Symbolism in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway

In a well-written short story, different literary elements and terms are incorporated into the story by the author. Ernest Hemingway frequently uses various literary elements in his writing to entice the reader and enhance each piece that he writes. In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses symbols to teach the reader certain things that one may encounter during daily life. Symbolism may be defined as relating to, using, or proceeding by means of symbols (Princeton). The use of symbols in Hills Like White Elephants is utterly important to the plot line and to the fundamental meaning of the story. Through this use of symbolism, the reader can begin to reveal the hidden themes in this short story. Hemingway provides the reader with†¦show more content†¦The negative connotation of a white elephant is expressed in this explanation. It is this negative meaning that is describing the hills, or her pregnant stomach and the unborn child. Further on in their conversation regarding the decision to be made, Jig says to the man, â€Å"I know. But if I do it then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants and you’ll like it?† (Hemingway). The girl deliberately asks the man whether the decision of aborting the child will better their lives, or continue moving them down the path of unhappiness. The decision that Jig is faced with ties back to the main theme that Hemingway portrays throughout the short story, decision and indecision. The constant uncertainty that is revealed through the girl’s character is seen in other instances as well. Throughout the story, Hemingway incorporates various themes for the reader to take away from the reading . The relationship between the man and the girl exemplifies the theme of man and woman, as well as the theme of decision and indecision. Hemingway depicts this relationship and life together as the train that the couple is waiting for. According to the University of Michigan website, â€Å"Train symbolism is related to social life, destiny, journey, and fatalism (â€Å"Train†). In â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† the train represents the journey of life, with or without the unborn child. Together, the decisions of either choosing life for the child orShow MoreRelatedThe Symbolism in â€Å"The Hills Like White Elephants† by Ernest Hemingway548 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"The Hills Like White Elephants† is a short story that is about an American man and a girl called Jig. They are sitting at a table outside a train station, waiting for a train to Madrid. While they wait they order drinks and have a heated ongoing conversation over whether or not Jig will have an operation that would be of great significance to their relationship. â€Å"The Hills Like White Elephants† by Ernest Hemingway has two important symbols in the story, the hills and the drinks both of whichRead MoreSymbolism In Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway844 Words   |  4 Pages In Ernest Hemingway’s short story â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† I noticed the characters drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Alcohol is notoriously known for its ‘cure-all or drink until you forget why you started’ abilities. Therefore, I wanted to start with Hills Like White Elephants. When Hemingway first eases the readers into the story, he talks about a junction where a man and woman are waiting for their train. While at this junction, both parties are continuously throwing back beer afterRead MoreSymbolism In Hills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway992 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1927, Ernest Hemingway penned a short story titl ed, â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants.† The story takes place at a train station in Spain and depicts a troublesome dilemma for the two main characters. The story begins with the characters casually discussing what kind of beer to partake in; the tone quickly shifts when the man mentions a surgery to his female friend, Jig. The reader is left to infer that the two characters are discussing an abortion. Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism throughout the storyRead MoreSymbolism in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway Essay1703 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is the use of symbolism in writing? Is it merely to confuse the reader or is its true intent to make the reader think about the meaning of the story? A symbol is a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning (Meyer 220). In Ernest Hemingways short story Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses a plethora of symbols to convey the idea that the young girl, Jig is ambivalent to having an abortion an d that her older American boyfriend does not want to have the babyRead MoreCritical Analysis of the Short Story ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway.1497 Words   |  6 Pagesshort story ‘Hills like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway. Word Count: 1367 Hills like White Elephants – Ernest Hemingway â€Å"Will Jig have the abortion and stay with the man; will Jig have the abortion and leave the man; or will Jig not have the abortion and win the man over to her point of view?† (Hashmi, N, 2003). These are the three different scenarios that have been seriously considered in Ernest Hemingway’s short story, â€Å"Hills like White Elephants†. Ernest Hemingway is a great writerRead MoreHills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway1037 Words   |  5 PagesFebruary 10, 2016 â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† by Ernest Hemingway Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† can be puzzling and hard to decipher. Due to this, a number of conclusions can be drawn away from the text. The dialog between characters leaves a number of questions unanswered and leaves the reader confused about the conversation as a whole. Many things are left unsaid and not explained in the story, with that being the case, the reader must take a look at the symbolism in the story. HemingwayRead MoreHills Like White Elephants1354 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism in â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"The Hills Like White Elephants† is a short story published in 1927 about an American man and a woman named Jig. The setting of this story takes place at a train station located in Spain surrounded by hills, trees, and fields. Other devices used by Hemingway throughout this story include imagery, simile, excellent syntax, and a very tense and emotional tone. In the beginning of the story, the American and Jig sit outside of the trainRead More`` Hills Like White Elephants `` By Ernest Hemingway1750 Words   |  7 PagesErnest Hemingway’s stories are known for their ever interpreting meanings behind them, and â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† does not trail from the rest due to the never mentioned word ‘abortion’. â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† written by Ernest Hemingway, takes place around World War 1 in Spain, at a train station (Hills Like White Elephants. 4). An American man and a girl have been discussi ng the girl’s unspecific operation. It is apparent that the girl is perturbed about this operation, while theRead MoreErnest Hemingway s Hills Like White Elephants952 Words   |  4 PagesErnest Hemingway, a well-known American writer, was born in Cicero, Illinois, in 1899. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† was written in 1927, the short story is about a young couple, located at a train station somewhere in Spain, who throughout the story are having a verbal argument about an unnamed operation. The reader can quickly figure out that the operation the two main characters, the American and Jig, are discussing is an abortion. Ernest Hemingway’sRead MoreCompare/Contrast: A Good Man Is Hard to Find with Hills Like White Elephants917 Words   |  4 PagesCompare/Contrast: Good Man with Hills Currently, a plethora of outstanding stories have been written. What makes a story, though? The answer is the elements that the author includes into his or her writing, such as symbolism and imagery. Hills like White Elephants, written by Ernest Hemingway, and A Good Man is Hard to Find, written by Flannery OConnor, are just two examples of admirable work. Each writer incorporated plenty of elements to improve the story. Since the amount

Essay on America Needs Stricter Gun Control Laws - 1530 Words

Gun control has become more of a hot topic in recent years. Some believe that there is no need for additional gun control. On the other hand, we have some that believe that the government can improve gun laws. Although many believe that gun control will violate their rights, the idea of stricter gun control laws can help communities. We live in very violent times. There are daily accounts reported in the media about shootings. We do well to ask, Is there a solution to this growing crisis? Yes! It is call gun control. The lack of stricter gun control has damaged our communities. How so? Well, in order to answer that question, first we have to understand what makes up a community. Then we will explore the history of our gun control laws.†¦show more content†¦Many people are familiar with the second amendment. However, this amendment has been interpreted many different ways to fit the wants of this society. It has been used and several times by the Supreme Court and politician s. But we need to examine the second amendment closely. Many people fail to mention or read the small print. The second amendment was ratified in 1791. The second amendment states: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed This has been distorted so many ways. This amendment is also dated. We have to keep in mind that our society has changed since this amendment has been written. This was made around the time of the Revolutionary War. During that time all males’ citizens were required to own guns because they were fighting against the British forces. Virginia has the best interpretation of the second amendment. Before the Declaration of Independence, Virginia was the first colony to adopt a state constitution. They stated that the second amendment as follows: A well regulated Militia, composed of the body of the people trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state Today there is no need to protect ourselves from government take over. We handed them ourselves our lives our education. They control the way we live and raise our children among a lot of other things weather we agree with their input or not. ThereShow MoreRelatedAmerica Needs Stricter Gun Control Laws Essay1161 Words   |  5 Pagesmillion non – military guns in America† (O’Brien and Stanton). Many people that own a firearm usually have more than one gun. Also, a majority of gun owners feel that owning a firearm is the best way to protect themselves at home. With the large number of guns said to be in America, there needs to be a way to prevent the number of frequently occurring mass shootings. The solution to this issue is called gun control. Gun control needs to be implied more in our society because gun related crimes are mostlyRead MoreEssay about America Needs Stricter Gun Control Laws2201 Words   |  9 Pagesruled the land. People with guns have fought a nd won our freedom from many different countries. Since we have had guns for so long in America, it has become a tradition to get or own a gun. It would make people go insane if the people got their right to bear arms taken away from the government (Alters2 1 of 8 ). Since the beginning of fire arms it has become a tradition for most families in America. Firearm ownership has been an America tradition and it has been in America since the early 1600s whenRead MoreThe Debate Over Stricter Gun Control Laws924 Words   |  4 PagesThe debate over stricter gun laws has been ongoing in the United States for quite some time now. Individuals who oppose stricter gun control laws argue that the second amendment to the constitution of the United States constitute part of the bill of rights that protect the right of American citizens to bear arms, and any attempt to set up laws for gun control will be a direct violation of this (Hofstadter 10). They argue that the primary purpose of the amend ment was to ensure that American CitizensRead MoreThe Debate Over Stricter Gun Control929 Words   |  4 Pages Gun Control in the United States The debate over stricter gun laws has been ongoing in the United States for quite some time now. Individuals who oppose stricter gun control laws argue that the second amendment to the constitution of the United States constitute part of the bill of rights that protect the right for American citizens to bear arms, and any attempt to set up laws for gun control will be a direct violation on this (Hofstadter 10). They argueRead MoreStricter Gun Laws in America829 Words   |  4 PagesSTRICTER GUN LAWS IN AMERICA â€Æ' America needs stricter measures on gun usage because other countries have clearly shown that it is possible to have a much lower percentage of gun-related violence. The obvious changes that America needs to improve on are stricter gun-control laws, and a system of education before people are allowed to own guns. Guns were used in 11,078 homicides in the U.S. in 2010, comprising almost 35% of all gun deaths, and over 68% of all homicides (Statistics onRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Gun Control875 Words   |  4 Pagesissue of gun control laws has become a prevalent topic of debate throughout American society. This debate stems from two opposing arguments over gun control. Some feel gun control laws are fair and not the contributing factor to these mass shootings, whereas, others feel that there is an urgent need for strict laws in order to end the problem of mass shootings. There are numerous pros and cons to the enforcement of stricter gun control laws but we must note a few things: stricter gun control laws wouldRead MoreSchool Shootings And The Shootings969 Words   |  4 Pageshistory in America for many years, however since the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in 2012 to present, there has been 142 school shootings (Staff, Washington Times). Many injuries, deaths, and lives have be en changed as result of school shootings. These horrible events have raised the topic gun control to the front line of controversy. After 2012, requirements were added to the background checks for purchasing guns. Twelve state legislatures expanded the background checks on gun purchasesRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control Laws1701 Words   |  7 PagesA gun has the capacity to convert a conflict into a serious crime. The power of a gun is vast. But it the power of the gun is appreciated in right hands. The effects of a gun can be cherished when it is used by right hands and with the right intention. The effects of the gun are condemned when it reaches in wrong hands. A gun can protect as well as end someone’s life. When it ends the life of a criminal, it is a sign of bravery but when it takes the lives of innocent people it is condemned. ThereforeRead MoreThe United States Current Laws For Gun Control1340 Words   |  6 PagesGun control is the set of laws or policies that re gulate the sale, manufacture, transfer, possession, modification, and/or use of firearms by civilians. Are the United States’ current laws for gun control effective? Is the U.S. in need of reform or enactment of new laws? Alarming statistics indicate that the status quo is ineffective. Gun control laws in the US should be stricter and uniform since there are an unusually high quantity of gun-related incidents in the U.S.. Additionally, countries thatRead MoreThe Need for Stricter Gun Laws in Micheal Gawendas Book, Americas Lethal Affair with the Gun589 Words   |  3 Pagesthis expository article. â€Å"Americas lethal affair with the gun†, dated Februrary 6th, 2006, Micheal Gawenda contend s that America needs to be stricter on gun control laws. Gawenda, from The Age, writes the article with tones of dissension and assetiveness, but in a calm controlled way of approach. The intended audience of the article are the readers of The Age, as that is the source. Gawenda firmly believes that gun control laws in America are not strict enough, to persuade his readers, he uses

Impairment Loss Assets is AASB 136

Question: Discuss about the Report for Impairment Loss for Assets is AASB 136. Answer: The standard which describes the impairment of assets is AASB 136 as per the Australian Accounting Standards which is similar to the International Accounting Standard, IAS 36. The main objective of this standard is to enable corporates with prescribed methodologies to conduct a test with regards impairment of its assets thus ensures that the assets are not being recorded at greater than its recoverable value. If an asset is recognized at a value which is greater than the actual recoverable amount then the difference of the carrying and the recoverable amount is termed as impairment loss. The said standard also mentions about the various circumstances in which the impairment loss is to be reversed by the corporation and the requisite disclosures to be made (Australian Accounting Standards Board, 2009). The said standard is applicable to all types of assets which are disclosed in the balance sheet of the company but for the below mentioned category of assets simply because the separate standards spelt out for these assets contains provisions for their recognition and measurement.. They are as follows: Stock (raw materials, finished goods and WIP) (AASB 102) Assets that are constructed (AASB 111) Deferred tax assets (AASB 112) Employee Benefits (AASB 119) Financial Assets covered under standard AASB 139 Properties held as investments and agricultural properties which are held at its fair value (AASB 140 and AASB 141) Assets arising out of discontinued operations of the entity or are held for disposal (AASB 5) Therefore whenever a company identifies situations which incline towards the fact that the value of its assets are diminishing, it is then that the company records the impairment loss (Carrying Amount Recoverable Amount) as in its profit and loss statement and deducts the amount from the respective asset as accumulated impairment. Thus until and unless the company faces such factors which prompts it to impair its assets, impairment does not take place. Factors may be internal as well as external in nature. Factors such as a negative change in the market interest rates, instability in political, economic and legal system, the haulage amount of total assets of the corporation is greater than market capitalisation or declination of the market value of an asset significantly are external factors. Whereas internal factors comprises of situations such as a possible obsolescence, significant restructuring or any indication which reflects that the performance of the entity has deteriorated. So as to enable to know the amount by which an asset has been impaired it is very important to understand certain terms. Carrying Amount: The value at which an asset is presently recorded in the balance sheet of the company before impairment is known as its carrying amount. Recoverable Amount: The higher of an assets or Cash Generating Units fair value less cost of sale and value in use is termed as recoverable amount. Cash Generating Unit: It is a unit of a company that comprises of a number of assets which are independent of generating revenue. The CGU comes into picture when the impairment of individual asset is not possible to do. In such scenario one has to conduct the impairment of the CGU to which the asset belongs. Value in Use: The NPV of the cash flows that is likely to be generated from the asset is coined as value in use (Bond et.al. 2016). For example if there are indications of impairment of an asset , say plant and machinery, then the recoverable amount is first and foremost calculated. The fair value less its selling expenses and the NPV of its future cash flow whichever is higher. Then the difference between the two i.e. CA- RA is termed as impairment loss and is recorded as an operational expense in the profit and loss account. The amount is deducted from Plant and machinery mentioned in the balance sheet. It is equally true that if an asset is subject to impairment, the same is also subject to such reversal also. It is applicable for the individual asset as well as the CGU. Goodwill is not a part of the said reversal as per the standard. Thus at the end of each accounting period a test is conducted to check if the impaired assets no longer required to be stated at such a devalued amount. If the situation is so then the amount is written back but only to the scope the carrying amount of the asset would have been had it not been subjected to impairment (Henderson et.al. 2014). The standard further requires the entities to report about such impairment in there notes to accounts as well. Disclosures which are mandatory as per AASB 136 are as under: Every company which ha impaired its assets or a CGU shall disclose the following: The amount by which the asset is impaired or reversed and recorded in the income statement of that reporting phase and the line item(s) which is a part of the statement of comprehensive income in which such impairment is also recorded. The amount of impairment loss on the revalued assets which has been recorded in the other comprehensive income The amount of impairment loss reversed on revalued assets and recorded in the other comprehensive income (Buschhuter, Striegel, 2011). If an entity does segmental reporting as per AASB 8, then it has to disclose the amount of impairment loss or reversal which has been recorded in the income statement and the other comprehensive income For any significant impairment loss or reversal the entity will have to disclose the circumstances which led to such impairment, the amount, nature of the said asset, full description of the cash generating unit being impaired. Lastly impairment with regards goodwill is to be disclosed separately (Dagwell et.al. 2012). Thus on a concluding note, it is very apparent that the said standard is of utmost importance as it enables the entity to reveal the actual position of its assets. This in turn reflects the liquidity position and the ability of the entity to pay off its debts. Its importance is all the more perceived after the various economic crisis that has occurred in the past due to incorrect reporting of the assets of the company. Thus AASB 136 is prescribed to ensure that the balance sheet portrays a correct picture of the position of the entity rather than a rosy one. References: Australian Accounting Standards Board, (2009), Impairment of Assets- AASB 136, Available at https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB136_07-04_COMPjun09_01-10.pdf (Accessed 17th September 2016) Bond, D., Govendir, B., Wells, P., (2016), An evaluation of asset impairment decision by Australian firms and whether this was impacted by AASB 136, Available at https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/ACCDG_Aut15Sem_D.Bond_.pdf (Accessed 17th September 2016) Buschhuter, M., Striegel, A., (2011), IAS36- Impairment of Assets, Gabler: USA Dagwell, R., Wines, G., Lambert, C., (2012), Corporate Accounting in Australia, Pearson: Australia Henderson, S., Peirson, G., Herbohn, K., Howieson, B., (2014), Issues in Financial Accounting, Pearson: Australia

The Land of the Dead Review Essay Example

The Land of the Dead Review Paper Essay on The Land of the Dead Well, I got to the glorified forums Boyar hundred. Boyar hundred a mezhavtorsky project, in which he noted Prozorov, Khaetskaja Morozov, Chekalov, Dyakov and a number of other authors. Cycle natsinaet novel Land of the Dead, thats about it for now and Ill write (will desire to write about all the cycle of the book, as you read them). Roman liked, although impressions contradictory delight to slight bewilderment and even anger. Interesting and exciting describes the life of people of the XVI century, characters, characters, the relationship between people of different classes. Reading a novel, you catch yourself thinking that you yourself are present at the scene. The author apparently did a great job, so to describe in detail all, and could not escape, unfortunately, many inaccuracies and inconsistencies. This also applies to historical events and the types of weapons and household items. Protagonist of the novel, oprichnik fairing, turned colorful figure. He watches over the interests of the sovereign one hundred percent, intelligent, uncompromising, but at the same time violent and fanatical. Probably a child of his age. Very peculiar its relations with representatives of the XXI century, all incomprehensible and unnecessary discards it, trying to take advantage of people who are, in principle, had to be destr oyed. Here on the position and activity of the protagonist and there is a feeling of unease for the author. I wanted to show guardsmen in all its glory, well, look in reference books, because there oprichnina only after more than ten years after the events described. People razbirayushiesya in the XVI century history argue that this type of work is not the guardsmen performed: get the sort of local police with additional features border guard. But if you close your eyes to all these flaws, it can be read with great interest. (I do not recommend reading serious historians, you do not like it. Believe me, we do not study the history of such works, but just to enjoy reading.) We will write a custom essay sample on The Land of the Dead Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Land of the Dead Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Land of the Dead Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer As for our contemporaries, then I have to tell you is not going smoothly as mogloby be if historical realizations described in very detail, the life of the device and ours while somehow very primitive, chtoli, well, like, here we are so smart and all we get. Lets see what will happen in the sequel. Time will tell.

20 The Kite Runner Essay Topics to Explore

20 The Kite Runner Essay Topics to Explore Welcome to the second guide where you are provided with 20 The Kite Runner Essay Topics. These topics will help you have a better idea on what to write because all you need is a topic to give you a headstart. We already provided you with some interesting facts. But we’ve also included a bonus. After skimming through the topics, you’ll find a sample exploratory essay on one of the topics, so you can start writing immediately, taking help from the sample as you see fit. Sample essays make everything that more convenient, don’t they? After you’ve read this guide, we recommend you take a look at our final guide, informative guide for an exploratory essay on The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which is, basically, a manual on how to write and outline for an exploratory essay. It is perfect for individuals who are looking for tips on elevating their essay to a whole new level of professionalism. So, without further delay, here are 20 essay topics on The Kite Runner: Is There Justification to Amir’s Jealousy for Hassan in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini? Reasons behind Amir’s Guilt-Stricken Cowardice in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Why did the Khaled Hosseini Portray Hassan as a Rape Victim in The Kite Runner? Amir’s Journey Towards Becoming a Successful Novelist in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Causes of Fertility Issues with Amir and Soraya in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Is Hassan the Most Evil Character in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini? Is Amir The Most Evil Character in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini? Signs That Help You Predict the True Relation between Amir and Hassan in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini What was the Role of Amir in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini? The Types of Love Discussed in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Social Lessons to Learn from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini How The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Highlights The Immigrants’ Issues The Social Gap between Amir and Hassan: What We Can Learn from This in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini What Does the Kite Symbolize In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini? How Does The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Define the Afghan Culture Redemption in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: Does our Social Status Define Who We Are? Friendship Lessons to Learn in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The Picture of Afghanistan Painted in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini How The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Motivates Us To Confront Our Mistakes. As promised, it’s time to walk you through an exploratory essay on one of the above topics. This essay will act as a sample and assists you in carving out the perfect essay. Be sure to read our final guide after you’ve completed reading this one. With that said, here is the sample: Sample Exploratory Essay: The Culture of Afghanistan in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner is an interesting book and is very entertaining to read. However, several identities such as Janette Edwards, have exposed Hosseini and critiqued the book as inauthentic and suspicious. Since Edwards has conducted several interviews with Afghan-Americans, he thinks that the parallels between the author and character position Hosseini as an outsider to Afghanistan. According to the book, the culture of the Afghans is not quite how it is in real life. Khaled Hosseini is actually the son of a diplomat, who has spent most of his life outside Afghanistan, which, in all likelihood, could mean that he doesn’t know much about his culture, religion or the Afghan society, for that matter. Since most criticisms on the Kite Runner claim that the characters and situations written in the book were reckless and devising; it clearly exposes the fact that Hosseini doesn’t really know the fabric of the Afghan society. Furthermore, the argument holds itself strong as Khaled Hosseini got separated from Afghanistan in his childhood. If you’ve read â€Å"The Reluctant Fundamentalist†, you know how beautifully the author views American society and merges his lead character with the society itself. The Kite Runner, however, does the opposite. There are scarce interactions with non-Afghan Americans and the author highlights only the Afghani subculture – which, by many author criticisms, shows no consciousness. Even though Amir’s identification as an American seems appropriable as he achieves his American dream to become a novelist, unfortunately, there is no context in the book that exposes any kind of interaction with American society. On the other hand, the story that spans over the book is a graphic with violent accounts including rape, brutal beatings and public executions. Although, the story is fictional, the author has described it in a life-like scene, which to most of people, is indigestible and may claim that it contradicts the true culture in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner portrays possible realities that do exist all around the world – it’s a story of brotherhood, sacrifice, guilt, betrayal and pretty much everything that is found in human societies. However, the author includes a few violent and horrible events in the book that not only disgust the reader, but to some extent, traumatize people, so much so that they tend to agree with the author’s point of view on Afghani culture. If Hosseini had laid out his fictional story without creating such disturbing events in the book and including events that were leading characters such as Amir to interact with American society, the book would have made for a marvelous and inspiring story. However, this isn’t the case. It’s still a good read, however it can traumatize people who’ve never had the pleasure to know or experience â€Å"real† Afghani culture – it’s certainly not as bad as the book depicts it. Now that you’ve read our second guide, it’s time to read our final manual that explains how an exploratory essay is written. It is highly recommended that you read our informative guide for an exploratory essay thoroughly, as it will clear away any confusion you may have and assist you in writing a brilliant exploratory essay on The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. References: The Kite Runner Summary Critical Survey of Literature for Students Ed. Laurence W. Mazzeno. eNotes.com, Inc. 2010 eNotes.com 27 Sep, 2016 enotes.com/topics/kite-runner#summary-the-story Anis Kurilah, 2009 â€Å"Social and Moral Responsibility in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner: Sociological Approach† Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta  http://eprints.ums.ac.id/5483/1/A320050251.pdf Niraja Saraswat, 2014 â€Å"Theme of Identity and Redemption in Khaleed Hossieni’s The Kite Runner† Vol 1, No.5, 166-175, International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies (IJIMS) ijims.com/uploads/89d5501d7e7a1e187a62zppd_576.pdf â€Å"The Kite Runner Chapter 24 Summary eNotes Publishing Ed. Scott Locklear. eNotes.com, Inc. eNotes.com 27 Sep, 2016 enotes.com/topics/kite-runner#summary-chapter-summary-chapter-24-summary N. Shamand, 2010 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: Historical, Political and Cultural Contexts UGC, Academic Staff College, University of Kerala  http://arabicuniversitycollege.yolasite.com/resources/Faculty/NS/Dissertations/The%20Kite%20Runner%20-%20Historical,%20Political%20%20Cultural%20Contexts.pdf Azad, F. (2004). Dialogue with Khaled Hosseini. Lemar-Aftaab, 3(4), June.  http://afghanmagazine.com/2004_06/profile/khosseini.shtml Sadat, M.H. (2004). Afghan History: kite flying, kite running and kite banning. Lemar-Aftaab, 3(4), June.  http://afghanmagazine.com/2004_06/articles/hsadat.shtml

An Introduction to the French Language and Linguistics

An Introduction to the French Language and Linguistics A good place to begin if youre considering learning any language is to learn about where the language came from and how it functions within linguistics. If youre thinking about learning French before your next visit to Paris, this quick guide will get you started on discovering where French came from. The Language of Love French belongs to a group of languages identified as a Romance language, although thats not why its called the language of love. In linguistic terms, Romance and Romanic have nothing to do with love; they come from the word Roman and simply mean from Latin. Other terms sometimes used for these languages are Romanic, Latin, or Neo-Latin languages. These languages evolved from Vulgar Latin between the sixth and ninth centuries. Some other very common Romance languages include Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian. Other Romance languages include Catalan, Moldavian, Rhaeto-Romanic, Sardinian and Provenà §al. Because of their shared roots in Latin, these languages can have many words that are similar to each other.   Places French Is Spoken Romance languages originally evolved in Western Europe, but colonialism spread some of them all over the world. As a result,  French is spoken  in many regions other than just France. For example, French is spoken in the Maghreb, through Central and West Africa, and in Madagascar and Mauritius. Its the official language in 29 countries, but the majority of the francophone population is in Europe, followed by sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, with about 1% being spoken in Asia and Oceania.   Even though French is a Romance language, which you now know means that it is based on Latin, French has a number of characteristics that set it apart from the other members of its linguistic family. The development of French  and basic  French linguistics  go back to Frenchs evolution from Gallo-Romance which was the spoken Latin in Gaul and even more specifically, in Northern Gaul.   Reasons to Learn to Speak French Aside from becoming fluent in the worlds recognized language of love, French has long been an international language for diplomacy, literature and commerce, and has played a significant role in the arts and sciences as well. French is a recommended language to know for business as well. Learning French can allow communication  for various business and leisure travel opportunities across the world.

HUMAN TOXIC THREAT RISK ASSESSMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HUMAN TOXIC THREAT RISK ASSESSMENT - Essay Example Food additives are used for purposes of food preservation and the improvement of their test. Manufacturers also use food additives for purposes of imparting color as well as improving the appearance of the food. A significant number of manufacturers cannot ignore using food additives because of the fact that they guarantee long shelf life. It is no wonder that almost every food products contain additives. I recent years, there has been an increase in the use of additives which eventually has led to an increase in the number of its negative effects among consumers. Consequently, there has been a debate on whether food additives are more harmful than healthy. Tests carried out on animals that exhibit molecular structures similar to that of humans have shown that most additives in foods and drinks have the long term effect of causing diseases in the consumer. According to the website peopleforethicalliving.com, most people consume harmful substances in their foods without their knowledg e of it or due to plain ignorance. The website gives examples of such to include aspartame and most types of fluorides. On the contrary, the website answers.com has an argument that food and drink additives have many advantages which include improving its natural color and nutritional value, adding flavor to the food or drink, increasing its shelf life and, by keeping the food or drink in question fresh, reduces the risk of food poisoning (Monosson 42). Consumer Exposure The chemical threat from food and beverage additives is both acute and chronic in nature. While most additives could be harmless to most consumers, many lead to allergic reactions among them coughs and rashes on the skin. The chronic diseases set off by food and drink additives include many types of diseases including Type 2 diabetes, obesity and weight gain in general. The chemical threat from food and drink additives is a target organ threat besides being a carcinogenic and developmental threat too. As a target or gan threat, research using mice has shown that some chemicals used as additives cause brain tumors in consumers. These chemicals include excitotoxin food additives which enter the brain due to the porosity of the brain-blood barrier (BBB). Since the brain is very sensitive to foreign chemicals, many diseases such as brain tumors, head trauma and Alzheimer’s disease are a most likely occurrence. The carcinogenic properties of most food and drink additives such as cyclamates and saccharin have been proven beyond reasonable doubt by researchers. These chemicals cause brain tumors in rats and since rats share many genetic characteristics with humans, the effect on human consumers should be more or less the same. The two artificial sweeteners are found in most manufactured foods and drinks and were mostly used in the United States during the two world wars (Miller and Spoolman 11). These findings lead to the banning of cyclamates due to its adverse effects. As a developmental toxi c threat, food and drink additives have been proven to cause hyperactivity in children. Personally, the chemical threat from the use of additives found in foods and drinks shall affect me only in the normal way since no family history increases my vulnerability to their effects. My preference for the energy drink Red Bull though could put me at a great risk of being affected by the preservatives used in this drink. Risk

Macro Economic Policies Adopted by the Bank of England Essay

Macro Economic Policies Adopted by the Bank of England - Essay Example Government regulates many things in an economy including inflation, exports and imports, prices of many vital commodities, and many important economic aspects. Government of England has entrusted the job of determining the monetary policy, in the hands of Bank of England. Bank of England looks into many other big issues. One of the most important issues is that of ensuring monetary stability in the economy, which can be achieved through a combination of stable prices of goods and services across the economy coupled with a low inflation level and level of confidence of the investors in the currency of the country. The Bank comes out with the monetary policy in order to ensure a certain key objectives like, delivering price stability with a low inflation level coupled with an objective to support the Government's economic objectives of growth and employment. Price stability is taken care of, by the Government's usual inflation target of 2%. There is a need to contemplate the crucial and critical role played by price stability in achieving the aforesaid economic stability, and in providing just the right conditions for a sustainable and longe r living growth in output and employment. Chancellor of the Exchequer announces the Government's inflation target every year in the annual Budget statement. Though The 1998 Bank of England Act enables it to set interest rates independently, however, The Bank does hold accountability to the parliament and the wider public, which cannot be refrained from. The legislation provides the government the power to instruct the bank on the interest rates issues for a limited period of time during emergency, for the sake of national interests. (How Monetary Policy Works) The Bank of England has a monetary policy and it uses the same to regulate mechanism of the economy. Like when it decides to change the interest rate, the government is trying to check the overall expenditure of the economy. A change in interest rates is mostly used to contain inflation, which is the result of lavish expenditure by the country. The bank sets a fixed interest rate at which it lends money to financial institutions and depending on this interest rate, individual banks and other financial institutions set up their own interest rates, which apply to the whole economy. This step is of indispensable importance to the economy, as this is very widely used to contain inflation. The only purpose behind such a step is just to contain undue inflationary levels prevailing in an economy. The point to be noted here is that, this interest rate set by the Bank of England is so effective and powerful that it chips in greatly to regulate the whole economy. It affects the stock and bond prices and also influences the asset prices throughout the country. This interest rate also regulated the savings in an economy, which eventually results in capital formation and reinvestment. It is note that when interest rates are high, people prefer to invest money in government deposits that are less risky in nature than the stock markets and similarly high interest rates boost up the savings. Lower interest rates make asset and real estate prices go up, as

A Discussion of Paulo Freires Banking Concept of Education Essay Example for Free

A Discussion of Paulo Freires Banking Concept of Education Essay Freire implies that teachers are only telling students what to know rather than conversting with them, which explains why Freire insists that â€Å"education is suffering from narration sickness†(Freire 71). This means that he believes that educators only fill student’s minds with information, that the teacher feels is important, without providing the students the meaning and personal relevance that information has. By using this method, the student is oppressed by the teacher and unable to fulfill a complete state of consciousness. I can remember several times in my educational experiences where I have been the â€Å"depository† in Freire’s Banking Concept of Education, but no experience is more relative than my Organic Chemistry class three years ago where I learned that problem-solving education is vastly superior to banking-education because it allows students to acquire true understanding of their world and the ability to reach consciousness. During the summer of 2009, I took a summer semester of Organic Chemistry at University of California Berkeley. When I first entered the lecture hall, there were masses of people fighting for seats and some even resided to sitting on the floor or going into the side room to watch the lecture on television. As soon as the clock hit 9:00 am, five faculty members walked into the room: Professor Francis and four Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs). From the start, Dr. Francis went over the course structure, what it entailed, and how we as students could obtain help. While he was going over the syllabus information, he made one point extremely clear: â€Å"I cannot answer your personal questions during lecture time. If you have questions, please visit me during my office hours or please ask one of the GSIs. † After making that point, he transitioned into his lecture on functional groups; however, I was not following him. I immediately knew that this would be a lecture-only class, and I knew that I would need to write down every single note, diagram, or graph he showed us and memorize it for future examinations. Freire would acclaim that I would become a â€Å"depository† because I would simply allow Professor Francis to deposit his ‘knowledge’ into my mind without further question or thought. I would become a slave, oppressed by the very person who was supposed to free me (Freire 74). Dr. Francis continued in his slide show and a large slide labeled ‘Hydrocarbons’ appeared on the screen, and below the title were several different organic hydrocarbon functional groups, such as alkenes, alkanes, alkynes, benzenes, and toluene. He discussed each hydrocarbon in great depth and showed us students how to recognize them based on their bond sequences and patterns, how they react in the presence of other organic molecules, and how their chemical bonds affect water. After an exhaustive lecture of copying everything he said into my 128 notebook, he announced that we must memorize all of the hydrocarbon groups, and to be able to recognize them for an exam setting. Never once did he explain what what makes them important. I raised my hand at the end of the lecture, and asked him what the application of hydrocarbons are in the ‘real-world’. He replied not to worry about that, and that we needed to be able to recognize them and know how they function chemically, not practically, and why would he take the time to explain how hydrocarbons function? In order for Dr. Francis to keep his job, Freire asserts that, â€Å"the teacher must assume all of his students as ignorant†(Freire 72). This implies that if Dr. Francis had gone straight to the point and explained why hydrocarbons were important in the real world and in a laboratory setting, he wouldn’t have a job. It was his job to pick out extremely detailed and ‘useless’ properties and functionalities of hydrocarbons and make them seem important to us. By continuing to explain and confuse us students, he was able to maintain a shroud of ignorance over the student body, and from this, he justifies his job as absolute. This is what Freire refers to as the â€Å"cycle of ignorance† that continuously allows the teacher to keep his job because society believes that the ignorant students need him for their self-betterment. For the next several weeks, I adhered to Dr. Francis’s ‘Banking Style of Education’, and it worked. I received an A on every exam and test I took because I memorized and accepted the information Dr. Francis gave me without second thought. Freire feels that my total submission to the instructor was the reason for my success because he suggests that â€Å"The more meekly the receptacles permit themselves to be filled, the better students they are†(Freire 72). Freire’s explanation worries me because to know is not to know. Just because I could recognize different functional groups, which in the banking concept would make me a better student, did not mean that I could apply my understanding of organic chemistry to a real life situation because I hadn’t been taught to apply the information to anything at all. My ignorance and inability to grasp the true meanings and concepts of organic chemistry became extremely clear in the laboratory because the lab is where students take all of their knowledge and apply it to solve a problem or set of problems. After the first quarter of the summer semester, the laboratory portion of the course opened. My first assignment was to estimate the bond angles of methane, and at first I had no idea what to do because I had only been instructed to recognize methane and its bonding patters. I was never asked to manipulate the molecule’s properties to gain further understanding, and this caused me to realize that I was flawed because the ‘knowledge’ that I acquired was not mine, but Dr. Francis’ deposits of impractical segments of knowledge. With no idea where to start my laboratory or how to assess the assignment, I asked the Teaching Assistant (TA) for help. She simply replied, â€Å"Think about what you know about methane’s properties, and manipulate your knowledge so you can measure the bond angle. Needless to say, this was not helpful because I had no idea how to apply my knowledge and understanding because I was not taught to. I was simply an object who, according to Freire, â€Å"is in the world,† implying that I was not conscious of my own being and awareness (Freire 78). This is why I allowed Dr. Francis to continue depositing information into me because he posed himself as my liberator, my educator, but he was my oppres sor. By not being able to use and apply my knowledge, my critical consciousness and inner will to understand began to diminish. This is why Freire announces, â€Å"The more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world†(Freire 73). Freire implies that students lose the will power, the motivation, to develop awareness when they are force-fed information, so he argues that students must develop this ‘critical consciousness’ themselves through problem solving. This is when I realized that Dr. Francis couldn’t and won’t teach me how to understand what I have learned; I needed to learn how to apply and master the information I was taught by myself, not some other individual. Education is supposed to empower individuals; however, since I was ‘in-the-world’ I let the banking concept oppress me and my true understanding of knowledge. I failed the first Organic Chemistry lab. I didn’t know how to solve the problems and apply my knowledge, nor did I have the willpower to, so I simply gave up. I was incredibly frustrated after the first lab, not because I couldn’t get the right answer, but because I couldn’t apply my knowledge to solve the problem. I spent the next several lectures gathering notes, expanding on them, and making sense of the information; however, I was still unable to understand the information in practical terms. My frustration grew because I felt that all my efforts studying information and memorizing its contents was wasted. How could education provide all of this knowledge that we, as students, are unable to apply? What was the point of education? At the time, I felt education was society’s largest flaw because it wasted the time and severed the creativity students put into it. Freire agrees with me because he argues, â€Å"The capability of banking education is to minimize or annul the students’ creative power†(Freire 73). This implies that Freire agrees that education is flawed because it severs student creativity; although, it does not answer why we must learn meaningless and impractical information obtained in our lives. Freire responds that not everyone will find meaning through their education; however, he believes that people should continue to pursue the parts of education that students find interesting, such as in a higher education setting (Freire 76). I knew most of the information that I obtained in chemistry was impractical for most individuals and even myself in a day-to-day scenario, but chemistry was interesting to me. It was something that I wanted to pursue and gain further understanding of because every piece of information left me wanting more. Giving up and throwing my knowledge away was not an option because I wanted and worked my entire life to make sense of what I learned in this world, and it keeps on changing and reshaping every day. As a last effort, I went to the tutoring help desk at the university to get help, so I could understand my information and knowledge and apply it to the lab. I was assigned a tutor, Kevin, and he brought me and two other students into a small concealed 1010 room with a large foldup table in the middle. We all sat down and Kevin asked us what we needed help with. The other students didn’t look like they were forced to be there and kept quiet, so I took the opportunity to obtain help. I told him that â€Å"I have a hard time applying the lecture notes in the lab. † Kevin explained that my situation was very typical because the lectures and exams were based on memorization where the labs relied on the interaction between what you know and how to solve the problem. He brought out an organic chemistry book and questioned, â€Å"Why is water polar? I immediately responded that water is polar because the oxygen atom has more elections than the hydrogen atoms at any one time giving the hydrogen molecules a positive charge and the oxygen a negative charge. Kevin told me that I was right, but this occurred due to the extreme differences in electronegativity. We continued to solve problems together and critique one another on our answers, and from this he was teaching me and I was teaching him. Freire would call this interaction, â€Å"problem-solving-education† because â€Å"The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students†(Freire 80). This implies that both teacher and student work together to solve problems, and by doing so, they gain a greater understanding of the topic. This is exactly what Kevin and I were doing because we were teaching each other and able to create a more significant understanding and meaning of chemistry that allowed me to visualize a topic and solve it logistically instead of memorizing the topic and solving it formulaically. This is why Freire belives that â€Å"the conditions under which knowledge at the level of the doxa is superseded by true knowledge, at the level of the logos†(Freire 81). Freire’s text implies that common knowledge and understanding (doxa) can be transformed into true mastery of the subject and reason (logos). Since Keven and I were taking basic information and each giving it new meaning in our problem-solving tutoring sessions, I was able to acquire a true mastery and understanding of chemistry. Working with Kevin several times a week gave me a true understanding and relation of chemistry, which allowed me to pass my lab course with an A. Overcoming the problems of the banking-concept and learning the problem-solving method changed my life forever. I took the problem-solving method that I learned with Kevin and applied it with other students, colleagues, professors, and friends, so I could continue to problem solve and gain true understanding of knowledge throughout my life. Problem-solving education continues to be vastly superior to banking-education because in addition to learning and understanding information, problem-solving-education forces individuals to retain information they acquire so they can apply for future use. Since I was able to take knowledge and apply my understanding of it, Freire would conclude this type of understanding as â€Å"being with the world†(Freire 78). Being with-the-world means that the individual is conscious of their surroundings and is able to fully interact in the world they are in. Instead of being an object or vessel, the individual is able to make conscious decisions and interpret the world as they see it. This induces self-freedom and liberation in a person because when a person learns something, they retain that information forever and no human being in the world can take that information away. It also provides a mental salvation because if the physical realm is too harsh to live in, those who have mastered problem-solving and acquired pure consciousness can escape from their physical realm into their consciousness where they have stored all of their memories, techniques, and information, and no person can get to them besides themselves.

Overcoming the Barrier Essay -- Analysis, Helen Reddy

Overcoming the Barrier Helen Reddy in I am a Woman sings, â€Å"You can bend but never break me, 'cause it only serves to make me, More determined to achieve my final goal, And I come back even stronger.† In the plays Antigone, by Sophocles, and A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, two strong women are restricted by the time and society in which they live. In Antigone, the main character, Antigone from Thebes, is faced with a choice of following the laws of man, or the laws of the gods in burying her deceased brother. She felt that her choice was right even with the penalties it costs her, while arguing with the king who felt his way or no way. As the play progressed, it seemed that the more Creon, the king, and Antigone argued, the more confident in the choice she made she became. In A Doll’s House, Nora was a woman who cared deeply about her husband who would soon be faced with death if not sent to a warmer climate. Unheard of from a woman, Nora took a money loan from the bank without s aying a word to her husband, Torvald. Using a corrupted lawyer, Krogstad, gave easy access for blackmail which could end her marriage if revealed. During the times in which these plays were written, the relationship between a man and woman is definitely patriarchal. Men have major dominance and the woman just follows. It was believed that a woman was to have no opinion nor be smart enough to have their own opinion. In both plays, Sophocles and Ibsen show how controlled yet bold, women had to be in society through demonstration of submission to men, the expectations placed upon a woman, and their search for a voice. There is a saying that all habits start in the household and that is no exception for the way woman are treated. Whether it’s a husband or... ...oldly demonstrate the strength and power women needed to become their own person. With barriers blocking the path, the choices each woman had to face was like an obstacle course. By being undermined by the opposite sex, females were not given much thought unless the subject had to do with the raising of children and up keeping of a household. Being a part of society came with expectations of how a family should look and act, especially for the women who are merely â€Å"dolls† for men to control. Therefore, having to surrender to the male influence, society’s pressure, and the quest for identity, women still are able to stand firm and strong in the end. Over many years women have come a long way with rights and responsibilities but it was no walk in the park. It has been a curvy road and there are still more hills to come but with a positive light shinning at the end.

Online Purchases and Delivery Service in NTUC Fairprice Essay

INTRODUCTION NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd (NTUC) was founded in 1973 by the labour movement. Its first supermarket was opened in Toa Payoh in the same year. NTUC has now grown to become Singapore’s largest retailer, with a network of more than 270 stores comprising FairPrice Supermarkets, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, FairPrice Xpress and Cheers convenience stores. NTUC also owns a Fresh Food Distribution Centre and a centralised warehousing and distribution company. Sales in 2013 were reported at more than S$2.6 billion. NTUC also operates an online store where customers can order their groceries directly from their online store and have them delivered to their homes or destinations of their choice. This paper explores the business operations management of NTUC in Singapore and the possible challenges NTUC may face in their online retail and delivery service. This paper also evaluates and recommends appropriate measures that NTUC should implement to overcome these challenges as well as the methods to measure the business performance of the new process. PART 1 NTUC’s Business Functions NTUC operates with three core business functions to run the chain of supermarkets in Singapore; Procurement, Warehousing/Distribution and Retail. These functions are supported by Finance, Information Systems and Human Resources. Figure 1: Process Flow of NTUC Online Retailing and Delivery Service NTUC currently operates an online grocery store from their website.  According to their website’s Help section (2009), NTUC mentioned partnering a logistics service provider to provide the delivery services to customers. In its website (2009), customers have the option to select their preferred date of delivery but the earliest they can receive their purchase is by the next working day. NTUC currently does not provide delivery services on Sundays and Public Holidays. Delivery charges apply according to the order amount and additional charges will also be imposed to rearrange another delivery date if the customer is not present to receive the goods. Challenges of Online Retailing and Delivery Service Using the Soft Systems Methodology (Checkland, 1981), we identified some key challenges (Appendix 1) that NTUC may face for their online retailing and delivery service to their customers. Xing, Grant, MaKinnon and Fernie (2011) grouped these challenges broadly under availability, timeliness and condition. Availability †¢There is a lack of online tracking system.  Timeliness †¢Online grocers are unable to offer same day delivery to customers. †¢Deliveries fail to arrive as promised. †¢Distribution centres need to spend more time picking individual orders for customers. Condition †¢There is a need to have delivery accuracy as products with shelf life, especially fresh food, would require cooling. †¢Products are damaged during transit. Literature Review of Challenges Availability: Xing, Grant, MaKinnon and Fernie (2010 and 2011) conducted postal surveys with chosen households and qualitative interviews with retailers, logistics service providers and experts for their research papers. Both papers found that one of the key challenges of online home delivery is to keep customers informed of the availability and status of their purchase. Without such  online tracking systems, a big gap will be created between what the customers want to purchase and what they are offered eventually. Ruby and Zhao (2010) also identified that the most important attribute that affects customers’ satisfaction is the ability for online retailers to provide on-time delivery which would impact the customers’ decision to repurchase in future. Ling, Yang and Jun (2013) also reported that customers feel that the unavailability of ordered products will affect their online shopping experience negatively. Timeliness: According to Ling, Yang and Jun (2013), most customers tend to get very frustrated when faced with the inconvenience caused by any delay in delivery. Customers feel the hassle of having to stay at home along with the uncertainty in waiting time for the delivery person to show up with their purchase. Another challenge as reported by Starkey, A (2010) is that 17.5% of the customers had no one at home to receive their purchase during the normal delivery hours and 37.5% of them were only at home on some days. According to him, this translates to a 55% probability that customers run the risk of a failed delivery since there was no one available to sign their purchase. Another challenge that is highlighted by Xing, Grant, MaKinnon and Fernie (2011) is the timeliness of the standard delivery schedule. According to the authors, retailers and logistics service providers kept the delivery charges low so as to remain competitive as providing prompt delivery services would usually cost a premium for customers. Such measures usually result in a standard 3 to 5 business days for delivery causing a relatively low level of customer satisfaction in this area. Condition: Based on the findings by Xing, Grant, MaKinnon and Fernie (2011), customers’ satisfaction level drops when their purchases are delivered wrongly or the  orders are incomplete. Another factor that impacts their satisfaction level is the condition of the goods being delivered. As in the case of perishable items, customers expect their purchase to be delivered fresh. Operations Strategy Perspectives for NTUC Using the four perspectives on operations strategy (Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R, 2013: Ch 3 Pg 73 – 85), we seek to understand the different perspectives that will help us recommend the appropriate solutions for NTUC in its online retail and delivery system. Figure 2: The Four Perspectives on Operations Strategy (Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R, 2013: Ch 3 Pg 73 Figure 3.3) Top-Down Perspectives: According to NTUC’s website (2009), its vision is â€Å"to be Singapore’s leading world-class retailer with a heart†. NTUC also strived to â€Å"provide its customers with the best value, quality products and excellent service, be a preferred employer, to moderate the cost of living in Singapore, and serve the needs of our members, the labour movement and the community.† Bottom-Up Perspectives: According to Song, L., Cherrett, T. and Guan, W (2011), besides inconveniencing the customers, distribution centres also incur high costs whenever there are failed deliveries. The authors suggested that there are environmental costs to be considered for every added trip to the customers. This suggests that the CO2 emissions caused by these repeated trips would increase. NTUC should work closely with its internal Warehousing/Distribution team to understand these concerns before developing the strategy forward. Market Requirements Perspectives: Various authors (Xing, Grant, MaKinnon and Fernie,2010 and 2011; and et al) identified that customers expect to be kept updated of the status of their purchase; prompt delivery service as well as having purchases delivered to them in good conditions. Operations Resources Perspectives: According to Xing, Grant, MaKinnon and Fernie (2011), a high operational cost would make retailers cost sensitive. Technology advancements require monetary investments and yet retailers need to strike a balance between home delivery cost and the amount they charge their customers. Therefore, NTUC should explore how it can optimize its operations functions and resources to continue delivering the values customers expect. Appropriate Solutions for NTUC Based on the challenges identified and with the understanding of the 4 perspectives that NTUC need to consider, the following are some of the recommendations that NTUC should adopt to improve on their online retail and delivery system: †¢Upgrade the online order system †¢Implement online tracking system †¢Incorporate a collection / delivery point Upgrade the Online Order System: According to Ruby, R.D. & Zhao, M. (2010), NTUC should, in order to satisfy its online customers and ensure that they return to the retailer to purchase again, ensure that their website should be able to control conditions where a product is out-of-stock. The online website should provide updated inventory information of the product to avoid customers becoming unhappy over a failed purchase. It is also important to ensure that the descriptions of the product are authentic and exactly matches the intended product. NTUC should provide more delivery options (Xing, Y., Grant, D.B., McKinnon, A.C. & Fernie, J., 2011) and consumers who are willing to pay a premium for these choices could select their preferred delivery options with more specified dates and times. The authors believed that the premium delivery charges customers pay will eventually offset the increased in delivery cost  of NTUC or their appointed logistics service provider. Implement Online Tracking System: Xing, Y., Grant, D.B., McKinnon, A.C. & Fernie, J. (2011) concluded in their report that setting up an online tracking system is very important as it allows customers to keep track of their purchases. If retailers are using a logistics service provider which is the case for NTUC, a link to the logistics service providers’ tracking system should also be provided. The authors also suggested that retailers can adopt software applications that operate alongside their existing ordering system. These software applications are able to provide timely contact with the customer by email or text messages during the time of fulfillment to keep customers updated of their order status at appropriate times. The most important messages are at the point when their purchases are ready to be delivered with confirmation of the delivery date and time. Having a good tracking system not only reduces the probability of first time delivery failures, Edwards, J.B., McKinnon, A.C. & Cullinane, S.L. (2010) also reported that reducing repeating trips will significantly reduce the CO2 emissions. In their findings, a standard home delivery for a non-food item would be allocated 98 gCO2. Therefore, striving to improve on the home delivery system would also help reduce any harmful impact to the environmental. Incorporate a Collection/Delivery Point: To reduce the number of unsuccessful home deliveries to customers, NTUC should implement a network of collection/delivery points (Song, L., Cherrett, T. & Guan, W., 2011) as alternatives to the delivery addresses in their system. This means allowing customers to choose a nearest collection/delivery point where they would like to pick up their purchase from if they happen to be away when the delivery person arrived. Customers can also have the option to select the collection/delivery point as their delivery destination if they are sure they will not be home to receive their  purchase. Retailers can definitely benefit from this implementation as it reduces the number of re-delivery attempts. PART 2 A Perspective of the New System We use Soft Systems Methodology (Checkland, 1981) to have a systematic view of the new system (Appendix 2). In the process, we also identified two potential problems that may arise from this new system. Behjati, S. and Othaman, S.N. (2012) said that one of the key drivers of online shopping is trust and reliability. If customers do not trust the idea of shopping online, it would take more effort for NTUC to try to switch these customers to online customers. Another potential problem is an upgraded online ordering system would take up more internet bandwidth in NTUC. Therefore, the retailer must ensure that there is sufficient bandwidth (Ling (Alice) Jiang, Yang, Z. & Jun, M., 2013) to allow customers to search its online store seamlessly. NTUC’s â€Å"As Is† Process In the Help section of NTUC’s website (2009), a customer simply need to log into their account, select the products and the required quantity before adding into the shopping cart. Once the purchase is confirmed, an email will be sent to the customer instructing him/her of the delivery information. According to the website, the earliest date customers can receive their purchase is by the next working day. NTUC currently does not provide delivery services on Sundays and Public Holidays. Delivery charges apply according to the order amount and additional charges will also be imposed to rearrange another delivery date if the customer is not present to receive the goods. A clearer version of the â€Å"as is† process of NTUC is attached in Appendix 3. Figure 3: â€Å"As-Is† Process of NTUC NTUC’s â€Å"To Be† Process With the proposed upgrading of the online ordering system, online tracking system and implementing a collection / delivery point for NTUC, the â€Å"to-be† process is drafted in Figure 4 with a clearer version attached in Appendix 4. Figure 4: â€Å"To-Be† Process of NTUC Freeman, M. and Freeman, A. (2010) emphasized the importance that for the online ordering system to work, all products in the retailer’s inventory must be displayed. Out-of-stock products must be clearly indicated so that customers can make decisions on the spot to select alternative products. Rose, S., Clark, M., Samouel, P. and Hair, N. (2012), in their study, also supports this by saying that it is important for the retailer’s website to be easy to use. An overly complex navigation and information overload will reduce the probability of customers returning to patronize the online store. Omar, M., Bathgate, I. and Nwankwo, S. (2011), in their research, considered that when a customer is well-provided with order information and a clear estimate of the product arrival information, customers will be more certain of what they ordered and when they can expect their products to be delivered. It is therefore recommended for NTUC to set up an online tracking system for the purpose of allowing customers to trace their products any time of the day. Edwards, J.B., McKinnon, A.C. & Cullinane, S.L. (2010) provided that failed deliveries can cause a lot of inconvenience and highly uneconomical for both the customers, logistics service providers and retailers. According to the studies, a 100% successful first-time delivery would incur a CO2 emission of 98g for urban deliveries. This, however, increases to 110g of CO2 emission for a 12.5% delivery failure. Song, L., Cherrett, T. & Guan, W. (2011) suggested reducing failed deliveries by using a network of collection / delivery points (such as in petrol stations, convenience stores, post  officers etc) in nearby neighborhoods as alternative delivery destination. Keeping failed deliveries to a low number would limit the amount of CO2 emission to the lowest possible level. In this â€Å"To-Be† process, an upgraded ordering system coupled with an online tracking system for customers to track their parcels and finally providing an alternative pickup location instead of having the hassle of arranging for future delivery trips will improve the transactional process which is according to the expectations of the customer. This will improve their perception of NTUC. PART 3 In Part 1, we identified the challenges NTUC faced when operating the online retail and delivery system. Appropriate solutions were put up with the aim to improve these challenges. Part 2 looked at the changes that need to be made to the business process. In Part 3, we will be looking at how NTUC translate performance objectives into operation priorities and subsequently, how NTUC measures its performance and recommend further improvements to ensure the success of the new system. Implementing a Performance Measurement System For NTUC to succeed into achieving its performance objectives, a performance measurement system needs to be put in place. The Balanced Scorecard (Kaplan R.S. and Norton D.P., 1992) will be used for this purpose. Besides deciding and measuring performance, Sharma, A. (2009), in his research findings reported that the balanced scorecard can also help NTUC manage the strategies that require implementation and improvement so that the retailer’s long term goals are meet. Valmohammadi, C. and Servati, A. (2010) stated that it is very important to allow all managers, in this case all the Business Functions Managers in NTUC, participate in the performance measurement process. This is because implementation at various functions requires the expertise and active  participation of every functional levels in company. Balanced Scorecard of NTUC NTUC should start with an assessment of the company’s mission and vision; and working together with its functional managers identifies key objectives. SWOT analysis can be performed to eliminate the weaknesses and threats that NTUC is exposed to. NTUC will then develop the balanced scorecard (Appendix 5) which according to Sharma, A. (2009) helps each function teams understand and work towards its shared vision. The balanced scorecard depict the objectives, measures, targets and appropriate initiatives that are put in place to assess the performance around 4 broad areas (Kaplan R.S. and Norton D.P., 1992), namely financial, customers, learning and growth and internal business processes. Financial Perspectives: The reason why NTUC would take up the recommendations to upgrade the suggested systems is ultimately to achieve financial returns. Without a doubt, the financial perspectives of this balanced scorecard would focus on measuring the revenue, profit and also to increase the online market share of the retail business. The indicator for revenue and profit can be retrieved from NTUC’s Annual Report. NTUC’s growth average revenue growth for the past 3 years average 8.91%. Hence, a 9% growth is recommended as target for the company. Figure 5: Deriving the Revenue Targets for NTUC (Source: NTUC Fairprice Annual Reports) Based on the Annual Report, the profit achieved has been consistently at approximately $120 million for 2010, 2011 and 2013. Hence, using these 3 years as benchmark, we propose NTUC to set a target of maintaining the profit level at S$125 million. Figure 6: Deriving Profit Margins for NTUC (Source: NTUC Fairprice Annual  Reports) According to a market report in UK (Thomas, J., 2010), sales in online retailing is expected to increase by 34.4% in 2014 compared to 2013. Online sales are also expected to increase to 12.4% of the total retail market. Basing on this forecast, NTUC could consider targeting to achieve an increase an online market share of 12% for 2014. Figure 7: Forecast UK Online Food and Drinks Market by Value, 2009 to 2014 (Source: just-food) Customers Perspectives: From the customers perspective, NTUC decided to upgrade its online retailing and delivery process is so that it could satisfy its online customers (Ruby, R.D. & Zhao, M., 2010) and ensure that they return again for their next purchase. Hence, it is necessary that NTUC tracks its performance on customers’ usage of its online site. With an easier to surf online ordering system that NTUC would be investing, it becomes necessary for the retailer to track its customers’ traffic flows on the internet (Gunawan, G., F, E. & King, M., 2008) as this gives the company an indication if it is successful in building customers’ awareness and loyalty of its online retail service. In their study, Edwards, J., Makinnon, A. and Cullinane, S. (2011) reported that 38% of internet users access online food and grocery websites and this is likely to increase another 66% in he near future to 63%. We recommend targeting a 66% increase in online visitors as a performance measurement. Another performance measure would be to generate a report to derive the ratio of returning customers against its total online customer base. A target of 25% increase in online customer base is recommended which is in line with Jessica, L. (2011)’s report that the number of customers at NTUC has increased by an average of 25% every year. Learning and Growth Perspectives: The objectives on learning and growth focus on increasing the employees’ knowledge know-how of the new improved systems. With the implementation of the online order and tracking systems, NTUC need to ensure that its staffs undergo adequate trainings (Hoi, Y.C. and Alex W.H. Chan, 2012) to keep themselves up-to-date of what the new technology is able to achieve which allows them to handle challenges that arised in the future. As recommended by Lai, W.H. (2010), NTUC should budget 1% of its annual payroll to staff training and development. With improved system knowledge, NTUC’s employees would be able to make suggestions on how the business processes can be improved (Wilson, G., DuPlessis, A. and Marx, A., 2010). Adequate trainings (Tan, K. & Newman, E., 2012) also ensure NTUC’s employees are able to increase their productivity levels and NTUC should seek to achieve a 20% (Pollitt, D. 2012) increase in orders per head every month. Internal Business Processes Perspectives: In order to ensure the successful implementation of the proposed new systems, NTUC needs to ensure its internal functional teams are able to work seamlessly together. To measure the performance of its internal business processes, we propose NTUC to track the delivery success, product returns and ultimately the level of CO2 emission. Unsuccessful deliveries can be very costly and inefficient for companies. Edwards, J., Makinnon, A. and Cullinane, S. (2009 and 2011) reported that approximately 30% of home deliveries failed for the first time and that between 25-30% of online purchases were returned to the retailer as compared to 6-10% in traditional shopping environments. Therefore, with implementation of the online ordering and tracking system, NTUC targets to achieve at least 80% success rate in its first time delivery and less than 25% returns of customers’ orders. Another recommended measure is to reduce the CO2 emission of NTUC’s delivery services. Assuming that 25-30% of the online purchases were returned as mentioned above by Edwards, J., Makinnon, A. and Cullinane, S. (2009 and  2011), the CO2 emission according to Edwards, J.B., McKinnon, A.C. & Cullinane, S.L. (2010) is 123g. NTUC should set its performance measurement target to reduce CO2 emission to 110g. Figure 8: Emissions (gCO2) per item including Failed Delivery Rates (Source: Edwards, J.B., McKinnon, A.C. and Cullianane, S.L., 2010) CONCLUSION In conclusion, this paper analysed the business operations of NTUC in their online retail and delivery service. Key challenges relating to availability of the intended purchased products online, timeliness of delivery and the conditions of the products as a result of the delivery was identified. Adopting a business operations management approach, we recommend NTUC to implement an integrated online ordering and tracking system to improve the retail business processes and eventually to increase customers’ confidence in its online retail business. At the same time, to ensure the purchase quality is well-maintained for the customers, NTUC should seek to reduce its delivery failure rates for the home delivery service. Establishing a network of collection / delivery points could help achieve the objective. Finally, this paper proposed using the balanced scorecard as a performance measurement tool to ensure that all business functions and managers work towards achieving NTUC’s strategy and vision of this new system. REFERENCES 1.Behjati, S. and Othaman, S.N. (2012): What Drives Consumers’ Online Shopping? Conceptual Review of Online Shopping Attributes Investigated in Previous Studies, Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, Vol. 3: No. 12, pp. 297-311 2.Checkland, P (1981): Systems Thinking, Systems, Practice, Chichester, John Wiley & Sons Ltd 3.Edwards, J., Makinnon, A. and Cullinane, S. (2011): Comparative Carbon Auditing of Conventional and Online Retail Supply Chains: A Review of Methodological Issues, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 16: No. 1, pp. 57-63 4.Edwards, J.B., McKinnon, A.C. & Cullinane, S.L. (2010): Comparative Analysis of the Carbon Footprints of Conventional and Online Retailing, International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol 40: No. 1, pp. 103-123 5.Freeman, M. and Freeman, A. (2010): Online Grocery Systems Design through Task Analysis, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 24: No. 5, pp.440-454 6.Gunawan, G., F, E. & King, M. (2008): An Empirical Study of the Uptake of Performance Measurement by Internet Retailers, Internet Research, Vol. 18: No. 4, pp. 361-381 7.Hoi, Y.C. and Alex W.H. Chan (2012): Increasing the Competitive Positions of Countries through Employee Training, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 33: No. 2, pp. 144-158 8.Jessica, L. (2011): Online Grocery Shopping on the Rise in Singapore: Consumers spend 200% more in first 8 months than in whole of 2010, Tribune Business News, Washington 9.Kaplan R.S. and Norton D.P. (1992): The Balanced Scorecard à ¢â‚¬â€œ Measures That Drive Performance, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 70: No. 1, pp.71-79 10.Lai, W.H. (2010): Technical Training in the MNCs in Malaysia: A Case Study Analysis of the Petrochemical Industry†, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 34: No. 4, pp. 317-343 11.Ling (Alice) Jiang, Yang, Z. & Jun, M. (2013): Measuring consumer perceptions of online shopping convenience, Journal of Service Management, Vol. 24: No. 2, pp. 191-214 12.NTUC Fairprice (2009): Fairprice Online Home – Help, viewed 6 May 2014, http://www.fairprice.com.sg/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HelpView?langId=-1&storeId=90001&catalogId=10051 13.NTUC Fairprice (2011): My Retailer with a Heart. NTUC Fairprice Co-Operative Ltd Annual Report 2010/2011, Singapore 14.NTUC Fairprice (2012): The Best Things in Life are meant to be Shared. NTUC Fairprice Annual Report 2011/2012, Singapore 15.NTUC Fairprice (2013): Our Journey, Our Journal. NTUC Fairprice Annual Report 2012/2013, Singapore 16.Omar, M ., Bathgate, I. and Nwankwo, S. (2011): Internet Marketing and Customer Satisfaction in Emerging Markets: The Case of Chinese Online Shoppers, Competitiveness Review, Vol. 21: No. 2, pp.224-237 17.Pollitt, D. (2012): Training Delivers Higher Productivity and Sales for Mail-stream Company†, Training & Management Development Methods, Vol. 26: No. 1, pp. 513-516 18.Rose, S., Clark, M., Samouel, P. and Hair, N. (2012): Online Customer Experience in e-Retailing: An Empirical Model of Antecedents and Outcomes, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 88: No. 2, pp.308-322 19.Ruby, R.D. & Zhao, M. (2010): Effects of Online Store Attributes on Customer Satisfaction and Repurchase Intentions, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 38: No. 7, pp. 482-496 20.Sharma, A. (2009): Implementing Balance Scorecard for Performance Measurement, IUP Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 6: No. 1, pp.7-16 21.Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R (2013): Operations Management, 7th ed., Pearson, Harlow 22.Song, L., Cherrett, T. & Guan, W. (2011): Implications of Collection / Delivery Points for Transport and Logistics†, OR Insight, Vol. 24: No. 4, pp. 231-255 23.Song, L., Cherrett, T. & Guan, W. (2011): Implications of Collection/Delivery Points for Transport and Logistics, OR Insight, Vol. 24: No. 4, pp. 231-255 24.Starkey, A (2010): e-Retail – Using Home Delivery as a Service Differentiator and Strategic Marketing Tool, Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice, Vol. 12: No. 2, pp. 165-173 25.Tan, K. & Newman, E. (2012): Sales F orce Training Evaluation, Journal of Business & Economics Research (Online), Vol. 10: No. 2, pp. 105 26.Thomas, J. (2010): Global Market Review of Online Grocery Retailing – Forecasts to 2014: Chapter 6 The Future, Ch 6, pp.46, Aroq Limited, Bromsgrove 27.Thomas, J. (2010): Global Market Review of Online Grocery Retailing – Forecasts to 2014, Aroq Limited, Bromsgrove 28.Valmohammadi, C. and Servati, A. (2010): Performance Measurement System Implementation using Balanced Scorecard and Statistical Methods, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Measure, Vol. 60: No. 5, pp.493-511 29.Wilson, G., DuPlessis, A. and Marx, A. (2010): The Use of Suggestion Systems as a Tool to Solicit Input from Internal Customers, Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research In Business, Vol. 2: No. 7, pp. 212-223 30.Xing, Y., Grant, D.B., McKinnon, A.C. & Fernie, J. (2010): Physical Distribution Service Quality in Online Retailing, International Journal of Physical Distr ibution & Logistics Management, Vol. 40: No. 5, pp. 415-432 31.Xing, Y., Grant, D.B., McKinnon, A.C. & Fernie, J. (2011): The Interface between Retailers and Logistics Service Providers in the Online Market, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 45: No. 3, pp. 334-357

My Daughter Azul Essay

I’m not speaking about the blue color, even though â€Å"azul† means blue, this time I talking about my daughter, my little piece of blue sky named Azul. I have a wonderful family; we are all Mexican, my husband, Jose; my little men, Pepito; and my beautiful daughter, Azul. I’m proud of my daughter because she is a brilliant student, a very happy girl, and a great sister. Azul is well known in her school for being a wonderful learner. She won â€Å"Student of the Month† twice last year, this might sound like â€Å"Is not a big deal†, but consider that last year, while we were living in Mexico, she didn ´t know a word about English and now she is earning all kind of awards in a language that is not her mother tongue. Her teacher says that she works in class as a bee. She gets up really early to get ready for school, sometimes she asks me to go to wait for the bus twenty minutes before the bus arrives, she really enjoys going to school. My daughter is a very joyful girl, she sings and dances all the time, every afternoon she steps in front of the TV and looks at music videos to dance and sing with her friends, they look at her like a rock star and all laugh between songs and dancing moves. Is amazing how she makes fun of nothing at all; she’s as happy as the day is long. These good qualities are not even the half when you compare them to her value as a sister. She takes care of Pepito whenever I ask her to do it. She comforts and huge to him when she sees him crying. She could spend all day playing, running, and having fun with him. All these things might sound like the kind of things that any older sister does with her younger brother, but what I really think that makes a real difference is the fact that Azul knows how hard it can be when you arrive to any place and you don’t understand anything about they are saying, that’s why she really cares about teaching to her baby brother with love to speak in both languages, English and Spanish. That’s why I’m really happy and proud of my daughter and I know that she will have a brilliant future in many ways. I wish she always be happy and her smile remains forever.

fredrick douglass speech essays

fredrick douglass' speech essays Fredrick Douglass, who was an escaped slave, wrote what to a Slave is the Fourth of July? This speech is unique because it is an actual encounter of a slave's perspective of the Fourth of July. As we will come to find out, to a slave, there is no Fourth of July. It is shown throughout the whole speech that a slave feels that being human means being free. Also, for one to really understand and know the true values of freedom, one must understand denial and put him or herself in a slave's position. To a slave, being human means being free. Since a slave has no freedom, he has no sense of humanity. A slave is not free in his own country. He is a deprived person of his every right as a human being. When America gained its independence, it meant that everyone within the country had gained his or her own rights as being part the nation. However, everyone gained their independence except those that were considered less than human, which were slaves. Being human fulfills the basis for living your life according to your morals, values, and standards that were promised in you. A slave is denied the same opportunities as others. While he lacked in literacy and any form of education, he sees no hope of ever seeing a way to the future. Before America gained its independence they, themselves, were considered slaves. They had no chance to declare their freedom until a war was fought. A nation that was once without freedom should have stepped back and taken a look at their own lives and view of being human. Pe...

Traditional Academic Vs Modern Spoken Street French

Traditional Academic Vs Modern Spoken Street French Many French student have a shock when they go to France: although theyve studied French for many years, when they get to France, they cannot understand the natives. Does that sound familiar? Well you are not the only one.   French is an Evolving Language Like any other languages, French evolves. The French vocabulary of course, but the French grammar as well, and mostly the pronunciation. Its the same thing in English: you no longer say swell but awesome. I dont know anyone who regularly uses shall in the US, and night is becoming nite - although this one is not quite accepted yet!   This Evolution is Frown Upon By French Teachers and Purists This evolution is frown upon by French teachers and purists, who consider the language is becoming poorer. They are likely to use the modern pronunciation themselves when they are among friends and family, but will automatically watch their pronunciation when they are teaching / recording teaching methods. The French Taught In School is NOT the French Spoken Today The result is that the French youll traditionally find in schools and French learning methods is NOT the one actual French people speak today. This is true for any French person: no matter their age or standing, every single French person nowadays applies some glidings that are not taught to students of French. Spoken Street French Versus Book French Examples Let me give you some examples. Youve learned Je ne sais pas but will hear shay pa. (I dont know)Youve learned quelle heure but will hear kan à §a ?. (when/ at what time)Youve learned Je ne le lui ai pas donnà © but will hear shui aypa donà ©. (I didnt give it to him/her)Youve learned il ne fait pas beau but will hear ifay pabo. (The weather is not nice)Youve learned il ny a pas de quoi but will hear ya pad kwa. (Its nothing)Youve learned qui est-ce ? but will hear sà ©ki? (Who is it?)Youve learned Il ne veut pas ce qui est ici but will hear ivepa skià © tici. (He doesnt want what is here). Students seldom really master French liaisons, which are an essential part of French pronunciation, and theyve never heard glidings, street question construction, nor are they aware that entire words disappear (such as the ne part of the negation or many pronouns). And thats just pronunciation. Im not even getting into the in words used by the younger generations such as kiffer ( aimer) or elle lui a pà ©ta son iPhone - she broke his iPhone... You Need to Understand Mainstream Street French So, without going to the extreme and learn ghetto street French... you need to understand French like it is spoken by everybody in France nowadays. This is not the typical French youll find in books or even audio programs for French students. Unless your teacher is French or has spent a lot of time in France, s/he may not know how to speak like that. And many French teachers from France with higher diplomas will refuse to teach the modern glidings etc... thinking they are participating to the decadence of the language if they do.   So what French learning tools should you use? Read about the ​top French learning resources for the self studying student  - the only way you will learn to understand this modern spoken French is by working with audiobooks which focus on modern French and familiarise yourself with the modern glidings. Or of course, go to France in immersion, and practice with a teacher who accepts to put his teacher hat on the side and teach you the real spoken French language.​

Women finding their identity in the modern world Essay

Women finding their identity in the modern world - Essay Example The author correctly points out that the world as young women see it today is something that was not there before 1950s or before the feminist movements. Rosen maintains that young women today cannot even identify with the 1950s era when life of women revolved around home, husband and kids. Various feminist movements, ideologies, and objectives have changed the landscape of rights for women. This change was seen as "the most powerful challenge to the feminine mystique," i and changed the way things were in women workforce increasing their participation in economic activities. It was during the 1950s that young women slowly "rejected the world of their mothers" and because of this change, this generation was termed anti-motherhood. The various changes in feminist movements have been witnessed over the decades. In the 1950s since feminism was still new, women had adopted the rather ill fitting tools to compete with men. They had become sexually, socially and intellectually rebellious but over the years, they realized that these tools were not helping them with their objectives. Rosen notes that during the 1970s, FBI got involved with feminism movement in order to stifle the latter. The paranoia had spread far and wide and feminist politics had become a major party of US political scene. Many feminists had become wary of government's interference as Rosen states: "Still, in my wildest flights of paranoia I never imagined the extent to which the FBI spied on feminists or how many women did the spying"ii. It was believed that FBI had recruited women informers to tip them off about such subversive aims as: "They wanted equal opportunities that men have in work and in society" iii. Many people saw feminist activitie s as a threat to internal security as Hoover was found saying: "Inter woven with its goals for equal rights for women is the advocation of violence to achieve these goals," that he saw as a threat to internal security iv. Thus FBI files contained information on feminist activities and agenda as one operative explained: "This movement has no leaders, dues, or organizations"v. The most disturbing aspect of FBI involvement was that it had a negative impact on solidarity of feminists. Some of the women would accuse each other of being informers thus hurting their bond of sisterhood to the effect that "feminists sometimes found it easier to accuse one another of being informers than to accept the inevitable differences among them that, even without the FBI, would naturally result in different feminist perspectives and different ideas of sisterhood"vi. Such differences resulted in the complete dissipation of feminism's objectives. These disagreements grew to the extent that by the mid-1970s, this movement "was everywhere and nowhere" vii. This means that during this time feminist movement was suffering from diffusion and misunderstanding. Many people felt that feminism was all about becoming a super-woman who cared about nothing and no one except her own dreams and herself. That was certainly not good for the movement as Rosen explains: "when Americans took a good hard look at this narcissistic superwoman who embraced the values of the dominant culture, they grew anxious and frightened, for they no longer saw loyal mothers and wives who would care for the human community, but a dangerous individual, unplugged from home and hearth, in other words, a female version of