Awakening Essays (766 words) - The Awakening, Edna, Kate Chopin

Awakening When faced with the question of "which novel did I have the greatest reaction to this semester?", the first story that came to mind was The Awakening. Although written from the perspective of a woman, I found that this story rendered my greatest emotional appeal. It is a story of a woman, Edna Pontellier, who transforms herself from an obedient housewife to a person who is alive with strength of character and emotions that she no longer has to suppress. The metamorphosis is shaped by her surroundings. It is the narrow minded view of society in Victorian times that makes this story possible. Just as her behavior is more shocking and horrifying because of her position in society, it is that very position which causes her to feel restrained and makes her want to rebel against convention. Is Edna truly "awakened" at the end of the story? A typical Victorian woman maintained her sphere which deemed "women's personal lives center around home, husband, and children."(Bonner, 26) Women were supposed to accept this position in the home happily and be satisfied. It never satisfied Edna, who always seemed out of place when with other woman. She was a wife and mother, but not a typical Victorian wife and mother. With regards to her children,"Their absence was sort of relief...It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she blindly assumed and for which fate had not fitted her"(Chopin,18).Even early on, she reveals ideas uncommon to Victorian society. She tries to maintain her roles, but it is very difficult to her. The person who Edna truly admires the most is Mademoiselle Reiz, who is a brilliant artist and pianist. Mademoiselle Reiz is widely misunderstood because she is an eccentric, bold and does not conform to the traditional role of a woman in Victorian society. It her music that touches Edna. Edna claimed that something inside her stirred and she felt alive like she had never felt before(Chopin). It is at this moment that I believe that Edna began to "awake" and see the beauty of life. It is this awakening inside Edna that made me connect with this story. I have had similar experiences with art that made me too feel just as edna had felt. This was in great contrast to her boring marriage to Leonce. I could not blame Edna for striving towards that feeling of being alive. Edna's marriage to Leonce is safe, but there is no passion or excitement. " She grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its desolution"(Chopin,18).While this lack of emotion is enough to satisfy Edna for the majority of the marriage, after she allows her true self to come forward, she feels trapped and seeks to escape. As the story progresses, Edna focuses on her desires rather than what her husband wants. Edna disregards her husbands appeals to conform and continues to do what she wants. These desires eventually lead her to commit adultery, which in Victorian times, would be disastrous for a woman. One must admire Edna's courage even if they do not agree with her decision to commit adultery. It is this aspect of adultery and disregards for the norms of Victorian society that led Chopin to receive rejection when the book was first published(Bonner, Introduction). Sadly, what Victorians saw as a rejection of convention on behalf of Edna can almost be seen as convention today. This is what makes the setting and time that The Awakening takes place in so important to the story. So was Edna truly "awakened" in the story? As the novel continues, Edna continues to feel trapped in the restricted environment and ultimately commits suicide to leave the world that will not let her leave her traditional role. Edna tried to maintain her role as long as she could, but it became too much for her , and she needed to do the best thing. In her mind, that meant killing herself in the water which had no boundaries and restrictions. In a sense, one could argue that she was not truly free because she ended up killing herself. On the other hand, she had been "awakened" to the beauty and joy of life. In Victorian times however, I don't think that Edna would have been happy living another day restricted by the outrageous norms of society at that time. I feel ,although harsh, that she ultimately found happiness in death. The Awakening is truly a powerful

Business Strategies For A Media Company

Business Strategies For A Media Company Business strategies and opportunities in the global T.V. industry for Aston Media Ltd S.U. Business Consultants.Report author: Sapheer Ullah(Bsc hons.) Date of submission: Table of contents: Summary Introduction Summary The objective of this report is to select a generic strategy most suited to Aston Media. In order to develop such a strategy we need to develop a concise analysis of the company in question and the environment it operates in. It is questioned whether the next step for the company in question is to diversify and enter into new markets.Findings are divided under the headings: The generic strategy chosen as most appropriate for Aston Media is outlined, followed by the appropriate justification of the choice. A generic strategy is also identified should Aston Media decide to enter the niche market. The three general generic strategies that will be considered are cost leadership, differentiation and focus/niche.Introduction Since its inception, television broadcasting has been a class example of a "‹ÂÅ"public good' with a distinctive financial sector and special regulatory arrangements.English: Porter Generic StrategiesFor many years the industry was characterised by stable nationally-bound spheres of activity that were clearly circumscribed by regulation, markets that tended towards the oligopolistic, processes that were rooted in well-established technologies, strong organisational cultures derived from the confluence of a variety of professional, national and individual influences, and audiences who clearly understood their role in the broadcasting process.However starting in the late 80's a series of tremors, including market liberalisation, the introduction of new transmission technologies, and changing social attitudes, triggered the beginnings of an industry restructuring.As in practically every other industry, demographic changes, new technology, evolving financial structures and globalisation are creating chaos and forging new trends in the entertainment and media business. HDTV, DSB, cellular cable TV, fiber optics, cable modems, DVD""there will...

Can We Prove the Existence of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Can We Prove the Existence of God - Essay Example Someone properly planned our bodies and then did his best in order to realize this plan. This someone is God. I am Christian and believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior. However, it is not the only reason why I am sure that everything on the Planet is created by God. I am not the only person who has this point of view. There are also numerous arguments that will prove the existence of God. For instance, cosmos is a magnificent result of someone’s thorough work. It is not just a theory; this point of view was proved by one of the medieval philosophers – Saint Thomas Aquinas. This philosopher gave birth to cosmological arguments that prove the existence of God. It turns out that people only need to look deeper at the world around them, especially at cosmos. This will help them to see themselves the arguments that prove the existence of God. Aquinas managed to prove that reason and faith are closely connected with each other. Thus, he suggested several arguments to prove that everything was created by God. All of them are based on one major idea. It is the one form contingency. Saint Thomas Aquinas applied this argument to demonstrate that everything in the world is dependent upon something. Nothing can exist separately. The world looks like some properly planned interdependent system of various elements that need each other. Moreover, the universe that is the major field of all those elements lacks some ultimate reality for its existence. This reality can be only God. There are three different variants of the above-mentioned argument (causality, motion, contingency), but the meaning is the same – the structure of the universe proves the existence of God. Another medieval thinker – Saint Anselm – suggested the ontological argument for God’s existence. It also proves the existence of God. The major thought given by the thinker concerning the above-mentioned argument is that in general the existence is not â€Å"necessary† but â€Å"contingent†. According to Saint Anselm’s point of view the whole universe is â€Å"contingent†; it is not necessary to exist. The only one who is necessary is God. Although, this point of view is highly debatable; it still is a good way to prove that God is an essential part of human life. He exists, He created people and He is necessary for normal life. From my perspective, this explanation included by Chaffee in his book is one of the best ways to explain that God exists (Chaffee, 335). There are three more arguments proving that God exists. They are the following ones: 1) the argument from design, 2) the first cause argument and 3) the moral argument. The first one is frequently called â€Å"the teleological argument†. The major point of this argument is based on the thought that universe is ordered. Everything in the universe is done so that the earth has life. If at least something was changed, there would be no life in the whole world. So, God kept in mind a proper order for the universe when he was creating people, planets and all other things that are around us. The first cause argument is closely connected with the existence of the universe. The latter began to exist much time ago. However, nothing can appear from nothing. Someone created the universe. Moreover, nobody except God is able to do that. Only He can create such huge and serious things as the universe as he has neither end nor beginning and it is not difficult for him

Efficient Market Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Efficient Market Hypothesis - Essay Example The efficient market theory assumes that there are no transaction costs, money market is not segmented and it is easy to enter the money markets. Efficient market hypothesis is explained in three ways. First, there is weak form efficiency. Weak form efficiency stipulates that all past information that is available in public domain is a reflection of stock prices. The prices are considered unbiased and best estimation of security value. It presumes that it is impossible to predict future prices using past information through technical analysis (Pompian, 2006). Therefore, an investor cannot use technical analysis to predict future prices that are likely to give excess profits (returns). Secondly, there is Semi-strong form efficiency. This form of efficiency stipulates that all publicly available information reflects prices of stock. It further states that prices adjust instantly as new information is made available. Fundamental analysis cannot be relied upon to generate excess returns to the investor. Thirdly, there is strong form efficiency. According to this form of efficiency, prices are reflected by both private (insider) and public information. This means that all investors irrespective of whether they have insider information or not, make equal profits on their investments. It further assumes that insider trading laws are usually enforced. This means that uninformed investors who purchase a diversified portfolio are likely to make same profits as those made by industry experts. Efficient market hypothesis is associated with ‘random walk’. Therefore, if information flow is not hampered and travels immediately in any investment especially stock pricing, the current price reflects current news (Boatright, 2010). Therefore, current prices depend on current news and not yesterday’s news. However, news is usually unpredictable and thus price changes of investments are also likely to be unpredictable and random. According to the efficient marke t hypothesis, news spread quickly and new information is quickly incorporated into the prices of investment in stocks without delay. This shows that there is no need for technical analysis from past price movements to predict movement of prices. Lee (2009) explained that efficient market hypothesis presumes that large number of profit maximizing investors exists. It also provides that new information must enter the market randomly and independently over time. Efficient market hypothesis has been challenged by economists who believe that there are psychological and behavioral factors that predict returns on investment. According to Malkiel (2003), the new breed of financial economists believes that prices are wholly or partially predictable based on behavioral patterns of individual investors and fundamental valuation metrics. They also argued that predictability of future stock prices enable investors to earn excess profits on their investments. A number of economists, statisticians and other experts have stated that Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) is to blame for the global financial crisis that occurred in 2007-2010. This is because of a number of reasons advanced by number of people. First, according to Jeremy Grantham, people had a lot of faith in efficient market hypothesis. This made them to throw caution in the air and underestimate the risk of assets bubbles because they believed that asset market was able to adjust itself accordingly (Nocera, 2009). The investors,

Final work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Final work - Assignment Example Underwriting of the common stock will provide a clear insurance issued by the underwriter to Khan Unlimited that the common stock offered to the public and shareholders will be subscribed in a full amount. Underwriting is also a perfect option since it ensures that Khan Unlimited in case the common stock offered by the company are not subscribed by public to the degree, the share balance will be taken by the company. Additionally, the alternative is perfect since, the underwriter will have a lower net worth and the total obligation of the writer will not exceed 20 times the net worth of the underwriter. Consequently, the company chose the option since the alternative will undertake in guaranteeing the whole or section of the issued common stock as the public will not take the common stock. Therefore, the company will be relieved from the pressure of security marketing and market uncertainty. The underwriting option will help Khan Unlimited to fulfill the statutory guidelines of reduc ed subscription. The underwriting alternative guarantees the capital adequacy and helps the organization to raise capital. Subsequently, most investors believe in issuing securities when guaranteed by established underwriters. The underwriting will assure that there is quick sale of common stocks in the market. The underwriter will stimulate the industrial development and subsequently create opportunities in the nation. This option relieves the organization the uncertainty and risk of marketing the common stock. The underwriters have a specialized knowledge in the market. The underwriters offer valuable advice to Khan Unlimited when preparing the prospectus, floatation time, and security prices. The experts also offer publicity services to the organization which they are in agreement with. This option also assists in financing the new enterprise and expanding the existing projects. Khan Unlimited used this alternative in building the confidence of investors when

I Have A Dream Speech

I Have A Dream Speech Martin Luther King astounded America with his historic I have a dream speech. His demand for racial justice and a unified society became mantra for the black community and is as known to successive American generations as the US Declaration of Independence. In his speech, King stresses upon equality and presents his dream of an ideal non-racist community. The speech is divided into two halves. The first half shows the picture of seeing American nightmare of racial injustice rather than an idealized American dream. It then makes a demand for action and set some goals to achieve. The second half of the speech describes the dream of a better future racial integrity and equilibrium. King has a very sophisticated voice in the speech. He makes his speech effective by using several large and descriptive words rather than short and direct words. All around the speech, King uses various metaphors such as America has given the Negro a bad check. The speech is directed towards Kings fellow Americans. All over the speech, King make use of the words, our and we when he refers to others. This shows that he is not speaking specifically to the white or black Americans, but to the country as a whole. This is supported by, must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ their destiny is tied to ours, and in the line we cannot talk alone. To increase the rhetorical effect in his speech, King uses a rhetorical device, anaphora in which words are repeated at the beginning of neighboring clauses. A pattern is set by repeating the words twice, and further repetitions signify the sequence and increase rhetorical effect. For instance, I have a dream is repeated in eight successive sentences. Moreover, King has made the clever use of repetition of key theme words throughout the body of his speech. For example king has used key words like freedom, we, our, nation, America justice and dream, to highlight important themes he has tried to discuss in his speech. In addition to above, King has made extensive use of allusions in order to make his speech more credible. He starts his speech with five score years ago à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which refers to Abraham Lincolns famous speech which began similarly, Four score and seven years ago à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This allusion is particularly emotional given that King was speaking at the front of Lincolns Memorial. His fourth paragraph, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is a reference to US Declaration of Independence. To provide moral basis of his arguments, King uses numerous Biblical allusions. The allusion in the second paragraph, It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity, refers to Pslams, For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. [30:5] Further in the eighth paragraph, the allusion Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of hatred a nd bitterness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ alludes Jermiah for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. [2:13] King provides numerous geographic references like Mississippi, Georgia, Albama, California, etc. throughout his speech. Mississippi is mentioned on four different occasions; King has a logic and purpose behind this. He wants to evoke some of the strongest emotions and images for his audience relating to various incidents that would have taken place at the above mentioned places. Additionally, King uses generic geographic references like, slums and ghettos of our northern cities, the south, from every mountainside, and from every village and every hamlet, thus making his message more inclusive. To associate his speech concepts with concrete images and emotions, King has used Metaphors. For example, to contrast separation with racial justice, King uses the contrasting metaphors of dark and desolate valley (of separation) and sunlit path (of racial justice). He used metaphors in paragraph two, joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity, at paragraph three, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity, at paragraph six, rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice, at paragraph seven, This sweltering summer of the Negros legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality, and at paragraph nineteen, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. Despite all the rhetorical devices King has used, what makes his speech strong is his focus on the problems he confronted. For instance, at the start of second of the speech, in answer to the question from his cynics, When will you be satisfied? King launches a rhetorical pattern, We can never be satisfied until followed by list of injustices that King wished to see abolished, including, barbarism, separation, and neglect of voter rights. He left no stone unturned in listing critical problems that African-American faced. Secondly, the power of his speech lies in the captivating vision of justice, equality, and brotherhood, that King cast in his speech. Here the rhetorical waves start with the popular, I have a dream, followed by gripping articulations of Kings vision of racial impartiality and justice: I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed Thirdly, the strength of Kings words lie in the non-violent methods he purposed. Although King and his followers faced serious injustice, and there was a great difference between reality and vision King advocated, he remained unshaken in his commitment to non-violence. For example, in the seventh paragraph, King said, We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.   Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.   Carefully choosing the language and structure of his speech, King left little room for weaknesses. Although King focused his speech primarily for the rights of black Americans, the message is all logical. He talks about nothing controversial in his speech neither does he degrade white Americans. He speaks for the best interests of everyone. This is why his speech is still considered so important by the Americans. Part of an extensive black movement, King challenged the white Americans to extend their claims of genuine freedom to his people. Moreover, King used all his means to inspire black Americans to believe in genuine freedom for themselves. The primary message from the speech was equality. America now bears the slogan of the message he gave decades back and black Americans are better than ever in the American society. (Word Count approx. 1200)

Essay --

Pendidikan yang sedia ada ini juga tidak hanya terhad kepada pembelajaran kurikulum di sekolah sahaja. Ia juga merupakan sebahagian daripada konsep pembelajaran sepanjang hayat atau lifelong learning bukanlah merupakan suatu konsep yang baru sama ada di dalam sistem pendidikan negara malah di peringkat antarabangsa juga. Konsep pembelajaran sepanjang hayat ini sangat luas pengertiannya kerana ia bukan sahaja terhad kepada para pelajar yang sedang menuntut di sekolah, malah ia juga melibatkan kanak-kanak kecil sehinggalah kepada mereka yang sudah tua. Secara tidak langsung, konsep ini merujuk kepada pendemokrasian pendidikan yang merangkumi program meningkatkan pengetahuan, kemahiran dan kompetensi sama ada ia dilakukan secara formal ataupun secara tidak formal berdasarkan pengalaman dan latihan yang telah dibekalkan oleh pihak pengurusan sekolah kepada para pelajarnya. Setiap individu haruslah menanam sifat suka dalam mereka agar rajin dalam meneroka ilmu pengetahuan secara berterusan tanpa mengira masa, tempat dan keadaan. Sidang dewan yang berwawasan, wacana saya yang seterusnya masih berkisar dengan kecemerlangan dalam pendidikan. Kita tahu betapa pentingnya penyediaan pendidikan bertaraf dunia kerana jika sistem pendidikan kita setaraf dengan dengan insitusi-institusi pendidikan di negara-negara maju di seluruh ini, penghasilan modal insan dan peratus kecemerlangan pelajar di seluruh negara dapat ditingkatkan. Oleh itu, sektor industri pendidikan negara hendaklah melakukan perubahan dan pembaharuan secara dinamis. Matlamat untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebagai salah satu pusat kecemerlangan pendidikan (centre of academics excellence) di Rantau Asia dan juga di peringkat anatarabangsa pada abad 21 ini nanti akan memerlukan negar... ...unyai muhasabah diri, mereka mampu mencipta nama dan berjaya di peringkat global. Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian, Sedarkah anda bahawa percubaan dan uji kaji ribuan kali telah dilakukan oleh Thomas Adison untuk mencipta lampu yang dapat kita nikmati faedahnya sehingga ke hari ini? Tahukah anda bahawa Colonel Sandera telah bersusah payah siang dan malam untuk mencipta resepi rahsia KFC nya sehingga semua kita yang pada hari ini menjamahnya sehingga menjilat jari? Sikap sebeginilah yang wajar diambilkan sebagai contoh dan panduan sekiranya kita ingin betul-betul cemerlang dalam akademik bahkan kehidupan kita seharian. Antara rahsia kejayaan orang-orang yang hebat ini ialah kepatuhan kepada disiplin. Lihatlah wahai dunia bahawa orang-orang yang berdisiplin ini yang akan menggoncang dunia! Bak kata pepatah, â€Å"siapa yang menuai, dia akan dapat hasilnya†.