Why Video Games Can Be Educational, by You

Over the years video games have been proven to increase addiction to staying inside, along with increased aggression, and various medical and psychosocial effects. However there are many positive aspects to playing video games. Research dating back to the early 1980s has consistently shown that playing computer games (of different genre) produces reductions in reaction times, improved hand-eye co-ordination and raises the player’s self-esteem.Let’s explore into some of these aspects and arguments to determine the ultimate decision on whether video games can help your education. Video games might consume the attention and time of your children, but it is important to remember that technology has and will forever have an impact on childhood as we progress further into scientific research. Here are some things that video games can do well for your children’s health. Video games can be used to research new things.Video games can attract participation by individuals a cross many boundaries Video games can assist your child in making/and completing goals. Video games can be useful by measuring performance on a wide variety of tasks That is some info on what video games can do well for your child, now let’s see explore the possibilities of bad things that can come from this. Over-dependence on video games could foster social isolation, as they are often played alone.Practicing violent acts may contribute more to aggressive behavior than watching TV Many games only offer an arena of weapons, killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting. Most game portray a â€Å"be the most violent† to win scheme. After reading over all of those aspects and points made you are probably leading to think that they are going to do more damage to your child if you let them play video games rather than if you don’t. Sadly I cannot agree with you there and I am trying my best to make you believe that they can do more good than bad.If you are not convinced yet all the evidence points to them being more educational than harmful. Video games are frowned upon by parents as time-wasters, and worse, some education experts think that these games corrupt the brain. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future. When your child plays video games, it gives his brain a real workout. In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school.In most video games you can’t just roam around doing whatever you please. Most of them involve a common goal such as following instructions or problem solving and logic. Even if you make the decision to let your children play some of the more violent video games, they will be focused more on winning then killing and getting blood lust out of it. That was my argument on why video games do better than they do worse. I hope you agree with me now and enjoyed learning the facts abou t this topic. ï » ¿Why Video Games Can Be Educational, by You Over the years video games have been proven to increase addiction to staying inside, along with increased aggression, and various medical and psychosocial effects. However there are many positive aspects to playing video games. Research dating back to the early 1980s has consistently shown that playing computer games (of different genre) produces reductions in reaction times, improved hand-eye co-ordination and raises the player’s self-esteem.Let’s explore into some of these aspects and arguments to determine the ultimate decision on whether video games can help your education. Video games might consume the attention and time of your children, but it is important to remember that technology has and will forever have an impact on childhood as we progress further into scientific research. Here are some things that video games can do well for your children’s health. Video games can be used to research new things.Video games can attract participation by individuals a cross many boundaries Video games can assist your child in making/and completing goals. Video games can be useful by measuring performance on a wide variety of tasks That is some info on what video games can do well for your child, now let’s see explore the possibilities of bad things that can come from this. Over-dependence on video games could foster social isolation, as they are often played alone.Practicing violent acts may contribute more to aggressive behavior than watching TV Many games only offer an arena of weapons, killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting. Most game portray a â€Å"be the most violent† to win scheme. After reading over all of those aspects and points made you are probably leading to think that they are going to do more damage to your child if you let them play video games rather than if you don’t. Sadly I cannot agree with you there and I am trying my best to make you believe that they can do more good than bad.If you are not convinced yet all the evidence points to them being more educational than harmful. Video games are frowned upon by parents as time-wasters, and worse, some education experts think that these games corrupt the brain. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future. When your child plays video games, it gives his brain a real workout. In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school.In most video games you can’t just roam around doing whatever you please. Most of them involve a common goal such as following instructions or problem solving and logic. Even if you make the decision to let your children play some of the more violent video games, they will be focused more on winning then killing and getting blood lust out of it. That was my argument on why video games do better than they do worse. I hope you agree with me now and enjoyed learning the facts abou t this topic.

Limit

Q1. What is the difference between a left neighborhood and a right neighborhood of a number? How does this concept become relevant in determining a limit of a function? Answer: Left neighborhood of a number ‘a’ represents numbers lesser than the number ‘a’ and is denoted by ‘a-’ or ‘a-d’, where d is infinitesimally small. Similarly, right neighborhood of a number ‘a’ represents numbers greater than the number ‘a’ and is denoted by ‘a+’ or or ‘a+d’, where d is infinitesimally small. This concept is very important in determining limit of a function. A function f(x) of ‘x’ will have a limit at x = a; if and only if f(a-d) = f(a+d) = f(a); where d is infinitesimally small. Q2. A limit of a function at a point of discontinuity does not exist. Why? Give an example. Answer: For existence of limit of function f(x) of ‘x’; at x = a; the necessary and sufficient condition is f(a-d) = f(a+d) = f(a); where d is infinitesimally small. At a point of discontinuity, f(a-d) ≠  f(a+d). Therefore, limit of a function does not exist at a point of discontinuity. The following example will make it clear. Let us take example of integer function. This function is defined in the following manner: f(x) = a;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   where ‘a’ is an integer less than or equal to x. Let us check if limit exists for this function at x = ‘a’, where ‘a’ is an integer. Now left hand side limit = f(a-d) = a-1 And right hand side limit = f(a+d) = a Thus, f(a-d) ≠  f(a+d); and hence limit does not exists for this function. If this function is plotted, there is discontinuity at all integer points. Thus it can be seen that limit of a function does not exist at a point of discontinuity. 3. What is the difference between a derivative of a function and its slope? Give a detailed explanation. Answer: Derivative of a function is another function, which remains same throughout the domain of the function at all the points. Slope of a function on the other hand is the value of the derivative. This value may change from point to point depending on the nature of the function. Let us take an example. Derivative of Sin(x) is Cos(x) for all values of ‘x’. If one looks at the slope of Sin(x), its value keeps changing in [-1, +1] range from point to point. Slope of Sin(x) is -1 for x = odd integral multiples of p; +1 for x = even multiples of p and 0 for x = odd multiples of p/2. Thus, it can be seen that while derivative of a function remains the same while its slope could be changing from point to point.

Spirit Bound Chapter Nineteen

â€Å"ARE YOU CRAZY?† I ASKED. He gave me the same wordless look he always did when I asked that question. I sighed and tried again. â€Å"A party? That's pushing it, even for you. People just died! Guardians. Priscilla Voda.† Not to mention, people had just come back from the dead. Probably best to leave that part out. â€Å"This isn't the time to get trashed and play beer pong.† I expected Adrian to say that it was always a good time for beer pong, but he remained serious. â€Å"Actually, it's because people died that there's going to be a party. It's not a kegger type. Maybe party's not even the right word. It's a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned, grasping at words. â€Å"A special event. An elite one.† â€Å"All royal parties are elite ones,† I pointed out. â€Å"Yeah, but not every royal is invited to this. It's the†¦ well, elite of the elite.† That really wasn't helping. â€Å"Adrian–â€Å" â€Å"No, listen.† He made that familiar gesture of his that indicated frustration, running his hand through his hair. â€Å"It's not so much a party as a ceremony. An old, old tradition from†¦ I don't know. Romania, I think. They call it the Death Watch. But it's a way to honor the dead, a secret that's been passed on through the oldest bloodlines.† Flashbacks of a destructive secret society at St. Vladimir's came back to me. â€Å"This isn't some Mana thing, is it?† â€Å"No, I swear. Please, Rose. I'm not all that into it either, but my mom's making me go, and I'd really like it if you were there with me.† Elite and bloodline were warning words to me. â€Å"Will there be other dhampirs there?† â€Å"No.† He then added quickly, â€Å"But I made arrangements for some people you'll approve of to be there. It'll make it better for both of us.† â€Å"Lissa?† I guessed. If ever there was an esteemed bloodline, hers was it. â€Å"Yeah. I just ran into her at the medical center. Her reaction was about like yours.† That made me smile. It also piqued my interest. I wanted to talk to her more about what had happened during her visit to Dimitri and knew she'd been avoiding me because of it. If going to some silly royal ritual or whatever it was could get me to her, then so much the better. â€Å"Who else?† â€Å"People you'll like.† â€Å"Fine. Be mysterious. I'll go to your cult meeting.† That earned me a return smile. â€Å"Hardly a cult, little dhampir. It really is a way to pay last respects to the people killed in that fight.† He reached out and ran a hand along my cheek. â€Å"And I'm glad†¦ God, I'm so glad you weren't one of them. You don't know†¦.† His voice caught, the flippant smile trembling for a moment before stabilizing again. â€Å"You don't know how worried I was. Every minute you were gone, every minute I didn't know what had happened to you†¦ it was agony. And even after I heard you were okay, I kept asking everyone at the medical center what they knew. Had they seen you fight, did you get hurt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I felt a lump in my throat. I hadn't been able to see Adrian when I'd returned, but I should have sent a message, at least. I squeezed his hand and tried to make a joke of something that really wasn't funny. â€Å"What'd they say? That I was a badass?† â€Å"Yeah, actually. They couldn't stop talking about how amazing you were in battle. Word got back to Aunt Tatiana too about what you did, and even she was impressed.† Whoa. That was a surprise. I started to ask more, but his next words brought me up short. â€Å"I also heard you were yelling at anyone you could to find out about Belikov. And that you were beating down the guardians' doors this morning.† I looked away. â€Å"Oh. Yeah. I†¦ Look, I'm sorry, but I had to–â€Å" â€Å"Hey, hey.† His voice was heavy and earnest. â€Å"Don't apologize. I understand.† I looked up at him. â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Look, it's not like I didn't expect this if he came back.† I glanced back at him hesitantly, studying his serious expression. â€Å"I know. I remember what you said before†¦.† He nodded, then gave me another rueful smile. â€Å"Of course, I didn't actually expect any of this to work. Lissa tried to explain the magic she used†¦ but good God. I don't think I could ever do anything like she did.† â€Å"Do you believe?† I asked. â€Å"Do you believe he's no longer Strigoi?† â€Å"Yeah. Lissa said he's not, and I believe her. And I saw him from a distance out in the sun. But I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to try to see him.† â€Å"That's your jealousy talking.† I had absolutely no right to sound accusing, considering the way my heart was all tangled up over Dimitri. â€Å"Of course it's jealousy,† said Adrian nonchalantly. â€Å"What do you expect? The former love of your life comes back–from the dead, no less. That's not something I'm really excited about. But I don't blame you for feeling confused.† â€Å"I told you before–â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know.† Adrian didn't sound particularly upset. In fact, there was a surprisingly patient tone in his voice. â€Å"I know you said him coming back wouldn't affect things between us. But saying one thing before it happens and then actually having that thing happen are two different things.† â€Å"What are you getting at?† I asked, kind of confused. â€Å"I want you, Rose.† He squeezed my hand more tightly. â€Å"I've always wanted you. I want to be with you. I'd like to be like other guys and say I want to take care of you too, but†¦ well. When it comes down to it, you'd probably be the one taking care of me.† I laughed in spite of myself. â€Å"Some days I think you're in more danger from yourself than anyone else. You smell like cigarettes, you know.† â€Å"Hey, I have never, ever said I was perfect. And you're wrong. You're probably the most dangerous thing in my life.† â€Å"Adrian–â€Å" â€Å"Wait.† With his other hand, he pressed his fingers over my lips. â€Å"Just listen. It'd be stupid for me to think that your old boyfriend coming back isn't going to have any effect on you. So do I like you wanting to see him? No, of course not. That's instinct. But there's more, you know. I do believe that he's a dhampir again. Absolutely. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But what?† Adrian's words had me more curious than ever now. â€Å"But just because he isn't a Strigoi doesn't mean it's entirely gone from him. Hold on.† Adrian could see my mouth opening in outrage. â€Å"I'm not saying he's evil or means to be evil or anything like that. But what he went through†¦ It's huge. Epic. We really don't know much about the changing process. What effect did that kind of life have on him? Are there violent parts of him that might suddenly lash out? That's what I'm worried about Rose. I know you. I know you aren't going to be able to help yourself. You'll have to see him and talk to him. But is it safe? That's what no one knows. We don't know anything about this. We don't know if he's dangerous.† Christian had said the same thing to Lissa. I examined Adrian intently. It sounded like a convenient excuse to keep Dimitri and me apart. Yet, I saw truth in those deep green eyes. He meant it. He was nervous about what Dimitri might do. Adrian had also been honest about being jealous, which I had to admire. He hadn't ordered me not to see Dimitri or tried to dictate my behavior. I liked that too. I extended my hand and laced my fingers with Adrian's. â€Å"He's not dangerous. He's†¦ sad. Sad for what he's done. The guilt's killing him.† â€Å"I can imagine. I probably wouldn't forgive myself either if I suddenly realized I'd been brutally killing people for the last four months.† Adrian pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head. â€Å"And for everyone's sake–yes, even his–I really hope he is exactly the way he was. Just be careful, okay?† â€Å"I will,† I said, kissing his cheek. â€Å"Inasmuch as I ever am.† He grinned and released me. â€Å"That's the best I can hope for. For now, I've got to head back to my parents' for a little bit. I'll come back for you at four, okay?† â€Å"Okay. Is there anything I should wear to this secret party?† â€Å"Nice dress clothes are fine.† Something occurred to me. â€Å"If this is so elite and prestigious, how are you going to get a lowly dhampir like me in?† â€Å"With this.† Adrian reached for a bag he'd set down upon entering. He handed it to me. Curiously, I opened the bag and gaped at what I saw. It was a mask, one that just covered the top half of the face around the eyes. It was intricately worked with gold and green leaves and bejeweled flowers. â€Å"A mask?† I exclaimed. â€Å"We're wearing masks to this thing? What is this, Halloween?† He winked. â€Å"See you at four.† We didn't actually put on the masks until we arrived at the Death Watch. As part of the secret nature of it all, Adrian said we didn't want to call any attention to ourselves while going to it. So we walked across the Court's grounds dressed up–I wore the same dress I'd worn to dinner at his parents'–but not getting much more notice than the two of us usually did when we were together. Besides, it was late, and a lot of the Court was getting ready for bed. Our destination surprised me. It was one of the buildings that non-royal Court workers lived in, one that was very near Mia's. Well, I supposed the last place you'd look for a royal party would be at the home of a commoner. Except we didn't go to any of the apartments inside. Once we stepped into the building's lobby, Adrian indicated we should put our masks on. He then took me over to what appeared to be a janitor's closet. It wasn't. Instead, the door opened to a staircase leading down into darkness. I couldn't see the bottom, which put me on high alert. I instinctively wanted to know the details of every situation I entered. Adrian seemed calm and confident as he headed down, so I took it on faith he wasn't leading me to some sacrificial altar. I hated to admit it, but curiosity over this Death Watch thing was temporarily taking my mind off Dimitri. Adrian and I eventually reached another door, and this one had two guards. Both men were Moroi, both masked like Adrian and me. Their postures were stiff and defensive. They said nothing but simply looked at us expectantly. Adrian said a few words that sounded like Romanian, and a moment later, one of the men unlocked the door and gestured us inside. â€Å"Secret password?† I murmured to Adrian as we swept past. â€Å"Passwords, actually. One for you and one for me. Every guest has a unique one.† We stepped into a narrow tunnel lit only by torches embedded in the walls. Their dancing flames cast fanciful shadows as we passed by. From far ahead, the low murmur of conversation reached us. It sounded surprisingly normal, like any conversation you'd hear at a party. Based on Adrian's description, I'd half-expected to hear chanting or drums. I shook my head. â€Å"I knew it. They keep a medieval dungeon under the Court. I'm surprised there aren't chains on the walls.† â€Å"Scared?† Adrian teased, clasping hold of my hand. â€Å"Of this? Hardly. I mean, on the Rose Hathaway Scale of Scariness, this is barely a–â€Å" We emerged out of the hall before I could finish. An expansive room with vaulted ceilings spread out before us, something that boggled my spatially challenged brain as I tried to recall just how far underground we'd gone. Wrought-iron chandeliers holding lit candles hung from the ceiling, casting the same ghostly light the torches had. The walls were made of stone, but it was a very artful, pretty stone: gray with reddish flecks, polished into smooth round pieces. Someone had wanted to keep the Old World dungeon feel but still have the place look stylish. It was a typical line of royal thinking. Fifty or so people were milling around the room, some huddled in groups. Like Adrian and me, they wore formal clothing and half masks. All the masks were different. Some had a floral theme like mine, while others were decorated with animals. Some simply had swirls or geometric designs. Even though the masks only covered half the guests' faces, the sketchy lighting went a long way to obscure any other identifying features. I scrutinized them carefully, hoping I might pick out details that would give someone away. Adrian led me out of the entryway and over toward a corner. As my view of the area expanded, I could see a large fire pit in the middle of the room, embedded in the stone floor. No fire burned in it, but everyone kept well away. For a moment, I had a disorienting flash of deja vu, thinking back to my time in Siberia. I'd been to a type of memorial ceremony there too–though hardly one with masks or passwords–and everyone had sat around a bonfire outdoors. It had been in Dimitri's honor, as all those who had loved him sat and told stories about him. I tried to get a better look at the fire, but Adrian was intent on keeping us behind the bulk of the crowd. â€Å"Don't bring attention to yourself,† he warned. â€Å"I was just looking.† â€Å"Yeah, but anyone who looks too close is going to realize you're the shortest person here. It'd be pretty obvious you're a dhampir. This is elite old blood, remember?† I frowned at him as much as I could through the mask. â€Å"But I thought you said you'd made arrangements for me to be here?† I groaned when he didn't answer. â€Å"Does ‘making arrangements' mean just sneaking me in? If so, those guys were kind of crap security.† Adrian scoffed. â€Å"Hey, we had the right passwords. That's all it takes. I stole–er, borrowed them off my mom's list.† â€Å"Your mom's one of the people who helped organize this?† â€Å"Yup. Her branch of the Tarus family's been deep inside this group for centuries. They apparently had a really big ceremony here after the school attack.† I turned all of this over in my mind, trying to decide how I felt. I hated when people were obsessed with status and appearances, yet it was hard to fault them wanting to honor those who had been killed–particularly when a majority of them had been dhampirs. The Strigoi attack on St. Vladimir's was a memory that would forever haunt me. Before I could ponder much further, a familiar sensation swept me. â€Å"Lissa's here,† I said, looking around. I could feel her nearby but didn't spot her immediately in the sea of masks and shadows. â€Å"There.† She stood apart from some of the others, wearing a rosehued dress and a white and gold mask with swans on it. Through our link, I felt her searching for anyone she knew. I impulsively started to go to her, but Adrian held me back, telling me to wait while he retrieved her. â€Å"What is all this?† she asked when she reached me. â€Å"I figured you'd know,† I told her. â€Å"It's all top secret royal stuff.† â€Å"Too top secret for me,† she said. â€Å"I got my invite from the queen. She told me it was part of my heritage and to keep it to myself, and then Adrian came and said I had to come for your sake.† â€Å"Tatiana invited you directly?† I exclaimed. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. Lissa would have hardly needed sneaking in like I did. I figured someone would have made sure she got an invitation, but I'd assumed it had all been Adrian's doing. I glanced around uneasily. â€Å"Is Tatiana here?† â€Å"Likely,† said Adrian, voice annoyingly casual. As usual, his aunt's presence didn't have the same impact on him that it did the rest of us. â€Å"Oh, hey. There's Christian. With the fire mask.† I didn't know how Adrian spotted Christian, aside from the not-so-subtle mask metaphor. With his height and dark hair, Christian easily blended in with the other Moroi around him and had even been chatting with a girl standing nearby, which seemed out of character. â€Å"No way did he get a legit invite,† I said. If any Ozeras had been deemed special enough to come to this, Christian wouldn't have been one of them. â€Å"He didn't,† agreed Adrian, making a small gesture for Christian to join us. â€Å"I gave him one of the passwords I stole from Mom.† I gave Adrian a startled look. â€Å"How many did you steal?† â€Å"Enough to–â€Å" â€Å"Let us come to attention.† A man's booming voice rang out through the room, halting both Adrian's words and Christian's steps. With a grimace, Christian returned to where he'd been standing, cut off from us now on the other side of the room. It looked like I wouldn't have the chance to ask Lissa about Dimitri after all. Without any direction, the others in the room began forming a circle around the fire pit. The room wasn't big enough for us to make a single-layered circle, so I was still able to stay behind other Moroi as I watched the spectacle. Lissa stood by me, but her attention was fixated across from us, on Christian. She was disappointed that he hadn't been able to join us. â€Å"Tonight we come to honor the spirits of those who died fighting the great evil that has plagued us for so long.† This was the same man who had called us to attention. The black mask he wore glittered with silver swirls. He wasn't anyone special that I recognized. It was probably safe to assume that he was someone from an important bloodline who happened to have a good voice for bringing people together. Adrian confirmed it. â€Å"That's Anthony Badica. They always recruit him as an emcee.† Anthony seemed more like a religious leader than an emcee right now, but I didn't want to answer back and attract anyone's notice. â€Å"Tonight we honor them,† continued Anthony. I flinched as almost everyone around us repeated those words. Lissa and I exchanged startled looks. Apparently, there was a script we hadn't been told about. â€Å"Their lives were taken from us too soon,† continued Anthony. â€Å"Tonight we honor them.† Okay, this script might not be so hard to follow after all. Anthony kept talking about how terrible the tragedy was, and we repeated the same response. The whole idea of this Death Watch still weirded me out, but Lissa's sadness permeated the bond and began to affect me too. Priscilla had always been good to her–and polite to me. Grant might have only been Lissa's guardian a short time, but he had protected her and helped her. In fact, if not for Grant's work with Lissa, Dimitri might still be a Strigoi. So, slowly, the gravity of it all began to hit me, and even if I thought there were better ways to mourn, I appreciated the acknowledgment the dead were getting. After a few more refrains, Anthony gestured someone forward. A woman in a glittering emerald mask came forward with a torch. Adrian shifted beside me. â€Å"My darling mother,† he murmured. Sure enough. Now that he'd pointed it out, I could clearly make out Daniella's features. She tossed her torch into the fire pit, and it lit up like the Fourth of July. Someone must have doused that wood with either gasoline or Russian vodka. Maybe both. No wonder the other guests had kept their distance. Daniella melted into the crowd, and another woman came forward holding a tray with golden goblets. Walking around the circle, she handed a cup to each person. When she ran out, another woman appeared with a tray. As the goblets were distributed, Anthony explained, â€Å"Now we will toast and drink to the dead, so that their spirits will move on and find peace.† I shifted uncomfortably. People talked about restless spirits and the dead finding peace without really knowing what that meant. Being shadow-kissed came with the ability to see the restless dead, and it had taken me a long time to gain control so that I didn't see them. They were always around me; I had to work to keep them blocked out. I wondered what I'd see now if I let down my walls. Would the ghosts of those killed the night of Dimitri's attack be hovering around us? Adrian sniffed his cup as soon as he got it and scowled. For a moment, I felt panic until I sniffed mine too. â€Å"Wine. Thank God,† I whispered to him. â€Å"From your face, I thought it was blood.† I recalled how much he hated blood that wasn't straight from the source. â€Å"Nah,† he murmured back. â€Å"Just a bad vintage.† When everyone had their wine, Anthony raised his cup over his head with both hands. With the fire behind him, it gave him an almost sinister, otherworldly look. â€Å"We drink to Priscilla Voda,† he said. â€Å"We drink to Priscilla Voda,† everyone repeated. He brought the goblet down and took a sip. So did everyone else–well, except for Adrian. He gulped half his down, bad vintage or not. Anthony raised his cup over his head again. â€Å"We drink to James Wilket.† As I repeated the words, I realized James Wilket was one of Priscilla's guardians. This crazy group of royals really was showing respect to dhampirs. We went through the other guardians one by one, but I kept my sips small, wanting to keep a level head tonight. I was pretty sure that by the end of the name list, Adrian was faking his sips because he'd run out. When Anthony finished naming all who had died, he held his cup up again and approached the blazing fire, which had begun to make the small room uncomfortably hot. The back of my dress was growing damp with sweat. â€Å"To all those lost by the great evil, we honor your spirits and hope they will move on in peace to the next world.† He then dumped the remainder of his wine into the flames. All this talk of spirits lingering in the world certainly didn't go along with the usual Christian afterlife beliefs that dominated Moroi religion. It made me wonder just how old this ceremony really was. Once more, I had an urge to drop my barriers and see if any of this had really drawn ghosts to us, but I feared what I'd find. Besides, I promptly got distracted when everyone else in the circle began dumping their wine into the fire as well. One by one, going clockwise, each person approached. All was silent as this happened, save for the crackling in the fire pit and shifting of logs. Everyone watched respectfully. When my turn came, I fought hard not to tremble. I hadn't forgotten that Adrian had sneaked me in here. Lowly Moroi weren't allowed, let alone dhampirs. What would they do? Declare the space violated? Mob me? Cast me into the fire? My fears proved unfounded. No one said or did anything unusual as I poured out my wine, and a moment later, Adrian stepped forward for his turn. I melted back beside Lissa. When the entire circle had gone up, we were led into a moment of silence for the departed. Having witnessed Lissa's kidnapping and subsequent rescue, I had a lot of dead to ponder. No amount of silence would ever do them justice. Another unspoken signal seemed to pass through the room. The circle dispersed, and the tension lifted. People again fell into small chatty groups, just like at any other party, though I did see tears on the faces of some. â€Å"A lot of people must have liked Priscilla,† I observed. Adrian turned toward a table that had mysteriously been arranged during the ceremony. It sat against the back wall and was filled with fruit, cheese, and more wine. Naturally, he poured a glass. â€Å"They aren't all crying for her,† he said. â€Å"I find it hard to believe they're crying for the dhampirs,† I pointed out. â€Å"No one here even knew them.† â€Å"Not true,† he said. Lissa quickly caught his meaning. â€Å"Most of the people who went on the rescue would have been guardians assigned to Moroi. They couldn't all be Court guardians.† She was right, I realized. We'd had too many people with us at the warehouse. Many of these Moroi had undoubtedly lost guardians that they'd become close to. Despite the disdain I often had for these types of royals, I knew some had probably formed legitimate friendships with and attachments to their bodyguards. â€Å"This is a lame party,† a voice suddenly said. We turned and saw that Christian had finally made his way over to us. â€Å"I couldn't tell if we were supposed to be having a funeral or summoning the devil. It was kind of a half-assed attempt at both.† â€Å"Stop it,† I said, surprising myself. â€Å"Those people died for you last night. Whatever this is, it's still out of respect for them.† Christian's face grew sober. â€Å"You're right.† Beside me, I'd felt Lissa light up inside when she saw him. The horrors of their ordeal had brought them closer together, and I recalled the tenderness they'd shared on the ride back. She offered him a warm look and got a tentative smile in return. Maybe some good would come of all that had happened. Maybe they'd be able to fix their problems. Or maybe not. Adrian broke into a grin. â€Å"Hey. Glad you could make it.† For a moment, I thought he was speaking to Christian. Then I looked and saw a girl in a peacock mask had joined us. With the mingling people and masks, I hadn't noticed that she was purposely standing near us. I peered at her, seeing only blue eyes and golden curls before I finally recognized her. Mia. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked. She grinned. â€Å"Adrian got me a password.† â€Å"Adrian apparently got passwords for half the party.† He seemed very pleased with himself. â€Å"See?† he said, smiling at me. â€Å"I told you I'd make this worth your while. The whole gang's here. Nearly.† â€Å"This is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen,† said Mia, glancing around. â€Å"I don't see why it has to be a secret that the people who got killed were heroes. Why can't they wait for the group funeral?† Adrian shrugged. â€Å"I told you, this is an ancient ceremony. It's a holdover from the Old Country, and these people think it's important. From what I know, it used to be a lot more elaborate. This is the modernized version.† It occurred to me then that Lissa hadn't said a single word since we'd noticed Christian had come with Mia. I opened myself to the bond, feeling a flood of jealousy and resentment. I still maintained Mia was one of the last people Christian would be involved with. (Okay, it was hard for me to imagine him involved with anyone. His getting together with Lissa had been monumental.) Lissa couldn't see that, though. All she saw was him continually hanging out with other girls. As our conversation continued, Lissa's attitude grew frostier, and the friendly looks he'd been giving her began to fade. â€Å"So is it true?† Mia asked, oblivious to the drama unfolding around her. â€Å"Is Dimitri really†¦ back?† Lissa and I exchanged glances. â€Å"Yes,† I said firmly. â€Å"He's a dhampir, but no one believes it yet. Because they're idiots.† â€Å"It just happened, little dhampir.† Adrian's tone was gentle, though the topic clearly made him uncomfortable too. â€Å"You can't expect everyone to get on board with it right away.† â€Å"But they are idiots,† said Lissa fiercely. â€Å"Anyone who talks to him can tell he's not a Strigoi. I'm pushing for them to let him out of his cell so that people can actually see for themselves.† I wished she would push a little harder for me to get to see him, but now wasn't the time to talk about that. Eyeing the room, I wondered if some people would have trouble accepting Dimitri because of his role in the deaths of their loved ones. He hadn't been in control of himself, but that wasn't enough to bring back the dead. Still uncomfortable around Christian, Lissa was growing restless. She also wanted to leave and check on Dimitri. â€Å"How long do we have to stay here? Is there more to–â€Å" â€Å"Who the hell are you?† Our little cluster turned as one and found Anthony standing by us. Considering most of us were here illicitly, he could have been speaking to anyone. But, based on where his gaze was fixed, there was no question who he meant. He was talking to me.

A Journal opinion article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

A Journal opinion article - Essay Example Levin acknowledged in the article that the practice of buybacks or companies buying its own stocks is unhealthy and proposed that the general public should be notified beforehand for greater transparency. But as it is, buybacks are still practiced and if one thinks that this helps America’s economic recovery, it does not. The pracitce of corporate America of buying back its stocks will not help to recover but in fact will threaten its economy. It seems that we have not learned our lesson after all as we are again back at manipulating balance sheets to have a perception of value. Corporate America is again practicing the same principle of financial manipulation that precipitated the mortgage criss that brought us the â€Å"Financial Crisis† that took America to recover and this recovery is even questionable today. Buying stocks back is just a convenient way of unloading those excessive cash in the guise of avoiding dilution and increasing stock value. To finally recover from the crisis that we are in, values in terms of productivity has to be created. Coupled with healthy spending that will translate to a robust domestic consumption which will have a ripple effect of encouraging more production. In other words, for us to recover, plants has to be erected, new technology has to be developed, companies has to hire employees or engage in any economic activity that will create â€Å"real value† and not just buyback stocks to increase it value. Buying back stocks does not do this although it will convey the perception that a company is performing well. To explain this further, it will serve us well to cite an example to better understand how stock buybacks create a perceive performance without creating any real value. Let us assume a company buys back a million shares at $ 5 per share with a $10,000,000 cash. Profit is at $1,000,000. Observe how return on assets, return on shares and price earning ratio improve without any increase in profit. Bef ore Buyback After Buying Back Cash $ 10,000,000 $ 5,000,000 Assets 30,000,000 20,000,000 Profit 1,000,000 1,000,000 Outstanding shares 10,000,000 9,000,000 Return on Assets 3.33 % 5.00 % Return per share $ 10 $ 11.11 The above illustrates how a company increases its perceived value without an increased productivity. It just unload the cash of $10,000,000 by buying back a million shares at $10 per share. The cash diminished to $20,000,000 ($30,000,000 cash minus $10,000,000 buyback) increasing the return on assets to 5 % (1,000,000/20,000,000). Above all, the price-earnings ratio (P/E), the ratio which is often used as a measure of value of the company also increased without creating any â€Å"real value† (lower ratio is better). Where before the P/E ratio is 50 ($5/$10), it decreases to 45 ($5/$11.11) by simply unloading its cash by buying back its stocks. This is what Levin is discussing in the article â€Å"Secret Buybacks Are Unfair to Shareholdersâ€Å". Companies are c reating perceived value with the increase in return on assets, improved price earning ratio and higher return on share without creating anything. Companies only intend to give higher dividends to its stockholders which

Monique and the Mango Rains. Gendered Inequality from an Essay

Monique and the Mango Rains. Gendered Inequality from an Anthropological Perspective - Essay Example Women, however, are not allowed by law of the land to own any property and in case they do, then it is assumed to belong to the immediate male over them. They are not to be listened to since their views are underrated. Traditionally and historically, some chores are considered ‘masculine’ and no woman is allowed into these fields no matter their qualifications. This is male dominance and sexism, which fiercely promotes gender inequality in the society. These are some of the truths that have shaped unspeakable gender inequality. In the book ‘Monique and the mango rains’, Kris highlights on the different areas where women have been discriminated against in the Mali community, bringing about gender inequality. This essay highlights these concepts of inequality and how they have hampered women rise to higher positions in the community. Kris presents a personal encounter of the life situations in the western country; Mali, painting a pathetic picture of what wome n undergo. Women, here, are given less significance by the community as a whole. They are not given adequate maternal care in the case of reproductive health. In the building of the economy, the feminine gender is neglected. Even the little that they earn out of their hard work is planned for inappropriately by the men who control them. They are given no option to choose or decline marriage, whereby, they are mostly forced into it. It is very worrying, how they are multitasked with most of the chores in their homes and community (Holloway & Bidwell, 2007). There are various components that are seen as promoting gender inequality among the Malian women portrayed by Holloway. Some of these components include issues on reproductive health. It is, for instance, mentioned that, among the community of over 1,400 occupants, there is only one midwife; Monique. She is overwhelmed with activities ranging from helping expectant mothers to deliver, advising of health since they are mostly malno urished and even on matters of birth control, which is almost unheard of in this society. This is too much for only one woman; therefore, most of the reproductive health issues are left unattended to. Mortality rate among pregnant mothers is given as very high; every one women out of 12 die out of reproductive related issues (Holloway & Bidwell, 2007). There is the component of gender inequality on the part of economy streamlining. The only salaried working woman mentioned here in the Mali community, is Monique. She is seen working the whole day in a makeshift birth centre under a torn roof. Her salary, however, goes to the extravagant father-in-law and unfaithful husband. She cannot be able to plan for her salary independently. This shows that a woman in Mali is voiceless even in managing her own resources. Outside this clinic picture, the woman is also overworked. There are, however, no accounts of productive use of these funds, which mostly goes to their male relatives. They are left with little, if any, to manage and help in economic growth matters. The Malian women have the most disadvantageous part in forced marriages. It all starts with Female Genital Mutilation (F.G.M.), which to them is universal. This argument is developed from the instance where we are told that Monique thought that this rite was universal, that even Kris must have undergone it. This rite is the first step in developing

Reply 1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reply 1 - Coursework Example Unfortunately, he does not succeed in creating a creature that would be accepted by mankind and live harmoniously with other people. The wrath that the character possesses can be associated with harsh treatment that it receives from humans and lack of someone responsible to mentor it in acquiring social skills. It says, â€Å"All men hate the wretched; how then must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!† (Shelley, ch.10, pg.83). Frankenstein fails to take responsibility for mentoring his creature to start thinking positively about its nature. He abandons it; a factor that exposes it to harsh treatment by other human beings, and also loneliness. Therefore, it starts to hate itself and humankind for the hardships of life that it experiences. Moreover, Frankenstein does not make any effort to defend his creature from being mistreated by other people within the society. He lets live miserably and starts blaming it for anything that goes wrong in his life. For instance, there is no substantial evidence to link the creature with the death of his brother. It is the hate that he has for the creature that makes him think that it handled the murder. He does not consider what if the creature visited the place where William died to mourn the death of its creator’s sibling because it would not be allowed to attend his burial

Radiohead and Kid A Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Radiohead and Kid A - Research Paper Example Band leader Thom Yorke commented that the album simply reflected the music the band was mainly listening to at the time they were creating the album, though there is evident an obvious attempt to depart from the band’s previous ‘rock’ style. There are evident influences from synthesised bands such as Aphex Twin, Talking Heads and jazz artists such as Charles Mingus and Miles Davis. Some songs, particularly ‘How to Disappear’, contain heavy classical influences. ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack’ is a particular example of the band’s new direction, and experimenting with minimal sound yet varied instruments, as well as new and old styles. The album’s style is certainly a new direction from the band’s older albums, and it perhaps symbolises the band’s injection of personal influences into their musical style. Concepts Behind the Album Radiohead experimented with the music of Kid A, and its comparison to earlier albums s hows a distinct move from their usual ‘alternative rock’ style to a more electronic music style (Gilbert). For this album, Radiohead experimented with a broader range of musical instruments; a rather different approach compared to their previous focus on the use of guitars. Radiohead incorporated the use of keyboards, brass and strings – a depiction of their classical music and jazz influences. The music contains less use of lyrics than previous albums, and the lyrics that the band does use are more conceptual and theoretical than the lyrics they had created before. Many described Kid A as an evolution of the band: â€Å"their core sound had changed† (Koehler 193). Perhaps the success of Kid A is owed to its new sound; the inability to slot it into any one musical genre, as Kaye claims: â€Å"the album is a motley painting of many types of music, mixed and bended in playful and satirical ways, that cannot be boxed into any neat compartment (sic)† (241). Perhaps the most prominent feature of Kid A’s music style is Yorke’s adamant departure from rock; he claimed â€Å"I never wanted to be in a...rock group† (Lin 32). One can hear the band’s avoidance of producing yet another ‘alternative rock’ album, and the experimentation they undertook, although it is mainly synthesised and electronic, cannot be particularly classed as any single genre. It seems that the band achieved this goal very successfully. Tension Among the Band Led to this Album The problems faced by the band, particularly Thom York e leading up to and during the creation of the album are certainly not few and far between. There was not only tension in the band, but Yorke had begun to feel alienated from the fast paced life of the rest of the world, as well as feeling that his music had become mainstream and unimportant (‘Meeting People is Easy’). Yorke shunned media attention which had been created as a result of Radiohead’s success, and the exhausted band almost split up before the making of Kid A. The main problems facing the band as a whole, however, were due to the constant disagreements which arose between the members as to the musical style the album should be based on. The main tension was between Yorke’s desire to inject electronic music into the band’s style and the rest of the band’s desire to remain with the guitar ‘rock-pop-alternative’ style. As a result of the conglomerated problems, Yorke faced many difficulties while trying to write songs

Development of Academic and Vocational Curricula Essay

Development of Academic and Vocational Curricula - Essay Example Basically the outcome of the condition or in other words the end results of the subject’s views on an issue or a particular subject should be treated with fairness or egalitarianism so as to reduce or utmost get rid of the differences between the people or the society that has issues to tackle. This is often referred to as equality of outcome (Equality of outcome). This is achievable if the societies at large join in hands in promoting equality of outcome so as to give a chance to any individual, subject, idea, notion e.t.c that has any point of observation to make on a particular subject. In regard to this subject it seems that there have been milestones in tackling the issue of review and development of academic and vocational curricula at the level 14 – 19 due to differences in calibre, stand, position and ranks of the education. Hence this has led to disarray in the education arena since the indifferences that have cropped up is visibly demonstrated between the various groups on this issue regarding whether the review is feasible or not. Definitely it is explicitly visible that equality of status is looming on this review and development of academic and vocational curricula of 14 – 19 level, since indifference has cropped up hence the debate is still an issue to tackle with a lot of keenness due to the challenge of chronological antagonism on vocational education compared to academic education in terms of its qualification status. There are also sharp and unresolved indifferences between the ministers or government’s spear leaders and the scho ol specialist bodies in education and personalities such as Mr. Tomlinson’s inquiry and Chief Inspector David Bell among others on this education development and reforms issues of 14 – 19 level. Â  

Discuss the conflicts and tensions between the expectations of Essay

Discuss the conflicts and tensions between the expectations of society, the aims of business and the roles of government as exemplified by the pharmaceutical in - Essay Example There are several areas upon which impact of these conflicting interest are greatly observable. In our case scenario, we take the pharmaceutical industry as our case model. However, our discussions will only be limited on the interrelations between outside factors namely government regulations and the expectations of society vis-Ã  -vis the internal management systems and responses of the company, especially in terms of labour and production. We will deal mostly on the aspects of labour and how it is affected by the business cycles and trends. Hence, we will focus more on the management aspects and less on the activities and developments of the pharmaceutical industries. Economic cycles can be viewed in terms of predictable long-term1 pattern of changes in the national income of a given country. Based on established patterns, we have a traditional business cycles which involves four stages namely expansion2, prosperity3, contraction4 and recession5. This is a cycle whereby at the end of the recession period, the expansion stage kicks-up again. During these economic stages, we can observe chain reactions in the different aspects of the business sector. Common characteristics in these cycle of events in the impact it has on the labour in terms of changing employments, the productivity where there may be more of less production depending on the cycle and the rise and fall of interest rates depending on the cycle involved.6 To illustrate this scenario, let us look back into our economic history. In the 1970s up to the 1980s, a steady rise of unemployment rates in Europe can be observed. This steady rise was then attributed to mostly to the demand and supply of labour force where it was perceived that supplied skills and expertise of labour did not match with the demand. Not only was there a mismatch in the supply and demand of labour, there was also a perceived discrepancy between wages

Effects of health education intervention on patients knowledge, Essay

Effects of health education intervention on patients knowledge, attitude and health behaviour in asthma - Essay Example However, findings are unlikely to be generalizable to patients with asthma in whom a complex interplay of factors complicate management and who are therefore often excluded from or fail to attend standard research. Asthma is the most common medical chronic disease in western society. Despite advances morbidity rates are increasing. According to a study from Harty et al (2003), in 1996 a threefold increase in prevalence over a decade was demonstrated in Irish schoolchildren aged four to nineteen years of age that reflect the early childhood years when asthma tends to be more prevalent and hospital add mission rate tend to be higher. Otherwise, deaths due to asthma are uncommon and most of the deaths occurred in people over 65 years. In the 5 to 34 year age group, there was a rise in the death rate in the early to mid 1980s, peaking in 1986, and then decreasing (Glasgow et al, 2003). However, Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes (airways) that causes swelling and narrowing (constriction) of the airways (Bell et al, 2000). The result is difficulty breathing. The bronchial narrowing is usually either totally or at least partially reversible with treatments. Bronchial tubes that are chronically inflamed may become overly sensitive to allergens (specific triggers) or irritants (non-specific triggers). The airways may become twitchy and remain in a state of heightened sensitivity. It is likely that there is a spectrum of bronchial hyperreactivity in all individuals. However, it is clear that asthmatic patients and allergic individuals (without apparent asthma) have a greater degree of bronchial hyper reactivity than non-asthmatic and non-allergic people. In sensitive individuals, the bronchial tubes are more likely to swell and constrict when exposed to triggers such as allergens, tobacco smoke, or exercise (Butz et al, 2006). Moreover, the frequency and severity of asthma is a serious health issue over the entire world, crossing all national, cultural, social, and economic boundaries (Johnson, 2003). Health education interventions should be a major component of treatment, as they have the ability to make significant impacts both in terms of public and practitioner policy as well as personal suffering (Cote et al, 2006). The symptomatic and lifestyle effect of asthma upon the patients can be debilitating. Accordingly, when assessing, planning and evaluating the care of the asthma patient, nurses and healthcare providers must be especially aware of the conditions, quality of life issues, and therapies associated with the disease. Further, because asthma involves significant patient self-help behaviour associated with most chronic diseases, education is vital. Accordingly, the issue of both practitioner and patient awareness is particularly significant: A health education initiative will have a positive impa ct upon these individuals. The fact that the onset of physiological responses can happen very quickly and, in severe cases, cause asphyxiation, means patient assessment should be based upon symptomatic presentation and observable behaviours. The frequency and

A geopolitical analysis of The Clinton Administration's 1995 National Research Paper

A geopolitical analysis of The Clinton Administration's 1995 National Security Strategy - Research Paper Example The national security strategy of 1995 Clinton administration was listed out in a document titled, A National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement, published by the White House in February 1995 (The White House, 1995). The new strategy had its attention more focused on the â€Å"ethnic conflicts† which were on the rise all over the world and also the challenges raised by the so-called â€Å"rogue states† (The White House, 1995, p.1 of preface). Another major aspect of the change that was reflected in the NSS 1995 was the shifting of attention of the US from the communist nations, towards a wider geopolitical realm, to say, the whole world. Geo-politically, the two major concerns, which have prompted the formulation of a new security strategy for the US, had been â€Å"the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction† and the â€Å"political instability in many countries and regions† caused by population explosion and â€Å"environmental degrada tion† (The White House, 1995, p.1 of preface). It was evident that the US was redefining its national security concerns on geo-political lines rather than the previous practice of seeing national security in relation with the ideological realm, especially communism. The immediate yet indirect threats to global political stability from certain regions and nations based on geopolitical issues like ethnicity, and environment were seriously accounted for, the first time in US history. The new National Security Strategy was prepared â€Å"in accordance with Section 603 of the Goldwater- Nichols Defense Department Reorganization Act 1986 (The White House, 1995, p.1 of preface). The declared key objectives of this strategy document had been, â€Å"to sustain our [America’s] security with military forces that are ready to fight, to bolster America's economic revitalization [and] to promote democracy abroad† (The White House, 1995, p.1 of preface). The first two objectiv es represented the natural security concerns of any nation but the third objective was specific to America with its long history of intervening in the matters of other nations with a vision of a global super power. And the attention imparted to link the economic development of the nation with the security aspect is again unique to the US. This is an indicator of the geo-political stand that this country has been adopting ever since its establishment as a rich and powerful nation. The dependence of the US economy on weapon trade, oil, and other natural resources (scarce inside the nation and available in plenty in the third world and the Middle East) can be one reason why concepts of security become entangled with internal matters of foreign countries and regions for this nation, thus giving national security a distinct global geopolitical edge. For example Saudi Arabia has been â€Å"the largest customer for US military hardware† (Cohen, 2003, p.356). Similarly, the greatest labor force that America has to run its industries has been flowing from Mexico (Cohen, 2003, p.135). And â€Å"the United States invaded Haiti in 1915 to protect U.S. investments and properties in a military occupation that lasted until 1934† (Cohen, 2003, p.107). Making of the NSS The National Security Strategy document is prepared by the US government administration beginning the process with a â€Å"preferred approach to national security† (Bartolotto, 2004, p.6). The â€Å"process of initiating, controlling, developing, writing, and publishing the NSS† is entrusted with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, who also is the head of

Victoria’s Dirty Little Secret by Adam Lenhart Essay Example for Free

Victoria’s Dirty Little Secret by Adam Lenhart Essay Audience—whom are you telling about the ad? The audience to whom this position paper is directed would be to marketing students who are interested in what makes an ad successful and impactful. Purpose—why are you telling them about how the ad works? The purpose for informing people about the advertisement, as stated previously, is to use it as an example of successful advertisement for an audience of marketing students who are studying what marketing is and how to use it. I want to explain what is good about the ad and what successful methods and characteristics are utilized. Context—where, when, and how are you addressing them? (Imagine them reading this paper) If there was a manner in which to address individuals it would be by presenting the essay within the context of an academic textbook or journal, so that the students can use it in their own studies. Thesis—what overall point are you trying to make? (Use it as an example for great marketing. ) Please list the ad’s own audience, purpose, and appeals here. Advertising is an important aspect of any business, and in the case of this Victoria’s Secret advertisement it is obvious that the only way to inform the public about the company’s environmental obligations is to bring to light this aspect of their business practices to the public, the bad and the worse. By understanding what makes this an effective advertisement, those in the business of marketing can learn what makes an ad successful and influential. Organization—what points are you going to make and in what order? Why did you choose that order? (i. e. , why do you think this order will be most successful with your readers? ) 1. ) To introduce the ad 2. ) Explain what the ad means. 3. ) Explain what makes the ad effective in conveying its message. 4. ) Urge marketing students to understand what these types of ads are good for. I feel that this order will be most successful with my audience because it will lead them through the good points of the ad and show that what makes it successful and admirable as a form of this type of ad campaign. ROUGH DRAFT – VICTORIA’S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET by Adam Lenhart In marketing there are a number of ways that a message can be delivered to the public. In many advertisements, the goal of the marketing department is to sell a product, but in the case of some advertising campaigns the goal is to inform the public about the business practices of a particular corporation or company. In this form of advertising, a more over the top and bombastic approach is utilized to grab people’s attention. While some people will perform such lofty messages with little tact, there are those out there who are creative enough to present a clear message in an over the top manner that will shock people into confronting the truth of the message, and this is the key to the advertisement’s success. Such is the case with Forest Ethics’ campaign to awaken the public in regards to â€Å"Victoria’s Dirty Little Secret. † So what is â€Å"Victoria’s Dirty Little Secret? † Basically, the lingerie company Victoria’s Secrets publicizes its stock by way of a large catalogue that chronicles the multitude of clothing items that they offer for sale. Of course, the catalogue is printed on paper, a great deal of paper, as there are literally tens of thousands of catalogues printed every year. Since the production of paper requires the deforestation of rain forests, the purpose of Forest Ethics’ ad campaign is to raise public awareness by shocking the public with the true facts as to the devastation that the catalogue printing business is causing. The goal of the marketing campaign is therefore to cause the public to think logically and carefully about the business practices of Victoria’s Secret, not about their products. Ultimately, there needs to be a question asked in regards to whether or not this is a â€Å"great† ad. To answer that question, one must provide a twofold answer. First, is the ad great on an aesthetic level? Second, is the advertisement effective in bringing about the proper response that the ad is supposed to bring. Onto the first part: the ad is successful because it is creative, shocking and effectively delivers an expository message. In other words, it is very clear in what it seeks to present. If there was a negative to the ad, it would be that the ad is a bit too expository in its design, but similar ads targeting the cigarette makers were quite effective in terms of changing public opinion about smoking, so perhaps an overly expository message is not as bad as it would seem. As for the second part, the effectiveness of the ad is contingent on the personal feelings of those who see the ad. In other words, there will be certain people who just don’t care about deforestation. Oh well. There will be some people who will take the ad to heart and follow its directives, so to that degree, it can be a successful ad. In terms of what this means to marketing, this type of ad is an example of how strong advertising and shocking images can meld together. To a certain degree, the effectiveness of the manner in which the ad advocates change rests on the ability of the ad to force those who see it to confront their hypocrisy. That is to say, if a customer who has purchased a great deal of inventory from Victoria’s Secrets is an individual who espouses a platform of environmental advocacy, then the individual must make a decision as to whether or not actually commit to making a change in terms of supporting a business that is an â€Å"enemy of the state† as far as environmental disasters go, or to reverse one’s purchasing decisions as a means of convincing the power to be at Victoria’s Secret to reverse their policies and, perhaps, expand online catalogue distribution as opposed to the traditional paper method. This is the ad campaign’s goal and through their use of an informative ad with a photograph that immediately grabs the audience’s attention, they are successful in their goal. While the advertisement is a bit excessive in the manner in which it presents its subject matter and thematic concerns, it is a creative ad that can help sway opinion and drive people to action simply by presented a very bombastic message that is virtually impossible to ignore. In this type of informative advertising campaign, this is what is needed to make the campaign a success. FINAL DRAFT – VICTORIA’S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET by Adam Lenhart In marketing there are a number of ways that a message can be delivered to the public. In many advertisements, the goal of the marketing department is to sell a product, but in the case of some advertising campaigns the goal is to inform the public about the business practices of a particular corporation or company. There are a number of different methods in which a specific ideological message can be delivered. A manner of delivery that falls into the category of polite speech is, sadly often ignored. Because of this, bombastic, over the top approach is utilized to deliver the message. While certain individuals will present bombastic messages with no regard to tact, there are those who possess a faculty of creativity that allows them to present a clear message in an over the top manner that will shock people into confronting the truth of the message. Such is the case with Forest Ethics’ campaign to awaken the public in regards to â€Å"Victoria’s Dirty Little Secret. † So what is â€Å"Victoria’s Dirty Little Secret? † Basically, the lingerie company Victoria’s Secrets publicized its inventory by way of a large print catalogue that itemizes the multitude of clothing items that they offer for sale. Of course, the catalogue is printed on paper and there are literally tens of thousands of catalogues printed every year. Since the production of paper requires the deforestation of rain forests, the purpose of Forest Ethics’ ad campaign is to raise public awareness by shocking the public with the true facts as to the devastation that the catalogue printing business is causing. In this form of advertising, the goal is not to sell a product to the public but instead to make them aware about a certain aspect of the company’s business practices and â€Å"sell† them on the idea of protesting against it. The goal of the marketing campaign is therefore to cause the public to think logically and carefully about the business practices of Victoria’s Secret, not about their products Ultimately, there needs to be a clear examination as to whether or not this is an effective ad campaign. In short, is the ad a â€Å"great† ad? To answer that question, one must provide a twofold answer. First, is the ad great on an aesthetic level and secondly, is the advertisement effective in bringing about the proper response that the ad is supposed to bring. Much of the ad is effective in the way it parodies the classic 1970’s style sexist ads. It is effective in the way it throws those conventions out and takes what is supposed to be visually stimulating and turns it into a visual nightmare. Granted, it is a bit over the top, but it still manages to be effective. The ad is creative, shocking and effectively delivers an expository message. In other words, it is very clear in what it seeks to present. If there was a negative to the ad, it would be that the ad is a bit too expository in its design, but similar ads targeting the cigarette makers were quite effective in terms of changing public opinion about smoking, so perhaps an overly expository message is not as bad as it would seem. In terms of what this means to marketing, this type of ad is an example of how strong advertising and shocking images can meld together. As for the second part, the effectiveness of the ad is contingent on the personal feelings of those who see the ad. In other words, there will be certain people who put their personal purchasing freedoms above any political or environmental advocacy and have no real interest in the problems of deforestation. However, the ad will be successful if it reaches a decent segment of the population and is able to convert a portion or percentage of said demographic. To that degree, the ad can be extremely successful and therefore it becomes an example of good marketing of a concept or idea, as opposed to marketing a product. To a certain degree, the effectiveness of the manner in which the ad advocates change rests on the ability of the ad to force those who see it to confront their hypocrisy. That is to say, if a customer who has purchased a great deal of inventory from Victoria’s Secrets is an individual who is sympathetic to a platform that endorses environmental advocacy, then the individual must make a decision as to whether or not actually commit to revoke support for a business that is an â€Å"enemy of the state† as far as environmental disasters go, or to reverse one’s purchasing decisions as a means of convincing the power to be at Victoria’s Secret to reverse their policies and, perhaps, expand online catalogue distribution as opposed to the traditional paper method. Also, by publicly exposing the Victoria’s Secrets company the ability for consumers to claim plausible denial about the deforestations the company has been responsible for is greatly reduced if not outright eliminated. This is the ad campaign’s goal and through their use of an informative ad with a photograph that immediately grabs the audience’s attention, they are successful in their goal. While the advertisement is a bit excessive in the manner in which it presents its subject matter and thematic concerns, it is a creative ad that can help sway opinion and drive people to action simply by presented a very bombastic message that is virtually impossible to ignore. In this type of informative advertising campaign, this is what is needed to make the campaign a success. If the actions of the public are changed by the message that the ad conveys then the advertisting campaign has accomplished its goal.

Food Cart Starting Mobile Catering Business Marketing Essay

Food Cart Starting Mobile Catering Business Marketing Essay Mobile catering business has become a ubiquitous feature of urbanization in many countries around the world. Countries such as the UK are a classic example of the popularity of this business, and a number of mobile catering vans can be spotted at the busy destinations of London and other cities. The good part about this business is that almost anyone with a basic knowledge and experience of food catering services may enter this business. It does not require much financial investment to start this business. At the same time, this business offers enough flexibility for the entrepreneur to scale up the scope of business along with the rise in market demand. Before going ahead with the steps of setting up the mobile catering business, it is important to understand what kind of vehicles can be used for this business. Food Cart: Starting Mobile Catering Business A food cart is a sort of trailer that has no motorized operation. It has to be manually hauled to the point of sale. Usually, such food carts operate in public areas such as parks, picnic spots, or busy sidewalks. Such carts normally maintain an automated heating or refrigerating equipment to keep the food absolutely ready to serve instantly. Mostly such carts sell snacks, breakfast items, or desserts such as Ice creams. Catering Van: Starting Mobile Catering Business A catering van is generally a motorized vehicle that can be moved from one place to another easily. It sells a substantially higher volume of food than a food cart, and caters to a bigger clientele. Ice cream vans are a common example of such catering vans in the UK. Their immense popularity among the customers has made mobile catering business into a highly lucrative business opportunity for many new entrepreneurs. Food Truck: Starting Mobile Catering Business A food truck is a larger vehicle converted into a mobile kitchen with a commercial built-in grill, a deep fryer, freezer, and other automated cooking gadgets. Due to the better availability of space and more equipment, this vehicle is able to offer a larger variety of food items to the customers, and manage larger volumes with efficiency. Fish and Chip vans in the UK are a good example of such food trucks. Concession Trailer: Starting Mobile Catering Business A concession trailer is not much different from a mobile kitchen, except that it is a stationary vehicle. Therefore, such trailers are ideally suited for large public events such as fairs and community celebrations where a large number of people are expected to converge over a period of few days consecutively. Such trailers add to the facilities and atmosphere of the event, providing the visitors with plenty of opportunities to enjoy different types of food at low cost. Anyone can launch a mobile catering business successfully, if one follows these basic steps to set up the business: Step 1: Setting up the kitchen facility The first step in this business is to decide whether the kitchen facility will be set up within the mobile van unit, or at another location. If the business owner decides to use his own home kitchen to prepare the food, it is important to obtain the approval of the local regulatory authorities in advance. Only after the conditions of the local law have been satisfied, the commercial kitchen can be operated out of home. Setting up the commercial kitchen may have to include separate provision for storage and refrigerating facility, dish-washing equipment, sufficient surface area for cooking, and larger size of cooking equipment. Step 2: Deciding the menu and the pricing A crucial part of the mobile catering business planning is to choose the menu, and decide the right pricing. This is the most sensitive business decision that may influence the destiny of the business over a period of time. A basic market survey and research can help to understand the local taste and preferences of food, and to identify the potential food items that are in high demand which is waiting to be satisfied. Similarly, the pricing must also be decided carefully to ensure that it competes successfully with other market players, and makes a reasonable profit margin for the business owner at the same time. Step 3: Organizing the mobile catering vehicle There are various options for vehicles available before the entrepreneur in a city like London or other cities within the UK. The choice of vehicle depends upon the ready availability of a vehicle, or the personal preference of the entrepreneur, and also keeping in mind the available financial budget for the business. The size of vehicle will also depend upon the scale of the business that the entrepreneur has planned. The heating, refrigerating, storage and preservation equipment within the vehicle will depend upon the kind of menu that has been decided for the mobile catering business. A fully functional kitchen may also be organized within the vehicle, depending upon the business plan of the owner. Step 4: Advertising and Marketing the Mobile Catering Business In the times of stiff competition, even a seemingly simple business such as mobile catering also cannot afford to ignore the importance of advertising and marketing. The menu of the business can be designed in such a way that it also serves as a brochure and advertisement for the business. Special brochures to advertise the business may also be printed and distributed to the local commercial establishments in the area to attract the potential office-goers to patronize the business. The mobile van itself can serve as the biggest advertisement for the business. The branding and slogan of the business must be displayed prominently and creatively on the vehicle. Usually the mobile vans in the UK and other countries can be seen parked in major locations where they can have high visibility for the local traffic in the area. Therefore, maximum advantage must be drawn by advertising on the mobile vehicle. Another key idea for many mobile catering business operators who are looking for alternative places to establish their kitchen can be to rent space at a local restaurant or a local church or hall. Such places do not normally use their commercial kitchens in the early morning hours, and many of them are happy to rent out their kitchens by the hour. This opportunity can be available by the mobile caterer who can make long-term tie-up with a local restaurant or other commercial kitchen, and use their facilities in the early morning hours to make his food ready for the day. With these innovative steps, it is possible to set up the mobile catering business successfully with a low investment. Over a period of time, as the business grows, the entrepreneur can expand the scope of the business by adding more facilities and more vehicles for the business.

How Charles Dickens Depicts Women

How Charles Dickens Depicts Women Dickens and his view towards women- Is it really progress? The Victorian Age is a period of great progress in multiple fields such as industry, trade, literature and so on. The role of women in society also improved considerably and many laws were passed safeguarding their rights during this age. By the fin de sià ¨cle, the concept of a New Woman is born. Charles Dickens is one of the most famous novelists during this era as his novels were read widespread by the general populace. His works always favoured progression of the working class, and the effects of industrial revolution like in Hard Times. But his portrayal of women in his works easily fall under the Victorian stereotypes of women and this aspect does not really portray him as a progressive writer for women. David Holbrook, in Charles Dickens and the Image of Women, says when it came to the problems of man-woman relationship, he (Dickens) was seriously hampered, not only by the attitudes of his age but also by his own emotional makeup and psychic pattern (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 7, Pg. 172) To establish this, I will analyse Dickens Great Expectations and attempt character sketches of the women portrayed in that novel. The reason for choosing this specific novel is due to the fact that it was fairly popular during the time of publishing and it has different types of women characters presented in the novel. This novel is also highly controversial as it has two endings because the general populace was not satisfied with the original ending and Dickens had to rewrite it to please his audience. Great Expectations follows the protagonist Pip and it chronicles his life. The novel could be even considered as a bildungsroman. Pip encounters various types of women in society and his interactions and perspective of these women gives a clear idea of Dickens mindset towards these women. The character Pip and Dickens share a lot of similarities- for example, Dickens father was arrested and the theme of prison runs strong in Great Expectations, Pip and Dickens did not have good relationships with women and so on. The women of Great Expectations can be put into categories but these categories are not definite as some characters can be a mix of two or more categories. These categories are as follows: The angels of the house, the eccentric women, and the independent women. The Angel of the house is the idealised stereotype of a Victorian Woman and how she should behave. This idea was popularized by Coventry Patmores poem, The angel of the house where he describes his wife as an angel who takes care of the household. She is someone who is meek and doesnt challenge the authority of the household leader, the man. She is subservient to him and fulfils his wishes with the utmost devotion. She is also someone who upholds moral values such as truth , charity and purity. This is the kind of woman that the Victorian society and many authors preferred. Some would say Dickens himself preferred these kinds of characters and usually, they have a good ending, like the titular character in Little Dorrit. In Great Expectations, the role of the Angel of the house is taken up by Biddy. Biddy is the childhood friend of Pip, the protagonist of Great Expectations who appears to take on the mantle of a kind and nurturing mother. The first description of this character is seen in Chapter 7, when Pip goes to Mr. Wopsles great aunt to study in her evening school. It is here he meets Biddy, who manages the shop which Mr. Wopsles great aunt runs. She was an orphan like myself; like me, too, had been brought up by hand. She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities; for, her hair always wanted brushing, her hands always wanted washing, and her shoes always wanted mending and pulling up at heel.(Chapter 7, Pg. 76) From the above description, it is clear that Pip did not have that high of a regard towards Biddy, though they were similar in being brought up by hand. She was just a regular commoner, according to Pip. In Chapter 10, Biddy readily agrees to teach Pip everything she knows. She is also described as the most obliging of girls which is one of the traits of the Angel of the house. When Mrs. Joe gets injured by Orlick, Biddy is brought in to take care of her which instantly helps relieve some stress around the household. Biddy seems to be experienced in taking care of other people, as she has been taking care of Mr. Wopsles great aunt throughout her life. This is also another characteristic of the Angel of the house. By Chapter 17, Pips view of Biddy changes and he sees Biddy as more feminine and pretty, though not on par with the gorgeous Estella. Her shoes came up at the heel, her hair grew bright and neat, her hands were always clean. She was not beautiful she was common, and could not be like Estella but she was pleasant and wholesome and sweet-tempered. (Chapter 17, Pg. 222) Biddy is also intellectually equal or better than Pip as she manages to keep up with him in intellectual pursuits and manage the domestic household chores. In short, whatever I knew, Biddy knew. (Chapter 17, Pg. 222) But she always remains humble and never proud, which is how an ideal Victorian woman would behave. She also serves the role of a confidante and consoler to Pip as he confesses the feelings he had harboured for Estella to her and his wish of becoming a gentleman. Biddy was the wisest of girls, and she tried to reason no more with me. She put her hand, which was a comfortable hand though roughened by work, upon my hands, one after another, and gently took them out of my hair. Then she softly patted my shoulder in a soothing wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Chapter 17, Pg. 229-230) When Biddy and Pip get into an argument, she gets accused of being jealous and it is her who apologises. Also in Chapter 35, when Mrs. Joe dies, they get into another argument and in the end she says, let only me be hurt, if I have been ungenerous. This is similar to Amy Dorrits behaviour in Little Dorrit when she gets scolded by her father for not getting along with the gatekeepers son to provide him a more comfortable life. This is also another characteristic which was expected of the Angel of the house, where the woman is subservient to the man and has no right to confront him for his misdeeds or wrongdoings, but rather apologise even if they werent at fault. In chapter 58, Biddy finally gets her happy ending by marrying Joe Gargery, the good Samaritan. She is also the only female character to get a proper happy ending unlike Estella (in the original ending), Ms. Havisham or Mrs. Joe. It is obvious that Dickens favours Biddy and the type of woman she portrays more than the others. She might be unconsciously modelled after Mary Hogarth, his first wife, who according to David Holbrook in Charles Dickens and the Image of Women, is worshipped by him (Dickens) as the epitome of ideal womanhood. Throughout his life he seemed to need to idolize this kind of devoted sister figure like Agnes in David Copperfield and Rose Maylie in Oliver Twist angelically beautiful, devoted, inspiring, and the object of pure admiration( Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 7, Pg. 168) Though Biddy is not angelically beautiful, she is angelic in quality and she earns the admiration of the audience and later Pip himself. The other character who also fall under this category is Clara Barley who marries Herbert Pocket after her abusive fathers death and also has a happy ending. The Eccentric women categorises women who do not fall under the stereotypical categories Victorians imposed on women. They are usually portrayed as mysterious, dark, cruel, cold and cunning. They are also beautiful women who take on the role of seductress and tempt the virtuous men into committing adultery or just serve as objects of temptation. They are also associated with criminality- usually portrayed as murderers or in any role which is not morally right. In Great Expectations, there are many eccentric women- the most noteworthy ones are Ms. Havisham and Estella (who will be dealt with later as she falls under two categories). Ms. Havisham is one of the stranger characters Dickens has created and she could be compared to the Wicked Witch of the West. She is first revealed in Chapter 8, when she awaits Pips arrival to be Estellas playmate. Pip is thoroughly spooked by her, as seen in his description of her in her wedding dress and comparing her to a ghastly waxwork and a skeleton . Once, I had been taken to see some ghastly waxwork at the Fair, representing I know not what impossible personage lying in state. Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress, that had been dug out of a vault under the church pavement. Now, waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me. I should have cried out, if I could. (Chapter 8, Pg. 100) Her interactions with Pip portray her to be broken and melancholic but scary at the same time. The lingering scent of death and decay surrounded her every move and action and this impacts Pip to such an extent that he hallucinates Ms. Havisham hanging from a beam. I saw a figure hanging there by the neck. A figure all in yellow white, with but one shoe to the feet; and it hung so, that I could see that the faded trimmings of the dress were like earthy paper, and that the face was Miss Havishams, with a movement going over the whole countenance as if she were trying to call to me. (Chapter 8, Pg. 112) Holbrook, in Charles Dickens and the Image of Women, compares the hallucination of Pip as representing the death of the female element, in Dickens himself. It shows just how much Dickens has his views on women changed due to his personal experiences with women throughout his life. This is just the kind of nightmare fantasy one might expect a sensitive and imaginative childlike Pip to have. But it also belongs to the overall symbolism of the dramatic poem- and in this it is the image of female element being gone dead: emotions gone dead, sexuality gone dead, and creativity gone dead. So, it is an image characteristic of the Victorian predicament. The hanging figure Pip sees is the death of potentia in Miss Havisham, in himself, and in Dickens himself. (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 5, Pg. 137) Pips description of Ms. Havisham during Chapter 11 reiterates the idea that she is the Wicked Witch of the West. In her other hand she had a crutch-headed stick on which she leaned, and she looked like the Witch of the place. (Chapter 11, Pg. 148) Ms. Havishams interactions with her guests seem cold and concise as she walks around the room with Pip and exchanges small talk with them. It is obvious that Ms. Havisham exudes a cold and melancholic aura as she compares herself with the rotten cake, the so-called heap of decay. Ms. Havisham is also shown to be manipulative as she poses as a fake benefactor for Pip to get Sarah Pocket jealous in Chapter 19. When Herbert narrates the story of Ms. Havisham to Pip in Chapter 22, she is shown to be a spoiled child and when she was grown up, a proud and haughty woman who didnt trust or depend on anyone. When she fell in love with Compeyson, she had loved him passionately but when she got jilted, her passion turned to fury and laid wrath upon the house and her life. What the novel doesnt portray or highlight is that her being spoiled and haughty is due to her upbringing and her sadness and hurt at losing her lover whom she had loved so passionately is just glossed upon as just a recovery from a bad illness. Ms. Havishams desire for revenge is highlighted in chapter 29 as she greedily urges Pip to love Estella. Her view on love has been skewered by her jilted lover and now she wishes the same fate upon others just to see them suffer like she did. Ill tell you, said she, in the same hurried passionate whisper, what real love is. It is blind devotion, unquestioning self-humiliation, utter submission, trust and belief against yourself and against the whole world, giving up your whole heart and soul to the smiter as I did!' (Chapter 29, Pg. 425-426) But Ms. Havishams greatest possession and achievement aka Estella turns into a cold-hearted woman who is incapable of loving anyone, including Ms. Havisham herself. Their argument during Chapter 38 shows just how much Estella has become estranged and indifferent to Ms. Havisham and her own pride and joy has turned against her. So proud, so proud! moaned Miss Havisham, pushing away her grey hair with both her hands. Who taught me to be proud? returned Estella. Who praised me when I learnt my lesson? So hard, so hard! moaned Miss Havisham, with her former action. Who taught me to be hard? returned Estella. Who praised me when I learnt my lesson? But to be proud and hard to me! Miss Havisham quite shrieked, as she stretched out her arms. Estella, Estella, Estella, to be proud and hard to me!' (Chapter 38, Pg. 543-544) This shows Ms. Havishams anguish over losing Estella, the only relationship which she actively participated after being jilted by her lover. It is Estella whom she let into her deep and crooked heart and it is through Estella and Pip that she regains some human emotions like regret. In Chapter 44, when Pip confesses to Estella and gets his heart broken, Ms. Havishams reactions are short and abrupt but it showcases her remorse and the sense of guilt at what she has done. She identifies with Pip and realises that Pip is the same as her now- with a broken heart, and it is all because of her. Though her plans succeeded, she does not derive any pleasure or comfort from it. Ms. Havisham is quite a complex character, with many flaws pointed out more than positive points in the novel. Holbrook says, Ms. Havisham has been blighted emotionally just at the moment of sexual flowering, and her bodily life in an ancient bridal gown symbolizes psychic paralysis. (Holbrook, Chapter 5, Pg. 133) and identifies this characteristic of Ms. Havisham to Dickens own fears of loving and related schizoid problems of identity. She is a woman fixated with one goal in mind but realizes that she is harming others just like others had harmed her later in the novel and seeks forgiveness. She does have a moment of realization and though she spent years of her life rotting away in the Satis house, she leads an independent life with the money provided by her father. Ideally, she would not suit the characteristic of an independent woman or the New Woman but she does have the underlying qualities of an independent woman, only if the circumstances were better, she might have developed into one of the strong-willed women who would appear in the later Victorian Age. Before focussing on Estella, other minor characters which fall under this category will be Mrs. Joe Gargery and Molly, Estellas mother. Mrs. Joe is well known for bringing up Pip by hand. She is introduced in detail in Chapter 2 where the first physical feature which is highlighted is her beauty. She was not a good-looking woman, my sister; and I had a general impression that she must have made Joe Gargery marry her by hand. (Chapter 2, Pg. 11) My sister, Mrs. Joe, with black hair and eyes, had such a prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether it was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap. She was tall and bony, and almost always wore a coarse apron, fastened over her figure behind with two loops, and having a square impregnable bib in front, that was stuck full of pins and needles. (Chapter 2, Pg. 11-12) Mrs. Joe is just like her apron- coarse, impregnable or rather immovable, and was as prickly as those pins and needles stuck on her bib. She is described as a violent woman and she uses the so-called tickler to dish out corporal punishment for Pip. She seems to be the power of the Gargery house rather than Joe himself, as he doesnt stop her from whatever she wants to do or say. All her interactions with Pip usually have a violent undertone- for example, before sending Pip off to Ms. Havishams house, she gives him a good scrubbing which is painful for Pip to say the least. She also meets a violent end when she is attacked by Orlick in chapter 15 and by chapter 16, she has lost her hearing, could hardly see and has become crippled. These are the things which are highlighted in the novel. What is not highlighted is that Mrs. Joe had to take care of the entire household after her parents died, had to live through the deaths of her five brothers and had to take care of a child who is twenty years younger than her. She also had to shoulder the household responsibilities and social interactions with others. These aspects of Mrs. Joe are not shown in the novel and in the end, she is rendered as a crippled woman who is taken care of Biddy. She finally passes away in Chapter 34, and in Chapter 35, she also turns into a ghostly existence which haunts the protagonist Pip as he makes his way to the funeral back to Joes forge and the rest of the novel with the theme of murder and violence. The other character which falls under this eccentric woman category is Molly, the murderess who tries to kill her own daughter. She is a docile and obedient servant of Mr. Jaggers, but she has an infamous past and is the birth-mother of Estella. She is saved from the gallows by Mr. Jaggers and lives with him as a servant. Not much is known about her criminal past and she is wrapped with an air of dangerous mystery. Holbrook describes Molly as, a woman with strong muscles concealed under petiteness and a woman capable of great cruelty and perhaps murder. She is the female annihilating figure Freud called the castrating mother (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 5, Pg. 138) Though Molly is not given that much of an importance in the novel, she represents the theme of murder and guilt, which seems to contaminate every character in the novel- including Estella, who is the daughter of a murderess and a convict. Estella is the final entry in the eccentric woman category but she does not confine herself to just this category. Estella is also introduced in chapter 8 and she brings the light into Pips dark life. To stand in the dark in a mysterious passage of an unknown house, bawling Estella to a scornful young lady neither visible nor responsive, and feeling it a dreadful liberty so to roar out her name, was almost as bad as playing to order. But, she answered at last, and her light came along the dark passage like a star. Miss Havisham beckoned her to come close, and took up a jewel from the table, and tried its effect upon her fair young bosom and against her pretty brown hair. (Chapter 8, Pg. 103-104) She is compared with a star or a jewel throughout the novel and these symbolize Estella to be bright, precious and far out of reach. Though she is mean to Pip and shows only contempt and disdain for him, she still manages to entrance Pip with her cold demeanour and her beauty, much like how a seductress traps her victim with her charms. She is perceived to be cold-hearted and cruel, but she does display signs of emotion as seen in the scene where she allows Pip to kiss her cheek. But, she neither asked me where I had been, nor why I had kept her waiting; and there was a bright flush upon her face, as though something had happened to delight her. Instead of going straight to the gate, too, she stepped back into the passage, and beckoned me. Come here! You may kiss me, if you like. I kissed her cheek as she turned it to me. (Chapter 11, Pg. 162) What is interesting to note is that Estella is delighted by an act of violence, even before any thoughts of criminality is being associated with her. This could be foreshadowing or reiterating by Dickens to show Estellas roots- her criminal parents. By chapter 22, Herbert establishes Estellas purpose in life or the reason of her being brought up by Ms. Havisham and that is to break young mens hearts. Also, when Pip returns to the Satis house to see Estella once shes a grown woman in Chapter 29, she pretends she doesnt remember Pip or any of their childhood interactions which deeply hurt Pip. She also points out the spot where Pip had seen the ghost in his childhood. This is a conflicting behaviour of Estella and she probably did it to dig deep into the scars of Pip so that he may remember her more vividly as Pip becomes emotionally hurt when Estella pretends not to remember him. That scene is also important as it brings out more foreshadowing. According to Holbrook, this scene shows the implicit connection to Estella and her roots. The association between Estella and the ghost is ambiguous. In one sense, Pip is sensing her origins: her mother was the unknown murderess who wished to kill her own child. In the background too is her father Magwitch, the criminal, who believes his child to be dead. The shadow is of murder by the woman murderer and of the child by being abandoned (by rejecting the mother and father). (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 5, Pg. 138) As Estella grows up, she remains in her role of being the object of desire and she makes other men jealous using Pip. As for Pip himself, she warns him multiple times that shes a cold-hearted person. This could be her manipulating him further or she might genuinely care about him- it is not clear. This ambiguity is attached to Estella till the chapter where Pip confesses his love for her. You ridiculous boy, said Estella, will you never take warning? Or do you kiss my hand in the same spirit in which I once let you kiss my cheek? What spirit was that? said I. I must think a moment. A spirit of contempt for the fawners and plotters. If I say yes, may I kiss the cheek again?' (Chapter 33, Pg. 475) When she rejects Pip, she does so with a cold demeanour. She does not express her emotions, which is how a Victorian woman should be, and it further accentuates how Dickens uses this trope for this scene in an ironic way. Even as a child, Estella possessed more emotion than when she grew up as she became unmoved by everything around her, including others feelings. Furthermore, she tells Pip that shes going to marry Drummle by her own decision, just to probably spite everyone, including Ms. Havisham. Only Pips pleas for her to not marry Drummle brings out a softer reaction in her. This eventually leads to Estella being abused by her husband and depending on the two endings, she either gets remarried and still unhappy or she ends up having a future with the possibility of marrying Pip. These two endings lead to drastically different fates for Estella. Dickens original ending shows Estella reformed by her suffering- shes remarried but she still holds herself in high regard and superiority. In the second ending, she is much more humbled and reformed by her suffering. John Forster, who was Dickens friend, felt the original ending was more consistent with the draft, as well as the natural working out of the tale.[1] George Bernard Shaw says that the novel is too serious a book to be a trivially happy one. Its beginning is unhappy; its middle is unhappy; and the conventional happy ending is an outrage on it.[2] Also, the second ending was constructed only to please the audience who wanted a conventional end to that novel with marriage. The second ending pleases the contemporary critics more as they feel that the two characters have suffered enough to finally get their happy ending. Martin Price argues by saying, Each is a fantasist who has grown into maturity; each is a fantasist that has dwindled into humanity.[3] But Estella also has a positive role, according to Holbrook. He says, she is the start of Pips ambitions and it is true, though it leads him to more pain and suffering than his apprenticed life with Joe and Biddy. But he finally learns his place in life and is content with what he has through this harrowing experience. He says, Yet, with his characteristic and marvellous belief in human creativity and vision, Dickens makes Estella an inspiration for Pip. Although she cannot yet understand, and seems untouched by, the reparative impulse (the caring impulse, which, through its suffering, can cure schizoid alienation), she gives Pips world meaning. She comes along the passages like a star: she is the Stella Maris. (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 5, Pg. 140) Estella can also be looked at as a strong independent woman towards the end. She has suffered and in consequence, humbled herself and realises how to love (at least in the second ending). She is no longer a bright shining star whos out of reach but a strong independent woman who has gotten rid of her demons and living life anew. Dickens himself is not against women or empowering women as he was fairly sympathetic towards the idea of property rights, which was the heart of the issue during the 1850s. But that applied only to the working women and not the powerful women like Ms. Havisham. In Great Expectations, Ms. Havishams house is passed on to Estella, who is the adopted daughter, and it is hers to do with as she pleases. This is not the traditional primogeniture practice which is usually practiced during the Victorian Age and it is met with discomfort by Dickens. Deborah Wynne, in Women and Personal Property in the Victorian Novel, says when women do take control of significant amounts of property and its transmission, as Miss Havisham does, the destructive qualities of their legacies are usually emphasized. When forceful women of property, owners of real estate, create for themselves a space which is inaccessible to male control, such as Betsy Trotwood, Mrs. Clennam or Miss Havisham, it is shown to be vulnerable to loss or destruction, as though Dickens half believed what English law presumed: that women had a tendency to be ineffective managers of their own property (Wynne, 2010. Chapter 2, Pg. 58) He favoured the working women and women who were destitute like prisoners and prostitutes. He opened up a home for the fallen women called Urania cottage along with Miss Angela Burdett-Coutts. Jane Rogers, in Dickens and his involvement in Urania Cottage, says Miss Coutts and Dickens planned a Home that would offer a different and more sympathetic approach to the treatment of fallen women. Other organisations such as the Magdelen Society had homes which offered a typically harsh and punishing routine. (Rogers, 2003. Pg. 1) This Urania house was a reformation centre for these fallen women to regain a proper place in the Victorian society, which still oppressed women into traditional roles. According to Jenny Hartley, in Undertexts and Intertexts: The Women of Urania Cottage, Secrets and Little Dorrit, Dickens concerned himself with everything the women of the cottage did, including how they spend their time in the house. It is quite clear that though Dickens was very progressive in his thinking, when it came to women, he was still confined by society and its rules. Coupled with his bad experiences with women in real life, his fictional women characters came to represent what was hidden away in his mind- his fears and regrets and personal insecurities caused by the society and his relationships. By analysing the character sketches of the women of Great Expectations and Dickens personal life, it is clear that Dickens is very conflicted when it comes to the topic of women. He prefers certain kinds of women like Biddy, who are the working class and little angels of the house, and as for the other women, they are subjected to hardships and punishments for their transgressions. Though he didnt make his female characters as independent like Nora Roberts from A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, his characters like Estella or Ms. Havisham still retain some part of being an independent woman, though it is obscured by their eccentricity. So, Dickens, in a sense, is a writer who is inhibited by his personal life which narrows his views on women. Otherwise, he is a progressive writer who acknowledges the social constraints caused by the society. Works Cited: Dickens, C. (1851). Great Expectations. 1st ed. [ebook] Planet PDF. Available at: http://www.planetpublish.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Great_Expectations_NT.pdf [Accessed 28 Dec. 2016]. Hartley, J. (2005). Critical Survey. 1st ed. [ebook] Berghahn Books, pp.63-76. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41556108.pdf [Accessed 4 Jan. 2017]. Holbrook, D. (1993). Charles Dickens and the image of woman. 1st ed. New York: New York University Press. Rogers, J. (2003). Dickens and his involvement in Urania Cottage. [online] Victorianweb.org. Available at: http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/rogers/8.html [Accessed 1 Jan. 2017]. Wynne, D. (2010). Women and personal property in the Victorian novel. 1st ed. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate Pub. Academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu. (2017). The Ending of Great Expectations. [online] Available at: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/dickens/ending.html [Accessed 3 Jan. 2017]. [1] All these three quotes are taken from The Ending of Great Expectations [2] [3]