Alice Freeman Palmer and Higher Education for Women

Alice Freeman Palmer and Higher Education for Women Known for: president of Wellesley College, noted essay on why women should attend college. Dates: February 21, 1855 - December 6, 1902 Also known as: Alice Elvira Freeman, Alice Freeman Alice Freeman Parker was known not only for her innovative and dedicated work for higher education in her capacity as president of Wellesley College, but for her advocacy of a position somewhere between women being educated to be the equals of men, and women being educated primarily for traditional womens roles.   She firmly believed that women need to be of service to humanity, and that education furthered their ability to do so.   She also recognized that women would be unlikely to do so in traditional male occupations, but could work not only in the home to educate another generation, but in social service work, teaching, and other occupations that played a role in creating a new future. Her speech on Why Go to College? was addressed to young girls and their parents, giving them reasons for girls to be educated.   She also wrote poetry. Excerpt from Why Go to College?: Our American girls themselves are becoming aware that they need the stimulus, the discipline, the knowledge, the interests of the college in addition to the school, if they are to prepare themselves for the most serviceable lives.But there are still parents who say, â€Å"There is no need that my daughter should teach; then why should she go to college?† I will not reply that college training is a life insurance for a girl, a pledge that she possesses the disciplined ability to earn a living for herself and others in case of need, for I prefer to insist on the importance of giving every girl, no matter what her present circumstances, a special training in some one thing by which she can render society service, not amateur but of an expert sort, and service too for which it will be willing to pay a price.   Background Born Alice Elvira Freeman, she grew up in small town New York.   Her fathers family came from early New York settlers, and her mothers father had served with General Washington. James Warren Freeman,   her father, took on medical school, learning to be a physician when Alice was seven, and Elizabeth Higley Freeman, Alices mother, supported the family while he studied. Alice started school at four, having learned to read at three. She was a star student, and was admitted to Windsor Academy, a school for boys and girls. She became engaged to a teacher at the school when she was only fourteen. When he left to study at Yale Divinity School, she decided that she, too, wanted an education, and so she broke the engagement so that she could enter college. She was admitted to the University of Michigan on trial, though she had failed the entrance exams. She combined work and school for seven years to gain her B.A. She took a position teaching in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, after she completed her degree. She had only been out of school a year when Wellesley first invited her to become a math instructor, and she declined. She moved to Saginaw, Michigan, and became a teacher and then the principal of a high school there. Wellesley invited her again, this time to teach Greek. But with her father losing his fortune, and her sister ill, she chose to remain in Saginaw and help support her family. In 1879, Wellesley invited her a third time. This time, they offered her a position at the head of the history department. She began her work there in 1879. She became vice president of the college and acting president in 1881, and in 1882 became president. In her six years as president at Wellesley, she significantly strengthened its academic position. She also helped found the organization that later became the American Association of University Women, and served several terms as president. She was in that office when the AAUW issued a report in 1885 debunking misinformation about the ill effects of education on women. In late 1887, Alice Freeman married George Herbert Palmer, a philosophy professor at Harvard. She resigned as president of Wellesley, but joined the board of trustees, where she continued to support the college until her death. She was suffering from tuberculosis, and her resignation as president allowed her to spend some time recovering. She then took up a career in public speaking, often addressing the importance of higher education for women. She became a member of the Massachusetts State Board of Education and worked for legislation that promoted education. In 18912, she served as a manager for the Massachusetts exhibit at the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago. From 1892 to 1895, she took a position with the University of Chicago as dean of women, as the university expanded the female student body. President William Rainey Harper, who wanted her in this position because of her reputation which he believed would draw women students, permitted her to take the position and be in residence for only twelve weeks each year. She was permitted to appoint her own subdean to take care of immediate matters. When women had established themselves more firmly among the students at the University, Palmer resigned so that someone who could serve more actively could be appointed. Back in Massachusetts, she worked to bring Radcliffe College into formal association with Harvard University. She served in many voluntary roles in higher education. In 1902, while in Paris with her husband on a vacation, she had an operation for an intestinal condition, and died afterwards of heart failure, only 47 years old.

Calculating the Change in Entropy From Heat of Reaction

Calculating the Change in Entropy From Heat of Reaction The term entropy refers to disorder or chaos in a system. The greater the entropy, the greater the disorder. Entropy exists in physics and chemistry, but can also be said to exist in human organizations or situations. In general, systems tend toward greater entropy; in fact, according to the second law of thermodynamics, the  entropy  of an isolated system can never spontaneously decrease. This example problem demonstrates how to calculate the change in entropy of a systems surroundings following a chemical reaction at constant temperature and pressure. What Change in Entropy Means First, notice you never calculate entropy, S, but rather change in entropy,  ÃŽâ€S. This is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a system. When  ÃŽâ€S is positive it means the surroundings increased entropy. The reaction was exothermic or exergonic (assuming energy can be released in forms besides heat). When heat is released, the energy increases the motion of atoms and molecules, leading to increased disorder. When ΔS is negative it means entropy of the surroundings were reduced or that the surroundings gained order. A negative change in entropy draws heat (endothermic) or energy (endergonic) from the surroundings, which reduces the randomness or chaos. An important point to keep in mind is that the values for  ÃŽâ€S are for  the surroundings! Its a matter of point of view. If you change liquid water into water vapor, entropy increases for the water, even though it decreases for the surroundings. Its even more confusing if you consider a combustion reaction. On the one hand, it seems breaking a fuel into its components would increase disorder, yet the reaction also includes oxygen, which forms other molecules. Entropy Example Calculate the entropy of the surroundings for the following two reactions.a.) C2H8(g) 5 O2(g) → 3 CO2(g) 4H2O(g)ΔH -2045 kJb.) H2O(l) → H2O(g)ΔH 44 kJSolutionThe change in entropy of the surroundings after a chemical reaction at constant pressure and temperature can be expressed by the formulaΔSsurr -ΔH/TwhereΔSsurr is the change in entropy of the surroundings-ΔH is heat of reactionT Absolute Temperature in KelvinReaction aΔSsurr -ΔH/TΔSsurr -(-2045 kJ)/(25 273)**Remember to convert  °C to K**ΔSsurr 2045 kJ/298 KΔSsurr 6.86 kJ/K or 6860 J/KNote the increase in the surrounding entropy since the reaction was exothermic.  An exothermic reaction is indicated by a positive  ÃŽâ€S  value. This means heat was released to the surroundings or that the environment gained energy. This reaction is an example of a combustion reaction. If you recognize this reaction type, you should always expect an exothermic reaction a nd positive change in entropy.Reaction bΔSsurr -ΔH/TΔSsurr -(44 kJ)/298 KΔSsurr -0.15 kJ/K or -150 J/KThis reaction needed energy from the surroundings to proceed and reduced the entropy of the surroundings. A negative  ÃŽâ€S  value indicates an endothermic reaction occurred, which absorbed heat from the surroundings.Answer:The change in entropy of the surroundings of reaction 1 and 2 was 6860 J/K and -150 J/K respectively.

Final case Analysis for Richardson Drilling Essay

Final case Analysis for Richardson Drilling - Essay Example After some months, when Jacob took over as the sales person in Latin America, he discovered certain facts by going through files of the earlier sales representatives. The Latin American area under Jacob also included some US territory and when Jacob went over the old reports, he noticed that quite a few US companies had stopped purchasing Richardson equipment; there was no apparent explanation for these customers to have moved away from Richardson. After some enquiry with these clients, Jacob discovered that these companies had suffered accidents, almost seven years back, due to a failed liner from Richardson. However, in spite of the companies complaining to the sales rep and the fact that Richardson’s President had also visited, no corrective measures had been taken. In all the above three cases sited here, the common factor is that Richardson has taken advantage of the less restrictive rules (compared to US) in other places such as Mexico, Brazil, and other Latin American countries, to bribe, and push substandard supplies, which they would not be able to sell inside the US or to other countries, for example in Europe, who would have strict quality regulations. So, these are ethical issues. Though Jacob had not reacted about the bribes, he was morally upset by the loss of lives and decided to talk to his boss, Hillary; she thanked him for the information but advised him to keep quite till the seven year statute, regarding limitations, was over. As recourse Hillary also said that in case this became known, then Richardson would download the inventory on Venezuela or Brazil where laws were less restrictive. Both these again were ethical issues. Sometime after, Jacob went to finalize a deal in Mexico with ARMCO; the deal was for $50 million and after it was signed Jacob again bribed an ARMCO person with $50 thousand. Hillary congratulated Jacob and promised him a bonus and a probable promotion. Both of these again raise ethical concerns. While all these

Neurology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Neurology - Essay Example However, with advanced severity, the disease may result in mood swings, disorientation, poor self-care, and language problems. The nutritional concern is in enhancing quality and efficiency of care given. b. Aneurysm refers to a localized bulge in the shape of a balloon that occurs in the walls of blood cells due to blood filling them. Also known as cerebral aneurysm, the disease often goes unnoticed for lack of symptoms but may rupture and release blood into the brain skull; hence, cause stroke. A nutritional concern for the disease would be in relation to vomiting and nausea. c. Arnold Chiari Malformation is a skull malformation or structural defect on the cerebellum consisting of downward displacements of the cerebellar tonsils; hence, causing non-communicating hydrocephalus due to the obstruction of the outflow of the cerebrospinal fluid. The main nutritional concern is in relation to the lack of vitamins in the body. d. Bell’s palsy is a momentary form of paralysis to the face due to the dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII; thus, affecting the movement of the facial muscles. Nutritionally, vitamin therapy for vitamins B6, B12 and zinc are administered to restore nerve functions. e. Cerebral Palsy refers to a general word that is applied in describing a set of neurological disorders or conditions that affect the brain and nervous system; thus, affecting their functions like hearing, movement, thinking, learning, seeing and hearing. Nutritionally, such patients have poor nutrition with occasioned chewing and swallowing difficulties. The ultimate goal of nutritional intervention would be to optimize fitness, health, functions and growth among the patients. f. Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIPD) is a neurological disorder that is characterized by impaired sensory functioning and progressive weakness of one’s limbs. It is caused by the damage that is

Religion in King Lear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religion in King Lear - Essay Example The chaotic mixture of fairies with Gods seems to characterize the religious confusion in the play. Characters endlessly invoke Gods, divine powers, and mystical forces; there seems to be an assumption that something governs our lives on earth, but the direction of the play as a whole is towards a radical questioning of this whole idea. When Gloucester says As flies to wanton boys, are we to th’ Gods; They kill us for their sport (IV, 1, 36-7). his view will not do here as a summary of the world shown in the play, for one thing because there simply is no evidence of Gods doing anything at all, callous or benevolent. In Act V Edgar comments on his father’s fate in terms which again assume some sort of divine order in things: The Gods are just, and if our pleasant vices Make instruments to plague us: The dark and vicious place where thee he got Cost him his eyes (V, 3, 170-3). ... It is a world without justice, nor any convincing sense of meaningful moral order. The characters assume, however, that the divine is present in their world, and that it can be addressed and appealed to, though it comes in many forms. Lear begs "sweet heaven" (I, 1, 46) to prevent him from going mad. He prays for "all the stor'd vengeances of Heaven" (II, 4, 163) to strike down his ungrateful daughter, and begs the "Heavens" (II, 4, 273) to give him patience and strength. "O Heavens, / If you do love old men" (II, 4 191-2), he says in the same scene. In the storm scenes Kent's description of its peculiar severity prompts one to see it as more than just a physical event. He has never in his life seen "such sheets of fire, such bursts of horrid thunder" etc., and the implication is that the storm has more than natural causes. This leads Lear to his reflection on the power of the storm to purge evil and crime: Let the Great Gods, That keep this dreadful pudder o'er our heads, Find out their enemies now(III, 2, 49). He believes the Gods are present and that they have the power to punish wrongs - even his own. In III, 4 he acknowledges his own responsibility for how Goneril and Regan are: "Judicious punishment! 'twas this flesh begot / Those pelican daughters" (III, 4, 75-6). Gloucester too believes in the divine, but in very muddled way. His son Edmund feels none of the strength of the spiritual, and despises his father for his naivety: Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law My services are bound (I, 2, 1-2). means, in fact, that he has no gods or goddesses, that religious sense to him is bosh, and a sign of superstitious weakness in others. His closeness to the sisters is clear. His "Nature", it is obvious, is a different

The Strategy Of Apple Inc Marketing Essay

The Strategy Of Apple Inc Marketing Essay Introduction Along with the development of economy and technology, electronic products have achieved a rapid development. That is mainly because the high electron technology can cater for peoples daily demands such as communication, entertainment, work and some other aspects. Moreover, in modern times, peoples living standards have generally improved, thus their demands of life quality is raising. Therefore, there are many opportunities for the companies that provide electronic products and services. However, along with the development of electronic industry, the competition becomes intense. Thus the appreciate strategies are important for companies to achieve a successful and stable development. In this essay, it will firstly introduce the history of Apple Inc.. Following that, it will apply Porters strategy framework to Apple Inc.. And then, it will outline 3 future strategic options for Apple Inc.. After that, it will evaluate the contribution of culture to the strategic success of Apple Inc. At last, it will make a conclusion. The history of Apple Inc. Apple Inc was established by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak on April Fools Day, 1976. They firstly built a computer circuit board which named the Apple I in Los Altos, California. Jobs made it Apples mission to bring an easy-to-use computer to market. And then, the company launched the Apple II, which was more convenient for people to use straight out of the box. From than on, Apple became the leader of the industry quickly, selling more than 100,000 Apple IIs by the end of 1980 and it launched a successful IPO in 1980 (Carlton, 1997). Apple introduced the Macintosh to the market in 1984, which reflected the ease of computer use, the breakthrough in industrial design and technical elegance. The stable development of Apple during the 1980s was mainly due to the leadership in the education field. The implementation of the LOGO Programming Language by Logo Computer Systems Inc. had provide the opportunities for the Apple II. The success of Apple and LOGO in the education field brought a b road base of loyal users all over the world to Apple Inc.. Apples world wide market share had achieved about 8% by 1990. The major share come from the education market. At that time, Apple controlled all aspects of its computer, and it could offer customers a complete desktop solution involved in software, hardware, and some other aspects. Apple introduced the PowerBook to the market in 1991, which established the ergonomic layout of the laptop computer and the modern form of the computer. Although the Macintosh Portable was produced as powerful as the desktop Macintosh, however, the Macintosh Portable was weighed 17 pounds with a battery which can work 12 hours. And the PowerBook was 7 pounds and with a battery which can work 3 hours. These were more convenient for people to carry and move. Moreover, the Macintosh Portable can be used without electric power source for at most 12 hours. Therefore, the kind of computer became more and more popular with people all over the world. By t he early 1990, Apple started to develop the alternative platforms to the Macintosh, such as the A/UX. In 1994, Apple allied with IBM and Motorola in the AIM alliance. In 1997, Apple joined Microsoft to release new versions of Microsoft Office for the Macintosh. In the later years, Apple continued to develop new products to cater for the demands of market and consumers. The company has take various strategies to achieve the business objectives and more profits. Application of Porters strategy framework to Apple Inc. Brief introduction of Porters strategy framework Porters strategy framework involves in 5 forces competitive rivalry, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers and bargaining power of buyers. The competitive rivalry is influenced by various factors involve in the market growth rate, level of fixed costs, frequency of over capacity, extent of product differences, strength of brand identities, cost of exiting the industry, comparability of competitive rivals and some other aspects. The threat of new entrants depends on the capital requirements, economies of scale enjoyed by existing competitors, cost advantages enjoyed by existing competitors, existing product differences, strength of existing product brand loyalty, access to distribution channels, access to appropriate technology (Porter, 1997), access to long term supplies of raw materials and some other aspects. The threat of substitutes depends on the relative price of substitutes, technical comparability of substitutes, costs of switching, spee d of technological development in substitute industry and some other aspects. The bargaining power of suppliers depends on monopoly power in supplier industry, degree of differentiation of suppliers product, costs of switching supplier, importance of volume to the supplier, importance of suppliers product to the industry and some other aspects. The bargaining power of buyers depends on buyer volume, availability of substitute products, costs of switching, concentration of buyers industry, price sensitivity, product differences, buyer information and some other aspects (Porter, 1998). The analysis of Apple Inc.s 5 competitive forces Competitive rivalry: the competitive rivalry of Apple Inc. is medium. On one hand, there are many famous brands have great influence in the computer market such as IBM, DELL, Lenovo, Sony and some other brands. These brands provide various computers in different shapes, colors, functions and some other aspects. And the computers suits different people such as student, businessman, common employee and some other people. And the computers are in different prices, thus the computers can cater for the demands of different social classes. However, it is well known that the price of Apple is general very high, and not all of the people can offer it. Therefore, most of the customers may like to choose other brands computer. This will weaken Apples competitive power. On the other hand, although the price of Apples products is high, however, it is well known that the quality of the products is high and the functions of the products have strong power. Thus many customers would like to choose A pples products for the good functions. And in the aspect of products, Apple has strong competitive power. Thus in the comprehensive point of view, the competitive rivalry of Apple Inc. is medium. Threat of new entrants: The force of the threat of new entrants is low. First of all, Apple Inc. was established in 1976, and it has more than 30 years growth. During the 34 years development, Apple has cooperated with many companies that have great influence on the computer industry. The companys business idà ©e and the quality of the products or services are well known by the people all over the world. It can be said that Apple Inc. is the leader in the computer industry. And there is no company can surpass the position of Apple in the computer industry. Moreover, the new entrants are usually the new brands (Stewart, 2004). These new entrants do not have any brand effect. Because the products that they provide are not used before, therefore, they can not provide the proofs for the customers and make them to believe that the quality of the products is high and the products are reliable and practical. The products of the new entrants usually use the software and hardware that produc ed by other companies and applied in many brands products. There is no innovation that the new entrants can provide. Therefore, it is difficult for them to attract customers and competitive with the famous brand such as Apple Inc.. From these points of view, the force of the threat of new entrants is low. Threat of substitutes: the force of the threat of substitutes is medium. It is well known that the products of Apple have great functions and high quality. The production costs are higher than other brands. And the computer of Apple have special functions that other brands computer do not have. That is because the research and development skills of Apple is higher than other companies. However, on the contrary, the substitutes such as the computers, mobile phones, music players and some other aspects become more and more in the market. There are some famous companies that provide the similar products or services such as Sony, IBM, DELL, and some other brands. The quality of the products also very good, and the functions can generally meet the common consumers demands. Whats the most important, the price of the substitutes is lower than Apples products. Based on these aspects, the consumers may consider the substitutes that can provide the similar services and cost lower. Therefore, t he force of the threat of substitutes is medium. Bargaining power of suppliers: the bargaining power of suppliers is high. Because Apple has its own fixed suppliers. The software, hardware, and some other fitting parts are provided by the certain suppliers. Because Apple Inc. has strict and high requirements on its products, thus the components must have the quality assurance. Thus Apple can not choose the suppliers at random. Based on this, the suppliers display important and essential roles in the business of Apple. Thus any requirements that the suppliers point out will have great influence on the normal operation of Apple and its decision-making. Thus the bargaining power of suppliers is high. Bargaining power of buyers: the bargaining power of buyers is low. First of all, the brand of Apple is popular with the people all over the world, the famous reputation has already set up in the whole world. Thus Apple Inc. has the qualification to positioning its products and the price. Moreover, more and more people become to pay attention to Apples products because their special functions, and the number of Apples customers is raising. Although the price of Apples products is high, however, many people would like to buy the products. In addition, the new entrants and substitutes can not bring great threat to Apple, which means that Apple can still occupy great market share (Segal-Horn and Faulkner, 1999). Therefore, Apple will not adopt the strategy of reducing the products price. According to these factors, the bargaining power of buyers is low. The unusual aspects of the way Apple Inc. does business First of all, Apple Inc. cooperate with the companies that display great even dominant roles in the industry such as IBM, Motorola, Microsoft and some other companies. This cooperation will strengthen Apples competitive power and comprehensive power, because it will obtain the support of its partners (Linzmayer, 2004). Moreover, Apple Inc. applies itself to the research and development of high-end products which have special functions that other brands can not provide the same services. Although this needs much costs, however, the products will achieve more attention by people, and attract more customers (Linzmayer, 2004). In addition, Apple has its own management methods and business strategies. All of these will help the company make a smooth and successful operation, and achieve a rapid development (Linzmayer, 2004). Because the management and strategies deal with the problems, and create new opportunities for the company to obtain development. The future strategic options for Apple Inc. There are some major future strategic options for Apple Inc., thus the company can obtain a more rapid and successful business and development. Cost leadership strategy Cost leadership is the comparative advantage of the business which compared with competitors. If the cumulative cost of the value activities of the company is lower than the cost of its competitors, it has cost advantage. If a company knows about the cost difference between itself and its competitors, there are two main ways to achieve cost advantage, one is to implement cost control to all of the aspects of value creation, another is to re-structure a new lower cost value chain which is to use higher efficacy ways to design, produce and sale the productions (Willis, 2001). Generally speaking, cost leadership strategy necessarily requires a company to become the cost leader, but not to be a member of the companies that compete for this position. Many companies have not realized this point so that they have made great errors in planning the strategy. When there is not only one company looks forward to becoming the cost leader, the competition between them is very intense because each percentage point of market share are considered essential (Jeffrey, 2005). This is a very important strategy for Apple Inc. Because Apple Inc. is a worldwide famous company, and it is business covers all over the world. Thus the cost of the business arrangement is huge, which involves in the employment cost, raw material cost, technology research and development cost, transportation cost, sale cost and some other aspects (Wright, Kroll and Parnel, 1996). Therefore, the various costs occupy a great part of the companys competitive power. If the company does not pay attention to the power of the cost, and take measures to reduce the costs, it will waste more on the products or services research and development. Moreover, if Apple Inc. has special strategic chains management: the optimization of enterprise value chain, smooth supply chain management, win-win chain and customer satisfaction chain, it will have a rapid development., because these will support the cost leadership strategy. Apple Inc. may insist CHAMPS management policy, which is comprehensive and with consumer-oriented, Apple Inc. also can take the strategies that growth-centered, for instance, it can target one of the means of achieving profits-cost leadership (Peter and Donnelly, 2004). If Apple Inc. takes full advantage of these strategies, it will strengthen its competitive advantage. Market penetration strategy Market penetration strategy is the development strategy that making market expansion, the strategy can be launched through expanding the production scale, increasing production capacity, adding product features, improving product use, expanding sales channels, exploring new markets, reducing product cost, concentrating resources and so on. The strategies core is reflected in two aspects: one is to use the present products to open up new markets, another one is to provide new products to present market. Market penetration strategy is special of the competitive strategy, it is a company development strategy that based on existing products and fully develops its market potential, it also be called basic business development strategy (Nonala and Kenney, 2002). Because market penetration strategy is formed with existing products and existing market, so the managers of the enterprises should have systematic consideration of market, products and marketing mix strategy so as to achieve the p urpose of promoting market penetration. For Apple Inc., the market penetration is one of the major strategies. Although the company has occupied many markets all over the world, however, not all of the markets can meet the companys demands, in other words, the company can not achieve its business objectives and expected profits. Therefore, the company needs to take measures to promote the products in more markets and attract more customers. Expect the production of computer, the company also produces cell phone, music player, and some other products (Harris, 997). However, the demands of market and consumers continue to change, thus the company should keep researching and developing new products and services, so as to cater for the customers needs and meet their satisfaction. Moreover, in some small cities, as the commerce is not very developed, and the peoples living standard is not high, thus some famous brands especially the products or services that have high price may not provided in the small cities. However, there w ill be some consumers who live in the small cities would like to buy the products of Apple Inc.. Based on this situation, the Apple Inc. should promote some products in the new markets, so as to expand the sale scale. Diversification strategy Diversification strategy is a development strategy of operating the products or service of more than two different uses. Enterprises can occupy and explore more markets and avoid the risk of single operation with the diversification strategy. The so-called product diversification means that the enterprises new products across a wide range of profession that may not relative to the same industry. The general sense of diversification mainly refers to the diversification of production. Diversification is different from product differentiation. Product differentiation is the segmentation of the same market, but essentially the same product. Production diversification is the same companys products into a heterogeneous market, it adds the kinds of new products and enters new market (Harris, 2003). For Apple Inc., the diversification strategy is not a strange strategy. Because the company has already take the strategy to develop its business. At present, the business scope of Apple Inc. refers to computer industry, mobile telephone industry, player industry and some other industries. However, the products in the industries can not always meet the consumers demands. Because the technology develops very fast, and the speed of electronic products regeneration is very fast, thus in order to keep in pace with the markets development and change, Apple Inc. should continue to research and develop new products that in different industries. Therefore, Apple Inc. can keep its competitive advantages in the various industries (Wit and Meyer, 2010). At present, Apple Inc. has not done very well in this aspect, thus it needs to keep creating new products or services in the various industries that it refers to. These three future strategic options can be considered by Apple Inc., as each option is suitable for Apple Inc.s some certain operation situations. If the company can do something that related to the options, it will get some help in its business. The evaluation of the contribution of culture to the strategic success of Apple Inc. First of all, Apple Inc. pays much attention to the management, especially the leadership. The company has strict requirements on the leaders, and the management of the company. The reason why the company can achieve such a stable and smooth development is that it insists the strict management. This is one of the important culture factors in Apple Inc. It requires the people in the manage layer must have personal knowledge and skills to organize and control the related work. Whats the most important, the managers must have strong ability to make decisions. From the company be established, the managers continued to formulate the strict management system, thus the company can be arranged in the order, and the operation can rely on the internal regulations (Bartol, Martin and Tein, 2004). A companys business and development can not leave the effective management, and the effective management can not leave the correct and exact decision-making. Thus the company can make the most apprecia te strategies to do the business, and grasp the opportunities correctly and avoid the threats in time. Moreover, Apple has a reputation for fostering individuality and excellence that reliably draws talented people into its employ. The company has training system and train many groups talented employees every year. In order to recognize the best of the companys employees, Apple Inc. established the Apple fellows program, providing reward to the employees who have made extraordinary technical or leadership contributions to the individual computing while at the company. The Apple Fellowship has provided much reward to many employees who made special contributions to the company, and the reward also drive the employees to work hard and try to bring more benefits to the company (Smith, 1994). This kind of culture help the company foster many talented people, and help the company encourage and drive the employees to require themselves strictly, and become more professional, thus they can complete the mission perfectly, and make more contributions to the company. The company very value the employees self-management. For instance, during a certain period, Apple Inc. did not establish the rules and related regulations that requires the working time, the duties and the salary of the employees, on the contrary, it asked the employees to plan these aspects by themselves. This kind of management can make the employees to have a better realization of their own such as the professional skill, the knowledge, the physical energy, the intelligence, and some other aspects. Therefore the employees can make a self management and improve their comprehensive ability. In addition, Apple Inc. promises some employees to choose to work either in the company or at home, and give them freedom to participate in the meetings that hold by the company (Rusaw, 2007). The freedom of the choices can provide the employees much convenience to arrange the work and the daily affairs. Based on this, the company can obtain the employees loyalty and love, they may support the management methods of the o rganization, and have enough enthusiasm to work for the organization, thus they can promote the organizations development in a large extent. The culture of employee management not only can promote the company to have a good development and achieve more profits, but also can promote the employees to have a rapid growth and obtain more benefits. Furthermore, Apply Inc. continues to make the culture innovation. The company always creates an environment that can motivate innovation. The company has established some rules to encourage and promote the employees innovation. Moreover, Apply Inc. provides the material and spiritual support for the employees who can make the innovation such as the idea innovation, the production innovation, the technology innovation and so on. During the process of innovation, the company always gives much encouragement, and provides attractive reward to the employees who have made the innovation. According to this, the employees will be aware of the importance of innovation, and they may pay attention to the various aspects that may contribute to the product or service innovation (Bouchikhi and Kimberly, 2008). During a certain period, Apple Inc. promises the employees to do what they would like to do and make the behavior according to their interest. The employees do not need to obey the strict an d hidebound roles or regulations in the company, thus their thought is also be restricted. Therefore, in Apple Inc., the dream of enjoying the staffs themselves can come true. By this way, the employees can foster their interests by making full of time, thus they can have enough time and energy to create new things or new thoughts for the company. Thus the company may collect more resources or thought to make the innovation in the aspects of product, service, technology, management and some other aspects. Therefore, the company can maintain the leader position in the computer industry, strengthen the competitive power in various industries it refers to, and keep in pace with the markets change, and finally achieve more profits and successful development. In addition, Apple Inc. pays much attention to the customers feelings. The company make efforts to research the customers demands and collect the related information as the product creation basis. One of Apples business objective is to meet the customers needs and satisfaction. Because the customers are the consumers, and the profit is achieved finally from the consumers. Thus the company very values the customers feelings about the products or services that it provides (Caldari, 2007). Apple continues to create new products so as to cater for the customers different demands. The company provides the products not only in the stores, but also sells the products online, this will bring much convenience to the customers. The company also sets up many after-sales departments, thus the customers can obtain the help any time if there are some problems with the products. This kind of culture will help Apple Inc. to attract more customers and obtain their loyalty. Conclusion In conclusion, Apple Inc. has a long development history. And with the long-term growth, it has achieved a certain successful development. The various strategies have contributed much to the rapid and successful development. Therefore, the company can not neglect the influencing factors of the strategies such as the culture. However, it is difficult for the company to maintain the leader position in the computer industry, thus it must take the correct and appreciate strategies and make full use of them. Therefore, Apple Inc. can keep in pace with the market development, and achieve the stable and long-term development.

Pneumonia Essay -- Papers

Pneumonia Pneumonia is a serious infection or inflammation of your lungs. There are two main types Pneumonia one of these is bacterial pneumonia. This can attack anyone from infants to the very old. People who are alcoholics, debilitated, post-operative patients, people with respiratory diseases or viral infections and people who have weakened immune systems are at greater risk. Pneumonia bacteria are present in some healthy throats. When body defences are weakened in some way, by illness, old age, malnutrition, general debility or impaired immunity, the bacteria can multiply and cause serious damage. Usually, when a person's resistance is lowered, bacteria work their way into the lungs and inflame the air sacs and a person's temperature may rise as high as 105 degrees F. The other one is viral pneumonia. Half of all pneumonias are believed to be caused by viruses. More and more viruses are being identified as the cause of respiratory infection, and though most attack the upper respiratory tract, some produce pneu...

Footnote to Youth

Dennise Soriano BSTM 1Y2-3 INTRODUCTION Footnote to Youth By Jose Garcia Villa Dodong is seventeen years old when he wanted to marry Teang and asked for his dad’s permission. Even thought Dodong thinked twice of marrying Teang, they still got married. After nine months, Teang gave birth to their eldest son Blas. Teang really regretted getting married in an early age. Her husband doesn’t know about this. She even wondered if ever she got married to Lucio who was nine years older than Dodong. When their son, Blas turned 18, he told his father, Dodong that he would marry Tona. Dodong didn’t rejected or complain he just talk to his son that he should not be rushing to marriage and Dodong doesn’t want his son to experience and be like him at the end. BODY AND CONTENT Dodong is the main character. Teang is the wife of Dodong who regretted marrying at an early age. Lucio is Teang’s other suitor who got married after she did and who is childless now. Blas is Dodong and Teang’s eldest son who followed their footsteps in the end. Blas also contemplated to marry Tona at the age of 18. Tona is the woman whom Blass wants to marry. EXERCISE 1. Who is the protagonist in the story? 2. What is the climax in the story? 3. Does Teang really wanted to get married in an early age? 4. What kind of character does Blas portray? 5. How old did Dodong got married? 6. Who is the other suitor of Teang? 7. How old did Blas got married? 8. Who is the eldest son of Dodong and Teang? 9. What is the falling action in the story? 10. Is the narratos reliable or unreliable? Why? REFERENCE Philippine Short Story (1925-1940) Introduced by Leopoldo Y. Yabes Page108 http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_'Footnote_to_Youth'_the_Whole_Story_and_Characters Footnote to Youth Short story of how my brother leon brought home a wife? An Award Winning Publisher Looking for New Writers www. RaiderPublishing. com How my brother Leon brought home a wife is a short story by author Manuel E. Arguilla. Manuel E. Arguilla was well known for his short stories such as this story and many of his works were published throughout the 1940s especially. Arguilla lived between 1911 and 1944, at which point he was captured, tortured and killed by the Japanese army. The story ‘How my brother Leon brought home a wife' is perhaps the most successful and popular of Arguilla's short stories. The story is written from the point of view of a young boy called Baldo and his recollections of the night that he met his brother's wife, Maria, for the first time. The story is descriptive and eloquently written and makes you feel as though you were there yourself. The story starts with Baldo meeting Leon and Maria and how he took them on a ride home through the fields near their home on a cart pulled by their family bull. The story describes the smell, look and feel of the fields and the surrounding areas and speaks well of Maria, describing her as gentle and full of laughter. It becomes apparent that Leon is taking Maria to meet his family for the first time, and she is nervous about meeting them, his father especially. As the story continues Baldo, Leon (who is called Noel in the story as this is Maria's nickname for him, Baldo presumes that this is because Noel is Leon backwards) and Maria all arrive at the family home. The story ends with the three of them entering the father's room upstairs and they begin talking to him. If you would like to read the story yourself you can follow this link to read the story yourself. Analysis Footnote To Youth Footnote to Youth By Jose Garcia Villa 1. Explain the title. In what way is it suitable to the story? Footnote to youth is the title of the story. It is said that it is a footnote to youth because it is abrief reminder for the Filipinos especially the youth of what a real life could be today. It also indicatesthe sources or the causes why youth act this way. It furthermore adds comment, whether it is apositive or negative, on today’s generation. Yes it is suitable to the story because it gives a warningfor those apathetic youth that ones committed mistake because of their stubbornness. . What is the predominant element in the story- plot, theme, character, and setting? Explain. The predominant element on this story is the character and the setting. The setting has a greatimpact because the story definitely empathizes the situations of a Filipino person and it is appealingfor us because we are at the poverty line. The setting is most likely the same setting as today. Alsothe ch aracters, because characters had their own definite description, their conversation is differentfrom one another, and they act as unique as their personality it enhances the story even more. Theact of the characters seems to bring up the whole story. 3. Who is the single main character about whom the story centers? Explain. The story centers at the character of Dodong. Dodong is the one who represents the typicalyouth that experiencing a lot of uncertainties in life that make him realize that he sacrifice his youthjust for the sake of proving himself that he can manage his own life because he is matured enough toface this life’s challenges. 4. What sort of conflict confronts the leading character or characters? Explain. Internal conflict confronts the leading character. Internal character in a way that he wasstruggling if he can managed himself to have a family because he knows that he is in the legal agethat he can be independent and can definitely choose the right from wrong. But†¦ â€Å"Footnote to Youth† was written by Jose Garcia Villa. Story: The sun was salmon and hazy in the west. Dodong thought to himself he would tell his father about Teang when he got home, after he had unhitched the carabao from the plow, and let it to its shed and fed it. He was hesitant about saying it, but he wanted his father to know. What he had to say was of serious import as it would mark a climacteric in his life. Dodong finally decided to tell it, at a thought came to him his father might refuse to consider it. His father was silent hard-working farmer who chewed areca nut, which he had learned to do from his mother, Dodong's grandmother. I will tell it to him. I will tell it to him. The ground was broken up into many fresh wounds and fragrant with a sweetish earthy smell. Many slender soft worms emerged from the furrows and then burrowed again deeper into the soil. A short colorless worm marched blindly to Dodong's foot and crawled calmly over it. Dodong go tickled and jerked his foot, flinging the worm into the air. Dodong did not bother to look where it fell, but thought of his age, seventeen, and he said to himself he was not young any more. Dodong unhitched the carabao leisurely and gave it a healthy tap on the hip. The beast turned its head to look at him with dumb faithful eyes. Dodong gave it a slight push and the animal walked alongside him to its shed. He placed bundles of grass before it land the carabao began to eat. Dodong looked at it without interests. Dodong started homeward, thinking how he would break his news to his father. He wanted to marry, Dodong did. He was seventeen, he had pimples on his face, the down on his upper lip already was dark-these meant he was no longer a boy. He was growing into a man–he was a man. Dodong felt insolent and big at the thought of it although he was by nature low in statue. Thinking himself a man grown Dodong felt he could do anything. He walked faster, prodded by the thought of his virility. A small angled stone bled his foot, but he dismissed it cursorily. He lifted his leg and looked at the hurt toe and then went on walking. In the cool sundown he thought wild you dreams of himself and Teang. Teang, his girl. She had a small brown face and small black eyes and straightglossy hair. How desirable she was to him. She made him dream even during the day. Dodong tensed with desire and looked at the muscles of his arms. Dirty. This field work was healthy, invigorating but it begrimed you, smudged you terribly. He turned back the way he had come, then marched obliquely to a creek. Dodong stripped himself and laid his clothes, a gray undershirt and red kundiman shorts, on the grass. The he went into the water, wet his body over, and rubbed at it vigorously. He was not long in bathing, then he marched homeward again. The bath made him feel cool. It was dusk when he reached home. The petroleum lamp on the ceiling already was lighted and the low unvarnished square table was set for supper. His parents and he sat down on the floor around the table to eat. They had fried fresh-water fish, rice, bananas, and caked sugar. Dodong ate fish and rice, but didnot partake of the fruit. The bananas were overripe and when one held them they felt more fluid than solid. Dodong broke off a piece of the cakes sugar, dipped it in his glass of water and ate it. He got another piece and wanted some more, but he thought of leaving the remainder for his parents. Dodong's mother removed the dishes when they were through and went out to the batalan to wash them. She walked with slow careful steps and Dodong wanted to help her carry the dishes out, but he was tired and now felt lazy. He wished as he looked at her that he had a sister who could help his mother in the housework. He pitied her, doing all the housework alone. His father remained in the room, sucking a diseased tooth. It was paining him again, Dodong knew. Dodong had told him often and again to let the town dentist pull it out, but he was afraid, his father was. He did not tell that to Dodong, but Dodong guessed it. Afterward Dodong himself thought that if he had a decayed tooth he would be afraid to go to the dentist; he would not be any bolder than his father. Dodong said while his mother was out that he was going to marry Teang. There it was out, what he had to say, and over which he had done so much thinking. He had said it without any effort at all and without self-consciousness. Dodong felt relieved and looked at his father expectantly. A decrescent moon outside shed its feeble light into the window, graying the still black temples of his father. His father looked old now. â€Å"I am going to marry Teang,† Dodong said. His father looked at him silently and stopped sucking the broken tooth. The silence became intense and cruel, and Dodong wished his father would suck that troublous tooth again. Dodong was uncomfortable and then became angry because his father kept looking at him without uttering anything. â€Å"I will marry Teang,† Dodong repeated. â€Å"I will marry Teang. † His father kept gazing at him in inflexible silence and Dodong fidgeted on his seat. â€Å"I asked her last night to marry me and she said†¦ yes. I want your permission. I†¦ want†¦ it†¦. † There was impatient clamor in his voice, an exacting protest at this coldness, this indifference. Dodong looked at his father sourly. He cracked his knuckles one by one, and the little sounds it made broke dully the night stillness. â€Å"Must you marry, Dodong? † Dodong resented his father's questions; his father himself had married. Dodong made a quick impassioned easy in his mind about selfishness, but later he got confused. â€Å"You are very young, Dodong. † â€Å"I'm†¦ seventeen. † â€Å"That's very young to get married at. † â€Å"I†¦ I want to marry†¦ Teang's good girl. † â€Å"Tell your mother,† his father said. â€Å"You tell her, tatay. † â€Å"Dodong, you tell your inay. † â€Å"You tell her. † â€Å"All right, Dodong. † â€Å"You will let me marry Teang? â€Å"Son, if that is your wish†¦ of course†¦ † There was a strange helpless light in his father's eyes. Dodong did not read it, too absorbed was he in himself. Dodong was immensely glad he had asserted himself. He lost his resentment for his father. For a while he even felt sorry for him about the diseased tooth. Then he confined his mind to dreaming of Teang and himself. Sweet young dream†¦. Dodong stood in the sweltering noon heat, sweating profusely, so that his camiseta was damp. He was still like a tree and his thoughts were confused. His mother had told him not to leave the house, but he had left. He had wanted to get out of it without clear reason at all. He was afraid, he felt. Afraid of the house. It had seemed to cage him, to compares his thoughts with severe tyranny. Afraid also of Teang. Teang was giving birth in the house; she gave screams that chilled his blood. He did not want her to scream like that, he seemed to be rebuking him. He began to wonder madly if the process of childbirth was really painful. Some women, when they gave birth, did not cry. In a few moments he would be a father. â€Å"Father, father,† he whispered the word with awe, with strangeness. He was young, he realized now, contradicting himself of nine months comfortable†¦ â€Å"Your son,† people would soon be telling him. â€Å"Your son, Dodong. † Dodong felt tired standing. He sat down on a saw horse with his feet close together. He looked at his callused toes. Suppose he had ten children†¦ What made him think that? What was the matter with him? God! He heard his mother's voice from the house: â€Å"Come up, Dodong. It is over. † Of a sudden he felt terribly embarrassed as he looked at her. Somehow he was ashamed to his mother of his youthful paternity. It made him feel guilty, as if he had taken something no properly his. He dropped his eyes and pretended to dust dirt off his kundiman shorts. â€Å"Dodong,† his mother called again. â€Å"Dodong. † He turned to look again and this time saw his father beside his mother. â€Å"It is a boy,† his father said. He beckoned Dodong to come up. Dodong felt more embarrassed and did not move. What a moment for him. His parents' eyes seemed to pierce him through and he felt limp. He wanted to hide from them, to run away. â€Å"Dodong, you come up. You come up,† he mother said. Dodong did not want to come up and stayed in the sun. â€Å"Dodong. Dodong. † â€Å"I'll†¦ come up. † Dodong traced tremulous steps on the dry parched yard. He ascended the bamboo steps slowly. His heart pounded mercilessly in him. Within, he avoided his parents eyes. He walked ahead of them so that they should not see his face. He felt guilty and untrue. He felt like crying. His eyes smarted and his chest wanted to burst. He wanted to turn back, to go back to the yard. He wanted somebody to punish him. His father thrust his hand in his and gripped it gently. â€Å"Son,† his father said. And his mother: â€Å"Dodong†¦ † How kind were their voices. They flowed into him, making him strong. â€Å"Teang? † Dodong said. â€Å"She's sleeping. But you go in†¦ His father led him into the small sawali room. Dodong saw Teang, his girl wife, asleep on the papag with her black hair soft around her face. He did not want her to look that pale†¦ Dodong wanted to touch her, to push away that stray wisp of hair that touched her lips, but again that feeling of embarrassment came over him and before his parents he did n ot want to be demonstrative. The hilot was wrapping the child, Dodong heart it cry. The thin voice pierced him queerly. He could not control the swelling of happiness in him. You give him to me. You give him to me,† Dodong said. * * * Blas was not Dodong's child. Many more children came. For six successive years a new child came along. Dodong did not want any more children, but they came. It seemed the coming of children could not be helped. Dodong got angry with himself sometimes. Teang did not complain, but the bearing of children told on her. She was shapeless and thin now, even if she was young. There was interminable work to be done. Cooking. Laundering. The house. The children. She cried sometimes, wishing she had not married. She did not tell Dodong this, not wishing him to dislike her. Yet she wished she had not married. Not even Dodong, whom she loved. There has been another suitor, Lucio, older than Dodong by nine years, and that was why she had chosen Dodong. Young Dodong. Seventeen. Lucio had married another after her marriage to Dodong, but he was childless until now. She wondered if she had married Lucio, would she have borne him children. Maybe not either. That was a better lot. But she loved Dodong†¦ Dodong whom life had made ugly. One night, as he lay beside his wife, he roe and went out of the house. He stood in the moonlight, tired and querulous. He wanted to ask questions and somebody to answer him. He w anted to be wise about many things. One of them was why life did not fulfill all of Youth's dreams. Why it must be so. Why one was forsaken†¦ after Love. Dodong would not find the answer. Maybe the question was not to be answered. It must be so to make Youth. Youth. Youth must be dreamfully sweet. Dreamfully sweet. Dodong returned to the house humiliated by himself. He had wanted to know a little wisdom but was denied it. * * * When Blas was eighteen he came home one night very flustered and happy. It was late at night and Teang and the other children were asleep. Dodong heard Blas's steps, for he could not sleep well of nights. He watched Blas undress in the dark and lie down softly. Blas was restless on his mat and could not sleep. Dodong called him name and asked why he did not sleep. Blas said he could not sleep. â€Å"You better go to sleep. It is late,† Dodong said. Blas raised himself on his elbow and muttered something in a low fluttering voice. Dodong did not answer and tried to sleep. â€Å"Itay †¦ ,† Blas called softly. Dodong stirred and asked him what was it. â€Å"I am going to marry Tena. She accepted me tonight. † Dodong lay on the red pillow without moving. â€Å"Itay, you think it over. † Dodong lay silent. â€Å"I love Tena and†¦ I want her. † Dodong rose f ROM his mat and told Blas to follow him. They descended to the yard, where everything was still and quiet. The moonlight was cold and white. â€Å"You want to marry Tena,† Dodong said. He did not want Blas to marry yet. Blas was very young. The life that would follow marriage would be heard†¦ â€Å"Yes. † â€Å"Must you marry? † Blas's voice stilled with resentment. â€Å"I will marry Tena. † Dodong kept silent, hurt. â€Å"You have objections, Itay? † Blas asked acridly. â€Å"Son†¦ n-none†¦ † (But truly, God, I don't want Blas to marry yet†¦ not yet. I don't want Blas to marry yet†¦. But he was helpless. He could not do anything. Youth must triumph†¦ now. Love must triumph†¦ now. Afterwards†¦ it will be life. As long ago Youth and Love did triumph for Dodong†¦ and then Life. Dodong looked wistfully at his young son in the moonlight. He felt extremely sad and sorr y for him. Characters: 1. Dodong – main character of the story who got married at the age of 17 2. Teang – regretted marrying at an early age 3. Lucio – Teang's other suitor who got married after she did and who's childless until now 4. Blas – Dodong and Teang's oldest son who followed their footsteps in the end. Blas contemplated to marry Tona when he was 18 5. Tona – woman whom Blas wants to marry. Summary: Dodong wanted to marry Teang and asked his father's permission. Thinking that since they are young, their love would be short, he allowed them to get married. After nine months, Teang gave birth to a child named Blas. For six consecutive years, a new child came along. Teang did not complain even thought she secretly regretted being married at an early age. Sometimes she even wondered if she would have the same life if Lucio, her other suitor who was nine years older than Dodong, was the one she married. Lucio has had no children since the time he married. When Teang and Dodong were twenty they looked like they were fifty. When Blas was 18, he told his father that he would marry Tona. Dodong did not object, but tried to make Blas think twice before rushing to marriage – because Dodong doesn't want Blas to end up like him. *** It simply tells the story of an older person who made a mistake in the past who ended up with a not so pleasurable life. Then he had a son who is like him when he was young. His son is hasty in making the decision to get married, just like he was when he was 17. Despite this, Dodong did not – and

Harness the Power of Your Critique Group

Harness the Power of Your Critique Group Ten years ago I went looking for writing advice in my community and joined a loose affiliation of novice writers. Over the years, weve grown into a dedicated group of eight authors with cumulative publishing credits that include ten books, 24 short stories and numerous awards. Along the way, weve helped each other learn the craft of writing, work toward publication and market our work. Thinking of starting your own critique group? Want to make your group run more effectively or work harder for everyone involved? Here are some tips: Numbers I recommend a closed group - one in which new members are only invited because someone leaves. Six to eight people is an ideal size. Leadership It helps to have one person in charge of organizing and chairing the meetings, at least until the group is well established. Timing There are various ways of running meetings. My group meets once a month, with three stories sent in advance Focus You know those book clubs that are more about the food and the wine than the books? Dont make your critique group a dinner club. Try 15 minutes of chat at the beginning of the session and then get down to business, or all business for two hours followed Commitment Our group really took off when we began setting a rotation for submissions a few months in advance. Everyone is expected to submit something when it is his/her turn, with a fixed upper word count (ours is 4000 words). If someone cant make a meeting, they email their critiques to the other writers. Other groups dont have these expectations, but we needed the added pressure to keep writing. If meeting in person doesnt work for you, check  www.inkedvoices.com  , a source for online critique groups.   Do your critique group members attend seminars and workshops or read articles online and in print? Probably. Everyone in the group can take advantage of that learning - both through explicit sharing of the knowledge acquired and Widen your contacts and leads through your group. Share: = Useful lists, websites and newsletters (I made sure to tell my whole group to sign up for FundsforWriters.) = Contests = Publishers (If I read a book similar to the writing of one of my group members, Ill mention it to them.) = Upcoming workshops Once you are published you can help each other increase sales: = Commit to promoting your work via email and social media. = Review each others work on Goodreads and Amazon. = Traveling? Visit local bookstores and talk up your book as well as those of your critique group members. = Consider holding group launches to reduce costs and increase attendance. If you write in different genres this is a great opportunity to widen your nets. = Contact local media about your group, or better yet, query them. Get paid to write an article about the success of writers in your area. = Apply to speak at a writers conference as a group. Critiquing other writers work takes time and commitment, but a well-run group can result in a return on investment that brings your writing career to the next level.

Fight Club Masculinity Essay Example

Fight Club Masculinity Essay Example Fight Club Masculinity Paper Fight Club Masculinity Paper Essay Topic: Fight Club Novel Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club is the story of a man struggling to find himself. The main character, a nameless narrator, is clearly unhappy with his life. He obsessively fakes diseases and attends support group sessions as a way to deal with his hopelessness. Obsessive behaviors often lead to unfavorable events if they are interrupted (Lizardo). Just as it seems the support groups have brought him to a form of equilibrium, they are interrupted by a fellow faker. His inability to treat his restlessness by attending these support groups drives the narrator to shocking extremes. As the text continues, it becomes obvious that the narrator’s true struggle lies within his efforts to find a form of masculinity that best suits him. Many men in today’s society are in search of what it means to be a man (Connell). The many definitions for masculinity create an abundance of confusion for an individual searching for its meaning (Franklin). Palahniuk uses the two most prominent characters in Fight Club to demonstrate males in pursuit of the ideal form of masculinity. This paper will discuss how he deconstructs their efforts using the four themes of masculinity. The commonly cited gender-role model states that there are four major masculine themes that men struggle to maintain. The first theme is â€Å"No Sissy Stuff† (Kahn). This theme encourages men to distance themselves from femininity, any type of heterosexism toward gay men, and to avoid showing any emotion. It is also demonstrated by men who simply don’t do what women do. Men who follow this theme reject anything that is perceived as threatening to masculinity (Brubaker). â€Å"Be a Big Wheel† establishes the second theme. This theme suggests that masculinity is the dominance and power over others. : Wealth, status, and physical space are some examples of how this form of masculinity is exerted onto others. Men who are unable to achieve the Big Wheel status are often left feeling powerless and discouraged (Kahn). The third theme is called â€Å"The Sturdy Oak. † This theme involves men who need to be independent and self reliant. They, like an oak tree, must remain unaffected by weather and conditions (Kahn). This includes having control over their emotions. Men relating to this theme must always be seen as reliable. Men who embody this these usually distance themselves from others and have difficulty maintaining meaningful relationships (Brubaker). The final theme is â€Å"Give’em Hell. † Men who model this theme feel the need to be courageous risk-takers (Brubaker). Followers of this theme do so in a variety of ways. Some resort to violence at the risk to themselves and others, while many use a form of perseverance to align themselves with this masculine ideal. Men following this theme will do almost anything to ensure their belief of masculinity is met (Kahn). It is difficult, if not impossible, for a man to achieve all four forms of masculinity; however, it does not stop men from trying (Brubaker). The men in Fight Club use these four forms of masculinity to measure their identities as males (Kahn). Most men are in pursuit of a concept known as hegemonic masculinity. Hegemonic masculinity is the form of masculinity that society believes most strongly (Lusher, Dean, and Robins). Given these four forms of masculinity, we know that society does not support one superior form of masculinity above others (Kahn). Therefore, men who attempt to achieve hegemonic masculinity are unable to do so. The characters in Fight Club, like men in our society, are in the pursuit of hegemonic masculinity. The following characters will demonstrate some of the struggles during their pursuit. Narrator The most prominent character in Fight Club is the narrator. By keeping the narrator an unnamed character, Palahniuk allows the audience to participate in the creation of the character’s identity. It is important to recognize that the reader’s perceptions also play a role when identifying the masculine traits the narrator is trying to display. As the reader progresses through the text, the narrator changes his beliefs, values, behaviors, and attitudes several times. It becomes obvious that the narrator has changed his theme of masculinity at least three times throughout the text. These changes in his identity surface as a direct result from his pursuit of hegemonic masculinity. In order to effectively monitor the narrators movement from one masculine theme to the next, moving through the text in chronological order of events will be most efficient. That is, even though the first chapter of the book is describing the ending, the narrator’s first theme of masculinity is portrayed in chapter two. Chapter two is when Palahniuk begins to describe the narrator’s first theme of masculinity. In chapter two, the narrator is attending a support group called Remaining Men Together. This support group is the only thing that provides comfort for the narrator as he suffers from insomnia. Remaining Men Together is a support group for men with testicular cancer. At the beginning of this chapter, his actions are almost anti-masculine as he interacts with his fellow members. He is literally pretending to have no balls, which are usually used as a man’s most prominent display of masculinity (Boon, and Alexander). He also shows deep emotion by crying into the breasts of his fellow male member, Bob. The narrator quickly changes his behavior when he discovers a young woman, Marla, watching him at Remaining Men Together. After two years of being able to cry and express himself at this support group, the narrator is interrupted. He is unable to cry with Marla watching. He immediately establishes the â€Å"Be a Big Wheel† theme of masculinity in order to preserve his spot at the support group. Her arms squeezed tight against her sides, and my lips pressed against her ear, I’ll say, Marla, you big fake, you get out. † â€Å"The next time we meet, I’ll say, Marla, I can’t sleep with you here. I need this. Get out. † The narrator is trying to exert his dominance and power over Marla in order to obtain his right to be at Remaining Men Together. As the novel moves on, the narrator is very discouraged and begins to suffer from his insomnia once again. The â€Å"Be a Big Wheel† theme states that men who are unable to achieve the â€Å"Big Wheel† status are often left feeling powerless and discouraged (Kahn). This would hold true for the narrator. His inability to stop Marla from attending the support groups leads to negotiations that ultimately do not satisfy his need for relief. He is forced to find another way to treat his insomnia. Just as all hope seems lost, the narrator meets Tyler Durden and asks him to â€Å"deliver him from being perfect and complete† (Palahniuk). At first, Tyler and his philosophies help the narrator find another release for his suffering. Together they invent Fight Club. During this period of the book, the narrator begins to follow the â€Å"Give’em Hell† masculine theme. The narrator attends multiple Fight Club meetings and begins to stray away from the support groups he used to attend. At Fight Club, he directly models the â€Å"Give’em Hell† theme by resorting to violence at the risk to himself and others in order to display his masculinity (Kahn, Brubaker). During the hours of Fight Club, he and his fellow members become different people and present their masculinities in ways they never have. Who guys are in Fight Club is not who they are in the real world. Even if you told the kid in the copy center that he had a good fight, you wouldn’t be talking to the same man. † Shortly after its invention, the narrator’s behaviors shown at Fight Club begin to carry over to his day to day life. The narrator’s transformation to the â€Å"Give’em Hell† theme is complete. Just as the narrator begins to feel happy and content, Tyler hits an extreme, so the narrator no longer feels comfortable participating. Tyler invented another group outside of Fight Club called Project Mayhem. When Project Mayhem takes a turn for the worst, the narrator switches his masculine theme, yet again, to stop Tyler. As Tyler and Project Mayhem take a turn for the worst, the narrator becomes suspicious. Then, without any warning, Tyler disappears. While Tyler is absent, the narrator investigates Project Mayhem and searches for answers about Tyler Durden. During his expedition, he takes on the â€Å"Sturdy Oak† masculine theme. He is acting upon his own free will for the first time since he met Tyler. He will do what he must in order to find Tyler and stop Project Mayhem. The narrator’s acts of independency and control over his emotions mirror the â€Å"Be a Sturdy Oak† theme (Kahn). As the narrator gets closer to finding the truth about Tyler, Tyler presents himself. At this moment, the narrator discovers that, all along, Tyler has been a figment of his imagination. The narrator is schizophrenic. Ordinarily, this discovery would yield a great deal of emotion. The narrator, however, remains the â€Å"Sturdy Oak† and tries to analyze the situation without emotion and take control. â€Å" This is a dream. Tyler is a projection. He’s a dis- associative personality disorder. A psychogenic fugue state. Tyler Durden is my hallucination. † The narrator ends the film using the â€Å"Sturdy Oak† theme. In order to stop Project Mayhem, he took control of his emotions. He acted independently of Tyler, and shot himself in order to kill Tyler. This act ultimately ended his struggle for hegemonic masculinity because the narrator has in essence has chosen to be the â€Å"Sturdy Oak. † As the narrator progresses through each of these themes, he is in a constant battle to find hegemonic masculinity. The gender-role model of masculinity states that no man is likely to achieve all four masculine themes (Kahn). The narrator, however, comes dangerously close to achieving all four themes. Palahniuk created an extremely complex character by allowing the unnamed narrator to change his masculine identity several times throughout the text. Tyler Tyler is created by the narrator to fill a void in the narrator’s life. The narrator’s dissatisfaction with every aspect of his personality is somehow contrasted by Tyler’s. As the narrator and Tyler interact, the narrator begins to mirror Tyler’s behaviors and philosophies. It seems the narrator created his own mentor. During Fight Club, Tyler taught the narrator how to be a man. Over time, he also showed the narrator what kind of man he did not want to become. Palahniuk’s creation of Tyler’s character is far less complex than the narrator. Unlike the narrator, Tyler remains steady and consistent with one of the four themes of masculinity. Everything he does can be considered risk-taking behavior; and he definitely uses violence to ensure his belief of masculinity is met. Tyler models the â€Å"Give’em Hell† theme of masculinity for the entire text (Kahn). Starting with the creation of Fight Club, Tyler believes all of the narrator’s problems can be solved by â€Å"hitting rock bottom† (Palahniuk). â€Å"Only through destroying myself can I discover the great power of my spirit. † â€Å"We really won’t die. This isn’t really death, we’ll be legend. We won’t grow old. Tyler’s belief in destruction throughout the entire book is how he demonstrates his masculinity. He completes, what he thinks are, courageous acts to ensure his belief of masculinity is met. This also demonstrates the â€Å"Give’em Hell† theme of masculinity (Brubaker). In contrast, the narrator was unable to exert any form of masculinity into his life until he created Tyler’s influence. After the invention of Fight Club, the narrator continued to learn how to be the man he wanted to be. This is shown when the narrator and his fellow Fight Club members seem to be satisfied with their masculinity. After Project Mayhem starts, however, the narrator becomes agitated and acts out in defiance toward Tyler’s version of the â€Å"Give’em Hell† form of masculinity. Tyler begins to step outside of the parameters of this theme and the narrator is noticeably uncomfortable. In the narrator’s eyes, Tyler makes the transition from the perfect man- â€Å"I love everything about Tyler Durden, his courage and his smarts. His nerve. Tyler if funny and charming and forceful and independent, and men look up to him and expect him to change their world. Tyler is capable and free, and I am not. † to insane and out of control- It has to be big, Picture this: you on top of the world’s tallest building, the whole building taken over by Project Mayhem. Smoke rolling out the windows. Desks falling into the crowds on the street. A real opera of a death, that’s what you’re going to get. † The narrator is then seen as the protagonist, trying to eliminate Tyler, the antagonist, and his drastic actions. In the end, the narrator shoots himself hoping the bullet will result in Tyler’s death, and ultimately the death of Tyler’s new form of masculinity. Ironically, the narrator once wanted this form of masculinity for himself. It is in this moment, when Tyler is eliminated, the narrator has found the theme that, to him, best demonstrates hegemonic masculinity. Even though Tyler’s character becomes an extremest, his core values that drive his behavior are still set within the parameters of the â€Å"Give’em Hell† theme of masculinity. All the way through the text until his eventual â€Å"death†, he remains a violent risk-taker who will do anything to ensure his alignment to this masculine theme. His behavior, although unorthodox, was a form of the â€Å"Give’em Hell† theme (Kahn). Conclusion Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club is a story about a man struggling to find himself. He used the narrator and Tyler in this story to demonstrate the pursuit of hegemonic masculinity. Palahniuk wasn’t glorifying violence, sex, consumerism, or even masculinity itself. He was giving the reader a critique of the steps men are willing to take in order to obtain societies’ preferred theme of masculinity. Palahniuk uses Tyler’s character to state the following: â€Å"We don’t have a great war in our generation, or a great depression, but we do, we have a great war of the spirit. We have a great revolution against the culture. The great depression is our lives. We have a spiritual depression. We have to show these men and women freedom by enslaving them, and show them courage by frightening them. † Through this passage, Palahniuk is describing why, in our society, men have such a hard time defining themselves and claiming a form of masculinity. The narrator’s struggle throughout his journey to â€Å"masculine-enlightenment† is shared by many males in society. Men are able to relate to both the schizophrenic narrator and Tyler. Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club shows society through an extreme and entertaining story, something that occurs on a daily basis and surrounds us all.

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 33

Leadership - Essay Example I also have leadership traits such as motivation. Although I may not always be the best choice as a leader, I have desires to become one because I know I have abilities and capabilities which could be useful in such a position. I have the initiative to start projects or activities however, my self-esteem often fails me especially when I am dealing with other cultures. I may not have the best integrity as well but I know that when it comes to character, I am a qualified leader. One of the reasons why I am pursuing my education here in the United States is to gain a reputation that could propel to my dreams of becoming a leader someday. When it comes to behaviors, I could say that I am more focused on performing a task than maintaining a group. I am also good at participating in decision-making especially in groups where I can freely and articulately express myself. With the aforementioned skills, traits and behaviors I have, I know that I still have to improve on my self-confidence be cause it is very important in leadership. Moreover, I also have to increase my knowledge about the business and work on my supervisory leadership. With that said, I see the need for experience so I look forward to opportunities in class or organizational

Bispecific antibodies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Bispecific antibodies - Research Paper Example In recent years, antibody therapy has become a new treatment modality for tumor patients, although the majority of responses are only partial and not long lasting. Based on evidence that effecter- cell-mediated mechanisms significantly contribute to antibody efficacy in vivo, several approaches are currently perused to improve the interaction between Fc receptor-expressing effecter cells and tumor target antigens. With this purpose the invention of monoclonal antibodies in vivo started. In the initial phase the results were not satisfactory and these antibodies in trial in vivo showed a only 20% clearance of the tumor cells but after letting it go through different formatting processes it went up to achieving 80% clearance. Bispecific antibodies have got 2 hinging sites which are specific for getting attached to immune recruiting cells and also to target antigens which are mostly transformed cells. "Bispecific antibodies (BsAb) can, by virtue of combining two binding specificities, i mprove the selectivity and efficacy of antibody-based treatment of human disease. Recent studies underline the importance of both the 'anti-trigger' and 'anti-target' modalities of BsAb for therapeutic efficacy". (Spriel, A.B., Ojik, H.H.V, & Winkel, J.G.J. 2000). There has always been an issue of side effects when it comes to cancer therapy and a lot of patients would not even go for therapies due the bad side effects. In the past few decades things have started improving an the standard mode of ontological therapies which were chemotherapy and radiation it is now switching more towards treatment of cancer with more of antibiotic and immunoglobulin. This has brought a lot of hope for future success in getting a strong hold of cancer with fewer emergences of side effects. Bispecific antibodies do not occur in nature and they need to be synthesized in vivo, through either recombinant DNA, or cell fusion technique. "Bispecific antibodies have been manufactured by fusing the DNA encodi ng a single chain antibody (ScFv) after the C terminus (CH3-ScFv) or after the hinge (Hinge-ScFv) with an antibody of a different specificity. The fusion protein is expressed by gene transfection in the context of a murine variable region. Transfectomas secrete a homogeneous population of the recombinant antibody with two different specificities, one at the N terminus (anti-dextran) and one at the C terminus (anti-dansyl). The CH3-ScFv antibody, which maintains the constant region of human lgG3, has some of the associated effectors functions such as long half-life and Fc receptor binding. The Hinge-ScFv antibody which lacks the CH2 and CH3 domains has no known effectors functions". (Coloma, M.J. &'Morrison, S.L. 1997). Production of Bispecific antibodies has been a challenging task but has still been encouraged because of the advantages it has towards treating cancer with less side effects. There are still some disadvantaged of cost and failure rate, and future challenges and tasks are also to be taken in consideration. We will have an overview of the rational of producing Bispecific antibo