Chinese Stereotypes Reflected in Movies

Chinese Stereotypes Reflected in Movies Introduction Perceptions of alien cultures are normally formed through a series of impressions from varied sources. Some may be newspaper articles written about people from that land; others may be books on the same while others are television programs or movies about that culture.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Chinese Stereotypes Reflected in Movies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Every contact that an individual has with any of these avenues can either contribute to a deeper and true understanding of the alien culture or it may lead to a prejudicial and mistaken image or perception of the group. This research will focus on the Chinese as the alien culture and western audiences as the reference group formulating these images. Movies will be the communication medium that gets this information out. An analysis of Chinese stereotypes reflected in movies Background of the research China has had a tumultuous history over the past five decades. It underwent a cultural revolution in which its leaders tried to eliminate foreign (especially western) elements of culture in their land. This has the result of isolating China and Chinese culture from the rest of the world (Spence, 2010). Its people were inaccessible and many people did not understand them subsequently. Much has changed in China since the 1970s because the Chinese have travelled around the world and the world has gone to China. Nonetheless, these interactions do not guarantee accurate and well grounded understandings of the Chinese people. Some westerners still choose to look at them based on their past political, social and cultural misgivings and these perceptions get conveyed through communications and media. Alternatively, others may see them for what they are but may choose to focus on the negatives inherent in their culture and this leads to formation of stereotypes (Terraciano et. al, 2005). Further still, most westerners may no t have the time to visit China and may therefore rely on television and movies for information on its culture (Sheridian, 2006). What audiences see on the cinemas or across their screens will eventually determine their treatment of the Chinese people if they come into contact with them. Indeed, it has been asserted that several movie roles containing Chinese actors have some commonalities. It is critical to examine whether these roles are tolerant or prejudicial and whether they lead to a better understanding of the Chinese people or a distorted image of them (Cogan, 2005). Societies can either get along with another or be more alienated from each other depending on their perceptions. It is therefore critical to look at how these perceptions are created.Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Purposes of carrying out the research The main research objective will be to:  "Analyse Chinese stereotypes in movies† The specific objectives will include: To identify the various stereotypical depictions of the Chinese in movies To determine the relationship between Chinese stereotype roles in movies and their real life roles To assess whether Chinese stereotypes in movies harm or contribute to an understanding between China and the western world The specific objectives in this case focus on unravelling the nature of stereotypes of the Chinese with particular emphasis on movies as the source of the stereotypes; this particularly refers to specific objective one. The objectives also focus on comparing these stereotypes with actual social roles. In other words, the research will be focusing on placing the stereotypes in context and showing whether there is a gap between the actual and the perceived. This will demonstrate whether these stereotypes actually are a misunderstanding of the Chinese people or not. The comparison lies in specific objective two . Lastly the research aims at relating these stereotypes to cultural tolerance by examining whether the stereotypes are promoting an understanding between westerners and the Chinese or whether they are actually alienating them from one another as seen through specific objective three. Research questions In the focus group, the following questions will be asked: â€Å"What are the common stereotypes on Chinese intellect in movies? What are the common stereotypes on the kind of lives they lead? What are the stereotypes of the Chinese on their attitudes towards food? What are the stereotypes on their values systems? What are the stereotypes on their attitudes to work? What are the stereotypes on their personalities? What are the stereotypes on gender roles? How do these Chinese stereotypes in movies help or hinder an understanding of the Chinese?† In the questionnaires, participants will be required to answer these questions by selecting a response between 1 and 5. The questionn aire will require Chinese and non Chinese participants to respond the research questions below: â€Å"Do you agree that the Chinese tend to conform to authority? Do you agree that the Chinese are passionate about food? Do you agree that gender relations in China are unfair?Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Chinese Stereotypes Reflected in Movies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Do you agree that the Chinese live dull and boring lives? Do you agree that the Chinese are hardworking? Do you agree that the Chinese fear confrontation? Do you agree that manners are very important to the Chinese?† Responses to these questions by the Chinese participants will constitute the x variable (which represent actual Chinese roles in real life) while responses to the same question by non Chinese participants will constitute the y variable which will be the Chinese stereotypes reflected in movies. Possible ethical challenges i n the research Since this will be a research involving human subjects, then a range of ethical issues need to be covered by the latter group. First of all, informed consent will be an important part of this process because the information under analysis will not be public information. The research participants will be specifically picked and they need to be aware that the information they provide will be part of a research publication which will be available to the public (Sharf, 2006). Participants in this research will be told what the research entails and their express permission will be sought. The contributors to the research will also have some privacy concerns which need to be incorporated during the research process. In other words, some may feel like some questions are too intrusive or relate to their personal lives. In the actual research, precedence will be given to questions that only relate to the research objectives. Very little attention will be given to unnecessary o r intrusive questions. Also, other participants will require a certain level of anonymity especially because culturally related studies may be sensitive and controversial. To this end, all the subjects will be identified by a number rather than their names throughout the research process and in the research report as well. Issues of responsibility from the part of the researcher will need to be considered as well. Sometimes, the researcher will have to mislead the participants in order to get what he or she is looking for but this should be kept at a minimum. The researcher will conduct the investigation in an honest way.Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Numerous issues will have to be covered in terms of copyright infringement and authorship. Taking credit for another researcher’s work is not tolerated and will therefore not occur in this research. All the external information will be properly referenced. Also, issues of fabrication may crop up. Some researchers may decide to change data or may use personal biases if the research is qualitative. The subject matter which is Chinese stereotypes in movies could expose some biases in western audiences and these cannot be neutralised or exaggerated through interventions made by the researcher so no such things will be done. It is not ethical to overstate the number of subjects and this will not occur in the subsequent publication (Hobbs Wright, 2006). Methodological outline This research will use mixed research methods, i.e. a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. The quantitative aspect will involve the use of questionnaires and the qualitative aspect will entai l a focus group. Because specific objective one is qualitative in nature i.e. the identification of Chinese stereotypes in movies then this will be done through the focus group. Also, specific objective three which focuses on assessing whether the stereotypes leads to misunderstandings or understandings between western and Chinese cultures is also qualitative in nature because it involves providing an in depth look at a social phenomenon that it is context specific (Hesse-Biber Leavy, 2006). The qualitative aspect will be through the use of focus groups. On the other hand, specific objective three will require quantitative analysis because it attempts to make a generalisation about the issues of Chinese stereotypes as compared to their actual roles. Therefore, many cases of these comparisons will be looked at in order to draw out a pattern on their relationships. This part will be done through the use of questionnaires. Mixed methods for the research were selected because of the ad vantages they would create in the paper. First of all, they provide room for triangulation. In any research, there is always the possibility of external influencers in the research. Mixed methods reduce the effects of these interferers on the results and therefore contribute towards consistent results. Additionally, the mixed methods will introduce complementarities into the research. One method may not be that specific and may require another one in order to enrich it (Uwe, 2007). In this particular research, the quantitative method which employs the use of questionnaires will not offer some additional and deeper issues concerning Chinese stereotype depictions in movies especially on the nature of the depictions themselves and the effects they have upon the two cultures. To this end, focus group analysis was introduced in order to bring in those different dimensions. Also their open ended nature contributes more to these insights because it ensures that participants are not trapped by the narrow views of the researcher. Furthermore, mixed methods contribute towards a development process in the research. This is because one method can give partial results and then it may need another method to complete it. In this regard, the focus group method will be a development of the quantitative questionnaires. All in all, the use of more than one method in research will ensure that the paper is rich and detailed. It will also entail the expansion of the study on interactions between Chinese and western cultures. This research design will bring out better results owing to the fact that most of the strategy entails utilisation of mixed methods. Further still, it is likely that the scope and quality of this research will be much greater than it would have been if it depended on only one method. The research aims at being more expansive on issues of cultural interactions; by increasing the level of accountability, the research report will be more critical and more reflexiv e (Neuman, 2007). Proposed data analysis Data analysis will need to be done in two phases owing to the fact that two methods were used in the research Focus group data analysis: as stated earlier, the research questions that were qualitative in nature included specific objective one and three which attempted to determine the nature of Chinese stereotypes and to assess the impact that the stereotypes have on understandings or misunderstandings between the two cultures. These objectives will be analysed through a step by step procedure. First, the transcripts recording all the focus group sessions will be obtained and so will observation notes as well the audio tapes. It should be noted that these various ways of recording were employed in order to capture every single piece of information conveyed by the contributors (Litoseliti, 2005). The data will need to be organised first. Here, the responses will be arranged in a manner that falls in line with the research questions. In other w ords, all the key points that the research will unravel will be categorised through the specified research objectives. Key points will be determined by having a look at the things that the participants wanted to talk about mostly. They will then be coded into certain variables such as gender relations, Chinese value systems, reverence for authority and diligence. After categorising the key points, the research will then review that information in order to confirm some of the stated objectives. For example, it will look at some of the issues that were assumed to be certain but then challenged in the focus group. It will also look at some of the issues that had been suspected but were confirmed or even challenged by members of the focus group. New data that had not been thought of certainly will also be reviewed. All the data will be codified under agreed upon codes. Since it may sometimes be difficult to decide this by oneself, it will be essential to look for external parties to hel p in this codifying process (Silverman, 2005). Neutral individuals can contribute towards better results because they are not blocked by previous conceptions of the same. The analysis will then be verified by another external party so as to make sure that there is sufficient evidence to make the conclusions in the research report. If the external party will come to the same conclusion as the researcher then this means that the data was properly analysed. The quantitative aspect of the research will be analysed through the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The data has to be related to the research objective (Piantadosi et. al, 2007) which was to ‘To determine the relationship between Chinese stereotype roles in movies and their real life roles’. The x variable in this case will be elements that reflect real life roles and the y variable will be the elements that symbolise stereotypes of the Chinese in movies. The ranks assigned to both will be one to five depending on whether participants agree or disagree with each element on the research. 1 will be for ‘strongly disagree’ while 5 will represent the other end of the scale which will be ‘strongly agree’. The data analysis will commence by creation of two columns first. Column 1 will be labelled Xi – containing of all the elements that will depict Chinese roles as seen in real life and the next column will be labelled xi and this will be an indication of the rankings assigned to each variable. The third column will be labelled Yi and will contain all the elements that are associated with the stereotypes of the Chinese. The fourth column will contain rankings for these stereotypes as well from 1 to 5 for strongly agree and strongly disagree respectively and will be called yi. It should be noted that some of the elements that will be form part of the Chinese stereotypes in movies include: ‘conformance to authority’, ‘strict gender role s’, ‘overly hardworking’, ‘dull and boring lives’ and ‘fear of confrontation’. Participants will be required to state whether they strongly agree with these elements or somewhat disagree, somewhat agree or strongly disagree with these variables on Chinese culture. The fifth column will contain differences between columns xi and yi and will be known as di. Finally, the sixth column will contain a squared value of di. The spearman’s correlations coefficient (ÃŽ ¡) will then be computed through the latter formula ÃŽ ¡=∑i(xi-†¾x)(yi-†¾x) √{∑i(xi-†¾x) 2 (yi-†¾x)2} (Corder Foremen, 2009) Significance of the study and proposed result interpretation This study will be statistically significant if the null hypothesis i.e. there is no relationship between Chinese stereotypes in movies and their actual roles in real life is negated and the Spearman’s correlation coefficient is not zero or has a ne gative value. This will indicate that these stereotypes actually hold true and are an indication of how the Chinese really are. Conversely, the coefficient could have a positive value that affirms the null hypothesis. In this regard, the study will reveal that western cultures misinterpret the Chinese way of life by relying on stereotypical images of these people in their movies. With regard to the focus group, the results on various depictions of Chinese stereotypes will be an eye opener because they will be critiquing a very common and often relied upon information source. These results will be demonstrating that audiences need not embrace some of the communications they receive on face value because a substantial number of them may contain distortions about other cultures (Aronson Steele, 2005). The second research objective under analysis through the focus group method will be highly significant. If it has been shown that stereotypes contribute towards a misunderstanding of Chi nese culture then westerners will be aware of the source of these misunderstandings and may be prompted to act in order to counter those forces by reforming the film industry. Alternatively, they may be urged to look for more accurate information about the Chinese culture and this will promote greater tolerance between the two groups. On the other hand, if it has been found that there is really greater understanding of Chinese culture through these stereotypes, then it is likely that movies as a means of communication will continue to perpetuate the stereotypes and westerners will be a little less closer to the Chinese than they would have been if the stereotypes were found not to be true. Western media will come off as objective and highly reliable. Conclusion Generally, the study will contribute towards a deeper understanding of a non western culture through the film lens. In the end, cross cultural interactions will be better understood and perhaps will be smoothened due to this attention given through the research (Ewen Ewen, 2006). Reference Cogan, T. (2005). Western Images of China: Recent travel accounts. Waseda studies in social sciences, 2(1), 24 Corder, G. Foremen, D. (2009). Non parametric statistics for non statisticians. NY: Wiley Spence, J. (2010). The Chan’s Great continent: China in western minds, London: Norton Sharf, J. (2006). Ethics of doing naturalistic discourse research. London: Sage Piantadosi, J., Bolan, J. Howlett, P. (2007). Matching the grade correlation coefficient using a copula with maximum disorder. Industrial and management optimization, 3(2), 305-312 Uwe, F. (2007). The sage qualitative research kit. London: Sage Hesse-Biber, S. Leavy, P. (2006). The practice of qualitative research. London: Sage Neuman, W. (2007). Basics of social research: quantitative and qualitative approaches. London: Allen and Bacon Silverman, D. (2005). Doing qualitative research: a practical handbook. London: Sage Litoseliti, L. (2005). Usin g focus groups in research. London: Continuum Hobbs, D Wright, R. (2006). Sage handbook of fieldwork. London: Sage Ewen, S. Ewen, E. (2006). Typecasting: On the arts and science of human inequality. NY: Seven stories press Terraciano, A., Adam, N. Abdel Khalek, A. (2005). National character does not reflect mean personality trait levels in 49 cultures. Science, 310(57), 96 Sheridian, P. (2006). Hollywood, Burbank and resulting imaginings. Journal of public affairs, 5(13), 72-73 Aronson. J. Steele, C. (2005). Stereotypes and fragility of academic motivation competence and self concept. Competence handbook. NY: Mcmillan

Current LSAT Score Percentiles

Current LSAT Score Percentiles Have even more LSAT score questions? Here are the LSAT Score FAQs - with answers! Â   If youve gotten your LSAT score report back, you may have noticed that under the LSAT Score Data section, theres a percentile ranking based on your score. Many people have no idea what this little number really means! If youre one of them, heres your LSAT score percentile explanation, along with a chart delineating each of the score percentiles based on testers from June 2010 – February 2013. Why Should I Care About My LSAT Score Percentile? Yes, how well youve fared on the LSAT compared to others whove taken the test during your administration isnt the only thing you should be concerned about. In fact, your LSAT score is just one of many things that will be evaluated to make admissions decisions about you. Things like the following attributes listed by LSAC are also considered: Undergraduate GPAUndergraduate course of studyGraduate work, if anyCollege attendedImprovement in grades and grade distributionCollege curricular and extracurricular activitiesEthnic/racial background LSAT Scores By Gender and Ethnicity Individual character and personalityLetters of recommendation/evaluationsWriting skillsPersonal statement or essayWork experience or other postundergraduate experiencesCommunity activitiesMotivation to study and reasons for deciding to study lawState of residencyObstacles that have been overcomePast accomplishments and leadershipAnything else that stands out in an application However, your LSAT score is a means with which to compare you to other students on a very similar scale. Everything else about you is unique! Your LSAT score, within a certain degree of statistical reliability, can be counted on to provide an unbiased look at how you perform on logical, analytical, and reading comprehension questions. Whats a good LSAT score for some of the top schools in the country? LSAT Score Percentiles Explanation When you receive your LSAT score report (they usually come about three weeks after youve tested via email if you have an LSAC.org account and four weeks via snail mail if you dont), then youll see a section called your LSAT Score Data section. In this section, youll see information for every time youve sat for the LSAT in the past five years. Your LSAT scores, your score percentile ranks, the dates youve taken the LSAT, and your LSAT score bands, which are simply the ranges in which you scored, will be reported for every one of your test dates. If youve taken the LSAT more than once, youll see an average LSAT score reported based on every one of your performances, too. Lets say that the percentile rank listed for the test you took in June was an 83%. Your score was a 161. That percentage means that you scored higher than 83% of the test-takers who sat for the June test. Another way of looking at it is that youre in the top 17% of testers for that administration. LSAT Score Percentile Chart for June 2010 – February 2013 Below, youll find the average score percentiles for every tester who took the LSAT between the dates listed above. Its helpful to compare your current LSAT score report to this list to see how you fit into a larger pool of testers. The scaled score is listed to the left and the percentile score is listed to the right. 180: 99.9%179: 99.9%178: 99.9%177: 99.8%176: 99.7%175: 99.5%174: 99.3%173: 99.0%172: 98.6%171: 98.2%170: 97.4%169: 96.6%168: 95.8%167: 94.5%166: 93.2%165: 91.5%164: 89.9%163: 87.7%162: 85.3%161: 83.0%160: 80.3%159: 77.2%158: 73.7%157: 70.8%156: 66.9%155: 63.4%154: 60.2%153: 56.0%152: 51.6%151: 47.8%150: 44.4%149: 40.3%148: 36.8%147: 33.5%146: 30.0%145: 26.7%144: 23.7%143: 20.5%142: 18.1%141: 15.8%140: 13.4%139: 11.6%138: 9.7%137: 8.5%136: 6.9%135: 5.9%134: 4.8%133: 3.9%132: 3.2%131: 2.6%130: 2.1%129: 1.7%128: 1.3%127: 1.1%126: 0.8%125: 0.7%124: 0.5%123: 0.4%122: 0.3%121: 0.3%120: 0.0%

English - College Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English - College Literature - Essay Example The tone of despair and anger underlines a theme of hidden suffering, where people cover up their feelings, only expressing them in prayer, â€Å"We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries / To thee from tortured souls arise.† (1. 0-11). The speaker is not definable as male or female, young or old, but has a voice that could apply to many, as the poet shares the suffering experiences across a whole range of humanity, evidenced by the use of â€Å"we†. The metaphor of â€Å"the mask that grins and lies,† (l. 1) and the reason for using this protection, â€Å"Nay, let them only see us while / We wear the mask† (l. 8-9), signified how people may hurt inside for many reasons but want to hide the pain. It seemed to be a matter of pride, as in â€Å"why should the world be over-wise, / In counting all our tears and sighs?† (l. 6-7), to keep the suffering hidden. Dunbar was a child of slaves and he understood the suffering of slavery. But the concept of covering up our pain can apply to anyone; the mask is a symbol of the human need to protect itself. Often, at school or hanging out with friends, somebody can say something hurtful, maybe as a joke, so we smile or laugh in response, pretending not to be vulnerable and covering up our hurt. The poet expressed exactly how much we hurt and how the pretence can damage us. He makes us feel other’s pain and relate it to our own, and maybe realize that if we take off the mask, we could suffer less and become stronger. â€Å"Incident†, with the simple, repetitive rhythms of a child’s sung rhyme and point of view, gives a difference perspective on how people hurt each other. The boy speaker, most likely the poet, recalled a childhood memory with an ironic tone that suggests he had risen above that experience. Though the poem reads like a child telling a story, with true rhyme such as â€Å"glee† (l. 2) and â€Å"me† (l. 4), â€Å"bigger† (1. 6) and â€Å"nigger† (l. 8), its message is stark. The theme of racism and its

Effects on the Only Child in a Blended Family and How to Build a Term Paper

Effects on the Only Child in a Blended Family and How to Build a Healthy Bond - Term Paper Example The personality characteristics of an only child are not perceived too positively by people generally. It is pre-supposed that they are children who are mostly spoiled brats. In China, one child is encouraged to bring down population growth. These little ones are called little emperors and are considered to be spoilt brats world over. According to Falbo, research on work in this area indicates otherwise. According to research conducted by him an only child tends to be more achieving, motivated and successful. However in a blended family and in social circuits the problems that crop up are significantly different. (Meyer) First of all, lets throw some insight into the concept of a blended family. A blended family is one in which there is a child included from the previous relationship in the family that was created by a new marriage. In other words only one child from the previous relationship can construe a blended family. If one is to put forth an honest account then humans have a n atural inclination that indices them to favor their own children. These children enjoy the bonus by virtue of conception. The blended family presents one with a very complex and difficult challenge to deal with. It is the challenge to honor, take care of and protect the only child in the blended family. It is to treat them as equals without letting the children of the spouse gets effected. There are a lot of ways in which a healthy bond can be developed in a blended family. A major disadvantage of favoring one’s own child while against a step child is the kind of adverse impacts such favoritism has on the psychology of the step child. It ends up bringing down the self esteem of the step child. Children are too naive to be able to understand the natural and dynamic bonding of the child with his biological parent. They will not be able to rationalize any differential treatment in this regard. They would want to be treated with just as much love, affection and care. They would w ant to be respected henceforth as well. Anything less would not go down well with them and they will feel less important and less loved. So in a blended family, parents have to be cautious in nurturing a healthy bond with both the step child as well as the only child. While it’s only fair, to have that special bond with one’s own child, the parent must figure out ways to develop his/her bond with the step child. This can be easy because no two people are the same. Similarly no two children are alike too. If one wants to, they can find ways to make both children special in their own rights. Once when enters into a marriage with someone who already has a child, there is given understanding that one will the child as if it was his/her own. If the child is not given equal treatment as the stepparent’s child, it will end up having a lasting impact on the child’s ability to gel well with other people. He is expected to suffer from an identity crisis, will strug gle developing a healthy self identity and would not be able to lead a life which is free of all kinds of emotional clutter. (Blended famiy focus) If one’s bias towards their only child, then this can jeopardize the marriage to and can have a severe impact on one’s relationship with the spouse and ultimately put the marriage on the rocks. No spouse would want to live under the belief that the care of their child has been

Those Most Nearly Touched Essay Example for Free

Those Most Nearly Touched Essay One of the most influential critics of the social problems in American history was Civil Rights spokesperson W. E. B. DuBois, who believed that Honest and earnest criticism from those whose interests are most nearly touchedcriticism of writers by readers, of government by those governed, of leaders by those ledthis is the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society. One of the leading vehicles of such criticism since the beginning of the United States of America was literature. Like Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin, American literature molded its history by changing social perspectives with authors voices. Stowes character changed popular American societys views on the morality of permanent servitude, and other writers have introduced new views into mainstream thought by providing social criticism of their generations through characters perspectives. Three such writers were Stephen Crane, Flannery OConnor, and Hunter S. Thompson. Cranes criticism of the nature of war, OConnors criticism of gender, racism and religion, and Thompsons criticism of the deterioration of American values were all voices of American generations and essential elements of the evolution of modern American society. Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage was a novel that exploited an underlying irony of the nature of the American Civil War and war itself, as it was the first non-romantic novel of the Civil War to attain widespread popularity. Rather than depicting soldiers fighting for some noble and important cause, like literature of the American Revolution, Crane painted what seemed to be loosely cohering incidents that demystified and reshaped his generations views on warfare. War was not dignified; it was hard stuff. Men ran away howling. Bodies were strewn and torn. War, went the cliche, was hell. Crane created characters and scenes that highlighted the problems of his Americas popular opinion of war for those whose interests are most nearly touched. In Cranes novel, those people were the innocent young soldiers who were thrown into hell and bestowed with responsibilities and expectations of highly immoral standards. He showed his generation and generations of Americans to come the horrors and the true nature of war. By exposing the fears and inner thoughts of Henry Fleming in his new environments, Crane introduced America to the harsh reality that the blue and the gray honestly dont ever seem too entirely certain why theyre fighting each other. These were merely young men killing each other without really understanding the reason. Crane allowed America to understand the point of view of an innocent thrown into chaos. By doing so, he changed the previously romantic, chivalrous perception of war, and altered it into modern societys idea of war and appreciation of peace. The short stories of Flannery OConnor were also vehicles for social criticism of some problems of her generation, such as gender roles, sin, and racial relations. OConnors stories, written in the late 1940s and 1950s, were hard-hitting writings with a sense of deep despair as to the condition of the society that they described. She grotesquely illustrated the pre-Civil Rights racism problems present in her story Everything that Rises Must Converge. The story, which described a conflict of interest between Julian and his racist mother on a newly de-segregated bus, allowed its reader to realize in the end that both characters were wrong. The mother was ignorant for being racist and living in her own perfect world of sacrifice, while Julian was ignorant for blaming his mother for his place in life and for seeming to only take the side of the black people in the story just to prove her ignorance. In this sense, the ignorance in the story was met with a dose of poetic justice. Julians mother died, while he will be guilty for the remainder of his unhappy life. Another element of her society that OConnor criticized with her literature was its lack of true religious virtue and moral substance. She used multiple Christian elements to ironically sustain internally conflicting characters like Julian, Ruby in Revelation, and Parker in Parkers Back. Religious symbolism pervaded OConnors stories, like the hot breath of the burning tree that Parker met after his tractor accident, which was like the bush that Moses found. The tattoos that adorn Parkers body were absolutely symbolical of OConnors idea of her Americas moral fiber, like the tattoo of Jesus Christ on his back, where he would never see it. The tattoo of a serpent evoked thoughts of the devil in the Garden of Eden. OConnor frequently made use of the religious epiphany, or revelation, in her stories. In Revelation, Ruby experienced an epiphany at the end in the pig parlor as a result of the events that occurred in the doctors office with Mary Grace. Ruby witnessed A visionary light in her eyes; she saw the streak as a vast swinging bridge extending upward from the earth through a field of living fire. Upon it a vaste horde of souls were running towards heaven. In Parkers Back, Parkers conversion was one element of revelation in the story, but the real revelation occurred outside the bar in the alley when Parker contemplated his life. In The Lame Shall Enter First, Nortons father experiences a horrific revelation when he entered the attic at the conclusion of the story. He realized that he had stuffed his own emptiness with good works like a glutton, and had completely ignored the emotional needs of his own son. This fickleness and moral ignorance indicated a strong lack of true religious piety present in her society. Perhaps OConnors greatest legacy to the world of literature and social commentary was her contribution to the widespread perception of gender roles in her American society. Stories like The Life You Save May Be Your Own gave a generation of readers a new perspective on life as a woman in rural America. The grotesque nature of it and OConnors other stories made the message that she conveyed to society particularly sharp-edged. Her criticisms of her societys problems with gender and race relations, and the value of religion, were pungent and effective vehicles of change that molded American mindset in more ways than one. The late Hunter S. Thompson was a third American author that affected a generation with his ? no holds barred journalistic approach to fiction and social criticism. Thompsons underlying criticism was much like Cranes a century earlier. Thompson wondered the point in fighting -on our side or theirs, a sentiment common of to his generation that would not have manifested if Cranes ideas had not. Thompson also criticized the counter-culture created by the Peace and Understanding attained by the chaotic ? baby-boomer rebellion that began in the 1950s and crested in the 1960s. He was not opposed to the increasingly common use of mind-altering drugs as much as he was disappointed in his societys failure to sustain the peace and understanding. Thompson notes, Their loss and failure is ours, too. What (Timothy) Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole life-style that he helped to create a generation of permanent cripples, [and] failed seekers. By criticizing the drug culture as a user, Thompson embodied the hypocrisy of the generation that he portrayed. Perhaps he represented drug use as getting rid of the pain of being a man just as well as Richard Nixon represented ? that dark venal, and incurably violent side of the American character. One thing was for certain, that Thompson embodied the changing moral aptitude of America. His society liberalized taboo or immoral topics into mainstream culture like the widespread use of drugs and sex. The proponents of these changes were names such as Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, Cheech and Chong, and Tim Leary. To many, these values, or loss thereof, represented a loss that Thompson termed more decisively as the death of the American Dream. Neither peace nor morality was prevalent in Thompsons era or modern Americas. In this sense, Thompson merely chronicles the changes as he claimed, as a ? gonzo journalist. However, his descriptions were certainly eloquent and meaningful enough to open the eyes of generations following to the realities and perspectives that occurred in the midst of the chaos of his generation. Stephen Crane, Flannery OConnor, and Hunter S. Thompson were three American authors who significantly altered the course of American history with the social criticism present in the perspectives of characters in their literature. Whether the heart of their intended critique on society was gender, religion, race, or war, these writers molded their respective generations and subsequent generation with their voices. They each contributed to the American society that they criticized with their criticism, the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society. Works Cited Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. New York: The Modern Library, 1951. OConnor, Flannery. The Complete Stories. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1971. Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. New York: Random House, 1971. Schwartz, Stephen. The End Of The Counter-Culture. The Weekly Standard, 22 February 2005. Davidson, Andy. University of Mississippi English 224 Angel Online class notes.

Benjamin Franklin :: Biographies Printing Apprentices Essays

Benjamin Franklin "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." Having followed his own words of wisdom, Benjamin Franklin made an everlasting mark on America since his early days as a printing apprentice. Born to Josiah and Abiah Franklin on January 17, 1706 in Boston, New England (now known as Massachusetts), Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son of seventeen children. Early on, Franklin excelled in grammar school and was good when it came to writing, so his father sent him to a writing and arithmetic school. While there he continued to do well in writing but failed arithmetic. At around ten years of age Franklin left school to help his father's soap making business. Two years later, and after observing many different trades, Franklin was persuaded to become a printing apprentice of his brother James until the age of twenty-one. While working as an apprentice Franklin also satisfied his appetite for reading and debating by borrowing books whenever he could and engaging in friendly argument with another boy named John Collins. Although the two eventually parted ways they remained friends, and their friendly arguing in conjunction with his love of literature helped Franklin to substantially improve his writing skills. Eager to have some of his writing published in his brother's newspaper, and knowing that his brother would not publish anything of his, Franklin wrote anonymous letters and delivered them to the printing house at night. Many of his letters were printed before he finally revealed that he had been submitting the anonymous letters. Later on, differences arose between Benjamin and James that caused Ben to run away to New York and then Philadelphia in search of a printing job. After a little searching, and a little help from another printer's father, Franklin found work at Keimer's printing house. Through his acquaintances Franklin managed to get support from the governor, but not his father, to set up a printing shop; all this and he wasn't even twenty-one years of age! However, when he went to London to pick up printing supplies he discovered that the governor whom he thought supported him had lied to him about setting up a printing shop. Having found this out, he searched for and found work at a famous printing house in London. Franklin stayed in London for eighteen months before heading back to Pennsylvania.

Analysis of a Doll’s House

Analysis of A Doll’s House by Henrick Ibsen Shira Simmons South University Online Kris Shelton March 12, 2013 A Doll’s House has several high points that lead up to what I’ve considered the most defining moment. When Torvald finally reads the letter Krogstad (a fellow schoolmate and an employee at the bank) wrote revealing that it was not from Nora’s father that she borrowed money, but from him, what follows was totally unexpected by me. It seems that the situation of her husband falling ill and the decisions she had to make in regards to that, forced her to grow.In the end, Nora makes a decision that she doesn’t want to be married to her husband Torvald any longer, and she tells him so. The line, â€Å"We’ve been married for eight years. Doesn’t it occur to you that this is the first time the two of us, you and I, husband and wife, have had a serious conversation? † (Isben 1879 p. 590) says Nora, licks at where she is going wit h this conversation between the two of them. As you first read into the play, a perfect â€Å"trophy wife† scenario is portrayed. It’s the typical male working and the wife taking care of the kids and other affairs.The time this play was written, it was more common for the woman to stay home while the man worked. Today it isn’t rare to see the woman working and making more than the man. They are experiencing the normal money issues most married couples have and Torvald is expecting a higher salary after the New Year. As the other characters present themselves, you start to pick up on some uneasiness from Nora whenever Krogstad visits their home and one instance from Mrs. Linde whenever she was present. One evening whilst Torvald was away, Krogstad visits and has a chat with Nora.He tells her that if she didn’t convince Torvald to let him keep his job that he would blackmail Nora about the money she borrowed from him and forging her father’s signatu re on the contract for paying him back. Presenting that maybe their marriage isn’t as perfect as it seems. Torvald had become ill and Nora being the caring, dedicated wife that she had taken it upon herself as her wifely duty to see to it that he got better. Nora had little to no knowledge that forgery was a criminal offense; she only thought she was doing what was best for her husband.So she told her husband that she borrowed money from her father. Mrs. Linde, an old friend of Nora’s visits as well; she’s the only person Nora really has to confide in during the time this all-takes place. The plot reveals that she and Krogstad had a fling some years ago and now that she was widowed, wanted to link back up with Krogstad once again. She convinces Krogstad that he must leave the letter for Torvald to read because Nora should no longer hold a secret betwixt her and her husband. I felt there was a possibility that Mrs.Linde didn’t come to just meet back up wit h Krogstad, that she may have decided this in the mist of Nora and her situation, even though she states otherwise. Maybe she did so to help out Nora and Torvald by focusing Krogstad’s attention elsewhere. Right after Torvald reads Krogstad’s letter, he immediately attacks Nora and belittles her. After saying such degrading, hurtful things, Nora coldly looks at him and replies â€Å"Yes, I’m beginning to understand everything now† (Isben 1879 p. 590). This implies she has now realized exactly what she has been and how she has been treated by her father and him both.He raves on about what she has done to him and what he must do to fix it. Not once taking into account what Nora must be going through herself, or consequences she would have to endure? â€Å"†¦No, I’d better read it again. Yes, it’s true! I’m saved! Nora, I’m saved! † (Isben 1879 p. 590) exclaims Torvald after reading an apologetic letter from Krogstad a nd only after Nora saying something did he mention â€Å"we† were saved. During her farewell pardon, Nora sounds like a completely different woman. She sounds strong, sure, independent and determined; so very different from whom she was in the beginning.Although this situation basically ruined their marriage, it really shed some light for Nora. She finally realizes that she has been robbed of so much, being both a prized possession of her father and Torvald’s; that’s the beauty of it. Now she can set forth to learn and to be happy with herself. References: Ibsen, H. (2011). A doll’s house. In D. L. Pike and A. M. Acosta (Eds. )  Ã‚  Literature:  A world of writing stories, poems, plays, and essays. [VitalSource digital version] (pp. 555-589). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Importance Of Oil And How It Has Changed World Politics Essay

In the modern civilization, oil has great significance.   However, many people do not consider oil to be of great significance because they only associate it with the diesel or the petrol that they use for transport purposes. According to Yergin (Yergin, p 17), the world is addicted to oil. Due to the oil’s important role in all countries all over the world especially in the industrialized nations, there is need for countries to give attention to the international oil industry. The Middle East plays a major role in world politics in relation to oil. Majority of the world oil reserves are found in the Middle East and according to the British Petroleum company data, the Gulf oil reserves in 2005 accounted for 62 per cent .Of the world total oil reserves of 1,200bn barrels, Gulf reserves accounted for 743bn barrels. In this paper, the importance of oil will be discussed and an evaluation on how oil has changed the world politics will be given. Discussion Importance of oil One of the most important roles of oil is its contribution to the global economic development.   One of the ways through which oil leads to economic development is its use in providing energy for various forms of transport such as planes, vehicles and trains. The modern civilization is built on oil.   In almost all countries all over the world, the transport system accounts for more than 50 per cent of oil consumption. The transport sector due to its high dependence on oil is estimated to contribute to the world’s 90 per cent increase in carbon emissions in EU by 2010. Development and technological advancement increases the demand for oil in the transport sector.   According to Chomat (Chomat, p 10) depends heavily in oil. Engdahl (Engdahl, p 23) asserts that in Europe and the United States, oil and oil-derived products in the transport industry account for about one third of the total amount of energy consumed in the world.   In India, China, and other developing nations in Asia, the economic prosperity and technological advancement has led to an increase in demand for oil in the transport sector as more trains, vehicles, and planes are being produced.   In America, the enormous fleet of vehicles, trains, and planes depend on oil for 97 per cent for fuel.   For countries that have oil reserves, oil that is used in the transport industry is much cheaper. Research conducted on the members of the organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicated that the transport sector accounts for an increase in demand for oil.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the high demand for oil, world oil prices keep on increasing, making bio-fuel, solar energy and nuclear energy to become   alternative sources of energy. Apart from being used as fuel in the transport sector, oil provides energy in the operation of machines in the industries, factories, and production plants. Kenneth (Kenneth, p 36) asserts that in the industrial and domestic buildings, oil is used for heating hence making oil one of the most commonly used products at home and in industries. In the industrial sector, natural gas produced from oil has become a primary energy source.   This sector has maintained the lead in the consumption of natural gas and it is estimated that by 2030, the industrial sector will account for 43 per cent of the projected use of natural gas. The gas has become an attractive choice for the power generating plants due to its low carbon dioxide intensity as well as its relative fuel efficiency.   It is projected that by 2030, 35 per cent of world’s consumption of natural gas will be accounted for by the electricity generation plants. The developing countries consume half of the world’s production of kerosene which is used for lighting and for cooking. In the developed nations such as the United States and the European nations, kerosene is used as jet fuel. Industries and factories that produce plastics and paints use oil as a raw material.   Industries in the modern economies rely heavily on oil to produce commodities and natural gas which is produced from oil fields is a major raw material in fertilizer production.   Examples of nations that produce fertilizers from natural gas are Saudi Arabia which is currently one of the world’s largest oil producers. Yergin (Yergin, p 12) asserts that oil is very important in the production of food all over the world because it supports agricultural production activities. Oil that is derived from petroleum is used for heating, powering the combustion engines, and lighting.   When it comes to heating purposes, the high boiling point of the oil is good for cooling systems and the non-polarity quality of oil makes it very significant for lubrication for various engineering purposes. This is one reason why oil is very important in industries where machines are used for production.   The high demand for paints has been increasing over the years as modernization result to construction of buildings in urban and rural areas.   Since the 15th century, oil has been used in paint production because color pigments in paints can be suspended in oil.     Ã‚  As industries grow while others are newly established, demand for oil will continue to increase. How oil has changed world politics The use of oil in all aspects of life in the modern civilization demands that countries have easy access to the resource.   In addition, accessing oil at a cheaper price has become a critical factor for countries.   The desire by nations to attain economic prosperity and financial independence influences the diplomatic and economic relations between nations. A good example of how oil has shaped the world politics is the relationship between the West and Middle East.   Currently, Middle East region accounts for the largest world oil production. Saudi Arabia which exports oil has established diplomatic ties with the US and European nations. This influences the political relations between the nations.   Before oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia, Britain had political influence in the region.   When the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established, King Abdul Aziz efforts to give concession to either a Britain or American companies to drill oil has changed the political relations between the West and Middle East. The American Standard Oil of California which won the concession made America have control over rich oil fields in the Kingdom at the disadvantage of the British who were competing with America for concession. Aaron (Aaron, p 21) states that since then, the political relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia have been good. The great economic benefits that oil brought to Saudi Arabia led to good diplomatic relations between the kingdom and the United States.   Although the US had earlier shown little interest in Middle East political matters due to its isolationist policies, its relations with Saudi Arabia has made the US to be greatly involved in political matters in the region. Saudi Arabia has become an ally of the United States as it pursues its political interest in Middle East. For example, due to the diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States since the 1930s, Saudi Arabia supported the Allies during the World War I.   King Abdulaziz who is the founder of the Kingdom during the war allowed the United States aircraft to fly over the Kingdom’s territory.  Ã‚  Ã‚   This was vital for the US and allied nations. In addition, the good relations between America and Saudi Arabia assisted the US to deploy its troops during the cold war.   The US through its troops in Saudi Arabia helped it to contain the Soviet Union and eventually, the United States managed to gain political influence in the Gulf region at the expense of Britain.   The Saudi oil reserves have for a long time given America security in relation to oil. This has enabled the US maintain its political influence as a superpower. Through the diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States, America has managed to influence the political agenda of nations such as Russia.   Just like the United States, Saudi Arabia does not support communism that is promoted by the Soviet Union. For nations to achieve economic prosperity, oil is a very critical commodity. Matthew (Matthew, p 52) states that competition for economic and political power between nations has resulted to competition for oil.   For the nations, the security of oil supplies has become an issue of concern which has in turn made the major oil producing countries which are members to the OPEC play a critical role in the security of oil supplies. It is estimated that 40 percent of oil demand in the world is met by oil supplies from OPEC countries because the countries account for 75 percent of world oil reserves.   This has compelled oil exporting nations to develop good relations with the oil producing countries.   The need to ensure that in future a country will have security of oil supplies has made countries to compete for the available oil resources. This has led to political conflicts as nations compete for the oil reserves. Furthermore, the oil trade has become an important issue in world politics.   The efforts to take control of the oil trade have influenced the development of policies which have had influence on the political issues. As nations quest for oil, the political interests of the countries which export oil aim at obtaining adequate and cheap oil. The World War II had a great impact on political relations between nations that belonged to the Allies and the Axis alliances. The war encouraged diplomatic relations between nations while it increased hostility between others. According to Miller (Miller, p, 13), the Allied forces during the war recognized the importance of oil in the war hence it tried to drain the Axis oil reserves. The Oil Campaign of World War II had Allied forces bomb the oil facilities that supplied the Nazi Germany with oil. The Allies and the Axis got involved into a military conflict due to differences in political ideology and need to have power. One of the factors that currently guarantee a nation’s of its power over other nations is oil security. To maintain power and oil security, the Allied nations formed the United Nations which up to date allows the nations to promote the achievement of their political agenda. The relations between United States, Europe and Central Asian nations which have oil reserves have influenced politics in these nations. For instance, one of the Central Asian nations that have oil reserves that the US is interested is Kazakhastan.The oil politics in Central Asia (Oil Politics in Central Asia, 2009) indicate that for the US to access Kazakhstan’s oil through pipeline, the pipeline would need to go through Afghanistan. This is considered to be the reason why the US is determined to end the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The US â€Å"War on Terror† promotes the US war in Afghanistan which has triggered political debates and shaped political relations all over world .Another issue that Wright (Wright, p 18) points out about the US political interest in Middle East is that the US invasion in Iraq was influenced by America’s quest for oil. Various national oil companies compete for the strategic oil resources.   For example, development in Asian nations such as Japan and China has made the competition for the oil between oil companies to be stiff. The companies have been experiencing increased competition for oil in Eurasia and Middle East .In the past, the Chinese Sinopec and ENPC, India’s IOC and Russia’s Lukiol have been competing for oil resources in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.   The oil deals made between the national oil companies and oil producing countries has encouraged good diplomatic relations between nations. Consequently, this makes the nations promote political agenda that does not affect the business deals. The need to benefit from the oil industry has encouraged trade alliances and agreements between nations.   By forming investment alliances, national oil companies from different nations can end political hostility between nations. On the other hand, political hostility between nations can result from the reluctance of nations to get engaged in oil trade deals.   For example, Russian oil companies in the past have been reluctant to establish alliances with Chinese and Western nations’ oil companies. This reluctance has continued play a role in the political relation between Russia and the nations it considers to be a threat.   Roger (Roger, p 52) confirms that when nations establish trade deals that aim at ensuring that a country has access to adequate oil, good relations makes the countries offer each other political support when the need to do so arises.   Due to the benefits the country derive from each other, the countries tend to support similar political interests.   For instance, a nation offers its political support to another country to guard itself from economic loss if the country it depends on for oil has its oil reserves affected. The Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) for example has its member countries protect each others’ political agenda as long as it is for the good interest of the organization.   The mission of this intergovernmental organization is to ensure stability of oil markets, unify the member countries petroleum policies and ensuring regular supply of petroleum in the market. In addition, the organization commitment to ensure that those who invest in the petroleum industry get   financial returns and that oil producers get a steady income has made it necessary for its members to support political agenda that benefits the member states.   The member states which include United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Algeria, Angola, Libya, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Nigeria and Iran through oil have managed influence global oil prices.   The internal politics of these nations affect the OPEC production quotas which in turn influence political interests of other nations which export oil.

Time Value of Money and Present Value Essays

Time Value of Money and Present Value Essays Time Value of Money and Present Value Paper Time Value of Money and Present Value Paper Date: 14/11/2012 52. Annuities: You are saving for the college education of your two children. They are two years apart in age; one will begin college 15 years from today and the other will begin 17 years from today. You estimate your children’s college expenses to be $23,000 per year per child, payable at the beginning of each school year. The annual interest rate is 5. 5 percent. How much money must you deposit in account each year to fund your children’s education? Your deposits begin one year from today. You will make your last deposit when your oldest child enters college. Assume four years of college Solution: Cost of 1 year at university = 23,000 N=4 I=5. 5% PMT=23,000 CPT PV = 80,618. 45 For the first child the PV = 80,618. 45/ (1. 055) ^14 = $38,097. 81 For the second child the PV = 80,618. 45/ (1. 055) ^16 = $34,229. 07 Therefore the total cost today of your children’s college expense will be the addition of the 2 = $72,326. 88 This is the present value of my annual savings, which are an annuity, so to get the amount I am supposed to save each year would be: PV=72,326. 88 N=15 I=5. 5 CPT PMT = 7,205. 6 57. Calculating Annuity Values: Bilbo Baggins wants to save money to meet three objectives. First, he would like to be able to retire 30 years from now with retirement income of $25,000 per month for 20 years, with the first payment received 30 years and 1 month from now. Second, he would like to purchase a cabin in Rivendell in 10 years at an estimated cost of $350,000. Third, after he passes on at the end of the 20 years of withdrawals, he would like to leave an inheritance of $750,000 to his nephew Frodo. He can afford to save $2,100 per month for the next 10 years. If he can earn an 11 percent EAR before he retires and an 8 percent EAR after he retires, how much will he have to save each month in years 11 through 30? Solution: First we get the FV of the 2,100 savings over 10 years Bilbo Baggins can afford to save $2,100 dollars per month for the next 10 years therefore at 10 years he would have saved: PMT = 2,100 I = 10. 48 / 12 = 0. 873 N = 10 x 12 = 120 CPT FV = $442,201. 15 So after 10 years he would be able to purchase his yacht at the price of $350,000, and he would be left with a balance of $92,201. 15 This $92,201. 15 will be our current PV at year 10. At year 30, the year when Bilbo retires, the $92,201. 15 would become 92,201. 15*(1. 11) ^20 = $620,283. 23 Second we have to find out how much the inheritance of 750,000 would be at year 30: 750,000/1. 8^20= $160,911. 16 Third In order for him to be able to withdraw a sum of 25,000 per month for the next 20 years after his retirement, we should now calculate this annuity’s present value: N= 20 x 12 = 240 I= 7. 72 / 12 = 0. 643 PMT= 25,000 CPT PV = $3,052,135. 26 Adding up the PV’s of the $750,000 and the annuity, we will get $3,213,046. 32 We will subtract the future value at year 30 of the $92,201. 15 ($620,283. 23) which we saved at year 10 from $3,213,046. 32 to get $2,592,763. 09 We are now left with an annuity that pays $2,592,763. 09 at year 30, and a time period of 20 years (yr11-30) To calculate the yearly PMT, we have FV= $2,592,763. 09 I= 10. 48 / 12 = 0. 873 N= 20 x 12 = 240 CPT PMT = 3,207. 33 Therefore the monthly PMT Bilbo would have to save each month through years 11-30 would be = $3,207. 33 34. Valuing bonds: Mallory Corporation has two different bonds, currently outstanding. Bond M has a face value of $20,000 and matures in twenty years. The bond makes no payments for the first six years, then pays $1,200 every 6 months over the subsequent eight years, and finally pays $1,500 every 6 months over the last years. Bond N also has a face value of $20,000 and a maturity of 20 years; it makes n coupon payments over the life of the bond. If the required return on both these bonds is 10% compounded semiannually, what is the current price of bond M? Of bond N? Solution: The price of a bond is equal to PV of expected future cash flows Bond M: Face value 20,000 Present value of 20,000 = 20,000/ (1. 05) ^40 = $2,840. 91 First we need to get the present value of the annuity for the 1,500 semiannual PMTs at year 14 Present Value of Annuity = $13,295 $13,295 becomes $3,391 at year 0 We then get the annuity of the 1,200 semiannual PMTs at year 6, and then at Present Value $13,005 at year 6 with a PV of $7,242 at year 0 The sum of the 3 PV’s gives us the value of the bond ,841 + 3,391 + 7,242 = $13,474 Bond N Face value 20,000 Present value of 20,000 = 20,000/ (1. 05) ^40 = $2,840. 91 38. Non-constant growth: Storico Co. just paid a dividend of aud 3. 5 per share. The company will increase its dividend by 20% next year, and will then reduce its dividend growth rate by 5% per year, until it reaches the industry average o f 5% industry average growth, after which the company will keep a constant growth rate forever. If the required return on Storico stock is 13%, what will a share of stock sell for today? Solution  : D0 = $3. 5 D1= 3. 5*1. 2= $4. 2 D2= 4. 2*1. 15= $4. 3 D3=4. 83*1. 1= $5. 31 D4=5. 31*1. 05= $5. 58 Since the first 4 periods are different we get the PV of each one alone, then as of the 4th year we get the perpetuity of the rest, and sum them up to get the final NPV We now get the PV of each Dividend PV D1 = 4. 2/ (1. 13) = $3. 72 PV D2 = 4. 83/ (1. 13) ^2 = $3. 78 PV D3 = 5. 31/ (1. 13) ^3 = $3. 68 So the PVs of D1+D2+D3 = $11. 18 NPV of perpetuity at constant growth = 5. 58(0. 08) / (1. 13) ^3 = 69. 75 / (1. 13) ^3 = $48. 34 NPV perpetuity + NPV dividends = NPV price of stock today 48. 34 + 11. 18 = $59. 52

Shakespearean Love in A Midsummer Nights Dream

Shakespearean Love in A Midsummer Nights Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600) has been called one of William Shakespeare’s greatest love plays. It has been interpreted as a romantic story in which love ultimately conquers all odds. However, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is actually a written piece on the importance of fertility, not love. Shakespeare’s ideas about love are represented by the powerless young lovers, by the meddling faeries and their magical love, and by forced love as opposed to chosen love. All of these points undermine the argument that this play is a typical â€Å"love story† and help build the case that Shakespeare actually intends to demonstrate the powers of sex and fertility over love. The first idea of love is its powerlessness, represented by the â€Å"true† lovers. Lysander and Hermia are the only two characters in the play who are actually in love. Yet, their love is forbidden both by Hermia’s father and by Duke Theseus. Hermia’s father speaks of Lysander’s love as witchcraft, saying Lysander is â€Å"the man that bewitched the bosom of my child† and â€Å"with feigning voice verses of feigning love/stol’n the impression of her fantasy† (27, 31-2). These lines prove that true love is an illusion, a false ideal.   Egeus goes on to say that Hermia belongs to him, proclaiming, â€Å"she is mine, and all my right of her/I do estate unto Demetrius† (97-98). These lines demonstrate the lack of power that Hermia and Lysander’s love holds in the presence of familial law. Furthermore, Demetrius tells Lysander to â€Å"yield thy crazà ©d title to my certain right,† which means that it is only to the worthiest suitor that a father must give his daughter, regardless of love (91-2). Finally, Hermia and Lysander’s eventually wedlock is due to two things: faerie intervention and noble decree. The faeries enchant Demetrius to fall in love with Helena, therefor freeing Theseus to allow Hermia and Lysander’s union. With his words, â€Å"Egeus, I will overbear your will; / For in the temple, by and by, with us / These couples shall eternally be knit,† Theseus is proving that it is not love which is responsible for the joining of two people, but the will of those in power (178-80). Thus, even for the true lovers, it is not love which conquers, but power in the form of royal decree. The second idea, the weakness of love, comes in the form of faerie magic. The four young lovers and the imbecilic actor are entangled in a love game, puppet-mastered by Oberon and Puck. The faerie’s meddling causes both Lysander and Demetrius, who were fighting over Hermia, to fall for Helena. Lysander’s confusion even leads him to believe he hates Hermia; he asks her,â€Å"Why seek’st thou me? Could not this make thee know / the hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?† (189-90). That his love is so easily extinguished and turned to hatred shows that even a true lover’s fire can be put out by the feeblest wind.   Furthermore, Titania, the powerful faerie goddess, is bewitched into falling in love with Bottom, who has been given a donkey’s head by mischievous Puck. When Titania exclaims â€Å"What visions have I seen! / Methought I was enamored of an ass,† we are meant to see that love will cloud our judgment and make even the normally level-headed person do foolish things (75-76). Ultimately, Shakespeare makes the point that love cannot be trusted to withstand any length of time and that lovers are made into fools. Finally, Shakespeare gives us two examples of choosing powerful unions, rather than amorous ones, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. First, there is the tale of Theseus and Hippolyta. In lines 16-17, Theseus says to Hippolyta, â€Å"I wooed thee with my sword / And won thy love doing thee injuries.† Thus, the first relationship that we are greeted with is the result of Theseus claiming Hippolyta after defeating her in battle. Rather than courting and loving her, Theseus has conquered and enslaved her. He creates the union for solidarity and strength between the two kingdoms.   Next is the example of Oberon and Titania, whose separation from each other results in the world becoming barren. Titania exclaims, â€Å"The spring, the summer / The childing autumn, angry winter, change / Their wonted liveries, and the mazà ©d world / By their increase now knows not which is which† (111-14). These lines make it clear that it is not in consideration of love that these two must be joined, but in consideration of the fertility and health of the world. In general, then, it is not love that decides who should be joined, but the fertileness created by the union. The sub-plots in A Midsummer Night’s Dream demonstrate Shakespeare’s dissatisfaction with the idea of love as a supreme power and his belief that power and fertility are the two prime factors in deciding a union. The images of greenery and nature throughout the story, as when Puck speaks of Titania and Oberon meeting neither â€Å"in grove or green / By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen† further suggest the importance that Shakespeare places on fertility (28-29). Also, the faerie presence within Athens at the end of the play, as sung by Oberon, suggests that lust is the enduring power and, without it, love cannot last: â€Å"Now, until the break of day / Through this house each fairy stray / To the best bride-bed will we / Which by us shall blessed be† (196-99).   Ultimately, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream suggests that believing only in love, creating bonds based on a fleeting notion rather than on lasting principles such as fertility (offspring) and power (security), is to be â€Å"enamored of an ass.†

The Future of ABAP Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Future of ABAP - Research Proposal Example g language used for business application built-up by SAP.   SAP is a company of Germany that builds up ERP systems or Enterprise Resource Planning System.   These systems are utilized by corporations to trail all information connected to the business assimilate finance, sales, and resources data.   ABAP is a fourth generation language which utilized for the thousand small embedded programs known as transactions that structure the application.   ABAP is a code written in a language like COBOL that is also known as interpretive language in syntax.   The language is able to be coded to appear almost like COBOL.  Its application permits SAP clients to expand the functionality of the core product (Nina, 2000). SAP is extremely flexible, it is capable to be employed for particular business functions quite than the entire business enterprise and can be customized for the companies for there precise requirements.   Each SAP installation has its own precise configuration and set of functions.   The price of adapting is that when upgraded each customization have to be recognized in the ABAP code and modifications made.   This shows that upgrades are extremely expensive (Nina, 2000). Customization should be evaded for stretchy upgrades in the SAP software. A work process linked by means of the database and has an ABAP language processor and interpreter. ABAP residues the language for producing programs and applications for the client server R/3 system, which SAP initially came out in year 1992 (Nina, 2000). As computer hardware area developed in the course of the 1990s, progressively of SAPs systems and applications were written in ABAP background. SAP offered an object oriented addition to ABAP known as ABAP Objects, by the side of with R/3 release 4.6 in year1999. By year 2001, all except the mainly basic functions were written and coded in ABAP language (Boyle, 2007). If we talk about the ABAP programs and their applications then we come to know that ABAP programs