Literature Review of Bank Efficiency Essay

Measuring the efficiency and productivity of banking firms has been playing a predominant role in helping managers or regulators to achieve a better understanding of the success or failure of policy strategies and make better decisions. Furthermore, the evaluation results of efficiency are also of major importance to stock owners, depositors and investors. The influence of ownership on cost and profit efficiencies The situation is similar in transition countries. Bonin et al. 2005) investigated 11 transition countries and claimed that private ownership was not sufficient to increase bank efficiency as they did not find enough evidence to prove that private owned banks are more efficient than government owned banks, which is consistent with Altunbas’s conclusions. Additionally, Bonin et al. (2005) also found evidence that foreign owned banks, especially those with strategic owners, were associated with greater cost efficiency and better services. In contrast with the Bonin’s viewpoints, Lensink et al. (2008) suggested that normally the foreign owned banks tended to show disadvantages in bank efficiency. However, to what extend the statement is true is associated with the host and home country conditions. The first factor to be mentioned is the quality of the home country governance: the foreign owned banks turn out to operate more efficiently if the institutions in the home county are with higher quality. Another significant element to be illustrated is the influence of distance: the smaller institution distances between the host and home counties, the greater the efficiency of the foreign owned banks. The conclusion that high similarities between the host and home country institutions would reduce foreign bank inefficiency is the third element to be noted.

An Epic Hero: Beowulf Essay

Beowulf is an epic from the Anglo-Saxon period about a hero who takes on extreme challenges. The main character, Beowulf, embodies the virtues of the Anglo-Saxon culture and beliefs. He also embodies the traits of the Anglo-Saxon society: strength, bravery, honor, and the want and need to help others around them. Beowulf is faithful to his word and shares any and all of his winnings and gifts that he has received. His being faithful to his oaths links him to the Anglo-Saxons. Beowulf makes an oath to kill Grendel and he does (page 37). After Grendel is killed, the people tell Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and he tells them he will have her dead as well and indeed he does (page 41). Anglo-Saxons are very generous when it comes to sharing their wealth. Hrothgar offers treasure and gold to Beowulf in exchange for the death of Grendel’s mother (page 39). Wiglaf speaks of how Beowulf gave him and the warriors gold and other gifts, so they in turn should help Beowulf defeat the dragon and defend their leader (page 47). In order for Beowulf to be like the Anglo-Saxons, he would have to have these characteristics and he did. Beowulf made allegiances between leaders, but relied on fate a lot which is exactly the trait of an Anglo-Saxon. His reliance on fate was a big rise for him, but when he faced the dragon fate was no longer on his side. Before the dragon, Beowulf believed that if he was given a task then fate would make it so. For example, he says, â€Å"†¦ death was my errand and the fate they had earned† (lns 158-159). At the end of Beowulf’s speech to the king, he exclaims, â€Å"Fate will unwind as it must! † (line 189) which shows how he relies on fate. The allegiances he made helped him look better by giving him more fame. After Beowulf’s speech to the king, Hrothgar replied, â€Å"No one strange to this land has ever been granted what I’ve given you, no one in all the years of my rule. Make this the best of all mead-halls yours, and then keep it free of evil, fight with glory in your heart! Purge Herot and your ship will sail home with its treasures full† (lns 385-391). With that, Hrothgar finally decides to allow Beowulf and his men to take down Grendel. Beowulf’s allegiances and beliefs embody the traits of the Anglo-Saxons. Love of fame, pride, and boastfulness are the downside to the Anglo-Saxon characteristics and Beowulf holds all three of these traits inside of himself. His pride and boastfulness is what intimidates others to keep them thinking that he is better than them and no one could beat him and Beowulf lets everybody know it. When Unferth challenges Beowulf, Beowulf replies boastfully on how there is nobody that swims in the sea like him and how nobody is as strong as he is (page 30). Beowulf later goes on to tell a tale of him and a friend, â€Å"He could never leave me behind, swim faster across the waves than I could, and I had chosen to remain close to his side† (lns 274-276). His love of fame and success is not uncommon among the Anglo-Saxon culture. Beowulf loves to hear his success stories, so he tells about how he â€Å"drove five great giants into chains† and â€Å"chased all of that race from the earth† (lns 153-155). These downside characteristics are the values of an Anglo-Saxon. Beowulf has inside of him all of the traits and characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon people. This epic hero is a perfect example of the Anglo-Saxon values. These traits, good and bad, are what make up Beowulf as well as the Anglo-Saxon society.

Discussion Board 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board 4 - Essay Example various options such as empathic and objective listening, nonjudgmental and critical listening, surface depth listening, polite and impolite listening, and finally, active and inactive listening. All of these options are used during a given moment in time. Each type of listening activity is dependent upon the existing conditions that may distract the attention of the listener and thus require an adjustment in his listening attention abilities. The culture and gender of the listeners have a direct effect on their ability to effectively listen to their peers. Admittedly, people never listen to each other the same way, each person listens to an responds to others in unique methods that are dictated by his ability to listen. The culture of a person has preconditioned him to listen to his peers in a certain way and it is this method that he will use regardless of the differing culture of the next person he listens to. This is almost the same reason as to why men and women have different ways of listening to others and each other. Women tend to listen in order to share feelings and establish closer relationships with their peers. Men on the other hand use listening as a method by which they can flaunt their natural or artificial abilities with his peers. Therefore, the focus of man is mostly on sharing information with one another. Women on the other hand seek to come to an agreement amongst themselves while discussing and list ening to one another. Therefore, the two sexes have distinct listening styles that are geared towards their gender specific roles and expectations within a given

Sociology Of Education And The Role Of Education In Society Case Study - 3

Sociology Of Education And The Role Of Education In Society - Case Study Example According to Alan Barcan(1993), the word ‘sociology’ has come from the Latin word ‘socii’ meaning ‘groups’ or ‘allies’. This means that sociology is the study of social groups. The word ‘sociology’ was first used by Auguste Comte in 1837 and it was rough during the days of Comte, it has been explained by Craig J. Calhoun, & Joseph Gerteis(2007) that theories began to be sociological. Theories began to focus on social life as an object of study. This new perspective of the social side of human existence developed, argue Craig. J. et al (2007), due to the rise of science, individualism, modern states, large scale capitalistic markets, modern industry, and European explorations and colonization. Thus, as man’s life expanded beyond his town or village, he began to study to, to use the words of The British Sociological Association (BSA) ‘how society is organized and how we experience life’. Let us see the definition given by American Sociological Association (ASA) and find out where we can place education in the domain of sociology: This definition, especially its last point, tells us how sociology is related to education since it is a unification of all studies of mankind. Thus ‘sociology of education’ and ‘educational sociology’ are the sub-disciplines of sociology and education. Education of an individual is not only confined to an individual’s life but it is also a social phenomenon in reciprocal terms. An individual is influenced by society when he gets an education and, in turn, he may influence society after getting an education. All the people of great genius like Aristotle, Confucius, Homer, Sir Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Michelangelo, William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and others in different fields, influenced society.

Cyber schooling in education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cyber schooling in education - Essay Example One of the biggest problems with cyber schooling is that there are not many opportunities for students to interact with each other. This interaction plays a significant role in motivating the students to continue schooling because they feel that the university is offering them more than just an educational experience. According to Lee and Chan (2007), â€Å"Students of all kinds want a sense of belonging to a larger university community, rather than simply being an enrollee, or worse still, a statistic, in a course". According to several studies, as argued by Lee and Chan , â€Å"this can be attributed in large part to the isolation experienced by these students†. In addition to contact with other students, people who are enrolled in online courses have to compromise on another vital interaction, that is, communication with their teachers. Face-to-face interaction can reveal emotions related to learning; however, cyber school teachers cannot see their students. Due to this li mitation, they cannot pick up on whether their students are interested in the class, as can teachers in a traditional classroom setting.Therefore, cyber schooling does not give its students equal footing with other students learning in person because they do not get the same kind of attention. Especially in classes where some students are learning online and others are learning in person, there can be "serious concerns of fairness and equity" .

English Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English - Assignment Example In this song, they proudly wear the discriminatory remarks as ornaments as if saying, ‘yes! We are who we are, what are can you do about it?’ The poems ‘Rhythm Blues’ and ‘Bang Bang Outishly’ by Amiri Baraka also talk about racisms and how dangerous they are for the growth of a healthy society. One poem says that â€Å"if capitalism won’t kill me, racism will† while the other stresses on â€Å"Let it be!† These poems are just more decent and more spiritual form of repelling racism. What the rap music have portrayed in the 90s in a very raw and unedited format, these poems by Baraka do the same only in a very gentle yet powerful way with subtle but meaningful choice of words. Dear John, Dear Coltrane by Michael Harper is also a poem talking about racial discrimination in North Carolina. But what is common in all of these poetic masterpieces is the fact that they all give a message to all humanity that they need to embrace people as they are. For instance, in his poem, at one point Harper takes up a question-answer format where he asks,† Why you so black?† and the a nswer come â€Å"cause I am† then again, â€Å"Why you so funky?† and the answer is â€Å"cause I am†. This is just another way of saying that black people are who they are, it is not a disease or something that they control. Being an African American in an identity and the world needs to take this community as they

The Role of Creativity and Innovation in Implementing Strategies Essay

The Role of Creativity and Innovation in Implementing Strategies - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that innovation and creativity are essential elements in implementing successful business strategies. Corporations are reluctant to rethink their business models can learn a lot from Wal-Mart. The organization has successfully applied innovation and creativity to its business model. There are many benefits of creating a business environment that supports innovation. This environment is convenient for generating new ideas that could be very useful for the organization. Innovation and creativity in the business field may not be rocket science, but they do take a special type of practical genius. Through innovation and creativity, small companies can squeeze even higher sales and greater profits from the markets. For instance, Wal-Mart started embracing technology (even though it is not in an e-commerce business), and they are now competing with internet giants like Amazon. Creativity is making or otherwise bringing into existence something ne w. It may be a new solution to a problem, a new method, device, or an artistic object. Innovation is adding a new thing to an existing product or process. Creativity is the starting point for innovation. No businesses, however big, can continue to hold a position in the market unless they incorporate innovation and creativity in their strategies. The study would provide guidance to business managers interested in using creativity and innovation to implement their strategies.

First Lady Fashions and Frank Knight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

First Lady Fashions and Frank Knight - Essay Example He is the pioneer of the â€Å"mix and match† fashion style. On the other hand, Frank Knight is Harry’s nephew and company’s treasurer. The paper will discuss the challenges that Frank faced in the enterprise. Sarah is Harry’s sister and is the corporation’s vice-president in charge of administration. The organizational structure clearly states that Frank and Sarah are at the same management level. However, apparently Frank is subordinate to Sarah. Frank lacks independence in his position as the company’s treasurer. For instance, Frank is not allowed to approve any expenditure exceeding 30,000 dollars without Sarah’s informal approval. The fact that Sarah’s support is merely informal clearly shows that the management tends to undermine Frank’s authority. The need for Sarah’s assent poses a significant challenge to not only Frank but also the company as a whole. Sarah is rash, hires and fires employees without consulting anybody and objects any proposed changes without any reasonable explanation. Sarah sacked the vice president of industrial relations despite the annual 170,000 dollars per year contract with the company. This action by Sarah negatively influenced the company’s expenses and financial welfare. Frank’s contribution to the well-being of the firm is inadequate merely due to Sarah’s interference in his job. Secondly, lack of coordination among the firm’s department hinders Frank’s workmanship. Conflicts among the departmental managers occurred on a daily basis. The managers would fiercely argue if any of them disagreed with the sales forecasts merely because the forecast jeopardised the interests of a departmental they were in charge. Moreover, the sales forecast are distributed to the top-level managers, including Frank, located in the firm’s headquarters offices. The constant disagreements and amending of the sales forecast interfered with Frank’s role as the Treasurer. Frank had to adjust financial plans continually in accordance with the frequently proposed changes.  Ã‚  

The Miranda Rights Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Miranda Rights - Term Paper Example Information that has been sourced from a criminal suspect that was not read his/ her Miranda rights is considered as being unconstitutional. The constitution is the supreme law of the land and must be adhered to by all individuals. Most criminal suspects that confess to committing a crime are forced to do so while under police custody. Law enforcement officers who interview such suspects usually make them feel that confessing is the only option of getting out of their situation easily. However, if a suspect is made to feel as if they have to confess, and they actually confess without having had their Miranda rights read to them, the evidence from what they say to incriminate themselves is admissible in court. History and purpose of Miranda rights The Miranda court case was introduced in 1966 in the case of Miranda versus Arizona. In this particular case, Ernesto Arturo Miranda was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and rape. Miranda was not informed right to remain silent and avoid self -incrimination when arrested. Miranda was also subjected to the physical stress of having had to stand for the whole day in the room where he was also interrogated. Miranda was also not informed of his Sixth Amendment constitutional right to seek legal counsel from a lawyer. After being identified by the victim, Miranda was made to sign a confession of the crime. The evidence in form of writing that was agreed to by Miranda was used against him in a court of law leading to a conviction of a period of 20- 30 years. Miranda’s lawyer appealed against the court case decision on the basis that his client was not mirandized (Goldstein & Goldstein, 20). The Supreme Court of Arizona upheld the previous court decision to use the confession evidence. The court cited that a confession admitting to a crime cannot be dismissed on any grounds. However, the court acknowledged that Miranda was not allowed the opportunity to access a lawyer (Prentzas, 93). The lawyer would have offered Mirand a legal advice to remain silent and not give out information that would have been incriminating and led to his conviction. Miranda was absolutely denied his Fifth and Sixth Amendment Constitutional rights. The court conviction was overturned on the basis that the information that was used to prosecute Miranda was coerced and that he was not informed of his rights. If Miranda was aware of his right to provide evidence before a lawyer or remain silent, he would not have incriminated himself. This court decision made the judicial stand and intent clear on the important of reading individuals their rights before they are interrogated. If a suspect who is in custody decides to remain silent during the question, it is well within his/ her legal rights. If the individual asks for legal counsel to be present during the questioning, the individual is also within his/ her rights (Siegel, 29). The decision by Chief Justice Earl Warren led to the naming of the Miranda rights as they are so know n till to date. The decision was considered to being controversial since it was considered that Miranda was guilty since he had been identified by the victim and he had agreed to sign the document that he had kidnapped and raped the victim in question. However, Miranda was arrested again on the basis of the victim’s testimony. However, the confession that had been signed by

Husbands & wives are working Essay Example for Free

Husbands wives are working Essay The study I am reviewing is Do Husbands contribute more to domestic tasks when their wives are working? This study has been researched and concluded by S. Bond. As the title suggests, this study tries to quantify the correlation between families where both partners work, compared to stay at home wives with working husbands. There have been numerous studies carried out in the area of conjugal roles in the home by sociologists such as Young Wilmot, Oakley and Martin Roberts. The writer uses information collected in the Social Trends Survey 1991 to ascertain if the new man role is still evident. Theoretical Context of the Study In this study the writer does not indicate which theoretical context he has used. I believe this study to be based upon the feminist approach, as he frequently makes reference to the roles of men and women. Specific references to the new man in the 1980s and how it did not last, displaying the stereotypical roles of males and females to be true. Methodological Approach and Methods Used The methodical approach used by S. Bond is the Positivist approach as they have used Quantitative data to collect its results. A questionnaire was used allowing the researcher to assemble the statistics that can then be easily quantified. This is possibly the easiest form of gathering information to answer specific questions and giving clear answers. The researcher has established their conclusions by using this source and produced primary data. The researcher has carried out the questionnaire on a small scale asking 10 cohabiting couples that were friends or parents of friends. It was compiled using questions to gather information on their input roles inside the household, and the time spent fulfilling these roles. As the researcher states in the report this was a quick and cheap option as they were on a limited time scale. Out of the 10 couples used 5 had the females permanently at home while the other 5 female partners worked full time. This was to see if the males in the home shared any more domestic duties as their partners worked the same hours. The questionnaire is made up of closed questions to make it easier for the researcher to turn the information into numerical data. The researcher shows how by using a questionnaire that they are using a form that is confidential and do not require any form of identity such as name or age, as there is an ethical issue in the research. The title of the questionnaire gives a clear idea of what the exact research is about, helping those taking part. The researcher collates the findings in graphs and a table. It gives a clear reading of the results. The researcher would have had to look at what method would give the best validity and reliability. A questionnaire would give the researcher good reliability.

Religion in Crime and Punishment

Religion in Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky was a very religious an after he got out of jail. Because of this, when he wrote Crime and Punishment he incorporated teachings and symbolism from his own religion to help the characters progress. There are several instances where the use of symbolism along with water portrays rebirth and regeneration. There are also instances where water represents death, whether it is because of murder or suicide. Another symbol used in the novel is the cross. As if the cross did not represent enough already in Christianity, Dostoevsky uses it to represent the ordinary, along with its classic representation of suffering. Finally, Dostoevsky incorporated the stories of Lazarus and Jesus. These are meant to represent the characters spiritual awakening and spiritual death. The outstanding strands of symbolic imagery in the novel are those of water, and stories of Lazarus and Jesus (Gibian 2). Dostoevskys personal beliefs are portrayed through the use of symbolism within Crime and Punishment including the use of religious symbols such as water and the cross, and through biblical stories such as that of Lazarus, which help the characters evolve. The use of water is a recurring theme within Crime and Punishment. To the protagonist of the book, water is a symbol of rebirth and regeneration, always there when something positive occurs (Gibian 2). This is saying that whether it be when Rodya (Raskalinkov) is turning himself in, or when he returns to his faith, water is always present. Inside of Raskalinkovs inner fight, there is still receptivity to water as beauty (Gibian 2). This is saying that no matter how difficult life can get, Rodya always sees the beauty in water which has a calming effect on him. For him, water is soothing and a source of life, such as with the flowers along the bank of a river. He understood the beauty of the river, and therefore that of the water (Gibian 2). Even though he sees this beauty, the rest of his life is so confusing he contemplates suicide within the river. HE then realizes that the river is life, not death. The river which Raskalinkov sees is no longer a means for committing suicide, nor a sight inducing melancholy; it is the river of life (Gibian 4).This is a major step because he realizes he needs to fall onto the road of redemption, which ironically begins by the river as well, along with Sonia (A woman Rodya meets who helps him on his road to redemption.) Rodyas regeneration begins with Sonia at his side at the bank of the river (Gibian 6). During his regeneration, he realizes that even though he has seen the beauty of the river, it was not as it was; he used to see it with more concentration. It occurs to Rodya that he has not fully enjoyed the beauty of the river because his thoughts have banished him (Gibian 6). His reaction to water has changed since becoming a student with his new views (Gibian 4). The religious symbol of water represents rebirth and regeneration to many characters such as Raskalinkov. Even though water can be seen as rebirth and regeneration, it can also be a representation of death, whether it is murder or suicide. For the protagonists, water has a generally positive effect, but this is not the case when dealing with the antagonists. Water has a negative influence on the antagonists, always there when bad events occur (Gibian 2). Whenever anything negative happens to an antagonist, water is involved. One example of this is the situation with Svidrigalov, who, to Raskalinkov, is threatening. Instead of being a positive influence, water is negative for Svidrigalov because it is in the rain that he decides to take his life and shoot himself (Gibian 2). Before this, he also confirms his repulsion of water. Water holds the terror of death for the corrupt Svidrigalov who confirms his depravity by saying Never could I stand water, not even in a landscape painting. (Gibian 2). This shows that water holds a position above Svidrigalov, as a higher power causing harm to him . Unlike the protagonists, the antagonists have a negative reaction with water leading to death. Dostoevsky used another symbol from his religion, the cross, to help develop the characters. The main representation of the cross is suffering. Raskalinkov wears the cypress cross that Sonia gives to him, because now he is ready to suffer for his murdering of the pawnbroker. Sonya gives Raskalinkov the cross as if saying You are no forgiven. Go suffer. (Knopps 1). Sonia convinces Raskalinkov to wear the cross as he confesses which shows he is ready to suffer (Gibian 3). The other reason Dostoevsky used the cross was to show that Raskalinkov and his victim were ordinary people. The cross that Sonya gives to Rodya once belonged to his innocent victim, Lizavita. The cross was also made of an ordinary wood, cypress. Rodya wears the cross of his innocent victim, which is made of an ordinary wood cypress. This represents how his victim was random and innocent (Salvation 2). His victim was ordinary who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the ordinary cypress. The other connection that can be made is between the ordinary cypress and Raskalinkov being ordinary. After he killed the pawnbroker and her sister, Raskalinkov believes he is a higher power, above the law. This is why he has trouble with religion; he believes he is a god. However, when he takes the cross, this changes. When he takes the cross, he admits he is an ordinary man, now part of society (Salvation 5). This is cutting Rodya down to the level of everyone else. Now he is not above the law and must turn himself in. It also means that he can have faith again and believe in God and Jesus, coming back to religion. Since Dostoevsky was religious, it is not a surprise that he incorporated stories from the bible into his novel. The author uses parallels to the stories of Jesus and Lazarus from the main characters in his novel. The first comparison is to show how Raskalinkov is spiritually dead, but with hope of being awakened. The reading of the story of Lazarus is important because Rodya has experienced a sort of spiritual death (Hutt 1). Before the story of Lazarus, a man whom Jesus raised from the dead after four days, was read to him, Rodya had abandoned faith and was spiritually dead. He asks Sonya to read him the story because he is spiritually dead and needs hope (Salvation 2). Even though Sonya is trying, Raskalinkov doesnt understand and is still not figuring out the connections between him and Lazarus. Even though there is seems to be no chance of it working, Rodyas soul can be raised. The other comparison to Jesus and Lazarus is to show how Raskalinkov can be spiritually awoken. Raskalinkov feels like Lazarus in that one day he may have a resurrection that would end his spiritual depravity (Hutt 1). Rodya asks Sonya to read him the story of Lazarus to give him hope that he can gain faith. Dostoevsky has Raskalinkov ask Sonya to read him the story of Lazarus because it is the best example of a human being resurrected to a new life (Gibian 3). This is because there was a need for Rodya to overcome his feelings of being somewhat God-like. Not only does Raskalinkov identify with Lazarus, but also with Jesus. Rodya is raised from his spiritual death just as Jesus ad, while there were many who did not believe it was possible. Also, as Raskalinkov is going through his regeneration, he keeps a bible under his pillow to symbolize Jesus resurrection (Gibian 5). Raskalinkov can identify with Lazarus and Jesus because of their resurrections back to life. Dostoevsky uses his religion to influence his novel and help develop the characters. The author, a deeply religious man, uses allusions to stories of his faith heavily in order to show how religion can bring about redemption (Hutt 1). There are several instances in which Dostoevsky uses his own religion to influence the characters. One of the main symbols is water. Water is used to help the regeneration and rebirth of the protagonists, helping them realize the beauty of life. On the other side, water is used to show death for the antagonists. The Christian symbol of the cross is used in a traditional sense of suffering and a new view, as ordinary. There is also evidence of stories such as Lazarus helping the characters progress. Dostoevsky used his own religion to impact the characters within his novel.

The Diamond Essay -- Diamonds Jewelry

The Diamond Diamond is the best known gem. It is known as the â€Å"king of gems† for its brilliance and for being the hardest mineral on earth. (Foa, p.50) Its characteristics enable it to be used for many different purposes. Since diamonds are the hardest gems on Mohs’ scale, they make useful tools for industrial purposes, such as drilling hard materials. However, they are quite rare, which makes them very valuable. Their beauty and brilliance make them perfect for jewelry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diamond is made up of carbon. Another form of pure carbon is graphite. Graphite is the stable form of carbon, found at the earth’s surface. Despite the fact that they have identical chemical composition, the two minerals are drastically different. Diamond is the hardest known substance and is usually light colored and transparent, while graphite is greasy, easily powdered, and very dark in color. Diamond is the hardest gem on Mohs’ hardness scale and graphite is the softest. Diamond is very hard because of its dense packing and interlocking atomic arrangement. Graphite, on the other hand, although it is the same element, is more loosely packed and has a six-sided, layered configuration, which makes it soft (Pough, 1991). The differences between graphite and diamonds are accounted for by the conditions in which they are created. Diamonds form over long periods of time, between 100 km and 200 km below the surface. At this great depth, carbon gets a chance to cool very gradually, forming diamond crystals. When volcanic eruptions occur, magma carries the diamonds up to the surface of the earth. Kimberlite lavas carrying diamonds erupt at anywhere between 10 and 30 km/hour and increase their velocity to several hundred km/hour within the last few kilometers. (Pough, 44) At the surface, this lava cools and turns into Kimberlite rock. That is why diamonds are often found in kimberlite, a volcanic rock, which is often much younger than the diamonds themselves. All diamonds that are around today are at least 990,000,000 years old. If the same element carbon found its way to the surface, before it got a chance to form crystals and solidify, it would turn into graphite. Diamond crystals occur in a variety of shapes and forms. There are octahedral, cubic, and dodecahedral diamond crystals. The octahedral crystals are formed with eight sides, the cubic ones have six sides, and the dodecahedra... ...es where mining takes place, high quality diamonds are not abundant at all. On the average, a diamond mine yields less than one carat of diamond for every five tons of rock. Of this, on average, less than 20% is usable for gems and half of this is lost in cutting. (Arem, p.37) In order to be used in jewelry, after diamonds are mined, they must be cut. Because diamonds have such a high hardness, they are cut using other diamonds. What allows them to be cut at all is the fact that they do not have uniform harness throughout the entire stone. For example, the point of an octahedron is harder than the surface of an octahedral face. Therefore, when powdered diamond is used to cut a diamond crystal, the powder will always contain some particles that are oriented in a â€Å"hard† direction in relation to the crystal being cut. (Arem, p.38). BIBLIOGRAPHY Arem, Joel E. All-Color Guide: Gems and Jewelry. 2nd edition. Geoscience Press, Inc. 1992. Fisher, P. J. The Science of Gems. Charles Scribner’s Sons. New York, 1966. Foa, Emma. Pockets Gemstones. DK Publishing. New York, 1997. Pough, Frederick H. Peterson Guide to Rocks and Minerals. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, 1991.

Fairy tale conventions and Great Expectations :: essays papers

Fairy tale conventions and Great Expectations Great Expectations and Fairy tales Tolkien describes the facets which are necessary in a good fairy tales as fantasy, recovery, escape, and consolation - recovery from deep despair, escape from some great danger, but most of all, consolation. Speak- ing of the happy ending,†¦all complete fairy stories must have it†¦However fantastic or terrible the adventure, it can give to child or man that hears it,†¦a catch of breath, a beat and lifting of the heart near to tears. Great Expectations shares many of the conventions of fairy tales. The one dimensional characters, the use of repetition, and the evil women seem to make the similarities strikingly strong. However, are they strong enough to conclude that it is indeed a fairy tale? It can not be ignored that it also falls short on some important areas, such as the traditional fairy tale ending. Is there enough evidence to classify it either way? Fairy tales have characters of complete good or complete evil. There are no characters who posses both of these qualities. In reading Great Expectations it is plain to see that there is indeed total goodness and total evil. This can be seen in many of the characters. There is no goodness to be found in Orlick. He plays the role of the bully. His hot temper results in the near death of Mrs. Joe and in the near death of Pip. Compeyson is another who has no goodness to be found in him. He is full of evil and hate. It was said that "He had no more heart than a iron file, he was cold as death and he had the head of the devil". He broke the heart of poor Miss Havisham so he could have her money. He also longed to kill his enemy, Magwitch, and ends up reporting him to the officials to get him put to death. Nowhere in this tale do either of these men show one ounce of compassion or goodness. They can both be regarded as the enemies and the "Bad guys" of the story. Joe is a character who shows complete goodness. He is kind hearted and gentle. His generosity and forgiveness is demonstrated countless times in the story. When the escaped convict speaks about the food he stole from Joe and asks his forgiveness, Joe's response is not one of anger.

Myths In Human Civilization :: essays research papers

Myths In Human Civilization Throughout the history of human civilization, myths have been an integral part of human society. Myths have no cultural boundaries as they can be found in all cultural societies. The word myth can be referred to the classical Greek and Roman mythology or a contemporary myth. Regardless of the type of myth, they are stories used to give meaning to a phenomenon or symbolic manner to the natural cycles that surround humankind. Myths are used to explain and understand our existence in our world whether it is something that we can tangibly see or not. The saga of a myth is past down from one generation to the next. For the purpose of this assignment, I will be analyzing three articles that deal with a myth. With each of these articles, I will attempt to explain how the author uses the term within the context of the article. Finally, I will be concluding the analysis of the articles with reference to class notes on what we have learned to date. The first article is "Phyllis Burke: Exploding Myths of Male and Female." which is a book review. The author of the book, Phyllis Burke, writes of Gender Identity Disorder or GIS that effects both male and female children. A child labeled with GIS occurs when the child is not confirming to appropriate gender behaviour. For example, if a boy wants to play with dolls and dress up as the opposite sex. Burke reveals that at a young age all children in the gender socialization process are encouraged to play with gender appropriate toys and roles. If the child does not conform to these roles laid out by our gender conscious society, they are forbidden and discouraged to continue with their behaviour. Burke continues to write that GIS children may find themselves in play therapy or even in psychiatric hospitals. In analyzing the way in which myth is used in this article, it is found in the way our society has created gender roles for children, teenagers and even adults. There is no biological evidence that girls can not play rough with other girls and boys. It is the gender appropriate behaviour that has stereotyped our thinking that this activity is not appropriate. Most would rather see girls playing with dolls and boys being the ones who play rough. Burke analyzed GIS cases from the 1930s through to the early 1990s and found no biological evidence to support GIS. The behaviour that is deemed inappropriate is suppressed not by the child themselves but by others around them.

Different Styles of Imitation Essay

In The Transmission of Knowledge by Juan Luis Vives, Vives describes his idea of proper imitation. His basic theory is that people are not innately born with skills of art or rhetoric and therefore, these skills are obtained through the imitation of other skilled artists or rhetoricians. This idea is parallel to those of Petrarch and Alberti. Petrarch and Vives both say that proper imitation should be analogous to the way a son resembles his father. Vives says â€Å"A son is said to be like his father, not so much in that he recalls his features, his face and form, but because shows to us his father’s manners, his disposition, his talk, his gait, his movements, and as it were his very life, which issues forth in his actions as he goes abroad, from the inner seat of the spirit, and shows his real self to us.† (190) Petrarch says, similarly, â€Å"As soon as we see the son, he recalls the father to us, although if we should measure every feature we should find them all different.†(199) The father to son resemblance is the basis of imitation to both these authors. They both believe that a good writer should use imitation in a way where what they imitate resembles the original, but does it not duplicate it. For Petrarch and Vives, this can be achieved by properly integrating reading with writing. They both believe that by reading something and being able to digest it thoroughly, one can transport the overall idea and feeling of what he read onto his own writing. This creates a deep imitation, rather than copying what a writer says in different words. Both authors use the father to son metaphor to show that imitation should be meaningful and evocative. Petrarch supplements this idea by claiming that reading should be an alterative to experience. As one would in a sense â€Å"experience† the father through the son, one should similarly be able to experience the author a writer imitates. To illustrate this he referrers to â€Å"wandering† and â€Å"transport† throughout his works. Specifically, Petrarch interchanges writing with experience when he describes climbing Mont Ventroux. He says â€Å"But nature is not overcome by a man’s devices; a corporeal thing cannot reach the heights by descending† and, further, â€Å"there I leaped in my winged thought from things corporeal to what is incorporeal and addressed myself in words like these†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (39) The physical and spiritual are linked so closely together that they transport and overlap one another. According to Petrarch, characteristics like this are traits of a good imitator. Vives also relates to the kind of imitation which interchanges the bodily action with spiritual. He describes an oration, which links actions with rhetoric. He says â€Å"But these modern imitators regard not so much the mind of the orator in his expression, as the outward appearance of his words and the external for of his style.† (191) Both writers believe that by interchanging techne which psyche, one can properly imitate and transcend a deeper significance of what the writer is imitating. Although Petrarch and Vives share similar ideas, they also hold a contradictory belief: Petrarch only imitates Cicero, while Vives believes that one should imitate several models to create a single work. Although Vives clearly states that Cicero is the best model for writing in the conversational style: â€Å"Caesar and Epistles of Cicero will come into the first rank of conversational style,† (192) he also states that one should comprise writing by mimicking several writers: â€Å"The more models we have and the less likeness there is between them, the greater is the progress of eloquence.† (190) Foremost, Petrarch is not writing in the conversational style, instead he using the plain style. Therefore, he should mimic another writer from the list Vives has specified. Also, Petrarch is only interested in imitating one writer, Cicero. He defends the Ciceronian tradition by writing only in Cicero’s style. For this reason, Petrarch does not read other writers, like Dante, because he is afraid that he will become the product of what he reads, ideas and style. Instead he immerses himself in Cicero’s style by reading his work in such depth that he essentially writes in Cicero’s style without knowing he is doing so. Vives respects Cicero’s work, but he does not believe that Cicero is the best writer. Other than Vives’ belief that Petrarch should have imitated several conversationalists, Vives also states that â€Å"imitation of Cicero’s work is useful and safe, but not of his style; for if anyone cannot achieve success in the attempt he will degenerate into redundant, nerveless, vulgar and plebeian kind of writer.† (191) Therefore, the difference between Vives and Petrarch is that Vives believes that one should imitate several writers and that Cicero is not the best writer. Further, he offers a list of writers which should be imitated when trying to achieve a certain style. Petrarch, on the other hand, writes in Cicero’s style and believes that Cicero should be imitated while engaging in every kind of writing. Alberti was an author who was more like Vives in this sense. He also believed that one should embrace all the things which would make something beautiful into one. For example, he says that all arts are linked to painting somehow, and that all arts take from incorporate the skills associated with painting into their works: â€Å"The architect, if I am not mistaken, takes from the painter architraves, bases, capitals, columns, faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ades and other similar things. All the smiths, sculptors, shops and guilds are governed by the rules and art of the painter. It is scarcely possible to find any superior art which is not concerned with painting. so that whatever beauty is found can be said to be born of painting .†(Book II) Furthermore, it was important to Alberti to imitate the laws of nature, rather than nature itself. He pointed out that an architect should mimic the structure of reality and the geometry hidden in reality. Like Vives and Petrarch, Alberti joined the bodil y with the spiritual to create the perfect art. But, he resembles Vives, in the sense that he believes that one should imitate several things to create one thing. One difference between Alberti and Vives is that Vives believes that one should start out imitating a person who is not the best at what he does, but someone who is better than the imitator. Eventually, according to Vives, one should be able to move up in rank and imitate the best. He says â€Å"it is a wise precept of M. Fabius Quintilian that boys should not at first attempt to rise to emulation of their master, lest their strength fail them. An easier and quicker method will be to let them imitate someone more learned than themselves among their fellows, and contending with him let them gradually rise to copying their master himself.† (189) Alberti does not mention this method of imitation. Instead he says that when it comes to art, on must have â€Å"the favors of nature.† (Book I) In other words, Alberti strongly believes that one should have a natural talent for what he is doing, and that the gradual chain of improvement is not necessarily an established method, a s Vives indicates. Also, Alberti uses a style that is short and to the point. He says â€Å"I beg that I may be pardoned if, where I above all wish to be understood, I have given more care to making my words clear than ornate. I believe that which follows will be less tedious to the reader. (Book I) This type of frankness is a distinguished style of writing. He uses simple rhetoric so that his audience can grasp the idea quickly. This kind of style corresponds to the type of art he is writing about. He says that he writing about a new type of art: â€Å"We are, however, building anew an art of painting about which nothing, as I see it, has been written since this age.†(Book II) His new style is imitating his concept of having a different type of manual towards art. Also, his main is to gear away from the Ancients and more towards the Florentine. By changing his style of writing he is achieving this, not only through what he saying about graduating art from mechanical to liberal, but also through his style and techne. Both Alberti and Vives spend time discussing subject matter. Vives splits up who should be imitated based on the subject of the piece being writer. Similarly, Alberti pays attention to the subject matter of the painting. He says that an image can only bring pleasure of the subject matter of the painting brings pleasure. Alberti believes that one must imitate the feeling he wants the viewer to have in the subject of his painting for the artwork to be successful. This is what Vives is saying when he illustrates that one must pick the best writer in the subject that he wants to write about and imitate that style to be successful. Both Petrarch and Alberti can be compared with Vives and his ideas on imitation. To all three writers imitation plays a huge role on how to present written and artistic works. All three of them believe that imitation of others will lead to success. Further, they believe that imitation is the only way to learn how to write properly. Alberti adds another assumption: he says that to be the best, one must imitate, but before the imitation process takes place, one must have a natural talent for art. Petrarch and Alberti both believe that one must mimic what they believe is the right tradition through their styles. Petrarch believes in the Ciceronian tradition and follows in Cicero’s footsteps by imitating his style. Alberti is more concerned with understanding than the use of eloquent language. Overall, to all three writers imitation plays a huge role in their understanding of how written works influence their audiences.

Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality

People do possess certain behaviors that make us unique from one another. People do vary in their behavior or the way we think, feel and act. The complexity of human behavior and understanding its nature has been the main interests of those studying behavioral genetics. We all know that if we inherit our physical attributes with our parents we also inherit their behavior which we call genotypes.We are also aware of the role of the society, culture or the environment in shaping one’s behavior. Which of the two then exerts the greatest influence in our life? In order to identify which really molds human behavior a family studies, adoption studies and twin studies where conducted. In these three settings the siblings are compared with their shared and non-shared experiences. The environment provides the child with care, education and other experiences.People differ in many ways in terms of intelligence, mental states, social ability, self-concept or self-esteem, attitudes, belief s and preferences. Genetics versus environment can also be called nature versus nurture in shaping behavior. The debate between the two tries to challenge the fact that genotypes or the nature of a person’s behavior can be altered by the environment or the inherited traits will remain the same and control the person no matter how strong the influence of the environment.Suicidal tendencies and anti-social behavior for example are studied if it is inherited or purely environmental. In my own opinion the behavior could depend upon the individual’s personal adjustment or resistance to the environment that can create a difference in our behavior. Work Cited Haimowitz, Avi. Heredity versus Environment: Twin, Adoption and Family Studies. November 2005. Rochester Institute of Technology: Great Ideas in Personality 4 June 2009

Mughal Era

PREFACE The Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire In seeking to determine the clothes worn by the wide range of people that entered India during the Mughal period, one has to take into account the geographical factors that influence their form of dress, the region they come from, how they lived, how the terrain, climate and their professional occupation affected what they wore. BRIEF HISTORY In 1526, Babur established the Mughal Empire, which lasted for over 200 years. They ruled most of the Indian subcontinent by 1600.The Mughal emperors married local royalty, allied themselves with the local maharajas & attempted to fuse their turko-persian culture with ancient Indian styles. The Mughal dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Akbar and it went into a slow decline after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 and was finally defeated during the war of independence in 1857. LIFESTYLE The marketplace The marketplace The society of the Mughal period can roughly be categorized into the rich, midd le and poor class. The difference between the richest sections of society and the poorest was very wide.At the top of the social and economic ladder was the king followed by his nobles. This class lived in extraordinary luxury with abundant resources at their disposal. They lived a life of reckless festivity, grand banquets, lavish homes and often had inflated egos. Their food and dress was very costly, and their homes were huge palatial structures. Both indoor and outdoor games were popular with this class, for they had the time and resources to be able to indulge in them. An unfortunate aspect was that as a result of their tremendous wealth, many of them squandered away their money and lives in vice and temptations.Towards the close of the Mughal Empire, many of the emperors were no longer interested in running the empire; instead they were keener on enjoying the wealth they possessed as kings. Tyranny of the Emporer over the lower sections of the society Tyranny of the Emporer ov er the lower sections of the society The middle class was a relatively new development, one that would grow and become an important force during British India. They were usually merchants, industrialists and various other professionals. While not being able to afford the extravagance of the rich class, they led comfortable and perhaps more sensible lives.Many middle class families were also very well off and were able to indulge in some luxuries. Purdah system was followed during Mughal Era Purdah system was followed during Mughal Era Below the middle class lay the poor class, the most oppressed and neglected part of the society. There was a major difference between their standard of living and that of the two preceding classes. They were usually without adequate clothing and in cases of famines even without food. They held very low paying jobs, where they were expected to put in long hours.Their condition can perhaps be described as voluntary slaves. They were often harassed by the officers of the king, who extorted money out of them by making false charges against them. The economic conditions of the peasants continuously declined, especially towards the close of the Mughal period when the tyranny of the provincial governors constantly troubled the peasants' lives. The position of women in Indian society changed considerably with the coming of Islam. The Indian women now came to occupy an even lower status. Muslim inroads made strict enforcement of purdah and seclusion of women.Women’s education was not encouraged. The birth of a girl was not regarded as a happy event. On the contrary the position of the women of the noble and royal families was little better. Miniature paintings of the Mughal era Miniature paintings of the Mughal era Miniature paintings: important source for Mughal costumes Mughal painting is a particular style of South Asian painting, generally confined to miniatures, which emerged from Persian miniature painting and developed durin g the period of the Mughal Empire (16th – 19th centuries).Miniature paintings were a variety of Islamic paintings done during the reign of the Mughal Emperors. The Mughal paintings often covered scenes from the court and help our understanding of how the court functioned. These paintings also provide us with information on what the emperors looked like. * The Mughal miniature paintings had depicted the costumes and ornaments which were prevalent in the time of medieval India. Mughal artists had rendered exquisite detail of the costume of the people of that period. The Mughal Emperors who helped the art of painting to flourish were Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Mughal Queen covered in fine clothing and jewels Mughal Queen covered in fine clothing and jewels The costume of Mughal women Traditional Mughal costume Traditional Mughal costume The ladies of the Mughal dynasty were as remarkable as their men and in certain cases even more cultivated. The way these beautiful, educat ed and extremely talented Mughal women used to dress became a matter of interest for many.Royal women wore beautiful clothes made from the finest materials and adorned jewellery from head to toe. They used to spend a lot of money in getting for themselves fine silks, brocades and muslins from which they got stitch beautiful garments. They were mostly covered in white colored veil because of the prevalent purdah system and they could not go out on the street without the veil otherwise they were forced to join the profession of prostitution. Early costumes When the Mughal ladies first set their foot in India they were dressed in long gowns, caps and trousers.And upto the time of Akbar, Persian dress was worn by muslins but during Akbar’s time Rajput dress was adopted. * An inner garment or kartiji was invariably worn beneath the gown as a short bodice reaching to the hips. * Queen in her chambers Queen in her chambers Another jacket or nimtena was frequently put over the dress somewhat like a vest (Gulbadan begam, the daughter of Babar while describing mirza hindal’s marriage in her memoirs, mentions â€Å"nine jackets with garnitures of jeweled balls† and four shortered jackets with bal trimmings among the articles of dowry for the bride Sultana begam. The effect of these gorgeous dresses embroidered with gold and pearls was astonishing. So in a whole the early Mughal costume for women consisted of wide topped trousers fitting snuggly from calf to ankle, long kurta, fitted outer jacket, dupatta, high Turkish hats, sometimes with a small veil attached and some feathers too. The Jaguli The Jaguli Influence on Hindu women The glamour of these dresses must have cast its spell unmistakably on the susceptible Indian women. Opportunities were not lacking for frequent contacts between Indian and Mughal ladies.It is therefore not astonishing that Indian women associated with the court of Delhi and high ranking ladies living in the Rajput dependencie s of northern India should very soon have adopted the distinctively Mughal style of dress. The jaguli worn by women- a sort of empire gown fastening at neck an waist, opening between the fastenings and permitting a glimpse of the breasts and with long tight wrinkled sleeves and long flowing skirt reaching as far down as the ankles. This attire was worn by the Muslim dancing women. Later Mughal costumeLater Mughal costume The skirted robe of these women which was slit in front from the waist to the bottom and which in their language was known as peshwas distinctly resemble the jagulis of the Kangra painters. Later Mughal Costumes consisted of Long sleeved choli, Isar (often striped), Brocade vest, Short and long ghagra (often in sheer material),Silk or muslin dupatta, Apron (with embroidery) and farji (long sheer vest like garment), Long sleeved floor length gown with a sari that drapes from the jeweled embroidered crown and an Ornate turban.MALE COSTUME Men wore a pagri (turban), a jama (coat), a patka (shawl), a katzeb (sash) and either trousers or a dhoti (loincloth). The Jama: Essentially, the jama is a snugly fitted garment that is complemented by a pair of long sleeves, a distinctive crossover bodice and a full skirt. The jama is differentiated from other coats of the Mughal era (such as the angharka) in that the skirts overlap in the same fashion as the bodice. The Jama The JamaThe social status and wealth of the wearer were indicated by the textiles used to create the jama, the fullness of the skirts and the length of the sleeves. The sleeves were tight-fitting to the wrist, and were commonly so long as to form soft folds along the forearm. The sleeve also features an inset triangular gusset in the armpit, which allows for a snug fit without compromising mobility. Dhoti or Paijama: Another term for these trousers is paijama, from which comes our familiar word denoting sleep attire.The word is a compound of two Persian words, pai meaning â€Å"feet† or â€Å"legs†, and jama meaning â€Å"covering†. Both men and women wore paijamas, possibly in imitation of the warlike Rajput princes who preferred them to the dhoti or the mobility they afforded. Mughal King Akbar Mughal King Akbar Pagri or Turban: Paintings from the court of Akbar indicate that there was a difference between the wrap used by a Muslim and that of a Hindu. Generally, Hindu turbans were fuller and rounder than those of the Muslims, who favored elaborate jewelry to embellish their headgear.Patka, Katzeb and Juttis: Three more items finish off the male costume and these are the patka (shawl), the katzeb (sash) and Juttis (shoes). The Patka: The patka is a handsome garment often depicted in illustrations of the period draping elegantly from the shoulders of Akbar’s courtiers. It survives today in India as the dupatta, worn by women as a scarf with Emperor Shah Jahan Emperor Shah Jahan their salwar Kamiz and Hindu men on their wedding day. Patka , Katzeb and Juttis worn by Prince Salim Patka, Katzeb and Juttis worn by Prince SalimThe Katzeb: Even more ubiquitous than the patka, was the katzeb, or sash. In illustrations of the period, it is clear that the patka and the katzeb never matched one another, but like the patka, the katzeb was richly decorated in a number of ways. Sashes in the reign of Akbar seem to be of two lengths, long and short. Laborers, servants and courtiers in a hunting party are often shown with shorter and plainer katzebs. Wealthy emirs and the Akbar himself are depicted as wearing longer and more abundant sashes, and in a few cases, two sashes of contrasting colors at once.Juttis:   Hindus and Muslims differed greatly in their approach to footwear. Followers of Islam wore shoes and boots habitually to protect their feet from the heat and hazards of the Indian landscape. Hindus, on the other hand, view feet and leather both as â€Å"unclean†. The making of leather goods, therefore, is and was l eft to the members of the lowest castes. As a rule, Hindus preferred to go either barefoot or in sandals called paduka, which were made of â€Å"pure† materials such as wood or even metal. Shoes were invariably removed before entering living areas and temples.

Contributions of Tun Dr Mahathir Essay

Dr Mahathir was Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister and he worked very hard to develope our country since the day he was appointed as the Prime Minister. Dr M served as the prime minister of Malaysia for 22 years. He created a concept called VISION 2020, where by the year 2020 Malaysia is expected to be a fully developed country. He called upon the entire citizens of Malaysia to work harder and to prepare themselves to really achieve that vision. Dr M transformed Malaysia from a country that completely depended on self-subsistant agriculture, cultivation of rubber and tin mining, into a vibrant economic country based on trading and industrialisation. Malaysia now has heavy and high technology industries that have become more developed and competitive with other developed countries in the world. Besides that, Dr Mahathir took steps to enable Malaysia to face the future by establishing the Multimedia Super Corridor, which emphasizes ‘Information Technology’ as a very i mportant asset for the country in the new millennium. Dr Mahathir also announced the National Car Project (Proton), which is one of the many important developments of Malaysia in achieving Vision 2020. In the field of literature, Dr Mahathir has contributed greatly since his schooling days. Due to his great interest in writing, Dr Mahathir was an editor of a magazine called Darulaman. Other than that, Dr Mahathir successfully handled the financial crisis 1997 and stabilized the Malaysian economy. All schools were equipped with computers with the help of Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir helped Malaysia to not depend too much on neighbouring country ports by constructing Malaysia’s own major ports. This helped Malaysia to reduce foreign currency outflow until now. Dr Mahathir beginned various large scale national projects, such as the North-South Highway, The Multimedia Super Corridor, Malaysia’s new administrative capital Putrajaya, Port of Tanjung Pelepas, KLIA in Sepang, and an adjacent Formula One Circuit, Olympic-class stadium in Bukit Jalil and the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, the world’s tallest building from 1997-2003, that has become the symbol of modern Malaysia.

Dell computers - describe their marketing plan Essay

Dell computers - describe their marketing plan - Essay Example Through highly creative approach of meeting the challenges of fast changing requirements of the people, the company follows a dynamic strategy that incorporates the following major ingredients of competitive advantage. Marketing Mix Dell Computers has highly innovative approach towards marketing and pursues a market mix strategy to promote its goods and services. Unique aspects of its products and services are important ingredients of its market strategies that it promotes through various channels of mass media. While its online presence provides it with great asset to communicate with its customers on a personal level, it also helps the firm to access a larger database of prospective customers and showcase its range of products. The visual advertisements of Dell are intrinsically lined to the company’s mission and goals of meeting the needs of the people. They portray company’s state of the products and services under the landscape of changing socio-economic paradigms and demography. Thus, its advertisement on various channels show how its products are used by people from different market segmentation – from the common man to meeting the highly complex demands of specific industry or individuals through customization of products and services. ... The company is able to do so through exploiting people’s changing requirements and providing them with goods and services that meet their preferences. It specializes in the personal computers and accessories. The company continuously strives for new product development that can exploit the huge potential of Information technology. Dell’s vision of future encompasses flexible computer solutions so that its customers can easily manage to work within the complex environment of information technology comprising of ‘the data, preferences, applications, operating systems and associated IT policies that uniquely define the individual’. Indeed the solutions are designed to ‘provide IT with centralized control  of end-user data and images (or digital identity), while  still enabling end-user flexibility  to work from anywhere and eventually on any device’ (dell.com) Using green technology and client virtualization hosting are yet another areas tha t provides it with unique market leadership initiatives. It is a key technology that facilitates the customers to run multiple applications under different operating system with complete data security. In the fast advancing technology, Dell’s products and services provide the customers wit state of the art technology that can meet the future challenges with confidence and total security. Thus, various products and services have become vital differentiating elements of Dell’s competitive advantage within the industry. Promotion of brand image The company has been able to establish a highly credible brand image. Kotler (2005) strongly stresses that brand building is extremely important aspect of marketing because

Thematic analysis social psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thematic analysis social psychology - Essay Example This analysis leads us to a conclusion that this can have quite long term impacts on ones personality and an individual would still find all those experiences alive within themselves. The impact of a parent’s separation has a great influence on what you become in later life. This study relates the suggested aftermaths of parents separation to the real life experiences as suggested by certain psychologists. The childhood experiences either good or bad have a major impact on a person as an individual. These factors can be labeled under attribution theory of social psychology and somehow deals with the cognitive aspect of it. The attribution aspect deals with the three main factors locus, stability and controllability and is closely associated with the personal feelings, experiences, expectations and how one controls the reason that results in the variation of behavior. Parents play a major role in a childs life, and the attachment a kid has to his parents plays a very constructive role in his development. (Bowlby 1951). Bowlby also supports the view the child undergoes separation anxiety due to the family issues he confronts. It is clearly noticed that a child has special bonding to his parents especially mother, and if the home environment stability goes off one is likely to have an impact on his personality. Kate DiCamillo had gone through such occurrence in her childhood as she states that her fathers departure had had a great impact on her persona. Her writings too were greatly affected by the childhood experiences she had endured. It is certain that the things in her life did not stay the same after her dad left. The purpose of this study is to find out how these childhood experiences affected Kate DiCamillo as a person and find how the non availability of both the parents can form what you are. In this study I am focusing on how the behavior she narrates compliments the theories described by the psychologists and how her ideas get

Why followers suport toxic leaders qualitative case study perspective Essay

Why followers suport toxic leaders qualitative case study perspective - Essay Example can this paradoxical scenario, which is has been evident in virtually every society, from the earliest records of history to the present day, be explained (Lipman-Blumen, 2005)? Susceptible followers have followed, preferred or favored, and sometimes helped create an enabling environment for toxic leadership to thrive. Followers have permitted and supported toxic leadership behavior to the point where it seems to be acceptable in both political and business organizations (Reed, 2004). The central question for investigation in this project is what are the reasons followers accept, favor, and help sustain toxic leadership? Researchers recognize that leadership effectiveness is dependent on the role of followers within the organization (McClure, 2009). However, the lack of research work on the role of followers within a company led by a toxic leader presents a significant gap in the literature which the present study aims to address. McClure (2009) acknowledges this concern about the current lack of published research or investigation into the role of followers of toxic leaders. Mccoby (2004), Challeff (1995), and Chai (2010) emphasize that researchers’ failure to investigate the role of followers and identify the motivation for follower actions are among the reasons why failures in leadership and the rise of toxic leadership still persist today. This research will undertake a qualitative methodology using content analysis to gather information as to why followers support toxic leaders. This study will fill the gap in published research on the role of followers in making organizations more effective. It will also help determine why followers support their leader, good or bad. According to Kellerman, (2008) and Lipman-Blumen, (2005), safety, security, group membership, and the unpredictable nature of the world are some of the human conditions that make followers susceptible to toxic leaders. Various followers benefit from toxic leadership behavior and

Housing Development Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Housing Development Process - Essay Example However, emphasis on the architectural requirements of the houses has not been significant in the conventional practice of house development, although it is as important as the structural engineering concerns of the development. Importance of an architect is further exaggerated by a social change that has increased peoples’ interest in fashion, looks and aesthetics. An architect ensures their achievement in the finished look of the house. The housing development process requires careful consideration of various factors other than the design and aesthetics of the house. The development scheme originates from the need in a particular area, and the expenses available to the developers prior to development. Once the process of development of houses is felt beneficial for the community in a certain area, the developers look for the most appropriate site. A site that is near to the market and can offer many facilities at shortest distance from the house is considered the best for development. Once the site is selected, the developers accumulate funds either from banks, or by investments from the public. Then the site layout is prepared. Labor accommodation, site offices, and other facilities required for the development are clearly demarcated in the site layout. The project commences with the formulation of preliminary design by the architects that is matured by the structural engineers. Cost estimates are prepared simulta neously. Once the final design and cost estimates are identified, the construction begins. The houses are constructed as per the design and schedule prepared in the start of the project. It is ensured that the construction complies with the specifications devised by the architect in the start of the project. What is equally important is to ensure that the project completes exactly upon or before the time expected by the customer. Exceeding the finishing time can incur huge monetary

Climate Change and the Experience of Poverty Essay

Climate Change and the Experience of Poverty - Essay Example Mitigation encompasses reducing the impact that one has on the environment through reduction of one’s carbon footprint among other activities. Conversely, adaptation involves dealing with consequences of climate change by say, establishing methods of coping with regular floods. A gap exists in current literature on the relationship between climate change and poverty. Several analysts tend to focus on mitigation at the community level. Institutions have been formed to minimise energy use through transport. Others have addressed housing and urban development (Berrang-Ford et. al., 2011). While these efforts may contribute to long term solutions for the country in general, they do not address the direct challenges that disadvantaged community members face when dealing with extreme weather events. ... It is imperative for stakeholders at the national, corporate and local levels to target this group when creating interventions. Extreme weather events (Such as floods, storms, and cyclones) are a manifestation of climate change and have adverse effects on disadvantaged communities. Poor people live in less-robust settlements that often leave them defenceless against these situations. Furthermore, they lack information of how to protect themselves during such events. Demetriades and Esplen (2008) note that actions are necessary in order to strengthen the resilience of the vulnerable during extreme weather events. Stakeholders may empower the disadvantaged through information dissemination, infrastructural preparedness, housing tenure agreements, among others (McCright, 2010. One of the ways in which these changes are manifested is through community projects. Nongovernmental organizations and special interest groups may carry out community projects to build resilience among disadvantag ed communities. It is imperative to understand why such groups are performing this role, and whether their activities arose from gaps in policy interventions from the national and local governments. Community projects are insufficient as a coping strategy for disadvantaged communities (Zsamboky et. al., 2011). However, they represent an attempt by non-state actors to participate in an issue of grave national consequences. Their presence in deprived areas indicates that policy-makers may not be doing enough to prepare these communities for extreme weather conditions. Runhaar et. al. (2012) carried out a study in the Netherlands to assess the stimuli and barriers to climate change adaptations in urban areas. They found that a gap

Microsoft Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microsoft - Research Proposal Example Also, the position which management would have in regards to the technology decisions. Areas, while unique in nature and purpose, can come together to form the bigger picture. That is, a companies ability to achieve a more prosperous state. In regards to the Human Resources Department; People are Microsoft's greatest asset. Human Resources is responsible for identifying, hiring, and retaining this gifted intellectual talent, as well as developing and administering Microsoft's generous compensation and benefits programs in order to create a quality employee experience. We help maintain Microsoft's fulfilling work environment, which is a catalyst for great achievements," Adding that, "Human Resources ensures that a diverse range of candidates is considered for opportunities. We believe that hiring exceptional, diverse talent gives Microsoft unlimited potential. The result is enhanced product development and employee performance, as well as a connection with communities everywhere," ("Human Resources", p.1) In respect to the function of management in Human Resources decisions, the hierarchical structure of the company maintains a level of great appreciation for its hiring practices. Being that, those whom they hire, are able to continuously perform at such levels, that the company itself is able to see continued grow and the employees are able to grow along with it. As far as management is concerned, by providing a work environment that fosters growth and greater learning, the achievements made by their workers are far greater in return. As a major participant in the advancement of technological discovery, Microsoft seeks to maintain a corporate image that fosters an impression of excellence in products created, as well as a level of staff that exhibits through performance, the same level of quality and reliability that many have come to expect when purchasing a Microsoft created item. In the outlining of clear expectations for corporate practices, management can enforce the expectatio ns which they have on the basis that, as are the decision making body for the corporation, they are the one's who possess within them the ability to produce results that, in the end, provide for the best possible results for the greatest number of people. From a standpoint of considering how any change in management can impact further technology, the function of management is placed into greater detail with the announced corporate transition, as a result of Bill Gates stepping aside to pursue other endeavors. In the outlining of clear expectations for corporate practices, management can enforce the expectations which they have on the basis that, as are the decision making body for the corporation, they are the one's that possess within them the ability to produce results that, in the end, provide for the best possible results for the greatest number of people. As it stands; The question is whether Microsoft can compete as effectively without its founder. Ballmer, who took over as CEO from Gates in 2000 after 20 years as his key exec, is confident it can. That transition had been rough for both parties; according to Ballmer, it took a while

Situational analysis and action plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Situational analysis and action plan - Essay Example Through the efforts of our dedicated teachers, the school will manage to increase total pupil retention levels by a wide margin. This, unfortunately, is not enough to maintain the positive competitive edge needed to stand out as an educational leader in the 21st Century. Teachers will need to put their many talents together with the dedicated school leadership and parents and assist the school in meeting the new educational mission. That’s what we intend to find out. A series of strategy seminars are planned, as an initial path forward, to identify which teachers maintain the specific skills most appropriate for different student age groups. These strategy seminars are designed to let teachers know where the school is specifically moving as part of a path forward mentality (Bush, 2004). It is important to develop a team-based philosophy between different teachers, leaders, students and parents areas, and this intervention program will be beneficial in improving the relationship between teachers and students. These will further be designed as open forums in which questions can be proposed to teachers, school managers and concerned parents who might attend these publicized strategy seminars. Improving parent-teacher relations will only enhance the educational goals of the school and make it excel in the interpersonal group dynamic. The long-term benefits of these initial strategy sessions are to identify k ey skills with different teachers and apply relationship-based learnings to motivate students. The school requires the adopting of a systems-oriented organisation in which various interdependencies exist, such as the linkage between teacher skills and student learning. In order for one area of the school to stand as a leader, it involves personal mastery of job role function. Personal mastery refers to focusing on spirit, patience, and the

Effectiveness of Time and Financial Management Essay Example for Free

Effectiveness of Time and Financial Management Essay Chapter 1 I. Introduction A. General Statement to the Effectiveness of Time and Financial Management on selected scholars of Adamson University 1. Profile of the Selected Scholars B. Statement of the problem ( How can they cope up with the demands of their respective courses? C. Objectives of the study D. Relevance of the study E. Definition of terms Chapter 2 II. Survey of Related Literature A. Foreign studies 1. Working Students/Student Assistants 2. Scholars B. Local Studies 1. Working Students/Student Assistants 2. Scholars Chapter 3 III. Methods on how to measure effectiveness of time and financial management A. Results of Survey/Questionnaire to the Selected Scholars of Adamson University 1. Graphical Representation 2. Analysis of the results IV. Conclusion Chapter 3 Methods on how to measure Effectiveness of Time and Financial Management The researchers chose 7 different scholars to conduct a survey about the chosen topic. Most of the respondents came from student assistant’s category and the others came from the category of academic scholars. These scholars were given scholarships from Ozanam Study Grant Program and Megaworld Foundation. On the range of their ages, 17-22 years old were the students who were given an opportunity they wanted to have. The scholars being interviewed have a daily allowance of more or less 150 pesos. On the Graph 1.1 being shown below are some of the expenses of the following students. Graph 1.1 A little number of respondents said that they stay in boarding houses that cost them Php 1,600 to Php 1,700. Literally, the cost was being solved by their parents. 3 out of 7 students said that both of their parents are self-employed. 1 respondent said that his/her parents run a business and another corresponds to unemployed parents. The rest of the students match up on other answers like their father/mother neither is an overseas Filipino worker, a tricycle driver, a plain housewife nor was deceased. Researchers proceed to the monthly income of their parents in able to measure the financial background of each and every respondent. Graph 1.2 illustrates the possible monthly income of the parents of these learners. Graph 1.2 As you can see, there is an equality of 14,000 and lower and 15,000-20,000 income. It is based on the survey being conducted by the researchers and from the occupation of their parents. On the part of their financial management, they spent the biggest part of their allowance for their food (50%) followed by their transportation and some other expenses. This shows that food is very important especially for the scholars like them. Food is an essential and they must not ignore because of the responsibilities they have in the university. The primary reason of the pupils asked in preferring themselves in being a scholar of Adamson University is that because they wanted to help their parents in decreasing the expenses. In this reason, an individual can determine that financial or money matters are the first basis in order for them to have financial management. Other reasons are for them to gain independency. The effectiveness of financial management is measured by proper usage of money and thinking a creative way of using up money.  The researchers also find ways on evaluating time supervision of scholars. Because of a more number of student assistants being interviewed, most of their time is allotted on their duties. Here is Graph 1.3 that shows how long an ordinary scholar uses his /her time in the university. Graph 1.3 Take a look of the graph that has been illustrated by the researchers. Student D and F are academic scholars. According to the information gathered from the survey, these students are academic scholars. As academic scholars, their worlds are focused on studying. They usually spend time in resting, studying and even have a time for leisure. On the other hand, the remaining students (A, B , C and E) make use of their time in duties and offices. Equalizing time in each activity of a student like them is not easy to do. Like on the Graph 1.3, student assistants are divided in different opinions. Some of them were able to balance their time and others cannot. Same answer was derived by academic scholars. However, they also answered it depends on the situation. Situations are unpredictable and make equalization of time in different planned activities. Somehow, all of them have a time for rest and have a break after long hours from school. Lastly, as a scholar, grade is the most important or basis in acquiring scholarships. Grades of these scholars are not affected by activities being done in school. Therefore, these learners have a good strategic measures in managing their time and studies. Chapter 4 Conclusion Based on the presented and interpreted data above, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. That most of the scholars spend their money more on food  for it is an essential need. 2. That most of the scholars wanted to help their parents to reduce the number of expenses. 3. That most of the scholars allot their time to school by doing different duties but assures that grades of them will not be affected. Chapter 2 Survey of Related Literature

Mythology and literature Essay Example for Free

Mythology and literature Essay The definition of mythology is deprived from the word myth. The word itself comes from the Greek word mythos, which means fable, legend or sagas. The word myth is a story that seeks to rationalize the universe and the world around us, passed down orally from generation to generation explaining religious origin, natural phenomena or supernatural event. Mythology is a collection of myths that concerns with cosmogony and cosmology, shared by a particular society at some particular time in human history. Literature is a body of written works of language, period or culture. Literature can be divided into fiction (e.g. fairty tale, gothic, saga etc) and non-fiction (e.g. essays, journal, science fiction etc). There are many distinctive natures of mythology and they seek to describe what a particular person or society believe during that period of time. Myths serves as an charter for their institutions, customs and beliefs. The typical mythology is the explanation of the universe and its ethology. Normally, the setting is set in a previous proto-world (simliar to the current world but also different) and they often revolve around non-human or extroadinary people such as god, goddess, supernatural beings (e.g. zeus, adam and eve, prometheus etc). These story explains why things are and how they became to be. It rationalised our way of thinking, reconcile us to reality and establishes our pattern of life. Apart from the explanation of the creation of the universe, mythologies seek to explain everyday natural phenomena. Certain myths explains way the sun exist and why there is night and day. Some explains the existance of seasons: Spring,Winter,Summer and Autumn while others shows of mother nature providing us with food and shelter. These myth suggest a way of understanding nature and organizing thoughts. For example, structualism recognizes different contrasting aspect (light and dark, good/evil) as centres to myths which charters for social order or value within a society (functionalism). Myth have been created by human beings for many reasons over thousands of years. They are an intellectual product of humanity and a rich resource for the ideas and belief of past generations. Their extroadinary and unbelievable aspect combined with the constant thought that there might be something out their is what keeps mythology functioning and is what keeps literature moving. There are also many differences between literature and mythology. For instance, they were used for different purposes and existed in different times. Myth several purposes, including to socially/politically control society (e.g. to spread a myth about something to control people, to scare people when facts were not available). Literature on the other hand, is more about persuading and informing people. There are also other benefits to mythology that cannot be achieved in literature, such as there is no boundary to the world, there is no such thing as false and there is low risk of anyone challenging your theory. The sets of beliefs also differ and the way they view the world differs. For example, literatures audience are educated modern people while mythologys one is from the old generation where there was not much information about the world and how it works. This would mean that the two different texts have different intended audience which would inevitably show why they differ so much. Both are products of humans but during different time frame. The arrival of the modern era would inevitably mean the death of mythology. The transformation from one to another was the belief that myth was useless, false and outmoded and that it did not work. Science (regarded as a fictional literature) was the objective explanation of how the world around us work while the subjective myth was about faith and believing something unfounded. Scientific rational thought was based on empricial knowledge, a priori (not falsifiable) and our way of thinking is based on facts. Myth is ultimately a different knowledge, an ideology, a set of belief. Systems of myths have provided a cosmological and historical framework for societies that have lacked the more sophisticated knowledge provided by modern science. Myth is related to science, however it only provide basis for a theory, not knowledge. For example the myth of how the origin was created would have lacked modern day rational scientific belief because they would prefer a more true, superior and more authority theory, which is the big bang theory. Our modern rational paradigm thought is based on observation. Scientific rational thinking is based on logic to solve or explain how the world works and as it becomes a part of our everyday thinking, mythology will be inevitable cast aside. Carl Jung invented modern scientific theory and for him, the world of dream, and myth represented the most fascinating and promising road to deeper understanding. The significance of literature in mythology as said We need the stories of myth to make sense of the confusion of our society and our own psyches. Myth voices the truths of our unconscious selves, and the gods, goddesses, and heroes of myth embody aspects of creativity, cleverness, grief, joy, aggression, and ecstasy. Carl Jung believes that even the most sophisticated and important literature requires some mythological aspect. (E.g. the Lord of the Ring depends on mythical characteristic to drives the ideas; horror movies have a message and some urban myth taps into childs fear of a bogyman under the bed) Northrop Frye criticises literature and states the importance of cultural myth underlying literature (E.g. Sea, land and sky, control, creation, decay, regeneration, our fear). Mythology evokes our sub-conscious mind (e.g. dream) which is employed by reference to mythology in literature. Frye states that mythology provided themes for some of the worlds greatest drama, and similar themes can be traced back to the Renaissance literature, through to Shakespeare (E.g. Hamlet, Midsummer Nights Dream) and finally to modern poetry and thus mythology plays a significance role with literature. One could even say that literature is based on mythology. Karen Armstrong book A Short History of Myth is about how literature and mythology were shaped by the problems of the society people lived in. Armstrong states that the existence of Mythology from an early period: Human beings fall easily into despair, and from the very beginning we invented stories that enabled us to place our lives in a larger setting, that revealed an underlying pattern, and gave us a sense that, against all the depressing and chaotic evidence to the contrary, life had meaning and value. With the coming of the great revolutions in human experience science was used to explain facts as opposed the theory of myth, which became useless, false and outmoded. Literature, which could explain things that was never thought possible, was regarded as the next step from mythology (from an uneducated society to a civilized society). The relationship between literature and mythology is one of similarities as well as differences. They are both important creation by human beings and will continue to play an important role in the intellectual world. Literature will always include some aspect of myth which will continue to shape our modern world like it did in the past.

Michael Ondaatjes Coming Through Slaughter

Michael Ondaatjes Coming Through Slaughter Michael Ondaatje, the first Canadian writer to win the prestigious Booker Prize in 1992, is celebrated as a contemporary literary treasure. In his works he attempts a re-evaluation of history by focusing on relations between the margins and the centre, the personal and the public. As such his works readily lend themselves to post-modern and post-colonial approaches to literature. In addition, Ondaatjes distinctive appeal is that of an experimental practitioner and stylish expert in creating sensuous and sensual effects. Ondaatje draws heavily from his personal experience of being at the intersection of cultures, which enables him to attempt a special review of reality. Born in Sri Lanka, the former Ceylon, of Indian/Dutch ancestry, he went to school in England, and then moved to Canada. His multicultural roots and upbringing in multicultural society has provided him with a special insight into diverse positions and views. Acknowledged as one of the worlds foremost writers, Ondaatjes artistry and aesthetics has influenced an entire generation of writers and readers. Although best known as a novelist, Ondaatjes work also encompasses memoir, poetry, and film, and reveals a passion for defying conventional forms. From the memoir of his childhood, Running In The Family, to his Governor-Generals Award-winning book of poetry, Theres a Trick With a Knife Im Learning To Do (1979), to his classic novel, The English Patient (1992), Michael Ondaatje casts a spell over his readers. His works are characterized by a bleakly evocative narrative and minimalist dialogue, blending documentary and fictional accounts of real characters. The present paper attempts to trace and evaluate Ondaatjes explorations of identity as retrieved from history and memory. The focus is on Coming Through Slaughter, in which Ondaatje recreates the forgotten story of Billy Bolden, transforming it with such ingenuity that it occupies the space between history and memory, reality and imagination. The no vel explores the themes of alienation and infidelity that so often lead an individual to self-destruction, a typical element of the modern lifestyle. First published in 1976, the novel Coming Through Slaughter is a fictionalized version of the life of the New Orleans jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden. Charles Buddy Bolden (September 6, 1877 November 4, 1931) was an African American musician. He is regarded a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music which later came to be known as jazz. The novel covers the last months of Boldens sanity in 1907 when his music becomes more radical and his behavior more erratic. Ondaatjes concern however is not as much with the actual life story of Bolden as with the world of the time, where, as he says, There was no recorded historyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦History was slowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(2,3).The novel portrays this historical figure in a way that draws on his actual life, but as Cynthia F. Wong succinctly points out, Ondaatje blurs the generic distinctions between poetry and prose, factual verisimilitude and fictional reconstruction (289) in order to explore the novels central theme. The novel comprises of a series of events strung together as snap shots demanding from readers to imagine and retrieve the self of Bolden from them. Ondaatje artistically and beautifully narrates the tale of the protagonist Buddy Boldens descent into his own hell. A blues musician, Bolden was unsurpassed in his time as his work influenced the music of several later generations. However in his time he struggled to transcend lifes miseries even as he frequently lapsed into despair, loneliness, and subsequently, madness. In this novel, Ondaatje touches the issue of infidelity with gossamer perfection and adds new dimensions and understanding to it. He raises pathos to such poetic heights that his genius matches with that of the great Greeks and does not falter when compared with greatest Bard of Elizabethan era- Shakespeare. There are no kings, no queens and no princes. There is nothing halo about the mega character. Neither there are gods nor ghosts to guide the hero. However, there is wisdom of the blood feeling on the hair tips and a wild passion that guides. The milieu depicted in the novel is lewd and lascivious. As he writes, By the end of Nineteenth century, the Storyville district of New Orleans had some 2000 prostitutes, 70 professional gamblers, and 30 piano players.(3) But it had only one man who played the cornet like Buddy Bolden he who cut hair by day at N. Josephs Shaving Parlor, and at night played jazz, unleashing an unforgettable wildness and passion in crowded rooms. The world that Ondaatje portrays is inhabited by people living at the margins of society; pimps, whores, barber, musicians playing in bars, etc. Through such a portrayal, he recreates the exciting world of jazz, as he describes how whores lay naked on the stage amidst a rendering of wild, loud and vibrant music- sensuous and passionate in the background. There is no talk of morality or other rules governing civilized society. Ondaatje takes us to the places where there are over 100 prostitutes from pre-puberty to their seventies (2). Music players are barbers. It is a dead crowd where money is the most living thing. They are neither Titans nor war wrecks or winners, but blacks pulsating with vigor, strength, passion and promiscuity. Ondaatje thus gives a presence to people who have always been deprived from occupying the historical space. The novel is explicitly about Boldens identity as expressed in his music, but implicitly, it is about his identity as a black man whose musical insistence on freedom is thwarted by worsening racism in New Orleans at the beginning of the twentieth century. Yet as Ondaatje observes, many interpreted Boldens subsequent crack-up as a morality tale of a talent that debauched itself. But his life at this time had a fine and precise balance to ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (7). Ondaatje portrays Bolden, an American of African ancestry as a tragic artist, a man whose musical genius isolates him from friends and family and eventually leads to his insanity. The black-white racial conflict however does not become the focus of the novel. Rather structured like jazz music, the novel presents a fragmented, multi-voiced, episodic narrative that draws even an unwilling reader into its passion. In this ordinary world, Ondaatje takes up the issue of infidelity. There are no accusations, no cold revenge, no plotting, no cursing, no murdering; but silent suffering- an ache in the soul-a sublimation and pouring out of the heart in the art i.e. music. As Ondaatje portrays, the cruelties of external world pervade the personal one too. Shakespeares Hamlet could rightly aver, Frailty- thy name is woman. But here both men and women are frail. Why so? Not an easy question to answer. In an unjust world where the primary struggle is that of survival, pure bonds of love are impossible to forge. Infidelity has remained curse of all ages, civilizations and tribes. Wounds and woes of infidelity lead to unbearable pain that becomes difficult to express. Why one falls in bondage, why seeks solace in this bondage, one does not realize. Why man and woman wish to break this bondage? Perhaps no one can ever describe. Buddy has learned that Tom Pickett is having an affair with his common-law wife , Nora Bass. Pickett is an extremely handsome pimp in the city of New Orleans. Boldens wife, Nora, was formally part of Picketts business endeavors. After Pickett boasts about his relationship with Nora, Bolden doubts the stability of his construction of Nora, If Nora had been with Pickett. Had really been with Pickett as he said. Had jumped off Boldens cock and sat for half an hour later on Tom Picketts mouth on Canal Street. Then the certainties he loathed and needed were liquid at the root (75). What emerges in the novel thus is the murky world at the very rag and bone shop of society where alcohol and sex make up for pain and love, and music exudes ineffably from the fabric of blasted lives. Boldens musical progress is differentiated from that of his contemporaries and followers as clear and even transcendental, particularly at the point where he becomes irretrievably insane. But why such a talented and pure spirited man should linger on in the mental asylum for all his life and die anonymous. Herein lies the true ache of novel and its genuine pathos. Buddy is neither killed or murdered nor crucified but is slaughtered on the altar of infidelity. When Bolden meets Robin Brewitt, Ondaatje observes that he nearly fainted (27); he loses control of his senses, and, perhaps in more romantic terms, his heart. The early stages of Boldens relationship with Robin are marked clearly by an ongoing loss of control or, more accurately, by the loss of the balance that characterized his life with Nora. Robin seems to represent an alternate other for Bolden a second chance, as it was, for his constructing a kind of truth for himself. It is stated repeatedly that even though Bolden has numerous women throwing themselves at him, he truly loves Nora. However, after Bolden runs from New Orleans, he finds himself without Nora. As Ondaatje portrays, Bolden does not really love Robin. Robin is his outlet. She blurs into Nora- and Nora is not his. He is completely alienated and devastated- devoid of everything- including his kith and kin. Only a slow and anonymous death is his destiny- a destiny of every modern man. The story is told in many fragme nts and many voices: Actual accounts of Boldens life and performances, oral history, lists of songs, biographical facts, narrative, dialogue, interior monologues, psychiatric reports, bits of poetry and lyrics, the authors own voice through which Ondaatje weaves a series of brilliantly improvised sets. There are blues, there are the hymns, there is rhythm, there is free jazz, there is melody, soul, mood, wild aggression with notes flung out in pain and hurt and it all creates an atmosphere, an environment. New Orleans whores, pimps, drugs, booze, clarinets and cornets, jazz and jazzmen, ship builders and photographers and love and lunacy. Buddy also breaks the boundaries of love; he sacrifices his wife and children in order to pursue something more with Robin. In the Parade on fifth morning, Buddy gives his last performance. In the Liberty-Iberville concert, during the performance, Bolden is fascinated by a dancing girl who follows the rhythms and dances to his tunes intoxicatingly. Boldens self is completely immersed into music, so much that he even forgets the audience. The mounting tension between Bolden and the girl is reflected in the prose of the passage as run-on sentences break into fragments and then continue to the climactic point of Boldens complete immersion into music: In fact, the following passage reads much like a metaphor for the act of sex. Boldens love life is revealed when he describes the beautiful dancer as a culmination of his lovers. Then with the gorgeous dancer at the parade who pushes him to further limits leading to his destruction: All my body moves to my throat and I speed again and she s peeds tired again, a river of sweat to her what her head and hair back bending back to me, all the desire in me is cramp and hard, cocaine on my cock, external, for my heart is at my throat hitting slow pure notes into the shimmy dance of victory . . . feel the blood that is real move up bringing fresh energy in its suitcase, it comes up flooding past my heart in a mad parade, it is coming through my teeth, it is into the cornet, god cant stop god cant stop it cant stop the air the red force coming up cant remove it from my mouth, no intake gasp, so deep blooming it up god I cant choke it the music still pouring in a roughness Ive never hit, watch it listen it listen it, cant see I CANT SEE. Air floating through the blood to the girl red hitting the blind spot I can feel others turning, the silence of the crowd, cant see (131-32). Thus the instrument and the player become one. Diffusing himself, rather melting himself, blowing out himself through the cornet, his body, nerves, veins, sperms and aches of the soul find release. The whole scene is so built; the pitch of the music is raised to such sublimity that everybody is purged of his or her sin. The pathos of the jazz turns lyrics into hymns. The dancing girl appears to be a nymph and Buddy becomes the mystic piper. The appearance of a dancing woman who reminds him of both Nora and Robin releases his latent insanity, which is manifested in a stroke that he suffers while playing his cornet. Bolden spends the rest of his life in an asylum in nearby Jackson, returning to New Orleans only for burial in 1931. It is devastating to watch him confined, suffer abuse and gradually slip into madness. Jon Saklofske recognizes that Ondaatje rescues Buddy Bolden from historical obscurity by elevating and complicating the musicians largely forgotten history with a self-conscious and largely fictional synthesis of memory and imagination. The liberties Ondaatje takes in Coming Through Slaughter with his subject to achieve this re-presentation and the ownership of the portrait that results, exposes this type of authorial activity as a problematic appropriation. As a collector, Ondaatje becomes the owner and an essential part of this transformed and personalized image of Bolden. Further, Saklofske rightly argues that Ondaatje preserves Boldens presence, actively confronts historical exclusivity, and interrupts his own authority over his subject. Although his interaction with actual historical figures decreases with successive novels, Ondaatjes personal encounter with the impersonal machine of history continues, asserting itself repeatedly as a successful strategy against destructiveness or authoritative exclusion. Ondaatje tells of Buddy Boldens descent into his own hell, unwittingly or self-created, we do not know, but, in the process generating a level of art and beauty unsurpassed in the postmodern era. It is a story of despair, madness, loneliness, of the viciousness of life affecting high art, of art struggling to transcend lifes miseries, not always successfully, but ultimately a tale of aching lyricism. Ondaatjes language is innovative and appropriate and his strong theme is rich with universal implications. Ondaatje uses technique of Repetition with regards to the title. Twice in the book, Ondaatje includes references to a town north of Baton Rouge called Slaughter, through which Buddy passes twice. The most concrete theme is the idea of the setting as slaughter. The acceptance of promiscuity is a major cause of conflict and downfall. Ondaatje includes a description of the mattress whores who have been kicked out of Storyville for showing evidence of having sexually transmitted disease s. They are literally rotten. Promiscuity also seems to rot Bolden. By the time he has had his gratuitous fun in Storyville, married Nora, abandoned Nora, and had an affair with another woman, Bolden has lost his passion for jazz and is obsessed with sex. I desire every woman I remember (99), he says while he is isolated outside New Orleans. Ondaatje thus explores the connection between creative talent and self-destruction. He however does not try to answer any questions for his readers. He gives the facts, filling in where needed, and lets the reader decide what to think. After Boldens return to New Orleans, he is driven into deeper madness than before until he eventually experiences a climactic breaking point during a parade. Some say it was the result of trying to play the devils music and hymns at the same time. Others say it was from too many general excesses. Whatever the cause, Ondaatje makes it clear that, for Bolden living in New Orleans in the early 20th century, the road to anonymity was much more difficult than the road to fame. To sum up, Ondaatje attempts to retrieve the story of Buddy Bolden which lies hidden beneath layers of time. He draws as much from history, as from memory, re-mixing facts with fiction, reality with imagination, even reinventing the self of Bolden by mixing him with what he terms in the postscript as personal pieces of friends and fathers. In the novel thus, Ondaatje grapples with the intertwined notions of history, memory and identity portraying how memory affects history, to preserve, as also to distort. Identity as such has to be retrieved, reinvented and restructured from the obscure and impersonal discourse of history. The novel however leaves that task to the readers. Works Consulted: Deshaye, Joel. Parading the Underworld of New Orleans in Ondaatjes Coming Through Slaughter American Review of Canadian Studies. ( December 22, 2008). Emmerson, Shannon.Negotiaing the Boundaries of Gender: Construction and Representation of Women in the Work of Michael Ondaatje. A Thesis in The Depanment of English Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at Concordia University. Canada ,November 1997. Ondaatje, Michael. Coming Through Slaughter. London: Bloomsbury,2004. Saklofske, Jon. The Motif of the Collector and Implications of Historical Appropriation in Ondaatjes Novels. Comparative Cultural Studies and Michael Ondaatjes Writing. West Lefayette :Purdue Univesity Press,2005: 73-82. Vander,Kristin Coming Through Slaughter: The Destruction of a Man, Catapult. Vol.2, Num.4:2003 Wong, Cynthia F. Michael Ondaatje. Asian American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Source Book. Ed. Emannuel S. Nelson. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. Zepetnek,Steven Tà ¶tà ¶sy de. Comparative Cultural Studies and Michael Ondaatjes Writing. West Lefayette:Purdue Univesity Press, 2005.