Response to Toni Morrison’s Home Essay

Toni Morrison’s use of language throughout the novel gives her writing a sense of wit; it is easily understood by the reader, and acts as a subtle hint into the minds and emotions of the characters. Her use of innuendo speaks to a sexual theme, a common tension found among the main characters of the story. The final passage of Chapter 4 depicts a dialogue between Cee, and Sarah, sharing a ripened melon on a hot afternoon. The language used in this passage juxtaposes sexual vocabulary with the ruthlessness of Dr. Beau, as well as foreshadowing Cee’s abuse. Additionally, in the passage Morrison reflects upon Prince’s manipulation of Cee’s naivety. This passage represents Cee’s inability to form a healthy relationship with a male character. Portrayed as a â€Å"female melon,† Cee is â€Å"soft† in the hands of her former husband, and employer. Her vulnerability leads to her reconnection with Frank, relating to the overall idea of relation ships throughout the novel. The strength of the relationship between Cee and Frank drives this reconnection, which fuels the plot. The only form of love Cee feels is found platonically, through the genuine relationship with her brother, Frank. The language used to portray Cee as a ripened melon in the passage alludes to her helplessness. After Frank had deployed, a young Cee attempts to form a relationship with a visitor from Atlanta named Prince. The unique name of this character is not assigned at random; Cee’s naà ¯ve perception of Prince identifies him as an almost fairytale-like figure. She became impressed with his experience of places outside of Lotus, and with his conviction. He eventually â€Å"rescues† Cee from Lotus, and brings her to the city with seemingly little convincing necessary. Cee becomes under the impression that Prince is â€Å"too good for her,† and for these reasons, she is willing to tolerate â€Å"the great thing people warned about or giggled about,† despite her lack of interest (Morrison 48). She is, in fact, â€Å"[a]lways the sweetest,† a phrase Morrison employs which may refer to her willingness, and trust in others; this is a sign of adolescence. Cee†™s lack of experience with male melons led to her obedience towards Prince. It only took Prince’s word to convince Cee that she was pretty, a woman, and old enough to get married. Not long after moving into the city did Cee realize Prince’s true intentions. Cee’s first relationship was nothing more than an overplayed scheme to gain an automobile. She had been used. Sarah and Cee mention that one â€Å"[c] an’t beat the girl for flavor,† and â€Å"[c] an’t beat her for sugar† (66). Prince understands this concept. Morrison uses the word â€Å"beat† to relay the message that nothing can compare to the qualities of a woman; however, in juxtaposing the melon with Cee, the word â€Å"beat† refers to abuse. Prince understands that in order to carry out his true intentions, he cannot be malicious to Cee. He must win her trust with kindness. He cannot â€Å"beat† her for her flavor (body) or her sugar (car). Cee blindly trusted her first relationship and was manipulated, which commences her trend of abusive relationships with men, other than her brother. The last sentence of the passage is the most graphic, and the language used gives the reader a sensation of Cee’s traumatic incidents with Dr. Beau. Morrison foreshadows Cee’s fate as her language in this last sentence provokes thoughts of sexual abuse in the reader’s mind. The â€Å"sliding† of the knife from the drawer and the reference of â€Å"intense anticipation of the pleasure to come,† indicates Dr. Beau’s experimentation on Cee, and his twisted enjoyment of abusing the girl (66). For a moment, Morrison becomes less subtle with her warning to the reader and explicitly mentions how Sarah (and Dr. Beau) â€Å"cut the girl in two.† Cee, much like a ripened melon, is soft and almost defenseless. Her relationship with men in the novel is consistently abusive; Prince and Dr. Beau have both taken advantage of her adolescent innocence. When Dr. Beau would perform his â€Å"examinations,† Cee would wake in pain, and often times s ee blood; however, she would attribute her symptoms to menstrual problems (122). Once again, Cee had trusted a man, and was hurt, physically in this case, for doing so. Her relationship with her brother is made stronger through the malicious relationships she forms with other men. Frank was a constant source of platonic love, one of the only men in the novel whom she is able to trust. The concept of family and relationships is a key theme throughout Home. The plot is driven by the strength of Cee and Frank’s relationship, and the platonic love between them. Cee’s susceptibility to other male characters is captured in her comparison to ripened honeydew; however, Frank masks Cee’s frailty and is able to protect her. After Frank liberates Cee, within weeks her health improved dramatically. After her traumatic events, Frank noticed â€Å"how healthy she looked— glowing skin, back straight, not hunched in discomfort† (126). From a young age, Frank was able to protect Cee, and their connection provides the foundation for the novel. It was only the strength of their relationship that could convince Frank to travel back to Lotus. In reminiscing about when he enlisted, Frank states that â€Å"[o]nly my sister in trouble could force me to even think about going in that direction† (84). Frank is the only male in the novel who truly cares for Cee, and their relationship is the only honest bond Cee has with a male. The scene of Sarah sharing a ripened melon with Cee on a hot Sunday afternoon gives the reader a deeper look into Cee’s characterization. The language Morrison uses, and her association of Cee with the melon, alludes to Cee’s vulnerability throughout the novel. In her attempt to form a healthy, non-abusive relationship, Cee finds herself being manipulated and physically abused. As a young girl, her adolescence was taken advantage of by her former husband who leaves her and takes her vehicle. When Cee becomes employed, she finds herself in the hands of Dr. Beau, who physically abuses an anesthetized Cee. Ycidra can only find love platonically in her brother, which relates to the overall theme of relationships in the novel. The final passage of chapter 4 graphically foreshadows and reflects on these events through Morrison’s use of subtle innuendos and language.

Humanities: Cultural Change Essay

In Babcock’s book, he discusses the ways in which cultural change is influenced by various social pressures (2006). In looking to the concept of cultural change, it is important to note that the ways in which people are pressured within societies is able to be ethical, positive, and constructive as well as unethical, negative, and destructive. There are some people who believe that popular cultural change always flows in a constructive direction, yet without democratic discussion flowing from a moral and spiritual place, there is the ability for popular movements which are harmful for society. It is important to recognize that cultural change is often merely the whims of popular ideological culture, rather than principled and faith driven movements of true justice. Cultural Change Cultural change is influenced by a wide array of people with a wide array of belief systems, and it is important to pay attention to the ways in which extremist and negative beliefs are able to creep into mainstream society. The United States has always been mired in a pool of a variety of many splintered belief systems, and through these beliefs, mainstream culture has often changed in ways which are actually harmful to humanity. It is necessary for morally upright, faithful citizens to stand their ground in professing their spiritual and moral convictions, because without them, popular culture reigns, often without the consideration of God and the true ethical rights of humanity. Conclusion Cultural change is often dominated by selfish and materialistic ideologies, ideas about freedom being equated with irresponsibility. The liberty loving culture of the United States needs to first and foremost recognize that true liberty stems from right action, from relational and social considerations. Without love and care for oneself and one’s neighbor, popular cultural changes are often merely greedy flights of fancy.

International Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Marketing Strategy - Essay Example The materials utilised for this purpose quickly gained acceptance as being top quality and therefore gave the business a unique position in the European marketplace. Both brothers being environmentally conscious, they quickly learned to procure industrial tarps known as tarpaulins and then transform these colourful and unique water-resistant covers into stylish, contemporary and trendy bags of many different varieties. Over time, the Freitag brothers realized that not only would their products perform well in this market, but were able to gain consumer demand in coverings for electronics, totes and purses, and other multi-purpose bag needs. Consumers were quickly attracted to the stylish and innovative designs crafted by transforming tarpaulins into useable and socially-relevant products, thus establishing a well-known brand name with an emphasis on quality as a primary marketing concept (Schwartz 2007, p.28). Freitag has just recently developed an internationalization strategy, prov iding products to Japan and England, which have both been eager and profitable markets. The main rationale for adopting an internationalization strategy: the products were being compared, by consumers, to very upscale brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and even Gucci due to their colours and variety. Thus, in the Swiss market where Freitag is headquartered, profit potential was the key driver for opening new international market opportunities. The long-term benefits of choosing England and Japan are currently unknown, since both of these export markets have not been functional long enough to establish a trend or statistical report on profitability and consumer interest; as well as evolutionary branding strategy. Much to the advantage of Freitag, there is a new market opportunity for these durable and fashionable products based on demographics and lifestyle of the Brazilian consumer. This market report describes the benefits of establishing a new operational strategy in Brazil as well as justification for why this represents an incredible market opportunity. 2. Situational Analysis This section describes the justification for establishing a new market presence in the emerging market of Brazil, including the PESTEL model and the Five Forces model as well as discussion of the cultural characteristics in Brazil that will benefit Freitag for new market entry. The political environment in Brazil does not currently maintain any known barriers to market entry, with the government supporting a free commerce system and without considerable restrictions to international trade and supply (Kelley 2009, p.6). Many large international companies, such as Wal-Mart, have found success in their internationalization strategies with cooperative government policies and limited tariffs or other trade restrictions. The Brazilian government currently desires more international trade relationships and provides incentives to businesses looking to expand their products to serve the Brazilian consumer market (Branson 2008, p.109). The economic environment is a considerable strength to justify new market entry in Brazil for Freitag. The Brazil consumer economy experienced a 7.5 percent growth rate in 2010 (much higher than international per country averages) and is considered the eighth largest national economy in the world (Mazza and Stul 2012, p.2). It is estimated that three million consumers in Brazil can actually afford luxury-priced goods and

International Trade Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International Trade Master - Essay Example Ethiopia is one of the Worlds poorest, with Gross National Income per Capita of US $220.00 (World Bank 2008). Ethiopia home to ancient civilizations (Internet. Houston Museum of Natural Science) produces only 2.6 % of the world's coffee (Internet. FAO). Ethiopia's distinct and mild Arabica coffee however is some of the most aromatic and sought after coffee beans worldwide. "The Horn of Africa country prides itself as the origin of coffee. Its beans are grown in the misty forested highlands of southwestern Ethiopia in a region known as Kaffa which legend says gave its name to the plant. Ethiopia earned $525 million from exporting 170,888 tonnes in the 2007/08 season, and hopes to earn $800 million from 224,831 of exports this year, according to the Trade Ministry". (Internet. Reuters) Coffee exports and the impact of world trade regulations on its coffee exports are important to Ethiopia and its farmers; as coffee comprises between 35-40% percent of Ethiopia's export earnings of 1. 2 billion USD. However Ethiopia earned a mere $ 525 million in 2008, or 1.05% of a trading market recently valued in 2006 at $50 billion. (Internet. Source: Retail World 2003 and BIS Shrapnel, Coffee in Australia 2006-2008). Any improvements to word trade regulations or trading arrangements with regard to coffee will be important to Ethiopia and its coffee farmers. This piece of ... 2 billion USD. However Ethiopia earned a mere $ 525 million in 2008, or 1.05% of a trading market recently valued in 2006 at $50 billion. (Internet. Source: Retail World 2003 and BIS Shrapnel, Coffee in Australia 2006-2008). Any improvements to word trade regulations or trading arrangements with regard to coffee will be important to Ethiopia and its coffee farmers. 2. Introduction and Overview: This piece of work examines the impact of international trading regulations as they now exist, on the activities of Ethiopian coffee farmers. It addresses and analyzes the impact, both direct and indirect, of international trade regulations on the activities of Ethiopian coffee farmers. It shows the socio-economic adversities which can impact farmers who produce coffee in a developing country, when international trade regulations outside of the farmers' control, impact world coffee prices and therefore the earnings of Ethiopian coffee farmers. The plight these farmers is further exacerbated when the farmers as a group have relatively little bargaining power over the processors and distributors of coffee in its final consumed state in global markets. These issues affect farmers notwithstanding the existence and impact of international trade regulations, purportedly intended to benefit developing countries through the expansion of world trade; but which have the opposite effect when th e agreements do not truly take into account the interests of developing countries. A number of credible sources with relevant data will be cited to support our arguments. The question is important insofar as it analyzes the effects of international trade regulations and agreements on the economy of a poor developing country. In the alternative, we seek to set out some alternative legal

Peter the Great's Reformation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peter the Great's Reformation - Essay Example Peter instituted state wide reformation from military ranks to beard taxation, all of which helped Westernize Russia. These westernizing reformations forced Russia modernize, and adoption of European culture whether the people liked it or not. Peter the Great's most significant changes to the state were the improvements to the Russian military and also the expansion of the Russian industry. Throughout his reign, Peter the Great's ambitious westernizing reformation of the Russian military and industry transformed Russian into a strong and well respected European power at the expense of the countries laboring serfs. After the crushing defeat against the Swedish at the Battle of Narva, Peter the Great realized he had to reform the Russian military they wanted to stand a chance against the European powers. Although Peter's army was very large the soldiers were in sufficiently trained and inadequately equipped (Hosking). Peters officers and soldiers were not accustomed to fighting the European style battles involving open field. Peter knew that if he wanted match the European powers he needed to teach his officers western military tactics, modernize the weaponry for the soldiers, and raise funds to apply these changes. Peter also adopted European style uniforms for his army to express formality and contention to the Western powers. With this large, formal, advanced, and educated army, Russia could safely protect its newly acquired lands, contest European powers such as Sweden.

Health education standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health education standards - Essay Example These topics were addressed at aiding the students in assisting students to obtain better personal relationships with their families, to introduce the notion of community health, to emphasize individual responsibility in regards to attaining a healthy lifestyle with particular attention paid to the need for physical activity and the dangers associated with tobacco use. The changes, in sum, mandated a more structural and comprehensive approach to health education. Teachers were expected to present health education in terms of the individual, the family, and the community. This more comprehensive approach to health education was to be illustrated using such fluid contexts as the school, mental health, and the prevention of violence. The apparent goals were to create an awareness of health issues in real life situations. The vision espoused by the proponents of these changes is fundamentally empowering. Rather than delving into basic health values the changes seek to truly and inspire the youth of California to identify health issues at a number of levels, to understand how health issues are best taken care of, and to promote a sense of individual responsibility. Again, the most novel aspect of today’s health care vision is its integrated and structural nature. There is a stress placed upon interdependence; more particularly, the vision stresses the interrelationships among health ideas, healthy people, healthy families, healthy schools, and healthy communities. Individual responsibility is important, but it serves mostly as a foundation upon which to construct larger types of healthy communities and groups. In short, the individual student is encouraged to accept a personal responsibility to contribute to each group he or she encounters and to function as an essential building block of a lar ger community. In order to pursue these noble objectives students are encouraged to view health issues, be they physical or mental, as part of their

Green Computing- Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Green Computing- - Annotated Bibliography Example IT is also used in increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, supply chains, transportation systems, and electrical grids. In addition, the production and use of computers is growing fast in the consumption of global energy and greenhouse gas emissions. This article talks about sustainable IT services and also assesses the effects of green computing practices. The article defines green computing as the practice of efficiently using computing resources while increasing or maintaining their overall performance. The article asserts that sustainable IT services needs the integration of practices of green computing such as virtualization, power management, improving cooling technology, electronic waste disposal, recycling, and optimization of the IT infrastructure in order to meet sustainability requirements. According to the author, recent studies show that power costs utilized by departments of IT approaches 50% of the total organizational energy costs. This paper provides a literature review on sustainable IT and identifies a set of principles that guide sustainable IT service design. This paper addresses the challenges of environmental design for computing systems. The paper argues that pervasive computing do not only provide exciting research challenges and tremendous opportunities, but also negative environmental impacts, especially in terms of energy consumption and physical waste. The paper also asserts that environmental impacts come under consumer scrutiny and increasing government. Just like the rest of the disciplines (e.g. architecture, transportation), pervasive computing adapt accordingly. The paper also discusses specific research questions and issues arising from three phases of lifecycle device: maximizing device lifetime, improving recyclability, and minimizing resource usage for manufacture and operation. This paper addresses green

The logical system of the mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The logical system of the mind - Essay Example Suppose instead that we deny that the mind is some mysterious substance, and we hold instead that there are only mental events and that "the mind" designates no more than a series of mental events We can still inquire about the relation between mind and body in a different way, in terms of the relation between mental events and physical events. We can ask: Are mental events totally different from physical events, so that you can't explain what mental events are in terms of physical events; or are mental events somehow explainable as being the same as physical events For example, when John feels a pain, a mental event is occurring; now is that pain even possibly the same as something that occurs in John's brain, such as the firing of some special group of neurons Now this question we will examine. The mind-body problem can be introduced more fully with an example. Suppose John decides to walk across the room, whereupon he does in fact walk across the room. ... We might ask: How is it possible that a decision, which is something mental, resulted in something in your brain, which is something physical If we say that the mental and the physical are totally different sorts of things, then how can one have any causal impact on the other How can a mere mental event, a decision, actually cause neurons in my brain to start firing The very idea might seem absurd. On one view , a better description of the situation is this: John's decision is itself a physical event. When John decides to take my trip across the room, a group of neurons fire in his brain. He is not aware of those neurons; but the firing of those neurons is itself just the same as his decision. There isn't any more to the decision than that physical event. So, on the view in question, there's no trouble thinking about how a mental event can have a physical effect; mental events are themselves physical. Ultimately, everything is physical. The mind-body problem is a philosophical problem, and as such it has philosophical solutions. Those solutions lead to the adoption of a point of view about the mind-body problem, which, in turn, leads to a particular way of dealing with the world. Usually, most of us do not think about our own solutions to the mind-body problem, and, sometimes, we may use different solutions at different times. In the Middle Ages, the mind-body problem was not even identified as a problem, and, therefore, the "solution" then was completely confounded, meaning that mind and body were thoroughly bound up together in one complex and confusing bundle. What is the mind-body problem Descartes helped to define it when he noted that if he amputated his foot, he had affected his

Environmental Management Audit Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Environmental Management Audit Report - Essay Example Principles of Environmental Auditing In this section, the report will discuss the fundamental elements and features of environmental auditing. This will set the framework for the discussion of the elements of the audit and the scope of the audit. The section will provide groundbreaking definitions and important ideas and concepts that defines auditing in the environmental management sector. The information analysed in this section is based on a critical literature review that provides important insights into the core ideas under examination in this report. Auditing is defined as an examination of records or accounts to check their accuracy and verify elements that define the records in question (Alexander 195). This implies that auditing is fundamentally involved in checking information presented by a group to ascertain whether it meets the standard that the group are claiming to adhere to or not. Audit involves a review of accounts and information to pass an opinion on whether they are true or not. Environmental audit is somewhat different from the mainstream audit which is often financial in nature. Environmental audit is a management tool which comprises of a systematic, documented procedure and objective evaluation of how well the environment of an organisation, its management and equipment are performing and the end sought by these audits is to ensure that the environment is safeguarded (Keil 22). The procedure of environmental auditing ultimately aims at facilitating management control of environmental practices and assessing compliance with company policies which include amongst other things, meeting regulatory requirements (Keil 22). Another view of environmental audit is that it involves a verification of a statement of compliance or conformity with defined requirements and conditions made by the auditee either explicitly or implicitly (Hitchens et al 128). In order to explain this further, it must be noted that every environmental report that an organisation's manageme nt puts forward is based on a number of assumptions or claims. In other words, there are some express and implied terms that an organisation needs to adhere to in order to prepare environmental reports. The express ones are those that are stated in the company policy whilst the implied ones are those that are expected of an organisation and this include industrial and legal requirements for environmental compliance. Thus, the essence of environmental audit is to test and verify if these standards and terms were met as the management claim at the time of preparing the reports in question. Vincoli (91) identifies that there are four main elements of environmental audit and this include: 1. Systematic: Environmental audit must be done in a structured and defined manner. This should involve laid down steps and directions that must be met and adhered to with a very high standard. Each step needs to

Censoring Student Publications Persuasive Essay Essay Example for Free

Censoring Student Publications Persuasive Essay Essay Imagine that you are a high school student and have just received the newest edition of your school’s newspaper. As you are flipping through the pages, you discover a terrible article written about you. How would you feel? Recently, there has been much debate on whether high schools should be able to regulate the content of student publications, such as newspapers and magazines. Censoring student publications would be beneficial because they may contain inappropriate things. Also, it would be favorable because the material in student publications may be offensive to its readers and the text may bepoorly written. Because of this, high school officials should have the right to control the content of student publications. First of all, student publications should be censored because they may be filled with inappropriate content. Some high school students are not mature enough to determine whether certain subjects and language are usable. Without censoring student publications, students may publish something with an inappropriate subject. Since it is used throughout today’s entertainment, they may also use vulgar language. It is not appropriate for school, so high school officials should be able to censor student publications in case it is used. As a result of inappropriate subjects and vulgar language, the content of student publications may be offensive to its readers. If a student publisher does not like a fellow student, he or she may publish an article about that student. Of course, it will be something terribly offensive. Since student newspapers are given to the entire student body, practically everyone will see it. This will lead to a higher chance of bullying. Bullying is already widespread, so it does not need to be increased by angry, careless teenagers. Lastly, most high school students are not good enough writers to publish a newspaper or magazine. Students’ articles will not always be grammatically correct and presentable. Their research will be insufficient because they do not do enough research about most topics and write mostly off the top of his or her head. The articles will also be bursting with bias. Most students are not able to write an article without including bias because they are not mature writers at his or her age. Because of this, student publications should be censored. In conclusion, high school officials across the nation should have the right to control what goes into his or her school’s newspaper or magazines. Because of immaturity and carelessness, students may publish an article about an inappropriate subject and include crude language. Content of student publications may be offensive and increase the risk of bullying. Also, the newspapers and magazines may be poorly written due to the lack of writing maturity. It is essential to students’ wellbeing that a law be passed that allows high schools to control their student publications for every school in the United States not just Hazelwood School.

Data Stream Classification Of Red And White Wines Marketing Essay

Data Stream Classification Of Red And White Wines Marketing Essay Introduction Well we got 2 data sets to analysis using SPSS PASW 1) Wine Quality Data Set and 2) The Poker Hand Data Set. We can do this using CRISP methodology. Let us look what is CRISP by wikipedia CRISP-DM stands for Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining It is a data mining process model that describes commonly used approaches that expert data miners use to tackle problems. PASW Modeler is a data mining workbench that enables you to quickly develop predictive models using business expertise and deploy them into business operations to improve decision making. Designed around the industry-standard CRISP-DM model, IBM SPSS PASW Modeler supports the entire data mining process, from data to better business results. CRISP DM, Clementines own lightweight methodology of 5 stages Business Understanding, Data Understanding, Data Preparation Modelling, Evaluation and Deployment. CRISP Methodology Business Understanding: Understanding the project requirements objectives from a business perspective, and then converting this knowledge into a data mining problem definition Data understanding In this step following activities are going on, Data understanding, Collecting Initial Data then describing Data, Exploring Data and lastly verifying Data Quality The data preparation phase Tasks include table, record, and attribute selection as well as transformation and cleaning of data for modeling tools.Cleaning Data using appropriate cleaning and cleansing strategies then Integrating Data into a single point. Modeling: Selection and application of various modeling techniques done in this phase, and their parameters are adjusted to optimal values. Basically, there are more than one technique for the same data mining problem type. Some techniques have specific requirements on the form of data. Therefore, stepping back to the data preparation phase is often needed. Steps consist of Generating a Test Design, Building the Models assessing the Model Evaluation Building of model (or models) takes place in this phase. Before proceeding to final deployment of the model, it is important to more thoroughly evaluate the model, and review the steps executed to construct the model. Deployment In the final stage Knowledge gained is organized presented so that an end user can easily use it. As per the requirements this can be a report or a complex data mining process. Normally Customers carry out the deployment step Wine quality data set Wine quality is modeled under classification and regression approaches, which preserves the order of the grades. Explanatory knowledge is given in terms of a sensitivity analysis, which measures the response changes when a given input variable is varied through its domain The red wine data set contains 1600 samples out of which I have selected 200 random samples and doing the analysis(Data mining cannot discover patterns that may be present in the larger body of data if those patterns are not present in the sample being mined ) .So I selected the data set bearing in mind. The data set I have selected has high confidence. With measurements of 13 chemical constituents (e.g. alcohol, Mg) and the goal is to find the quality of red and white wine. Input variables 1 fixed acidity 2 volatile acidity 3 citric acid 4 residual sugar 5 chlorides 6 free sulphur dioxide 7 total sulfur dioxide 8 density 9 pH 10 sulphates 11 alcohol Output variable is quality (score between 0 and 10) CRISP methodology has been followed through out the phase .By checking the web site and resources learned about the wine domain .the next step was to check whether incorrect, missing or abnormal values in the data set end ensure the data quality. Data quality of the data set is very good. PASW Data stream classification of red and white wines Classification for Red and White wine 2 data sets red wine and white wine have been imported using variable file nodes Use of type node here is to describe the characteristics of data. . The Classification and Regression (CR) Tree node is a tree-based classification and prediction method. Similar to C5.0, this method uses recursive partitioning to split the training records into segments with similar output field values. The CR Tree node starts by examining the input fields to find the best split, measured by the reduction in an impurity index that results from the split. The split defines two subgroups, each of which is subsequently split into two more subgroups, and so on, until one of the stopping criteria is triggered. All splits are binary (only two subgroups) Red Wines variable importance White wine variable importance From variable importance diagram we can say that important attribute to determine Red wine quality is pH. The variable importance is in the order pH, citric acid, chloride as shown in the figure1. But for determining White wines quality the most contributing attribute is chloride and 2nd attribute is Alcohol. Decision Tree Model of white wine (only a portion) Analysis and conclusion The above generated tree consists of nodes and its children. The top node represent the total number of wine samples and how many number belongs to different categories(1 to 9).The first split is on chloride. This implies that most of the wine belongs to chloride level0.041.We see that good quality wine has chloride level It has been found from count Vs Quality graph that how many belongs to good quality categories. Alcoholic concentration of white wine samples is more than that of red wine sample. Good wines normally have high concentration. So we can conclude that White wine samples are good. In the white wine chloride level is normally high that implies it has got good Aroma. Where as in red wine the citric level is between particular levels that shows the red wine is very tasty!! PASW has got a number of 2-D and 3-D charts like bar, pie, histogram, scatter etc for time being I am using linear graph and 3-d scatter graph. You can use any of the graph as per the requirements. Some graphs are easy to interpret .Let us consider a 2-D graph between most contributing variable pH and quality from the graph it is clear that the relation ship between pH and quality is in such a way that if pH is in between 3.23 and 3.27 quality is good. Quality is very low for 3.38 and 3.50.We can plot similar graph between quality and citric acid or towards what ever contributing variable then find out the relation ship between them 2-D graph represent the relation ship between quality and pH of Red wine Let us plot a graph between chloride and Quality for the white wine. In the below figure it shows the quality is very good when chloride level below 0.036.And quality in the range 5 to 6 when chloride level is above .048. Like this if plot a graph between quality and alcohol we will see the quality is too good if alcoholic concentration in between 12.5 and 13(as per the sample I have analyzed) 3D graph which shows the relation ship between alcohol, quality and chloride level of white wine from the 2d analysis it was shown how the quality is being affected by single variable. If the one variable does not tell about how quality being related we can check relation ship between 3 variables using a 3d graph. It is having 3 axes. How Regression is useful In this multiple regression ,Predictors such as (Constant), alcohol, fixed acidity, residual sugar, chlorides, volatile acidity, free sulfur dioxide, sulphates, pH, total sulfur dioxide, citric acid, density determine the value of quality. Below gave a Pasw stream for regression. As per the variable importance graph volatile acidity, total SO2 and alcohol are most important variables in Regression analysis. Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate 1 .792(a) .626 .474 .542 Each by changing the independent variables value we can get value of dependent variable quality. With the help of a hypothesis we need to understand and build a relation ship among the variables. To predict the mean quality value for a given independent variable (say volatile acidity) we need a line which passes between the mean value of both quality and volatile acidity and which minimize the sum of distance between each of the points and predictive line. This fits into a line. The Poker Hand Data Set Each record is an example of a hand consisting of five playing cards drawn from a standard deck of 52. Each card is described using two attributes (suit and rank), for a total of 10 predictive attributes. There is one Class attribute that describes the Poker Hand. The order of cards is important and there are 480 possible Royal Flush hands. Below discussing about how to determine poker hands using data mining. I am considering classification only. If we consider clustering/Regression it does not make any sense PASW MODEL CLASSIFICATION USING CRT ALGORITHAM We got training and testing data set .First applying a model on training data set. Source file is a Comma separated file (CSV) with 1 million rows. It is difficult to do analyse on this input data set so selected sample data set and doing the analysis. Problem faced The given source data was not in a meaning full format so I have given meaningful attribute name and Values by using Vlookup function in MS excel, now the data has become more meaning full and it looks like below. Data cleansing is very important and comes under data preparation phase of the methodology Accuracy of predictive model The accuracy of predictive model is checked by analysis node. It has been found that accuracy is 90%. Using the Algorithm need to predict any of these: 0: Nothing in hand; 1: One pair;2: Two pairs;3: Three of a kind;4: Straight;5: Flush; 6: Full house;7: Four of a kind;8: Straight flush;9: Royal flush; Pocker hands variable importance diagram Let me say what did I understood from the diagram. Rank2 (rank of card2) is most contributing variable to predict poker hands. It is clear that Rank of 1st, 4th and 2nd cards are more contributing than suit of those cards. The different section of pie chart represents number of cards in a particular poker category. Blue represents No Poker; Red represents ONE PAIR, Green represent Royal flesh How Pasw helps to do classification Pasw has got number tree constructing algorithms(CR, c5.0) to do classification. I considered Classification and Regression (CR) though this is not a time efficient algorithm time complexity is more when compared to c5.0)I selected CR.The data set I have got is simple one and I am not considering the deep analysis all I need to do is to predict poker hands so CR can do it. Below shows the constructed tree using CR (Ashort description of tree already given above) Analysis Data has been classified into Training set and Testing set .Here most of the data set into a training set and small portion of data is used for testing.After a model has been processed by using the Training set, we can test the model by making predictions against the Test set. Since the data in the training set already contains known values for the attribute that you want to predict. Below giving the portion of training set being used. Integrating classification and association rule mining can produce more efficient and accurate classifiers.Here each row is an instance Trial: pair of 5 attributes (SUIT and RANK) + classification class. So this can be used to predict the classification of other unclassified instances. consider the training set given below suit1 rank1 suit2 rank2 suit3 rank3 suit4 rank4 suit5 Rank5 poker Heart ASS heart KING spades 4 Spades 3 heart QUEEN Nothing in hand Diamonds QUEEN diamonds 2 diamonds JACK Clubs 5 spades 5 ONE PAIR Hearts 10 hearts jack hearts king Hearts queen hearts 1 royal flesh Spades Jack spades king spades 10 Spades queen spades 1 royal flesh Diamond queen diamond jack diamond king diamond 10 diamond 1 royal flesh Hearts 5 diamond king spades king spades 7 clubs 5 two pairs Hearts 4 hearts 1 hearts 3 diamond 5 diamond 2 straight Suppose want to predict below hand is what type of Poker hand? suit1 rank1 suit2 rank2 suit3 rank3 suit4 rank4 suit5 rank5 poker Club 10 club jack club A club king club queen From the training set data the testing set is predicted, answer is Royal Flesh Conclusion Two data sets the wine and poker have been analysed using CRISP methodology and using the tool IBM SPSS PASW, used different modelling techniques which suits. Analysed the knowledge elicited by each model DATA MINING KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY IN MARKETING (PART 2) Abstract Now-a-days Using the high power computing and information technology enables to collect store and process complex Marketing data. Data mining is used to extract knowledge from this marketing data. This report discuss about Data mining process, short discussion about different mining techniques such as classification tree, neural network, Regression and their application in marketing domain. My report Also cover different type of analyzes and tasks being used Introduction From the given topics I have selected the topic Data mining and Knowledge discovery for marketing since my cup of tea is Business and computing. I would always like to do research in Business analytics .Well let us look at what is data mining Data mining is the process of discovery of interesting, meaningful and actionable patterns hidden in large amounts of data . This is one of the tools to transform data into information. It is widely used in almost all fields of science and business profiling practice such as marketing, fraud detection, and scientific discovery. The technique to uncover pattern on data can also apply on sample data .so the sample data should be so the sample should be a good representative of larger data set. data mining can not find out the pattern which may be present in larger body of data and not contains in the small sub set of data. So this is very useful when sufficiently represented data are collected Most well known branches of data mining is knowledge discovery or KDD It derives knowledge from input data .This knowledge which have got from the process will become additional data and can be used for further discovery in related field normally an analyst can analysis and predict it.DM can generate thousands of pattern but all these patterns are not interested and useful. In this I am considering Data mining in a marketing field prospective. The data coming from different sources like transactions, loyalty cards, and discount coupons; customer complaint calls public life style studies using this data we can make Target marketing like to identify appropriate customer segments for new marketing initiatives determine customer purchasing pattern over time associations/co-relations between product sales, predict based on such association I mean cross market analysis what type of customer buys what type of product that is customer profiling Predict likelihood of customer churn and target those likely to leave with retention campaigns Customer requirement analysis like Identify the best products for different groups of customers and Predict what factors will attract new customers Provision of summary information such as Multidimensional summary reports and Statistical summary information (data central tendency and variation) Another question is why can not we go for a traditional data analysis instead of data mining? Answer is the field like marketing has tremendous Amount of data and it has multi dimension and complexity.A Marketing firm would likely to segment their customers into similar groups or clusters in order to better understand consumer behavior and more effectively market their products. In the past for a small business initiatives did not have trouble to understand their customers. They knew what they have to do once a customer approach them .Todays business is more competitive, more customer oriented, more products oriented so it is very difficult to understand the customer behavior, wants, needs the hidden relation ship between the data and preferences. With the help of data mining an analyst can deliver timely, personalized promotional offers. 1 Knowledge Discovery (KDD) Process S2 S1 S3 Data Cleaning Data Integration Databases Data Warehouse Knowledge Task-relevant Data Selection Data Mining Pattern Evaluation Normally in the huge DWH data mining environment data coming from various sources integrated and put it in data warehousing. Various data mining soft wares like teradata intelligent miners are used to mine Tera bytes of data and find market prediction. As I mentioned the DM is a Tools for developing predictive and descriptive models. Some are statistical method such as regression. Other use non statistical method like neural networks, classification trees. Here I considered some important tools then their How Classification trees are being used in marketing data mining Classification tree partition the data to maximize the difference in the dependent variable. it is also called a decision tree. Aim of classification tree is to classify the data into distinct groups or branches that create the strongest separation in the values of the dependent variables.The tree can identify segments. This can be helpful when a company is trying to understand what is driving market behavior. It detects nonlinear relationship. Mailed 10000 2.6% Male 4677 3.2% Female 2.15 2.1 % 1.7%  £30-45 3.6% > £45 4.1% Age>40 4.3% Age 0.7% Box shows resp rate in percentage The tree growth is through series of steps and rules .say for example sales pieces were mailed to 100000 names and yielded a response rate of 2.6%.the first split is on gender. This indicates that greatest difference between responders and non responders is gender. We see that males are much more responsive than females. We would consider males the better target group If we stop after one split. Our goal is to find out group with in both genders that discriminates between responders and non responders. In the next level split male and female groups are considered separately The second level split from the male node is on income, this implies that the income level varies in most between responders and non responders among the males. For female greatest difference is among the age group .It is very easy to identify the group with the highest response rate. Lets say that management decides to mail only to groups where the response rate is more than 3.5%.the offers would be directed to males who makes more than  £30000 a year and female over age 40 Some typical Classification tree Algorithms are 1) C4.5: Quinlan, J. R. C4.5: Programs for Machine Learning. Morgan Kaufmann., 1993. 2) CART: L. Breiman, J. Friedman, R. Olshen, and C. Stone. Classification and Regression Trees. Wadsworth, 1984 Linear regression and its applicability in marketing Knowledge of deviation from normal is very important for a marketer. In the past such deviations were very difficult to detect. Now-a-days data mining tools give great flexibility to detect and classify these changes. It is a statistical technique that quantifies the relationship between dependent variable and the independent variable, these are continuous. Consider the below equation, it shows a relation ship between sales and advertising along the regression equation .Our goal is to predict the sales based on the amount spend on advt. Plot a graph sales vs. advt that would be linear. A key measure of the strength of the relationship is the R-square. It measures the amount of overall variation in data that explained by the model. More than 70% Of the variation in sales can be explained by variation in advertising. Some times the relationship between sales and Advt is non linear (may be curvilinear) .By using the square root of advertising we are able to find better fit for the data. Sales=17.813+.0897*Advertising  £120  £1,503  £160  £1,755  £205  £2,971  £210  £1,682  £225  £3,497  £230  £1,998  £290  £4,598  £315  £2,937  £375  £3,622  £390  £4,402  £440  £3,844  £475  £4,470  £490  £5,492MINIMIZE SQUARED ERROR Advt sales ADVEGRTISIN -Æ’Â   x axis When building targeting models for marketing, risk and CRM, it is common to have much predictive variable. Using multiple predictive or independent continuous variables to predict a single continuous variable is called multiple linear regression .Targeting model created using linear regression is generally very robust. In marketing they can be used alone or in combination with other model. Neural Networks and its applicability in marketing Neural network does not follow any statistical distribution (Neural network is very vast topic a complete discussion is beyond the scope of this report) .it is modeled after the function of the human brain. The process is one of pattern recognition and error minimization. we can say it as nodes that are arranged in layers. The figure tells simple neural network with one hidden layer. Data has been classified into training and testing set (before the process).Then weight or input is assigned to each of the nodes in the first layer. During each iteration ,the input are processed through the system and compared to the actual value .the error is measured and fed back through the system to adjust the weights. The weights get better at predicting the actual results. A error limit is defined and it check with the error limit the process finishes when the minimum error limit reached One specific type of neural network commonly used in marketing uses sigmoidal functions to fit each node. This technique is very powerful in fitting a binary or twoilevel outcome such as response to an offer or a default on a loan Neural network not only pick linear data but also do a good pick up with non linear relation ship in the data. So this allows fitting data which is not possible to fit using regression. One disadvantage we can say that the result of neural net work is some what difficult to interpret A brief description on how Clustering can applicable in data mining Cluster analysis Cluster analysis group respondents with similar behaviors, preferences, or characteristics into segments. By doing so we can understand important similarities and differences between the respondents. Analyst can use this information to develop targeted marketing strategies, or to provide subgroups for analysis. In market survey data, clustering enables market researchers to group respondents who provide similar responses on several questions. In Clustering we use more than one variable that analyzes responses to several questions in order to find similar respondents. Clustering is based on the concept of creating groups based on their proximity to, or distance from, each other. Respondents within a cluster, therefore, are relatively homogenous. Most widely used Algorithms are 1)K-Means: MacQueen, J. B., Some methods for classification and analysis of multivariate observations, in Proc. 5th Berkeley Symp. Mathematical Statistics and Probability, 1967 2) BIRCH: Zhang, T., Ramakrishna, R., and Livny, M. 1996. BIRCH: an efficient data clustering method for very large databases. In SIGMOD 96 Let us look at some more major areas of application of data mining in the marketing like Customer profiling, Deviation analysis and Trend analysis. The pattern which formed after mining the data helps in analytics. Customer profiling This help to predict several marketing decision. A customer profile is a model of customer based on this marketer decides on the right strategies and tactics to meet the needs of that customer .The data mining task used in customer profiling can be dependency analysis, class identification and concept description. Below giving set of transaction that can help marketer to construct useful customer profiles. Frequency of purchases Marketing firm can build targeted promotion offer such as frequent buyer programs by looking how often their customer purchases product from their shop. Rcency of purchases The meaning of term is How long has it been since this customer last placed an order? Suppose a customer frequently visit the shop.It has been found that the specific customer or customer group not visiting the firm over long period of time .Market investigate the reason. By knowing this they can take appropriate offer or action. Size of purchases It tells, on a particular transaction how much he or she spends. This information helps to give resources to those customer groups. Identifying typical customer groups It gives characteristics of each group .For example a profile indicating that the customer has purchased a WINDOWS 7 SOFTWARE CD may hold to the marketer offering a special deal for MICROSOFT OFFICE SOFTWARE CD. Prospecting Customer profiles like buying patterns, give clues to the marketer on prospective customers. Say for example, consider the pattern Purchase of Norton Anti Virus package with one year validity is followed by purchase of Norton Up gradation version /or new version within 11 months about 85% of the time by high income customers discovered by data mining. Analyst who analysis pattern can identify the prospective customers for Upgraded/new version based on first time purchase details and tailor the mail catalog accordingly, thus, increasing the prospect of sales. 2 Deviation analysis Deviation analysis is one of the important analysis for example a higher than normal credit purchase on a credit card can be a fraud anomaly or a genuine purchase by the customer changes.Once a deviation has been discovered as a fraud, the marketer takes appropriate steps to prevent such frauds and initiates corrective action.If the deviation has been discovered as a change, further information collection is necessary. For example, a change can be that a customer got a new job and moved to a new house. In this case, the marketer has to update the knowledge about the customer. 3) Trend analysis Trends are patterns that persist over a period of time. Trends could be short-term trends like the immediate increase and subsequent slow decrease of sales following a sales campaign. Or, trends could be long-term, like the slow flattening of sales of a product over a few years. Data mining tools, such as visualization, help us detect trends, sometimes very subtle and hidden in the database, which would have been missed using traditional analysis tools like scatter plots. In marketing decisions, trends can be used for evaluating marketing programs or to forecast future sales. Data mining task in marketing data mining domain These tasks present in all data mining process we are just looking it into marketing prospective Dependency analysis Data Visualization Class identification Deviation Detection Concept Description Dependency analysis The market basket analysis gives the relationship between different product purchased by a customer .Using this techniques we can develop marketing strategy for promoting product that have dependency relationship in customers mind. Class identification It groups customers into classes which are defined in advance. Mathematical taxonomy and clustering are being used for class identification task. What the first one does is it maximizes the similarity with in classes but minimize similarity between classes. In clustering approach it determine the clustering according to attribute similarity as well as conceptual cohesiveness as defined by domain knowledge (describe above). A company doing business over the net, based on the session log data of internet users, the firm can classify the web users into email only users Surfers or Just for fun Surfer etc Concept description Comparison analysis will be done using statistical techniques. Using this we can compare marketing and customer knowledge. Deviation detection This helps us to determine the anomaly and changes. We can find the anomaly from various statistical techniques. This is already being explained above. Data visualization This kind of softwares allows the market research team or concerned people to view complex 3-D and 2-D patterns. They also provide drill down drill up slice facilities. In the KDD (knowledge discovery from data base) process, data visualization is used in association with other tasks such as dependency analysis, class identification, deviation detection and clustering. IBM SPSS PASW has got good data visualization techniques. Some of them are explained in Part 1 of the report. Conclusion Report discussed about Data mining process,

Dad - Original Writing :: Papers

Dad - Original Writing "Hurry up Mark," called Jan, "Paul will be here in a minute." The usual Friday-night scrimmage to get Mark ready for his weekend visit with his Dad was nearly over. "Did you pack my England shirt Mum?" he shouted from the bedroom. "Yes, and I have packed the England flag too." Jan answered. "What are you doing now?" she enquired. "I'm just doing my hair." he yelled back. "Ah, that reminds me, I've also packed a can of red hair spray. Will Jo have time to do it for you tomorrow?" Jan checked. England was playing in the Rugby World Cup Final against Australia and Mark was watching it with his Dad and his step-mum, Jo, at the Rugby Club. Mark wanted a red St George's cross sprayed in his hair. It was an early kick-off and they had a fair journey to get to the club on time. "Yeah, no problem, she'll have time," he replied hurtling down the stairs. As Paul pulled up outside the house he tooted the car horn. "He's here," relayed Jan. "So am I!" Mark answered with a grin. Jan gave him a hug. "Have an excellent weekend, love," she called after him as he raced outside to greet Paul. "And you Mum. See you Sunday afternoon, bye," he replied with a wave. Jan smiled wistfully to herself, wishing that she could share the excitement of tomorrow morning with Mark herself. After all it wasn't often that England made it to the final, and Mark did love his rugby. Never mind, she thought to herself, it's a good thing that Mark now knows his Dad and can spend some time with him after all these years. Mark had only met his Dad just over a year ago. * * * Jan had fallen pregnant with Mark after dating Paul for only a few months. She had decided to have the baby, even though Paul wasn't ready for settling down. It had been a big decision, and some would

Steel plant :: essays research papers

Steel Plant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our steel plant will be located where the baseball field and the gymnasium is. We will buy the school’s land off the Board of Education. We plan on tearing down the gym and taking all the bricks and left over materials to the land fill in Princeton. This way more people can keep their homes, and not have to move away. The school will be turned into a hotel for some of the workers who live away from here. If the baseball field and gymnasium isn’t enough room for the plant then we will buy the houses and land behind the baseball field. If anyone else wants to move because of the smoke then we will be able to buy their property and expand our company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our plant will have its own storage dump underground on some other property we own, away from the city. The tanks will be specialized, so the chemicals can’t leak out into the ground. This will keep the chemicals from harming the local wildlife. At the plant there will be a special filtering system for the smoke that is produced, so it won’t effect the air and community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We will use the local coal mines to provide us with the coal we need to produce the steel. The steel plant will make more jobs for the local people. Also the local graduating classes won’t have to go far off to get jobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If there isn’t already another school built for the students then we will donate some of the profits we make to build a school. So the kids will have a good and new school ready for them. Also we will setup a scholarship to send students to college, also they can come back and have a good job at the plant if they want.

Glass Menagerie and Streetcar Named Desire - Comparing Amanda Wingfield and Blanche Dubois :: comparison compare contrast essays

A Comparison of Amanda Wingfield And Blanche Dubois In today's rough and tough world, there seems to be no room for failure. The pressure to succeed in life sometimes seems unreasonable. Others often set expectations for people too high. This forces that person to develop ways to take the stress and tension out of their lives in their own individual ways. In the plays "The Glass Menagerie" and " A Streetcar Named Desire" written by Tennessee Williams, none of the characters are capable of living in the present and facing reality. Two of the characters are Amanda Wingfield and Blache Dubios. In order for these characters to deal with the problems and hardships in their lives they retreat into their own separate worlds of illusion and lies. Amanda Wingfield is mother of Tom and Laura. She is a middle-aged southern belle whose husband has abandoned her. She spends her time reminiscing about the past and nagging her children. Amanda is completely dependent on her son Tom for finical security and holds him fully responsible for her daughter Laura's future. Amanda is obsessed with her past as she constantly reminds Tom and Laura of that " one Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain when she once received seventeen gentlemen callers" (pg.32). The reader cannot even be sure that this actually happened. However, it is clear that despite its possible falsity, Amanda has come to believe it. Amanda also refuses to acknowledge that her daughter Laura is crippled and refers to her handicap as " a little defect-hardly noticeable" (pg.45). Only for brief moments does she ever admit that her daughter is crippled and then she resorts back into to her world of denial and delusion. Amanda puts the weight of Laura's success in life on her son T om's shoulders. When Tom finally finds a man to come over to the house for diner and meet Laura, Amanda blows the situation way out of proportion. She believes that this gentlemen caller, Jim, is going to be the man to rescue Laura. When in fact neither herself nor Laura has even met this man Jim yet. She tries to explain to Laura how to entertain a gentleman caller; she says-talking about her past " They knew how to entertain their gentlemen callers. It wasn't enough for a girl to be possessed of a pretty face and a graceful figure although I wasn't slighted in either respect.

Like a Boss

The story is told in third person. Knowledge is unlimited. Third-person limited: The story is told from the viewpoint of one person in the story; A stream of consciousness; the uninterrupted thoughts in a character. First person: The author disappears into one of the characters who tells the story in first person; l. Objective: The narrator disappears into a kind of roving sound camera. This camera can go anywhere but can record only what is seen and heard.Theme: The theme should be expressible in the form of a statement with a subject and a predicate. It is insufficient to say that the theme of a story is motherhood or loyalty to country. Characterization: The various literary means by which characters are presented Indirect Characterization: The author shows us the characters through their actions Direct Characterization: They tell us straight out, by exposition or analysis, what the characters are like, or they have another character in the story describe them.Traumatized: Shown a s speaking and behaving as in a stage play Stock Character: Stereotyped figures who have recurred so often in fiction that we recognize them at once. Static Character: Remains the same person throughout the story Dynamic Character: The developing of a character throughout the story Epiphany: The moment or insight that usually defines the moment of the developing character's change Plot: the sequence of incidents or events through which an author constructs a story. Structure: Sequential arrangement of events in a plotConflict: Clash of actions, ideas, desires or wills. Suspense: The quality in a story that makes readers ask â€Å"What's going to happen next? † Mystery: An unusual set of circumstances for which the reader craves an explanation Dilemma: Position in which he or she must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable. Happy ending: The protagonist must solve her problems, defeat an adversary, win her man, â€Å"live happily ever after. † Indetermin ate: Unresolved. No definitive conclusion is reached. Chance: The occurrence of an event that has no apparent cause.

Political Communications Essay

The power or ability of the media to influence people and the society is an undeniable reality. In fact, media is not to be underestimated as proven by the implications it has created among people and within their way of living. It is through this reason or principle that the media is regarded as something that is too powerful and which can be paralleled to the power of God. In particular, since the print and broadcast or electronic media have control over their respective public, its influence has apparently been considered as similar or equal to the Creator’s authority. However, while it is a true fact that the media encompasses almost everything in today’s modern world, it is also a reality that the industry could never be described as the second God. This is because God is above everything and that nothing or nobody can correspond to Him. Additionally, although the effects of media are indisputable, it should be realized that God is still supreme among the whole things and that nothing or no one comes next to Him. It is, therefore, under this principle that media should never be compared to the power of God and that whatever theory claiming otherwise should not be taken as the whole and acceptable concept. Ultimately, the media and all other things are nothing without God hence it is totally unwarranted to compare and place it next or even regard it as the second God. One concrete manifestation of the said improper and erroneous consideration is the principle created by Western theorist Tony Schwartz and as depicted in his book titled â€Å"Media, the Second God. The work done by Schwartz (1983) is nothing but a disillusioned idea about the power of media, electronic media in particular. While it is, in a way, acceptable that both print and broadcast media impacted people and the manner of living, it is totally illogical to compare or even consider media as the second God. In fact, the author has evidently failed to strengthen his idea. This is primarily for the reason that God is the highest or absolute among us and of all the things around us. Hence, Schwartz and his book can be taken according only to its merit or the fact that media is influential and definitely affects people and the society in general but its concept about media as the second God should definitely not be considered and accepted as an utmost premise. Media, the Second God – an Overview The Schwartz book explores media’s mounting power or influence in the fields of medicine, learning, industry, political affairs and beliefs and daily living of people. He distinguished electronic media as the â€Å"received media† while print media as a â€Å"perceived medium† (Schwartz, 1983, p. 1). In differentiating between the two, Schwartz emphasized that skill and education are essential for the public to recognize and accept perceived media while almost all people appreciate received media. The author explained that the contemporary world tends to the appreciation of the received media because of the increasing effect of electronic media in the manner how people carry out their lives. This particular age of reception manifests people dependence with the telephone, television, radio and other forms of electronic media. He added that the significant implications of electronic or received media are evident with the notable changes in the areas of â€Å"business, communication, education, statesmanship, and every other area of life† (Schwartz, 1983, p. 17). Schwartz further wrote that the advent and increasing influence of electronic media has proven its essence as the new media. Additionally, the power of the electronic media is supported by the authors with the ways how broadcast commercials or advertisements work among people and into their lives. In fact, electronic media has nearly removed the nature of door-to-door salespersons. This is because the radio and television as well as other forms of electronic media are able to get across the feelings, manner and value of products being promoted (Schwartz, 1983, p. 43). Schwartz also presented in his book how a telephone polling system, which is another form of electronic media, created an impact or changed people’s perception about the necessity of police protection against crime and eventually saved the John Jay College of Criminal Justice from closure (Schwartz, 1983, p. 1). Moreover, Schwartz has stressed the influence of electronic media with its social functions or the services it has offered not only to people but to the society as well. The book is ultimately recalled with its depiction of the incredible expansion of the telephone device as an absolute form of electronic media due to its tremendous influence into the lives of the people. Media, the Second God – a Critique In analyzing the Schwartz book, one is likely to experience a sense of depression because of the author’s apparent utopianism. Simply put, Schwartz’s idea of the growing purpose or role of the electronic media, particularly the telephone device, seemed too disillusioned or unrealistic. In particular, it is totally illogical and even less reassuring to discover when the author stated that the telephone device is on the rise as an instrument or another tool of electronic media in the field of education. In fact, his admission that the development of telephone seems to be gradual already contradicted his position that the devise is growing. The said disclosure also deserted Schwartz claim that the said device is an effective tool of learning primarily because of the apparent defect of the telephone. Even Schwartz’s claim that a number of students benefited from telephone-based classes failed to prove the effectivity and power of the telephone as a means of education. In short, it is unbelievable to state that an instruction about telephone is as convincing as an efficient method of learning. Damaging and Unproven Claims Schwart’s consideration of the media as the second God is subjected to the author’s many falsehoods as well as damaging and unsupported statements. An incredible claim by Schwartz is his statement that he was able to teach around the world even without leaving the luxury of his office through the use of the portable conference telephone. This is because despite the advancement of the electronic media, particularly the telephone device, it is still subjected to or not totally free from interruptions or technical obstacles. Hence, while the said statement tends to be probable, it is not the case all the time. At the highlight of the book’s chapter titled â€Å"The Incredible Expanding Telephone,† the author’s amusing tale about his American Museum of Natural History’s Laserium experience apparently sabotaged himself. It was a totally lame excuse when he said that while appropriately structured utilization of the telephone device has the ability of giving many important and useful services, it is still susceptible to problems as its poor plan may lead to telephone failure. Again, this time Schwartz contradicted and exposed himself to criticism. The author’s above manifestations of self-sabotage represent his usual characteristics as a highly-acclaimed sound designer, producer or creator of promotional advertisements or commercials and telecommunications teacher at New York University. Schwart’s self-sabotage is further proven by another bungle which he wrote in an earlier chapter of the book titled â€Å"The Electronic Classroom. In the said chapter, he extolled on the possibilities of working on recorded items as a form of education aid but again failed. This is because Schwartz offered the following simply as his solid proof of evidence: sound of family members fighting with each other, a walking manic depressive and a telephone dialogue, which he previously taped, with a person planning to commit suicide. Unfortunately for the readers, the said examples of Schwart’s self-sabotage were clearly depicted in the book. Either intentionally or not, the author and his work already lost its efficiency and credibility because Schwartz failed to prove or support his idea that the media, electronic media in particular, is the second God. This is because, unparalleled to God who is perfect, media has its flaws. As regard his other consideration of media as the second God, Schwartz’s once more not succeeded in his another declaration that refined or high-quality and efficient electronic advertisements can definitely sell substandard merchandise on a limited period. This claim has totally contradicted electronic media’s commercials about cigarette products which the author himself praised regretfully in the book. In fact, even his self-tribute chapter on how he envisioned and organized the fight which eventually saved the John Jay College was another proof of his personal destruction. This is because the author again fell short of bringing up any issue of essence or importance regarding the reason behind why the said educational institution is really important to be kept. Resemblance of Respect for God Notwithstanding the above stated flaws, the public may be able to contemplate what is really appealing and motivating about the Schwart’s book. One manifestation of such interesting quality and which is worthy to note is how strongly the people’s outlooks concerning the media certainly remind the readers of our admiration and high esteem for God. Additionally, due to the undeniable influence and assistance of the electronic media, people in post literate or deprived societies are better educated than people of the previous history accounts. Another manifestation of the book’s resemblance of respect for God is the fact that similar to our worship to the Creator, people and the society have high esteem about the need to protect and preserve human life. This is the reason why people in the countryside are too much worried about the proliferation and gravity of street crimes in other areas as what the electronic media is presenting. This is also due to the inclination of people to associate themselves with the people of other societies which they see on television or hear on radio. Media as Provider of Information, an Argument The last thing that is unacceptable to Schwart’s claims is his dispute that due to the overwhelming pieces of information which is accessible to people through electronic media, particularly television, the necessity to learn or specifically to write and read is not that immediate compared to before the arrival and development of the electronic media. With a benefit of the doubt, the author may not have intended this claim as a justification of illiteracy or an assertion that the skill to write and read has not benefits. However, he once again did not succeed in satisfactory stressing that in spite how much people grasp the manner of view and sound or noise due to advance contact or experience of the electronic media, there will still be difficulty in assessment and communication not unless people have learned and are able to write and read. One concrete manifestation of the said argument is Schwartz himself. This is for the reason that there could be a link between his usually disordered, self-conflicting claims and lines of reasoning as well as his automatic and ripped-ridden works. In fact, if not of too much criticism, the author may be literally depicted based from his own claim when he wrote that he led the class for school students who are regarded as â€Å"poor readers and poor listeners† (Schwarts, 1983, p. 128). This observation may be disputed by Schwartz himself especially taking into consideration his surprising power at influencing electronic reflections where even the power of verbal confidence may not be necessary to let the public have a glimpse of the author’s severe yet unproven perspectives and statements. Conclusion There have been many works exemplifying and proving the power or influence of the media to people and the society in general but the Schwartz book is certainly not one of them. This is because of the apparent misleading writing scheme and unsupported concepts presented by the author. While, in a way, he succeeded in imparting to the public the truth about the ability of the media, particularly the electronic media, to affect people and their way of living, his confusing or disillusioned ideas and claims are proof that nothing or no one can equal to God’s level. Schwartz was totally wrong in conveying the idea that the media is the second God for the simple reason that no other entity can be placed next to God, much so paralleled with Him. A critical analysis of the Schwartz book exposes the ineffectivity of the author in his approach to convey his ideas and eventually make the public agree. Additionally, the book unfortunately showed its inadequate and unproven content as well as the substance of the author’s line of thinking. In effect, Schwartz failed in whatever objective he has in doing the book. This is because his intentions are not met and eventually turned out to be futile efforts. The book is nothing but a collection of unsupported concepts and disenchanted theories. Schwartz’s approach or style is not well-founded and convincing simply because of the fact that his main idea that media is the second God is an outright contradiction of the existing view that there is nothing next or even equal to God. The topic about the power or influence of media is definitely relevant or that the material itself is appealing or that the writing style and quality somehow corresponds to the body of literature of that period. However, these good points were immaterial because the author and the book failed in the accuracy or reliability of thoughts organization. This is aside from the fact that majority of the contentions presented by Schwartz were unsupported. For this, it can be construed that the book is generally not valuable to be provided with attention and relevance. Ultimately, Schwartz and his work can be held liable for insinuating the principle that media is the second God precisely for reality that media is a creation of man who, in turn, could not be created without the power of God.

Connections Essay

The overall connection that I chose to analyze in this report was the importance of marriage, as it is an idea that is present in almost everybody’s life, and it is something that heavily impacts the nature of a society. Marriage is seen in society in both positive and negative ways, involving emotions from true love to bitterness. In the texts A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, The Ballad of Calvary Street by James K Baxter, The Silk by Joy Cowley and Atonement directed by Joe Wright, this idea of the importance of marriage is clearly present in all of them, yet they are all shown so differently (negatively and positively) as to give examples of the ways that it is interpreted in different societies, and allow me to deduce the importance that this idea holds on a global scale. Romantic love is recognized in most societies by the practice of marriage. This is a prominent symbol in all the texts I have covered except for Atonement, where the absence of marriage is used to show the couple’s true love. In this film, we see that Cecelia and Robbie are in love, however a misunderstanding on the part of Cecelia’s sister, Briony, means that Cecelia and Robbie are prevented from marriage or even being together. This is shown as a particularly tragic incident, which shows the importance that society places on the process of marriage. This is also a very prominent idea in the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which is set in Afghanistan. We see two women, Laila and Mariam, who are owned and controlled by their shared husband, and their lives literally rely on him, because as women, they are unable to attain independence due to their country’s beliefs. In Afghan society, marriage is a sacred business, and any sexual relations outside of marriage are greatly looked down upon, and the punishment for a female offender can be as severe as torture or death by the girl’s family or husband. This also shows the idea of the importance of marriage that is shown in Atonement, as marriage is seen as the pinnacle of happiness in both texts, However in A Thousand Splendid Suns it is shown in a more negative manner, with marriage being shown as an essential burden rather than a desire. Marriage is also shown as a necessity in the poem, The Ballad of Calvary Street, but for different reasons. In this poem, a poorly suited elderly couple stay together, to prevent the disruption of their family. This shows that even New Zealand society can view marriage as an important action, and a obligation in functional family life. This shows a similar idea to that in A Thousand Splendid Suns and Atonement, that marriage is a necessary action. In the short story The Silk, we see an elderly married couple, of which the husband is nearing death. The woman in the relationship is finding it hard to come to terms with her husbands impending demise, as she has a set routine which revolves around her and her husband’s relationship. This presents the idea that is shown in A Thousand Splendid Suns, Atonement and The Ballad of Calvary Street, that marriage is a prerequisite for a happy life, and it is a tragedy to be without it. In the Silk, we can tell that this married couple are truly in love from quotes such as, â€Å"she guarded him so possessively that she even resented the twice-weekly visits from the district nurse,† which shows the devoted way that they take care of each other, presenting the traditional idea of marriage. In Atonement, when childhood sweethearts Robbie and Cecelia are prevented from being together, we are struck by the tragedy of the fact that they will never be able to get married, and live out their lives together. This portrays the aspect of marriage that is shown in The Silk, that marriage is a symbol of the love between two people, and that it is a contract which binds the two people together for the rest of their lives, as we see Robbie and Cecelia denied of this entitlement. In today’s society, a happy couple who are in love are expected to get married. This relates to both The Silk and Atonement, as in both texts marriage is seen as a necessity for the happiness of the people involved, which further supports the idea that society regards marriage as particularly important. From these texts, society may be able to reassess its outlook on the controversial matter of gay marriage. The tragedy of Cecelia and Robbie’s separation that is shown in Atonement and the portrayal of the happiness involved in marriage that is shown in The Silk could be enough to convince the large portion of society that is against gay marriage that they are wrong, as in both texts marriage is shown as a component of happiness that should not be denied of anyone. The relationships and situations that are shown in the texts are not exclusive to heterosexual couples, and would translate just as well to homosexual relationships, meaning that the ideas attached to the texts can be applied to same-sex couples as well, and could have an influence on the opinion that people hold towards gay marriage. Unfortunately, marriage is not always a happy affair, as it is intended to be. This is plainly shown in the text The Ballad of Calvary Street, as we see an unfortunate couple who are forced to remain together due to the stigma attached to divorce. Quotes such as â€Å"Mum takes down the family files,† suggest that family is not an important thing to the couple, since they have fallen apart, but that they continue to treat it as such, as they consider it their duty as parents to remain married. This idea that marriage is a compulsory task is also shown in A Thousand Splendid Suns, as we see protagonist Laila is forced into marriage, for her own survival. Her husband knowingly takes advantage of her vulnerable situation, saying, â€Å"These days, times being what they are, a woman needs a husband,† showing that marriage can often take place for reasons other than love (as was shown in The Ballad of Calvary Street), and that this can easily be taken advantage of. This presents the idea that in many different societies, (New Zealand and Afghan), marriage is seen as an essential measure, even when one or both of the people involved in the relationship are unhappy. Although this is an unfortunate truth, it is one that must sometimes be accepted, as it is often present in today’s society. These texts could help people come to terms with the idea that marriage is not always a representation of love, as they show legitimate alternative reasons for marriage, (the stability of family life or the safety of a person in a certain community. ) This could benefit society as it would create an understanding and acceptance of the reality of marriage today. In conclusion, the idea of marriage is a common theme in many texts, including Atonement directed by Joe Wright, The Silk by Joy Cowley, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and The Ballad of Calvary Street by James K Baxter. Although marriage is not always the quintessential act of love and can sometimes tell a tragic story, it is important that it is expressed in forms such as these texts so that society can reflect on its faults and hopefully improve its approach on the subject.

Professional Aspirations and Personal Statement

T Professional Aspirations and Personal Statement I truly believe that every individual on-this earth is called to help one another. It may be something so-simple- as to-tell a-friend that they matter when they're having a-bad day, or something huge as in dedicating your life-to tell people- that they matter. The latter is my goal. The-Christian faith has been a-passion- of mine since I was young, and now a senior in highschool I have-come- to the-condusion that the faith I have-must be shared with others.To-love when love-is needed, to care when-care is needed, to give a-sense of hope when life seems hopeless, and to-inspire when inspiration is no more. That is why I am choosing the-career of Christian Ministries. Yes, it is broad, but I believe- the-broadness to be-extremely inspiring and motivating for I can love, care, motivate, inspire, listen, teach, and-help humanity in a vast amount of ways. I believe that often- ministry is not necessarily â€Å"preaching† but just se tting themereexampleof love, For actions speak louder than words.I-am attending Azusa Pacific University next fall with a-major of Christian Ministries. I also-am considering of studying Intercultural Studies and Theatre; for theatre is a passion of mine, and-I believe- that Intercultural Studies with guide-me in my Ministry major, Azusa- is aprivate- Christian University that will give me-the education, and tools I need to-go-out a-helpothers. I also- plan on-doing mission trips in the summers, and study abroad for a semester so I can reach other cultures and countries. By the-word â€Å"reach' I mean to-simply love.I have- a passion to simply serve-other people, for I believe it to be the-most rewarding experience- on this earth. A Christian Ministries major will provide me with the-essentials needed to-go out into the world- with a sincere love-and passion for people, my goal is to serve, and I believe this major is one of the best for serving. Philanthropic Aspirations: My prof essional aspirations completely co inside' with my philanthropic aspirations for career aspirations is to increase' the well being of humankind in everyway.It is hard for me to specifically address one-humanitarian issue' for I want to impact all kinds of people- in diverseplaces; One-issue that I believe to-be increasing is the shallow idea of beauty. Women today are often driven to-make themselves on the outside lookbeautiftd; when inside they are hurting,and feel terribly insignificant and ugly, Now of days beauty is ali about the outside. The-media has a way of promoting theperf. ect hair,skin, body-type, etc in a way that women who do not have theperfect skin, hair, or body feel useless;I would like-to dedicate- my time-to showing these women the beauty inside them; beauty that doesn't come from anyone else; but a beauty that makes them who they are; I want topremote the-idea that women are-truly and-significantly beautiful the way they are. For this confidence will help many w omen with serious problems such as depression, anorexia/bulimia, lack of self confidence, and so many other problems women deal with. For by women knowing the-beauty they have they will be able-to embrace- who they are; and make-a direct impact on so many other women around them.I want to give-women the oopportunity 10 choose- a life of innerself, a life of love, hope; and happiness because- they love-who they are; I believe- that through my educational plans that I will be able to have-a direct impact on many women. For Christian Ministries is' all about people, so therefore- I . can be able to encourage- women at not only my University, hut through my church, missions; outreaches; and in everyday life. For life-should be about telling others that they matter,and let's face it women matter. And they matter not because of their outer appearance, but because of their inner goals, desires, and passions. ——

Architectural Science in the UK Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Architectural Science in the UK - Assignment Example This requires effective consideration of particular features of the dwelling in order to enhance the use of green energy thereby containing the runaway pollution experienced in particular parts of the world as the discussion below portrays. Designing and developing a dwelling requires effective utilization of space, which is often the most important feature. Consumers continually demand larger homes spaces beside several other features that make homes habitable (Evers & Koln, 2006). This thus influences the selection of a construction location often considering the elements of nature. The selection of a construction site must minimize conflicts between humans and other animals occupying the ecosystem. Peaceful coexistence between humans and other wild animals is essential in the construction of sustainable dwelling since such help minimize any conflicts that may arise. Cases of insect bites in different parts of the world such as Australia typify the nature of the conflicts. In such cases, the humans spend millions of pounds in seeking medication for the different bites with the country reporting a high number of deaths arising from insect bites. The topography of the location is a major factor that architectures consider when designing a dwelling. Such factors as the stability of the structure rely on the nature of the topography of the land thereby validating the consideration. Effective utilization of space dictates that a dwelling must permit easy access to the housing units. The housing units must safeguard the safety features that arise from the placement of rooms among other aspects of the house thereby enhancing the accommodation of families of varying sizes. The manipulation of the space contributes to the sustainability of a dwelling beside contributing to the safety of the structure.  

Day for Night (1973) Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Day for Night (1973) - Movie Review Example In a nutshell, the film delves into the intersecting stories of the cast and crew that are working on the set of a movie. Truffaut eschews linear storytelling in favor of a more anthological approach. Truffaut himself narrates the film lending a sense of cohesiveness to the overall piece. To his credit, he is able to bring a general sense of narrative to the resulting interweaving storylines from the film’s ensemble cast of characters. The film eventually culminates with a few plot twists that will no doubt surprise all but the most keenly observant audience members. By the film’s conclusion, Truffaut makes it quite clear that his satire is meant to be his way of expressing his love for his craft and filmmaking as a whole. In fact, Festa (2012) sums it up quite nicely when he said that â€Å"for folks behind film looking glasses, their day job is life itself†. Doubtless, the film’s ensemble cast of characters is one of its greatest strengths. Truffaut succeeds in gathering a memorable set of characters. Between the over-the-hill screen legend, the aging ex-opera singer, the handsome young lead and the sexy female vixen who is recovering from a nervous breakdown, what’s not to love? Ebert (1997) points out another of the film’s strength lies in the numerous â€Å"behind-the-scenes† moments. The audience is shown the tricks behind a lot of moviemaking magic such as the use of filters to make daytime scenes look like they were shot at night and fake snow to name a few. These might be a touch old hat for a modern audience, but that certainly does not diminish their charm. Truffaut also manages to underscore a lot of the things that tend to go wrong during production. The sort of things moviegoers do not see when they watch the finished product such as actor’s temper tantrums, animals missing their cues and so forth. It is more than likely that similar films such as Ed Wood drew inspiration from Truffaut’s piece. Despite its many strengths the

Baby Products Store Communication Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Baby Products Store Communication Plan - Essay Example With the established objective and goal, the key communication message is then framed within the two points of difference, and the proposed communication tools (including business website, monthly online newsletter, business brochure, magazine advertisement, and yellow pages advertising) and budget are presented. Lastly, pre-set measurements are included to track each communication tool. Baby Products Store first opened its doors in the Westchester Mall in 1998 and was the first store in the neighborhood to provide premium baby products. In the next ten years, numerous stores with similar concepts have started in the surrounding area selling undercutting Baby Product Store’s business by offering products with a cheaper price ranges. To avoid price war within the area, Baby Products Store has made a decision not to lower prices, but to create a new selling point of offering specialized customer service and exclusive product offerings provided by loyal long-term suppliers. The objective of this communication plan is to re-introduce Baby Product Store to the surrounding towns and municipalities and highlight the unique customer service policy and exclusive products offered in-store. The goal of this communication plan is to reach 50 unique customers using various communication channels. Because the objective of the plan is centered around the store’s surrounding towns and municipalities, a more targeted and personal communication approach will be adopted. The primary audiences for Baby Product Store are new mothers and parents of small infants and toddlers in the surrounding towns and municipalities.  

Discussion- Ch12 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion- Ch12 - Coursework Example The growth stage involves a high rate of revenue increase owing to access to additional market and awareness by the customers. Marketing at the growth stage include development of new product features and packaging, increased advertising, and setting of high prices owing to high demand. Entry by competitors to the market reduces revenue growth towards the end of the growth stage. The maturity stage is reached when sales growth decreases but owing to high brand presence advertising is reduced. Product similarity is high reducing differentiation with the marketing mix done through sales promotions, price reductions, produce feature modifications, and innovative distribution channels aimed at extension of product lifecycle and maintenance of market share. Saturation of the market, technological obsolete products, and changes in customer tastes results in sales decline. The other features of the decline stage include increasing costs from reduced production volumes causing lack of profitability. Marketing at the decline stage includes reduction in product offerings, lowering of prices, little promotion expenditure, and selective distribution. After reading Liang’s discussion, I believe he articulates the concepts in product lifecycle well though he does not provide the marketing techniques for use at the introduction stage. The discussion does not state the marketing strategies in the growth and maturity stages but rather treats the two distinct stages together in terms of marketing. The decline stage marketing strategies are not well analysed. Overall the discussion is informative on the product life cycle but not clear on the different marketing strategies applied at various stages of the product