Human Growth and Development Essay Example for Free

Human Growth and Development Essay Within the Hispanic culture, the generations that have come before us have struggled to keep traditions alive and thriving. Putting emphasis on proper traditions and celebrations is important. Our elders believe that it will keep our heritage strong. For example, there are two holidays that I would like to discuss, that are important to the Hispanic culture. These two holiday celebrations are Christmas and Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Both of these holidays are celebrated enthusiastically, with food, family, music, and fun. My family takes pride in celebrating both of these holidays. The Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 1 and November 2 of each year, is a joyful holiday celebration, despite its morbid name. Death, particularly of a loved one, is celebrated as a new stage of life. Families decorate the graves with offerings such as toys, flowers, and small items that belonged to the deceased. This holiday is celebrated to honor the spirits, and life, of those who have died. One major cultural tradition that is celebrated during Christmas, other than Christmas itself, is Posada. This tradition is celebrated during the nine days before Christmas Eve. The travel of Saint Joseph and a pregnant Mary to Bethlehem is reenacted. Two statues, one of Saint Joseph and one of Mary, are carried to three predetermined house where the residents are asked for shelter. Two of those houses refuse shelter for the family. The third house accepts the plea for shelter, representing the Inn Keeper who helped the family. A Novena, a prayer with the rosary, then occurs. After the prayer there is a party. The last day of Posada is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The two cultural traditions described above have influenced not only my own development, but they have also helped the society develop. Within my own development, the environmental exposure, combined with more modern traditions, has helped me develop my sense of self and my own morals. The culture, as taught by our elders, has showed me the importance on the family in fostering the development of others. Within the society, the Hispanic culture, as with any culture, has helped to broaden the knowledge of others. This has helped children understand that there are differences between people; not every person is the same. Question 2: Explain the difference between an experiment, a study, and a quasi experiment, using detail. An experiment is used to determine a person’s behavior and/or development by altering different characterizations of the environment. The dependent variable would represent the behavior and/or development that is expected from the experiment. The independent variable represents the measures that would be taken by the experimenter, and also represents the cause in a ‘cause and effect’ relationship. For example, if a researcher was testing treatments to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis, the type of treatment would be called the independent variable, while the lesion scans would be called the dependent variable. There are a few factors that have to be considered before considering an experiment: the control group must consist of members that are randomly selected and equal to the experimental group; the object(s) of the experiment must be accurately categorized; and all experiments must be legal. A study consists of one group or person. There is no need for a control group or experimental characteristics. The function of a study is to provide information that is collected and analyzed. Observing, testing, and interviewing are all techniques used in a study. A study can spark an interest in experimentation. A study can help form a hypothesis that can be used for experimentation. Many of the early development information were derived from using a study on individuals. The information that was gained from such studies lead to experiments changing variables, which in turn gave way to much of the information we now have published regarding human development. A quasi experiment is similar to a regular experiment except for a few details: While a normal experiment uses random selecting and control groups, the quasi experiment uses a matching technique. Quasi experimenting uses elaboration – the process of sub-classifying or reclassifying variables. Quasi experimenting also involves narrowing down the dependent variable, known as specification. Question 3: Some developmental theorists focus on culture (Bronfenbrenner and Vygotsky) and others focus on individual history and experience (Skinner and Freud). Compare and contrast these theorists’ influences and how we see human development today while referring to their theory’s strengths and weaknesses. Freud’s believed that a person’s emotions and drives are influenced by the subconscious mind. Each person is unaware of the reasons by which they strive to fill their biological needs. For example, a woman may overeat as a way of subconsciously substituting food for frustration. Bronfenbrenner believed that a person’s development was centered around their environment. The interaction between a person’s biology, family, and society determines the development of that person. Any changes in a person’s environment could also change that person’s development. Skinner used operant conditioning, which theorized that a specific behavior could be changed through reinforcement or punishment. Skinner believed that human development depended on the person’s learning experience. This theory believed that a behavior could be changed or removed with either positive or negative reinforcement. Vygotsky stressed the importance of social interaction as a fundamental role of development. Full social interaction would engage cognitive development. Vygotsky’s theory was that of a social development theory, similar in comparison to Piaget. Question 4: Nature vs. Nurture. Discuss the gene/environment debate in terms of the interaction of genetics, biology, maturation, learning, society, and culture. Nature and nurture†¦one uses our environment as a determining factor for development, while the other uses human biology as a determining factor for development. Using nature as a determining factor theorizes that human development is left to what is encoded into human DNA. With this factor, humans have no control over their own development. Using nurture theorizes that the environment controls human development. With this factor, if the environment is changed, development can also be changed. This will always be a constant debate among the psychological community because of the fact that no two people are the same, and therefore, no two people develop the same.

Report on Human Resources Management Practices of the Burberry Group

Report on Human Resources Management Practices of the Burberry Group Burberry group is a leading luxury manufacturing company in UK. Burberry group established in 1856 and recently it celebrated its 150 years in history. In this year it announced the closure of its Welsh factory. A PESTEL analysis is conducted to evaluate the external environment of China. It assists the firm to run the business in host country. SWOT analysis also plays an important role to find out the company objectives and identifies the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective. For the entry in the market of china and recruitment of managerial level employee, company uses the geocentric approach. This approach helps to find the best and experience employee for the company. Table of Contents Executive Summery 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 5 PESTEL Analysis 5 Political: 5 Economic: 5 Social: 5 Technology: 6 Environment: 6 Legal: 6 SWOT Analysis 6 Strengths: 6 Weaknesses: 7 Opportunities: 7 Threats: 7 Key Issues 7 Sourcing Strategy: 7 Equal Opportunity: 7 Trade Union: 8 Supply Chain: 8 Advantages of Factory Move: 8 Disadvantage of Factory Move: 8 IHRM Approach 8 Geocentric Approach: 8 Recommendations 9 Action Plan 10 Clarify Goals: 10 Recruitment: 10 Coaching the Employees: 10 Motivation and Performance Appraisal: 10 Employee Satisfaction and Feedback: 11 Conclusion 11 References 12 Introduction Burberry is a leading and luxury brand name in UK, deals with the different brands that approach women, men and kids. Burberry was established in 1856 in England and celebrated its 150 years in manufacturing the lifestyle products and its accessories for women, men and for the kids. Burberry has around 260 directly operated stores. Addition, the also sold its products through concession with a wide network of 71 third-party operated retail locations and wholesale customers. All the wholesalers of the firm are leading prestige retailers. At the end of fiscal year 2006, the company generated  £743 million revenue. This revenue generated by the company from Europe, Japan, North America and from Asia (Burberry, 2010). PESTEL Analysis The PESTEL analysis of China and UK are as follows: Political: China is governed by the communist party. The communist party is not support the foreign players in domestic market. Some political decisions, taxes, policies are not support the environment of business. As well as in the UK, government has a major impact on businesses. The political party provides the best supportive infrastructure to the companies (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010). Economic: Economic condition is good in China. It shows constant growth rate in GDP with 7 to 8 Percentages every year. GDP per capita income is also shows the growth at US$ 6,100 in 2008 and US$ 6,600 in 2009. UK is one of the most powerful economies in the world with a gross national per capita income of US $ 41,520 in 2009 (Gross National Income Per Capita, 2009). Social: China is a culture with high power distance, reflecting that there is a large difference between consumers social status. Language barriers are one of the challenges when western companies entered in Chinese market. In UK, social status of consumers is high and uses the luxury products for the social status symbol (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010). Technology: China has become one of the powerful countries in innovations and technologies. Chinas 60 percentages of technologies including atomic energy, space, high- energy physics and biology, computer and information technology have reached or are close to the worlds advance level. UK is a develop country in the world. UK firms are at or near the forefront in technology advances, especially in aerospace and military equipment. In UK, internet users are increase with the population of 48.755 million and the internet hosts are 7.03 million in 2010 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010). Environment: China faces the environmental problems like water shortages, water pollution from untreated wastes, and loss of one fifth agriculture land since 1949 due to soil erosion and economic development (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010). UK trying to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and government also trying to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010). Legal: China governed by one communist party so, the companies in china legally bounded with the law of china and work according to the law. But in recent years in UK, there have been many significance legal changes that affected firm behavior like introduction of age discrimination and disability discrimination legislation, an increase in the minimum wages. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis of Burberry Group plc is as follows: Strengths: According to Pahl Richter (2009) Burberry group is a leading luxury brand in UK. Companys major strength is its brand name, trademarks and other intellectual property. Company growing its licensing channels worldwide, those delivering high incremental return on incremental capital. The company manufactures the heritage products in clothing with the quality, function and modern classic style. Weaknesses: According to Bà ¶hm (2009) company has a vertical integration that reduces the profit margin and the value from manufacturing. Company has an apparel segment in its profile that has increased fashion risk and affects the companys profits. Opportunities: The Company has a good opportunity of expansion of retail network and wholesale distribution in other countries. Company has an opportunity to restructuring of its Spanish operations in order to gain Spain to its global business modal and introduce the Burberry global collection in the market. According to Ferrell Hartline (2008) Company has an opportunity to extension of its apparel offering to the existing and future customers. Threats: According to Henry (2008) the main threat of Burberry group is to control the over licensees and wholesale accounts. The company refines its sourcing strategy that process affects relationship with suppliers. Company is mono brand and trademark that increasing in fashion risk in the market. Company faces the problem of counterfeiting in the market. Key Issues The key issues of Burberry group are as follows: Sourcing Strategy: The sourcing strategy affects relationship with existing and potential suppliers during the transition period because there is evidence in case study that the company refine its sourcing strategy for selection of suppliers to maintain and increase product quality and improving sourcing efficiency ( From Case). Equal Opportunity: Company creates the policy of equal opportunity to recruit the most capable candidate for the job and develop competent employees. In this policy all employees receive fair and equal environment in the company (From case). There is an evidence that company believes, the communication is important between company and the employees for building relationship and motivating employees. Trade Union: Trade union played a powerful role in a company decisions and strategies. Employees make a trade union to protect the rights in organization. There is evidence in case that GMB trade union was successful in delaying the closure date of the Burberry factory and warehouse in Treorchy. Supply Chain: There is evidence in annual report 2005/06 that company come with some initiatives to redesign its supply chain. The corporate social responsibility committee of Burberry Company considers supply chains that include maintain acceptable labour, environmental and social practices. Advantages of Factory Move: Move the factory in other country; gain the market reputation in other country. Company gains the competitive advantages In China raw material and labour is cheap rather than Treorchy. So, company gains the cost efficiency in their production. To moving the factory in other country, company can increase in market share. Disadvantage of Factory Move: To moving factory in other country, employee losses his job. Company faces the cultural differences to move the company in other country. Company faces language differences to move the company. China is communist country, there are some policies, rules and regulation for establish a company. This makes difficulty for Burberry group to move the company in china. IHRM Approach Company can adopt the geocentric approach for the international human resource management in china. The geocentric approach is as follow: Geocentric Approach: According to Briscoe, Schuler Claus (2008) geocentric approach, the firm can hire best people in all executive position according to their ability and knowledge rather than nationality. Burberry group can use its human resource most efficiently by transferring the best person to the job. In Geocentric approach, company coordinates its subsidiaries and headquarters for decision making activities. It can be helpful to make a stronger relationship network among the entire global management team because of continues interaction and networking help to understand the country culture and work place among the team members (Briscoe, Schuler Claus, 2008). The advantage of geocentric approach is that this approach offers the good opportunity to all executive level employees work in different countries. This approach helps to build a team of executives who understand the international operations. According to Vance, Vance Paik (2006) this approach helps to build a global limited vision and loyalty for the company. In this approach the HR director can follow the standardization policy for recruitment of executives. In this policy, HR director can follow the standard criteria for recruitment of managerial level employees. There is evidence in the case that Burberry group established a corporate social responsibility committee in 2005 for giving the equal environment and opportunity to the employees in the manner of money and facilities. In this environment employees are rewarded according to their contribution in the company. Company has some standard to recruit the candidate to gain the most capable job candidate and develop competent employees. China is a communist country so, most of the large foreign company, especially multi-national companies operate its business with the association of china government partners. In this approach company can face the implication of cross culture conflict and control. In an analysis of high performing companies with the multinational management teams proved that culture difference gives the advantages of business. There is evidence Wei (2001) that this culture difference might even contribute to a competitive advantage by providing a broader range of perspectives for managing the company within such complex economic and cultural system. Recommendations On the analysis of china HRM and the market position of the company, it is recommended that the company should conduct a market analysis in the china. It can be helpful to understand about the competitors in the market. According to Wei (2001) in order to enter in the Chinese market, company should use the joint venture strategy with Chinese luxury product manufactures. It would be helpful in the growth of the firm in Chinese market. There is evidence in case that Burberry group has worldwide network of licensed directly operated stores, concessions, third party operated retail location and a network of wholesale customers. This would be helpful to growth in market share of china. According to Courtis, Ratcliffe Allsop (2006) China is a number one in population in the world so, the labour easily available at less cost for the production. It would be helpful to produce the products at cost efficiency. That will be helpful to increase in market share and competitive advantage. In china, company should enter with the joint venture with other company; this can be helpful to gain managerial advantage in the market because the employees of other company and management know about the culture and language of the country. They have a deep knowledge about the market and situations, it would be helpful to grow in the market and increase in market share. Action Plan The Burberry group PLC makes the action plan to manage the people aspects in both Wales and China are as follows: Clarify Goals: To manage the people aspects of this problem, HR director should define the company goals to all the employees in the organization. It will be helpful to understand about the mission and vision of the company. By the clarify goals, employees will be motivate to do work with effectively and efficiency (Bratton, Gold, 2001). Recruitment: The HR director should recruit the most skilled and motivated employees for the organization. The employees should have the knowledge of their field as well as roles and responsibilities. The entire process of recruitment is monitored by the human resource manager. Coaching the Employees: Training of the employees is another function of the HR director. By the training, an employee can communicate and develop strong relations with the other people. Training provides the knowledge about the organization. It defines the companys long term vision and mission. Motivation and Performance Appraisal: By the motivation an employee can give the best performance in the company. A human resource director should organize a session and lectures that keep the employee update about the competition in the market (Bamberger Meshoulam, 2000). Performance appraisal and compensation is also one of the main responsibilities of the HR director. Employee Satisfaction and Feedback: A HR director should provide the facilities to the employees for motivating. It should be in term of monetary and other criteria. HR director should take the feedback from the different departments about the employees (Courtis, Ratcliffe Allsop, 2006). HR director should understand the feedback of the workers and this lead to a well-organized management of the workers. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be concluded that Burberry group Plc is a leading company in manufacturing the luxury products for women, men and kids. Its corporate management strategy involves selling high quality products at lower cost to the customers. Company operates its business through licensed retail network and has a good opportunity to expend this network in other countries. Company gives god working environment to employees through corporate social responsibility committee. Burberry group is going to redesign its supply chain network and sourcing strategy for gaining the competitive advantages from the market. It can be concluded that company decides to closure its factory in the other country to gain the global competitive advantages and produce the low cost products. For this, company should merge with other global based company and open new stores in country.

The Banking Sector Reforms In India Finance Essay

The Banking Sector Reforms In India Finance Essay The banking sector reforms in India are aimed at introduction of best international practices and technological changes for making the Indian banking sector competitive globally. The Indian banking system is more efficient and stable today. Consequently there has been a rapid increase in the number of banks in this country. The banking horizon is changing because of the increasing number of private banks and the foreign banks. Apparently there is a cut throat competition between the banks. New and variety of services are offered by banks which are non-conventional and customized as per the customer requirements. Banks began to diversify their services as part of their corporate strategy to cater to various customer segments. Structure of banking in India The Indian banking system is classified into scheduled and non-scheduled banks. The scheduled banks are then classified as state cooperatives banks and commercial banks. The non-scheduled banks are classified as central cooperative banks and primary credit societies and the commercial banks. Commercial banks are classified in both the scheduled banks as well as the non-scheduled banks. Schedule banks are those which are included in the SECOND SCHEDULE of BANKING REGULATION ACT 1956. To be included in the second schedule a bank Must have paid up capital and reserves of not less than Rs 5 lakhs. It must also satisfy the RBI that its affairs are not conducted in a manner detrimental to the interest of its depositors. File:Scheduled banking structure in India.png RBI(Reserve Bank of India) is the central bank of the country. As the central bank of the country RBI has the power to supervise and control all the banks with the intensions of developing a sound and efficient banking system. It also performs many different developmental and promotional functions. The functions of RBI are as followed: Note issue Bankers bank The central bank Banker to the government Custodian to Foreign Exchange Reserves Management regulation of exchange Credit control Other functions. The Indian banking system has witnessed a substantial improvement in both stability and efficiency parameters such as capital position, asset quality, and overall profitability. There has been a remarkable improvement in the financial health of commercial banking sector. The banking sector reforms have improved the stability of the Indian financial system. PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN INDIA Indicators The performance and the efficiency is analysed in terms of profitability, productivity, financial stability, and quality of assets. The following indicators are used: Profitability indicators: It is measured in terms of net profit of the bank. The interest, non-interest income, and the expenses influence the net profit. Some of the important indicators of profitability are as follows: Interest income as percentage of total assets: Interest income Total assets Higher ratio indicates higher profitability. Interest expended ratio: Interest expenses Total assets Fall in ratio improves the profitability Net Interest Margin(NIM): interest income à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ interest expenses Total assets A fall in NIM indicates the need to reorient the banks policies. Intermediation Cost of Assets Ratio (ICAR): Non-interest expenses Total assets Lower the ratio higher the efficiency. Overhead Efficiency(Burden)Ratio: Non-interest income Non-interest expenses Higher ratio indicates lower profitability. Returns on Assets(RoA): Net profit Total Assets High RoA indicates better deployment of funds. Return on Equity(RoE): Net profit Total Equity RoE will help the banks to access new capital. Capital markets indicators: The capital market indicator is based on the EPS and P/E ratio. Productivity Indicators: productivity indicators are generally analysed in terms of: Profits per employee Business per employee Financial Soundness: Financial soundness is reflected by the Capital Adequacy Ratio. CAR: Total capital RWAs RWAs: Risk Weighted Assets Higher the ratio better is the sustenance of the banks. Asset Quality: The quality of assets in the bank is shown by the level of non-performing assets (NPAs). Lower the ratio better is the asset quality. The 2 ratios used are: Ratio of gross NPAs to gross advances. Ratio of net NPAs to net advances. 11 The above graph has the data of the gross NPAs of the banks. The X axis depicts the years and the Y axis depicts the percentage. The red dotted line is for the Gross NPAs and the blue dotted line is for the Gross advances. Looking at the graph we can confidently state that the Gross NPAs are increasing whereas the Gross advances are decreasing since 2010-11. PERORMANCE OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS, NEW PRIVATE SECTOR BANKS, AND FOREIGN BANKS IN INDIA The comparative performance of public sector banks, new private sector banks, and foreign banks is explained below for the recent years http://stockshastra.moneyworks4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Indian-Banking-Industry-Statistics.png Productivity and profitability of banks: Productivity is directly related to profitability. It is analysed in terms of business per employee and business per branch. Business per employee: The business per employee in the public sector banks has increased from Rs 471.18 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs1013.63 lakhs in 2011-12. But is still low as compared to foreign banks. The business per employee for foreign banks has showed a tremendous increase from Rs974.77 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs1559.74 lakhs in 2011-12. The business per employee for the private banks has also increased from Rs695.23 lakhs in 2006-07 to Rs823.26 lakhs in 2011-12. Profit per employee: The profits per employee are the highest in foreign banks followed by new private sector banks in 2011-12. Per employee profit was Rs 16.3 lakhs in foreign bank, Rs 8.1 lakhs in new private sector banks and Rs 5.93 lakhs in public sector banks in 2011-12. Interest income: The interest income of public sector banks, new private sector banks and foreign banks showed an increase to Rs366318, Rs 96827 and Rs 28520 respectively in 2011-12. Interest expended ratio: The interest expended ratio same as interest income has showed an increase for all the banks in 2011-12. The figures are Rs231153 lakhs, Rs57115 lakhs, Rs10622 lakhs. Financial Soundness: The CAR(Capital Adequacy Ratio) is the most important indicator of financial soundness of banks. The capital to risk weighted assets ratio is shown is the figure below. The CRAR of public sector banks has been between 12 and 15 percent. The old private sector had CRAR lying between 12 and 15 percent. The new private sector had CRAR of more 15 percent. It goes the same with the foreign banks for the year ending in March 2012. 9 Asset Quality: the asset quality of a bank is shown by level of non-performing assets (NPAs). Better quality of assets is the indicator of efficiency. There is a vast improvement in the efficiency of Indian banks. B1 The NPAs as percentage of Average Total Assets are increasing marginally in 2011-12. The NPA of foreign banks rose from 0.8 in 2009-10 to 1.4 in 2010-11 to 1.6 in 2011-12. The new private sector banks showed an increase from 1.1 in 2009-10 to 1.2 in 2010-11 to 1.3 in 2011-12 approximately. The old private sector banks has shown an increase but less as compared to the other banks. The national banks have shown a gradual decrease in the NPAs since 2009-10 to 2011-12. Customer services: In order to ease customer access to banking facilities, Indian banks have begun offering bouquet of financial services to their clients. The number of branches proving CORE BANKING SOLUTION (CBS) is increasing tremendously. Under CBS a number of services are provided such as ANYWHERE BANKING. The number branches of PSBs that have implemented CBS increase from 35464 in March 31, 2008 to 46304 in March 31, 2011. ATMs The banks are providing more and more ATM facilities to the customers. The foreign banks and new private sector banks are the larger contributors in this. http://www.isrj.net/PublishArticles/img/306_2.gif The above graph is for the year 2008-09. The highest number of ATMs is provided by the state banks but on-site. The highest number of ATMs provided off-site is by the foreign banks. NEW TECHNOLOGY IN BANKING The banks in India are using Information Technology (IT) not only to improve their own internal process but also to increase the facilities and services to their customers. Computerization has taken place all over India. The only motive is to bring banking at the fingertips of the customers and employees. THE DIFFERENT FACILITIES PROVIDED ARE: Virtual banking ATMS Debit Cards Credit cards Point of Sales(PoS) Door step banking Internet banking Mobile banking Telebanking Phone banking Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Electronic Clearing Services (ECS) Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) REFRENCING http://ebookbrowse.com/t-y-b-com-paper-iii-business-economics-eng-pdf-d419151576 http://etheses.saurashtrauniversity.edu/54/ http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/e/Economy_of_India.htm https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:QUJlL6E5-TAJ:ijimt.org/papers/140-M582.pdf+hl=engl=ukpid=blsrcid=ADGEESjYSzZ1KSelInYi2gBvlRjTk0WyxRsdcYOCBvBaopI7N3pzl8naPA62sFiG0tfzK2x-ZKiVFyysLZhluPTr3O5WorzEXuj_Sn-X6CV1dQ8dqEo1UDv64oMzU7s_i2pw0XNURAnasig=AHIEtbRvIWrXt8CCpGACZrevqopfbX1i4Q http://stockshastra.moneyworks4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Indian-Banking-Industry-Statistics.png http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/studies_survey/banking_systemsurvey.pdf http://www.theinternationaljournal.org/ojs/index.php?journal=rjcbspage=articleop=viewpath[]=488 http://www.icra.in/Files/ticker/Indian%20Banks-Note%28Revised%29.pdf http://www.icra.in/Files/ticker/IBS%20-%20FY11%20Perf.pdf http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=14629 Business Economics 3 by Johnson, Mascarenhas, and Chatterjee. The institute of chartered accountancy (India) http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=ensa=Xtbo=dbiw=1366bih=630tbm=ischtbnid=-qRyMTq-g80w5M:imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banking_in_Indiadocid=RGeL8hvEN_HioMimgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/NUMBER_OF_ATM.png/220px-NUMBER_OF_ATM.pngw=220h=169ei=xBvwUKiVCpS20QWhmoHYAgzoom=1iact=hcvpx=859vpy=12dur=180hovh=135hovw=176tx=61ty=46sig=115207852604614094774page=4tbnh=135tbnw=176start=72ndsp=25ved=1t:429,r:76,s:0,i:316

Fahrenheit 451 - A Structured and Censored World :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

Fahrenheit 451 - A Structured and Censored World Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 forces us to envision a world that is so structured and censored fireman exist not to fight fires, for all buildings are fireproof, but instead to burn books. Fahrenheit 451 is a horrific account of what could happen in an all too close future when society carries "political correctness" to its extreme. One of the primary characters that one meets in Fahrenheit 451 is a young girl named Clarrise has been raised to live the way things once were, in a time where people had true freedom Because of Clarrise's view of life she is branded as anti-social by her teachers and an outcast by her fellow classmates. Clarrise becomes acquainted with another main character named Guy Montag. Montag is a fireman who deep inside does not want to live a life without having to think. Montag's inner thoughts become more and more a part of him as the book progresses. Montag eventually becomes a freedom fighter of sorts when he joins a group of people who illegally hide and re ad books. Montag's wife Mildred on the other hand prefers not to have to think, but rather to allow others to think for her to simply say "yes I agree." Mildred is the epitome of laziness. The most complex of all the characters is the fire chief Beatty. Beatty is a man who once was educated but has now turned his back on education and works to destroy it. Beatty knows what is in books but chooses not to care, not to do anything but help the destruction of books. The loss of the characters freedom to read and to think was not an act that was forced on the people but, embraced by the people. The people loved the idea of not having to think anymore. The desire to confront issues was gradually lost by the people. Since the desire the desire to confront issues was lost people stopped doing anything that was so called "politically incorrect" so as to affend no one. After a while not confronting issues became so natural that anyone who did was considered odd and a threat.

Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman by Marjorie Shostak :: Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman

â€Å"Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman† by Marjorie Shostak   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book, â€Å"Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman,† written by Marjorie Shostak; is a culturally shocking and extremely touching book about a woman who had gone through many struggles and horrific tragedies in her life. This book also emphasizes the perspective of most of the women in the society. There are many striking issues in this book that the people of the !Kung tribe go through.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marjorie Shostak, an anthropologist who had written this book had studies the !Kung tribe for two years. Shostak had spent the two years interviewing the women in the society. The !Kung tribe resided n the Dobe area of Northwest Botswana, that’s infused with a series of clicks, represented on paper by exclamation points and slashes. Shostak had studied that the people of the tribe relied mostly on nuts of the mongongo, which is from an indigenous tree that’s part of their diet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shostak, out of all the women in the tribe had made close connections with a fifty year old woman with the name of Nisa. The woman, Nisa, is what the book is about. The book is written in Nisa’s point of view of her life experiences while growing up in that type of society. Nisa’s willingness to speak in the interviews about her childhood and her life gave Shostak a solid basis on what to write her book on. Nisa’s life was filled with tragedies. She had gone through certain situations where Nisa loses two of her children as infants and two as adults. She had also lost her husband soon after the birth of one of their children. According to Shostak, â€Å"None of the women had experiences as much tragedy as Nisa†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Shostak, 351).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shostak, when interviewing Nisa, considers that in the beginning of the book, Nisa seems to exaggerate the stories from when she was an infant. Although the stories are exaggerated by Nisa, a lot of women can relate to her life even with the geographic distance between them or if the society is completely different. Women of the same age can relate to Nisa, or if they went through the same situations like her. Certain women, even in America, have gone through a situation where they had to bury their own child or if they have lost a husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book had first started out by introducing the readers to what this book is going to sound like, which was the Introduction. Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman by Marjorie Shostak :: Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman â€Å"Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman† by Marjorie Shostak   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book, â€Å"Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman,† written by Marjorie Shostak; is a culturally shocking and extremely touching book about a woman who had gone through many struggles and horrific tragedies in her life. This book also emphasizes the perspective of most of the women in the society. There are many striking issues in this book that the people of the !Kung tribe go through.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marjorie Shostak, an anthropologist who had written this book had studies the !Kung tribe for two years. Shostak had spent the two years interviewing the women in the society. The !Kung tribe resided n the Dobe area of Northwest Botswana, that’s infused with a series of clicks, represented on paper by exclamation points and slashes. Shostak had studied that the people of the tribe relied mostly on nuts of the mongongo, which is from an indigenous tree that’s part of their diet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shostak, out of all the women in the tribe had made close connections with a fifty year old woman with the name of Nisa. The woman, Nisa, is what the book is about. The book is written in Nisa’s point of view of her life experiences while growing up in that type of society. Nisa’s willingness to speak in the interviews about her childhood and her life gave Shostak a solid basis on what to write her book on. Nisa’s life was filled with tragedies. She had gone through certain situations where Nisa loses two of her children as infants and two as adults. She had also lost her husband soon after the birth of one of their children. According to Shostak, â€Å"None of the women had experiences as much tragedy as Nisa†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Shostak, 351).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shostak, when interviewing Nisa, considers that in the beginning of the book, Nisa seems to exaggerate the stories from when she was an infant. Although the stories are exaggerated by Nisa, a lot of women can relate to her life even with the geographic distance between them or if the society is completely different. Women of the same age can relate to Nisa, or if they went through the same situations like her. Certain women, even in America, have gone through a situation where they had to bury their own child or if they have lost a husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book had first started out by introducing the readers to what this book is going to sound like, which was the Introduction.

Waste in Macbeth

Throughout the play Macbeth, characters change and so do their relationships with other characters. Life is taken for granted, and tossed away as if it’s merely an old toy. Honour and potential of great men tarnished due to their greed and power hunger. The plot develops the idea that A. C Bradley proposes: The central feeling of a tragedy is one of waste. Macbeth is portrayed as a tragic hero, someone who has it all at first but decides to give it all up. Throughout the story the waste of potential, the waste of life and finally the waste of innocence are just some of the types of wastes that can be found, but they are enough to prove the theory. According to critic A. C. Bradley, the central feeling of a tragedy is one of waste. It can be argued that Macbeth’s waste of his own innocence was not intentional, but forced upon by his wife, yet he ends up going through with the deed of killing Duncan. His waste of innocence was directly connected to his probable lack of morals and self esteem. He was persuaded to kill Duncan out of his wife’s question of his manliness. â€Å"I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more, is none. † (Macbeth, Act I, scene vii) The evidence shows that his innocence has allowed his wife to make him question his manliness and therefore his morals. But not only has Macbeth been persuaded to kill Duncan, but his innocence gets mocked as Lady Macbeth states â€Å"A little water clears us of this deed† (Lady Macbeth, Act II, scene ii). She portrays murder as merely a deed that can be simply washed away from the hands with water and therefore the mind as well. The waste of Macbeth’s innocence although unintentional to him, is what begins the waste concept. The potential someone has is based on their character and their actions and how they incorporate the two into life situations. Yet both Macbeth’s actions and character seem to be weak and immoral. The waste of potential becomes evident as Macbeth turns from a hero into a tragic hero, and starts to take lives as if they are worthless. I am in blood, Stepp'd in so far, that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er. † (Macbeth, Act III, scene iv) He shows that he has no interest of going back to right, when he has already committed so much wrong doing. His potential is no more at that point as he has ruined any chance. â€Å"Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep† (Macbeth, Act III, scene ii) shows that Macbeth’s potential has gone from something great to having to be in fear all the time. But it is not only his potential that is lost, but Banquo’s as well when he takes his life. In this play one of the main purposes of Banquo's character is to act as a contrast to the character of Macbeth. Banquo is brave and noble – characteristics that Macbeth arguably doesn't. The most evident type of waste in the play is the waste of life. Life is so carelessly thrown away by Macbeth and shows that it has no meaning to him and he takes it at disposal. â€Å"The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees, Is left this vault to brag of. † (Macbeth, Act II, scene iii) is a quote that symbolizes life has no real meaning and can therefore be carelessly wasted. His humanness gets lost because of his power hunger and it’s because of the waste of life throughout the play, that the play becomes one of tragedy and an overall feeling of waste. The following quote, â€Å"I will not yield To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet,† (Macbeth, Act V, scene viii) shows that he is even willing to waste his own life because of his legacy and pride that will follow him after life, so to speak, this shows lack of morality towards not only his own life but to the lives of others. Finally the most evident quote: â€Å"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. † (Macbeth, Act V, scene v) This quote shows that Macbeth’s final, as it’s at the end of the play, thought of human life is that it is very worthless, and that is in fact why he chose to waste it. It is time on this earth that we waste because it is absolutely meaningless. In conclusion, critic A. C.  Bradley, was right to state that the central feeling of a tragedy is one of waste, especially throughout Macbeth. The waste of innocence, waste of potential and finally waste of life have the power to prove the critic indeed right. Yet the list of all that was wasted goes on and on, and it’s logical to consider if not for fear of what society thinks of us would we too be able to waste life, potential perhaps, or maybe innocence to our own dismay. Bradley was correct, but do the things that stop our lives from becoming a tragedy have to do with our values or with what society will think of us.

Biographical Strategies Essay

The information of an author’s original life helps readers comprehend his literary work in a better way. Incidents in a literary work are often influenced by real events in an author’s life as if characters are the real persons known by the writer. By studying biographies of writers we often find that there is lot of biographical evidence to identify that character’s actions show author’s own activities and experiences in life. Having knowledge of the author’s own experiences can be easily gained by reading his biographies, diaries, letters, and other written works. This sort of information can assist to deeply understand how characters are portrayed in the narration. Similar events about writer’s life will not create the narration a well-written literary work, but this information makes clearer the origin of writer’s beliefs and his personal experiences convey his main concerns as a narrator. This information is a caveat for keeping the story in focus, a reader who finds biography is having connection with the theme would state that biography can at the very least help as a power on interpretation. Therefore, many readers believe that biography is helpful for interpretation. Analyzing â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by using Biographical Strategies Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† represents a feel of a repressed wife’s on her husband’s death. She senses the feeling about the freedom from her husband. She gets a new sense of herself when she comes to know about of her husband’s death. Readers might be enticed to read this narration as Chopin’s explanation about her own marriage as her husband died 12-yrs before she wrote this story and 7-yrs before she started writing fiction properly. Biographers appear to acknowledge, however, that Chopin’s marriage was no doubt gratifying to her and that she was not pressurized by her husband and never felt suppressed. Furthermore, read this excerpt from her diary that is just one month after Chopin wrote the story. It is taken from â€Å"Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography† by Per Seyersted): â€Å"If it were possible for my husband and my mother to come back to earth, I feel that I would unhesitatingly give up everything that has come into my life since they left it and join my existence again with theirs. To do that, I would have to forget the past ten years of my growth  ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€ my real growth. But I would take back a little wisdom with me; it would be the spirit of perfect acquiescence. † This biographical evidence surely adds to the potential of interpretations. We, as a reader of â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, find that there is very much resemblance of the story with the real life of Chopin. In a Railroad disaster, the news of Brently Mallard’s death is received while his wife is young. Then, Mrs. Mallard imagines about her next life that would be a â€Å"free life†. These are some of the significant perspectives of the story that are also part of Chopin’s own life. Though, Chopin really loved her husband and wished to get him back again but it is also reality that she had very successful life that she spent freely after his death (Chopin). A reader, who doesn’t have any biographical knowledge about the Chopin’s own life, will understand the story in a different way. He may disagree with Mrs. Mallard’s vision of â€Å"free life†; but the reader who has biographical information of Chopin’s life will rebut that argument with a confirmation of Mrs. Mallard’s thinking. ? Works Cited Chopin, K. The Story of an Hour. 1894.