The Da Vinci Code Essay Example

The Da Vinci Code Paper The Da Vinci Code is a thriller novel by the American author Dan Brown. The novel is based on the controversial premise that there is a conspiracy within the Catholic Church to cover up the true story of Jesus. The text is constructed to position readers through characterization and narration. The story explores the issues of the false conflict between faith and knowledge. Sophies plans for Langdon and her to escape from the crime scene suggest that this is a thriller story. This similarity with action thrillers creates expectations about the plot. Thriller stories become personal where the crime draws in aspects of the protagonists life to change the plot from a professional action to a personal quest. This is taken even further when the protagonist becomes the victim. The event of the stunning historical truth about to be lost forever provokes reactions in the characters. In the scene where Silas threatens to kill Sauniere, he said tell me where the secret is, there is nothing you can do. This creates a mixed sense of anticipation and foreboding. The behavior of the characters encourages us to develop our response to them. The monks cruelty reduces our sympathy for him and we feel the dread of Opus Dei, the Christian organization which he follows. We identify with the victim because we know something terrible is about to happen and there is nothing we can do about it. As well as this empathy with the victim, were also tempted to emphasize with the antagonist. Therefore, the thrill of thrillers comes from this generated attitude of the modern western world. We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The protagonists sudden realization that they are in the mercy of Teabing was shocking, and will significantly alter our perceptions of Teabings character. Any re-reading of the story will be affected by our knowledge of his actual identity. Using Sophie as hostage, he threatens to kill her if Langdon does not let him know the resting place of the grail. This makes us aware of the description of his character, whose motives appeared to be parallel to those of the Priory of Sion. We realize that as well as a welcome benefactor for the protagonists, Teabing also has all the characteristics of a thriller antagonist. His mindset is unencumbered by his grail obsession and so become motivated in his plans not by finding the truth, but by does it achieve the aims or not. He has institutional power that comes from being rich and having access to the functions of Opus Dei. Much of the protagonists actions are as a reaction to the antagonists plans. He drives the plot and energizes the story. Thus this thriller differs in its extraordinarily masterminded antagonist. The effect of embedding multiple narratives within each other is used in singular effect in some parts of the novel. The central part of the narration consists of Langdons and Sophies experiences in the complicated quest, which is followed closely within Silass account of attacking them. This in turn is contained within the French Judiciaries account of detecting and chasing Langdon and Sophie and the Opus Dei follower, Silas. The embedded structure is used where the opposing organizations view of the sacred grail is discussed through Bishop Aringarosas conversations and in Sophies memories of Jacquires Sauniere. This technique of using multiple embedded narrators gives the opportunity to play with the readers sympathy and offers various different ways of interpreting the novel. Omniscient narration is used to speak from the point of view of several characters, describing what they see and hear. There are important scenes that provide readers with more knowledge than the central character. This is shown in Silass account of revelation in the Church of Saint-Suplice which is entirely his point of view. There are some scenes of contact between Bishop Aringarosa and Chief Fache that are not presented from the protagonists perspectives. These scenes allow the reader to raise possible interpretations of the events which the central characters were unaware. The narrator also provides background information and pieces of knowledge unknown to other characters. However, the writer does not provide the reader with the complete understanding of the grail mystery in advance of the protagonists recognition. The moment when both the protagonist and the reader understand what the grail really is about is seen from the protagonists point of view. The novel follows the narrative pattern of a mystery and a thriller story. It has the rising action of the search for the secret, at the climax the protagonists discover who was behind the murders, and the falling action when the protagonists discover about Sophies family and Langdon discovers the resting place of the Grail. The story is told this way in order to provide maximum suspense for the reader. The writer also anticipates events. Teabings questions to Sophie about whether she would reveal the secret to the world if she had the choice foreshadows Teabings obsession with the necessity of revelation. This order of telling the events to the reader anticipates Teabing as the culprit. Although the story uses many legendary motifs such as the trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci and the similarity with Indiana Jones, it differs in its objective and earnest tone. The structural and symbolic importance of Sophies red hair foreshadows her divine blood. Teabing shows Sophie that Mary Magdalene is depicted with red hair in The Last Supper. By the end of the novel, we understand that Sophie is of Mary Magdalenes bloodline. Red hair was intended to be an allegory of the story of Magdalene. It is associated with the desire to expose the truth about the Grail. The Church has enforced ignorance about the existence of the descendents of Jesus. Although at one point Langdon says that the secrets of the Grail should be preserved in order to allow people to keep their faith, he also thinks that people who truly believe in God will be able to accept the idea that the Bible is full of metaphors, not literal transcripts of the truth. This means that peoples faith can withstand the truth. This story is therefore a view of reality of the false conflict between faith and knowledge. Reading in contextual conjunction with other Brown novels dealing with the same theme, The Da Vinci Code helps us to understand the heretical conspiracy theories against the Churches that has been around for centuries; it illuminates our view of the Churches influences, which involves the subjectivity of history and the conspiracy to cover up the truth forever, the effect of which, in the wake of numerous discoveries of the Grail motifs obscured in the works of Da Vinci and the strict opposition of Opus Dei, is a story that explores certain aspects of Christian history. As a critic had put it, the Da Vinci Code is a deeply empowering and positive force that opens doors for readers to their own explorations and rekindles their interest in topics of faith. I incline to Watsons view, for it promotes spiritual discussion and debate. This is achieved with the ideas written within the context of a popular thriller. Readers see the importance of characterization in the story in the development of our response to Langdon, Sophie and Teabing. The excitement of the thriller comes from a masterminded plot that is generated by the extraordinary antagonist. The narrative method uses multiple narratives from different point of views to alert the reader to different interpretations of the text. The text is designed to engage the reader through introspection and exploration of our faith.

Free Essays on Odyssey-penelope

Penelope was the paragon of marital devotion and fidelity. Penelope showed us exactly of how women’s character was to be played out. They were beautiful, intelligent, and submissive to their husbands and/or other men. The fact that Homer continuously mentions Penelope’s beauty shows us that this feature was expected of a woman. A quality in which Penelope was blessed with. At the beginning, Homer introduces us to Penelope saying this: "She came, then, down the long stairs of her house, this beautiful lady," (Odyssey. 1.233). In every scene that the she performs, Homer states of her beauty. Intelligence is shown to us by Penelope all throughout the books. For example Penelope says she will marry again once her sewing is complete, but every night she unwinds it, she is able to fool the suitors to avoid an unwanted marriage. The women role of submissiveness is shown when the suitors arrived for Penelope. Despite her unwillingness to choose a new husband she remained obedient to them. Showing them much generosity as Homer states, "Attendants poured water over their fingers, while the maids piled baskets full of brown loaves near at hand, and houseboys brimmed the bowls with wine." (Odyssey 229) Her submissiveness to her husband is widely shown throughout the book. Penelope continues to remain devoted to him and only him. The Odyssey seems to be the product a society in which the dominant role was played by the men. The Odyssey has shown women in subservient roles. Many of these characteristics are still valued in the women of today, now whether or not the women of today adhere to them is a different story. I think many of the women of today’s society want to be beautiful, and intelligent, but it is not as highly expected of them to do so.... Free Essays on Odyssey-penelope Free Essays on Odyssey-penelope Penelope was the paragon of marital devotion and fidelity. Penelope showed us exactly of how women’s character was to be played out. They were beautiful, intelligent, and submissive to their husbands and/or other men. The fact that Homer continuously mentions Penelope’s beauty shows us that this feature was expected of a woman. A quality in which Penelope was blessed with. At the beginning, Homer introduces us to Penelope saying this: "She came, then, down the long stairs of her house, this beautiful lady," (Odyssey. 1.233). In every scene that the she performs, Homer states of her beauty. Intelligence is shown to us by Penelope all throughout the books. For example Penelope says she will marry again once her sewing is complete, but every night she unwinds it, she is able to fool the suitors to avoid an unwanted marriage. The women role of submissiveness is shown when the suitors arrived for Penelope. Despite her unwillingness to choose a new husband she remained obedient to them. Showing them much generosity as Homer states, "Attendants poured water over their fingers, while the maids piled baskets full of brown loaves near at hand, and houseboys brimmed the bowls with wine." (Odyssey 229) Her submissiveness to her husband is widely shown throughout the book. Penelope continues to remain devoted to him and only him. The Odyssey seems to be the product a society in which the dominant role was played by the men. The Odyssey has shown women in subservient roles. Many of these characteristics are still valued in the women of today, now whether or not the women of today adhere to them is a different story. I think many of the women of today’s society want to be beautiful, and intelligent, but it is not as highly expected of them to do so....

Sexual harrassment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sexual harrassment - Essay Example The victim-blaming, the apathy, the indifference, and sometimes contempt and hostility women face from police, from family members, from teachers, from hospital personnel, and from judges and juries are informed by women's social identities, locations, and histories. The mostly negative responses to women who experience violence are often as hurtful as the incidents because they reinforce the messages that women are to blame, that women deserve to be abused, that women accept oppression, and that women are unworthy of social justice. Sexual harassment is defined as "unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature" (Dobrich 2002, p. 4). It is common for female employees to be subjected to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Although not illegal per se, such behavior is illegal when it is used by managers and supervisors to decide whether to hire or fire someone; when it is used to determine pay, promotion, or job assignment; and when it creates a hostile, or offensive work environment. "Examples of verbal harassment could include sexual comments, suggestions, jokes, or innuendos; nonverbal harassment could include suggestive looks, leering, or ogling; and physical harassment could include accidentally brushing against someone's body, 'friendly' pats, squeezes or pinches, and forced exual relations" ( Webb, 1981, p. 5 cited Howard 2007, p. 7). In the last thirty years, the feminist struggle to end sexual harassment against women has sought to creat e language to describe, to protest, and to transform the conditions of our lives. Activists created and redefined terms such as "battered woman, " "wife battering, " and "sexual harassment, " among others, to clarify the social and political ramifications of interpersonal/institutional violence against women. Yet this language often gets incorporated into a social landscape that pathologizes women rather than critically analyzes the social underpinnings of the violence. As bell hooks says of the term "battered woman" (Vivian and Pharm 1998). Signs of sexual Harassment Sexual harassment involves the victimization, the isolation, the lack of support, the pain of betrayal, or the despair of battery and rape in women's lives. Women continue to live in communities where intimate, intragroup abuse and violence are not recognized and it's necessary to describe their painful realities. If we are in denial of the ways in which we have been victimized, then personal change and social transformation are impossible. Speaking out about the harm done and labeling the experiences as battering, rape, incestuous assault, and/or attempted murder are essential components of healing, recovery, self-determination and social change (Howard 2007). However, identifying women who've experienced abuse as only or predominantly victims and survivors of abuse, violence, battering, and rape eventually reinforces our status as victims by reducing us to what someone else did to us. When we only describe the individual damage to each other and when we solely seek validation and s upport for the individual pain endured, it can lead to depression and despair (MacKinnon 2003).

Ismg 15 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ismg 15 - Essay Example To be able to overcome the fears of undesirable outcomes of speaking the truth, one needs moral courage. Moral courage is not exactly different from physical courage but varies in degree and occasions that present risk. Both present a risk possibility. By doing one’s nearest duty, McCain means people should place a focus on their personal obligations or responsibilities. People should keenly attend to the tasks that form their day, and perform with their best ability. The fact that McCain is a high profile politician adds an element to that idea. As a politician, he could be clarifying his duty as the people’s servant. His nearest duty is representing the peoples’ interests and grievances to the government. His political career best describes his undertaking of his nearest duty. McCain’s decision to decline the offer for freedom shows his moral courage because he was not willing to leave his comrades behind. Although he might have been aware of the consequences of his decision, he put aside his personal interests and chose to remain with his soldiers. The torture he opted to undergo suggests his physical courage. I approve of Kierkegaard’s father’s teaching technique. In as much as he often denied him permission to go out, the day he offered to take him on a walking tour he was so elaborate in describing details of what Kierkegaard did not know. He may have been waiting for that day to be the one to offer his son the deepest and derailed teaching, just as he did. Kierkegaard identifies more with Williams. Unlike the friend who does not want to choose, Kierkegaard had earlier made a decision to get married to Regine Olsen, whom he then broke up with just before writing the article. He knew firsthand the consequences of getting married and regretting it, or not getting married and regretting it because he had been in both worlds. The second excerpt is similar to Sartre’s theory of existential

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Research Paper Example Many firms have been able to meet these long-standing regulations by relying on the domain knowledge while the periodic regulations were met through the knowledge from corporate legal staff. However, this system has since changed and adapted a new regulatory environment that includes the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley). All the publicly traded companies are required to comply with this new act; changing the regulator culture from the initial legislative act. Sarbanes-Oxley and a host of other related regulations has fostered for the governance, risk and compliance aspects of regulations for both American-based and international companies. The congress enacted this act with the aim of mitigating unprecedented financial fraud. Its core objective is to ensure the accuracy and legitimacy of corporate financial disclosures for purposes of safeguarding the interests of investors and other shareholders. Before the introduction of this act, most of the public corporations were reluctant to abide by some of the regulations such as complying with the environmental reporting requirements. With the introduction of the Sarbanes-Oxley act, more accountability has been realized and tougher penalties have been set for defaulters, compelling most of the organizations to abide by the set regulations. This is a clear indication of the efficiency of the act in minimizing fraud (Orin, 2008). Sarbanes-Oxley also requires that the SEC undertakes regular reviews on financial reports in a systematic and professional manner for the reporting companies. The scope of this review encompasses environmental liabilities to ascertain whether the system is in compliance with regulations. The top executive officials of the firm are obligated to ensure accurate and authentic disclosure of potential liabilities to the public domain. With increased scrutiny and accountability, the regulatory act works to avoid fraud now and in the future (Orin, 2008). As documented in the

Observing the behaviour of consumers while shopping

Observing the behaviour of consumers while shopping This essay is based on an analysis of research observations which took place at a Supermarket in Bradford. The aim of the exercise was to observe the behaviour of consumers while shopping in order to theorise and draw conclusions from our observations about consumer buying behaviour when shopping. As a means of interpreting and analysing the data we used the psychoanalytical perspective of Freud, pester power and independent and interdependent self concept. These concepts particularly lend themselves to the interpretation of the data. This essay begins by defining these key concepts before offering an analysis data the research data. Freudian personality theory is otherwise known as the psychoanalytic theory and it is often used by marketers to influence the purchasing decisions of customers in an unconscious way (Bettany, 2011 and Solomon, 2011). The theory is composed of three categories namely the id, the superego and the ego. The id according to Freud is part of our unconscious being as it functions with regards to the pleasure principle; the pleasure is applicable to the id as it seeks immediate gratification of needs (Bettany, 2011 and Solomon, 2011). Hoch and Loewestein (1991:498) claim that the id is the primary process of thinking that is impulsive, stingy and illogical whose aim is to seek pleasure only, avoid pain and not at all worried about the consequences of its actions (Solomon, 2011). Similarly, Hoch and Loewestein (1991:498) note that the ego is secondary process thinking that uses the reality principle and acts as a mediator between the id and the superego. Next is the ego which is aware of the consequences of an action and when it is unable to manage the action a conflict between the id and the superego results and the individual gets anxious (Bettany, 2011). The superego on the other hand is the internalised sense of justice, a persons moral conscience and it is developed last (Solomon, 2011; Bettany, 2011). The superego is derived from the values and morals a child learnt from their interaction with society, family and friends. Whereas as Freud psychoanalytical theory could be applied to both children and adults in terms of explaining consumers behaviours pester power on the other hand is primarily concerned with childrens behaviours. It can be defined as a childs attempts to exert influence over parental purchase in a repetitive and sometimes confrontational manner Nicholls and Cullen (2004:77). Another definition of pester power is presented by Procter and Richards (2002:3) which suggests it is the repeated delivery of unwanted requests. What this means is that parents are bombarded with requests, gestures and pleas from their children to buy items such as foods, toys and clothes. Most often children who carry out this act get what they want (Nicholls and Cullens, 2004). Children might be influenced by either their peers at school (Smithers, 2010) or by advertisements seen on the television (Chandler and Heinzerling, 1998, Smithers, 2010). This framework was used because of our interest in how children in fluence the buying power of their parents. The final theoretical framework employed in this essay is the interdependent and independent self-concept. The interdependent self-concept has been defined in terms of seeing oneself as part of an encompassing relationship and recognizing that ones behaviour is determined, contingent on and, to a large extent, organised by what the actor perceives to be the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others in the relationship (Markus and Kitayama, 1991, p. 227). Markus and Kitayama (1991, 1994) regard the independent self-concept as bounded, unitary, stable, autonomous, individualist, egocentric, self-contained, separate, and detached from the social context. This self-concept is perceived as a distinctive configuration of traits, thoughts and feelings that regulate individual behaviour and underlie individual strivings towards the fulfillment of personal goals such as realising oneself (Milland and Reynolds, 2011). The id is manifested in a baby girl who would not stop crying despite the fact her mother rocked her while she was in the trolley, called out her name and spoke to her. Since her basic desire to maximise pleasure has not been met, she cried continuously. People around the family recognised the child was an infant in need of her mothers attention; they did not mind and instead went about their business. The eldest son aged between 3-5 years has matured from the id stage to the ego. This was seen by the actions he displayed when he listened intently to his mothers instruction and returned the LEGO back to the shelf. He understood the reality of the situation and realised the consequence was not pleasant. The ego being the reality principle ensures the ids needs are met in a realistic manner (Solomon, 2011). Although initially he insisted on having his way, that is to say, wanted his mother to buy the toy for his friend, realising she would not back down from her position, he relented and obeyed her instructions. In this event the mother prevailed. The eldest son would have developed his superego and this act as a moral conscience in him with regards to dictating a sense of wrong and right (Solomon, 2011). The moral lesson taught by his mother manifested when he realised his mother would not buy the LEGO, he obeyed her and returned it. In relation to the accepted behaviour in the store, the mother did not seem to mind that her eldest son had left her side to pick up a LEGO in the toy aisle. This might indicate that the mother sees the child as independent to a certain degree. The child in demonstrating his independent to his mother by listens to her and responding appropriately seemed to give her a sense of pleasure. The id also appeared to be apparent in a boy who was pushed around the supermarket by his aunt. The thrill of being pushed was heard in his shouts of excitement, laughing and shouting again, again after his aunt stopped. The boy clearly relished this moment as he seeks pleasure. He operates according to the pleasure principle and was not concerned that his aunt was exhausted and needed a break. Another example, of the manifestation of the id was a crying boy in his push chair, even though he was comforted by his mother, he kept on crying because his need for sleep was not met. Maslow hierarchy of need is also relevant in explaining this example. According to Maslow sleep is regarded as one of the most basic of needs but this mother also wanted to get on with her shopping because it gave her a sense of satisfaction even pleasure in seeking to satisfy two another basic psychological needs which are food and security (Blackwell et al 2006). Later on, one came across the same woman and her son who was fast asleep in his push chair while his mother continued with her shopping in peace. Closely related to but different from the psychological theory of Freud is the concept of pester power. In this example, one came across a mother who has three children. The infant a baby girl and small son who were seated in the trolley; the mother was busy examining the supermarket shelf filled with gifts for new-born and the third child the eldest, was at the aisle for children toys. He brought her a football asking if he can get the ball for his friend Barry. His mother said no and he took the ball back to where he got if from. Next he came back with a LEGO and pleaded with his mother to buy him the toy. He rubbed his two hands together saying mama please I want Lego, she told him he could not have the Lego because he had more than enough toys. Nevertheless, the child persisted begging his mother but she did not change her mind and since she refused his requests to purchase the toy, he returned it back to the shelf. Following this incident the mother spent a considerable amount o f time on the aisle; as she picked up different gifts, looked at the gifts before settling for a gift bag and money-box. She left the aisle and came back again looking at each gifts. The baby girl started crying and the mother called out her name to stop her crying but the baby persisted. The mother picked up a baby cushion, looked at the cushion, the price, placed the product in her trolley and left the aisle for another. Yet, the babys crying persisted. Pester power is a consumer behaviour concept that has become a relevant issue in society because of childrens ability to influence their parents skilfully into getting them products has increased greatly (Oaff, 2001; Smithers, 2010). Nowadays, parents seem to be under a lot of pester pressure to provide their childrens wants and not needs; the pressure is more manifest during Christmas and birthdays (Smithers, 2010) and in some cases, parents have to forgo basic necessities in order to meet and fulfil their childrens wish. Some parents are even willing to go into debt due to pester power (Oaff, 2001 and Smithers, 2010). Now, one could argue that parents are at fault by spoiling their children with presents and granting their every wish. Yet, another perspective could be parents truly believe that by providing for their children, the child will not want for anything. This probably again is linked to Maslows hierarchy when parents gain a level of self-fulfilment by satisfying the needs of their children. Smithers (2010), argues that pester power is due to a commercialised society that has transformed festive periods into money-making machine pushed by adverts on childrens television and influenced by friends at schools. In the case of this ethnography study, the mother did prevail against pester power because the mother has developed well-honed antennae which detects her sons attempts to influence her (Marshall et al., 2007). Yet, one wondered if the study had taken place in the holiday season, would the mother have relented and purchased the Lego for her son? Mehrotra and Torges (1977) suggest that when shopping for food, parents often yield to their childrens influence and purchase what their children want. The reason for this is the fact that children have been exposed to adverts on television. This as a consequence enables them to impact their parents purchase behaviour (Chandler and Heinzerling, 1998). This might also be due to the fact that some of the children do not eat much at home and therefore, the parents are worried and have tried everything yet nothing seems to work. So, when shopping with their children, and they are presented with an opportunity to buy food their kids prefer to eat, the parents will not pass it up. With regards to toys, this is rather different and some parents do not yield to pester power. Nicholls and Cullen (2004:78) suggest that the parent-perceived childs influence for food is greater than the parent-perceived childs influence for toys revealing that the level of toys consumption is lower than the level of food consumption. As a result, when it comes to toys, the parents can afford to say no and refuse their childrens request. Exception is made during festive periods such as birthdays and Christmas (Smithers, 2010). Although Mehrotra and Torges (1977) argued that when parents refuse their childrens request, what follows is an explanation of why the product was not purchased. This was not seen in the ethnography study. After instructing her eldest son to return the LEGO, the mother continued her shopping. Our observation would suggest that when people shop individually they tend to spend more on clothing. For Millan and Renolds (2011:6) suggested that consumers who exhibit stronger independent tendencies may be heavier buyers of value-expressive goods than those who are more interdependent which is because, self-expression, self-reward, and hedonic gratification tend to be important motivational factors. Individual that came alone seemed less discerning, and spent more time evaluating various brands across multiple price categories and more often bought clothes that were expensive. This appeared to be the case because consumer was shopping for personal use. In cases where consumers are accompanied by one or more friends or family members, the presence of friends or family did seem to influence the purchase decision significantly. The buyers in these categories were more discerning, the purchase decision was made faster and the concern was largely in adhering to a particular price band rather than any particular quality of the product. For example, a gentle man wanted to buy an expensive jacket but his wife objected to the price of the item and so they settled for an item of lower value. It seemed to us that when people shopped in groups they spent more time discussing and less time shopping. This indicates that shopping in this context can be interpreted as a means of pleasure and it might be linked to the id from Freudian personality theory which is focused on the pleasure principle. This gives rise to the argument that clothing can be used to form independent self concept or a preference for self-expression and a means of hedonic cons umption. Additionally, in groups consumers appeared more impulsive than planned, as most buyers appeared undecided about what brand or type of cloths to buy. Sometimes family accompanied buyers tried many products across multiple ranges, often posh, categories and settled on a cheaper product, like common labels. This leads one to infer that a lot of the purchases were impulsive. Another example of the pleasure principle in shopping is concerned with children and parents enjoying their children play. There are toy cars in the supermarket close to the doors and children would get into these toys. Sometimes the children just played on their own while the parents talk either to other family members. In other case, the parents would put money into the toys and have fun with the children. In this regard, the parents seemed happy and laughed quite a lot. This would indicate that the parents were having as much fun as the children. Another example of the pleasure principle effect from the observation is connected with the notion of self-concept and self-expression. Millan and Reynolds (2011:4) propose that the stronger ones independent self-concept, the more pronounced will be the consumers preference for self-expression and inner enjoyment through clothing. Going back to the above example about shopping for clothes it is evident that this serves as a means of self-expression. Clothing usually serves a potent avenue for stimulating positive emotions during purchase and subsequent usage. It can be argued that independent consumers are introverts and lack emotional and relevant support networks such as the extended family and may be lonely. Consequently, expenditure on goods and services which are likely to arouse pleasant stimulus and emotional fulfilment will be alluring to consumers with a strong independent self-concept (Millan and Reynolds 2011). On the other hand, Bagozzi et al (2000) argues that the behavi our of consumers with a strong independent self-concept is basically guided by personal needs, attitudes, and perceived rights rather than social norms and filial obligations. While interdependent tendencies possessed by family accompanied shoppers is compatible with the theory of the interdependent self-concept, according to which modesty and judicious spending is an inherent trait of the interdependent self, underlying self-effacing presentations and behaviours in diverse social settings (Heine et al., 2000). Again this can be related to Maslows hierarchy of needs and in particular the self-esteem or self realisation aspect. This behaviour is influenced by a strong pressure to conform to family and peoples expectation, as well as a fear of being excluded from the group which is consistent with views expressed by Lee and Karen (2000) which reports a strong correlation between ones interdependent self concept and group relationship motives for purchasing goods. Which reiterates beliefs that spending so much money on status signifying clothes will be detrimental to groups goals and objectives which may include feeding and other general welfare necessary in a family setting. Strong evidence found by Millan and Renolds (2011) suggests that consumers possessing a high independent disposition were more inclined to shopping activities via regular visits to clothing shops, keeping up with latest trends and information obtainable in at shops thereby spending more money on clothing than interdependent consumers, the reason for this being that consumers with a strong independent self concept tend to satisfy a wide v ariety of symbolic and hedonic needs through this means of consumption. In conclusion, we found that at times of recession supermarket need to place emphasis on satisfying consumer needs otherwise they could change suppliers. Therefore it is important to better understand consumers lifestyles, and choice criteria. This would include the selection of suitable media and designing suitable consumer messages. One area of further research could be to what extent consumers remain loyal to specific brands in time of economic recession. We believe that shopping could be more of a pleasure for children if playing facilities were provided. This might encourage parents to spend longer shopping and by implication buy more. One weakness of the observation in our view was the fact that we depended solely on the observation it would have been more useful to double-check our analysis with the consumers being observed.

Emerson Essay -- Philosophy, Unapologetic Individualism

In understanding this quotation, it is absolutely essential to be cognizant of the context in which â€Å"Self-Reliance† was written. The philosophical and social movement that Emerson and his contemporaries founded, Transcendentalism, espoused the idea that although America had formally gained political independence, Europeans possessed virtually hegemonic control over the culture of America. Emerson and his contemporaries sought not only to pioneer a uniquely American style of literature, but also to forge a distinct culture and ethos independent from those of Europe. Emerson’s opinion that â€Å"imitation is suicide† (533) extends beyond the realm of the individual in that it is relevant to the Transcendentalists’ mission of establishing an autonomous American identity. He believes that by continuing to emulate European values and culture, Americans are essentially destroying their own chance of possessing a national identity. Emerson viewed self-relian ce, which can be understood as finding inspiration, judgment and validation of thoughts and ideas within oneself, as one of the central tenets of the fledgling American national identity. It may seem counterintuitive to think that Emerson, a proponent of radical and unapologetic individualism, desired to create a shared American identity and national unity; however, it is necessary to discern that nonconformity is not tantamount to the repudiation of society. By exalting nonconformity, he does not promote the hedonistic active pursuit of personal desires in spite of social norms, like an anarchist, but rather urges the reader to wholly fulfill their human potential. Consequently, the embracing of the self is not a consequence of free agency, but rather the fulfillment of their innate des... ...ay at home, to put itself in communication with the internal ocean, but it goes abroad to beg a cup of water of the urns of men† (543). This passage serves to inform the reader that the rewards gleaned from imitation pale in comparison to those that originate from oneself, in the same way that a cup of water seems infinitesimal relative to an ocean. This point is furthered by his numerous allusions to famed historical and literary figures who exemplify the fulfillment that can transpire only through illustrating Emerson’s command to â€Å"Insist on yourself; never imitate† (547). It is essential to ascertain that these references serve as examples of self-reliant individuals garnering great success rather than exalted heroes that one should strive to emulate, as Benjamin Franklin explicitly prescribes in his Autobiography: â€Å"Imitate Jesus and Socrates† (Franklin 285).

Comparative negligence of a child Essay

So†¦what do you think about this defense? Do you think it’s viable? Are there other things to consider?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unfortunately, it is a viable defense.   At least there are legal precedents and provisions for contributory negligence.   But i always that defense was mostly used in business to business contract disputes.   I thought it worked this way: if company A hires company B to do, say, a financial audit.   If company A doesn’t give B all of its records, and then sues them for giving the wrong audit position, then company contributed to the wrongdoing by NOT giving company B the records it needed. Also, considering that this is a 7 year old, the question becomes what 7 year old is beyond negligence.   As adults we have a higher responsibility than children.   I would say that only adults can truly be guilty of contributory negligence.   The main thing to consider is that the driver was drunk.   What could any 7 year old (or 17 or 70 year old) do to ward off a drunk driver.   If he lost control due to his drunkeness there was nothing that child could have done except stay in the house.   And that is unreasonable.   No jury should award in their favor or against the defendant. Pre-Judgment versus Post-Judgment Interest (Response Question) Make sense?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The interest makes sense.   What doesn’t make sense is that there is no precedent or clarification on how the interest is actually calculated.   That is where a good lawyer comes in.   He/she would have to specify how they want it done in the initial lawsuit.   I think that interest on awarded damages gives the recipient an opportunity to be compensated for the time it takes to complete the suit and transfer the money. After 4 years the interest really isn’t pocket money, it is just adjusting the award for inflation.   The other thing interest does is allow you to get more money than would normally be allowed in a particular type of lawsuit.   I think that courts should make uniform rules for the interest rate that can be awarded on specific cases, and set rules on how it will be calculated to prevent further bickering between the parties, and further appeals over the interest that has to be paid.

The Significance of Carnevale essays

The Significance of Carnevale essays The Significance of Carnevale in The Rover Aphra Behns play The Rover takes place in Venice, Italy during the Carnevale. Carnevale was one of the more important celebrations in Venice. It was a time of goodwill, dedicated to happiness and laughter much like the Mardi Gras we are familiar with today. The origins of Carnevale trace to over 3000 years ago to the pagan Roman fertility festival of Saturnalia (McCarthy 121). During Saturnalia, even the slaves took part in the festivities. Carnevale, a Latin word loosely translated as farewell to meat, was the last opportunity for wild abandon and pleasures of the flesh before the religious period of Lent. Likewise in The Rover, Hellena and Florinda exploit the Carnevale season to liberate themselves before religious periods in their lives begin the Convent and a forced marriage, respectively. The symbol of Carnevale is the mask. The masks gave participants the opportunity to ridicule the archaic societal standards, without fear of punishment. Venetians of different social classes used Carnevale as an excuse to mingle and, in some cases, to trade sexual favors without fear of recognition or retribution. Members of the Aristocracy, in particular, went about their everyday lives masked for the duration of the festival (McCarthy 124). In fact, the tradition of masks for the Carnevale came from the Italian theater form commedia dellarte (Hughes 110). This type of theater relies on the mask to help showcase exaggerated stereotypes, over-the-top physical comedy, along with improvisation. As the Carnevale celebration centers on maskers, the streets, the squares, the canals - basically the entire city becomes a stage. Similarly, the plot in The Rover revolves around the issues of disguise and confused identities. The character of Hellena wears several costumes: a lady, a gypsy, and a boy. In costume, Hellena flirts with Willmore, and the disguise prevents a...

igneous rocks essays

igneous rocks essays En este capitulo, consideramos la familia de las rocas à ­gneas intrusivas - granito, gabro y otras de la misma familia - las cuales se cristalizan, desde su fundicin a grandes profundidades en la corteza terrestre y que luego son traà ­das a la superficie por la erosin de las formaciones superiores. La gnesis desde una fundicin a altà ­simas temperaturas (aprox. 900C), y kilmetros de ascenso imprimen caracterà ­sticas especiales en estas rocas. Tambin consideraremos las particularidades quà ­micas y mecnicas de la inusual roca: serpentina, la cual se origina en el manto terrestre, en algunos casos ascendiendo en estado slido con grandes deformaciones internas. Contrariamente a la serpentina que generalmente presenta problemas desde el punto de vista ingenieril, las rocas granà ­ticas son generalmente consideradas como el mejor aliado de los ingenieros, con buenas cualidades, sin meteorizacin y sin fracturamiento el granito es el prototipo de un lecho de roca. Sin embargo, gen eralmente las rocas granà ­ticas presentan meteorizacin o fracturamiento, o ambas. Esto puede generar muchos problemas. Las rocas granà ­ticas las encontramos haciendo parte de los nà ºcleos de gran cantidad de monta, que se extiende desde las Montan de los Grandes Lagos en U.S.A. Existen escudos similares de rocas granà ­ticas que se encuentran bajo la superficie de Brasil, El oeste de Australia, Africa, Escandinavia y Siberia. Un gran porcentaje de roca de estos escudos se asemeja al granito, pero pueden haberse formado por metamorfismo y no por solidificacin de masa en fusin. Las rocas de tipo granà ­tico tambin pueden encontrarse en masas se...

Midea and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Midea and society - Essay Example The User Generated Content consists of a wide range of media content (Jenkins, 2008). It uses a variety of applications and insights in news, gossip and research. Likewise, social media and blogging also fall into this criterion. User Generated Content initiates a combination of free software and legal licensing to reduce barriers that hinder communication. In the United Kingdom, the leading media network (British Broadcasting Corporation - BBC) first set up it User Generated Content back in 2005. It was inactive for a few weeks since its inception, but later became alive after the London bombings and Buncefield fire, in the same year. BBC realised its significance when their viewers shared photos of the Buncefield incident. They capitalised on the User Generated Content, which created a platform for the society to integrate their views on issues and even share firsthand information on witnessed scenarios (Jenkins, 2008). This revolutionised the media industry and gave an opportunity for individuals in the society also to become journalists. Through this new advancement, their stories and experiences would be heard across the globe (Jenkins, 2008). Soon, Sky News also followed this norm. Since its inception, the media house has seen an improvement in its number of viewers worldwide (Jenkins, 2008). They implore their viewers to continue sharing their photos and videos regularly. The sharing of photographs and videos is not all that is constituted in the User Generated Content. Media houses also provide a chance to its customers to take part in conveying their messages to the world. OhmyNews.com is a South Korean online newspaper that uses its readers to write some articles in English. This is a way of reaching out to compete with other like-minded websites such as The Guardian (Williams, 2004). The User Generated Content has been faced with a few challenges. The art of User Generated Content has derailed the journalism profession, as well as what it entails (Bu rton, 2007). This is particularly on the value of information of some User Generated Content. More so, concerns have been raised on the standards of the contents in terms of grammar punctuation and accuracy. Another key factor of consideration is the impact that these contents have on the mainstream of the media house (Burton, 2007). This is a concern that has been debated over the years as editors in media houses like The Sun, UK, have complained of some of having a tremendous work load to edit some of the mistakes from their consumers. In this field, many individuals purchase newspapers and read their blogs because they know that the content has been written by professionals (Bale, 2006). Furthermore, there have been instances of pornographic contents from the consumers. For instance, the Los Angeles Times accidentally published pornographic content in its website after they allowed its users to publish contents in their website (Burton, 2007). Other incidents of racism have also been reported by FT.com. Another issue is the availability of blogs. The editor of Telegraph.co.uk does not think that blogs suit journalists in any professional manner. Blogs invite writers to post their stories and some of these stories are mediocre and dull. They provide a platform of having insulting comments below the original blogs. Blogs emphasise more on the personality of the writer and less on the message being conveyed (Burton, 2007). In the UK, there is

Record Keeping in the Learning Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Record Keeping in the Learning Sector - Essay Example He points out that "without records, we have no way of knowing what we are doing."(18). Record-keeping has always been an important part of the teacher's work; it would be easy, in concern about recording each child's progress in the National Curriculum, to forget the need for long-term records and for records which give their own input to work and the corresponding output from the children. There are many reasons for keeping records besides those of recording progress in the National Curriculum. An important reason for record-keeping is continuity. If teachers should happen to have a long illness or leave their present school in mid-year, all that they have learned about their children will be lost, and appropriate records are needed so that someone else can take up where they left off. Records may help the teachers to match work to individual children and help them to overcome learning problems. Something a child does once may not appear to be significant, but if it happens several times, it may give them important clues to the nature of a difficulty. They may not notice this if they do not keep appropriate records. It would be difficult to keep this kind of record for every child all the time, but they can do it for a small number who have problems. Important items from a child's background noted over a period may help the teacher to understand his or her difficulties and put them in a better position to help. For example, a child who has changed schools number of times may be insecure and need in filling gaps in learning. A child who has a handicapped sibling may find it difficult to cope with the extra attention that the sibling needs from his or her parents. Background information of this kind is sensitive and the teacher or head may need to ask the parent concerned if he or she minds having it recorded so that teachers are aware of any difficulties. School records or records to be passed on need to contain only what might be described as considered records. Teacher's own day to day notes may contain comments about individual children and the success or otherwise of particular pieces of work, recorded for their benefit alone. These notes will form the basis of their final records. Teacher will also need records of each individual child. It is helpful to keep these records in a loose leaf file with a page for each child. They can then add material and put this into a longer term record when each page is full. Their file should include a check list for each child of the Attainment Statements from the National Curriculum arranged so that they can tick off items as they are achieved. Historically one of the standard methods of keeping records was for the class teacher to maintain a weekly record book and to contribute to a cumulative record and termly or yearly report for the parents. This was quite a feasible approach for a teacher who used a class-based teaching approach. What this technique also created, however, was belief that because the teacher had planned and taught the material the children had, by implication, learnt it. With the onset of the comprehensive principle and the development of mixed ability classes, a wider range of ability in the children being taught exposed serious limitations in the approach. It is an essential aspect of record-keeping that staff and