Gulliver’s Travels: Gulliver’s Identity Loss

Spencer Shelburne British Literature I Novel Paper 12/2/11 Gulliver’s Lost Identity J. R. R. Tolkien once said, â€Å"Not all who wander are lost. † It is to be assumed then that he was not talking about Capt. Lemuel Gulliver. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift is a narrative of the identity crisis. Captain Gulliver is indeed lost, both literally and metaphorically. He sets out on a voyage seeking a way to fulfill his identity as the financial supporter of his family, but once he leaves the structured society of England, his sense of identity is lost. At times, he does not even consider his family back home.He is misplaced in strange countries with strange inhabitants. In his misplacement, an interesting identity-void is created; Gulliver has no way to define himself as a foreigner in a new society. The need to belong overwhelms him, and he accepts any identity that is thrown his way, no matter how degrading it is. Through this void, Swift explores how society and pol itics systematically function to disassemble and reinvent the individual. In each of the countries Gulliver travels to, he is isolated from a sense of kinship and alienated from acceptance, the degree of which increases with each voyage.This alienation and isolation is surprisingly first apparent in his home country, England. In an unemotional tone he describes his family: â€Å"My Father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the third of five sons†¦ my father now and then sending me small sums of money†¦ † (p. 1). Likewise, his attachment to his wife is just as dispassionately observed: â€Å"I married Mrs. Mary Burton, second daughter to Mr. Edmond Burton, Hosier, in Newgate-street†¦ † (p. 2). Even in his professional life, Gulliver has no real connection.He comments, â€Å"But my good Master Bates dying in two years after, and I having few friends, my business began to fail; for my conscience would not suffer me to imitate the bad practice of too many among my brethren† (p. 2). Though he tries to connect to society by participating in a respectable profession, he remains alone. This alienation and isolation is a minor theme throughout his voyages; it is the first step in the systematic approach Swift takes towards dealing with the broader theme of identity. In each of the cultures Gulliver encounters, this sense of alone-ness increases.In Lilliput and Brobdingnag, for example, Gulliver is even more marginalized from society by their fear of his physical appearance – he is a giant compared to the six-inch Lilliputians and an insect to the sixty-foot tall Brobdingnags. He is constantly aware of his differences from his hosts, creating a conscious sense of alienation. In the articles of his freedom, the Lilliputians point out: â€Å"they concluded from the similarity of their bodies, that mine must contain at least 1728 of theirs, and consequently would require as much food as was necessary to support that num ber of Lilliputians† (p. 2). His differences isolate him from the Lilliputian society; he physically does not fit anywhere, viewing their country as a sort of â€Å"theatre† (p. 9). His senses are also different, for he can see much further away than the Lilliputians, and likewise they can see much nearer than he. In Brobdingnag, he has to convince his master that he is not a lowly animal. The Brobdingnagian reaction to him highlights their repulsion of his differences: â€Å"The farmer by this time was convinced I must be a rational creature†¦Then he called his wife, and shewed me to her, but she screamed and ran back as women in England do at the sight of a toad or a spider† (p. 58). Gulliver is different from the native inhabitants of Lilliput and Brobdingnag and is alienated as such. In his voyages to Laputa and Houyhnhnm, Gulliver's societal isolation drastically increases, until he reaches the apex with the Houyhnhnms. In both countries he is openly co ndescended for both his physical and his intellectual â€Å"limitations,† and because of this condescension he is isolated from the rest of the society.When he refused the flapper to converse, it â€Å"gave his Majesty and the whole court a very mean pinion of my understanding† (p. 114). The king wants to learn nothing of England's history, but rather asks Gulliver to focus on European mathematics and â€Å"received the account†¦ with great contempt and indifference† (p. 120). In Laputa, Gulliver and his native society are weaknesses. The isolation in Houyhnhnm is the most acute, however. Gulliver cannot relate to them because they are not human – they are a superior species of horse. Nor can he relate to the repulsive and foul Yahoos who are human in an unrecognizable form.Spatially this isolation is manifested in the placement of his housing: â€Å"the master horse ordered a place for me to lodge in; it was but six yards from the house, and separa ted from the stable of the Yahoos†¦ † (p. 175). Although Gulliver takes up acquaintance with the Houyhnhnms it is always understood that he is associated with the Yahoos, for whom Gulliver has affected a deep hatred. They teach him the language, yet â€Å"†¦ looked upon it as a prodigy, that a brute animal should discover such marks of a rational creature† (p. 175). Gulliver's alienation here in the country of horses is vastly complete.Where then does this alienation and isolation leave Gulliver? He is in an identity-void, searching for any form of acceptance. Swift presents this as early as Gulliver's life in England. He lists his self-worth by his education and professional training, name-dropping as often as possible to give himself affluence: â€Å"He sent me to Emanuel-College in Cambridge†¦ I was bound apprentice to Mr. James Bates, an eminent surgeon in London†¦ Leyden: there I studied Physic two years and seven months†¦ † (p. 1). Through this series of wealthy names, Gulliver is seeking an identity through the acceptance of his audience.Lilliput is much different than England, however, in both its inhabitants and its culture. In this identity-void, Gulliver grasps at any straw of acceptance, no matter how degrading or humiliating. He literally gives himself before the emperor and princes, offering complete servility; he is a servant, eager to please his new masters. Upon later duty against the Lilliputian's sworn enemy, the Blefuscu, he says, â€Å"This great Prince received at my landing with all possible encomiums, and created me a Nardac upon the spot, which is the highest title of honour among them† (p. 29).He has achieved a place in the Lilliputian society and is elated. In his almost desperate attempt to gain favor with the emperor and princes, he proclaims: â€Å"I desired the secretary to present my humble duty to the Emperor an to let him know, that I thought it would not become me, who was a foreigner, to interfere with parties; but I was ready, with the hazard of my life, to defend his person and state against all invaders† (p. 26). He has learned the language earnestly to build a bridge over his alienation. He has allowed himself to be held captive, knowing full well that due to his sheer strength, he could squash whomever he choses.But only on the Lilliputian's terms does Gulliver receive acceptance, and as witnessed in the rapid recall of his title and honor, it is short-lived at best. As Gulliver's journeys progress, the occurrences of even temporary social identity and occasions of acceptance decrease rapidly, an inverse to the increase of his alienation. From Brobdingnag on, Gulliver never fully adapts to their societies, although he does not stop trying to find his adopted identity. In Brobdingnag, he humors the Queen, entertaining her as a doll-like plaything, winning her favor.In an attempt to build his own identity as the Queen's favorite, he delibera tely undermines the Queen's dwarf, sending him to live with another household as a punishment. In Laputa and Houyhnhnm, Gulliver experiences something altogether different than what he has encountered before. Laputa is a floating island of philosophy and higher thought, a would-be utopia if it were not for excess and the lack of reason. Gulliver makes an attempt to understand the Laputans by learning their language, visiting various places such as their court, universities and land below, but cannot reconcile himself with what he finds; it is too abstract and tedious.He grows increasingly â€Å"weary of those people† (p. 127) and feels â€Å"neglected† (p. 127). For the first time in all his travels, he longs for England. In place of Gulliver's drive for acceptance, the reader is introduced to Lord Munodi. He is an isolated character, and much like Gulliver he is seeking his identity in a society that does not accept him. In Lord Munodi's case, it is because he is too rational and looked upon with â€Å"tenderness, as a well-meaning man, but of a low contemptible understanding† (p. 129).Having failed to achieve an enduring identity in these societies, it is not without desperation that Gulliver next throws himself so fully in the pursuit of acceptance from the Houyhnhnms. To physically set himself apart from the Yahoo-humans and be acceptable to the Houyhnhnms, he hides the appearance of his person with his clothes: â€Å"I had hitherto concealed the secret of my dress, in order to distinguish myself as much as possible, from that cursed race of Yahoos; but now I found it in vain to do so any longer† (p. 177). He swears his master to secrecy, so that the rest of the Houyhnhnms will not think less of him.He goes out of his way to impress them with his acquisition of language and would be very content to live the rest of his time with the reasonable creatures. He is successful at creating a life among these whom he has grown to admire and love, and even eventually moves into his Master's house. But other Houyhnhnms do not approve of a Yahoo staying in their own homes, and Gulliver is banished from Houyhnhnm. His alienation had overcome his acceptance dramatically. Where does this leave Gulliver? From his isolation to desperate attempts for acceptance comes a loss of basic human identity.In England, Gulliver does not have any emotional attachment to his family as befitting a man of the middle class. He is an emotionless person concerned more with financial and social status than with leaving his wife, five months pregnant, and the children he barely knows so he can travel again; he shows more emotion towards the Houyhnhnms than he does with his family. In his drive to succeed in English society, he has ceased being an emotional creature of humanity. In Lilliput, Gulliver's loss of a human identity is much more literal when he allows himself to be chained up as a prisoner.The image of him with chains around him, a nd his observation that â€Å"being fixed within four inches of the gate, allowed me to creep in, and lie at my full length in the temple† (p. 9) brings to mind a dog in the doghouse. He allows the Lilliputians to strip him of his English identity by renaming him Man Mountain, and he further distances himself from England when he learns their language in an attempt to bridge his alienation. In his desperation for acceptance, he allows himself to become a tool of the state and takes on the Lilliputian sworn enemy Blefuscu.In Brobdingnag, Gulliver likewise lowers himself so far as to stop being a human being, but rather a play thing for their amusement. He is again stripped of his English identity by being dressed in Brobdingnagian styled attire and renamed Gildrig. He gets so immersed in the Brobdingnag culture that he has a very difficult time going back to his native culture in England, and therefore he treats his family as if they were Lilliputians. In Houyhnhnm the reader sees the most drastic change in Gulliver's identity as a human as he becomes a loner.It is here that he loses all sense of his former humanity. He is sickened by the idea of going to live among the Yahoos, and he has so fully adopted the Houyhnhnm society that he cannot help but see his family as ugly, beastlike creatures. In the end, he is forced to return to the world from which he came. Having seen the things he has, the world of Yahoos is disgusting to him. When rescued by Don Pedro De Mendez, Gulliver's complete submersion in Houyhnhnm culture is at once apparent in his accent and his clothing. Once home, he is barely able to tolerate the presence of his family.He then goes into a kind of madness, spending his days talking to the horses in his stable as if to recreate Houyhnhnm. It is when he is alienated from social acceptance that his identity starts weakening. Gulliver doesn't just try to gain a new identity, one is forced upon him; he is a monster: a repulsive Yahoo in Houy hnhnm, a doll named Gildrig in Brobdingnag, and of course a Man Mountain tool in Lilliput. Eventually, he latches on to any acceptance he can find, even if it means losing his basic identity as a human. Work Cited: Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964.

Midterm Learning Reflection Essay

Introduction. You should print this out, although you may also use it as a template to type over. You will be writing two reflections this term: a midterm reflection and a final reflection. The final reflection is the one you want to have ultimately on your portfolio. Both your midterm and final learning reflections must be 700 to 1000 words, which is approximately two to three MLA-formatted pages. You can check your word count by going to Tools/Word Count on the menu bar. Style and Format. The writing style of the learning reflection is primarily expressive, but will also contain narrative elements. You do not need a Works Cited page unless you cite something. So, if, for example, you cite song lyrics, one of our texts, a poem, or even a work of art, then you need a Works Cited page. I’ve included one here to serve you for formatting purposes. File formats. We are going to be learning how to convert Word documents to pdf format so that they load more easily in a browser window. If you can, please practice with one or both of the following two methods, which are what I use (they are free). 1. Install a free pdf converter. These are not truly â€Å"free† in that they either force you to look at some advertising or they add a line on each page advertising the manufacturer of the software. I don’t have a problem with either of these and gladly suffer through the free advertising every time I convert a file to pdf, which I do all the time. The one I use to create all the pdf files for my classes is at http://www.pdf995.com/download.html. Download both the Pdf995 Printer Driver and the Free Converter (they are both free; they are required to work together, but for some reason, they are two separate downloads). After you go through the download and installation process, every time you want to create a pdf file from Word, all you need to do is select File/Print and then chose PDF995, which will show up as a â€Å"printer.† When you initiate this process of creating a pdf file, you will be prompted for a place to save the file, as well as a file name. Be careful to save the file to your H: drive or, if to your C: drive, to ftp (transfer) it over to your H: drive later. You will notice that some advertisements come up as the conversion process occurs. That’s the â€Å"price† you pay for the free conversion software. 2. The other pdf-conversion method I like is to use the free OpenOffice word processing software. This software should be in our labs. You can also download it for free on your own computer, from http://www.openoffice.org/. This is basically an open-source version of Microsoft Office. Once you’ve installed it (it’s large and takes a while to install), you can open any Word document with the OpenOffice word processing program (Open Document). Some of the original Word formatting may be lost – especially the header information with your last name and page number. You will need to add that back in; be sure you do it correctly. When you’re satisfied with the format, there is a little pdf icon on the toolbar that you can click, and that will automatically convert the document to pdf format. Learning Reflection Content. What should you discuss in your reflection? In general, you discuss what you’ve learned, what you’ve done especially well, what you’ve enjoyed – and the challenges you’ve encountered and how you might make changes in the future. Here are some suggestions for what to write about: †¢ Your experience transitioning from high school (or wherever you were previously) to a freshman in college, focusing on how you have grown as an individual and an independent student. †¢ Your experience in this particular course – your year-long freshman inquiry. In this regard, you should probably focus on the University Studies goals and the ways in which you have grown and developed with respect to those goals. I would expect that other courses have also contributed to the goal areas, so you might want to highlight any that have been particularly useful in that regard. †¢ Other experiences as a student here at Portland State. Portland State University’s mission is â€Å"Let Knowledge Serve the City,† which reflects the fact that we are an urban university. What have you learned with respect to community, diversity, and the connection between a learning community (the university) and the city in which it is located? Keep in mind that you may have acquired valuable experiences outside of the classroom, but still connected to your identity as a student. o Perhaps you have learned important lessons about discipline and time management as a student athlete, which may serve you well when you enter the workforce. o Maybe your involvement in activities with other students – such as taking dance classes or playing in the band or spending hours in an art studio or toughing out chemistry and physics labs – has improved your personal skills and brought to light new areas of interest, which you’ve pursued in your free time. o Or perhaps you’ve found out that you are a loner, that you haven’t connected very well with a lot of the people in your classes. As you reflect on this (or any other conclusions that some – maybe you – might consider, well, depressing), think of this is an opportunity to think of ways to make some changes in the future. †¢ A reflection, in other words, should include a self-assessment element as well as thinking along the lines of â€Å"What could I do better or differently in the future?† Consider the challenges you’ve faced, how you’ve overcome them, or how you’d like to overcome them in the fu ture. Conclusion. Your reflection should end in a way that gives the reader the sense that you are closing up a chapter in your life and ready to move on, with some ideas in mind of what you might do differently. My suggestion is that you do not spend a lot of time critiquing the world around you; after all, you can’t change that very much. Confine your reflection to you and what you have learned and experienced. Dwelling on what you don’t like about a given course or program is not a reflection about you, but about something else. Works Cited Eakin, Paul John. How Our Lives Become Stories: Making Selves. Ithaca and London: Cornell UP, 1999. Fiske, John. â€Å"Popular Culture.† Critical Terms for Literary Study. Ed. Frank Lentricchia and Thomas McLaughlin. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. 321 – 335. Harrison, Claire. â€Å"Hypertext Links: Whither Thou Goest, and Why.† First Monday. 7 Oct. 2002. 10 Feb. 2004 .

Vitamin D in Saudi Arabia Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Vitamin D in Saudi Arabia - Literature review Example Vitamin D deficiency affects both phosphorus and calcium digestion. The main role of vitamin D is to regulate calcium levels within acceptable ranges. It achieves this by increasing intestinal calcium absorption. In a vitamin D deficiency state, 10-15 % of dietary calcium is absorbed by the intestine (Brown, Ignatius, Amling, & Barvencik 2013, p.1733-1742). In a vitamin D sufficient state, 30% of dietary calcium is absorbed and during pregnancy, growth or lactation, the absorption can go as high as 80% with increased demand for calcium. In circumstances of vitamin D deficiency, low ionized calcium concentrations espouse the secretion of parathyroid hormone. The parathyroid hormone increases calcium reabsorption in renal tubes and increases 1, 25-1-hydroxylase activity, which results in increased 1, 25- dihydroxy vitamin D (1, 25(OH) 2-D) production (Azhar 2009, p.19-25).   Pregnant women and infants in Saudi Arabia suffer so much of these conditions. Secondly, during old age, men t end to have weaker bones due to reduced calcium and phosphorus concentrations. Increased PTH concentrations result in the loss of phosphorous within the urine. Decreased levels of phosphorus and calcium results in reduced bone mineralization. In addition, reduced phosphorus concentrations lead to failure of the expected apoptosis of hypertrophied chondrocytes.  Ã‚   Calcification delay of osteoid causes osteomalacia in established bones. Osteomalacia in undeveloped bones is known as rickets (Azhar 2009 p.19-25).     Rickets is a description of the abnormal organization growth of the cartilaginous growth plate (Hovsepian 2011, p. 3). The clinical description of vitamin D deficiency that results in rickets is based on bone deformity signs and pain and may be related to hypocalcemia. This condition in Saudi Arabia affects both adults and young people.  

Summary Workshop - Research Method Class Coursework

Summary Workshop - Research Method Class - Coursework Example Critical discourse analysis incorporates linguistic and critical theory concepts. The investigation has increasingly been centralized to the task of understanding the society and the human behavior. Discourse analysis has become an essential element in various fields of study due to its feature characterizing post- modern features (Somekh and Lewin 2011). According to Seale (2004a), methods of textual analysis are relevant to a variety of research projects. There has been greater urge for understanding the origin of knowledge, and its presentation mode. Further, with global development, societies and economies become increasing taking a bearing towards global production and incorporation of information, knowledge and human services. Therefore, Social Studies try to understand the changes and projected outcomes in the future by undertaking research studies incorporating discourse analysis. From the researcher’s point of view, using disclosure analysis, a number of compelling po ints can be outlined regarding the kind of practical research devised (Seale 2004b). Disclosure brings out a variety of statements of consideration providing a language for presenting certain mode knowledge. Seale (2004a) explores disclosure analysis in relation to three main stages of the process of the research study. The first one involves data collection, which is a quantitative method of studying textual data. Content analysis incorporates a standard model of research design. Starting with the topic of research formulation, the researcher seeks to establish a given population of interest for a study and outlines a considerable sample from it (Seale 2011a). In this regard, the data to be analyzed is based on a sample of texts, rather than sample of people. Secondly, the research proceeds to coding and analysis of data collected. The relevancy of data coding comes in the sense that it incorporates coming up with data representation to enhance analysis. This eases organization dat a; a large number of data gets organized into a manageable form (Seale 2004a). Data coding is objective in helping to answer unclear queries about the content analysis thus, reinforcing and instilling confidence in the research method (Seale 2004b). Lastly, we have the presentation of analyzed research findings. This involves giving out findings based on researchers’ perspective on the research topic and the outcome of the study analysis. Critical approach to discourse research aims at linking the textual data, with the underlying power structures in the society through discursive practices, from which the text of the study was drawn. The researcher’s aim lies in identifying categories, themes, ideas, roles and views in the text under study. Discourse analysis finds it importance in understanding the social interactions though the objective of the research varies from one investigator to the other. This depends on the aim of investigation with regard to an individual r esearcher. References Seale, C. (ed), 2004a. Social Research Methods: A Reader. (eBook). London: Routledge. pp. 226-228. Somekh, B. and Lewin, C. (Eds), 2011. Theory and Methods in Social Research. (eBook). (2nd ed.) London: Sage. pp. 34-40. Seale, C. (ed), 2004b. Researching Culture and Society. (eBook). London: Sage Publications. pp. 207, 241- 242, 397, 406-407 2. Ethnography According

Develop an outline research proposal for a project related to social

Develop an research proposal for a project related to social care provision for pre-school children - Outline Example The type of social care has been found to have an influence on the personalities and behaviour patterns of children (Burchinal, 2009). The proposed study therefore aims at validating the research studies carried out by other people and seeks to improve on the measures taken towards the alleviation of the problems. The study also aims to assess the position of women in the problem and tries to find ways that can be used to incorporate them in the solutions. The problem of the study is to identify the challenges of day care facilities and organizations and suggest ways through which these problems and challenges may be resolved. The problem is an old one, which has become more pronounced with the increase in population and strain on the available social amenities (Children’s Foundation, 2007). Also, the fact that more women are participating in the workforce contributes to the burden on social care for child support. The study therefore has in its scope the implementation of both long term and short-term solutions for the standards needed for day care as well through policy change. The literature review is expected to include a discussion of the preschool day care facilities in the UK and how it impacts on the economy and the society. It will also include previous research undertaken to assess the impact of quality of day care on the development of children. Data is collected periodically by the U.K Census bureau on the different arrangements that are employed by families with working mothers. The Daycare Trust publishes child cost surveys annually. It covers cost surveys in January for general child-care costs and July for holiday child-care costs. According to Daycare trust 2011, the survey indicates that child-care costs have increased and surpassed the average wage. This has placed parents under financial immense strain. For example, the costs of child minders in Scotland for children

What is the Muslim Brotherhood and why is it so popular in Egypt Essay

What is the Muslim Brotherhood and why is it so popular in Egypt - Essay Example It is worth mentioning in this context that the notion of Muslim Brotherhood has its roots in Egypt where it was founded as a pan Islamic religious and social movement by a group of activist Islamic scholars and teachers in the 20th century. Historical evidences reveal that the movement had been quite popular not only in Egypt but all around the world integrating more than two million Islamic members from various Islamic countries. To be noted, the movement was founded by an imam and a school teacher named Hassan al-Banna. According to the founder of the movement, i.e. Imam Hassan al-Banna, the main idea behind the initiation of the movement was to encourage the Islamic nature to dominate, rather than to get dominated by others. Although many experts all over the world believe that the organisation does not appreciate violence, it has many a times found cruised to have its linkage with Islamic terrorism (Tadros, 2012, pp. 1-15). It is in this context that the leaders of the Muslim Br otherhood attempts to advise its loyal followers to rescue Jerusalem from the dominance of Palestine which indicates a strong influence of historic event on the religious as well as social customers of the Muslim community in Egypt. This particular aspect however have been criticised to ignite the sense of terrorism among the followers of the organisation. It is further viewed that the organisation seeks to spread its teachings and ideologies all across the globe so that they can gain maximum number of followers which will in turn strengthen their power and influence over the world politics which has further been criticised as an aggressive political move covered with religious and social intentions. Apparently, the organisation works in every section of the society which includes schools, universities and professional offices among others. This aspect concedes with the aim of the organisation which searches for commendable position in all aspects of life of the Islamic people with special emphasis on the Arabic countries (Tadros, 2012; Leiken & Brooke, 2007, pp. 107-121). Correspondingly, the aim of this paper is to discuss about the Muslim Brotherhood in detail with respect to its popularity in Egypt. Discussion The Muslim Brotherhood From a generalised perspective, Muslim Brotherhood is regarded as a social and religious organisation that has its presence in various Islamic and non-Islamic nations of the world. It seeks to operate and show its influence in various aspects of the day to day life of people belonging to the Islam community, integrating all the Muslim like-minded people from around the world to regain the historical identity and a respectful position of Muslim society in the modern world (Aldridge, 2013, pp. 1-75). However, the concept of Muslim Brotherhood has a broader dimension. In order to have an in depth understanding of the same a detailed study is required. Hasan al-Banna was the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt in th e year 1928. He not only acted as a leader of the religious as well as political movement but also worked as a guide to the Muslim community motivating his followers to regain the dominance and social respect in the world. The organisation can further be observed to have been built on the notion that by integrating the Muslim community people, referred as Muslim brothers, the organisation could effectively work towards strengthening the presence

Voting Rights and the United States Supreme Court Essay

Voting Rights and the United States Supreme Court - Essay Example When the United States Constitution was ratified in 1788, suffrage was not discussed in the text, except by reference to the age of qualification to hold certain office, and by mention of the census, for which Native Americans were excluded and African Americans were to be counted as three-fifths of a white man for the purpose of this head count. The management of elections was a right given over exclusively to the States (The Constitution, Art. 1, Sec. 4). It was left to the Bill of Rights, Article 9, Section 2, to specify that voting was only for white males over twenty-one years of age. The Constitution’s lack of specifics left the States to establish their own brand of voting rights, or non-rights in most cases. Religion was a common restriction on suffrage, including holding Office of any kind. Delaware’s Constitution denied Jews, Quakers and Catholics the right to vote or hold office by providing an oath to be taken before voting. Said oath required one to profess a Christian belief in specific way (Delaware Constitution). There were no cases addressing this issue brought before Chief Justice John Jay during the first term at the Supreme Court and the religious prohibitions stayed in place until 1810 with no help from the Court (U.S. Voting Rights). In fact, it wasn’t until 1810 that the Supreme Court found any State law unconstitutional (Fletcher). The U.S. Constitution, Article 3, states, â€Å"(t)he judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in such inferior courts that the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.† Couple this with the fact that the Court consists of nine judges, not elected but appointed by the President of the United States for a lifetime term, and there is created a body that may pick and choose which cases to hear and through which they impact the lives of everyone living under its jurisdiction. The Court is loathe to decide a case on constitutional grounds w hen there are other issues that will decide the case, a well established principle according to the Court in Escambia. Thus there may have been many voter rights cases we have never heard about simply because the Supreme Court would not rule on a State’s right to set out its own voting guidelines and disenfranchise certain types of citizens. There is a dearth of cases dealing with voting rights issues for the first fifty years of the court’s existence. It wasn’t until Williams v. Mississipi, decided in 1898, that the Supreme Court specifically address a constitutional challenge to a State’s voting restrictions and the court found no discrimination in a poll tax nor a literacy test. It took an Act of Congress to fill in some of the gaps. Legislative response was to pass the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution and provide that the right to vote could not be denied a citizen based on â€Å"race, color or previous condition of servitude.† It was pr oposed in 1868 and ratified in 1870 as a direct response to Reconstruction Era politics that pitted some (mainly Southern) States against the Federal Government. Congress spoke and the right to vote in elections was open to all adult males aged twenty-one and over. However, the States were finding ways around the literal interpretation of the Fifteenth Ame

Final Business Model and Strategic Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Final Business Model and Strategic Plan - Essay Example The new product division will analyze the potential market for their products. They will use the available budget to conduct research that will provide insights about the competition in the markets and what the competitors are doing to win customers. In addition, the new product division will use the information received to build a strong company brand presence. Moreover the brand owners who include the brand manager and marketing manager will gather information about the prospective customers. They will conduct online surveys as well as group and personal interviews to find out about customers views and preferences, goals economic and financial status. Moreover, they will liaise with the IT department to come up with a website that will be sued to market the new product. The website will inform customers on the benefits of the product, the places where to purchase the product as well as the prices and discounts that will be provided for the product. In addition, clients can post the ir comments, recommendations as well as the challenges they have faced while using the product. Moreover some of the marketing promotions that will be used will include above the line and below the promotion. This includes the posters, newsletters, billboards, coverage on radio and television. The new product division will mostly use above the line advertisement for the purpose of reaching a massive group of people. The new product division will have an effective communication plan that will ensure effective communication both internally and externally. The new product division plans to have access to the agenda of the critical meetings by involving the senior executives to deliver on the presentations in regards to the new product division to get insights and feedback from them. The new product division also plans to have proper management by planning campaigns and tracking results and success. This will include monitoring performance of the new product

The Breakdown of the Union Essay Example for Free

The Breakdown of the Union Essay Manifest Destiny is a phrase that expressed the belief that the United States had a divinely inspired mission to expand, spreading its form of democracy and freedom.The phrase Manifest Destiny was first used primarily by Jackson Democrats in the 1840s to promote the annexation of much of what is now the Western United States (the Oregon Territory, the Texas Annexation, and the Mexican Cession). Slavery, the exploitation of Africans for hard labor, was also growing vastly in popularity during this period of territorial expansion. These controversial ideologies, including such events as Mexican War, the Wilmont Provisio, the development of the Republican Party, the Dred Scott Decision, the Brooks-Sumner Incident, the Anthony Burns Incident, the Ostend Manifesto, Uncle Toms Cabin, and unbalanced congressional representation aided in sending the Union into uproar and eventually splitting it entirely. The Mexican War between the United States and Mexico began with a Mexican attack on American troops along the southern border of Texas on Apr. 25, 1846. Fighting ended when U.S. Gen. Winfield Scott occupied Mexico City on Sept. 14, 1847; a few months later a peace treaty was signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo. In addition to recognizing the U.S. annexation of Texas, defeated Mexico ceded California and , New Mexico (including all the present-day states of the Southwest) to the United States. During the war political quarrels arose regarding the disposition of conquered Mexico. A strong All-Mexico movement urged annexation of the entire territory. Abolitionists opposed that position and fought for the exclusion of slavery from any territory absorbed by the United States. In 1847 the House of Representatives passed the Wilmot Proviso, stipulating that none of the territory acquired should be open to slavery. The Senate avoided the issue, and a late attempt to add it to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was defeated. A major cause of conflict between the Southern slave states and the Northern free states was the lack of assistance given by northerners to southern slave-owners and their agents seeking to recapture escaped slaves. In 1850 Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law. The law stated that in future any federal marshal who did not arrest an alleged runaway slave could be fined $1,000. People suspected of being a runaway slave could be arrested without  warrant and turned over to a claimant on nothing more than his sworn testimony of ownership. The Fugitive Slave Law brought the issue home to anti-slavery citizens in the North, since it made them and their institutions responsible for enforcing slavery. Even moderate abolitionists were now faced with the immediate choice of defying what they believed an unjust law or breaking with their own conscience and belief. The case of Anthony Burns, in which a fugitive slave was returned to slavery under the protest of 50,000 citizens of Boston, and the celebration of the abolitionist, Charles Sumners assault by Preston S. Brooks, fell under this statute. The Ostend Manifesto was a secret document written in 1854 by U.S. diplomats at Ostend, Belgium, describing a plan to acquire Cuba from Spain. The document declared that Cuba is as necessary to the North American republic as any of its present members, and that it belongs naturally to that great family of states of which the Union is the Providential Nursery. The aggressively worded document, and Soulà ©s advocacy of slavery, caused outrage among Northerners who felt it was a Southern attempt to extend slavery. American free-soilers, just recently stirred with the Fugitive Slave Law passed as part of the Compromise of 1850, decried the manifesto of brigands. Thus the American scheme to capture Cuba fizzled. Meeting in a Ripon, Wisconsin Congregational Church on February 28, 1854 some thirty opponents of the Nebraska Act called for the organization of a new political party and suggested that Republican would be the most appropriate name. The radicals also took a leading role in the creation of the Republican Party in many northern states during the summer of 1854 . While conservatives and many moderates were content merely to call for the restoration of the Missouri Compromise or a prohibition of slavery extension, the radicals insisted that no further political compromise with slavery was possible. In the following years, this anti-slavery party would gain many followers. By 1856 the Republicans had elected a Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives and placed a candidate in the election for president. In the Election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln would become inaugurated as a member of the Republican party, defeating John  Breckinridge, Stephen Douglas, and John Bell of the Southern Democratic Party, Northern Democratic Party, and Constitutional Union respectively. Dred Scott was an American slave who was taken first to Illinois, a free state, and then to Minnesota, a free territory, for an extended period of time, and then back to the slave state of Missouri. After his original master died, he sued for his freedom. He initially won his freedom from a Missouri lower court, but the decision was reversed by the Missouri Supreme Court and remanded to the trial court. Simultaneously, Scott had filed suit in federal court, where, after prevailing on the issue of his status as a citizen of Missouri, he lost a trial by jury. Scott appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which used the case to fundamentally change the legal balance of power in favor of slaveholders. The Court ruled that: 1. No Negroes, not even free Negroes, could ever become citizens of the United States. They were beings of an inferior order not included in the phrase all men in the Declaration of Independence nor afforded any rights by the Constitution. 2. The exclusion of slavery from a U.S. territory in the Missouri Compromise was an unconstitutional deprivation of property (Negro slaves) without due process prohibited by the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 3. Dred Scott was not free, because Missouri law alone applied after he returned there. The decision was a culmination of what many at that time considered was a push to expand slavery. The expansion of the territories and resulting admission of new states meant that the longstanding Missouri Compromise would cause the loss of political power in the South as all new states would be admitted as free states. Thus, Democratic party politicians sought repeal of the Missouri Compromise and were finally successful in 1854 with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which naturally ended the compromise. Overall the reaction to the decision from opponents of slavery was fierce. Uncle Toms Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century (and the second best-selling book of the century after the Bible) and is credited with both helping to start the American Civil War and helping to fuel the abolitionist cause in the United States. This era also marked a dramatic  increase in congressional representation for free states. Compared to the overall equality of representation in senate and minor favoring of free states in the House during 1813, an 1860 summation exhibits a vast tip in the scale for free states over slave states. An unfair congress meant anger and conflict in the unaffiliated south, as well as future secession. At the advent of the mid-1800s, the Union faced perilous difficulties that seemed only to be solvable by war. By 1861, Civil catastrophe was inevitable, and the differences that initially split the nation soon engulfed it. Conflicts including the Mexican War, the Wilmont Provisio, the growth of the Republican Party, the Dred Scott Decision, the Brooks-Sumner Incident, the Anthony Burns Incident, the Ostend Manifesto, Uncle Toms Cabin, and unbalanced congressional representation contributed to national dispute and eventual dissemination of the state.

Reflecting on one’s Communication Skills Essay Example for Free

Reflecting on one’s Communication Skills Essay Introduction Nursing students can enhance their learning through reflection that is, reflecting on a situation that involves nursing care (Parker 2006, p.115). In line with this thought, I shall reflect on an experience and discuss the communication skills I used or should have used during the patient encounter. I will use the three what model based on the work of Borton (1970) and Boud (1985) to help structure my reflection. Before going any further, I am invoking the provision in the NMC (2008) code which declares the need to respect people’s confidentiality; hence, the identity of the patient who will be cited in this reflection will be kept anonymous. He will be given a pseudonym and will simply be referred to as Mr. B What? Mr. B is a 75-year-old patient in a nursing home diagnosed with dementia. Initially, it was my mentor who initiated nursing care to him and I was instructed to continue its delivery. The rationale why my mentor assigned me to Mr. B was so I can sharpen my communication skills. During my interaction with Mr. B, I tried to remain calm and spoke in slow and short sentences. I also used simple words although at times, I cannot help but repeat what I have already said because I was not sure whether the patient understood my statements. So What? At first, I was honestly hesitant and quite nervous when I interacted with the patient. I was already aware of his condition; hence, I was in a dilemma as to how I can communicate with him. This experience helped me realise that communication is truly an important part of nursing practice. Mastering all the routine nursing tasks and other complicated nursing interventions will all have been for nothing if a nurse does not know how to initiate a nurse-patient therapeutic relationship or interaction which naturally begins with communication. To simply put it, Ellis, Gates and Kenworthy (2003, p.214) declare that good communication is vital to effective nursing. According to Collins (2009) good communication helps build a therapeutic relationship which is central to nursing. It is a must for a nurse to be able to communicate effectively with the patient because communication is the tool that will allow the nurse to reassure a patient, empower the patient, motivate the patient, put a patient at ease, and convey understanding of the patient’s concerns (Collins 2009). I realised that communicating with a patient with dementia is more difficult than I have actually predicted. His condition was definitely the barrier that hindered effective communication. Even though I spoke in clear, short and simple sentences, there were still instances when the patient did not understand what I said or may be pretended to have not heard what I said. With this, I realise that one effective counter against such circumstance is to establish and maintain genuine rapport with the patient which can be done through frequent therapeutic conversations with the patient. Rapport entails trust and confidence of the patient to the nurse. Without, a nurse will have difficulty convincing a patient to follow instructions or adhere to advices. The experience also led me to realise the importance of valuing non-verbal communication. Before, I honestly took for granted non-verbal communication because the patients I handled in the past had no cognitive impairments that hindered verbal communication. It was only during this experience that verbal communication is less reliable due to the patient’s condition. This experience pointed out that a patient’s facial expression, presence or absence of eye contact, and bodily gestures can all help decipher a patient’s mood, feelings and attitude towards the nurse and the interventions given by the nurse. Videbeck (2010, p.107) relate that it is crucial for a nurse to understand what a patient is trying to communicate by means of observing non-verbal cues. I learned that a truly competent nurse is someone who is able to assess not only what a patient can verbalise but also assess those non-verbal cues displayed by a  patient which may lead the nurse to truly unde rstand how the patient feels and what the patient needs. Now What The experience helped me learn the importance of both verbal and non-verbal communication. As an aspiring nurse, I have to continuously sharpen my communication skills because I shall be interacting with more varied patients in the future. I have to be able to establish rapport with each new patient and I can do this by communicating with them. I must maximise my communication with my patients because I can do a lot of things by communicating such as motivate, empower, educate and understand my patients. Conclusion To sum up, reflecting on an experience will help discover different important learning. It will increase one’s knowledge identify strengths and weaknesses in one’s skills. Communication is key to building rapport and therapeutic relationship with patients. A nurse must always improve on his or her communication skills in order to better deliver nursing care. References Collins, S. (2009). Good communication helps to build a therapeutic relationship. (online) available at: http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinicalspecialisms/educators/good-communication-helps-to-build-a-therapeuticrelationship/5003004.article Ellis, R., Gates, B. and Kenworthy, N. (2003). Interpersonal communication in nursing: Theory and practice. London: Churchill Livingstone. Nursing Midwifery Council (2008). The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: NMC. Parker, M. (2006). Aesthetic ways in day-to-day nursing. In: Freshwater, D. (Ed.). Therapeutic nursing: Improving patient care through self-awareness and reflection. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Videbeck, S. (2010). Psychiatric-mental health nursing. 5th edn., Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Introduction Aseptic technique is the practice of carrying out a procedure in such a way that minimises the risk of introducing contamination into a vulnerable area or contaminating an invasive devise (Dougherty and Lister 2011, p.129). Aseptic technique includes several methods such as sterilising instruments, using antiseptic hand scrubs, and donning of sterile gowns, gloves, caps and masks (Cho and Alessandrini 2008, p.43). In line with this thought, this essay will explore the underlying rationales and evidence for the performance of two common methods of aseptic technique. These methods are hand washing and gloving which I personally performed many times during practice placements. Practising Aseptic Technique The delivery of effective nursing care rests on the hands of the nurse. This statement does not only apply figuratively but also literally because the hands of a nurse must not only be capable of performing tasks, it must also be clean while performing such tasks. Hand washing is simply indispensable in the performance of any and all kinds of nursing care activities. It becomes too mundane that sometimes it is intentionally or unintentionally neglected or performed in a manner that is less than satisfactory. As a student nurse, it was made clear to me that proper hand washing is a very important initial step in the delivery of nursing services. I have performed hand washing countless times, some at an acceptable standard while others below standard. The origin for strongly recommending or rather enforcing the need to perform hand washing may be traced from Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis who advocated the performance of hand washing with a chlorinated solution among doctors before assisting women in labour (Case 2011). White (2005, p.527) defines hand washing as the rubbing together of all surfaces www.newessays.co.uk and crevices of the hands using a soap or chemical and water. It is a part of all types of isolation precautions and is the most basic and effective infection-control measure to prevent and control the transmission of infectious agents. Hand hygiene which includes hand washing and gloving, is the single most crucial means of preventing transmission of antibiotic-resistant organisms such as the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci or VRE (LeTexier 2011). The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2003, p.28) or NICE in its guideline for infection control dictate that hand washing and gloving are two fundamental modes of preventing healthcare-associated infection. The World Health Organization (2006) highly recommends that health care workers wear gloves to prevent microorganisms present on the hands to be transmitted to patients and to reduce the risk of workers acquiring infection from patients. The effectiveness of donning gloves in preventing contamination of infectious agents has been confirmed in many clinical trials (WHO 2006). To reiterate, both hand washing and gloving are two of the most indispensable methods of aseptic technique; however, amidst the overwhelming evidence on the benefits of both procedures, there are still erring professionals. Nurses, doctors and other health care professionals still do err in the performance of such procedures. In my case, I have done it many times before but sometimes, I still forget to do it or consciously neglect to do it. Perhaps, the problem lies not within the knowledge of the need to perform it but rather on the manner by which it should be perform. There are varying ways and means of performing hand washing. In fact there are different kinds of hand washing. There is the medical hand washing which is similar to ordinary hand washing and there is also the surgical hand washing. Every institution has its own version on how to perform hand washing. This is also true for donning gloves. There are different brands of gloves each of which advertise some form of advantage over the other. There are also different modes of donning gloves such as the open technique and the close technique. There are also different varieties of gloves like clean gloves and surgical gloves. The differences and varieties with the way hand washing and gloving may be performed may account for the reason why some professionals err in the performance of these two important aseptic technique procedures. Another factor in the possible non-compliance of some healthcare professionals may be related to convenience in the performance of such procedures. For instance, when a nurse is overwhelmed by work-related stress due to high inpatient census, sometimes, the simple act of washing hands is intentionally neglected. As a solution to this, it is recommended to make hand hygiene convenient (JCR 2009, p.64). Instead of the traditional soap and water, it is possible to achieve the same effect with alcohol based scrub; thereby, eliminating the need for washing hands with water. It is also advisable to choose gloves that have special fit for different sizes of hands rather than the fit-all type of gloves. Conclusion In summary, hand washing and gloving are two common types of aseptic technique which are indispensable in the everyday practice of nursing. It has been well established that hand washing and gloving are crucial in the efficient delivery of services particularly in the aspect of preventing the spread of infection. Despite this known fact, some still err in complying with such procedures. References Case, C. (2011). Handwashing. [online] Available at: http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/hand_background.php Cho, C. and Alessandrini, E. (2008). Aseptic technique. In: King, C., Henretig, F. and King , B. (Eds.). Textbook of pediatric emergency procedures. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Dougherty, L. and Lister, S. (2011). The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures: Student edition. 8th edn., Chichester: John Wiley Sons Ltd. Joint Commission Resources (2009). Meeting joint commission’s infection prevention and control requirements: A priority focus area. 2nd edn., Illinois: Joint Commission Resources. LeTexier, R. (2011). Preventing infection through hand washing. [Online].Available at: http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/articles/2000/07/preventing-infection-throughhandwashing.aspx National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2003). Infection control: Prevention of healthcare-associated infection in primary and community care. [online]. Available at: http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG2fullguidelineinfectioncontrol.pdf White, L. (2005). Foundations of nursing. London: Thompson Delmar Learning. www.newessays.co.uk Nursing Essay: Sample World Health Orgnization (2006). The first global patient safety challenge: Clean care is safer care. [online]. available at: http://www.who.int/gpsc/tools/Infsheet6.pdf www.newessays.co.uk

Spanish Cinema During The Dictatorship

Spanish Cinema During The Dictatorship Spanish cinema was highly affected by the effects of the civil war; private investment in the production of commercial films fell drastically. The country was divided in two areas which were facing the effects of having military forces. This situation was reflected specially in the movie industry because at the time no-one wanted to invest in any new projects. Nevertheless, movie theatres in the whole country were doing extremely well all through the war; they were screening local productions as for example, Florià ¡n Reys clichà ©d Morena Clara (1936) and also, they were importing popular American productions. The Republican, who had the control over the principal centres of urban movie-making, gave authorization for the production of more than 200 films during the conflict. However, at the beginning of 1938 it started to be perceived that the Republican government was going to be defeated and therefore several members of the film industry started to organize their departure; most of them were Republican supporters. The directors Luis Alcoriza, Luis Buà ±uel, Carlos Velo, etc; also many actors as for example, Josà © Luis Baviera, Margarita Xirgu, Ana Marà ­a Custodio, Alberto Closes, Rosita Dà ­az Gimeno, Carmen Amaya; accompanied by a huge group of technicians such as the editor Josà © Caà ±izares, the camera operator Josà © Marà ­a Beltrà ¡n and the majority of the team members who were in charge of Andrà © Malrauxs Lespoir: Sierra de Teruel, migrated from Spain to countries such as: France, Argentina and Mexico. These were countries in which Spanish speakers had the opportunity to continue their work in the film industry. The director Buà ±uel was the perfect example of someone that was able to adapt to a life forced out of Spain. After he was exiled in 1946 he decided to go to Mexico and in 1949 became a Mexican citizen. However a large list of film makers who had started their careers under the Republicans and were sympathizers of the democratic government stayed at Francos side for example, Juan de Orduà ±a, Antonio del Amo, Benito Perojo, Florià ¡n Rey, Edgar Neville, Eduardo Garcà ­a Maroto, Rafael Gil, etc. The civil war finally ended on April 1939; afterwards Spain assumed a military dictatorship with General Franco in command. Obviously, the new management of the Spanish cinema industry during the dictatorship had a very negative repercussion on the film industry and could only lead to the best opportunity for those who were in the power to commit several crimes such as fraud, patronage, use of favours etc. It is important to highlight the fact that in 1940 three main official regulations were established and then submitted leading to the Spanish film industry to suffer the side effects of these intransigent regulations for many years. These regulations were: Compulsory dubbing Official state newsreel Film censorship Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship: Film Censorship Film censorship had been presented to Spain when the country was still facing the civil war in 1938; then in 1939 during the dictatorship of Franco it was stipulated all through the nation. During this period all film scripts had to endure a pre-censorship, shooting scripts had to be approved and Spanish films were required to have an exhibition licence, changes to image and sound tracks, cuts in completed movies were as well imposed and there was authorization of dubbing and subtitling. Film censorship was characterised for its inefficiency, for not being consistent when making decisions, and also for being arbitrary in its choices. Nevertheless it is difficult to establish if censorship caused the same impact on Spanish cinema as compulsory dubbing. Compulsory dubbing into Spanish and the taxation of all films that were imported from foreign countries were introduced by the industry and commerce ministry in April 1941. These two measures are normally seen as a consequence of Axis satisfactory results during the Second World War. However it seems to have more connection with Francos constant attempts to Hispanicize Spanish culture. At this time over 50% of the public couldnt read or write and most of Spain only spoke Spanish and didnt speak any other language and therefore Spanish film viewers soon got used to watching foreign films in dubbed Spanish. The film industry quickly realised that they could produce more profit from dubbed films than from using subtitles in films; as a result it was easier for censors to manipulate soundtracks and images. Nevertheless, compulsory dubbing drastically affected the country; economically and industrially. It caused a great damage to Spanish film productions; the main reason was that Foreign and Spanish films were in a position of equal accessibility to Spanish audiences and thus distributors and exhibitors abandoned essential elements in the effort to defeat international competition. Furthermore, the importation of international productions for distribution and even for exhibition was determined by the concession of import licences to national film producers. These licenses were given by official organisations to national film makers depending on the ideology of their productions. It was typical that the producers who supported Francos regime who behaved in a moderate and morally acceptable way would obtain three or five import permits. However, there were some films for example; El davo (1944) directed by Rafael Gil and El escà ¡ndalo (1943) directed by Josà © Luis Sà ¡enz de Heredia that won fifteen licences. Then these were sold for a lot of money, normally through the illicit black market, mainly to distributors from America who were based in Spain. The Spanish audience seemed to prefer foreign productions and therefore producers became very rich from selling import permits. This was also true for the distributers and exhibitors who also became very wealthy from screening foreign movies. As a consequence of this, for about ten years, the Spanish film industry was only used as a simply way of making very good profits from selling import licences. Spanish industry started suffering the consequences of a new law: compulsory official newsreels commonly recognised as NODO which was presented in December 1942 and had to be screened in all cinemas in Spain. This was basically political publication; propaganda used by the regime that had as its main purpose to influence Spanish people by the use of inaccurate information. NO-DO which is the acronym for Noticieros y Documentales Cinematograficos was used instead of the Italian and the German newsreels in cinemas in Spain and was compulsory until 1976. Unluckily, the mandatory introduction of NO-DO newsreels in Spain efficiently excluded a large number of younger national film-makers from presenting their work to the public such as, animation, documentaries or shorts and this certainly discouraged others to study in these areas. To lessen the gravity of the disastrous effects of the NO-DO policy, the regime presented a list of new protectionist measures that benefited the Spanish film industry. The following are some of these measures: Revised classification schemes, screen quotas (initially one week of Spanish film for every six of a foreign film). Official loans with which to finance up to 40 per cent of a film budget. Official prize of 400.000 pesetas. National interest awards for deserving films. Until about 1945, the regime of General Franco had its favourite film genres, especially one called cine de cruzada or films inspired by war, which also commemorated the Franco regimes victories in the civil war, disapproved the defeated Republican and celebrated the power of the armed forces, the religious, and colonialist values of the new people who ruled the country by that time. These films included: Escuadrilla (1941), Boda en el infierno (1942) and Los à ºltimos de Filipinas (1945), all directed by Antonio Romà ¡n.  ¡Harka! (1941) directed by Carlos Arà ©valo, El crucero Baleares (1941) directed by Enrique del campo and Juan de Orduà ±as  ¡A mà ­ legià ³n! (1942). There was especially one film called Raza (The Race) (1942) directed by Josà © Luis Sà ¡enz de Heredia which was without doubt one of the more significant films for the genre. Towards the end of 1940 and As the nation came to terms with the dramatic repercussions of the bloody civil war that had just ended, and while the rest of Europe engaged in its own devastating conflict, Franco found the time to write a brief novella entitled Raza. Published under the pseudonym Jaime de Andrade, Raza was structured like a screenplay and clearly intended to be made into a film; a semi autobiographical film, reflecting aspects of Francos real life. In 1945 with the foreseen defeat of the Axis, the descent in influence of Falange (Political organisation) and the ideology adopted by Franco of National Catholicism, the principles of the cine de cruzada was transformed into different nationalist genres. These also contained the period drama, the folkloric comedy, the historical movie, and the religious film. Comedies seemed to be preferred by the box office, the reason being this genre of film was the most popular and therefore the most profitable; especially films directed by Edgar Neville, Rafael Gil and Josà © Luis Sà ¡enz de Heredia who produced many clichà ©d, bullfighting films and folkloric musicals. These types of films were characterised for their poor quality and being cheerful in nature and having low production values. However, these films were produced for easy viewing; also, audience had the opportunity to participate. These were vehicles which were created around the best singers of that time, for example, Juanita Reina, Carmen Sevilla, Lola Florez, Paquita Rico, Currito de la Cruz, and Conchita Piquer as in Florià ¡n Rey La Dolores (1940). Yet in a time in which international isolation and repression for its fascist supporters was very common, the regime encouraged film producers to use the great national symbols of old and resist using anti-Spanish symbols in a serie s of bulky over produced biopics, commemorating distinguished Catholic heroines as in Juan de Orduà ±a Locura de Amor (Love Crazy) (1950) and La Leona de Castilla (The Lioness of Castille) (1951), and Reina Santa (1947) a film about a virtuous Spanish princess who becomes the Queen of Portugal directed by Rafael Gil. Along with these theatrical and historical films, we also see a strong Catholicism and missionary colonialism theme running through the cinema at this time, such as Misià ³n blanca (1946) directed by Juan de Orduà ±a, and then there were the prototypes for the sentimental, religious dramas of the early 1950s with films like Balarrasa (Reckless) (1951), A mans harrowing experience in war which turns him to God for salvation and he becomes a Priest) directed by Josà © Antonio Nieves Conde. It is worth mentioning that the same Falangist director, Josà © Antonio Nieves Conde, directed Surcos (Furrows) (1951), dealing with the fatal repercussions of leaving the old country and implications of migrating to the city. This film seemed to symbolise the realist cinema which was more relative to daily life in Spain and to the Spanish people, issues of lower orders, and presenting social problems that were entirely absent from Spanish cinema screens. Surcos was also the cause of strong disagreements between Falangism and conventional Catholicism because in 1951 Josà © Marà ­a Garcà ­a Escudero who was the General Director of Cinema at the time, denied to give the national interest award to Juan de Orduà ±as Alba de America (Dawn of America) (1951) as he preferred Surcos instead. As a consequence of this, Escudero had to leave his position as General Director of Cinema and Orduà ±as historical epic was awarded instead. This was an indication of the regime position towards f ilm makers who had the courage to defy the regime baring the less appealing, problematic side of social issues in Francos dictatorship. Realism had gradually returned into Spain through the weird example of Italian neo-realism and soviet cinema at the end the 1940s, it had sneaked into university film programmes. These types of films found great acceptance among some disillusioned Falangist film makers in the new, official film school, which was created by the regime and founded in 1947. Originally, the regime permitted the establishment of the Instituto de Investigaciones y experiencias cinematogrà ¡ficas (Institute for Film Research and Experiment) by means of forcing control on professional access to the film industry. In 1962 its name was changed to Escuela Oficial de Cine (Official Film School) and represented its programme on the curriculum for the Italian Centro Sperimentale in Rome. The IIEC was known for its lack of good teaching standards, and poor resources. However, the IIEC acquired 109 students just in the first year of its foundation; many of these pupils played important roles in the film industry movements in the 1950s and events which were organized to manifest cultural and also political opposition to Francos regime. Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship: Neo-Realism (1952-1961) Neo-Realist ideology started to be more obvious throughout the film industry in Spain almost immediately, not only in films by the young upcoming directors but also in those by followers of Franco such as Josà © Antonio Nieves Conde, who with his controversial film Surcos, let Spaniards see some of the unpleasant aspects of urban life. Luis Garcà ­a Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem were two disillusioned Falangists who studied at IIEC, they both were very important individuals in the attempt to renew Spanish cinema. These two men worked together with their own production company called UNINCI and in 1951 made Esa Pareja Feliz (That Happy Couple) (1953). The story was based on dreams of the working class about the improvement of the economy with parodies of CIFESAs (Compaà ±Ãƒ ­a Industrial Film Espaà ±ol S.A.) epic cinema and also the escapism of romantic comedies from Hollywood. Berlanga and Bardem proceeded with the same satirical style in the respected Spanish parody Bienvenido Mister Marshall (Welcome Mr. Marshall!) (1953).This production had a very critical edge and for that reason it obtained a very positive international recognition. Nevertheless, it was publicly and officially disapproved in Spain. Although the critics of his movies were softened by the parody and comic tone, Berlanga frequently had cens orship and poor distribution issues. Juan Antonio Bardem was part of the illegal Communist Party and also one of the organizers of the Salamanca Film Conference in 1955. His career in the film industry in the 50s and 60s was interrupted with periods of imprisonment due to his political actions against the regime. Among his works were Cà ³micos (Actors) (1953) and Muerte de un ciclista (Death of a Cyclist) (1955) in which Bardem emphasises in a critical perception of the bourgeoisie in Spain and showed some short images of people living in extreme poverty in Spain, this film gave Bardem substantial international recognition (Winner of the 1955 FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival). The introduction of new ideas from international lands caused great fervour and strong feelings of change among filmmakers and the general public alike. Public discussions were due for the first time in Spains old University City Salamanca lead by Basilio Martà ­n Patino and sponsored by the Universities film club, the first National cinematographic conversations called the attention of professionals in the Spanish film industry, scholars, critics and writers who were there to represent a vast range of ideologies, these conversations took place between 14th and 19th of May in 1955. There was an opened document declaring the meeting which was signed by directors such as Bardem, Patino, Muà ±oz Suay, etc; these recognised personalities of the film industry along with many others discussing a number of topics, for example the censorship criteria, film distribution, and protection quotas. They also mentioned that it was crucial to include a member of the film industry in the censorship team and wanted that point to be considered. The discussions in Salamanca caused a minimum reaction for which many of their supporters thought the talks had been a failure. The fascist government opposition said the talks were an opportunity given to the regime by a bourgeois organization to sharpen its manipulation by the use of censorship criteria. Conservatives said the talks were proof that communist were infiltrating; some other people said that the discussions were clear evidence that the film industry in Spain was in its infancy, but for others of its history and maturity. Nevertheless it is important to say that the talks had helped the awareness of Spanish cinema on a national level and due to some insecurity in the government eleven months after the Salamancan talks the general director of film and theatre was substituted by Josà © Muà ±oz Fontà ¡n (Whose career would later be destroyed by Buà ±uels controversial Viridiana (1961)). The most obvious evidence of official reactions was that the film industry was in c omplete silence following the talks and the Franco Government quietly turned its back. Although censorship had caused an artistic void in Spain, the new emerging and inspiring ideas being introduced into Spain had created new blood with young home grown directors such as pioneers Luis Garcia Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem (Who both helped to create la està ©tica franquista, a film style which ironically defined Spanish film during Francos reign). Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship: New Spanish Cinema (1962-1968) Spain made its first attempt to be part of the European common market in 1962; the country wanted to prove that Spain was not the fascist, retrograde it used to be; Spain was going through a new phase of liberalization. The moderate Garcà ­a Escudero who was dismissed 10 years before for supporting the film Surcos was brought back to accompany the director of cinematographic and theatre position. Garcia participated in the discussions in Salamanca and was aware of the disappointment and frustrations of those people who were attempting to make films during the dictatorship of General Franco and therefore when the repression caused by the use of censorship temporally down the pressure on the film industry in 1962, Josà © Marà ­a Garcà ­a Escuderos started to revise the points discussed in Salamanca which after seven years had not been even considered. One of the hardest aims for Garcà ­a Escudero to achieve was to update the censorship system. In this attempt he was attacked by constant criticism, especially by members of the church and the right wing who accused him of being a repulsive freak of a promoter. Forth revised codes were stipulated in 1963, which were strongly attacked with the only purpose of bringing back many of the strictly controlled measures. Although several of the new film makers were clearly part of the opposition, the dictatorship found the way to silence their voices. Josà © Garcà ­a Escudero did not find enough political support to cause any serious alteration to the censorship system; however, in 1962 he managed to create a new category for special interest films. This category was very significant for new professional film makers from The Escuela Oficial de Cinematografà ­a (EOC), to work in a film industry in which they had never been allowed to be involved in unless they were only apprentices. As a consequence of the special interest category a new genre in the film industry appeared. This new genre was films that showed the problems of Spain, especially with criticism towards the social situation of the country, for the first time realistic narratives of Spain were screened in cinemas along the country. This type of cinema was called by critic Juan Francisco de Lasa as New Spanish Cinema. The new cinema in Spain was known for its use of metaphor showing social criticism which was prominent in the 1950s especially by directors Luis Garcà ­a Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem who were well respected at the time and classed as the best of their era and genre. Nevertheless new directors focused more on the 1890s literary generation. Spanish writers like the likes of Antonio Machado, Miguel de Unamuno and Pà ­o Baroja were attempting to find answers to national issues in its literary, historical and also geographical past, the new directors in the 1960s were more interested in analyzing and criticizing social traditions in Spain in an attempt to form an image of Spain in which the country is seen for what it really is, instead of for what it was in the past or people thought it would be in the future. Despite the special category which allowed new Spanish productions to work as films of special interest, young Spanish film makers were still being attacked by censorship, as seen in Miguel Picazos La tia Tula (1964), that had a cut of over four minutes and then there was the confiscation of certain scenes from Carlos Sauras Llanto por un bandido (1964) which were eventually destroyed by the censors. Manuel Summers Juguetes rotos (1964) recalls the heroics of a boxer, a bullfighter, and a soccer player, showing the contrast between the opportunities of youth and the loneliness of advancing age still had its problems with the censors with the director receiving a long list of prohibited shots, including the following. A child begging A group of girls in bikinis Dialogue saying Cualquier Espaà ±ol puede ser torero (Any Spaniard can be a bullfighter) These frequent restrictions caused an enormous frustration among many promising film makers. When the regime realised that the new Spanish cinema was being used in opposition, the government designed a system which allowed control over film distribution, making sure that these films were seen only by a chosen few; new Spanish films were screened exclusively in a system of art theatres for a very small educated audience. The arte y ensayo system started in January 1967 with the following restrictions: 380 theatres Only in urban areas (cities of over 500,000 inhabitants) Cannot seat more than 500 (By law) The distributors at first thought it was great to be able to offer films shown for the first time in Spain but because the audiences were small, exhibitors advertised promising them fruto prohibido (films prohibited or censored elsewhere). While this was correct, most of the public had misinterpreted it and would come looking for lewd material. Most previously censored films were not necessarily sexually explicit, censored more for political or social reasons such as Jean-Godards A bout de soufflà © (1960), Luis Buà ±uels Exterminating Angel (1962) and Ingmar Bergmans Persona (1966). The public became totally disillusioned and because of the years of censorship was completely unprepared for the new developments in films. By 1972 the art theatre ceased because it proved to an unsuccessful experiment. The special theatres were created not so much for the benefit of the Spanish film industry but so that foreign tourists in Spain could see movies in their native language. The New Spani sh Cinema was being exhibited mostly in the art theatres but after a mere five years, Spains New Cinema did not have an audience in its own country and they were all abolished. The whole movement had attracted nothing but problems from the start due to the total lack of film culture in Spain. Directors of New Spanish Cinema created films which felt out of date to the foreign audiences. Basilio Martà ­n Patinos Nueve cartes a Berta (1966) was entered into Cannes by Josà © Marà ­a Garcà ­a Escudero but straight away rejected; Patinos honest and naive film felt dated to an international audience with their advanced understanding of cinema. To be fair to Garcà ­a Escudero he had accomplished a lot between 1962 and 1966, over forty new directors had made their first film. This wasnt enough for him to keep his position of director general of Cinematografia y Teatro, and he was dismissed for the second time in his career. There were two reasons given, the first was economic; the secon d was for The Primeras Jornadas Internacionales de Escuelas de Cinematografà ­a (First International Film Schools Discussions) and his lack of control over a new and important presence in the Spanish film world, a group of students and young directors who were presided over by the respected film critic Ramà ³n Gubern and in part by director Joaquim Jordà   who is quoted saying: Today is impossible to speak freely of reality in Spain, so we are trying to describe its imaginary life* This group organized the only public discussion of film in Spain for the last twelve years. These discussions were held between 1st and 6th of October 1967 in the Catalan beach town of Sitges. Attended by students, critics and young filmmakers, the Sitges conference provided a unique space for anti-Franco protesters, revolutionaries and supporters of experimental film. The Catalonian film director, Jordà   presented a manifesto for the Barcelona School that became widely known as the Sitges Manifesto. This manifesto provided a clear focus for debates on questions of film principles and political ideals, as well as new ideas for production and exhibition of work outside Francos restrictive regime. Jordà  s drafted the manifesto with a Marxist tone and could not be further from the New Spanish Cinema if it tried, with demands to end all censorship and state subsidies of any kind. Furthermore it called for the replacement of the Sindicato Nacional de Espectà ¡culo (State Entertainmen t Union) which would be able to supervise the production, distribution and exhibition of film. The Sitges manifesto rejected any possibility of working with the system and would only agree to a film industry totally independent of the state. By the time the Franco regime noticed what was going on in Sitges the conference was coming to a close. Nevertheless police interrupted the end of the event and arrested participants. Jordà   sought refuge in Rome and classes were briefly suspended at the National Film School. Garcà ­a Escudero was finally dismissed in November 1967. After the regimes reaction to the conference in Sitges, the Spanish film directors union (Agrupacià ³n Sindical de Directores-Realizadores Espaà ±oles de Cinematografà ­a (ASDREC)) was planning to continue the debates at their own convention, scheduled on the 23rd of November in 1969. A group of professional directors proposed that they carry out a study of the main problems of Spanish film and publish the find ings. Some of these findings, including eliminating film censorship, had been taken from Sitges. Officially the ASDREC convention was prohibited due to its controversial tone, but this didnt stop them. After many preliminary talks between directors discussing the topics most relevant to the industry, the main meeting was eventually held in March 1970. * Higginbotham, V. (1988). Spanish Film Under Franco. Texas: University of Texas Press. p66 Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship: The decade of Francos death (1969-1975) With the demise of Garcà ­a Escudero and the New Spanish Cinema and the breakup of School of Barcelona with its avant garde views, Spanish movie screens were full of foreign Spy movies and spaghetti westerns. The decade of Francos death (November 20th 1975) had started badly for Spanish film, with huge debts for the industry and the best of its new films were hardly shown on Spanish cinemas screens. 20 percent of world cinema had been banned in Spain since the Civil War and by the 1970s it had risen to over 50 percent of films made abroad that couldnt be seen on Spanish screens. If most of the worlds greatest films couldnt be seen in Spain, at least it wasnt being so strong on letting them be filmed there, even if it brought controversy. One of the most important (and controversial) events for Spanish film during the later years of Francos reign was Buà ±uel being granted permission to film Tristana (1970) in 1969. Tristana, definitely one of Buà ±uels finest, is a great example o f why his films, although banned and not well known to the Spanish people, were considered by Spanish Directors in the know as National treasures. In total contrast to most of the Spanish films made during the dictatorship, Buà ±uels vision of Spain seemed and felt more authentic. With the use of real people where possible as in Viridiana (1961) where he selected a group of beggars straight from the streets of Toledo and Madrid, and then there is the title character from Nazarin (1959) who is a typical anarchistic Spanish clergyman (many were murdered on the suspicion of being Communist sympathizers during the Civil War). Buà ±uels return to Spain was also the start of a new era in Spanish film, in the next five years leading up to Francos death there were some great films to come out of Spain. Carlos Saura (after Buà ±uel is Spains most important director during the post-war era) managed to create some great films even though his films were criticized by both right and left wing equally. He had the power to irritate and inherited Buà ±uels ability to cause trouble and whose films also managed to disturb the uneasy calm of the Franco camp. Films included Los golfos (1959), Ana y los lobos (1972), La prima Angelica (1973) and Cria cuervos (1975) the title in Spanish stems from the phrase Raise ravens and theyll pluck out your eyes and the equivalent phrase in English would be you reap what you sow. Filmed the year before Francos death, it makes clear how the regime, through an out of date religious education, making certain that the young do not grow into cuervos (ravens) and rebel the fascist myth. Last but definitely not least is the most highly acclaimed film in the history of Spanish cinema, El espà ­ritu de la colmena (Spirit of the Beehive) (1973) one of the most beautiful and poetic films ever filmed, a film which has been haunting audiences both Spanish and abroad since it first premiered in Madrid in October 1973. A young Victor Erice (he was 33 years old when he directed his master piece, 3 years younger than Orson Welles when he directed Citizen Kane (1941)) was in search of new myths and turned to classic horror films for inspiration and he found Frankensteins monster to represent Spain and its problems. After seeing James Whales Frankenstein (1931) for the first time, seven year old Ana becomes fascinated with the monster, she becomes obsessed with finding him, and transfers this onto a wounded army deserter, who she is convinced is the monster. As a metaphor for Spain, the monster is a ghoulish collage of a man, a monstrous figure constructed by the sinister creat or, Dr. Henry Frankenstein. Even the Doctors name sounds very much like Franco. With its reference to the myth of Frankenstein, Erice found an uncanny metaphor for Francos Spain. The monster was reborn and had no memory like a new born baby, he has no moral sense and so can behave kindly, then kill (by accident or otherwise). Frankensteins monster being a literary myth himself suitably represents the final result of the so called Franco myth. Chapter Three Spanish Cinema back to Democracy General Franco died on the 20th November 1975, and with his death died 46 years repression, a new phase of history was about to be born in Spain. It was the time for freedom which would give strength and new backbone to the Spanish cinema. It was as if Spain finally had democracy, liberalism, explicitness and experimentation all at once. Directors were now creating without the pressure of all those previous prohibitions. Franco before he died had designated as his successor Juan Carlos of Bourbon, who was the grandson of the last king of Spain. For the first time in over 40 years, a free election took place on June 15, 1977 and

Analysis of JNY and LIZ Financial Data Essay -- GCSE Business Marketin

Analysis of JNY and LIZ Financial Data The following paper will compare the five-year performance of two apparel manufacturers utilizing the DuPont Framework and Return on Equity. Then a three- year analysis of common-size income statements will be undertaken to explain changes in income and expenses within each company. Jones Apparel Group (JNY) and Liz Claiborne (LIZ) are the industry leaders in the manufacturing of better clothing, footwear, fragrances, and costume jewelry, and the subject of this analysis. Jones Apparel Group’s recognized brands include: Jones New York, Polo Jeans Company, Nine West, Napier, and costume jewelry licensed under the Tommy Hilfiger brand. Jones aims to gain stability in the apparel industry as well as retail markets through building â€Å"complete lifestyle brands serving a wide breadth of consumers in a wide range of income levels and shopping destination preferences.† (PR Newswire, 2/7/01). Liz Claiborne’s brands include: Claiborne, Curve, Lucky Brand, Monet, and licenses to produce DKNY Jeans and DKNY Active. The company’s success can be attributed to its â€Å"multi-brand, multi-channel strategy† of diversification in the apparel marketplace. (PR Newswire, 2/23/01). The apparel industry is among the most volatile sectors in the market today. Subject to overnight changes in trends and fashion, the industry leaders must be accurate with their predictions and quick to accommodate changes. Because of these fluctuations, it is very hard to assign a competitive advantage to one company over another. While Jones Apparel Group seems to have a comparative advantage in profitability and leverage, Liz Claiborne has been historically more effective at generating revenue from its assets. While Liz is surging to eclipse Jones’ ROE numbers as of late, Jones Apparel Group holds a historical comparative advantage in return on equity and overall financial health. One look at the common-size income statements for these companies can tell a story. While Jones Apparel Group was lagging at year ended 1998, even with a restructuring charge on Liz Claiborne’s income statement, 1999 was a different story. Huge growth at Jones lead to revenues double of that one year ago while Liz, while increasing, was quickly falling behind. The growth for both of these companies continued into the year ended 2000, but Jones Apparel Grou... ...eaders must be accurate with their predictions and quick to accommodate changes. Because of these fluctuations, it is very hard to assign a competitive advantage to one company over another. While Jones Apparel Group seems to have a comparative advantage in profitability and leverage, Liz Claiborne has been historically more effective at generating revenue from its assets. While Liz is surging to eclipse Jones’ ROE numbers as of late, Jones Apparel Group holds a historical comparative advantage in return on equity and overall financial health. One look at the common-size income statements for these companies can tell a story. While Jones Apparel Group was lagging at year ended 1998, even with a restructuring charge on Liz Claiborne’s income statement, 1999 was a different story. Huge growth at Jones lead to revenues double of that one year ago while Liz, while increasing, was quickly falling behind. The growth for both of these companies continued into the year ended 2000, but Jones Apparel Group’s results were brilliant compared to Liz Claiborne’s. One billion dollar growth in revenues as well as higher net income is making Jones Apparel Group the company of the future.

The I&M Canal :: American America History

The I&M Canal "Didn't expect no town" -Early Chicago Settler Mark Beaubien The I&M Canal is universally considered the driving force behind the huge surge of growth that turned the tiny hamlet on the banks of Lake Michigan named Chicago, in to a huge metropolis and bustling center of trade. Ever since Joliet first crossed the portage between the Chicago river and the Des Plaines river in 1673, explorers, investors, politicians, and farmers alike all agreed that constructing a canal across the continental divide that separated the two largest water systems in the United States would not only create a continuous waterway between New York and New Orleans but more importantly, place Chicago on perhaps the most valuable piece of real estate in North America and in the position to become an international player almost overnight. The plans to build the Illinois & Michigan canal began in the newly christened Illinois legislature in 1818. It was driven forward by groundbreaking on work to construct the Erie Canal in New York. Once the Erie Canal was complete only a canal between the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers would be necessary to complete the chain of waterways connecting New York to New Orleans. In 1822, Congress ceded to Illinois a large portion of land on which to not only build the canal, but to sell to raise funds for its construction. The land contained the portage between the two rivers and about 100 miles of land to the south and west of it. It had just recently been coercively and dishonestly purchased from the local Blackhawk Indians in a treaty that ended the Blackhawk War. As soon as the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, eastern investors quickly realized Chicago's huge potential. The land around what would one day be the canal soon became heavily coveted by land speculators. They envisioned a huge city rising around this soon-to-be hub of international trade. Pieces of land offered by the state were bought dirt cheap and sold for many times their original value as investors braced for what they hoped would be a huge windfall after the canal was completed. Many men made fortunes that would last them a lifetime in a matter of months by buying land from the state and then reselling it months and sometimes weeks or days later for up too 5000% profit. After years of planning, ground was broke for the first time on the Illinois & Michigan canal in 1836.