Bread Givers and The Bluest Eye Families in Crisis: An Analysis

Both novels The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska are about families from the early twentieth century who face enormous problems of living in a patriarchal home that is obviously not working. Both books focus on the daughters of the families and the hardships that they must endure. The Bluest Eye, and Bread Givers are about characters who do not belong to mainstream America in a time period before tolerance and civil rights. Pecola Bleedlove is the protagonist of The Bluest Eye.She is an eleven year old African American girl who believes that she is extremely ugly and she believes that the ultimate beauty of a person would be to have blue eyes. She measures beauty by white American standards of her day which is just after the Great Depression and she struggles with her race not only with whites, but with other lighter African Americans. The line between colored and nigger was not always clear; subtle and telltale signs threatened to erode it, and the wat ch had to be constant. (Morrison, 87) Sara Smolinski is the protagonist of Bread Givers.She is the youngest daughter in a Jewish family who have immigrated to the United States from Poland in the 1910’s and 20’s. The Smolinski family live in New York City while the Breedloves live in a small town in Ohio. However, the setting makes little difference when it comes to the problems that each family faces. They are both looked down upon because of their race and their socioeconomic positions in society because both families live in poverty. The early part of the twentieth century in the United States was a patriarchal society and all classes lived by those rules. The father controlled the family especially the wives and daughters.While sons were strictly guided by their fathers as well, they did gain freedom at the legal age of maturity and they would hen become the leaders of their own families. Daughters were totally ruled by their fathers and wives knew that they were n ot to question their husband. They would not gain the freedom that a son knew that he would someday obtain. The young woman went straight from her father’s rule to that of her husband. In both novels, the male head of the household, Cholly Breedlove, and Reb Smolinski do not make any money, but depend on the females for their living.In the true patriarchal society, the male head of the house did have responsibilities, and the most important one was to provide for his family. In both these homes the men want to totally control the women, but they are not the providers. Instead they do nothing by take from the women. Cholly is an alcoholic and an abuser, while Reb has devoted his life to studying the Jewish religion and the Torah. This would not have been a bad thing for him to do except that he does not use this to make a living.In the true patriarchal family, the father is also to provide guidance and security to his family so that he is worthy of their respect and loyalty. C holly Breedlove totally perverts his duty as the head of his household. He has done nothing for his wife’s self esteem. She is convinced that she is ugly, and that her deformed foot has made her a cast off of society. Instead of reassuring her that he is attracted to her and that he appreciates the work she does and the money that she brings to the family, he berates her, has adulterous relationships on her, and he constantly battles her.The worse perverse action that he takes is when he rapes his preteen daughter, Pecola. If a father is to have control of his daughters in a patriarchal society, then society expects his to lover her, protect her and guide her. Cholly Breedlove breaks all the rules of society by taking away the innocence of his child, and violating rather than protecting her. He impregnates her so which means that he will rob her of her respectable place in society. Even though today’s society understands that the child is the victim, it was not that wa y in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.Pecola is impregnated by her father and the baby dies. Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear and when the land kills of its own volition, we acquiesce and say the victim had no right to live. (Morrison, 206) She then goes insane and therefore, he has completely ruined her life. . [Pecola beat] the air, a winged but grounded bird, intent on the blue void it could not reach – could not even see – but which filled the valleys of the mind. (Morrison, 204) Reb Smolinski also takes from his wife, Shena.She is in awe of her husband’s intellect and devotion to his religion. She works very hard to support him and make him comfortable even though they live in extreme poverty. Unlike Cholly, Reb does not physically abuse his wife. Reb’s daughter fare for worse than their mother does when it comes to his treatment of them. While he does not violate the girl’s virtue, he is still cr uel to them psychologically. He has each girl work very hard outside of the home even though he does not do this himself.He convinces each girl that it is a father’s duty to take their wages and to use it toward the providential care of the family. Like the Old Testament men, Reb rules every aspect of his daughter’s lives. He truly believes that It says in the Torah: What’s a woman without a man? Less than nothing—a blotted out existence. No life on earth and no hope in heaven. (Yezierska, 205) He too, like Cholly, does not do this for the ultimate benefit of the girls, but for his own selfish reasons. This is evident when we first see Bessie bring home a young man that she has an interest.The young man is a good man, is not living in poverty, and seems to love Bessie enough to want to take good care of her. He is also willing to take no dowry, something that was unheard of in that culture, just so that he could spend the rest of his life with her. Instea d of being overjoyed that his daughter would have a wonderful life full of love ahead of her, he ruins the relationship between them. Bessie resigns herself to her father when she tells her lover I know I’m a fool. But I cannot help it. I haven’t the courage to live for myself. My own life is knocked out of me.No wonder Father called me the burden bearer. (Yezierska, 50) He does the same thing to his other daughters except for Sarah and instead, arranges poor marriages for them and their lives are completely ruined. Sarah stands up to her father and runs away. She becomes a teacher, and continues to live a life of poverty until she has finished her schooling, and begins to make a good living for herself. Her father has disowned her for no other reason except that she has not obeyed him completely and has made life better for herself. This has taken away his power over her.Because of the underhanded workings of his second wife, apparently he could not control her as he did the Shena, Sarah becomes close to the principal at the school where she works. After they have established a relationship, Sarah and Hugo, the principal revert back to the mindset of the patriarchal society in which they had both been reared, and the book ends with the assumption that Reb will move in with them and they will take care of him the way that he should have taken care of Sarah when she was a child and a young woman. I felt the shadow still there, over me.It wasn’t just my father, but the generations who made my father whose weight was still upon me. (Yezierska, 297) Both of the novels Bread Givers and The Bluest Eye concentrate on the negatives of the patriarchal society. Society has now moved far away from that mind set, however remnants of it can still be seen. They both portray the powerlessness of women, even though one, Sarah, rises above it and takes charge of her own life. Works Cited Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. 1970. London: Chatto and Windus, Ltd. 1979. Yezierska, Anzia. Bread Givers. 1925. Ne

How does Thomas Hardy create and maintain Essay

How does Thomas Hardy create and maintain a sense of mystery and malignant, uncontrollable forces in â€Å"The withered arm† Thomas Hardy creates and maintains mystery and malignant, underlying forces by using symbolic descriptions of the setting, the atmosphere and the strange unguessable plot. Thomas Hardy sets the story in the fictional village of Holmstoke. Holm means home and stoke means fire. This gives two impressions, one of a nice cosy warm story, but it also gives the impression that fire is also connected with bad things like Hell and witchcraft. This makes you start to wonder what the story will be like. Thomas Hardy uses natural settings to contrast with unnatural events or behaviour. The heath is used a lot because of this. He also uses the heath because it helps create atmosphere and because it is outside he also uses the weather to reflect the characters mood. An example of this is when Rhoda and Gertrude cross the heath to see Conjuror Trendle and Rhoda does not want to and â€Å"would have done anything to escape this enquiry†, the weather and the atmosphere reflect her dread of what will happen. â€Å"The thick clouds made the atmosphere dark† and it was only early after noon and â€Å"the wind howled dismally†. Hardy also uses the weather to help him describe the changing of time like at the beginning of a paragraph. All the gossip was going on in â€Å"winter† and by the end of the paragraph it’s â€Å"in the spring† I think Hardy also uses the changing of the seasons as a sort of metaphor to symbolize the changing of the characters. An example is when Gertrude changes from a very beautiful, perfect, kind and caring girl to a scarred â€Å"irritable superstitious woman†. Hardy also has such large gap in time so the changes in Gertrude are more noticeable. Thomas Hardy also uses characters to help him create mystery and underlying forces especially Rhoda Brook. Rhoda is an outsider and she lives out of the village by herself with her son. She’s a little weird because she never mixes with people. People don’t really mix with her because of her sleeping with Lodge and having a baby. People think she is a witch. I think this is because people associate her with Trendle. When Gertrude needed to find Trendle the villagers told her to ask Rhoda and she realized that they thought â€Å"a sorceress would know the whereabouts of the exorcist†. But the mystery really begins when she has her vision and next day Gertrude shows her the mark from the vision which is on her arm. The vision is an important part of the story as it is the start of everything and caused everything. Rhoda can not control what is happening to so it helps maintain the uncontrollable forces which are all through this book. Thomas Hardy uses Conjuror Trendle a lot to help create mystery and uncontrollable forces. Just the fact that conjuror Trendle lives on the heath starts to make the reader feel a sense of mystery because the heath represents the weirdness or the story. Trendle also helps create mystery by doing magic in secret and not openly â€Å"He did not profess his remedial practises openly† and it also helps that he was in disguise. He was disguised as a dealer in furze , turf sharp sand and other local products†. He had to be disguised because people in that time were very superstitious. I think Thomas Hardy uses Gertrude to help create a sense of uncontrollable forces, this is because things are happening to her mentally and physically which she has no control over. Also because the things that are happening to her are unexplainable, it helps create and maintain malignant uncontrollable forces. Hardy illustrates this physically when her incredible beauty is which is described as â€Å"the light under a heap of rose petals† becomes ruined and scarred by her withered arm; and mentally when she turns from a very nice person to an â€Å"irritable, superstitious woman† Farmer Lodge is not in the story much but none the less is a very important character, because he is the main reason the whole story happens. He is the center of the love triangle of him Rhoda and Gertrude which is why everything happens. As we don’t see him much in the story this makes him more important as it helps add to the mystery. Hardy uses imagery to help the reader mentally see what’s happening and also to symbolise things. An example of this at the beginning of the booking â€Å"the lorn milkmaid† Hardy paint us the picture of a lot of milkmaids all sitting together gossiping. This gives the impression that the village is quite a close knit place and that one Rhoda Brooke is all by herself on the side not joining in this gossiping. This gives the impression that she is a sort of outsider which no one wants to be friends with which adds to the mystery. A very important image in the story is the withered arm. It creates mystery because the reader will wonder how it happened and malignant uncontrollable forces because the reader will wonder if Rhoda really is a witch. The main themes of the story are witch craft and passion. The passion is in the love triangle between Farmer Lodge, Gertrude and Rhoda. The witch craft is in the vision Rhoda sees and the physical and mental change in Gertrude. Passion and witch craft are the uncontrollable forces in the withered arm. I think one of the things Hardy is trying to say in this book is that life can’t always be explained. Thomas Hardy uses many different languages effects. He uses similes and metaphors, to describe Gertrude â€Å"her face as comely as a live doll’s† and her face â€Å"like the light under a heap of rose petals†. Hardy also uses extended imagery when he uses the river outside the executioner’s house to link him to the village, â€Å"it stood close to the same stream†. He also uses personification in describing the river â€Å"the waters of which emitted a steady roar†. Thomas Hardy shows us which characters are â€Å"common† and which aren’t by having the â€Å"common† ones use dialect. The only person not to use dialect is Gertrude. Another important factor in creating and maintaining a sense of mystery and malignant uncontrollable forces was the plot. The vision coming true and Rhoda beginning to doubt herself really draws the reader in to the story. I think it was a very effective ending giving no clear answers like yes, Rhoda was a witch or not or no, it was all a coincidence and leaving it up to the reader. That really helps maintain mystery In conclusion I think that by using the characters, settings and a strange plot, Thomas Hardy successfully creates and maintains mystery and malignant forces in the withered arm.

To what extent was the international situation in January 1933 conducive to Hitler achieving his foreign policy aims?

The extent to which the international situation in January 1933 was conducive to Hitler achieving his foreign policy aims is debatable. There are a variety of factors which both assisted and hindered Hitler in achieving his aims. Some key aims of foreign policy were as follows, to destroy communism, to unite the German speaking population, to wipe out the Jews, to colonise the East and to revenge Germany's defeat from the First World War. Some of the key factors which need to be looked at include the lack of agreement over how to deal with Germany, the internal weakness of Western countries, the weakness of the League of Nations, the defensive attitudes of certain countries and successor states. Many countries, particularly France had a defensive mentality towards Germany, as a repeat of the First World War was certainly not wanted. British foreign policy under Baldwin was based upon public opinion. The horrors of the First World War meant that there was a â€Å"never again mentality† which can be shown by the oxford union debate in February 1933 which voted on the motion â€Å"that this House would not fight for King and country. There was also strong public opposition to rearmament and many thought rearmament would only antagonise Hitler. Due to France's worry of being invaded again the Maginot line defence fortification was constructed in the years 1929-1938. This defence fortification however was hardly a problem to Hitler at all. This was because of the fact that it stopped at the Belgian border, which meant that there was still corridor open if Germany wanted to invade both France and Belgium. Furthermore France was politically divided and had 11 governments between 1932 and 1935. This therefore meant that there was rival ideology of fascism and communism and so there were no clear policies as to what to do with the German problem. French foreign policy was inconsistent. This meant that France's reactions to Hitler were delayed and weak and so therefore gave Hitler more encouragement. In contrast however France had the desire to develop links and ally with countries on Germany's eastern borders such as Czechoslovakia and Romania. This therefore hindered Hitler as it gave France further defence and support. There was a clear lack of agreement between the powerful countries as to what to do about Germany. France was very concerned at the possibility of a German threat and had wanted very harsh Versailles terms whereas Britain was preoccupied with its empire and favoured with a revision of peace. If the Treaty of Versailles was to be probably implemented it needed the support of the USA who failed to ratify the treaty in 1920. The United States then withdrew into isolationism. It can therefore be seen that the European powers were not able to enforce peace alone. It can be seen that the League of Nations both assisted and hindered Hitler in achieving his foreign policy aims. As the USA and USSR were not members of the League of Nations until 1934 they were not able to be part of making decisions and so gave Hitler and Germany more freedom. Key evidence to show how the League of Nations was a failing peacekeeping organisation and thus assisting Hitler is from the Manchuria crisis in 1931. In this year Japan invaded Manchuria in China; the League of Nations took no effective action. However, the League of Nations itself, although weak clearly limited Hitler's opportunities. The League was an international body set up in order to preserve peace and prevent aggression. Furthermore it had the power to call for economic sanctions and military actions by member states. It can therefore be seen that the League of Nations hindered Hitler's foreign policy, but only to a certain extent due to its weakness and lack of effective action. When Hitler came to power in January 1933 he told the world he wanted to rid Germany of the problems of the Versailles Treaty in order to make her strong once more. To achieve this goal the country needed massive rearmament. Hitlers reply in February 1933 to a proposal from the Reich Ministry of Transport to build a reservoir shows the extent to which, in his view, the policy of rearmament was more important than anything else: ‘The next five years in Germany had to be devoted to rendering the German people again capable of bearing arms. Every publicly sponsored measure to create employment had to be considered from the point of view of whether it was necessary with respect to rendering the German people again capable of bearing arms for military service.' Since 1922 under the Rapallo pact Germany had been rearming in the USSR and hade economic links. This clearly shows how the international was conducive to Hitler's aim of rearmament. Also In December 1932 there was a major conference over disarmament, where little happened. By 1933 it can be seen that Germany had in fact secured a substantial revision of the Treaty of Versailles as Germany was now a member of the League of Nations, rearmament was no longer subject to scrutiny and reparations had been, in effect, cancelled (at Lausanne, 1932) Various countries surrounding Germany contained German minorities and so this can be seen as an advantage to Hitler's foreign policy. An important aim of Hitler's was to unite all Germans, with many Germans in other countries it would be easier for Hitler to take over them. This is primarily because it is likely that the Germans in these countries, such as Czechoslovakia (300,000), Poland and Danzig (95%) would rather be part of Germany and would welcome German expansionism. In addition to this all of these countries were small and militarily and political weak which therefore means there would be little opposition. Also many Austrians were in favour of becoming part of Germany. The German Domestic situation however was also important to Hitler's Foreign policy aims. In 1933 Hitler had only just made Chancellor and there were only the Nazis in government other than Hitler. This means that it is likely Hitler would have little support in government. Furthermore Hitler was dependent upon elite support and Hindenburg as President could still remove Hitler. In conclusion it can be seen that there is evidence both for against the international situation being conducive to Hitler's Foreign policy aims. Whilst factors such as the USA being isolationist and the lack of agreement over how to deal with Germany were helpful to Hitler, others such as strong public opinion against war and Hitler being leader of a collation government show the problems that Hitler had to overcome.

Unmasking Victorian Monsters Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Unmasking Victorian Monsters - Research Paper Example In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Henry Jekyll begins experimenting on himself by drinking a potion that unleashes his dark side, a violent, brutish misanthrope named Edward Hyde. Eventually, he becomes unable to control the shift in personality chemically and it begins to overtake his upstanding persona and psyche as Dr. Jekyll. The novel itself is in the form of Dr. Jekylls last will and testament as it has fallen into the hands of his solicitor. The Island of Dr. Moreau tells the story of Edward Prendick who is shipwrecked in the South Pacific and finds himself on the island of Dr. Moreau. Moreau was a famous London physiologist who was shunned when his experiments in vivisection were revealed. He has exiled himself to this island where he can continue his experiments in vivisection unhindered by public opprobrium. Prendick learns that Dr. Moreau has created a collection of Beat Men who may, or may not, be under his control and resistant to their animal tendencies. Bram Stokers Dracula has multiple narrators although its principle one is Jonathan Harker, a London solicitor. Harker journeys to Transylvania to assist a client, Count Dracula, with a real estate transaction. Subsequently, Dracula arrives in England and begins to work his evil on a British woman, Lucy Westenra. As she wastes away the Dutch vampire expert, Abraham Van Helsing, eventually joined by Harker and his fiance, Wilhelmina Mina Murray, wages war against Dracula. Lucy and her mother both die after a wolf attack; the struggle eventually returns to Transylvania where Dracula is exterminated; one of his hunters, Quincy Morris, is also killed; and, Mina is freed from the mental and emotional thrall of the evil vampire. Indicatively, Moreaus creations are known as the Beast Folk. They appear to be neither people nor beasts but rather an

A Comparison on Non-traditional Middle School Students Essay

A Comparison on Non-traditional Middle School Students - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that  due to globalization, the United States has experienced an influx of foreigners in the last four decades resulting in changes in the public education sector. There has been a variation in academic performance between traditional and non-traditional students. According to Texas State’s statistics, 80% of traditional students move to high school in contrast to 34% for non-traditional students. Also, community-based providers and school officials that serve students in public schools have reported an increase in the number of non-traditional sixteen-year-old seventh graders or seventeen-year-old eighth graders remaining in middle school.This study stresses that  school districts are attempting to address the problem by making changes in their educational systems in order to address the needs of these students. The school officials have developed special programs and various strategies within schools to target the specific group of student s in middle school. The retention impacts negatively on the non-traditional students in middle school.  There are many middle school students who are retained in middle school, which increases the dropout rate by the time students reach high school. Various studies have evidenced other factors that cause students to be retained and become over-age in middle schools without interventions to alleviate the problems.  These students experience self-esteem issues, low reading and math skills, behavioral/emotional needs, a high need for individual attention.

Individual Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual Report - Essay Example The analysis entails the resources and the organization’s performance in its external environments. This report describes the organizational paradigms and their impact on the process of strategic management. Introduction An organization defines its own ways of identifying its operations in its environment in order to guarantee profitable performance and customer satisfaction. This is achieved through the implementation of a given structure that determines the functions that warrant the objectives of the company. This is aligned to the key objective of a firm that is solely maximizing its profits. The organizational paradigms key issue assists in describing the structural design that is suitable to the accomplishment of the functional requirements (CARTER 2010). Therefore, organizational paradigms imply the fundamental presuppositions that unnoticeably define and shape an organizations structures, policies, and operations. Elements of Organizational Paradigms Organizational par adigms consist of four main elements according to its scientific description. The symbolic generalization is an element that gives ways that problems within the paradigm are posed and solved. The second element is the metaphysical assumptions (STRATI 2000). This element represents the taken-as-given beliefs about the issues that will be treated as real regarding the organizations operations and environment. The third element describes values that embody the fundamental priorities and alternatives of the problems pursued and the main objectives to adhere (DONALDSON 2001). Lastly, exemplars are an organizational paradigm’s element that deals with those worked-out methods and solutions that exhibit the whole world perception as a rational form. Rational Systems This is an organizational paradigm whose systems are highlighted by high specificity of formation, formalization, objectives, and a conscious purposeful synchronization among members in an effort to establish an efficient operated company. These characteristics of the objectives drive the mannerisms of the company’s members (HASSARD 1995). It also establishes boundaries through which the organization puts efforts to succeed in relation to the firms goals or community within which it seeks to aspire. In addition, the rational system is usually demonstrated by Taylor’s Scientific Management concept of methodical evaluation of an employee’s productivity seeking to set given standards of effectiveness and substitute the arbitrary decisions of front line managers (SCOTT 2003). Furthermore, the rational system addresses management effectiveness by establishing extensive administrative standards through concepts such as hierarchical organizational structures, unity-of-command, and departmentalization. Moreover, it ensures the homogeneity of operations to offer control and focus needed by a firm and its managerial service. The paradigm also offers a different viewpoint that demonstrates the model that companies need structures and procedures to serve and sustain their survival (SCOTT & DAVIS 2007). An example of an implemented rational system is the hierarchical centralized structure of the national security sector of our country. This entails the decision-making process that directs the sector. Each of the constituent part of the sector implements a good deal of the rational system concept. The disciplined forces services are usually affiliated with the

Opening a new sport shop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Opening a new sport shop - Essay Example Scott McPherson is starting out as a small-scale businessman, testing his market and value chain before going full blast into an entire chain of stores. McPherson must therefore start out with a single store and expand gradually after that after gaining a stronger foothold on the business. The choice of a business should be one that has a quick cash cycle that would turn over sales at a relatively fast pace, but which has the potential of growing to a chain of store catering to retail sale of consumer goods. For this purpose, a sports retail business would be a good enterprise for McPherson, whose twenty years as secondary school teacher would have kept him abreast of the various sports events at least in the school level. The appeal and demand for sports and outdoors gear and equipment has a stable market because of the strong interest in sports and fitness. An image attaches to being associated with a healthy lifestyle, even if it be conveyed by one’s clothes or footwear. Fi nally, sports activity is usually complemented by a desire for healthy and nutritious A comprehensive analysis of the sports retail sector follows: SWOT ANALYSIS The SWOT analysis is a helpful tool for formulating the strategic plan of a business. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the firm and juxtaposes this against the opportunities and threats in the environment, maximizing strengths for opportunities and minimizing weaknesses to avoid the threats. The SWOT analysis for McPherson’s store chain follows: STRENGTHS A source of strength is the familiarity of McPherson with secondary schools’ sports programs, and his contacts with sports teachers and program directors in the different schools. It should be recalled that McPherson’s twenty year history as a secondary school teacher would have created friendships that would be useful for his business, from a relational point of view. Another strength of McPherson’s business would be its financial stability, having skipped the period of economic crisis which had ruined or weakened the finances of many small (and large-scale) businesses. OPPORTUNITIES A good number of schools and universities located in the South England area provide a lucrative market, which could still expand and absorb additional supply despite the existence of other stores. Retail customers are in constant search of new shops which may provide better product offerings, or better terms of sale. A further opportunity presenting itself is the growing interest in new media sports, where indoor digital sports consoles games enable persons interested in keeping fit but without the

Online Network Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Online Network Marketing - Essay Example In other words, it is an online community of sellers and buyers. By the year 2006, slightly more than a billion people were able to access internet throughout the world. This is the results of a survey conducted by Internet World Stats in that year (Nichols: 2007). What this means is that there is a potential market online of a billion people. This is a large pool of people who can buy or sell a product or service. It is not surprising then why there is an increase in the number of people who are establishing online network marketing businesses. The services and goods marketed online include education, consumer goods like drugs, and vehicles amongst others. This article is going to look critically at the online technologies that are used to build online network marketing. This network marketing is geared towards building online communities and promoting goods and services online. The broad objective of this study is to critically analyze of online network marketing for community building and business promotion. To this end, the study will be guided by several specific objectives: As indicated earlier, more than a billion people around the world were already online by the year 2006 (Nichols: 2007). This number has continued to grow over the years, and it will not be far fetched right now to say that internet usage will hit the two billion mark by the end of 2010 (Foucault: 2009). This translates to a market of two billion people out there. People access the internet for several purposes; there are those who use it for communication, as a form of social media. These are the ones who use emails and social networks like Facebook and Twitter (Wilson: 2009). When selling or promoting products and services online, most people first recruits sales representatives and agents online (Bashir: 2009). The advantage of online networking is that the sales representatives can be recruited from anywhere in the world, unlike the traditional offline networking where they have to come from a certain geographical location. These agents are then encouraged to recruit others. The commission accrued by these agents reduces as one goes down the ladder, with the owner of the organization getting the lion's share. These agents are the ones who are in charge of selling the particular service or product that the company deals with. They recruit a consumer base, still online. The agents and the producer forms what is called a virtual organization (Irwin: 2007). The consumers, together with the virtual organization, forms the online community that is brought together by the particular good or service that is been sold. In order to create this community, promotion is needed. The producer creates his presence on the internet. This he can do by creating his own website domain. He then goes ahead and recruits the agents, who access his domain for details. These agents then use several means to recruit consumers. They may advertise their services and products on other sites related to their line of business. When the

Amazon's not so secret war on taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amazon's not so secret war on taxes - Essay Example Amazon gains an advantage in the market but is that superior position justified on the basis of the fact that Amazon has the best strategy for dodging taxes as it is an online store while other big stores such as Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart are traditional stores. Many of the businesspersons argue that a company’s superiority or success in the market can be recognized by the type and quality of products and services that they offer instead of their tax schemes. Amazon played a major role in preventing the law to be changed and used its power to argue to claims about taxes on internet purchases. The sales tax is an important consideration as there is a lot on question. The sales tax allows the state governments to collect a fair amount for infrastructure facilities, parks, schools, and streets, the big stores have their retail primacy at stake, and customers have their money and way of shopping at stake. But on the other hand, Amazon is most widely known for being customer frie ndly, affordable, crackling, and a reputed online store. Behind this is the truth of the struggling battler that stands firmly on its principle. However, the strong power and aggression of the other retail stores broke the tax avoidance scheme of Amazon and led the states to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act. Thus, with this act, all the efforts of Amazon to prevent the laws from changing ended in ultimate failure. Eventually, Amazon supported it too as it has physical existence in many of the states with their warehouses and had professionals working.

Archetype Research Project Essay Example for Free

Archetype Research Project Essay Archetypes are â€Å"An inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual† (archetype). Archetypes are central in all cultures across the world and can provide important lessons and outlooks on the common aspects of human life. The journey, is an archetype in which the main character is in search of some sort of truth and typically faces many difficult trials along the way, this can be both physical and mental. While going through these trials a kind of hell is reached and the character must attempt to make their way back to society. Though the journey is not always well liked due to its dark and serious nature, it provides self-confidence and shows society how to react to difficulties they may face in life. This archetype can be found in slightly different forms in the three novels: â€Å"Jane Eyre† by Charlotte Brontà «, â€Å"The Odyssey† by Homer, and â€Å"The Plague† by Albert Camus. Each author uses the archetype, the journey, to express their own thoughts; they create an overall theme or message to influence their readers. â€Å"Jane Eyre† was written in 1847 by Charlotte Brontà «. The novel follows Jane Eyre from her childhood as the family scapegoat, through her schooling at a poorly managed charity school, and later when she becomes a governess and falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester. Jane’s journey is in search of the love and acceptance of others, she goes through many trials before reaching her goal. The theme that Brontà « creates using the archetype of the journey is: In times of hardship you must persevere and not lose sight of yourself and your morals while striving to find happiness. This is one of the most important messages that she is sending to her readers through Jane Eyre. She does this by giving multiple examples of Jane’s strength. One example of Jane’s strength is when she struggles to regain her since of dignity and self-worth after discovering, on her wedding day, that Mr. Rochester was already married. This is the most devastating part of Jane’s journey but her reaction to the situation is what builds the theme. â€Å"Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be† (Brontà « 369). Jane is very tempted to just give in to her weaknesses but she regains her composure and continues her struggle. Jane’s strength is also shown when she leaves Thornfield the night after the wedding. â€Å"But I was soon up; crawling forwards on my hands and knees, and then again raised to my feet — ­ as eager and as determined as ever to reach the road† (Brontà « 374). At this point Jane’s emotional turmoil has gone as far as to cause physical weakness. Which, she also finds courage to overcome. Brontà « uses Jane’s strength of morals and self-respect in times of trial to get her theme across to her readers. The importance of her perseverance throughout the novel is solidified in the fact that her suffering pays off in the end with a happy conclusion after Mr. Rochester’s wife is dead. â€Å"I hold myself supremely blestblest beyond what language can express; because I am my husbands life as fully is he is mine† (Brontà « 522). Jane would have been very unhappy if she had given in to her weaknesses before she felt morally sound in doing so. This shows how significant her waiting was in securing her happiness in the end. Charlotte Brontà « used the archetype of the journey in Jane Eyre to impact the reader by illustrating the importance of maintaining your moral standards and since of self-worth through times of trial and hardship when you are most prone to weakness. She has exemplified this through the strength and persistence of her main character, Jane. â€Å"The Odyssey† was written by Homer around 700 B.C. It is an epic that tells the story of Odysseus, a man who must make his way back home from war to his wife and son. His journey home however is delayed by a series of trials and while he is away suitors take over his household. Odysseus has been a role model not only in Greek culture but all around the world. Homer uses the characters reactions to the trials that are typical to the archetype of the journey to show the need for determination, hope and strength in the face of hardship. As Odysseus goes through the many challenges of his journey his perseverance is put to the test. One of these occasions is when Odysseus and his crew are within sight of Ithaca, but the curiosity of his crew causes them to be thrown severely off course and pushed back many days in their journey. â€Å"And I woke up with a start, my spirit churning— should I leap over the side and drown at once or grit my teeth and bear it, stay among the living? I bore it all, held firm, hiding my face, clinging tight to the decks† (Homer 10. 55-58). True strength is shown by Odysseus here due to the fact that it is laden with the dramatic irony of almost reaching your goal then being set back to the beginning. Homer uses Odysseus’s will to continue on and not give up to show the determination needed to overcome a trial such as this. Odysseus is not the only character in â€Å"The Odyssey† that the archetype of the journey applies to. Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, also goes through a journey and discovers darker truths as he searches for news of his father and watches the suitors tear apart his house. â€Å"But for me the gods have spun out no such joy, for my father or myself. I must bear up, that’s all† (Homer 3.236-238). Homer presents Telemachus much like his father, always determined to keep moving forward even when it seems all is against him. The archetype of the journey is constantly full of challenges and often disappointment. Odysseus comments on what he has learned of the nature of life and hardship. â€Å"But then, when the happy gods bring on the long hard times, bear them he must, against his will, and steel his heart. Our lives, our mood and mind as we pass across the earth, turn as the days turn† (Homer 18. 154-157). Odysseus has learned this lesson from experience and his calm warnings and advice on the subject contribute to the theme of the necessity of strength when it comes to the archetype of the journey. In relation to the archetype the journey Homer uses â€Å"The Odyssey† to create a theme of resilience and determination when encountering struggles and trials. This is created through the way that the characters handle hardship with their lives. Odysseus is a major role model whose success and failures can easily be learned from. â€Å"The Plague† was written by Albert Camus in 1947; the novel relates the story of a city falling into and later recovering from an epidemic of plague. Each character has his own personal interests but as the plague progresses and the gates of the city are closed, fighting the plague becomes everyone’s main interest. The entire town goes through an archetypal journey with each characters experiences differing in their own ways. When a group of people is suffering, each person has a duty to think more of the group and less of individual desires; everyone has to try to help others. It is the few people who fulfill that duty who make the difference for the whole of the community in the end. As the first few cases began to arise, nobody wanted to admit the high level of danger that came with them. Due to the town’s lack of experience with the plague things move slowly at first and no one really knows what to do. Despite this confusion and lack of knowledge it is important that there are a few people who are always fighting to make progress. â€Å"No, we should go forward, groping our way through the darkness, stumbling perhaps at times, and try to do what good lay in our power† (Camus 205). Camus shows the absolute need for action even when nobody is quite sure what to do. The town is urged to forget personal matters to devote themselves to following blind determination. After months of plague it becomes obvious to the townsfolk that they are all in the situation together and that they are in the same amount of risk even though nobody wanted to acknowledge it out loud. â€Å"No longer were there individual destinies; only a collective destiny, made of plague and emotions shared by all† (Camus 151). The atmosphere of the survival situation has made personal interests unimportant and the survival and health of the community the main point of the people’s lives. As the city of Oran attempts to regain its stability its citizens sacrifice their personal feelings such as love to go into a survival mode. â€Å"Evening after evening gave its truest, mournfulest expression to the blind endurance that had outlasted love from all our hearts† (Camus 168). People have become so engrossed in the plague and its effect on their lives that emotions like love are pushed to the back of the mind. Camus stresses the fact that in order for a community to endure, personal sacrifice is necessary. â€Å"The Plagues† main theme in relation to the archetype of the journey is that personal sacrifice may be needed in order for a community to go through a journey and still prevail in the end. It can also be seen that hope is necessary when you are faced with hardship even if you are completely lost and in the dark. All three novels, â€Å"Jane Eyre† by Charlotte Brontà «, â€Å"The Odyssey† by Homer, and â€Å"The Plague† by Albert Camus have strong examples of the journey archetype. Each tells a story of trials, hardship, and suffering. â€Å"Jane Eyre† focuses largely on Jane’s personal development and the challenges that she faces in her everyday life. Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s main theme is to not lose sight of who you are when things get tough in contrast to the ideas behind â€Å"The Plague† which call for almost an exact opposite due to the community setting in which the journey takes place. â€Å"The Odyssey† is more about a since of strength and endurance, though Odysseus’s emotions are evident and are very important in maintaining his will to continue trying to reach home, they do not dominate the scene like in â€Å"Jane Eyre† and â€Å"The plague†. The journey archetype is very important in giving people insight to possible life situations. By reading about a characters development while going through a journey it is easy to realize their achievements and failures. This makes these types of situations easier to handle when they come up in real life later on because the reader has already been warned of what to do and what not to do. The main characters of a story focused on an archetypal journey are also inspirational and can provide the same hope and determination by giving people a â€Å"they did this so I can too† type of attitude toward life’s challenges.

The Factors Affecting Marketing Marketing Essay

The Factors Affecting Marketing Marketing Essay Marketing is the activity and set of processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings which have value for customers, clients and partners. It is defined as the process of determining the needs and wants of consumers and being able to deliver products that satisfy those needs and wants. Marketing includes all activities that are necessary to move a product from the producer to the consumer, an example of marketing is window displays in travel agencies. Thomas Cook changes their window displays quite often as they have many holiday deals to attract their customers, displays have catchy slogans to invite them to find out more about that holiday and reasonable prices including a packaged holiday. The function of marketing is deciding as a whole what services and products the customer will want and what ways they will be delivered to the customer. It also helps a company to identify successful products for the marketplace and then promote them by separating them from similar products. There are seven main functions of marketing; distribution, selling, financing, market information management, pricing, product and service management and promotion. There are different aims of marketing; to increase awareness of the product or service, to increase market share, to research customer needs, to communicate with different customers and to solve any problems which involves affecting the process of marketing. Marketing mix is different elements of a products marketing plan which an organisation uses to meet their customers needs, this is also known as the four Ps; Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Product refers to physical products and services, the following are some examples of product decisions; brand name, styling, packaging, quality and repairs. Some examples of pricing decisions include; seasonal pricing, price flexibility, price discrimination and cash payment discounts. Distribution which refers to the place is all about getting the products to the customer, here are some examples of distribution decisions; order processing, transportation, distribution centres and channels and inventory management. Promotion represents the various aspects of marketing, its goals is to generate a positive customer response by following decisions which include; sales promotions, advertising, personal selling and public relations and publicity. An example of marketing mix is a new company who is starting up their own company is trying to spend more money on promotion in order to get themselves known, whereas at the same time an established business will need to monitor its prices and if needed they will make changes. Market segmentation is the process of defining a large market into clear segments by having similar wants, needs and characteristics; it has an objective to design a marketing mix which matches the expectations of customers. Market segmentation can be done in different ways using a combination of methods which include; demographic segmentation, socio-economic segmentation, geographic segmentation and psychographic segmentation. Demographic segmentation is separating your consumers to advertise the groups separately according to gender for example developing holidays for women, age for example designing holidays to meet the needs of the 18 to 30 age group and people over 55, and ethnic grouping. Whereas socio-economic segmentation is based only on occupation which is then advertised by the media to target people in an area. Geographic segmentation is collecting information according to the location of the customer so they know where there products are being sold which increases advert ising, an example of this is people living in a particular postcode area could be sent a holiday brochure. Whereas psychographic segmentation categorises there consumers according to motivation, lifestyle and personality types and this can be done by introducing new activity holidays. Marketing communication methods is part of the marketing mix which extends to all the areas of the organisation; this means the same marketing message can be presented in all areas of marketing through branding to customers and target audience. Marketing communication mechanisms, such as print, radio, television advertising, publicity and online advertising help promote a companys products and services. Using different methods of marketing communication allows the company to reach the widest audience. An example of marketing communication is tour operators such as Thomas Cook who advertise their holidays on-line followed by pictures, prices and activities they include within a destination and they advertise on shop windows to attract more customers to book a holiday within them. Thomas Cook also appears as a pop up if a person is on another website like Facebook in order to sell themselves and make them known. P2/M1: There are a variety of factors which influence marketing in the travel and tourism industry, this includes the negative and positive factors which have influenced the marketing decisions. On the next few pages I am going to explain the effect of all the factors and include examples in my answers from travel and tourism companies. Company Ethos is a companys defined set of beliefs and values which can be articulated in a mission statement, these statements are then advertised on websites and in an office reception area. They are very important as it tells customers what to expect as a product and gives an idea to employees about what the company wants to accomplish. Social responsibility is an organizations management heading towards the interests of the society in which it operates. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the commitment by a business in order to behave ethically and continue to contribute to economic development while improving the quality life of the workforce. Companies which meet their criteria can be listed which specifies to stakeholders that the company has suitable polices for CSR. A CSR strategy is all about managing the way a business deals with issues such as gender and supervising foreign workers, it helps ensure that a business has positive impact on people as well as the environ ment wherever it operates. The first example of company Ethos is the mission statement of the airline Easyjet which reads to provide our customers with safe and good value. To offer a consistent and reliable product and fares, appealing to leisure and business markets on a range of European routes. http://www.slideshare.net/esteewu/easyjet-presentation My second example is Thomas Cooks stock exchange overall price in December 2012 is  £48 and the change is 2.13%.http://www.lse.co.uk/shareprice.asp?shareprice=TCG My third example is British Airways objectives and strategies; they want to become the worlds leading global premium airline and to focus on customer service to help them create a sustainable future for their business. www.britishairways.com/cms/global/microsites/ba_reports0910/our_business/strategy2.html Consumer protection consists of laws and organizations which are designed to ensure the rights of consumers as well as truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses who engage in fraud from gaining an advantage over competitors, they are a form of government regulation which aim to protect the rights of consumers. Consumer protection ensures that products purchased by consumers are safe to use, will meet all standards, that consumers have adequate  information  to make safe purchase and that marketers are prevented from using false methods to sell their products. An example of a consumer protection is the Data Protection Act 1998 which gave individuals a right of access to personal data, this is often collected when a person completes the purchase of a service or good from a company which consists of bank, contact details and any other important information. Personal data must be kept secure and up-to-date; this data can be held either on a computer or in paper files. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_protection_laws My first example is First Choice which is a tour operator who has regulations to protect the travelling public; they are protected by Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL). This will not allow customers to lose their money or become stranded. http://www.firstchoice.co.uk/about-us/who-we-are/ My second example is British Airways and its Data Protection Act; they treat all their information as confidential so therefore they protect every customers privacy. All personal information will not be passed onto third parties. http://www.bavirtual.co.uk/administration/privacy My third example is Thomas Cooks codes of practice to the Criminal Records Bureau; they treat all applicants fairly but however to assess applicants for positions of trust. http://www.thomascook.com/thomas-cook-careers/ Standards of practice are an alternative term for code of professional responsibility, an example of this is codes of practice; these are written guidelines issued by a professional association to its members in order to help them obey with its ethical standards. The British Code of Advertising is legal and honest, they value the principles, and they are prepared looking at responsibility within the society and the consumers and are also connected with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) who receives responses about rules on advertising. The ASA work includes acting on complaints and checking the media to take action against harmful or offensive advertisements. Their mission is to; be more effective with business and consumers, be an effective part of the response to social issues which are affected by advertising and making a success of regulating online advertisements. ASA is an independent body who checks samples of advertisements and work to publish standards of service so therefore they are committed to; resolve complaints without any delays, to deliver a high quality service, to be open about their procedures and the decisions in which they make, meet all their customers needs and respect the advertising industry and members of the public. My first example is tour operators such as Virgin Holidays who are subject to legislation in order to ensure the health and safety of their customers on their holiday. My second example is Ryanairs display advertising which is one of the most effective media formats achieving 82% of messages among the different passengers and overhead locker advertising is visible throughout the flight. http://www.ryanair.com/en/advertise My third example is First Choice sales promotion on their voucher codes which gives a boost to customers especially as they can get discount on their next holiday and money off on summer and winter flights. http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/firstchoice.co.uk Political, economic, social and technological are factors that influence businesses, this is described as PEST analysis because the factors involved are categorized into four. PEST analysis helps an organisation to take note of external factors which are affecting its business; they help with the SWOT analysis which identifies threats and opportunities. SWOT analysis evaluates internal factors such as strenghts and weaknesses and internal factors such as opportunities and threats which influences the marketing. Political factors are related to government policy and administrative practices that can have an effect on something, these factors must be taken into account when considering a political change. These changes could involve employment laws which companies must therefore have respect for. Political  factors are how a  government  interferes in the economy, it include areas such as  tax policy,  labour law,  environmental law,  trade restrictions,  tariffs, and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide and those that the government does not want to provide; www.puremoneymaking.et/pages/strategy_building/mission-vision/elements-of-pest.aspx therefore the governments have great influence on the  health,  education, and infrastructure  of a nation. International relations are an example of a political factor which is the relationship between countries, including the roles of states, organisations and corporations. It is the branch of political science that is concerned with the foreign affairs of and relations among nations, peoples and states. My first example is all tour operators have to be very careful of political incidents especially in all the different destinations they sell to their customers. My second example is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) who gives up-to-date information on all safety techniques in the countries located all over the world. My third example is tour operators who can get all their passengers back home if something happens abroad such as an incident and so therefore they make sure that they will be safe out there with given advice. Economic factors are the resources that can influence a person on their everyday life and is the distribution of services and materials. Economic factors include economic growth,  interest rates,  exchange rates  and the  inflation rate; these factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and how they make decisions. www.puremoneymaking.et/pages/strategy_building/mission-vision/elements-of-pest.aspx An example of an economic factor is interest rates, it is the amount charged as a percentage by a lender to a borrower for the use of assets which can include cash and consumer goods. Interest rates  are typically  noted on an annual basis, known as the  annual percentage rate  (APR). Interest rates is charged or paid for the use of money, it is calculated by dividing the amount of interest by the amount of principal however the rates can change according to the result of inflation. Central banks generally tend to reduce interest rates when they wish to increase inv estment in the countrys economy; they are taken into account especially when dealing with variables like inflation, investment and unemployment. My first example is passengers travelling on different airlines have to pay air passenger duty only if their aircraft carries chargeable passengers. http://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/when-you-must-pay-air-passenger-duty My second example is interest rates in the Bank of England which holds interest rates at 0.5%; the reason they set interest rates is to keep the inflation as low as possible to preserve the value of money. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/Pages/home.aspx My third example is exchange rates which affect a tour operators pricing strategy, this is because it can increase or lower the price of a product in store or abroad and prices of products from competitors can change. http://www.tutor2u.net/business/gcse/external_environment_economic_exchange_rates.htm Social factors are the facts that influence individuals personality, lifestyle and attitudes which include; the cultural aspects, health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a companys products and how that company operates. www.puremoneymaking.et/pages/strategy_building/mission-vision/elements-of-pest.aspx An example of a social factor is ageing population, this occurs when the median age of a country or region increases due to a rise in life expectancy and declining birth rates. Population aging is a shift in the distribution of a countrys population towards older ages, this is usually reflected in an increase in the populations mean and  median ages, a decline in the proportion of the population composed of children, and a rise in the proportion of the population that is elderly. Population ageing is widespread across the world and is most  advanced  in the most highly developed countries. http://coolgeography.co.uk/A-Level/AQA/Year%2012/Population/Population%20change/managing%20pop%20change%20new.htm My first example is ageing population in Japan; the elderly population which includes people over the age of 65 years hit a record of 22million. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1083097.stm My second example is the media which has a social influence on different cultures especially in America where media such as TV, magazines, movies and news media reflects and creates the culture. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/The-Role-and-Influence-of-Mass-Media.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26946.html My second example is holiday bookings to Madame Tussauds where you have the chance to see celebrity wax figures, the way these celebrities are made are amazing as they look real when you see them face to face. http://www.madametussauds.com/ Technological factors are influences which have an impact on how an organisation operates that are related to the equipment which is used within the organizations environment. The factors include technological aspects such as  RD  activity,  automation, technology incentives and the rate of  technological change. They can determine barriers to entry, minimum production level and influence  outsourcing  decisions and these technological shifts can affect costs, quality, and also lead to  innovation. www.puremoneymaking.et/pages/strategy_building/mission-vision/elements-of-pest.aspx An example of a technological factor is the internet which has changed the way customers book their holidays, on-line booking systems are used a great number of times by people for booking holidays as well as hotel accommodation and transport. Travel agents and tour operators are making use of new technologies now and again in order to market their services and products; this allows different companies to market via the internet. Technology has also changed the way that firms market their products, prices, places and promotions. My first example is the internet where now every customer prefers online booking for their holiday, this has affected travel agencies as they receive fewer customers to help book a holiday. My second example is Heathrow Airport and its self check-in scheme where the customer uses a computer to choose their seat and print out their boarding card and then take their baggage to the bag-drop facility. http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/checking-in#selfservice My third example is new technology being brought out which is a good thing as it is benefitting each and every customer to carry out advertising via other companies as well as their websites. Environmental factors are a restricted element in the physical, cultural, demographic, economic, political, regulatory and technological environment which affects the survival, operations and growth of an organization. www.slideshare.net/Karvee/environmental-factors-business Environmental factors include ecological and environmental aspects such as weather and climate which may affect industries such as tourism, farming and insurance. Therefore growing awareness of the impacts of climate change is affecting how companies operate and the products which they offer. www.puremoneymaking.et/pages/strategy_building/mission-vision/elements-of-pest.aspxAn example of environmental factors is global warming which is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earths surface contributing to changes in global climate patterns. Global warming is often referred to the warming which can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities. Another example of an environmental factor is natural disasters, this includes; earthquakes, avalanches, hurricanes, floods, mudslides, tornadoes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. My first example is global warming which is a rise in temperature of the earths atmosphere and it can be good but if the thermal blanket gets thicker too much heat is kept therefore it is bad. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/global_warming/newsid_1575000/1575457.stm My second example is natural disasters which includes; floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and tsunamis and most of the times they are unexpected and overwhelming. http://www.apa.org/topics/disasters/index.aspx My third example is Boris bikes which are bicycles named after Boris Johnson who is the mayor of London and the prices are as follows; 24 hours costs  £2, 7 days will cost  £10 and annual costs  £90. If the bike is damaged the charge will be up to  £300, late return charge will be  £150 and non return ch arge is  £300. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14811.aspx All the factors which are mentioned above influences decisions on marketing which means companies may have to come to a conclusion to change their old products, change their prices, advertise new campaigns and make changes to marketing communications. Price and  competition  represent two of the strongest influences on marketing strategy which are classed as internal and external influences. For example, small businesses require direct short-term profits; therefore the marketing strategy introduces a high-performing product to a niche segment of the market before competitors. The business then generates as much profit as possible until competitors introduce a cheaper product and then it moves to launch a new product in a new market. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/influences-marketing-strategy-43431.html

Movie Essays - Gustave Flauberts Madame Bovary on Film -- Movie Film

Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary on Film      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The figure of Emma Bovary, the central character of Gustave Flaubert's novel, Madame Bovary, caused both cheers of approval and howls of outrage upon its publication, and continues to fascinate modern literary critics and film makers. Is she a romantic idealist, striving for perfect love and beauty in dull bourgeois society? Is she a willful and selfish woman whose pursuit of the good life brings about her own destruction and that of her family? Or is she, like Ibsen's Hedda Gabler and Nora Helmer, a rebel against the repressive, patriarchal society in which she finds herself? Is she, perhaps, a bit of all three?    Two prominent modern film directors have brought Emma Bovary's story to the screen--Vincente Minnelli in 1949 and, more recently, Claude Chabrol in 1992. This paper will study these two versions of Flaubert's novel and how each director employs and manipulates the medium of film to bring a work of fiction to the screen.    The films of Minnelli and Chabrol represent two radically different approaches to Flaubert's novel. In general, Minnelli tends to romanticize the story, even sentimentalize it, making Emma much more of a sympathetic heroine than seems to be the case in Flaubert's text. Much of the ironic tone of the novel is lost. Minnelli also omits from his film all scenes which are not directly connected with Emma. The harsh realism and ironic social commentary which underlie Flaubert's novel are ignored for the most part. Chabrol, on the other hand, attempts to be scrupulously faithful to the text and spirit of the novel. The director claims that virtually every word of dialogue in the film was taken directly from Flaubert... ...ot literature" (Kael 407). This remark might aptly be applied to Chabrol's adaptation of Madame Bovary. She also remarks about Chabrol's work in general that "there is a remarkable consistency of tone; everything seems on the same level of interest to Chabrol....nothing is very exciting, just as nothing is boring" (407). To Kael, Chabrol is "a sublime craftsman, the ideal conventional movie maker" (54).    But, in the final analysis, Chabrol is closer to Flaubert's artistic techniques. He lets the story speak for itself, and the viewers must form their own judgments about the story of Madame Bovary.    Works Cited Harvey, Stephen. Directed by Vincente Minnelli. New York: Harper and Row, 1989. Kael, Pauline. Deeper Into Movies. New York: Little Brown, 1973. Russell, Alan, trans. Madame Bovary. New York: Penguin Books, 1950.   

Microbial Health of the Rhizosphere :: Biology Bacteria Science Essays Papers

Microbial Health of the Rhizosphere Works Cited Missing The importance of the interactions between microorganisms, plants and the rhizosphere was realized as early as 1904 by Soil Bacteriologist and Professor of Agronomy at the Technical College of Munich, Lorenz Hiltner. â€Å"The term rhizosphere was introduced by Hiltner in 1904.† (Gobran, 2001) Hiltner â€Å"emphasized the critical role of microbial activities in the ‘rhizosphere’ in the nutrition and general health of plants.† (Curl, 1986) The term rhizosphere was used to â€Å"describe specifically the interaction between bacteria and legume roots.† (Lynch, 1990) Today there is debate among microbiologists and plant scientists regarding the definition of rhizosphere (Curl, 1986). â€Å"Rhizo† is derived from the Greek word â€Å"rhiza,† meaing â€Å"root†. â€Å"Sphere† is â€Å"one’s field of action, influence, or existence: one’s natural surroundings.† (Lynch, 1990 â€Å"Rhizosphere is the zone where root activity significantly influences biological properties.† (Manthey, 1994) There are three main areas of research that are done on the rhizosphere. The first one is the â€Å"influence of roots on microorganisms.† The second is â€Å"influence of microorganisms on plant growth,† and the third is â€Å"rhizosphere influence on soil-borne pathogens and plant disease.† (Curl, 1986) When Hiltner first talked about the rhizosphere in 1904, he stated, â€Å"The nutrition of plant in general certainly depends upon the composition of the soil flora in the rhizosphere†¦If plants have the tendency to attract useful bacteria by their root excretions, it would not be surprising if they would also attract uninvited guests which, like the useful organisms, adapt to specific root excretions.† This speech identified two of the main topics of rhizosphere research: â€Å"(1) the relation of the rhizosphere to plant nutrition, growth, and development, and (2) the influence of rhizosphere phenomena on pathogens and pathogenesis.† (Curl, 1986) It was realized as early as 1904 that rhizosphere microorganisms can cause disease or transmit viruses as well as benefit the plant. There are microorganisms in the bulk soil as well as in the rhizosphere. The microorganisms in the soil include bacteria, fungi, protists, actinomycetes, and nematodes. These microorganisms are not distributed uniformly around the soil; they are congregated around nutrient sources. A nutrient source for these microorganisms is organic matter. (Curl, 1986) In the rhizosphere there are different amounts and types of microorganisms than there are in the bulk soil due to different substrate, or â€Å"the surface on which an organism grows or is attached.† Other factors that vary from rhizosphere to bulk soil are the acidity, moisture, nutrients, electrical conductivity, and redox potential (Lynch, 1990).

Free Catcher in the Rye Essays: Holdens Phony Phobia :: Catcher Rye Essays

Holden's Phony Phobia in The Catcher in the Rye What does phony mean to you? Do you consider it something that is not what it really seems? Or even something or someone that isn't normal in all ways or just in some? Phony is one of the words in the English literature that can have numerous interpretations. Can be being phony possibly hinder an attempt to accomplish a task to fully function mentally? Can phony delay an individuals maturing period? In J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, Holden's "phony phobia" restricts him from becoming a fully matured adult. In Holden's attempted journey in becoming a fully matured adult, he encounters many scenarios involving friendships, personal opinions, and his love of children. His journey is an unpleasant and difficult one with many lessons learned along the way. Holden possesses abnormal relationships with some of the characters in Catcher in the Rye. Many of his friends and those he talks highly about are young children. He does not make any negative comments about these companions, and there is no mention whatsoever of phony. Holden has a strong relationship with Phoebee, his younger sister. Holden vocalizes about the fact Phoebee can visit him anytime in the summer, "What I'd do, I'd let old Phoebee came out and visit me in the summertime and on Christmas vacation and Easter vacation" (205). Holden shows a solid liking to his sister and is always wanting her by his side. He finds a hard time associating with older, mature individuals. Also, a strong relationship with Allie his deceased younger brother, is apparent due to the twenty references in the novel. In fact, most of Holden's fondest memories are of those times with his younger siblings. His comments of innocence help establish this connection. Someone who is trying to learn the sta ges of developing into a mature adult would not develop as soon, or as fully when spending their time solely with those who are five to seven years of age. They would not experience the guidance from older adults to correct wrong behavior. The guidance of an elder isn't present and they need to learn by themselves. Harrison Smith has defined Holden's friendships quite clearly "What was wrong with Holden was his moral revulsion against anything that was ugly, evil, cruel, or what he called 'phony' and his acute responsiveness to beauty and innocence, especially the innocence of the very young.

Why Did Charles I Lose the Civil War

Why did Charles I lose the Civil War? The English Civil War was 1642-1651 and was a series of battles and political conspiracies between Oliver Cromwell, the leader of Parliament and King Charles I the leader of the Royalists. The civil war set the supporters of King Charles I against the followers of Parliament, this resulted in the Parliament's victory and the King's execution. Cromwell's army was lead by Sir Thomas Fairfax who was one of the outstanding military commanders of the English Civil War.Fairfax is best remembered as the man who commanded the New Model Army at the Battle of Naseby in June 1645. Whereas, Charles' army was lead by Prince Rupert who was the foremost Royalist military commander in the English Civil War. Prince Rupert was very much a cavalry soldier and the Royalists may have lost the war a lot sooner had it not been for his military ability. Both Parliament and the Royalists had armies with little or no military experience, although Fairfax and Prince Rupert could be classed as professional soldiers.Until Parliament brought in a new creation called the New Model Army which was a military unit that was used to transform the English Civil War and was based on a person's ability rather than their position within society, It was also better trained and well armed, making them more formidable. The first proper use of this army was at the battle of Naseby. This was Parliaments' turning point and after that King Charles was never able to raise an army strong enough to win.Some historians believe that this was the main reason for Parliament winning the civil war. It could be argued, however that one of the other reasons cited for Charles losing the war was the lack of money. This was because the nobles and landowners who had sided with him didn't have any money to give him. With the support of wealthy merchants and traders, the parliamentarians had steady flow of money.Something Charles lacked and because of the lack of money, the King couldn' t buy new men and supplies for his army; therefore the army was smaller and less equipped. One of the biggest mistakes that Charles made was leaving London at the beginning of the civil war. Consequently, Parliament took control and Charles was not able to gain power again, although he tried. This was a big setback as it is hard to rule the country without controlling its' capital.Ultimately, the Royalist forces were extinguished, they had run out of money, they had lost control of the capital and their barely trained, small army meant that they had lost the upper hand that they were dealt many times. Parliament however, was a stronger force and Parliament’s control of the seas and richer areas of England, as well as their creation of a powerful, trained and disciplined New Model Army, meant that they had more power in the end. By Yasmin Rose 8z

To Kill a Mockingbird – Dill Harris Character Sketch

Charles Baker Harris, who is commonly referred to as Dill, is a little boy in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird and plays the role of a cardboard character. Dill is sincere friends with Scout and Jem and spends his summers with Aunt Rachel. Dill represents the naivety and innocence of childhood and is a very intriguing character. Dill appears to be younger than his actual age. In the beginning of the novel, Dill had a short stature and appeared to be four years of age, when in actuality, wassix years of age. â€Å"How old are you,’ asked Jem, ‘four and a half (Lee, Page 7)? ’† â€Å"‘Goin’ on seven (Lee, Page 7). † â€Å"‘Scout yonder’s been readin’ ever since she was born and she ain’t even started school yet. You look puny for goin’ on seven (Lee, Page 7). ’† The quotes from the novel are from a conversation between Jem and Dill when they met. Jem initially assumes that Dill is four and a half years because of his youthful appearance and petite body. Dill corrects Jem, stating that he is actually six years of age and is turning seven. Dill says in the last quote that he is quite small for his age. The quotes prove that Dill has a youthful appearance, small stature and appears younger than what he actually is. Dill also has white hair and a pair of blue eyes. â€Å"†¦ his hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duckfluff; he was a year my senior but I towered over him. As he told us the old take his blue eyes would lighten and darken†¦ (Lee, Page 8). † The quote from the novel is from the time when Scout is describing Dill’s hair and eyes. The quote is proof that Dill has white hair and blues eyes because this quote states that Dill’s hair was white with a duckfluff texture. The quote is also proof that Dill has blue eyes because the quote mentioned that Dill has a pair of blue eyes. Dill is of Caucasian race, given the fact that Dill has blue eyes. People of the Caucasian race are the only ones who can possess blue eyes. A positive trait that Dill possesses is his gift for storytelling and whimsical imagination. Dill would always make up peculiar stories about his life and share them with Scout and Jem. â€Å"Refreshed by food, Dill recited this narrative: having been bound in chains and left to die in the basement (there were basements in Meridian) by his new father, who disliked him, and secretly kept alive on a raw field peas by a passing farmer who heard his ries for help, Dill worked himself free by pulling the chains from the wall. Still in wrist monocles, he wandered two miles out of the Meridian where he discovered a small animal show and was immediately engaged to wash the camel. He traveled with the show all over Mississippi until his infallible sense of direction told him he was in Abbot Country, Alabama, just across the river from Maycomb. He walked the rest of the way (Lee, Page 140). † Another positive character trait that Dill possesses is his developed empathy for people. Dill desires fair treatment of every human being, regardless of race. â€Å"‘It was just something I couldn’t stand. ’ Dill said (Lee, Page 198). † â€Å"‘Dill, that’s his job. Why, if we didn’t have prosecutors—well we couldn’t have defense attorneys, I reckon (Lee, Page 199). ’† â€Å"Dill exhaled patiently. ‘I know all that, Scout. It was the way he said it made me sick, plain sick (Lee, Page 199). ’† â€Å"‘He’s supposed to act that way, Dill, he was cross—(Lee, Page 199)’. † â€Å"‘He didn’t act that way when—‘(Lee, Page 199). â€Å"‘Dill, those were his own witnesses (Lee, Page 199). ’† â€Å"‘Well, Mr. Finch didn’t act that way to Mayella and old man Ewell when he cross-examined them. The way that man called him ‘boy’ all the time an’ sneered at him, an’ looked ar ound at the jury every time he answered—(Lee, Page 199)’. † â€Å"‘Well, Dill, after all he’s just a Negro (Lee, Page 199)’. † â€Å"‘I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right, somehow it aint right to do ‘em that way. Hasn’t anybody got any business talkin’ like that—it just makes me sick (Lee, Page 199)’. The quotes from the novel are from a conversation between Dill and Scout after watching the trial of Tom Robinson for a while (Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of sexually assaulting a white woman and was put on trial, despite the lack of evidence of the rape. The trial is unfair to Tom because the trial took place during the time when racism was prominent in the southern United States. The prosecutors and judges treated Tom disrespectfully and unfairly in the trial because he was black). In the conversation, it was shown that Dill was upset by the unfairness of the trial and the cruelty of the people towards Tom Robinson because he was black. Scout tries to comfort Dill, but Dill was far too upset by the injustice. In the last quote, Dill says to Scout that Tom shouldn’t be treated with disrespect because he was a Negro. The prejudice and unfairness of the trial reveals Dill’s empathy and desire for equal and respectful treatment of everyone, regardless if they’re black or white. This scenario in the novel causes Dill’s character to mature, such that he gains strong moral values like Atticus (Atticus is Scout’s father who is defending Tom Robinson and believes that black people should be treated equally and with respect, despite the fact that most of Maycomb’s citizens were racist). A trait of Dill’s that needs improvement is his naivety and his tendency to jump to conclusions without discussing his problems to anyone. Dill shows his naivety in the novel by running away from his parents because he believed that his parents didn’t love or care about him. Dill’s voice went on steadily in the darkness: ‘the thing is, what I’m trying to say is—they do get on a lot bettwe without me, I can’t help them any. They ain’t mean. They buy me everything I want, but it’s now-you’ve-got-it-go-play-with-it (Lee, Page 143)’. † The quote from the novel is from when Dill was e xplaining to Scout about why he ran away from his parents. Dill explains that he doesn’t feel loved by his parents because all his parents just do is give Dill material possessions to keep him occupied, instead spending time with him. What Dill really desires is not toys, but his parent’s time. Dill’s parents obviously love and care for Dill, but Dill is naive as to assume that his parents don’t. Instead of Dill discussing his situation with his parents or asking to spend time with him, Dill, with his naive mind, runs away from his parents. The fact that Dill ran away from his parents is proof that he is naive. â€Å"Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was about sex-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time (Lee, Page 13). † â€Å"‘Let’s try to make him come out,’ said Dill. ‘I’d like to see what he looks like (Lee, Page 13). ’† â€Å"Our first raid came to pass only because Dill bet Jem The Gray Ghost against two Tom Swifts that Jem wouldn’t get any farther than the Radley gate. In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare. Jem thought about it for three days. I suppose he loved honor more than hid head for Dill wore him down easily (Lee, Page 13). † â€Å"‘You’re scared,’ Dill said, the first day (Lee, Page 13). † â€Å"‘Ain’t scared, just respectful,’ said Jem (Lee, Page 13). † â€Å"But Dill got him the third day, when he told Jem that folks in Meridian certainly weren’t as afraid as the folks in Maycomb, that he’d never seen such scary folks as the ones in Maycomb. That was enough to make Jem march to the corner, where he stopped and leaned against the light-pole, watching the gate hanging crazily on its homemade hinge (Lee, Page 13). †

Honor in Othello and Hamlet Essay

Being one of the central themes in Othello and Hamlet, honor is used in very strange ways by Shakespeare. He has a way of showing how his characters can be very honorable or have a lack there of. He displays how honor is interwoven with personal integrity and how acts of attempting to keep a reputation can be confused with the acts of personal integrity. Lastly, he also displays how honor relates to the foresight seen by his characters. Honor can be connected to almost any actions made by any of the characters in these plays. He really keeps the readers/viewers guessing at what the motivations are for all of his characters. I will take a look into these motivations and explain my thoughts on such things. In these plays, honor is very important to the characters. It is a driving force, of sorts, for much of what the characters do. Along with that, judgments made about certain characters, by other characters, are almost always based on honor. In Othello specifically, honor connects almost all of the actions and judgments throughout the play. Honor seems to be one of the main reasons Desdemona fell in love with Othello. Being much older and having so many military accomplishments sent Othello into an honorable light in Desdemona’s eyes. To me, that seems to be the sole reason she fell in love with him, in the first place. His own character influenced her love thereafter, but initially, I believe it was solely his honor. Cassio is also attracted to this quality in Othello. His platonic love for Othello is based around how honorable Othello has been in his life, prior to the end of the play. In Iago’s eyes, however, Othello’s honor means nothing. He cannot comprehend why Othello got the job he has, while he is stuck in the same position. Iago gives the impression that Othello’s honor is almost a negative thing in his eyes. Despite Iago’s negative views, every judgment about Othello is based on how honorable he is. His behavior prior to the end of the play shows this honor as well. In opposition to the honorable basis of thoughts about Othello, many characters choose less honorary behavior and are viewed dishonorably by other characters. Iago is a prime example of this. Not only do you see the lack of honor in quite literally everything Iago does, but you witness these negative thoughts about him as well. From Othello, you hear the sarcastically said â€Å"honest Iago†, and from Emilia, you hear many a complaint. Iago’s dishonorable behavior even produces dishonorable behavior from Emilia. She makes it seem like she constantly cheats on Iago, because of his neglectfulness. Dishonorable behavior is just followed by more dishonorable behavior, in Shakespeare. This could not be more true when it comes to Hamlet. The entire play is based around the central occupation of greediness and revenge. The play starts off with the fact that King Hamlet has died. Right away, when Hamlet talks to the ghost of his deceased father, we find out that he was killed by his brother Claudius. This one event (not to belittle it) sparks a string of dishonorable behavior from Hamlet, who was once considered to be a very honorable intelligent young prince. Hamlet’s cunning, yet destructive, behavior however, could be argued as honorable, to a point, by some. His actions are based on the need for justice, which most people have within themselves. They are done in order to avenge his father’s death and make right in the world. This could be argued to be a noble and honorable cause. It could be, but I don’t think it would necessarily carry much weight. Sure, the cause behind his actions are great, but the way he goes about achieving that cause loses much, if not all, validity. He tries to make right, but in the process of it all, he hurts Ophelia, which causes her to commit suicide, he mistakenly kills Polonius (with little or no remorse), and his actions lead to the death of almost all other characters. Hamlet should, of course, not be blamed entirely for these incidences. Obviously Claudius should bare more burden when it comes to all of these deaths. In means of applying this theme of dishonorable behavior being followed by more of the same: you could also argue that if Claudius had not killed his brother, than Hamlet may have never become as dishonorable as he became. He was, after all, in school, away from the kingdom. Presumably, Hamlet could have married Ophelia and led an honorable life as king after the natural death of his parents. ————- When it comes to Shakespeare’s characters, there seems to be something missing: Integrity. While characters may have some personal integrity within themselves, there doesn’t seem to be many that are driven by what is right, rather than driven for their own gains. Want of personal integrity lags far behind the want of reputation in these plays. There’s an abundance of instances where characters act with integrity, but few show this integrity throughout an entire play. A good example is Michael Cassio. For the first part of the play, to me, he seemed to have a lot of integrity. Despite his dispute after drinking, he felt terrible about it, and he wanted to make it up to Othello. It sounded like all he wanted was forgiveness from his good friend. That made him have a lot of integrity in my eyes. But in the end, he’s seen visiting the prostitute and leading her along, for the fun of it. Last of all, foresight in Shakespeare appears to be a quality with positives and negatives. The two largest forms of foresight in these two plays would have to be that of Hamlet and that of Iago. In terms of Hamlet: forgetting the terrible acts of violence and vulgarity that he committed in the spur of the moment, Hamlet’s foresight, when it came to Claudius, was very honorable. His use of foresight was to avenge his father’s death and to find justice in the world. Anything Hamlet did that was dishonorable had nothing to do with foresight; it had to do with his impulsiveness. In the other spectrum of things, Iago’s foresight is unquestionably dishonorable. His ability to perceive how people will react and what they will do in the future, while revered by Shakespeare the world over, is one of the most dishonorable instances in Shakespeare. His manipulation of people is only means of pitting them against each other in order to help himself in the future. After reading these plays, it is hard to decide whether or not honor can still be legitimately given to any character. In my eyes, Hamlet, Cassio, Iago, and Othello have all lost real honor. Sure, aside from Iago, the others have done honorable things, but I don’t think I could attribute any of them honor fully. The only characters I would consider giving that to would be Desdemona (for trying to save Othello at the end of the play) and possibly Horatio (for helping Hamlet discover find out about Claudius and choosing to not die in order to tell his friends story). I don’t think I could do that however, because these acts of honor do not serve entirely large parts of the plays. Honor is apparently a fickle thing. It will come and go in Shakespeare’s world. His plays make it very clear that he doesn’t believe many people can be truly honorable. Every once in a while he will convince us that one of his characters has this quality through and through, but he then snags that away from us. I’m convinced that, in these two plays, there is no truly honorable character. Some come close at moments, but spoils are constantly brought.

Feste Analysis in the First and Second Act of Twealth Night

Fools in Shakespeare’s plays appear often. In Othello, the Tempest, Macbeth and many others, the buffoon is represented as an eclectic person paid to say the truth in a comic manner through songs and jokes. Even though Feste in Twelth Night does not speak frequently in the first and second acts, he says enough for us to see that he is an observant and clever man. Firstly, well associated with the spirit of the twelfth night, the night where society reverses roles, Feste reflects joy. His name is a great example of the happiness he expresses. Feste sounds a lot like the French word  «fete », which means party.In every scene he plays in the second act, he starts to sing. He says to Orsino that he takes  «pleasure in singing » which truly proves his delight in what he does. In other words, he is a man that likes his job. But the name Feste associates with the twelfth night in a traditional way too. He is allowed to say whatever he wishes because he is a licensed fool, as we found out when Olivia referred to him as  «an allowed fool ». This freedom of speech fits in well with the reversal of roles involved in the 12th night ritual. When Olivia orders  «take away the fool », he answers  «take away the lady ».This disrespectful answer would have ended the employment of any of the other servants of the lady. But, even considering the fixed hierarchical structure of society at the time, Feste can say whatever he thinks as long as he says it in song or in a comic manner. Moreover, Feste’s job contrasts with his abilities. Since he is a fool, we expect him to be illiterate, certainly not very perspicacious, but on the contrary, he turns out to be the most intelligent character of the play. This is shown by his developed sense of repartee hidden through his role of jester.For example, in the last scene of the first Act, Maria criticizes Feste of having no real bravery, as he pretends to have, compared with soldiers. He answers that everyo ne should do what he is good at ( «And those that are fools, let them use their talent.  »). This response seems wise and philosophical. But Feste as a fool is obviously someone with a great sense of humor. Over five hundred years, many ideas about life and society have changed and evolved, but humor has remained universal. Feste’s talent and ability is to shield himself with his persona as a fool, but to offer insights and insults of a very wise man.He never behaves badly or in a juvenile way: playing around with food, drinks or other accessories. His only accessory is language. Scene 3 of Act 2, Sir Andrew jokes about Feste because of his status but Feste replies:  «How now, my hearts! Did you never see the picture of â€Å"We Three†?  » implying that Sir Andrew, Sir Toby and himself are fools. This short answer is hilarious because Sir Andrew is wordless but the silky tone emphasize the comic feature of the quote. It seems to me that fools like Feste have tw o roles in Shakespeare’s plays.First, they provide comic relief to what might otherwise be a heavy, if not depressing story. We look forward to their appearance to give us an uplift from the more serious developments in the plot. Without the fool this story would have had a totally different tone, simply a depressing tragedy. Second, they are the characters with which we, the audience, identify. Yes, we too are really insightful and we too see all the foibles and vices of the characters and we too would express our thoughts and observations through witty banter if we lived in these social circles in these times, or so we like to think.