The Impact of Motivation on English Language Learning Research Paper

The Impact of Motivation on English Language Learning - Research Paper Example Although it is widely documented that motivation is a proven means to success in language learning, several countries, like the Gulf States, remain reluctant to cultivate learners’ motivation to learn a second language due to several reasons. Therefore, this research paper analyses the impact of motivation on English language learning. Introduction Motivation has been broadly recognised by scholars, researchers, and teachers as one of the major variables that determine the level and success of second language learning (SLA). As emphasised by Dornyei (2001), â€Å"teacher skills in motivating learners should be seen as central to teaching effectiveness† (P. 116). Motivated learners are enthusiastic, eager to work hard, concentrate on the tasks given, do not require constant encouragement, willingly confront challenges, and could even motivates others, facilitating collaborative learning. The early attempt to understand the impact of motivation on English language learnin g stems from the field of social psychology (Gu, 2009). This research paper analyses the impact of motivation on English language learning in terms of the various motivational theories. The motivation of learners greatly affects their willingness to take part in the process of learning. Numerous studies have reported the importance of viewing the concept of motivation as a multifaceted phenomenon. Oxford and Shearin (1994) have examined a number of motivational theories and six variables that influence motivation in language learning (Al-Bustan & Al-Bustan, 2009, S454): Attitudes (i.e. sentiments towards the target language). Beliefs about self (i.e. expectations about one’s attitudes to succeed, self-efficiency, and anxiety). Goals (perceived clarity and relevance of learning goals as reasons for learning). Involvement (i.e. extent to which the learner actively and consciously participates in the learning process). Environmental support (i.e. extent of teacher and peer suppo rt). Personnel attributes (i.e. aptitude, and language learning experience). As argued by Pit Corder, â€Å"given motivation, it is inevitable that a human being will learn a second language if he is exposed to the language data† (Dornyei & Ushioda, 2009, 1). This statement was given four decades ago and, from then on, numerous theroetical perspectives and studies investigating the multifaceted nature of motivation and its impact on second language learning have emerged. At the same time, the world has also witnessed the growth of globalisation, European reconstruction, the demise of communism, extensive economic and political migration, greater mobility, and the rapid development of media technologies—all contributing to the relentless pace of global English (McKay, 2002). In other words, over the recent decades the world has transformed dramatically—it is currently distinguished by sociocultural and linguistic flexibility and diversity, where language learning , identity, and ethnicity have become multifaceted contemporary subject matters and the focus of considerable attention in the field of sociolinguistic. However, it is only recently that those engaged in the field of second language learning motivation have actually started to investigate what this evolving global phenomena may suggest for how scholars conceptualise the motivation to acquire proficiently in global English as second language for individuals wanting to gain global recognition or identity (Shafaei & Nejati, 2008). In other words, motivation

English Literature Essay Example for Free

English Literature Essay Willam Russel is a British playwright who is eminent for the production of many plays; his best known works are Educating Rita, Blood Brothers and Shirley Valentine. Russell was born and raised in Whinston, on the outskirts of Liverpool. He came from a working class background and some of his experiences as a youngster are reflected in his works, such as within the play Educating Rita. As a young adult, Russell only had experience and knowledge of manual work and left college with having only achieved one O-Level in English Literature. Being from a working class family, his mother had then suggested the concept of training to become a womans hairdresser. This was a typical working class job which had low pay and was generally looked down upon. Russell felt trapped due to his working class status; he was still unsatisfied with his lifestyle and began to seek a career that provided greater opportunities to learn and make a greater contribution to society. He was a young person who showed initiative and soon took action and decided to become a student. Though despite the efforts that he was making, Russells life was still greatly impacted by his social class; he couldnt afford student fees and the Education Authorities refused to fund him or offer a scholarship. However, he remained adamant that he was going to break the class boundaries and achieved this by spending some time working in Fords Car Company to fund his studies. As a result of his determination, by the age of twenty, Russell had enough qualifications to become employed as a teacher. Indeed, this is where he got his inspiration for the characters of Rita (a hairdresser) and Frank (a lecturer) because he had experienced of these careers and an insight into the emotions that they wouldve felt. Russell has interpreted the character of Rita as a duplicate of himself in his early years and Frank represents the level of education that he achieved in later life. Educating Rita can be compared with many other of Willy Russells plays; this is because majority of his work focuses on the issue of different classes within society. For example, the musical Blood Brothers is about the lives of fraternal twins who were separated at birth. Due to their separation, the two twin boys grew up with different backgrounds and this took them to opposite ends of the social spctrum. As a result of this, one brother became unemployed and in prison and the other became an well paid and respected councilor. There are connections between this play and Educating Rita because Rita and Frank are also at opposite ends of the social spectrum. Another connection is that both of these plays explore the importance of love; in Educating Rita the audience learns that Frank has had his heart broken and is now in a loveless relationship and Rita splits up from her husband because they want different things in life. This shows that Rita values her education more than her relationship and is therefore willing to sacrifice this in order to improve her life. Whereas in the play Blood Brothers, Russell portrays love as something that is of great value and that should be cherished. Russell shows that the two brothers are willing to risk everything for love; as a consequence this is that the play ends in tragedy when they both fall for the same girl. There are also connections betwteen Educating Rita and Willy Russells play Shirley Valentine. This is a one-character play about the life of a working class housewife from Liverpool and therefore, alike in Educating Rita, Russel has inclued an aspect of his own life. Shirley feels trapped, alone and unappreciated; this is similar to Rita because both women are fed up with their lives and want to improve them. Shirley is also similar to Rita because they both discover that they have to make sacrafices and an effort to achieve their goals. Both women also represent the changing roles of women in society. During the eightiess there was great reform and women began to show that they were capable members of society. The twentieth century began as a wave of revolution for the females in society; including the suffragist movement and an ever increasing amount of feminists. The actions of these women contributed to the change of attitudes and laws were eventually enforced to ensure that both sexes were valued and treated equally. This included things such as new guidelines from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which were enforced in 1980 and prohibited sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. This had led to great changes in the lifestyles of women, who were no longer bound to their households or deemed unworthy to carrying out manual work or labour. Instead, they were out there, among the masses, making a difference and trying to change the way they were viewed. Indeed, the actions of these women encouraged others such as Rita and Shirley to become educated and prove that they were worthy. Educating Rita was commissioned by the Royal Shakespear Company and premiered at the Warehouse in London in 1980. This play earned Russel a great deal of recognition and won the Society of West End Theatres Award for best comedy. From this point on, Educating Rita was made into a film and has continued to be performed in theatres across the globe. In the opening scenes of this play, Russel has addressed the issue of class and shown that anyone is capable of achieving their goals and breaking the class boundaries. The play involves two main characters, Rita and Franck; Russel has shown a great contrast between these two characters and both come from very different classes in society. Rita is a twenty six year old working class hairdresser who applies to study with the Open University. The play follows just over a year in Ritas life and shows her gradual progress in an English Literature course. Again, Russell has incorporated an aspect of his own life because he himself took this qualification. This type of course was recently developed at the time and allowed poorer people to afford further education whilst working it around their daily hours. The Open University was also very popular in Britain because it accepted majority of people regardless of their previous academic achievements or intellect. This allowed the less fortunate members of society to have the opportunity to improve their lives. At first Rita knew that she wanted to do the course but had self doubt and lacked any initiative. Rita hadnt been disciplined or been taught how to critically analyse work from an objective point of view. Therefore, majority of her early work was based upon personal opinions and experiences-which is a subjective point of view. On the other hand, Frank has an entiterely different life from Rita; he is a middle aged, middle class English lecturer in a University who bases his ideas purely on objective knowledge and intellect. Frank shows numerous clichid characteristics of the middle class; he is a reserved, formal, highly educated and wealthy man. However, he is miserable and doesnt seem to value this; it is immedtialy evident that he takes his lifestyle for granted. Futhermore, Frank also makes it known to the audience that he has taken on the additional responsibility of tutoring Rita in order to pay for his drinking habit. However, this also gives indications that he is trying to escape his drab homelife because being from a middle class background, Frank would undoubtedly be able to afford this habit whether he tutored Rita or not.

Expressionism And Fritz Lang

Expressionism And Fritz Lang I have been interested in a thousand things in my life, and out of these interests in a thousand things came one primary interest: mankind. And not only what he does- in innocence or in guilt- but what moves him to act, what makes him tick! And with that attempt to identify there grows not only personal awareness, but much more important, sympathy. Through this ones own sphere of thought is enriched; as a reaction to it, associations with all things one has occupied oneself with for a lifetime are expandedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Who can honestly say how one arrives at a theme? What influenced him? It could be a falling leaf from a tree in Autumn, a sudden lull in the wind, a sudden thunderstormà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Fritz Lang in interview with Gero Gandert, 1963) Fritz Lang was one of the pioneers of German school of Expressionism, one of the few auteurs, who was able to make the successful transition from silent cinema to the talkies, and who also paved the way for the film noir genre in the United States. In this paper, one will be looking at his two of his films as case studies, Metropolis (1927) and M (1931) respectively, all the while keeping in mind the distinctive role of Lang as an auteur in context to the tradition of expressionist cinema. Throughout the paper, one is going to deal with object-subject relationships in German expressionist cinema as well as self-referentiality, private anxieties and public projections in the Weimar Republic and an attempt is going to be made towards a feminist reading of German Expressionism with respect to the case studies. To give a brief background of the two films in question, both were made in the Weimar Republic before Lang went into a self-imposed exile in America. The circumstances of Langs emigration remain controversial; the story goes that he was offered a post of managing director of the entire German film industry by the ministry in Germany (to be precise, Goebbels, the propaganda minister) after banning his film, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, and that he was given 24 hours to consider the proposal but soon afterwards he fled from Berlin to Paris. Metropolis was the worlds most expensive silent cinema at the time of its release while in M, elements of early film noir can be seen and the classic use of sound as a tool has been acknowledged by film scholars (this aspect of the film is going to discussed in detail later on in the paper). As is well-known expressionism as an art movement stemmed from the school of impressionists and goes well back to the 19th century. It assumed an identifiable structure only in the 1900s though. It sought to utilize contemporary philosophical and psychological thinking (Freudianism to a large degree) and relied heavily on personal experiences, feelings and emotions rather than impressions of reality. Weimar cinema has time and again been described as being proto-fascist and expressionism linked to National Socialism, which was popularized in the writings of Siegfried Kracauer and can be traced back to the theoretical debates of the 1930s, specifically to the views expressed Georg Lukà ¡cs. In a 1934 essay, Lukà ¡cs argued that expressionism was undoubtedly one of the diverse bourgeois ideological currents that would later result in fascism as its tendency towards subjectivism and romanticism linked it ideologically to the irrational mysticism of Wilhelmian philosophy, and therefore one of the central sources of Nazi beliefs. Lukà ¡cs sociological argument was later expanded and applied to the analysis of German cinema by Siegfried Kracauer in his study of Weimar film culture, From Caligari to Hitler (1947). John S. Titford begins his journal article with the sentence, Expressionist cinema is an impossibility. What he is trying to say through this is that the Expressionists and Realists alike cannot possibly transcend the limitations of cinema as a medium even if they exploit it to its fullest extent. It has to be mimetic, symbolic, never being the things it represents in exactitude. Art must, unlike reality itself, have a beginning and an end. Having defined its boundaries, cinema has proven to be the most appropriate medium for expressionism. It is more dynamic than expressionist painting, more able to instill a feeling of horror than expressionist literature, and more claustrophobic than expressionist theatre. Expressionism found an expression in the rapidly evolving motion pictures. There is a dichotomy between the creator and his creation, the medium and the message, and there is a need to understand the artists perception of the subject matter so as to get a hold of the deeper meaning of the piece of art itself. For it is the artists, or the auteur in our case, thoughts and feelings which are being communicated through his actions. Christian Metz has hence, made the differentiation between the signified (human consciousness) and the signifier (work of art). Anthromorphism, the process of inanimate objects coming to life, is a key feature of German expressionist cinema. Metropolis is an archetypal example for that. The live consciousness of the artist is, in a sense, metamorphosed into dead celluloid. Within the film, the humans tend to imbibe the characteristic traits of the world of objects while the objects exude human-like features and this is a cycle of life and death which the expressionist cinema follows. The figure of Rotwang exhibits qualities of a machine, or that of a prototypical cyborg to say the least, with a mechanical right arm, whereas the machines in the industrial underbellies of the city demonstrate signs of life as well as the Robot, which takes on the form of Maria, seemingly human but not quite. German expressionist film offers a penetrating analysis of the society along with the philosophy and psychology of its age. It is important also because of its filmic process. Unlike other forms of art, it is not static (before the advent of pop art and kinetic models), and transforms inert photographic frames into rendering a semblance of truth. Thus, film can make an object assume personality and vice versa. The workers in Metropolis operate like machines, often being grouped together in abstract geometrical shapes. The figure of Rotwang, as stated earlier, is the model for sub-human forces embodying the concept of Destiny, or a threat to the nation of Germany, depending upon the interpretation. He is perceived as a monster, hardly convincing as a living creature than the true monster like the Robot Maria. One of the scenes in M epitomizes the process whereby the animate becomes the inanimate. Beckett, the child-murderer, has been captured by the underground criminals and is brough t into a room where they are about to give him a trial. As he confronts the mass of people assembled to indict him, the camera pans around the group. It is not a moving mass that we see, but a still photograph: the image is frozen. It has thus taken the nature of an inert, static painting. Buildings become demoniacal in expressionist films; foreboding houses are used for shock effect, and rooms and enclosed spaces create a sense of claustrophobia. Maria in Metropolis is persistently pursued by a strong beam of light as she struggles to find a way out of the catacombs. The streets are merely an extension of the threatening building and dominate and control the lives of its inhabitants. In general, diagonals and oblique angles in the sets are employed, and the buildings and streets are distorted, ghostly, and with painted shadows and streets that seem to lead nowhere. Since the films were mostly shot in the studios with the help of painted canvas scenery, the world thus created was usually two dimensional. The mood or the stimmung and the claustrophobia of the expressionist world is further intensified by the use of lighting. There is a predisposition for the world of twilight in which the inanimate can readily become alive with no warning. Expressionist films are frequently lit using sharp, often jarring, blacks and whites, distorted shadows, and large areas of darkness. Precisely because light or absence of light gives space its reality, it can effect a transformation of concrete into abstract, living into dead, or vice versa, making us doubt our own senses, and even our awareness of figure and ground distinctions. Chiaroscuro affects our perceptions, and shadows themselves can become alive. Expressionist cinema was by no means limited to the city, even though the two case studies portray the cityscape. Expressionist directors were more concerned with life as a process ending in death, and their art was almost totally pessimistic. The game expressionist cinema plays with itself and i ts audience is that of Russian roulette, with destiny as the bullet, and death the prize. German expressionist cinema was concerned with the powers of darkness, with people trapped by their environment and with claustrophobia pervading everyday life. To back to the lighting in the early Weimar Republic cinema, the use of chiaroscuro effects of artificial lighting was unsurpassed. Lighting was used as a narrative device, and while in some early Weimar cinemas it was a little more than a decorative element or a creator of mood, in later films chiaroscuro elements and specifically shadow assume a precise communicative element. Chiaroscuro manipulated the visual sense to create emotions whereas the shadow rather than being a merely expressionistic mannerism, added narrative depth to the silent cinema. The employment of shadow as a communicative metaphor is found as early as Platos Republic, where he talks of the cave-men perceiving shadows and echoes as reality itself, which is not totally false; it results from reality even though it might be a weakened, diluted version of the real. The traditional motif of the shadow as a metaphor of perception later appears in the 20th century in Jungian psychology. Jung used the shadow metaphor t o describe the underside of the human psyche, which if acknowledged brings forth the survival responses, stimulating the libido, whereas if repressed can bring about the downfall of the individual. However, the intention of the early popular filmmaker was to involve the viewer in the film event. Thus, the shadow metaphor was appropriated as a narrative device, and the philosophical and psychological significance of the shadow became subordinated to the films fictional narrative, and the function of the shadow was sublimated in the narrative act. It became a device for communicating a simultaneous, secondary narrative to the viewer. Shadows significance is neither good nor evil but instead projects an other reality, another interpretation of sorts. Instead of seeking an escape from the pursuing shadow, one needed to acknowledge and accept it. In M, the character of Beckett was seen running away from his shadow, which relentlessly pursued him, stronger than the man himself, and the on ly way out for him was to embrace his darker side, even if it made him commit cruel, inhuman acts of violence. The early cinematic shadow enabled a possibility of multiple narratives which was later achieved through the use of sound. There was first an adoption and then rejection of shadow as metaphor within the conventions of the cinematic code, adoption during the silent period of cinema and rejection with the onset of sound in the 30s. The shadow as a metaphor was used most effectively in the early period of silent cinema. By the late 1920s, the New Objectivity had brought heightened realism in German films, and more natural lighting had replaced the intense chiaroscuro of the early 1920s. The cinematic shadow had become a clichà ©, and its narrative function was soon overtaken by other devices: the significant object of the late silent films and the soundtrack of the early sound films. In the opening credits of M, one sees a hand with the letter M inscribed on it. The drawing style evokes the exaggerated shapes and dramatic textures of German Expressionist painting, but due to its linear abstraction and dynamic simplification the hands image is also reminiscent of 1920s techno-culture: of New Objectivitys cold modernism and of Futurisms celebration of speed, energy, fluidity, and prosthetic body-machines. It strikes the viewer as an artificial limb taking on the uncanny function of living, or conversely, a human charged with the strength of a robotic apparatus. The first scene opens to a Berlin backyard populated by a bunch of children, their positions resembling that of a clock, with one girl standing in the middle and functioning as the clocks hand so as to count and count out the other players. The girl sings a song of brutal murder and dismemberment, a blatant endorsement of terror and violence itself. In Langs first sound film, M, sound had for the most part supplanted the communicative function of the shadow; the films basic distinctions between good and evil, rationality and irrationality, appearance and reality is rendered perceptible by shadow somewhat and mirror reflection, but mostly by sound. In M, nothing is as it seems on the surface: an apparent innocent is a psychotic killer, an apparently peaceful crowd can transform into a raging mob, apparent friends can become suspicious accusers, apparent organization (the police) is ineffective against the killer and the apparent disorder (the underworld) is really more orderly and efficient than the police. Even seemingly innocent children are tainted by the evil: the films opening sequence shows a group of children playing as they sing a variation of One Potato, Two Potato, a song about another non-fictional mass murderer Harmann, who not only murdered but also cooked and sold his victims as canned meat. What we see is innocent childhood, but what we hear refutes this appearance. In M, appearance is always deceptive, true reality is only perceptible to the observant viewer and listener. In M, the shadow metaphor has become secondary to the metaphors of reflection and sound. Shadows only appear infrequently. For instance, when Beckert leaves his home, he is followed by his shadow, a constant and quite visible reminder of his irrational psychosis. Later in the film when Schrà ¤nker and his band of criminals plan to trap the murderer, the camera moves from them to their shadows on the wall, depicting their transformation from a group of individuals to a retributive force, sort of vigilantes, which by its organization is able to capture the murderer. The most effective use of shadow in the film undoubtedly is at the beginning of the film when the shadow of the perpetrator falls across the poster describing his previous murders, at the same time his voice addressing the little girl, Elsie. The juxtaposition of the visual and the aural helps in the unraveling of the plot and is used as a device for placing the viewer on a level of knowledge or awareness exceeding that of any of the characters (including Beckert himself, who it is implied, is unaware of his condition). Even though the killer appears to be harmless, Lang informs the viewer very blatantly the shadow as killer and the girl as the victim. In Jungian terms, the shadow of Beckert is the actual killer. The shadow is used to establish Beckerts villainy. Later in the film, when he makes his first appearance he is shown inspecting himself in the mirror, probably trying to come to terms with his own predicament and grasp the reality, which he seemingly fails to perceive. What the viewer sees is two Beckerts, comparable to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde where at times Dr. Jekyll loses complete control over himself and the monstrous Mr. Hyde takes over his person. In a later shot, Beckert does get to know of his own reality when he becomes the marked man and sees the letter M imprinted on his overcoat in a glass reflection. Lang has reinforced the shadow and the mirror images by sophisticated sound, where it complements and supplements the visuals. The oft cited example here would the voiceover commentary during the scenes of police investigation: the voice of the police commissioner giving an overall explanation to the minister about the police actions that are seen. Sound, however, is also used to contradict the visual image, communicating a real threat to an apparent tranquility. In one sequence a little girl walks alone along a street, apparently safe. Had M been a silent film, the danger to the girls life might have been shown by an ominous shadow pursuing her. Instead, Lang replaced that with Beckerts characteristic whistling tune. As soon as the girl meets her mother, the whistling stops, the silence signifying the girls actual safety. However, the shadow and the chiaroscuro element never entirely disappeared, even though it was replaced by a more realistic lighting. The shadow was incorporated into American cinema as an element of film noir where it became an emblem of the criminal unknown. Fritz Langs Metropolis (1927) is one of his most well-known and widely recognized films of all times. It has either been termed the silliest film or the most unique and remarkable spectacle ever shown on screen, but the reaction or response towards it has at all times been extreme. Widely acknowledged as a bravura display of film craftsmanship, it has also been equally denounced as unbearably trivial, naÃÆ' ¯ve sentimental and even fascist. Some of the problems raised by the narrative structure of Metropolis stem from the fact that much of the original version of the film is missing. Nevertheless, it marks a significant moment in the history of cinema and represents a culmination of Langs early style. Metropolis began with a segment which appeared totally expository, having, however a definite function in the narrative. Langs film begins with a depiction of the totally alienated condition of the workers, their lack of control over their own conditions of existence. This lack marks the workers as the films first subject or hero (as a collective unit) although their function as a performer of a set of operations changes throughout the course of the film. The dichotomy between machine/self-movement and Machine/Human is highlighted in this segment of the film, which is to form an important device in the narrative structure. The notion of space is central and his definition of all narrative events as some sort of real or attempted transfer of an object is accompanied by or imply a special discontinuity. This happens in the second segment of the film when Maria, as subject, takes a group of children (the object of value) to the pleasure garden in the upper level from the worker city. Sh e is forced to leave and this unit of narrative is ended by the failure of this attempted transfer. This narrative unit may seem isolated but is not unconnected with the narrative as a whole, as through it another hero is created in the form of Freder, whose main aim would be to return these children to the upper level. In this segment itself, Freder realizes his own lack of knowledge of the workers and he descends to the machine rooms to observe the workers and witness the accident at the central power room. This however, constitutes his first stage of acquisition of knowledge. This portion of the narrative ends with him leaving the space of conflict to return to the upper level with his knowledge. When Freder returns to the upper city, the residence of the ruling class, he attempts to give his father, John Frederson, his understanding of the workers condition. But Frederson, in this segment, being the anti-hero/anti-subject/traitor prevents the transmission of this knowledge. Fred erson is the subject of another story in which the object of desire is the control of the workers. Another lack is revealed when Freder discovers a map in the pocket of the dead worker- the lack of the rulers knowledge of the maps and the workers intentions. From this point on, the object of desire for both father and son would be to seek knowledge in the catacombs, which would then enable them to function as hero and traitor in the later stages of the narrative. Knowledge will be acquired in stages all throughout the course of the narrative and so following the interview in Fredersons office, Freder descends to the machines and Frederson goes to see the inventor, Rotwang, each in search of a more adequate knowledge. The film shows the similarity with the use of parallel editing. Freder discovers the grueling effects of time and repeated effort by taking charge of the machine deserted by a failing worker. Frederson is shown the Robot by Rotwang, and mystery of the maps is deciphered partially which are revealed to be guides to the catacombs below the worker city. Parallels are established between these acquisitions of knowledge by intercutting. In the catacombs, the acquisition of knowledge is completed but this gives way to further problems; Frederson realizes he has no control over his workers while Freder comprehends his responsibility as a mediator. The new object of desire is Maria; she is desired by both as a means of obtaining another object, the workers, for their elimination (by the father) or their liberation (by the son). The abduction of Maria from the catacombs by Rotwang to his house and the confrontation between Freder and the scientist resulting in the latters victory over the former with the use of machinery, is replete with symbolism. Machinery, as a sign of evil, remains a constant throughout the film, and is always utilized by the traitors as a helping agent. Freder is denied access to Maria and her features are quite literally transferred to the Robot so as to transmit a false knowledge to the workers, deceive them and lead them astray. Transmitting false knowledge is the classic means of neutralizing power. The Robot Maria convinces the workers to act violently and turns them into traitors temporarily, allies of Frederson and Rotwang. The children, the metonymic representatives of the proletariat are left behind in the lower city. However, the deception of the workers is soon followed by the restoration of Freders power, by his acquisition of knowledge that Robot is not Maria. Subsequently Maria is released and destruction of the children is prevented by moving them to the upper city with the help of Freder and Joseph. The second abduction of Maria by the evil Rotwang is the final lack which is eliminated by the hero vanquishing the evil. At the end of the film, traitors are destroyed (Frederson is redeemed through his sons actions) and peace and balance restored. The heroes in the film are Freder, Maria and the workers while traitors are Frederson, Rotwang and the Robot. There is a tripartite division of the objects of value: the knowledge of the proletariat, the use of Maria, and the children of the workers who represent the proletariat as social entity. At the end of the film even though the children return to the pleasure garden their status is ambiguous; as a result of the accord reached between ruling class and the workers they would have to return to their original space. Thus the film reaffirms the social structure present at the beginning. The film can be divided into two dealing with political and scientific distinctions on the axis human/mechanical and with cultural and religious distinctions on the axis Christian/mystical-alchemical. The film starts with a montage comprising of several shots of stylized machines. This concludes with a shot of the whistle blowing indicating the end of the shift and the next shot shows the workers taking the elevators to go to the worker city. It is not only the machinery which is identified with the traitors as oppressors, but also the concept of time. Time is the measure of the repetitive effort required of the proletariat. In the pleasure garden Freder is essentially depicted as being out of vicious circle of time and is removed from all types of machinery. Also, out of the traitors, only Frederson, who would be transformed into a good man, is wholly human. Rotwang is part-human part-machine while the Robot is fully mechanical. There are other such examples all throughout the film- when the workers ply to and from work; they use the elevators, whereas when they need to descend to the catacombs, they do so on foot. Also when Freder, Maria and Joseph take the children to the upper level, they do so by purely human effort. Metropolis has heavy and significant allusions to religion. There is a consistent opposition present between the vague Christianity and the mystical and the alchemical, most evident in the connotations produced by Rotwang. He is portrayed to be some sort of a medieval sorcerer (his robot will be burned like a witch); compared to the archetypal Aryan appearances of Freder and Maria, the inventor looks distinctly Semitic. On his door and above his robot in his laboratory is a five-pointed star. He lives alone in a curiously distorted, old-fashioned house, set apart from the rest of the society. His science is occult and solitary. The Christian tradition is most apparent in Maria and Freder. While working in the circular machine, he clearly crucified at the hands of the clock face. Maria is undoubtedly Christian; in the catacombs while retelling the tale of the Tower of Babel, she is standing in front of a number of crucifixes and viewed reverently by the workers from below. Metropolis can also be analyzed on psychoanalytic terms. The oedipal aspect of the film is quite apparent. A three-member family is created with Frederson as the Father (leader of the society), Freder as the Son (representative of the workers) and Maria the Mother (spiritual creator of Freder and the workers/mother of the masses). Freder to negate and assume the power of the Father must have access to the Mother. This is achieved at the end of the film when the Father is stripped of his power (castration), and is seen kneeling in front of Freder, which is transmitted to the Son. Metropolis has not gone without criticism and Don Willis in his article has thoroughly bashed Lang for his overtly simplistic plot, going on to say that the spectacle seems almost incidental where the spectacle has been sacrificed to the message. He says of the film, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the eerie delicateness of this image of foreboding is betrayed by the crudeness of development of plot and characterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Barry Salt has been quoted in his text as stating that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Langs film is not even much of an improvement in craftsmanship, despite the several years of development there had been in film technique elsewhere. The rave reviews that the film opened in Germany are dismissed as sensationalistic. The position of an author is defined by the relationship which he maintains with his characters. In the film, one form of this relationship rests on the systems of vision which the pictures reveal: how the author fragmentarily indicates and encloses the viewpoint of his characters within the continuity of his own viewpoint constitutes the viewpoint of the film. Lang allows ambiguity to hover over the relationship which unites character and director in the vision. He is showing that only a well-crafted device can precisely situate a viewpoint, which the vision of the real alone cannot, or he is deliberately moving to a symbolic level, which results in distancing the author from the characters even more. The author defines himself by his point of view towards the objects he unveils. This point of view is manifest in the first place by the distance at which the camera is held. With Lang, it seems to be vivid or in a disguised manner. There are innumerable formal and thematic references, configurations which come into play from film to film and organize the enigmatic web of Langian knot-work. Hence, the sign, the token, around which the narration is organized, the significant object Lang always indicates with a close-up which is the first easily located link between the chain of shots and the thematic chain. The generally intensified demarcation of space disrupts the viewpoint in order to lead it to its more rightful place which carries to an extreme, in cinematographic space, dialectic of subject and object finding its origin in German cultural tradition and its achievement in the fundamental materialism of industrial civilization. This subject-object game, when divided, provokes the eye, making an incredible fissure in Langs films. Lang bases the possibility of his narrative on the richness and the perversity of oppositions. It is the logical outcome of writing and vision. Lang keeps the point of view in perpetual hesitation; for the event, whether it is foreshad owed or already occurred, always seems linked to something else. There is an incessant disequilibrium and abstract waiting which marks all of Langs films. Lang plays with counter-shots and at times tends to lose sight of his narrative, obscuring his characters. There is a subtle defeat in his films, which is revealed by the impossibility of the closed system. His films are extremely dense; in every shot, a writing unfolds which is strictly defined and structured, a part of the larger picture. Thus, by distancing himself from his films, Langs works always seem to be in the process of creating itself.

Shakespeares Sonnet #73 Essay -- essays research papers fc

Shakespeare's Sonnet #73, published in 1609, is written in the Shakespearean or English sonnet style. It consists of three quatrains and one couplet at the end, written in iambic pentameters. Each quatrain has its own rhyme scheme, rhyming in alternating lines. The couplet summarizes the preceding twelve lines. Sonnet 73 appears to contain multiple parallels to death and the person speaking in the poem gives the impression that he is near death and reflecting back upon life. The first quatrain, â€Å"That time of the year thou mayst behold me/ When yellow leaves, or none, or few do hang/ Upon those boughs which shake against the cold/ Bare ruin choirs where late the sweet bird sang.† He seems to be comparing his life the unspecified season, which could either be autumn or winter. If a person were to look at only this quatrain, Shakespeare seems to describe autumn, with images of yellow leaves and a place where a bird sang. However, if the whole sonnet is looked at Shakespeare seems to describe the effects of winter. Shakespeare reinforces the confusion of season with the rearrangement of the natural sequence of events. He says, none before few in describing the leaves hanging, and reminds us of summer with the image of the bird. This serves as a reminder of the encroaching winter. The transposition of "none" and "few" could also imply that a second look to the landscape, as with death. Upon, another glance, death is not here bu t coming. This quatrain appears t...

Referee Report for Economics Manuscript Essay

â€Å"Different Risk-Adjusted Fund Performance Measures: A Comparison† Summary This paper compares various risk-adjusted performance measures for a set of mutual funds. The authors argue that performance measures based on Value-at-Risk (VaR) or Extreme Value Theory (EVT) are more appropriate than other popular performance measures such as the Sharpe ratio (SR), the Treynor index (TI) or Jensen ´s Alpha (JA) . They propose a performance index similar to the SR and the TI based on losses calculated by means of VaR together with EVT. They find that EVT-VaR measures are more appropriate in the presence of non-normal data. Main Comments The topic of the paper is of relevance for financial practitioners as well as academics and it is certainly applicable to the current financial stability context. The paper is also generally wellwritten. However, I have some comments for its improvement. 1. The contribution of the paper is not clearly stated. In the 6th paragraph of the introduction, the authors suggest that their main contribution is the construction of a performance index based on EVT-VAR. However, it is not very clear why the new proposed measure should be better in relation to existing measures as it is now explained. It is true that VaR or EVT should be more reliable measures for extreme events but when looking at formula (13) it is not apparent why this measure should be more reliable than the traditional measures. The denominator has, in fact, an â€Å"extreme return† as opposed to the SR or TI which have strictly second moments, so it is not very straight forward to relate these measures. A better job should be done at explaining the implications of such VaR based measure, how it relates to other measures and why it should be better. 2. Why have the measures been compared only in a â€Å"static† way? It is widely known in the finance literature that asset return volatility is time-varying, and to some extent, also expected returns. It would be possible to go around the latter by arguing market efficiency (which is also questionable) but it is certainly much more difficult to argue against time-variability of the standard deviation in the VaR measures (or in the SA and TI ratios). This is very important as the â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad† applicability of a particular performance measure could be sample dependent and as it is now with unconditional measures, this is hard to uncover. For instance, while the authors account for nonnormality of returns in the modified-VaR measure by means of a Corner-Fisher quantile, they assume a constant standard deviation which means that in periods of high volatility they could still understate the VaR. So at the minimum, the performance comparisons should be done for the full sample and different sub-samples and it should be tested whether the measures obtained are significantly different over different samples. 3. The authors concentrate on top 10 and bottom 10 funds for their analysis and discarded the other funds â€Å"for the sake of simplicity†. However, by choosing only the â€Å"tail† funds, the authors are giving from the start an advantage to EVT or VaR measures. It would be more appropriate to also report results on (say) 10 â€Å"mid† funds. 4. It is not very clear why the top 10 funds â€Å"show more departures from normality† in relation to bottom funds. This finding should be expanded and the intuition behind it should be better explained. One could argue that â€Å"losers† could be more volatile than â€Å"winners† as the level of uncertainty with respect to the fund might increase which could lead to more extreme returns. In fact, in the 3rd paragraph of the empirical result section it says â€Å"the bottom 10 funds have, in general, higher VaR values than the top ones, which means that they are more susceptible to extreme events† which is somewhat contradictory with the finding that the top 10 funds exhibit more departures from normality. Moreover, one of the main findings of the study is that the VaR and EVT performance measures perform best in relation to other measures when there are more departures from normality in returns. A better attempt to reconcile the findings of nonnormality, the â€Å"winner vs. looser† funds and the results on the performance measures with some previous studies or satisfactory intuition should be done. Other comments 1. The contributions of the paper should be stated earlier in the paper and not almost at the end of the introduction as it is now. The contributions should be clearer (see also point 1 above) and should be better related to the existing relevant literature. 2. The conclusion is too long. The concluding remarks should be much shorter and should only summarize the main findings and reconcile them with the issues raised in the introduction as well as highlight possible extensions for future work. 3. The tables should also be improved. They should have a short description of the contents to facilitate reading. As it is now, the reader has to constantly come back to the main text to find out what the contents mean. 4. The figures are hardly visible, they should also be improved and a short explanation should be given.

Life of a gentleman Essays

Life of a gentleman Essays Life of a gentleman Essay Life of a gentleman Essay Give an account of Pips upbringing and character. Why does he seek the life of a gentleman? Pips harsh upbringing by his guardians has led to unusual character, and because of his character, he feels ashamed of his social standing after having seen how the upper class people live. This starts his quest to become a gentleman. Pip had quite a depressing upbringing, typical of the time that the book was set in. Pip was ill treated as a child, mainly by his guardian Mrs. Joe Gargery. In Chapter Two, Pip mentions that Mrs. Joe boasts to her friends that she raised Pip by hand. Pip thinks that she means literally using her hand on him, as this is what she has done in the past. Mainly because of this, Pip feels relatively unloved. In Chapter One, Pip mentions that he has no friends, his parents and all of his family are dead other than Mrs. Joe, who looks after him. In Chapter Nine, Estella, whom Pip is beginning to love, does not return his love, which intensifies his feelings of being unloved. Pip was deprived as a child; his family were not particularly wealthy, Joe (his sisters husband) was the village blacksmith, and his sister raised Pip and looked after the house. There was never much money in the household, which meant that all the facilities Pip needed he could not have. His education was particularly poor, maybe not for his time, but in Chapter Seven it is described as Mr. Wopsles great-aunt kept an evening school in the village; that is to say, she was a ridiculous old woman of limited means and unlimited infirmity, who used to go to sleep from six to seven every evening, in the society of youth who paid two pence per week. Maybe due to his familys poverty, Pip is a hard worker. He became Joes apprentice when he was quite young and worked there until he left to become a gentleman. He has been brought up to be a hard worker; before he became Joes apprentice he assisted Mrs. Joe at a very young age. Pips character is a direct result of his upbringing. As a result of his lack of friends, Pip has a remarkable imagination. In Chapter One, he imagined what his dead parents looked like from the shape of their tombstones, e. g. I drew the childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly. In Chapter Two also imagines that the cows speaking and are accusing him of being a thief, Halloa, young thief! Despite his poor education by Mr Wopsles great-aunt, Pip is very clever, for example, when Pip tells the story about his meeting with Miss Havisham to Mrs. Joe and Uncle Pumblechook, he makes up a plausible story about Miss Havisham and the house, on the principle that Uncle Pumblechook will agree with most things he says as he has been pretending to know Miss Havisham, We all waved swords, and I saw pistols in a cupboard, and jam and pills. And there was no daylight in the room, but it was all lighted up with candles. The fact that Pip actually wrote Great Expectations (it is a description of his childhood written by Pip as an adult) shows that he must be very intelligent. During the first section of the book Pip is thoughtful and serious, he is never self-absorbed until he becomes a gentleman, and even then he overcomes this. Pip is a sensitive young man, e. g. , My sisters upbringing had made me sensitive (Chapter Eight). Pip is physically strong; in Chapter Eleven he fights the pale young gentlemen and wins, badly bruising his opponent. The pale young gentlemen may not have been very strong, but a boy Pips age would have to be strong to have hurt an elder boy. Pip is affectionate, especially to Estella with whom he is madly in love with. Also, in Chapter Seventeen, he tells Biddy I wish I could fall in love with you. He wishes that he had affection with Biddy rather than Estella. Pip is ambitious; his main ambition is to become a gentleman, which is relevant in most of the book. In Chapter Eight this ambition started when Estella called him coarse and common and a common labouring boy. In chapter seventeen he first tells Biddy about his ambition. I want to become a gentleman. If it wasnt for Pips benefactor, his ambition would have never been realised and he might have never left the forge. Pips character is lonely; he has no friends other than Joe (Chapter One) and he has to rely on his imagination for company. His parents and all of his family other than his sister are dead (Chapter One). Pip is timid; on page three he is scared out of his wits by the convict and in other cases also. This, Pip says is down to his sisters harsh bringing up of him. With most people, Pip is generally quiet and shy, but with Estella he is even more so, this is because he is embarrassed and incapable to retaliate to her insults, possibly because he has never retaliated to his sisters insults, for example You little coarse monster, what do you think of me now? (Estella) I shall not tell you (Pips reply), (Chapter Eleven). Pip is resentful of some people, Estella in particular, he resents her insults of him (e. g. Chapter Eight common labouring boy) but he cannot retaliate. He does not particularly resent his sister for his harsh bringing up. After Pip steals for the convict, he has a low self-esteem, feels in the wrong and guilty. In Chapter Five he actually thinks that some soldiers have come for him when they appear at the forge door, when they actually are looking for the blacksmiths assistance, e. g. I ran head foremost into a party of soldiers with their muskets: one of whom held out a pair of handcuffs to me. Another reason why Pip has a low self-esteem is that he learnt from Joe that Mrs. Joe would probably have not have raised him if it was not for Joes persuasion. This makes him feel like a burden to Mrs. Joe, and this is why he feels guilty. After Mrs. Joe is attacked, Pip feels guilty about providing the weapon. Pip is troubled in various stages of the book, often anxious and miserable as well. After Pip steals the food for the convict he is full of guilt that makes him miserable and troubled, e. g. this is shown when he imagines the cattle and the mist speaking to him, A boy with somebody-elses pork pie! Stop him! (Chapter Two). Pip is miserable after he met Estella and realised that he was common and coarse, and he then fells ashamed of his home and possessions, e.  g. Chapter Fourteen a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home. In Chapter Eight he first meets Estella and falls in love with her, e. g. I think she is very pretty. Estella has been brought up by Miss Havisham to wreak vengeance on the male sex after what happened to her, so Estella does not return his love; instead she insults him by calling him a common labouring-boy! and stupid clumsy labouring boy! also she says what coarse hands he has! And what thick boots! She also comments upon his poor speech, i. e. calling knaves Jacks when they played cards. He realises that for her to love him, he must be an upper class gentleman, as she is an upper class woman. Her contempt for me was so strong that it became infectious that I caught it. This is how Pip describes his Estellas contempt for he in Chapter Eight. Pip has now realised that he is coarse and common, and now feels ashamed of his home and his possessions. This is shown especially in Chapter Fourteen, when he tells us his true feelings about his embarrassment of his home, e. g. It is a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home, and he also calls his house homely. He accepts himself as low on the social standings and wants to improve his status. Pip is impressed, even envious of Estella, due to her beauty, excellent speech, confidence, wealth and intelligence, and wants to become a gentleman as a result. In Chapter Seventeen Biddy questions whether he actually wants to become a gentleman to spite Estella, or because Pip feels common, dissatisfied and uncomfortable. Pip merely answers I dont know. Subconsciously, Pip may want to become a gentleman to spite Estella. Pip may be confusing his feelings of love and his social ambitions. Pip may not only want to become a gentleman due to Estella, but perhaps also due to Pumblechooks influence; he now admires him as a middle-class gentleman; although he does not envy him as he considers him an obnoxious fool. It is therefore clear to see that Pips harsh upbringing by hand by Mrs Joe has led to his lonely, ambitious and timid character. Pip seeks the life of a gentleman as he is ashamed of himself (mainly due to Estellas remark of coarse and common), his belongings, and he feels to solve this, he must become a social gentleman. He may also have an ulterior motive, to elevate himself to a social standing where Estella will actually talk to him and not look down on him. Because of Pip being embarrassed over his commonness and his possessions, he is dissatisfied with his place in society, e. g. I am not happy as I am. I am disgusted with my calling in life. (Chapter Seventeen). He knows that as long as he is Joes apprentice, he will never fulfil his dream of becoming a gentleman.

Vagueness, Ambiguity, and Clarity in Writing Essays - Free Essays

Vagueness, Ambiguity, and Clarity in Writing Essays - Free Essays Vagueness, Ambiguity, and Clarity in Writing CRT/205 March 7, 2014 Captain E.F. Rollins Vagueness, Ambiguity, and Clarity in Writing Identify what is vague and what is ambiguous about each. In Example 2, the vague statement is, I was thrown from my truck as it left the road. The ambiguous statement is, I was later found in a ditch by a flock of wild turkeys. In Example 3, the vague statement is, Next Sunday a collection will be taken to help with the cost of the new altar. The ambiguous statement is, Anyone wanting to help to do something on the new altar can step forward and let the committee know, Explain how such vagueness and ambiguity influences understanding. When statements are presented in a vague or ambiguous way, readers are confused about what the author is trying to say. In other words, readers cannot determine the point or points the author is trying to make or how the supporting information supports these points. Vague or ambiguous statements may lead the reader to speculate on what the author actually intended to say but did not. In this case, statements that are left open to interpretation by others will result in varied interpretations that can be quite different from the authors original intent. If we look at one of the statements from example 2, I was later found in a ditch by a flock of wild turkeys. Did the author mean he was found next to a flock of wild turkeys or that the flock of wild turkeys found him? There is no way for the reader to know what the author actually meant unless the reader is able to ask the author for clarification. Describe the relationship between critical thinking and clear writing. The relationship between critical thinking and clear writing is that it takes the ability to think critically to be able to write clearly. When we are faced with writing about a topic that is an emotional one for us, it is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the topic. Writings, from an emotional position, will tend to be unclear, biased, unorganized, and ramble on and on. If we utilize critical thinking when writing about the same topic, we will be more likely to stay focused and have our points organized in a logical way. Without the emotion, our writing should be more organized and clear.

Mao Ze Dong essays

Mao Ze Dong essays Chinese leadership worries concerning separatism are well founded. With China moving closer than ever to democracy these concerns are especially important. The regions that make up much of China do not seek widespread political independence, as their own freedom will come with time. An enormous and progressively growing country China is built up of many smaller entities. Many of these states were at one time under their own rule and willing to fight to regain their freedom. China has moved forward as a wealthy country and world power putting many of her problems in the past. As China grows ever stronger and more stable the idea that any of her provinces may regain independence is becoming less and less likely, however if Chinas principal government weakens as it transforms into a democratic country, this may provide the opportunity needed for these provinces to test independence. Tibetan Buddhists feel they have much in common with India, and their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. In the early 7th century Tibet was an independent country. As the Tibetan empire fell into decline the Mongolians defeated it. After the fall of the Mongolians, China regained not only her independence but Tibet as well. Tibet had been under Chinese control for quite some time before trying to regain their independence. When Tibet actually sought regaining their independence, the Chinese government claimed it was too late. After Tibetan revolution, in which the Peoples Liberation Army prevailed, Tibet remained, and still does, under Chinese control. In 1995, Beijing officials decided not to accept the Tibetan Buddhists selection for a new Panchen Lama, the second most important spiritual leader in Tibet. Beijing instead installed its own leader. As can be imagined this action produced much anger amongst Tibetan people toward Chinese government. Denying Tibet a new spirit ual leader that would most likely raise the idea of...

Louis Vuitton Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Louis Vuitton - Case Study Example Since the brand has loyal and a choosy customer base, its customers are highly likely to interpret such a move as a loss in the brand’s worth. The brand, however, may benefit from an increased presence in emerging high income countries and unexploited markets such as India. At an exchange rate of $ 1.50, the value of $ 8, 000 is equivalent to 10, 000 euros. When the price reduces by 10 percent, the value of revenues in dollars become $ 7, 200. At a strengthened exchange rate of $ 1.25, this presents a value of 9, 000 euros. The company, therefore, loses 1000 euros at the new exchange rate. It is essential to highlight that when the exchange rate weakens, the company loses some money out of the current revenues. The demand curve of a typical Louis Vuitton customer shapes differently because of notable reasons. To begin with, it is essential to note that a normal demand curve should show an inverse relationship between prices and level of consumption. This is because as prices increases, consumers buy less of given goods because their budgets are constrained. Louis Vuitton, however, is different because it sells luxury products that entail superior craftsmanship. A knowledgeable and loyal customer, therefore, is able to face a premium price in purchasing a given item. Besides, the brand builds on exclusivity and classiness that it would always strive to drive away its goods from mass consumption (Haig, 2006). Loyal customers are willing to pay higher prices because such prices exclude other ordinary customers from accessing the Louis Vuitton goods. Besides, the luxury market that Louis Vuitton exploits has wealthy customers whose demand curves are inelastic to price increases. In close relat ion to this, the performance of developed economies such as the US and Europe can withstand such price increases. When individuals face improved economic lives, there arises a new set customers of Louis Vuitton

The Oregon Dispute and its Settlement Summary Essay

The Oregon Dispute and its Settlement Summary - Essay Example However, the aftermath of this moment prepared Japan for most important feat in history. Surprisingly, after this interaction, America and Japan would be at war as the Americans struggled to stamp its authority on Japan (Fallows 20). Mathew Perry was an important figure during this conduct in that he was well prepared by training and temperament for negotiation in Japan. More so, Perry dedicated his entire career to the expansion of the American navy. Perry’s first important mission in 1819 was to transport slaves to Africa during the founding of Liberia. During this time, he did not witness the combat until he was in his 50s at the battle of Veracruz in the Mexican war as the nation Kept on expanding westward towards a second sea frontier on the Pacific. The opening up of America to Japan for trade was aided by the fact that there was invention of new maritime vessels that were powered by steam. By 1850, the first and graceful clipper vessel had made America to take the lead in the shipping trade (Fallows 22). But, the Britons were outperforming Americans in the steamships. The steam ships required coal to power their engines but the clippers had to choose the routes to China depending on the basis of favorable winds. On the other hand, steamers were more deliberate in that they followed a great circle route up to Alaska and then down to the Japanese Archipelago. It was on this ground that Senator Daniel Webster of New Hampshire discovered that Japan had coal deposits thus declaring that it was time to establish oceanic steam navigation. The American expansion to Japan was facilitated by the desire to expand a coal using steam powered navy. In addition, the Americans wanted to find markets in Japan in order to develop and convert more souls. Initially American expansion to Japan in 1700s was characterized by persecution in that the Japanese used to torture American sailors and whalers. More so, their ships were wrecked on the shores of the oceans. There was need to protect the whalers from these problems and destroy the religious practice of the Japanese people. It is vital to note that during the time of American expansion to Japan, the British had just won its opium war against China while the Russians were approaching from the North, swarming around were the French and Dutch. The American government watched this with great care and that Millard Fillmore commissioned the Japan expedition by convincing Mathew Perry to command it (Fallows 24). Japan adopted her own seclusion policies under the leadership of Shogun and they did not want Japan to interact with the outside world. On day, American whalers rescued a Japanese fisherman known as Kajima who was ship wrecked and he was taken to live in New England. Under the seclusion laws of Japan, it was an offense to leave the country and come back if one had escaped. Despite this, Kajima decided to risk returning home. Surprisingly, he was not killed instead he was sent to Nagasaki and told to say everything he knew about United States. He said that America was lewd by nature and that their toilets are placed over holes in the ground. The Japanese repelled any foreign ship that docked at their sea. For instance, before Mathew Perry landed in Japan, James Biddle of the U.S nay had been humiliated by the Japanese and was ordered never to return in

Socail Media and the Digital Trends - Chanel Essay

Socail Media and the Digital Trends - Chanel - Essay Example The advert was effective. The marketers developed a unique product that upholds the quality standards of the company. Additionally, they use an equally unique yet effective marketing strategy. Social media enables the marketers to interact with their target audiences and share videos among other material that would enhance the profitability of the brand. Facebook provided the marketers with the interactivity that helps in the sale of the products besides the avenue to carry out market researches thereby understanding the patterns of demands. The information in the resource promises to influence retail of the products in future since the company will evaluate the success of such targeted sales thereby develop and position successive products on social media among other appropriate types of media. The success or failure of the event influences the profitability of the company thereby marking to change the company’s marketing strategies in the

Managing organizational change (MBA course) Essay

Managing organizational change (MBA course) - Essay Example Sandoz was a profit making company that had transparent and defined marketing strategies with a number of products, employing fewer people (69 employees); whereas CG, a loss making company (129 employees) was a laid back attitude and heavily dependant on sale of one product Voltaren, that had generic substitutes, and the marketing was based on giving heavy discounts to achieve quarterly targets. These opposite cultures clashed with the merger. The result was that, feeling strangled, the Sandoz staff left the company through a golden handshake and the CG culture prevailed over NT. The lethargies of CG became the norm resulting in plummeting sales and mounting losses. Under Thai regulations the merger meant merger of Sandoz into CG thereby creating a new entity called NT. This led to the exodus to the Sandoz staff, and the CG culture and practices prevailed. The remaining Sandoz staff were unable to accept this practice and all but 12 left the company, after bitterly criticizing the CG ways and matters deteriorated with the new NT manager also leaving in early 1997. NT was rudderless and without objectives and goals. Fritz the new manager appointed to check and reverse the ills of NT was sent to Thailand in 1998, two years after the merger, with a mandate to raise market share and to improve management effectiveness across the organization. His clear mandate required him to turnaround the company and he handled it initially with the motive of streamlining the operations by first defining the team and team roles. He wanted to establish a hierarchy of reporting that looked like a cobweb with cross reporting resulting in loss of communications. He also found many malpractices that were either a result of corruption in the culture of the company or simply cover-ups for showing improved but false sales performances. He quickly made a situation analysis and identified

The concepts of existentialism and how they have helped in the Essay

The concepts of existentialism and how they have helped in the development of the life journey - Essay Example The present research has identified that existentialism has a philosophical position which opposes the natural sciences around us. It explains that human beings are composed of many other components rather only mind, body and other scientific categories. Human beings cannot be understood by the scientific truths or the moral substances such as responsibility, character, values, blame, duty, and others. Existentialism thus defines that human conditions are not based on scientific or moral truths, but on further categories that come under philosophical theory and which are significant to understand human existence. The concept of existentialism emerged after the WWII when the violence had forced people to think that life was meaningless and there was no God. Existentialism explained that there is no God or higher power, no karma or reward system in this world. Every human is an individual who is free and responsible for his own actions. As there is no central truth that the world gover ns under, the concept can be liberating and also depressing. Humans themselves choose how they wish to be and are not influenced by other people or forces around them. Hence, the universe is amoral and humans can make their lives the way they want them to be. Understanding existentialism while observing the personal journey of life may be difficult for a religious person as the theory eliminates the religious concepts completely. However, apart from the religious views that it abandons, existentialism can help many individuals to live in an amoral world in their own ways.... onal journey of how I learned to live life in my own way without the interference or expectations of others helped me in many ways to understand the concepts of existentialism. It is true that our existence precedes essence and helps us to have freedom (Daigle 9). Soren Kierkegaard was the first philosopher who believed in existentialism. He had explained the concepts of freedom and individualism through his work and highlighted the significance of personal commitment and choice. This is an important point when an individual wants to understand the reality of life and matches with many features of a practical life. Today, everyone’s life is very practical and very few people still live in the traditional concepts of values, responsibilities and abstract thinking. During my personal journey, I learnt with the help of Kierkegaard’s work that feelings and emotions of individuals is what the humans face when they have to make tough choices in life (Flynn 32). Although Kierk egaard has focused on the distinction between man and god in his work, it is mostly focusing on the reality of life. His work reflects through my personal journey as I strongly believe that our life and choices are purely based on our own choices. We are not answerable to anyone for our deeds and are not bound by any other person or power. Our deeds are simply ours and we make our lives good or bad. The scientific and moral truths have little to do with our development and condition and our existentialism has more impact over us. When I judge my life with the concepts of Kierkegaard and his three stages of life, I found that the way I lived my life is according to the internal living. Kierkegaard described this way of life as looking at oneself more than looking at others because when you look at

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Essay Example On the other hand, I cannot deny the fact that some experiences have had so far, constitute a remarkable percentage of my happiest days on earth (Fryer 87). I love my class so much for we have shared so many things together, and I also honor my teachers for all they have let me know. To give an overview of the good experiences that I have had in the university, I first consider my class. My class has had a lot of chances to visit very interesting places and I am great am part of that class (Fryer 87). First I will never forget our visit to the fine arts Museum in Houston during one of the poetry sessions. In this trip I encountered a poet who read a poem which had an African inspiration, particularly from Congo. The poem claimed that works of art in German had their roots in the African continent. This is because the people of Congo are the ones who offered the German president the art works. The whole experience at the museum overwhelmed my heart with joy, because I could identify m yself with the musical accompaniments which are very common in my African continent (Fryer 87). Moreover, the companionship I had with my classmates as we walked round the museum, made me feel so happy. As much as I have had good times in the University, I have equally had very challenging moments. ... My hopes that my classmates will finally show up were finally shuttered, when I was hit by the reality that it was already 10 o’clock and no one had arrived. I kept strong and went to the event alone unfortunately what I caught my eye was not interesting at all. I saw drunkards and smokers and I realized that was a not a place for me to be (Fryer 88). So I stayed shortly then went back home disappointed, thinking of the time I had wasted. Even though my classmates make me feel so bad, they make me feel good as well and I love them very much (Fryer 88). I am very free with them during our interactions, but sometimes a think am shy. Despite the fact that this are the same people I interact with them daily, when am asked to address them, it seems so impossible for me. I understand that I am a visitor to this country however I seek to know if all visitors feel the way I do or I just lack confidence. My participation in class is very poor as I am not able even answer a question in class though I may be having its answer. Sometimes I feel that it is because English is not my first language, as much as I can speak it (Fryer 88). I think if there is a way I can boost my confidence and have the courage to speak in class, I can really appreciate. In conclusion, my experience I the Rice University can be described as a normal one, because this is what people usually go through. Life is full of ups and downs and we should always learn to appreciate our experiences, because they usually give us a chance to learn. My class members are very great and I generally appreciate the role they have played in my life. I believe the challenges I experience in my class are not extra-ordinary, since they can be overcome. If I overcome these challenges I have confidence that I will

Managing organizational change (MBA course) Essay

Managing organizational change (MBA course) - Essay Example Sandoz was a profit making company that had transparent and defined marketing strategies with a number of products, employing fewer people (69 employees); whereas CG, a loss making company (129 employees) was a laid back attitude and heavily dependant on sale of one product Voltaren, that had generic substitutes, and the marketing was based on giving heavy discounts to achieve quarterly targets. These opposite cultures clashed with the merger. The result was that, feeling strangled, the Sandoz staff left the company through a golden handshake and the CG culture prevailed over NT. The lethargies of CG became the norm resulting in plummeting sales and mounting losses. Under Thai regulations the merger meant merger of Sandoz into CG thereby creating a new entity called NT. This led to the exodus to the Sandoz staff, and the CG culture and practices prevailed. The remaining Sandoz staff were unable to accept this practice and all but 12 left the company, after bitterly criticizing the CG ways and matters deteriorated with the new NT manager also leaving in early 1997. NT was rudderless and without objectives and goals. Fritz the new manager appointed to check and reverse the ills of NT was sent to Thailand in 1998, two years after the merger, with a mandate to raise market share and to improve management effectiveness across the organization. His clear mandate required him to turnaround the company and he handled it initially with the motive of streamlining the operations by first defining the team and team roles. He wanted to establish a hierarchy of reporting that looked like a cobweb with cross reporting resulting in loss of communications. He also found many malpractices that were either a result of corruption in the culture of the company or simply cover-ups for showing improved but false sales performances. He quickly made a situation analysis and identified

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Essay Example On the other hand, I cannot deny the fact that some experiences have had so far, constitute a remarkable percentage of my happiest days on earth (Fryer 87). I love my class so much for we have shared so many things together, and I also honor my teachers for all they have let me know. To give an overview of the good experiences that I have had in the university, I first consider my class. My class has had a lot of chances to visit very interesting places and I am great am part of that class (Fryer 87). First I will never forget our visit to the fine arts Museum in Houston during one of the poetry sessions. In this trip I encountered a poet who read a poem which had an African inspiration, particularly from Congo. The poem claimed that works of art in German had their roots in the African continent. This is because the people of Congo are the ones who offered the German president the art works. The whole experience at the museum overwhelmed my heart with joy, because I could identify m yself with the musical accompaniments which are very common in my African continent (Fryer 87). Moreover, the companionship I had with my classmates as we walked round the museum, made me feel so happy. As much as I have had good times in the University, I have equally had very challenging moments. ... My hopes that my classmates will finally show up were finally shuttered, when I was hit by the reality that it was already 10 o’clock and no one had arrived. I kept strong and went to the event alone unfortunately what I caught my eye was not interesting at all. I saw drunkards and smokers and I realized that was a not a place for me to be (Fryer 88). So I stayed shortly then went back home disappointed, thinking of the time I had wasted. Even though my classmates make me feel so bad, they make me feel good as well and I love them very much (Fryer 88). I am very free with them during our interactions, but sometimes a think am shy. Despite the fact that this are the same people I interact with them daily, when am asked to address them, it seems so impossible for me. I understand that I am a visitor to this country however I seek to know if all visitors feel the way I do or I just lack confidence. My participation in class is very poor as I am not able even answer a question in class though I may be having its answer. Sometimes I feel that it is because English is not my first language, as much as I can speak it (Fryer 88). I think if there is a way I can boost my confidence and have the courage to speak in class, I can really appreciate. In conclusion, my experience I the Rice University can be described as a normal one, because this is what people usually go through. Life is full of ups and downs and we should always learn to appreciate our experiences, because they usually give us a chance to learn. My class members are very great and I generally appreciate the role they have played in my life. I believe the challenges I experience in my class are not extra-ordinary, since they can be overcome. If I overcome these challenges I have confidence that I will

Genetically Modified Foods Essay Example for Free

Genetically Modified Foods Essay Not many Americans actually read the nutrition facts on the labels of the products when they shop at supermarkets. As well as most of them consume junk food on daily basis. American society is caught up in the world where everything has to come fast, from the electronics to fast food restaurants. Nowadays, nobody packs lunch, people got so used to going out and buying sandwich at Mc Donald’s or Carl’s Jr. only for a dollar something. Nobody needs spend time cooking, nobody needs to drive far. Fast food restaurants are on every corner offering everyone cheap and fast food. However, most of those restaurants use genetically modified meat. Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng revealed that Ministry survey found 51% of the chicken samples which were bought from different town places to contain nitrofuran at levels up to 4,000% above the Veterinary Department’s guideline level. Genetically modified foods not only have great impact and harm on humans but also on the animals and environment and global economy. Genetically-modified foods (GM foods) have made a big splash in the news lately. European environmental organizations and public interest groups have been actively protesting against GM foods for months, and recent controversial studies about the effects of genetically-modified corn pollen on monarch butterfly caterpillars1, 2 have brought the issue of genetic engineering to the forefront of the public consciousness in the U. S. Mutation of animal’s DNA has stress on animal. Cows, pigs and especially chickens suffer great impact on their bodies. Chickens are not able to fly and walk because of the growth hormones that make them grow within days. Hormone makes them grow fat; however they are unable to develop strong bones or muscles. Hormones and other â€Å"growth helpers† have also potential human health impacts, including allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, mutation on genetic level, cancer. For years, people have unknowingly eaten hamburgers and other ground beef containing filler- beef trimming mixed with ammonium hydroxide gas- to kill bacteria and salmonella. It has also been routinely served in school, and until recently some fast-food burgers were made with meat with pink slime. There is also impact on the environment, transformation of crops that animals eat. Animals eat genetically modified crops that develop harmful diseases in their bodies. For example, piglets drink milk with synthetic gene that increases their growth however harms their immune system. Pesticides that are added to watering system of the crops, help crops grow better and faster, however take the enzymes that make them be healthy and organic. Farm animals that eat nonorganic food don’t get enough nutrients to their body. Americans need to start thinking about their health. Many people in America are obese and have diabetes. The main reason is because they eat junk food, and junk food meat and crops are genetically modified. In our society nowadays no one wants to accept that a hamburger for one dollar is not good food. Its only cheese in a mouse trap. It is cheap but it is not organic, it doesn’t have nutrients your body needs, it’s complete fat. People and FDA need to take serious action, we need to notify people about what they are eating. We need to advertise and support law that will enforce labeling on genetically modified foods. Americans need to start thinking about their future generations and their health. If right now percentage is so high on people who have diabetes type two, think about what it is going to be in future ten years? We all need to stand up and fight for what is right. Farm animals, environment and humans suffer great loss from the hormones and antibiotics that farmers supply them with. On biological level enzymes and DNA change. Therefore, we change our bodies without thinking twice about it. Society needs to be informed about consequences. GM foods are much cheaper, grow faster and have better resistance. Even though GM food is more accessible, it doesn’t always mean it is healthy for a person. Many statistics show that people become obese and have higher percentage of cholesterol because they consume GM foods. Increased food security for growing populations. Foods that have pesticides in them can develop not only biological transformation in animal cells, but also human cells. But there is also new products growing techniques. New techniques can be only helpful to corporations to produce bigger amounts of food products. People can have more products and store and will never run out. So, corporations can produce foods on massive scale (no starvation for people). Even though, corporations will get richer, they will harm the human health. FDA doesn’t restrict factories from adding growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics to animals and crops. Based on the research that I gathered there were a lot of things that shocked me. I never knew that meat we eat is awfully generated like that. Poor farm animals die from their obese bodies and pills that people supply them with. No matter, how many counter arguments a person can say, It is not right to torture animal like that. And not only animals suffer such awful treatments. Humans as well get sickness and diseases from eating awful food like that. Many big corporations argue using advertisement that it prevents crops and animals for having extra diseases when they take antibiotics or growth hormones. However, that way animal’s body changes its course of growing. For example, image humans grow as fast as chicken grown in nine days, it will be awful. But what is very funny, that people who eat those kinds of foods get really obese over small period of time. Farmers say that there is more nutritious in genetically modified foods, I disagree. Studies have proven that only organic meets have all the nutrients that a person needs. Genetically modified food has many effects on human health. Person can develop diseases such as diabetes, heart problems and liver failure. I don’t think so parents want their future generations to suffer and die from chronic diseases that come from what they eat. At this point, every American consumes genetically modified food on daily basis. Even if the label on the apple doesn’t say that some kind of hormone was used to increase the growth, still everyone knows that apples don’t grow in the middle of January in Wyoming. Many supermarkets try to advertise that the meat they sell is organic, however not every label says that antibiotics were given to the animal when it was growing. Society and FDA needs to take actions and help local stores to produce more organic products. Work cited Antibiotic Use in Animal Agriculture Is Dangerous and Unnecessary. An HSUS Report: Human Health Implications of Non-Therapeutic Antibiotic Use in Animal Agriculture. Humane Society of the United States, 2009. Rpt. in Antibiotics. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. Web ElBoghdady, Dina. Judge Orders FDA to Revisit Decision Not to Ban Some Antibiotics in Animal Feed. Washington Post 5 June 2012. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. Web TWN Third World Network. â€Å"The dangers of antibiotics in animals feed† by Martin is the Director of the Third World Network. Web We are what we eat, so beware of additives. Philadelphia Inquirer [Philadelphia, PA] 31 Mar. 2012. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. Byline: Melanie Burney. Web Kaufman, Marc. Worries Rise Over Effect of Antibiotics in Animal Feed; Humans Seen Vulnerable To Drug-Resistant Germs. Washington Post 17 Mar. 2000: A01. Gale.

Internal Rate Of Return And Net Present Value Finance Essay

Internal Rate Of Return And Net Present Value Finance Essay In every business, investment appraisal is the very important part. Accounting rate of return (ARR), Payback period (PP), Net present value (NPV), Internal rate of return (IRR), and Profitability index (PI) are the different types of investment appraisal methods. In investment decisions, time is a very vital feature. ARR and PP do not take into consideration the time value of money, and do not give an indication of the amount of capital investment required. NPV, IRR, PI are consider the time value of money and the discounted cash flow techniques. It measures the cash inflows and outflows of a project as if they occurred at a single point in time so that they can be compared in an appropriate way. These are the best methods to use for long-run decisions. Since, IRR and NPV incorporate all the cash flows and time value of money, these criteria can be used to reflect capital investment proposals strategic orientation. It is often assumed that higher is better for both of the net present value and the internal rate of return.   It is usually stated that investments with higher IRR are more profitable than investments with lower IRR. However, this is not essentially so.   In some situations, an investment with a lower IRR may be better, even judged on narrow financial grounds, than an investment with a higher IRR. This interactive lecture explores why and when this reversal takes place. To review, both the NPV and the IRR require the idea of an income stream, so lets start there. An income stream is a series of amounts of money. Each amount of money comes in or goes out at some specific time, either now or in the future.   The income stream represents the investment; the income stream is all you need to know for financial evaluation purposes. In real life, individuals, charitable institutions, and even for-profit businesses have social or other goals when selecting investments.   For businesses, the benefits of community good will are no less real for being difficult to measure precisely.   For enterprises with social as well as financial goals, the measures discussed here are still useful:   They tell you how much it costs you to advance your social goals. In here, FIRMEX Corporation is allowing for undertaking two projects. The two projects will be evaluated using the discounted cash flow methods to decide on, which project is to be selected. Net Present Value (NPV) The Net Present Value analyzes the profitability of a project by discounting all expected future cash inflows and outflows to the present point in time, using the discount rate (Horngren, et al.,1997). Discount rate is the minimum acceptable rate of return on an investment. It is the return that the organization could expect to receive elsewhere for an investment of comparable risk. NPV is a better method of appraising investment opportunities than Accounting rate of return (ARR) and Payback Period (PP), because it takes account of the time value of money and also includes all the relevant cash flows irrespective of when they are expected to occur (McLaney and Atrill, 2002). Appraisal using NPV NPV is positive when the discounted cash inflows exceed the discounted cash outflows, and so a proposal is acceptable if it has a positive NPV. When evaluating two or more mutually exclusive proposals, the one with the highest positive NPV should be accepted. In the given case, NPV of Project B is much higher than that of Project A. So, Project B is preferable. Internal Rate Of Return (IRR) Internal rate of return is another discounted cash flow technique. It is the discount rate at which the present value of expected cash inflows from a project equals the present value of expected cash outflows of the project. That is, IRR is the discount rate yielding a zero NPV (Upchurch, 1998). Appraisal using IRR : A project is accepted only if the internal rate of return exceeds the companys cost of capital. If it is less than the cost of capital, the project should be rejected. While evaluating two competing projects, the one with the higher IRR should be selected. In the given case, we will get two IRR values for Project A, and so this project cannot be evaluated using IRR. Whereas, the IRR of Project B is much higher than the companys cost of capital, and therefore it can be selected. Profitability Index: Profitability index is the total present value of future net cash flows of a project divided by the total present value of the net initial investment (Horngren, 1997). It measures the cash flow return per dollar invested. It is very useful in choosing among projects when the investment funds are limited, because it can identify the projects that will generate the most money from the limited capital available. Conclusion: NPV is the technically superior criteria, because IRR is calculated by trial and error method, and so the results are less precise. Also, IRR do not consider the size of the investment required and the gain/loss which will result from undertaking or not undertaking a project. It is therefore difficult to use IRR for comparing competing proposals, and there is a possibility that both NPV and IRR will give conflicting indications. IRR is also unable to cope with a change in the cost of capital during the life of a project. But, NPV can accommodate such a change. Another problem with IRR is that some projects may have more than one IRR, which makes it a meaningless criterion while evaluating that project. In FIRMEX Corporation, Project A has got two IRR values. So, IRR cannot be used for evaluating this project. The other two criteria, NPV and profitability index are higher for Project B . IRR for Project B is also higher than the companys cost of capital.

Connection Between School Culture and Leadership Styles :: Leadership

There is a connection between school culture and leadership styles. The literature review will also address the two basic categories of leadership. According to Cox (2001), there are two basic categories of leadership which are transactional and transformational. The following scholars (Barnett, McCormick & Conners, 2001) made the distinction between transactional and transformational leadership. James McGregor Burns’ (1998) introduces Burns the difference between ordinary (transactional) and extraordinary (transformational) leaders. According to James McGregor Burns’ (1998) transactional leaders exchanged tangible rewards for the work and loyalty of followers, and (transformational) leaders are the ones who engaged with followers. Additionally, the focused on higher order intrinsic needs, and raised consciousness about the significance of specific outcomes. (Bernard Bass, 2003) introduces the conception of transactional and transformational leadership. He states that they are separate concepts and that good leaders demonstrate characteristics of both. Bass (1990b, p. 21) states that Transformational leadership fosters capacity development and brings higher levels of personal commitment amongst followers. However, transformational leadership occurs when leaders broaden and elevate the interests of their employees. (Kelly, 2003; Yukl, 1989) asserts that Transformational leaders elevate people from low levels of need. Transformational leaders are said to create trust, admiration, loyalty and respect amongst their followers (Barbuto, 2005, p. 28). (Rice, 1993) determines that Transformational leadership is also based on self-reflective changing of values and beliefs by the leader and their followers. From this emerges a key characteristic of transformational leadership. According to Gronn (1996) the literature in educational leadership offers no single conception of the processes that constitute transformational leadership. Gronn (1996) makes emphasis on the close relationship between charismatic and transformational leadership. He point out the absence of notions of charisma in some work transformational leadership. (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2000) introduce the four main factors that make up transformational leadership whereas. They introduce the four main factors which are: 1.) Idealized influence, 2.) Inspirational motivation, 3.) Intellectual stimulation, 4.) Individualized consideration. The Additive Effect of Transformational Leadership supports these four main factors Hall, Johnson, Wysocki and Kepner (2002, p. 2). It will very important to evaluate the four main factors and the effect they can have when dealing with the topic of discussion which is the role of the principal in shaping school culture.

The Scaffolds Power in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scaffold's Power in The Scarlet Letter Recurring events show great significance and elucidate the truth beneath appearances. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne chooses the scaffold scenes to show powerful differences and similarities. Each scaffold scene foreshadows the next and brings greater understanding of the novel. By beginning with the first, continuing with the middle, and ending with the last platform scene, we can gain a better understanding of this masterpiece. At the beginning of the book, Hester is brought out with Pearl to stand on the scaffold. Here the scarlet letter is revealed to all. Reverend Dimmesdale, Pearl's Father, is already raised up on a platform to the same height as Hester and Pearl; and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's lost husband, arrives, stands below and questions the proceedings. As Hester endures her suffering, Dimmesdale is told to beseech the woman to confess. It was said "So powerful seemed the ministers appeal that the people could not believe but that Hester Prynne would speak out the guilty name." His powerful speech shows Dimmesdale's need to confess. This scene sets the stage for the next two scenes. A few years later the event is again repeated. It is very similar to the other and helps us understand the torment of Dimmesdale. As before the tortured Reverend Dimmesdale goes first on to the platform. He seeks a confession of his sins a second time by calling out into the night. He then sees Hester and Pearl coming down the street from the governor's house. As before, they are asked to go up on the scaffold and be with the minister. At this time Pearl questions the minister if he will do this at noontide and he answers no. He once again is too much of a coward to confess out in the open. The similarities continue with a revelation of another scarlet letter. Up in the sky a scarlet "A" shines forth. Roger Chillingworth arrives and tells the minister to get down from the scaffold. Chillingworth pleads for this so that he can still torment the reverend. As the two men leave, the scene ends and leaves us with additional information. It foreshadows a bigger and more