Women of Opposites Essay Example for Free

Women of Opposites Essay Two famous people that are alike but also very different would be Britney Jean Spears and Norma Jeane Mortenson also known as Marilyn Monroe. I chose Marilyn Monroe because she is a true inspiration to me and other young girls today; though she got a bad name for herself she explained life in a way that one could understand through her famous quotes. Britney Spears is also an inspiration on young girls because of being a pop fanatic, an actress, and also a sex symbol. These are two people that I loved when I was younger and inspired me to act, sing, and dance. Norma Jeane Mortenson started using the stage name of Marilyn Monroe in 1946. This name did not become legally her name until 1956. Marilyn Monroe was a beautiful woman who became an American actress, a singer, a model, and later on in her years known as a sex symbol. She was a wonderful person that was taken out of context and shaped into a person that she didn’t necessarily want to be. Although Marilyn became a huge success in the eyes of society and of her peers, she truly aspired to be known more for her acting and singing talents, rather than the sexy blonde in the white dress. Britney Spears was always very proactive when it came to anything dealing with music as a child. She started her career at a young age by the time she was eight years old she was taking her first steps towards stardom in auditioning to play a role on the television show â€Å"The All New Mickey Mouse Club† though she did not get the part she kept trying. By the time she was eleven years old her love for music and dance became real. This is when she auditioned again and received the role on â€Å"The All New Mickey Mouse Club† as the Mouseketeer the show was then canceled two years later after she received the role. She did not yet give up and was signed to a record label in late 90’s. Although there is a big contrast between Marilyn Monroe and the notorious Britney Spears most people from the start of Britney’s career have compared her to Monroe which creates a bigger contrast between the two. Britney Spears became a well-known celebrity a few generations after the Marilyn Monroe era but others still drastically compared her to Marilyn Monroe for being a hot blonde sex symbol. Marilyn and Britney are different in many ways besides the obvious facts that Marilyn became before Britney, the fact that they grew up in very different home environments and dealt with many personal conflicts and issues while growing up, also the way they became famous and well-known to the world are very different from each other. One huge example of the difference between these two celebrities was that In the 50s movie star’s careers were controlled by the film studios. Marilyn did not have much of a choice in the roles she played so she was always cast as the dumb blonde. The media loved her but like today they were very intrusive. Photographers hounded her but the publicity helped create her image that is why even today shes an icon. As for Britney she has had a choice in all aspects of her career and she makes the decisions to do what she wants to do and how she wants to do it. Although there is a similarity that they both share with the fact that they were both criticized and hounded by the media and the rumors that were created by it. There is still a small contrast in that similarity because Britney was able to survive all the rumors and speculations that she was surrounded by as from Marilyn who let the intrusion of the media and others take a toll on her life dramatically. Even though Britney spears and Marilyn Monroe have negatively impacted our generation they still have somewhat positive impacts on young women lives. Marilyn Monroe though she was a sex symbol she was still a very successful woman in her lifetime. She made her history though it may not have been the way she wanted to be known, but she is still remembered to this day. As far as Britney Spears she is known for her pop music for the most part, you do not hear about when she was an actor. Britney Spears and Marilyn Monroe still inspired me to become the young women I have become today.

Free Essays - Contemplation in Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Marlow’s Contemplation during his Journey   In one of his novels, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad depicts the tale of a man who reflects upon the meaning of life as well as all of its intricasies and implications. Indeed, Marlow, the main character of this story, questions several existential topics and explores his own personal curiosity about the solidarity and darkness of the jungle he finds himself in. At one point in the storyline, Marlow and his crew depart towards the station where the enigmatic Kurtz resides. An interesting aspect of this portion of the adventure is that Marlow’s crew is mostly composed of cannibals. Upon realizing how famished these natives are, Marlow contemplates how incredible it seems that the cannibals have restrained themselves from giving in to their hunger and eating the European men onboard. It is this speculation that will be the topic of discussion in the following paper. Marlow’s thoughts and perception of the native tribe will be examined in order to provide a more conc ise understanding of his analysis of the cannibals.   During their trip towards Kurtz’s station, Marlow describes the inequality of power and discrimination that the natives must live with. They constantly receive unfair treatments, such as beatings and the lack of food and medical support, as well as being paid in ridiculous manner that can only fuel their hate towards the European conquerors. Upon suggesting that the cannibals on his crew are treated in a disingenuous way, Marlow truly questions why their motives have not been violent so far : ‘’Why in the name of all gnawing devils of hunger they didn’t go for us – they were thirty to five – and have a good tuck in for once, amazes me now when I think of it’’ (Conrad 37). Further analysis provided by Marlow explores the underlying reason why the natives refuse to attack their opressors. He manages to pinpoint one particular aspect that is responsible for such behaviour : ‘’And I saw that something restraining, on e of those human secrets that baffle probability, had come into play here’’ (37). The human act of restraint, according to our narrator, is the simple yet bafling evidence which he stipulates. But what truly surprises Marlow is the fact that there shouldn’t be any logical reason for the starving cannibals not to attack, and consequently eat, him and his crew. He believes that hunger can by no means be deterred by any reasonalble explanation :

Frederick Herzberg Essay

Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory, also called the motivator-hygiene theory. This theory has identifies that there are hygiene factors that can lead to job dissatisfaction but if a hygiene factor is improved it does not improve job satisfaction. Examples of these hygiene factors in the workplace are organizational policies, quality of supervision, working conditions, wage or salary, relationships with peers, relationships with subordinates, status and security. Improving one of these factors such as salary cannot make a person more satisfied with their job it just satisfies that aspect. The other half of Herzberg’s two factor theory is motivator factors, which are ways to achieve job satisfaction. Motivator factors are related to what people actually do in a day’s work. The presence or absence of these motivators changes an employee’s view of their job. Examples of these motivator factors are achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, and growth. Job dissatisfaction can result from these when they are low. But to enrich these factors will result in higher job satisfaction unlike in the hygiene factors. Essentially in order to properly motivate employees improving salaries and working conditions does not work, an employer has to improve the quality of the job, the quality of the work and the quality of the goal. In the article The Best Places to Launch a Career one can see facets of Herzberg’s two-factor theory at work with big companies trying to attract the Generation Y’ers, which make up approximately 78 million people who will be entering the workforce from 2004 to 2022. The first of course is salary. Companies have raised base salaries in order to attract prospective employees but this is not the main drawing point as shown later in the article. Higher salaries is just an example of a hygiene factor that while maintained well will continue to keep employees from becoming dissatisfied. The rest of the article addresses motivator factors. Companies have begun to appeal to the next generation of employees by â€Å"making themselves more transparent, flexible, responsive, even nurturing. † By doing this they are drawing employees of the Generation Y traits more agreeable to the motivator factor side of Herzberg’s theory. These traits being inherent in this generation such as having high expectations for their job and their peers, demanding meaningful work, wanting constructive feedback from their peers and employers, and most importantly they want to be in a position of influence. In order to address these traits the article addresses several companies that are rethinking the way they are handling this generation that does not shy away from discipline and who demand authenticity. For example, the article states that New York Life Insurance recently discovered that only 3% of corporate interns accepted positions with their company. To change this they took away all the perks and instead gave them more strict expectations, gave them business etiquette classes, and a challenge to brainstorm new marketing strategies for the company which was later used in a advertising campaign. When New York Life changed its strategy they incorporated the motivating factors such as giving more meaningful work, responsibly, and recognition through the brainstorming for the company, growth through etiquette classes, and an all over enrichment of the job and their personal careers. Another example is JPMorgan Chase & Company is changing how it attracts prospective Gen Y employees. Rather than flash money signs and bonus amounts as incentives, they are giving a more realistic view of what it means to be employed with the company. To do this, the article states, that they allowed a New York University film grad to follow three fellow Generation Y employees though their days at work in a documentary style film. The result being that prospective employees will have a realistic view of duties and the work that goes into obtaining the annual bonus. Yet again appealing to the motivation factor of the two-factor theory but not completely ignoring the importance of the hygiene factors. In summation, the article addresses that the Generation Y does not want just money or perks such as free lunches and on-site massages like Google Inc. offers but they want a chance to grow, a chance to achieve, a chance to do something meaningful and accept all the responsibility that comes with it. Google appeals to this aspect by giving employees one day a week to brainstorm new ideas for the company. Herzberg’s two-factor theory, while being debated by scholars on its merits because of its difficulty to be verifiable through additional research, seems to be a very viable theory that can in one way or another be applied to any work place and results of more satisfied employees will be seen. Herzberg said it all when he said â€Å"If you want people to do a good job, give them a good job to do. † Reinforcement theory defined by the textbook is the administration of consequence as a result of behavior. Therefore if you want a behavior to continue you positively enforce it by giving positive rewards or if you want a negative behavior to stop you administer a negative consequence. By using reinforcement strategies people can be taught a behavior or have a behavior enforced through classical conditioning by associating a behavior with a desired result. These strategies include positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is the administration of positive consequences that tend to increase the likelihood of repeating the desirable behavior in a similar setting. In this is the law of contingent reinforcement that states for a reward to have maximum reinforcing value, it must only be delivered if the desired behavior is exhibited. Rewards can be given either continuously or intermittently and both have different results in changing a behavior. Continuous reinforcement teaches what behavior is desired more quickly than intermittent reinforcement but behaviors under intermittent reinforcement are lasts longer. Negative reinforcement is the withdrawal of negative consequences, which tends to increase the likelihood of repeating the behavior in a similar setting. Essentially behavior is reinforced by not receiving the punishment or avoiding a negative consequence. Punishment reduces the likelihood of a person repeating the behavior but the punishment has to fit the negative behavior. Arbitrary punishment can lead to dissatisfaction in a person and therefore just increase low performance. Extinction is the withdrawal of reinforcing consequences of a given behavior resulting in the frequency of the behavior being reduced. The article RAZR’S edge is wholly an example of reinforcement theory. A team of 20 or so people secretly toils on a new phone that will be a high end toy for the rich and ends up making a blockbuster phone that is so slim it redefines phone size for an entire industry. The resulting phone ended up being huge mass market phone that sold over 50 million units in approximately two years. The team members were then asked to appear at a meeting at company headquarters where they received not only a natural reward in the form of a standing ovation but were rewarded with a large amount of stock options. Therefore the team members were positively rewarded with a contrived reward of stocks for a job well done. In breaking the article down, one can also see some other examples of positive consequences for behavior at Motorola. The first example being Motorola’s Geoffrey Frost, credited with coming up with the marketing campaign â€Å"Hello Moto† and bringing the company back into good standing with consumers being promoted to executive vice president. His hard work was rewarded with a contrived reward of higher pay and position in the company as well as natural rewards of compliments, special projects, and recognition. The second example in the article is the team leader Jellicoe who had previously worked on another successful phone being given a special project to create the thinnest phone and to do it in a restricted time frame. He was positively rewarded for a previous job well done with a natural reward of being given a special project to work on. He was also rewarded by being able to assemble his own team to work on this new project and was given autonomy to work on the project in secret from the rest of the company. The third example of positive reinforcement in the article is the team that was assembled to design the phone. It was a team of 20 engineers who had shown talent before in other projects. These engineers received a natural reward for jobs well done in the past and for continually exhibiting behaviors such as creativity and the ability to continue to innovate at Motorola by being asked to be on this special project where they would have the liberty to completely redesign a phone that would change the phone market at the time. The fourth example of positive reinforcement is when Jellicoe sets up a competition among five of the engineers with who can come up with the best design to solve a technical challenge with a design complication. The result being Tadd Scarpelli coming up with the best solution to the problem and his reward being that his design was the one used for the phone as well as the recognition for a problem well solved, therefore reinforcing the positive behavior of thinking critically and being creative. The article RAZR’S edge is wholly a look at positive reinforcement in the form of both natural and contrived rewards for a team who made the seemingly impossible. But when broken down there are many examples of how past behaviors were rewarded with special jobs, recognition, and compensation. As the article says, Scarpelli to this day still approaches strangers and asks them if they like â€Å"his† phone which seems to be the ultimate reward. According to the textbook, expectancy theory argues that work motivation is determined by individual beliefs regarding effort/performance relationships and work outcomes. Breaking this theory down is that people will do what they can do when they want to do it. There are three factors that go into expectancy theory. Netflix through has set its company up to create an environment where when expectancy theory comes into play it has a high value on its ability to obtain, retain, and motivate its employees to keep innovating new strategies in order to keep it number one in on-line movie rentals. The first factor being expectancy, which is the probability that work effort will be followed by performance accomplishment. Essentially this will have a higher value the more a person is certain that the level of performance expected can be achieved. The second is instrumentality which is the probability that performance will lead to various work outcomes. This second factor like the first is given a number the higher the number the more certain the person is that an achievement will receive various outcomes. The last is valence which is the value to the individual of various work outcomes. This factor is also given a value the higher the value the more desirable the outcome is to the person. When these three are set up as an equation where motivation equals expectancy times instrumentality times valence as factors approach a zero value the less motivational appeal there is to do a certain task. When reading the article Netflix: Flex to the Max one can use expectancy theory to explain the success Netflix has had motivating its employees. First and foremost are the expectations and goals set by the founder Reed Hastings. He clearly states what he wants from his employees such as hard work, high performance, uniting them on one focused goal, and giving them the freedom to achieve it. He hires the best of the best and will immediately let them go if performance is not excellent. By setting clear goals that each individual is certain that the level of performance expected can be achieved there is a high value in an individual’s expectancy factor. At Netflix an individual’s instrumentality value will also be high as once the performance is achieved the various outcomes are desirable. Secondly, Hastings offers employees high salaries, unlimited vacations, and freedom to create their own compensation packages. The third part of the equation, being valence, will also be high for an individual at Netflix. Working for a company that not only gives them the freedom to work on their own schedule while expecting excellence but encourages them to hire three people they loved working with which creates a better workplace for all employees. While this places a positive value on why valance is high for an individual at Netflix, a negative one is that if one doesn’t live up to expectations they are swiftly shown the door. Therefore, wanting a positive outcome is more desirable in order to stay at a company that pays well and expects excellence but gives large amounts of freedom. When all these factors in expectancy theory are so well laid out from clearly set goals, which have to be attained in order to maintain the various outcomes that range from unlimited vacation to major stock options, and the desirability to make Netflix a great work environment by bringing in people one wants to work with again. Motivation with all of these factors in place is high and the motivation to continue to be employed there is higher therefore Netflix is becoming more successful in retaining the types of employees it needs to stay ahead in the on-line movie rental business. The textbook defines the self-concept as the view individuals have of themselves as physical, social, spiritual or moral beings. The self-concept in humans embodies several different aspects such as personality traits, values, attitudes and believes, and behavior. In order to change the self-concept there are several steps that need to be accomplished for an overall change. First being self examination, which is a self evaluation to isolate discrepancies in one’s self-concept and then having the desire to work on changing them. The second step being a self expectation where one sets goals for themselves and places the according demands in order to reach these goals. Third, is self-direction which is taking responsibility for oneself by monitoring and adjusting through insight and growth. Lastly, is self-realization where one has reached the full potential, are willing to take risks, and will venture out to make new opportunities. When looking at General Electric’s methods for training their leaders it shows that they realize self-concept is important and that it is not easy to change and develop. Recognizing and evaluating leadership capability on day one of employment is a new concept that they are working with also because they believe in changing and nurturing leaders earlier will create a larger pool of talented people that can only improve the company. It is because of these two important realizations that GE funds its Crotonville facility. It is from this facility that its future leaders are molded, strengthened and trained. This campus while expensive is funded through good times and bad because of their belief that human capital is the most important thing they can keep working on. Not only because helping people learn to change their self-concept to make them the best leader possible but because, as the article states, companies that provide people with opportunities to learn and grow become talent magnets. Another practice that GE has that helps develop the self-concept besides its training facility is that they believe changing up job assignments allows people to hone and discover new talents instead of just assigning them at what they are good at. Therefore, they get more well-rounded leaders, managers, and workers. For example, the article gives John Dineen who is in Erie, Pa. There he is learning many facets of the company, such as, how to deal with customers, labor negotiations, and the companies supply chain, Dineen is learning through GE’s idea that feedback is key so employees learn how they have performed and then mentor, support and train their employees to help them improve key skills. The article also points out that while you can try to coerce people into doing what a company wants by firing and demoting it just does not work in this day and age. General Electric’s programs for training and improving its future leaders is very much about changing and working with self-concept. In the self-examination step, they evaluate employees early to recognize what behaviors they have as good and which ones need to be honed. Then employees accept not only feedback but mentoring, a trip to Crotonville for extensive training and courses in making them the best leaders possible. They set goals in order to work on what is weak not improve what is good. GE recognizes the importance of giving people a chance to change and work on their lesser traits rather than reinforce already strong ones. Well-rounded employees that can think on their feet take risks, and will venture out to try new jobs and ideas, are what makes GE’s program so great. GE is not just training employees but creating strong confident talented leaders who can take on anything even if it is to be a leader in another company. The relationship between satisfaction, performance and rewards can be described in three arguments. One argument is that satisfaction causes performance which is if job satisfaction causes high levels of performance, he answer is to increase employees’ work performance to make them happy. Another argument is that performance causes satisfaction which is that if high levels of performance cause job satisfaction, the answer is to give attention to helping people achieve high performance and then job satisfaction would be high as well. The hitch in this argument is that if job performance is high but an individual feels that the reward is not equal to performance then job s atisfaction will not continue to be high. The third argument is rewards cause both satisfaction and performance. This argument states that properly rewarding employees can positively influence both performance and satisfaction. I personally believe the best overall argument is the last one, that rewards cause both satisfaction and performance. The average person does not go to a job thinking if I do my best today the reward will be greater satisfaction at the work place but I go to work for the money. While performing well may equal satisfaction on a personal level if the job well done is not recognized by a reward people become discouraged, even if the only reward is a raise. In accordance with Herzberg’s two-factor theory rewards also may not be monetary but a new job assignment or more freedom to move about in a job unsupervised can be a reward as well. Knowing that you are trusted to do a job well done can be extremely rewarding. Therefore rewards cause satisfaction and job performance. Netflix has the best example of rewards causing both satisfaction and performance. While Netflix gives rewards more upfront than most companies the incentive to keep these rewards by hard work and above average performance. For a Netflix employee high salaries, unlimited vacation, freedom to get the work done and do the job you were hired to do because you are good at it are all rewards. They realize if job performance does not live up to expectations they will be shown the door. The employees of Netflix have great amounts of job satisfaction because they realize that it is a great place to work because of the rewards they receive for doing the job they were hired to do exceptionally well. Also shown in the article The Best Places to Launch a Career attracting Generation Y employees is based on the argument rewards cause both performance and satisfaction. The article touches on the fact that Generation Y does not just want to come to work, do the job, and go home. They want an opportunity to work hard, have new assignments, develop themselves and have a chance to advance in the work place. All of these being rewards to cause high performance and satisfaction. In the article Dan Black states â€Å"If you don’t make an effort to provide and environment in which this generation can do their best, they’re going to find one where they can. If a job is done well by an employee they may feel personal satisfaction but that can only be for so long before they begin looking for the benefit of their hard work. Even in a volunteer position the reward is free, it is seeing the benefit of your work reflected in others. Volunteers feel personal satisfaction of where they volunteer and perform well because the reward is high. If there was n o reward to volunteering people would be less inclined to do it. All of these points continue to cause me to believe that rewards cause both satisfaction and performance. Without being rewarded whether it be monetary or just seeing the benefit of a job well done in a volunteer aspect people will discontinue to be satisfied in the area they are working in and performance will slack. The age old question of â€Å"what’s in it for me? † says it all. No one does anything without personal benefit. Without reward what would be the point of performing well, without reward nothing would be satisfying, and without performance and satisfaction a firm could only produce poor quality work.

Business Strategy for British American Tobacco Free Essay Example, 2000 words

According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the BAT strategy mentioned in the paper is suitable because it employs the PESTLE analysis tool to look into the political, economic, social and technological factors that affect its growth and productivity as an organization. Under political factors, BAT approach takes into consideration factors such as when one of their markets is to hold their next elections and how the lections may change some of the policies that regulate the operations of the BAT. In order to ensure that they avert any risks that may come their way, the BAT strategy looks into some of the most likely contenders and gets their views on various businesses policies notably those that affect the operations of the BAT. Before opening its doors in a potential market, the BAT strategy helps the management assess the development of property rights within the nation as well as how well the nation and its citizens have respect for the rule of law. The B AT strategy has mechanisms that assess pending legislations that are relevant to its operations and all matters that govern taxation. We will write a custom essay sample on Business Strategy for British American Tobacco or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Over and above, the BAT strategy has been credited for its cautious and well-timed approach, which enables the organization to arrive at wise verdicts that are in line with its objectives. At the same time, the strategy has been celebrated because it takes into respect various government insights with reference to corporate policies, corporate social responsibilities, environmental issues as well as matters that govern customer production. With reference to economic factors, the BAT strategy employs the PESTLE tool to evaluate the economic stability of any of its markets or any potential market. Understanding whether a market is usually stagnant, declining or increasing helps BAT put in place the right scheme to enable it to remain relevant for a considerable duration within that particular market. Apart from economic stability, the strategy considers the rate of unemployment notably whether the nation hires based on skill or experience.

Summary Of The Things They Carried - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1400 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/04/11 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Things They Carried Essay Did you like this example? OBriens The Things They Carried is one of the most recognized literary works around the globe. The things they carried is a collection of twenty-one stories with striking similarities. All the stories revolve around the same subject; war. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Summary Of The Things They Carried" essay for you Create order OBrien explains the harrowing experience that soldiers undergo in battlefields. The most interesting part about OBriens collection of stories is the way he manages to hide the truth from the fiction. The novel sends readers into a web of confusion trying to figure out whether the author tells a true-life story or just it just pure fiction. The cover of the book is clearly written a work of fiction, but what follows is a series of blurred true events. Therefore, it is evidently clear that Tim OBrien primary objective was to comingle fact and fiction through a war story. The characters used in the story are imaginary according to the author. However, they bear the names of real individuals. The protagonist in the play; Tim OBrien resembles the same very real person Tim OBrien who fought in the Vietnam war. The author uses this style of writing to tell a war story he fought in Vietnam together with his colleagues without necessarily chaining himself to pure facts. The authors use of f iction helps in bringing out the underlying message and events that transpired in Vietnam. The readers are able to picture the big image of the events that occurred during the war. Another authors general objective was to present the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war and their contributions during the war. First Leutenant Jimmy Cross, was the team lead and his main task as the military leader was to guide, advice and unite the platoon. However, although Jimmy worked closely with his fellow team members, he was physically present but emotionally and mentally absent. The memories of a young girl by the name Martha had driven him crazy with love. His love for Martha surpassed that for his fellow soldiers. Surprisingly, Martha never loved Jimmy. Instead of being vigilant and leading the crew members like a true dedicated military officer, Jimmy spends most his time daydreaming about Martha, a behavior he would later come to regret after one of his soldiers was shot in the head. The death of Lavender hit him so hard that he realized he had not been paying close attention to his men. The burden of the death of Lavender was heavy to bear but he he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war (OBrien, 1990, p.16). Basically, when soldiers are preparing to go war, the y collect each and every essential item that they think would be important in the battlefields. According to OBrien, the platoon carried in addition to ammunition what they deemed close and comforting. Thus, the title of the book The Things They Carried was coined from the things the soldiers carried as they prepared to embark on their journey to the war. Tim OBrien successfully uses the soldiers preparations to explain major themes in the book. For instance, Lieutenant carries letters apart from other basic necessities. He reads the letters regularly which gives him hope and courage in Vietnam. The letters were from Martha, a girl he loved so much although she never loved him. He wanted Martha to love him the way he loved her (OBrien, 1990). Ted Lavender, another crew member, was not only scared cared of the war but also death. He was the first member of the team to meet death. Lavender was so afraid and scared that he carried tranquilizers that would help him drive away his fears. It is evidently clear the soldiers have both physical and emotional burdens. The items the soldiers carry to war help them during the harrowing experiences of the war. According, Tim OBrien the soldiers emotional burden seems to outweigh the physical burden. Generally, soldiers are supposed to be courageous and determined regardless of the outcome of the w ar. However, in this book, the soldiers are filled with fear, anxiety, and expectations. Lavender is so afraid that he keeps smoking marijuana in a bid to keep his hopes alive. The physical burden presented in this book include the necessities such as weapons that soldiers would use in war. Emotional burden refers to their fears, expectations and distractive thought. Jimmy Cross, who is the most senior officer in the group is burdened with the responsibility of managing the team. As the team leader, he is supposed to ensure that the team is united towards achieving a common goal; defeating the enemy. In case the team his defeated and some of his crew members are killed, he would be answerable to the government back at home. Readers can clearly see and feel the fear inside the Alpha team members as portrayed by Tim OBrien. The things that the soldiers carried to war may seem useless from the readers perspective. However, OBrien uses them to accomplish in bringing out the theme of love. Love in this scenario may refer to the things that give the soldiers hope during the terrible experiences they endured in Vietnam. Love is demonstrated by the soldiers throughout the book. From the preparations to the war periods, love is demonstrated by the Alpha team through their unity. Each team member has respect for their team leader Jimmy Cross although, most of the time his mind and thoughts were miles away. The country had high expectations. Thus, the Alpha team knew very well that the only way they could avoid ruining those expectations were strengthening their togetherness bonds. OBrien presents the theme of love as the main unifying factor among the Alpha squad. OBrien depicts the death of Lavender as a thorn in the bond connecting the Alpha team. Every member of the team was brutally bruised by that death. J immy Cross, wept blamed and hated himself (OBrien , 1990, p.16). Death was cruel; Lavender was gone, gone forever meaning that the gap that he left would never be filled. The entire team felt the loss, mourned and moved on. In fact, their unity strengthens further following the death of Lavender. Jimmy Cross became closer to his men; he let go the memories of Martha. OBrien successfully used the death of Lavender as the triggering factor that helped the Alpha team realize the purpose of love and keeping each others back during wars. Although the setting of the booking mainly revolves around the Vietnam war, OBrien asserts that the book is not about war or violence but rather peace. This might sound true contradictory statement because war is the main prevalent theme in the book. However, the authors main objective was to depict the difficulties the soldiers endured. It is evidently clear that the author merged facts and fiction in order to portray the underlying message which was inspired by true events. It is not quite simple for readers to tell whether the message in the The Things They Carried is purely fiction or fact despite the authors indication on the cover page, a work of fiction. The truth about the collection of stories by Tim OBrien is the fact that the occurrence of the events is a replica of the Vietnam war that the author participated. However, he created fictitious characters in a bid to give the story more meaning. Participation in the war was fraught with risks, fears, and anxiety. Normally, soldiers are expected to be courageous and determined when representing their country in war. However, OBrien presents a troop of soldiers whose fear for the war is unmatched. One of the soldiers is so afraid that he carries tranquilizers to the battlefield to assist him in fighting off his fears. The Alpha squad was encompassed of young and energetic young men who seemed overwhelmed with emotional burdens. The fear of death and parents expectations were some of the emotional challenges the team grappled with. The story that most affected me was the On The Rainy River. In this particular story, OBrien clearly demonstrated all the events that led him into the Vietnam war. It is evident that although he served his country as a military officer, his intentions were to flee the country in order to avoid fighting in the war. However, the confusion between escaping and disappointing his family weighed heavily on him, and ultimately he decided to join the Alpha team.

The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd - 971 Words

Morality refers to an individual s principles on the distinction between doing what is right and wrong. Morals vary across cultures, but there are several that are universally agreed upon. In the perspective of Enlightenment thinkers, the approach to morality is by affirming objective, universal laws and expressing a moral ideal. [Lecture] However, who decides what is right and wrong and how are morals formed? According to David Hume, reason alone cannot determine morality because reason rests solely on facts. Facts are simply a truth that cannot motivate people to take action. In The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, many of the characters are faced with the choice of doing what is right or concealing to themselves to protect themselves from trouble. In the words of Hume, ... tis the object of feeling, not of reason. It lies in yourself, not in the object. Our motives lie not within reason, but rather in sentiment which drives us from is to ought. In the novel, Ralph Paton agrees to an enga gement proposal to Flora Ackroyd which is arranged by his stepfather Roger Ackroyd in hopes that he will pay off his debts. However, Ralph s motive for complying to his stepfather s marriage arrangement is not only to pay off his debts, but also since he falls in love with a penniless girl (pg. 245) named Ursula Bourne. Before coming clean to his stepfather regarding their secret marriage, Ralph declared that he meant to pay off his debts, find a job, and then, when he was in aShow MoreRelatedThe Murder Of Roger Ackroyd1125 Words   |  5 PagesAgatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) exemplifies her ‘cosy’ style but also establishes her position within the crime fiction genre. Although the narrator/culprit combination is significant, it is an oft-discussed aspect, and I believe other features are just as important in examining Christie’s success. 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As quoted in the essay â€Å"Narration: Levels and Voices† in the book Narrative Fiction by Shlomith Rimmon -Kenan, â€Å"†¦when the outcome of the action proves the narrator wrong, a doubt is retrospectively cast over his reliability in reportingRead MoreThe Golden Age Of Detective Fiction913 Words   |  4 Pagescomplex puzzle for the reader to try to unravel. Christie s novels include, Murder on the Orient Express (1934), Death on the Nile (1937), and And Then There Were Noe (1939). Also popular were the stories featuring Dorothy L. Sayers s Lord Peter Wimsey and S. S. Van Dine’s Philo Vance. It features one of the early appearances of the diminutive Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, who is called upon to investigate the village murder of the titular hero whose untimely demise came hard on the heels of theRead MoreAgatha Christie : Appearance And Reality990 Words   |  4 Pagesmystery in order to comprehend the manifest, to reveal through systematic reasoning the dynamics of different relationships within society and derive the motivation for characters’ actions with close scrutiny and evidence. In the case of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, the detective Hercule Poirot extolls the â€Å"employ[ment] of your little grey cells† (Christie 226). Poirot seems to very much ascribe to the belief that everything can be made sense of by â€Å"proceed[ing] with method† (ChristieRead MorePower Of Language In Lolita816 Words   |  4 Pagesto it as a â€Å"connection† (173) to belittle the rape making it sound let harsh to the reader. 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The Return Midnight Chapter 36 Free Essays

Matt broke a lot of traffic rules on the way to the Saitous’street. Meredith leaned on the console between the two front seats so that she could see the digital clock ticking down to midnight, and so that she could watch the transformation of Mrs. Flowers. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Midnight Chapter 36 or any similar topic only for you Order Now At last her recently sane, sensible mind forced words out of her mouth. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers – you’re changing.† â€Å"Yes, Meredith, dear. Some of it is due to the little present that Sage left for me. Some of it is my own wil – to return to the days when I was in my prime. I believe that this wil be my last fight, so I don’t mind using al my energy in it. Fel ‘s Church must be saved.† â€Å"But – Mrs. Flowers – the people here – Well, they haven’t always been – exactly nice – â€Å"Matt stammered his way to a stop. â€Å"The people here are like people everywhere,†Mrs. Flowers said calmly. â€Å"Treat them as you’d like to be treated, and things wil be fine. It was only when I’d let myself become a bitter, lonely old woman, always resentful of the fact that I had had to turn my home into a boardinghouse just to make ends meet, that people began to treat me – Well, at best as a loony old hag.† â€Å"Oh, Mrs. Flowers – and we’ve been such a bother to you!†Meredith found the words coming without her volition. â€Å"You’ve been the saving of me, child. Dear Stefan was the start, but as you can imagine, he didn’t want to explain al his little differences to me, and I was suspicious of him. But he was always cordial and respectful and Elena was like sunlight, and Bonnie like laughter. Eventual y, when I dropped my hidebound barriers, so did you young ones. I won’t say more about those who are present so as not to embarrass you, but you’ve done me a world of good.† Matt ran another stop sign and cleared his throat. Then, the steering wheel wavering slightly, he cleared his throat again. Meredith took over. â€Å"I think what Matt and I both want to say is†¦Well, it’s that you’ve become very special to us, and we don’t want to see you get hurt. This battle – â€Å" â€Å"Is a battle for al I hold dear. For al my memories. Back when I was a child and the boardinghouse was built – it was just a home, then, and I was very happy. As a young woman, I was very happy. And now that I have lived long enough to be an old woman – Well, besides you children, I Stillhave friends like Sophia Alpert and Orime Saitou. They are both healing women, and very good at it. We Stilltalk about different uses for my herbs.† Matt snapped his fingers. â€Å"That’s another reason I was confused,†he said. â€Å"Because Dr. Alpert said that you and Mrs. Saitou were such good people. I thought she meant the old Mrs. Saitou – â€Å" â€Å"Who is not a ‘Mrs. Saitou’at all,†Mrs. Flowers said, almost sharply. â€Å"I have no idea what her name real y is – perhaps she is real y Inari, a deity gone bad. Ten years ago, I didn’t know what made Orime Saitou suddenly so diffident and quiet. Now I realize that it began just around the time her ‘mother’moved in with her. I was quite fond of young Isobel, but she suddenly became – aloof – in an unchildlike way. Now I understand. And I am determined to fight for her – and for you – and for a town that is worth saving. Human lives are very, very precious. And now – here we are.† Matt had just turned onto the Saitous’block. Meredith took a moment to openly stare at the figure in the front passenger seat. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers!†she exclaimed. This made Matt turn to stare in his turn and what he saw made him clip a Volkswagen Jetta parked by the sidewalk. â€Å"Mrs†¦. Flowers?† â€Å"Please park now, Matt. You needn’t cal me Mrs. Flowers if you don’t want to. I have returned to the time when I was Theophilia – when my friends cal ed me Theo.† â€Å"But – how – why – ?†Matt stuttered. â€Å"I told you. I felt that it was time. Sage left me a gift that helped me change. An enemy beyond your powers to fight has arisen. I felt this back at the boardinghouse. This is the time that I have been waiting for. The last battle with the true enemy of Fel ‘s Church.† Meredith’s heart actual y seemed ready to fly out of her chest. She had to be calm – calm and logical. She had seen magic many times. She knew the look of it, the feel of it. But frequently she had been too busy comforting Bonnie, or too worried about aiding Bonnie to take in what she was facing. Now, it was just her and Matt – and Matt had a stricken, stupefied look, as if he hadn’t seen enough magic before. As if he might crack. â€Å"Matt,†she said loudly, and then even louder, â€Å"Matt!† He turned, then, to look at her, with his blue eyes wild and dark. â€Å"They’l kill her, Meredith!†he said. â€Å"Shinichi and Misao – you don’t know what it feels like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come on,†Meredith said. â€Å"We have to make sure that it doesn’t kil her.† The dazed look passed from Matt’s eyes. â€Å"We have to do this,†he agreed simply. â€Å"Right,†said Meredith, final y releasing him. Together they got out of the car to stand by Mrs. Flowers – no, by Theo. Theo had hair that hung almost to her waist; so fair that it looked silver in the moonlight. Her face was – electrifying. It was young; young and proud, with classic features and a look of quiet determination. Somehow during the drive, her clothes had changed too. Instead of a coat covered with bits of paper, she was wearing a sleeveless white gown that ended in a slight train. In style, it reminded Meredith a little of the â€Å"mermaid†dress she herself had worn when going to a bal in the Dark Dimension. But Meredith’s dress had only made her look sultry. Theo looked†¦magnificent. As for the Post-it Note amulets†¦somehow the paper had disappeared and the writing had grown enormously, changing into very large scrawls that wrapped around the white gown. Theo was literal y swathed in haute couture arcane protection. And although she was reed slender, she was tal . Tal er than Meredith, tal er than Matt, tal er than Stefan, wherever he was in the Dark Dimensions. She was this tal not only because she had grown so much, but because the train of her dress was just brushing the ground. She had entirely overcome gravity. The whip, Sage’s present to her, was coiled into a circle attached to her waist, shining as silver as her hair. Matt and Meredith simultaneously closed the SUV’s doors. Matt left the engine running for a quick getaway. They walked around the garage so that they could see the front of the house. Meredith, not caring what she looked like or whether she seemed cool or in control, wiped her hands, one and then the other, on her jeans. This was the stave’s first – and possibly only – true battle. What counted was not appearance, but performance. Both she and Matt stopped dead when they saw the figure standing at the bottom of the steps in front of the porch. It was no one they could identify from the house. But then the crimson lips opened, the delicate hands flew up to cover them, and wind-chime laughter came from somewhere behind the hands. For a moment they could only stare, fascinated, at this woman who was dressed al in black. She was ful y as tal as Theo, ful y as slender and graceful, and she was floating equal y high off the ground. But what Meredith and Matt were staring at was the fact that her hair was like Misao’s or Shinichi’s – but reversed. Whereas they had black hair with a crimson fringe on the bottom, this woman had crimson hair – yards and yards of it, with a black fringe al around it. Not only that, but she had delicate black fox ears emerging from the crimson hair, and a long sleek crimson tail, tipped with black. â€Å"Obaasan?†Matt gasped in disbelief. â€Å"Inari!†Meredith snapped. The lovely creature didn’t even look at them. She was staring at Theo in contempt. â€Å"Tiny witch of a tiny town,†she said. â€Å"You’ve used nearly al your Power just to stand up to my level. What good are you?† â€Å"I have very smal Powers,†Theo agreed. â€Å"But if the town is worthless, why has it taken you so long to destroy it? Why have you watched others try – or were they all your pawns, Inari? Katherine, Klaus, poor young Tyler – were they your pawns, Kitsune Goddess?† Inari laughed – Stillthat chiming, girlish giggling, behind her fingers. â€Å"I don’t need pawns! Shinichi and Misao are my bond-servants, as al kitsune are! If I have left them some freedom, it has been so they can get experience. We’l go on to larger cities now, and ravage them.† â€Å"You have to take Fel ‘s Church first,†Theo said steadily. â€Å"And I won’t let you do that.† â€Å"You Stilldon’t understand, do you? You are a human, with almost no Power left! Mine is the largest star bal in the worlds! I am a Goddess!† Theo lowered her head, then lifted it to look Inari in the eyes. â€Å"Do you want to know what I think the truth is, Inari?†she said. â€Å"I think that you have come to the end of a long, long, but not immortal life. I think you have dwindled so that at last you need to use a great deal of Power from your star bal – wherever it is – to appear this way. You are a very, very ancient woman and you have been setting children against their own parents, and parents against children across the world because you envy the children’s youth. You have even come to envy Shinichi and Misao, and let them be hurt, as revenge.† Matt and Meredith looked at each other with wide eyes. Inari was breathing rapidly, but it seemed she couldn’t think of anything to say. â€Å"You’ve even pretended to have entered a ‘second childhood’to behave girlishly. But none of it satisfies you, because the plain, sad truth is that you have come to the end of your long, long lifetime – no matter how great your Power. We must al take that final journey, and it is your turn now.† â€Å"Liar!†shrieked Inari, looking for a moment more glorious – more radiant than before. But then Meredith saw why. Her scarlet hair had actual y begun to smolder, framing her face in a dancing red light. And at last she spoke venemously. â€Å"Well, then, if you think this is my last battle, I must be sure to cause al the pain I can. Starting with you, witch.† Meredith and Matt both gasped. They were afraid for Theo, especial y as Inari’s hair was braiding itself into thick ropes like serpents that floated around her head as if she were Medusa. The gasps were a mistake – they attracted Inari’s attention. But she didn’t move. She only said, â€Å"Smel that sweet scent on the wind? A roast sacrifice! I think the result wil be oishii – delicious! But perhaps you two would like to speak to Orime or Isobel one last time. I’m afraid they can’t come out to see you.† Meredith’s heart was pounding violently in her throat, as she realized that the Saitous’house was on fire. It seemed as if there were several smal fires burning, but she was terrified at the implication that Inari had already done something to the mother and daughter. â€Å"No, Matt!†she cried, grabbing Matt’s arm. He would have charged straight at the laughing black-clad woman and tried to attack her feet – and seconds were invaluable now. â€Å"Come help me find them!† Theo came to their aid. Drawing up the white bul whip, she whirled it once around her head and cracked it precisely on Inari’s raised hands, leaving a bloody gash on one. As a furious Inari turned back to her, Meredith and Matt ran. â€Å"The back door,†Matt said as they careered around the side of the house. Up ahead they saw a wooden fence, but no gate. Meredith was just considering using the stave to pole-vault, when Matt panted, â€Å"Here!†and made a cradle of his hands for her to step into. â€Å"I’l boost you over!† Meredith hesitated only an instant. Then, as he skidded to a stop she jumped to place one foot in his inter-locked fingers. Suddenly she was flying upward. She made the most of it, landing, catlike, on the fence’s flat top, and then jumping down. She could hear Matt scrambling up the fence as she was suddenly surrounded by black smoke. She jumped backward three feet and yel ed, â€Å"Matt, the smoke is dangerous! Get low; hold your breath. Stay outside to help them when I bring them out!† Meredith had no idea whether Matt would listen to her or not, but she obeyed her own rules, crouching low, breath held, opening her eyes briefly to try to find the door. Then she almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of an axe crashing into wood, of wood splintering, and of the axe crashing again. She opened her eyes and saw that Matt hadn’t listened to her, but she was glad because he’d found the door. His face was black with soot. â€Å"It was locked,†he explained, hefting the axe. Any optimism Meredith might have felt splintered like the door as she looked inside and saw only flames and more flames. My God, she thought, anyone in there is roasting, is probably dead already. But where had that thought come from? Her knowledge or her fear? Meredith couldn’t just stop now. She took a step into searing heat and shouted, â€Å"Isobel! Mrs. Saitou! Where are you?† There was a weak, choking cry. â€Å"That’s the kitchen!†she said. â€Å"Matt, it’s Mrs. Saitou! Please go get her!† Matt obeyed, but threw over his shoulder, â€Å"Don’t you go farther in.† Meredith had to go farther in. She remembered very well where Isobel’s room was. Directly under her â€Å"grandmother’s.† â€Å"Isobel! Isobel! Can you hear me?†Her voice was so low and husky from smoke that she knew she had to keep going. Isobel might be unconscious or too hoarse to answer. Meredith dropped to her knees, crawling on the ground where the air was slightly cooler and more clear. Okay. Isobel’s room. She didn’t want to touch the door handle with her hand, so she wrapped her T-shirt around it. The handle wouldn’t turn. Locked. She didn’t bother to investigate how, she simply turned around and mule-kicked the door right beside the handle. Wood splintered. Another kick, and with a wooden scream the door swung free. Meredith was feeling dizzy now, but she needed to see the entire room. She took two strides in, and – there! Sitting up on the bed in the smoky, hot, but otherwise scrupulously tidy little room was Isobel. As Meredith neared the bed she saw – to her fury – that the girl was tied to the brass headboard with duct tape. Two slashes of the stave took care of that. Then, amazingly, Isobel moved, raising a blackened face up to Meredith’s. That was when Meredith’s fury peaked. The girl had duct tape across her mouth, to prevent her from making any cry for help. Wincing herself to show that she knew this was going to be painful, Meredith grasped the duct tape and stripped it off. Isobel didn’t cry out; instead she took in lungful after lungful of smoky air. Meredith stumbled toward the closet, snatched two identical-looking white shirts, and swerved back to Isobel. There was a ful tumbler of water right beside her, on the nightstand. Meredith wondered if it had been put there deliberately to increase Isobel’s agony, but she didn’t hesitate to use it. She gave Isobel a quick sip, took one herself, and then soaked each shirt. She held one over her own mouth and Isobel mimicked her, holding the wet shirt over her nose and mouth. Then Meredith grabbed her and guided her back to the door. After that it simply became a nightmare journey of crawling and kneeling and choking, pul ing Isobel with her al the time. Meredith thought it would never end, as each inch forward became harder and harder. The stave was an unbearable weight to heave along with her, but she refused to let go of it. It’s precious, her mind said, but is it worth your life? No, Meredith thought. Not my life, but who knows what else wil be out there if I get Isobel into the cool darkness? You’l never get her there if you die because of – an object. It’s not an object! Painful y Meredith used the stave to clear some smoldering debris from her path. It belonged to Grandpa in the time when he was sane. It fits my hand. It’s not just a thing! Have it your own way, the voice said, and disappeared. Meredith was beginning to run into more debris now. Despite the cramping in her lungs, she was sure that she could make it out of the back door. She knew there should be a laundry room on her right. They should be able to feel a space there. And then suddenly in the dark something reared up and struck her a blow on the head. It took her dimming mind a long time to come up with a name for the thing that had hurt her. Armchair. Somehow they’d crawled too far. This was the living room. Meredith was flooded with horror. They’d gone too far – and they couldn’t go out the front door into the midst of magical battle. They would have to backtrack, and this time make sure to find the laundry room, their gate to freedom. Meredith turned around, pul ing Isobel with her, hoping the younger girl would understand what they had to do. She left the stave on the burning living room floor. Elena sobbed to get her breath, even though she was al owing Stefan to help her now. He ran, holding Bonnie by one hand and Elena by the other. Damon was somewhere in front – scouting. It can’t be far now, she kept thinking. Bonnie and I both saw the brightness – we both did. Just then, like a lantern put into a window, Elena saw it again. It’s big, that’s the problem. I keep thinking we should reach it because I have the wrong idea of what size it is in my mind. The closer we get, the bigger it gets. And that’s good for us. We’l need a lot of Power. But we need to get there soon, or it could be al the Power in the universe and it won’t matter. We’l be too late. Shinichi had indicated that they would be too late – but Shinichi had been born a liar. Still, surely just beyond that low branch was†¦ Oh, dear God, she thought. It’s a star ball. How to cite The Return: Midnight Chapter 36, Essay examples