Monday, September 30, 2019

Quarantine of 1937

The Quarantine of 1937 The Quarantine of 1937 The Quarantine Speech of 1937 given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) propositioned the idea of quarantining aggressive nations as an alternative to war. Even though many Americans were drawn to isolation, FDR was hoping to convince 90 percent of the American population this was the way to go (Haight, 1962). During the speech FDR did not specifically point out a nation which was being targeted but it was likely he was talking about the war in Europe or was it geared towards Japan and their aggression towards China. By remaining vague, Roosevelt had the advantage of not committing himself to a specific policy or set actions† (AP Central, 2002). The isolationist feeling of Americans were that of refraining from political and economic relations with other countries. Roughly ten years after World War I the United States fell into the great depression where a lot of money was invested and America did not fully recover. This ma y have been weighing on the minds of the citizens of the United States and swaying their attitudes toward the isolationist feeling.The Neutrality Acts of the 1930’s were originally passed as a way to thwart the United States from entering into foreign wars thus showing the United States neutrality (U. S Department of State Office of the Historian, n. d. ). FDR did not like the international aggression which was taking place around the world. His views and quarantine speech led to many protests by isolationist in America (Aboukhadijeh, 2012). FDR wanted to redirect his foreign policy from the problems in England and France towards Germany to that of domestic problems which had more importance to him (Brajkovic, 1978).With his speech FDR was trying to rally Americans around the idea of joining with other countries and cut ties with the belligerents. American’s having isolationist feelings does what for the United States? By following through with the quarantine will send a message to aggressive countries that the United States will sit back and let it occur. By amending the laws of neutrality and adding to them that there should be a greater focus on hold countries accountable for their actions. FDR stated â€Å"In times of so-called peace, ships are being attacked and sunk by submarines without cause or notice† (Roosevelt, 1937).These types of actions are not okay, especially when the incidents directly affect Americans by killing the innocent. Americans can only sit and watch for so long. World War I was taxing on America, but if this quarantine does not come to fruition then aggressive countries will keep on violating treaties and bring war to neighboring countries which have nothing to do with the aggressors. â€Å"Without declaration of war and without warning or justification of any kind, civilians, including vast numbers of women and children, are being ruthlessly murdered with bombs from the air† (Roosevelt, 1937).If these typ es of events occurred in the United States, how would the public opinion and reaction change? Just like the events during the Spanish-American War in 1898 American stepped in to help Cuba ending in the complete cut off of Spain from the new world. By quarantining aggressive countries America is following the Neutrality Act of 1937 which states that Americans are forbidden from traveling on ships of aggressive nations and prohibits the transportation of arms to aggressive countries even if those arms are made outside the United States (U. S Department of State Office of the Historian, n. . ). America needs to put the isolationist attitude on the back burner. World War I is done and over with. The United States needs to take a stand. By doing so, countries will know and recognize America as a true power and will have to take responsibility for the actions take by their country. â€Å"War is a contagion, whether it be declared or undeclared. It can engulf states and peoples remote fro m the original scene of hostilities† (Roosevelt, 1937). This quote from FDR’s Quarantine Speech shows that no matter what neutral counties do or view a war at some point in time they will be affected by it.By entering in to a quarantine of aggressive countries with other nations could possibly stop the flow of merchandise into those countries not allowing them to continue on in their ways. America has always hoped and wanted peace. â€Å"America hates war. America hopes for peace. Therefore, America actively engages in the search for peace† (Roosevelt, 1937). Peace will come from not allowing violent countries to continue the actions they are taking. The United States needs to step up with the assistance of all Americans to help stop these countries. ReferencesAboukhadijeh, F. (2012). Chapter 35: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Shadow of War, 1933-1941. Retrieved from http://www. apstudynotes. org/us-history/outlines/chapter-35-franklin-d-roosevelt-and-the-shadow-o f-war-1933-1941/ AP Central. (2002). Franklin Roosevelt: The Quarantine Speech. Retrieved from http://apcentral. collegeboard. com/apc/Pageflows/TeachersResource/viewResourceDetail. do? source=tr&resourceId=4489 Brajkovic, H. J. (1978). The Foreign Policy of Franklin D. Roosevelt To The Entry Into World War II. Retrieved from http://www. yale. du/ynhti/curriculum/units/1978/3/78. 03. 05. x. html#c Haight, J. M. (1962). Roosevelt and the Aftermath of the Quarantine Speech [Research Article]. The Review of Politics, 24(02), 233-259. http://dx. doi. org/10. 1017/S0034670500009669 Roosevelt, F. D. (1937). Quarantine Speech (October 5, 1937). Retrieved from http://millercenter. org/president/speeches/detail/3310 U. S Department of State Office of the Historian. (n. d. ). MILESTONES: 1921-1936: The Neutrality Acts, 1930s. Retrieved from http://history. state. gov/milestones/1921-1936/Neutrality_acts

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Martyn Pig

How does Kevin brooks portray power relations in at least 4 key scenes in the novel Martyn Pig. Power relationships play a key role in the book Martyn Pig by Kevin Brooks. Power is a term given when a person has control over the other person and a relationship is a term given when there’s a accepting between two people, when put together we can understand that the term ‘power relations’ is when a character in this book uses power to control a relationship.Martyn Pig in an eleven year old whose life isn’t really the best at the time and it’s about to get worse as it takes an unforeseen twist after an accident that takes place which will leave young Martyn to lead a life full of deception, disloyalty and doubtfulness on a daily basis. I will be focusing on how Martyn’s power is being fluctuated throughout the book as he confronts various characters whom of which have different relationships with Martyn.The four scenes I will be analysing the â⠂¬ËœBottle Bank’ scene, the killing scene, the first confrontation between Dean and Martyn, the second confrontation between Dean and Martyn and finally the scene where Alex the Assassin gets exposed. The Bottle bank scene illustrates William Pig’s power which outlines his superiority over Martyn’s vulnerability. In this scene we can that Martyn â€Å"was in the kitchen filling a plastic bin liner with empty bottles† this shows that although Martyn’s father is shown to have the power, it is Martyn the eleven year old kid that is looking after his father a grown man when it should be the other way.This makes the reader feel disheartened but this gives Martyn a sense of mental power; the reason why William Pig isn’t in control of Martyn the way he should be is because the alcohol intake is taking control of him which makes him lose his physical stature which is why â€Å"Dad was leaning against the doorway, smoking a cigarette, watching me th rough his bloodshot eyes† Bloodshot eyes gives a indication to the audience that this a result of alcohol and drug abuse which is resulting in his violent and abusive mentality he has towards Martyn, this also shows a sense of power that Martyn’s father has as it inserts fear into Martyn.Moreover, Martyn’s father then goes on to say â€Å"Don’t you go takin’ ‘em to the bottle bank† Authority is shown immediately with a use of an imperative verb. Martyn’s Dad then goes having a short rant about the environment by saying â€Å"Bloody emviroment this, bloody emviroment that †¦ if anyone wants to use my empty bottles again they’ll have to pay for ‘em† this sums up Mr Pig’s attitude to just about everything, unconcerned. Also this tells the reader the lack of education that Mr Pig has as it was written colloquially.Martyn on the other hand is highly intelligent, which is pointed out when in the internal monologue shorty after Mr Pigs rant in which Martyn says â€Å"I thought of telling him that there’s no such thing as the environment† Martyn feels that there isn’t a need to correct his dad as it would seem pointless. Therefore he decides to be the bigger man by keeping it in his mind and not risk being a victim of his father’s violent mind state which creates an impression to the reader that Martyn’s intellect is more overpowering than of his fathers.As we move onto the Killing scene we begin to notice that Martyn’s powers have advanced and it now seems that Martyn has the ultimate control for the moment, which is a first in the book. This gain of power is triggered by an outburst Martyn had with his father in which Martyn had said â€Å"For God’s sake, Dad just shut up! It’s not funny, it’s pathetic. You’re pathetic. Why can’t you let me watch the bloody television for once? † As readers we are n ormally subjected to be shown Martyn thoughts through internal monologues as he normally kept his feelings confined within himself.The reader can visualize Martyn shouting at his father due to the exclamation marks added in which adds fire to the exceeding power Martyn is getting but for now this isn’t Physical power, it’s filtered out as verbal power. The snappy short sentences show great effectiveness as they represent anger being vented out with pauses in which Martyn doesn’t seem to be interrupted by his father (this shows the great power Martyn has elevated into which lets him control the situation swiftly). This is ended intellectually by a Rhetorical question to which neither Martyn or his Father answers as they were meant to.However, shortly after Martyn gains power Martyn’s father steals the spotlight and retains his former glory. Martyn had taken control of the situation due to Verbal power but he had overlooked his father’s physical powe r. We begin to realise this as â€Å"I turned just in time to see him bearing down on me with his first raised above his head and drunken madness burning his eyes† Martyn seems to get intimidated as his father showcased his physical strength to show who was the man in the house.We the readers are given an image planted in our minds of David and Goliath situation with Mr Pig being Goliath as he was overlooking Martyn. As readers we feel highly sympathetic as we thought that Martyn had finally gotten the upper hand and things could’ve changed from this point on and Martyn and his father could’ve sustained a normal father and son relationship. In the first confrontation between Martyn and Dean we can understand that Dean is the more overpowering individual, which allows him to be in control of the situation.This is pointed out to us when the following takes place â€Å"unbelievable†, he said. â€Å"Kids today, I don’t know. No respect for their elder s† this indirectly confirms deans knowing about the killing of Martyn’s father which would make Martyn feel deceived by Alex and nervously cautious about Dean. This makes the reader feel remorseful for Martyn’s mole is slowly turning into a mountain. Despite the fact that Dean has full control in the first confrontation between the pair, it was all about to change in Thursday as it was now Martyn that was in control of the situation.Dean tries to regain power by making the following threat â€Å"Do you understand Pig? No money, no type. If I don’t get the money – he tapped the tape ‘ this goes to the Police† A dash is added to cause a dramatic effect, but not even this attempt to create tension could make the ball swing in deans court. Ironically dean tries to dumb it down for Martyn who is probably has the most intellect out of the pair. Dean had thought that it would be a walk in the park to capture the money from Martyn but it hasnâ €™t exactly been like this.As readers we are relieved that Martyn has taken some of the burden of his shoulder. During the course of the book we can understand that no one has really maintained their power that they had for a long period of time, it had only lasted for a particular scene and had then be lost. What I have learnt from this book is that you shouldn’t follow someone blindly and that it’s normally the person that is most close to you that would cause you the most pain

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Strtegic Mrketing Plan of Amazon Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strtegic Mrketing Plan of Amazon - Case Study Example Ð mÐ °zÐ ¾n trÐ °nÃ'•fÐ ¾rmed itÃ'•elf frÐ ¾m Ð ° Ã'•peciÐ °lty retÐ °iler intÐ ¾ Ð °n Ð ¾nline Ã'•hÐ ¾pping pÐ ¾rtÐ °l, tÐ °king Ð ° cue frÐ ¾m Ð °uctiÐ ¾neer eBÐ °y, which Ã'•et itÃ'•elf up Ð °Ã'• Ð ° mediÐ °tÐ ¾r between buyer Ð °nd Ã'•eller. It Ã'•tÐ °rted Ã'•elling prÐ ¾ductÃ'• frÐ ¾m cÐ ¾mpÐ °nieÃ'• Ã'•uch Ð °Ã'• TÐ ¾yÃ'• "R" UÃ'• Ð °nd TÐ °rget Ð ¾n itÃ'• Web Ã'•ite. It Ð °dded merchÐ °ndiÃ'•e frÐ ¾m Ã'•mÐ °ller retÐ °ilerÃ'• in itÃ'• zÐ…hÐ ¾pÃ'•. Ð nd it cÐ ¾mpeted directly with eBÐ °y thrÐ ¾ugh itÃ'• Ð mÐ °zÐ ¾n Ð uctiÐ ¾nÃ'•. ThÐ µ firÃ'•t phÐ °Ã'•e Ð ¾f plÐ °nning Ã'•trÐ °tegic mÐ °rketing plÐ °n iÃ'• tÐ ¾ define thÐ µ buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• miÃ'•Ã'•iÐ ¾n. Ð Ã'• (CrÐ °venÃ'•, 2003, 198) Ã'•tÐ °teÃ'• 'BuÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• miÃ'•Ã'•iÐ ¾n iÃ'• Ð ° brÐ ¾Ã °dly defined, enduring Ã'•tÐ °tement Ð ¾f purpÐ ¾Ã'•e thÐ °t diÃ'• tinguiÃ'•heÃ'• Ð ° buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• frÐ ¾m Ð ¾thÐ µrÃ'• Ð ¾f itÃ'• type.' Briefly, buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• miÃ'•Ã'•iÐ ¾n iÃ'• tÐ ¾ give thÐ µ directiÐ ¾n, which preÃ'•entÃ'• thÐ µ unique Ã'•cÐ ¾pe Ð ¾f buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'•, itÃ'• viÃ'•iÐ ¾n Ð °nd Ã'•pecific cÐ ¾mpetence & cÐ ¾mpetitive Ð °dvÐ °ntÐ °geÃ'•, Ð °nd tÐ ¾ tell emplÐ ¾yeeÃ'•, cÐ ¾nÃ'•umerÃ'•, (BeÃ'•t, 2000, 21) Ð °nd Ã'•hÐ °rehÐ ¾lder whÐ °t Ð ° cÐ ¾mpÐ °ny iÃ'• Ð °nd whÐ °t kind Ð ° cÐ ¾mpÐ °ny emplÐ ¾yeeÃ'• Ð °re in. It iÃ'• like Ð ° fÐ °ce Ð ¾f Ð ° cÐ ¾mpÐ °ny Ð ¾r Ð °n Ð ¾rgÐ °nizÐ °tiÐ ¾n thÐ °t repreÃ'•entÃ'• Ð °ll Ð ¾f it. In Ð °dditiÐ ¾n, buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• miÃ'•Ã'•iÐ ¾nÃ'• Ð °re bÐ °Ã'•ed Ð ¾n fÐ ¾ur cÐ ¾re cÐ ¾nceptÃ'•, nÐ °mely purpÐ ¾Ã'•e, Ã'•trÐ °tegy, Ã'•tÐ °ndÐ °rdÃ'• Ð °nd behÐ °viÐ ¾rÃ'•, Ð °nd cÐ ¾mpÐ °ny vÐ °lueÃ'•. NÐ ¾kiÐ ° Ð °lwÐ °yÃ'• cÐ ¾mmunicÐ °t e thÐ µ cÐ ¾ncept thÐ °t thÐ µir prÐ ¾ductÃ'• Ð °re cÐ ¾nnecting tÐ ¾ peÐ ¾ple tÐ ¾ thÐ µir cÐ ¾nÃ'•umerÃ'•. ThÐ µy emphÐ °Ã'•ize deÃ'•ign, Ð °nd thÐ °t every functiÐ ¾n Ã'•hÐ ¾uld fit everyÐ ¾ne, becÐ °uÃ'•e technÐ ¾lÐ ¾gy iÃ'• humÐ °nity'Ã'• inventiÐ ¾n. FurthÐ µrmÐ ¾re, buÃ'•ineÃ'•Ã'• miÃ'•Ã'•iÐ ¾nÃ'• mÐ °y be influenced by three fÐ °ctÐ ¾rÃ'•. ThÐ µre Ð °re cÐ ¾mpÐ °ny'Ã'• cÐ ¾mpetence, envirÐ ¾nment chÐ °nge, Ð °nd reÃ'•Ð ¾urce reÃ'•pectively (BeÃ'•t, 2000, 21).

Friday, September 27, 2019

International Business Research and Analysis Project Paper

International Business and Analysis Project - Research Paper Example This instrument was introduced in South Africa which further received the accreditation in the global context. Through the instrument or the container, people can transport five times of the water transportable through traditional means. A standard size of a barrel can hold 90 liters of water at a time. The product is often considered to be ideal for developing countries such as South Africa, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka among others where people need to transport water from one place to another to lead their regular life owing to the scarcity of clean water to satisfy the daily requirements. According to the report published by Consultancy African Intelligence, two out of five people in Africa lack accessibility to sufficient clean drinking water. Owing to the massive population of South Africa, the percentage of the citizens in the country lacking accessibility to clean drinking water accounts to almost the population of US and Russia. This can impose significant impact on the social threat of the nation causing poor health and dehydration within the society (George Brown College, â€Å"Watershed: The World House Guide to Designing Water’s Future†). Hence, with regards to the rapidly increasing significance of the Hippo Water Roller as an ideal water transporting device, the adaptation of water purifier inside the barrels shall further increase the contribution of the project towards social health. 2. Thesis Statement The discussion henceforth tends to address the requirement of adapting a water purifier in the Hippo Water Roller device concentrating on the business environment of South Africa. In this regard the report will take into account the economic, political, legal, bureaucratic, socio-cultural and managerial or labor climates of South Africa that can influence the adaptation of water purification filter amid the communities. The other evaluative aspects would include the size of the potential market for Hippo Water Roller in South Africa, persisting competition in the region, marketing and distribution opportunities, and the financial viability of the project. 3. Need For Water Purification In the current environmental context of South Africa, it has often been observed that most of the water from taps and wells are not adequately pure for drinking purposes due to environmental and industrial pollution. The bases of drinking water in South Africa are commonly available through wells, rivers, and lakes among others which have also become polluted owing to the increasing industrialization. Pollution in the water can be caused due to the existence of different minerals and chemicals which are mostly observed to be man-made. This further tends to cause severe diseases such as waterborne diseases (e.g. diarrhea), cancer, liver damage and other chronic illness which can even result as an epidemic. Hence, inaccessibility to drinkable water can emerge as a significant threat for the national health and therefore, impose rest riction to the overall development of the country

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Communication Method Preferred By Workers Statistics Project

Communication Method Preferred By Workers - Statistics Project Example The results saw more company employees suggest to side with formal communication. Basing on the sample used, the results were as follows. Eighteen of the employees suggested that the best communication method for them would be the formal communication method, only eight members believed that informal methods like grapevine could aid in communication in the company while only four employees remained neutral with no particular side to support. According to the graph, the results remain in support of the employee communication as a means of people to create a force that works together and more bound. According to the graph, many of the employees rather supported the use of formal means of communication rating it than using the informal means. The neutral part remained accounted for but only four voted believing that they had no particular side of communication. These results indicated that the use of formal communication means could help hasten up the operations of the company despite the different disadvantages of the two. The informal means include the use of grape vine, which may also cause difficulties in interactions. The informal means provides the unofficial way of propelling information (DuBrin,

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Pricing Strategies and Programs of Etisalat Essay

The Pricing Strategies and Programs of Etisalat - Essay Example In 1983, the company changed its ownership structure when the United Arab Emirates government took over a 60 percent share of the company, giving it majority ownership, with the other 40 percent of stock offered to the public. Today, this company operates under the brand Etisalat. The firm is a diverse multinational company that operates in 18 countries throughout the Middle East, Africa, The United States, and Africa (etisalat.ae, 1). Etisalat services over 100 million customers in these countries and has achieved annual net revenues of AED 30.83 billion in 2009 (etisalat.ae, 1). The company is a major telecommunications provider to the private citizen and to corporate entities, with mobile services, voice and data services over satellite and fixed-lines. The business also is involved in providing managerial and technical training support services to enterprises as well as SIM card manufacturing, voice and data transit services, and even telecommunications in submarines (etisalat.ae, 1). The business is a major broadband hub for Middle East businesses and consumers with a very broad trans-national network. It provides also roaming and data services for corporate entities. In addition, Etisalat provides iPhone services and Blackberry services exclusive to the se products. Major competitors of Etisalat include Vodafone, MobiNil, Singapore Telecommunications and China Mobile. (BBC News, 1). Current regulations reductions in the UAE and other countries have also reduced barriers of new market entry for competition, thus the business faces even more competition from global and regional telecommunications companies as they are now allowed to enter the UAE and other Middle Eastern markets with less tariffs, taxations, and less governmental involvement. Data on the Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat The CEO is currently Mohammed Khalfan Al Qamzi who has held this position since 2006. Al Qamzi has an excellent track record of bringing innovative solutions to Etisalat founded on years of business management and investment experience. Mohammed Al Qamzi is a graduate of Spokane Community College, attended from 1999 to 2002. Most of Al Qamzi’s experience is in real estate, with involvement in Jumairah Golf Estate, Palm Jabel Ali, and currently works as th e director of real estate venture Palm Jumairah (linkedin.com, 1). The CEOs credentials include vast knowledge of logistics, security, environment and sustainability practices, document management and project control (linkedin.com, 2). His vast resume of business success has brought Etisalat considerable market presence and growth opportunities over the last five years. Marketing Principles for Etisalat Etisalat understands the importance of marketing for brand-building and also to secure differentiation among competitors who offer similar products at similar pricing structures. Targeting for the company involves a blend of strategies. First, Etisalat considers geographic segmentation based on volume of citizens in a region and urban population and infrastructure. Targeting considers gender (considering most Mid-Eastern countries are male-dominated), literacy levels of international and domestic consumers, specific customs and traditions, the income levels of potential consumers, an d the current level of brand recognition of potential customers (marketingmixx.com, 2). Literacy is a significant factor when considering how to target advertising since this region does not support the highest literacy levels when compared to other developed countries across the world. The company’

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Smoking English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Smoking Is a Dangerous Precedent - Essay Example This paper tells that harshness aside, smoking brings to an end the basis of life and what more sinful can an aspect of life be if it kills people? If people understand that they are falling into a hole and they keep on saying all sorts of things about it, it would seem imaginable (Hove, 2011). But when they know less about it and do absolutely nothing, one can expect naivety on their part. The peer pressure is just too much for a person to take. It brings people to a single platform from where they can go all wrong. Someone must stop them to bring sanity within their domains. The young ones are therefore straying for a multitude of reasons. Smoking is playing havoc with their lives and they are just not pushed. This is because they do not care much about what is taking place within their fore. The safe alternatives that the young ones can perhaps adopt comprise of the substitutes that they shall find to keep them busy at all times. The urge basically makes their life difficult and i t would be safe to state that this urge has to be controlled and kept at a safe distance. It will solve half the problems that smokers have within their folds. The smokers need to be sure that they are following the right path when they are controlling their urge and this can only come about when they know what they are doing. Indulgence in smoking has meant that their parents have been concerned for a number of reasons. They want to know why their children are adopting this habit where even most of the parents themselves are addicted to smoking in the first place (Stein, 2011). It has been seen that parents discourage their wards no matter they smoke or not. This is a positive development that has come to the fore with the changing times and there has been reason enough to believe such a premise since parents do not want to put their children’s lives at risk. Within the understanding that smoking can bring about for the general masses, what is most significant is how well sm oking has been able to manifest its negativities amongst the target audience that it is spoken about. This has been understood in the wake of the different ailments and diseases which have been highlighted time and again. Teenagers and young adults perhaps forget the fact that their comprehension levels are limited and they are unable to decipher the true meaning and representation of smoking in the clearest sense possible. They are less educated and have little know-how of what is deemed as right and what is seen as wrong within the correct frame of things (Guha, 2011). The role of the parents is an important one because they must keep a check as to where their young ones are going and what kind of friends they are hanging out with. Their stern check over their children is quintessential because this would ensure that they stay on the right track no matter how bad their respective companies are. In the end, it would be safe to state that smoking is a dangerous precedent that has be en set within the present day generation. This is so sad because smoking was a problem, remains an issue and will be a serious concern in the days to come. For starters, peer pressure is something that should be paid attention towards.  

Monday, September 23, 2019

Profanity and Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Profanity and Women - Essay Example Profanity as utility is as much part of language and communication as the norm that defines it as a deviation (Jay, 2009, p.155). According to Jay through the use of taboo/swear words "one can achieve myriads of personal and social goals" (Jay, 2009, p.155). Thus combining the socio-physical context and overarching emotiveness of foul language. For it is at a personal level that the dogmatic inappropriateness of taboo words is initially perceived through inflicted punishment and restrictions. Its inadvertent use, however, conveys a necessity to go beyond the formally recognized means of expression. A psychological sociolinguistic reading of taboo language would probably best describe it as an articulated emotional trespassing. Being extreme in essence it is often associated with extreme emotions and states of mind such as anger, frustration, violence, etc. in the expression of which the two genders perform differently depending on their age and social ranking (Eckert & McConnell-Gine t,2003; James, 1998; Jay, 2009 ). Course language and profanity have always existed in the discourse irrespective of language and culture. Profanity is a form of expression intended to convey a variety of feeling and emotions, as well as to intensify and emphasize a point in such a way that can not be paralleled by using correct and what are deemed appropriate words and expressions. Taboo words are used to express anger; they could be a form of rebellion against social norms as well as a means of belonging to a social group. Their frequent insertion between words in a sentence could be an involuntary way of phrasing, intending no harm and lacking significance, or it could simply be a way to fill the void of a limited vocabulary. Taboo words fall into a number of categories: Taboos in English are placed primarily on sexual references (blow job, cunt) and on those that are considered profane or blasphemous (goddamn, Jesus Christ). Taboos extend to scatological referents and disgusting objects (shit, crap, douche bag); some animal names (bitch, pig, ass); ethnic-racial-gender slurs (nigger, fag, dago); insulting references to perceived psychological, physical, or social deviations (retard, wimp, lard ass); ancestral allusions (son of a bitch, bastard); substandard vulgar terms (fart face, on the rag); and offensive slang (cluster fuck, tit run). (Jay, 2009, p. 154) In Language and Gender Eckert and McConnell-Ginet draw upon Robin Lakoff's 1970s theory about "women's language" (Eckert et al., 2003, p.158). They describe the choice of language utilized by women as historically, socially and culturally determined and sustained through existing power structures related to male dominance. Furthermore, a female is a priori perceived as powerless simply through positioning herself as a woman. Hence the language she uses is a "powerless language" and it prevents her from interactional effectiveness (Eckert et al., 2003, p.159). A type of language, which has been also attributed to other marginalized and discriminated against categories such as homosexuals and people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. From an early age, people and especially women, are conditioned to perceive certain words as profane,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Reminders About the Acceptable Use of Email and Text Messaging Essay - 3

Reminders About the Acceptable Use of Email and Text Messaging - Essay Example Use of email and text messaging by the employees of People Support Aegis Company is allowed, given support, and strongly agreed since this is very useful and is an important business tool of the company. However, People Support Aegis has policy regarding the use of email and texts messaging since these are company property and for the facilitation of the business of the company. Every employee must make sure to: do not use email and text messaging for the making and giving out of any extremely unpleasant, or messages that cause problems, which includes messages that have offensive comments about private and personal matters, age, gender, race, sexual beliefs, origin, physical and mental condition and political and religious beliefs. Using of monitoring software has been reserved in order to ensure that employees are obeying all the policy given. Therefore, the company has the authority to monitor and access all messages on the email and text messaging system.Assuming of privacy in anything the employee created, received, sent or stored on the company’s email system are not allowed because all their messages maybe seen without any prior notice. Accepting personal emails can be made but the messages should be saved in a separate folder. Breaching and failing to comply with the policy have sanctions to be applied on the employee. If an employee is found and proven to have breached the po licy, they will face the company’s disciplinary penalty ranging from a verbal to dismissal.  

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Technical Writing Fundamental Essay Example for Free

Technical Writing Fundamental Essay When evaluating the chosen manual several criteria were utilized which I believe are important elements in order for it to be effective see below. * Must be legible and easy to navigate through * The audience must be taken in consideration which means that it has to address all the needs of the audience * The instructions need to be easy to follow and have clarity to the intended audience. * It also must include background that the users can easily understand. * Correctness of the manual, punctuation, grammar. When accessing the manual for Pyle Pro (PWMA-230) operating instruction the first thing that sticks out in my observation is how readable the manual presents itself in a legible form that the reader can understand. The font’s size and style are appropriate for the manual this allows the reader little effort when viewing it which gives a better comprehension that makes it easily understood of the set of instructions. As it pertains to navigation of the manual there isn’t anything that is special or unique from many other manuals that you would see, just a matter of flipping the pages and following the explanation of what the equipment Intel’s. The manual I believe appears to address the intended audience needs appropriately. I take from the manual that the instructions are intended for average users of the amplifier who only want practical knowledge of how to operate the product. This manual describes the proper was of operating the amplifier without going into great detail and not allowing itself to have to get into a technical discussion that the user does not really care about anyway. As I read the manual one thing that really stuck out to me was the correctness of the manual there was the misspelled word â€Å"don’t†, throughout the â€Å"Remarks† section. Since this is an official document for the company its shows unprofessionalism by the preparer when they didn’t proofread to ensure that the correct grammar and punctuation was not utilized. The writer should know the correct rules or exactly what grammatical terms are expected to be used at all times. The background information about the product has many â€Å"don’t† that pertain to the products is very disappointing because of the misspelled word â€Å"don’t† which makes it a little harder to concentrate on what it is trying to convey to the reader. The warning to me are a little exhaustive with the exception of the dangers of opening the chassis or putting ones hand inside the chassis can be dangerous, the others are pretty much self- explanatory in my opinion. Throughout the manual it does include descriptions of the various amplifier components and diagrams of the product. Reference Manual link: http://www.retrevo.com/search/v2/jsp/mytrevo/myTrevo.jsp?page=man

Friday, September 20, 2019

Images Of African Americans In The Media

Images Of African Americans In The Media The mass media is a powerful force today in American pop culture. A lot of the images seen on television, magazines, billboards, and on television have lasting impressions. Sometimes these impressions create a negative impact. The media can be very destructive to society. Many different ethnic groups and cultures are negatively affected by the content and images in the media. African Americans seem to be on the very top of that list. For some people in society, the only time they get to see another race is from the images portrayed through the media. America is populated with many different cultures and races, often considered as the worlds largest melting pot. Learned ignorance with a combination of limited exposure and negative images being the only depiction seen in different areas of the media lead to stereotyping of an entire race. Since the infancy of television and newspaper, exposure of African Americans has been scarce or even non-existent. In the early times black culture in television and film were limited to demeaning and cruel depictions of black people as being submissive, docile, and unintelligent. Many black actors were only assigned to domestic roles, portrayed as savages, and other images that added to the stereotypes of black people in that time in history. Blacks were rarely seen in news shows, newspapers, but it seemed to only be shown if they were committing crimes. The negative stereotypes of blacks in the media were a result of the lack of African Americans holding management positions in the media. Therefore a lot of the images being shown blacks had no control over. Even though there are so many negative images of blacks in the media, black entrepreneurs began showing positive images of their race and culture. In 1945, John H. Johnson, founder of Johnson Publishing Company, created Ebony Magazine. This is where he put an effort into displaying positive role models in the black community. In 1951, he crested Jet magazine to discuss the news in the black community that mainstream media ignored. People that read Jet and Ebony said they believrf their dreams could come true after reading the stories of success of other African Americans, despite what they saw in the media. Newspapers that were writing and organized by African Americans had a major influence in overcoming racial stereotypes in the media. In the 1980s, television started portraying positive images of bla cks. Successful sitcoms like The Cosby Show, developed by Bill Cosby showed that African Americans can be educated parents and raise successful family in New York. At least a decade before that, Norman Lear developed a successful family show called Good Times that showed Africans Americans struggling to make ends meet by staying away from the danger that is associated with living in public housing. Even though black people do successful things they are still criticized. Those shows were successful as far as ratings but were still criticized about the characters in Good Times are depicting blacks as poverty stricken. The success of the Cosby show and other positive black shows has changed drastically over the years. The negative and racial preferences in the media even influence our younger generation. All children in our society become aware of racial prejudice that is directed against their own race or others. Social comparison starts from early school years. They normally focus on characteristics like skin color, to make social comparisons. It has been proven through several tests on adolescents in grade school their preferences on a particular race based on what they see in the media. One of researches was based on baby dolls. This test indicated that children prefer white baby dolls because it was more popular on television commercials. Black baby dolls were rarely seen on TV or non-existent. Colorism is another major aspect that has been brought upon by the mass media. Colorism involves light skinned African Americans rejecting blacks who are darker skin toned. Colorism encompasses that dark -skinned African Americans discriminating against lighter skinned blacks for not being dark enough. This also includes issues involving hair texture, eye color, and hair texture. It also involves discrimination among their own race on a persons complexion and physical characteristics. In the media, whether it be on television or in newspapers, it has been said that those with lighter complexions, are treated differently that darker African Americans. African American women in the mass media portray women as stereotypical, mammies, matriarchs, welfare recipients, and jezebels. These images have been controlling images for a long time. The media displays demeaning characteristics of black women being lazy and promiscuous. Today in society the images in women, especially black women, ar e disgusting. In music videos derogatory lyrics and compromising photos forces the community to believe that this is all what African women are all about. Black women are given the most sexual and demeaning roles to promote and advertise products and albums for record labels. These types of images only send out negative images that this is the only thing black women know how to do. Black men are seen as drug users, violent and dead beat fathers in the mass media. Music videos portray them also as thugs and uneducated. If convicted of a crime the news will often show a mug shot of a black male but will show a less offensive picture of a white male. Crime shows and movies will tend to show black males as the offender, being disrespectful , running from the police, and involved in hostile situations. The media tends to show this type of behavior over and over in the news or published in the newspaper more often than you would see a black male doing something positive for his community. This is why other black males are influenced by what they see because this is all they see and they believe this is what they are supposed to do. When society is seeing the same behaviors being shown continuously then this creates the stereotypes of that race. They believe is this how ths race acts based on what they see on television and what they read. On the other hand, the same negative images by the media are turned around when it comes to white females and males. White females are portrayed as victims of crimes and innocent. Forensic files television shows or cold case shows seem to show crimes that involved a white female as a victim, cases with black victims are not sown as much. Another example of the media influencing or promoting racial stereotypes is in the movies. A lot of the movies that are about gang violence or living in urban areas focus on black males being angry and committing crimes. For example, A film called Menace to Society, was produced by black men, and was a totally negative display of African American Men. This movie focused only on the street life and made it seem like there is something good and honorable about being a thug and being involved in criminal activity. A lot of the movies portray black men as being nothing more than animals that have no brains and only engage in criminal activity. With these types of movies being on the market, it is only expected that society including other African Americans will believe and act out on what they see. The media constantly bombards us with negative images of African American males and females, and this is what encourages racial stereotypes. Unfortunately, people tend to believe what they see on TV. They believe that what they see on TV is the truth about the world and everybody in it. Those who believe what they see on television have no other reference or personal life experience which to compare or contrast to make decisions about they see. Younger children tend to look at the med ia to explore new things and see if they can relate to other things in the world. Television and the media has a way of stereotyping people, races, and cultures based on standardized roles and behaviors. This provides people with a broad idea and assumptions. The absence of minorities in the media may leave children with the sense of not being worthy, worthy of attention, or respect. Despite the negative depictions in the media, African Americans have come a long way and have become very successful and powerful in society. African Americans have succeeded in becoming athletes, movie stars, and musical artist. They have succeeded in becoming police officers, nurses, and other professions. They have excelled in being outstanding mother and fathers and marriages are lasting. There is still the high statistics that show that African Americans are above all other races when it comes to being single parents and having broken homes, but not everyone in that race is classed under those stereotypes. They are a lot of positive African American role models that we can look up to now. One African American family that everyone can look up to know as positive reinforcement is the Obama family. They have shown that black they are positive black families that can stick together and be successful. They have given American another way to view black families. They stereotypical views that blacks families always end destruction and broken homes and the children become useless in society have come to end. There are a lot of black families that consist of the mother and father and both are successful in life. They media unfortunately dont show the positive side. He media tends to focus on the broken homes and terrible behaviors of kids that are split between the broken homes. Sadly, this is true but the black family is not the only ones going through broken homes and having single parents. The Cosby Show was one of the first positive depictions of black families, but it was only a television show. Now the Obamas shows a real life portrayal of a happy successful African Amer ican family. Positive images of black fathers in the media are virtually non-existent. Black fathers are normally depicted has leaving their families and not supporting their children. They are mostly seen as worthless individuals who do not work and avoid taking responsibility for their kids. There are a lot of black fathers who are active in their childrens lives but the media neglects to show that to America. Even on day time talk shows you will always see more than any other race black fathers denying their kids and going through paternity test on national television. America loves nothing more but to find enjoyment in watching them demean their race. This display on television only adds fuel to the fire when we are watching black men deny their children. This only makes other races believe that black men are dead beat dads. Contrary to what is being shown on television, there are shows that show how many black men are being involved in their childrens lives. Many rap stars constantly show how much they love and cherish their children. Most of the time you will see them with their families on red carpet events and now they are even making sitcoms that show their everyday lives with their families. With this new change in the media it is a refreshing look at how things are slowly changing.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Maintenance Wizard :: social issues

The Maintenance Wizard The Maintenance Wizard. By Michael Levy.  © all rights reserved. If you own a modern computer, you will know there is a maintenance wizard in your windows software. With a click of the mouse you can sit back whilst the wizard automatically checks out your computer for any faults. If it finds anything amiss it will correct it within a few seconds. The wizard will also remove any files that are not needed in its memory banks. Wow! what a wizard...Wouldn't be great if we had a wizard in our minds that could remove sickness and get rid of all erroneous memories. A whole lifetime of never getting sick.... Well, we do have such a wizard enmeshed in every human being. .....Just a minute, I can sense you are not believing what I am saying. Well, what I am saying does fly in-the-face of modern conventional medical science. Non-the-less, if you live in true joy, you will never get sick. What is he talking about I hear you say............I'm deep in debt....... my son has been sent home from school for being a disruptive influence.....my beloved aunt is dying of cancer ... the boss is telling me business is slow and he may have to lay people off if things don't pick up.....the roof is leaking and the dogs got diarrhea....There is also a hundred and one other problems piling up on the back cooker. Quite so, everyone will be faced with problematic challenges every day of their lives. That is all part of the human experience of living in a modern day world. The main problem is, the world we live in is no longer natural. It has become perplexingly plastic and sophisticatedly complex and if we accept it as our reality, we will have no chance of living a healthy dis-ease free life. Simplicity is the answer to many problems but when given a choice of an easy way or a hard way to solve a problem, most "normal" people will take the hard egoistical route. Why?....Because they live with an egotistical, intellectual master/monster and it is his/her way or no-way. But, what about God..... Isn't 'he' supposed to help us live disease free? If he is watching over us why is ‘he' not listening to our prayers. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Why is he slinging a deaf ear? †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Why is "he' allowing such suffering to all the kind innocent folks who are asking him for help? The Maintenance Wizard :: social issues The Maintenance Wizard The Maintenance Wizard. By Michael Levy.  © all rights reserved. If you own a modern computer, you will know there is a maintenance wizard in your windows software. With a click of the mouse you can sit back whilst the wizard automatically checks out your computer for any faults. If it finds anything amiss it will correct it within a few seconds. The wizard will also remove any files that are not needed in its memory banks. Wow! what a wizard...Wouldn't be great if we had a wizard in our minds that could remove sickness and get rid of all erroneous memories. A whole lifetime of never getting sick.... Well, we do have such a wizard enmeshed in every human being. .....Just a minute, I can sense you are not believing what I am saying. Well, what I am saying does fly in-the-face of modern conventional medical science. Non-the-less, if you live in true joy, you will never get sick. What is he talking about I hear you say............I'm deep in debt....... my son has been sent home from school for being a disruptive influence.....my beloved aunt is dying of cancer ... the boss is telling me business is slow and he may have to lay people off if things don't pick up.....the roof is leaking and the dogs got diarrhea....There is also a hundred and one other problems piling up on the back cooker. Quite so, everyone will be faced with problematic challenges every day of their lives. That is all part of the human experience of living in a modern day world. The main problem is, the world we live in is no longer natural. It has become perplexingly plastic and sophisticatedly complex and if we accept it as our reality, we will have no chance of living a healthy dis-ease free life. Simplicity is the answer to many problems but when given a choice of an easy way or a hard way to solve a problem, most "normal" people will take the hard egoistical route. Why?....Because they live with an egotistical, intellectual master/monster and it is his/her way or no-way. But, what about God..... Isn't 'he' supposed to help us live disease free? If he is watching over us why is ‘he' not listening to our prayers. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Why is he slinging a deaf ear? †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Why is "he' allowing such suffering to all the kind innocent folks who are asking him for help?

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Astronomers Wife †Just a Simple Complex Tale :: Astronomers Wife Essays

Astronomers Wife – Just a Simple Complex Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kay Boyle's literary piece titled "Astronomers Wife", is a mental exercise. Every word and every line has an important meaning to it. Interpretation is a critical skill in understanding everything Boyle's story has to offer. Although this piece has a lot of sophistication to it, the story line is rather simple. The time period is the early 1900's and the story is regarding a rather young husband and a wife, in there late twenties to mid thirties. The couple lives out on the country side of the United States where houses are far from one another and the land is scenically beautiful. Although their surroundings are beautiful, the couples marriage is not. There is no love expressed between the two. Mrs. Ames goes about her daily routine, day in and day out. Mr. Ames is an astronomy professor who has more love for his profession than for his wife. The professor is a quiet man who uses his wife as somebody to cook his food, clean his clothes, and take care of the house. Mrs. Ames, a young woman in her late twenties, is living the life of sixty year old lady. Her days have no excitement in them what so ever. She isn't able to experience the stimulating life there is to live at her age. The couple does have a young woman servant who is there to help, which shows the two are doing fine financially. One night Mrs. Ames heard the sound of water in the hallway outside the bedroom. The next morning she got up bright and early to deal with the problem of the overflowing toilet by contacting a plumber. The plumber comes to the house and the young servant girl answers the door. She calls up to Mrs. Ames and tells her the man is here. Mrs. Ames gets up, puts on her white and scarlet smock, and in a whispering voice, as not to wake her husband, tells the man to come up the stairs. He does so politely, and right away, gets to his job of soaking up the large puddle in the middle of the upstairs hallway. The plumber is respectful and has manors, something Mrs. Ames notices considerably that is missing from her husband. After staring at the toilet for a few minutes, the plumber tells Mrs. Ames

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The My Lai Massacre Essay -- History Innocent Murder Historical Essays

The My Lai Massacre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On March 16, 1968, in the Quang Ngai region of Vietnam, specifically My Lai, the United States military was involved in an appalling slaughter of approximately 500 Vietnamese civilians. There are numerous arguments as to why this incident even had the capacity to occur. Although some of the arguments seem valid, can one really make excuses for the slaughter of innocent people? The company that was responsible for the My Lai incident was the Charlie Company and throughout the company there were many different accounts of what happened that reprehensible day. Therefore there are a few contradictions about what had occurred, such as what the commanding officers exact instructions for the soldiers were. Even with these contradictions the results are obvious. The question that must be posed is whether these results make the American soldiers involved that day â€Å"guilty†. There is the fact that the environment of the Vietnam War made it very confusing to the s oldiers exactly who the enemy was, as well as providing a pent up frustration due to the inability to even engage in real combat with the enemy. If this is the case though, why did some soldiers with the same frustrations refuse the orders and sit out on the action, why did some cry while firing, and why then did one man go so far as to place himself between the Vietnamese and the firing soldiers? If these men who did not see the sense in killing innocents were right with their actions, then how come the ones who did partake were all found not guilty in court? The questions can keep going back and forth on this issue, but first what happened that day must be examined. Captain Earnest Medina was in charge of giving orders to the Charlie Company and in the early evening of March 15th a meeting was called. CPT Medina told the company that the next morning they would be moving into My Lai and attacking Vietcong forces there. He told them that all the civilians would be at the market or would have already been moved out by the time that the soldiers arrived to carry out their planned attack. He said all that would be left in the village would be the Vietcong of the 48th battalion and Vietcong sympathizers. It was never clear what CPT Medina had said to do in the event of coming across civilians. Medina claimed in court that he had told the GI’s not to kill women and children, to us... ... landing on the president for putting the soldiers out in the jungles of an un-winnable war. In conclusion, there are just too many people and too many things to place blame easily for this disturbing event. So the easy road was taken, just do not let this happen again. The military took time out to think about their training of soldiers. "Commanders sent troops in the Desert storm operation into battle with the words, â€Å"No My Lais—you hear?† (Linder) History is said to be good for one reason- to learn from past mistakes so they will not be repeated, and that is a very good lesson to learn from My Lai and one that all hope was, in fact, learned. Works Cited Chafe, William H. The Unfinished Journey: America Since World War II. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Goff, Richard, et al. The Twentieth Century: A Brief Global History. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998. Linder, Doug. â€Å"An Introduction to the My Lai Courts Martial.† Famous American Trails: The My Lai Courts Martial, 1970. 15 Nov. 1999 <http://www.law.umkc.edu/ faculty/projects/ftrials/mylai/Myl_intro.html>. Olson, James S., and Randy Roberts. My Lai: A Brief History With Documents. Boston: Bedford, 1998

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Difference Between Benjamin Franklin and Phyllis Wheatley

In the 18th century, the British colonies that would eventually become the United States of America contained a wide variety of types of people. America really was a â€Å"New World.† It had not really completely invented itself yet. As a result, there were a wide variety of types of people living in the British American colonies. Benjamin Franklin and Phyllis Wheatley are two examples of Colonialists in America with markedly different backgrounds, lives, and gender and those differences are reflected in what they wrote. Phyllis Wheatley was kidnapped as a child from Africa and sold to a family in Massachusetts. This family recognized her abilities and educated her. Phyllis Wheatley wrote poetry that reflected her refined upbringing in Massachusetts. Benjamin Franklin, on the other hand, essentially ran away from home at the age of 15 and made his own way. He came from a more working-class family. One thing that these very different two people have in common, however, is that they rose from humble beginnings to accomplish things that are still highly regarded today. Wheatley's poetry demonstrates that she must have received a classical education. The language she uses is elaborate and full of symbolism. They reflect high degrees of optimism and idealism. One example of such a poem by Wheatley is â€Å"On Imagination.† In the poem, Wheatley uses metaphor to think of imagination as an â€Å"imperial queen.† In language that would be considered artificial and stilted today, she writes, â€Å"Thy wond'drous acts in beauteous order stand†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The flowery and exalted language compare sharply with Benjamin Franklin's style of writing, which was much more practical and down-to-earth. Much of Franklin's writing was completely practical in nature. In â€Å"Poor Richard's Almanac† he provided information people needed at the time in their everyday lives. He wrote pithy columns for daily or weekly publications about issues that affected people right then. Franklin was a practical man, and although he displayed tremendous imagination, he put it to practical use. While Wheatley was writing about â€Å"Th' empyreal palace of the thund'ring God.† Franklin debated the merits of being married vs. taking an older woman as a mistress. These differences are to be expected. In the 18th century, genteel women – and Wheatley was raised as a genteel woman even though she started her life in America as a slave – did not concern themselves with the practical realities of life. The differences in their writing highlight the fact that although they both grew above their position at birth, Franklin was able to elevate himself more than Wheatley could. Part of this difference undoubtedly lies in their racial differences, and part of it their gender differences. Franklin was an active inventor, a highly imaginative use of creativity. He invented bifocals, a development that resulted in dramatic changes in the manufacture of eyeglasses. He invented the Franklin Stove. Homes were often heated by fireplaces during that time, and only one side of a fireplace released heat into the room. The Franklin Stove stands in the room and is not built into the wall. The result is that heat is released from all sides, providing more heat for the home. While Franklin's work was largely practical, sometimes he applied imagination to life simply out of curiosity. He devised his experiment with a kite and a key because he was curious about lightning, not because he was looking for some way to harness lightning and use It in some practical way. But even then his approach was simple and concrete. He wrote no flowery poem extolling the wonders of lightning after he finished his experiment. It seems likely that if a woman had taken a kite, tied a key to the string and flown the kite in a thunderstorm, people might have thought she had gone mad. The differences between Franklin's and Wheatley's writing may reflect a difference in formal education. Wheatley must have had a formal, classical education to write in the style she did. Her poetry includes references to Greek mythology. We know that Franklin had little formal education. During the 18th century this did not have to interfere with advancement and a high level of education was not required for most jobs. As a printer, it seems likely that skill with his hands would be at least as important as the ability to read and write, skills Franklin clearly developed. But since he was apprenticed to his brother at age 12 and fled to Philadelphia when he was 15 it seems very unlikely that he had an opportunity to study Greek myths. Franklin advanced himself by developing skills that had real market value. He became a very good printer and actually created a franchise for his skills. His writings were widely read. He had a trade, he was very good at it, and because of that he could support himself and his wife well. His wife helped. She ran the store they owned. But she did not start businesses on her own, and while she was certainly entitled to share in her husband's wealth, she would have had a very hard time accomplishing what he accomplished on her own. For instance, Franklin began his first real successful printing enterprise by getting a loan. It seems unlikely that such a loan would have been given to his wife. Wheatley, of course, had the added obstacle of being Black. Interestingly, it appears that being Black was not much of an obstacle for Wheatley, given the times in which she lived. She still received an outstanding education. Instead, the differences between Franklin and Wheatley may be more one of class. Wheatley's poetry suggests an upper class education, whereas Franklin's life and writing suggests a much closer connection to the common man. It also appears that Wheatley was very religious. This is revealed in another of her poems, where she expresses thanks for being brought to America as a slave, because it brought her to Christianity. However, her religious beliefs go well beyond the simple concept of salvation. In â€Å"On Imagination,† she views imagination as God's residence, and writes, â€Å"From star to star the mental optics rove, measure the skies, There in one view we grasp the mighty whole, or with new worlds amaze th' unbounded soul.† She sees God in everything she views, and grasps the enormity of creation. By comparison, Franklin talks about religion in practical terms. In his letter â€Å"Advice on the Choice of a Mistress,† he says that taking an older woman for a mistress is less of a sin than â€Å"debauching a Virgin.† While he mentions sin, most of his letter witty and clever but completely ignores the issue of whether taking a mistress is against God's law or not. His argument is moral: don't ruin a young girls' life just because you don't want to marry – it's not necessary. Franklin wrote directly, and without metaphor, especially the extended ones Wheatley was fond of. He used short sentences that got right to the point, such as â€Å"A stitch in time saves nine.† Wheatley, however, wrote more elaborate expressions. When she admired the paintings of a young African-American, she wrote a 34-line using iambic pentameter – the same meter often chosen by Shakespeare. However, although we know from reading her poem that she admired the paintings, we don't get any clear image of what the painting might have looked like. She spends a good part of the poem in good wishes for the poet: â€Å"Still may the paint's and the poet's fire to aid thy pencil, and thy verse conspire~ And may the charms of each seraphic theme Conduct they footsteps to immortal fame!† By comparison, Franklin gives very specific and practical advice to his friend who does not wish to marry, including 8 reasons he should take an older mistress if he does not marry, including the final one: â€Å"and lastly. They are so grateful!!!† Such earthy humor is not present in the poems of Wheatley's examined here. He also gives humorous advice such as to cover the upper torso of an older lover with a basket, because the head and upper body suffer the ravages of age first. Even when giving intensely personal advice, Franklin is practical as well as entertaining. Franklin seems to enjoy bawdy humor based on this example. However, it should be noted that Franklin may not have intended this letter to be published and may have written in a less graphic style for public consumption. Benjamin Franklin lived a remarkable life. He was apprenticed to his older brother and worked hard for him, only to make his brother jealous of Benjamin's abilities. Benjamin managed to keep his brother's paper operational while the brother was in jail for expressing his beliefs, and wrote a column for it anonymously, slipping his work under the door at night. When he finally revealed to his brother that he was â€Å"Silence Dogood,† his brother only scolded him. Defying the norms of the day, he ran away at age 15. He arrived penniless in Philadelphia but not only created his own fortune, but won the hand of the young woman who first saw him when he arrived in Philadelphia looking quite disreputable. He then parlayed one success into the next, ended up a leader in the emerging new country, and served as the new country's ambassador to France. Franklin seems to have succeeded at everything he attempted to do. With almost no education, he became a famous writer, a founding father of what became a great nation, and an ambassador. He had no advantage of class; upper class youth were educated and not apprenticed to a trade. He seems to have had a talent for recognizing opportunity when it was presented to him, because running away was illegal. Such an action could have begun a serious downward spiral. Instead it was the start of the first of many opportunities Franklin created for himself. Along the way he developed concern for the common good. He organized Philadelphia's first hospital and first fire department. Wheatley's circumstances were quite different. Kidnapped and brought to the U. S. as a slave, she was fortunate to be purchased by a family that educated her. However, she could not have had the opportunities to create her own fortune as Franklin did, both because she was female and because she was Black. One has to wonder how Phyllis Wheatley fit into Massachusetts society as an adult. It would have been difficult for her to find an African-American husband who had her level of education. It just have been quite a shock to many to discover that the beautiful, elaborate poetry had been written by a former slave. It would have been very difficult for her to get a college education. Perhaps she could have been a teacher, maybe for African-American children, but genteel women of the time were not brought up to have some kind of career or trade. That was the province of young men such as Benjamin Franklin. Still, both Franklin and Wheatley seem to have made the best they could of their circumstances. Franklin had an uncanny knack for business and understood the printing trade very well. It probably helped him that he entered this field just as being able to communicate with people via the printed word was going to become very important. The printed word played an important role in rallying colonists around the cause of separating from Great Britain. In spite of what must have been very restrictive circumstances, Wheatley found the perfect outlet for her education, language abilities and intellectual skills in her ornate poetry. In this way, both Franklin epitomized the United States during the 18th century, because for people with talent and determination, America truly was a land of opportunity.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

MCDonalds Essay

Strategy and Repositioning the Brand McDonald’s in India Sameer, Sharanbir Kaur Abstract- Despite global slowdown, Indian economy is resurgent and offers fresh opportunities as well as challenges to global players. McDonald‘s still treats the Indian market as one of their young markets although what they have achieved in 15 years here, it would usually take them 25 to 30 years in another market. McDonald‘s philosophy of Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (QSC&V) is the guiding force behind its stellar service to the customers. However there is still a huge potential in the Indian food market that remains untapped in terms of family restaurants, quick service restaurants and breakfast eateries. Coming in the wake of these, their rebranding effort requires much more than a mere change of the logo or signage. There is a need to critically evaluate the right marketing mix. The article is focused upon assessing the marketing efforts in India in terms of positioning of McDonald‘s. Index Terms- Rebranding, Repositioning, Demography, Marketing Mix I. FAST FOOD INDUSTRY IN INDIA T he Indian fast food industry has evolved over time and always has been in line with the needs of people of all ages and segments. There are enterprises which scale from one room outlet to a chain having hundreds of outlets like McDonalds in India. As per new research report ? Indian Fast Food Market Analysis? , India is blessed with one of the fastest growing fast food markets in the world. The Indian fast food market is growing at an annual growth rate of 30-35%. Almost all big fast food brands of the world have succeeded in making their presence felt in the country and most of them posting an appreciable growth. Although the market has witnessed robust growth in the past couple of years, it remains largely under penetrated and concentrated in the metropolitan cities. However, there is large room for growth in tier-II cities, tier-III cities which are mostly untapped. Therefore, the future of Indian fast food industry lies in masses that live in tier-II and tier-III cities. In 2013, the global fast food market is forecasted to have a value of $200 billion, an increase of 29. 3% and a volume of 94. 7 billion transactions, an increase of 10. 4% since 2008. The consumer spending on processed food has increased at an average rate of 7. 6 per cent annually from 2008 to 2010 and this is expected to rise at an average of around 8. 6 per cent until 2012, according to a report by Assocham. Almost all big fast food brands of the world have succeeded in making their presence felt in the country and most of them are posting appreciable growth. It is estimated through the Euromonitor International and Credit Suisse Emerging Consumer Survey, that the average Indian spends just $ 11 as compared to his Chinese counterpart who would ideally spend $ 20 on fast food. Yet , if we see the Indian spending on food in totality , they spend 23 % of their earnings on the same while the Chinese spending is 20 %. So, the inference that can be drawn is that owing to the eating pattern of Indians they prefer to eat at home and would spend on cooking ingredients over fast food. However, this does not spell good news for the industry. It is set to witness the entry of new fast food players that plan to hit the Indian market with a vengeance with international giants like Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks being amongst them. II. THE COMPETITION People prefer fast food because it’s cheap, easy to prepare, and heavily promoted. India is a developing country with 2 percent of organized and 98 percent of unorganized sector. So most of the fast foods that came into Indian market as India has a high growth in every sector. Major players in fast food in India are: McDonald’s KFC Pizza Hut Dominos Cafe Coffee Day Barista More than 75% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent locals. McDonald‘s product line in India is almost similar to other burger chains with a dominant Indian flavour. Perhaps, it would be correct to say that their only similarity with their foreign outlets is that they have French Fries and still use buns. Examining the immense Indianzation they have attempted in their menu here it wouldn‘t be surprising to see Indian Chapatis in place of buns. Their current offerings reflect the same. www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 2 Table I : Present Menu for McDonald’s India Menu Ranges Burgers and other Bites Spicy Delights McSpicyPaneer ExtraValue Meals Chicken McNuggets Meal McAloo Tikki Happy Price Menu Breakfast Menu Favourites Sausage McMuffin with egg French Fries McAloo Tikki Happy Meal Meals Source: McDonaldsIndia. com Desserts Big Spicy Paneer Wrap Filet O Fish Meal Maharaja Mac Meal McVeggie /McChicken Meal Chicken McGrill Beverages McSwirl Iced tea/ Cold Coffee Minute Maid Pulpy Orange/ Cappucino/ Tea Soft Serve (Strawberry /Chocolate) Veg Supreme Veg Pizza McPuff Veg McMuffin Sausage McMuffin Pancakes Filet O Fish Chicken Maharaja Mac Chicken McGrill Meal McChicken/ McVeggie McVeggie Meal McFlurry McChicken meal III. BUSINESS MODEL The Business Model of McDonald‘s is a franchise-based model coupled with strong corporate branding. The focus is on the branding of McDonald‘s as a globally accepted service provider with strong customer perception about: www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 3 Happy Employees means Happy Customers – McDonald’s Efforts of repositioning its Brand-Recently, McDonald’s management has decided to change itsstrategies. They now want to provide not only a place to sit and eat but also an experience that can be enjoyed by their customers. Figure 1: The Service Marketing Triangle Zeithaml and Bitner (1996 ) McDonald‘s realized very early in their business that in order to achieve happiness amongst customers;the possible route is through happy, motivated and committed employees. In accordance with this they played on the customer first strategy. Even in India, their efforts clearly indicated that they were keen to understand the Indian consumer. Hence they adapted themselves to tickle the taste buds of their Indian customers to become a brand that enjoys a very high brandrecall. Therefore they focused on internal as well as external marketing. The level of importance has changed to be in the following order (the most important people arenow at the top). Corporate Branding – The marketers are shifting the branding efforts from their product brands to a more holistic corporate branding . The reason for the shift can be traced to the belief that, it is the corporate image that carries a great impact on the buyers who are more aware and more exposed to media coverage on various issues be it environmental responsibility, being corporate social responsibility or be it responsibility towards health of future generation. McDonald‘s describe a corporate branding framework that is based on three elements: Figure 2: McDonald’s Service Pyramid Figure 3: Corporate Branding Source: Hatch and Schultz (2003)), â€Å"Bringing the Corporation into Corporate Branding†, European Journal of Marketing, The recent McDonald‘s rebranding strategy is a part of this thought and vision. McDonald‘s road to success has not always been rosy. They have been at the receiving end of the media‘s onslaught. There was a huge uproar in US after media exposure against McDonald‘s unhealthy menu that was affecting the nation and leading it to a generation suffering from obesity and heart diseases among many more ailments. There were employment issues internally which showed that they did not treat their workers well. Hence they assessed their strategies again and came up with new objectives that strengthened their previous aims and gave a new direction to them as well. www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 4 McDonald’s Marketing Efforts Over the Years – Proactive Rebranding – A Proactive strategy includes a new line of business or market that does not conform to the existing brand identity. When McDonald‘s once referred to itself as Mickey D‘s to target kids in a commercial, it had just coined a new way of catering to an audience separate from its traditional family audience. Objectives of McDonald’s Repositioning StrategyMcDonald’s, the promise of American fast food anywhere in the world, has had to rethink and reposition its brand offerings in different countries. While some basic elements like Ronald were left in place the menu underwent an overhaul. For example, in India, the menu has no beef dishes since it is not considered religiously correct to eat cow‘s meat: there is the very popular McAlooTikki, a potato-based patty in burger buns; the Big Mac is replaced by the Maharaja Mac, the Big Mac in chicken; there is also the paneer (cottage cheese) McVeggie burger. The Italian McDonald’s has a special coffee spot. To celebrate its 20th anniversary in China, McDonald’s rebranded under the â€Å"Make Room for Happiness† campaign. They had all you want coffee refills; Wi-Fi and a more modern restaurant design were unveiled. This was done exclusively for China, where McDonald’s positioned itself as a place to relax away from the high demands of the average Chinese‘s life. Its â€Å"I’m Lovin’ It† slogan made way for â€Å"Make Room for Happiness,† and McDonald’s became the place where the stressed young Chinese can spend quality time rejuvenating after working for long hours. The result was an 18% increase in sales, and an increasing legion of fans that is fueling McDonald’s’ growth in China. McDonald’s Changing Markets Changing Strategies Decades after its launch, the Big Mac is changing colours, literally. The world’s largest fast-food chain is letting go of its familiar red-and-yellow colours for more muted tones as it goes for its biggest and costliest revamp in the country, in line with its global strategy of attracting more adults. For the next generation of consumers McDonald‘s plans to cultivate a very different image from its existing one. After revamping 280 stores in various markets last year, McDonald’s is now opting for the Tampa model and will spread that design to upwards of 800 locations this year — roughly triple what it did last year. The company is donning a new look when India is on its way of becoming a global hotspot for food retailers, with chains like Starbucks, Burger King planning to enter the country. Some McRemodel highlights include : †¢Redoing roofs – The bright red roofs that have topped McDonald’s for several decades are getting the heave, replaced with flatter, more conventional roofs. †¢Muting paint – The neon yellows and reds common to the interiors and exteriors are becoming history, replaced with much more subtle oranges, reds, yellows and even greens. †¢Updating chairs – Those industrial steel chairs are giving way to wooden chairs, colorful stools and, in some cases, vinylcovered chairs that resemble leather. Some stores will have larger lounge chairs similar to the kind you might expect to find in a coffee shop. †¢Doubling drive-through – To ease lines inside and outside stores, many locations are adding second drive-through windows to speed up service. †¢Splashing colour – McDonald’s hasn’t junked it’s familiar red and yellow colors altogether, but it is making them far less obvious. Instead of filling the restaurants with them, it’s splashing bright yellow and red here and there for effect. †¢Dividing dining areas – The sea of tables and chairs is history in the remodelled stores. The new dining rooms are divided into separate eating zones for larger groups, eat-and-run customers and folks who want to stay and lounge. †¢Adding flat-screens TVs – Large, flat-screen TVs — some playing contemporary music — are showing up in many locations, though fewer than half of the remodelled stores will display them. The new design makes the customer feel more comfortable and at leisure to enjoy their surroundings. This offers to McDonald‘s two key opportunities- firstly, to shift to another www. ijsrp. org International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2012 ISSN 2250-3153 customer base with high spending power and then to broaden their menu with offerings at a higher price point. Risks Involved – When a global organization like McDonalds is going in for rebranding, a lot of financing is involved and the global impact is huge. Though the step taken by the managers of McDonalds is well calculated but speculations are on till the time it doesn‘t fair well in the market and most importantly to the customers. This kind of rebranding in the Indian Food Industry can help change the image of McDonald‘s completely like in the case of Pizza Hut, which has become a part of fine dining segment, which it was not earlier. The Indian consumer is considered to be loyal but still the risks involved are high. 1. A trade-off between what is expected from a company and what a company has to gain from the consumers One can see that one facet raises the scale while the other weighs it down making it a tough task. In order to sustain the balance, it requires big investments which will surely add to the costs incurred in the rebranding. If the rebranding falls flat, it will result in a major profit decline. 2. Store positioning McDonald‘s needs to have the most current information to determine if present outlets are cannibalizing each other‘s business. To achieve this McDonald‘s team willneed comprehensive, demographic data of India along with both theirs and competitors‘ outlets. IV. CONCLUSION The task is mammoth as McDonald‘s tries to keep up in the race for a piece of the great Indian pie . As per Forbes , McDonald‘s India operations contribute 30 % to their sales which is a considerable share. It might become imperative to create a Point of Difference to fight it out in the Indian market as all fast food brands have modelled themselves on local flavours now , the latest being KFC with its ? Streetwise‘ menu. While McDonald‘s does have the edge with its excellent supply chain and distribution network the customer ultimately does become the king with low brand loyalty in this category being the generalisation . The rebranding effort on their part seeks to bring 5 in a new flavour to their brand offering but what remains to be seen is whether they are still able to strike a chord with the customer. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the people who assisted us in this endeavour of ours. First and foremost , we would like to thank Mr. Praveen Gupta, HOD , Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management for his valuable time and support. Also, a special mention to the staff of McDonald‘s Jor Bagh, Delhi who was very patient and helpful during our visits to the outlet for the study. REFERENCES [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Lovelock,Wirtz and Chatterjee ,? Services Marketing ? , in Plastics ,Sixth Edition ,India , Pearson , 2010 , pp. 66-98 , pp. 340-372 Aaker, D. A. (2004b), ? Leveraging the Corporate Brand? , California Management Review, 46 (3), pp. 6-18 Bijoor, H. , ? A Time to Rebuild? , Business India, February 20,2011 pp. 48. Hatch, M. J. and Schultz, ? Bringing the Corporation into Corporate Branding ? , European Journal of Marketing, 2003, 37 (7/8), pp. 1041-1064. Jacquelline, B. and Kline,S ,? From McLibel to McLettuce: Childhood, Spin and Re-branding? ,2007 , Society and Business Review, 2(1)

Race in Shakespeare

Since the Middle Ages, the issues of race have long been discussed. In nearly every culture, race has been a topic of complex discussion that has brought social discomfort and in most instances racial prejudice – Elizabethan England being no exception. William Shakespeare applies the issue of race in many of his plays; such in the tragedy of Othello that captures the reality of society in Elizabethan England, showing common racial bias of that era. Through his characters in the play, Shakespeare illustrates Elizabethan social ideology towards race, in which foreigners have adapted to a lifestyle of racial prejudice.In order to better understand the racial context behind the tragedy of Othello it is important to keep in mind the historical complexities that existed in Elizabethan England. Elizabethan vision of foreigners was complex and evolving from the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, engaging with foreigners involved the spiritual and material aspect of life. Margo Hendricks , author of Shakespeare and Race, explains within Elizabethan culture and literature that foreigners were viewed as those implementing a â€Å"process of vulgarization. Elizabethan awareness of foreigners was closely tied to the religious outlook of the world, in which followers of Judaism and Islam were the antithesis of Christians. The difference in religions prompted the same outlook on difference in race. In the beginning, foreigners mostly blacks, were forcefully brought over to Elizabethan England as â€Å"creatures† that possessed little to no rights. However, as time went on they became members of Elizabethan society known as moors. Although they were now members of society, racial integration with whites often clashed, resulting in complex tensions amongst the different races.Many foreigners in Elizabethan England were blacks, according to Diane Abbott, a current British Member of Parliament, in which the sudden rise in number caused Queen Elizabeth I to issue a pro clamation complaining about this rise in numbers of blacks in England. For blacks, the aspect of color brought so many negative connotations in the eyes of white Elizabethan Christians that degraded them in Elizabethan society. In this regard, Shakespeare uses the issue of race in Othello, written during Elizabethan times, as one of the main themes in the story represented through characters such as Iago, Brabantio, and others.In the beginning of the play, Iago shares with Roderigo and the audience his intentions of manipulating Othello for his personal gain because Othello passed on Iago as his lieutenant, thus allowing Iago to act a need for revenge based on personal hatred. Before diving into examples illustrating racism in the play it is important to also understand Othello’s background in regards to being a black foreigner in Elizabethan society. Othello, who is the play’s protagonist, is a highly respected general of the Venetian armed forces, although being a â €Å"Moor†, a man of North African descent.Ironically in the play, Othello is therefore presented in some ways opposite to the norms of Elizabethan society. While being a powerful figure and having the respect of his followers, Othello is still subject to racial backlash due to his societal role as a cultural outsider for being a foreigner. Moors, or those of African decent, were seen as second class citizens of Elizabethan society, treated with little respect, and making very little income to help support their families.Othello has to secretly marry Desdemona, a Venetian woman, because he knows not only would Desdemona’s father be opposed to such a marriage between a foreigner and a Venetian, but also society wouldn’t be in favor of it either. This as we see in the play provokes more racial slurs towards Othello, although the love that Desdemona and Othello share for each other is too strong for race to become an issue between them. In the opening act of the pla y we see Iago, a veteran military man of Venice and the harshest critic of Othello throughout the play, share with Roderigo and the audience his intentions of revenge against Othello.Here not only do we unravel Iago’s personal hatred for Othello, but Roderigo’s racial views as well. â€Å"What a full fortune does the thick lips owe if he can carry’t thus! † (I, i ,65) Roderigo, who wants to win Desdemona’s love away from Othello at any cost, calls Othello as â€Å"thick-lips†, a racial stereotype of blacks, when responding to Iago about their plans to turn Venetians such as Desdemona’s father Brabantio, against Othello. As Roderigo and Iago go to awake Brabantio in the middle of the night to tell him of the news that Desdemona ran off with Othello to get married, multiple stereotypes and slurs are used in this exchange.Iago tells Brabantio that he’s been â€Å"robbed† of his soul, for Othello has taken Desdemona by some sort of curse, being that there’s no way a prominent Venetian woman would go off to marry a â€Å"barbarian† instead of a Venetian man. â€Å"Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, you'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse, you'll have your nephews neigh to you, you'll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans. † ( I, i, 108) Iago, in his conversation with Brabantio, compares Othello to a Barbary horse in Africa.In a most obscene manner, Iago is informing Brabantio of the repercussions in their society if he doesn’t take action against Othello for his daughter is now within â€Å"the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor† (act 1 sc. 1 line 141). The negative connotation of the color black isn’t only viewed in the eyes only Venetians in the tragedy of Othello. In fact, Othello uses the color black as a negative implication as well when he hears from Iago that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. â⠂¬Å" arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell!†¦ thy crown and hearted throne to tyrannous hate! III, iii, 447) It could be possible that perhaps those in Elizabethan England simply used black and white to mirror bad versus good, dark versus light, and through this view brought the same view of foreigners because of skin color. Brabantio accuses Othello of â€Å"dark magic† as his way of wooing Desdemona, claiming his impurity in forcing his daughter’s willingness in marriage. Whereas many of such derogatory comments about Othello have much irony considering his status as a leader of the Venetian army, at the same time it clearly illustrates the social gap between citizens and foreigners.Regardless of the fact that Othello is a man of power – as is Brabantio being a senator – the view of foreigners is rather a big issue, in this case Brabantio despises Othello for his actions because his view just like many Venetians is that a foreigner with a Ve netian brings impurity and disgrace to society. Othello being the black Moor of Venice shows an opposite pattern to the norm of Elizabethan society. While racism can be quite obvious through the language of some characters, it can be interpreted through minor characters as well.In the final act after Emilia sees that Othello has killed an innocent Desdemona, she yells â€Å" O the more angel she, and you the blacker devil! † (V, ii, 132) for believing Iago who was manipulating him the entire time, resulting in killing his innocent wife he much adored. Emilia uses the color as shades of evil, saying that Othello has done something terribly wrong that connects him to the devil. In my opinion, the murder of Desdemona restores order of Elizabethan society, where as Othello having power would disrupt the order of the social hierarchy, bringing chaos and social problems for others.While some determine Othello as the hero of the play, it is important to understand the historical pre judice of blacks from whites in Elizabethan England. My interpretation of the play in regards to the historical background of Elizabethan society leads me to believe Othello was by no means a hero in the play because he was made out to be very gullible in believing Iago’s perceived truth of his wife, causing him to become jealous, heartbroken, and then proceeding by killing his wife with very little evidence that she was actually unfaithful to him.This could bring up questions about whether Shakespeare was in favor of society’s racial prejudice towards blacks, against it, or just simply used it in his work as one of his appeals, although Othello is portrayed sympathetically as an articulate and intelligent man. In my opinion, had Shakespeare been against racism, he would have made the characters in the play that are racist such as Iago seem weak and have him fail his intentions of revenge on the Moor for choosing Cassio over Iago as lieutenant. In this play however, Ia go is killed in such a way that makes him look like a martyr, and the real â€Å"hero† of the play.Otherwise, I believe Shakespeare would have made much more emphasis on racism being so derogatory that Othello’s actions would bring positive attitudes from the audience as well as sympathy, while making those that are racist hold major character flaws.Citations in MLA format – Shakespeare, William. Othello. Russ McDonald, 05/01/2001. Hendricks, Margo. Shakespeare and Race. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 2000. Abbott, Diane. â€Å"British History In Depth†. BBC. 2009-11-05 . â€Å"On Race and Religion†. PBS. .

Saturday, September 14, 2019

How American Hisotry X Relates to Political Science Text Think American Government

Lisa _______________ Professor _______________ Political Science 02 Due April 3, 2013 SUMMARY American History X was written by David McKenna and directed by Tony Kaye. Starring Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard, the film was released in 1998. The main idea of the film is the social and political issues of racism. It is a story of how a family is affected by one son’s view of the history of race roles in America, his life within the neo Nazi culture, and finally, after resigning himself to such a lifestyle due to prison reformation, his attempt to pull his younger brother from the same way of violent life.Ultimately, it is a story of the cycles of hate surrounding racism. The film is shown in non-linear narrative where events are given out of chronological order. When going back in time, the audience is given black and white film whereas the present is portrayed in color. Danny Vinyard, is given an assignment to write an essay on the incarceration of the main character, his older brother, Derek. The essay was to entail what led up to the incarceration and how his family was affected. The verbal reflection of his essay is when the audience is shown the film presented in black and white.Also during the verbal reflection, we find out that Derek was incarcerated for the murder of 2 Black thieves who were trying to steal the truck left to him by his late father who was killed by, not without intent of the writer, a Black man a few years prior. With that, the storyline is set up so that we know why Derek and Danny have turned to a life of neo Nazism and why Derek was given a 3 year sentence for going overboard in killing the thieves: the brothers have been affected by the criminality of the Black culture.The essay assigned to Danny, which was due the following day, was an assignment given by Danny’s Black principal after his Jewish teacher reported a questionable essay to him entitled My Mein Kampft. In the 24 hours in which the essay is being written, and narrated to the viewers, we learn the entire story of the brothers’ journeys from average kids, through neo Nazism and back, only to learn their lesson too late when Danny is fatally struck down by a former Black recipient of his race hatred, essay still in hand.American History X correlates to the discussions of the class as well as various points of the class textbook, Think American Government. The film backs up two class discussions thus far in the semester: Khalil Muhammad’s theory on Black criminality in America in addition to Bryan Stevenson’s ideas on the stigma of mass incarceration attached to the Black culture in America.The film also touches on political issues from the text, such as: immigration, the first amendment to The United States Constitution, and Hate-Crimes Legislation. Khalil Muhammad: The timeline of the film literally goes back 24 hours; flashes back 3 years; and historically traces back to both 1863 and 1865 when, respectively, the Ema ncipation Proclamation was signed (proclaiming slaves in Confederate territory to be free forever) and when the first Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was organized.Some may even argue that the story goes back to the beginning of slavery in the United States colonies because those were the first racist acts of early America and upon which America was formed. Khalil Muhammad, a current day Black historian, might argue that the plot of this film traces back to the moment when, in 1865, following the Civil War, European immigrants were given opportunities by the government to stray from their acts of criminality but recently freed Black people were not.Instead, as Muhammad asserts in a Bill Moyers interview, as well as his book, Condemnation of Blackness, Black people were sent to ghetto housing to sort their criminality out on their own, whereas White European immigrants were given social welfare and job opportunities because they were, as Muhammad states, thought of as â€Å"children of Americans who need our help†, but Blacks were thought of as â€Å"naturally morally inferior and had propensity to harm people or steal†.American History X mimics this way of American ideology when Derek preaches, â€Å"We're so hung up on this notion that we have some obligation to help the struggling Black man, you know. Cut him some slack until he can overcome these historical injustices. It's crap. I mean, Christ, Lincoln freed the slaves, like, what- 130 years ago? How long does it take to get your act together? † If Derek had read Damnation of Blackness, he would understand Muhammad’s theory that it has been 130 years (from the end of Civil War to the making of the film) of a race in America that has ontinued to be downtrodden and imprisoned through actions such as Black Codes, Stop and Frisk policy, and the â€Å"invention of the criminal justice system as a repressive tool to keep black people in their place†. That is a hard battle to win. Derek migh t also understand how he fits into Muhammad’s theory that the European race has ideologies of an institutionalized Black race when Derek complains, â€Å"One in every three Black males is in some phase of the correctional system. Is that a coincidence or do these people have, you know, like a racial commitment to crime? † Bryan Stevenson:Not only does such a statement back up Muhammad’s theory about American ideologies, but it also touches on Bryan Stevenson’s argument. In Stevenson’s interview conducted by Bill Moyer, Stevenson states that in order to change the notion that the Black man is a criminal, we must understand the history from where it stems, and we must care about human rights and dignity while we remember that all of our survival â€Å"is tied to the survival of everyone. That our visions of technology, design, entertainment and creativity have to be married with the visions of humanity, compassion and justice†.Derek’s r ant about Black males in the correctional system oozes with Stevenson’s idea that the power of criminality identity among Black culture ultimately came from how American government and Europeans have stigmatized the Black race. In the scene where Derek finds himself in his prison cell begging African American Principal Sweeney to help him, it is not until Sweeney replies, â€Å"Has anything you’ve done made your life better? † that Derek sees the light and begins to make a change toward a life outside neo Nazism. This is a perfect example of the power of identity which is Stevenson’s underlying idea to his theory.Immigration: The writers of American History X touch on the illegal immigration topic as does the text, Think American Government, in chapter 1. The textbook says that, â€Å"critics (of illegal immigrants) charge that undocumented workers drive down wage rates for American citizens† (15). In the film there is a scene in which Derek gives a lecture to his neo Nazi peers on the subject of illegal immigrants to pump them up to terrorize a neighborhood store that has been taken over by a Korean owner who replaced the American workers with 0 illegal immigrants: â€Å"It’s about the hardworking Americans falling through the cracks and getting the shaft because their government cares more about the constitutional rights of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  illegal immigrants. However, the textbook lends a contrasting thought stating â€Å"advocates contend that the United States benefits from†¦ illegal immigration. They argue that undocumented workers take jobs that citizens do not want and that they pay more taxes than they receive in government services† (15). It is also worth noting the difference in illegal immigrant statistics from when the film was released in 1998 until now.According to the U. S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) â€Å"2,830,000 illegal immigrants resided in California in 2011 compared to 2. 5 million in 2000. † In the same scene, Derek states, â€Å"There’s over 2 million illegal immigrants bedding down in (California) tonight†¦ $400 million just to lock up a bunch of illegal immigrant criminals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In an article by BakersfieldNow. com on May 25, 2011, it was estimated, using data from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2010, that California now spends $1 billion on illegal immigrant prisoners compared to the time the movie was released. irst amendment & Hate-Crimes Legislation: Another point worth noting, from when the movie was released in 1998 until now, is hate-crime laws. Within the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution added in 1791, Amendment 1 states, â€Å"Congress shall make no law†¦ abridging the freedom of speech†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (363). Although the first amendment protects freedom of speech, it is not legal to use freedom of expression during an act of hate crime. The textbook states â€Å"in recent years, many states have adopted hate-crimes legislation, enhancing penalties for persons convicted of crimes motivated by bias† (69).Interestingly, Obama signed a bill in 2009 which was rooted by two hate-crimes of 1998, the year American History X was released, but it was before the movie that the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990 came into effect. According to USA Today, in an article published October 28, 2009 and entitled â€Å"Obama Signs Hate-crimes Law Rooted in Crimes of 1998†, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act expanded the existing Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990 and mandated that it is against the law to attack any person â€Å"based on sexual orientation or gender, in ddition to race, color, religion or national origin†. Matthew Shepard was a gay teenager beat by two Wyoming men in October of 1998, after which he was tied to a fence where he died. In June of the same year, James B yrd Jr. , an African American man, was chained to a truck by three white men in Texas and dragged to his death. Notably, as the text explains increased penalties are given for those charged with hate-crimes, Derek only received 3 years for his hate-crime in the film.In conclusion, I would recommend the film to anyone interested in wanting to broaden their horizons on the race wars in America. I thought it was prudent that Derek verbally gave the stereotypical views of hate mongers in America, but it would be interesting to see how Khalil Muhammad and Bryan Stevenson might add their theories to the dialogs of the Jewish teacher or the Black principal to show America a way of thinking that I believe is not in the public eye as much as it should be. Perhaps a film should come our way from those two aforementioned?