Alice Munros Boys and Girls and John Steinbecks The...

The difference between men and women is a very controversial issue, while there are obviously physical differences; the problem is how the genders are treated. It is stereotypically thought that the men do the labor work and make all the money, while the women stay in the house, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. While this stereotype does not exist as much in the 21st century, it was very prevalent in the 1900s. By using many different literary tools such as character development, symbolism, and setting, Alice Munro’s Boys and Girls and John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums challenge this controversial topic of the treatment of women versus men in the 1900s. Munro uses a fox farm for the setting of Boys and Girls to bring†¦show more content†¦Although, unlike Munro, Steinbeck also uses the setting as an insight to Elisa’s thoughts and to reflect her feelings. The story opens up with a lengthy description of Salinas Valley were Elisa and Henry live. The valley is described to be like a â€Å"closed pot† (Steinbeck 1) with â€Å"no sunshine† (Steinbeck 1). This description reflects Elisa’s emotions since she hides her true feelings of sadness and a dull, un-eventful life. Although, despite the winter weather the inhabitants of Salinas Valley wait and are â€Å"mildly hopeful† (Steinbeck 2) of better weather, just like how Elisa is hopeful and constantly waiting for something better to come along in her life. Another important literary element used by Munro and Steinbeck is symbolism. In Boys and Girls, Munro uses horses within the girl’s stories and in reality as a key symbol for freedom, and also as a parallel to the girl’s life. The girl often dreamed of ruling a world where everyone had equal opportunities and riding â€Å"a find horse spiritedly down the main street of Jubilee† (Munro 6). This showed some of the girl’s masculine qualities of courage and nobility, but what the girl would soon realize is that it was the men that were expected to save the village not women. In reality, Flora the horse symbolized freedom but also symbolized the girl and her life. After being locked in a dark stable during the long winter months,

Optimal Power Flow Using Differential Evolution Algorithm...

Optimal Power Flow Using Differential Evolution Algorithm S.Vidya Sagar Reddy Dr.P.Venkata Prasad, Professor Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Chaitanya Bharathi Institute Of Technology(Autonomous) Chaitanya Bharathi Institute Of Technology(Autonomous) Hyderabad, India Hyderabad, India vidyasagar.sabbella@gmail.com pvp_reddy@yahoo.co.uk Abstract— This paper presents an efficient and reliable evolutionary based approach to solve the optimal power flow(OPF) problem. The proposed approach employs differential evolution algorithm for optimal settings of control variables. The proposed approach is examined and tested on the standard IEEE 30-bus test system with fuel cost minimization as objective. The proposed approach results are compared with the results reported in the literature. The results show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach. Keywords— Optimal power flow  · Differential evolution algorithm  · Fuel cost minimization I. INTRODUCTION In the past two decades, the problem of optimal power flow (OPF) has received much attention. It is of current interest of many utilities and it has been marked as one of the most operational needs. The OPF problem solution aims to optimize a selected objective function via optimal adjustment of the power system control variables, while at the same time satisfying various equality and inequality constraints. Because the optimal power flow problem isShow MoreRelatedEconomic Dispatch : An Optimization Problem For Economic Intermitation Methods1494 Words   |  6 Pagesoptimization problem for economic scheduling of power generating units to meet the forecasted load demand while satisfying all operational constraints [1]. As practical ED is a complex constrained optimization problem, its solution requires robust optimization methods. 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(Company Analysis) Kathmandu Holdings Limited Essay Example For Students

(Company Analysis) Kathmandu Holdings Limited Essay Table of contents 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2. INTRODUCTION 3. HISTORY 4. CORE VALUES 5. BUSSINESS OVERVIIEW 5. 1. Market 5. 1. 1. Specialist 5. 1. 2. Mainstream/lifestyle 5. 1. 3. General merchandise retailers 5. 2. Market participants: retailers 5. 3. Market participants: wholesalers/brand competitors 5. 4. List of Major Competitors in the industry (Australian stores New Zealand stores) 6. CUSTOMER TRENDS 7. BUSINESS MODEL 8. MARKETING ACTIVITY AND PRODUCT STRATEGY 8. 1. Marketing activity 8. 2. Brand planning 8. 3. Customer research 9. BRAND HIGHLIGHTS 9. 1. Brand recognition 9. 2. A market leader in Australia and New Zealand 9. 3. Technical products with wide market appeal 9. 4. Distinct advantages from Vertical integration 9. 5. Attractive and stable margins 9. 6. Significant store rollout potential 10. FUTURE VISION 10. 1. New store rollout 10. 2. Upgrade existing store network 10. 3. Target stores 10. 4. Introducing new products 10. 5. Grow and Maximise the Customer Database 11. CUSTOMER CATEGORIES 11. 1. Young Go-Getters 11. 2. Adventurous Families 11. 3. Older Outdoor Enthusiasts 12. OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES 3. RESOURCES / CAPABILITIES 14. COMPANY. S PRODUCTS 15. GOVERNANCE SYSTEM 15. 1. Board Charter 15. 2. Code of Conduct 15. 3. Continuous Disclosure Policy 15. 4. Securities Trading Policy 15. 5. Audit and Risk Committee 15. 6. Remuneration and Nomination Committee 15. 7. Communications Strategy 16. ANALYSIS 16. 1. Key investment risks on the company and Challenges 17. SPONSORSHIPS 18. CONCLUSION 19. REFERENCES / BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A Kathmandu holding limited is a designer, marketer and retailer of clothing and equipment for travel and adventure. It operates in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Kathmandu is a leading retailer of clothing and equipment for travel and adventure in Australia and New Zealand and has a small presence in the UK. Kathmandu. s product offering generally falls into two retailing statistical categories: apparel retailing and recreational goods retailing. The sizes of the Australian apparel retail and recreational goods retailing categories for the year ended August 2009 were approximately Au$19. 1 billion and Au$4. 8 billion respectively. The sizes of the New Zealand apparel retail and recreational goods retailing categories for the year ended July 2009 were approximately NZ$3. 0 billion and NZ$2. 3 billion respectively. The company is Limited Liability Company incorporated in New Zealand and the Head Office is s in Christchurch, with a second Head Office and distribution centre in Melbourne dedicated to looking after the Australian stores. Recently, a third distribution centre was acquired in London to assist with the growing number of stores in the UK. Since its establishment 22 years ago, Kathmandu has become a leading specialist in quality clothing and equipment for travel and adventure in New Zealand and Australia. Kathmandu has grown from a small retailer of adventure clothing and equipment to a vertically integrated business with a significant retail presence. Approximately 95% of sales in Kathmandu stores are Kathmandu-branded products, manufactured by third parties using Kathmandu sourced or specified material and designs. The Company does not sell these products via wholesale channels and consequently achieves both a wholesale and a retail margin on these sales. Founded in 1987, Kathmandu was bought out by Goldman Sachs JB Were and Quadrant Private Equity in 2006, and the company says it has opened 36 new stores since then to have a total of 85 stores in Australia and New Zealand, and 6 in the UK. In November 2009 Kathmandu Holdings Limited was listed on the Australia and New Zealand Stock Exchanges. 2. INTRODUCTION KATHMANDU HOLDINGS LIMITED ASX Code: KMD ITS Abbreviation: KATHMANDU ISIN: NZKMDE0001S3 Home Branch: Sydney Industry Classification: 2520 Consumer Durables Apparel Registered Office: PricewaterhouseCoopers Darling Park, Tower 2, Level 1 201 Sussex Street Sydney NSW 2000 Corporate Office: 4 Mary Muller Drive Christchurch 8006 New Zealand Phone: 64 3 373 6115 Fax: 64 3 373 6116 Web address: www. kathmandu. co. nz Company Secretary: Mark Todd Share Registry: Link Market Services Ltd Level 1 333 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Joint Lead Managers: Goldman Sachs JBWere Pty Limited Level 42, Governor Phillip Tower 1 Farrer Place Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: 1300 366 566 Macquarie Capital Advisers Limited Level 9 1 Martin Place Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 8232 3333 Activities: Retailer of clothing and equipment for travel and adventure http://www. kathmandu. com. au/images/assetimages/info_livethedream. gif 3. HISTORY Kathmandu opened its first store in 1987 and through the 1990s remained a small specialist outdoor retailer, manufacturing many of its own products. During the 1990s, Kathmandu scaled back its manufacturing operations and shifted to an offshore sourcing model. By 2002, Kathmandu no longer manufactured any products in-house. The shift to offshore manufacturing enabled Kathmandu to access quality products at a lower cost which, combined with the Company. in-house design process and Company-operated retail distribution network, has helped generate its strong margins. In 2003/2004, Kathmandu commenced its UK initiative (where it now has six stores) as well as launching basecamp in New Zealand – the Company. s dedicated family camping equipment offering. In 2006, Kathmandu was acquired by a consortium of private equity funds and subsequently a new management team was introduced. Since the acquisition, Kathmandu has invested heavily in its business platform, including staff, IT infrastructure and distribution capacity, and its store footprint. . CORE VALUES As the company states: For us the dream is individually defined. It may be that moment of escape on Friday at 5pm as you leave the office for a weekend of adventure. Packing up the family and car for a holiday along the coast. Seeing those hard-earned savings turn into an around the world ticket to destinations unexplored and fitting your essential world into a backpack. Finding a weekend when everyone is free to play, sleeping under the stars, reaching the summit, or simply making time for friends. Whatever the dream, it. about getting out there and having fun – however you define it. A group of people passionate about living the dream not playing it safe but trying new things, always searching out new toys. We. re not world famous explorers (th ough they can be our customers) but everyday people helping turn fantasies of escape into real possibilities. 5. BUSSINESS OVERVIIEW . Kathmandu is a leading retailer of clothing and equipment for travel and adventure in Australia and New Zealand . Vertically integrated business from in-house design team to company-owned . retail chain Total sales are split approximately 60% clothing and 40% equipment . Design tailored specifically for Australian and New Zealand conditions . 93 stores as at 5 May including 6 UK . Sales of approximately NZ$240 million and EBITDA of NZ$57 million forecast in FY2010 . Existing stores in Australia and New Zealand 5. 1. Market Kathmandu divides the clothing and equipment for travel and adventure Market into three categories: 5. 1. 1. Specialist Equipment and clothing intended for mountaineers and other adventure market participants who require highly technical roducts for their activities 5. 1. 2. Mainstream/lifestyle Products which incorporate some of t he technical authenticity and function but not the top of the line specifications 5. 1. 3. General merchandise retailers Simple clothing and equipment such as fleece, and certain backpacks and sleeping bags for use by the price sensitive consumer With affordable, technical products, Kathmandu competes in all three categories, recognising its view that the mass market represents a significant financial opportunity where buyers will pay for technical credibility. Kathmandu. s wide appeal and technical credibility increases the size of its addressable market 5. 2. Market participants: retailers Within the categories listed above, a number of retailers and brands/wholesalers operate under a range of business models. There are degrees of overlap between retailers and brands/wholesalers as well as with the product range of indirect competitors. The travel and adventure gear markets in Australia and New Zealand are highly fragmented and comprise a wide range of retail formats including (but not limited to): Specialty outdoor industry retailers including Mountain Designs, Snowgum, and Macpac in both Australia and New Zealand, Bivouac and RR Sports in New Zealand; and Anaconda, Columbia, Aussie Disposals, Paddy Pallin, BCF ,Ray. s Outdoors and The North Face in Australia; . Lifestyle/sporting goods retailers: including Rebel Sport and Colorado and fashion and footwear stores such as Athletes . Foot and Surf Dive „N. Ski . General merchandise/f ull service department stores: Including Kmart, Target, Big W, David Jones and Myer in Australia and The Warehouse and Farmers in New Zealand. Online retailers also offer competing products. 5. 3. Market participants: wholesalers/brand competitors Kathmandu also competes with a number of brands which sell through specialist travel and adventure retailers, sports stores and department stores. A number of international brands have gained credibility amongst broader market consumers as a result of their technical merit and have consequently gained popularity as lifestyle wear. As a specialist in clothing and equipment for travel and adventure focused in Australia and New Zealand, Kathmandu. advantage over many of its Northern Hemisphere brand competitors is that it designs and markets products specifically intended for each region. s unique requirements and conditions. Furthermore, Kathmandu. s extensive retail footprint and brand differentiate the Company from many brand competitors, and its vertical integration as a designer and retailer generally allows it to offer products to customers at very attractive price points. Ther e are competing brands located in Australia and New Zealand, such as Mountain Designs, which also focus on this region; however, Kathmandu has a more significant store footprint. . 4. List of Major Competitors in the industry (Australian stores New Zealand stores) 1. Columbia 2. The North Face 3. RR Sports 4. Paddy Pallin 5. Bivouac 6. Anaconda 7. Macpac 8. Aussie Disposals 9. Ray’s Outdoors 10. Mountain 11. Designs 12. BCF 6. CUSTOMER TRENDS The travel and adventure clothing and equipment market appeals to a broad customer base – from specialist outdoor adventurers, looking for technical products, to recreational users, buying for lifestyle and practical reasons. The market. s customers span a wide range of ages and demographics. In recent years, there has been an emphasis on activities which promote health and fitness, and government programs have been developed to encourage active and healthy lifestyles. In Australia, the Federal Government has implemented the „Measure Up. campaign as part of the Australian Better Health Initiative (â€Å"ABHI†). The „Measure Up. campaign is for all Australians and aims to provide them with the tools and understanding to make healthy lifestyle choices. The ABHI was announced in February 2006 by the Council of Australian Governments and a total of Au$500 million was assigned to the program over four years. In New Zealand, the New Zealand Ministry of Health has launch edits „Healthy Eating – Healthy Action. campaign as part of its strategic approach to improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and achieving healthy weight for all New Zealanders. Australia and New Zealand are fitness-focused countries. More than 63% of New Zealanders and 58% of Australians were classified as highly active in a 2004 study, 1 making the New Zealand and Australian populations the first and fifth most active of the 20 countries studied. Australians have become more active in the past few years, with the median frequency of participation in physical activity per week up 50% since 2001 (from two to three times) and the percentage of Australians participating in regular physical activity up 33% since 2001. 3 1. Bauman A, Bull F, Chey T, Craig C, Ainsworth B, Sallis J et al. (2009) The International Prevalence Study on Physical Activity: Results from 20 countries. International Journal of Be havioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2009, Vol. 6: 21. 2. Countries studied comprised Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and the USA. 3. Australian Sports Commission: Participation in Exercise, Recreation and Sport Annual Report (2008). http://www. sheffield. co. nz 7. BUSINESS MODEL Design . Manufacture and logistics . Stores Kathmandu. s products are designed to suit specific New Zealand and Australian requirements, such as terrain and climate. The technical aspects of Kathmandu. s products make them less seasonal compared to fashion apparel. My Personality EssayAudit and Risk Committee Under its charter, this committee must have at least three members, a majority of whom must be independent Directors and all of whom must be non-executive Directors. Currently, all the non-executive Directors are members of this committee. John Harvey will act as chairman of the committee. The primary role of this committee includes: . overseeing the process of financial reporting, internal control, continuous disclosure, financial and non-financial risk management and compliance and external audit; . monitoring Kathmandu. s compliance with laws and regulations and Kathmandu. own codes of conduct and ethics; . encouraging effective relationships with, and communication between, the Board, Management and Kathmandu. s external auditor; and . evaluating the adequacy of processes and controls established to identify and manage areas of potential risk and to seek to safeguard the Company. s assets. Under the charter it is the policy of the Co mpany that its external auditing firm must be independent of the Company. The committee will review and assess the independence of the external auditor on an annual basis. Risk Management Policy The identification and proper management of Kathmandu. risk are an important priority of the Board. Kathmandu has adopted a risk management policy appropriate for its business. This policy highlights the risks relevant to Kathmandu. s operations, and Kathmandu. s commitment to designing and implementing systems and methods appropriate to minimise and control its risk. The Audit and Risk Committee is responsible for monitoring risk management and establishing procedures which seek to provide assurance that major business risks are identified, consistently assessed and appropriately addressed. 15. 6. Remuneration and Nomination Committee Under its charter, this committee must have at least three members, a majority of whom must be independent Directors and all of whom must be non-executive Directors. Currently, all the non-executive Directors are members of this committee. Sandra McPhee will act as chairman of the committee. The main functions of the committee are to assist the Board with a view to establishing a Board of effective composition, size, expertise and commitment to adequately discharge its responsibilities and duties, and assist the Board with a view to discharging its responsibilities to Shareholders and other stakeholders to seek to ensure that Kathmandu: has coherent remuneration policies and practices which enable Kathmandu to attract and retain executives and Directors who will create value for Shareholders; . fairly and responsibly remunerates Directors and executives, having regard to the performance of Kathmandu, the performance of the executives and the general remuneration environment; . and ha s effective policies and procedures to attract, motivate and retain appropriately skilled persons to meet Kathmandu. s needs. 15. 7. Communications Strategy Kathmandu is committed to keeping Shareholders informed of all major evelopments affecting the Company. s state of affairs relevant to Shareholders in accordance with all applicable laws. Information will be communicated to Shareholders through the lodgement of all relevant financial and other information with ASX and NZX and publishing information on the Company. s website (http://www. kathmandu. co. nz/ or http://www. kathmandu. com. au/). In particular, the Company. s website will contain information about the Company, including media releases, key policies and the terms of reference of the Company. s Board Committees. All relevant announcements made to the market and any other relevant information will be posted on the Company. s website as soon as they have been released to ASX and NZX. 16. ANALYSIS 16. 1. Key investment risks on the company and Challenges Potential investors should be aware that there are risks associated with Investing in Kathmandu, including risks Associated with the Kathmandu business and risks associated with investing in the Stock market generally. Some risks are beyond the control of Kathmandu and its Directors and management and may have a material impact on Kathmandu. financial Performance or position. See section 9 for further information on the key risks. Before deciding whether to apply for Shares, potential investors should Read this prospectus in its entirety and carefully consider the assumptions underlying the financial forecasts and the risk factors that could affect the Future performance of Kathmandu. Some of the key risks of investing In Kathmandu include but are not limited to the following: . The retail environment may deteriorate. . A downturn in General economic conditions may Have a material adverse effect On Kathmandu; and . The success of Kathmandu is heavily reliant on its reputation and branding. Unexpected Issues or events may damage . Kathmandu. s reputation or the Value of its brand . Kathmandu may face aggressive competition or its competitive Position may deteriorate; . Kathmandu. s sales may be adversely affected by unseasonal Weather conditions; . A sale promotion failure would adversely impact . Kathmandu. s earnings and cash flow; Product sourcing from third parties carries risk; . Kathmandu may lose key management personnel and may not Be able to recruit equally qualified replacements; . Information technology failures may occur and information . Technology projects may not be successfully implemented; . Unforeseen or unexpected regulation could adversely . Affect operations; . Foreign exchange movements may result in a change of . Relative competitiveness in the short term; . Kathmandu may be unable to secure suitable sites for new . Stores at competitive rates; and . There could be a greater than expected impact to existing Store sales from the new store rollout. 17. SPONSORSHIPS Outward Bound and Kathmandu (adventure scholarship) Kathmandu. s partnership with Outward Bound started in July 2005 and ever since then we have been busy sorting clothing and equipment for their courses, product testing and providing all Outward Bound instructors with Kathmandu clothing, and running our Live the Dream ® Adventure scholarships. †¢ First Foundation and Kathmandu (education and training) The First Foundation was established in 1998 to help talented young people whose families may not have the financial resources available to help them achieve their tertiary goals. The Foundation has 65 current scholars working through the program, with more commencing next year. Each scholarship involves a significant commitment from all concerned. †¢ Kathmandu Supports the Creation of One of the World’s Largest Private Nature Reserves (environment) Kathmandu is proud to announce its support for the establishment of one of the world. s newest and largest private nature reserves by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to saving Australia. s threatened wildlife and ecosystems. 18. CONCLUSION The story of Kathmandu began with a sewing machine in the back room of a med student. s flat where it was being used to make outdoor clothing and equipment for friends and family. Over 21 years, it is today – a company of more than 80 stores spread across Australia, New Zealand the United Kingdom The growth prospects of Kathmandu are likely to result from increased contribution from existing stores and the Company. s ability to continue to open and operate new stores on a profitable basis. The store rollout program is dependent on Kathmandu. ability to secure suitable sites on acceptable terms. A significant increase in rental costs associated with new stores could impact margins and the profitability of some stores. Similarly, the inability of Kathmandu to source new locations in target areas could reduce the Company. s ability to continue to expand its store footprint. In addition, Kathmandu. s tri-annual sales account for a significant proportion of revenue each year and require significant inventory to be stocked in preparation. A sale promotion failure could lead to a meaningful ncrease in working capital, potentially breaching the Company. s working capital facility, and a marked reduction in sales revenue. In the three and a half year period under the current ownership there has been substantial investment in core organisational structure to support ongoing growth. In all three countries of operation, new or redeveloped leased head office and distribution facilities have been established with sufficient capacity to support future store growth. Kathmandu. s business depends on effective marketing and advertising. There is a risk that one or more marketing or advertising campaigns may be unsuccessful, which may adversely impact margins, reduce overall profitability and have an adverse effect on Kathmandu. s future financial performance or position The executive management team has been enlarged with new personnel and roles introduced to facilitate the Company. s growth strategy in respect to store rollout, product development and logistics. Key systems improvements, such as new point-of- sales and electronic time and attendance/rostering systems will provide IT infrastructure for ongoing growth. Total capital expenditure for these initiatives represented approximately NZ$3. 5 million over FY2007 to FY2009. Store rollout Kathmandu has grown from 46 stores in 2006 to 82 as at the end of FY2009. New store openings have been a key driver of sales and earnings growth. Having determined the appropriate store formats and rollout opportunities, the rate of new store openings has also taken into account the economic environment, business capacity, availability of suitable locations, and optimal use of capital. Kathmandu. s vertical business model has assisted individual stores to quickly make positive contributions. The speed of new store rollout and targeting in fill of stores in existing areas (particularly in New Zealand) has caused some reduction in existing store sales. There are a number of risks, both specific to Kathmandu and of a general nature, which may either individually, or in combination, materially and adversely affect the future operating and financial performance of Kathmandu, its investment returns control of Kathmandu, its Directors and management. There can be no guarantee that Kathmandu will achieve its stated objectives or that any forward looking statements or forecast will eventuate. There are pricing and other risks associated with any investment in a company listed on a stock market. The price of shares on ASX and NZX may rise or fall due to numerous factors which may affect the market performance of Kathmandu, including changes in Australian, New Zealand and other international stock markets and investor sentiment, domestic and world economic conditions and outlook, inflation rates, interest rates, employment, taxation and changes to government policy, legislation or regulation. The market price for the Shares could be volatile or fluctuate in response to a wide range of factors and actual or anticipated events, including variations in Kathmandu. s prospects or operating results, the outlook for the retail, industrial, textile or clothing markets, the discovery or development of competing projects, adverse industry publicity, and other events or factors affecting the operations, financial performance or actual or perceived value of Kathmandu. 19. REFERENCES / BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www. shares. com. au/forum/showthread. php? t=7055 www. investsmart. com. u/shares/asx/Kathmandu-Holdings-KMD. asp Cached http://www. businessspectator. com. au/bs. nsf/Article/Kathmandu-profit-lifts-after-IPO- pd20100318-3MT92? OpenDocumentsrc=tnb http://www. sheffield. co. nz https://www. asxonline. com/intradoc- cgi/groups/participant_services/documents/communications/asx_025383. pdf * GORE-TEX survey June 2008 by W L Gore Associates (Australia) Pty Ltd. Comprises both unprompte d recognition of the Kathmandu brand and recognition of the Kathmandu brand when prompted by the surveyor. * Source: http://www. kathmanduholdings. com/presentations/Information. pdf

Racial and ethnic inequalities as a social problem

There has been a raging debate about the definitions of a social condition and a social problem. Some researchers have also likened these two concepts despite the distinction between the two concepts. A social condition is a condition regarded by some people as bad while a social problem is a condition viewed by everyone as bad.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Racial and ethnic inequalities as a social problem specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Leon-Guerrero defines a social problem as â€Å"a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world† (8). Race and ethnicity is among the major social conditions that exist in the contemporary society. It occurs as a result of increased international migrations across the continents and intermarriages between different communities in the world. Leon-Guerrero outlines two perspectives of defi ning of race namely the biological and the sociological perspectives. Race from a biological point of view is defined as a group or population that shares a set of genetic characteristics and physical features such as religion, skin color or species. However, sociologists such as Michael Omi an Howard Winant regard race as a concept signifying and symbolizing social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies (Leon-Guerrero 67). Racism is the belief by individuals that certain racial or ethnic groups are inferior and that discriminatory practices against them are justified (Leon-Guerrero 70). Discriminatory practices can be classified as individual or institutional. Individual discrimination includes actions against minority members by individuals whereas institutional discrimination is practiced by the government, social institutions and organizations and it includes segregation, exclusion or expulsion. Racial and ethnic inequalities affect an individual and the society in different ways including the socioeconomic position of an individual or of the society. Income and wealth of an individual is determined by the social class to which he or she belongs. In the United States, the measure of income and wealth is home ownership since it enables families to invest in their future. After the Second World War, the rate of White middle-class home ownership grew steadily as compared to the Blacks and other minority groups who were denied access to home ownership through discrimination and low income. A research by Hudson et al also suggests that â€Å"it is possible that experiences of racial discrimination could, in part, diminish the effects of increased socioeconomic position among African American men† (134). The racial and ethnic inequalities also determine the type of education that various individuals in the society would like the children to have. Gagnà © and Tewksbury, as quoted by Leon-Guerrero, argue that â€Å"schools have become economically segregated, with the children of middle or upper class families attending predominantly White suburban schools and the children of poorer parents attending racially mixed urban schools† (79). Thus it is evident that racial and ethnic inequalities have an indirect impact on the family income and wealth which in turn dictates the education system that their children would undergo.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Racial and ethnic inequalities have a profound impact on the health of an individual or the society at large. Leon-Guerrero quotes Gabard and Cooper who argue that â€Å"although race may be a social construct, it produces profound biological manifestations through stress, decreased services, decreased medications, and decreased hospital procedures† (80). The health institutions have put in place a system that discriminates against th e racial and ethnic minority group members. Some researchers have gone further to specify how discrimination is related to health. After an analysis and comparison of the relationship between racial discrimination and health-related outcomes, Benjamins argues that â€Å"discrimination was most strongly related to depression and was less consistently associated with physical health and health behaviors† (16). Racial and ethnic inequalities also have consequences on individuals who leave their country of origin to move to another. The security systems always target immigrants of ethnic and racial minority and they are associated with crime since they are believed to be illegal immigrants. The history of social problems is identified through a subjective process according to Malcom Spector and John Kituse who outline four stages of the subjective process (Leon-Guerrero 12). The first stage, which is defined as the transformation process, involves taking a private or personal pro blem and transforming it into a public issue. The transformation is done by an influential group, activists or advocates who call attention to and define an issue as a social problem. The second stage is known as the legitimization process which is concerned with formalizing the manner in which the social problems or complaints generated by the problem are handled. This process involves creation and implementation of policies to respond to the social problem. The third stage is the conflict stage that involves readjustment of the formal response system, renegotiation of procedures, reforming practices and engaging in administrative or organizational restructuring. The fourth and final stage begins when groups believe that they can no longer work within the established system. Advocates or activists of the social problem are faced with two options which are either to radically change the existing system or to work outside the system (Leon-Guerrero 12). Most social problems in a commu nity, society, or a global social system are caused by the inequality in the distribution of resources. Some individuals or organizations in the community have more income, power and prestige than others.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Racial and ethnic inequalities as a social problem specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This group of people develops vested interests in maintaining or even increasing their resources and therefore they come up with laws, ideologies, customs and informal norms which are viewed as legitimate by the whole society. As a result, they are able to maintain and control the available resources and block other low class individuals who may want to rise up the ranks. This yields frustration on the part of the majority low class individuals who must struggle to access the resources thus creating conflict. Leon-Guerrero explains that â€Å"conflict theorists focus on how the dynamics of racial and ethnic relations divide groups while maintaining a dominant group defined by ethnic and racial categories or social class† (71). Marxist theorists argue that immigrants form a backup labor force that performs jobs that native workers no longer perform. This group of individuals provides a cheaper labor source that easily secures employment during economic growth and easily lay off during economic recessions. Conflict develops when higher paid native workers struggle to prevent importation of cheaper nonnative labor so as to maintain their advantage in the labor market. According to Edna Bonacich’s theory of antagonism, â€Å"the presence of a cheaper labor group threatens the jobs of higher paid workers and the standard for wages in all jobs. Under these conditions, the two groups of laborers remain in conflict with each other while the interests of capitalist business owners are maintained† (Leon-Guerrero 72). Works Cited Benjamins, Maureen R. â€Å"Compar ing Measures of Racial/Ethnic Discrimination, Coping, and Associations with Health-related Outcomes in a Diverse Sample.† Journal of Urban Health (2013): 1-17. Print. Hudson, Darrell L., et al. â€Å"Are Benefits Conferred with Greater Socioeconomic Position Undermined by Racial Discrimination among African American Men?† Journal of Men’s Health 9.2 (2012): 127-136. Print. Leon-Guerrero, Anna. Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2011. Print. This essay on Racial and ethnic inequalities as a social problem was written and submitted by user Ryker Mcknight to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Analysis Of Tui Operations In The Vacation Industry Tourism Essay Essays

Analysis Of Tui Operations In The Vacation Industry Tourism Essay Essays Analysis Of Tui Operations In The Vacation Industry Tourism Essay Essay Analysis Of Tui Operations In The Vacation Industry Tourism Essay Essay The touristry industry is one of the biggest industries. It has batch of growing in the past and its growing is increasing. There are batch of characteristics and deductions of this industry. The TUI is one of the biggest companies runing in the touristry industry today. The figure of tourers sing different parts of the universe is increasing twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours with the addition in population. Tourism is non merely an industry, it is a avocation besides. The people visit new topographic points and like find new topographic points to see. With the addition in population there is a uninterrupted addition in the tourers besides. There are many deductions in touristry industry. These deductions are depending upon the geographic locations, demographics of the tourers, fiscal and wellness and safety conditions. The TUI is one of the biggest operators in touristry industry with their services around 180 states. The chief caput office is in UK but it has its operations in other parts of the universe every bit good. The different type of operators in the touristry industry has different types of deductions depending upon the altering concern environment. There are different types of companies which have their operations in different parts of the universe and there is an addition in their operations in figure of states. This addition shows the addition in the figure of tourers and increase in the tendency of touristry. Similarly, different authoritiess are increasing their support to the touristry industry. TUI is working in four sectors. The chief watercourse is the largest sector in footings of size, employee Numberss and fiscal public presentation. It includes the taking circuit operators. ( www.tuitravelplc.com ) The chief line working is on the sale of chief watercourse vacations, gross re venues of flights and adjustment and auto hire. The other sector is the specializer and emerging markets sector. This sector is an international portfolio of travel concerns concentrating on specific finishs, premium travel experiences or peculiar client demographic sections frequently with differentiated and sole merchandise. The 3rd sector on which TUI is working is activity sector. This Sector has over 40 activity travel concerns that operate under five divisions Marine, Adventure, Ski, Student and Sport. Each of these divisions has market-leading places. The Adventure concerns take more clients to iconic escapade finishs than any other operator. The Sport concerns are leaders in supporter-led cricket and rugger Tourss in Australia and the UK, while the Student concerns encompass everything from the traditional school trip to France, to trek vacations for groups of immature grownups in the Himalayas.A This Sector besides includes the taking yacht trade names in Europe and the US and the universe s largest ski operator. Top merchandising trade names include Crystal Ski, Moorings and Le Boat. The 4th sector is accommodation and finishs sector. The Accommodation A ; Destinations Sector sells and provides a scope of services in finish to tour operators, travel agents, corporate clients, and direct to the consumer worldwide. The Accommodation A ; Destinations Sector sells and provides a scope of services in finish to tour operators, travel agents, corporate clients, and direct to the consumer worldwide. ( Simon Coleman A ; Mike Crang, Tourism ) Deductions to TUI The travel and touristry industry is the fastest turning industry in the universe with batch of possible. The TUI s sustainable development in the touristry and travel industry shows its credibleness and committedness towards clients. The vision of TUI is really much clear from their end that is to make superior stockholder value by being the universe s prima leisure travel group supplying clients with the widest pick of differentiated and flexible travel experiences to run into their altering demands. There is sustainable development in the touristry industry and TUI aspires to take in sustainable development within the leisure travel industry. The scheme development for sustainable development in TUI is through a procedure which involves research and function which includes fact base of cardinal sustainable development issues. It involves SWOT analysis i.e. strength, failings, chances and menaces analysis. The procedure involves the prioritization of issues which involves sector co ordinators prioritized cardinal issues for TUI Travel. The procedure of sustainable development involves the appraisal of current patterns which includes the group sustainable development study. It includes the definition of strategic precedences and the induction of work watercourses and schemes. The TUI s sustainable development policy says that as a prima leisure travel company, they recognize that the environment, communities and civilizations within which we operate are critical to the success of our concern. Responsible Leadership is one of the company s nucleus values, and underscores their committedness to sustainable development and to doing a positive impact on society. The things which are committed by the TUI sing their sustainable development policy are to implant sustainable development rules into nucleus concern patterns throughout TUI Travel. They are committed to utilize the corporate influence of TUI Travel to drive sustainability within the leisure travel industry . To understand and esteem the demands of our stakeholders, including clients, co-workers, stockholders, providers, industry spouses and local communities. To follow with all relevant statute law, act in progress of it where possible, and maintain gait with best pattern and to present long-run strategic benefit and stockholder value by maximising the chances that sustainable development nowadayss. In add-on to these they are committed to work to forestall pollution wherever possible, and continually better our environmental public presentation, specifically by cut downing our C emanations through work plans with our aircraft, H2O conveyance, hotels, land conveyance and office premises. To optimise our vacations environmental, economic and societal impact, by implanting sustainability into our supply concatenation and initiating activities that protect and restore the natural environment and heighten local supports. To supply information, preparation and support to co-workers, deriv ing their committedness to taking action on sustainable development issues and to promote their clients to take more sustainable leisure travel options, and to take action to cut down their negative impacts and maximise their positive impacts in finishs. This shows that TUI understands its corporate societal duty. Changing Business Environment The touristry has the possible to increase national and international economic systems and besides aid to protect ecosystems. The tourer demographics are really much involved in the changing concern environment. The altering economic conditions have their consequence on touristry but these altering economic conditions have non much consequence on the figure of tourers. ( Dennis M. Brown, Rural Tourism ) . The figure of tourers is increasing twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours. There is a alteration in the economic conditions of different people due to recession but the pick to see new topographic points has non much consequence. The alteration is an on-going procedure and there is a alteration in the environment and the climatic conditions. The type of alteration affects the type of tourers sing the new topographic points. As compared to the last decennary there is an addition in the figure of tourers sing the new topographic points. The tourers vary from different age groups, cul tural backgrounds, different occupation sectors and holding different economic conditions. In this altering concern environment the TUI has to alter its touristry schemes. The schemes depend upon the geographic countries and the mark market. Accomplishments of TUI The TUI emerged as a biggest company in the touristry industry. Geting a start from a little company, it is now a biggest circuit operator holding its operations in different parts of the universe. The TUI s accomplishments in going a biggest company in the universe are due to its variegation and sustainable growing. The TUI has uninterrupted growing from the really get downing boulder clay onwards. From the formation of TUI till the acquisition of large companies, TUI is the market leader in the touristry industry. It has now more than 200 touristry trade names in the universe. All these are now under one umbrella and that is TUI. In 2002, the TUI air direction was created and this was created in order to pull off the six group air hoses centrally. In the same twelvemonth it was voted to call it as TUI AG and the same twelvemonth the complete return over of Nouvelles Frontieres was done by TUI. The following twelvemonth, the new cost film editing program was introduced by the group and it involves aiming annual nest eggs of around 260 million euro in 2003 and 100 million euro in 2004. There was a slack in touristry in 2003 but in order to set that slack this plan was introduced by the group. In the average clip, no other circuit operator had achieved a taking place in the European touristry market. The circuit operators were most exposed to the economic downswing because they were holding their fixed assets and were unable to pull off the losingss. Another measure was taken by TUI when the TUI China was launched for the Chinese tourers sing Germany and a twelvemonth subsequently the TUI opened its first low cost travel bureau in Hamburg. Everything was done on the topographic point and on the topographic point information was given for vacations. In 2004, TUI entered the Russian circuit operator market. A practical circuit operator was launched by the TUI in the undermentioned twelvemonth. This was new measure because this clip, the TUI start selling online an d through electronic media and call centres. Following twelvemonth, it entered the Indian market and the same twelvemonth it bought the complete portions of the Canadian container transporting line. The twelvemonth 2005 was the most of import twelvemonth for TUI when it becomes the biggest circuit operator in Europe. The different types of bundles were introduced by TUI. The most selling bundle was the standard bundle which includes air transit, hotel adjustment, choice and bead service from the airdrome to the hotel and the optional points such as repasts, insurance and jaunts were included. The continuance of the stay was fixed and the hired planes provided the choice and bead service. The monetary value of this bundle was really much competitory therefore it was the most successful bundle by the TUI and captured the major market portion. The circuit operators converted it into a mass market concern. At that clip the group owned about 3500 travel bureaus in different states. It ha s 75 circuit operators active in 18 European markets and it owned more than 100 aircraft with holding control of assorted air hoses. In the twelvemonth two 1000 and five, the TUI was besides the biggest hotelkeeper with 285 hotels and some 163,000 beds. It becomes figure 13 in the ranking of the biggest hotel ironss around the universe. At the same clip the group owned 37 entrance bureaus holding more than 5000 staff. The circuit ushers were from more than 70 states. ( Krishan K. Kamra, Tourism ) . They manage and organize the travel to and from the airdrome and it were due to the effectual direction that TUI becomes the largest market leader in the touristry industry. At that clip the group was besides holding its four sail line drives. The group was besides active in the transportation concern largely in logistics and containers. The figure of human resources working in the group increased twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours with the enlargement of the concern. These employees were in different sections and they were holding their different functions but holding the same nonsubjective i.e. to develop the concern of the group. The group had a strong clasp on the European touristry market in 2005. The TUI has the largest market portion in the touristry industry in Europe. The success of the TUI is all due to its human resources. The enlargement of the TUI was due to its acquisitions of the markets and the deductions of the TUI were due to the altering concern environment. The TUI s enlargement and going the market leader in the touristry industry shows that there is batch of possible in the touristry industry. Decision The analysis of the TUI s instance shows that the touristry industry is the fastest turning industry in the universe. The TUI has developed itself through its enlargement in the new concern lines and by geting the new concerns. It developed it self by presenting new merchandises and aiming new markets. The trained human resource helped it to turn and it besides helped it to go the market leader. The analysis shows that TUI has its success in going the market leader because it has the largest market portion. In the old old ages the touristry industry has its growing at the one-year gait of 4.1 per centum. The enlargement of the touristry industry shows a new tendency. The touristry industry s part to the gross domestic merchandise can be calculated by the gross generated by the tourers. The touristry industry has batch of atomization and it has a big figure of little concerns. This industry is of critical importance to the planetary economic system. The figure below shows the UK s por tion in universe touristry during the 1980 to 1999. ( Laura Bardgett, The touristry industry ) There are figure of factors involved in finding the touristry. These include the economic conditions. If the people in a state have good economical conditions, they will see new topographic points and if they do nt hold much money to pass they will non travel anyplace. The other of import factor is the cost of life and traveling. Some states have high rates on the VAT on the hotel and there is a lessening in the figure of tourers sing those states. The geographical conditions are besides an of import factor. If a state has good geographical location and it has different historical topographic points to see so the tourers will be willing to see that state. ( Roger Doswell, Tourism, How effectual direction makes the difference ) . The jurisprudence and order and wellness and safety issues are involved in finding the figure of tourers sing the new topographic points. A state holding no jurisprudence and order issue and holding good wellness and safety will be targeted by the tourers. Th e tourers prefer to see those states which are peaceable and the people of those states are good hosts. The civilization is an of import factor which determines the figure of tourers sing the new topographic points. A rich cultural heritage is ever an attractive force for the tourers. The tourers prefer to see those states and those topographic points which have some cultural heritage. The TUI has addressed all these factors and it has developed its merchandises harmonizing to the client s demands and wants. The TUI s client relationship direction helped it to derive more market portion. The TUI has addressed and targeted different countries in different parts of the universe. The enlargement of the TUI from Europe to Asia and from Canada to America is made possible due to its selling direction and the entrepreneurial accomplishments. The factor which is besides more of import in finding the tendency of tourers is the efficient bundle by the travel company which means that the maxim al installations should be provided the company under lower limit costs involved. Therefore, the tourers attract towards those companies who design the vacation s bundle harmonizing to the demands of the clients. The fulfilment of the demands of the client help the clients to prosecute with the company and in this manner the company acquire new concerns and develop its concerns. The TUI s success is besides made possible through its cost effectual plans and its bundles. The TUI has become the market leader and gained the maximal market portion. The environmental factor is besides involved in the touristry industry. The states holding good environment are most visited states by the tourers and the TUI has designed its bundles harmonizing to the different environment and climatic conditions in different parts of the universe. The tourers are sing Africa and Australia in different parts of the twelvemonth and likewise they are sing Europe and Canada in different parts of the twelvemont h. The clip factor is involved in finding which portion should be visited during what clip of the twelvemonth. The TUI has addressed this issue besides. The enlargement in different concern lines besides helped the TUI to prolong and develop as a market leader. It introduces different merchandises in the transportation industry every bit good and likewise carry throughing the demands of the clients it introduces its ain sail line. The TUI has its ain hotel concatenation and it has its ain planes. This makes it differentiable from its rivals and gave an border to go the market leader and derive maximal market portion. The success of TUI in the touristry industry will transport on every bit long as it will prolong it self by carry throughing the demands and wants of the tourers. Change is ever there and the best thing is to pull off that alteration. There is a batch of alteration in the touristry industry in the last decennary and this alteration has its drastic effects on the differe nt companies but the lone companies survive which has done the alteration direction. The TUI has become the largest company in the Europe due to its market enlargement and acquiring the maximal market portion due to its selling direction. The success will transport on if the same rules will be followed in the hereafter and the on-going alteration in the concern environment will be decently managed because alteration is an on-going procedure and the best thing is to pull off that alteration.

Beethoven essays

Beethoven essays The composer of some of the most influential pieces of music ever written, Ludwig van Beethoven created a bridge between the 18th- century classical period and the new beginnings of Romanticism. His greatest breakthroughs in composition came in his instrumental work, including his symphonies. Unlike his predecessor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for whom writing music seemed to come easily, Beethoven always Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, and was baptized on Dec. 17, 1770. (There is no record of his birth date.) His father and grandfather worked as court musicians in Bonn. Ludwig's father, a singer, gave him his early musical training. Although he had only meager academic schooling, he studied piano, violin, and French horn, and before he was 12 years old he became a court organist. Ludwig's first important teacher of composition was Christian Gottlob Neefe. In 1787 he studied briefly with Mozart, and five years later he left Bonn permanently and went to Vienna to study with Joseph Haydn and later Beethoven's first public appearance in Vienna was on March 29, 1795, as a soloist in one of his piano concerti. Even before he left Bonn, he had developed a reputation for fine performances. In Vienna young Beethoven soon had a long list of aristocratic patrons who loved music In the late 1700s Beethoven began to suffer from early symptoms of deafness. The cause of his disability is still uncertain. By 1802 Beethoven was convinced that the condition not only was permanent, but was getting progressively worse. He spent that summer in the country and wrote what has become known as the "Heiligenstadt Testament." In the document, apparently intended for his two brothers, Beethoven expressed his humiliation and despair. For the rest of his life he ...

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration - Essay Example The last pull factor for the Refugees was humanitarian aid that occurred between 2010 and 2012. The soldiers that came fighting for Bashar Assad, especially due to Political and Economic factors.The negative impact of this civil war on the Syrians is that there were few people to go to work and maintain the growth of the economy (Tarn, 155). The hosting countries also faced negative impact due to this; there were too many people and thus few jobs. The large influx of persons harmed their economy by draining their resources and also to the United Nation country’s resources. Another adverse impact of such migrations was; the government lost some of their taxes. Consequently, Syria lost their populations leading to various family challenges and risks. Kids also lost their friends, parent lost their jobs for a certain period, and there was less space in their houses as there was no enough money for bigger houses. This is attributed to the fact that these countries provided for the refugees. Majority of them migrated to safer countries like United Kingdom, United States of America, and also Australia. The refugees sought for these countries because there were no wars in those countries. The positive impact for this is that the hosting country got more citizens to fill any available job, and this helped the economy. The civil war also spilled to the neighboring countries such as Iraq and Iran. This caused the collapse of Iraq and Syria as well spreading the conflict with the neighboring countries (The Lancet, 383).

Link Between Language Acquisition and Learning Disabilities Essay

Link Between Language Acquisition and Learning Disabilities - Essay Example Behavioral as well as public elements as well need mastery, together with expertise such as connecting, acting in response, and sustaining mutual relations with others. The nature and value of these communication abilities show a discrepancy and modify in due course for successful communicators. From the age of 1 year till 3 years, there is a broad deviation in the level of standard speech and language improvement. Even though the series of signs is expected, the precise timing of their attainment may differ from person to person. Receptive language expertise usually grows earlier than a kid’s capability to create logical expressions, words, and sentences. For a number of kids, the improvement of language skills continues in a standard order although at a sluggish rate than standard. This situation is known as a delay in language acquisition. On the contrary, other kids seem to pursue a different order of language acquisition, which is known as a â€Å"disorder of development † (Shipley & McAfee, 2008). Disorders of language acquisition may have an effect on communicative capabilities only or both communicative as well as receptive capabilities. For kids who have â€Å"normally developed nonverbal cognitive abilities† (Shipley & McAfee, 2008), language issues that are harsh and asserted during the nonexistence of apparent neurologic offense or hearing injury are known as specific language impairments. The occurrence of specific language impairments varies, but a rate of more or less 9 percent of school going kids is mentioned usually. Specific language impairment is more common in males as compared to females, with ratios between 3.7:1 and 5.7:1. The more conventional approximation probably applies to the common population. The point at which a pediatrician become worried regarding a kid’s language development and feels the necessity to as for additional assessment is not an insignificant issue when considering the occurrence of the t rouble as well as the â€Å"developmental sequelae† (Grassi & Barker, 2009) of language disorders. More or less, one third to half of kids having acute language acquisition problems at the age of 2 years carry on to have delays at the age of 3 years. In addition, 65 percent to 95 percent of preschoolers who have language setback and regular nonverbal aptitude keep on showing language troubles up to the age of 20 years after the preliminary analysis. Even though â€Å"average or above-average nonverbal cognitive ability is a good prognostic indicator among children who have specific language impairments† (Lipson & Wixson, 2010), this results on its own does not guarantee ultimate improvement of standard language acquisition. Besides, constant language problems, kids who have specific language impairments are affected in educational, communal, and psychosomatic areas. The sort of language setback seems to be linked with result. Kids who have talking and phonology problem s usually have an enhanced diagnosis as compared to those who have wider impairments of both creation as well as understanding of language. Even though view on the way of dealing with language and speech problems in young kids differs significantly, there are common guiding principles. Kids between the age bracket of one and a half and two years, whose language understanding as well as expression is delayed should be sent for and

A Rumi of One’s Own Essay Example for Free

A Rumi of One’s Own Essay Several years ago Kabir Helminski, a sheikh of the Mevlevi Order of Sufism, received a call from Madonna’s producer, who wanted to hire his troupe of whirling dervishes for a music video inspired by the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi. Helminski read the script, learned that a guy would be lying on top of Madonna while she sang â€Å"Let’s get unconscious, honey,† and wrote a polite letter declining the request. He also sent a package of books so that the singer might get a better sense of Rumi’s teachings. Like many Persian literary scholars, Helminski, who runs the Threshold Society, a Sufi study center in California, has had little success in convincing Americans that Rumi is about more than transcendent sex. (Madonna later recited Rumi’s poems on a CD, A Gift of Love, along with Goldie Hawn and Martin Sheen.) One of the five best-selling poets in America, Rumi, who was born 800 years ago in what is now part of Afghanistan, has become famous for his ability to convey mystical passion: his lovers are frequently merging into one, forgetting who they are, and crying out in pain. Yet his religious work—one book is popularly called the â€Å"Koran in Persian†Ã¢â‚¬â€is often ignored. To uncover and celebrate his heritage, UNESCO has declared 2007 the Year of Rumi; conferences about his work are being held in Istanbul, Kabul, Tehran, Dushanbe, and Ann Arbor. One of the featured speakers in Ann Arbor this fall will be Coleman Barks, an American poet who is largely responsible for Rumi’s American popularity as well as his reputation as an erotic soul-healer. Born in Tennessee, Barks freely admits to not knowing Persian (scholars call his best-selling works from the translations of others â€Å"re-Englishings†). While his poems are far more elegant and accessible than any previous English renditions, they tend to turn holy scenes into moments of sexual passion. Sometimes he takes out references to God and replaces them with â€Å"love.† As he explained in the introduction to his 2001 collection of poems, The Soul of Rumi, â€Å"I avoid God-words, not altogether, but wherever I can, because they seem to take away the freshness of experience and p ut it inside a specific system.† But Rumi, who spent most of his adult life in Konya, Turkey, based his life and poetry around that system. The son of an Islamic preacher, he prayed five times a day, made pilgrimages to Mecca, and memorized the Koran. Under the influence of an older dervish, Shams of Tabriz, he devoted his life to Sufism, an ancient, mystical branch of Islam. Sufis are less concerned with the codes and rituals of Islam than with making direct contact with God; as one scholar puts it, â€Å"Sufism is the core of the religion, the nut without the shell.† Still, the traditional Islamic texts are central to the faith. â€Å"I am the slave of the Qur’an and dust under the feet of Muhammad,† Rumi writes. â€Å"Anyone who claims otherwise is no friend of mine.† Rumi put forth an alarming quantity of writing—about 70,000 verses in 25 years—which affords translators the luxury of leaving out poems that might alienate the average American reader. In the introduction to his 2003 Rumi: The Book of Love,Barks jokes that his previous book of translations â€Å"achieved the cultural status of an empty Diet Coke can.† He gives the language a Southern hominess and an almost childlike simplicity: Love comes sailing through and I scream. Love sits beside me like a private supply of itself. Love puts away the instruments and takes off the silk robes. Our nakedness   together changes me completely. Starting with 50-year-old prose translations by the British scholar A.J. Arberry, Barks takes liberties to make Rumi’s language more accessible and universal. Occasionally this results in more than subtle changes in meaning. In one mistake, documented by the independent scholar Ibrahim Gamard, Barks mistranslates the word â€Å"blind† as â€Å"blond† due to a typo in Arberry’s version—inadvertently turning a scene about the abandonment of those who don’t know God (â€Å"Bright-hearted companions, haste, despite all the blind ones, to home, to home!†) into a part about resisting sexual lures (â€Å"I know it’s tempting to stay and meet these blonde women†). In Rumi’s time, it’s hard to imagine that there were many women with yellow hair; there wasn’t even a word for it. Barks’s wholesome soulfulness should be credited for bringing Rumi’s work to popularity, but in the process he leaves behind perhaps the most important part of the poems. â€Å"Rumi is not a great poet in spite of Islam,† says William Chittick, a Sufi literature scholar at Stony Brook University. â€Å"He’s a great poet because of Islam. It’s because he lived his religion fully that he became this great expositor on beauty and love.† There’s a sense in Rumi’s poems that he is at his emotional limits, simultaneously ecstatic and exhausted. His faith seems desperate, and almost tangible. Such devotion is striking because it’s inspired by God, not by the promise of sex as it sometimes appears in the translations. â€Å"He was the most important religious figure of his day,† says Jawid Mojaddedi, an Afghan-born Rumi scholar at Rutgers, whose translation of Book Two of Rumis Masnavi came out this month. â€Å"And yet people are shocked to find out Rumi was Muslim; they assume he must have spent his life persecuted for his beliefs, hiding in some cave in Afghanistan. We talk of clash of civilizations, and yet there’s this link that needs to be spelled out.† (Rumi’s success in America has actually boosted his popularity, Mojaddedi says, in parts of the Middle East.) But for many readers, Rumi’s Persian background has little bearing on the force of his poems. He has come to embody a kind of free-for-all American spirituality that has as much to do with Walt Whitman as Muhammad. Rumi’s work has become so universal that it can mean anything; readers use the poems for recreational self-discovery, finding in the lines whatever they wish. â€Å"It’s impossible to take Rumi out of context,† says Shahram Shiva, a Rumi translator and performance poet who regularly gives readings of Rumi’s poems, often in yoga studios. â€Å"Great art doesn’t need context,† he says. â€Å"The best thing for Beethoven’s popularity was when they put a disco beat behind Symphony no. 5.† Shiva recites Rumi to the accompaniment of flute, piccolo, piano, conch shell, and harmonica and belts out the lines in a deep, sultry Broadway voice. â€Å"Rumi’s one of the great creative beings on this planet,† he says, â€Å"a mixture of Mozart and Francis [of] Assisi, with a little Galileo thrown in, and maybe some Shakespeare and Dante.† In his most anthologized poems Rumi comes off as a saintly Tony Robbins, urging people to break barriers, stop worrying, touch the sky, make love, never surrender. It’s as if publishers worry that reading poetry is such a fragile enterprise that too much weight and context and not enough sex will scare everyone away. Helminski, who used to run a publishing company that put out Barks’s early books, noticed a consistent sensibility in the lines readers were requesting permission to quote: those suggesting that there’s no conventional morality, no such thing as ethical failure. The number one requested line was â€Å"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing / there is a field. I’ll meet you there.† â€Å"Our culture is so shame-ridden that when someone comes along and says, ‘You’re OK,’ it’s a great relief,† says Helminski. â€Å"Americans still have an adolescent relationship with Rumi. It will take some maturing before we move beyond the clichà ©s.†

Olympia, Greece :: Geography Geographic History Essays

Olympia, Greece ?Here in the States, if we find a penny from 1964, we think that we have found something extremely old, and will probably save the penny with audacious hopes of its worth skyrocketing in the distant future.? Contrary to our Americanized minds, 1964 is not old. . .at all.? However, the site of the first Olympic games, dating back to 776 BC, is extremely old.? ?Olympia is in the southern half of Greece, near the western coast towards the Mediterranean Sea near the Alpheus (now Alfi��span>) River (Columbia).? It has become a hot spot for tourism because of its historical significance and its shear beauty.? Olympia is about a five hour bus ride from capital city Athens. Home of the first Olympic games Olympia, as we will soon see, is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Greece.? New tourists flood the home of the first Olympic games by land and by sea, coming in on buses and on cruise ships that dock at the nearby port of Katakolo.? The town is filled with tourist shops, cafes, restaurants, and a Historical Museum of the Olympic games.? Olympia is definitely most noted for its being the host of the first Olympic games in 776 BC.? This event put Olympia on the map and it became internationally renowned as the site of the first Olympic games.? The Olympic games where ceased in 393 AD after an edict issued by Theodosius the Great, but were revived for the first time, after fifteen centuries, in 1896 in the all-marble Stadium of Athens.? The festival was open to only Greek born men but later Romans were allowed to compete most likely because they were running the country by then.? Slaves and women were not even allowed to be spectators and women caught sneaking in were apparently thrown off a cliff!? The events included foot races, wrestling, discus, javelin, long-jump, horse and chariot racing, and a type of boxing called pancratium. Also unlike the Olympics of today, There were not only atheletic events but also writing, poetry and history readings, plus business transactions and treaties were made between leaders of city-states (Vaughan). The very first and only competition of the first Olympic games was a 200 meter race, won by a man named Coroebus, thus becoming the first Olympic champion.? The Greeks decided to hold the race at Olympia every four years.

Michael Cunningham Essay

Michael was the most ambitious of blokes. He stole the Wright Brothers’ ‘plane. He then flew all the way to Pluto, on one tank of fuel, to find one of his best mates eating the small planet. So he carried on to the end of the Milky Way and on to the next, Chocolate Log. The returned twenty years later saying that he had discovered another species of complex organisms and â€Å"humans† in the next galaxy. Michael Cunningham was born on the 14th of October in 1987 in the city of Birmingham. At the age of three he acquired a younger brother named Dean. In 1991 Michael started attending Harborne Primary School, then at the age of eleven he left Harborne Primary to start in Shenley Court Specialist Arts College and Sixth Form Centre. At the end of year eleven, aged sixteen, he left his secondary school with 10A* GCSE grades, and started training in the ATC in 2005. After two years he completed his training and startye4d full time work as an electrician for the Royal Air Force. Towards the end of October 2007, he was transferred to Duxford airbase to work as the Chief Electrician. At this time he was nineteen and Britain’s youngest Chief Electrician. Then towards the end of 2009 he received a letter telling him that Kelly, once the love of his life, had been killed in a car crash. After attending her funeral Michael stole the world famous Wright brothers’ ‘plane and that was the last the world saw of him for twenty years. Michael reappeared in 2029, aged 41, with claims that he had seen one of his best mates, David Smith, eating Pluto during 2019. Then during a press conference he also claimed that he had found another three planets on his â€Å"adventure† that were inhabited with beings more intelligent than us. â€Å"There is more life in this universe, more than you could ever imagine. † He later went on to say, â€Å"It is unbelievable how intelligent they are, and I mean when compared to them we know nothing. † Scientists later confirmed that Pluto had disappeared and we received a few visits from the intelligent beings Michael had found. Michael, at the age of forty-six, started studying some of the species he had discovered, he discovered that they were approximately five million years more advanced than us. Also that they were born with intelligence and ability to communicate, walk and work. At the age of seventy-three he retired to a semi-detached bungalow in Skegness after his wife, Jenny, had passed away. About six months after moving a killer ninja penguin attacked him. Another of his mates, Tom Bates, saved him moments before he was eaten. Approximately five minutes later Michael suffered a heart attack; after an examination it was determined that the heart attack was caused by the shock of the attack by the penguin. Looking at his personal life he had had a few girlfriends throughout his secondary school life, although only a couple had been serious, and from when he had joined the ATC until he had returned from his â€Å"adventure† he hadn’t had much of a social life. Then at the age of forty-three he started dating an old school friend, Kate, but this didn’t last for more six months. Then he became engaged to Jenny Wattrus in July of 2035 and married in November that year. They had seven children, five girls and two boys, and moved to London where they bought a large house and lived there until their children had moved out, at which point the two of them moved down to Devon and into a smaller house so that they didn’t feel so lonely. Show preview only

Approaches to Psychology Essay

The psychoanalytic approach was started and developed mainly in Europe between 1900 and 1939 by Sigmund Freud, a Viennese doctor who specialized in neurology. As a doctor, he became interested in the field of hysteria – the manifestation of physical symptoms without physical causes – and became convinced that unconscious mental causes were responsible, and could be responsible for all mental disorders and even our personality. He created the theory of personality, and based his ideas upon intensive case studies of a considerable range of patients, especially his infamous study on â€Å"Little Hans†, a young boy who Freud carried out psychoanalysis upon. Bowlby (1946) applied Freud’s theories when he used psychoanalysis on a large group of children with various ages on a study of habitual delinquency. The central emphasis is on dynamic, biological processes especially those taking place in the unconscious mind, and involves the idea of psychic determinism, i. e. Freudian slips. Freud said that we all have instinctual drives – wishes, desires, needs, or demands, which are hidden and suppressed from the consciousness because society disapproves of their open expression. Freud proposes three main components of the mind; the id, the ego and the superego. The id operates on the pleasure principle and its goal is immediate gratification and reduction of tension caused by irrational impulses. The ego operates on the reality principle, and controls the id in its reaction with the world. The superego operates on the idealisation principle, with norms and values of society being internalised. According to this approach, we all undergo psychosexual stages – oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital – which gradually motivate the individual to focus on the libido, and can be linked with the Oedipus complex. The libido is described as ‘psychic energy’ behind primary drives of hunger, aggression, sex and irrational impulses. Fixation at any of these stages can lead to behaviour in our adulthood reflecting earlier stages of our childhood, which are caused by unresolved conflicts. For example, fixation at the oral stage can cause adult behaviour that is centred on the mouth (eating, smoking, etc. ) The purpose of psychoanalysis was as a therapy to treat mental disorder by means of treating the unconscious mind. The methods that Freud used for investigating the unconsciousness were by means of case studies, and deep analysis and interpretation. Free association involves the uninhibited expression of thought association, no matter how bizarre or embarrassing, from the client to the analyst. Dream analysis involves the analyst attempting to decode the symbols and unravel the hidden meaning (the latent content) of a dream from the dreamer’s report (the manifest content). Freud used his theory to explain a number of topics. He explained that the development of personality came from fixations or defence mechanisms, and that aggression was caused by hydraulic drives and displacement. Abnormality was seen as the consequence of early traumas and repression, which subsequently could impair our moral and gender development, the latter being the result of the Oedipus complex. The psychoanalytic approach has been greatly influential within psychology, in areas such as psychotherapy and developmental theories, and also beyond in art, literature and other sciences, some 100 years since Freud first developed his ideas. His theory has had some experimental support in certain areas, such as repression and fixation. Freud introduced the world to the concept of the unconscious, and regarded his case studies like ‘Little Hans’ and ‘Anna O’ as firm empirical support for his theory. He thought his belief in determinism and detailed collection of data were scientific, yet many psychologists today argue that his theories and ideas are too biological, that is that they rely too much on the influence of basic instincts and physical drives. Most of Freud’s ideas and concepts came from only a handful of results on the study of children. Freud could have allowed his own prejudices to shape his analysis, leading to no objective measures. His close interventions and feedback to the child’s family could have changed the child’s behaviour and that of its family. Psychoanalysis lacks rigorous empirical support, especially regarding normal development, and leads to reductionism, i. e. it reduces human activity to a basic set of structures, which can’t account for behaviour. Freud’s ideas have been accused of being irrefutable, and are therefore theoretically unscientific. Another approach to psychology is the behaviourist approach, which concentrates on the theory of learning and behavioural therapy, and tries to explain behaviour in terms of its relation to environmental events (stimuli), rather than any innate factors. The view that behaviour should be the sole subject matter of psychology was first advanced by the American psychologist John B. Watson in the early 1900s. His position came to be called behaviourism. He believed that psychologists could not afford to â€Å"speculate† upon the unobservable inner workings of the mind, since they are too private to be studied scientifically. For the behaviourist, much of their research focuses on objectively observable behaviour, rather than any internal process. The approach proposes that behaviour is radical, and that it is caused and maintained in this way.

Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Most authors don’t write their stories with predictability for the reader. They want to keep the reader thinking. If the reader notices that each event that occurs is too predictable, then they begin to lose interest and wonder why they are still reading. They already know what’s going to happen. But Flannery O’Connor uses predictability to her advantage. O’Connor made the characters’ actions and personalities in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† as predictable and typical as possible to convey her message that a good man really is hard to find. The character that stands out the most is the grandmother. Her entire personality and actions fit the description of a typical grandmother. She’s no different than all the other grandmothers in the world. She is somewhat the leader of the family, but still gets shrugged off by the rest of the family as someone that doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Her son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids don’t listen to her or even give her the time of day. A great example of this can be found in the beginning of the story. She tried her hardest to change Baileys mind about going to Florida because she wanted to go to Tennessee. She even brought good justification to her argument by saying that going anywhere near The Misfit was a bad idea. â€Å"I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it (Pg. 308).† Bailey still didn’t budge. It even took a lot of consideration for Bailey to let his mother see the old ho use when they were well into their trip. Even when he succumbed to her begging he did it in a stubborn, disrespectful manner. And even worse, whenever she insisted that she may have an injury after the accident, no one even acknowledged her. She isn’t even given a name in the story, which is a way of showing that she receives no respect or consideration. These days, most people treat the mother as a burden or a heavy ... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find A Florida trip is very nice to consider when traveling. However, Tennessee was on grandmother’s mind the whole time in Flannery O’ Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is hard to find.† Maybe if everyone had stuck to her plan, the story would not have happened the way that it did. In the beginning, the family planned on having a nice vacation for Florida. Grandmother insisted on going to Tennessee because of rumors of a misfit escaping and fleeing towards Florida. Bailey was set in his ways and nothing was going to stop them from going to Florida. After this decision, grandmother was worried about everything. She even went to the extent of dressing like a woman so if anyone found her body on the side of the road dead, they would know that she was a lady and her identity. Clothing was very symbolic in this story because the author would describe in specific detail about the characters clothes. Also, at the end of the story when the man came back with Bailey’s shirt on gave a little more symbolic touch to the story. When most people hear the phrase, â€Å"A good man is hard to find,† most people agree that it means exactly what it says. I think that most women will agree with me in that sense. However, before I read this story, I thought that it was going to turn out different than expected. Little did I know what the story was really going to be about and what that phrase really meant. On the way, the family stopped at a restaurant to grab a bite to eat. The grandmother and the owner of this restaurant had a conversation about the misfit who had escaped. The man mentioned, â€Å"These days you just don’t know who t o trust† (311). Grandmother mentioned her part on claiming that a good man is definitely hard to find. She had no clue that later on she would know that personally. Another important symbol that I found in this story was the white house and plantation that grandmother had recalled from her past. â€Å"The house had six ... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find The foreshadowing effect in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† To foreshadow is to give a hint or a suggestion of a forthcoming event. Flannery O’Connor uses the foreshadowing effect adequately in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find.† There were many hints and suggestions that something unpleasant was going to happen in this story. The moment the grandmother first speaks of the misfit, we can assume he will show up later in the story because he is headed in the same direction as the family. Close to the ending, when the gunshots are heard from the woods, we can assume that the situation cannot get much worse. The first hint of trouble comes early in the story before the first paragraph ends. The grandmother tries to show Bailey a newspaper article about The Misfit, who has escaped the penitentiary and is headed toward Florida. The grandmother tries to discourage Bailey from taking the family to Florida again by telling him he ought to take the children somewhere else for a change, but he disregards his mother and they go on the trip anyway. The probability that an escaped convict is headed in the same direction as Bailey and his family suggests havoc is coming their way. O’Connor describes how the grandmother is dressed and says, â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady†(221). In my opinion, this phrase suggests that the grandmother could be involved in an accident further into the story. Also, the grandmother cautions Bailey about driving too fast, so this makes me think he is speeding; consequently, this could lead to an accident. The family arrives at Red Sammy’s, so they go inside and are seated at a table. Red Sam comes inside and sighs, â€Å"You can’t win† he said, â€Å"You can’t winâ€Å"(224), and then he goes on to say, â€Å"These days you don’t know who to trust.†(224). The grandmother agrees with Sam and seems to invite a conversation on the topic of trus... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find From the very beginning, the grandmother in Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† is foreshadowing, in her words and actions, what will become of the family. Hints of the family’s tragic finale exist throughout the plot until the time of the first murder. In the very beginning before the story begins, O’Connor provides the reader with an epigraph. It quotes, â€Å"The Dragon is by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the farther of souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.† (St. Cyril of Jerusalem). (117) These very first few sentences provide the reader with an overview of the story’s events. The grandmother goes on to further ruin with this trip with just simple her words. In the beginning of the story, the Grandmother tries to change her son’s mind about going to Florida because she wants to go to Tennessee, and that gives us a sign of how persuasive she can be. â€Å"The grandmother didn’t want to go to Florida. She wanted to visit some of her connections in east Tennessee and she was seizing at every chance to change Bailey’s mind†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Now look here, Bailey,† she said, â€Å"see here, read this,† †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†Here this fellow that calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to the people†¦ â€Å"(117) These are a few very good clues on what will happen throughout the story. She compares herself to her daughter-in-law, insinuating that the daughter-in-law is not a lady like her. She judges â€Å"the children’s mother’s† clothes and judges many others who are socially challenged or less fortunate than she is. Note that when she mentions the Misfit criminal who escaped from prison, the â€Å"pickaninny,† and when she mentions the two cents in Red Sammy’s cash register with a tone of irony on her voice. Her attitude changes completely when the family’s car ... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find In Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† we get a portrait of a 1950s postwar family who, in the midst of their own naivety, find themselves not only on the road from Atlanta, Georgia to Florida but on the road to the their own demise. The most outstanding character in this story is the grandmother, and since the story is told from the third person omniscient view, it will be easy for us to analyze the grandmother’s character. She connects the other characters together throughout the story with her own selfishness and stupidity, and through a self-realization which becomes the most important moment in the story. As the story opens, the scene is set in the home of a man named Bailey and his family which consists of his mother (the grandmother), his wife and their two children- June Star and John Wesley. Bailey is planning a trip to Florida, but the grandmother would rather go to Tennessee. We see the first sign of the grandmother’s selfishness here when she tries to convince her son, Bailey, to take the family to Tennessee. She does her persuasion through a newspaper article which says that a convict called The Misfit has escaped from the Federal Penitentiary in Florida. She says, â€Å"I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscious if I did.† We will see how this statement becomes the epitome of irony in the next few paragraphs. While the family is on the road to from Atlanta to Florida, the scene changes to a filling station and dance hall called The Tower. While the family is eating Red Sammy’s barbecue sandwiches, the grandmother carries on a very foreshadowing conversation with Red Sam. â€Å"These days you don’t know who to trust,† he said. â€Å"Ain’t that the truth?†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"A good man is hard to find.† If the grandmother knows this and makes these assertions, then why does she so naà ¯ve and quick to trust The Mi... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find Most authors don’t write their stories with predictability for the reader. They want to keep the reader thinking. If the reader notices that each event that occurs is too predictable, then they begin to lose interest and wonder why they are still reading. They already know what’s going to happen. But Flannery O’Connor uses predictability to her advantage. O’Connor made the characters’ actions and personalities in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† as predictable and typical as possible to convey her message that a good man really is hard to find. The character that stands out the most is the grandmother. Her entire personality and actions fit the description of a typical grandmother. She’s no different than all the other grandmothers in the world. She is somewhat the leader of the family, but still gets shrugged off by the rest of the family as someone that doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Her son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids don’t listen to her or even give her the time of day. A great example of this can be found in the beginning of the story. She tried her hardest to change Baileys mind about going to Florida because she wanted to go to Tennessee. She even brought good justification to her argument by saying that going anywhere near The Misfit was a bad idea. â€Å"I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it (Pg. 308).† Bailey still didn’t budge. It even took a lot of consideration for Bailey to let his mother se e the old house when they were well into their trip. Even when he succumbed to her begging he did it in a stubborn, disrespectful manner. And even worse, whenever she insisted that she may have an injury after the accident, no one even acknowledged her. She isn’t even given a name in the story, which is a way of showing that she receives no respect or consideration. These days, most people treat the mother as a burden or a heavy ... Free Essays on A Good Man is Hard to Find â€Å"A good Man is Hard to Find†, by Flannery O’ Conner was a suspenseful and kept me wanting to read to find out what happens in the end. It had good foreshadowing techniques and O’Connor did a good job of writing the story. She portrayed the beginning as being just a normal road trip and family would take. By reading the whole story, I found out that it backfired on them and it was not a normal road trip anymore. Theme and plot were distinctly viewed and the description of the places and the people put a vivid picture in my head. The setting often changed while traveling from state to state, so there was always changing scenery. While O’ Conner described the grandmother to the readers, I pictured an old women who looked like my grandmother as well. There were many characters that took place in the story to make it more interesting and a better story line. I liked the story the best out of all three because it was well written and kept ]me in total suspense throughout the whole story. The title gave me curiosity and I wanted to find out what the true meaning of the title meant. When she first mentioned The Misfit at the beginning of the story, I knew that in the end he would somehow be apart of their road trip. This story was very well written and I liked it he best.... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find In the short story, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† the author, Flannery O’Connor, uses excessive amounts of foreshadowing to clue in the reader of what is to come. Some of the foreshadowing she uses helps predict the family is going to run into the Misfit and also that death is clearly evident. Throughout the story the O’ Connor uses strong amount of foreshadowing to clue the reader that they are going to meet up with the Misfit. One example is when the Grandmother reads in the paper that the Misfit has escaped and he is on his way down to Florida. The author wouldn’t have to mention this part if it didn’t have some significance to the story. Another example is the fact that the father is very nervous about the trip and has a bad feeling about the whole thing. What also make this a major clue is the fact that this is stated after the Grandmother mentions the Misfit and his escape. Later on in the story the family makes a pit stop at Red Sammy’s diner. While at the diner Red Sammy talks about how a good man is hard to find. He then brings up the fact that a man in a run down van with two other people in it stopped for gas and he didn’t think that he could trust them. Then Grandmother then once again mentions the Misfit to Red Sammy and Red Sammy says that he wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he did rob the diner. Also in the story, O’Connor uses foreshadowing to help the reader sense that death is clearly evident. The first clue is the fact that the author mentions that the grandmother dressed to nicely, that in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady. Another example is when they are driving along the road they pass the family’s old burial ground from the plantation. As they pass it they see six tombstones. This hints the reader that the family may die because there are six tombstones and there are six members of the family in the car. Another exampl... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find The title of my short story was â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor. O’ Connor was born on March 25, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. She moved with family to Milledgeville, Georgia in 1938 where she attended a public school called Peabody High School. O’Connor graduated from Peabody High School in 1942, where she enters Georgia State College for Women. In 1943-1945 O’Connor writes stories and poems for college literary magazine and graduated from Georgia State with an undergraduate degree in English. In 1945 –1947 she entered a writing program at the University of Iowa and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. In 1948-1949 O’Connor lived in New York and Connecticut. She attended Yaddo Artists’ colony near Saratoga Springs, New York, for several months. After an illness in 1950, O’Connor returned to Milledgeville and was diagnosed with lupus, an incurable disease. She lived on her familyâ⠂¬â„¢s dairy farm for the rest of her life. In 1955 â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† and Other Stories received critical praise. In 1962-1963 O’Connor received an honorary doctorate from Saint Mary’s women’s college of the University of Notre Dame and spoke at a number of colleges in the South about her writing. Flannery O’Connor died on August 3, 1964. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† was a wonderful short story. This story is told in a third person point of view. The grandmother is telling the story. She uses she and he in the story often. The setting of the story seems to be in the summer during vacation time. The story took place in a car while going a vacation to Florida. The characters in this story are considered dynamic, flat, and round. The dynamic characters are the grandma, John Wesley, The Misfit, June Star, and Bobby Lee. I chose them as dynamic characters because they tend to change because of the plot of the story. The grandma is considered a dynamic character because she tried her best... Free Essays on A Good Man is Hard to Find My Analysis of Grandma In the story, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the grandmother, also know as the old lady, has the type of personality I would not like my grandmother to have. The grandmother, who is not named in the story, is very annoying and likes to talk a lot. In the very beginning of the story there is evidence that the grandmother is not very favored by her own son, Bailey. She tries to convince her son that they shouldn’t take the trip to Florida because of murderer who has escaped from prison and because of the children have been there and need to see other places in the world. In addition she just doesn’t want to go to Florida. She would rather go to Tennessee for personal reasons but she doesn’t tell her son that. All the while, she is ignored by him. For the entire time that the grandmother is talking to him, Bailey continues to read his sports paper as if she is not even in the room. Bailey doesn’t respond to her. The only one who acknowledges that she is speaking is Bailey’s son, John Wesley. John Wesley makes a suggestion; â€Å"If you don’t want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay home?† (285) June Star, John Wesley’s’ sister also adds her comments and makes a point that her grandmother would not stay home for fear that she would be missing anything that happens on their trip. This little fact also says that the grandmother has a tendency to be nosy and would always like to be involved in some way. Throughout the whole trip, it seems as thought the grandmother talks the most. She is like a child who has to point out everything that she sees along the way. During the ride she also tells stories that only she I really interested in hearing although John Wesley did happen to find one her stories very funny. In addition to being annoying and talking a lot, the grandmother reminds me of the grandmother in a sitcom on television called â€Å"Everybody Loves Raymond†. The two ar... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find A Good Man Is Hard To Find A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find is filled with foreshadowing which the first time reader will not grasp, but leaps out of the pages for repeated readers. When first read, A Good Man is Hard to Find, the reader does not value the importance of the grandmother charter and her warning. She is thought to just be a rambling, nagging old lady. Even the grandmother does not realize the importance of what she is saying. The grandmother warns of the misfit in the first paragraph of the novel, â€Å"’Here this fellow calls himself the Misfit is loose from the federal pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The first time reader simply sees this warning as the grandmother trying to persuade her son to change the vacation plans to better suit the grandmother’s wants. Continuing thru the story the first time reader sees the grandmother as a not very smart woman, and s he really is not very smart. She proves this by leading her family on a wild goose chase, looking for a house that is in a completely different state. Later on in the novel while the family is having lunch at a dinner the grandmother returns to the idea of the Misfit. â€Å"’Did you read about the criminal, The Misfit, that’s escaped?’ asked the grandmother.† To the first time reader this seems unusual to return to the thought of The Misfit, he was simply a thought at the beginning, so long ago that the reader had all but forgotten him. O’Connor continues on with the story though, convincing he reader that we probably won’t ever hear the name, Misfit, again. To the first time reader the ending of the novel comes at a complete surprise. Who would have thought that this sweat family could ever die such awful deaths. Who would have thought that the grandmother would’ve been right, and that the family actually would have a run in with The Misfit. When th... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard To Find â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† In Flannery O’Connor’s story â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†, we follow â€Å"a family of six which, on its way driving to Florida, gets wiped out by an escaped convict who calls himself the Misfit† (O’Connor, Reasonable 325). The incidents and characters throughout the story are aspects of a plot intending to symbolize the spiritual grace passed from one human to another, without regard for kindness or evil. The grandmother is the most prominent and developed character in the story and contains several traits that are typically related to the elder southern woman. Within her family unit she goes mostly unnoticed, â€Å"the parents pay little attention†¦and when they do, they are often quite rude† (Brown). She has many points of view but it seems as though the children are the only ones that respond to her but that doesn’t mean that they respect her. June Star says of her going on the trip â€Å"She has to go everywhere we goà ¢â‚¬  (O’Connor, Good 298). John Wesley says to her â€Å"If you don’t want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay at home?† (298). So what makes her final gesture so important in the story towards The Misfit that makes the reader shed a tear or two for her? In the beginning of the story the grandmother is trying to persuade the family to go on a trip to Tennessee instead of Florida. She is reading an article in the paper about an escaped convict named â€Å"The Misfit†. Without much of an audience to hear her she uses her power of suggestion that â€Å"The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida† (297) to scare the family into agreeing with her about heading to Tennessee. We find out it does not work but are introduced to the workings of the grandmother in her efforts to be the center of the attention at all times. The character traits of the grandmother are in no way ideal but her ability to try and manipulate every situation does seem to ultimately seal... Free Essays on A Good Man is Hard to Find Last Rites â€Å"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.† - Jimi Hendrix. The late rock n roll artist summed up one of the most challenging fears to overcome for all humans, preparation for death. Flannery O’Connor uses this concept to show how it can affect people’s behaviors and attitudes. The story begins with the typical family being challenged by the grandmother who doesn't want to take the vacation to Florida. She has read about a crazed killer by the name of the Misfit who is on the run heading for Florida. Unfortunately, she is ignored by every member of the family except for the little girl, June Star, who can read the grandmother like an open book. The fact that she admonishes Bailey, her son, of this Misfit and "what it says he did to those people†(1277) foreshadows what will happen to them. As readers, we know that O’Connor will not mention such an interesting fact without having it affect the characters later on in the story. In Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard To Find,† one is struck by the unexpected violence at the end of the story. However, if you re-read the story a second time, you will see various allusions, imagery and language that foreshadow the grotesque ending. Furthermore the author touches upon her belief that most humans are not prepared to die, and reflects that through the character of the grandmother. Kordosky 2 The morning of the trip the grandmother is the first one in the car ready to travel as June Star predicted she would be, "She wouldn’t stay at home for a million bucks. She has to go everywhere we go"(1278). This can be read as a direct foreshadowing of the grandmother’s death. As one reads the story, one wonders why every time Bobby Lee and Hiram take someone into the forest, they never come back. Eventually, the whole family is taken to die. June Star’s comment that the grandmother goes everywhere the family goes can be read...