Comment closely on the following poem Essay Example for Free

Comment closely on the following poem Essay The Self-Unseeing portrays Hardy reminiscing over his childhood life with his parents. In the first stanza, the setting their old house is described in a way that conveys a sense of age and weariness, through such words and phrases as ‘ancient’ (emphasizing the age), ‘footworn and hollowed and thin’ (alluding to the emptiness which has overtaken it through the passage of time after it has been abandoned), ‘former’ (revealing the extent of change in the house, eg. by the door no longer being there), and ‘dead feet’ (those of his parents). At this point in the poem Hardy speaks in the present tense from the outside of the house, in order to convey its emptiness to the reader. The second stanza ignores these aspects of the house, instead focusing on his memories of his parents, which contrast with the first stanza by filling the house with life and action. A happier mood is created here, through a sense of warmth created by the fire, and his mother’s smile, which, along with his father’s playing the violin (‘bowing it higher and higher’), shows the happiness he felt while living with his parents. The musical effect of the violin is also complemented by that of the smooth-flowing ‘abab‘ rhyme scheme. The present tense verbs ‘smiling’ and ‘bowing’ imply that these memories were vivid, as if by introducing the setting to the reader he is reliving them. Hardy’s reference to his parents using the pronouns ‘she’ and ‘he’ rather than their actual names transforms the personal tragedy of the death of his parents to a universal one to which the reader can more easily relate. However, this tragedy is buried beneath the warm, welcoming mood established by the aforementioned use of language in this stanza. Hardy illuminates these memories in the final stanza with light imagery ‘blessings’ (which tend to be associated with heaven and therefore light), ‘day’, ‘glowed’, ‘gleam’, which underscore the joyful feelings previously evoked. This use of light imagery serves as a metaphor to reveal how Hardy, ‘childlike’, ‘danced in a dream’, and overall, the diction shows that his memories had a dazzling and pensive quality. However, it can be seen from the concluding line, ‘Yet we were looking away! ’, that he feels remorseful for not fully appreciating what he had at the time. It is this line which gives meaning to the poem’s title he (the ‘self’) was ‘unseeing’ and could not see the true value of his life with his parents. This makes the light imagery all the more powerful, as Hardy uses it to show that he is now able to see what he was unable to in his childhood. His newfound appreciation for his memories is also evident in the first stanza, where ‘here is’ and ‘here was’ sorrowfully reveal the setting of which he is about to reminisce. Overall, Hardy’s memories are presented in this poem with both regret and happiness. The phrase ‘hollowed and thin’ in the first stanza, in light of this regret, describes the likely state of his soul following the loss of his parents. The regret is subtle at first, but becomes much more apparent after reading the last line; it is as if Hardy uses this line to allow the reader to look back (as he had looked back on his past) and be filled with regret through this reflection. The past-tense verbs ‘walked’, ‘sat’, and ‘stood’, which are simply describing what once was, become tinged with regret (as if mourning) upon a second glance. In contrast, the passive verbs ‘danced’, ‘emblazoned’, and ‘glowed’ preserve their cheerful connotations, which suggest that to Hardy, reminiscence is a bittersweet experience. This idea is supported by the structure of the poem: three quatrains with ‘abab’ rhyme schemes; although the rhyme scheme establishes a sense of reminiscence, there are emotions both positive and negative associated with it. The simple pattern of it also mirrors the simplicity and naivety of childhood. The structure, rhythm, and diction of the poem thus convey a powerful message that pleasant experiences will eventually become memories, carrying both the happiness of their past occurrence and the regret and sadness of knowing that their time is past.

English Literature Essays Orient Opium Drug

English Literature Essays Orient Opium Drug Orient Opium Drug Why do you think any two or more of De Quincey, Coleridge and Doyle were so interested in the Orient in their drug writing? Throughout the nineteenth century, persisting through much of the twentieth and even so far as today, the use of intoxicating substances, namely opium, is inextricably linked with visions of the Orient. Although there has been no significant proof of a universal chemical change in its users, opium undeniably evokes an obsession with the ‘other’. If one cannot attribute this to biological factors, then it is crucial to ascertain the historical, cultural or psychological implications that relate to its conception. Much of the association between opium and the Orient in nineteenth-century Britain was a consequence of British imperialism and the colonisation of the East. In expanding the Empire, Britain dominated the Eastern world, coming with the promise of providing a benevolent civilisation. Instead, they exploited states for many of their most valuable commodities, including opium, and destroyed an already established pride of individuality and national-identity whilst asserting their own sense of a hegemonic British nationality upon inhabitants. The works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge make a substantial contribution in our understanding of the relationship between opium use and Orientalism. Coleridge followed the German Higher Criticism that viewed the Bible as an extension of Oriental mythology, supplying what he believed as evidence of single God in the Eastern world. Coleridge’s writing at the turn of the nineteenth-century encapsulates not only the anxieties of Oriental differentiation, but more poignantly, the conspicuous differences from its impressions on the English opium user. His literary works aside, Coleridge presented perhaps his most vehement condemnation of British involvement in the Orient during a public lecture in 1795. He contrived that such ‘commercial intercourse’ was resulting in the death of millions of East Indians, saddling Britain with an inevitable sense of overwhelming guilt. Furthermore, he details the potentially catastrophic long term effects on Britons, that being, a dilution of national identity through the pollution of imports from the Eastern world. Through his damning of British colonisation, Coleridge provides a macrocosm of himself; his own opium intake was destabilising not only to his own body, but the world around him. He believed the mind state brought about through the ingestion of opium masked many of the distinctions to be made between not only English and Oriental, but between male and female, and even self and other. Much of the singularity of Coleridge’s work, in particular the visionary ‘Kubla Khan’, emanates from his ability to encompass polar opposite sensations towards opium in a single moment, often oscillating between both attraction and repulsion, or pleasure and pain. The phantasmagoric quality of ‘Kubla Khan’ was composed out of what Coleridge attributed to a ‘sleep of the eternal senses’. When describing his opium reveries, Coleridge explained: ‘Laudanum gave me repose, not sleep: but you, I believe, know how divine that repose is – what a spot of inchantment, a green spot of fountains, and flowers and trees, in the very heart of a waste sands’. It comes as no surprise then that Coleridge had the potential to produce such a work as ‘Kubla Khan’ whilst submerged in the alternative realm of consciousness that opium gave him. In the opening stanza of the poem there radiates an awe of harmony within paradise. The Oriental landscape, with ‘caverns measureless to man’ and ‘forests ancient as the hills’, suggest an unworldly, ineffable quality. Although the components of Xanadu may potentially appear threatening, they are harboured within the confines of ‘walls and towers†¦ girdled round’. Thus, Xanadu is rendered passive and benevolent, under the control of the poet. Throughout the next stanza, the Oriental landscape of Xanadu is feminised, with particular reference made to the ‘deep romantic chasm which slanted / Down a green hill athwart a cedarn cover’, a subtle indication of the presence of female genitalia. The ensuing description is one that is far removed from the serenity of an English landscape, detailing ‘A savage place†¦ a waning moon was haunted / By woman wailing for her demon-lover’. The wailing woman suggests a deep pain, perhaps even insanity. This ascends into a threatening, sexually explicit orgasmic crescendo: ‘From this chasm†¦ As if the earth in fast thick pants were breathing, / A mighty fountain momently was forced: / Amid whose swift, half-intermitted burst / Huge fragments†¦ beneath the thresher’s flail.’ The ‘swift, half-intermitted burst’ mentioned evokes notions of seminal emission. The nature of this portrayal belies the expected Romantic interpretations of lakes and seas which poets leisurely sip from for inspiration, instead presenting ‘a mighty fountain’, potentially a phallic symbol, which threatens to engulf all. The overriding image is one of the Oriental landscape breaking through the boundaries attempting to suppress it; occurring metaphorically through the phallic fountain, the fluids from the chasm, and the entrance into the caverns. However, what may initially seem as a jubilant liberation of sexual energy from the constraints of rigid gender roles eventually conspires to be anything but, paving way for a state of almost ‘Armageddon’ proportions; ‘And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean†¦ Ancestral voices prophesying war!’ Thus, provided is an ironic sense of warning against those who dare try and tame these powerful forces. The overall effect is that where the danger of the second stanza undercuts the perceived harmony of the first, suggesting an ambiguity within Xanadu; indicating perhaps the presence of a dark side to the heavenly paradise foretold. One of Coleridge’s primary concerns with regards to Orientalism lay in its power to usurp the author’s authority of and consciousness of writing, a threat to his own artistic control. When referring back to Coleridge’s own comments on British ‘commercial intercourse’ in the East, a definite causal link can be inferred between the Orient infiltrating Britain, by means of opium intake, and introducing a ‘conscious-usurping Orient into the British body and mind to convert them from British to Oriental’. Despite this, through the ingestion of opium, he actively seeks the empowerment this ‘other’ provides him. Analysis of the conclusion of ‘Kubla Khan’ perhaps gives some indication of a shift towards a positive outlook on the conjuring of the Orient; hoping that through the ‘milk of Paradise’ the speaker may be able to transcend to a state in which he may ‘build that dome in the air’. However, his ascension to God-like status, he believes, may make others treat him as unholy, perhaps with ‘holy dread’: ‘And all should cry, Beware! Beware! / His flashing eyes, his floating hair! / Weave a circle round him thrice, / And close your eyes with holy dread’. The use of the oxymoronic phrase ‘holy dread’ reiterates Coleridge’s own pleasure against pain contradiction with opium ingestion and Orientalism. Furthermore, it perhaps subtly indicates the approach he believes the imperialistic order of Britain should adopt when attempting to contain those with ‘flashing eyes’. The ‘plot’ that unravels throughout ‘Kubla Khan’ is one where a powerful Eastern, feminine force penetrates and destroys the flimsy Western, male barriers that enclose it. The implication presented by Coleridge is that these same forces can not only impose themselves on a nation, but on an individual. D. A. Miller identifies the male terror at the prospect of being occupied by the female, arguing that it resembles and inverts a classic rape scenario. Thus, it strikes a common chord in Coleridge’s own Oriental possession, which is often feminised, invading his body but exerting its own control over it, by nature evoking paradoxical destruction and pleasure within him. Moreover, this ‘inverted rape scenario’ is itself a partial reversal of what Coleridge deemed Britain’s exploitation of the East, and an ironic act of retribution. It was Coleridge’s foremost concern that this invasion and alteration process went some way into eroding sense of national identity and British culture, a process that he deduced would ultimately blur any distinctions to be made between Britain and the Eastern world, until they eventually merged into one. Thomas De Quincey’s analyses of the relationship between opium and Orientalism yield conflicting opinions to those formulated by Coleridge. It was De Quincey’s underlying theory that opium acted as a means of excavating the Orient within the British self. He concludes, contrary to Coleridge, that divisions between the East and West never actually existed; the Oriental ‘other’ never facilitated a hostile invasion of body and nation, but was present at conception, and is indeed the origin of all things ‘British’. In a similar vein to Coleridge, De Quincey condemns the exposure of the ‘other’ within the self, but still paradoxically seeks it by means of opium intake. John Barrell comments that De Quincey identifies the internal manifestation of the Orient within as an infection, and adopts measures to protect him against this. One such method follows the process of inoculation, whereby in taking a piece of the Orient into himself, namely opium, De Quincey hopes to dismiss that which he does not attribute to himself, conceptualising an internal West against East division in terms of what is familiar and what is alien. However, as Barrell suggests, this measure is destined for failure because the subject reinforces the infection by the same means he hope will crush it. Integral to De Quincey’s musings on Orientalism is the visit of the Malay in ‘Confessions of an English Opium-Eater’. The Malay is depicted in a demonic fashion, with ‘fiery eyes’ that ‘took hold of my fancy and my eye in a way that none of the statuesque attitudes exhibited in the ballets at the Opera House’. The ‘otherness’ of the Malay is overtly referred to in its comparison to the domesticity of the young servant; mention is made of an ‘impassable gulf’ that exists between their methods of communication. In addition, the figure with a ‘turban and loose trowsers of dingy white’ is harshly juxtaposed with the ‘native spirit of mountain intrepidity’ displayed by the young servant: ‘And a more striking picture there could not be imagined, than the beautiful English face of the girl, and its exquisite fairness†¦ contrasted with the sallow and bilious skin of the Malay, enamelled or veneered with mahogany†¦ his small, fierce, restless eyes, thin lips, slavish gestures and adorations.’ The impression given is one of a man, or, as his title may imply, a collective, who are dehumanised, depicted in terms of a polished piece of furniture; his only relief is that his ‘trowsers of dingy white’ are excused by the ‘dark panelling’ of the kitchen. Furthermore, De Quincey emulates Coleridge’s sense of ‘holy dread’ within ‘Kubla Khan’ in the manner in which he expresses the young servant’s reaction to the appearance of the Malay: ‘he had placed himself nearer to the girl than she seemed to relish; though her native spirit of mountain intrepidity contended with the feeling of simple awe which her countenance expressed as she gazed upon the tiger-cat before her.’ Provided here is not only a comment on the approach taken by the familiar West to the alien East, one that, although threatening, still proves intriguing, but perhaps further indicates De Quincey’s own personal struggle with his opium intake. Moreover, significance lies in De Quincey’s attempts to converse with the Malay in Classical Greek, in that it exemplifies Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism; De Quincey’s construction of a material conjoined East, in which differences between India and China, for instance, are ignored is why he believes speaking to the Malay in any ‘Oriental’ tongue will suffice. De Quincey’s oriental dreams in the later stages of ‘Confessions†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ provide a supplementary outlook on the Orientalism construct. He reveals that ‘the causes of my horror lie deep’, continuing: ‘As the cradle of the human race, it would alone have a dim and reverential feeling connected with it†¦ The mere antiquity of Asiatic things, of their institutions, histories, modes of faith, c. is so impressive, that to me the vast age of the race and name overpowers the sense of youth in the individual. A young Chinese seems to me an antediluvian man renewed.’ De Quincey is of the opinion that the sheer age and permanence of the Orient implies that it provides the origin for everything attributed to British culture and identity. This notion is enhanced by his further consolation that ‘the barrier of utter abhorrence, and want of sympathy placed between us by feelings deeper than I can analyse’; De Quincey ironically accepts that there is in fact, no barrier at all, and that what may indeed lie on the other side manifests itself within him during his opium reveries. Thus, De Quincey inverts his own previously conjured distinctions between West and East, self and other, through his opium ingestion. Paradoxically, that which reveals itself as most ‘other’ to him is still ironically the origin of his own self. De Quincey’s conceptualised Orient is thus rendered useless as he accepts that the West always was the East to begin with, and that any argument to the contrary is a futile one. Bibliography Allen, N. B., A Note on Coleridge’s â€Å"Kubla Khan†. Modern Language Notes, 57, 1942, pp. 108-113 Berridge, V., Opium and the People: Opiate Use and Drug Control Policy in Nineteenth and Early Twentieth-Century England, 2nd edition (London: Free Association, 1999). Cooke, M. G., De Quincey, Coleridge, and the Formal Uses of Intoxication. Yale French Studies, 50, 1974, pp. 26-40 Hayter, A., Opium and the Romantic Imagination (London: Faber, 1968). Jay, M., Emperors of Dreams: Drugs in the Nineteenth Century (Sawtry: Dedalus, 2000). Leask, N., British Romantic Writers and the East: Anxieties of Empire (Cambridge: University Press, 1992) Said, E. W., Orientalism (London: Penguin, 2003) Schneider, E., The â€Å"Dream† of Kubla Khan. PMLA, 60, 1945, pp. 784-801

Gauley Bridge Disaster and Bhopal Disaster

Gauley Bridge Disaster and Bhopal Disaster Accident Causation Gauley Bridge Disaster Industrial disasters were common during the great depression because of the disregard for safety guidelines by contracting companies. Accident causations during this period were mainly the inability by organization to uphold the safety regulations for employees working in hazardous conditions such as silicosis infection as in the case of the Gauley Bridge disaster. The Gauley Bridge disaster is one of the largest industrial disasters in the United States. The disaster occurred in 1930s during the great recession (Corn 132). The project that led to the occurrence of the disaster involved the construction of a hydroelectric generation power in West Virginia. This required the diversion of water of the two rivers in the area to enhance the power generation process (Magnuson 322). The Rinehart and Dennis Company and the New Kanahwa Power Company companies were involved in the construction the tunnel and power plant respectively. The Rinehart and Dennis Company contracted both African-Americans and Caucasians to work in the construction of the tunnel in 1930s. The construction of the tunnel involved drilling through a rock that had a high percentage of silicon. Research indicates that some of the rocks in the area, had approximately 99.3% silicon, which was very hazardous to humans. In addition, the workforce at the tunnel were not provided with the appropriate safety gears and the machinery used contributed to increase in dust from the site (Corn 133). The individuals working at the site were exposed to high levels of silicon from the rock and hence contracted silicosis. The exact number of individuals who died from the disaster was not established by the approximate number provided was 700 individuals; most of whom were African-Americans. The causes of the disaster involved the failure by the company to examine the conditions of the area in terms of silicon percentage in order to employ the appropriate safety mechanisms (Magnuson 324). In addition, the workers were not provided with dust masks which could have reduced the number of deaths as well as silicosis infections. Bhopal Disaster The Bhopal disaster occurred because of the leakage of the methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from various storage tanks of the Union Carbide factory in India.   The Union carbide factory is located in the region of Madhya Pradesh at Bhopal, India. The methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas is used as an intermediate in the production of pesticides and is produced by mixing phosgene gas with methyl amine. The total amount of gas that was released to the air from the factory is estimated to be 36 tones (Bowonder and Harold 184). The methyl isocyanate gas had various effects on the environment and residents of Bhopal such as chest tightness, burning sensation in the eyes and reduction of levels of oxygen from the environment. This gas accident caused approximately 2500 deaths and caused permanent physical body damage to approximately 17000 individuals. The pollution caused by this disaster continue to affect the residents of Bhopal due to the pollution of water and soils in the surrounding areas (Bowo nder and Harold 190). The causes of the Bhopal disaster were both technical and safety issues. The inappropriate storage of the gas in tanks for long duration violated the safety guidelines. In addition, the location of the factory in a populous neighborhood contributed to the high number of causalities. Other causes include the malfunctioning of the refrigeration units and safety devices at the factory. This accident could have be prevented through the implementation of various safety guidelines such as installation of adequate number of safety devices and the storage of the gas at the right containers based on the safety guidelines (Bowonder and Harold 200). The factory should be located in sparsely populous areas to minimize the number of casualties in case of an accident. Related Accidents or Disasters Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire: This industrial accident occurred in New York City in 1905. The disaster caused approximately 100 workers through burning and injuries while escaping fire. The disaster was caused by malfunctioning of the machines and failure by the company to uphold safety guidelines on fire. A legislation requiring improved safety guidelines in the industries was established to prevent future accidents. Chicago Crib Disaster: This disaster occurred in 1909 when fire broke out during the construction of a Chicago water intake tunnel. Data indicates that approximately 60 workers died from burns and by drowning in the lake. Various safety legislations have been enacted to ensure the safety of workers as well as installation of appropriate fire escape mechanisms in risky working sites.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Bowonder, B., and Harold A. Linstone. Notes on the Bhopal accident: Risk analysis and multiple perspectives. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 32.2 (1987): 183-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   202. Corn, Jacqueline K. Historical aspects of industrial hygiene-II. Silicosis. The American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal 41.2 (1980): 125-133. Magnuson, Harold J. Health hazards in the construction industry. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 3.7 (1961): 321-325.

The Civil Rights Movement :: Equality Segregation Racism Essays

The fight for equality and against segregation has always been a noble fight. But is inflicting your rage onto those who have inflicted theirs upon you keep your nobility or just bring yours down to their level? Especially when there is a great deal of violence being used. This never-ending battle between the blacks and the whites has tormented the U.S. for years and still goes on in some areas. During the 1950’s –1960’s the civil rights movement was at its peek. This was when the African-Americans were growing impatient and could not wait a minute longer before they had their constitutional and God given rights. Many peaceful marches, sit-ins, and boycotts were usually always greeted at the end with police, attack dogs, firemen, and ambulances. African- Americans started their own â€Å"police force† called The Black Panther Party so they can supposedly arm themselves against the white people. While others such as Malcolm X tried to convince black people that the whites were not going to help them and that they have to stand up for their own rights. Many riots were also taking place across the nation destroying many cities. After waiting for 300 years so they can have rights that every human being should naturally have they were angry and angry people are not very reasonable. As a result of getting rid of integration many people come up with peaceful marches, sit-ins, and boycotts as a solution. This was when hundreds or maybe thousands of young and old black people gathered around as a group so they can be heard and seen by everyone. Their goals would always vary but they would never stop until they have reached them, even though it may include violence. A good example would be in Birmingham, Alabama on May 2, 1963. Their goals were to try to stop integration in public facilities and department stores. The leaders were Dr. Martin Luther King and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. Early on April 12, 1963 they were arrested for marching when the governor told them not to. Directly on their release on April 20 they planned their second march. Their second march included a thousand people and when they barely started marching a block away the police commissioner was waiting for them and brutally arrested 900 people. The next day 25,000 people came out to march including many children. This time instead of arresting them they sprayed water and let loose attack dogs. The Civil Rights Movement :: Equality Segregation Racism Essays The fight for equality and against segregation has always been a noble fight. But is inflicting your rage onto those who have inflicted theirs upon you keep your nobility or just bring yours down to their level? Especially when there is a great deal of violence being used. This never-ending battle between the blacks and the whites has tormented the U.S. for years and still goes on in some areas. During the 1950’s –1960’s the civil rights movement was at its peek. This was when the African-Americans were growing impatient and could not wait a minute longer before they had their constitutional and God given rights. Many peaceful marches, sit-ins, and boycotts were usually always greeted at the end with police, attack dogs, firemen, and ambulances. African- Americans started their own â€Å"police force† called The Black Panther Party so they can supposedly arm themselves against the white people. While others such as Malcolm X tried to convince black people that the whites were not going to help them and that they have to stand up for their own rights. Many riots were also taking place across the nation destroying many cities. After waiting for 300 years so they can have rights that every human being should naturally have they were angry and angry people are not very reasonable. As a result of getting rid of integration many people come up with peaceful marches, sit-ins, and boycotts as a solution. This was when hundreds or maybe thousands of young and old black people gathered around as a group so they can be heard and seen by everyone. Their goals would always vary but they would never stop until they have reached them, even though it may include violence. A good example would be in Birmingham, Alabama on May 2, 1963. Their goals were to try to stop integration in public facilities and department stores. The leaders were Dr. Martin Luther King and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. Early on April 12, 1963 they were arrested for marching when the governor told them not to. Directly on their release on April 20 they planned their second march. Their second march included a thousand people and when they barely started marching a block away the police commissioner was waiting for them and brutally arrested 900 people. The next day 25,000 people came out to march including many children. This time instead of arresting them they sprayed water and let loose attack dogs.

Henry VI of England :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Could you imagine yourself becoming the leader of a country at merely the age of nine months old? King Henry VI of England did it. Henry was the only son of King Henry V and Catherine of Valois (Wikipedia). By the time Henry V died, he had not only consolidated power as the King of England, but had also effectively accomplished what generations of his ancestors had failed to achieve through decades of war: unification of the crowns of England and France (Wikipedia). For that one single victory by Henry V, he became very popular for that effort. By the sounds of it, Henry was an outseanding King and loved by the people. His son, Henry VI, seemingly had to follow in his fathers footsteps and perhaps do something even greater than his now deceased father. There was only one problem: How can you run a country when you are only a child? England was okay after the death of Henry V because Henry VI had regents that ran the country for him. Under normal circumstances of this magnitude, the wife of a deceased King ran the country, but the English did not want Catherine of Valois to run the country for the simple fact that she was French; so therefore they gave the power to this infant in hopes of greatness. Because young Henry was too young to run the country and had regents to run the country for him until he became of age, Catherine made sure that her son was well-educated. While politics and foreign policies were being negotiated by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, Bishop Henry Beaufort, and John, Duke of Bedford, young Henry VI was either learning or being told to go play (Crow). Henry was finally officially crowned King of England at Westminister Abbey on November 6, 1429 at the age of eight and King of France at Notre Dame in Paris on December 16, 1431. Henry did not assume the reins of government until he was declared of age in 1437 (Wikipedia).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the simple fact that when Henry VI was younger and not allowed to take an active role in leading England, he did not really care about running the country. Henry was such a spiritually deep man that he lacked the worldly wisdom necessary to allow him to rule effectively (Wikipedia). Henry was more of an indecisive pushover.

America culture and society in the 1920s

Lynn Dumenil's account of the era commonly referred to as the â€Å"roaring twenties† in The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s there is an intentional emphasis placed on the effort to dispel the popular notion that the new, revolutionary transformations in culture and society that took place at this time in history were direct results of the First World War.In the stead of this less insightful means of analyzing the 1920's in America by assuming that the post war era was a direct creation and consequence from the war, the author offers the suggestion that the seeds of the twenties were planted much earlier during the industrial revolution and through the effects of a culture †¦ Showed first 120 words of 1136 Size (words) †¦ Continuing with another 115 out of 1136 Size (words) †¦ are aspects to this period that I feel this particular text does not give proper acknowledgement to.Dumenil does a good job of showing the prevailing winds of the time and analyzing the forces that pushed society forward into what it is today; however, little is said about the opposing forces that tried to collectively pull back the reigns of capitalism, secularism, and urbanization. These forces, which came in the form of the Industrial Workers of the World, William Jennings Bryan, and many others who attempted to retain the Victorian way of life also played an instrumental role in shaping society through their broad range of dissent from the path of urbanizationWhen most of us take a backward glance at the 1920s, we may think of prohibition and the jazz age, of movies stars and flappers, of Harold Lloyd and Mary Pick ford, of Lindbergh and Hoover–and of Black Friday, October 29, 1929, when the plunging stock market ushered in the great depression. But the 1920s were much more. Lynn Dumenil brings a fresh interpretation to a dramatic, important, and misunderstood decade.As her lively work makes clear, changing values brought an end to the repressive Victorian era; urban liberalism emerged; the federal bureaucracy was expanded; pluralism became increasingly important to America's heterogeneous society; and different religious, ethnic, and cultural groups encountered the homogenizing force of a powerful mass-consumer culture. The Modern Temper brings these many developments into sharp focus. Praise â€Å"The Modern Temper is an engaging, stimulating, and thoughtful re-creation of one of our most interesting and complex decades.†Lynn Dumenil's The Modern Temper provides an exciting and original synthesis of a crucial decade that few of us really understand. She makes the insights and confusions of the women and the men of the twenties come alive. This is an important book. â€Å"–Ellen Dubois, University of California at Los Angeles â€Å"Dumenil offers wealth of fresh insights on a fascinating decade. This illuminating study subtly recasts our understanding of an era whose tensions and stresses oft en uncannily parallel those of our own day. â€Å"–Paul Boyer, University of WisconsinSynopsis: when most of us take a backward glance at the 1920s, we may think of prohibition and the jazz age, of movies stars and flappers, of Harold Lloyd and Mary Pick ford, of Lindbergh and Hoover–and of Black Friday, October 29, 1929, when the plunging stock market ushered in the great depression. But the 1920s were much more. Lynn Dumenil brings a fresh interpretation to a dramatic, important, and misunderstood decade. As her lively work makes clear, changing values brought an end to the repressive Victorian era; urban liberalism emerged; the federal bureaucracy was expanded; pluralism became increasingly important to America'sheterogeneous society; and different religious, ethnic, and cultural groups encountered the homogenizing force of a powerful mass-consumer culture. The Modern Temper brings these many developments into sharp focus. Turning to the flip side of the '20s' flap per image, Dumenil looks at the darker side of the decade forming the â€Å"central motifs that have shaped the modern American temper. † Between the end of WWI and the stock market crash, the aura of get-rich-quick prosperity overshadowed tensions resulting from the highly skewed distribution of wealth.The unfettered capitalism of the time is reflected by Calvin Coolidge, who said, â€Å"the man who builds a factory builds a temple. The man, who works there, worships there. † In 1920, for the first time, half the U. S. population lived in cities. While life grew more organized, complex and sexually liberated, the reaction increased, too. Capitalists fanned a Red Scare following the 1919 Bolshevik Revolution, forcing American reformers to confront this inflated fear along with homegrown poverty and racism.Dumenil points to the mass consumer culture, corporate mentality, job structure that eroded individual autonomy, assembly lines, intense special-interest lobbying in Washington and the fusion of sexuality with consumption as among the decade's legacies to later American culture. Readers may wish that Dumenil spent more time on countervailing radical forces (Rand School of Social Science; Scott Nearing; Max Eastman's The Masses; Industrial Workers of the World, the IWW) that contributed to the ferment of this formative era.Even so, she has captured the fire of this volcanic time and weaves together scores of social and political threads into an insightful overview. American culture in the 1920,s and beyond has had a great significance up to date. The culture invented in those days is still in place and most people and groups still practice and keep the souvenirs so that they can pass from one generation to another. Religious influence is also to be seen in situations where new migrants have made residential decisions. polarizations of ethnic religious groups in the 1920’s to present day America the major division is that of protestants and Catholics.Social interaction within the city is often on the basis of these broad religious groupings which can over ride ethnic divisions. For example, the Dutch immigrant community is more likely to mix the Swedish immigrant community than with Italian because of religious affiliations. The third major religious group is that of the Jewish community and has a strong sense of territory and strong social processes internal to the community but with relative loose connection with other communities. Agricultural practices where practiced by farmers in rural areas.Most farmers began to drift from the highlands and into the lowland alluvial plains. They had been attracted by the greater agricultural fertility of the soil but what is certain is that the move led to profound changes in agrarian practice. Most farmers favored as an independent originator of agriculture, appears the most prolific. Among the crops which first emerged in the Americas where maize, potatoes, manioc, cacao, squ ash and tobacco, and among the animals where the llama, the turkey, and the guinea pig.Industrial revolution was latter invented which affected agriculture, transport, social organizations and urbanization. In fact there were few facet of life left untouched by them. in addition to this, it maybe argued that the changes which took place during the period conventionally recognized as that of industrial revolution had the origin sometimes many centuries earlier. In that sense the period was not one of revolution, but one in which there was a marked quickening of the processes already begun and underway. But few would deny that the industrial revolution marks one of the major transformations in history.it is important in this context because as well as its social and economic impact, it had profound geographical consequences. The social structure or political opinion of neighborhood influences the individual voting decisions. the neighborhood effect is similar to a diffusion process in that political attitudes spread within a district in several cities in U. S. A individuals of relatively low socio-economic class living in middle class neighborhoods are less likely to vote democratic (the traditional party of lower class voters ) than if they live in a lower class neighborhood.The individuals are affected in their voting behavior by the information and political environment of their area of residence. The degree of this influence is termed the neighborhood effect The process underlying the neighborhood effect depends on the probability of contacts of the voter with someone who will provide political information. This probability of contacts depends not only on social groupings in the neighborhood. Lynn dumenill’s account on all this issues is discussed in dept and formed the core values of the American culture.although a lot as borrowed from the past years and history the incorporation of it in the 1920’s made a strong cultural impact and the Americ ans also tend to keep their culture but due to intermarriages and new inhabitants heading to America. Most people doesn’t follow or know their past culture well unless they read from books References: Richard Marchand, 1985. Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity, 1920-1940. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

The Market Coverage Strategies

INTRODUCTION While company has differentiated several market segmentation. Company need to select a suitable and profitable segment to enter it. But, how company identify which segment is most valuable to itself and compatible with its current resource and facilities. So, company may use market coverage strategies to solve this problem and choice the best segment to enter it. Market coverage strategic is a method that helps in evaluating the various segments of the marketplace and deciding which segment to cover in the marketing of a particular product.BODY There are 3 types of general market coverage strategies which will generally adopted by marketer. There are undifferentiated marketing, differentiated marketing, and concentrated marketing. For undifferentiated marketing, is a market coverage strategy whereby company using single product to attack whole market without concern differences within market. Undifferentiated marketing obtain to mass distribution and mass advertising, wh ich aiming to give the product a superior image in the minds of consumers.It helps in cost saving as single production line, inventoried, distributed, and advertised. So when it comes to market research and product management, costs usually to be lower as only focusing single product. For example, Nestle company produce MILO to attack to whole market without differentiate market segmentation. This is a milk beverage with chocolate and malt, it has successfully attract wide segment of market likes children, teenager, adult and even old folk. MILO has become part of daily necessary of consumer.For differentiated marketing, this is multi-segment marketing which market coverage strategy while a company attack to two or more market segment by selling product and unique marketing strategy which tailored to each different segment. It would help company to obtain revenue from different market segment whereby attacking every single market segment. However, it also increases the costs of prod uction, inventoried, distributed, advertise, market research and product management.For example, Mc-Donald, it sells various type of burger to target different type of market segment such as fish burger, chicken burger, and beef burger and happy meal (target children). So, customer will feel company able to serve what they need and other alternative choice even their taste change. Besides that, Mc Donald also sells fried chicken to satisfy those customers who has bored with burger. So, by targeting different type of market segments, it makes Mc Donald becomes successfully in the fast food industry.For concentrated marketing, it is one of the market segmentation which company produce product to market for a very well-defined, specific segment of the consumer population. This marketing strategy is highly focusing to the needs of that specific market segment. This strategy is particularly effective for certain company. As limited resources, it enables the company to achieve a strong ma rket position and becomes specialist in the specific market segment. Concentrated strategy helps in controlling cost effectively while avoiding mass production, mass distribution and mass advertising.So, company might use the fund from these aspects to invest R&D for its product development which will help company to sustain in the long run business within the specific industry. For example, ROLEX Company which produces luxury watches to specific market segment, it has created the branded and luxury image to customer and highly focusing on the technical part of watches function development. ROLEX only targeting to higher-income customer segment, it creates higher profit margin as well although the market share is small.When company has understood about 3 types of general market coverage strategies, company should only choose one strategy out of these 3 due to resource limited and risk concerns. So, what are the factors need to be considered between company status and strategy in ord er to ensure company will choose the best market coverage strategy. The factors need to be considered are company resources, product variability, product’s stage in the life cycle, market variability, and competitor’s marketing strategies. Firstly, company resource is crucial in choosing whether the company should go for undifferentiated, differentiate and concentrated.As these 3 strategies are requiring different level of resources to company, it needed to compatible with company current resource availability. For example, a new market entrant usually has limited resource and capital to invest its product to tailor with every different customer segment. So it might choose undifferentiated marketing in the early time of business to achieve economies of scale for cost saving and avoid risk and, as differentiated and concentrated strategies require more resource and capital to invest on it.Secondly, Product variability, company need to consider its product changeability while making decision to market coverage strategy. If the product changeability is low, it might be difficult to use differentiated marketing strategy for the company. So, it only goes for either undifferentiated marketing or concentrated marketing, as these two strategies focusing on single product producing to satisfy the market. For example, SUNKIST Company is using undifferentiated marketing strategy to target its market segment.The reason is because the product of SUNKIST is orange and it has limited the variability to target different market segmentation. So, differentiated marketing strategy is not appropriate in this case. Thirdly, Product stage in the life cycle, company might apply different market coverage strategy while different stages of life cycle. When the product under stage of â€Å"introduction† in the product life cycle, it should apply undifferentiated marketing or concentrated marketing instead of using differentiated marketing.It is because when product under this stage, there are lots of unforeseen risk along the time. Company should more focus the major customer and instead focus whole customer segment as it will be costly. For example, Old Chang Kee started its business with selling handmade curry puff to customer at the early stage of business. When its business has picked up, it started diversify its product to serve variety customer segment by introducing new product likes sotong ball, chicken wing and up to 28 types of products.Fourthly, Market variability, when the time of market changeability is high, it will affect the market coverage strategy to apply. These product usually famous and decline by customer in a very short of time due to the trend. So, differentiated marketing strategy might not be suitable for these product, company would not be benefit to target all segment of customer and product life cycle is too short. For example, toy likes YOYO and TRANSFORMER become famous and high demanded by customer as the fashi on and movie affection.So, company should not apply differentiated marketing and concentrated marketing as it is no worth to invest to the product which product life cycle is too short. Lastly, competitor’s marketing strategies, company should consider other competitors strategies moves before determine market coverage strategies. It is too risky to have same strategies with own competitors and market share also will be reduced. Company should look for the latent market and enjoy the higher profit margin. For example, HERMES bag is targeting luxury market by using concentrated marketing.It helps to make higher profit margin from this specific market instead targeting mass market segment as there are too many competitors within the industry. Conclusion Company should understand which market coverage strategies appropriate to apply. It related to company product and future targeting customer segment. At the same time, Company need to compare with own current resource, micro and macro environment. Because these factors will affect the determination of market coverage strategies and also will decides the profitability of the product in the business.