Saturday, August 31, 2019
Puritan Literature Analysis Essay
Puritans were believers and this way they were able to convince their counterparts across the journey about the importance of their doctrines. Similarly , according to the usual manner , many were afflicted with seasickness. This was part of testing their faith in the lord. The puritans were able to glorify the lord and to streamline his worthiness in their belief and life. The Puritans strongly believed, that God appear in their lifes. They believed that God is present in every human action and natural phenomenon.Futhermore, they believed that they are Godââ¬â¢s cosen people and that ther are a shining example for the world. In the early 1600ââ¬â¢s, the lifestyles of the Puritans may not appeal to many of us, some of the idea come from some of the authors, example: William Bradford, John Winthrop, Cotton Mathers, John Smith, Anne Bradstreet, John Cotton, John Owens, Matthew Henry, Richard Baxter, Samuel Rutherford. Most of their writting have the common idea.Some of the author wrote with genre which is sermons, diaries,journals,letter,bible; their own style such as psycology, plain words choice, and used irony; their literary devices are puritism, repition, personasives, practically and spiritually; the last thing is theme such as how they live, their culture and religions, political, but mostly itââ¬â¢s about there life and God. They were stressful than they presently are if we follow them. For example, there are some people who do not condone mordern living such as electricity, modern transpotation and fashionable clothing.Also, about the transportations they walked or they had their own horses. Like we know that all of the Puritans writters from the past, most of them are white but some of them are black, and they were woman instead. The writings of Rowlandson and Bradstreet reflected the qualities of devotion to God, perseverance through trials, and the bond of family; qualities that were essential to the Puritan way of life. Based on their writti ng, we can know that people believed in God, they said that the more son or daughthers were born the more powers they have. Because God blessed them and give them powers to shine with others.They will have more lands and they would stated to plant things them got harvest then sell them and got money in their hands for saving and continuing their life. Puritans led a simple life, they looked for the least complicated approach to living in the world. They believed in predestination and an all powerful, unforgiving God who had everything planned for the future, in terms of who would be part of the elect, and who would move on to an eternal afterlife. They also believed that most people were destined for hell, no matter how faithful they were to their people and God.Puritans valued hard work, morality, and found truth through the bible. The works of Anne Bradstreet, and Jonathan Edwards, take us into the Puritan world and we can see that they do lead a life that is constantly spirituali zed. Although they experience the spirituality through physical elements of life, the value of the spirit still exists. These works also stand as important foundations of American Literature. These ideas and lifestyles revolve around spirituality as a central theme in their lives. The Puritans had a very simple form of writing of which they focused on the Bible and religious themes.The Puritans were deeply devoted to God and living out his commandments on earth. Puritan qualities of faith, perseverance, and family influenced their literature and way of life. Neither of the stories went into great detail on these womenââ¬â¢s tragedies, instead they took a positive view of life and focused on what God could do through their lives during the hard circumstances. The faith, perseverance, and dedication to family demonstrated by these writings had a positive influence on the society and culture of their time.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Marketing Definition Essay
Definition The process of defining and subdividing a large homogenous market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics. Its objective is to design a marketing mix that precisely matches the expectations of customers in the targeted segment. Few companies are big enough to supply the needs of an entire market; most must breakdown the total demand into segments and choose those that the company is best equipped to handle. Four basic factors that affect market segmentation are (1) clear identification of the segment, (2) measurability of its effective size, (3) its accessibility through promotional efforts, and (4) its appropriateness to the policies and resources of the company. The four basic market segmentation-strategies are based on (a) behavioral (b) demographic, (c) psychographic, and (d) geographical differences. Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/market-segmentation.html#ixzz2ImOtX3b8 Do you think that it was a good segmentation for M&Mââ¬â¢s to develop a new version targeting adults? In observing how M&Mââ¬â¢s have changed over time from the addition of peanut butter and almonds to the changing of colors and sizes I think that was a great segmentation strategy to develop a new version targeting adults. The new line of M&Mââ¬â¢s is 55 percent larger in size and they come in colors that are appealing to adults in its design (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2007). According to spokeswoman Joan Buyce of Masterfoods USA this creation is designed with adults in mind and ââ¬Å"It broadens our portfolio so thereââ¬â¢s something for everyoneâ⬠(M&Mââ¬â¢s get mega-sized, 2012, p.1). Buyce also states that the new M&Mââ¬â¢s are available in milk chocolate as well as peanut varieties and come with an adult-oriented color scheme which includes teal, beige, gold, maroon, brown and blue-gray (M&Mââ¬â¢s get mega-sized, 2012). Due to the new line of M&Mââ¬â¢s including aspects that target adults I think that it is a great segmentation strategy because appealing aspects are included in the development of the new version. Discuss three basic types of research of design (exploratory, descriptive and casual). The three basic types of designs are exploratory, descriptive and casual research. In the explorative research there is systematic and flexible and allows the researcher to investigate desires (Marketing Research Design, 2012). Explorative research is also most commonly unstructured, informal research that is undertaken to gain background information about the general nature of the research problem (Marketing Research Design, 2012). While descriptive research describes and measure marketing phenomena at a point in time (Marketing Research Design, 2012). This type of research is classified as a cross sectional study, because it is a one-time measurement, which is established in market research, outnumbering longitudinal studies and casual studies (Marketing Research Design, 2012). Casual research isâ⬠¦ [continues]
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Boston Consulting Group Bcg Matrix Marketing Essay
Boston Consulting Group Bcg Matrix Marketing Essay BCG is a four celled matrix developed by BCG, USA. It is the most renowned corporate portfolio analysis tool. It provides a graphic representation for an organization to examine different businesses in itââ¬â¢s portfolio on the basis of their related market share and industry growth rates. It is a two dimensional analysis on management of SBUââ¬â¢s (Strategic Business Units). In other words, it is a comparative analysis of business potential and the evaluation of environment. According to this matrix, business could be classified as high or low according to their industry growth rate and relative market share. Relative Market Share = SBU Sales this year leading competitors sales this year. Market Growth Rate = Industry sales this year ââ¬â Industry Sales last year. The analysis requires that both measures be calculated for each SBU. The dimension of business strength, relative market share, will measure comparative advantage indicated by market dominance. The key theory un derlying this is existence of an experience curve and that market share is achieved due to overall cost leadership. BCG matrix has four cells, with the horizontal axis representing relative market share and the vertical axis denoting market growth rate. The mid-point of relative market share is set at 1.0. if all the SBUââ¬â¢s are in same industry, the average growth rate of the industry is used. While, if all the SBUââ¬â¢s are located in different industries, then the mid-point is set at the growth rate for the economy. Resources are allocated to the business units according to their situation on the grid. The four cells of this matrix have been called as stars, cash cows, question marks and dogs. Each of these cells represents a particular type of business. BCG Matrix à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 10 xà à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 1 xà à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à 0.1 x Figure: BCG Matrix Stars- Stars represent business units having large market share in a fast growing industry. They may generate cash but because of fast growing market, stars require huge investments to maintain their lead. Net cash flow is usually modest. SBUââ¬â¢s located in this cell are attractive as they are located in a robust industry and these business units are highly competitive in the industry. If successful, a star will become a cash cow when the industry matures. Cash Cows- Cash Cows represents business units having a large market share in a mature, slow growing industry. Cash cows require little investment and generate cash that can be utilized for investment in other business units. These SBUââ¬â¢s are the corporationââ¬â¢s key source of cash, and are specifically the core business. They are the base of an organization. These businesses usually follow stability strategies. When cash cows loose their appeal and move towards deterioration, then a retrenchment policy may be pursued. Question Marks- Question marks represent business units having low relative market share and located in a high growth industry. They require huge amount of cash to maintain or gain market share. They require attention to determine if the venture can be viable. Question marks are generally new goods and services which have a good commercial prospective. There is no specific strategy which can be adopted. If the firm thinks it has dominant market share, then it can adopt expansion strategy, else retrenchment strategy can be adopted. Most businesses start as question marks as the company tries to enter a high growth market in which there is already a market-share. If ignored, then question marks may become dogs, while if huge investment is made, then they have potential of becoming stars.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Documentary Expression and Thirties America Essay - 1
Documentary Expression and Thirties America - Essay Example The distinction between art and photography and whether or not documentary expression owed its genesis from fiction or non-fiction was also explored. Finally the matter of ethics in the treatment and presentation of documentary imagery was discussed. William Stott in his book Documentary Expression and Thirties America covers an enormous range of topics and much of it is in a highly discursive and rambling style. However, it is possible to subdivide it into four principal themes: Documentary, The Documentary Motive and the Thirties, The Documentary Nonfiction of the Thirties, and Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. First of all it is necessary to understand what he means by the documentary style. In its simplest form there are two possibilities: ââ¬Å"an honest and reasonably objective report, or a case for the prosecutionâ⬠(Stott, 1986). The second may be discarded, and we are left with two further forms: a factual, objective account which is left largely unedited, and therefore acquires the effect of being regarded as ââ¬Å"officialâ⬠, and secondly an account which is not necessarily objective but deals with human issues. An example of the latter is Sargeantââ¬â¢s account of his struggle with mental illness. Another branch of documentary expression is to be found in social documentary, which may be said to increase the knowledge of public facts while ââ¬Å"sharpening it with feeling (Stott, 1986) and keeping in touch with human feelings and emotion. It was also held that such a documentary style did not rely upon information so much as ââ¬Å"the power to move.â⬠Stott suggests that while the purpose is to encourage social improvement ââ¬â public education at its most altruistic ââ¬â reality is more cynical in that its real purpose is to shape attitudes towards certain public facts. An example of this type of ââ¬Å"exposà © journalismââ¬â¢ is to use a public figure or authorityââ¬â¢s quotation to mean something else. For example,
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Experienced teachers make decisions about educational practice using Essay
Experienced teachers make decisions about educational practice using their understanding of a range of theories about learning. No one theory provides all the a - Essay Example There are four important perspectives in learning theories, behaviorism, humanism, constructivism and cognitivism. In education, behaviorist theories maintain that learning is the result of ââ¬Ëoperant conditioningââ¬â¢ which is a process and both investigated and named by B F Skinner. The word ââ¬Ëoperantââ¬â¢ is used to explain the way in which behavior of an individual operates in a particular person. According to behaviorism theory, behavior of an individual may result either in punishment or in reinforcement. If the behavior results in reinforcement, then chances of same behavior occurring again are higher, at the same time, if a behavior results in punishment, then its chances of happening again are very remote. But we should remember that the issues related to punishment or reinforcement are quite complex. For instance, a punisher or reinforcer is identified within behaviorism by its effect on behavior. So, a punishment may not be regarded as punishment if it does not result in the reduction of a specific behavior. Therefore, behaviorists generally concentrate on measurable ch anges on behavior. ââ¬ËOperant conditioningââ¬â¢ uses the consequences of behavior to alter the form of behavior and its occurrence. It basically deals with modification of voluntary behavior. It generally, creates five consequences such as positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment and extinction. It is important to note that it is not the individuals who are reinforced or punished; rather it is his or her response which is reinforced or punished. In ââ¬Ëoperant conditioningââ¬â¢ context, the terms positive and negative are, generally, not used in their popular meaning, but rather positive means to addition and negative refers to subtraction. 4. Negative punishment: -It occurs when a response (behavior) results removal of a
Monday, August 26, 2019
The case of The Office of Fair Trading vs Abbey National Plc & Others Literature review
The case of The Office of Fair Trading vs Abbey National Plc & Others - Literature review Example The appeal starts by Lord Walker. In The appeal, the Supreme court was to give a verdict as whether the OFT should go ahead and undertake investigations to find out if the charges ââ¬Å"the Banksâ⬠, which were the appellants, made for unauthorized overdrafts by their customers were fair. At the moment, banks provided retail banking services on grounds that customersââ¬â¢ accounts that lend the bank money are excluded from paying charges to the bank for services offered. Customers whose accounts had authorized overdrafts only paid charges for the money they borrow ââ¬Å"the Banksâ⬠. Customers whose accounts had unauthorized overdrafts, however, paid interest on money borrowed besides paying fixed fees for every service they received from ââ¬Å"the banksâ⬠. The Office of Fair Trading holds investigative powers on consumer contractsââ¬â¢ fairness terms. The power of the Office of Fair Trading, however, has limitations bound to it. The limitations stipulated in th e Unfair Contract Terms, in Consumer Regulations 1999. The Unfair Contract Terms, in Consumer Regulations 1999, implemented European Council Directive 93/13/EEC. The directives help protect customers and ensure a favorable business environment for fair trading. OFT has the mandate on undertaking this. The provisions regulation 6 (2) (b) give way for evaluate trading activities of a business enterprise or organization. OFT scrutinizes the activities so as to determine the level of fairness of the activities. The OFT scrutinizes contracts and customer satisfaction to determine their fairness. In the case the court of appeal did hold the point of exclusion in the case only to the contractsââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"core termsâ⬠. The court excluded ancillary terms as charges for unauthorized overdrafts on reasons that the charges were within the exclusion. The charges, according to the court, were part of the charges for banking services provided. At first instance ([2008] EWHC 875 (Comm), an d in the Court of Appeal, OFT was successful. Under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, the Office of Fair Trading wished to conduct an investigation on ââ¬Å"the Banksââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ relevant terms in their contracts with customers by imposing charges on customers whose accounts had unauthorized overdrafts. The Office of Fair Trade hold mandate to undertake the investigation, notwithstanding regulation 6 (2) (b).The decision of both the High Court and the Court of Appeal that regulation 6 (2) (b) could not deter the OFT from doing the investigation made ââ¬Å"the banksâ⬠to file appeal. Lord Walker emphasized the lack of decision on the fairness of the system of charging current account customers with unauthorized overdrafts. The court could only decide on the investigative mandate of the OFT (para 3). Lord Mance reaffirmed the investigative roles of OFT (para 61). Determining whether charges were consisted ââ¬Ëcost and revenueââ¬â¢ as against â⠬Ëthe goods or services distributed in exchangeââ¬â¢ within the meaning of the Regulations was the main point to decide on. First, charges were ââ¬Ëin exchangeââ¬â¢ for the transactions to which they relate should the customer have inadequate funds to do so (Para 75). Secondly, regulation 6 (2) (b) no longer had a standing to the ââ¬Å"ancillaryâ⬠charges in the binding form (Paras 38-41, 47, 78, 112)1. In his reasoning, Lord Mance stated that, if in case the contracts were to serve as the package, then the charges levied would be fair. He further states that the charges
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Research paper on the company Rolex, its channel market, competition,
On the company Rolex, its channel market, competition, distributions patterns. and channels - Research Paper Example Since the company has been successfully meeting demands of its consumer and consistently introducing creative and innovative designs in the market, the management and distribution strategies followed by the wrist watch manufacturer is of great interest. One of the critical aspects in quality management is logistics and supply chain as well as channel management. In the present research, various channel management strategies of Rolex will be evaluated. The research will throw light on the distribution patterns and various marketing strategies. Competitor analysis and business drivers will also be discussed. Company Description Rolex is a private watch manufacturing conglomerate involved in production, distribution and service of wristwatches under Tudor and Rolex brands. It was founded in the year 1905 in London, England by Alfred Davis and Hans Wilsdorf. The current headquarters is situated in Geneva and it has its distribution arms worldwide. Gian Riccardo Marini is the current CEO and by 2010, the total revenue earned by the watch manufacturer was 5.1 billion dollars. The company has over 2000 employees and produces more than 2000 watches every day (Yahoo, 2013) A Rolex watch on the wrist of a customer is expected to enhance the personality and style of that person. It has become a symbol of great taste and fashion. Since these watches are exclusively designed for upper class segments, not many of the people get the opportunity of owning this prestigious brand. In the year 2007, Rolex was announced as 71 on a list of 100 most valuable brands of the globe by Bloomberg Businessweek (Businessweek, 2007). During its tenure the company has achieved many milestones in terms of innovation and creativity. In the year 1926, Rolex introduced waterproof watch and became the first brand to do so. All Rolex watched are designed and manufactured with materials of dine quality and with much detail so that chances of error and mistakes are minimized. Focusing on developing w ell-designed and realistic marketing and channel distribution strategy is crucial in order to build a successful brand. Products The major brands produced under Rolex SA are Tudor and Rolex. There are three watch lines for Rolex; Professional, Oyster Perpetual and Cellini. Some of the famous modern and well-known models of the Rolex brand includes submariner, Yacht- Master, Day-date, Daytona, Day-just etc. Few of the famous Cellini models include Quartz Mens, Cellinium, Cestello Ladies etc. Retail pricing varies according to quality, materials used and models. Accordingly, Rolex watches can range from 650 dollars to 80000 dollars. Product Distribution System A distribution strategy is used in order to make products available to the target customers. Rolex has a worldwide presence. Naturally, the company has been using a comprehensive distribution strategy in order to reach its customers residing in various ends of the globe (Kerin, Hartley & Rudelius, 2011).The overall product distr ibution system includes geographic coverage, distribution channel market and distribution patterns. Geographic coverage Rolex is an international brand. The brand name Rolex was developed so that it can be easily pronounced in various languages. Having a famous Swiss background has made the brand easily recognizable in North America and Europe. The brand covers 28 worldwide affiliates and has around 4000 watchmakers working in more than 100 countries round the globe. The brand has established retail distribution in almost every
Perils of Social Networking Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Perils of Social Networking - Research Proposal Example The research problem endeavors to ascertain the assorted aspects that make various social networking sites become disadvantageous among miscellaneous societal members, particularly the young (Azriel, 2011). The study will also attempt to look into mitigation measures, in order to alleviate challenges associated with social networking. The justification of this research is to analyze the extent of the negative impacts of social networking among the dissimilar societal members, particularly the youth. The study will also endeavor to mull over various challenges that result from social networking, and thereby propose mitigation measures (Dailey, 2013). These mitigation measures will be applicable a proposal for implementation will be significant. The study aims at critically examines the role of social networking and challenges to societal members, particularly the youth, and the negative impacts that they pose to the people today. The study will critically review the correlation between social networking youth challenges such as crime, drug abuse and dismal performance among schools (Fuchs, 2012). Following the objectives of the study, it will tend to be more qualitative than quantitative. The study will also look into the implemented measures to alleviate such challenges and their suitability. While critically examining the available research on challenges that social networking poses to the youth, these studies prove to be inadequate. For instance, most studies took place before the introduction of the numerous diverse social networking sites that provide a different platform for association (Fuchs, 2012). This results from the fact that the advancement of technology creates various platforms of social networking, thereby posing new challenges. Additionally, numerous researches on the perils of social networking failed to address the issue of mitigation measures and suitable processes of
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Spyware and Implementing Network Security to Prevent it Essay
Spyware and Implementing Network Security to Prevent it - Essay Example Spyware may collect different types of information. Some variants attempt to track the websites a user visits and then send this information to an advertising agency. More malicious variants attempt to intercept passwords or credit card numbers as a user enters them into a web form or other application. The scourge of spyware is going to be here for quite a while, simply because the attacker make so much money from it. An attacker can make a dollar or more per month per infected system by using spyware to inject pop-up ads, Spam and other annoyances. Therefore, attackers have a vested interest to constantly adapt their software and make it ever more stealthy and sticky. Additionally, the stakes are even higher if the attacker can steal credit card or bank account information. What weve seen in the past three years is the growth of a spyware industry that spins off millions of dollars. That money is often folded back into research and development for more malicious attacks. This R&D funding makes their software even more powerful and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. As spyware continues to threaten the stability of corporate infrastructures, its crucial to understand how this malicious software works and how to defend against it. This assignment is a compilation of resources that explain what spyware is, how it attacks and most importantly what you can to do to win the war on spyware. Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet where it is sometimes called a spybot or tracking software, spyware is programming that is put in someones computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program. Some common examples of spyware are CoolWebSearch (CWS), Gator
Friday, August 23, 2019
Constitutional Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2
Constitutional Law - Essay Example The two legislative chambers House of Lords and House of Commons are the custodians of bringing changes and interventions in the constitution however judiciary has the power to exercise. Bringing a constitutional change without the acceptance by court is therefore not possible and applicable. There has been an apparent separation of powers between the parliament and judiciary. The constitution of Britain determines boundaries of institutions so that they would exercise their respective legitimate powers. There have been several cases which indicate that Parliament enforcing an unlawful legislation in opposition to Britainââ¬â¢s constitution demolished by the Britain judiciary. Hence bringing a constitutional change in UK is complicated and difficult. The orientation of British Judiciary has remained to escort parliament in many legal legislative measures which would safeguard the constitution. The case of Immigration and Asylum in this regard caries colossal importance as the British parliament made changes in immigration rules without judicial review. 2 Courts rejected this decision by the parliament and made certain that without concerning courts, such decisions would not be made in future. The parliament had to eventually withdraw their decision as the supremacy of judiciary/courts is the name of the game in Britain. 2 Supremacy of Parliament has been always there in the country and they ensure to bring fundamental changes and developments in constitution which is towards national integrity and uprightness. Balance of powers among institutions is the elegance and sophistication of United Kingdomââ¬â¢s constitution. The orientation of courts is not to overrule legislative measures made by the parliament and show its supremacy; but they intend to follow the decisions which do not contradict with the previous court verdicts. Prior
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Honda Swot Essay Example for Free
Honda Swot Essay In 2012, the company owned 42,000 patents and had pending applications for 29,000 more patents. 3. Strong brand image. Honda has a reputation for producing the best quality engines around the world. The companyââ¬â¢s brand was the 21st most valuable brand in the world valued at $17 billion and was only behind Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, according to Interbrand. 4. Motorcycle market share in Asia. In 2012, Honda sold 80. 5% of its motorcycles in Asia, the market that has greatest growth potential. Having the largest motorcycle market share, Honda is well positioned to compete with other companies for the sales and profits. Weaknesses 1. Product recalls. Over 2011 and 2012, Honda recalled more than 1,000,000 vehicles to fix various faulty parts and manufacturing defects. Car recalls severely damages firms brand reputation and future sales. 2. Weak position in Europe automotive market. Honda holds a very weak position in the Europeââ¬â¢s automotive market and has maintained only 1. 1% market share in 2012. Although, Europeââ¬â¢s market share is declining at the moment and many companies experience losses, the market is huge and firms can benefit from the economies of scale. 3. Decreasing sales. In 2012, Hondaââ¬â¢s revenue hit the lowest point in 4 years to ? 7. 948 trillion. Honda sales were down by 11. 2% in North America, which represents more than 40% of total Honda revenues. Revenue from Asia and Europe also declined by 21. 3%, 15. 5% respectively, signaling poor firmââ¬â¢s performance globally. Opportunities 1. Increasing fuel prices. Hondaââ¬â¢s strong emphasis on engineering fuel-efficient vehicles (Honda Insight and Honda Civic) with flexible fuel, hybrid and hydrogen engines will pay off due to increasing fuel prices. 2. Positive outlook for global motorcycle industry. Motorcycle industry grew by 4. 2% from 2011 to 2012 and is expected to grow by at least 6% to 2016. Honda is the worldââ¬â¢s leading producer and seller of the motorcycles having more than 29% of the market share. Growing demand for the motorcycles is a great opportunity for the company to expand its global market share and grow sales. 3. Growing global demand for environment friendly vehicles. The declining levels of fossil fuel sources and the rising CO2 emissions became a major concern for many people and many governments. Therefore, ecologically friendly cars, powered by hybrid, hydrogen or flexible fuel engines became very popular. The market for such cars was $33 billion in 2010. Hondaââ¬â¢s focus on hybrid and hydrogen fueled engines is a great opportunity to capture the market share for this new demand. 4. Growth through acquisitions. Honda could greatly benefit from strategic partnerships or acquisitions of smaller competitors. The business would add new brands to its portfolio, achieve greater economies of scale and would benefit from synergies between different firms. Threats 1. Intense competition. Honda faces more intense competition than ever. New small entrants are disrupting the market with their capabilities in producing electric vehicles or alternative fuel engines. Big companies are restructuring themselves to become more efficient. As a result, firms like Honda are suffering from competition from both big and small players. 2. Decreasing fuel prices. Some analysts forecast that future fuel prices will drop due to extraction of shale gas. This would negatively influence Honda because the company is focusing on hydrogen fuel, hybrid and flexible fuel engine cars, which are not so attractive to consumers when fuel prices are low. . Rising raw material prices. Metals are the main raw materials used in vehicle and motorcycle manufacturing and the rising price of the raw metals raises overall production costs for Honda. 4. Natural disasters. Honda has manufacturing facilities in Japan, Thailand, China and Malaysia. These countries, including others, are often subject to natural disasters that disrupt manufacturing in the f acilities and decrease Hondaââ¬â¢s production volumes. 5. Strong yen. Honda earns most of its profits outside Japan and appreciating yen poses a great threat to Hondaââ¬â¢s profits.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Imperialism and Colonization Essay Example for Free
Imperialism and Colonization Essay Colonization and imperialism are inherently associated with an economic model that is meant to boost the economy of the colonizing power (herein referred to as benefactor state) by providing target market for manufactured goods and source of raw materials. During the twentieth century most colonies gained independence or autonomy resulting in a disruption of the economic model associated with colonization and imperialism. A current trend is globalization which necessitates a complete reversal of the economic role of states. The role has changed from serving as a market for the benefactor state to manufacturing products using inexpensive labor that are then sold back to the benefactor state. Many states (particularly in Africa) have not been able to adjust to this change and have, thus, been caught between colonization and globalization without strong economic ties to other nations. To minimize conflict within a state and between states, the respective nations must have ties that are strong enough to transcend national boundaries. This is evident when examining global trends such as colonization and globalization which tend to focus nations that would normally be at odds on a common goal. In the case of colonization, natives of occupied territories are inclined to unite against the occupying power. A current trend towards globalization has forced nations to unite because of an increased economic dependence between states. The claim (albeit untrue) that there has never been a war between two countries having McDonalds underscores the importance of economic ties that can transcend national boundaries. A History of Imperialism and Colonization During the height of colonialism, Britain controlled over a quarter of the land and one third of the population. Combined, Britain and eight other European countries controlled approximately 84% of the earthââ¬â¢s surface. (Conklin: 1) What factors allowed Europeans to exert such a strong influence on other parts of the world? More importantly, what were the motivations for subjugating the rest of the world that have made such a profound impact even in the modern world? J. A. Hobson describes the driving force behind olonization as ââ¬Å"the investor who cannot find at home the profitable use he seeks for his capital, and insists that his Government should help him to profitable and secure investments abroad. â⬠(Hobson: 15) On the practical side of colonization, armies are needed and colonization canââ¬â¢t occur until an industrial revolution begins. Industrialization requires cheap labor, a navy, a target market to buy surplus p roducts and raw materials. Without a large enough target audience for selling goods, the industrial revolution would have been stymied and Britainââ¬â¢s economy and industry could not have advanced as rapidly. Essentially, raw materials are shipped out of colonies to the colonizing country, manufactured into a finished product using cheap labor and then sold back to the colonies at profit. (Kollenbroich) Undoubtedly, there are other factors that motivated European powers to colonize; Christianity, national pride and civilizing those perceived as savages to name some. However, there is no denying that most colonies became economically dependent on the colonizing country. This implies that economic reasons, regardless of other motivating factors for colonization, were a driving force in colonization. In fact, the factors such as Christianity, national pride and the mission to civilize would often go hand in hand with the economic motivation and serve to conceal the economic reasons from the general public. (Kollenbroich) M. K. Ghandi agrees with that statement, ââ¬Å"England is a nation of shopkeepers,â⬠(attributed to Napoleon) and goes on to describe how the British, ââ¬Å"hold whatever dominions they have for the sake of their commerce. â⬠(Ghandi: 25) Continuing on the same note, Ghandi explains that the British view the world as a vast market for their goods. According to Ghandi, the British didnââ¬â¢t conquer India per se; rather the acceptance of British commerce, lifestyle and law allowed the British to govern India. For this very reason, Ghandi promotes a lifestyle lacking in machinery. ââ¬Å"What did India do before these articles were introduced? Precisely the same should be done today. â⬠(Ghandi 28-29) In Ghandiââ¬â¢s opinion, removing economic ties to Britain and rest of Europe, India would eventually attain sovereignty. Clearly, the economy plays a vital role in colonization and is a strong motivation by providing raw materials and markets to sell finished goods. The question that begs to be asked is: How were Europeans able to convince or force other parts of the world to accept colonization? The answer has everything to do with image. If natives didnââ¬â¢t believe that the Europeans were superior, revolts would have been much more widespread. In turn, European militaries would have been spread too thin and outnumbered. The key to preventing this lies in creating the illusion for natives that the Europeans are superior in every way and resistance is futile. The style of rule is as important as the fact the Europeans are in control of the colony. Typically the French would use a divide and conquer strategy. They would bring in French administrators and subject the natives to French culture. This was effective because the French often grouped tribes or groups of natives that didnââ¬â¢t get along. Instead of fighting the French, the natives would fight amongst themselves. On the other hand, the British would preserve parts of the local system and choose natives leaders. This was effective for the British because it gave the natives the illusion of a certain level of autonomy while the British remained in control. Kollenbroich) The socio-economic model in most colonies was noticeably lacking a middle class. On one hand there are the natives who are often dirt poor by European standards and on the other hand there are the business and elite classes that are continually sucking profit out of the colonies. This is somewhat true of even Europe because of industrialization which left a large lower class working in the factories fo r minimal wages. The Trend of Globalization The push towards a more global economy has several important consequences. Many states that were once colonizing powers have seen their role shift to that of economic powerhouses with global cities that serve as command and control centers for the economy. (Sassen, 4) In the wake of globalization, an increasing number of firms have centralized their business presence in the downtown areas of global cities and placed numerous factories in foreign states to take advantage of lower labor prices. The placement or acquisition of factories in other states is known as foreign direct investment (FDI). The five major exporters of capital (United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France and Germany) account for 70 percent of FDI (Sassen 11). According to Sassen, ââ¬Å"the growth in FDI has been embedded in the internationalization of production of goods and services. â⬠(Sassen: 10) This is readily evident when considering the number of factories being built in Latin American and Southeast Asian. The semiconductor explosion coupled with other industries choosing to locate in Asia has led to an ââ¬Å"emergence of Southeast Asia as a crucial transnational space for production. (Sassen: 11) Prominent American companies have increasingly moved the manufacturing of products offshore to take advantage of more lax labor laws and significantly lower wages. The transition from colonization to globalization has seen the role of foreign countries move from buying products to creating products cheaply. The economics of intervention has played a more dominant role in foreign policy and will continue to do so in the future. For decades the United States and Soviet Union struggled to see capitalism and communism spread, respectively. The struggle played out both economically and militarily in many countries throughout the world and is important because more often than not decolonized countries would be in need of economic and sometimes military intervention. More recently, the United States and other countries have faced decisions about whether to intervene in situations such as Somalia and other African states. Interventions such as these are often viewed by the much of the public as too little too late and this can be attributed, at least in part, to a lack of economic interest in the conflict. In fact, intervention costs millions and sometimes billions of dollars which, in many politiciansââ¬â¢ eyes, is not justified. To make matters worse, politicians are very careful about labeling conflicts as massacres or genocide because as soon as a conflict is labeled as such, it ethically requires intervention. What happens then to a state caught between colonization and globalization that has little or no economical tie to the global economy? If the conflict receives enough attention on the world stage and there is enough bloodshed, then there is a good chance that a peacekeeping force will intervene. However, the chance of intervention in a conflict with little or no bloodshed is much slimmer and may never materialize. Case Study: Zimbabwe According to the International Crisis Group, ââ¬Å"Zimbabweââ¬â¢s economy is hemorrhaging. â⬠(Zimbabwe: 5) Zimbabweââ¬â¢s economy has shrunk approximately 25 percent since 1998, inflation is more than 228% percent (Zimbabwe: CIA) and unemployment is higher than 60 percent. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has decreased from 436 million USD in 1998 to 4. 5 million USD. The FDI alone is indicative of an ever increasing gap between todayââ¬â¢s global economy and the economy of Zimbabwe. Any economic ties that Zimbabwe has with the rest of the world are slowly wasting away with a decrease in gold production and decreased foreign aid. In fact, reducing hours and production volume is now the norm and has led to a scarcity of basic commodities within the country. To make a poor situation even worse, the government of Zimbabwe has been directing farm seizures that have led to 95 percent of large scale farmers either stopping operations or being severely disrupted. The food production has declined by 40 percent and prompted a United Nations (UN) report that warns of the potential of famine. If predictions hold true, Zimbabweââ¬â¢s harvests will not be enough to feed the entire population Zimbabwe will be forced to import food. The government has gone as far as deploying army and police units to deal with riots, should they break out. (Zimbabwe) The ruling ZANU-PF party has been systematically eliminating opposition from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The ZANU-PF has been accused of distributing food to party members rather than equally which means that even children of MDC supporters have food withheld. ZANU-PF supporters, civil servants and traditional leaders are blocking MDC supporters from acquiring maize â⬠¦ It is clear that some schemes have been discriminatory for months without the donor being aware. (Zimbabwe: 7) Thus far, the rest of the world has been passive about the happenings in Zimbabwe. In part, this can be attributed to the need to intervene if a country or countries declare a humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. As noted earlier the FDI has dramatically declined resulting in essentially no economic ties between Zimbabwe and the rest of the world. More than likely, aid or intervention will not take place without a crisis that places Zimbabwe in the center of the world stage. Zimbabwe is just one former colony of many (in Africa and other parts of the world) that gained independence and left behind the imperialistic economy. Unfortunately, Zimbabwe has stepped out of one economic model and failed to step into the global economy. This is evident in the dramatically decreased FDI and production as well as the lack of intervention from other states. Focus on Former African Colonies World War II left the European powers (with the exception of Portugal) scrambling to leave Africa. As alluded to earlier, colonizing is an expensive business that takes enormous resources and ultimately is profitable for a relatively small number people. Most European colonies in Africa were never as profitable as had been hoped for couldnââ¬â¢t be justified like India and some other colonies. The bad name given to imperialism by Hitler helped accelerate the process in Africa as well as other parts of the world. Due to a lack of economic motivation capable of transcending national boundaries, many former colonies have descended into civil wars and other disputes between nations within the state. As demonstrated with Zimbabwe, this conflict is not necessarily militarily (although this is often the case) carried out and may be something as appalling as withholding food or other basic commodities from a portion of the population. Countless other African states such as Somali, Uganda, Liberia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Congo have had or continue to have conflicts between nations. Many countries in Africa are lacking a solid economy that isnââ¬â¢t dominated by a single sector such as agriculture.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
The Life And Work Of Confucius
The Life And Work Of Confucius Confucius (551 479 BCE), was a thinker, political figure, educator and founder of the Ru School of Chinese thought. Confucius was born at Shang-ping, in the country of Lu. His given name was Kong, but his disciples called him Kong-fu-tse, (i.e. Kong the Master, or Teacher.) His father passed away when he was only three years old. Confucius mother Yan-she raised him. During his younger years Confucius showed a love of learning, and an expression of awe for the ancient laws of his country. Confucius was only nineteen years old when he married, but he divorced his wife after only four years of marriage so that he could have more time for his study and the performance of his public duties. His mother passed away when he was twenty-three, which was the reasoning behind the first solemn and important act of Confucius as a moral reformer. The solemnity and splendor of the burial ceremony that Confucius honored her remains struck his fellow citizens with astonishment. Confucius shut himself up in his home for three years of mourning for his mother, using the whole time dedicated to philosophical study. He reflected deeply on the eternal laws of morality, tracing them to their source, saturated his mind with a sense of the duties they impose instinctively on all men, and determined to make them the unalterable rule of all his actions. From that day forward his career was only an illustration of his ethical system. He began to instruct his countrymen in the principle of morali ty, exhibiting in his own person all the virtues he instilled in others. His disciples gradually increased, as the practical character of his philosophy became more apparent. Generally, Confucius disciples were not young and enthusiastic. He preferred middle age men who were sober, grave, respectable, and occupied public situations. This fact cast light on both the character and design of his philosophy. It was moral, not religious, and aimed exclusively at fitting men for conducting themselves honorably and carefully in this life. Confucius travelled through many states, some of them he was welcomed, while in others he wasnt appreciated. His later trips were very unfavorable, with state after state refusing to be improved. There were some instances where Confucius was persecuted. He was once imprisoned and nearly starved. He finally realized there was no hope of securing the favorable attention he desired from his countrymen while alive, he returned to his native state, spending his last years in the mixture of literary works, by which all of his descendants at least might be instructed. Confucius died 479 B.C., in his seventies. Immediately after his death, Confucius began to be regarded with respect and his family was characterized by excellence with various honors and privileges. Many people honored all of Confucius work by building temples in every city in China to honor Confucius. Since Confucius teachings and philosophy was so advanced, it was the education for China for 2,000 years. It is called Confuci anism which is the complex system of moral, social, political, and religious teaching built up by Confucius and the ancient Chinese traditions. Confucianism goal is making not only the man virtuous, but also making him the man of learning and of good manners. The perfect man must combine the qualities of a saint, scholar, and gentleman. Confucianism is a religion whose worship is centered in offerings to the dead. The notion of duty is extended beyond the boundaries of morals and embraces the details of daily life. The best source for understanding Confucius and his thought is the Analects. But the Analects are considered problematic and controversial work, having been compiled in variant versions long after Confuciuss death by disciples or the disciples of disciples. Some have argued that, because of the texts inconsistencies and incompatibilities of thought, there is much in the Analects that is non-Confucian and should be discarded as a basis for understanding the thought of Confucius. Benjamin Schwartz cautions us against such radical measures. While textual criticism based on rigorous philological and historic analysis is crucial, and while the later sections [of the Analects] do contain late materials, the type of textual criticism that is based on considerations of alleged logical inconsistencies and incompatibilities of thought must be viewed with great suspicion. . . . While none of us comes to such an enterprise without deep-laid assumptions about necessary logical relations and compatibilities, we should at least hold before ourselves the constant injunction to mistrust all our unexamined preconceptions on these matters when dealing with comparative thought. (The World of Thought in Ancient China, p. 61) Confucius philosophy was predominately a moral and political one. It was founded on the belief that heaven and earth coexist in harmony and balanced strength while maintaining a perpetual dynamism. Human beings, he taught, are sustained by these conditions and must strive to emulate the cosmic model. The Doctrine of the Mean is the elaboration of the way of harmony; it furnishes the details of the kind of life that, in its recognition of due degree, will be in accordance with the principle of equilibrium, the root of all things. These ideas of harmony, justice and balance in both the cosmos and the individual provided a focus for political theory and practice. (Collinson. Plant, Wilkinson, Fifty Eastern Thinkers) Links / Confucius Philosophy, Confucianism Religion http://www.friesian.com/confuci.htm An analysis of the moral philosophy of Kung-fu-tzu or Kongfuzi (Confucius). http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~agenhtml/agenmc/china/classlit.html Art of China Homepage. Classic Chinese Literature, The Analects, Confucius Bibliography on Confucian Philosophy Da Xue (The Great Learning) Confucius Tao Te Ching / Lao Tzu The Art of War / Sun Tzu http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confucius/ The life and work of the Chinese philosopher and educatory; by Jeffrey Riegel. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CHPHIL/CONF.HTM Discussion of Chinese Philosophy and the life and thought of Confucius along its principle lines http://www.heptune.com/confuciu.html What Confucius Thought by Megaera Lorenz. A brief summary of the basic concepts behind one of the worlds oldest philosophies, Chinese Confucianism.
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Way of Flexibility: A Model of Leadership Essay -- Leader Leading
The Way of Flexibility: A Model of Leadership ?Make sure that any model you do have is compatible with traditional wisdom: Admire the wise of all religions.? Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã -John Heider, ?The Tao of Leadership? Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Much work has gone into studying, researching, and developing models of leadership. Many models have been put forth, examined, applied, and either used or discarded. Yet, for all this work, there is still not one 'perfect' model or method of leading. Every group and situation is different, and a good leader must be flexible. The best model of leadership is one that incorporates different models into one paradigm that understands that the only constant is change. Therefore, my model of leadership will be based primarily upon flexibility. Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Leadership, then, is like gymnastics. It takes a certain degree of physical or mental flexibility to be effective at either. Someone can not simply declare ?I am a flexible leader? any easier than you or I could do a leg split. It must be worked up to, and one must recognize the different skills that need to be worked upon in order to accomplish anything. Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã I propose that a leader must first understand the basic styles of leadership and how to apply them. Then he/she can know what style is the most appropriate given the task and group composition. Second, he/she must be able to observe his/her group in order to decide when the aforementioned styles are to be applied, and when problems begin threatening the group or its task. Then, that leader must be able to effectively communicate and influence his/her followers in order to fix problems, provide feedback, and inspire a group to be more than the sum of its parts. That is what effective leadership is about. Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã ?Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow. Whatever is rigid and blocked will atrophy and die.? -John Heider, ?The Tao of Leadership? Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Much of what is covered in chapter 2 of ?Leadership: A Communication Perspective? has been introduced to me before in a wide variety of classes. The styles of leadership, as well as Theory X and Theory Y, are so basic that no model of leadership is complete without being based or at least touching upon these valuable concepts, so I will begin building my model of leadership here. Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã A flexible leader realizes the advantages and disadvantages inherent in each of the three styl... ...nd a few other experiences like this have led me to believe in the old adage that you attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. ?The group is not a final examination for a college course. The wise leader knows that the reward for doing the work arises naturally out of the work.? -John Heider, ?The Tao of Leadership? Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã It is my hope that I have developed a competent model of leadership arising out of a doctrine of flexibility. I hope that I can apply this model in my own practices of leadership, to help me build the confidence I need to grow out of my leadership apprehension. I feel that an understanding of the group process, and of the styles of leadership, working together, can provide one with a very powerful method of effective, flexible leadership that can be applied to multiple groups and situations. First, by learning the styles of leadership, he makes harmony between himself and the group. When understands how the group acts and reacts, he can make harmony between the members of the group. And when this leader understands how to influence and conduct his followers, they can both begin to play beautiful music that no one would have been able to play alone.
Kashmir :: essays research papers
KASHMIR? Geography, Kashmir is located in Himalayan range. Most of the area is mountainous with very fertile land, beautiful lakes, covered with thick green forests and produce verity of fruits. Area, 84471 sq.: miles; with boundaries with Pakistan, India, china and Afghanistan. Population, About 5 million consisting of 77% Muslim. Borders with Pakistan 902 miles and borders with India 307 miles. Brief History, The state of Kashmir came into existence in 1848 when Lord Lawrence the Governor General of British India sold the area to Gulab Singh a leader of Hindu dogra tribe for RS 7.5 million. Dogra rulers treated the Muslim Population who was meek, poor and peace loving harshly and taxed them Heavily. At that time of partition of India every state was given the option of acceding either to India or Pakistan. Lord Mountbatten the last Viceroy of India in his addressed the prince of the state on July 25,1947 said, "accede to India or Pakistan, bearing in mind the geographical situation by the respective state, the composition of their population and wishes of their people". According to the portion of India plan announced by the viceroy of India on June 3 1947, the Muslim majority provinces were to become Pakistan and those with Hindu majority were to form India. The province of Punjab was accordingly to be divided. A boundary commission headed by sir Redchiff was appointed. This commission wrongfully awarded a Teshil (county) namely Gurdaspur to India to provide land connection between Kashmir and India. On July 19 1947 the Muslim conference, the only political party of Kashmir announced that it demands accession to Pakistan. The Hindu maharaja Harry Singh honoree acceded to India whole population rose in revolt. The maharaja fold to India and the Indians troops invoked the valley on October 27 1947. The Kashmir freedom fighter supported by Afghanistan tribes men put up a resistance. The Security Council of UNO passed a resolution asking India and Pakistan to cease-fire for January 1,1949. In another resolution the Security Council asked both the countries to with draw their forces from the state for an impartial plebiscite under the control of UNO to decide the future of Kashmir. UN military observes has since been appointed on cease-fire line. A commission to arrange plebiscite was also appointed headed by Mr. Gunner Jarring. India however has been adopting delaying tactics ever since to allow the Kashmiris to exercise their right of self determination.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
September Eleventh: The New Tragedy Essay -- History Historical Terror
September Eleventh: The New Tragedy History is written from the tragedies that occur through time. Wars, plagues, famines, and economic crises punctuate references in history books. We refer to time in pre and post event terms, and how our thinking has changed since the occurrence. We measure our lives in relation to deep sorrow that causes us to reconsider our self worth and the lives we lead. There have been several of these happenings in this century, pre world war I, post world war I, the depression era, post world war II, the Cold War, the post cold war, and now we have post September 11th. A new tragedy has been identified as a cause for us to reconsider our place in the world. This new tragedy is distinctive because it took place on U.S. territory and nowhere else. It has global effects, but this tragedy is the United Statesââ¬â¢ own to grapple with. The reason for this lies in the nature of the attack. The dictionary definition of terrorism is the state of intense fear, or the act of inflicting or inspiring fear. This new word fills our t.v.screens our conversations and affects our everyday coming and going. History will look upon the terroristsââ¬â¢ events of September 11th as a pivotal point in our countryââ¬â¢s direction of growth. The United States has entered the real world of terrorism. Although we have long been apart of the international community, we have been sheltered and overconfident in our belief that we are impenetrable. We have falsely believed that terrorism is a problem for someone elseââ¬â¢s country; no one would dare attack us. That belief has been shattered. We now face a new perspective on the rest of the world and on ourselves. It is a very personal attack in the sense that the Unite... ...oes not induce such anger and resentment so as to act irrationally. Terrorism has immeasurable effects on people. Fear is something that cannot be measured quantitatively. It can lead to many psychological behaviors that affect the way we look at the world. Will fighting terrorism reduce our civil liberties and the things that make us who we are? Do we have the possibility of loosing our identity because of the fear? If that is the case, terrorism has succeeded and it really wonââ¬â¢t matter how many bombs we drop or how many leaders we kill that are linked to terrorist organizations. We will have become so entrapped by our fears we will be immobile and incapable of being who we are. So we come to a point in the our history that we must choose which direction we will take to deal with this and the story will go on until a new punctuation occurs.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Applied Linguistics Essay
Learner: * We see learning in different ways (Behavior ââ¬âhabit formation-; Innatism ââ¬âresponse to behaviorism- ). ââ¬Å"If we learn through habits, what about children? * Chomskyââ¬â¢s LAD theory: * Universal Grammar * Weââ¬â¢re programmed to learn at least one language! Interactionism * Snow: Interaction is a vital factor, not LAD * Evidence: Accommodation of Language: * Language is modified by the kind of subject youââ¬â¢re talking to. * Modifying the way weââ¬â¢re using a language. * When we talk to children, we do it in a different way. * Subconscious act * Between Children and caretakers. * Between Natives and non-natives * The idea is to use a comprehensible input (Krashen) * The only way to learn English is to modify the way we speak ââ¬â comprehensible input * Communication as a goal * Focus is on problem solving or accomplishing tasks Key concepts (cont. ) Intersecting angles: * Teaching methods and language assessment (Common European Framework of Reference) * Different Benchmarks for competence * International exams and certifications * Relationship between language and teaching * Teaching materials informed by linguistic corpora. * British national corpus * Language and language * Learnerââ¬â¢s age * Kids and young people * Critical period * Content based language teaching ââ¬â more flexible * Older people * It is more complicated to acquire a language when youââ¬â¢re getting old * Different focus of instruction, different reasons e. g. occupational, academic, etc. * You can teach different things in a certain age * Context * Physical locale (classroom or outside? ) * Immersion programmes * Teachers are putted into a context to teach to the target required * Problems: fluent, but no accurate. * Political pressures in some parts of the world e. g. Iraq, Japan, * Multilingualism in American classrooms ââ¬â is not a priority right now * National language policies * What does it mean to learn a language? Money? Fun? * Tajikistanââ¬â¢s case: change from Russian to English * Future trajectory * Learn other subjects in an L2? How? * Is it possible that Chile would be a bilingual country? * Teaching in a language target * Endangered languages * People stop using a certain language * Reflection of a certain culture. * ââ¬Å"The end of a language is also the end of a cultureâ⬠* Linguistics Imperialism * Weââ¬â¢re acquiring the English/American culture ââ¬â English language is fixed by the culture: e. g. African English * English as a Lingua Franca * Universal language * Clusters: issues as non-native speakers ââ¬â in fact, beach, special * Native speakers vs Non-native speakers ââ¬Å"normsâ⬠* Technology * Computer-mediated contact with other languages and cultures * Internet-delivered language instruction * Use of corpora to access to the information. An introduction to Applied Linguistics * Language as a powerful tool * It gives access to information * Convincing (ads, politics) * Definition: * Is NOT the application of linguistics * Means many things for many people (Cook, 2006) * A group of semi-autonomous disciplines (Spolsky, 2005) * ââ¬Å"â⬠¦AL (is now) a cover term for a sizeable group of semi-autonomous disciplines, each dividing its parentage and allegiances between the formal study of language3 and other relevant fields, and each working to develop its own methodologies and principlesâ⬠* Cook, 2003. * ââ¬Å"the task of applied linguistics is to mediate between linguistics and language useâ⬠* The academic discipline concerned with the relation of knowledge about language to decision making in the real world * The scope of applied linguistics remains rather vague, but attempts to delimit its main areas of concern as consisting of language and education; language, work and law; and language information and effect. * Two interpretations * The source of applied linguistics. What applied linguistics draws on: * Narrow interpretation * (Linguistics) ââ¬â Language teaching. * Usage of linguistic elements ââ¬â semantics, phonology, pragmatics * Broad interpretation * (everything to do with language) * There are the different connotations of language * The target of AL * What applied linguistics equips you to do (SLA) * Language Acquisition (L1 and L2) * Psycho and Neurolinguistics * Sociolinguistics * Humor Studies * Pragmatics * Discourse Analysis and Rhetorics * Text/Processing/translation * Computational Linguistic * Corpus Linguistics * Dialectology BBC Documentary Horizon: Why do we talk? * Humans have a unique feature: we have a different language like animals * We have requests. * Complex process to pronunciate a word when child (ââ¬Å"wa derâ⬠to ââ¬Å"waterâ⬠) * Language is exclusively human * Not much evidence about origins of language * Why chimps can make similar sounds like humans? * There are some parts of the brain involved in creation of words * Roots of language reception: Test on newborn babies * How much a baby is attending to a particular sound * We can recognize sounds from our beginnings * Chomskyââ¬â¢s theory: An innate ability to learn a language * Ability to talk is composed by words, meaning and sounds. It also INNATE * Weââ¬â¢re BUILT ON SPEECH. * The KA family: communication in other ways are perfect, neither the speech * A DNA failure to create words * Thereââ¬â¢s no fossil evidences of speech communication * It is supposed that language was a practical way to defining rules * No one designed any language * Combination of words that can be easily remembered * Make sound to build a meaning * Dominant Theory of learning psychology: Behaviorism * Positive reinforcement * Habits are automatic and difficult to eradicate * If L1 differs to L2, L1 will interfere with formation of L2 habits e. g. use of articles (a/an, the) * Interference manifests itself in error (undesirable). * Learners need to overcome L1 features and replace them Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH) * Analysis of L1 and L2 features (grammar and phonology) to determine similarities and differences between languages * Comparisons * CAH prediction * L2 features which are similar to L1: easy features to learn * Present simple, present perfect * L2 features which are different to L2: errors in L2 * People is are * Role of L2 instruction: teachers should focus on features which could be potential errors. Teaching via imitation, practice and error correction. * Mistakes are very dangerous here! ââ¬â Immediate correction * E. g. ââ¬Å"repeat after me! â⬠Problems with CAH * Researchers trying ti apply CAH in analyzing L2 errors, soon found that: * Many errors could not be explained only by reference to L1 e. g. I goed * Many predicted errors were not made in L2 * Learners from different L1 made similar errors L2 * New weays of loking at L2ââ¬â¢s errors Error Analysis * Corder (1967) * Learner language is a system in its own right * Errors are an important reflection of the state of L2 knowledge (system) and processing strategies. * Errors were a good thing; there is a reflection about thinking of new things * Developing rules ââ¬â trial and fail * Processing: * Learners form hypothesis about L2 on the basis of their exposure to the L2 * These hypothesis are tested receptively and productively * If hypotheses disconfirmed, this leads to the formation and testing of new hypothesis Interlanguage (IL) * Concept created by Selinker (1972) * Coined the term Interlanguage to describe a learnerââ¬â¢s language * Is the whole process of learning a language * No competence Native-like competence * Interlanguage is rule governed (systematic) and dynamic (in flux) * U shape performance: * High performance is developed in Beginnerââ¬â¢s level and the Advance one * Explaining learnerââ¬â¢s errors. * Main processes which can explain errors in L2 * L1 transfer * L1 rules interfering with L2 * Overgeneralization of L2 rules e. g. goed (use regular past tense with all verbs) * It happens a lot with children * Transfer of training errors due to the way L2 was taught e. g. overuse of ââ¬Å"heâ⬠because teaching materials contain mainly reference to males * Formal language in formal contexts * Simplification e. g. omission of referent elements (articles, prepositions) * Elision / wanna talk to me? ââ¬â instead of ââ¬Å"do you wanna talk to me? â⬠Problems with IL and errors analysis. * Focus on errors rather than entire learner language output (i. e. what a learner can do * Oriented to L2 norms ââ¬â norms are often difficult to define (e. g. variety of acceptable pronunctiations of some words) * Attribution of errors to processes not always clear cut * Doesnââ¬â¢t consider variability Morpheme studies * Morpheme: the smallest unit of meaning in English e. g. plural ââ¬Å"sâ⬠(bound morpheme), article (unbound morpheme) * Influential study: Brown (1973) on First Language Acquisition (FLA) * Order of acquisition determined on basis of accuracy i. e. * Most accurate: acquired earliest. * The most developed item is the one which was developed earlier * Findings: although rate of acquisition may differ, order of acquisition same for all children. Acquisition order in FLA RANK| MORPHEME| EXAMPLE| 1| Present progressive| Boy singing| 2| Preposition| Dolly in car| 3| Plural| Sweeties| 4| Past Irregular| Broke| 5| Possesive| Babyââ¬â¢s toy| 6| Articles| A car| 7| Past regular| Wanted| 8| Third person singular| He eats| 9| Auxiliary ââ¬Å"beâ⬠| Heââ¬â¢s running| * Dulay and Burt (1973-1975) * Suppliance of a set of morphemes in obligatory context * Developmental Secquences. * Longitudinal research on acquisition of grammatical structures (e. g. negation, question formation word order) found: * Learners follow a set of order of stages of acquisition * L1 may affect how long a learner stays at any one stage * Learners cannot skip a stage, regardless of L2 instruction * Instruction can only affect speed of acquisition and whether learners reach final stage. Index readings ââ¬â Test 1 ââ¬â Monday 8th!! * Key concepts in language learning and language education * History and definitions * Introduction to SLA * Development of learner language. Developmental sequences Longitudinal research on acquisition of grammatical structures (eg negation, question formation word order) found: * Learners follow a set order of stages of acquisition * L1 may affect how long a learner stays at any one stage * Learners cannot skip a stage, regardless of L2 instruction * Instruction can only affect speed of acquisition and whether learners reach final stage * Naturalistic statement: the most important thing will be communication ââ¬â people wonââ¬â¢t correct anyone Variability in learner language. If IL is systenmatic, we should go thourg different stages. How can we account for variability in a learnerââ¬â¢s interlanguage? * Need to distinguish between free vatiation and systematic variation: * Free variation may be due to: * Random errors * Performance factors, e. g. anxiety * Anxiety affects production * Early stage of IL: experimentation * People is is not a taboo * Systemic variation may be due to * Linguistic environment: e. g. omission of final ââ¬Ësââ¬â¢ may vary according to what sounds come before or after the letter ââ¬Ësââ¬â¢s * Situational context: e. g. the person the learner is speaking to (interlocutor) or setting may affect the perceived level of formality and thus how much attention Is given to accuracy * Fluency is affected by focus on accuracy * Psycholinguistic context: e. g. amount of planning time given before being asked to perform the task Input & Interaction * Input:anything that a learner is exposed to in the environment. Anything that is perceived. * Intake:processing. When youââ¬â¢re receiving language, you realize a certain structure subconsciously. * Uptake: when you do something observable with your input, if you make a mistake and then you have the correct version * Output: production of language ââ¬â errors and mistakes are included * Comprehensible input:refers to modify the language and make it comprehensible * Negotiation of meaning: looking for answers for what you want to say ââ¬â negotiatate what someone say: what? Could you repeat that? You said (â⬠¦) or you said (â⬠¦)? * Positive evidence vs. Negative evidence: * NE: corrections. Could be related to grammar * PE: Discrete parts of the language. Itââ¬â¢s just language * Implicit vs. explicit feedback * Implicit feedback: we donââ¬â¢t really saying what the mistake is directly, but youââ¬â¢re uttering what you say. * Explicit feedback: correction ââ¬â looking a language as an object * Recast: implicit feedback ââ¬â fixing what youââ¬â¢re trying to say. When youââ¬â¢re emphasizing, it turns to explicit feedback. Itââ¬â¢s supposed to be implicit. Introduction * Range of perspectives (theories) which explain how language (L1 and L2) is processed and ultimately acquired * All theories agree that learners need exposure to language (input ââ¬â from a behaviorism focus, is important), but the kind of input and how that input is processed in order to become acquired vary * Todayââ¬â¢s seminar focuses on the interaction hypothesis, a very influential theory in the field of SLA INPUT * Input is everything that you can get into the language * Language learner is exposed to (available for processing). * Two types of input: * Positive evidence: authentic or modified language ââ¬â * Negative evidence: corrections Behaviorist perspective ââ¬â Lado and Lee * From a behaviorist approach, Learners need positive and negative evidence (both) * Positive evidence: models that learners imitate and repeat (thus forming habits) * Negative evidence: given to prevent formation of ââ¬Å"incorrect habitsâ⬠* Language learning: process of imitation & habit formation Universal Grammar Perspective * Proponents: Chomsky (L1) White and Schwartz & Sprouse * Learners need ONLY exposure to positive evidence. * Positive evidence triggers processing in an innate language acquisition device * LAD contains principles (general rules about all human languages ââ¬â e. g. Parts of speech) and parameters (rules which are language specific ââ¬â e. g. ââ¬Å"no voyâ⬠instead of I cannot) * Pro-dropped language * Dummy subjects * Second language acquisition: resetting parameters based on L2 evidence * Some debate in SLA: Is UG fully, partially on not at all available for adult L2 learners? * Is very unlike that is available. Is mostly partially available Krashen. Main argument: learners need only exposure to appropriate input (positive evidence) * Appropiate input: comprehensible input at a level slightly above the learnerââ¬â¢s current level (i+1) input + something a bit higher * Comprehensible input will activate LAD: subconscious process * Comprehensible input: acquired knowledge (implicit knowledge used to produce language) * Is comes out, it flows * Conscious learning: learnt knowledge (explicit knowledge used to monitor language production) * If youââ¬â¢re giving negative evidence, they will acquire language * Difference between learning and acquiring language * Explicit knowledge does not become implicit knowledge (the non-interface position) * When you learn, you will not be able to acquire language Longââ¬â¢s interaction hypothesis * Built on Krashenââ¬â¢s notion of the importance of copmprehensible input for SLA * However difference in what makes input comprehensible * Krashen: emphasis on learnerââ¬â¢s individual processing i. e. learner uses contextual clues, world knowledge to comprehend i+1 * Long (1983): interactions (negotiation of meaning) make input comprehensible * Findings: * ââ¬Å"Speech modifications alone are rarely sufficient. Native speakers also make a lot of adjustments to the interactional structure of conversations, and it is conversational modifications of the latter sort that are greater, more consistently observed, and probably more important for providing comprehensible inputâ⬠* Conversational modifications: * Repetitions * Confirmation checks (is that what you mean? ), often involve repetition uttered with a rising intonation * Clarification requests (what do you mean? ) e. g. Sorry? What? * Comprehension checks (do you follow me? ) e. g. OK? I+1: our current level of english Positive evidence: language Negative evidence: corrections Longââ¬â¢s interactional hypothesis Original version (1983): * deductive argument * Conversational modifications make negotiation input (negotiations of meaning) make inupt comprehensible e. g. Having conversations with native speakers will improve development of language THEN * Comprehensible input promotes acquisition (krashen) THEN * Negotiations of meaning -> promote SLA Research based on Longââ¬â¢s interaction hypothesis. * Variables that affect the quantity and type of conversational modifications (negotiation * moves) * Task type e. g. Doughty & Pica, 1986 * Learner variables (L1, proficiency in L2, gender) e. g. Pica et al. , 1991; Polio & Gas, 1998 * Extent to which negotiations facilitate comprehension e. g. Ellis et al. , 1994 * Extent to which negotiations lead to acquisition: results mixed e. g. Iwashita, 2003; Mackey, 1999 * Family will promote more negotiation Criticism of research and interaction hypothesis * Number of assumptions questions e. g. the more negotiations moves the better? * A social nature of research: ignores context and learnerââ¬â¢s goals (ie is there always a clear one-to-one mapping of interaction moves and speakerââ¬â¢s intented meaning? * Deductive nature of argument: no mechanism to explain acquisition * Lack of robust evidence for L2 learning * Is anybody learning a language, or acquiring it? Negotiation of languge: Chance to process more the input and do something with that Swainââ¬â¢s outpout hypothesis * Research: language proficiency of students in Canadian immersion program, found that learners fluent but not accurate * Main argument: * Comprehensible input alone insufficient for learners to develop grammatical accuracy * Comprehension requires learners only to process language for meaning, not for syntax * Learners need to be pushed to produce accurate and appropriate language (output) * Students were fluent, but not accurate * Push them to produce more and more INPUT * Grammatical processing: basic to improve accuracy * Long * Role of input * Output provides learners with opportunities to: * Move from semantics, open-ended processing of language prevalent in comprehension to grammatical processing needed for accurate production. * Notice ââ¬Å"gapsâ⬠in their interlanguage. * Test hypotheses abput language + receive feedback abput hypotheses * Reflect abput their language use + develop automaticity through practice (Gass, 2004) * Note: focus shifted from focus on positive evidence to negative evidence (corrective feedback) ->negative evidence * Negative feedback may be facilitative of L2 development * MEDIATED BY SELECTIVE ATTENTION: Focus on learnerââ¬â¢s internal factors, drawing on work of Schmiftââ¬â¢s (1999, 1993) on attention and noticing nypothesis * DEVELOPING L2 PROCESSING CAPACITY: draws on studies on developmental sequences & pienemanââ¬â¢s work on learnability to explain mixedfindings on negotiations and acquisition * NEGATIVE FEEDBACK OBTAINED DURING NEGOTIATION WORK: shift in focus from interactions providing comprehensible input to conversations providing opportunities for negative feedback * MAY BE FACILITATIVEâ⬠¦ ESSENTIAL FOR LEARNING CERTAIN SPECIFIABLE L1-L2 CONTRASTS: prediction abput which language structures are most likely to need negative feedback (L1-L2 contrats, e. g. dative alteration, adverb placement) * If the verb comes from latinate origin, is not possible to have dative alternation. If Germanic, it is. Why Long was unwilling to unchanged his hypothesis? * Previous hypothesis: * Krashenââ¬â¢s monitor hypothesis! * IS a contradiction: Monitor check contents to learn, but it doenââ¬â¢t help to ACQUIRE * Closest to BEHAVIORISM * Current Hypothesis: * New ways of correcting * KEY: GIVING FEEDBACK Cognitive accounts of SLA * SLA: acquiring a new knowledge system. Learning new information * Based on cognitive psychology, which models the human mind similar to a computer (up to a point) * Learning& ability for use: * NOTICE NEW INFORMATION, e. g. a vocabulary item (an interesting word such as ââ¬Å"nutsâ⬠) or a feature of syntax like 3rd person singular ââ¬âs * INTEGRATING NEW INFORMATION and comparing with the old one, e. g.relating the vocabulary item to similar ones or 3rd person-s to indicative present tense verb use * PROCEDURALIZING OR AUTOMATIZING, e. g. accessing the vocabulary itam / applying the 3rd person ââ¬âs rule Areas of interest * A great deal of work in SLA has focused on noticing and attention because it is central to learning (Schmidt) * There is also some work on the interaction of new language information in long-term memory (Bialystok) * The type of knowledge (explicit/implicit) has also been studied, which is related to proceduralization / automatization The human cognitive system Outside world -> sensory register -> working memory -> long-term memory.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Critical discussion of at least three poems Essay
Compare the ways in which the poets write about unhappiness and suffering. In your response you must include a critical discussion of at least three poems. Throughout this comparative analysis, I will discuss the various ways in which the poets use lexis, imagery and structure to convey the sentiment and themes within the text. I have chosen Lizzie, Six and Shooting Stars by Carol Ann Duffy and Requiem for the Croppies by Seamus Heaney. The poems are all linked with suffering by the hands of an oppressive force. Lizzie by her abuser, the Jewish heroine by the Naziââ¬â¢s and the Irish by the English. The poems offer vivid and individual style to describe mutual suffering within varied circumstances. The titles of each poem are intended to capture the readerââ¬â¢s attention from the start. Lizzie, Six, is laid out as such to show the youth of the character of Lizzie. Not only in her name being abbreviated in a youthful manner, but the placement of the comma slows the reader down, forcing them to contemplate the purity of a child that age. She is able to establish an immediate sense of dread. In Shooting Stars, Duffy provides us with an ambiguous beginning. ââ¬ËStarsââ¬â¢ is representative of the Star of David and ââ¬ËShootingââ¬â¢ in the literal sense of the ââ¬Ëstarsââ¬â¢ being shot. Alternatively, Duffy may have been using the title metaphorically as a shooting star, representative of fleeting life for the Jewish people throughout the Nazi regime. The alliteration in Shooting Stars, is also a mind rhyme for Saal-Schutz, the Nazi SS Army. In Requiem for the Croppies, ââ¬ËRequiemââ¬â¢ defined as ââ¬Ëa Mass for the repose of the souls of the deadââ¬â¢ is intended to offer peace to the thousands that died at the hands of the English and those that died; being the ââ¬ËCroppiesââ¬â¢, the Irish men defending their land who cut their hair into a cropped fashion as a sign of rebellion. It is a gesture of praise and thanks and a wish for restfulness for those men whose lives were taken in the uprising of 1798. Samir Raheem describes it as ââ¬Ëa poem that romantically commemorates the Irish rebelsââ¬â¢. (Rahim, Telegraph, 2013). The word ââ¬ËCroppiesââ¬â¢ is also a rhyme for ââ¬Ëpoppiesââ¬â¢, a symbol of remembrance. The form and structure is indicative to the main themes of each poem and as a further notion; the suffering the characters, cultures or countrymen have endured. Representative of this is in Lizzie, 6, Duffy lays out the poem in a series of five stanzas with a call and response from the abuser and the abused narrative, typical in nature of a nursery rhyme and resonant particularly to the story ââ¬ËLittle Red Riding Hoodââ¬â¢. Critic Stan Smith describes ââ¬Å"Lizzie, Sixâ⬠as a ââ¬Ëplangent, Lorcaesque songâ⬠. Barry Wood stated that ââ¬ËDuffy knew Lorcaââ¬â¢s poetry or at least drew on similar traditions of popular childââ¬â¢s songs and rhymesââ¬â¢ (Wood, Tusitala. org. uk, 2007). The structure is repetitive and creates a feeling of tension. The repetition is also significant in the nature of the prolonged abuse, loss of innocence and suffering Lizzie is subjected to. The abuser also remains unidentified as it would be too uncomfortable for the reader to relate to the suffering the abuser inflicts (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). In Shooting Stars, Duffy keeps the four line stanzas to create a similar notion of repetition of abuse and more likely to emphasize the routine and the standard, desensitised, rhythmic executions carried out by Nazi soldiers. Shooting Stars is written as a first person narrative and similarly to Lizzieââ¬â¢s abuser, her character is unidentified. This however, is to ensure the reader grasps the point that so many other Jews died namelessly during this period of persecution, highlighting the suffering. Heaney in Requiem takes a completely different approach in the structure of the poem and instead lays it out in the form of a sonnet. This is a mark of respect and love for the Irishmen who suffered and a juxtaposition to the ill respect shown by their oppressors. Written from the 3rd person narrative from the perspective of the Irish Rebels. Each line has roughly 10 or 11 syllables to it or just over, dictating the pace and the solemn, valiant story telling sentiment of the poem, an element similar to that of Lizzie. Six. Lizzie, Six uses dark and negative lexis throughout to increase the feeling of the suffering inflicted and the dialogue between the characters is disturbing. The doubling of the words ââ¬Ëmoonââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëfieldsââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëloveââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëwoodââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëdarkââ¬â¢ in lines 2 and 3 of each stanza are offered primarily in the view of the innocence of a child, i. e. In literature, the moon is commonly linked to imagination and fields to that of freedom etc. Secondly the words are manipulated by the adult abuser, effectively stripping the original association of the word and replacing it with a horrific alternative showing the intention of emotional abuse. Wood says that Duffy presents ââ¬Ëa poignant example of ââ¬Å"broken listeningâ⬠, of ââ¬â in this case ââ¬â the adult listener refusing to hear or misinterpreting what is heard and of the child destroyed by being unheard and ignoredââ¬â¢ (B Wood, 2006). It also represents consistent and worsening abuse as the words start with a lighter, childlike tone ââ¬Ëmoonââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëfieldsââ¬â¢ and literally end with ââ¬Ëdarkââ¬â¢. The use of language in Lizzie, Six is vulgar, particularly towards the end of the poem; Duffy uses this to show how the level of abuse and suffering worsens throughout the poem and over time and transitions from mental to physical suffering. She shows this in the penultimate stanza when the abuser says ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll give you wood, when your bottomââ¬â¢s bareââ¬â¢. ââ¬ËWoodââ¬â¢ is a disturbing metaphor and the literal intention the abuser becomes apparent here. The abuser asks in stanza five ââ¬ËWhere are you hiding? ââ¬â¢ Duffy uses this to allow the reader to see the abuser demonstrating his menacing mental control over Lizzie as she is powerless to hide from him. In the sixth stanza, the abuser asks ââ¬ËWhy are you crying? ââ¬â¢ ââ¬â a physical display of an emotional response. (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). Duffy shows a similar representation of the emotional and physical realms of suffering in Shooting Stars. ââ¬ËI heard the click. Not yet. A trickââ¬â¢ ââ¬â The Nazi soldier at the time of the speakerââ¬â¢s execution uses excessive cruelty and mental torture in toying ââ¬Ëwith his victim and the short sentences at the end of the line create tension and a sense of the real experience of the woman and the power wielded by the soldierââ¬â¢ (MissGrant, 2015). Duffy demonstrates physical anguish in the third stanza at the fear of rape from the Naziââ¬â¢s ââ¬ËMy bowels opened in a ragged gape of fearââ¬â¢. Duffyââ¬â¢s word choice here is extreme but emphasizes the sheer terror that a woman would go through in this situation. The ââ¬Ëgapeââ¬â¢ is representative of a screaming mouth (MissGrant, 2015) and is intentionally inversed as ââ¬Ëgagged rapeââ¬â¢. The effect it has is it to double the meaning and subsequently intensify the horror of the suffering she endured in this situation. Heaney represents the emotional suffering in the form of their love of the country, not necessarily the Irishmen individually but as a whole, due to the oppression from the English ââ¬â ââ¬Ëwe moved quick and sudden in our own countryââ¬â¢. Heaney demonstrates the resentment of the Irish in this sentence and ââ¬Ëthe priest lay behind ditches with the trampââ¬â¢ ââ¬â Heaney juxtaposes the holiest man with the lowliest man, neither had any advantage over the other when it came to slaughter from their oppressors. The personification Heaney offers upon the Irish defeat on Vinegar Hill ââ¬ËThe Hillside blushed, soaked in our broken waveââ¬â¢; Provokes the emotional and physical in the form of slight embarrassment at their being ill equipped to deter the English attack ââ¬Ëshaking scythes at cannonââ¬â¢ but also the physicality or their blood staining the green of the fields to red. The first and last line include the imagery of barley, a symbol for revolution and independence (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). Heaney uses Irony from the barley that the Irish rebels carried in their pockets for food, was in fact the very same that enabled the barley ââ¬Ëto grow up ââ¬Ëout of the graveââ¬â¢ fertilized by the blood of Irish souls. Critic Paul Hurt says that the first line ââ¬ËThe pockets of our greatcoats full of barleyââ¬â¢ and the last line ââ¬ËAnd in August the barley grew up out of the graveââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"are contrived. They belong to the world of ââ¬Ëself-consciously significant detailsââ¬â¢ which are routine in many war films, in films of all kindsâ⬠(Paul Hurt, 2015). But Critic Blake Morrison said that Seamus Heaney is ââ¬Ëthat rare thing, a poet rated highly by critics and academics yet popular with ââ¬Ëthe common readerââ¬â¢ and as a common reader, Iââ¬â¢m rather inclined to appreciate the majestic quality and symbolism of the re-birth of an army ready to fight and again. All three poems have a common feature with the echoed sadness and ill treatment and respect imposed from their oppressors with mass and shallow graves in Shooting Stars and Requiem ââ¬Ëthey buried us without shroud or coffinââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëbetween the gaps of corpses I could see a childââ¬â¢. And in Lizzie, Six, the abuserââ¬â¢s final statement ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll give you the dark and I do not careââ¬â¢. The sentence and grammar structure in Lizzie, Six, is rigid and unchanging. The first line of each stanza is a question from the abuser, the second a response from the abused and in the third and fourth lies a demonic manipulation of Lizzies answer; Wood says ââ¬ËThe childââ¬â¢s fear is answered only by a distorted or distorting ââ¬Å"echoâ⬠from the adult world which, if less brutal and punitive than the world of ââ¬Å"Lizzie, Sixâ⬠, is equally isolating and disquieting. ââ¬â¢ (B Wood, 2006) Possibly Duffy used this sentence structure to emphasise the unrelenting suffering in the emotional, and physical that Lizzie faces. In Shooting Stars, Duffy takes an alternative approach and to represent the last thoughts of a dying woman offers a certain level of enjambment within the text. The punctuation is free in that ââ¬ËRebecca Rachel Ruth Aaron Emmanuel Davidââ¬â¢ are listed without breath to exaggerate the extent of the ââ¬Ënamelessââ¬â¢ people that have suffered. This is also a juxtaposition. This continues later in the poem with ââ¬ËSara Ezraâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢ Duffy has done this to show the list could go on and on without pause. Almost as if those that have suffered spring to mind too easily for the sheer number of victims. Duffy uses repetition in the use of the word ââ¬ËRemember. A resounding theme of the poem is to remember the suffering of an entire race and to relate this lessons of history to modern day struggles. Duffy uses Anaphora in the fifth stanza to reiterate this theme. ââ¬Å"After immense suffering someone takes tea on the lawn. After the terrible moans a boy washes his uniform. After the history lesson children run to their toysâ⬠. ââ¬ËTea on the lawnââ¬â¢ refers to how normal life can resume so quickly after horrific events have taken place and can be forgotten as easily as ââ¬Ëa boy washes his uniformââ¬â¢ symbolic of the cleansing of the Jewish race (MissGrant, 2015). Heaney uses enjambment to slow the pace. It is used to represent the Irish Rebels speed of movement; ââ¬ËA people, hardly marching ââ¬â on the hike-ââ¬Ë, common folk, pacing themselves and climbing a hill, probably wounded, weary and hungry. Enjambment is used where the sonnet breaks form and introducing their demise; ââ¬ËUntil, on Vinegar Hill, the fatal conclave. ââ¬â¢ Heaney uses this sentence structure to slow the reader and to emphasise the fall of the rebels and their devastation emotionally and physically. It adds a dramatic and magnificent tone to their sacrifice. In a similar sub-theme to Shooting Stars, remembrance is also a theme in Requiem, highlighted throughout the poem by Heaneyââ¬â¢s word choice. Sound, sight, touch and sensation feature regularly in Shooting stars to evoke emotion. Straight away we are greeted with silence from the Dead Jew ââ¬ËAfter I no longer speakââ¬â¢ ââ¬â a tradition of remembrance. We have a glimpse into her life that she was married, Duffy displays this with the ââ¬Ëwedding ringââ¬â¢, the dear that caused the sensation of ââ¬Ëurine trickling down her legsââ¬â¢ ââ¬â a physical display of an emotional response. And the brutal and callous touch of the soldiers to ââ¬Ësalvageââ¬â¢ what they see as the only valuable part of her when they break her finger to retrieve her wedding ring. Duffy uses the element of Marriage to re-inforce human emotion as a juxtaposition against the desensitised Naziââ¬â¢s. Duffy also uses onomatopoeia in the word ââ¬Ëclickââ¬â¢ to highlight the mental torture the soldier imposes on the Jewish prisoner. Assonance and rhyming are used continuously through Requiem to promote the feeling of a steady struggle. ââ¬Ëkitchensââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëstrickingââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ësuddenââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëcountryââ¬â¢ in the opening lines. ââ¬Ëcampââ¬â¢, ââ¬â¢trampââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëhikeââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëpikeââ¬â¢ are rhymes used every other line. Heaney does this to re-inforce the military tone of the poem, introducing a steady drumming for the rebels to march in time to. Heaney breaks the rhyme momentarily to create a sense of doom. He shows this in ââ¬Ëthe final conclaveââ¬â¢. Heaney returns immediately to the rhyme to emphasise the re-birth of the soldiers and the importance of the remembrance for the those who suffered so they could live. Duffy uses a similar technique in Shooting Stars in ââ¬Ëopened the ragged gape of fearââ¬â¢ to re-inforce horror of the statement. She also uses alliteration in ââ¬ËRebecca Rachel Ruthââ¬â¢ and uses traditional Jewish names to heighten the exhaustive list of those who suffered. In Lizzie, Six, Duffy uses consonance rather than assonance and alliteration, closely implied to Anaphora to accentuate the nervous disposition of the reader ââ¬ËWhatââ¬â¢, ââ¬ËWhereââ¬â¢, ââ¬ËWhatââ¬â¢, ââ¬ËWhereââ¬â¢, ââ¬ËWhyââ¬â¢ at the beginning of each stanza and consonance in ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢m afraid of the dark. Iââ¬â¢ll give you the dark and I do not careââ¬â¢ similar to the techniques used in Shooting Stars in the first line uses consonance and an imperfect pararhyme ââ¬Ëspeak and breakââ¬â¢ in the first line. an All three poems have a common theme of rhyme, but the intention is different. Lizzie, Six and Requiem show tail rhyme and holorime both in an effort to make the poem memorable, but Duffy uses this in Lizzie, Six to exaggerate the loss of innocence of a child. Rhyming the poem in a simplistic child-like manner emphasises the haunting suffering. Whereas Heaney uses this technique to signify the remembrance theme of the poem, taking the literal of making the poem memorable and easy to read. All three poems have a common connection to the suffering imposed from an oppressor. For Lizzie, Six, Lizzie is suffering at the hands of her abuser. For Shooting Stars, the Jewish women and the Jewish race are suffering from the oppression of the Nazis and for Requiem for the Croppies, the Irishmen suffering for the loss of their land to the English. Shooting Stars and Requiem have a sub-theme of remembrance and Lizzie Six, the loss of innocence. Though loss of innocence can be found in Shooting Stars and Requiem, their sufferance is predominantly for a race, and land rather than innocence. Regular assonance and consonance are used throughout all three poems, but to different ends, similarly with intentional use of rhyming. The poems vividly highlight suffering throughout, with careful word choice, simplistic yet vulgar in Lizzie, Six to make the suffering more haunting, Grim and factual in Shooting Stars to exaggerate the horror of the suffering and militant and simple to aid the remembrance of the those who suffered in Requiem for the Croppies. References Gardiner, M. (2015). Summaries of selected poetry by Seamus Heaney (Higher School Certificate 1998). [online] Files. puzzling. org. Available at: https://files. puzzling. org/wayback/hsc/heaney [Accessed 17 Nov. 2015]. Grant, M. (2015). [online] View. officeapps. live. com. Available at: https://view. officeapps. live. com/op/view. aspx? src=http%3A%2F%2Fmissgrantenglish. wikispaces. com%2Ffile%2Fview%2FRevision%2BPack. docx [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]. Hurt, P. (2015). Paul Hurt on Seamus Heaneyââ¬â¢s ââ¬ËThe Grauballe Manââ¬â¢ and other poems. [online] Linkagenet. com. Available at: http://www. linkagenet. com/reviews/heaneypoemcriticism. htm#requiem [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]. McMahon, D. (2013). A quick reading of Seamus Heaneyââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Requiem for the Croppiesâ⬠. [online] pulpteacher. Available at: https://pulpteacher. wordpress. com/2013/03/13/a-quick-reading-of-seamus-heaneys-requiem-for-the-croppies/ [Accessed 17 Nov. 2015].
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