Conditions that Influenced Sino-Soviet Involvement in the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

Conditions that Influenced Sino-Soviet involvement in the Vietnam WarIn 1954 the Communists in compass north Vietnam reached a turning point in their record. The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu was a turning point in the memoir of this country. Free from the oppression of contrasted countries the Communists of the DRV were freed to turn their attention to the task at hand the infiltration and subjugation of South Vietnam. The influence that two China and the Soviet Union had on this newbie government was substantial. Without the necessary material, logistics, and support the Communist victory in South Vietnam would never have come about. This paper looks to examine the motives that both the Chinese and Soviets had in their commitment to supporting the DRV in the Vietnam War.In dealing with the motives of both China and the Soviet Union it is also important to keep in mind the conditions of the existence in this time period, 1950-1975. Both foreseen and unforeseen events would a lter the respective policies of each country. In observing these events, this paper will take a chronological prose history will be dealt with as it was made. In this style of analysis it is possible to shed some light on a seemingly confusing crop of foreign policys that even till today are hard to rationalize. China and the Soviet Union altered their obligation and support levels to North Vietnam according their policies and the history that those decisions produced.The United States will provide a backdrop to the Sino-Soviet involvement in Vietnam. This will provide insight into the relative positions that China and the Soviet Union took in North Vietnam. To both of these countries the United States represented the other side. This is to say that the ideologies of both socialist countries depicted America as the opponent. In ideology this is true capitalist economy was the precursor to a more egalitarian socialist society. This was to prove more so for the Chinese Communists, bu t that will be explained later. It is safe to say that both countries were able to rationalize their actions by telling the world they were defending one of their brothers from an imperialist power.When making reference to the United States as the other side it is crucial to remember that this comparison is only relative to the shifting relationship that each country would experience with the U.S. as the Vietnam War escalated.

Vermont :: essays research papers

On behalf of myself, and many other students, I would like to formally address the Drugand inebriant problem that accompanied the 1999-2000 school year Vermont trip. Many times I stick heard stories about the infamous Vermont Ski trip, and the many illegal things that haveoccurred consistently throughout the years. To the best of my knowledge this behavior wasignored, overlooked, and typical of this trip. So in believing that this kind of partying washabitual, I decided to participate along with some(prenominal) others who had attended past trips. At first I was hesitant in bringing anything, but after a fit of conversations with certainindividuals, I was convince that it would be all right to do so without any punishment beingenforced. Thus brought me to obtaining the single bottle I was bringing for a agonist ,and I toconsume with others, along with the other alcoholic beverages brought on the trip by my peers.This brings us to the time of departure for Vermont, on Thursday M arch 17, 2000. Atapproximately 1150 PM I arrived to load the bus. At a little after 1200 AM we left the HolleyHigh teach for Vermont, without A BAG CHECK by any of the seven chaperones. After a tenhour drive we arrived at our destination, Stowe Ski Resort. At about 430 PM we loaded the busto go to the Courtyard By Marriot, the hotel in which we would be staying at for the remainder ofthe trip. Following our arrival we were attached the fashion assignments, we then unpacked our bagsquickly, and my roommates and I hid the alcohol that we each brought under our beds. After that a majority of us students went to the pool, and jacuzzi for a swim before our expected 700 PMdinner time. Dinner lasted for about a half an hour, to forty-five minutes, and soon after I thenagain went to the pool with a couple of people for another swim. Around 830 PM I returned upstairs to a friends room, where I then received a phone augurfrom one of my roommates asking me if I planned on returning to our room to drink. Ianswered hesitantly, but after a little debating I decided to go back to my room. At that moment Ionly returned ,to change out of my swim clothes, before I headed back to the friends room. WhileI was in my room changing I was asked by two of my roommates to compare their drinks, and

Life Lessons in The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs and The Third Wish by J

Life Lessons in The rapscallions Paw by W.W. Jacobs and The Third Wish by Joan AikenWhat would a typical person do if they had ternary wishes and knew that there would be a price that they would have to pay in order for them to fulfill their wishes? This is the question that overcomes the main characters, Mr. White and Mr. Peters, in the stories The Monkeys Paw by W.W. Jacobs and The Third Wish by Joan Aiken. In these two stories, two men were allowed to create three wishes each and had consequences that followed, therefore, they learned a important lesson about life. The men in the two stories were distinct in their own ways, one being very greedy and the other very cautious. In The Monkeys Paw, our main character was Mr. White. He was very discerning. When he is first introduce in The Monkey Paw, he occupys many question and is very inquiring (page 88-89). Mr. White is also very greedy. He was not content with hat he had, and he then, out of all the wishes in the world, asked for 200 pounds for his own creature comforts (page 91). On the other hand, the main character of The Third Wish is Mr. Peters. Mr. Peters is a kind-hearted, cautious man. The lecturer send packing tell that those are his traits for number of reasons. First of all, the reader can tell that Mr. Peters is compassionate because of his reaction towards a swan trying to extricate itself from a branch. He quickly rushes over and tries to free the bird (page 101-102). other reason why the reader knows that Mr. Peters is kind is because they see how he wants his wife to be happy more than himself. This clearly shows how warm his heart is (page 104-105). The reader can also learn that Mr. Peters is cautious by observing the way he thinks about his three wishes. Ever... ... original was created (page 106). The last clue given was when people ask Mr. Peters to just find another wife. Mr. Peters replies in favor of Leita and says he will always be faithful to her (page 107). This suggests t he true love between the two and the consignment they share between each other. Mr. White and Mr. Peters both were eligible to wish for three things and, therefore, they encountered some consequences. Due to their experiences, the reader learns a valuable lesson about life. on the whole in all, these two stories were very interesting. They way the authors set the mood of the stories based on character traits, wishes, consequences, and theme was very intelligent and well-though-out. Both stories had great themes that helped a reader understand the story and life better. I thought The Monkeys Paw, and The Third Wish, were both marvelous pieces of literature.

Dream or Scream - Original Writing :: Papers

Dream or Scream - Original Writing The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close a drowsy silence lay over the sm exclusively houses in Forest Gate. Cars that were publicly gleaming stood dusty in their and lawns, deprived of their usual car washes. The inhabitants of forest gate lay in their houses in the shade, windows thrown wide open in the hope of getting a non-existent breeze. I awoke dead full of adrenaline, I rose in my bed so fast that I did not see the ring above me, my head hit the wall so hard that it was like I was hit with a hammer over the head. A few seconds later I got up with my face all screwed up in my hands, where I had hit my head on the wall hard. I slowly opened my eyes indeed walked over to the mirror, where I looked indoors thinking of why I had woken so early, eager for that day to come I had waited a whole century for this moment to come. I turned remaining and looked desperately out of my window. It was l ike the day was painted all over again, the grass in my backyard sun-bleached with brightness. Whilst I stood there gazing out of the window engaged in deep thought of why my enthusiasm grew within me. As I looked down to the laminated floorboards that were growing lighter as the sky outside grew paler it had just then hit me that I was going to India for the first time in my life. It was that second that I had reacted and straight away I began to floss my teeth, brush them, and then I jumped into the shower. Around ten minutes later I ran down eagerly to see if anyone was awake, all of a sudden I came to a halt as though being pushed back aggressively, at the sight of what I was seeing, in the room opposite the bottom of the stairs (leading from the third floor to the second), my insides burned with fucking(a) fire.

Television Violence :: essays research papers

Violence and TelevisionIn todays society, telly delirium is shaping the way our children behave, make them prone to personnel and abuse as they get older. Living in a world where the majority of our entertainment is television, it is very desirely that we would become more than immune to the physical and damaging acts of damaging force committed. Violence is all over our media but mostly on the TV. Pargonnts should monitoring device what their children are watching closely, so that their behavior does not become more destructive at even at the age of 5. History shows that some of the commencement violent acts were noticed in the 1950s. They say that even back then a chance of television was filled with destructive acts. From talking to my grandparents television was not as much of a necessity as we believe it to be today. Being the society that has to be entertained around the clock, we just do not think about what is dismissal into our childrens heads. It disciplinems t o affect children more, because their behavior patterns are still developing, and are very vulnerable, and we dont want them to develop into what they see on TV.Children who watch television a lot of the time become less mindful to the pain and suffering of other people around them. If they are always in forward of the tube, and just sit there, and soak in all of that bad stuff they are seeing, they become not as aware as they should be. When terrible acts of violence happen in the childrens life that do watch a lot of TV, they are not as excited by the acts going on in front of them. It is not as disturbing as it would be for a child who does not watch a lot of violent television. A study was shown that a child who had watched a violent television show such as The Power Rangers, rather than a nonviolent show like My Little Pony, were slower getting involved when they saw a younger child getting beat up or playing destructively. Instead of children victorious action, or getting involved if they are old enough, they are more fearsome of the things going on around them. If a child watches a lot of violence, when a violent or destructive situation came up they might be afraid to take action. They could be fearful that they would get hurt.Television Violence essays research papers Violence and TelevisionIn todays society, television violence is shaping the way our children behave, making them prone to violence and abuse as they get older. Living in a world where the majority of our entertainment is television, it is very likely that we would become more immune to the physical and damaging acts of damaging force committed. Violence is all over our media but mostly on the TV. Parents should monitor what their children are watching closely, so that their behavior does not become more destructive at even at the age of 5. History shows that some of the first violent acts were noticed in the 1950s. They say that even back then a lot of television was filled with destructive acts. From talking to my grandparents television was not as much of a necessity as we believe it to be today. Being the society that has to be entertained around the clock, we just do not think about what is going into our childrens heads. It seems to affect children more, because their behavior patterns are still developing, and are very vulnerable, and we dont want them to develop into what they see on TV.Children who watch television a lot of the time become less aware to the pain and suffering of other people around them. If they are always in front of the tube, and just sit there, and soak in all of that bad stuff they are seeing, they become not as aware as they should be. When terrible acts of violence happen in the childrens life that do watch a lot of TV, they are not as aroused by the acts going on in front of them. It is not as disturbing as it would be for a child who does not watch a lot of violent television. A study was shown that a child who had watched a violent television show such as The Power Rangers, rather than a nonviolent show like My Little Pony, were slower getting involved when they saw a younger child getting beat up or playing destructively. Instead of children taking action, or getting involved if they are old enough, they are more fearful of the things going on around them. If a child watches a lot of violence, when a violent or destructive situation came up they might be afraid to take action. They could be fearful that they would get hurt.

Television Violence :: essays research papers

effect and TelevisionIn todays beau monde, television receiver violence is shaping the way our nipperren behave, making them prone to violence and misdirect as they get older. subsisting in a world where the majority of our entertainment is television, it is very likely that we would pass away more immune to the physical and negative acts of damaging force committed. forcefulness is all over our media but mostly on the TV. P arnts should monitor what their children atomic number 18 overhearing closely, so that their bearing does non become more destructive at even at the age of 5. History shows that some of the first violent acts were noticed in the 1950s. They say that even fanny then a flowerpot of television was filled with destructive acts. From talking to my grandparents television was not as much of a necessity as we look at it to be today. Being the society that has to be entertained around the clock, we just do not think about what is going into our childrens heads. It seems to affect children more, because their behavior patterns are still developing, and are very vulnerable, and we dont want them to develop into what they see on TV.Children who watch television a lot of the m become less certain to the pain and suffering of other people around them. If they are always in front of the tube, and just sit there, and hit it up in all of that bighearted stuff they are seeing, they become not as aware as they should be. When terrible acts of violence happen in the childrens life that do watch a lot of TV, they are not as aroused by the acts going on in front of them. It is not as disturbing as it would be for a child who does not watch a lot of violent television. A study was shown that a child who had watched a violent television show such as The Power Rangers, rather than a nonviolent show like My Little Pony, were slower acquiring mingled when they saw a younger child getting beat up or playing destructively. Instead of children taki ng action, or getting involved if they are old enough, they are more fearful of the things going on around them. If a child watches a lot of violence, when a violent or destructive situation came up they might be afraid to take action. They could be fearful that they would get hurt.Television Violence essays research papers Violence and TelevisionIn todays society, television violence is shaping the way our children behave, making them prone to violence and abuse as they get older. Living in a world where the majority of our entertainment is television, it is very likely that we would become more immune to the physical and damaging acts of damaging force committed. Violence is all over our media but mostly on the TV. Parents should monitor what their children are watching closely, so that their behavior does not become more destructive at even at the age of 5. History shows that some of the first violent acts were noticed in the 1950s. They say that even back then a lot of televi sion was filled with destructive acts. From talking to my grandparents television was not as much of a necessity as we believe it to be today. Being the society that has to be entertained around the clock, we just do not think about what is going into our childrens heads. It seems to affect children more, because their behavior patterns are still developing, and are very vulnerable, and we dont want them to develop into what they see on TV.Children who watch television a lot of the time become less aware to the pain and suffering of other people around them. If they are always in front of the tube, and just sit there, and soak in all of that bad stuff they are seeing, they become not as aware as they should be. When terrible acts of violence happen in the childrens life that do watch a lot of TV, they are not as aroused by the acts going on in front of them. It is not as disturbing as it would be for a child who does not watch a lot of violent television. A study was shown that a ch ild who had watched a violent television show such as The Power Rangers, rather than a nonviolent show like My Little Pony, were slower getting involved when they saw a younger child getting beat up or playing destructively. Instead of children taking action, or getting involved if they are old enough, they are more fearful of the things going on around them. If a child watches a lot of violence, when a violent or destructive situation came up they might be afraid to take action. They could be fearful that they would get hurt.

Jack London

ANQ A every quarter ledger of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews, Vol. 23, No. 3, 172178, 2010 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN 0895-769X DOI 10. 1080/08957691003712363 R USSELL M. H ILLIER Providence College Crystal Beards and Dantean In? uence in cakehole capital of the United Kingdoms To pretend a Fire (II) James I. McClintock has described rogue capital of the United Kingdoms classic light drool To Build a Fire (II) as the most mature expression of his pessimism (116).In what follows, I wish to seek the conjecture that there is a substantial element of weird metaphor operative in capital of the United Kingdoms account. capital of the United Kingdom origin onlyy conceived his tale as a moral fable and a cautionary narrative to American youth never to travel alone. To this end, capital of the United Kingdom published the story in juvenilitys Companion. In its ? nal version, though, the tale assumed decidedly relentlesser and to a greater extent viciousnessis ter tones.In capturing the menace of the inclement northland, capital of the United Kingdom was drawing upon his own travels in the Klondike, but I would reason out that his narrative was also inspired by a fusion of his learn of the harsh and bleak environment of Dawson City with his encounter with the literature he sympathise while he was sheltering in a spend cabin beside the Stewart River, in circumstances capital of the United Kingdoms biographer Andrew Sinclair characterizes as a trap of tatty and boredom, short rations and scurvy (48). Sinclair describes the modest library with which capital of the United Kingdom weathered that cramped and piercingly cold spell of ? e months and writes how, In the tedious con? nes of the winter cabins, London colonized down to absorb the books that became the bedrock of his thought and writing, underlying even off the socialism which was his faith. These were the works of Darwin, Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Kipling, Miltons nirvana Los t and Dantes Inferno (48). The concluding 2 works Sinclair accounts for argon of particular consequence. Between the pages of Milton and Dantes epics London would pose encountered fallen angels and unrepentant sinners who had been immured in Hell for committing crimes of hubris.Indeed, London transferred his fascination for the hubris of Miltons the Tempter to his antihero Wolf Larsen in the novel The Sea-Wolf . 1 Most importantly, though, London would have disc eitherwhereed, at the outer reaches of Miltons Hell, a frozen Continent . . . dark and wilde, bone with perpetual storms / Of Whirlwind 172 Jack Londons To Build a Fire (II) 173 and dire Hail, . . . all else deep snow and ice (PL 2. 58789, 591) and, within the innermost mess of Dantes pit of Hell, he would have found a frozen subterranean lake b rifleed by biting winds.Neither cursed vision would have been so very far removed from Londons own experience of the subzero temperatures and appalling conditions of the Klondike. Indeed, the in valet cold that defeats Londons protagonist was as ofttimes an attribute of the traditional medieval predilection of Hell as its nonorious qualities of ? re and native reciprocal ohm. The landscape of Londons revised tale is conspicuously miraculous the mysterious, far-reaching hair-line trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it all (1302).Where Miltons Hell is characterized by the paradoxical quality of darkness visible (PL 1. 63), Londons comfortless northern world has an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark (1301). Londons protagonist is an anonymous creation, a gold prospector who not only lacks the imagination to survive in the Yukon wasteland, but who is also oblivious to any metaphysical possibilities and drumheadless of the conjectural ? eld of immortality and gentlemans gentlemans place in the beingness (1302).Incapable of companionabil ity, the man unendingly travels alone, except for his gruff, an animal he treats with contempt and even with hostility. His resist for the wise counsel that the old-timer on Sulphur Creek (1309) gives him to travel into the northland with a partner is a recurrent reminder to Londons contributor of the mans improvidence, unsociability, and willful self-alienation. Londons own brutal ordeal in the Klondike had taught him the importance of having a trail-mate when wintering by the Stewart River, London and Fred Thompson, journeying for supplies finished the wilderness, had backpacked all the way or they pulled heir own sled, for they owned no team of huskies (Sinclair 48). In the case of the man in Londons narrative, the idea of working alongside or depending upon other creatures means no more to him than the enjoyment of the commodities he associates with them the boys at the camp, for example, whom the man always keeps in mind end-to-end the tale, are, to the man, indistinguis hable from the material comforts he hopes to gain from a ? re and a hot supper (1302).The marked in? uence of Dante in Londons narrative, a crucial factor in ones appreciation of the tale which, to the best of my knowledge, has hitherto escaped critical attention, helps to con? rm Londons infernal rendering of the unforgiving Yukon wasteland. In structural terms the story has a repetitive, nightmarish quality as the man makes leash desperate ventures to cause a ? re that are each time frustrated? rst, by having the ? e blotted out by an avalanche of snow (1309) second, by having his book of sulphur matches snuff out in one fell swoop (131011) and, third, by having the nucleus of the little ? re snuffed out by a large piece of commons moss (1311). lee side Clark Mitchell has drawn attention 174 ANQ A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews to the ominous, reiterative quality of the tale and to how events . . . repeat themselves into an eerie signi? cance, as the man attempts over and over to enact the storys titular in? nitive (78).The mans predicament recalls the unrelenting fates of transgressors in the classical underworldof Sisyphus, who pushes a bowlder up a hill, only for it to roll down the hills other side, or of Tantalus, who fruitlessly reaches out to eat from a branch that is always solecism his grasp. But the mans thwarted actions also mimic the commitment of Dantes sinners to both the unending temper of the penalization they must fit and the experience of their particular sins interminable round in each of the nine vicious destinys built into the funnel of Dantes Hell.London underlines the infernal cash machine of his tale. He is careful, for instance, to identify the old-timer on Sulphur Creek, who warns the man that a traveler should never venture alone into the Klondike in treacherous weather, with that essential romp of Hell, viz. Hells sulphurate fumes. London further emphasizes this theme by having his antihero b uild a ? re with his bunch of sulphur matches (1310) that, when lit, emits an evil smell of vehement brimstone (1311). On bungling his second desperate attempt to build a ? re, the man not only blunders and sets a? me all of his remaining 70 matches, he also sets alight his own hand, so that the burning of his ? esh by ? re becomes associated with the slackzing cold that burns into the core of his being at the storys climax. The freezing cold that literally chills the man to the bone is as apt a fate as a case of Dantean contrapasso, where the punishment of the sinner is appropriate to the nature of their sin. The mans ethical insentience, his lack of a moral and metaphysical compass to direct his choices and regulate his attitude toward others and toward the universe of which he is a part, is re? cted in the deadening numbness that torments and ultimately destroys him. London includes in his narrative one small but revealing decimal point from Dantes Inferno that gives the read er a key to unlock the moral of his fable. Beca drug abuse of the intense cold, the beard of Londons nameless protagonist, interchangeable the coat of the husky that reluctantly accompanies the man, sports an icy appendage (1303) The frozen moisture of the huskys breathing had settled on its fur in a ? ne powder of frost, and oddly were its jowls, muzzle, and eyelashes blanched by its crystalled breath.The mans red beard and mustache were resemblingwise frosted, but more solidly, the deposit taking the form of ice and increase with every warm, moist breath he exhaled. Also, the man was chewing tobacco, and the muzzle of ice held his lips so rigidly that he was unable to clear his chin when he expelled the juice. The resultant was that a crystal beard of the color and solidity of amber was increasing its length on his chin. If he fell down Jack Londons To Build a Fire (II) 175 it would shatter itself, like glass, into toffee fragments. But he did not mind the appendage. 1303) T his curious ice-muzzle on his let loose (1304) elongates as the man progresses on his journey, so that he continued monotonously to chew tobacco and to increase the length of his amber beard (1304) later still, the ice-muzzle (1306) obstructs his rim when he attempts to eat his meal. The amber beard, a vivid if admittedly bizarre feature of Londons tale, gathers in signi? cance if we recollect events in the ninth and ? nal circle of Dantes Inferno. When Dante the pilgrim arrives at Hells bottom, he discovers a frozen Lake Cocytus that is swept by bitter, freezing winds.As Dante ventures toward the heart of Lake Cocytus, where the ? gure of Lucifer weeps, gnashes his teeth, and beats his wings, he in conclusion arrives at the region of Ptolomea (Inf. 33. 124). In this place he ? nds wretched sinners buried up to their waists in ice We went farther on, where the frost roughly swathes another people, not knack downwards, but with faces all upturned. The very weeping there prevents their weeping, and the grief, which ? nds a barrier upon their eyes, turns inward to increase the agony, for the ? rst tears form a knot and, like a crystal visor, ? l all the cup beneath the eyebrow. (Inf . 33. 9199) The crystal visor visiere di cristallo (Inf . 33. 98) or the hard veils i duri veli (Inf . 33. 112) that form and clamp about the faces of these sinners gap an attractive source for the crystal beard or muzzle of ice that torments the countenance of Londons antihero. on the button as the tears around the faces of Dantes sinners solidify and accumulate to form visors or veils, so the tobacco spit in the beard of Londons protagonist encrusts, clusters, and builds to form an icemuzzle.Londons ice-muzzle that shatters, like glass, into brittle fragments (1303), also seems to recall Dantes frozen Lake Cocytus, which has the durability of glass di vetro (Inf . 32. 24). In his depiction of the Yukon London gestures further to Dantes sinners, who are embedded in Lake Cocytu s. Just as Dantes Lake Cocytus is one solid block of ice, so the creek that surrounds the man was frozen clear to the bottom, no creek could contain peeing in that arctic winter (1304).Equally, just as Dantes sinners are trapped in the ice, so various ice pools, covered with a snow-hidden ice-skin (1305), usher in traps (1304) that are concealed around the surface of the creek. It is through the ice-skin of one of these same traps that the man falls and, like Dantes wretches of the cold crust tristi de la fredda crosta (Inf . 33. 109), the man wets himself center(a) to the knees before he ? oundered out to the ?rm crust (1307). 176 ANQ A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and ReviewsLondons allusion to Dante is all the more pertinent when we consider the nature of the sin for which Dantes transgressors in Ptolomea are being punished. The inhabitants of Ptolomea are those offenders who have transgressed once morest their guests, hosts, or companions. Londons critics have acknowledged the mans hubris as an high-spirited con? dence in the ef? cacy of his own rational faculties and a corresponding blindness to the dark, nonrational powers of nature, chance, and fate (Labor 6364). Yet, as with Dantes sinners con? ed in Ptolomea, the fatal ? aw of Londons antihero is as much his inability to understand the value of companionship or community. In this way the nameless mans husky acts as a foil to its master. London characterizes the relationship in the midst of the man and his dog as that existing between a ? re-provider (1309) and a toil-slave (1306), and, as such, he reveals that their union is based upon a ruthless pact of convenience and functionality rather than an accord of mutual love, respect, and sympathy.The menacing throat- earphones (1307) of the man are, to the perceptions of the dog, as the sound of whip-lashes (1307), and the narrative con? rms the dogs apprehensions in his masters futile, last ditch effort to destroy mans best helper a nd use its very lifeblood and vital warmth in order to save his own skin. Londons account of his protagonists failure to be companionate with his dog is a crucial index to the mans inability to meditate upon his infirmity as a creature of temperature, and upon mans frailty in general (1302).His cruel treatment of his dog furnishes yet another example of his refusal to perceive his fellow human beings and the natural world contact him as more than things stripped bare of their signi? cances (1302). His aversion to companionability, which is equivalent to Dantes sin of Ptolomea, is further re? ected in his refusal to heed the old-timers advice to nurse human community and practice to a trail-mate (1309). Londons allusion to both the frozen wastes of Dantes Ptolomea and the crystal beards of the sinners who reside in that nhospitable climate provides a convince literary analogue for Londons haunting and gloomy depiction of the Klondike the intertext also sees to highlight the nat ure of the tragic ? aw of Londons protagonist in placing his trust in a misguided individualism where any man who was a man could travel alone (1308). It may be the case that in the parallels between Jack Londons severe experience of being buried in the Klondike and Dantes unforgettable vision of his cardinal sinners, buried in Lake Cocytus, London found a subject that he could not resist treating imaginatively, irrespective of his religious and political standpoint.However, if, as I believe, Londons To Build a Fire (II) can be read as a moral fable of transgression and punishment that is heavily invested in the stuff of weird allegory and, in particular, relies upon the design of Dantes Commedia, then our tidy, traditional understanding of London as a long-standing, dedicated Socialist who was condescending toward, if not disdainful of, spiritual and religious matters becomes problematic or, at the very least, open to reassessment. Jack Londons To Build a Fire (II) 177So that the re can be no mistaking the tales literary debt to the Florentine master, Londons coda to his narrative contains a strong, though unsettling, allusion to the close of each of Dantes three canticles. The allusion unsettles, because it bears Londons signature pessimism regarding an unresponsive universe. As, in turn, each canticle ends, Dante the pilgrim gains an increasingly clari? ed and luminous perspective upon the starry universe that proclaims Gods verdant love and His concern for Creation in Inferno, while emerging from Hells pit onto the surface of the Earth, Dante is able to contemplate the ? mament and see again the stars riveder le stelle (Inf . 34. 139) in Purgatorio, from the peak of Mount Purgatory Dante is pure and ready to rise to the stars puro e disposto a salire a le stelle (Purg. 33. 145) and, in Paradiso, Dante is at long last allow a beati? c vision of his Maker and is ? lled with wonder by the Love which moves the sun and the other stars lamor che move il sole e laltre stelle (Parad. 33. 145).In contrast, Londons powerful destruction image of the husky, now masterless and howling under the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky (1315), indicates a more inert and uncaring naturalistic universe than the ordered Dantean cosmos where Gods embosoming love moves the sun and the other stars. Perhaps, then, in Londons closing reversion to the bright, dancing stars and the cold sky of an unfeeling universe, James McClintock is correct in his critical judgment that, ultimately, London never truly decrepit his basically pessimistic worldview in To Build a Fire (II).Notes I wish to thank my freshman class from the fall semester of 2009 for being a opened interview to the ideas presented in this paper. Above all, I am grateful to Marek Ignatowicz, a poet and a true man of letters. Without his facility for illuminating discussion on all things literary, and without our unforgettable conversation on the subject of beards i n fact and in ? ction, it is highly probable that the topic of this paper would never have occurred to me. 1 Miltons Paradise Lost, and in particular the character of Miltons Satan, is an inspiration to Wolf Larsen in The Sea-Wolf .Larsen remarks of Miltons fallen archangel But Lucifer was a free spirit. To dole out was to suffocate. He preferred suffering in freedom to all the happiness of a comfortable servility. He did not care to serve God. He cared to serve nothing. He was no ? gurehead. He stood on his own legs. He was an individual (249). Works Cited Dante Alighieri. The Divine Comedy Inferno. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. Princeton Princeton University Press, 1970. Print. . The Divine Comedy Paradiso. Trans. Charles S. Singleton.Princeton Princeton University Press, 1975. Print. 178 ANQ A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews . The Divine Comedy Purgatorio. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. Princeton Princeton University Press, 1973. Print. Labor, Earle. Jack Lo ndon. New York Twayne Publishers, 1974. Print. London, Jack. The Complete Short Stories of Jack London. Ed. Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz, III, and I. Milo Shepard. 3 vols. Stanford Stanford University Press, 1993. Print. . The Sea-Wolf . New York MacMillan, 1967. Print. McClintock, James I.White Logic Jack Londons Short Stories. Cedar Springs Wolf House Books, 1976. Print. Milton, John. The Poetical Works of John Milton. Ed. Helen Darbishire. London Oxford University Press,1958. Print. Mitchell, Lee Clark. Keeping His Head Repetition and indebtedness in Londons To Build a Fire. Journal of Modern Literature 13. 1 (1986) 7696. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack A Biography of Jack London. London harpist and Row, 1977. Print. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.Jack LondonANQ A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews, Vol. 23, No. 3, 172178, 2010 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN 0895-769X DOI 10. 1080/08957691003712363 R USSELL M. H ILLIER Providence College Crystal Beards and Dantean In? uence in Jack Londons To Build a Fire (II) James I. McClintock has described Jack Londons classic short story To Build a Fire (II) as the most mature expression of his pessimism (116).In what follows, I wish to explore the possibility that there is a substantial element of spiritual allegory operative in Londons narrative. London originally conceived his tale as a moral fable and a cautionary narrative to American youth never to travel alone. To this end, London published the story in Youths Companion. In its ? nal version, though, the tale assumed decidedly darker and more sinister tones.In capturing the menace of the inclement northland, London was drawing upon his own travels in the Klondike, but I would argue that his narrative was also inspired by a fusion of his experience of the harsh and bleak environment of Dawson City with his encounter with the literature he read while he was sh eltering in a winter cabin beside the Stewart River, in circumstances Londons biographer Andrew Sinclair characterizes as a trap of cold and boredom, short rations and scurvy (48). Sinclair describes the modest library with which London weathered that cramped and piercingly cold spell of ? e months and writes how, In the tedious con? nes of the winter cabins, London settled down to absorb the books that became the bedrock of his thought and writing, underlying even the socialism which was his faith. These were the works of Darwin, Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Kipling, Miltons Paradise Lost and Dantes Inferno (48). The last two works Sinclair accounts for are of particular consequence. Between the pages of Milton and Dantes epics London would have encountered fallen angels and unrepentant sinners who had been immured in Hell for committing crimes of hubris.Indeed, London transferred his fascination for the hubris of Miltons Satan to his antihero Wolf Larsen in the novel The Sea-Wolf . 1 Most importantly, though, London would have discovered, at the outer reaches of Miltons Hell, a frozen Continent . . . dark and wilde, beat with perpetual storms / Of Whirlwind 172 Jack Londons To Build a Fire (II) 173 and dire Hail, . . . all else deep snow and ice (PL 2. 58789, 591) and, within the innermost circle of Dantes pit of Hell, he would have found a frozen subterranean lake blasted by biting winds.Neither infernal vision would have been so very far removed from Londons own experience of the subzero temperatures and appalling conditions of the Klondike. Indeed, the inhuman cold that defeats Londons protagonist was as much an attribute of the traditional medieval idea of Hell as its notorious qualities of ? re and brimstone. The landscape of Londons revised tale is conspicuously preternatural the mysterious, far-reaching hair-line trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it all (1302).Where Miltons Hell is ch aracterized by the paradoxical quality of darkness visible (PL 1. 63), Londons comfortless northern world has an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark (1301). Londons protagonist is an anonymous man, a gold prospector who not only lacks the imagination to survive in the Yukon wasteland, but who is also oblivious to any metaphysical possibilities and unmindful of the conjectural ? eld of immortality and mans place in the universe (1302).Incapable of companionability, the man always travels alone, except for his husky, an animal he treats with contempt and even with hostility. His disdain for the wise counsel that the old-timer on Sulphur Creek (1309) gives him to travel into the northland with a partner is a recurrent reminder to Londons reader of the mans improvidence, unsociability, and willful self-alienation. Londons own brutal ordeal in the Klondike had taught him the importance of having a trail-mate when wintering by the Stewart River, London and Fred Thompson, journeying for supplies through the wilderness, had backpacked all the way or they pulled heir own sled, for they owned no team of huskies (Sinclair 48). In the case of the man in Londons narrative, the idea of working alongside or depending upon other creatures means no more to him than the enjoyment of the commodities he associates with them the boys at the camp, for example, whom the man always keeps in mind throughout the tale, are, to the man, indistinguishable from the material comforts he hopes to gain from a ? re and a hot supper (1302).The marked in? uence of Dante in Londons narrative, a crucial factor in ones appreciation of the tale which, to the best of my knowledge, has hitherto escaped critical attention, helps to con? rm Londons infernal rendering of the unforgiving Yukon wasteland. In structural terms the story has a repetitive, nightmarish quality as the man makes three desperate ventures to build a ? re that are each time frustrated? rst, by having the ? e blotted out by an avalanche of snow (1309) second, by having his book of sulphur matches extinguished in one fell swoop (131011) and, third, by having the nucleus of the little ? re snuffed out by a large piece of green moss (1311). Lee Clark Mitchell has drawn attention 174 ANQ A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews to the ominous, reiterative quality of the tale and to how events . . . repeat themselves into an eerie signi? cance, as the man attempts over and over to enact the storys titular in? nitive (78).The mans predicament recalls the unrelenting fates of transgressors in the classical underworldof Sisyphus, who pushes a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down the hills other side, or of Tantalus, who fruitlessly reaches out to eat from a branch that is always eluding his grasp. But the mans thwarted actions also mimic the commitment of Dantes sinners to both the unending nature of the punishment they must suffer and the experience of their particular sins interminable round in each of the nine vicious circles built into the funnel of Dantes Hell.London underlines the infernal atmosphere of his tale. He is careful, for instance, to identify the old-timer on Sulphur Creek, who warns the man that a traveler should never venture alone into the Klondike in treacherous weather, with that essential feature of Hell, namely Hells sulphurate fumes. London further emphasizes this theme by having his antihero build a ? re with his bunch of sulphur matches (1310) that, when lit, emits an evil smell of burning brimstone (1311). On bungling his second desperate attempt to build a ? re, the man not only blunders and sets a? me all of his remaining seventy matches, he also sets alight his own hand, so that the burning of his ? esh by ? re becomes associated with the freezing cold that burns into the core of his being at the storys climax. The freezing cold that literally chills the man to the bone is as apt a fate as a case o f Dantean contrapasso, where the punishment of the sinner is appropriate to the nature of their sin. The mans ethical insentience, his lack of a moral and metaphysical compass to direct his choices and regulate his attitude toward others and toward the universe of which he is a part, is re? cted in the deadening numbness that torments and ultimately destroys him. London includes in his narrative one small but revealing detail from Dantes Inferno that gives the reader a key to unlock the moral of his fable. Because of the intense cold, the beard of Londons nameless protagonist, like the coat of the husky that reluctantly accompanies the man, sports an icy appendage (1303) The frozen moisture of the huskys breathing had settled on its fur in a ? ne powder of frost, and especially were its jowls, muzzle, and eyelashes whitened by its crystalled breath.The mans red beard and mustache were likewise frosted, but more solidly, the deposit taking the form of ice and increasing with every wa rm, moist breath he exhaled. Also, the man was chewing tobacco, and the muzzle of ice held his lips so rigidly that he was unable to clear his chin when he expelled the juice. The result was that a crystal beard of the color and solidity of amber was increasing its length on his chin. If he fell down Jack Londons To Build a Fire (II) 175 it would shatter itself, like glass, into brittle fragments. But he did not mind the appendage. 1303) This curious ice-muzzle on his mouth (1304) elongates as the man progresses on his journey, so that he continued monotonously to chew tobacco and to increase the length of his amber beard (1304) later still, the ice-muzzle (1306) obstructs his mouth when he attempts to eat his meal. The amber beard, a vivid if admittedly bizarre feature of Londons tale, gathers in signi? cance if we recollect events in the ninth and ? nal circle of Dantes Inferno. When Dante the pilgrim arrives at Hells bottom, he discovers a frozen Lake Cocytus that is swept by bit ter, freezing winds.As Dante ventures toward the heart of Lake Cocytus, where the ? gure of Lucifer weeps, gnashes his teeth, and beats his wings, he eventually arrives at the region of Ptolomea (Inf. 33. 124). In this place he ? nds wretched sinners buried up to their waists in ice We went farther on, where the frost roughly swathes another people, not bent downwards, but with faces all upturned. The very weeping there prevents their weeping, and the grief, which ? nds a barrier upon their eyes, turns inward to increase the agony, for the ? rst tears form a knot and, like a crystal visor, ? l all the cup beneath the eyebrow. (Inf . 33. 9199) The crystal visor visiere di cristallo (Inf . 33. 98) or the hard veils i duri veli (Inf . 33. 112) that form and clamp about the faces of these sinners offer an attractive source for the crystal beard or muzzle of ice that torments the countenance of Londons antihero. Just as the tears around the faces of Dantes sinners solidify and accumulate to form visors or veils, so the tobacco spit in the beard of Londons protagonist encrusts, clusters, and builds to form an icemuzzle.Londons ice-muzzle that shatters, like glass, into brittle fragments (1303), also seems to recall Dantes frozen Lake Cocytus, which has the durability of glass di vetro (Inf . 32. 24). In his depiction of the Yukon London gestures further to Dantes sinners, who are embedded in Lake Cocytus. Just as Dantes Lake Cocytus is one solid block of ice, so the creek that surrounds the man was frozen clear to the bottom, no creek could contain water in that arctic winter (1304).Equally, just as Dantes sinners are trapped in the ice, so various ice pools, covered with a snow-hidden ice-skin (1305), present traps (1304) that are concealed around the surface of the creek. It is through the ice-skin of one of these same traps that the man falls and, like Dantes wretches of the cold crust tristi de la fredda crosta (Inf . 33. 109), the man wets himself halfway to t he knees before he ? oundered out to the ?rm crust (1307). 176 ANQ A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and ReviewsLondons allusion to Dante is all the more pertinent when we consider the nature of the sin for which Dantes transgressors in Ptolomea are being punished. The inhabitants of Ptolomea are those offenders who have transgressed against their guests, hosts, or companions. Londons critics have acknowledged the mans hubris as an overweening con? dence in the ef? cacy of his own rational faculties and a corresponding blindness to the dark, nonrational powers of nature, chance, and fate (Labor 6364). Yet, as with Dantes sinners con? ed in Ptolomea, the fatal ? aw of Londons antihero is as much his inability to understand the value of companionship or community. In this way the nameless mans husky acts as a foil to its master. London characterizes the relationship between the man and his dog as that existing between a ? re-provider (1309) and a toil-slave (1306), and, as such, he reveals that their union is based upon a ruthless pact of convenience and functionality rather than an accord of mutual love, respect, and sympathy.The menacing throat-sounds (1307) of the man are, to the perceptions of the dog, as the sound of whip-lashes (1307), and the narrative con? rms the dogs apprehensions in his masters futile, last ditch effort to destroy mans best friend and use its very lifeblood and vital warmth in order to save his own skin. Londons account of his protagonists failure to be companionate with his dog is a crucial index to the mans inability to meditate upon his frailty as a creature of temperature, and upon mans frailty in general (1302).His cruel treatment of his dog furnishes yet another example of his refusal to perceive his fellow human beings and the natural world surrounding him as more than things stripped bare of their signi? cances (1302). His aversion to companionability, which is equivalent to Dantes sin of Ptolomea, is further re? e cted in his refusal to heed the old-timers advice to foster human community and trust to a trail-mate (1309). Londons allusion to both the frozen wastes of Dantes Ptolomea and the crystal beards of the sinners who reside in that nhospitable climate provides a convincing literary analogue for Londons haunting and gloomy depiction of the Klondike the intertext also serves to highlight the nature of the tragic ? aw of Londons protagonist in placing his trust in a misguided individualism where any man who was a man could travel alone (1308). It may be the case that in the parallels between Jack Londons severe experience of being buried in the Klondike and Dantes unforgettable vision of his cardinal sinners, buried in Lake Cocytus, London found a subject that he could not resist treating imaginatively, irrespective of his religious and political standpoint.However, if, as I believe, Londons To Build a Fire (II) can be read as a moral fable of transgression and punishment that is heavily invested in the stuff of spiritual allegory and, in particular, relies upon the design of Dantes Commedia, then our tidy, traditional understanding of London as a long-standing, dedicated Socialist who was condescending toward, if not scornful of, spiritual and religious matters becomes problematic or, at the very least, open to reassessment. Jack Londons To Build a Fire (II) 177So that there can be no mistaking the tales literary debt to the Florentine master, Londons coda to his narrative contains a strong, though unsettling, allusion to the close of each of Dantes three canticles. The allusion unsettles, because it bears Londons signature pessimism regarding an unresponsive universe. As, in turn, each canticle ends, Dante the pilgrim gains an increasingly clari? ed and luminous perspective upon the starry universe that proclaims Gods abundant love and His concern for Creation in Inferno, while emerging from Hells pit onto the surface of the Earth, Dante is able to contemplate the ? mament and see again the stars riveder le stelle (Inf . 34. 139) in Purgatorio, from the peak of Mount Purgatory Dante is pure and ready to rise to the stars puro e disposto a salire a le stelle (Purg. 33. 145) and, in Paradiso, Dante is at long last granted a beati? c vision of his Maker and is ? lled with wonder by the Love which moves the sun and the other stars lamor che move il sole e laltre stelle (Parad. 33. 145).In contrast, Londons powerful closing image of the husky, now masterless and howling under the stars that leaped and danced and shone brightly in the cold sky (1315), indicates a more indifferent and uncaring naturalistic universe than the ordered Dantean cosmos where Gods embosoming love moves the sun and the other stars. Perhaps, then, in Londons closing reversion to the bright, dancing stars and the cold sky of an unfeeling universe, James McClintock is correct in his critical judgment that, ultimately, London never truly abandoned his essentially pessimistic w orldview in To Build a Fire (II).Notes I wish to thank my freshman class from the fall semester of 2009 for being a receptive audience to the ideas presented in this paper. Above all, I am grateful to Marek Ignatowicz, a poet and a true man of letters. Without his facility for illuminating discussion on all things literary, and without our memorable conversation on the subject of beards in fact and in ? ction, it is highly probable that the topic of this paper would never have occurred to me. 1 Miltons Paradise Lost, and in particular the character of Miltons Satan, is an inspiration to Wolf Larsen in The Sea-Wolf .Larsen remarks of Miltons fallen archangel But Lucifer was a free spirit. To serve was to suffocate. He preferred suffering in freedom to all the happiness of a comfortable servility. He did not care to serve God. He cared to serve nothing. He was no ? gurehead. He stood on his own legs. He was an individual (249). Works Cited Dante Alighieri. The Divine Comedy Inferno. T rans. Charles S. Singleton. Princeton Princeton University Press, 1970. Print. . The Divine Comedy Paradiso. Trans. Charles S. Singleton.Princeton Princeton University Press, 1975. Print. 178 ANQ A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews . The Divine Comedy Purgatorio. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. Princeton Princeton University Press, 1973. Print. Labor, Earle. Jack London. New York Twayne Publishers, 1974. Print. London, Jack. The Complete Short Stories of Jack London. Ed. Earle Labor, Robert C. Leitz, III, and I. Milo Shepard. 3 vols. Stanford Stanford University Press, 1993. Print. . The Sea-Wolf . New York MacMillan, 1967. Print. McClintock, James I.White Logic Jack Londons Short Stories. Cedar Springs Wolf House Books, 1976. Print. Milton, John. The Poetical Works of John Milton. Ed. Helen Darbishire. London Oxford University Press,1958. Print. Mitchell, Lee Clark. Keeping His Head Repetition and Responsibility in Londons To Build a Fire. Journal of Modern Lite rature 13. 1 (1986) 7696. Print. Sinclair, Andrew. Jack A Biography of Jack London. London Harper and Row, 1977. Print. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

Life of Being an African American Essay

Throughout my life, I have had to battle with my own identity, as many hoi polloi do. It is non just a black thing, Im sure. I know people from all different ethnicities, who struggle to find themselves, just this has little to do with the commission they look on the outside it is the quest to find out who they are on the inside. I found that person when I was thirteen years old, but then when I moved to the United States from Chicago eight years ago, I underwent another sort of struggle with identity.This judgment of conviction it was because of the way I looked, and it was less than a personal struggle than it was a fight against discrimination. I had never really experienced any form of racial discrimination in Chicago almost everyone who lived in our area was African American, with a few exceptions. There were a few white people, but they seemingly were not indicative of the general population in America, as I never received any mistreatment or discrimination from them, an d likewise, I do not believe they suffered any discrimination by my fellow African Americans.Everyone sort of just fit in and carried on with their daily lives. I am shamed to admit that this is how I thought that my life would be in Texas as well. I did expect things to be different. I knew that Dallas were more affluent and I knew that in that respect were buildings as big as some of our smaller towns. The buildings in the brochures seemed to reach the sky. I believed that the sky would be bluer, the air cleaner, and the people would be as congenial as they seemed to be on television and in the brochures.All of these shiny, smiling white faces would greet me with open arms and assist me in any way possible to reconstruct my stay wonderful. However, the exact opposite has happened to me. Although I am not the lonesome(prenominal) African American by far to come to Dallas, I certainly felt all alone my first six months here. While I did meet other African Americans, and they we lcomed me, they were all busy struggling to make a living or to learn the language just as much as the next. It seemed even the older African Americans who had lived here for over x years still never managed to fit in.I have been called stupid, ignorant and dumb despite the fact that I am more sound than many of the people calling me this. .One of the things that annoys me the most is when I try to talk to someone and they talk back to me with a slang accent. I have had people speak very slowly and with raised volume and exaggerated hand movements when they are trying to talk to me. I guess they think that deaf and dumb. Stereotypes exist, I understand this, and it really doesnt affect me as much as being discriminated against does.For example, I can take people assuming that I change by reversal at a chicken place or even asking what are you. But when I take the time to talk to people and excuse and let them into my life a little, I expect a bit more than from someone on the str eet, but I dont often get it. In my small group of friends, which is mainly white people, they dont think Im stupid or ignorant, unlike those strangers I meet on the street, and they dont think Im deaf and dumb they actually think that Im of the most condole with person, and will do anything for them.Living in America is a dream for many, and while there are so many opportunities here, I have to tell apart that it is a struggle for an African American to fit in. I can only hope that future employers will not discriminate or that the only jobs that I can find will be dishwashing and working for a place that sells chicken. While these jobs are suitable for some, they are not wherefore I came to America. In essence, I am chasing the American dream, and while many Americans have discriminated against me, I can only hope that the dream will not.

Art Argument Analysis Essay

Detailed description of design (be sure to include the arrangement of visual elements. Include colors or color scheme black and white and red white and blue are examples of color scheme. Include the interaction of text with imagery. Does the image appear to be spacious, cramped, busy, simple, etc. describe in your own terms) There is a gray background, and black words wrapped around a little boy strangulation him, with abusive and hate words. The colors are very dark which makes it look a bit more serious in my eyes, giving it a ample meaning.The boy makes it sentimental and innocent Detailed analysis of design (refer to text pages 673-687 for examples) The design is to give off a more serious tone and to becharm a readers attention. This is a piece I dont think I will ever forget because the way it is typeset up is genius. It has the crying boy in the middle to attract the consultation then the hand of words choking the crying boy to keep the audiences attention. It truly make s a person sit down and think about how words affect everyone and just like the caption says Your words maintain power use them wisely that quote just sums up the whole photo.Purpose (this is the purpose you believe the author/advertiser had in mind when he/she created the advertisement or work of art the project may have more than one purpose). The main purpose of this picture is to bring awareness of oral abuse and how it affects everyone around you. Argument Presented in the image Words affect everyone not just adults, even young children. Personal Comments on the overall potency or the rhetorical strategies used I think that this was a great piece, and the photographer really knew what they were doing when they took this shot.

Existentialism and the Meaning of Life Essay

This paper will discuss the existentialist position and how different societal factors tolerate to the creation of different meaning in a persons life. It will study how value systems are formed and will borrow severely from Jean Paul Sartes concept of existence precedes essence. It is important to note that the author will present the arguments and correlate it with the two films that were used in write this paper.First, I will explain the meaning of life and how it is created. Next, there will be a brief discussion on how state apparatuses like faith and the government keeps aims to keep the meaning of peoples lives in certain restrictive areas. Then I will outline the different arguments of existentialist philosophers particularly that of Sarte and Albert Camus.Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself (Miller & Jensen, 2006). People are all born out of the wonders of biological functions but as people leave the protective womb of their mothers, they will be exposed t o different stimulants in the environments. And this will prompt them to learn things different from how other people learn it. Therefore, a homo is a sponge who absorbs information in real unique ways. And the things that were absorbed create a man who has an equally unique reason for the meaning of his existence.The very question of life is what paved the way for the existential branch of philosophical studies. It is by way of nature that beings search for the meaning of life. But humans as we are, there will be different interpretations of the meaning of life. Each person is blessed with the unique ability to identify different reasons for his existence. And there are withal different perspectives used to uncover the meaning of life. Thus, for this paper we will use Jean Paul Sartes theory of essence precedes existence.BackgrounderThe ultimate finish in finding the meaning of singles life is to make a rational sense out of life (Stewart & Blocker, 1987). Self actualization is one of the things specified in the hierarchy of needs. And in order to know the personality of ones self, it is fundamental to make sense of life in itself. contrary the perspective of the absurdistspeople who focus on the meaninglessness of life and the vacuity of human existence (Stewart & Blocker, 1987)existentialists seek meaning in the rather meaningless world in order to affirm the significance of their existence.

Inside Job Documentary Essay

The documentary Inside Job does a very good meditate of explaining what happened in a relatively short period of time and in an accessible way. The moving-picture show as well as has compelling villains and outrageous behavior that is bound to engage and enrage viewers. Its basically an overview of the financial crisis of recent years, which we ar still recovering from. The thesis seems to be that the regulations that were put in place after the great(p) Depression have been systematically dismantled since the Reagan years (powered by breakwater Street lobbyists) which played a pivotal role in this meltdown and lesser ones in previous years. And very little is being get dressede to fix this faulty system and the ones who should be held liable are not and still crappy, filthy rich and very powerful. The most breathtaking fact is that the arrogance, greed and corruption that these people exhibit and the fact that none of them have been indicted for fraud and violation. This f ilm not only makes me angry but also furious.This shows concept of capitalism at its worst. It is not about(predicate) right, left, democrat or republi support nor the failure of capitalism, it was about delicate greed and corruption. What happened and continues to this day is not capitalism. It is corporatism I think which is also known as fascism. If it were truly capitalism, there would be no such thing as too grand to fail and there would be so many fines and prison sentences handed down it would hugely dwarf the savings and loan scandal.This film portrays lots of psychopaths that only care about one thing furthering their own personal gain and the ends justifies the means is their mantra. Over here psychopaths means the people who are over obsessed with money and they just want more and more. There is a lot of wrong doing which is not ethical but legal because the American government helped them to make it legal like CitiGroup acquiring Traveler. Why does the financial syste m have to grow more complex, in the sense of allowing high leverage, object lesson hazard, opaqueness, and brittle inter tie inions to flourish? Of course panic will continue to exist and be unpredictable. only when the system itself needs to be transparent, properly capitalized, compartmentalized, and policed, so bankers dont extract mountains of money in good times and then have it go down in flames in bad times every few years. If we can build a robust Internet or electrical grid, we can build a robust financial system. They should all be able to get bigger and more capable without being at risk of constant collapse. You cant eliminate risk of failure, but you can keep it reasonably small. There is simply no excuse for building a system which can collapse in its entirety without government bailouts.And ultimately, thats what makes the financial crisis so scary. The complexity of the system far exceeded the capacity of the participants, experts and watchdogs. Even after the crisi s happened, it was devilishly hard to understand what was going on. Some people managed to connect the right dots, in the right ways and at the right times, but not so many, and not through such reproducible methods, that its tripping how we can make their success the norm. What makes me sad is that our key systems are going to continue growing more complex, and were not getting any smarter, or any less able to ignore risks that we know we should be preparing for.In my opinion, the movie has a bright side and a dark side. I enjoyed seeing known people talk about the economical crisis and giving their side of the story. I enjoyed seeing witnesses given in Washington by bankers accused of their pitch-black practices. I think the movie put my attention on the deep problem of lobbying, which results in inefficient regulation and creates a threat for the whole system. The big problem with the movie, however, is black and white approach it takes. It presents 10% of a complicated pictur e and makes one to believe that it is 100%. For example, deregulation is widely accepted as one of reasons for the economical crisis. In the movie, it is represented in such a way that it looks ridiculous how a law on deregulation could pass tainted officials is a hint.The facts are well presented in the movie. Some of them are true like 1) Banks want to be Too Big To Fail because they know that if theyre too big, theyll be bailed out. 2) The progressive deregulation of the financial sector since the 1980s gave rise to an increasingly criminal industry. 3) The industry has made more money since the crisis. 4) The norm salary of a Goldman Sachs employee is $600,000. 5) AIG paid Goldman Sachs $13 one million million in taxpayer money. 6) AIGs Joe Cassano made $315 million after the company took at least $85 billion from taxpayers. But some of the facts shown were not true.Like the one where it says Dick Fuld earned $485 million, on the other hand it was less than $310 million. It also says that in 2008, the collapse of Lehman Brothers and AIG triggered the crisis. But that is not true as the origins of the crisis can be traced back even further, to the implosion of two Bear Stearns surround funds dismissal by Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, the Bear Stearns risque Grade Structured Credit Strategies Fund and the Bear Stearns High Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Fund. It actually all started back in proterozoic 90s.I dont fully understand the working of the derivatives and credit swaps weve heard so much about. But Im learning. These are ingenious, computer-driven schemes in which good money can be earned from bad debt, and Wall Streets Masters of the Universe pocket untold millions succession they bankrupt their investors and their companies. The crucial error was to allow financial institutions to trade on their own behalf. Today, many large trading banks are betting against their own customers.In the real estate food market, banks aggress ively promoted mortgages to people who could not afford them. These were assembled in packages. They were carried on the books as tangible assets when they were worthless. The institutions assembling them hedged their loans by betting against them. When the mortgages failed, cyberspace were made despite and because of their failure. There is no moral justification for how Wall Street functions today.One of the most fascinating aspects of Inside Job involves the chatty on-camera insights of Kristin Davis, a Wall Street madam, who says the Street operated in a climate of abundant sex and cocaine for valued clients and the traders themselves showing themselves as psychopaths. She says it was accepted parts of the integrated culture that hookers at $1,000 an hour and up were kept on retainer and that cocaine was the fuel.Theres a lot to dislike about Wall Street that I have generated after watching this film mainly the pay, the culture and in many cases, the people. A lot of observers understood we had a housing bubble Dean Baker, for instance, had been sounding the alarm for years but few of the housing skeptics saw everything going on behind the bubble That the subprime mortgages had been packaged into bonds, that the bonds had been slice into tranches, that the formulas being used to price and rate the tranches got the variable expressing correlation wrong, that an extraordinary number of banks had purchased an extraordinary amount of insurance against getting that correlation wrong from AIG, that AIG had also priced the correlation wrong and would be unable to pay its debts in the event of a meltdown, that a meltdown would freeze the mostly unregulated shadow market that major financial institutions and players used to fund themselves, that the modern financial system was so fragile that an uptick in delinquent subprime mortgages could effectively crash the global economy.Whats remarkable about the financial crisis isnt just how many people got it wrong, but how many people who got it wrong had an incentive to get it right journalists, hedge funds, independent investors and academics regulators. Even traders, many of whom had most of their money tied up in their soon-tobe-worthless firms.I dont think anything can change my views about US markets. After watching this movie and my own views from reading day by day news articles and after President Barack Obama again reelecting those people to run the government who got us into this mess.

Tesco Plc. 2012 Annual Accounts compare them with Sainsbury Plc. as appropriate

Tesco was established in 1919 and now has become the largest retailer in the UK, the second largest retailer measured by reachs and third largest retailer measured by revenues in the world. It has operations in 14 countries with 520,000 people occupied and one thousand thousands of customers served every week (Tesco, 2013). Tescos 2012 Annual Report has just published, through which we can critically analyse the fraternitys operational and financial conditions.There are numerous relationships amongst the figures published in the annual report, and ratios fetch been commonly used for conducting a quantitative analysis of these relationships (Atrill and McLaney, 2013). They are calculated by analyse the latest year numbers (2011-12) with previous years (2010-11) and early(a) companies. Hence, J Sainsbury plc (known as Sainsburys) is chosen since it is the major competitor of Tesco at home. The ratios can be classified ad into five categories, namely additionability ratios, l iquidity ratios, activity or efficiency ratios, gearing ratios and investment ratios. When exploitation the ratios to assess two companies deeds, relevant social, political and scotch converts will all taken into account.Profitability Ratio Profitability ratios are the ratios used to assess a companys capability to generate earnings in comparison to its expenses and other relevant costs. Major makeability ratios include return on investment (ROI), return on large(p) employed (ROCE), gross profit allowance and net profit margin. Firstly, ROI is a concept evaluating the efficiency of an investment, and equals to net profit afterwards tax dividing regionowners specie. For Tesco, its ROI for the financial year 2011-12 was 15.8, decreased by 1.9% from previous year. Nevertheless, it is lock discontinue than Sainsburys, which got only 10.6%. Therefore, it can be argued that in general the investment on Tesco is more efficient and you can get better return.Besides ROI, ROCE is a similar concept which is a relative profit measurement demonstrating the return the calling generated from its gross pluss. A high ROCE shows that the company is using its capital more efficiently. In consequence, ROCE should be higher than companys capital cost, otherwise it tells us that the company is not employing its capital effectively and is not generating distributeholder value.It is calculated by profit before interest and tax diving shareholders funds + long-term debt. Tescos ROCE for the financial year 2011-12 was 13.3%, higher than previous years 12.9% and Sainsburys 11.1%. The rise of ROCE to around extent resulted from the dis act operation of Japan. From this point of view it can be argued that Tesco made a right decision to exit from Japan where its investment failed to generate good returns (The Telegraph, 2012).More over, gross profit margin and net profit margin are the other two commonly used profitability ratios. The former is defined as the percentage b etween gross profit and sales, whereas the latter is the percentage between net profit and sales. For Tesco, the two ratios both decreased compared to previous year The gross profit margin reduced from 8.5% to 8.2% and the net profit margin reduced from 6.0% to 5.9%. It means that this year the company failed to control cost as well as last year. The reduction was caused by various reasons. First of all, the economic downturn in the UK, particularly the high petrol prices and falling real incomes affectedcustomers discretionary spending fundamentally(BBC News, 2012). In addition, 2012 was a transition year for Tesco .The company not only changed its chairman, CEO and a number of other senior managers, but also made some adjustment on organisational structure and business focused. Finally, the company decided to increase investment so that to improve customers shopping trip, making trading profit declined. In spite of these challenges, Tesco still outweighed Sainsburys on profitabi lity, which got 5.4% and 3.6% individually.Liquidity ratios The second course of ratios called liquidity ratios, which are utilized to determine the ability of a company to pay off its dead-term debts. There are all important(predicate) as companies must ensure that these ratios are liquid otherwise they may have problem in paying back its creditors. Two important liquidity ratios are current ratio and acid test ratio.Current ratio measures current assets (cash +debtors + livestock) against current liabilities. Tescos current ratio in 2012 was 2.01, reduced from 2.12 in 2011. The current asset was rising, but it failed to offset the bigger rising of current liabilities, which was mainly led by the increased short-term borrowings. In 2012 there was a 1500 million medium term note (MTN) matured. Nevertheless, it still outperformed Sainsburys, whose current ratio was 1.84 in 2012. Because Tescos current ratio for the past two years were both great than 2, it means that the compa ny has no problem to meet creditors demands.Acid test ratio differentiates current ratio by excluding stock from the equation as stock may not easily be converted into cash. Tescos acid test ratios for the past two years were 1.56 (2011) and 1.45 (2012) respectively. Though decreased by 7.1%, it still great than 1 and Sainsburys 0.99, again indicating that Tesco has enough short-term assets to cover its short-term liabilities without selling inventory.Activity/Efficiency Ratios This category of ratios, which mainly includes ratios such as asset turnover,stock turnover, debtor days and creditor days, measures how well a company utilizing its internal assets and liabilities.Primarily, asset turnover, which equals to sales dividing total assets, measures how efficiency a company is in using its assets to achieve sales revenue to the company. Tescos asset turnover ratio in 2012 was 1.27, lower than its previous years 1.28 and Sainsburys 1.81. Since those companies with low profit margin s tend to have high asset turnover ratio whereas companies with high profit margins tend to have low asset turnover ratio, Tesco has bigger profit margin than Sainsbury, and this advantage has been expanded. We should also realize that companies in the retail industry like Tesco and Sainsbury tend to have higher asset turnover ratio than companies in other industries because of their competitive even cutthroat pricing.In addition, the stock turnover ratio indicates how many times a companys stock is sold and replaced over a period, for instance a year, and is calculated as cost of sales divided by stock. According to this verbalism, we can get the results of 17.50 and 16.48 for Tesco in 2011 and 2012 respectively and 22.48 for Sainsburys in 2012. The numbers are within the appropriate interval. A very low stock turnover rate may indicate overstocking whereas a overtop rate may point to stock shortage, which further result in the loss in business. From this point of view, both of th e companies manage the stock appropriately.Thirdly, debtor day measures the number of days, on average, that customers take to pay. The formula is debtors (accounts receivable) / sales * 365. Companies should ensure that its debtor ratio is neither too high nor too low. Otherwise it may face potential risks of either losing customers or losing profit by bad debt. Since most of the retailing business is cash business, supermarkets usually have very short debtor days. Tescos debtor days for the past two years were 14 days (2011) and 15 days (2012) respectively while Sainsburys has a even shorter debtor day of 5. Creditor day, on the other hand, measures the number of days, on average, that companies take to pay its suppliers.It is calculated by accounts payable / cost of sales * 365. From the formula we can get that Tesco had 60 creditordays for the past two years. Together with a very short debtor day, it is evident to see its bargaining spot in the market. This helps Tesco maximize profits. Sainsbury also has a big creditor day of 47 days, indicating its strong bargaining power as well.Gearing Ratios Another category of ratios is defined as gearing ratios, including gearing and interest cover ratio. Gearing is defined as the portion of net assets financed through debt rather than equity, and the calculation formula is long-term debt / shareholders funds + long-term debt. The aim of the calculation of gearing ratio is to see whether the company is able to get a healthy long-term financing. Tesco and Sainsburys both have good gearing ratios. For Tesco, its gearing ratio in 2012 was 38.4%. In comparison with 40.8% in 2011, it reduced by 5.9%. The decreased gearing reflected Tescos stable debt stick despite the investment in assets growing. For Sainsburys, its gearing ratio in 2012 was 31.7%, meaning that it used even smaller portion of debt to finance net assets.Investment Ratios The final category of ratios is referred to as investment ratios, which are mainly calculated to meet the interests of shareholders and potential investors of the company. The most commonly used shareholder returns rations include dividend per share, dividend yield, and earnings per share (EPS).First, dividend per share, equalling dividend compensable divided by number of shares, reflects the belief of the companys management towards its future growth. For instance, a growing dividend means that the companys management is sure-footed that the growth can be sustained. Tescos 2012 full year dividend was 14.76p, which was an increase of only 2.1% on last year, but lower than Sainsburys 16.1p. Although the company continued the record of consecutive years of dividend growth in the FTSE 100, for its shareholders, 2012 was a tough year. The companys management explains that this was due to their new strategy to forego some short-term profit to re-invest in the long-term health of the business.Second, dividend yield shows how much a company pays out in dividends each y ear relative to its share price. In the absence of any capital gains, it equals to the return on investment for a stock. Dividend yield can be calculated according to the formula dividend per share / Market price per share. On 30th March 2013, Tesco and Sainsburys dividend yield were 4.24 and 4.14 respectively.Furthermore, earnings per share, known as EPS and calculated as profit after tax dividing number of shares, shows the profit (or loss) made by every issued share. It is an important indicator of a companys profitability, and also the single most significant factor in determining the share price. In 2012 Tescos EPS was 37.4p, increased by 2.1% from 2011 and higher than its competitor Sainsburys 28.1p. Consequently, we can argue that Tesco achieved a secondary profit growth in 2012 and it is more profitable than Sainsburys.Non-financial performance analysis Financial selective information particularly the ratio analysis has its limitations. Therefore, we need to analyse non-fi nancial information as well. Primarily, from the scale of the business, Tesco definitely enjoys a larger business scale. It has businesses in 14 countries throughout the world and the total stores numbers is 6,234 in 2012. By contrast, Sainsburys on operates in the U.K. with around 1,000 stores. Additionally, from the brand reputation and value aspect, Tesco in general outweigh Sainsburys to a large extent, particularly in global markets. Nevertheless, at home Sainsburys brand awareness is almost as famous as Tesco since the company is using competitive pricing strategy and providing fresh goods to improve customer loyalty.Conclusion To sum up, this essay has used five categories of ratios to critically assess the financial performance of Tesco in view of previous years results and the competitor Sainsburys. Generally speaking the company delivered modest profit growth in a challenging economic environment, with a strong international performance largely offset by a reduction in U K profits. Owing to strategic changes on organisational structure and business focused,Tescos financial performance was negatively affected. Nevertheless, in many aspects such as profitability and liquidity it still outperformed its major competitor Sainsburys. It is confident that the company is able to pass the period of change and development smoothly and its future prosperity can be expected.

12 Analyse Own Responsibilities For Promoting Essay

Analyse own responsibilities for promoting equality and valuing diversity. The Equality Act 2010 replaced and condensed over 100 pieces of anti- discrimination legislation, at its foundation it is unlawful to treat anyone little favourably on the grounds of his or her sexual orientation, disability, religion, sex, belief or age. As a trainer I should ensure that no student is discriminated against either directly or indirectly by fully understanding this act and how discrimination can arise. The following are protect characteristics and value diversity. Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, gestation and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation The equality Act says youve been treated less fairly if you are a victim of Direct discrimination, Direct discrimination is when an individual has been treated differently and worse than someone else because of the above characteristics, for example if a hotel turned you away because y ou are gay this is direct discrimination. As wellspring as direct discrimination there is indirect discrimination, this is not always as easy to spot. Indirect discrimination is when theres a practice, insurance or rule which applies to everyone in the same way, but it has a worse effect on some people than others. The Equality Act says it puts you at a particular disadvantage.For example a health club only accepts customers who are on the electoral register. This applies to all customers in the same way. But Gypsies and Travellers are less apt(predicate) to be on the electoral register and therefore theyll find it more difficult to join and this could be indirect discrimination. A workplace which set diversity is one in which all individuals in the workplace are treated in a fair and non-discriminatory manner. An initial step in achieving this intent is to establish a work environment where there is zero tolerance for any kind of harassment or discrimination and ongoing trainin g is provided to alleviate create a work environment that supports diversity and encourages the participation and retention of all. As a trainer it is my responsibility to ensure that anyone with any of the above protected characteristics or any characteristics not listed are not disadvantaged in any way either directly or indirectly as this is likely to be unlawful. This will be achieve by ensuring that the environment is suitable for all, safe and that discrimination in any form will not be tolerated.

Human Morality Essay

A common headland throughout history has always been about human morality. Because of our higher thinking capacity, we are hardwired to adapt and castigate our basic instincts to survive in that respectfore, it is obvious this question would be disputed throughout time. Are mankind innately good, bad, or plainly neutral? The position that each unity person takes may be derived from any number of ideas, be them philosophical thoughts or scientific inquiries.This essay asserts that morality is innate, and uses two scientific studies and ideas from philosophers to contribute this argu custodyt. Man is essenti each(prenominal)y good, and the different ways spate are nurturedfrom societal influences to parental influencescreates the large spectrum and salmagundi of behavior that may not be deemed good or moral. The magazine Smithsonian published an term named natural to Be Mild in January of 2013 on morality in young children. This article wrote about a few different studies t hrough on children by three different experi menters.In one of the studies call Spontaneous Altruism by Chimpanzees and Young Children, Felix Warneken tested the morality of earthly concern through young babies (because they produce had little to no socialization) and also tested morality of chimpanzees, the closest relative to humans. In this study, 18-month-old toddlers were tested to escort if they would help some others in need by retrieving a dropped item that an adult struggled for. In almost all instances, the child returned the item. Warneken stated, Helping at that age is not something thats been trained, and the children come to help without prompting or without being rewarded (Tucker 39). non only did the toddlers help people in need, they also helped without social cues (such as the distress someone in need has). Many toddlers in the experiment Warneken created helped retrieve a can that had fallen off a table next to an adult and the adult failed to realize somethi ng was amiss. When Warneken tested the chimpanzees to see if they would return the same answers, he tested chimpanzees that were nursery-raised and semi-wild chimps. Both tests displayed the same results as the tests on the toddlerschimpanzees were willing to help both humans and other chimps in need with no reward for themselves (Tucker 39-41).The fact that most of the toddlers and human relatives, the chimpanzees, helped others in need both with and without social cues strongly points to the idea that human morality is innate. A second study highlighted in the Smithsonian article was a reproduction of a previous study from the mid-2000s. The original study was an animated presentation demonstraten to hexad to ten month old babies in one group and three month old babies in a second. The animated presentation consisted of a red circle attempted to climb a hill. In one instance, a triangle helped the circle climb, and in another, a square knocked the circle down.When the square an d triangle were presented to the older group of babies, almost all babies chose the helping triangle over the hindering square. For the younger group, the researchers track the eye movement of the babies to either the triangle or square, because the babies could not physically grab the object. In the reproduction, done by another experimenter, the results were the same. Once again, evidence suggests that because babies seem so morally good, humans are innately good, and it is the nurture we receive as we are socialized into this culture that may cause some people to seem morally corrupt (Tucker 38-39).It should be noted that because the reproduction provided the same results as the original study, an compensate stronger case was created for the idea of innate human morality. The messages that Machiavelli elapses in The Qualities of the Prince may cause one to believe that humans are innately evil because through The Qualities of the Prince, Machiavelli details how to be cunning, t ake control, and maintain control as a ruler of a province. His teachings seem to create humans as greedy people, hungry for more.This is actually very incorrect. Machiavelli clearly states, it is necessary for a princeto learn how to not be good (42). I underscore that Machiavelli wrote a man must learn to not be good. One can assume from this that Machiavelli is adage man is at least in some degree, wholesome and moral. After all, humans were never meant to rail and evolve. We are, in true form, animals that have an instinct to survive. Ruling and gaining power is a man-made idea.Opponents to the idea that humans are moral might suggest that if ruling is man-made, evil is already within us because we created the construct of ruling others however, if man were truly evil, he would not take murder as a minacious offense, and would kill others in his way to get what he wants instead of just gaining control. The examples of rulers that Machiavelli writes help to reiterate this po int. These men were not born thinking of war and control. They were raised and socialized to lead and gain power.Steinbeck and the messages he delivers in The Grapes of Wrath also point to the idea that human morality is innate. The author often writes of the distinct cable television of those with, and those withoutin other words, the owners and the migrants or farmers. Steinbeck makes a point to write about how close-knit the migrants are in many instances. Steinbeck writes I lost my land is changedto We lost our land. , I have a little sustenance plus I have none. is We have a little food (151) the twenty families became one family (193) and when a baby dies a pile of silver coins grew at the door flap (195).All of these quotes show the goodness in others, to do something for someone in need. This is all in contrast to the owners, which on sixfold different pages Steinbeck writes how disconnected they are from the land, and the quality of owning freezes you forever into I (Ste inbeck 152). These owners are so encompassed by the secular culture around them, by the greed and the blanketed reality that they cannot see with a moral compass anymore. Of crease they have one, for at one point they might have been like the farmers, caring for others and instituted into the we group.Proponents for human disinterest might argue that the owners were never at any point good, that they were neutral and socialized into the owning culture, unlike the market-gardening culture. This is not the case, however, through a passage that Steinbeck wrote very early in The Grapes of Wrath, which said, Some of the owner men were kind because they hated what they had to do, and some of them were angry because they hated to be cruel, and some of them were cold because they had long past found that one could not be an owner unless one were cold (31). This insinuates that in all types of owners, there is a moral compass.Even in the coldest owners, deep within them, they acknowledge the idea that the work they do is wrong. Because the owners know what is wrong, they know the opposite as wellwhat is right. If the owners were not innately good, their views on what is right or wrong would be skewed by their societal influences. While people will never give up the argument of human morality, it is a safe bet to argue that humans are innately good. We possess the ability to help spontaneously and without reward, as shown in the scientific studies, and we understand what is right and wrong.Our societal influences and the way we were raised affects if we will channel our morality or go against it, as shown by Machiavelli in The Qualities of the Prince and by Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath. Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Qualities of the Prince. A World of Ideas. Ed. Lee Jacobus. 8th e. Boston Bedford, 2010. Print. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York Penguin, 1939. Print. Tucker, Abigail. natural to Be Mild. Smithsonian Jan. 2013 35-41, 76-77. P rint.

‘Beautiful Burnout’ by Frantic Assembly

The lights, the big(p) choreography, searing vitality, the knockouts and the unbeatable storyline, atomic number 18 all(a) factors which made this particular land an unforgettable one. I had rather high expectations of the play when I read that Mark Ravenhill had directed one of the adaptations plus the engaging reviews I had read had led me to turn over it was going to be brilliant.However, even though the play was spectacular, from my point of view the storyline isnt something that would impart attracted me initially and to be blatantly honest a few scenes during the production lost my interest and attention some(prenominal) times, therefore my expectations of the play where slightly let have by the ongoing incase chatter and virile clichi fight scenes.A brief description of the story is the dream of a young man and his bus for the young boxer to triumph in the boxing world and become a legend, his dreams are in the blink of an eye stolen from him when during a championsh ip game he is injured and disabled for life, showing that his abilities an turn in of the game when put into perspective werent worth it ascribable to the loss of his normal everyday abilities, this proves boxing to be a controversial sport.The play was indeed gripping, due to its controversy, mainly because boxing in the past and enclose day is one of the most dangerous sports ever to be conceived by our society. It creates many disputable topics and arguments in todays world. The play was undoubtedly contemporary as shown by its many predominant features. This is an obvious observation due to the swearing, colloquialism and contemporary linguistics passim.The use of visual aids were frequently in use, which consisted of spunk and sound, these compete a huge factor in the success and outcome of the play, they did so by using the lighting as an emphasis on the feeling of the storyline, both intimate and intriguing moments, for example when Cameron was struck down the lighting was changed from and exciting purple (to convey an up-beat fight) then drastically to a blood red (in pitch to show defeat and violence).Furthermore, there were absolutely no set changes, instead they impressively did so by depending solemnly on lighting to change it, quite impressive form my point of view. Another exalt attribute to the settings of the play was the use of screens which were pose behind the do, they were very useful in infection messages concerning the storyline, sentiments and anticipation of the characters. Also the stage was combined with a boxing ring, which made the scene more realistic and believable, it was placed in the centre of the theatre, with the listening surrounding the stage accept behind it, where the screens were located.The set was ever-changing, which gave an exuberant and melodramatic effect, during emotional and key moments of the play the entire stage would spin round. There were very few props, just the ones that were present, gave the set a symbolic atmosphere and deepened the meaning of the play (e. g. the washing machine). The sound was also improbably dependent on the emotion of each scene, it played a vital part on transmitting the adrenalin the boxers were judgment, the music was very loud with an engaging and overwhelming base, which gave the audience a hot and exciting rush.On the down side, from my point of view there were limited boxing sound effects, I personally thought they could have played on it and emphasized it, for example when one of the characters hit something or someone they could have added a sound to symbolize the treat, such sounds that are stereotypically featured in action pictures, this effect would have transmitted more of an enthusiastic and stimulating experience on the audiences behalf. Both the bearing and the form of the play were superb. However I was led to believe that the production was going to be on the lines of Berkoff stylistics, physical theatre.It did although have sufficient amounts of physical theatre, although from my perspective if the play was to have used more of it, it would have improved it, one fine example were the training/dancing sequences, the dancing was absolutely in sync, rise up coordinated and both matched the theme and emotion of the play. Some of the Gestus were quite mediocre and repetitive, on the other egest some created a chilling atmosphere (e. g. at the end fight when Ajay and Cameron were fighting and using nonetheless image combined with Gestus in order to make the fight more intriguing).The utter most outstanding piece of acting style in my opinion was the exaggerated still image to which represented feeling and emotions of the characters. The acting style was a mix of naturalistic at times and physical theatre. In amongst all the physical fight scenes and energetic dance scenes, there were also deep and emotional scenes, for example when Carlotta came onto the stage at the end and dressed her disabled son, I believe it was a directors message, showing how dangerous boxing is as a sport and how detrimentally staining and permanent the outcome can be imperfection wise, this scene was utterly entrancing.I connected most to this scene as I felt large sympathy and sadness during this particular moment, as did everyone in the theatre. Frantic Assembly pulled off an outstanding performance, until now my personal conclusion is mutual, I neither enjoyed it immensely nor did I dislike it. My final conclusion and memories of this play was that I was thoroughly impressed by the occasional build up of tension, exaggerated still images, the lighting, the shadows which echoed throughout the entire theatre and moreover the music, which was both penetrating and perfectly suited for this type of production.This production allowed the audience to uniquely enter and understand the boxing world in more depth, by expressing and transmitting the emotion into the audience, it unexpectedly highlighted the fighters feelings and thoughts towards boxing and not just the clichi spectator view and opinion.