse. She seemed to have lost her faculty of discrimination; her power of easily and graciously keeping everyone in his proper place. (130) Mrs. Forrester was the rose of her husband, who carefully tended her. Without his leadership she slowly became a memory of a rose garden who eventually mangled its self into a briar rose patch. From before the couple met Captain Forrester thought as a gardener, applying his technique throughout his life. He grew the railroads and his fortunes until he could no longer and then he appreciated his organic companions, which kept him company through the twilight of his life. Throughout A Lost Lady it is easy to see who is the beautiful flower many admire, and who keeps it lively.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Susan DElia Speech 214: The Rhetoric of Reggae Music Spring 2002 :: essays papers

Susan D'Elia Speech 214: The Rhetoric of Reggae Music Spring 2002 Women’s Fashion in Jamaican Dancehalls â€Å"A woman has to use what she’s got to get just what she want.† -- James Brown Actress Audrey Reid does just that as the character Marcia in the Jamaican film â€Å"Dancehall Queen.† Reid plays a street vendor and single mother of two daughters struggling to give her family a better life. Poverty stricken, Marcia is forced to rely on her sugar daddy â€Å"Larry,† to feed her family and put her daughters through school. Unfortunately the price to pay is her fifteen-year-old daughter’s virginity. Appalled at how low they must stoop just to get by, Marcia decides to transform herself into a seductive dancehall girl in hopes of finding an alternative way to provide for her family. The new Marcia makes quite an impression on the men of the Kingston nightclub. When she is disguised in her dancehall costume Larry falls in love with her and showers her with expensive gifts. She is also invited to compete in a profitable dance-off against the reigning Dancehall Queen. The film ends with Marcia’s triumph, and she is awarded a large sum of money. Although this film is a highly romanticized story of a single mother rising to the title of â€Å"Dancehall Queen,† it gives an accurate portrait of the atmosphere of a Jamaican dancehall, as well as capturing the independent, strong spirit of Jamaican women. â€Å"Too many young girls in Jamaica feel trapped by dirty old men who convince them that life offers no alternatives but a future in bed with them,† explains the film’s writer and editor Suzanne Fenn. â€Å"The sub-plot in â€Å"Dancehall Queen† might be unpalatable but it’s based on a prevalent reality.† Although the film has endured some criticism, the film’s after-after party at Kingston’s Club Mirage proved that Dancehall Queen isn’t â€Å"the invention of a perverted production team in search of celluloid satisfaction. Real-life dancehall queens stroked their crotches, winded their hips and rubbed their well-oiled buttocks† (St. Hill). â€Å"Although the dancehall scene is a male dominated one, it is the female, like a queen, who reigns supreme† (www.ppreggae.com) Covering reggae history, respectively, â€Å"Reggae Songbirds† and â€Å"Dancehall Queens† offer a fairly comprehensive overview of the contributions of women in reggae. The dancehall has become a form of a message center for Jamaican people, no matter where they are within the social structure of the island.

Heroism in Ayn Rands The Fountainhead Essay -- Ayn Rand Fountainhead

Heroism in The Fountainhead  Ã‚         The Fountainhead is a story about heroism. The novel is a triumphant cry of protest against all those who insist that life is about mediocrity. That man is destined to suffer. The greatness of The Fountainhead lies in its ability to inspire hope and confidence in its readers, to show how much is possible. For more than fifty years now, people all over the world have been looking towards this great book for support and sanction, for encouragement and hope, for ideas and answers. The Fountainhead applauds strength and greatness in human spirit, giving its readers a hero they can admire, respect, idolize and love. Howard Roark -- the hero, the ideal man, the human being. When Roark said in the courtroom, "Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value, what a man is and makes of himself, not what he has or hasn't for others", he summarized the whole philosophy in these handful of words. To Roark, independence meant everything. From this one value of his arose all his other values and qualities. To him, there was no substitute and no alternative to independence. He held no authority above the judgement of his mind, he held no one higher than himself. Roark felt a fundamental indifference towards others -- he cared two hoots about what the world thought of him. The people Roark chose as friends and comrades all shared this basic quality - independence. His teacher, Henry Cameron, was a fiercely independent man. So were Steven Mallory, Austen Heller, Mike Donnigan and Gail Wynand. Roark's only hallmark of a man was his independence, or the lack of it. His 'enemies', the men who hated Roark, yet recognised his greatness, were all dependents and parasites. Peter Keating thirsted... ...ife as Keating and Toohey saw it. A choice between life as it "ought to be" and life as it is. The Fountainhead is more than a story about heroism. It is a story about a way of life. It will continue to be the most inspiring book of all times and will continue to hit readers with its immortal philosophy and tremendous courage. It will continue to offer answers. The choice is ours. Works Cited and Consulted Berliner, Michael S., ed. Letters of Ayn Rand. By Ayn Rand. New York: Dutton, 1995. Maslow, A.H. (1968) Toward a Psychology of Being. New York: Van Nostrand. Peikoff, Leonard. The Philosophy of Objectivism, A Brief Summary. Stein and Day, 1982. Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. New York: Plume, 1994. Rogers, C.R. (1980) A Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Walker, Jeff. The Ayn Rand Cult. Carus Publishing Company, 1999      

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Cheerleading Definition Paper

Dana Pensabene Mr. Ford- English 015 Definition July 8, 2011 Their hair tightly pulled back. Their razorbacks, drenched in sweat. They all go up, but most crash right back down. Broken noses, bloody knees, concussions, sprained ankles, black and blues everywhere, and knots up and down their spines. Half of them have their wrists wrapped; cutting off circulation; to support the human that they are about to elevate ten feet high in the air. Girls gripping their own toes above their heads, and their feet next to their faces. It’s Cheerleading.A club? I tend to doubt cheerleading is a club, but that is what it has been considered for years. Competitive cheerleading at Northern Valley Old Tappan High School has been receiving the minimal credits that a ‘club’ offers. The credibility that athletes get for participating in a sport is much more respected and deserved than those of a club. Colleges see the amount of credits a varsity athlete gets, as well as an active club member. Though, a varsity athlete receives more credits. To be a Varsity athlete, you must participate in a sport.That I do, yet I receive the amount of credits as a club member would. So, Mr. Kachele, I’d like to offer you a definition of a sport because you must be misinformed as to what a sport constitutes. A sport is a psychical activity that requires talent, physical agility, dedication, time, a team and/or a coach. It also is governed by a set of rules, requires practice and is often competitive, yet occasionally played for recreation. Cheerleading fits under all of these categories but is still considered a club at Northern Valley High School.I suppose that what cheerleading once was; a ditzy, delicate, stand by activity for rowdy young teen girls; was considered a club, but that makes sense. Then, cheerleading was by no means a ‘sport’. Current day cheerleading is entirely different†¦ at least at Northern Valley. Having five varsity letters under my belt, and two seasons as Captain, I can vouch for all competitive cheerleading squads, including ours here at Northern Valley, that cheerleading should not be considered just a ‘club’. For our school, we do not only have one season to endure, but we have nine months.From the middle of August, we train for the football games. During the football season, we have at least a three-hour practice daily so we are prepared for our competitions. A competition has a certain number of teams to showcase their routines, and there is a first place winner. During these competitive few months, the cheerleaders are not only engaging in their own sport, but are also cheerleading for the basketball teams. To be non-sexist, we cheerlead for both Boys Varsity Basketball and Girls Varsity Basketball.That requires at least three games a week, at least one competition a weekend, and the rest of the days reserved to practice. Yet, we get the same amount of credits that the chess club and the p hotography club receive. As an active member in the Peer Mentor Club, Italian Club, Hand in Hand Club, and the Art Portfolio Club, I can honestly say what cheerleading requires does not measure up to all of these clubs combined together. When many of the people, who think cheerleading is not a sport, try to argue their point†¦ they make very hackneyed arguments.The opposing side usually brings up things including how cheerleading does not use any type of ball, so how could it be a sport? But that argument is a bit idiotic because in no definition of the word ‘sport’, does it say a sport requires usage of a ball. Another frequent idiotic argument is that cheerleading is not considered a sport because there is no winner. But, when we go to cheerleading competitions, there is a winner. There is also a second and third place team. The most frequently used argument is that cheerleading cannot be a sport because all we do is cheer for another sport.That would make sense, if that were all we did. We consider the games as practices for our competitions. They are also our chances to flaunt the skills we have acquired over the season to our school and excite the fans during games. What these opposing arguers do not realize is that there is a new competitive face of cheerleading. Like other sports, cheerleaders have to follow the regulations that are set for them. While we cheerlead at a football or basketball game, we need to have mats down on the hardwood floor if any stunt requires the girls to throw and let go of the flyer (the girl thrown in the air).Our uniforms must always cover our mid-section, our dance moves cannot be provocative, for obvious reasons, and we must wear our hair pinned back because it is dangerous to stunt with hair in your face†¦ in contrary to what is seen in most of the cliche cheerleading movies. We also can’t perform certain dangerous stunts requiring a flyer’s head to be upside down during competitions b ecause in the National Cheerleading Association, it is considered illegal.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Gatorade †Marketing Project Essay

The Gatorade Company makes the world’s leading sports drink. In part, this is due to its ubiquitous marketing strategies that can be seen almost everywhere. Gatorade is the official sports drink of the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. It is also the official sports drink of the NFL and has become part of a famous tradition, the â€Å"Gatorade Dunk† where the winning athletes of the Super Bowl empty the Gatorade cooler over the coach. Gatorade has also been advertised by some of the greatest athletes in history; from Serena Williams, to Peyton Manning, to Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, to probably the most famous endorser in NBA great Michael Jordan. Gatorade makes several products including the G series which consists of pre-game, thirst quencher and post-game beverages. There is also the G Series Pro which consists mainly of sports nutrition products. Then there is G Natural which contains more natural ingredients. The Gatorade Company also makes Propel Fitness Water. The Gatorade Company was not always such a large company nor was it created by an existing beverage corporation. It was created as a necessity by the team in which it’s named after: The University of Florida Gators. Gatorade was created in 1965 by a team of five scientists led by Dr. Robert Cade. The beverage was created to improve the athletic performance of the university’s football team. When more than a dozen of the players had fallen sick due to dehydration from the intense heat and training, the scientists researched dehydration and what the body loses during immense activity. They found out that sugars, salts and minerals were required to hydrate the human body after immense physical activity; water alone was not enough. They created an electrolyte-carbohydrate drink and supplied it to the athletes. The results were phenomenal. The Gators were able to outperform their rivals, especially in the latter half of the game where exhaustion seemed to cripple their opponents. The Gators went on to win their first Champion ship and soon after Gatorade was adopted by other sports teams. Supplying the beverage became more and more difficult for the scientists as demand increased, and after failed attempts to commercialize it, Stokely-Van Camp acquired U. S. rights to the drink and Gatorade Inc. was incorporated in Florida in 1967. After much success, the coach of the Florida Gators suggested the winning formula to the coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were impressed and used throughout the entire season culminating with a Super Bowl victory. Much of the growth of the Gatorade Company occurred when it was acquired by Quaker Oats, which bought Stokely-Van Camp for $220 million in 1983. It was under Quaker Oats that Michael Jordan, who was arguably the most famous and fast rising athlete at the time, became the celebrity spokesperson for the company. Sales skyrocketed and Gatorade was once again the leader as the sports drink market grew to $1 billion by 1994. Also during its ownership by Quaker Oats, the product went global. It was and continues to be sold in numerous countries and several continents successfully. It also expanded its product line to include more flavor varieties. Towards the end of the 1990’s the sports drink market grew to $2 billion. With its consistent success, Gatorade continued to launch new products including Propel Fitness Water. In 2000, PepsiCo, a multinational corporation focusing on beverages and snacks, acquired Quaker Oats for $13 billion. It bought over Quaker Oats primarily for the Gatorade brand, which is still one of the corporation’s largest and most successful divisions. Gatorade continued to grow because it renewed its contract with Michael Jordan, campaigned its â€Å"Is it n you? † ad, and also signed a host of new celebrity athletes. Today, Gatorade has over a dozen plants where it manufactures the products it sells and is still the leader in today’s $3 billion dollar sports drink market. Target Market Description The original target market for Gatorade was sports teams. In fact, it was originally only sold to sports teams. It spread from the Gators football team to other Gators teams such as basketball. It then spread to other college sports teams until finally it reached professional teams in the NFL. It spread team to team until it became the official sports drink of the NFL in 1983 and was used by over 70 divisions and college teams. Sales trends increased with the same rapid pace. In the early 1980’s Gatorade led the $200 million sports drink market. Net sales were recorded at $90 million in 1982 and grew exponentially in the following years. By the mid 1980’s net sales were recorded at $170 million. During the latter half of the 1980’s Gatorade marketed its famous â€Å"Gatorade is Thirst Aid for that deep down body thirst,† this along with televised adds, strategic placing of the product on sidelines during big games and a growing sports drink market raised net sales to nearly $900 million by the end of the decade. The demographics of the Gatorade G Series target market: * Traditionally active males, aged 18 to 25. They can be students, just starting their careers, or well established. * They grew up idolizing many different sports athletes and teams, which still have an influence. * They make a very wide variety of incomes because Gatorade is inexpensive. It could be anywhere from $10,000 to $60,000. * Education could vary also, most have at least high school level education and some have college or above experiences. * These types of consumers may also be interested in other sport-related clothing and accessories. They may be interested in terms such as jerseys, hats, shoes or anything that will show off their allegiance to a team, sport or player. * The G Series’ core target is the 13- to 17-year-old high-school athlete, while G Series Pro’s target is the 16- to 24-year-old who is in the business of being athletic, whether as an elite athlete or personal trainer. A more detailed look at the MRI report gives a great glimpse into the target market for the sports drink industry. As highlighted in the index, 18-24 year olds are the core target market. With an index of 174, that means 74% of that age range are more likely to drink sports drinks. Moving further up the age range, 18-49 year adults provide a tremendous opportunity for this market. As highlighted by their percent down (which indicates the percent of those persons out of everyone that consumes a variable), 78. 2% of the total population that drank sports drinks were of that age group. Capturing the teen consumer has been identified as a priority for the brand, with the CMO of Gatorade, Ms. Robb-O’Hagan, conceding that teens thought the brand was dated. Last year’s shift to G was meant to grab their attention. With that accomplished, she said, the brand has been working with teens to test and promote the new products. Through May, a mobile locker room is making its way to high schools, showcasing the G Series products. â€Å"What we’re focusing on this year, from a marketing standpoint, is making sure that the high-school athlete understands the G Series, understands the three-part series,† Mrs. Robb-O’Hagan said. â€Å"If we land that strongly with the teen consumers, we have a lot of opportunity. A Reporter Report is complete with explanations of key numbers. Please note that all the numbers are based on the 2009 Fall MRI study, and that the projected numbers (000) are expressed in thousands. (Appendix A). Market Trends and Macro Forces According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, the sports drink industry has actually shrunk in sales by 12. 3% from 2009. Considering that Gatorade holds over a 70% market share of the entire sports drink market, they saw losses in gallons produced by 15. 5% in that same year. In a more local look at the market, from 1986 to 2009, the geometric growth of the industry in America has been 11. 62%. However, considering the great growth for the first 19 years of its existence from 1986 to 2005 of 14. 3%, this number might be misleading. A more accurate picture can be painted by using the last 5 years, letting the state of the economy be fully reflected in growth. In this new scenario, the growth is at -. 27%. Gatorade markets not only to the athlete, but to the casual drinker as well: construction workers, restaurants, and families for dinnertime. Sales records for the sports drink brands for the year 2009 and 2010 are available in the Appendix B. Market Trends Changing Needs Gatorade being a sports drink primarily focuses on the needs of the athletes. The researchers believe that the athletes are looking for pre and post workout drinks. â€Å"The average consumer is already consuming during the before-and-after occasion,† said Sarah Robb-O’Hagan, chief marketing officer at Gatorade. â€Å"Different consumers have different nutritional needs on game day vs. training days. What we’ve seen as we’ve developed these products is different consumers mixing and matching their own regime to meet their needs. † In addition, in order to build long term brand loyalty Gatorade is focusing on target high school students between the ages of 13-17 years. â€Å"What we’re focusing on this year, from a marketing standpoint, is making sure that the high-school athlete understands the G Series, understands the three-part series,† she said. â€Å"If we land that strongly with the teen consumers, we have a lot of opportunity. What are also sparking the changing needs in this market trend are consumers increasingly focusing on their health. They are conscious about the effects of beverages on their own bodies. According to Mintel, a consumer packaged goods monitoring service, some of the product areas with the highest growth were in the sports and meal replacement categories, which place a greater emphasis on nutrition. More beverage companies are focusing their attention on adding new nutritional benefits to their new products, promoting a product’s ability to enhance sports performance. As the consumers are growing increasingly conscious about the contents of the sports drinks and the needs of the athletes are changing, so is the change in formulations of sports drinks. It is getting even more complicated. Sports nutrition companies are looking at low glycemic sugars as functional sugar systems to enhance endurance in certain products. These include newer functional sweeteners, such as isomaltulose and trehalose. Gatorade has risen to this challenge of balancing innovation with market needs. Beverage World selected Gatorade as the Winner for Brand Reinvention when it released the G-Series which includes the three products: Prime, Perform and Recover for before, during and after work out respectively. Macro Forces There are many macro forces that affect the sports drink industry. Among the most toxic is the current state of the economy. As we have discussed earlier, the poor spending power of consumers has shifted demand to less expensive alternatives, such as water or vitamin infused drinks. As the recession begins to lag into the next year, the sports drink industry can expect sales volume to remain at current levels. Given that the U6 rate (the most comprehensive form of unemployment that combines both unemployed and underemployed) is at 17%, discretionary income will continue to be a hindrance on this industry. While our competitor analysis is fully developed in the coming sections, it should be pointed out now that competition plays a significant role in this industry’s macro forces. Currently, there are two main competitors, Gatorade and Powerade, or Pepsi and Coke, respectively. Unfortunately there is no room for consolidation in this domestic saturated market, so the competitive battles that spur between the two eat away at costs and sales. A recent example comes from a lawsuit between these two companies. An article in the Beverage Industry relating to the industry issues reported a clash between Coca-Cola’s Powerade and Pepsi-Cola’s Gatorade on a lawsuit over brand advertising. At issue was a Powerade Option ad that featured a â€Å"drag race† between horse-drawn carts, one of which was carrying 10 bales of hay and the other 50. The message was that 10-calorie Option allowed the 10-bale horse to win the race over the 50-calorie competitor. The lawsuit argued the ad sent the message that Powerade was more effective as a sports drink, as well as containing fewer calories. The matter was resolved in a matter of days, with Coca-Cola agreeing to modify the ad. Such trivial pursuits between the two are costly to the industry and companies themselves. In addition to the direct competitors, sports drinks are facing increased competition from bottled water like Vitamin Water and coconut water and nutritional drinks like skimmed milk and chocolate milk for hydration and nutrition. Coconut water, skimmed milk and chocolate milk are easy to produce and provide natural health benefits compared to the artificial electrolytes in popular sports drinks like Gatorade. While health concerns have had positive effects on the industry, there are also some negatives as well. A new study done by researchers at The University of Iowa suggests that the sports drink Gatorade erodes teeth faster than a carbonated soft drink. â€Å"I don’t think everybody realizes how erosive these things are, especially Gatorade and Red Bull,† Leslie A. Ehlen, a student at the University of Iowa – School of Dentistry tells WebMD. â€Å"People need to be aware that all sorts of beverages can be causing dental erosion. † Of course, this leads right back to another macro force in regulator procedures. Although in know will health issues like this loom over the industry’s ability to sell their products, the F. D. A (food and drug administration) can certainly dampen sales volumes if need be. The F. D. A has recently banned production of Four Loko as it the combination of caffeine and alcohol mix is extremely dangerous.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

How and why does Othello’s language change over the course of the Play? Essay

Othello is a classical tragedy in the sense that it has a hero with many virtues who is brought down by a combination of an evil man and his own weakness, jealousy. This rise and fall is echoed in the language given to Othello by Shakespeare which moves from the confidence in front of Brabantio through the violent images and indecision of his undermining by Iago back to some nobility when he realises what he has done. When Othello first appears on stage in Act 1 Scene 2 he has such confidence in his skill with language that he can claim that he is â€Å"rude† in his speech, knowing that no one will possibly believe him. His well-chosen words â€Å"keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them† diffuse a potentially dangerous situation and atmosphere. These first few lines create an image of Othello as confident and strong. It also shows that he has a dramatic impact on the other characters and the play itself. The situation arises with Brabantio and his men hold their swords up to Othello and his soldiers, but with those well-chosen words he tells Brabantio and his men to put their swords back in their sheaths. â€Å"for the dew will rust them† is just a bit of sarcasm. He is reminding them that they are merely civilians and policemen and Othello is a military officer and the men behind him are soldiers. It is impossible for Brabantio to win this fight. Earlier when Iago asks Othello if he is secure in his marriage, he replies, â€Å"But that I love the gentle Desdemona I would not unhoused my free condition put into circumscription and confine for the sees’ worth† Here Othello is comparing the value of his freedom and his love for Desdemona to all the treasures of the sea. This is an image typically used by Othello. In scene 3 of the first act Othello is at the Senate, replying to Brabantio’s accusations of casting a spell over Brabantio’s daughter making her fall in love with him. In his speech there is obvious irony and exotic language. Again typical Othello language, â€Å"Rude am in my speech and little bless’d with the soft phrase of peace† that passage is obvious irony as Othello is certainly not rude in his speech he is completely opposite to that. He speaks in dazzling blank line verses that amaze his audience. â€Å"For since these arms of mine had seven years’ pith, till now some nine moons wasted, they have used their dearest action in the tented field, and little of this great world can I speak, More than pertains to feats of boil and battle,† The key test Othello faces is when he has to defend himself in front of the Duke in the council chamber. Brabantio has already accused Othello of witchcraft and the Dukes immediate reaction without knowing it is Othello is one of horror. â€Å"Whoe’e he be that in this foul proceeding hath thus beguiled your daughter of herself†¦ the bloody book of law you shall yourself read in the bitter letter after your own sense, yea, though our proper son stood in your action†. Potentially Othello the soldier is up against the ruling class of Venice but he doesn’t hesitate to challenge Brabantio head on. He is confident enough to suggest Desdemona should be allowed to speak for herself â€Å"Send for the lady to the Sagittary, and let her speak of me before her father†. While they are waiting for Desdemona to arrive Othello launches into a coherently argued forty-line speech. He tells the story of how it was Brabantio himself who brought them together â€Å"Her father loved me, oft invited me, still questioned me the story of my life†. He goes on to describe his distinguished military career. Not only does this get the audience on his side but he is able to use the trick in speeches of describing things in three’s; â€Å"Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances, Of moving accidents by flood and field, Of hair-breadth scapes i’th’imminent deadly breach, Of being taken by the insolent foe, And sold to slavery,†. In this section he conjures up a world dominated by nature and allusions to tribes from classical myths, â€Å"And portance in my travels’ history: wherein of antres vast and desert idle, rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven it was my hint to speak,-such was the process; and of the Cannibals that each other eat, the Anthropophagi and men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders.†. Even here Othello is able to use words like antres instead of caves and talk of cannibals as Anthropophagi. The rest of the speech is used to show that Desdemona was indeed spellbound but from the story of Othello’s life rather than any magic. He ends triumphantly by rejecting Brabantio’s charge with the two lines â€Å"This only is the witchcraft I have used: Here comes the lady; let her witness it.† After the Turkish fleet was beaten by the storm and defeated by natural rather than military might, Othello has no military duties left to do. Therefore the play now concentrates on the relationships and becomes a much more domestic tragedy. Iago becomes the new enemy not the Turks; he is free to indulge in the evil he has hinted at before. Readers become aware of his evilness as the play unfolds, â€Å"Make the moor thank me, love me, and reward me for making him egregiously an ass and practicing upon his peace and quiet even to madness† Iago as part of this plan gets Cassio drunk because he knows that he can’t hold much drink. Cassio starts a brawl and as a result gets sacked by Othello. Iago then tells him to go and see Desdemona and ask for his job back. Act 111-scene iii is one of the key scenes in the play. At the beginning of this very long scene Othello has complete control over his mind and actions. By the end he is on the edge of being completely insane and the revenge on Desdemona is looming, â€Å"I’ll tear to pieces.† And â€Å"Damn her, lewd Minx†. This is all because of the corruption and evilness of Iago. He has poisoning Othello’s mind. At the beginning, Iago starts to introduce the idea that Desdemona might be unfaithful, as he does throughout the scene Iago exits just after this accusation to leave Othello to contemplate what Iago has just said. Immediately Shakespeare shows through the language that Othello is in two minds about what is going on. His first reaction is to use a bold, manly metaphor from falconry, which is meant to show that he is determined to do what a man must do. â€Å"Thought that her jesses were my dear heartstrings, I’d whistle her off, and let her down the wind.† Yet seven lines later he is using a much more negative image â€Å"I had rather be a toad and live upon the vapour of a dungeon, than keep a corner in the thing I love for others’ uses. Yet, ’tis the plague of great ones.† He rounds of this soliloquy with another phrase showing his confusion when he says â€Å"O, then heaven mocks itself!† before Desdemona enters. At this early stage it is interesting to note that Othello is still able to use irony to put himself down as he did in Act 1 when he says â€Å"Haply, for I am black and have not those soft parts of the convocation that chamberers have,† When Desdemona drops her handkerchief and Emilia finds it and hands it to Iago. He informs the audience of the plot by using a soliloquy. He is going to put it in Cassio’s lodgings to implicate him. Just before Othello comes back in Iago points out the torment that Othello is in, â€Å"The Moor already changes with my poison: Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons, which at the first are scarce found to distaste, but, with a little act upon the blood, burn like the mines of sulphur.† Othello immediately confirms this when he says to Iago â€Å"thou hast set me on the rack.† Othello’s next soliloquy, while on the surface confident and coherent is in fact a realisation that the military life in which he has been confident in has come to an end. Although the language and structure hark back to his act 1 oratory, he is putting into words the change of scene that has taken place- the enemy has changed from the Turks on the battlefield to Iago in the bedroom. When he is saying farewell to the military life, he not only uses a lot of military images but he also does it in a way that is very formal repeating the word ‘farewell’, â€Å"O, now, for ever farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content! Farewell the plumped troop and the big wars that make ambition virtue! O, farewell, Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump, the spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, the royal banner, and all quality, Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!† Immediately the surface calm of this formal speech is shattered when Othello grabs Iago by the throat and says â€Å"Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore.† He continues the violent imagery when he says â€Å"Thou hadst been better have been born a dog than answer my wsk’d wrath!† When Iago threatens to go into a sulk at Othello doubting what he is alleging, Othello stops him from leaving but immediately reveals his indecision â€Å"I think my wife be honest, and think she is not; I think that thou are just, and think that thou are not.† This sense of turmoil is further underlined by the aggressive images he uses â€Å"If there be cords or knives, poison or fire or suffocating streams, I’ll not endure’t. – would I were satisfied!† which Iago confirms by saying â€Å"I see, sir, you are eaten up with passion.† Iago then assumes control of the situation and extends the animal sexual imagery by talking about â€Å"Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, as salt as wolves in pride, and fools as gross as ignorance made drunk.† He introduces the lie of hearing Cassio talk about his love for Desdemona in his sleep. The scene ends with Othello making one last attempt to speak formally with classical allusions â€Å"like to the Pontic Sea, Whose icy current and compulsive course ne’er feels retiring ebb, but keeps due on to the Propontic and Hellespont.† Just before the end Iago and Othello kneel down together and Iago solemnly swears to provide evidence of Desdemona’s wrong doing to Othello. His real state of mind though is shown with the last four lines â€Å"Damn her, lewd minx! O, damn her! Damn her! Come, go with me apart; I will withdraw, to furnish me with some swift means of death for the fair devil. Now art thou lieutenant.† Even in describing Desdemona as a ‘Fair Devil’ Othello uses an oxymoron to show his confusion. Act 4 opens with Othello and Iago discussing the proof that has been obtained so far. It quickly becomes apparent that Othello’s mental state has rapidly deteriorated. When Iago starts to introduce the idea that Cassio has been sleeping with Desdemona with the key word ‘Lie’, the conversation breaks down in confusion over whether Cassio has been ‘lying’ with Desdemona or if Shakespeare is really drawing attention to the fact that Iago is telling a ‘Lie’. Othello’s response is one of total confusion; he abandons the well-formed blank verse he has spoken in for almost incoherent prose. Before he falls into a trance he is reduced to a series of short exclamations, â€Å"Pish! Noses, ears, and lips. Is’t possible? – confess? – Hand-kerchief? – O devil!† Cassio briefly re-enters and is told by Iago to come back after a short while. When Othello recovers from his fit Iago tells him to hide himself and listen to what Cassio has to say. Although Othello is at one level quite aggressive with Iago saying â€Å"Dost thou mock me?† and â€Å"Did he confess it?† It is Iago who is in charge of the situation and Othello is reduced to one or two line interruptions. Just before Cassio comes back in Iago makes it clear how he will use the situation to deceive Othello: â€Å"As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad; and his unbookish jealousy must construe poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behaviours, quite in the wrong.† Iago leads Cassio on just out of Othello’s earshot by clearly getting Cassio to talk about Bianca while Othello thinks he is talking about Desdemona. The deception is completed by Bianca herself comes in and displays the handkerchief that Iago had planted in Cassio’s room. When Cassio and Bianca have gone, Othello comes back and in one speech shows that he can still hardly believe what has happened, â€Å"Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight; for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone: I strike it, and it hurts my hand. O, the world hath not a sweeter creature: she might lie by an emperor’s side and command him tasks.† On one level he is convinced of her unfaithfulness but on another he cannot completely let go of the image of the sweet and beautiful women he has married. Gradually Othello overcomes his squeamishness and as he becomes more determined so his language becomes more violent. At one point he says â€Å"I will chop her into messes – cuckold me!† and in his next utterance he becomes very lucid because he knows exactly what might stop him doing what he thinks should be done, â€Å"Get me some poison, Iago – this night. I’ll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty un-provide my mind again – this night, Iago.† When Lodovico and Desdemona come in with a letter re-calling Othello and appointing Cassio in his place as governor of Cypress, Othello’s speech and behaviour once again break down. He is reduced again to a series of exclamations: â€Å"Fire and brimstone †¦ Indeed†¦ Devil!† Culminating in him striking his wife. Lodovico is shocked by what he has seen ands heard, and after Othello has dismissed Desdemona with a series of jerky exclamations and departed himself with the outburst â€Å"Goats and Monkeys!† Lodovico expresses concern when he says â€Å"Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature whom passion could not shake?† The next scene opens with Othello questioning Emilia about Desdemona and Cassio. Despite the fact that Emilia protests that there is nothing untoward between them, Iago has poisoned his mind and he dismisses Emilia’s evidence with the lines â€Å"She says enough; yet she’s a simple bawd that cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore, a closet lock and key of villainous secrets; and yet she’ll kneel and pray; I have seen her do’t.† Othello now can only conceive his wife as a â€Å"Whore†. When he is left alone with Desdemona she immediately senses something is wrong â€Å"I understand a fury in your words, but not the words themselves.† The imagery Othello uses in trying to get Desdemona to confess is that of heaven and hell: – â€Å"the devils themselves†¦double damned†¦thou art false as hell.† This imagery borrowed from Iago shows just what an extent Othello’s mind has been taken over. Othello then embarks on a speech, in which he imagines all the awful punishments he might have to endure like the prophet Job. He realises that although he could cope with all that he cannot cope with the loss of Desdemona â€Å"But there, where I have garnered up my heart, where either I must live or bear no life, the foundation from the which my current runs, or else dries up- to be discarded thence!† The consequences of this bring about the imagery of toads when he had previously used in act 3-scene iii. His most striking picture of how his view of Desdemona has changed comes when he asks Desdemona to look at him, he says â€Å"Patience, thou young and rose-lipped cherubin, ay, there, look grim as hell!† Othello uses an image worthy of Iago when he replies to Desdemona â€Å"as summer flies are in the shambles, that quicken even when blowing†. Yet even now he is aware of the power of Desdemona and dismisses the image with the confused exclamation â€Å"O thou weed, who art so lovely and fair and smell so sweet that the senses ache at thee, would thou hadst ne’er been born!† His next speech re-introduces the cosmic imagery from earlier in the play when he describes his shame at the thought of what Desdemona has done â€Å"Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks; the bawdy wink, that kisses all it meets, is hushed within the hollow mine of earth, and will not hear it.† However before he leaves, he virtually accuses Desdemona of being a common prostitute by describing her twice as a â€Å"strumpet† and once as â€Å"that cunning whore of Venice†. He ends his part in the scene by using again an image of heaven and hell borrowed from Iago when he says â€Å"You, mistress that have the office opposite to Saint Peter and keep the gate of hell!† The powerfulness of the images in these lines shows the extent of Othello’s love for Desdemona and his pain at what he imagines has happened. The image of the fountain shows that he regards Desdemona as the source of his love. The final scene opens with Othello going into Desdemona’s bedroom carrying a candle. His opening words â€Å"It is the cause; it is the cause, my soul. Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars! It is the cause.† are almost a means of ‘psyching’ himself up to do the deed. Othello repeatedly uses the word â€Å"cause† in his opening quote. It could mean one of three things: Desdemona’s infidelity may be the reason which propels his actions; he is also thinking that his actions are in a just cause; or he could be using it in a legal sense as the accusation brought against Desdemona in a court. Either way Othello invents himself as the personification of justice, partly because he cannot bear to face up directly to what he thinks Desdemona has done. When he talks to her sleeping figure he imagines her already as a figure on a tomb and starts on an extended metaphor taken probably from the candle he is holding which has at least shown he has regained some of his composure. Although he is determined to gain revenge he is also acutely aware of the finality of what he is about to do â€Å"yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men. Put out the light, and then put out the light †¦ but once put out thy light, thou cunning’st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean heat that can thy light relume.† His use of classical allusions shows that he has recaptured the fluency of earlier scenes but he still cannot bear to confront Desdemona directly. He compares her to a rose on a tree and when he kisses her he brings up again his image of himself as Justice. The confused state of mind is perhaps shown in his words â€Å"I will kill thee and love thee after† When Desdemona wakes up, Othello, while still determined, is gentle with her. However once she starts protesting her innocence his anger returns and he starts calling her a â€Å"strumpet† and not even allowing her to say a last prayer. When Emilia comes in and draws back the curtains as Desdemona dies, she is appalled and summons Iago among others to witness what has happened. As Emilia starts to reveal what has happened Iago becomes more and more agitated and Othello begins to realise that he has been deceived. Iago stabs Emilia and she dies praising her mistress Desdemona â€Å"Moor, she was chaste; she loved thee, cruel Moor†. This is almost a parallel of Desdemona’s last words protesting her continuing love for Othello. The truth is now out and Othello begins the process of trying to present himself in the best possible light. He begins by recalling his strong point- his role as a soldier â€Å"Behold I have a weapon: A better never did itself a sustain upon a soldier’s thigh.† Perhaps unconsciously Othello is also recalling his role as the agent of justice in his use of the image of the sword. As he regains his eloquence he begins to picture both himself and Desdemona as victims of fate. Probably he is trying to avoid admitting that they are both victims of his own stupidity. Yet in the end the growing realisation of what has happened forces him to have to come to terms with two things. Firstly, he recalls his imagery of heaven and hell and uses it to contrast the innocent Desdemona with his own guilt â€Å"when we shall meet at compt, this look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven, and fiends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl! Even like thy chastity.† This leads him on to an eloquent outburst against himself as he realises his role in the tragedy â€Å"O cursà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d, cursed slave! Whip me ye devils from the possession of this heavenly sight!† As the surviving characters come on stage Othello turns his language of delivery against Iago himself when he says to Cassio â€Å"will you, I pray, demand that demi-devil why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body?† Iago refuses to say anything and Othello embarks on one final, glorious speech full of poetry and memorable images. He pictures himself as someone who has suffered because of his love for Desdemona â€Å"then must you speak of one that loved not wisely but too well† in explaining his murder of Desdemona he likens himself to quotes â€Å"the base Indian† who â€Å"threw a pearl away† He continues his startling use of imagery by picturing himself as grieving for Desdemona in a way that will heal the situation â€Å"of one whose subdued eyes, albeit unused to the melting mood, drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees their medicinable gum.† Finally he recalls his role as a Christian hero slaying the wicked Turk and his final words combine the themes of death and his love for Desdemona â€Å"I kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this, killing myself, to die upon a kiss.† In Othello more than any other tragedy Shakespeare uses the hero’s language to parallel his rise and fall. At the beginning when accused of witchcraft by Brabantio, Othello is completely in control of the situation and his language reflects it. As Iago begins to poison his mind and the scene shifts from the battlefield to the bedroom his language breaks down and he is reduced to a series of exclamations of abuse. It is only at the very end when he knows what has to be done that he becomes calm again and his language regains all its beauty and poetry.