The New Subjects in Romantisism

During the Romantic Period there seemed to be revolution in the air. The American Revolution and the French Revolution of 1789 had a great impact on literature of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This impact can be seen throughout Romantic literature but especially in the area of new subjects. Before the 19th century authors tended to write about the aristocratic class. There was nothing written for or about the common people. There are three areas in which the discussion will focus upon in the area of new subjects. The first area will focus on the children, the second will be women, and the third will be the new attitude towards God. The Romantic period strongly emphasized the lives of children. Authors writing at that time did not just look at children playing outside but within real life situations. Writing started to be explored in the language of the common man. The topics presented by most of these writers appealed to the general public. Today, the area of children within literary works does not seem revolutionary. At this time, however, there were no writings that reflected the everyday lives of children. The first important poem in the Romantic period with regards to children is by William Blake, â€Å"The Chimney Sweep.† This poem focuses upon the tremendous abuse of children during this time. This poem portrays visions of death throughout â€Å"were all of them lock'd up in coffins of black†(Norton 31). This quote catches the reader's attention with a vision of death. These children talked of death very candidly because they died young. The sweeper almost inevitably would have died before he even knew how to live life. They worked in horrible labor conditions with no sign of relief because there were no labor laws. These children mainly died from consumption of the fumes within the shaft or by an accident. â€Å"We are Seven† by William Wordsworth refers frequently to children. This poem is told from the perspective of a seven-year-old girl. A young girl as the center of the poem would have been unheard of in earlier periods. The little girl has a brother and a sister who have died. The girl shows the reader the presence of another reality. The audience could not have understood this new reality we before the entrance of a child's perspective. The child has seven people in the family but two are dead. The little girl's reality is different than the readers. She believes her family members are with her even though they are really dead. These two poems impacted the populace to be aware of the exploitation of children and their understandings of the world. Frankenstein also addresses the concept of children in literature. Mary Shelly does it on several occasions. The first reference to children in the book is when Victor's brother is killed. Only in the Romantic Period do readers see the concept of death of children. Also on another occasion within the novel the talk centers on children migrating because of war. In earlier novels the role of children was not predominant. Another area in which the Romantic writings were opened were the writings on and by women. The most influential work would be Mary Wolstonecraft's work The Vindication of The Rights of Woman. There are many points that are brought to light within this work. Wolstonecraft calls for the education of all people, including women. She does not want to educate women for the amusement of men, but for intellectual stimuli. She tires to argue for women's education in a subtle way. She argues for the education of women to be for the betterment of the populace. Wolstonecraft tries to make the point that the education of women would be in a good light. She argues that the education of women would create stability within the home. Husbands and wives will be able to hold a substantive conversation; they will â€Å"become the friend, and not the humble dependant of her husband†(Norton 113). Wollstonecraft was able to write in this way because she herself was educated. Her relationship with her husband was one of a mutual affection not a necessity, and he was not threatened by this. Women threatened other contemporary males during this time. As seen here from a journal called Gentleman's Magazine in April 1799: In the general confusion of ideas, religious, moral, and political, we are not surprised to find claims set up for the female sex, unsupported we must say by prescription, but we are justified in saying by reason. Mrs. R. avows herself of the school of Wollstonecroft; and that is enough for all who have any regard to decency, order, or prudence, to avoid her company. She has traveled for her improvement; and what are the blessed fruits of her travels? Let the motley list of heroines subjoined to this letter, and the anecdotes of female characters, of all descriptions, interspersed in it, speak for themselves. (Randall 1) This is an illustration of how men felt at this time. This also shows that not everyone was inclined to recognize the new subjects. (The Mrs. R refers to Mary Robinson a contemporary of Wolstonecraft) One of the most intriguing works we read was â€Å"The Lady of Shalott.† This poem was in long form but it captured life in a different light. The poem depicts women looking at life only through a mirror. She watches her whole existence through the mirror, until she finally needs to see with her own eyes what has happened. The meaning of this poem can be interpreted in many ways. One way is that woman are watching the world pass them by without trying to taking part in everyday actions. Another area in which women were making their mark was writing the literature. Mary Wollstonecraft started the chain of events. She was one of the first women noticed for her writings. Her daughter Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley made great strides as a writer also at this time. These authors also made women more human. Women, not only did they cook and clean but also they even did other things. The third area to look at when addressing new subjects is God. There were many writings on the role of God before this period. The Bible being the best example tells of God the friend and God the punisher. William Blake illustrates poetry best in relation to God. The two poems that gave us the best look at, the two different versions of, God are â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger.† In these two poems Blake takes two very different views. The lamb is the traditional symbol for the flock of God. He challenges the idea of Christ the lamb with the repetitive nature. He repeatedly asks the question â€Å"who made thee?† referring to who created a creature like the lamb (Norton 29). In the â€Å"Tyger† the same question of â€Å"who made thee?† comes up (Norton 37). This vicious animal and hunter is he too one of Gods creatures. This asks the question â€Å"What king of immortal hand or eye/ could frame thy fearful symmetry?† The questioning of what kind of god made you, the lamb and tyger. Then the next question asked is â€Å"Did he who made the lamb make thee?† seemingly the answer being yes it is the same god. Blake seems to question God several times within his poetry. The next one that sticks out particularly is â€Å"The Divine Image† where he continues to question what God really is. â€Å"To mercy, Pity, Peace and Love† sets the tone for the rest of the poem. He tells of how we are all God's children so we better be good to one another. He stresses the idea of equality here. There are also two stories that come to mind when discussing God as a new subject. The first is the â€Å"Rime of the Ancient Mariner† by Samuel Colleridge. In this short story we see a man on a journey. His journey starts not at the beginning of the trip to the South Pole, but it begins when he kills a bird. He shoots it with a crossbow. The symbolism behind the crossbow may mean he killed Jesus. Then when He goes through all the pains and anguish, he is forgiven for killing one of God's creatures. The next story that comes to expresses God in the area of new subjects is Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. This novel shows God in a very different light. Victor is shown as a God because he has created a creature outside of his own blood. Victor is faced with a choice whether or not to destroy or create a new creature. The Frankenstein book looked at the idea of God in a new fashion. Shelly tries to show us that our obsessions draw great light upon us. Mary Shelley shows how our obsessions draw light upon us in two ways. If we are obsessed with doing something when it happens we are let down. The second way that obsession affects us is that if we do not do something it may kill us. There were many new subjects that were addressed by Romantic poets and authors alike in regards to new subjects. The subject area of children is still being explored today. Once the subject area of children was opened the writing world has not been the same. In the area of women Vindication came when that work was published. It did not free women but gave them rights that they had not ever had before. In the area of God there was a great deal of questioning taking place. The entrance of Darwin and its legitimization raised questions pertaining to god. These new subjects were vital to the Romantic period and every piece of writing afterward.

Huxley, Plato Comparison on Education Essay

In Plato’s Republic, Plato believed the state was responsible for the education of its citizens for the purpose of their individual enlightenment. Huxley, in his work Brave New World takes this part of Plato’s utopian society and perverts it in order to indoctrinate the citizens of his state. I will attempt to argue that Huxley uses education by the state to indoctrinate its citizens and ultimately undermine Plato’s theory on education by the state for individual enlightenment. The ways in which Huxley uses education to indoctrinate the individual are diverse. Music or rather hypnopaedic sound was used to indoctrinate the citizens while they slept (Kindle, Huxley, loc 385). Eugenics but more precisely the Bokanovsky Process is used along side with Podsnap’s Technique to create the individual. These processes combined allowed the state to alter embryos and make people into whatever the state desired (Kindle, Huxley, loc 84). The use of music to educate the youth was something Plato originally stated in his utopian society. He stresses that when people are young they are more susceptible to influence (Kindle, Plato, loc 8578). Huxley’s state does this as well and plays hypnopaedic sound (music) while the young are sleeping over and over again to indoctrinate them, and slowly alter their thoughts or make them remember certain things. The uses of hypnopaedic sound vary by tones and tongue but are ultimately used to create â€Å"social stability† which is another way of saying â€Å"control of the populace†. Hypnopaedic sound is used to make the citizens never try to fix anything or use old things, but buy new ones instead. One of the sounds for this type of indoctrination is â€Å"ending is better than mending, ending is better than mending† (Kindle, Huxley, loc 1328). This process of convincing people they need to buy things is a way of gaining contentment and satisfaction as well as benefitting the state by creating a consumer society. The saying or sound â€Å"every one belongs to every one else† is also used to create a society where everyone has sex with each other and there are no relationships. The sex is not for procreation but for entertainment seeing as the state creates the individual and regulates childbirth. Plato also favored this sharing in his Utopia but only for his guardian class of citizens. Huxley applied this to his whole society but the sharing is only in-between classes never outside of classes. Another sound to further indoctrinate is â€Å"Every one works for every one else. We can’t do without any one. Even epsilons are useful. We couldn’t do without Epsilons. Every one works for every one else. We cant do without any one†(Kindle, Huxley loc 951). This is a type of farce, seeing as not all the citizens of Huxley’s world perform the same tasks or duties. Hypnopaedic sound is also used to convince people to take soma (Kindle, Huxley loc 2699). â€Å"A gramme in time saves nine† and â€Å"One cubic centimeter cures ten gloomy sentiments† are some of the hypnopaedic sounds used (Kindle, Huxley loc 1140). The drug soma was developed when the government of Huxley’s society took over the pharmaceutical industry. Soma has no side effects except providing an escape for people away from their problems, anxieties or feelings (Kindle, Huxley, loc 1328). This is really another means of control and also perversion by Huxley, which is compounded by hypnopaedic sound. The sound â€Å"everybody’s happy now† is used to make people believe they are happy and if you believe you are happy, you are happy (Kindle, Huxley, loc 968). This form of perverted education by Huxley is how the state indoctrinates the individual but this is just a part of it. Huxley’s world state employs the method of the Bokanovsky’s Process to create or rather grow its citizens some thousands at a time (Kindle, Huxley, loc 84). This process combined with the Podsnap’s Technique allows the state to mold and create the individual into whatever the state dictates by using eugenics. Plato favored a process of eugenics also as a means to breed out imperfection. Huxley took this process to creation itself instead of modification through generations (Kindle, Plato, 1252). This is Huxley’s way of specialization, which Plato also talks about in his utopian educational system as a necessary way for the state to function (Kindle, Plato loc 4953). Huxley perverts this and takes it a step further and does not give the individual a choice in what their life may be. Citizens are grown in tubes and altered by means of chemicals, additives, and even gravitational forces (Kindle, Huxley, loc 170). By these alterations people cannot think or do outside of what their task or assigned job is by the states indoctrination. The citizen can only do what it is made to do by this process and cannot question it’s purpose. In Huxley’s world state everyone regardless of their class is completely content being what they are and nothing else. This is again because they cannot think outside of what they have been made and told to be by hypnopaedic sound and state modification. (Kindle, Huxley, loc 959). Huxley’s education by means of hypnopaedic sound and eugenics indoctrinates the citizens of his world state. This indoctrination keeps the people from questioning authority and the status quo and ultimately makes them slaves to Huxley’s world state. Huxley does a fine job in Brave New World of showing what can be possible after a great tragedy occurs and the people need someone to save them. This tragedy would then lead to drastic changes in the way people live and ultimately lead to a whole brave new world. Huxley’s Brave New World does not seem possible in the actual world. Brave New World is more of a cautionary tale of what if and the totalitarian state. The real world is to globalized now and states are interdependent upon one another but hey what if?

American Corporations that has outsourced jobs Essay

American Corporations that has outsourced jobs - Essay Example "Global access to vendors, falling interaction costs, and improved information technologies and communications links are giving manufacturers unprecedented choice in structuring their businesses. Through outsourcing, companies can now dump operational headaches and bottlenecks downstream, often capture immediate cost savings, and avoid labor conflicts and management deficiencies" (Doig, Ritter, Speckhals, & Woolson 2001). However, outsourcing has its drawbacks as well. When companies choose to farm out high capital manufacturing assets to overseas or other outside entities, they may also unknowingly be giving away those skills that have helped them to stand out in the marketplace. For instance, consider the company Gibson Greetings, which is the oldest greeting card maker in the United States. The company began to face hard times in the 1990s as it started to run out of cash. At that point in time, the company's management team chose to outsource its manufacturing. It was not very long before the company started to run into supplier-management problems. These problems caused the company to lose its place at large retailers. "In the meantime, its competitors had been investing in more efficient printing and production technologies. Ultimately, one of those competitors acquired Gibson. The final nail in the coffin was that Gibson got out of the manufacturing business and started outsourcing." Gibson Greetings is a NASDAQ publicly traded company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company has 4,600 employees and enjoys annual sales of $546.2 million. Gibson was incorporated in 1895 and, at that point in time, was known as The Gibson Art Company. It belongs to two industries: greeting cards and converted paper products. Coming in just behind Hallmark and American Greetings Corporation, Gibson is the third largest greeting card manufacturer in the United States. Gibson also makes gift wrap, gift bags, boxes of cards, calendars, party favors, and the related. Subsidiaries to the business are located in Memphis, Tennessee; Mexico; and the United Kingdom. "As Gibson readied itself for the 21st century, the company with the industry's hottest licensed properties, strategic alliances, and ethnic market leadership would have to overcome prior losses of customers and mismanagement of finances in order to reach its goal of becoming the leader in the social expression industry" ( About.com 2008 and American Greetings 2007). This is not to say that the choice to outsource always ends in this fashion, but it definitely can. If it is done properly, it can really turn a company around by lowering costs and, therefore, boosting their bottom line. However, it is necessary for each and every company that considers outsourcing critically analyze the pros and cons of doing so before taking such a big step. Simply assuming outsourcing will work for just anyone can be a fatal mistake. Memo To: Whom It May Concern From: Your Name Date: 2/15/2012 Re: Outsourcing Gibson Greetings The purpose of this essay was to identify an American company that had outsourced and to discuss that company in terms of its nature, size, and power, as well as how it presents itself to both stockholders and the

What factors can positively and negatively impact the implementation Research Paper

What factors can positively and negatively impact the implementation and use of a Business Intelligence (BI) application Define these factors, and explain how they may impact BI implementation - Research Paper Example Several global companies around the world like that of Microsoft and Oracle have recognized the need and the value of using business intelligence. The ease of use and the flexibility have made the application a very useable application both by the employee and the employer. Communication system effectiveness has made a significant contribution to the progression of human endeavor. Information is presently utilized as well as generated at a rapid rate. The growth of number of organizations and increase in specialization and also divisionalization has fashioned barriers in the process of information flow. There is also an ever increasing need for undertaking more rapid decisions at various level of responsibility far below the amount which was required in the past. Automation has turned out to be an efficient method for disseminating and retrieving information. There has been development of newer techniques which can be used to disseminate data quickly to the appropriate places and also furnish different information on demand. The techniques used for this purpose are ‘auto abstracting of documents’, ‘auto encoding of documents’, automatic creation and also updating of action-point based profiles. These statistical based procedur es can be used to present data processing machines. A comprehensive system can be prepared along with suitable communication facilities and input-output equipment. This system can accommodate all the information related problems which may be present in an organization. This multi functional system can be referred as Business Intelligence (BI) System (Luhn 1958). Business Intelligence (BI) can be stated as the process of turning a data into information and subsequently into knowledge. Business intelligence is a key enabler for the increase of performance as well as value. Knowledge aspect is typically attained about the customer decision making procedures, customer needs, general economic, and conditions in

Breast feeding is better than the bottle Research Paper

Breast feeding is better than the bottle - Research Paper Example According to Sears (2003), breast-feed can be said to be better than bottle feed. Sudden infant death syndrome is a disease that is more preventable if the baby is given a proper breast feeding because of the proper proportions of nutrients in the milk of the mother (Small, 2004). Some of the babies who are given bottle feeding at an early age in their childhood are prone to diseases. Their mind may lack proper iron that comes from breast milk. More broadly, breast milk contains chemicals that fight infections and gives the child a strong immune system. Some parents are advised to give breast feeding as it is a better way of ensuring you lose body weight (Rathus, 2013). Therefore, breast-feeding has been recommended as it is the source giving a child body prevention against diseases, infections and diseases that make attack the baby at old age. Most of the medical institutions do advice expectant to ensure they exercise breastfeeding for their children. For the first few months after giving birth, they need to give breast feeding as it is very essential. According to Douglas (2006), the breast-feed milk contains all the necessary food for the baby. After like a year, then parents can give the child bottle feeding but is not as healthy as the breast milk. Therefore, it is clear that breast milk is the best feeding for a baby as it contains all the necessary nutrients, and it is not

Corporate Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate Communication - Essay Example As these different workers would try to impose their own attitudes and culture on the organisation as well as fellow employees, it could lead a different, uncommon and complex organisational culture, negatively impacting the organisation’s performance. Thus, for organisation to succeed, all its employees have to work in unison without any differences and for that a common, clear and workable organisational culture need to be implemented in the organisation. To implement a common organisational culture, organisations can even go for a organisational change. That is, as it will be difficult to force common organisational only in some segments of the organisation, it would be better, if the organisation goes for organizational change. When the organization does not perform up to expected levels due to culture issues and in other cases wanted to expand or diversify its operations, the management method has to be changed. This is where the concept of organizational change comes into the picture. That is, organizational change constitutes the structured changing or transitioning of employees, departments and the organizations as a whole from a current state to a favourable or desired future state. So, here the main need or necessity for an organisation to change is to implement a common organisational culture, thereby maximize the collective advantages or benefits for all the employees, managers and leaders working for the organization, and thereby maximize the profit and standing of the organization. So, this paper as part of literature review will discuss how implementing a common organisational culture will lead to organizational change and how leaders and managers had to be aware and importantly control these ch anges by case studying Starbucks. When an organization initiates the process of change management, the first main role the leader should perform is build an academically, technically strong and experienced workforce as part of the

Unites States Department of Health and Human Services Essay

Unites States Department of Health and Human Services - Essay Example HHS has taken several enforcement actions (as demonstrated by 4 examples). There are many U.S. Court rulings of interest regarding HHS (as demonstrated by 6 examples). The Cabinet is the highest executive branch of the federal government of the United States of America. It consists of officers (each designated as ‘Secretary’ except the Attorney General) whose nomination is first made by the President and later confirmed by the Senate. Each Secretary is the head of a Department (Wikipedia, 2007). Prior to 1979, there existed the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW). In operation since 1953, its affairs were managed by the United States Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare. The last Secretary of this Department was Patricia Roberts Harris (1979). In the years leading up to 1979 there was an increasingly uneasy feeling that the HEW was over-burdened as health, education and welfare assumed greater importance as the American population grew. With its finger on the pulse of the American people, the ruling Democrats took the revolutionary step of reorganizing the HEW. On October 17, 1979, the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, signed as ordinance the Department of Education Organization Act (PL 96-98). Marking the one and only time in U.S. history that a President used his inherent authority to reorganize a Cabinet-level Department, this Act officially separated the HEW into two Departments – the United States Department of Health & Human S ervices (HHS), and the United States Department of Education (ED). Both HHS and ED started operating officially on May 4, 1980 (Wikipedia, 2007). The HHS was further strengthened on March 31, 1995, when the welfare portfolio was taken from it and entrusted to a newly created independent federal agency called Social Security Administration headed by a commissioner who reported directly to the President. The glaring defects of the much-criticized Aid

Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Exercise - Assignment Example Fillmore et als main works are comprehensible by application of examples. For instance, Fred and Andy are twin brothers and are recovering in hospital. In the case, a nurse enters the room and finds them in the same sitting position and their health conditions are the equal in terms of eye assessment. In case the nurse reports that: now Andy is able to sit well. In the same format, the nurse reports that Fred is able to sit well now. The two same reports presented by the same nurse are likely to be comprehended in differing terms by other people. The understanding depends on the relativity of the remarks with intensive regards to the background scenes. Fillmore et als mostly entailed the use of term frame with reference to an idealization that entails an articulate and coherent individuatable referent perception, experience, action, memory, and object. Fillmore is mainly entrenched on the frame semantics that is highly aiding with beginning of a brief history (Corrigan, 2009). The use of the frame semantics is normally assumed to be a hugely informal approach with regards to the symbolic meanings but also have certain approaches that relate to frame semantics (Pawlak & Bielak, 2011). The main difference between radical construction and other construction grammar approaches. Radical construction grammar refers to the theory that entails a syntactic that is highly representative that is highly compatible with relevant consequences that border on the facts of grammar. The essence of the radical Construction Grammar highly delves on the proposed or highly minimalist model that entails syntax collected from a universal perspective. Radical Construction Grammar borrows hugely from its s name. It highly indicates an assortment of construction grammar while construction grammar refers mostly to a family of theories that has syntactic

Management (principles,skills,and applications) Essay

Management (principles,skills,and applications) - Essay Example The most important consideration has to be the manager effectiveness. From this quality all the other facets in a manager depend upon. To be effective should be the main concern for any manager. So we study the management skills with this idea in mind. In a world of continuous change thanks to the technological and scientific advances there is an increasing need for new and better leaders in all of the fields of the business spectrum. There is a growing need for a higher vision in the way business is done, so management skills fill up a very prominent place in the ladder of success in any corporate environment. To achieve many of its goals any company looks for the best people with the best qualities so they can fulfill its expectancies with certain reliability. Managers should be endowed with many different skills as we will see in the following pages. Their effectiveness will be the source for the success of the business enterprise, so there are many strong demands placed on the managers' shoulders in relation to their skills. Leslie W. Rue and Lloyd L. Byars (2005) in their book "Management: Skills and Application" (PowerPoint format) deals with the most relevant principles of Management. They make the distinction of the different kinds of management into three classes: Top management, middle management and supervisory management (chapter 1, slide 6). In the slide 7, chapter 1, they state that the tasks or functions of management are planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. As the roles of management they specify three roles in slide 9, chapter 1: interpersonal roles (figurehead, relationship builder, leader), information-related roles (monitor, communicator, spokesperson), decision making roles (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource director, negotiator). All this gives us a clear picture of the scientific nature of Management. On the other hand, Gerald M. Blair considers that the manager of a small team has to play the roles of planner, provider, and protector at the same time.In chapter 1, slide 10, of the cited book by Rue and Byars (2005) the authors delimit the management skills into three categories: conceptual, human resources, and technical; and they define them in the following way: Conceptual: help managers understand how different parts of an organization relate to one another and to the business as a whole. Human resources: needed by managers to understand and work with people. Technical: specific abilities that people use to perform their jobs. Gemmy Allen, on the other hand, speaks about the same categories in the article entitled "Management Skills" referring to one book by Robert Katz: "Robert Katz identified three managerial skills that are essential to successful management: technical, human, and conceptual. Technical skill involves process or technique knowledge and proficiency. Managers use the processes, techniques and tools of a specific area. Human skill involves the ability to interact effectively with people. Managers interact and cooperate with employees. Conceptual skill involves the formulation of ideas. Managers understand abstract relationships, develop ideas, and solve problems creatively. Thus, technical skill deals with things, human skill concerns people, and conceptual skill has to do with ideas." In this way they agree in these main

A review of an article (Carr) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A review of an article (Carr) - Essay Example tiveness to companies has greatly declined causing a necessity for the top managements strategically to evaluate their position on IT investment (Carr, 2003). Numerous correspondences cited on this article closely relate IT with previous technologies in terms of their growth but most importantly, they have likened IT to infrastructural technology (Carr, 2003). There are great similarities that exist between their characteristics considering their share ability nature since they offer more value than when they are customized. IT is best suitable when partnered with other firms in order to yield the highest level of results exemplified by early technologies like Electricity and rail transportation, which is the very nature of IT (Carr, 2003). The article further argues that for a technology to be competitive it must be owned and should be able to differentiate an organization from their competitors. This is not so with IT because many companies have the ability to reproduce on the shelf similar products to serve similar purpose. Additionally the cost of IT products has drastically gone down therefore almost all organization can afford the IT investments eliminating the uniqueness that IT can offer for competitiveness. Therefore, the article concludes that for companies to be able to rely on IT as a strategic goal to competitiveness, they should consider changing their overall perspective. They should endeavor to reduce the costs invested in IT through evaluating the returns that IT investments offer. Companies should ensure that they get longer IT value and should not always rush to upgrade their IT resources without doing a need assessment because not all IT investment bring equal financial returns (Carr,

Compare and Contrast the Characteristics of a Growing and a Mature Product Market Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast the Characteristics of a Growing and a Mature Product Market Essay ‘Use extended examples to compare and contrast the characteristics of a growing and a mature product market. Regardless of the value of every product, they all progress through a product life cycle. The phase starts with the introduction of the product and gradually moves to growth, maturity and finally be replaced by new improved products or naturally decline. Each of these stages of product life cycle requires a different marketing mix and research. The life of a product is the period over which it appeals to customers. The sales performance of any product rises from nothing when the product is introduced to the market reaches a peak and then declines to nothing again. Examples of products that have had short lifespan in recent years are home computers. New models with new specifications are launched on the market rapidly to be replaced by newer models which is a similar story for mobile phones (ref: the times hundred business studies; Marketing Theory; online) Increase in the profit of the company is every businesses core goal. To reach the goal product life cycle management is vital. Some companies use strategic planning and others follow the basic rules of the different life cycle phase that are analysed later. The performance of the product has the main effect on the performance of every business from income to profit to cost recovery. Product life cycle helps business management decide which of its current products should receive more or less investment to ensure the business achieves its objectives. Let’s take an example of Apple iPhone: Introduction: Apple first introduces iPhone in Macworld San Francisco—January 9, 2007 (ref: Apple Press info; online). Growth: The apple iPhone sales for the year 2008 with 245% sales increase (ref: CNNMoney; iPhone sales grew 245% in 2008; online). Maturity: They introduced iPhone in other networks like 3G, 3Gs and Vodafone. Decline: iPhone 3G sold in cheaper price. Now they have moved from iPhone 3G to IPhone 4 and the latest iPhone 4 Siri. Apple first introduced iPhone in Macworld San Francisco—January 9, 2007. After its release iPhone made very good marketing sales in the stores. Many people lined up in front of the apple store to buy the newly released iPhone. Soon after its release apple had the sales of 6. 89 million (ref: CNNMoney; iPhone sales grew 245% in 2008; online). Apple used various promotional strategies to increase their market share. Their TV ads introduced people what their key features where and how they could be used. The first UK network to sell iPhone was O2 (ref; BBC news; O2 get iPhone contract in UK; online). After the partnership between the two business companies, O2 provided different monthly plan and tariffs for iPhone. More people where interested in buying iPhone in monthly plan and tariffs with O2. Apple also provided their customers with 1 Year free warranty for iPhone by which they managed to win trust and satisfaction from the customers. Because the iPhone was only supported by a single network 02, the company started to face decline in sale prices. They were at the maturity stage so; the iPhone brought different plan and ideas to boost up their sales again. In order to do so apple reduced price of iPhone. They made partnership with other networks like Vodafone (ref; BBC news; Vodafone enters UK iPhone market; online). Positive progress where then seen after they planned to join other networks and reduce the product price. In the time between 2009 and 2010 apple were able to sell 20, 731,000 iPhone. But they are rapidly doing there product development and now they have recently released iPhone 4s on 14th October 2011 (ref: techradar. com; apple iPhone 4S UK release date announced; online). Through the above different phases Apple has been able to establish itself a third position in the smartphone market share. This shows how different product phases can affect a company. As you can see iPhone had the popularity on the introduction and increased sales on the growing phase but it started to have fewer sales and went into maturity. At the maturity phase apple had to invest more on their product development and increase their sales and popularity. They had less income but more expenses as they had to implement development plans and strategies and increase advertisement. During the phases apple may not have been able to make profit but they gradually came up with new ideas and increased income. Summing up the product life cycle has a significant impact on the business strategy and performance including marketing and product development. It also helps the business determine when it’s reasonable to eliminate certain product, what are the consequences and also work on substituting it with new innovative product. But with the benefits there are also some limitations of product life cycle. As Products, companies and markets are different, so not all products or services go through every stage of the PLC. There have been many cases where products have gone straight from introduction to decline, usually because of bad marketing, misconceived features, lack of value to the consumer or simply a lack of need for such a product. However, even if products would go through every stage of the PLC, not all products/services spend the same length of time at each stage. This adds another level of complexity in determining which PLC stage the product is in and consequently, which strategy to apply (ref: marketing91. com; limitation PLC; online). Hence, there are both benefits and limitations of product life cycle and it has different effect on a company depending on which stage the product is and what strategy is to be implemented. The Product Life Cycle model is inefficient when dealing with Brands or Services. Brands are not products but do have a life cycle of their own, and products belonging to a certain brand will experience a very different life cycle than the brand itself. For example, Dell and Mercedes-Benz are very strong brands whose life cycle is marginally affected by the failure of any of the products, which they hold (ref: marketing91. com; limitation PLC; online).

Toyota Business Strategy In Global Environment Marketing Essay

Toyota Business Strategy In Global Environment Marketing Essay There have been two reasons of arbitrariness at work to evolve Toyota from its very humble beginning to a world renowned car maker. Firstly, the oil crisis of mid 1970s became an exogenous jolt that increased the demand for smaller and fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S. Toyota was a making these cars and the U.S buyers who would never have bought Toyota cars , were stirred to make the purchase for the first time. Many of them got pleasantly surprised by the value offered by Toyota and became long term customers as oil prices soared. The oil crisis, in a sense, proved a welcome break and a critical incident to get entrance to the main-stream of the automobile market in U.S. The Toyota Production System can be called a paradox as on one side, all activities, production flows and connections in a Toyota plant are inflexibly scripted. Yet, its operations are extremely flexible and quite responsive to consumer demands, at the same time. It is considered that the very inflexibility of the operations which makes flexibilities reality. It is because of the operations can be regarded as constant series of controlled experiments. Upon defining any specification, it is actually making a hypothesis which can then be examined in action. This scientific method way is not forced on its workforce rather ingrained in them. It inspires them to indulge in the type of tested and experiments that are generally accepted as the basis of a learning organisation. The Toyota Production System evolved from the day to day working of the company over a long period and has actually never been written down as a manual. Toyota builds up all its working operations as experiments and i ngrains the scientific method to its workforce. The first step establishes how workers do their job. The second is how they interact with each other. The third is about the construction of the production lines. Lastly, how workers can learn to improve. Every production path, link, and action planned on these steps should have built-in tests which can indicate problems straight away. And this apparently inflexible system is made so flexible and adaptive to its ever changing environment through the repeated responses to those in built tests. This made it well positioned in the mist of 1970s oil crisis. Toyota coming from the Japan where size and fuel economy were big issues then in the U. S. But after the Oil crisis, Toyota just had want the U.S consumers were looking for in a dramatically changed environment. According to Louis Pasture, Fortune favours the prepared mind, and this small piece of fortune could have proved useless had Toyota made poorer cars. But instead, U.S consumers straight away realized its quality which was a reflection of its tradition and strategy of production excellence, of reduction in costs and defects and improvement in the quality. The use of thorough standardization to achieve a strategic flexibility is an apparent paradox at the centre of Toyotas excellent quality and efficiency through making a lot more predictable quality and timing outcomes than possible otherwise. Common architecture, standardization of the processes and reusability are the concepts and tools included in this kind of principle. Taking waste out of the product development process is absolute critical. Actually, standardization of skills, processes and designs enable for the customization of specific programme, broader individual responsibility and a JIT HR strategy, more elastic capacities for product development and quite a few other benefits. The ministry of international trade and industry (MITI) encouraged Japanese firm to enter to automobile industry despite establish competitors from the West by imposing high tariffs discouraging import and prohibiting foreign ownership. Post-war conditions put Japan into a country lacking significant capital, so that Japan had to rely mostly on producing its own technology. Toyota family vehicles are preferred and popular. Toyota needs to develop new technology to enhance their diesel engines, to make less pollution which will impact the low CO2 emission in environment, and which will be socially benefit for the world. Toyota needs consistent policies, regulations and incentives to accelerate technology and acceptance of technology. Toyota overall technology is good but its electric cars have an issue of less battery time etc. In Toyota the process of decision making is mostly done by the top level management according to the facts and findings of the research departments. Toyota got very strict organisational structure in order to achieve their high goals in international market. Firstly Taiichi Ohno was the guy who basically designed their management style and gave the Toyotas most famous concept of Toyota production system or lean manufacturing system. According to Ohno work means the production of the perfect goods only, because he thinks that if a machine is not producing the perfect goods then it is not in good working condition or maybe not working. This concept tells us that Toyota is very quality conscious. But actually now Toyota is being questioned about the quality after millions of recalls and hundreds of accidents in last four months to Toyota drivers. But actually in Toyota when the decision making is done then the workers are really pushed hard by the managers to achieve the targets. And thats why currently Toyota is facing problem with Brake override system and they had to recall millions of cars, because software problem related to brake and acceleration system and in some models gas pedal sticks with the floor pad. All competitors of Toyota are already using this brake override Technology but Toyota was slow to understand this technology but now they are saying that in future this system will be available in all Toyota upcoming cars. But honestly speaking in U.S Toyotas reputation has been reduced tremendously after some accidents due to their mistakes. And now currently at first place Toyota should do something to get the customer confidence back to prosper in future market. http://www.mainstreet.com/article/smart-spending/autos/what-toyota-should-have-done-brake-override?page=1 http://www.egmcartech.com/2010/02/26/inaba-toyota-shouldve-done-a-better-job-sharing-information-with-lawmakers/ Toyota needs to improve the knowledge management system because only then they can learn from their past mistakes and their solutions and by doing so they can make a strategy to avoid those mistakes in future. Toyota should be quick to spot new technologies those are highly recommended by different markets for the safety of the road users. Try to design products for different regions according to the needs of local people where the final product will be used. As company want to be more globalised then we should try to build a database in which everything is available for each and every individual who is working in Toyota anywhere in the world. There should be a system through which company can communicate more effectively to decrease the safety defect issues in products around the globe. Always try to consider local knowledge about the industry before designing any type of vehicle for local people and presenting or marketing it around the globe. Try to do more than competitors in every market to please the consumer, because this will contribute to brand loyalty and then people will have more confidence to buy a Toyota product. As Toyota want to compete in the international market in more countries then marketing strategy for each country or region should be different and according to the local way of thinking. Toyota should try to localise production and supply base to avoid expenses like storage and transportation. And it also enables them work more quickly and efficiently in most of the times. Find workers which are needed for the job and develop them according to the needs of the company to achieve high and efficient productivity. Toyota should always keep a look on all types of suppliers and their product quality because its directly related with the Toyotas product quality. As product designs and technologies are changing day by day thats why Toyota should not indulge itself to long term contracts with suppliers. Train and encourage innovative people working within the company to create something new and exciting for international markets according to the demand of public and international standards. There should be no compromise on the user safety of the product in any kind of circumstances. For the purpose of more globalization of Toyota supply chain management should be improved to oblige the commitments in international market. Dealers working with Toyota motors should be trained in such a way that customer service and support should be their main priority. The decisions that are concerned with the environment in which the firm operates, the entire resources, owner of company and the interface between the two are known as strategic decision. Here are some of the characteristic of strategic decision Strategic decisions play an important role for an organisation. These decisions may be related to the new resources, organising others or reallocating others. Strategic decision deal with the threats and opportunities with harmonizing organizational resource capabilities. Strategic decisions are long term decision. Strategic decisions are what is our future panning and these decisions are made very carefully. Strategic decisions are always arranged according to the organisation mission and vision. These decisions are related to the overall planning of the organisation. These decisions deal with the organisation growth that how we have to do planning for the successful future of the organisation. Strategic are always at the top most level, as these deal with the future so these decision are always uncertain and involve lot of risk. Strategic decisions are complex in nature. Figure 1 Strategic decisions are always designed to help the senior management to improve the quality of their decisions. The whole process of strategic decision gives all the participants a good grasp of modern concept of strategic analysis. However all the decision are made by the managers and the people at the senior level but strategic decision will help the managers that how to deal with the process of decision making. Cost leadership mean to gain the competitive advantage over the rivals in market. In order to gain the competitive advantage firms always try to recruit cheap labour and produce the goods at low cost. Firms try to sell their products at average price to gain higher profits than its rivals or they sell their products below the average industry price to the higher market share. However it does not mean that low cost always lead to low price of the product. If you are the only producer of the product in the market then you can produce the product at the low price and can sell the product at your desired price. Some of the organisations are very good in that strategy, such as Toyota, they are not producing high quality autos at low price level, but they have their brand name and use high quality marketing skills to maintain a premium price policy. (www.marketingteacher.com). (www.coursework4you.co.uk) Figure 1 Micheal poters generic model (1985) Just in time: Just in time mean what is needed, when its needed and the quantity needed. In order to produce a large number of products such as automobile, which consist of almost 30,000 parts, it is very important to create a detailed production plan, for example. If we work on the production plan we can eliminate so many factors like waste, inconsistencies in production and work, and unreasonable requirement and this all can lead to an improved productivity of product. Toyota use pull approach for the production like kanban card paced pull strategy to minimize the inventory level. In the pull strategy customer demands the product and pull it out from the delivery channel. This is because when the demand and the production of the product in very high and it is used to decrease the lead time. Differentiating your product what is also call a pull strategy in these days is basically a genuine pull strategy. And all thye marketing approach is diverted to this pull strategy. The just in time pioneer Toyota using pull strategy which manages there inventory level in the cost effective away and stringent possible way that does not mean that the product is made and pushed to the customer but it is produced in response to the customer. This strategy is becoming common now a days and every firm tries to follows this strategy. Toyota is using a cacr electronic to increase the communication between people, society and automobile. To achieve their goal they have dividing ITS in to five basic areas to work on. So by the managing and coordinating the relation between them the plan is main tain the high growth and development which is called as total Mobility Company. The first car that has the more complex and sophisticated function which include onboard computers and sensor which control the car function and second they are providing the multimedia for their vehicles which represent the new field for the mobile communication. Conceptual diagram of the Kanban System Two kinds of kanban (the production instruction kanban and the parts retrieval kanban) are used for managing parts. (www2.toyota.co.jp) http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategic-decisions.htm http://tools.ashridge.org.uk/website/content.nsf/FileLibrary/4C8918B0EA4CDB988025718E00558E14/$file/STDC.pdf http://www2.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/production_system/just.html Inside the mind of Toyota: management principles for enduring growth   By Satoshi Hino ..page number 327 edition 2006 Information technology strategies: how leading firms use IT to gain an advantage   By William V. Rapp..page number 149..152edition 2002 http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_generic_strategies.htm http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/porter-generic-strategies.php As we know that Toyota is the leading automobile company but to gain the competitive advantage on its rivals in automobile industry is not so easy. There are many competitive challenges which Toyota is facing in the global market environment. Basically competitive challenges are a research offering design to help asset management, to improve the productivity and effectiveness of a business and to maintain the standard performance against competitors. Competitive challenges are confront in annual competitive challenges report on the competitive dynamics of the industry. Competitive challenges identify the inefficiencies in an organisation. It also examine the; profitability, productivity, asset growth, and product competitiveness, customer satisfaction and marketing. Senior managers are enabling to plan business strategic objectives by highlighting the areas of success and failure compared to peers. It allows you to clearly identify sales resource efficiency. http://www.greenwich.com/WMA/products_services/comp_chal/comp_chal_home visited 29/03/10 at 21.20 Toyota is great example of what happens when your competitors build a strategic advantage by setting a high standard in a critical area. For more than two decades Toyota and Honda have been the quality leaders in attracting car buyers who wants better reliability and quality in their vehicles. In Dec-2009, the economists described the problem of quality issues which Toyota is facing and how it is trying to deal with them. Akio Toyoda the president of company recognises that there is need for an innovative design to beat competitors. That may be challenge. Toyotas success has been built on its reliability and standard of quality. http://www.baldrige.com/sector/business/toyotas-strategic-challenge/ To maintain quality standards and building an innovative design is not an easy task. Toyota never compromise on quality but still having problems due to its massive production. Consequently, to establish in the global market the three main technologies, TPS (Toyota production system, TDS (Toyota development system), TMS (Toyota marketing system) should be established and strengthened. http://williamghunter.net/images/toyota_management_structure.png Management structure at Toyota In global market a firm face number of challenges these challenges the effect the competitive and determines how the firm can achieve economies of scale in multi countries environment. In striving to develop a strategy that will make it more competitive, the firm must deal with four interrelated challenges of global marketing strategy. To bring the change and be innovative is very big challenge for every firm and for Toyota as well. Rapid change pervades product development, production processes and it also builds the competitive pressure as customers more mobile and is exposed new ideas through new global media. Introducing a new model every year has become compulsory which incurs high cost and also keeps in consideration the taste, culture and infrastructure of the area. Rapid change has both positive and negative aspects. To bring a positive change you have to be very care full about the utilization of resources effectively. For instance, we know very well that Toyota launched its new model Prius and the car has a manufacture fault. It was a good change but lake of quality management and now faced a huge loss and company recalled for its 8.5 million cars because of its accelerator and floor mat problem. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8505402.stm http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=enq=four+challenges+of+global+marketmeta=aq=faqi=aql=oq=gs_rfai= Another challenge which most of the companies face is complexity of managing international operations. Technological advances enable management to control operations on a broader geographic scale but at the same time these advances add complexity, as management has to analyse tools and skills to handle the international infrastructure. As we know Toyota is already facing a quality problem because of its massive production. As we know Toyota mostly designed its all product in Japan according to the local environment and launches the same product in the international market. It increases the complexity of product. Yet it is difficult for the organization which elevates quantity its main goal instead to focus on providing the highest quality. Toyota is putting more pressure on their supplier to increase their production without listening to their possible effects on quality. This is because of in experience Toyota managers and rapid expansion. The level of complexity increase when Toyot a introduced a hybrid vehicle, the Prius with its two power sources which requires greater engineering expertise. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/02/toyota_the_downside_of_hyper_g.html Increasing competition in global market brings another challenge to Toyota at all stages of involvement in international market. In countries such as India, China, Malaysia the threat of competition is more because, their own domestic market is opening up to foreign competition, increasing more awareness of international market opportunities. Competition can be on different basis like delivering superior quality to consumers. However Toyotas success on global market depends on knowledge accumulation and effective use of resources. Introduction of hybrid car by Toyota is one of great example of building a competitive advantage and capturing the global market. http://www.hoovers.com/company/Toyota_Motor_Corporation/crxxsi-1.html http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=enq=four+challenges+of+global+marketmeta=aq=faqi=aql=oq=gs_rfai= This challenge relates to the firms social responsibilities in the global market place. Environmental issues for example, to limit pollution of the atmosphere through the emission of gases and other toxic substances is one of the challenges Toyota is facing. To produce and design which are environmentally friendly is very challenging. Rapid change, higher competition and increased complexity in the global market make it more difficult. To become environment friendly Toyota has come a long way since they launch their first hybrid car ten years ago. http://www.design21sdn.com/organizations/196/posts/997 These are some problems which is Toyota facing from last few years. The problems started in 1998 with Toyotas luxury car Lexus and now Toyota again in trouble with its newly launched Prius hybrid car. After becoming the giant of automobile Toyota looks bit careless. But when we talk to Toyotas representatives then we found that the reality is different. After the recent scenario people have started thinking about Toyota. In the light of Toyotas recent quality failure we can easily say that Toyota is only focusing on massive production. We can say if Toyota start focusing on some current issues which company facing now then Toyota can gain its lost repute easily. References Inside the mind of Toyota: management principles for enduring growth   By Satoshi Hino ..page number 327 edition 2006 Information technology strategies: how leading firms use IT to gain an advantage   By William V. Rapp..page number 149..152edition 2002 http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/companies/toyota.php http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/02/can_toyota_hansei_its_way_out.html http://www.mainstreet.com/article/smart-spending/autos/what-toyota-should-have-done-brake-override?page=1 http://www.egmcartech.com/2010/02/26/inaba-toyota-shouldve-done-a-better-job-sharing-information-with-lawmakers/ http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategic-decisions.htm http://tools.ashridge.org.uk/website/content.nsf/FileLibrary/4C8918B0EA4CDB988025718E00558E14/$file/STDC.pdf http://www2.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/production_system/just.html http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_generic_strategies.htm http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/porter-generic-strategies.php http://www.greenwich.com/WMA/products_services/comp_chal/comp_chal_home visited 29/03/10 at 21.20 http://www.baldrige.com/sector/business/toyotas-strategic-challenge/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8505402.stm http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=enq=four+challenges+of+global+marketmeta=aq=faqi=aql=oq=gs_rfai= http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/02/toyota_the_downside_of_hyper_g.html http://www.hoovers.com/company/Toyota_Motor_Corporation/crxxsi-1.html http://www.design21sdn.com/organizations/196/posts/997 http://www.fastlane.com.au/News_Toyota/vision_2010.htm http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100210132838AAHTQJm http://www.fastlane.com.au/News_Toyota/vision_2010.htm http://www.mainstreet.com/article/smart-spending/autos/what-toyota-should-have-done-brake-override?page=1 http://www.egmcartech.com/2010/02/26/inaba-toyota-shouldve-done-a-better-job-sharing-information-with-lawmakers/ www.marketingteacher.com www.coursework4you.co.uk http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategic-decisions.htm http://tools.ashridge.org.uk/website/content.nsf/FileLibrary/4C8918B0EA4CDB988025718E00558E14/$file/STDC.pdf http://www2.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/production_system/just.html http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_generic_strategies.htm http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/porter-generic-strategies.php http://www.greenwich.com/WMA/products_services/comp_chal/comp_chal_home visited 29/03/10 at 21.20 http://www.baldrige.com/sector/business/toyotas-strategic-challenge/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8505402.stm http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=enq=four+challenges+of+global+marketmeta=aq=faqi=aql=oq=gs_rfai= http://www.design21sdn.com/organizations/196/posts/997

Symbols in Beloved

Symbols in Beloved The degradation imposed upon all slaves, the relationships among enslaved and the changes in their own perception of themselves, the meaning of time and memory and how it influences the future are some of the problems explored by Toni Morrison in her novel Beloved. What really impressed us while reading the book were the various ways she approached her readers. The style combines literary realism with biblical myths, folklore, and pure historical reality with deep symbolism. The role of the symbols is the focus of this paper. Different authors have investigated the symbols in Beloved but still not much is written about some of the symbols that are the object of this research the number 124, the name Sethe and the colours used in the narration. The three symbols will be approached separately despite their common role in the narration. The main task is to familiarise with these symbols, to present some authors remarks about them and to point out the multiple ways to read symbols. A further analysis of their interconnection may come out as a separate work. A symbol, as defined by Merriam-Webster online Dictionary and Thesaurus is something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance. Quite often it is a visible sign of something that can not be seen. The word symbol comes from the Greek verb symballein which means to put together and the noun symbolon which means mark, taken or sign. To suit our purposes a more complex explanation of the symbols will be of better use: A symbol has complex, not only literal meaning, but also additional meaning(s) beyond the literal. Sometimes the literal meaning of a symbol is absurd, so that the symbolic meaning over-rides and cancels out the literal meaning. A symbol may have more than one meaning. In fact, the most significant symbols do convey an indefinite range of meanings (Doty 1). But one should not forget that the meaning of a piece of literature depends on the readers freedom to perceive and understand it in a unique way. So weather a symbol is well chosen or not will be judged by the way the reader responds to it. In Beloved Toni Morrison uses a variety of symbols in order to escape from the conventional and at the same time to ensure that the message she wants to convey will reach its audience. Colours, numbers, names, trees and different images all come to help her transfer her ideas to the public. In this work the focus will be on three main symbols used and their role in the narration: number 124, the name Sethe and the colours. Number 124 Having in mind the idea of symbols and their meaning, the first thing that strikes is number 124. It actually is connected to the spot where most of the action takes place the house at 124 Bluestone Road, .a residence where every inhabitant feels secure, surrounded by the community and sometimes suffocated by the too tense atmosphere. But if the reader decides to look further, he will notice that if the separate digits are summed up, 7 is reached. 124 fits this astrological delineation because the sum of the three digitsadd up to aforementioned 7 (Essay on Toni Morrisons Beloved 1). According to the numerology number seven represents creation as well as vitality and mystery which are the key points of the whole novel. It also identifies a positive renewal and stands for the punishment, the purification and the penitence. Another way to interpret the number is that 124 stands for Sethes four children among whom the third one Beloved, is absent (Atousa 6). Perceived in this way the symbol is extremely strong in reminding the reader of the murdered child, its ghostly presence in the life of the family and Sethes great sense of loss. The Name Sethe Even the name of the protagonist Sethe is symbolic. Using it Toni Morrison connects the story of the proud and independent woman who has dedicated all her life to her children with the ancient Egypt, on one hand, and the Holy Bible, on the other. The two ways to read the symbol may be seen as an attempt of the author to reach a wider audience or to show the complexity of the character. The God of chaos, wind and storms Seth- a man with the head of an animal or bird, gives some masculine features to this female slave but at the same time emphasises her chaotic state of mind that leads to breaking down the polarities of right and wrong (Lewis 1). The Biblical Seth the child of Adam and Eve also adds strength and determination to her character and represents her skills to fight and overcome difficulties. Yet, as a typical representative of the enslaved, she has spent all of her efforts not trying to avoid pain but to get through it as quickly as possible. The Colours Colours take significant place in the setting, describing the way people feel or conveying hope for a brighter future. They are symbols of life which Sethe does not take for granted. Trying to find the vitality in the moment, she follows her inner self. Black and white represents the obvious contradiction between the world of people whose skin is white and those with black one. White is usually accepted as a symbol of innocence, life, light, purity, or enlightenment, while black is seen as a cold and negative colour suggesting passivity, death, ignorance, or evil. In Beloved one can speak of colour-consciousness presented as a part of a relationship that has affected the lives of many. Baby Suggs, Sethes mother-in-law, says Those white things have taken all I had or dreamed. . . and broke my heartstrings too. There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks(89). Her words describe the bitterness and destruction crying deep in her heart. Another symbol coming from the red part of the spectrum could be seen over and over again throughout Beloved. Red symbolizes action, courage, vitality. For Amy Denver, the red velvet signifies her ambitions for a calm and peaceful life, while the red heart of Paul D stands for his emotions. Life and death, presence and absence go together in the novel and their influence could be felt at each stage. The red roses which line the road to the carnival herald its arrival in town but also mark the beginning of new life for Sethe, Denver, and Paul D, their expectations. These roses at the same time are to remind the death. Red is all that Morrison need say, for she shows us what it means to know color as a matter of life and death (Morey 1040) There are many different artistic devices used in literature. Toni Morrison has applied a variety of techniques but certainly a strong point in her style in Beloved is the usage of a vast number symbols conveying often mixed messages. 124 when summed up makes seven which symbolises creation and vitality but seen as a sequence is the sign of something lost forever. Sethe is both the name of the child of Adam and Eve, strong in coping with difficulties and the name of the God of chaos and storm, restless in his pursuit of good and bad. Black and white, dark and light, the colours that are commonly associated with the slaves and their enslavers and red the colour of love and yet sometimes smelling of death. The symbolic dimension of Toni Morrisons novel goes together with the development of the narrative and sometimes even takes over. It is a powerful means to present the plurality of races, genders, classes, and ethnicities in America at that time. Karen Bernardo says that just as characterization and dialogue and plot work on the surface to move the story along, symbolism works under the surface to tie the storys external action to the theme(Bernardo 1). That external action in our opinion is often more influential than the surface one as symbols convey deep messages that are transferred sometimes even without the conscious knowledge of the reader. The only requirement is to read with open senses.

Alternative Energy Vehicles Essay example -- Exploratory Essays Resear

Alternative Energy Vehicles Interested in alternative-energy driven cars? Here is a brief synopsis of the existing technologies, some of the problems surrounding each of them, and suggestions for further reading. There is no question that pollution from automobiles is a major problem in industrialized countries and is increasing in developing nations. And the number of cars is increasingly rapidly: in the United States, the automobile population has increased 6X faster than the human population and 2X faster than the number of new drivers (Motavelli, 2000). At the same time, the average fuel economy of the 2001 fleet decreased to 20.4 miles per gallon, the same it was in 1980. This decrease is fueled by the growing trend in inefficient SUVs. As over 50% of the USA’s oil comes from overseas, the dangerous level of waste promoted by inefficient vehicles makes this more than simply an environmental issue. What are some of the long-term renewable solutions to the political and environmental dangers that pollution and inefficiency pose? Battery-powered vehicles. There are several electric car models on the market in the making. As of now, their economic viability is restrained by the relatively short distance that can be traveled between recharging and their lower-than-average maximum speeds. Considering the advantages that standard cars have over battery-powered cars, there is little economic incentive to buy battery-powered cars, but their environmental benefits are enormous. Although it requires factory pollution to create the electricity necessary to charge the vehicles, it would take 13 electrical cars to equal the emissions produced by one standard car (Motavelli, 2000). Research is continuing to make battery-pow... ...t cars. Suggestions for further readings: Borroni-Bird, Christopher E. Designing AUTOnomy. http://www.sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=00034FE5-BA99-1D80-90FB809EC580000. 2002. California Air Resources Board. Major Automotive Fuel Cell Programs http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/zevprog/fuelcell/kalhammer/techreport/sec3_3.pdf. 2002 Fantes, Francisco. Solar Hydrogen Energy: Mining the Oceans for the Holy Grail. Harvard Science Review, winter 2002. Hubler, Shawn, Chalk One Up for Hybrids. Http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl_et_hubler26mar26.story. 2002. Motavelli, Jim. Forward Drive : The Race to Build â€Å"Clean† Cars for the Future. San Francisco : Sierra Club Books, 2000 Nice, Karim. How Hybrid Cars Work. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid_car.htm 2002. Sierra Club, Energy Fact Sheet. Http://www.sieraclub.org/energy/factsheet.asp 2001

The Good Earth :: essays research papers

The novel The Good Earth is a story of a man living in Chinese society around the time of the Chinese Revolution. Though the story is a work of fiction, some of the events in the story were actual events that the author, Pearl S. Buck, witnessed or experienced during her life while in China. The area of China that the story takes place in is based after the town Nanhsuchou where Buck lived for a period in her life. The main character in the story is Wang Lung, a hard working, but poor, farmer. At the age of marriage, and being of low class, Wang Lung, and his father decide that it is best that he marry a slave, who would be less expensive than other possibilities. Also, if it were to be a slave than it was less likely to being a pretty wife, and they did not want their woman to be pretty. To have a pretty wife would mean that she would have to be kept beautiful and pretty which was expensive, and they were not rich. Wang Lung needed a wife of low maintenance, who would be willing and able to help work the land. Also, a wife who was pretty would be more likely to be looked at and desired by other men and less likely to be a virgin still. The most important thing in Wang Lung’s life is his land. To him, the land is everything; his work, his food, his standing in society, his sustenance. It is, essentially, his life force. His understanding is that as long as he has land, he has enough, and to live without it would seem impossible. It is said that every seven or eight years the gods feel the need to punish the people, and they do so sometimes by flooding the precious land. This can be a life threatening occurrence depending on how long the flood stays. The floods take over all of the fields, killing most or even all of the crops. Without their crops to harvest, people starve, and many die. One of the first floods that takes place during the novel is not as bad as some. It kills much of the crops, but they are able to survive on what they have stored and what they are able to purchase. Many in the nearby village are not as lucky, and many starved to death.

Art :: essays research papers

World Cultures Baroque Art Essay During the Baroque period, new ideas and views of society and of religion spurred up. To express these new ideas many artists used the ideas of past artists to further expand their own motives. " If I have seen further (than you and Descartes), it is by standing upon the shoulders of Giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1676 The artists of the baroque period were using past ideals as a ladder to the prevalent and the gallant. Four pieces of art that exceplified the usage of the great minds of the past were; The Rape of the Sabine Women by Nicholas Poussin, The east faà §ade of the Louvre Palace, The View of Delft by Jan Vermeer and The Palace of Versailles. The magnificent artwork of Nicholas Poussin shows the mixture of Roman architecture and ideas. He copied the body sculptures and the basilicas of ancient Rome and added them to his medium of oil. Poussin traveled to Roman museums for inspiration and models. In The Rape of the Sabine Women, he show s how he balanced his art by carefully arranging opposites. Since he used statues for models, the people in his painting look to be chiseled and very statuesque. Poussin also uses a background of a Roman city to further enhance his love for the classical world. He sought for permanent in the momentary and the universal in the individual. Many artists of the time turned to classical Greece and Rome for their ideas. Another prime example is the East Faà §ade of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. KING LOUIS XIV originally commissioned this piece of work to Gianlorenzo Bernini in 1665. The king's finance minister felt " it left the king housed no better than before." so his plan was rejected and a French architect named Claude Perrault was appointed to finish the job. This palace had to grand enough for the "sun-king", so Perrault used classical influences to achieve the proper grandness fit for a king. He used a long Corinthian colonnade, friezes, and pilasters. T his acted as a restraining influence to the baroque ideas of the time. Greek and Roman art influenced many Europeans, especially the monarchs of the time. No monarch showed that better than King Louis XIV of France. His rule of France's nobles required a large palace to be built to accommodate and preoccupy the people that could have threatened his absolute power.

Some People Think That Convention in Our Society Obstruct Progress While Others Think That Taboos Help Maintain Social Harmony. Choose One Position and Support It with Evidence and Examples.

Chosen topic: Some people think that convention in our society obstruct progress while others think that taboos help maintain social harmony. Choose one position and support it with evidence and examples. As a result of globalization, the world is getting smaller and smaller. Some people have even said that the world has become a ‘Global Village’. With the integration of people coming from different financial, ethnic and social background, there are conflicts between interest groups.For example, the huge income disparity, large amount of new immigrants and the different point of views towards social issues may lead to a less harmious society. Apart from these, convention in a society may also be one of the factors affecting social harmony. â€Å"Social  harmony is a more complex  social  psychological phenomenon which is determined by the interactions among  social  values, people, and society. People achieve  social  harmony  when they feel their values and desires are attainable in society. â€Å"(Ai Han, 2008, Building a Harmonious Society and Achieving Individual Harmony, para 1)Traditions might lead to unfairness to the public. Take Hong Kong as an example, Hong Kong is a superstitious city and people care a lot about taboos and traditional practices. The pronunciation of the number, four, in Cantonese is similar to the pronunciation of death in Cantonese. Therefore Hong Kong people avoid saying ‘four’ in happy or critical occasions. There is also a tradition of omitting certain (4th, 14th and 24th etc. ) levels in building in Hong Kong. At the same time, the pronunciation of ‘eight’ is similar to the word of getting rich in Chinese. Many luxury buildings were built in Hong Kong in recent years.Property agencies make use of Chinese’s mindsets to increase revenue. We can easily find that the 8th floor, the 18th or the 28th floor are always being sold at a more expensive price. This phenomenon h as aroused public resentment. The general public believes that price should not only be determined by the number of floors but also many other impacts that many property agencies did not take into account. Such kinds of arguments do not only happen in Hong Kong but globally. From Asian to Western countries, there are always conflicts between conventions and the new enlightenment.The progress of might be hindered if we cannot balance the interests of different stakeholders in an issue. Homosexuality was said to be a taboo. However, as reported by Bohan (1996), in reality, homosexual individuals wish to enjoy freedom of love and belong to social groups that support them. In aspects of religion, a number of religions (e. g. Christianity and Catholic) said that homosexuality was not acceptable because it violated the original meaning of God’s creations. In traditional Asians’ eyes, they might even think homosexuality is an insult to their family and reputations.This topic is a shock for many of the older people in society or followers of religions. Both parties stand strong and do not appear to accept each other’s points of view. It is a topic that society had to deal with before achieving social harmony. Tragedies might occur when the convention clashes with the law or the value of society at that time. Chinese believe that having at least a son is essential for a family to continue their family lineage and to glorify their family. In Chinese history, people thought families that have no children or have daughters only was disrespectful to their ancestors.Since 1978, the Chinese Government has implemented the one-child-policy to control the soaring birth rate in China. Such kind of unfair law made many Chinese eager to have a male child directly. Barrett & Li (1999) pointed out that the problem of female infanticide and sex-selective abortion became more common after One Child Policy was established. When they found that their child was a fem ale, some of them may even abandon them, resulting in the increasing number of tragedies. At the same time, it has caused moral problem. Conventions sometimes hinder the balance of society and limit the development of society.Bengtson, Biblarz and Roberts (2002) reported that the family has traditionally been one of the most important sources of influence on children’s aspiration. Parents always have a thought that children would be more likely to success if they were professionals, in tradition’s thought, for example, doctors, lawyers, businessmen and accountants. They spent much effort and money on equipping their children. In reality, society does not only need these types of people but a diversity of skills. This kind of mindset has resulted in a bad social phenomenon so that many of the other industries (e. g. ulture, music and arts) cannot develop well and the social lacks a balance of strengths. With the aid of the above examples, it is shown that conventions wi ll obstruct the progress of society. Conventions and traditions would hinder people’s creativities and impose limitations on society. We need a breakthrough. Try to analyse from a slight different perspective and we might find new inspirations that is beneficial to ourselves or even our society. At the end, social harmony can finally be attained. Reference list: Ai, H. (2008). Building a Harmonious Society and Achieving Individual Harmony. Journal of Chinese Political Science, Vol. 3 Issue 2, p143-164. Retrieved on 23rd, October, 2012 from http://ehis. ebscohost. com/eds/detail? sid=2f313359-d4a8-40f3-80e2-aaeb1112a54e%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=35567271 Barrett. R. E. , & Li, F. (1999) Modern China (pp. 65). United States of America: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company. Bengtson, V. L. , Biblarz, T. K. , Robert R. E. L. , (2002). How Families Still Matter (pp. 60). United States of America: Cambridge University Press. Bo han, J. S. (1996) Psychology and Sexual Orientation (pp. 205). Great Britian: Routledge.

Impact of drugs on the social view of health

Stress Is a major Issue amongst teenagers and this can be caused by a variety of Issues but today, I will be talking about drug abuse amongst teenagers. Firstly, stress Is the body's reaction to any sort of pressure. Chemicals are released into the blood and these chemicals give the body more energy and strength (Helped. Org (2014)). Drug abuse is the dependence by teens to illegal substances which can lead to stress and can affect many different aspects of a teenager's life such as physical, emotional and social health aspects.This usually happens at the time of when teenagers are shifting from dependence to independence. However, in building a supportive environment with friends, family and outside organizations will aid in the development of knowledge and personal skills that will increase people's abilities to deal with and overcome stress related to substance abuse. Drug abuse is a stress related Issue which can have an impact on any environment; on peers In school as well as th e environment In a teenager's house. They have an Impact not only on the user but on their surroundings.Firstly, taking drugs can have many stressful side effects as It may damage relationships at home and with friends, leisure as well as the performance in school. In families, the parents may be very attentive with the child which is involved with drugs, forgetting their other siblings and putting stress on them. But drugs do not only affect social health as well as physical health; Heavy use of some drugs can damage organs and lead to illness and sharing needles to inject drugs can transfer serious diseases.Physical damage can also lead to further stress being implemented on the person taking drugs, as well as those who are willing to help or provide support (National Drugs Campaign, (2014)). Over the last 30 years there have been various fluctuations In data relating to drug usage. Drug abuse amongst teens had Its major start earlier In the ass's, where 42% of teens were Involved with drugs; this declined In the ass's, as 34% of Australians had admitted to smoking marijuana.The percentage of teens Involved with drugs has gone from 38% to 20% and the percentage of other drugs such as inhalants, LSI and for the first time cocaine, had declined in 1999. (Gallup, l. (2002)). To obtain recent data, a survey has been conducted amongst several teenagers in Helplessness High to determine the extent of drug usage. It has been demonstrated that half of the students either have experienced drugs or know someone who has, and 80% of the eons that were surveyed find that drugs are a cause of medium or very high stress.Some evidence that supports the data collected amongst the Helplessness students is a study reported August 4, 2008, which reveals that stress and drug abuse of any sort are highly linked. The stress goes both ways as one can lead to the other, setting up a vicious circle; 73% of teens have admitted that school stress Is a primary reason for drug abuse ( Mi randa, L. (2008)). In order to reduce stress related to drug abuse amongst teens, changes are necessary In order to successfully provide social Justice ND improve policies that are currently being advocated.Strategies such as looking even rehab have been suggested by Helplessness High students for those who suffer from the stress linked to drug abuse. Seeking help from an organization has been the most popular option amongst the teens surveyed in Helplessness High as 82% of the students have suggested this approach. This is due to the fact that in organizations, teens are often able to seek advice from a third party. This will increase the supportive environment for teens as they can access more information in order to help them deal with their own issues.Organizations such as the Queensland Injectors Health Network, the Mental Health and Wellbeing that can be found in the Queensland government website, as well as the Australian Drug Foundation have been suggested as good options (S LD. Gob. AU, (2014)). The UDF is a well-known organization which deals specifically with drug and alcohol addiction and seems to have been successful as many suggested this option. Talking to a family member was the second best chosen option with 78% of the students' votes followed by talking to friends with 66%.These two options may help those who are in the early stages of their drug addiction and can yet be talked out of it. The support provided by either one can help the teen to find a healthy way to relieve stress or also, having someone to talk to can further help the teen. Although there are many services available and offering to help those in need, there are also many barriers which can interfere on the success of these initiatives. Barriers such as the denial of help as well as the inaccessibility can deprive many teens from overcoming their addiction.This is why organizations should be positioned in spread out areas. An idea of a strategy could be a school based support g roup for those who are in need of help in Helplessness State High and this group would be funded by the government. Overall, we can see how stress and drug abuse are two major issues which are highly linked and one aspect can lead to the other. However, anyone who suffers from drug addiction is not trapped to the issue as there are many strategies which can offer the help needed and support the teen to going back to living a normal life.The UDF organization is, once again an option that teens can turn to. We can see that these strategies have been successful throughout the past years as the percentage of teens addicted to drugs has decreased. In conclusion, anyone can overcome a drug addiction due to the supportive environment provided by our school and pears, and social Justice that can be created for them if enough effort is displayed on their behalf and also on the government's behalf to continue in providing support and information.

Reading English 6 Essay Essay

A. Compare the three main types of plate boundaries. How do they work? How are they similar and different? There are three different plate boundaries. There is convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries. They all do different motions. Convergent boundaries are boundaries where the two plates are coming at each other or converging. Divergent boundaries are boundaries where two plates are moving away from each other or diverging. Transform boundaries are boundaries where two plates are shearing past each other or one plate moves to the left and the other moves to the right. Convergent Boundary A convergent boundary consists of two tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere that come together. If an oceanic plate was involved subduction would occur. Subduction is when two plates converge and one goes under the other. Usually if there are two oceanic plates coming together the older/denser plate would get subducted. If there was a continental plate with an oceanic plate the oceanic plate would subduct, because it is denser, but it is a whole different story if they are both continental plates. Since they are both continental there is no subduction mainly, but there is a collision. They become crumpled and faulted which make the biggest mountain ranges, like the Himalayan Mountain Range. B. What real world boundary have you chosen? Where is it located (countries involved, general area of the world, etc. )? My team chose the Cascadia Fault. The plates involved are the Juan de Fuca plate and the North American plate. The countries involved are United States and Canada. It is in northern California, Oregon, and Washington. For Canada it is just the southern part of it. It is in the Northern Hemisphere of Earth. C. Describe in detail how the plates of your real world example are moving. Pay particular attention to details such as crust types of the plates involved, processes that are ongoing, etc. D. What kind of stress is occurring at your real world boundary? How does the stress affect the rock? E. Describe the area around your real world plate boundary. What are some unique landforms (continental and/or oceanic) created by your real world boundary? F. What type of fault is associated with your real world plate boundary? Explain how the footwall and the hanging wall move. G. Identify at least two other areas of the world where you could you find a boundary like the one you researched.

Materialism: Want and Life Essay

Materialism refers to a collection of personality traits. The modern world is full of people who possess the need to be materialistic. Many have a belief that owning things and having the right to acquire everything are the main ingredients to happiness. These people think that success is judged by the amount of possessions owned. Philosophers have been complaining for long that materialism is not needed in moral life. More often the goal of gaining material wealth is regarded as an empty joy and in result prevents a person from being involved in a normal lifestyle. The consequence of pursuing a materialistic lifestyle is the issue in attaining a state of true happiness in one’s life. The empirical studies conducted have shown that there is no connection between materialism and real happiness. Imam Ali warned his followers about materialism, saying that it would â€Å"blind them from the life in the hereafter in two ways.† It would lead them to believe that only this world matters, and getting anything a person wants would not be able to satisfy their needs. Secondly, it would lead to excess, which would lead to human suffering, a truth which has been discovered by many and is the main principle of Bhuddism. If one becomes too materialistic, then this would cause them to try to do all that is necessary to get what they want, not what they need. Being materialistic is a bad trait to own, as it leads to the creation of the world of difference in the way people treat other human beings(although everyone has a slight habit of materialism in them). The materialistic people rarely treat others as their equals and often try very hard to show off their wealth. They hardly care about anyone but themselves and frequently tend to exploit and ruin people only to get themselves put higher on the social ladder. It is, in my opinion, important for people to read and follow the teachings of the Bible and try to posses morality. The little traits we own, we must share with the poor as this will try for equality in the society. Materialism causes society to be impoverished. In today’s society, materialism takes part in almost every ones life, no matter what social class they may be labeled. The idea of being materialistic can be considered immoral (I consider it immoral), but there is a fine line between morality and personal interests. It is safe to say that everybody is materialistic in some way, whether it be from buying the same brand of jeans because they fit nice, to purchasing a wide variety of very nice cars. It is obvious that the more obvious of the two is the one where you might say they are crossing the line. Buying some nice clothes here and there is normal for people and most try to do it once in a while. While on the other hand, buying five or six sports cars can be considered quite materialistic. Many factors go into a person being immoral based on the materials that they have. Greed and too many luxuries are what can determine the immorality of a person. Growing up in a fairly poor community, it was easy to distinguish the differences among different levels of social class and the way which they are shown in the community. Thoreau believed in â€Å"Living deep and sucking all the marrow out of life,† and so he lived on Walden Pond for two years to see how he could simplify his own life in order to live life to the fullest. I wish I could create my own â€Å"Walden,† a place I could go to in order to escape the materialism of my society. The place that I would like to create to go would be a place where there is no materialism and I can be myself and be who I want to be. It is a place that’s far away, deep in the woods. This is a place that anything is possible. All around me I see nothing but flowers and animals, beautiful green grass and my own little house to spend my days in. Out there I don’t need to struggle with having to pay bills or having to find and be able to keep a job. All I need to do is sit back, relax, and do what ever I please. I would like to fish for food, but I would only catch what I could eat, because I wouldn’t want to waste. I will sometimes hu nt for my dinner and look for food on the ground like bushes of berries. Out in the forest no one has to worry about materialism, they only have to be themselves. I would choose this place because I love the forest and I love animals. I don’t want to put up any fuss about doing anything that I don’t want to or enjoy doing. I could enjoy living out there in the wilderness, only listening to nature and the birds and all the things that surround me. I bathe in a river that flows with fresh water every day. I’m quite happy that I would have pets with me because if I didn’t then I would be lonely all the time and I would have no one to share my many secrets with. My home would be rather simple, but it fulfills my needs, and out there I wouldn’t need much. All I would have inside is a chair to read in, a toilet under the tree, and a bed. I would only possess the necessities that I need to live. I will build a fire every night to keep me warm and to cook my food. My house would be just a cabin that can only fit me and my dog (I’d get one to live in the forest alone) just the way that I want it. I would surround it with flowers to make it look pretty and interesting around my cabin. It’s something that’s cozy and something that I could just go to and think and be by me and never have to worry about the pressure of the world, my society or community, and the materialistic crowds that surround me. Materialism in my eyes, and many others’, creates a world filled with chaos and stress. Everybody needs a place to go and relax to get away from it all. What I gathered from my research was that there is always a need for someone to have a place they can go for comfort and relaxation. Materialism weighs down the real, true value of life and causes many to take for granted what they have. When you compare someone who owns many items high in cash value, who rarely gets to see their family or spends an inconceivable amount of hours at a job they hate, with someone who doesn’t have as much money, but spends their life doing the things they love, who is really truly happy? This question haunts us all, for it is hard to know what real happiness is when surrounded by such a commercial world. But I, for one, will work on my materialistic traits. I wont be able to rid myself of them completely, but changing my lifestyle and values will hopefully heighten my feeling of self worth, and I think every one should live by this philosophy. Bibliography http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/materialism.htm http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_vitzthum/materialism.html http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/materialism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_materialism Belk, R.W. (1985). Trait aspects of living in the material world. Journal of Consumer Research, 12, 265-280. Novack, George (1979), The Origins of Materialism, New York: Pathfinder Press