Tartuffe and A Modest Proposal Essays - Tartuffe, Molire

Tartuffe 1 Tartuffe and A Modest Proposal: An Overview Chasity Tullis October 11, 2010 ENG 103: The Literary Experience Instructor Zone Tartuffe 2 Purpose: The purpose of Tartuffe was to satirize the overly rigid, self righteous churchgoers, and the heretical catholic movement of Moliere?s time. This movement was condemned by the Vatican. It was originally performed at the Palace of Versailles before King Louis in 1664 as a three act play and was condemned by court clergymen and banned from public performance. The clergymen believed that it mocked the religion and its practices. It was only until they play was extended to five acts, revised twice, and Tartuffe casted as a layman that it was approved for public performance by King Louis. The first public performance of the accepted form of Tartuffe took place in February of 1669. Main Ideas: The main ideas represented in Tartuffe are hypocrisy, gullibility, and the consuming power of obsession. Hypocrisy is the central theme to Tartuffe. This is shown constantly by the sanctimonious and self ? righteous Tartuffe who is really just a scoundrel. Gullibility runs rampant through the play as Tartuffe has all of them fooled except for the children and the maid. The main fool is Orgon the head of the family that took Tartuffe in because of his devout religion and his strict code of conduct. He ultimately has Orgon so fooled that he gives him his daughter while Tartuffe hungers for Orgon?s wife, eats his food, and spends his money. The power of obsession ultimately becomes Tartuffe?s down fall as his eventual lust for Orgon?s wife gets the best of him when she sets him up by being wily and hiding her husband so that Tartuffe gets caught in the act, so to speak. Enlightenment: The enlightenment period was a set of ideas, not a set of values. It questioned traditional institutions, customs, morals, and a strong belief in the rationality of science. It emphasized the social condition, not the philosophy. Moliere?s play was a complete contradiction to the traditions of religious practices that people were used too. It personified the public condition that we are a victim of our own gullibility or willingness to judge a book by its cover, not by what the book contains. Past to Present: I believe that Tartuffe gives us an comical outlook on the practices of the past and led us into the future by showing that if you use your wit and common sense you will be able to navigate and not be made a Tartuffe 3 fool. We learn in the future that we should use our instincts and follow our gut so to steer clear of being made a fool of. A Modest Proposal Purpose: The purpose of Swift?s proposal is to prevent the children of the poor in Dublin, Ireland from becoming a burden to their country by becoming thieves and poor themselves to become beneficial to their society as to decrease the problem of pan-handling women and their children. Main Ideas: The main ideas of Swift?s proposal, however farfetched they might be are not too farfetched if you consider the figuring and background he studied and proved in his proposal. The first idea is to provide a cheap and easy way in which to deal with the poor pan handling mothers and children nipping at their feet by turning them in to a benefit to society. The second idea is how to provide for the poor due to the current state of affairs of the country. The third idea is that these children of the poor can support their families after the age of one by being sold as food much like a pig would be sold to a butcher. The fourth idea is that these children would be raised and sold like cattle to a butcher. With this being done it may eradicate the poor dying of disease, starving to death, or being aborted. The fifth idea is the thought that being sold like cattle and being killed for food is no different than them dying from famine and disease. Enlightenment: It is in my opinion that the enlightenment period became a period of ideas to solve the state of disarray the country might be in. Ideas were brought forth to deal with any affair that may be a problem to society. I think

Word Choice To, Too or Two - Proofeds Writing Tips

Word Choice To, Too or Two - Proofeds Writing Tips Word Choice: To, Too or Two? As if picking between a pair of similar-sounding words wasn’t bad enough, sometimes the English language will give you three terms that sound identical! With â€Å"to,† â€Å"too† and â€Å"two,† for example, it’s very easy to get mixed up if you’re not careful. This is especially the case with â€Å"to† and â€Å"too,† which we regularly see confused in all types of writing. But precision is vital in academic papers, so make sure you use each word correctly. To (Preposition/Infinitives) Probably the most common of these terms is â€Å"to,† which can be used either as a preposition or in combination with infinitive verbs. As a preposition, â€Å"to† has several meanings, including (among others) indicating direction or duration, identifying a recipient, or making comparisons: Direction: I am going to the store to buy a hat. Duration: The hat shop is open from 9am to 5pm. Identity of recipient: Give the hat to me. Comparison: I prefer Hats Co. to Hats’R’Us. The key factor here is that â€Å"to† always precedes a noun when used as a preposition. When used to mark an infinitive, on the other hand, â€Å"to† is always followed by a verb. This is typically either to express a purpose or to give an opinion: Purpose: I’m wearing a hat to hide my bald spot. Opinion: If you’re self-conscious about balding, it’s a good idea to wear a hat. Or a wig. Eithers good. Too (As Well/Excessively) â€Å"Too† is an adverb that usually means either â€Å"as well† or â€Å"excessively.† In the former case, it works as a synonym for â€Å"also.† When this sense of â€Å"too† is used, it’s often set apart from the rest of the sentence with commas (or preceded by a comma at the end of a sentence): Mid-sentence: I, too, am going bald. End of sentence: I’m going bald, too! When used to mean â€Å"excessively,† â€Å"too† indicates that something is extreme or beyond desirable limits, such as in the following: I’ve lost too much hair to pretend that I’m not going bald. The sun is too hot for me to go out without a hat! It’s worth noting that this use of â€Å"too† never needs to be set apart with commas. Two (A Number) The â€Å"w† in â€Å"two† makes it easier to remember what this word means. In case you’re not sure, though, â€Å"two† is the number between one and three, otherwise represented by the numeral â€Å"2†: It has been two years since I went completely bald. You think you have problems? Try being a naked cat! Generally, it’s better to write out â€Å"two† in full rather than use the numeral in academic writing. To, Too or Two? Although these terms are similar, it’s easy to remember which one to use as long as you keep the following guidelines in mind: To (preposition) = Comes before a noun or an infinitive verb Too (adverb) = Can be replaced by â€Å"also† or â€Å"excessively† Two (number) = Means the same as the numeral â€Å"2†

How the USDA Has Addressed Discrimination

How the USDA Has Addressed Discrimination ​The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made significant progress in addressing allegations of discrimination against minority and women farmers both in the farm loan programs it administers and in its workforce that have hounded it for over a decade, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Background Since 1997, the USDA has been the target of major civil rights lawsuits brought by African-American, Native American, Hispanic, and women farmers. The suits generally accused the USDA of using discriminatory practices to illegally deny loans, delay loan application processing, underfund loan amounts and create unnecessary and burdensome roadblocks in the loan application process. These discriminatory practices were found to create unnecessary financial hardships for minority farmers.Two of the best-known civil rights lawsuits filed against the USDA Pigford v. Glickmanand Brewington v. Glickman - filed on behalf of African-American farmers, resulted in the largest civil rights settlements in history. To date, over $1 billion has been paid to over 16,000 farmers as a result of settlements in the Pigford v. Glickman and Brewington v. Glickman suits.Today, Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who believe they were discriminated against by the USDA in making or servicing farm loans bet ween 1981 and 2000 can file claims for cash awards or debt relief on eligible farm loans by visiting the USDAs Farmersclaims.gov website. GAO Finds Progress Made In October 2008, the GAO made six recommendations for ways the USDA could improve its performance in resolving farmers discrimination claims and providing minority farmers with access to programs intended to help them succeed. In its report titled, USDAs Progress toward Implementing GAOs Civil Rights Recommendations, the GAO told Congress the USDA fully addressed three of its six recommendations from 2008, made significant progress toward addressing two, and made some progress toward addressing one. (See: Table 1, page 3, of the GAO report) Outreach Programs for Minority Farmers and Ranchers As early as 2002, the USDA committed to improving its support for minority farmers by releasing $98.2 million in grants to supplement its loan programs specifically for minority and small farmers and ranchers. Of the grants, then Sec. of Agriculture Ann Veneman said, We are committed to utilizing all resources available to help farm and ranch families, particularly minority and small producers, who need assistance. Besides the monetary awards, grants for minority farmers and extensive efforts to promote civil rights awareness and equality within the USDA itself, perhaps the most important changes arising from the settlements of the civil rights lawsuits have been the series of USDA outreach programs intended to serve minority and women farmers and ranchers. Some of these programs include: Office of the Pigford Case Monitor: The Office of the Monitor provides access to all court documents, including court orders and decisions related to the Pigford v. Glickman and Brewington v. Glickman lawsuits filed against the USDA on the behalf of African-American farmers and ranchers. The collection of documents provided on the Office of the Monitor website are intended to help persons with claims against the USDA arising from the lawsuits learn about the payments and other relief they are entitled to under the courts rulings.Minority and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Assistance (MSDA): Operating under the USDAs Farm Service Agency, the Minority and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Assistance was established specifically to assist minority and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who apply for USDA farm loans. The MSDA also offers the USDA Minority Farm Register to all minority persons involved in farming or ranching. Participants in the Minority Farm Register are mailed re gular updates on the USDAs efforts to assist minority farmers.Women and Community Outreach Programs: Created in 2002, the Community Outreach and Assistance to Women, Limited Resource and Other Traditionally Under Served Farmers and Ranchers Program provides loans and grants to community colleges and other community based organizations for developing outreach projects to provide women and other under-served farmers and ranchers with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to make informed risk management decisions for their operations.Small Farms Program: Many of Americas small and family farms are owned by minorities. In the Pigford v. Glickman and Brewington v. Glickman lawsuits, the courts criticized the USDA as having an attitude of indifference toward the needs of minority small farmers and ranchers. The USDAs Small and Family Farm Program, administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, is an attempt to correct that.Project Forge: Another minority outreach ef fort of the USDAs National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Project Forge provides assistance and training to the primarily Hispanic and other minority farmers and ranchers in rural regions of South Texas. Operating out of the University of Texas-Pan American, Project Forge has been successful in improving the economic condition in the South Texas region through both its training programs and development of farmers markets.

Fragmentation from Christendom to the Protestant Reformation Was Not Research Paper

Fragmentation from Christendom to the Protestant Reformation Was Not Beneficial to the Evolution of European Culture - Research Paper Example Radically, the world shape had been altered; creating a fresh identity of European communities of what was once Catholic Christendom. Knowledge about their culture had been growing rapidly from thirteenth century (Hillerbrand 89). Across the Atlantic, a new world had been discovered and accurate knowledge of the oceans and the lands beyond Islam became widespread. This coincided with the fragmentation of the old idea of Christendom, replaced by a new geographical idea, Europe that included all people from different European cultures and who shared a common history. This included the protestant sects, Roman Catholicism, and those in the Orthodox. Whether or not protestant reformation comprised improvements in the lives of European communities is debatable, since there were negative and positive impacts in personal, cultural, social, theological, and political pragmatisms. The impacts of Fragmentation from Christendom to the protestant reformation on Culture and political thought Cultu rally, arts with an exception of architecture and music realized a loss of ecclesiastical support from protestant reforms, and more so, Luther reforms. The movement of reformers used vernacular as opposed to Latin and thus popular music was not as weakened as the Liturgical language used by the church. Consequently, this helped raise the music status since composers were free to develop pieces which were more appealing to people of a specific culture and language, thus encouraging diversity (MacCulloch, 75). Architecture remained exuberant and grand as the numerous denominations competed to put up worship houses. However, other arts lost denominational recognition by protestant restructurings. The patronage of visual arts and religious images were not supported by the protestant churches. At the beginning, struggles among reformers about iconoclasm resulted in conflicts over the images place in the sanctuary. For instance, the differences between Luther and Calvin’s hostility to visual images hampered the support given by churches for art. Culture was affected in such a way that, financing art needed a huge amount of resources, both in creation of the art and in supporting the artists. The Catholic Church drew funds and other resources from many churches diffused over continental Europe, while the Protestants had limited resource base. The situation was made more severe since the princes and the break-away churches were struggling to prevent their recap back to Christendom and the struggle for survival prioritized. This cultural insolvency led to a loss of visual arts for Protestants who would have otherwise gained a deep sense of pleasure and satisfaction from viewing art to reinforce their religious convictions. However, the vernacular Bible version such as the King James Version and Luther’s played a significant role in the development of modern English and German literature (Mitchell & Buss 67). Protestant revolution was not beneficial to the lives of European communities politically since autonomist groups gathered support via identifying with certain denominations. This led to breakup of Western Christianity despite the fact that, for a Christian to put more loyalty towards a political group or nation instead of their faith contradicts with the idea of brotherhood and Christian unity found in the Bible. The fragmentation of Christianity basing on nationalistic lines changed the

Describe the methods used to calculate value added. How does value Essay - 2

Describe the methods used to calculate value added. How does value added contribute towards understanding the connections betwe - Essay Example Labor expenses also include all the salaries that are given in the form of cash to each and every employee of the organization2. All the outflows of cash in form of cash, assets, materials and wages are inculcated in labor expenses. The rest of the labor expenses include the extra money that is given by the organization if the employees are working on over time or in the form of extra working hours. This is necessary because each hand every hour that they are spending on the organization is also in turn being proved to be productive for the overall organizational perspective. The second component refers to all the capital generated in the form of cash or other items, this capital is the result of all work force and all the investments that are exhausted in the work machinery for generate the capital for the profit of the company. The result of the sum of both the factors yield something that can give a competitor’s advantage to an organization as value added has an alluring ef fect of giving performance more than expected. Value added includes those results, services or usage of the products that are beyond expectations of a client in the positive sense and this also increase the overall value of the services and goodwill of the company among the customers to increase revenue generation.3 A very important and mostly deployed method to calculate economic value added is as follows Economic value added = Current performance – base performance The current performance is the economic value added figures that will be used from the time period that is most recent or in which we are interested to calculate the value added. The company’s figures for all the years are written in tabular format and then a base line is selected. The base line refers to the standard year or time period from which the economic value added of the most recent time period will be compared. The comparison is mostly done in the form of ration and then it is calculated that wha t the current economic value of the company is. If the current performance is high then automatically then resultant factor will be high and we will say that the company us improving in the terms of value added services. If the resultant factor is zero then it means that there is no progress but there is no loss as well. The company should pay heed to cut the sunk costs in this case because the EVA must rise with every time period in order to gain profit and produce productive results. If the EVA factor is negative then this means that there is a serious problem in value added services of the company and there should be revision in policies to decrease the loss of the values of the products. The other method to calculate value added is to estimate the current overall costs that are being dissipated and squandered in the production of the products. After the careful estimation of costs, different measures must be taken in order to minimize the costs so that they overall production st eps cannot be effected badly for example the administration of a company can cut off the extra charges of transportation or they can reduce the work force from their company by introducing different automated system in their work environment. This will reduce the extra costs from the working environments and these extra costs can be taken into account for the production of

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Freezing point depression lab Essay

The Numbing of the American Mind: Culture as Anesthetic Essay -- Thoma

ENLIGHTENED SURRENDER How many essays have been written about American culture? How many books dedicated to the intense scrutiny of every aspect of our modern society? Countless thoughts, countless theories—many of them lost in the very chaos that the authors spent 300 pages explaining. There are always solutions, which their creators seem entirely convinced will solve this mess, but the truth is that these ideas are often impractical and unrealistic. But no one writes an entire book complaining without offering us something at the conclusion. Sociologists parade around with their own superfluous speculations, conflicting and contradictory, but this must be better than unresolved pessimism, right? Thomas de Zengotita doesn’t seem to think so. In his essay, â€Å"The Numbing of the American Mind: Culture as Anesthetic,† he discusses the perceptual overload of Americans and the differing and indistinguishable levels of reality in which we exist. He claims that most people don’t know and can’t recognize what is real what is not. There are so many different kinds of reality—he lists sixteen out of many—and they have all become so intertwined into our lives that they bleed together. As a result of these discrepancies, we can no longer appreciate the differences between what is important and what isn’t. Using modern examples like the events of September 11th and the media’s response to them, de Zengotita explains how we’ve become numb to things â€Å"so enormous, so horrific, so stark, that [we believe] the great blob of virtuality that is our public culture would be unable to absorb it† (342). It is a typical review of American society— pessimistic and daunting—though his sarcastic humor and nonchalant attitude are... ...ous diagnosis of a serious condition. Would we rather not know about it because it happens to be incurable? This goes much deeper than subject matter, or political bias, the usual folder. It determines the way we frame everything . . . the attitude we bring to living in this world of surfaces. (de Zengotita 350) No amount of truth can ever bring about change on the grand scale, but the way you chose to function within it will define the difference between prisoner and progressive. In expressing a helplessness to do nothing, de Zengotita has accomplished more than all the theories in the world. â€Å"It was to have been the end of irony, remember?† (de Zengotita 340) Works Cited Zengotita, Thomas de. â€Å"The Numbing of American Minds: Culture as Anesthetic.† 2002. The Text Wrestling Book. Eds. Donna LeCourt, et al. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt, 2005. 340-351.

Five Pillars of Islam Essay

What are the central beliefs of Islam, and how are they reflected in the â€Å"Five Pillars† (McInerney, 2003)? Which of the Five Pillars do you feel would be easiest to fulfill, and which would be the most challenging (McInerney, 2003)? Monotheism is one of the main central beliefs of Islam. This is the belief that there is only one God and that God is Allah. The Islam’s believe that their purpose for humanity is to only serve their God Allah and to construct a moral lifestyle. The five pillars are considered obligatory for all Muslims to follow. The five pillars can be found within the Qur’an which is Islam’s holy book. The first pillar is the shahadah. The Shahadah is the accepting that Muhammad is God’s messenger. Islamic culture believes that the prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam’s faith. The second pillar is the daily prayers. In order to do this a Muslim must be in a state of ritual purity. One must prayer at least five times within a day. Muslims believe that doing so will bring them closer to God and they will be able to learn more about him. The third pillar is the fasting during Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the Islamic month for fasting. Muslims have to avoid any type of drinking, eating and sexual relations from dawn until sunset. This is done in order for Muslims to learn about patience, humanity, and spirituality. The fourth pillar is called alms giving which is the giving of 2. 5 percent of one’s annual earnings to the poor and needy. Lastly, the fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca. This is a core practice and must be carried out at least once in a Muslims lifetime. The fourth pillar which consists of giving 2. percent of one’s annual pay to the poor and needy would be one of the easiest pillars for me to follow. I think everyone should do this. I’m a Christian and every Sunday that I go to church I always give to the needy whether its five dollars or two dollars that I have on me at the time. My religion believes that by giving we will receive blessings from our God. The pillar that would be difficult for me to follow would have to be pillar number three which is fasting. This would be difficult for me because I always have to be drinking water. I am also anemic and if I don’t eat after a while I tend to black out.

Internet Marketing Essay

What is Marketing? Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals. What is Internet Marketing? Internet Marketing is the process of building and maintaining customer relationships through online activities to facilitate the exchange of ideas, products, and services that satisfy the goals of both parties. Introduction Internet marketing, or online marketing, refers to advertising and marketing efforts that use the Web and e-mail to drive direct sales via e-commerce as  well as sales leads from Web sites or emails. Internet marketing and online advertising efforts are typically used in conjunction with traditional types of advertising like radio, television, newspapers and magazines. Internet marketing can also be broken down into more specialized areas such as Web marketing, email marketing and social media marketing: ï‚ §Web marketing includes e-commerce Web sites, affiliate marketing Web sites, promotional or informative Web sites, online advertising on search engines, and organic search engine results via search engine optimization (SEO) ï‚ §Email marketing involves both advertising and promotional marketing efforts via e-mail messages to current and prospective customers ï‚ §Social media marketing involves both advertising and marketing (includingviral marketing) efforts via social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Digg. Objectives of online marketing †¢To inform users of your web presence and the benefit your website offers over its competitors. †¢To persuade users to use the services of the firm. This could be done by offering a discount for a limited time. †¢To make sure the business is listed in all the most popular search engines and directories. †¢Keep customers updated of any new products or changes to business services. †¢Make sure that customer have a pleasant website experience by continuously improving the navigation of the site. †¢To aim for sales of x amount and net profit of x amount in a given period. Objectives of a business having a retail outlet/ showroom. †¢To reduce costs by moving some of their operations online. †¢To integrate online and offline strategies to maintain and improve relationships with customers. This could be by offering reserve online and pick up in store strategies like some retailers do. †¢The company’s strategy should support the overall marketing objectives of the firm this maybe to increase overall market share or profit. †¢To promote both online and offline activities. Advantages of Internet Marketing[7][8][9] Internet marketing is important because it aligns with the way consumers make purchasing decisions. Studies by analysts such as Gartner indicate that increasing numbers of consumers use social media and research on mobile Internet to carry out preliminary product and price research before making final decisions. Internet marketing enables you to build relations with customers and prospects through regular, low-cost personalized communication, reflecting the move away from mass marketing. †¢Convenience. Internet marketing enables you to be open for business around the clock without worrying about store opening hours or overtime payments for staff. Offering your products on the Internet is also convenient for customers. They can browse your online store at any time and place orders when it is convenient for them. †¢Reach. By marketing on the Internet, you can overcome barriers of distance. You can sell goods in any part of the country without setting up local outlets, widening your target market. You can also build an export business without opening a network of distributors in different countries. However, if you want to sell internationally, you should use localization services to ensure that your products are suitable for local markets and comply with local business regulations. Localization services include translation and product modification to reflect local market differences. †¢Cost. Marketing products on the Internet costs less than marketing them through a physical retail outlet. You do not have the recurring costs of property rental and maintenance. You do not have to purchase stock for display in a store. You can order stock in line with demand, keeping your inventory costs low. †¢Personalization. Internet marketing enables you to personalize offers to customers by building a profile of their purchasing history and preferences. By tracking the web pages and product information that prospects visit, you can make targeted offers that reflect their interests. The information available from tracking website visits also provides data for planning cross-selling campaigns so that you can increase the value of sales by customer. †¢Relationships. The Internet provides an important platform for building relationships with customers and increasing customer retention levels. When a customer has purchased a product from your online store, you can begin the relationship by sending a follow-up email to confirm the transaction and thank the customer. Emailing customers regularly with special, personalized offers helps to maintain the relationship. You can also invite customers to submit product reviews on your website, helping to build a sense of community. †¢Social. Internet marketing enables you to take advantage of the growing importance of social media. An article on the Harvard Business School Executive Education website highlighted the link between social networking and online revenue growth. According to the article, a group of consumers that responded most strongly to the influence of social networks generated increased sales of around 5 percent. You can take advantage of this type of influence by incorporating social networking tools in your Internet marketing campaigns. Disadvantages of Internet Marketing[7][8][9] †¢Competition. Nowadays there is cut-throat competition among various companies. Online marketing gives you an opportunity to attract international audience but at the same time you are also inviting the international market competition for your business. †¢Online Illiteracy. A majority of people who don’t have any knowledge about the online marketing companies fail to make any impact. You have to be very wise while targeting the right audience for promoting your product online. †¢Changing Technology. Science and technology are doing wonders these days. People are changing with the technology and so do the online software. You have to keep in touch with the latest technology and adopt the necessary software which are quite costly. †¢Personal attention. There is lack of personal attention given to a customer when they are shopping online on your website. Some people love to take advice which is not possible in online marketing. †¢Maintenance. It is very essential for a website get upgraded after regular intervals. But this is not practically possible because reconstructing the websites consumes a lot a time. †¢Slow internet connections can cause difficulties. If the companies build too complex or too large websites, it will take too long for users to check them or download them and they will get bored eventually. †¢The e-commerce doesn’t allow the user â€Å"to touch† the merchandise before purchasing it. Because of this, some salesmen are starting to guarantee the possibility of returning the product. In Germany, where a law that regulates e-commerce and guarantees the customers the total refund of the money exists since 2000, the electronic commerce is very popular. †¢Other factor is the payment: many users still don’t trust in the electronic methods of paying and give up buying online because of this. †¢One of the major disadvantages may be the lack of trust of the users because of the constant virtual promotions that appear to be frauds. This is an aspect that deteriorates the image and reputation of quality and honest companies. †¢Other disadvantage is the cash on delivery system, since it doesn’t guarantee the 100% purchase of the product. This is also the case of thousands of users that dedicate themselves to daily mock big companies by ordering on the internet using false identities. The Questionnaire I sent out the questionnaire to friends and colleagues who work at advertisement and marketing agencies with a good client base. These companies deal in all kinds of marketing and not only online marketing. I got a lot of responses from them. These were the questions asked: How long has your company been making or trying to make money through online marketing? †¢Less than a month †¢1 month- 6 months †¢6 months- 1 year †¢1 year- 3 years †¢3 years+ How much money is your company earning online per month? †¢Not earning money †¢Rs 1000- Rs 5000 †¢Rs 5000- Rs 20000 †¢Rs 20000- Rs 50000 †¢Rs 50000+ What’s the most troublesome problem your company has about making money online? †¢Don’t have enough technology †¢Not enough time to focus only on online marketing †¢Not enough funds †¢Too complicated †¢Others What tools/ software (that would save time and effort) would you be likely to purchase to help assist in online marketing? †¢Traffic tools that help generate visitors †¢Content tools that help create fast content †¢Designing tools that help design good quality graphics †¢Research tools that help in research and gathering of data †¢Others The Results The results in a nutshell †¢More than 3/4th of the respondents have more than 1 year experience making money online, yet most have not earned any money yet, or at most Rs1000- Rs 5000 per month. †¢The 3 biggest problems that are preventing/hindering people from making money in online marketing are that they do not have the technical skills and that they find it a complicated task to get into online marketing on a large scale. Not enough technical skills – You don’t actually need to learn and master all the technical skills. If you do, then stop calling yourself an internet marketer and start calling yourself a programmer. You only need to learn basic technical skills such as using an FTP program, installing your Word Press blog, create a basic html page, connecting your domain and hosting together. These skills, like any other skills, can be learned. The question is: are you willing to? Not enough traffic – Traffic by itself is useless if you can’t convert them into money , or if you can’t convert them into whatever you’re trying to achieve. In other words, you need conversion to make your traffic worthwhile. Search engine optimization You can do some Search engine optimization to rank your  sites highly in the search engines. To get conversion, the best way is to target the right audience who are already searching for what you are selling (so you don’t need to educate them that they need your solution/product). Then build trusting relationships with them, and the first way to start doing that is to actually tell your audience who you are as an individual, and start giving instead of receiving all the time. Not enough money – This is a classic. Not enough money to make money online means you don’t have the money to pay for business expenses like domain, hosting, email auto responder services, legitimate and honest how-to courses, etc. The company can spend less money by writing, designing, or programming the online ad/ marketing strategy. †¢More people are into niche marketing (where you enter multiple niche markets) rather than into 1 or 2 markets where you go deep and establish yourself as an authority in the marketplace. In a few cases the companies have a very limited number o f clients. This helps them focus on the needs of selected companies and is able to provide good quality work. †¢In terms of tools/software that saves time and efforts by automating tasks, people preferred to use tools that help in designing graphics and tools that help generate visitors. Survey conducted by SEO Industries- A U.S based industry[5][6][10] I picked up a survey along with statistics that was conducted by SEO industries in 2012 and have compared it to their previous survey conducted in 2010. And have posted my conclusions at the end of each sub topic. A Typical Online Marketer So, what did a typical internet marketer in the 2012 survey look like? I know â€Å"typical† is a dangerous word, but just for fun, here’s a persona of our average respondent: †¢47%Based in United States †¢77%Male †¢46%26-34 years old †¢18%Works at 2-5 person company †¢23%3-5 years in online marketing †¢35%Started as an in-house marketer †¢46%Currently works as an in-house †¢19%Makes $30,000-45,000 Conclusion The US accounts for a large part of our audience. Female respondents increased slightly from the 2010 survey, from 20.6% to 22.7% – that’s 10.2% more women in the survey this year, but still a sizable gender gap. International Marketers 65 countries have been represented in the 2012 survey. Many people asked last time to see more than the top 10 countries, so here are the top 25, by % of respondents: †¢47.3%United States †¢12.9%United Kingdom †¢4.4%Canada †¢4.0%India †¢3.3%Australia †¢2.4%Germany †¢2.0%Netherlands †¢1.8%Spain †¢1.3%France †¢1.2%Romania †¢1.1%Brazil †¢1.1%Italy †¢0.9%Israel †¢0.8%India †¢0.7%Ireland †¢0.7%South Africa †¢0.6%Bulgaria †¢0.6%Denmark †¢0.6%Hungary †¢0.6%Pakistan †¢0.6%Philippines †¢0.6%Poland †¢0.5%China †¢0.5%New Zealand †¢0.5%Sweden Conclusion US representation decreased from the 2010 survey (53% to 47%), while the UK grew from 9% to almost 13%. Israel fell out of the Top 10 from the #4 position in 2010, and Brazil slipped to 11th, while Romania narrowly pushed its way into the #10 spot. Service Mix and Demand Not surprisingly, most respondents (92%) have SEO services as part of their mix. The rest of the top 5 breaks down like this (keep in mind that most respondents offer multiple services other than online marketing): †¢92%Search Engine Optimization †¢82%Analytics †¢71%Link building †¢71%Content marketing †¢70%Social Media and/or Community Management This matches up pretty well with perceived demand changes over the past year. These are the top 5 service areas that our respondents believe are growing (as % of respondents): †¢72%Social media and/or community management †¢71%Search Engine Optimization †¢65%Local SEO †¢56%Content marketing †¢54%Analytics Conclusion Topping the list of services with the biggest decrease in demand are – Event planning (67%), Offline marketing (51%), and PR (48%). Of course, it’s important to note that they have strongly focused on online marketing, so these decreases are probably just the natural evolution of our industry. Training and conferences Most of us still get our industry education online, but in-person events round out the top 5: †¢93%Online resources – blogs, websites, etc. †¢88%Hands-on experience †¢64%Read a book †¢53%Attended a conference †¢50%Attended training seminars/workshops Over half of respondents have attended a conference in the past two years (including local meet-ups). Here are the top 10 industry events for our audience: †¢18%Search Marketing Expo †¢14%Search Engine Strategies †¢11%Local Meet-ups †¢7%Pubcon †¢7%ad:tech †¢7%MozCon †¢6%Distilled’s Searchlove/Linklove †¢5%Google I/O †¢4%SXSW †¢4%WordCamp Conclusion It’s interesting to see the rise in smaller events. Individual VS Team priorities When we’re not learning, we’re spending our time in the trenches. These are the top 5 tactics that respondents said they spent their individual time on (as % spending more than half their time): †¢24%SEO †¢11%On-page Optimization †¢10%Link Building †¢8%Social Media Marketing †¢6%Copywriting/Blogging/Writing How did that stack up against where our teams (SEO’s teams) are spending their time? †¢18%SEO †¢14%Link Building †¢12%Copywriting/Blogging/Writing †¢11%On-page Optimization †¢10%Social Media Marketing Conclusion While people reported that their teams spent more time on link-building and writing/blogging while they personally spent more time on on-page tactics, it’s interesting to note that the top priorities are pretty similar. Online marketing is still a hands-on business, even at the upper levels. Spending and Budget In 2012, respondents reported the following budgets for consulting services, with over a third (34.4%) spending $1,000/month or more on consulting and outsourcing: The average monthly spend on tools and software was quite a bit less, with only about 17% of respondents spending more than $1,000/month: Ad spend is diversifying in 2012, although traditional PPC still leads the way. Following is a graph of ad spent by category (total respondents). Top tools used Top 5 analytics tools as % of respondents †¢93%Google Analytics †¢16%WordPress Stats †¢13%Omniture †¢9%CrazyEgg †¢7%Compete Not to exaggerate, but Google Analytics just crushes everything else. The 2nd place is internal WP stats. Omniture is back in 3rd. WebTrends is #8. It’s getting tougher for the big enterprise vendors. Top 5 keyword research tools †¢88.3%Google AdWords †¢58.6%Google Insights †¢20.2%SEMRush †¢16.7%Wordtracker †¢13.9%Raven Top 5 content marketing and outreach tools †¢74%Twitter †¢53%LinkedIn †¢45%Google’s Insights for Search †¢31%StumbleUpon †¢31%Google Reader Top 5 Conversion Rate Optimization and usability tools †¢73%Google Website Optimizer †¢18%CrazyEgg †¢16%Pingdom †¢11%ClickTale †¢8%KISSmetrics Paid VS Free Tools Focusing on SEO, there’s still a solid divide between paid and free tools. Almost 24% don’t use paid tools at all (and probably run with scissors), but we’ll get to that in a minute. The top 10 paid tools (as % of respondents) are: †¢55%Moz & Open Site Explorer †¢17%Majestic SEO †¢17%Raven †¢13%SEMRush †¢10%Screaming Frog †¢9%Market Samurai †¢8%Advanced Web Ranking †¢8%Link-Assistant.Com, Rank Tracker, etc. †¢7%Wordtracker †¢7%Spyfu In the last 12 months, here are the top 10 free tools you’ve used (* denotes tools that also have paid versions): †¢83%Google Webmaster Tools †¢47%Moz & Open Site Explorer* †¢42%Bing Webmaster Tools †¢41%Firebug †¢31%Majestic SEO* †¢28%Yahoo! Site Explorer †¢26%Xenu †¢22%SEOBook Tools* †¢19%Screaming Frog* †¢18%Hubspot Grader* Conclusion Free tools from search engines rank highly on this list; although, Yahoo Site Explorer was discontinued during the 12-month period. Social Media Tools Last but not least, the rise of social media is undeniable. There have been a lot of arguments for where we’re spending most of our time. Here’s what you had to say about the top 10: †¢88%Facebook †¢83%Twitter †¢55%Google+ †¢49%YouTube †¢47%LinkedIn †¢47%Blogging †¢21%Pinterest †¢9%StumbleUpon †¢5%Tumblr †¢5%Flickr Conclusion Not surprisingly, Facebook and Twitter still dominate the landscape. While Pinterest has come on strong, it still trails all of the big players, including YouTube. Literature Review  E International Journal of Business and Social Science- Vol. 1 No. 1; October 2010.[4] E-Marketing; in one hand, it is noticed that the number of studies conducted by researchers and practitioners in the field of E-Marketing from 2003 to 2010 is relatively limited. This can be justified by the relative novelty of EMarketing. This provides an indication that E-Marketing is relatively new for academics and practitioners and also provides reasonable expectations about the increase in number of studies related to E-Marketing in the near future. The total number of studies was 365 studies, 73 % of it was empirical and 27 % of the total number of articles was not. It is also noticed that the research activity output in E-Marketing had decreased significantly between 2003 and 2008 within the literature period. Although the published articles had covered the following research areas: E-business, E-marketplace, Electronic Commerce, Electronic platforms, ICT adoption, Internet marketing, On-line trust, B2B, Performance evaluation, The Web, Electronic marketing, E-mail Making, Ereadiness, E-relationships, E-security, E-service, E-supply chain management, Internet adaptation, Mobile marketing and some other research. Electronic Commerce was the major research area covered by the researchers in the field followed by Electronic Business and Internet marketing. Most of the empirical studies had been conducted in: the USA, Australia, New Zealand and the UK which was the biggest in number of studies conduct in the literature period. By analysing the articles conducted in the UK market it was noticed that these articles had covered the following research areas: E-business, Electronic  Commerce, Electronic marketing, Internet marketing, the web, ICT adoption, Business performance and some other research areas. On the other hand, most of the articles in the literature were published in the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development (27 articles) with a percentage of 7.4 % of the total number of studies conducted in the period of the literature. The next six top journals were: Internet research, Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, Journal of Internet Marketing, Journal of Interactive Marketing and Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. Based on the literature there are clear research gaps in the field of E-Marketing especially in the areas of EMarketing performance as well as E-Marketing adoption in Small Business enterprises (SBEs). To fill such gaps and extend previous studies there is a need for conducting more research to investigate the relationship between implementing E-Marketing and SBEs performance. Online Marketing; New models of advertising?- By Kim Eriksen, Claus Hemmingsen, John Kuada Supervisor- Aalborg University.[3] Throughout our search we discovered that it appears that the companies, have been, and still are using internet as a communication tool to a limited extent, i.e. one way communication to the consumers (as opposed to new marketing models). The literature provided us with some indication of why this is the situation. One can call it simplicity for the companies or lack of knowledge towards other ways of using the internet. Most important discovery is maybe the fact that the latter has been the trend and way to do business. Many companies have not been keeping track on the trends that have arisen in the past decade. So the answer to our first question is that, international oriented Danis h companies have alternative options available, and are not that far from being able to utilise these alternatives. With few correction and a little of extra resources it would be possible for most of them to gain a better use of the internet. Having analysed several company websites it is clear that parts of the theory behind the new marketing models are being used. Whether conscious choice, random chance or even a need to â€Å"follow suit†, most companies try to keep their sites easy to navigate, with focus on language and information. However several are not utilising items such as chat forums, direct service contacts and in general the two way communication to get closer to an enhanced use of their presence online. We  have examined the Internet users’ demands and needs online, and found that they only to a small degree ask for involvement. There are explicit demands for less advertising and simple and well structured websites, but when it comes to dialogue, and participation only a smaller part of our population asked for direct involvement. Login and personalisation are however in high demand, a relatively new tool, login have appeared on more and more sites, developed from extranets (dealer logins) to consumer login to remember setup, addresses and other information the consumer need to type each time a purchase is made. This leads us to conclude that over time the demand for further involvement will grow. One of the most important features the internet provides is communication, communication between themselves and their customers. Companies has for a long time been using the internet as advertising tools to promote their product. In other words, it has been a one-way communication. Chat and forums is one of the possibilities the internet provides. The focus has to take a turn in the consumer’s direction. So instead of one-way communication it should be two-way communication. Consumers want to able to identify themselves in the sites and product. This would be achieved through chartrooms and forums. Instead of being a visitor they would rather be participants on the sites. Conceivably more like Blogs and newsgroup provides. What we also found out, was that the entrance to a site has to be simple and direct. A concern that we were faced with, was the fact that only few companies has a list of contact persons for direct contact. Also, with larger companies a receptionist is available; why not make his/her presence available on the internet via the company website. A simple process that would start the dialogue with the visitor, perhaps reveal areas where the website are failing to meet the needs of the visitor. It would moreover be an indication that the companies involved the consumers/participants in the process. All in all we believe that in order to gain fully effect of the internet and thereby increase the sale it is more important to have 20 dedicated customers that uses the sites than 100 visitors that have no direct connection to the site and therefore do not purchase anything. Danish companies have to reorganise their homepages in a way that it becomes easy and simple to navigate through and the possibilities to communicate with the consumers. Recommendation[2][10] Your online marketing strategy is based on getting more potential customers to your site and converting them into paying customers. It really is that simple. Through using a wide variety of techniques you can pinpoint those customers and make sure that they find your business when they search online for products or services that you provide. When they find your website a variety of other online marketing tools will be waiting to convert them to buying customers. In order to do this effectively, most of the focus will be on two major aspects of the marketing plan: using keywords in all online content and creating as many links as possible to your website. The more backlinks you have, the better your site will place in search engine results and the more people will find your website. The more effectively you use keywords, the more search engine friendly your content is and therefore more likely to be ranked. The more visitors you get to your website will result in more new customers for you. New customers mean an increase in sales and profit just like we said when we talked about the potential for exponential growth with online marketing for your business. Techniques to Increase Your Business’s Profits: Whether you have suffered a downturn in your business, have never built it to the level you are aiming for or if you are just starting out, your goal needs to be using online marketing strategies to increase your profits. There are four basic ways to improve profits: 1.Increase customers 2.Increase traffic to increase customers 3.Add to product offerings to make them more compelling 4.Use PPC, SEO, local business results, article marketing, etc. 5.Increase number of transactions per customer 6.Build mailing list 7.Increase customer communications through auto responders, newsletters, broadcast messages 8.Offer them upsell opportunities—pitch something seasonal 9.Send out reminders for services and specials 10.Increase the average dollar amount per transaction 11.Offer bundle packages and upgrades, strong reasons to purchase 12.Decrease costs, finding free traffic, lowering cost per click 13.Increasing conversions, decreases costs. 14.Offer a bonus, change a headline, offer a free consultation. 15.Even converting from 1% to 2% is a 100% improvement and cuts costs for buying traffic in half—pure profit! By putting an online marketing plan in place and following through with it, you can achieve all of these goals. You can easily improve your profits through the strategic use of online marketing techniques that will increase customers, increase the number of transactions per customer, increase the average dollar amount per transaction and decrease costs while finding free traffic which leads to a lower cost per click. Conclusion[1] [2] Internet Marketing is Not Easy it is filled with many complicated challenges that can put you off track, confuse you, and prevent you from succeeding. Reports and eBooks that attempt to give you a one-size-fits-all approach tend to miss a very important point; successful internet marketing requires you to be a dynamic, intelligent, and flexible. So a set of static, unchangeable plans is unlikely to make you successful. Traditional marketing methods are still highly relevant in the networked economy, though firms must now consider a host of new and innovative marketing methods available online (e.g., dynamic pricing, online community) In contrast to the one-way mass promotion that characterizes modern marketing, Internet marketing enables firms to engage the individual in personalized dialogues Individualization and Interactivity are two forces that make online marketing different Marketing, and the relationships it creates, should be considered in the context of particular processes and stages Bibliography †¢Internet Marketing Report- University of International Business and Economics- HUA Ying[1] †¢Online Marketing; New models of advertising?- By Kim Eriksen, Claus Hemmingsen, John Kuada Supervisor- Aalborg University.[3] †¢E International Journal of Business and Social Science-Vol.1 No.1; October 2010. [4] †¢2012 SEO Industry Survey [5][9] †¢Best Retail Brands 2011- Interbrand Webliography †¢Onlinebusinessmarketing.ie[2] †¢Moz.com[6] †¢Wordpress.com[7] †¢Westcoastmarketing.com[8] †¢Startup Nation[10]

Free Essays on Womens Fashion And Cosmetics

The fashion industry makes up a large part of our economy. Ten billion dollars a year is spent on cosmetics and skin-care products alone. Some may think that these fashions and products help raise the self-esteem of women and make them more successful. However, success is not based on appearance. We are judged by our hard work and achievements. Women's fashion and cosmetics serve to imprison women rather than liberate them. Make-up is money and time consuming, billboard images send out false portraits and high-fashion footwear is costly health wise and economically. A considerable amount of time is spent on make-up and styling hair. It takes at least fifteen minutes to put on the make-up in the morning and it takes ten minutes to take it off at night and if the make-up isn't removed, it will clog pores and cause acne. This time could be used more productively by perhaps eating a healthier breakfast, exercising or getting to school earlier to prepare for classes. Liane Faulder of the Edmonton Journal says, "Part of the problem with worrying about how you look is that it drains you of time, money and energy which you could use for other things. Like pursing a career, reproductive rights, or equal pay for work of equal value. Or maybe just having fun." It is also money consuming. Make-up and hair products are expensive. The money used to buy cosmetics and hair styling products could be spent for more important things. If one has that much money to give away, why not save it for a college education or donate it to a charitable organization? The time and money spent on cosmetics and hair commodities imprisons women by preventing them from doing more constructive things. Next, billboard images of waif models cause thousands of women to diet to the point of anorexia. People see beautiful models on T.V., magazines and newspapers. These gorgeous models have big breasts, small waists, long ... Free Essays on Women's Fashion And Cosmetics Free Essays on Women's Fashion And Cosmetics The fashion industry makes up a large part of our economy. Ten billion dollars a year is spent on cosmetics and skin-care products alone. Some may think that these fashions and products help raise the self-esteem of women and make them more successful. However, success is not based on appearance. We are judged by our hard work and achievements. Women's fashion and cosmetics serve to imprison women rather than liberate them. Make-up is money and time consuming, billboard images send out false portraits and high-fashion footwear is costly health wise and economically. A considerable amount of time is spent on make-up and styling hair. It takes at least fifteen minutes to put on the make-up in the morning and it takes ten minutes to take it off at night and if the make-up isn't removed, it will clog pores and cause acne. This time could be used more productively by perhaps eating a healthier breakfast, exercising or getting to school earlier to prepare for classes. Liane Faulder of the Edmonton Journal says, "Part of the problem with worrying about how you look is that it drains you of time, money and energy which you could use for other things. Like pursing a career, reproductive rights, or equal pay for work of equal value. Or maybe just having fun." It is also money consuming. Make-up and hair products are expensive. The money used to buy cosmetics and hair styling products could be spent for more important things. If one has that much money to give away, why not save it for a college education or donate it to a charitable organization? The time and money spent on cosmetics and hair commodities imprisons women by preventing them from doing more constructive things. Next, billboard images of waif models cause thousands of women to diet to the point of anorexia. People see beautiful models on T.V., magazines and newspapers. These gorgeous models have big breasts, small waists, long ...

Across the Nightingale Floor

Written by the pseudonymous Australian author, Lian Hearn embraces a contemporary writing style, and her novel shows little resemblance to that of Australian literature. Based on high recommendations from my peers and seeing that the novel was intended for teens of both genders, I was compelled to explore this novel. Although a well written quest, I believe that it is an inappropriate book for high school study due to its incomplex storyline and weak moral sense. In the mythic novel, Takeo, a young boy living in the Three Countries, is on a quest to kill Iida, the callous leader of the Tohan clan, after Iida burnt Takeo’s village and killed his family. Takeo is taken in by Lord Shigeru and begins training as a warrior. Having being brought up by the Hidden, a peaceful clan who are against war, Takeo demonstrates reluctance to kill. This creates problems in his training and his teacher is determined to help him overcome this. Across the Nightingale Floor takes on a traditional and contemporary trend, incorporating ideas such as teenage love and arranged marriages. Gender discourses are embedded within the novel and are shown through the domination of males over females. Being a female, Kaede is without freedom and is forced into an arranged marriage with no objection. Lord Iida on the other hand, being a domineering male, overpowers Kaede. The majority of the novel consists of a war discourse which is apparent through the feud between Lord Shigeru and Iida. Family discourses are also seen at the very beginning of the novel with Takeo’s family. Contrasting themes are cleverly entwined, as the novel revolves around strong themes such as love, beauty, honour, vengeance and death. Love is portrayed through many parts of the novel; Takeo and Kaede, Lord Shigeru and Lady Maruyama and all the friendships and alliances that Takeo and Kaede make throughout the novel. Beauty is shown through Kaede’s striking appearance which men die for. Honour is seen in Kaede’s obligation to marry, as well as Takeo’s pledge to avenge Iida. Vengeance and death are portrayed in both Iida and Lord Shigeru’s death, and is also present throughout the entire novel as Takeo seeks to kill Iida. In terms of moral perspectives, Across the Nightingale Floor does not depict conceptions of peace as it holds many unethical ideas. Although mentioned early in the novel, Takeo’s religious upbringing is overlooked as his trainings as a warrior requires him to kill. Iida’s vindictive character is emphasized through his intentions of strengthening his power base by destroying defenceless villages. Innocent village inhabitants are brutally punished by Iida through methods such as suspending them in midair to be further eaten alive by crows. Such immoral concepts would not be suitable for school students to absorb. While the novel contains figurative language, it is also accompanied by plain prose which dissatisfies the story, and the reader’s opportunity to broaden their vocabulary is miniscule. Through the course of the novel, the reader follows three perspectives: The protagonist, Takeo, Kaede, and the narrator. Much confusion is brought about as the story switches from first person to third person, and a considerable level of concentration is required. The reader is needed to position themself in three perceptions, as well as being able to sympathize for both Takeo and Kaede. The novel’s intermittent pace also further complicates things as the author fails to describe the situations in detail. An example of this is the death of Takeo’s family. Although Takeo’s grievance for his dead family is obvious, it is difficult for the reader to sympathize for him due to their lack of understanding of his family bonds, caused by a deficiency in information. It can be easily assumed that the imagery contained in Across the Nightingale Floor is based on feudal Japan. A tell-tale sign of quests, the maps at the very beginning of the book lead to this preconception. Although this is the case, very little references are made to the surroundings within the novel, consequently decreasing the reader’s ability to visualize the exotic Japanese backdrop. Most of the characters’ thoughts are incoherent within the novel. Takeo’s thoughts on his new-found supernatural powers are unheard of, as well as what he thinks of having to use weapons, something which disagrees with his anti-war nature. As the antagonists of the novel, Iida and his men are undeveloped characters and do not seem to make much progress throughout the novel. They are not given a chance to portray their strengths, nor are they seen to fall. Because Takeo’s role as a warrior conflicts his reluctance to kill, his personality is divided thoroughout the whole novel. Takeo takes the centre of the many conflicts between the other characters, and this mainly influences and emphasizes his divided nature. As a result, Takeo’s issues remain at the end of the novel and he is unable to resolve them. It is evident that Australian literature is gradually dominated by simple texts and to my disappointment, Across the Nightingale Floor further highlights this issue. While its intended audience is young adults, I would recommend this novel for primary school students, due to its simple-crafted language and easy to grasp concepts. Although it may not be suitable for teens, as a children’s novel, Across the Nightingale Floor is an enjoyable read. Across the Nightingale Floor Written by the pseudonymous Australian author, Lian Hearn embraces a contemporary writing style, and her novel shows little resemblance to that of Australian literature. Based on high recommendations from my peers and seeing that the novel was intended for teens of both genders, I was compelled to explore this novel. Although a well written quest, I believe that it is an inappropriate book for high school study due to its incomplex storyline and weak moral sense. In the mythic novel, Takeo, a young boy living in the Three Countries, is on a quest to kill Iida, the callous leader of the Tohan clan, after Iida burnt Takeo’s village and killed his family. Takeo is taken in by Lord Shigeru and begins training as a warrior. Having being brought up by the Hidden, a peaceful clan who are against war, Takeo demonstrates reluctance to kill. This creates problems in his training and his teacher is determined to help him overcome this. Across the Nightingale Floor takes on a traditional and contemporary trend, incorporating ideas such as teenage love and arranged marriages. Gender discourses are embedded within the novel and are shown through the domination of males over females. Being a female, Kaede is without freedom and is forced into an arranged marriage with no objection. Lord Iida on the other hand, being a domineering male, overpowers Kaede. The majority of the novel consists of a war discourse which is apparent through the feud between Lord Shigeru and Iida. Family discourses are also seen at the very beginning of the novel with Takeo’s family. Contrasting themes are cleverly entwined, as the novel revolves around strong themes such as love, beauty, honour, vengeance and death. Love is portrayed through many parts of the novel; Takeo and Kaede, Lord Shigeru and Lady Maruyama and all the friendships and alliances that Takeo and Kaede make throughout the novel. Beauty is shown through Kaede’s striking appearance which men die for. Honour is seen in Kaede’s obligation to marry, as well as Takeo’s pledge to avenge Iida. Vengeance and death are portrayed in both Iida and Lord Shigeru’s death, and is also present throughout the entire novel as Takeo seeks to kill Iida. In terms of moral perspectives, Across the Nightingale Floor does not depict conceptions of peace as it holds many unethical ideas. Although mentioned early in the novel, Takeo’s religious upbringing is overlooked as his trainings as a warrior requires him to kill. Iida’s vindictive character is emphasized through his intentions of strengthening his power base by destroying defenceless villages. Innocent village inhabitants are brutally punished by Iida through methods such as suspending them in midair to be further eaten alive by crows. Such immoral concepts would not be suitable for school students to absorb. While the novel contains figurative language, it is also accompanied by plain prose which dissatisfies the story, and the reader’s opportunity to broaden their vocabulary is miniscule. Through the course of the novel, the reader follows three perspectives: The protagonist, Takeo, Kaede, and the narrator. Much confusion is brought about as the story switches from first person to third person, and a considerable level of concentration is required. The reader is needed to position themself in three perceptions, as well as being able to sympathize for both Takeo and Kaede. The novel’s intermittent pace also further complicates things as the author fails to describe the situations in detail. An example of this is the death of Takeo’s family. Although Takeo’s grievance for his dead family is obvious, it is difficult for the reader to sympathize for him due to their lack of understanding of his family bonds, caused by a deficiency in information. It can be easily assumed that the imagery contained in Across the Nightingale Floor is based on feudal Japan. A tell-tale sign of quests, the maps at the very beginning of the book lead to this preconception. Although this is the case, very little references are made to the surroundings within the novel, consequently decreasing the reader’s ability to visualize the exotic Japanese backdrop. Most of the characters’ thoughts are incoherent within the novel. Takeo’s thoughts on his new-found supernatural powers are unheard of, as well as what he thinks of having to use weapons, something which disagrees with his anti-war nature. As the antagonists of the novel, Iida and his men are undeveloped characters and do not seem to make much progress throughout the novel. They are not given a chance to portray their strengths, nor are they seen to fall. Because Takeo’s role as a warrior conflicts his reluctance to kill, his personality is divided thoroughout the whole novel. Takeo takes the centre of the many conflicts between the other characters, and this mainly influences and emphasizes his divided nature. As a result, Takeo’s issues remain at the end of the novel and he is unable to resolve them. It is evident that Australian literature is gradually dominated by simple texts and to my disappointment, Across the Nightingale Floor further highlights this issue. While its intended audience is young adults, I would recommend this novel for primary school students, due to its simple-crafted language and easy to grasp concepts. Although it may not be suitable for teens, as a children’s novel, Across the Nightingale Floor is an enjoyable read.

How revolutionary was the American Revolution Essay

How revolutionary was the American Revolution - Essay Example British forces in Boston massacre in1770 butchered many blacks. One-third colonists remain neutral and one third supported revolution. Rest of people supported British act in colonies. Ultimately, the revolution ended in 1783 (Frey, 1999). Slaves were imported to work as labour force for Cotton and tobacco crops in southern states of America for cheap labour. Slaves did produce great output in raising the agricultural exports of America (Quarles, 1961). Blacks were ruthlessly used as labour and their culture and lifestyle saw a decline. White people of America made every effort to tease the blacks by social inequality and kept all sorts of educational facilities away from the reach of blacks (Quarles, 1961). Slave markets were introduced in America and women and children were separated from the men. This created a lot of hatred against white Americans in the hearts of black. There were no labour or social law and blacks were punished brutally for any mistakes. Slave masters sexually harassed young black women in the absence of women rights. Women were not allowed to raise voice against social and moral inequality (Frey, 1999). Inhuman policies made people to take revolutionary steps for their rights. Many events eventually led to revolution. Black African wanted to live lives as per their social and cultural values. Finally, blacks were successful to some extent to snatch their rights from American authorities (Quarles,