Ed Boehm Essay

Edward Marshall Boehm Inc. Case Study The Edward Marshall Boehm case talks about a company whose main objective is to produce the highest possible quality porcelain products while keeping a focus to nature. The following report will include the company’s vision and mission statement, their main objectives, a SWOT analysis and their specific plans in great detail. Edward Marshall Boehm’s vision for the company is â€Å"to capture that special moment and setting which conveys the character, charm and loveliness of a bird or animal in its natural habitat† with his highest possible quality porcelain products. His mission is similar to his vision statement in that he wants to make the world aware and protective of endangered wildlife by making them aware of nature’s charm. As stated in the introduction, the main objective is to make the highest objective porcelain products focused on nature. Other main objectives include trying to establish the company to stay profitable for the long run. The company is particularly focused on making their quality products with the purpose of raising awareness and raising a profit, rather than mass producing for quantity. With these objectives, they believe it will put them where they want to be in the long run. After reviewing the case we have completed a SWOT analysis to get a better idea of where they are headed. The company’s strengths are numerous and promise success. They use a very high quality porcelain clay equal to the finest in the world and have the skill to make many different beautiful figurines. Mr. Boehm is not only extremely artistically talented but also has unlimited knowledge about the art market. He also leads promotion for the company and possesses great merchandising skills. Mr. Boehm could be named as a strength himself. The porcelain figures are becoming increasingly recognized as unique, and irreplaceable as well as many becoming collector’s items; the most intricate have been priced at over $20,000. The weaknesses are less numerous than the strengths but are still existent. First, the figure making process is complex, including 52 steps. This makes it extremely hard when orders become numerous and they start to get backordered, it is hard to catch up because Mr. Boehm is the only artist. Considering at the time this case was written Boehm was 55 years old, it may be hard to view the long-term vision for the company because he may not be around to always be able to create the same quality products he once was able to produce. There is also the expense of creating the products, and the travels Mr. Boehm makes in order to bring back live models of his birds. The company may look at several opportunities in order to improve their company. First, they should consider expanding into international markets; doing this could get their name out there and attract more customers. Mr. Boehm should look into teaching other people how to make the same high quality figures so they are able to create more products efficiently and have less backorders. Finally they should look into selling their porcelain clay to other businesses in order to make more money. We feel that this company faces many threats. As mentioned before Mr. Boehm’s age could potentially be a threat for the businesses. The fact that they have backorders may start to frustrate the customers and cause them to stop ordering from the company because the wait isn’t worth it. A rise in the cost of materials to make the figures may cause him to raise the cost of selling them which will in turn cause the loss of customers. New competitors could always be a threat and they may find a more efficient way to get the figures to customers quickly without backorders. We have a few specific plans that will help this company continue to thrive in the future. The most important thing to do is for Mr. Boehm to train other people in his craft. This is crucial if the company is to plan for long term. Another plan is to hire more than one company to distribute the product. Right now they only have one distributor, Milton China. With more distributors he could reach a larger market. The final plan we came up with is to work on technological advancements to make the long tedious process of making the figures quicker. The largest problem of the company is that it has so many backorders, with technology they could possibly speed up the process and narrow down the amount of backorders. We feel with our analysis that Edward Marshall Boehm Inc. is in good position for the future but they could make vast improvements if they capitalize on their opportunities and focus on the specific plans we provided.

Adderall – Essay

Police use Taser on 10-year-old at school career day, lawsuit alleges By  Ron Recinto  |  The Lookout  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  11 hrs ago An Albuquerque, N. M. , police officer stunned a 10-year-old boy with a Taser after he refused to wash the officer's car. Officer Christopher Webb was visiting the boy's elementary school for a career day on May 4 when the incident occurred. During the presentation, Webb asked a group of students if they wanted to wash his patrol car. When the boy, identified as R. D. jokingly refused, Webb pointed the stun gun at him and said, â€Å"Let me show you what happens to people who do not listen to the police. † Then R.D. , who weighs about 100 pounds, was hit in the chest with two barbs and 50,000 volts of electricity. Webb  told the Albuquerque Journal  the Taser was accidentally discharged. The boy blacked out. The officer removed the barbs, which left marks that â€Å"looked like cigarette burns† on R. D. ‘s chest, the lawsuit all eges. The lawsuit claims Webb acted in a â€Å"reckless manner. † R. D. , who now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, has â€Å"woken up in the middle of the night holding his chest, afraid he is never going to wake up again. Webb was suspended for three days without pay, the Albuquerque Journal reports.He did not return calls from the newspaper seeking a comment. * My personal opinion on this is that this cop, however the situation he might have found himself, had no right to tell that little boy that. He might have been just joking but after that little incident kids are going to be afraid of cops. Which is a growing issue since everyone puts a bad image on cops. For example a little kid does something wrong and his mother tells him I’m going to tell the cops to come and get you. They grow up thinking cops are bad when in reality they’re there to help us. How are those kids going to feel about cops now?These types of reckless people are the ones who affect the image of a good organization. * This is world related in that these types of incidents†¦well I suppose I already answered that in my first answer and this has really been all over the world people are scared of the police when they shouldn’t be. * This relates to me because I remember how my parents would tell me things that if I was bad the police would take me to jail. Obviously this was never true but I thought for the longest time that cops were bad but I grew out of it. The man who sued his wife for birthing an ugly baby By  The Week's Editorial Staff  |  The Week  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  16 hrs agoApparently in  China, bad genes are grounds for divorce — and six-figure fines The story starts out conventionally enough:  Feng, a resident of  northern China, met and married a beautiful woman, and they had a baby girl. Feng was â€Å"so sure of his own good looks, so crushed by the wrinkly ugly mess that was handed to him in a swaddle, that he deci ded to sue his wife because the awful looking baby was totally her fault, He won. the wife came clean on her little secret: Before they had met, she had undergone about $100,000 worth of cosmetic surgery in South Korea. â€Å"Our daughter was incredibly ugly, to the point where it horrified me. A judge agreed, and ordered the wife to fork over $120,000. The wife obviously has to pay a huge amount of money, and got publicly humiliated in the process, but at least she's free of an obviously odious husband. * My personal opinion about this article is that if looks is all he cared about then be glad that you are getting a divorce. But it’s too bad that she had to go through all of this to find out what a total self-absorbed jerk her husband is. * This relates to the world in the sense that it’s been proved that beauty all over the world has been taken a bit too far.People go to extremes to look beautiful or what is now a day’s considered beautiful. They put high st andards and expectations on beauty and end up disappointed on the reality. All the magazines and posters and any propaganda shows a fake image of what the people look like. * This relates to me because well not to me but I knew a couple who broke up because the girl really let go of herself and the guy broke up with her. Sad but true, if someone likes you they’re going to like you the way you are. http://news. yahoo. com/man-sued-wife-birthing-ugly-baby-110500995. htmlSCIENTISTS IN WALES HAVE BEEN SEWING KITTENS' EYES SHUT By  Matt Shea It seems that Cardiff University have been going to extreme lengths to rebuff the old stereotype that the Welsh love  animals more than the Scottish love violence. Their tactic? Conducting a series of experiments in which they sew kitten's eyes shut from birth. It turns out that they weren't just doing it for a bit of horribly sadistic fun (who knew? ). Instead,  the research is being used to develop a cure for amblyopic—or lazy e ye—which impairs the vision of the world’s population and is really distracting when you're trying to have a conversation with someone who has it. Hello, you monster. What exactly is the goal of this gruesome experiment? Lazy eye affects two to four percent of all children and leads to extremely poor vision, or even clinical blindness in one eye. To date, no treatment is available to restore normal vision in an amblyopic eye after the age of around eight years old, which is the end of the critical period of visual brain development. * Is there not a way to deprive their sight without sewing their eyes shut? No.The research was done under anesthetic without causing undue distress or discomfort, to the same standard as it would be done by vets, who frequently carry out the same procedure as therapy for eye conditions in cats and dogs. * What happens to the kittens afterwards? As required by the terms of the Home Office license, the cats were humanely killed at the end of the experiment. By  Matt Shea 15 hours agoTags:  Kittens,  cats,  Cardiff University,  eyes,  eyes sewn shut,  Amblyopia http://www. vice. com/read/scientists-at-cardiff-university-have-been-sewing-kittens-eyes-shut? utm_source=vicefbus

Hazardous waste management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hazardous waste management - Essay Example In 2002 a site in Yucca monutain range in the state of Nevada wasproposed as the central repository site for the disposal/burial of the nuclear waste produced throughout the country. This site was proposed as the best site for the purpose due to its geographical location as this muntain range is located far away from the cities. However some environmentalists still raised issues against the depositing of nuclear waste in this area and then in the year 2010 this bill was terminated by the Obama administration. The reasons proposed by the administration were that of environmental issues but they are considered to be more of beurocratic reasons as the proposal was highly rejected by the Nevada state and the senator from nevada. The termination of this site as a repository left the state with no other options for the disposal of nuclear waste and the government was forced to dispose off the nuclear waste on or near the site of nuclear plants, some of which are located close to cities and propose a high risk of radioactivity as well as any accident in those plants could cause heavy damage to the people living near those areas. Brumfiel, G. (n.d.). Nuclear waste storage: Why did Yucca Mountain fail, and what next? - Slate Magazine.  Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts - Slate Magazine. Retrieved March 5, 2013, from

CAUSES OF RACE RIOTS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CAUSES OF RACE RIOTS - Essay Example The outbreaks of civil unrest signified a progressive movement in which the subjects were empowered and ready to question the supremacy of any race. The outbreaks of civil unrest tore down the edifice of segregation and discrimination between the races2. The African American migration, which took place between 1910 and 1970, entails African Americans movement from the rural South to the industrial North and West3. The Black migration was critical as it led to demographic changes and transformed the face of race relations in the region as African Americans became integrated into the society. The migration was also significant as it led to integration and segregation whereby it perpetuated racial divide as discrimination became rife, besides orchestrating a demographic revolution. The migration also had significant economic outcomes among the African Americans. In conclusion, the events of the 20th century unsettled and provided the impetus in transforming the political, demographic, and cultural distinctiveness of the American society as a whole. The events radically altered most of the institutions (legal, political and social), which affected race

Rape in War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rape in War - Essay Example The major victims of rape during wars are females of all ages, including young girls and adult women. However, it should be understood that males can also be victims of rape during war. Regardless of the nature of the rape incident, it has long been established that the effects of rape on an individual is of a wide spectrum. Rape general physical harm to an individual, as this action is an intentional violation of the body of the victim. In addition, rape also generates a sense of severe devastation in the victim, resulting in the deterioration of their mental health and their quality of life (Lonar et al., 2006). The damage associated with rape not only affects the victim, but also his or her family. The relatives of the victim often feel bitterness, anger and fear towards to the incident and the perpetrators of the crime, while they feel pity and sadness for their victim. Rape also affects the rest of the social environment of the victim, as they would be fearful of having to exper ience the same violation at any given moment. Rape during wars has recently been considered as a feature of recent clashes between groups and it has been observed that this action can be further classified as either isolated or systematic. In the case of isolated rape cases, its incidence is often equated as to be a less planned incident that could have been performed by a few members of a group that is engaged in a war. The more complex rape cases are considered to be systematic in implementation, as this often involves the intrusion of a group of fighters into a community and preventing any members from escaping the area. Systematic rape during war thus includes the separation of the males from the females and subsequently performing the heinous crime. There are several reasons why rape is now being considered as a weapon of war. Firstly, it should be understood that women are considered as an essential component of every group of individuals. Women are considered as the caretakers of both the homes and the family, thus this gender plays an important role in the upkeep of society. In most cultures, every woman is considered as a partner of a man and thus this individual represents the private life of every man. Performing rape during a war would thus instill a sense of helplessness and failure in the part of the men of opposing group. One of the more serious actions of rape during war is involving performing the action in the sight of captive men. The knowledge of having women and young girls raped is generally hurtful to the men of the community, yet watching this act being performed is even more painful. In some barbaric war incidents, the captive men are usually tied up to render them incapable of moving and the women and girls are raped right in front of these people. Rape is thus used as a weapon of war because this heinous action can inflict pain on individuals, probably equal or even worse than the impact of physical harm. Another possible reason of using rape as a weapon of war is that this action can serve as an instrument in prolonging the suffering of the victims. Wars are often associated with anger of one group against the other. The basis of this disagreement is commonly based on principles of culture, politics or religion. When two groups are at war, the main aim of each party is to inflict harm and pain on

Accounting Ethics Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting Ethics Case - Essay Example In this case, the company’s expenses had been reported in the balance sheet as an asset. The error in turn made the company look more profitable by reducing the expenses in the income statement and increasing the assets in the balance sheets. As a result, they approached the former CFO of the company, Scott D. Sullivan, who instructed them to cover up the mistake. Fearful of losing their jobs, the two followed the instructions. The issue presented in the case of Troy Normand is one of the many ethical issues affecting employees and companies today. Other includes Ethical decision-making, governance, corporate culture, and corporate social responsibility. Employees acting on behalf of the company have an ethical duty to act in the best interest of stakeholders including being transparent. Employees finding themselves in Normand’s situation can take a number of alternative courses of actions and trade-offs. The best course of action is to act in the best interest of stakeholders by refusing to cover up the mistake and instead insist on making corrections. Increase pressure from top management is usually an indication of fraud in the company. If this does not work, an employee can resolve to whistleblowing at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), whose official name was the â€Å"Public Company Accounting Reform and Investment Protection Act of 2002†. It provides protection for whistleblowers (Spedding, pp. 289). It also imposes criminal penalties for actions taken against whistleblowers. This act recognizes that these people require protection as their careers when reporting suspected illegal activities in a company (Brenkert, pp. 600). Ethical issues are crucial to the success of any company also affects stakeholders. Major stakeholders who can be negatively affected by actions taken by employees as seen in the case of WorldCom include investors and

Identify a corporate situation that could disturb you as a manager Essay - 1

Identify a corporate situation that could disturb you as a manager. Evaluate the situation and use marketing research methodolo - Essay Example , What attitudes do these buyers hold towards MAC products?, How does in-store experience affect these women’s experiences of the make-up purchase process at MAC stores?, What strategies do these women use to cope with a gap in the cosmetics markets, if any?. The paper involved 105 participants from 15 different MAC stores who were all black and representative of different complexions. They responded to structured questionnaires containing 15 questions, which were documented by the investigator. The research hypothesis was proved. MAC does not cater to black women’s divergent needs. Key recommendations include expanding the product range to meet their needs, training in-store makeup artists and assistants as well as creating marketing plans that target this demographic group. Outline Executive summary 2 Outline 2 Introduction and problem definition 4 Research methods and limitations 7 Conclusion and Recommendations 13 References 15 MAC Cosmetics and Black Female Consume rs Introduction and problem definition The company under consideration is MAC cosmetics; it is an offshoot of Estee Lauder (EL), which is a conglomerate of over 23 brands. MAC has about 1,000 stores worldwide and dozens in the UK. The brand contributed to a 13% profit margin at EL in 2012. MAC’s input was equivalent to $274.8 million worth of profit (Castleberry, 2001). It has marketed its products as high-profile, through the use of celebrity endorsements and artists. Most times, the company gets makeup artists to work with famous actors or singers, and thus uses this platform to market their products. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for the personalised service offered by makeup artists in their stores. Regardless of these successes, the company is need of new marketing strategies. It needs to expand its customer base so as to avoid slow growth (Wilson, 2011). The corporation may be making money but its profitability has not been increasing significantly over the pas t few years. It needs to redefine the way it sells its products. Any marketing process often starts with identification of the target group. Here is where the problem lies for MAC cosmetics. The organisation has relied on the same set of consumers for as long as it was established. Most of them are young and Caucasian. There may be a need to redefine their demographic groups in order to expand their market base. The group that needs to be embraced is black women. In the United Kingdom’s metropolitan areas, black women account for slightly more than 15% of the population, and represent 7% of the entire UK population (Isokariari, 2013). They are quite enthusiastic about beauty products as seen through their purchase of hair extensions, weaves and other hair products. However, a problem exists in the cosmetics industry because regardless of these women’s enthusiasm for beauty products, makeup companies do not respond in kind. MAC Cosmetics may pride itself in the diverse range of its products. Its eye shadows come in a variety of colour pallets. Additionally, it has been marketed as a product for women of colour owing to its wide range of colour selections. However, these options are still not adequate enough to cater to black women’s makeup needs. Black women have some of the most divergent skin tones in the world, yet the colour choices that dark concealers and foundations have are quite limiting

Human resource-Manage industrial relations-report Essay

Human resource-Manage industrial relations-report - Essay Example Human resource management seems to complement industrial relations as it focuses on employers policies in order to manage the employment relation (Gardner & Palmer, 1997, p. 591). In addition to the above strategy the organization will incorporate strong corporate culture along with better management support as it is an ideal industrial relation situation and vital as the management recognizes the value and importance of the workplace. Thus adopting to the above mentioned strategy will lead the organization to have an effective industrial relation policy for its employees and employers in together. Effectiveness of the Policy Adopting the complementary approach organization will be able to emerge in the field of industrial relation. It focuses mainly on the productivity of the industry and will help the organization to achieve competitive advantage. The policy will take care of the employment system in the workplace and includes human resource as well as labor relation practices. The refore the policy will help the organization in both strategic manner and to meet the operational needs. The complementary approach will provide the organization with competitive advantage and the culture of the organization will provide the organization with a well defined policies and industrial relation strategies. Procedures Related To the Policy The policy of the organization is to operate business in a way that will provide as well as preserve harmonious place to work for all its workers within the instrument of industrial relation like agreements and rewards and the management are focused to ensure that the work is carried with minimum disruption and with industrial harmony (Acubis, n.d). When policies are made it is necessary to communicate about the new or revised policy to all the members of the organization and it can be said that communication plays a very important role on the success of the policies in organization. The employees need to know about the benefits of impl ementing the policy such as flexibility of working hours, incentives, training and development. The CEO should be the person to communicate the new industrial policy of the organization to all the employees. In addition to effective communication all industrial relation plans should also include contingency plans. Organization should assess all the potential risk as well as benefits which are associated with negotiation. Risk in relation to the implementation of new policy should be analyzed. Contemporary Industrial Issues Some of the contemporary industrial issue which Australia has been facing and it is assumed that the organization will also face similar kind of contemporary industrial issues. The following is the list of contemporary issues faced by the organization and Australia Globalization Technological changes Casual workplace and part time work place Work place flexibility Collective bargaining Reduction in job security Enterprise bargain in order to gain conditions more t han awards Family friendly working patterns Australia workplace agreement Changing industrial and political landscape (UnionTeach, 2003). Globalization is one of the major issues concerning organization as more and more number of organization have been affected because of

International Market Expansion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Market Expansion - Essay Example Consider if the return in Vietnam pillories is 10% of the total investment but on the other hand if currency that is Vietnam’s dong depreciates also by 10% then the gain to corporation will be nothing, with the same token if currency depreciates by more than 10% the Pfizer pharmaceutical will face loss and if their currency appreciates by 10% or more the Pfizer pharmaceutical can also yield abnormal profit. So, there exists a risk of foreign currency in case of business exposure to Vietnam. Though currency risk prevails in business exposure but companies can overcome this currency risk and can protect their profit even in crisis too. Following are some of the possible risk aversion strategies for business expansion. The first and foremost solution is to actually measure the volume of risk through analysing the company’s exchange flows. In the exchange process when currency transaction takes place it is advised to negotiate payment of currency in your own local currency in this case that is US dollar. Trading in your local currency will reduce the risk of conversion rates in the form of exchange rate shocks besides the expected fluctuations will be bore by the other party while your returns will not be affected by this risk. When companies are experiencing foreign exposure they should keep an eye on the changing currency rates and whenever possible they should take optimum advantage of the current rate. In reducing currency exchange rates, companies should keep dates for payments close to the signing of the contract date, this will reduce risk of fluctuations. Keeping certain amount of deposits as security with a defined ratio of contract size can also help minimizing risks. With the help of brokers and foreign exchange solutions companies can lock in future exchange rates and buy contracts with future perceptions but there is no exact solution to the failure of this future exchange rate so, instead of open period, short period for bid and contract s will limit the risk of currency exposure. Companies should double check foreign exchange rates when they are setting up prices because selling product in a foreign country mean payments will be collected in foreign currency, but if the exchange rate is low with lower prices the company will end up in loss. So, setting up prices is also a key factor in reducing loss.(Prinzel, 2012) The solution can also be to diversify the exchange rate which will also reduce risks. Since Pfizer pharmaceuticals has its business exposures in almost 42 countries, this diversification can help reducing currency exchange risks as if Vietnami dong depreciates, exchange rate in other country may appreciate so, Pfizer pharmaceutical already entails this solution which will further help reducing risks. Pfizer can also neutralize its risks through managing its dealings as currency in Vietnam depreciates, it will help if Pfizer purchase its raw material from foreign supplier who are dealing in Vietnami dong that will make product cheaper as payment is made in dollars. On the other hand it will neutralize the risk of foreign currency exposure too.(Alan C. Shapiro, 1982) 2. Evaluate the basic functions of the international banking system and

An Analysis of Psychology in Art Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of Psychology in Art Essay Kahlo’s painting Self Portrait with Cropped Hair (1940) and Lichtenstein’s Drowning Girl (1963) both use emotive techniques in order to convey more subtle feelings. While Lichtenstein employed a more bold look to his female subject, Kahlo uses a formal stance in her self-portrait, but both give the viewer the idea of sorrow being the center subject behind these female figures. Kahlo’s self portrait shows a woman on a chair (presumably Kahlo) with the cut pieces of her hair scattered all about her. This use of the hair being all around the main figure gives the viewer the impression of a battle – that Kahlo lost. Hair is a metaphor in the painting – a metaphor of peace or strength. In the bible the symbol of hair can be found in the story of Samson and Delilah in which Samson got his strength from his hair, and the prostitute Delilah cut it all off thereby rendering the hero useless. If then, Kahlo’s hair is her strength it is almost as though the viewer is peering on to a death sentence of the woman. The death sentence in Lichtenstein’s work is much more blatant as the drowning girl states in her bubble â€Å"I’d rather sink than call Brad for help† which coordinates this theme of desperation and sorrow. The stance of either female in their respected representations are opposite: Lichtenstein gives his subject a subdued and hopeless stance being already almost entirely submerged in the water and thereby closer to death while in Kahlo’s painting, although nearly all of her hair is spread about her in a form of defeat, the figure stands in erect position rather in a stance of having lost the battle. There is distinctly more depth present in Kahlo’s painting, with the cut hair scattered on the ground and the angles of the chair making the viewer fell as though they are peering into this event. In Lichtenstein’s work the viewer is given a close up of the woman who doesn’t allow for much depth to be viewed – but in classic Lichtenstein technique, his use of flat planes further develop this loss of field of depth. This is perhaps a metaphoric sense of depth since Kahlo’s portrait is subtle and the viewer has to read into the subject and the subtler emotions involved in the work while in Lichtenstein’s work the viewer merely has to read what the girl says in order to understand everything about the painting in one glance. With a second glance at the figure in Kahlo’s work (and with the history of her recent divorce from her unfaithful husband Diego Rivera) the viewer may guess that this cutting of the hair is symbolic of Kahlo’s state of emotions. Perhaps she is shedding the part of herself that Diego had claimed as Kahlo has said of her art, I do not know if my paintings are Surrealist or not, but I do know that they are the most frank expression of myself. (Kahlo). Thus, in cutting of her hair (presumably he loved long haired women) she is making a claim of self identity away from her cheating husband and thereby the painting becomes transformed into a woman losing hair, into a woman gaining her identity. The top of Kahlo’s painting even states as much in saying, â€Å"Look, if I loved you it was because of your hair. Now that you are without hair, I dont love you anymore. † Lichtenstein’s portrait of a woman who is also in the bad end of love also has a small bit of this identity. She states that she would rather die than have Brad come and help her, but the viewer wonders, why doesn’t the woman try and save herself? The depth that is lacking in the field of vision with Lichtenstein’s work is replaced by a depth into personality of the woman. A psychologist might argue that the woman has an Ophelia complex (from Hamlet) in which she would rather die than live without her lover. In either instance, it is clear that both artists are trying to depict an emotional state in which love is the cause of the effects. Lichtenstein’s work is predominately innovated through DC comics (a panel of which inspired The Drowning Girl). His use of Benday dots emphasize a stylistic approach. Kahlo’s art is more surreal in nature and symbolic in style as is evident in Self Portrait with Cropped Hair. In surrealistic style, Kahlo allows the interchange of gender to play a dominate role in the painting. The figure, Kahlo herself, is dressed in men’s slacks and a shirt, thus allowing the short hair to almost define her in a masculine capacity. In Lichtenstein’s work the gender of the painting is quite clear with the woman showing attributes a helpless woman drowning in the water as well as in love. This woman relinquishes her control over her fate in a rather docile component of femininity (the viewer is reminded of the big bosomed females in horror movies who run from the monster in drastic steps only to fall in their high heels and be destroyed by their pursuer). In Kahlo’s painting, perhaps because of this gender bending idea, the woman becomes like a man, that is, able to survive, or, in comparison, she becomes the pursuer and thereby strong. In opposition to the bible story then, Kahlo does not in fact become weak in losing her hair, but rather the painting is meant to suggest that she becomes strong in this shedding of hair, and husband. In either painting it is clear that both artists are interested in the psychology of their subject. In the DC comic world by which Lichtenstein gained inspiration, women were somewhat helpless creatures in the 1960’s only gaining a feminine stance in the 1980’s or so. His vision of women through his portrait gives the viewer the idea that without love, a woman does not have an identity, and thus, death is a logical substitute to not having a ‘Brad’. In Kahlo’s painting the same may be deciphered; she allows her femininity to surround her on the ground in the form of her hair, and her transformation into a man makes her stronger. It is then interesting to note the decades which lie between either painting – it may be said that Kahlo was progressive with her painting style and her representation of women (perhaps taking note of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening in which the protagonist cannot live in a man’s world and thus drowns herself in an act of freedom). It is clear that in both artworks there are strong emotions which propel the subjects into the places they stand before the viewer. The emotional journey has come to an end in either painting or the female figures either claim their identities (in the case of Kahlo) or they become submerged in a world where they cannot live without love (in the case of Lichtenstein). The psychology of the main characters becomes evident through the artists’ rendering through the use of space, script, and symbolism. Works Cited Alloway, Lawrence, Roy Lichtenstein, N. Y. : Abbeville, 1983 759. 1 L701A Claudia Bauer, Frida Kahlo, Munich: Prestel Verlag, 2005. Frida Kahlo, ed. Elizabeth Carpenter, exh. cat. , Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2007 759. 972 K12FR Gannit Ankori, Imagining Her Selves: Frida Kahlo’s Poetics of Identity and Fragmentation, Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2002. Hayden Herrer, Frida Kahlo: The Paintings, N. Y. : Harper Collins, 1991. 759. 072 K12H Lobel, Michael, Image Duplicator: Roy Lichtenstein and the Emergence of Pop Art, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002. Pop Art: A Critical History, Steven H. Madoff, ed. , Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1997 709. 73 P8242 Waldmann, Diane, Roy Lichtenstein, exh. cat.. , N. Y. : Guggenheim Museum, 1993. 759. 1 L701WAL Whiting, Cecile, A Taste for Pop: Pop Art, Gender and Consumer Culture, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tourism And Economic Development In The Caribbean Tourism Essay

Tourism And Economic Development In The Caribbean Tourism Essay The Caribbean is known for its beautiful islands and breath-taking shores. There are numerous sites in this region of thousands of diverse islands. To list a few reasons as to why its a huge attraction to tourists from all over the world, then the coral reefs, colorful fruits, golf courses, sailboats and the wonderful sunsets at the beach are just the tip of the ice burg. Its the perfect place to relax with the family and a Caribbean holiday is the best place if anyone is seeking for a little adventure. The Caribbean seems to have everything for a great vacation from horse riding to hiking, wildlife tourism and much more. Everything from exploring the beautiful waterfalls, going kayaking upriver and even canoeing gives the Caribbean the top most position in tourism category. The Caribbean has both extinct and live volcanoes. It gives a definite adrenaline rush for tourists seeking it. Its tropical rainforests consists of rare and exotic animal species. It is by all means, absolutely beautiful. The Caribbean region consists of thousands of islands and to name a few that are of great tourists interest and as stated in http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_names_of_the_Caribbean_islands: Anguilla UK, Antigua Barbuda, Aruba ~ Netherlands, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe ~ France, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Martinique ~ France, Montserrat ~ UK, Netherland Antilles, Puerto Rico ~ US, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent Grenadines, Trinidad Tobago, Turks Caicos ~ UK and US Virgin Island. Its not only about the adventures but the Caribbean features cites of its rich heritage and unique architecture. If we were to take a look into the most popular tourist attraction in the Caribbean then this would definitely include the Barbados; a small island also called as little England during the British era. It is called so, because it still contains a part of the thriving British legacy, cricket, Anglo Saxon activity and high tea. We have Antigua Barbuda that has more than 356 beaches (representing one for every year). This too is another popular tourist attraction. Then there is Guyana which is a one of the independent members in the Caribbean. It is also known for its beaches and countless rivers and lakes. The best side to it is that gold deposits and diamonds can be found at the river bottoms and hillsides. This place is popular for yachting and sailing. Another beautiful island is ST Lucida. This island is known for its mountains that are covered with forests and the wildlife in it. Such other marvelous sites in the Caribbeans are St Martin, Trinidad, Cuba, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and much more. Situated in the Caribbean Sea is the Roatan Honduras Island that has brought the economy a constant dramatic increase due to the scuba diving fans. This place offers its visitors everything, ranging from marine wildlife to scuba lessons and even certification. It is know for its coral which is very diverse and can be seen easily. Here, tourism is well developed, hotels are well equipped and the resorts are numerous. This place is even called the Caribbeans best kept secret. It is no doubt one of the most beautiful sites and experiences to have. According to Gmelch, George (Behind the Smile: the Working Lives of Caribbean Tourism. Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 2003), the Caribbean governments welcome tourists with warm hearts because they realized that the Caribbean economy is completely dependant on tourism, also being referred to as the engine of their growth. Economic development in the Caribbean has benefited merchants, farmers, fishermen and many more. According to Pattullo, Polly. (Last Resorts: the Cost of Tourism in the Caribbean. London: Cassell, 1996), Tourism is a huge contributor to the economies of all Caribbean countries and the biggest contributor to many of them such as Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas and the Virgin Islands Yolande Wilson MBA 08 In the Caribbean Tourism Fueled by Hotel Development: The Good and the Bad, explains that the success of Caribbean tourism is probably because people have the thoughts of aqua blue waters, warm sand beaches and luxury images on their minds. It is these precise thoughts that play a large role in the tourism business in the Caribbean. This puts all the focus on the tourism companies, services industries and real estate development. Tourism in the Caribbean is as early as 1862 where Jamaica had health spas and cruises that ran to the island but now, the tourism industries in the Caribbean estimates an anticipated contribution of over 18.7 billion dollars by 2011. Another author named C. James Hospedales wrote about the importance of tourism to Caribbean development in (Healthy Tourism in the Caribbean) Saturday, 22nd September 2007. He explained that 25 billion dollars were the gross output in the Caribbean tourism with more than 12 million tourists arriving for stay in the Caribbean and more than 6 million cruise ships. Hotels were completely booked and tourism became very important to the Caribbean economy. Tourism in the Caribbean is even compared to oil in the Middle East. They have also made it a motto Caribbean development through quality tourism which made it clear that the economy will be completely dependant on tourism for the coming years. With the arrival of the internet on 1995 which made it possible to spread the word of all the good and bad news. It was an effective tool in informing the world about this ravishing country. There was also the European tour operators whom made it easy for the tourists to get to the Caribbean from the European countries. However, with the success of increasing arrivals of tourists that helped boost the countrys economy, it also brought in the possibility of diseases being imported from different parts of the world. Yet this did not stop the Caribbean tourism organization from making sure that such issues along with injuries are minimized to its lowest. Their vision was that the Caribbean to be the safest, happiest, and healthiest of comparable destinations in the world Its obvious that tourism has affected the economy of the Caribbean region. These effects are mainly due to the travel and tourism industries. Through Paul McDaniels point of view, an eHow contributing writer in The effects of Tourism in the Caribbean, the economy was affected both positively and negatively. From these effects, wed notice that it includes the Caribbeans utmost and complete reliance on tourism and travel industries. But because, most of these tourism companies are never usually based in a particular Caribbean island, much of the money made does not stay on the Caribbean. This may also appear as a disadvantage for the Caribbean. However, without the competing companies, the economy could also be highly affected. However, David Jessop wrote about Grasping the full economic impact of Caribbean tourism Sunday | September 23, 2007 and questioned if the governments truly understood the importance of tourism, which in his words is the industry that now underwrites the regional economy. He provided reports that were produced over the last 2 years that explained the positive impact tourism had on the economy. These reports were based on the studies produced, supported and encouraged by the Caribbean tourism organization and Caribbean hotel association. It was a clear demonstration to the government that tourism has become the dominant force in the Caribbean. In these reports, the Caribbean tourism is expected to get over 56.1 billion dollars economically with about 15% increase in tourism employment from 2007 to 2017. Basically these earnings are expected to grow over 3 percent per year. Therefore, from these readings its pretty clear that the Caribbean region is economically dependent on the touris m industry. However, if these industries do not remain competitive, then the economic boost could come to an end. The problems that face the Caribbean tourism industry are those of globalization as well as interdependence. Therefore the beauty and nature of the country will not be enough to make the regions case. It requires the government to play a role in supporting it to the fullest. Whether its decreasing the taxes, providing public health education or even changing the policies to fit the countrys increasing economy. In a pacific islands report written by Sir Ronald Sanders in the Benefits of Caribbean tourism must be shared, he wrote about another problem that could affect the tourism industry in the Caribbean which is surprisingly the racial division notion in the island. This existing problem causes constant discomfort among many hotel owners that are expatriates, managers and the citizens yet they dare not deal with it. These problems are being left depressed like the racial division between the ownership on one side and the workers on the other. This problem is expected to worsen in the future if not dealt with now. Given the growing size of tourists coming into the country every year, it would keep requiring a large size of financial investments for the resorts and hotels in the Caribbean. These investments are primarily funded by the white expatriates that own tourism companies and can build or own resorts and any other tourism aspects in the business. This may seem as a problem because th e profits in this case are sent abroad. The country does not benefit and the balance is disturbed. In an abstract written by Harry G. Matthews, 6 May 2009 Radicals and third world tourism: A Caribbean focus, he talks about the metropolitan tourism in third world countries that have brought to question the tourist industries in a more political and social way. He talks about how it could affect the country and in this case, the Caribbean. He believes that tourism is an intrusion which is of metropolitan type, developed by the white people into the world of non-white. He also believes that these are merely fantasies sold to the tourists, causing the rise of cultures in countries like the Caribbean. Therefore the solution lies with the government of these countries where they are trying to bring forth an increase in sophistication. However, it is uncertain of how this action would actually take place. A critique; Tom Womeldorff analyzes the Caribbean tourism in an interesting way in Caribbean tourism: A Critical analysis 10/14/2009. He writes about the western mentality of escaping to tropical islands with exotic animals, plants and warm sunsets. This fantasy is offered by the Caribbean tourism resorts and travel agencies that aim to fulfill the western dream. And recently, the market has included the catering of tourists whom want to experience the exotic island to the fullest. These tourism agencies are expanding to provide whatever desires that could have tourist dollars following it. Therefore these tourist industries carefully construct the hotels and resorts to meet the conceptions and needs of tourists. This perception to perfection however comes with a cost. Although it provides as a source of income to the Caribbean people, it has made them completely commoditized because it requires that they put all their focus in the tourism programme, to make every thing possible. In The state and tourism: a Caribbean perspective by Hilton McDavid, Diaram Ramajeesingh, the abstract mentions an important something to think about and its how the tourism industries are now the center of attention. This is because the country is now tourism dependant. But does the government do what it takes to make sure that the social and environmental needs are taken care off? In this journal, the writers believe that the government have to work harder in order to shape the tourism industries in a way that every sector in the Caribbean benefits. The Stabroek staff  | February 5, 2010 in  Business the Caribbean tourism industry raise an important question Will the 2009 nightmare push regional tourist destinations towards diversification. It is true that the Caribbean got caught up in the economic crisis that took away jobs, homes, savings and much more. The Caribbean people were beginning to wonder if they have to shift towards diversification for their economic incomes. The number of tourists drastically changed and Caribbean development bank activities showed a significant decline. Sharply declining tourist arrivals according to the CDB with other investments, the main transmission channels of the crisis to regional economies. However it appears that the Caribbean has settled down from all the economic problems and found its comfort zone where its reassured that the tourists will keep coming in. the CDG even reports that the growth is expected to return and is likely to become the same by 2011. Although the whole economy of the country, peoples jobs and welfare cannot wait till the crises associated with the whole world is recovered, diversification for a better economy should be considered. In Caribbean tourism looking toward an improvement in 2010 by Linda Hutchinson-Jafar, Jan 28, 2010, after the economic crises that effected the countrys economy due to the decline in tourists rate, the Caribbean tourism industry began improving despite criminal and tax problems in some of the islands. And the earthquake that hit Haiti did not affect the islands economy much. Chastanet said, during and annual event in the Caribbean We will probably end the year 5.6 percent down but were looking for a strong rebound in 2010 And a hotel owner Rene Seepersadsingh The economic situation globally impacted negatively on Tobago. Hotels reported as much as a 40 percent decline in stayover, particularly from the British and the German markets As for Jamaica, it was seeing a 4% increase in arrivals while the other islands were reporting a decline in 2009. This is probably because it was running ads on television across North America, tempting them to join the warm summers. They were very successful with their ads as Barlett who works at the airlines said For this winter season now beginning, we have a record 1 million (airline) seats which is the largest number we ever had. The unusual part is that Jamaica continues to attract tourists even though it is categorized as one of the most violent countries in the world. The murder and crimes rates were 1,680 last year alone. Barlett believes that Its a contradiction. The most iconic attraction in Jamaica is the people. It belies the crime statistics Finally the most spoke about topic in the Caribbean tourism is HARPOONING CARIBBEAN TOURISM: SWALLOWING A DEAD RAT by Sir Ronald Sanders Sunday, March 14, 2010. The new attractions that require full support by the Caribbean governments are the whale watching activities. There was an international meeting held in Martinique from February 18 to 21 on what they call Sustainable Blue tourism in the Caribbean, specifically urging the Caribbean government to not only support this attraction but to protect the marine wildlife and mammal population by providing sustainable jobs to the fishermen. This new attraction is bound too boost the economy situation and the exotic fantasies keep getting better. Thus the Caribbean keeps finding ways to attract tourists and its economy although highly dependant on tourism yet, very rich.

Sympathy for Lady Macbeth Essay -- Literature Shakespeare Plays Essays

Sympathy for Lady Macbeth In this essay I am going to answer the question above and I will do this by saying whether or not I feel sympathy for lady Macbeth and I go through different parts in the play. After reading parts of the play and watching the video I don’t’ feel very much sympathy for lady Macbeth, although I do feel some sympathy for her in some parts in the play. Over all I think that lady Macbeth is a fiend as she says stuff that’s not very nice to make Macbeth do the things that she is too scared to do herself. I also think that she is a caring person really but she needed to be made evil by witchcraft, as she would not be able to do what she does through out the play in her normal person. The way that the play has been dramatised effects the way we feel about lady Macbeth. In scene 1 where there is a soliloquy lady Macbeth is just standing there speaking to herself and the audience. As she reads the letter I think that you get an insight as to what she is about. â€Å"Hail king that shalt be. This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee†. I think that here she is saying that macbeth is going to be king and that nothing will get in his way as he is crowned king. In this scene you also get a look at lady Macbeth’s interpretation of Macbeth’s personality, this helps you see what type of person she has to live with and you can tak...

The two Duffy poems I have chosen to compare the way she presents Essay

The two Duffy poems I have chosen to compare the way she presents the speaker’s relationship with the person she is speaking to are Havisham and Elvis Twin Sister. Havisham is in a form of a monologue. Choose two Duffy Poems. Compare the way she presents the speaker’s relationship with the person she is speaking to (or about) Most of Carol Ann Duffy’s poems are about love, but that does not always mean that they contain positive connotations. Some contain positive where as quite a few of them have negative. The two Duffy poems I have chosen to compare the way she presents the speaker’s relationship with the person she is speaking to are ‘Havisham’ and ‘Elvis’ Twin Sister’. ‘Havisham’ is in a form of a monologue. She begins by telling the reader the cause of her troubles. She states ‘beloved sweetheart bastard’ which is an oxymoron meaning an apparent contradiction for example loving hate. She uses words to describe her bitter and angry tone such as ‘bastard’, ‘strangle’, ‘Nooooo’ and also ‘bang’. Duffy has used these words to make the readers aware of the ange...

The Pearl

Assignment 1 † Money is the root of all evil†. To what extend is this one of the themes of the novel you studied. The Pearl by John Steinbeck – The theme of Greed Nurain Ariff This theme emerges the moment the people of La Paz get to know about Kino's pearl and we begin to see changes in the characters. All of them have their own selfish schemes when they learn about Kino's pearl. When they know that Kino has the pearl the village of La Paz is alive with avarice. Everyone wants something from Kino. Everyone was affected and wanted something from the pearl.Kino was the only one in the way. The doctor wanted money for â€Å"curing† the child. The priest wanted money to fix the church. The shopkeepers, the pearl buyers, and the rest of the town wanted money for their own purposes. The pearl was a poison that ruined many good people and made the evil people worst. The doctor is pure evil. He would not treat Kino's baby because Kino had nothing to pay him with. W hen the doctor heard of Kino's sudden wealth, he said Kino was his client. As he visualized life back in Paris all he could think of was getting enough money to be able to go back again.When he went to see Kino, he even made up a fake symptom of death to scare Kino into letting him â€Å"treat† the baby. Instead, he poisoned the baby and cured him of the poison he had given the baby himself. This horrible doctor is filled with avarice. He did not care who he had to harm to get more money. All he cares about is money. The priest wanted money to fix the church. Even the priest, a person who is highly regarded in the community, has some plans on how to use the money from the sale of the pearl. It is only after this that he thinks how the pearl will affect Kino's personal life.The priest is nearly as bad as the doctor. He also wanted money from Kino. He thinks  of certain repairs necessary for the church. He wondered what the pearl would be worth. And he wondered if he had bapt ized Kino’s baby, or married him for that matter. He thought if he did these things he was more likely to get money to fix the church. The priest calls on Kino and his family. He reminds them that they should show their gratitude to God for this unexpected gain and to pray for guidance in the future. Juana agrees and says that they will be married in the church.The priest is also a horrid person; he is supposed to be a holy figure, but he was poisoned by the thought of riches. These hopes caused him to lie. The new riches also affected the townspeople. The shop keepers hear about Kino's wealth and hope to sell their clothes. They knew that an indigent man that becomes rich by luck knows how it feels to be poor. Therefore, they would get money too. The pearl buyers were also full of avarice for the pearl. They wanted to buy the pearl for a very low price so they were cheating Kino. They hoped that if they bought the pearl, the boss would promote them and they would make more m oney.Everyone wanted something from the pearl. Kino became the whole town's enemy because of that. The effects of greed  after Kino finds the pearl are he learns how far others will go, including committing murder to gain wealth and the power that it brings. All those who hear about the pearl, even his neighbours  Ã¢â‚¬Å"suddenly became related to pearl, and pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone. † And since Kino stood in their way, â€Å"he became curiously every man's enemy. Kino recognizes this desire in himself, not for wealth, but for the power the pearl can grant him. He says the pearl is his soul. Comments: Good elaboration of points. However, do you actually know the meaning of the word ‘avarice’ you use in the essay? Why don’t you just stick to the common word ‘greed’? Just in case you use it in the wrong context? Overall, good attempt 😉 Taufiq In the novel The Pearl written by John Steinback, one of the themes is money is the root of all the evil because when Kino found the pearl everyone has a bad idea on how to manipulate Kino and become rich such as the doctor who is greedy.Before Kino had money to treat his son ,Coyotito, he was very evil and later when Kino found the Pearl he took the advantage of Kino to take the pearl that Kino would sell and poisoned his son to convince Kino to let him treat Coyotito . The priest is also evil when he needs the money to repair the church. He used the tactics so that he could have that money by saying that Coyotito should be baptised in the church and Juana and Kino should marry legally in the church. The pearl buyers are also evil when they know that Kino has found the greatest pearl that is also their source of income.They became very greedy and offered the lowest price to Kino so that they will get more income. Comments: A lot of grammatical errors can be found in your answer. Most of your sentences are also confusing and the meaning is not clear. Try to write simple and short sentences with less error. Make sure you organize your ideas before writing them. Faiqa From the novel that I studied, The Pearl by John Steinbeck, the phrase â€Å"Money is the root of all evil† is shown in the theme of greed. The doctor in this novel is an example of a greedy person.In the beginning of the novel, the doctor refused to treat Kino's son, Coyotito, who had been stung by a scorpion as he knows Kino will not be able to pay him for the service. To him, the natives or the ‘Indians' are nothing more than animals. However, after the discovery of the Pearl of the World, the doctor suddenly becomes concerned about Coyotito's health. He even goes as far as to visit the sick baby at Kino's brush house. All this is done purely because of his greed. He is hoping that by doing this, Kino will feel indebted to him. He is also certain that Kino w ill be able to pay him now.The priest is also a greedy person. Before the discovery of the pearl, the priest does not seem to be too interested in the affairs of the natives. However, after the discovery of the pearl the priest makes the effort of visiting Kino to remind him of his duties. The priest's visit is actually to ensure that Kino will donate some money so that repair works can be carried out at the church. To a certain extent, I think this phrase is exposes the fact that greed brings out the worst in man. It can also be used to describe Kino's characteristic.Before the pearl was found, Kino was contented with his life. The scene at the beginning of the novel shows how Kino's life is peaceful. Kino is also protective over his family before he found the pearl. The description of him killing the scorpion shows how protective he is to his son. Not only is he caring and gentle with his family, he also takes good care of his belongings, for example, his canoe. But, after the dis covery of the pearl, Kino becomes as cold and deadly as steel. He is willing to kill, first the attacker and then the trackers, in order to guard his pearl from falling into their hands.Kino's character in the novel slowly changes and the author likens his behaviour to that of animals'. He is suddenly described as a snake after he hits and kicks Juana when the latter tries to throw the pearl back into the sea. Later, he is described as a lizard as he edges his way closer to the trackers before killing all of them. Finally, Kino becomes fierce and violent as the story progresses. He is ultimately described as a terrible killing machine before he kills all the trackers. Comment: Good elaboration. Some minor grammatical error can be found in the essay. Nur AliaThis theme emerges the moment the people of La Paz get to know about Kino's pearl and we begin to see changes in the characters. All of them have their own selfish schemes when they learn about Kino's pearl. Even the priest, a pe rson who is highly regarded in the community, has some plans on how to use the money from the sale of the pearl. It is only after this, that he thinks how the pearl will affect Kino's personal life. Since Kino is the only one who stands in the way of the others by possessing the pearl, he becomes every man's enemy. The doctor makes Coyotito ill so that he can then ‘treat' Coyotito and ask for payment from Kino.Out of greed, he has betrayed the nobility of his profession. The pearl buyers conspire to cheat Kino so that they can make bigger profits. Unidentified people, envious of Kino's pearl, attack him physically and damage his possessions. His house is ransacked and burnt down. This leaves him no choice but to abandon the safety of his community and travel into the unknown. Even Kino himself is affected by the pearl, although he plans to use it to better himself and his family's situation, he becomes obsessed with it and turns violent, even against Juana.He becomes a changed person. He is filled with anger, turning animal-like and â€Å"hissed at Juana like a snake†, when she tried to throw the pearl he beats her up and kicks her. Comment: A lot of spelling error found in your answer. Please make sure that you recheck your essay before submitting it next time. Syazwan Based on the novel that I had studied, money is the root of all evil. Kino had found the big pearl when his son Coyotito was bitten by the scorpion. The theme of greed can be seen when the villagers knew about the big pearl.Kino tried to find good treatment for his son. The greedy doctor only wants the money as he is a selfish person. Kino tried to sell the pearl at town. The dealers only offer him a low price although they know the pearl is of a good quality. Kino was attacked by the attacker Kino saved himself when he killed the attacker. The pearl gives many problems to Kino and his family. Lastly, Coyotito was killed and Kino throws back the pearl into the sea. Comment: Your an swer does not really fulfil the requirement of the question. The ideas are there but you did not explain them clearly.Please refer to your friends’ answer which received good comments from me. Ayuni In the Pearl, â€Å"Money Is the root of all evil† represents the theme of greed. The doctor refused to treat Coyotito for the scorpion’s sting as Kino has no money. After Kino’s discovery of the pearl the doctor claims that Coyotito is his patient and pretended to ‘ treat' the baby . The doctor was just only thinking about money. The Pearl buyers planned to cheat Kino. They offer Kino a very low price for the pearl. They say that the pearl is too soft and chalky and will lose its colour.They only want to get more profit. The priest came to Kino after knowing about the discovery of the great pearl. He always thought of the church, and used religion for selfish ends. The thief and trackers tried to steal the pearl from Kino until violence happens. Kino ha s also become a greedy person. He does not listen to Juana when she asked him to throw back the pearl before many evil happened to them. Comment: Your answer is quite okay. Make sure you elaborate a little bit more in your exam so that your ideas will be more organized. Fatin NabilaMoney is the root of all evil. The theme greed and selfishness is the theme that is extended to it. The doctor in the novel is an example of a greedy person. The doctor refused to treat Coyotito because he will not work for free. The doctor is only interested in treating Coyotito after he knows about great pearl that Kino has discovered. Moreover, the attackers and trackers are also greedy. They attempt to steal the pearl from Kino. The priest is also a greedy person. Before the discovery of the pearl, the priest does not seem to be too interested in the affair of the natives.However, after the discovery of the pearl the priest’s visit is actually to ensure that Kino will donate some money so that repair works can be carried out at the church. Comment: Your ideas are largely organized and supported. However, your answer would be more solid if you include more examples as there are a lot of characters which portrayed greed in the novel. Faris One of the themes represented in the novel The Pearl is greed. It can corrupt people. Kino found a strange pearl, and this is a good thing for Kino and his family. He hopes for a quality treatment for his son, Coyotito who was stung by an evil scorpion.He wanted to marry Juana in a church and give education to his son when he grows up. The news about it was heard by the villagers including the doctor, the priest, and the pearl buyers. At first the pearl symbolizes hope and triumph but at last it showed how men were overcame by greed when the pearl was known by the villagers. They wanted the pearl for their own use. Because they wanted the power and have the power, they would do anything to get the pearl because it is a great pearl. The pe arl made them become so greedy. It shows that the money is the root of all evil.It can be seen when Kino killed the trackers who wanted to steal it. At last, Coyotito died when the tracker shot him thinking he was a coyote pup. Comment: Quite good. Please pay more attention to grammar and sentence structure. Fatin Inani One of the themes represented in The Pearl is greed. It corrupts people. Kino finds a rare pearl, and this is a good thing for him. He hopes for quality treatment for his baby who had been stung by a scorpion. He hopes that he and Juana will now be able to afford a proper wedding, as well as a better quality of life.He hopes for power and respect from others, too, as seen in his desire to get a rifle. Most of all, he hopes to give his son a good education that will ensure him a good future and enable him to look after the interests of the simple village folk. The pearl is at first, a symbol of hope and triumph, but because of the greed of men, it soon becomes a symbo l of corruptibility and evil desires of man. In itself, it is not an evil thing, but the evil, selfish desire of greedy men turn into an ugly thing. Even the kind, noble, well-liked Kino falls under the power of the pearl.Here, we see a related theme, the theme of the corruptibility of man. Kino becomes obsessed with the pearl because it holds so much promise for him and his family. It blinds him to the simple beauty of his life. Juana begs him to throw it back into the sea, but he refuses. He says that it has become his soul and he cannot part with it. Comment: A good answer. Take this answer as one of the good example on how to tackle this question. Azuren The theme of greed emerges the moment the people in La Paz get to know about Kino's pearl and we begin to see changes in the characters.All of them have their selfish schemes when they know about the pearl. Even the priest, a person who is highly regarded in the community has plans on how to use the money from the sale of the pe arl. Since Kino is the only one who stands in the way of the others by possessing the pearl, he becomes every man's enemy. Therefore, many attempts are made to get rid of him. The greed of the people makes them willing to do anything to get the pearl, for example poison the child, burn Kino's house, destroy his canoe and even try to kill Kino and his family. Even Kino himself is affected by the pearl.Although he plans to use it to better himself and his family situation, he becomes obsessed with it and turns violent, even againts Juana. Kino's anger turn to rage when he discovers that Juana is about to throw away the pearl. He beats her up and kicks her. Kino whom we first see as a loving and protective family man, is now more concerned about the pearl. All of these show how money can change people and the theme of greed is one of the themes found in this novel. Comment: Your answer needs to be written in paragraphs to make it more organized. Be careful of your grammar.

Lord of the Flies- the Proof of Savagery

The Proof of Savagery When we first open our eyes to this vast world, we are simultaneously introduced to a civilized society. We are taught in school to do the right things and avoid wrong behavior: respect and consideration is crucial, harassment and bullying is unacceptable. But, what if we are placed on a deserted island, where there are no pre-established rules or norms for us to follow and stick to? Does our human nature reveal itself then?Do we start to believe in survival of the fittest, thus lose all sense of reason and pity? Do we forget all the rules of society civilization? In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of boys are forced to learn to live harmoniously after a plane crash, which lands them in a foreign island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In the process, some manage to remain rational and in control, as their leader Ralph, whereas others gradually transform into savages and intimidators, as the aggressive hunter, Jack.Golding introduces the stark c ontrast between civilization and savagery and how human nature is exposed at critical moments through many symbols that echoes throughout the book. The interactions between the older and younger boys, the ‘beastie’ and death are three of the many symbolisms that show the different actions and thoughts of people placed in a difficult, or even impossible situation. The saying â€Å"Survival for the fittest† is often seen in the wild, where stronger animals hunt down the weaker ones.A civilized society educates people not to scornfully despise or put down others. The group of boys on the island consists of both older and younger kids. The interactions between them show how human nature can retain its purity and goodness, as well as reveal its selfish and merciless side, exemplifying the conflict between civilization and savagery. Jack, Ralph and Piggy were three of the older boys. Jack, compelling and authoritative, often ignores the littluns and doesn’t real ly care about their safety and needs.When the older boys are out hunting for the beast, Ralph is concerned about who would take care of the little ones. Jack cries ‘Sucks to the littluns! ’ (101), though he knew that there are possible dangers on the island, as previously a littlun with the paint on his face had vanished after mentioning about a ferocious snake. Piggy, despite his older age than the littluns, is laughed at and made fun of by everyone, including the tinier kids. Jack demonstrates the uncaring, self-centered aspect of human nature, which leads him to radually savagery; while Ralph and Piggy both show the considerate and amiable nature of us. However, Piggy also reveals that being overly unopinionated and softhearted can result in being bullied and manipulated. As the plot progresses, we observe how Jack becomes increasingly uncompassionate and callous, neglect the littluns or merely use them to exhibit his power and authority. When he separated from Ralph ’s group and lead the ignorant littluns to their own site, he abused Wilfred to show off his capability. ‘He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. (159) Roger recalled. After the commotion and showdown, ‘The newly beaten and untied Wilfred was snif? ng noisily in the background,’ (160) haven’t been punished and harmed by no specific reason. Ralph is extremely nice and accepting to the littluns from start to finish, but at the end of the novel, the littluns influenced by Jack’s desire for blood and murder, are driven to hunt Ralph down as if he was an animal. Ralph’s interaction with the little kids so the civilized side of human nature, with cannot sustain very long with the simultaneous presence of savagery.Piggy, unfortunately, met his end because of the Jack and his affected and corrupted ‘minion’ littluns. The interactions between the older and younger boys prove that human nature become crystal clear in a desperate sit uation, but evil and savagery usually unfortunately takes over and attacks the civilized. Fear is a small and inevitable part inside each animal being. On the island, the boys worry and ponder over the ‘beastie’, making guesses about what it is, what it looks, what it wants etc.The beastie in the novel, does not exist at all, its existence only mistaken by the boys having seen the dead pilot crashing down; in fact, it symbolizes the fear within boys, and how their anxiety, doubt and panic are strengthened over time and reflect their transforming personalities. In the beginning, the boys really lead a carefree life on the island. In their innocent perpectives, the island was a paradise without the supervision of strict adults. However, as Jack and certain boys started to develop an obsession in hunting, their behavior brings the ‘beast’ into existence.This figment of their imagination stands for the primal animal instinct of savagery. As the boys become incr easingly savage, their belief beast grows stronger and more persuasive. Jack stated â€Å"When you’re hunting, when you’re on your own, you catch yourself feeling as if you’re not hunting, but—being hunted, as if something’s behind you all the time in the jungle. † (53) Their assumption in the existence of the beast represent the breakdown of the civilized society and development of savagery.Towards the end of the novel, not only did the boys offer sacrifices to the beast so it wouldn’t bother them, they even brutally killed Simon having mistook him for the vicious creature they had been forever dreading. Savagery had blinded them completely, hindering their ability to tell whether the beast was real. Death may seem like one of life natural processes, that everyone will experience death. However, in throughout this novel, the seemingly simple and uncomplicated word death symbolizes the uncontrollable urge and yearning to but through f lesh and spill blood.Death is important in the book because the ends of different characters truly uncover how savage and insane the boys had become. In the beginning, when Ralph, Jack and Roger first encountered a piglet, Jack pulled out his knife in preparation to kill it. But he couldn’t perform the deed, and all three â€Å"knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living ? esh; because of the unbearable blood. † (31) At that point of time still, blood seems to be such a taboo subject that is unendurable and disgusting.However, at least for Jack, the perception of this red fluid, and even death, totally changed after his first successful kill. From then on, Jack and the other boys have lost their sanity, from killing animals to their own kind, boys they had lived with for the past weeks. First, there was the unintentional death of Simon; then, the deliberate murder of Piggy, and finally, the hunt for Ralph , before which the boys consciously prepared for; Roger even â€Å"sharpened a stick at both ends. † (190) Death is no longer a scary or distant thing for these ferocious boys.In contrast and in fact, since they had been savagely corrupted, they embraced the blood and flesh that came along with death. This symbol shows how uncivilized most of the boys had become over the course of their stay on the island. In conclusion, the conditions of the environment on the island in Lord of the Flies expose the true human natures of different characters in the novel. Some are naturally unforgiving and menacing, while others are rational and pleasant, even under harsh or unimaginable situations.The interactions between the older and younger boys, the â€Å"beastie† and death are three symbols that showed the naked distinction between civilization and savagery. Regrettably, when people are not restrained or limited by already created rules, they tend to turn to cruelty, savagery, an d barbarism. These vices spread more easily than do the virtues of remaining civilized, and this is why society crumbles and collapses without respected and obeyed laws which everyone is willing to live by in harmony and accord.

Letters to a Young Poet Essay

Rilke’s â€Å"Letters to a Young Poet,† ostensibly a series of reflections about and advice regarding the inner-life of an accomplished poet, reveal as much about philosophical and moral attitudes as those attitudes or concepts which are commonly associated with literary theory and literary technique. In fact very little, if any, evidence of traditional literary criticism exists within the series of letters; Rilke, in fact, comments in the first letter that: â€Å"†Nothing touches a work of art so little as words of criticism : they always result in more or less fortunate misunderstandings† (Rilke, 1). With that quite clear admonition as a sort of preface to his ensuing reflections and advice, Rilke establishes a far more urgent and profound set of considerations regarding creative expression, considerations which arise out of the human capacity for self-exploration and spiritual odyssey. To begin with, Rilke advises young artists to eschew traditional â€Å"markers† of success, such as publication and critical acclaim. Such things are aspects of what he terms the â€Å"outer† world and have little to do with the composition of poetry. Instead of looking outward for signs of success, the aspiring poet should look within: â€Å"†You are looking outside, and that is what you should most avoid right now. No one can advise or help you – no one. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself† (Rilke,1). While it is relatively easy to comprehend Rilke’s meaning here that an aspiring poet should not allow themselves to be judged by outside sources for fear of losing their individuality, the method by which one attempts to â€Å"go into yourself† (Rilke,1) are both complex and dependent upon th aspiring poet’s level of devotion and patience. It is not certain that a turning inward, alone, will produce the emotional and intellectual response that feeds into the creation of great art, but without such a turning inward, great art can not be accomplished at all. When Rilke comments that â€Å"if out of this turning-within, out of this immersion in your own world, poems come, then you will not think of asking anyone whether they are good or not† (Rilke, 2) he is beginning to introduce the most crucial point in his set of principles and advice for young artists. This first, and most important, concept is that: artists are self-reliant. This means that not only do artists plumb their own depths of emotional response for themes and techniques with which to advance self-expression, but the process of turning inward makes of any potential artist, a sort of â€Å"exile† within their own respective societies, a loner who must accept, first, subjective experience and response, and only later consider the repercussions of their journey. The searching into the deep and personal subjective reality of the artist is not only a search for self-identity, bit a search for an escape from irony. And here, Rilke makes an amazing and very profound point regarding the â€Å"pose† that many people adopt to their lives. It would be easy to recognize this pose, say, in a corrupt politician who espouses love for his fellow-citizen but steals for personal wealth and empowerment from the taxes which are meant to improve his society. Equally easy would be to recognize the irony and hypocrisy of literary critics who pontificate about works without ever bothering to understand them. However, Rilke takes the idea of irony and hypocrisy to an additional level and views it as one of the primary obstacles, as well as primary instruments, of creative expression. To dwell in irony may make for quick expression and readily comprehensible art, but it is also a path to the trivial. Rilke writes â€Å"Search into the depths of Things: there, irony never descends† (Rilke, 3) and so, lack or irony, and hence — honesty — is also a hallmark of the odyssey of the artist. Once the prospective artists has made the decision that they could simply not live without being an artist, that they must plumb the depths and take on the journey within, the ensuing time of solitude and reflection will allow the artist to slowly replace conventional modes of logic and thinking with modes of logic and thinking that are far more conducive to artistic expression. It is important to remember that Rilke states plainly that anyone who imagines that they can live without being a poet should not bother to write at all. This is a key point in his overall vision because Rilke regards poetry and artistic expression not as crafts or vocations, but as a â€Å"calling† not unlike that which is commonly associated with religious traditions. The poet or artist has no choice but to be a poet or an artist; there is no-one to teach them craft or skills, there is simply the immersion into one’s â€Å"soul† and the re-emergence as an artist with a unique voice and vision. The thought process of the artist is â€Å"To let each impression and each embryo of a feeling come to completion, entirely in itself, in the dark, in the unsayable, the unconscious, beyond the reach of one’s own understanding, and with deep humility and patience to wait for the hour when a new clarity is born† (Rilke, 5). In this statement Rilke places great emphasis on the erosion of the ego in the artist, signifying that it is not the artist’s conscious ego which creates art, nor learned technique, but submission to unconscious processes, and openness to sensation and understanding: â€Å"this alone is what it means to live as an artist: in understanding as in creating† (Rilke, 5). Along with the substitution of a new â€Å"logic† for the old, Rilke mentions that perception of linear events, such as time itself, are not the business of the true artist: â€Å"Being an artist means: not numbering and counting, but ripening like a tree, which doesn’t force its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterward summer may not come† (Rilke, 5). Along with self-reliance and patience, internal emotional, spiritual, and psychic growth are aspects of an artist’s journey. Simply by removing oneself from the â€Å"mainstream† (and often ironic) flow of common society and common thinking, the artist becomes something apart from human society and something which is more in touch with Nature nd the processes of natural growth. Such a diversion from the ordinary means that the poet or artist will carry with them the additional burden of being misunderstood, possibly envied, and likely written off as a â€Å"crank† because the diversion of vision, mission, and personal bearing is radical enough to cause visible manifestation. For this issue, Rilke advises â€Å"be happy about your growth, in which of course you can’t take anyone with you, and be gentle with those who stay behind; be confident and calm in front of them and don’t torment them with your doubts and don’t frighten them with your faith or joy, which they wouldn’t be able to comprehend† (Rilke, 9). The prospect of internal joy and a magnificent experience of one’s self and of nature are the artist’s true rewards, not notoriety and publication, just as self-reliance, patience, and honesty — rather than technique, theme, and medium — are the important aspects of composition. In the long run, the journey inward which is made by the prospective artist will reveal itself to be a journey toward a deeper and more complete communion with God. Of course, Rilke avoids any dogmatic interpretations of precisely what God is or is not, but he advises young poets to understand that art is a spiritual, rather than a material or commercial, process. He mentions that it is very helpful for an artist to view God as â€Å"the one who is coming, who has been approaching from all eternity, the one who will someday arrive, the ultimate fruit of a tree whose leaves we are† (Rilke, 10). This latter observation sums up, quite readily, the ultimate â€Å"thrust† of Rilke’s advice: that any prospective artist should view the process of becoming an artist as something more akin to religious than material experience. Art is not only a way of life, it is life and for a true artist, there is no other path. Rilke’s letters are important not only for their veracity and honesty, but for Rilke’s insistence that the artist be regarded, rightfully, as a visionary rather than a craftsman, especially in an age which values above all else, reduction of human experience to merely material principles. Work Cited Rilke, Rainer Maria. Letters to a Young Poet, W. W. Norton & Company, 1993.

The Poem Because I Could Not Stop for Death Explained

Death Stops for No One Jaime Hayes Death Stops for No One The poem â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death† by Emily Dickinson is an extended metaphor on death, comparing it to a journey with a polite gentleman in a carriage taking the speaker on a ride to eternity. Through unusual symbolism, personification and ironic metaphors Dickinson subjugates that death is an elusive yet subtle being. Dickinson portrays death as an optimistic endeavor while most people have a gruesome perspective of death. This poem’s setting mirrors the circumstances by which death approaches, and death seems kind and compassionate.This poem is written in six quatrains. They are broken up into when she first meets death, through their carriage ride observing different stages of life to death and ultimately, to eternity. These quatrains give the poem unity and make it easy to read and interpret. The cadence of this poem, which is sneakily undulating, is lulling and attractive; you can almost ima gine it being set to the clomping of the horses’ hooves. Although the conversation is set between the speaker and Death, the horses’ hooves always seem to be in the background.The first quatrain starts out with the speaker communicating in past tense about death being a kind gentleman coming to stop for her, implying that she is already dead. Death is personified and introduced as one of the leading character and is also the focus of the poem; â€Å"Because I could not stop for death/ He kindly stopped for me. † (Dickinson, 1863, 1-2) By endowing death with human characteristics it becomes less frightening to the speaker as well as the reader. The fact that he â€Å"kindly† stopped is both a reassurance that his arrival was not unpleasant and an expression of the poet’s wit.It is ironic in a humorous way that death is kind. The speaker could not stop for death, meaning she is not ready to die, but death came anyway. Here, it becomes clear that deat h is inescapable and arrives on its own time. Death stops being an end and becomes instead the beginning of eternal life. When Death stops for her, he is accompanied by Immortality inside their carriage; â€Å"The Carriage held but just Ourselves/And Immortality. † (Dickinson, 1863, 3-4) The carriage is a metaphor for the way in which we make our final passage into death; a mode of transportation to the afterlife.At the time the poem was written a man and a woman were typically escorted by a chaperone, in this poem, Immortality is their chaperone. Immortality is also the reward or reason for the two, the speaker and Death, coming together. If the promise of immortality did not exist, one would never go along willingly, nor would one welcome death without fear. Dickinson begins the second quatrain as death’s journey, which is a slow, forward movement, which can be seen through the writing; â€Å"We slowly drove – he knew no haste. (Dickinson, 1863, 5) The slow r ide emphasizes the seriousness and solemn nature of this carriage ride or perhaps implies a slow and painful death by a debilitating disease. A sense of tranquility is felt here, as though the speaker is well acquainted with the fact that this ride will be her last. The speaker does not resist this ride but instead gives up her labor and leisure and succumbs to death; â€Å"And I had put away/My labor and my leisure too/For his civility. † (Dickinson, 1863, p. 6-8)The cadence of the poem begins to speed up as Death, Immortality and the speaker continue on their journey; â€Å"We passed the School, where Children strove/At Recess – in the Ring-/We passed the Fields of Grazing Grain/We passed the Setting Sun. † (Dickinson, 1863, 9-12) All three of these images suggest different stages of life; the children in the school yard at recess depict the early stages of life, the fields of grazing grain represent the middle stages of life and adulthood, the setting of the sun is the final stage of life.She notices the daily routine that she is leaving behind, but continues not to fight with Death. In this quatrain, Dickinson uses an anaphora â€Å"We passed† in order to help the poem progress as well as tie it together to reinforce that the different stages of life are passing them by. Here, one can assume the trip takes a while, as it was light when the journey began and now the sun is setting and night begins. The poem slows back down again as the fourth quatrain begins and death seems to be setting in; â€Å"Or rather – He passed Us. † (Dickinson, 1863, 13) This line refers to the setting of the sun from the previous quatrain.This symbolizes the transition from life to death, the sun passes them referring to how she is beyond the concept of time and she descends into eternity. There is a reference to the change in temperature and how the speaker is not dressed appropriately for this change; â€Å"The Dews drew quivering and c hill-/For only Gossamer, my Gown/My Tippet – only Tulle. † (Dickinson, 1863, 14-16) This quatrain suggests not only the literal coldness that comes from not dressing appropriately, but also the emotional coldness that occurs when dealing with ones death.The only physical entities that hold value to the speaker anymore are now her Gossamer gown and her tippet made from tulle. The fifth quatrain describes the grave or tomb the carriage has arrived at, relating it to a house; â€Å"We passed before a House that seemed/A Swelling of the Ground/The Roof was scarcely visible/The Cornice in the Ground† (Dickinson, 1863, 17-20) The way the grave is being described implies a sense of comfort for the speaker. Metaphorically, cornice in the ground is the speaker’s coffin, or more specifically the molding around the coffins lid. Here, it is the only visible part of the house itself.The graves description and the fact that there is no door, only a roof, suggests that t here is no escape from death once she enters the house. The poem ends with what seems like the speaker looking back on her life from her final destination in eternity. Time suddenly loses meaning, hundreds of years feel no different than a day; â€Å"Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet/Feels shorter than the Day (Dickinson, 1863, 21-22) The setting shifts in this last quatrain when the reader finds out the place in the beginning of the poem is from long ago and the speaker is telling this story long into the afterlife.Immortality is the goal hinted at in the first quatrain where â€Å"Immortality† is the other occupant in the carriage, yet it is not until this quatrain that we see the speaker has obtained it. As the speaker is looking at the past events through an eternal looking glass, she says that life, like the â€Å"Horses’ Heads† that picked her up, leads toward â€Å"Eternity. † In this last quatrain death ceases to be what d eath is, an end, but instead becomes an eternal journey of immortality.By ending with the word â€Å"eternity† the poem itself performs this eternity trailing off into the infinite. It is shown through Dickinson’s use of unconventional metaphors that no matter what one thinks about life and how busy one may be; death is never too busy to stop for anyone. Dickinson’s feelings are expressed through unusual symbolism to the reader; comparing death to a carriage ride with a kind gentleman and immortality. It is through the promise of immortality that fear is removed and death not only becomes acceptable, but welcomed as well.

Reading Comprehension Essay

Reading comprehension is a valuable and necessary tool in the learning process. It allows the reader to expand his vocabulary, understand the text he is reading, and use various strategies as he might need them in order to improve learning. It is necessary because it shapes the reader’s understanding of ideas and words. It assists his ability to make sense of ideas and concepts. It can even affect various parts of public life, such as the political arena. In assessing the reader’s state of reading comprehension, there are three levels: literal, interpretive, and applied. If the reader is not satisfied with his own level of reading comprehension, all is not lost. There are means by which to improve it. These include growing one’s vocabulary, utilizing multiple senses, and changing one’s reading speed. All of these tools serve to advance the learning process. In order for one to understand the value reading comprehension possesses, one must first understand what it is. Reading comprehension is â€Å"the process of understanding or making meaning when reading† (Elish-Piper, 2010). The reader can use what he knows to get a grasp of the material he is reading. For example, a large vocabulary—understanding the meanings of many words—can help someone understand a wide variety of texts. The text can usually be placed into a specific category. For example, a novel about an unsolved crime would be in the category of a mystery. The reader can then place the text into a proper context. For the purposes of our mystery novel, it could be for the reader’s own enjoyment, or perhaps an assignment for a college course. Elish-Piper asserts that â€Å"when the reader is able to connect these three key components,† it is much easier for that person to comprehend what he is reading. If the reader needs to, he can use strategies to help comprehend the text better. Elish-Piper also gives ideas for those strategies. With our mystery novel example, the reader could identify the â€Å"basic elements† of the story, which are present with any novel. These include plot, setting, and the main characters. Putting one’s self in the position of characters in the text could also help. Asking questions periodically is also a positive way of self-checking for knowledge and comprehension of the text. One might ask why this comprehension is so important. The very definition of reading comprehension serves to help answer that question. If the reader does not understand what he is reading, he probably is not gaining anything from it. It would be tantamount to staring at a book written in a foreign language. Learning does not happen by osmosis; it happens through understanding. It also allows us to make sense of ideas and concepts. The wider the variety of texts one has read and comprehended, the more knowledge that person has gained. A person with increased knowledge, therefore, understands more ideas and concepts than he did before. This can impact a wide variety of areas. It can even effect areas of public policy. Politicians pass laws, and these laws are (obviously) comprised of words. In order for these leaders to understand how their legislation will affect their intended group, they have to understand what they are writing and reading. Beyond this, policy itself is sometimes designed to shape the practice of education—and thus reading comprehension itself. Over the past years, policy makers have utilized â€Å"assessment data† in the various field of education, including reading comprehension, for â€Å"education purposes† (Moskowitz & Stephens, 2004). In supplement to policy makers, educators have their own views on reading comprehension. There are three levels of reading comprehension (Gambrell, Morrow, & Pressley, 2007). The first level is â€Å"literal. † Literal reading comprehension is the understanding of the base of what is in the text. It is the most basic level and includes items that are generally not left up to interpretation. These can include names, dates, places, and the like. The second level of reading comprehension is â€Å"interpretive. † This type of reading comprehension is not concerned so much with what is actually present, but rather, what one can gather. Reading between the lines and drawing from the reader’s own knowledge, and answering subjective questions, helps. Finally, the third and most advanced level of reading comprehension is â€Å"applied. † Bluntly, this level allows the reader to utilize what is present in the text, make sense of it using context clues, and then using the knowledge gained to learn and understand concepts and ideas outside the scope of the text at hand. Perhaps the reader is not satisfied with his level of reading comprehension. All is not lost; there are means to improve. The most obvious way to improve reading comprehension is to grow one’s vocabulary. It is never too late to learn new words. However, there is more that one can do than the obvious. Using multiple senses is an out-of-the-box way to understand new material. Combining visual and auditory senses is a helpful way to increase comprehension (Woolley, 2010). The reader can use his imagination to set the scene in the text and then read the text aloud or listen to an audio book. Making an outline of the crucial points of the text and then reading that aloud is another way to reiterate key points. Moreover, reading slowly with a purpose as opposed to reading for speed is another way to be sure the reader understands details (Newkirk, 2010). â€Å"Slowing down,† â€Å"memorizing,† and â€Å"savoring passages† are steps in this beneficial process. No matter one’s level of education, reading comprehension is an invaluable tool for success in life. Once a reader understands what reading comprehension is, he can assess his level of comprehension, and then take one or more of a large number of steps to increase his ability. This, in turn, will help him be able to make sense of the world around him, and thus, put himself in a better position to succeed with whatever he does. References Elish-Piper, L. (2010). Understanding reading comprehension: Information and ideas for parents about reading comprehension. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 38 (3). 49-52. Gambrell, L. B. , Morrow, L. M. , & Pressley, M. (2007). Best practices in literacy instruction. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Moskowitz, J. H. & Stephens, M. (2004). Comparing learning outcomes: International assessments and education policy. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Newkirk, T. (2010, March). The case for slow reading. Educational Leadership, 67 (6). 6. Woolley, G. (2010, June). Developing reading comprehension: Combining visual and verbal cognitive processes. Australian Journal of Language & Literacy, 33 (2). 108-125.