English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 15

English - Essay Example On the surface, Troy Maxson – as a symbol- is Wilson’s way of telling people that African American men are not irresponsible, absentee fathers they were portrayed to be because the figure was clearly depicted as someone who has an overwhelming sense of duty and responsibility to his family. Troy, for example, confessed to Rose the guilt he feels over taking Gabe’s money just so he could renovate his home. He said: â€Å"Man go over there and fight the war†¦ and they give him a lousy three thousand dollars. And I have to swoop on that.† (28) But as the play narrated the life of Troy Maxson, there emerged a deeper and darker truth to what he represented. In Troy’s struggles, the plight of the Black community in America during the period became evident. The chronicle of Maxson life - his psychology and, certainly, his physical emancipation from poverty, paternal neglect and abuse, from physical incarceration, his suppressed dreams of major-league baseball, from workplace frustrations and alienation within his home to complete spiritual and mental freedom – they demonstrated the collective experiences of the African Americans as they deal with the economic and social challenges of the period. Early on, a description has been aptly given: â€Å"Together with his blackness, his largeness informs his sensibilities and the choices he has made in life.† (1) As with most Blacks in the period, Troy was poor and this drove him to commit crime. Then, his dreams were dashed, first, by racism and, then a string of unfair employment practices. All his life had been a struggle. In Troy, there was the expected victimization by and resentment of the forces of social and economic oppression that were experienced by Blacks in modern America. Rightly so, his reaction to his plight demonstrated much of the disappointment, frustration, resentment and anger of African Americans. This reaction was aptly

Tragedy in Comedy Essay Example for Free

Tragedy in Comedy Essay Tragedy in Comedy is only a bad dream. This statement ironically captures the fable created by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While in the play, the night spent by the three couples and the performers in the woods outside Athens is felt by them to be a wild dream, for the audience viewing this comedy, the tragic elements at the beginning of the play seem less like the reality in Shakespeare’s make-believe world. This world has gods and lovers, half-man half-donkey, and goblins spreading love potions. The play captures many elements from the English mythological tradition, and uses them with poise and reserve. As one of the most popular adaptations for film and theatre in modern times, the play survives its intricate plot, typical characterization and reserved prose. The play begins in the house of Egeus with Hermia fighting against the wish of her father to marry the man chosen by him. In response, he invokes the ancient Athenian law that states that a daughter must marry according to the wishes of her father, or else face death. But Egeus gives Hermia another choice, to observe a lifelong chastity in the worship of the goddess Diana as a nun. Hermia decides to elope with her lover, Lysander and they both flight to marry in the house of Hermia’s aunt. They then escape to the forest outside Athens. Hermia has told of this to no one but her friend Helena, who, out of jealousy at being rejected by Demetrious, decides to tell him this in order to gain his favor. The humor here lies in the bitchy love affairs that make Helena betray her friend’s secret. In paintings and other art depicting the scene of confiding, the two are shown in close consultation, secretive and bonding. Thus, the scene is essential in the way that it builds up to the confusion, with Helena trailing Demetrius in his quest to trace Hermia and her lover. It also breaks away from the image, where sacrifice is easily rejected for personal happiness. Such a hedonistic impulse can only mean that the scene is set for the fight or pleasure, in which each person will vie for the lover’s hand. This fight takes a ridiculous proportion, when Oberon, king of the fairies brings forth the hobgoblin, Puck, to lace the sleeping Titania with love potion. Helena is shown from the start to be in pursuit of personal gain. This takes comic proportions when the spellbound Dymetrius and Lysander, a result of an incompetent Puck’s mistaking of Lysander for Demetrius, fall madly in love with her. She feels that this sudden reversal must mean that the two are mocking her. So she can no longer indulge in self centered pursuit, for the objects that she sought now seek her in maddening courtship. Herein lays Helena’s comedy. But it is finally Puck who saves the day, by removing the spell from Lysander, who consequently goes back to his affectionate relationship with Hermia. The band of six â€Å"rude mechanicals†, or stage actors who are to perform at the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, find their way into the forest where the â€Å"love in idleness† has caused chaos. It is Puck’s mischief again, in transforming Nick Bottom, an actor, into a man with the head of a donkey. His singing then awakens Titania, who has also been cast with the love potion. This is done on Oberon’s command, for he wishes to procure her changeling as a henchman. This is perhaps the part, when Titania falling madly in love with Bottom, showers Bottom with all that is deserving of a nobleman, a part that is most loved by the audiences of this play. It reaches a tragicomic poise that is eloquent and base all at once (Khoury, 2006). Oberon later orders Puck to remove the curse from Titania, who in turn frees Bottom from the donkey’s head. Oberon commands that Lysander should be freed of the magical hold, but it should remain on Demetrius. The serialization is complete. Theseus and Hippolyta arrive on their morning hunt and find the lovers asleep. Upon waking them, a grand ceremony is held by Oberon. Egeus agrees to Hermia’s union with Lysander, and a group wedding takes place. The lovers believe that the night’s event must have been a dream, and watching a performance by the six workmen, though not particularly pleasing; the lovers find a sense of pleasure and contentment. Oberon and the fairies enter after some time to bless them with good fortune. References Shakespeares Sources for A Midsummer Nights Dream. Shakespeare-online. com. Retrieved on 2009-11-01. The Tempest available at http://shakespeare. mit. edu/tempest/full. html Retrieved on 2009-11-01. The Tempest http://www. enotes. com/a-tempest/ Retrieved on 2009-11-01. The tempest revisited in Martinique: Aime Cesaires Shakespeare. (Critical essay) Khoury, J. (2006) The tempest revisited in Martinique: Aime Cesaires Shakespeare. (Critical essay) Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies | September 22, 2006 | http://www. accessmylibrary. com/article-1G1-154756422/tempest-revisited-martinique-aime. html Retrieved on 2009-11-01. http://cscanada. net/index. php/css/article/viewFile/559/pdf_398 Retrieved on 2009-11-01.

An Analysis of Marks and Spencer Essay -- BTEC Business Marketing GCSE

An Analysis of Marks and Spencer INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRM AND ITS INDUSTRY Marks and Spencer is one of the largest retailers in the United Kingdom, and is also known as a major retailer selling diverse product ranges under their own exclusive brand in more than thirty countries. Customer confidence in the Marks and Spencer brand remains second to none. According to recent research undertaken by the Company, it shows that, in clothing, Mark and Spencer has a clear lead over all its major competitors in the key areas of fit, quality, trust, breadth of range and customer service. In November of 2000, Marks and Spencer will launch a trial of three new lingerie-only outlets in Paris, Hamburg and Dusseldorf. According to industry statistics, Marks & Spencer remains the clear leader in the UK lingerie market, with over thirty percent of the market share. These pilot stores, distinctly branded 'msl', are designed to showcase the product range, taking the very best of Marks & Spencer lingerie to the Continent. Moreover, twenty-five percent of the 'msl' range has been designed exclusively for the continental market (Marks & Spencer PG). According to David Norgrove, Marks & Spencer Executive Director, the new stores developed by Marks and Spencer "clearly show how we can give customers what they want in the way they want it. Today we have both depth of product and a variety of retail formats, so that we can encompass factory outlet stores and designer clothing under the Marks & Spencer brand. Our new concept stores carry a wide range of products and services tailor-made for its local customers but, at the same time, we are also launching the European pilot of a specialist retail format which builds on our core strength in lingerie. All of these products and formats are being in response to customer research, to meet a proven need" (Marks & Spencer PG). THE COMPETITIVE STRUCTURE OF THE INDUSTRY The British retailer Marks & Spence decided to close its one Edmonton store, along with fourteen others across Canada, with the eight remaining stores being closed just one month later. This marked the ending of Marks and Spencer's 26-year run in Canada. The chain announced its Canadian pullout, which will affect only sixteen staff, was a surprise for Canadian shoppers. Heritage Mall manager Kirby Nishikawa said "the shutdown hurts the shopping cen... ...rnational expansion plans and probably sell U.S. clothing chain Brooks Brothers. EXPAND E-COMMERCE Sell online through partnerships with Microsoft Network, the BBC's beeb.com, and digital-television providers such as Telewest (Capel 35). A Marks & Spencer spokesman confirmed that its non-executive directors changed their minds over who should lead the company last autumn because of the huge changes within the business. Over the next five years the company is expanding its selling space by nearly a fifth in Britain and by forty percent in overseas markets (Rankine PG). By the year 2005, Marks & Spencer should once again be on the top of their category. Works Cited: Author not Available. "Outlook: M&S investors don their hair shirts." Independent, (1999), 21. Capell, Kerry. "Britain: lighting a fire under Marks & Spencer." Business Week International, (2000): 35. Le Riche, Timothy. "Closure date set of M&S leaves voide at Heritage Mall." Edmonton Sun, (1999): July, 44. Marks and Spencer. "Marks & Spencers Launches Two New Formats." (2000), October: PG. Rankine, Kate. "M&S asks outsiders to review strategy." The Daily Telegraph, (1998), PG.

Managerial Essay

Problems Chapter 4 Problem 4-26 Moravia Company processes and packages cream cheese. The following data have been compiled for the month of April. Conversion activity occurs uniformly throughout the production process. 1) Analysis of physical flow of units. 2) Calculation of equivalent units. 3) Computation of unit costs. 4) Analysis of total costs. 5) Build a Spreadsheet: Construct an Excel spreadsheet to solve all of the preceding requirements. Show how the solution will change if the following data change: the April 1 work in process costs were $27,000 for direct material and $5,000 for conversion. 1.| |   Physical Units| | Work in process, April 1| 10,000| | Units started during April| 100,000| | Total units to account for| 110,000| | Units completed and transferred out during April| 80,000| | Work in process, April 30| 30,000| | Total units accounted for| 110,000| 2.| | | | | | | | Physical Units| Percentage of Completion with Respect to Conversion| Equivalent Units| | | | | Direct Material| Conversion| | Work in process, April 1| 10,000  | 20%| | | | Units started during April| 100,000  | | | | | Total units to account for| 110,000  | | | | | Units completed and transferred out during April| 80,000  | 100%| 80,000| 80,000   | | Work in process, April 30|  30,000  | 33.33%|  30,000|  9,900   | | Total units accounted for| 110,000  | | | | | Total equivalent units| | | 110,000| 89,900   | 3.| | | | | | | Direct Material| Conversion|   Total| | Work in process, April 1| $22,000| $ 4,500| $26,500  | | Costs incurred during April|  198,000|  158,400|  356,400  | | Total costs to account for| $220,000| $162,900| $382,900  | | Equivalent units| 110,000| 89,900| | | Costs per equivalent unit| $2.00| $1.81| $3.81  | 4.| Cost of goods completed and transferred out during April:| | | | | | | (Units Transferred) *(Total Cost per equiv. unit) =| 80,000ï€  Ã¯â€š ´Ã¯â‚¬  $3.81| $304,961| | | | | Cost remaining in April 30 work-in-process inventory:| | | | | | | Direct material:| | | | | | | | (# of equivalent units of Direct Material ) * ( Cost per Equivalent Unit of Direct Material) =| 30,000ï€  Ã¯â€š ´Ã¯â‚¬  $2.00| $60,000| | | | | | Conversion:| | | | | | | | (# of equivalent units of conversion) * (Cost per equivalent unit of conversion) =| 9,900ï€  Ã¯â€š ´Ã¯â‚¬  $1.81|   17,939| | | | | | Total cost of April 30 work in process| $77,919| | | | | | Check: Cost of goods completed and transferred out| $304,961| | Cost of April 30 work-in-process inventory|  17,939| | Total costs accounted for| $382,900| | | | | 5Build a Spreadsheet: Construct an Excel spreadsheet to solve all of the preceding requirements. Show how the solution will change if the following data change: the April 1 work in process costs were $27,000 for direct material and $5,000 for conversion.|

How I Utilised My Summer Vacations

Vacations are the best time to relax and enjoy and I eagerly wait for my summer vacations every year. Every year my school closes in the middle of the month of May and reopens by the end of June. Annual exams get over and the results are declared. This time I got promoted to class nine from class eight. After the hard labor for the examinations, I wanted some rest and also some refreshment. Hence I put aside my books for a few weeks. Next day morning I went out to play with my friends. It was a very hot and sunny day so we decided to play indoor games. In the evening I asked my father and mother to take me to any of the hill stations because I wanted to beat the heat. My father told me that we cannot go to a hill station because all the hotels and resorts are booked beforehand only. It was too hot, the sun was scorching and the wind was deliberating. Fortunately my uncle had invited my family to Haridwar where he had reached two weeks earlier. Me and my parents reached Haridwar. My uncle, my aunty and my cousins were all very excited to see all of us. They welcomed us with a warm heart. At Haridwar I went to the bank of River Ganga in the morning and it was very pleasant to see hundreds of men and women bathing in the stream of Ganga and then offering prayers in the different temples of its â€Å"Ghats†. I requested my uncle to take us to the hilly spots in the vicinity. He was kind enough to take all of us there. The hill sights of Laxmi jhoola, Swargashram and many other spots fascinated me. I saw a large number of trees bearing beautiful fruits and flowers. The peeping of Sun’s rays in the morning and evening was really very charming. The waterfall at some distances shone like flowing silver in the moonlight. The cool breeze was always felt. No heat or dust of the plain was felt here. I was very much pleased. We remained there for two whole weeks. From there my father and my uncle planned to go on a pilgrimage. We left for Mathura and Vrindavan. There we had darshan of Dwarkadhish, Rangji, Behariji, and of many other temples. We then went to Girirajji. We also went to Karoli and Mahaveerji, a place of Jain pilgrimage. The scenery and views of all these places was beautiful and breathtaking. Of all the vacations in my life, this was my best summer vacation ever, mainly because my cousins were also there. We had collected memories for a lifetime. I told my parents that we will plan similar holidays for every summer vacation, in the coming years. He firmly nodded to what I said. The vacation was over and I was back to school but my mind was still remembering the sweet memories of the summer vacation. I will await the next summer holidays and would love to go on this type of vacation again and again.

Signficance of Good Service Backup In Technical Industry

Signficance of Good Service Backup In Technical Industry Free Online Research Papers Signficance of Good Service Backup In Technical Industry 1.Povzetek slovenskega besedila v angleÃ… ¡?ini + naslov Business success depends on elasticity, preparedness to respond to changes in environment, readiness to learn etc. But all these things are not enough if a company doesnt have a good service backup. Industrial companies are not flexible enough, rely on technological aspect and they often forget about consumers contentment with the product which leads to unsuccess. Successful companies offer good service backup – before and after sale – which is important for making a good bussiness, for consumers readiness to buy the product and for consumers contentment after buying it. Backup service after sale demands long-term activities such as qualifying workmen and researching consumers responses. Most expanded and also important service backup is qualifying consumer to use the product wich leads to good marketing. Other important service backups are also guarantee, security, overcoming language obstacles etc. Service backup is exceedingly important for proper and safety use of the product, and it can also remind the consumer of advantages of the product, such as uniqueness and quality control. 2.Povzetek besedila v enem stavku Though many industrial companies forget about consumers contentment, the most important thing (beside development etc.) is service backup which leads to good business and consumers satisfaction. 3.Prevod ozna?enega besedila While industrial companies try to assure competitive position, they rely upon technological aspect of the product and overlook their service component. They are not aware that service component means effective strategic tool with which they can gain, in most cases even without greater expences, decisive competitive position and they can overcome their competitors. Research Papers on Signficance of Good Service Backup In Technical IndustryMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductOpen Architechture a white paperNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Project Managment Office SystemAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementTwilight of the UAWPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New Employees

An Information Technology System For a School Essay Example for Free

An Information Technology System For a School Essay To aid in investigation of the problem, two interviews were carried out. One was with the school principal, and the other with the school administrator. In preparation of the interviews a list of topics for discussion was drawn up, and included these checkpoints: * What the new system hopes to achieve, exactly. * The problems in the current system. * The methods currently employed to input data into the system. * The information that is required per file, i.e., for each student what fields will have to be input. * The format of the required output. * The volume of data expected, e.g., how many students are expected to enroll, or how many new teachers will be required. * Any hardware or software constraints, such as the new system only being able to run with a particular operating system. This interview was with the school’s principal, Mrs. Monica Stakich. It took place in her office, on appointment, and was as follows: Q: Mrs. Stakich, your school has built up quite a reputation of excellence over the years as shown by its grades. How do you intend to maintain this? A: Well, the school has always prided itself on its academic achievements, and this is due to our students being dedicated in their studies, which shows itself in the superior grades. We will be fine if we can continue this trend. Q: You are shifting to new custom-built premises and are also expanding your range of activities offered. Why have you made this decision? A: We are changing our status to an authorized ‘A’ level Center. As such, we will need the appropriate facilities to meet the requirements for this standard. Also, the school expects a significant increase in enrolments at both ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels, so the space is needed to provide for these new students. Q: How many students do you currently have in your institution? And how many do you expect to enroll in the future? A: The school currently caters to a population of around 2500 students, but we expect an influx of around 1000 students next year. Q: How do you access a file of a student or a teacher? Do you find it yourself on your computer or does the secretary do it for you? A: I can access files of both students and customers from my own PC, as well as any other file, such as stationery, electricity bills, etc. But I must also focus more on the task of running the school itself, so I usually let my secretary handle all the files. She herself gets these files from the school system administrator. I only check a file myself if we need to consider carefully the person, or file in question, for example a teacher for an important position. Q: Thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Stakich. The interview, on analysis, showed the school to be result-driven, as indicated by the Headmistress’s comments. But more importantly, it also showed that she did not focus on the file input and retrieval system in particular herself, and on the school’s information system in general. The actual file control and handling was carried out by the system administrator, who could provide us with insight of the current system’s workings. An interview was arranged with Mr. Mark Glasse, the system administrator, in his office. Q: How long have you been working here, Mr. Glasse? A: Its been around four years since I started wok for the school. Q: How many times has the system been updated since you started work? Q: What changes had been made during these updates? A: Well, once we had to increase our disk space to around 10 GB to cope with increased student information on Health Cards, as was required by a new Government law. Another time we had to modify our input procedure, it being too manual, with almost unnecessary paperwork involved, so we had to purchase new input devices. And there was also the time when we had to call in a professional security company to install anti-hacking programs when our database was actually hacked into. Q: What input devices do you work with? How is output shown? A: I use a keyboard, a mouse, a web-camera and a scanner as input devices. Output is displayed on a monitor, or on a plotter as is appropriate. And, of course, I often have to print out some files using a laser printer. A: I use a Pentium 2, 333 MHz Processor, with 32 MB RAM, 4 GB hard disk with Windows 98 as my operating system. I also have other software such as MS Visual Studio and MS Office 2000 installed on my computer. Q: Mr. Glasse, what is the general procedure that you follow if you were asked to, for example, update a file? A: First of all, I would have to get an approved notice from someone in an authoritative position, for example the Headmistress, or the Head Administrator. This note would be attached to a Modification Form showing details of the file that needs to be updated. The authorization slip has to be filed into a drawer in my desk, and I just have to access the file using the code given on the Form and change the required fields. I have the Menu on my Desktop, Mrs. Stakich and I are the only ones who know the Password so I’ve never thought about changing it, once in the records I go to the Search Command to call up the file in question, and make the changes required. On exiting the database, I go have to fill out another form, a Proof Form, as it is known as, to acknowledge my action. This form then returns to the top-level to the individual who initially authorized it. Q: How often do errors occur using this procedure? A: As you can see, the system is designed in such a way that carrying out the procedure makes it prone to errors. We’re still lucky to have a few students and teachers, basically small files is what I mean to say, which do not have to be updated too often, so they aren’t too many mistakes. Even if there are, they can easily be located and corrected due to the small size of our database. Q: OK, now what about the plus points of this system? For example, is it easy to use? Is it efficient? Do you feel that you yourself are performing at an optimum level with this system? A: Ill have to think this question over. Yes, for sure it is easy to use. I just have to type in an identifier code for each record, and the particular record is searched for and displayed. Its that simple. I don’t think its efficient though. As the number of files increases the system takes longer and longer to search the database to produce the results I was looking for. It only follows that I myself feel I am under-performing at my job, as some time will definitely be wasted in waiting for results. Q: Are you satisfied with the system performing only these functions? A: Yes, I am. I would like it to be faster though, and even up-to-date, technologically speaking. Q: Thank you, Mr. Glasse, for your cooperation. You’ve been a great help. This interview was more enlightening than the one with Mrs. Stakich, for we were able to focus on the technical side of the school’s database system. Certain glaring shortcomings of the current system came to light, such as a very limited database size, as indicated by the system being upgraded the first time. This further tells us that the system itself, with all its components, is out-of-date. In such a state, it may also be incompatible with other systems, should it be desired to connect to these for data exchange purposes. Another significant weakness is the fact that the third upgrade was for security reasons, which means that the Password Protection was initially low. Mr. Glasse also said that it takes longer to search for a required field if there are many records – this is only fair, but there aren’t too many records right now, so we can expect the system to have some sort of linear search function in operation, unsuitable for large databases. The program, although performing just a few main functions, is slow, again pointing to its near obsoleteness. Its low productivity has an effect on the human element involved, as Mr. Glasse himself feels as if he has not fully achieved his full potential. Lack of motivation could cause further falls in productivity. The system also has standard input devices (mouse and keyboard), as well as standard output devices (printer, scanner and plotter), needed to process data and produce the desired results. The system also runs on a fairly fast processor, as given by the computer’s configuration. However it is unlikely that the system uses any of the other software packages (apart from the Wi ndows 98 operating system) so these, as powerful as they are, aren’t being utilized. Based on the knowledge gained in these interviews, it is possible to finalize the main shortcomings of the system currently in use: The disk space used for storage of data is relatively small as it needed to be upgraded beforehand. With all the new enrolments expected, as well as other related increases, such as electricity and water, teachers’ salaries, etc the available disk space will not be sufficient. Security forms an important part of any system, and the fact that the database was hacked into shows just how weak security really is. The password used seems to be outdated and it is likely that people other than those authorized know it. Laxed security is especially important here as we are dealing with the personal records of students and teachers, not to mention important transactions such as total fees received, expenses, and so on. So security, despite being of paramount importance, isn’t given the priority it should be. The normal procedure to accomplish a single task is lengthy and time-consuming. It also involves unnecessary paperwork. This would exhibit itself as delays in processing, as a single instruction would have to be passed through many stages before being received by the sender once again as feedback. As seen from the interview, Mr. Glasse uses a relatively fast processor. Despite this speed, we still find that the speed of running the system is slow especially when new records are added. This means that the components of the system itself are slow and outdated. This weakness especially comes into focus when we consider the fact that nowadays systems are rarely independent. One system has to be connected to at least one more system, with data exchange taking place between these. However, if their speeds are not compatible they will not be able to function at their optimum level. If the system were to exchange information over the Internet then this incompatibility could become a problem. 1) To provide quick access to the files in the database. Many files will now be in the system and it is necessary that they be reached quickly. 2) To maintain a higher level of security. This ensures that the database is viewed and controlled only by those who have the proper authority to do so. 3) To minimize ‘red tape’ involved in making changes to the records. The previous system involved a lot of paperwork and proved to be costly in terms of time (therefore money), so this new system aims to reduce that by quickly and efficiently processing an instruction. 4) To be user-friendly. Step-by-step guidance ensures that the user can easily find his way around the database to perform the desired task. A Flowchart of how data would be passed along the new system is as follows: Standard input devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a scanner and a web-camera will be needed for this system to operate (the mouse and keyboard are the main ones, the others for inputting photos and such graphics). Output devices will be plotters and printers. Hardware: The CPU requirement for this system include at least 100 MHz Pentium processor and 16 MB RAM. Software: It is necessary to have an operating system such as Windows 98 as well as MS Visual Basic program installed, as this is the front-end program to be used for this system, with Access 7.0 being the back-end program. The user will be Mr. Glasse, and his computer already exceeds the requirements for this system to function efficiently. His IT skills will also be relevant: since he already has MS Office 97 installed he will already know the basics behind Access 7.0 and should find no problem in entering the data. It must be remembered that the system to be developed is intended to replace the outdated system in current use. The current system is slow, inefficient and incompatible. Its replacement will be better than it in all these respects, and should bring the database up to the level of technology today. An Information Technology System For a School. (2017, Jul 30). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you