Information Tecnology Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Information Tecnology Law - Essay Example After holding talks for a couple of years with the EU, the US, to the initial chagrin of much of Europe, was able to wrest an agreement that would bail out its companies from the rigid standard of the EU. The EU/US Safe Harbor agreement is a compromise pact that would allow US companies to receive personal data from the UK despite the finding of inadequacy of US data protection system. The EU/US Safe Harbor agreement, which almost relies on self-regulation of its member organisations, suffers from fundamental structural and procedural lapses that weaken its effect. The EU Data Protection Law The United Nations was the first international body to delve on the issue of data protection during the 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1968. It posed the question as to whether limits must be set in the use of electronics to protect privacy rights. Subsequently, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) drafted the Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data in 1980 whilst the Council of Europe came up with Convention for the Protection of Individuals with Regard Automatic Processing of Personal Data also in the same year. The non-binding OECD Guidelines preceded a heated disagreement between some European countries and the United States where the former charged the latter of intentional laxity in its data protection laws as a strategy to globalise its computer industry and the latter accused the former of protectionism through data protection. The OECD Guidelines therefore, was a compromise o f the conflicting stance of the parties. On the other hand, the Council’s treaty came about after considerations in the difficulty, especially by multinationals, in transferring personal data from one country to another because of the different procedural elements in each country. The need to harmonise these different procedural elements was the primary objective of the treaty.2 As the emergence of a European common market loomed in the horizon, the European Council finally gave in to the longtime suggestion that it comes up with a Directive that would tackle data protection. In 1990, the EC issued Directive 95/46 also known as the Data Protection Directive, which has since been described as â€Å"the most influential international policy instrument to date.†3 It was formally implemented on October 1995, with Member States given until 1998 to amend their respective laws to conform to its provisions. Whilst the Council’s earlier treaty was aimed at harmonising na tional laws on data protection, 4 the primary objective of Directive 95/46 is to protect the individual’s privacy as a basic right. This Directive is a consolidation of all efforts to obtain a uniform data protection laws in all Member States, because differences in levels of data protection hamper the free flow of personal data from one Member Country to another, which can result in difficulty in the implementation of a unified European market.5 The rights that are embodied in the Directive are put in a nutshell by Article 8 of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights, which took effect in 2009 concurrently with the Treaty of Lisbon. These rights are: the right to protection of personal data; the right to have personal data processed

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Essay

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction - Essay Example With the development of human civilization, mechanical reproduction of a work of art was introduced. It had given a new direction to the work of art both in scale and perception. With the passage of time, new and improved techniques were developed to reproduce or replicate the work of art. The woodcut graphic art was the first form of reproducible art. Later, the printing was introduced. Printing had brought an enormous change both in literature and ancient script. â€Å"During the Middle Ages engraving and etching were added to the woodcut and at the beginning of the 19th century lithography made its appearance† (Benjamin, 42). Lithography, enabled the graphic artists first time, to put its products on the market not only in large numbers as hitherto, but also in daily changing forms. Nevertheless, it could not sustain too long as after a few decades lithography was surpassed buy photography. Photography, along with technical reproduction of sound later around 1900, not only accelerated the process of technical reproduction of art, but also brought it to a standard where any visual or auditory images of art can appear and disappear at a simple movement of hand. It also shadowed its strong impact on society and captured a place of its own among the artistic processes.

Comparison of Adidas and Nike Footwear

Comparison of Adidas and Nike Footwear COMPARITIVE STUDY OF Brand of Leading Footwear Giants With special reference to Adidas and Nike ABSTRACT BRANDING The 1980s marked a turning point in the competition of brands. Management came to ralise that the principlal asset of a company was in fact its brand names. The brand is not the product but it gives the product meaning and defines its identity in both time and space. Too often brands are examined through their component parts: the brand name, its logo, design or packaging, advertising or sponsorship, the level of image and brand awareness or, more recently, in terms of financial valuation. The brand is a focal point for all the positive and negative impressions created by buyer over time as he comes into contact with the brands products, distribution channel, personnel and communication. The brand continues to be, at least in short term, a byword for quality even after the patent has expired. The brand performs an economic function in the mind of consumer and thus has a lasting and memorable effect on the companys activities, be it as distributor or owner of the brand. Legally a brand is simply a symbol which distinguishes a companys product and certifies its origin and thus only obtains its value through registration and conformity. In order to understand in what way a strong brand is a generator of growth and profitability, it is first necessary to remind ourselves of the fnctions that it performs with the consumers themselves, and which are the source of this valuable goodwill. Once these functions are valued, the consumer seeks out the brands and becomes attached, indeed loyal, to them and, in accordance with the valuation, is often prepared to pay more for the branded product. On the other hand, when these functions are either not fulfilled or not valued by the public, the attraction of the branded product decreases and its premium price becomes unacceptable. Branding means much more than just giving a brand name and signaling to the outside world that such a product or service has been stamped with the mark and imprint of an organization. Brands are a direct consequence of the strategy of market segmentation and product differentiation. It is no wonder that the word â€Å"brand† also refers to the act of burning a mark into the flesh of an animal as a means to claim ownership of it. Branding though, is not about being on top of something, but within something. The product or service thus enriched must stand out well if it is to be spotted by the potential buyer and if the company wants to reap the benefits of its strategy before being copied by others. The brand should have its own specific point of view on the product category. It is this conception whichjustifies the brands exixstence, its reason for being on the market, and provides it with a guideline for its life cycle. A brand is both the memory and future of its products. Products are mute: the brand is what gives them meaning and purpose, telling us how a product should be read. A brand is both a prism and a magnifying glass through which products can be decoded. Brands become credible through persistency and repetition. Whats in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. William Shakespeare Shakespeare was wrong. A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet †¦. Which is why the single most important decision in the marketing of perfume is the name. Al Ries and Jack Trout An idea, in the highest sense of that word, cannot be conveyed but a symbol. Samuel Taylor Coleridge A brand is an external manifestation of what happens inside the organization. The brand is the most powerful asset of a company. It is the instrument by which the products move. It is the symbol of a companys promise. Branding is the process by which companies distinguish their product offerings from competition. A brand is created by developing a distinctive name, packaging and design, and arousing customer expectations about the offering. By developing an individual identity, branding permits customers to develop associations like prestige and economy with the brand. Buying a brand reduces the risk of the customer and eases his purchase decisions. Brand superiority leads to high sales, the ability to charge price premiums, and the power to resist distribution power. A brand is a distinguishing name or symbol (such as a logo, trademark, or package design) meant to identify the goods or services of either one seller or a Group of sellers. Its purpose is to differentiate the goods or services from the goods or services of the competitors. A brand gives signals to the customer the source of the product, and protects both the customer and the producer from the competitors who would attempt to provide identical products that appear to be same. The strength of brand is directly proportional to the expectations of the customer about it. The brand is the culmination of all the activities of the organization. The brand name conveys the set of values and attributes embodied in the brand. When we think of M with curved top reminds us of the delicious burgers served at McDonalds outlets. This is how a symbol reminds us of the brand when it becomes applicable in the whole universe. A BRAND CONVEYS the following message Ø Attributes: can be both specific and abstract. Size colour and weight are specific. McDonalds gives identification of pure and hygienic food served by it. Ø Benefits: refer to the consumer perception of the needs that are being satisfied. McDonalds gives us healthy food, which is hygienic and ready to eat. Ø Values: Wipros values are to deliver best products and services by applying these values. Ø Culture: Mercedes represents German culture: organized and efficient and comfortable cars. Ø Personality: Raymonds fabrics provide a gentle, caring and lovable mans look to its users. Ø User: Barbies indicate that its user would be a small kid and not a teenager or an old man A successful brand has several essential attributes. The presence of most of these attributes can guarantee long-term eminence of the brand.  · The brand provides the benefits that customer desire. Customers buy a brand because its attributes, its image, its service and many other tangible and intangible factors create an attractive whole.  · The brand stays relevant.  · The pricing strategy is based on consumers perception of value. The company has to arrive at the right blend of product quality, design, features and price. Value pricing should not be adopted at the expense of essential brand-building activities. Whatever price the company decides to charge, it should be able to demonstrate that customers are deriving value from it in proportion to the price they are paying.  · The brand is properly positioned. Successful brands keep up with competitors by creating points of parity in those areas where competitors are trying to find an advantage, while at the same time creating points of difference to achieve advantages over competitors in some other areas.  · The brand is consistent. Maintaining a strong brand means striking the right balance between continuity in marketing activities and the kind of changes needed to stay relevant.  · The brand portfolio and hierarchy should make sense. The Gaps brand portfolio provides maximum market coverage with minimal overlap. Banana Republic serves the higher end, the Gap brand covers the basic style and quality segment, and Old Navy serves the mass market. Each brand has the distinct image and its own source of equity. Brand at each level of the hierarchy should contribute to the overall equity of the portfolio through their individual ability to make consumers aware of the various products and foster favourable associations with them.  · The brand makes use of and coordinates a full repertoire of marketing activities to build equity.  · Brand managers understand what the brand means to consumers. LITERATURE REVIEW Define the Market Market is the place where the sellers and buyers meet. It does not have any demographic limits. Market research  · Market research gives the knowledge about customers, its attitude, approach. Market research is collection of data which will make a person (as a business) more aware of how the people, you hope to sell the product of the company to, will react to your products or services. Conducting market research There is no uniform way of conducting market research, yet there are number of ways in which we may carry out your research but we need to carefully consider the reason of this choice and what you hope the evidence will suggest to you. There are various methods but Questionnaires and personal interviews are one of the most common ways in which you can conduct market research, and there are many methods of gathering data this way: Direct Interview, Mail Survey and Telephone interview of person. Marketing mix The Marketing Mix (The 4 Ps of Marketing) In marketing decisions we are to take decisions about the four following categories:  · Product which is produced by the company  · Price which is charged by the company  · Place (distribution) where it is sold by the company  · Promotion what is done to increase sales of the company These four Ps are those parameters that the marketing manager can control, subject to the internal and external constraints of the marketing environment. All the four elements of the marketing mix for a target market should reinforce one another and contribute positively to companys value proposition for the target market. The correct process to get its marketing mix right is that the company decides its positioning and sets each element of the marketing mix to conform to its positioning. Most companies start with fixing their marketing mix elements individually and only much later in their evolution do they consciously think about positioning. Different elements of the marketing mix send conflicting signals to the customers. Customers are confused about the companys true positioning. Such companies are not reaping the values that they could have from their marketing mix as customers pay less to compensate for the conflicting signals they get from one of the elements of the marketing mix. When customers get conflicting signals from the store, they always look to bargain for a lower price. If the same product had been sold from a brand ed store, all the four elements of the marketing mix would have presented a consistent image of high quality and premium product. Customers would not have bargained. Product Decisions Product means to tangible, physical products as well as services. Here are some examples of the product decisions to be made by the marketing manager:  · Brand name  · Styling of the product  · Quality of the product Price Decisions Marketing manager is to decide which pricing policy is to be decided by him for his product range so that consumer is satisfied and he is not losing profit. There are no fixed rules to be followed. Some examples of pricing decisions to be made include:  · Pricing strategy (skim, penetration, etc.)  · Cash discount and early payment discounts  · flexibility in pricing of the product of the company  · Price discrimination Decision about Distribution (Place) of Product Distribution means the process of delivering the goods to its customers. Some examples of distribution decisions include the following:  · Distribution channels  · Market coverage (inclusive, selective, or exclusive distribution)  · Warehousing arrangement  · Distribution centers of the company  · Transportation Promotion of goods It represents the various aspects of marketing communication. It is the communication of information about the product to generate a positive customer response. Marketing communication decisions include the following items:  · Promotional strategy (push, pull, etc.)  · Advertising of the product  · Personal selling sales force  · Sales promotions Swot analysis S Strength W Weakness O- Opportunity T- Threat This is very important for the company because it tells the weakness and the strong points of the company and if company then it is easier for the company to operate and also the profits as well as the market share of the company get increased so that it gets some synergy in its operation. Brand Image Brand image relates to the customers perception of the brand. Brand image can be defined as the set of beliefs held about a particular brand. Brand image is the sum total of impressions that consumers receive from many sources, all of which combine to form a brand personality. Brand image is also described as the way in which a particular brand is positioned in the market, i.e., hoe the consumer perceives the product. Brand image is a set of associations, usually organized in some meaningful way. Brand image is the understanding consumers derive from the total set of brand-related activities engaged by the firm. Implicit in all the above definitions is that brand image is a consumer-constructed notion of the brand. Consumers ascribe a persona or an image to the brand based on subjective perceptions of a set of associations that they have about the brand. For example, Lexus may be associated with lixury and status, while Volvo may have safety associations in the mind of the customers. McDonalds may be associated with a symbol such as the Golden Arches, or children may link the fast food giant to a place where they can have fun. The key difference between the brand image and brand identity is that whereas identity stems from the source or company, image is received by the receiver or the consumer. Brand message is packed or wrapped in terms of brand identity, and it is unpacked or unwrapped by the consumer in the form of brand image. Identity represents the firms reality while image represents the perception of the consumer. Brand attitude Attitudes towards brand are dynamic, and are learnt over a period of time. Therefore, each encounter of the consumer with the brand either reinforces the existing attitude or forces him to re-evaluate it. Consumers form attitudes about brands to consumption for several reasons:  · They simplify complex subjects  · They protect self-esteem  · They help us adjust to world  · They allow us to express fundamental values. There are three main sources of attitudes:  · Direct experience with the brands and situations  · Explicit and implicit learning from others about the brand  · Personality development Attitudes are not observable. Attitudes relative to purchase behaviour are formed as a result of direct experience with the product, word of mouth, exposure to mass media advertising, the internet and direct marketing. Attitudes are not synonymous with behaviour though they may result from behaviour. Attitudes have consistency, though they are not permanent, and can and do change. Once attitude develop, they are not always easy to change. Often the goal of marketing is to change attitude about a brand or a company. Attitudes occur within a situation. From a marketers perspective, it is important to consider the situation in which the behavior takes place, or one might misinterpret the relationship between attitude and behavior. Branding for a business means one need to stand out from the herd when it comes to business. Branding makes the company stronger and more adaptable than your competitors. Brand gives the business an immediate advantage because it is a backbone, or a frame work, on which company hangs its products. Brand gives awareness of the product to the customer. A branded business carries with it an ideology. If people know the brand they know the company and what it stands for. A brand carries with it the power to inspire and influence your customers. Brand creates a set of subconscious associations in minds of the customers of the company and sets you apart from the herd. Brand gives the customer satisfaction, surety about the following: 1. Quality of product of company 2. Reliability of product of company 3. Customer service (after sales /before sales) 4. Uniformity of material, size etc. Advertising campaigns uses the following for their product 1. Their Logos 2. Their Slogans 3. Their Promises We absorb every day that a lot of advertising promotion Logos, slogans and associated advertising methods (particularly background music) stick like mud. â€Å"Ek idea jo apke duniya badal de† â€Å"Im loving it†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ can name the brands. Company need to grab its audience and need to keep them until they are fully aware that it exists and that it mean business. It is advisable for the company not to copy its competitors, be original instead  ­ look to companies that inspire you for inspiration. There are some other ways of advertising but Word of mouth is by far the most effective form of advertising. People ignore Pop-up windows, but theyll listen to their best friend. If company provides a quality service people will recommend for it to the other prospects and help to make them customers. If company can provide quality at decent price customers will come back, inspiring customer loyalty is part of a strong brand identity. If company is lacking to shape its business, it may want to hire a professional to help shape your business model, or to improve its advertising scheme. Company should not limit itself; putting blinkers on is a way of staying focussed; but it also leads to missed opportunities of growth. INTRODUCTION Brands in todays intense global economy are strategic assets and a key source of competitive advantage. A brands equity adds or detracts from the power of the brand. It must be managed and leveraged to produce strong long-term performance and lasting revenue growth. Strong brand-building and measurement skills are crucial to achieve these critical objectives in todays fiercely competitive global economy. The brand performs an economic function in the mind of consumer and thus has a lasting and memorable effect on the companys activities, be it as distributor or owner of the brand. Brands create market segmentation and product differentiation. â€Å"Brand† also refers to the act of burning a mark into the flesh of an animal as a means to claim ownership of it. Branding though, is not about being on top of something, but within something. The product or service thus enriched must stand out well if it is to be spotted by the potential buyer and if the company wants to reap the benefits of its strategy before being copied by others. Brand equity It means to the value inherent in a brand name. This value stems from the consumers perception of the brands superiority, the social esteem that using it provides, and the customers trust and identification with the brand. For corporate world, their most valuable assets are their brand names. Well-known brand names are referred to as megabrands which attracts the customers. Companies prefer to leverage their brand equity through brand extensions rather than taking the risk launching a new brand. Brand equity is most important for low involvement purchases such as inexpensive consumer goods that are brought routinely and with little processing of cognitive information. Brand equity enables companies to charge a price premium an additional amount over and above the price of an identical store brand. A relatively new strategy among some marketers is co-branding (also called double branding). The basis of co-branding, in which two brand names are featured on a single product, is to use another products brand equity to enhance the primary brands equity. Brand loyalty and brand equity increases market share and profits are increased. Definition of Brand Equity Brand equity is the value and power of the brand that determines its worth. The brand equity can be determined by measuring;  · The price premium that the brand charges over unbranded products;  · By assessing the additional volume of the sales generated by the brand as compared to other brands in the same category;  · Returns to shareholders;  · Assessing the image of the brand for various parameters that are deemed important;  · Assessing the future earning potential of he brand; Various activities of the firm determine brand equity. These activities may enhance or diminish the brand value. Activities that are synchronous with the overall vision for the brand enhance equity, and any activity that goes against this overall vision reduces brand equity. The customer-based brand equity framework defines customer-based brand equity as the differential effect that consumer knowledge about a brand has on the customers response to marketing activity. Positive customer based brand equity results when consumers respond more favourably to a product, price or communication when the brand is identified than when it is not. Sources of brand equity occur when consumer are aware of the brand and hold strong, favourable and unique brand associations. Any action that a firm takes as part of its marketing programme has the potential to change consumer knowledge about the brand in terms of some aspects of brand awareness or brand image. Managing brand equity, however, requires more than taking a long-term perspective. Brand equity must be actively managed over time by reinforcing the brand meaning and if necessary, by revitalizing the brand. Who should be involved in process of building brands? Brand managers were originally dominant in brand building. However, the traditional brand manager concept has been criticized since changes in the external environment and within the firm raise doubts about its appropriateness. Limitations in the brand management concept have resulted in the move to categry management. In some firms the CEO is in charge of brands, which is advantageous as CEOs have authority, a long term perspective and control over resources. CEOs also have many objectives and may be subject to performance measures which conflict with the aims of building a strong brand. As such the â€Å"brand champion†, a senior executive with sole responsibility for managing and building one particular brand, is emerging as an alternative. However, as the role of marketing departments has declined branding mayhave ceased to be their sole responsibility. External parties may also be involved. Agencies attract employees who are interested in brand strategy, and these employees often develop brand strategy toolkits and gain insight and experience because of their exposure to different brand and brand contexts. Consumer involvement is also critical. Stages in building a successful brand  · Identify external opportunities  · Identify internal capabilities  · Define the brand and develop a brand concept  · Consider feasibility of brand  · Ensure internal commitment  · Position and differentiate the brand  · Structure organizational resources  · Market testing  · Operationalization The brand concept is based on the consumer needs that a brand can satisfy. A brand with a functional concept is designed to solve externally generated consumption needs. A brand with a symbolic concept is designed to associate the individual with a desired group, role or self image. A brand with an experimental concept is designed to fulfill an internally generated need for stimulation and/or variety. Brand identity originates from the company, i.e., the company is responsible for creating a differentiated product with unique features. The marketing mix strategy plays an important role in establishing a brand identity. The four Ps product, promotion, price and place- can play an important role in this process. Brand identity is the common element sending a single message amid a wide variety of its products, actions and slogans. This is important since the more the brand expands, the more customers are inclined to feel that they are, in fact, dealing with several different brands rather than a single brand. Through brand identity, a company seeks to convey its individuality and disinctiveness to the relevant public. It is through the development of this identity that managers and employees make a brand unique. The brand identity is made up of the following components:  · Brand vision  · Brand culture  · Positioning  · Personality  · Relationships  · Presentations Brand equity† has two components, we can more easily determine a reliable way to measure brand equity, and to track changes in brand equity over time. The components of brand equity are: a) retention and attraction of customers, b) stem from peoples experiences and c) perceptions of a brand. How should brand equity be reinforced over time? How can marketers make sure that consumers have the desired knowledge structures such that their brands continue to have the necessary sources of brand equity? In a general sense, brand equity is reinforced by marketing actions that consistently convey the meaning of the brand to consumers in terms of brand awareness an brand image as follows:  · What products does the brand represent; what benefits does it supply; and what needs does it satisfy?  · How does the brand make those products superior? What strong, favourable and unique brand associations exist in the minds of consumers? Both of these issues- brand meaning in terms of products, benefits and needs as well as brand meaning in terms of product differentiation depend on firms general approach to product development, branding strategies and other strategic concerns. The most important consideration in reinforcing brands is the consistency of the marketing support that the brand receives both in terms of the amount and nature of marketing support. Brand consistency is critical to maintaining the strength and favourability of brand associations. Brands that receive inadequate support, in terms of such things as shrinking research and development or marketing communication budgets, run the risk of becoming technologically disadvantaged or even obsolete. Consistency does not mean, however, that marketers should avoid making any changes in the marketing programme. On the contrary, the opposite can be quite true being consistent in managing brand equity may require numerous tactical shifts and changes in order to maintain the proper strategic thrust and direction of the brand. There are many ways that brand awareness and brand image can be created, maintained or improved through carefully designed marketing programmes. Brand loyalty occur when a customer makes the choice of purchasing one brand from among a set of alternatives consistently over a period of time. Brand loyalty is usually rated as the most important indicator of brand equity. Loyalty is a dual edged sword, an opportunity for those that consistently deliver on their promises; high risk, for those who dont. (Martin Hoffmitz, Executive Vice President) Loyalty is developed in the absence of something better. (Justin Lees, Commercial Controller) BRAND EQUITY BRAND LOYALTY MEASUREMENT AND MANAGEMENT Companies work hard building the strength of their brands to earn more profits. Bottom line job of marketing is to Build a brand, cultivate its strengths, prune its weaknesses, and make it more valuable to its owners. Marketing does ultimately work in concert to make a firms brands more valuable. Ways to Measure Brand Equity Measuring of brand equity establishes a baseline and track changes in its brand equity over time. Company must consistently work to improve the strength of its brands. it must trace progress, or risk flying blind. Changes in a quantitative measurement of brand equity can show the company the effects of its work, and aid in setting marketing and management priorities in the next business planning cycle. A company measures its brand equity to aid in assigning a monetary value to a brand. Wall Street measures the strength of a brand by looking primarily at current and historical financial measures, with minimal use of information directly from the voice of the marketplace (i.e., current and prospective customers). LOYALTY IN THE MARKET PLACE Whether husbands are loyal to their wives or not, whether employees remain loyal to their employers or not, marketers are realising the need to have a large number of loyal customers. The purpose of any organisation does not end with just getting the customers. Retaining them in their fold is an equally important task. No successful company is satisfied if a customer buys the product of the Company just once or twice. He/She must be made to buy the same brand again, and again. This is should be the core strategy for many of the fast moving consumer goods. Often consumers may not be aware of even the total set of brands available in the market of the product category under consideration. Again, they do not consider for choice all the brands they are aware of. They have an evoked set or a consideration set of brands within which they normally switch from one to another. Consider the case of toilet soaps. There are any number of toilet soaps available in the market. But consumers usuall y choose from their evoked set only. Suppose, the evoked set of brands for toilet- soaps for a consumer consists of Hamam, Rexona and Lux, she will buy only from these three brands. At the same time, she may buy one particular brand more often than other brands in the evoked set, which is a different issue to be taken up later. Footwear Technologies adiprene Ø Shock absorbing material under the heel. Ø Provides heel cushioning and stability. Ø Provides extra absorption of harmful impact forces. Ø Adds stability a ground contact. adiprene Ø Elastic material under the forefoot. Ø Allows a more efficient push-off. Ø Retains natural forces at toe-off for added forefoot efficiency. Ø Maximizes energy use. torsion Ø Helps control of the natural independent rotation of the heel and forefoot. Ø Creates stability and control. Ø Helps the forefoot adopt to surfaces easily. Ø Maintains mid-foot support. Traxion Ø Lugs in shoe bottom provide optimal ground penetration and maximum grip. Ø Lug placement optimizes comfort while increasing surface contact. Ø Adds stability at ground contact. Ø Meets the specific needs of different sports and surfaces. Pro-Moderator Ø Usage of TPU as lightweight mid-sole support system reduces weight of shoe giving greater mobility. Ø Improved durability of mid-sole adds to life of shoes providing consistent and stable run. Ø Direct moulding on mid-sole frees your foot from thick inserts giving improved toe-all. GeoFit Frame Ø An Internal footwear technology that enhances fit and comfort by placing padding in anatomically correct areas. Ø Every piece of anatomically moulded padding follows the form of the foot, evenly distributing pressu

Irving Washington, The History of New York Essay example -- Literary R

Irving Washington was born in 1783 in New York into a large family where he was the youngest of eleven children. He started his career from a law office feeling that it was a job not to his heart content. Being light-hearted and sardonic in his nature he attempted to write for the journal of his brother Peter called â€Å"The Morning Chronicle†. Later Irving and Peter thought of creating a high-quality literary mockery. Originally the text intended nothing else but a satire upon the â€Å"Picture of New York† by Dr. Samuel Mitchell whose text was rather boastful of erudition and pedantry; however, it turned out to be different from the original perspective broadening the scope of interpretative thinking over to history and philosophy as two great narratives. The text was published December 6, 1809 in New York when Irving Washington was 26 and brought him considerable critical acclaim. Worth mentioning are the two timelines: the actual historical timeline of the story which embraces the first two decades of the XVII century. Literary selection suggested revolves around a historical episode of purchase of New York (namely Manhattan Island) from the Indians and further life of the Dutchmen. In 1626 Peter Menuit arrived at the colony called New Amsterdam to govern as well as take part in educational and religious activities of the settlers. The first priority for the governor to realize was a purchase of the Island of Manhattan. The estimated sum of transaction was twenty-four dollars, which Irving Washington calls â€Å"a measure almost unparalleled in the annals of discovery and colonization† (Tuttleton, 1993, p. 209-212). The second timeline is actually tangible through the author’s voice within the frame of narration, as he comes from two... ...he other side of the conflict is never articulated, thus suppressed, kept silent and, therefore, eliminated, which makes the entire concept of conflict as a productive means of history. Irving Washington wrote the text looking back two centuries. Apart from being a satire it deconstructs the concept of history by devaluation of the conflict via removal of one of its constituents or dehumanization of it which is one of the main implied themes of the story. Works Cited Aderman, Ralph. M. Critical Essays on Washington Irving. // John G. Lockhart. Review of Knickerbocker’s History of New York. G.K. Hall & Co., 1990. P. 50. Irving, Washington. A History of New York: Washington Irving: History, Tales and Sketches. NY: the Library of Congress, 1983. P. 449-55. Tuttleton, James W. Washington Irving: the Critical Reaction. AMS Press, 1993. P. 209-212. Irving Washington, The History of New York Essay example -- Literary R Irving Washington was born in 1783 in New York into a large family where he was the youngest of eleven children. He started his career from a law office feeling that it was a job not to his heart content. Being light-hearted and sardonic in his nature he attempted to write for the journal of his brother Peter called â€Å"The Morning Chronicle†. Later Irving and Peter thought of creating a high-quality literary mockery. Originally the text intended nothing else but a satire upon the â€Å"Picture of New York† by Dr. Samuel Mitchell whose text was rather boastful of erudition and pedantry; however, it turned out to be different from the original perspective broadening the scope of interpretative thinking over to history and philosophy as two great narratives. The text was published December 6, 1809 in New York when Irving Washington was 26 and brought him considerable critical acclaim. Worth mentioning are the two timelines: the actual historical timeline of the story which embraces the first two decades of the XVII century. Literary selection suggested revolves around a historical episode of purchase of New York (namely Manhattan Island) from the Indians and further life of the Dutchmen. In 1626 Peter Menuit arrived at the colony called New Amsterdam to govern as well as take part in educational and religious activities of the settlers. The first priority for the governor to realize was a purchase of the Island of Manhattan. The estimated sum of transaction was twenty-four dollars, which Irving Washington calls â€Å"a measure almost unparalleled in the annals of discovery and colonization† (Tuttleton, 1993, p. 209-212). The second timeline is actually tangible through the author’s voice within the frame of narration, as he comes from two... ...he other side of the conflict is never articulated, thus suppressed, kept silent and, therefore, eliminated, which makes the entire concept of conflict as a productive means of history. Irving Washington wrote the text looking back two centuries. Apart from being a satire it deconstructs the concept of history by devaluation of the conflict via removal of one of its constituents or dehumanization of it which is one of the main implied themes of the story. Works Cited Aderman, Ralph. M. Critical Essays on Washington Irving. // John G. Lockhart. Review of Knickerbocker’s History of New York. G.K. Hall & Co., 1990. P. 50. Irving, Washington. A History of New York: Washington Irving: History, Tales and Sketches. NY: the Library of Congress, 1983. P. 449-55. Tuttleton, James W. Washington Irving: the Critical Reaction. AMS Press, 1993. P. 209-212.

Christmas Celebration Essay

As Christmas arrives, instead of just opening presents, my family celebrates it by throwing a fun and exciting party. The events we plan are way to thrilling than any ordinary Christmas celebration because it’s our family’s tradition. For example, each year we make American style food and Vietnamese food, open presents under the Christmas tree, eat at the dining table, and sing! Most of my family members could not control their excitement and have broken one of the family’s traditions of opening presents by age. While we do celebrate Christmas like any other family does, we tend to celebrate it differently each year to change it up. Opening presents under the Christmas tree first, helps organize everything from causing chaos. Most of the time it’s our last event because it’s worth the wait, but most of us can’t help and take a peek at ours first. My family open presents uniquely different than other families because we wait for our turns. Our family has a tradition of opening of opening presents from youngest to oldest. We have been following this tradition for as long as I can remember. While, waiting, it’s hard for me to watch because I get extremely impatient, I’m always at the couch watching TV. Next, we heard over to the mall Christmas tree and take a Chinese red envelope filled with money. The envelope contains bills that vary from $1,$5,$10,$20 and $50. This is the most exciting part after opening presents because who wouldn’t want to test out their luck? I have the worst luck when it comes to picking an envelope off the tree. Every year, I always get $1 bills or $5 bills! This changed last year, when I hit the jackpot and won $50! Overall everyone not only receive presents, but goes home with money in their pockets. After opening presents and selecting our red envelopes off the tree, we take family pictures. The first picture is always serious because it has to be perfect. My cousin Michael, and I try our best to hold in our laugher, but we never successfully do. If the first shot isn’t perfect or if we joke around, then we all have to stand there until a perfect picture has been taken. After that we change into our Christmas sweaters and take silly photos. Nobody ever wants to see just serious Christmas photos in the family scrapbook! We take silly pictures to make it a fun and funny experience. Next we head over to the dining table to eat as much food as our hearts desire! Last, we brace ourselves again, for the serious karaoke competition! This is my favorite part of the day because it’s always funny to watch people mess up the lyrics. Each year, the competition gets more and more competitive; people take it way too seriously! My aunt thinks she is better than everyone else, but to our ears, that isn’t true. My aunts and uncles always fight over to see whose turn it is to go next because they love to have fun and show off their skills. When it’s my turn to sing, I remain calm and try my best to get a good score. Singing in chorus in high school for two years really pays off! Anyway, we all compare our scores at the end of the competition to see who wins a gift card to any store of their choice. The thing is, not everyone goes home empty – handed. Everyone wins a gift card too, but those don’t hold as much money as the grand prize. My family’s Christmas celebrations are the best! It’s great to see everyone having fun for once, rather than arguing about problems! I love the aura that everyone gives off with the smiles and laughter in the atmosphere! It’s the only time of the year where everyone can relax without causing any uproar. Overall, my Christmas celebrations are fun moments that I look forward to each year.

Jane Eyre: Feminist Hero

Jane Eyre: Feminist Hero Submissive, domestic, good-tempered, quiet, agreeable and mild; these are all words that could be used to describe the ideal Victorian woman. Sexism and discrimination put up roadblocks and didn’t allow much room for educational growth for women. Education and job opportunities were limited and left most women with marriage, particularly to a wealthy man, as their best option for security. Jane Eyre broke the mold of the common Victorian woman; she was determined, stubborn, and would not be swayed from doing what she believed to be right and just. She worked her way up from orphan, to governess, to wife of a wealthy man – all without compromising her integrity, her moral standards or her pride. In a time where women had little to no say over how they lived their lives, Jane was doing just the opposite and taking control over her own destiny. It all begun when Jane left Gateshead as a young girl. She escaped her cruel aunt and cousins and ventured out on her own, leaving a semi-comfortable living situation and the familiar in pursuit of bettering herself with an education. As a result of Jane receiving an education, she was able to further her independence by taking a job as a governess at Thornfield. Though the profession of governess was considered low class and seen as little more than a servant, Jane took the opportunity. Again, Jane left the comfort of familiarity and moved on to do what she believed best. As a governess, Jane was able to make her own wages and, though she was living in someone else’s home and worked for Mr. Rochester, she wasn’t taking charity from anyone; she was working for her keep (Bronte 140). Jane was a very passionate person and, despite the social norm being that women held their tongues in front of men, Jane spoke her opinions boldly, especially to Mr. Rochester. Jane didn’t feel that stifling her voice was fair, and she refused to do it. Jane explained her views on the women of the day in the following passage: Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as en would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex (Bronte 130). When Mr. Rochester told Jane that he was going to be marrying Miss Ingram, Jane’s true feelings for Rochester came to the surface and she insisted on leaving Thornfield. ‘Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automation? -a machine without feelings? and can you bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soul and heartless? You think wrong! – I have as much soul as you, – and full as much heart †¦ I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh; — it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God's feet, equal, — as we are’ (Bronte 296)! Jane couldn’t stay at Thornfield as anything other than his significant other. She couldn’t stand the idea of watching him with someone other than her. On the day of Rochester and Jane’s wedding, the truth about Rochester’s marital status was discovered and after learning about Bertha, Jane left Thornfield and â€Å"fled from temptation† (Bronte 372). If she had stayed at Thornfield with Rochester, she would have become his mistress, and despite loving Rochester with all of her heart and wanting to be with him, she ran, knowing that being his mistress would be morally wrong. Jane couldn’t be Rochester’s mistress, even though most women would have accepted the opportunity to be with Mr. Rochester, even if only as his mistress, because it meant security, wealth, comfort, and love. Rochester put Jane’s strength and determination to the test when he begged her to stay (Bronte 371). As much as he pleaded with her, she couldn’t and wouldn’t lower herself to living a life of sin, so instead, she bravely and independently ventured out on her own with no money, no job, and no plan. Jane was constantly fighting to overcome the obstacles that stood in her way: a repressive family, a low social class standing, no wealth, and sexism. She overcame Mr. Brocklehurst’s oppression, refused St. John’s proposal, knowing that it was wrong to marry him, and only married Mr. Rochester after she received her uncle’s inheritance. As a result of inheriting the money, Jane became Rochester’s financial and social equal. Mr. Rochester was also blind at the time of their marriage, which meant that the typical roles had been reversed; the male was dependent on the female, rather than the female being dependent on the male. Rochester looked to Jane to be his eyes and to take care of him (Bronte 515). Jane didn’t do what was easy; she did what was right, moral, and what she knew to be best not only for her, but for everyone. Despite the ways of the era and the way that women were perceived, Jane wanted to be independent and strong. She spoke her mind and gave her opinion despite most people not wanting to hear it. Jane Eyre has brought inspiration to many women throughout history with her strength and independence and will continue to do so for many generations to come.

Sociological research methods questionnaires Essays

Sociological research methods questionnaires Essays Sociological research methods questionnaires Paper Sociological research methods questionnaires Paper Using questionnaires is favoured by positivists as they produce results that can be easily generalised, are highly reliable and largely representable of the studied subjects. This also means that interpretivists dislike this method as the results are not personal and have very little depth to them. There are strengths and weaknesses to both arguments. An advantage of questionnaires is that they are cheap and fast to produce, this means that they can be produced on mass to produce more reliable results. Answers in questionnaires are easily comparable with standardised and close ended questions and could produce representative, qualitative data that is also easily replicable. This means that sociologists are able to make links and comparisons in society in different areas and during different time periods. If a large number of questionnaires are sent out they should produce representative results with a better chance of being truly accurate. Connor and Dewson send out nearly 4000 surveys to 14 higher education institutes around the country which resulted in a large sample size. This method is also favoured more for purposed of educational attitudes than others such as participant observations, which is used to study small groups and produce valid qualitative data. A researcher’s hypothesis should be proven or proven wrong with the results of the questionnaire but this may lead the researcher to produce leading questions, the parent, in this instance, may then try to please or attempt to second guess the researchers aims, leading to further invalid results. Statements can then be produced from the questionnaires which will either prove or disprove the hypothesis, and a ‘cause-and-effect’ relationship can be gathered from relevant information and variables. Questionnaires also raise very few ethical problems even though they ask sensitive and intrusive questions as people are generally under no pressure to answer them and can skip questions if they choose to. This method produces unbiased results making them objective. Practical problems include a low response rate as not all those that the survey is sent to will respond and end it back as they may think it is pointless, however the response rate is likely to be higher when considering questionnaires linked to education as most parents will assume that filling in the forms will benefit their child, as stated in item A, especially if the forms are from the school. However, this information is confidential, making it harder for a sociologist to acquire a reasonable and accurate sampling frame. Also, parents may lie or answer incorrectly due to ‘right answerism’ when completing the questionnaire as they don’t want to be seen to be bad parents. It would be easier for them to lie by postal questionnaire, however if the questionnaire was done face to face their body language could be analysed. The response rate may also be raised if there is an incentive offered such as a prize or money. Questionnaires are also quite inflexible as if closed questions are used they are set for all potential respondents. This means that if they do not understand the question or wish to add more information they will be unable to do so. In other methods such as unstructured interviews any area can be explored in-depth as it is much more flexible, the weakness to this method is that irrelevant issues which take up time. Questionnaires also only give a small snap shop of the whole picture and so may not consider outside factors that affect a pupil such as their peer group, ethnicity or class. Therefore, this may not represent all parents’ attitudes to their children’s schooling as a whole as the picture is not totally valid. Sociologists that take an interpretivist approach such as Aaron Cicourel (1968) argue that questionnaires are too detached and so lack validity. They would argue that only methods that allow the researcher to get close to the subjects they are studying should be used so that the researcher can relate and understand the answers more clearly. Without this contact it can be argued that may be misunderstanding that cannot be clarified as there is no way of knowing if the researcher and respondent are interpreting the questions in the same way. In conclusion, questionnaires are a good way to get quick results at a low cost and can produce reliable, quantitative results if the right questions are asked. However, other methods should also be used as well as questionnaires to get a clearer and more precise picture of how parents’ attitudes are towards their child’s education.

Serial Murder essays

Serial Murder essays On the night of January 23rd, 1978, a 21 year-old woman was found murdered. The killer, in no way connected to the victim, had torn all clothes from the woman's body and had ripped open her lower abdomen. A huge knife wound gaped from breast to navel , some inner organs had been cut out. Several body parts were missing. There were some stab wounds in the left breast. The killer had put animal excrement into the victim's mouth. To all appearances he had caught blood in a yogurt tub and drunk it (uni- saarland.de/fak5/ezw/abteil/motiv/paper/murder_engl.htm) Murder, the uglier side of our society, never seems to want to go away. Sometimes the crime is almost automatic: Rejected love, laid off employees, revenge, drugs, and sheer hatred. The suspect is apprehended, the motives are identified, and the case is shelved away amongst the myriads of others almost as quickly as it was discovered. Alas, what do you do when paths are blocked off, roads are closed down, and common sense seems to have taken a break? What do you do when murder doesnt make sense? What becomes of the preceding case? One of the increasingly popular and rapidly growing fields of study in the general realm of analysis is criminology; the study of crimes, criminals, and their behaviors. Although criminology as a whole, is too vast an area to try and understand in the limited time that we have, the study of serial killers, as branch of this field, is a concentrated area of focus. During the course of time, there have been various theories as to explain the real causes, as well as solutions, to the unfortunate problem of serial murder. Killing at random, with no obvious purpose or motive, has in turn, become one of the deadliest cancers of any civilized society. As sort of a principle foundation of ideas, criminologists have determined several conclusions that they believe refers to all serial killers. The fi...

Most Important Symbols in The Great Gatsby, Analyzed

Most Important Symbols in The Great Gatsby, Analyzed SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you ever come across an object or an image in a book that was really over-described? That the author seemed way too over-invested in? Most of the time, that feeling is a hint that what you've encountered is a symbol! The Great Gatsby features many objects and images that pop up exactly like this. But how do you interpret Great Gatsby symbols once you've found them? And how can you find symbols that don't have as much signposting around them? In this article, I'll take you through an explanation of what symbols are, how to locate them, and how to write about them. I'll also point you to in-depth articles about each of the most important symbols in The Great Gatsby. Roadmap to This Article What are symbols and why do authors use them? How do you find symbols in a work of fiction? Tips and advice for writing essays about symbols Links to our detailed, in-depth discussions about the key symbols in The Great Gatsby Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. What Is a Symbol? Think about your own life. You probably save mementos from travel, or meaningful events, because they represent the experience or your connection a person rather than simply because they are airplane tickets or dried flowers. Just like these mementos are symbols of your feelings, memories, or hopes, so a symbol in a work of literature is something concrete that stands for an abstract idea. In other words, it's when an object, a character, or a place doesn't just represent that type of object, but also evokes a feeling or a concept. This means that symbols have several layers of meaning, most of which are often hidden at first. What you are doing when you interpret a symbol is going above and beyond the object's literal definition to see a deeper, less obvious meaning. Remember, symbols do not always have the same meaning or interpretation, so a particular symbol's significance varies depending on context between different works, or even within the same work. Symbols vs. Motifs A symbol isn't the same thing as a motif. A symbol occurs once or a few times, but a motif runs through the whole work. A symbol tends to be something concrete that represents or stands for an abstract idea or concept, but a motif's meaning typically comes from the different ways and situations in which it recurs. For example, in The Great Gatsby, one important symbol is the green light on Daisy's dock, which is a concrete object that also represents the abstract concepts of yearning and the American Dream. Those same themes are also connected to one of the novel's many motifs- Gatsby's verbal tic of calling everyone "old sport." This phrase isn't a symbol, but its oddness point to the not-quite-successful way Gatsby is trying to act like the social elite. That being said, you could always make the case that a particularly resonant instance of a motif is in itself a symbol of some idea! In literary analysis, to the maker of the best argument go the spoils. Symbols vs. Themes A symbol isn't the same thing as a theme. Symbols are objects that carry a literal and one or several figurative meanings, while themes are central ideas that can usually be summed up in a word or a phrase. Symbols help explain themes, demonstrate varying versions of a theme, or build emotional richness into the way a theme works in the book you're reading. For example, one theme in The Great Gatsby is "morality and ethics." But we can't know what the novel wants us to think about morality or ethics until we notice that the only symbolic representation of a higher moral power in the book is the inanimate billboard of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. This symbol represents a lack of moral oversight in the world of the novel. This crown: a symbol of monarchy? Of imperial oppression? Of unbearable ostentatiousness? Depends on the context. Why Do Authors Use Symbols? At its core, a symbol is a literary device that enhances fiction by building richness and adding color, depth, and realism. Rather than having the author have to explain everything in a heavy-handed way, symbols allow readers to discover connections between characters, bits of plot, and different settings on their own. Authors also use symbolism to tie certain things that may initially seem unimportant to overarching themes, or to connect disparate objects or places to unify a work- all without having to be didactic or moralizing. For example, in The Great Gatsby, the symbol of the valley of ashes connects West and East Egg to the industrial poverty that the rich Long Islanders would rather simply ignore. Finally, symbols create a more active and engaging reading experience for you! Hunting for symbols and interpreting their meaning makes you think, and it also makes you have a much more visceral, emotional reaction to the abstract ideas central to the book. In the case of The Great Gatsby, watching Gatsby reach in vain for the green light makes us feel his yearning much more than if the author had simply written, "Gatsby wanted to reunite with Daisy." How Do You Find Symbols? Mostly likely, your assignment will pick out specific symbols for you to analyze. However, often teachers ask you to find and explore a symbol of your own choosing. So how do you know what's just a thing and what is imbued with a deeper meaning? Symbols Are Everywhere First, you have to realize that almost anything can be a symbol. Place. Often a setting isn't simply a location where events happen. Sometimes it's also a shorthand, evocative way of representing a particular set of people or their ideas. For example, in The Great Gatsby, Myrtle's Manhattan apartment isn't simply a place for her to host parties, but it also stands for her ambition and aspiration to leave her working-class life behind. More globally, it stands for the vulgar approximation of the upper class that the East Egg crowd scorns and mocks. Object. This is probably the most common type of symbol- a thing that carries meaning over and above its inherent thing-ness. In this novel, almost every object described at any length can be seen a symbol. Think, for instance, of the ridiculously expensive pearl necklace Tom gives Daisy before their wedding. He means it to be symbolic of his love for her, but it is also clearly a symbol of the way he uses his wealth to control other people (something he will later do with Myrtle). More globally, it symbolizes the rich using their money to get their way. Action. Sometimes, a character's actions, gestures, ways of speaking, or behaviors are themselves symbolic, representing an idea about that character alone, or about a group of similar people. One of Gatsby's most telling gestures is the outstretched arm pose he does several times in the book (like at the end of Chapter 1 or in the beginning of Chapter 8). One of Gatsby's most defining characteristics is his striving drive to attain Daisy's love and a position in the upper class- basically, a life that's just out of reach. His habitual gesture of reaching for the ungraspable symbolizes this trait. Person. Infrequently, a character can also function as a symbol of a greater idea. This is literary device is hard to pull off, because making a person into a symbol tends to take away at least some of their individuality and personhood. This is exactly what happens in The Great Gatsby, where Daisy is at once herself (lover to Gatsby, cousin to Nick, wife to Tom, mother to Pammy), and also a symbol of the American Dream and its flaws. Is adjusting a cufflink: a symbol of impeccable taste? Prissy fussiness? Anxiety? Depends on who is doing it and why. Universally Meaningful Symbols Some symbols are culturally universal. That means that in almost every place, these objects will have layers of meaning built into them. So feel free to interpret these universally meaningful symbols in any work you come across! Here are some examples: Colors. Most civilizations imbue colors with meaning, although that meaning is by no means always the same either from one culture to another, or even within the same culture. For instance, think about the way we perceive the color red. It can sometimes represent a warning (red means stop), but at other times, it's a symbol of love and passion (red roses mean romance). In our case, The Great Gatsby places lots of significance on the color green, for example, which is associated both with hope and with sickness and death. Celestial Bodies. The moon, the sun, stars- these are all potential symbols. They don't play as prominent a role in The Great Gatsby as they do in some other books, but you can still find a lot of significance in the way the moon tends to illuminate the truth. It's particularly evident in Chapters 8 and 9, when the moon makes Gatsby look like a criminal to Nick after Myrtle's murder, and when Nick imagines East Egg as a creepy El Greco painting or as the lush shore Dutch sailors would have seen. Plants, Nature, Weather Events, or Bodies of Water. If it's naturally-occurring, and if it intersects with the characters in any way, chances are it can be read as a symbol of something. Weather, in particular, plays a key function in this novel, especially when in extreme situations, like when Gatsby and Daisy's reunion is almost ruined by a downpour, or when the tense confrontation in the Plaza Hotel is made even more excruciating by the unrelenting heat. In each case, the weather can be interpreted as a symbol for the characters' emotions. Body Parts. It's not surprising that humans find other humans' bodies to be of particular significance. Whenever a book pays a lot of attention to hands, eyes, lips, or any other part of the body, there are bound to be layers of meaning behind it. In this novel, bodies are very important symbols of how characters are perceived. Whether it's Myrtle's gruesomely graphic corpse which speaks to the many ways her body is mistreated, or Daisy's siren-like voice, which points to the way Gatsby sees her more as a mythically desirable prize than as a real live person, body parts are meaningful. Discrete and Original Symbols Many symbols aren't ones that have universal associations, but are instead more idiosyncratic and book-specific. Here are some tips for how to locate these less obvious Great Gatsby symbols. Lingering Description. Pay close attention to places or objects that are described at length, especially if the novel comes back to them multiple times, or if their description has a key element that slips its boundaries and starts being applied to other things. For example, in The Great Gatsby, the valley of ashes is a strange, dusty, gray place that is never referred to by its real place name (Queens), or some made-up town name (like West Egg and East Egg), but is instead given this Biblically-inflected nickname. Not only that, but the dust and ash that cover everything in this place are also said to coat the people that live there- so much so that even when George leaves his garage, he is still described as "ashen" (8.110). Incongruity. Anything that is either completely out of place in its surroundings, or is creepy, confusing, mysterious, or discomfiting in some way is probably a symbol. For example, the billboard with the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg clearly unnerves everyone who looks at it. And it's totally out of place: it's the only colorful object in the gray valley of ashes, and it's advertising something that is no longer being sold. Character Obsession. Anything that one of the main characters is fixated on is probably a symbol. In our case, Gatsby's unyielding focus on the green light at the end of Daisy's dock clearly marks this as no ordinary shore marker for night sailing. Why is that chair not like the others? What does symbolize by standing out? Tips and Advice for Writing About Symbols Most of your assignments will ask you to analyze a symbol and explore its significance in the novel. So how do you do this well? There are two different types of essay you can build. How to Write an Essay Built Around Close-Readings This kind of essay is a great way to show your engagement with the text. Because you'll stay so close to what is on the page, you'll be protected from making your essay too broad, generalized, and unsupported by evidence. How do you write this kind of essay? When you're planning your essay, look for each instance of the symbol you'll be discussing. One good way to do this is to use an online, searchable version of the text here (like this one or this one), and search for keywords associated with your symbol. Remember to first read the book all the way through to know what you're looking for, and to try several versions of your keyword when searching. When you're writing your essay: First, build out from the instances of the symbol you found. Discuss the symbol's meaning in each context, paying close attention to the author's word choice, sentence structure, and any literary devices like similes or metaphors. How does the symbol stay the same with each appearance? How does it change between appearances? What does this change or lack or change demonstrate? Second, link the symbol to its larger meaning within the novel through these choices the author made about the way the symbol is described. What theme or themes is this symbol is connected to? What does it represent for the characters associated with it? How can you tell? How to Write an Essay Built Around an Argument This type of essay is great if you're making a statement about why a symbol is the way that it is, or why it's being used to represent what it represents. You can use it to show your understanding of the book as a whole. How do you write this kind of essay? First, follow the same planning steps as the close-reading essay above. Then: Make an argument. It's not enough to just describe the symbol and explain its possible meanings. Instead, you have to make sure that you're making some kind of point about why/how the symbol works. How do you know if you're making an argument and not just saying the obvious? If you can imagine someone arguing the opposite of what you're saying, then you've got an argument on your hands. Work from the text out. You'll still need to do a certain amount of close reading to nail this essay, so start small by analyzing chunks of the text where the symbol pops up, and then broadening your points out to the rest of the book. This way, your argument will be strengthened by textual evidence rather than seeming to come out of nowhere Don't overthink it. For example, it's fine to argue that the green light on Daisy's dock stands for delusional optimism- but it definitely doesn't stand for environmental degradation. Watch out for stretching your symbol analysis too far from what the text is telling you. Do these paintbrushes symbolize creativity? Sure. A wealth of resources? Maybe. Industrialist waste? Probably not. Analyzing The Great Gatsby Symbols This novel is very rich, symbol-wise. For in-depth discussion of the most important object symbols, check out our articles on: The green light on Daisy's dock The valley of ashes The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Some characters (primarily the women) are often treated as symbols as well. For more on how that works, read our guides to: Daisy Buchanan Myrtle Wilson The Bottom Line A symbol in a work of literature is something concrete that stands for an abstract idea. A symbol isn't the same thing as a motif, since a motif's meaning typically comes from the different ways and situations in which it recurs. A symbol isn't the same thing as a theme, which is a central idea that can usually be summed up in a word or a phrase. Authors use symbols to help explain themes, demonstrate varying versions of a theme, or build emotional richness into the way a theme works in the book you're reading. Almost anything can be a symbol: a place, an object, an action, or even a person. Some symbols are culturally universal, like colors, celestial bodies, plants and nature, or parts of the body. Many symbols are book-specific symbols. You can find them by paying attention to any objects that are described at length, are out of place in its surroundings, are creepy, confusing, mysterious, or discomfiting in some way, or are obsessed over by one or more characters. Most of your assignments will ask you to analyze a symbol and explore its significance in the novel. You can either write an essay built around close-readings, analyzing how the different ways a symbol is described in the novel connects it to a specific theme. Or you can write an essay built around an argument, where you prove a particular interpretation of a symbol in the book. What's Next? Learn how to write about the themes in The Great Gatsby that symbols are usually linked to. Explore the differences between symbols and motifs further in our overview of The Great Gatsby's motifs. Brush up on the context of these symbols with our summary of The Great Gatsby. Get help on other assignments by reading our guides on analyzing or comparing and contrasting characters and learning how to identify personification, imagery, tone words, and rhetorical devices. Need help building your vocabulary to analyze other works of literature? We teach you all the literary devices you must know, the literary elements that appear in every story and first/second/third person POV here. If you're analyzing poetry (or Shakespeare), you'll also want to check out our articles on iambic pentameter and assonance. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Project Management and Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Project Management and Research Methods - Essay Example The report in Part A would explain the marketing plan introduced by the new official for Telkom Kenya, which would help the company reverse its sales within a span of 2 years. It also throws light on the various strategies that can further help the company park more clients in future. Finally, at the end of Part A the report briefs a project plan summarizing the marketing campaign for the company. Part B explains the effectiveness of the market research. It also throws light on the reasons for decline of Telkom Kenya’s business and frame policies with the help of which the firm may expand in future. At the end before concluding with the recommendations, the report emphasises the various facets of the mobile phone industry. Contents Introduction 4 Part A: Marketing Campaign 5 One year Marketing plan of Telkom Kenya 5 Plan for the Marketing Campaign 5 SMART Objectives 6 Segmentation and Targeting 7 Marketing Strategies 8 Positioning 10 Further Improvements 11 12 Project Plan 14 Part 2: Market Research 15 Reasons for Decline of Telkom Kenya’s Business 15 Market Research Effectiveness 17 Alternative strategies for Future 19 Technological Solutions 19 Product Offerings 21 Mobile Phone Industry 23 Conclusions and Recommendations 23 Reference List 25 Bibliography 26 Introduction The report tries to throw light on the communication sector of Kenya, the largest economy in the African continent. The postal services in Kenya from 1948 to 1977 were provided by the organization of East African Posts and Telecommunications Corporation. However, the country launched its own monopolistic communication firm KPTC when the East African Posts and Telecommunications Corporation’s business was ceased. In 1990 the policies of the Kenyan government changed according to the new reforms made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). One of such reforms required the separation of postal and telecommunication services in Kenya. KPTC was supposed to win over an IMF loa n opportunity if its business was privatized. However, IMF did not sanction the loan to KPTC because of the rising amount of corruption in the operations of the Kenyan government. Finally the board of directors were terminated from KPTC by the government in 1999, before IMF officials came over in the country. It was at this juncture that the monopoly privatized company of KPTC in Kenya broken up into three companies. Among these three organizations, Telkom Kenya was the company involving in providing telecommunication services. Postal services were delivered by Postal Corporation of Kenya and Communications Commission in Kenya was a separate nationwide authoritarian body created in the company. The report will primarily discuss about the business issues of Telkom Kenya. This company primarily engaged in providing landline phone services in Kenya. The various internet providers in Kenya operate on the infrastructure created and maintained by the company of Telkom Kenya. The company h as invested a sum of $1.5 billion in Kenya recently to expand the infrastructural facilities for mobile telecommunication in Kenya. However, it has become a matter of concern that the market shares of the company is falling over time. The company has accounted a 42.5% fall in its income, till the mid quarter of 2013 from the last year. It was also accounted by the analysts that the companies share in the market of

Increase in Economic Growth does not Necessarily Lead to an Increase Essay

Increase in Economic Growth does not Necessarily Lead to an Increase in Human Well-Being - Essay Example There are many definitions to the term economic growth; however, economists agree that economic growth refers to the growth in goods and services that a country produces over a period of time; this growth is measured in gross domestic product (GDP) (La Grandville, 2011, p536). GDP includes the goods and services that a country produces, that is to mean the personal expenditure of the people in the country added to the government expenditure and the net exports, which is the value of exports minus imports (Contanza, Hart, Posner and Talberth, 2009, 3). There have been various concerns by economists of how well GDP measures the well-being of individuals in a country with most of them arguing for differentiation between economic growth and economic well-being. This paper will therefore analyse critically the claim that an increase in levels of economic growth does not necessarily translate to increase in the well-being of individuals. The idea of well being of an individual can be eithe r objective or subjective. In the objective well-being, individuals use material goods that are measurable such as buying a new house or car among other material gains. However, economic growth is not usually associated with improved material well being because some of the factors that cause the economic growth also cause negative impacts in the society such as exploitation, environmental degradation or unequal spread of the wealth. GDP as a measure of well being of individuals’ measure the value of intermediate goods, which are not enjoyed by people rather they are used to produce other goods and services. In addition, the exclusion of military expenditure from GDP since there is no measurable output undermines the improvement in the quality of life that people enjoy due to military operations to secure the boarders of a country hence reducing criminal activities (D’acci, 2011, 49). The subjective well being of is the state of happiness that is usually brought about b y the enjoyment of the material wealth. In most of the instances, the subjective well-being, which is the psychological utility of the good that an individual has, is used to measure the variations in the objective well being of the individual. Research has found out that in some instances even with improves material wealth of a country, the happiness levels do not improve , however this claim has been refuted as in most instances the wealthier a country becomes the happier the residents are as wealth leads to increased levels of expressed happiness (Oswald ,1997, 1815). In addition, the levels of happiness that an increase in material wealth brings are usually attached to the social expectations and aspirations. Therefore even if economic growth increased the material wealth of an individual, the economic standards benchmark will rise, the individual will therefore remain at the same position or be worse off relative to the new economic standards and expectations which in return do es not making him any happier. In addition, the increase in employment that is brought about by economic growth does not necessarily lead to increased well being of an individual (Kenny, 1999, 6). Research conducted by the international labour organisation has showed that over 40% of workers are classified as poor, this happens when the employment increases without accompanying increase in productivity of each worker, it has been confirmed in East Asian countries such as Vietnam where increased levels of productivity among employees have led to reduction in poverty levels in the country. The idea that economic growth d

Annual Marketing Plan Nokia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Annual Marketing Plan Nokia - Essay Example It is evident from the study that the cell phone industry is becoming increasingly competitive as different competitors are coming up with newer products with the aim of taking more and more market share. The needs of the customers have also become sophisticated and now they are demanding better features. In the midst of all this, Nokia is constantly losing market share to rival companies. Apple, Google, HTC, and Samsung are all making inroads into the cell phone industry. These companies have challenged the market leadership of Nokia and in turn have reduced the sales of the company significantly. The situation demands that Nokia acts immediately if the company wants to remain active in the market for a long period. Analysts have suggested lower pricing as the main reason behind company’s low profits. Nokia, in the wake of all the new, had to lower prices in order to compete. This had a toll on the profits of the company. On the other hand Apple and Google are already shrinki ng the market by targeting the youth. The overall situation is developing to be disastrous for the company. Nokia was once the 5th most valuable brand of the world, but now it has plummeted to 79th. This is evidence of the declining situation of the company. Nokia has to invest in its marketing campaign vigorously in order to retain its position in the market. The problem is lower pricing and that can be solved by creating a brand value. Nokia has to create a sense of value for the customers and only then it can justify its higher prices. The product line of the company is the widest in the industry so the problem is not with the products; rather it is with the marketing strategy of the company. The main marketing objective must be to enhance the brand image of the company in the eyes of the users. The main concern for the company should be the emerging markets of Asia where population is growing. The younger population of Asian markets should be targeted by Nokia through marketing campaigns and features of different cell phones should be communicated to the youth. The main aim of the company should be to do away with price based competition with smaller brands. Pricing should be higher than smaller brands and lower than Apple and Google. This pricing can attract major chunk of the market and Nokia should attempt to cash in this market. The strategy of Nokia should be to provide value to the customers beyond lower pricing. People buy Apple even though it is highly priced just because they expect greater value in return. Nokia is also developing cell phones that are of superior quality but it is essential to communicate this to the customers. The company is currently lowering its prices in India as compared to the prices of similar models in other countries (Daga, 2007). Actually the strategy should be to create a sense of higher quality and then charge a premium for that superior quality from the customers. A total of change in company’s marketing dynam ics is needed. Nokia should adopt a more youth oriented approach in its marketing campaigns. The company has very recently announced smart phones with Windows. The company is also changing its marketing appeal with more focus on the younger population (O’Reilly, 2011). Similar tactics should be used to gain more market share all around the world. Nokia should design similar specific campaigns for different models. Customers should know that Nokia is also a valuable brand like Apple and Google. The new Windows smart phones of Nokia are also not being sold for at least a couple of months outside United States (Velazco, 2011). This is a good step that will enable Nokia to focus on US markets. The company can also gain valuable customer insights before going to international markets. Nokia will have to invest heavily in its marketing campaigns. The products should be advertised heavily using social networking

Week 3-Individual small Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 3-Individual small - Assignment Example She decided that since she could not afford to pay 12000 dollars to health care for her first year in self-employment, she would seek more affordable coverage. She found out that she was only eligible for a cheaper insurance at this time of the year based on â€Å"special enrollment." This â€Å"special enrollment† includes elements like unexpected divorce, birth of a baby, and job loss among other circumstances that would make paying the needed money for health cover hard. Though this is a national case of changes in health care, the impact is far felt within the country. The reason for such ignorance is that sources of education for most people on health care changes and the requirement are not reliable and do not give finer details of options that are present. In this article, the author does not directly make a claim to solve the problem but anyone reading her article knows her suggestion. The lesson is that people need to be reeducated on the possibilities and circumstances that surround changes in healthcare insurance coverage as a means to adapt to healthcare reforms (Jean Card, 2014). Jean Card. (2014, July 17). How Obamacare Screwed Up My Small Business Health Insurance - US News. US News & World Report. Retrieved August 28, 2014, from

Provision of Customer Service within Intercontinental Hotels Group Case Study

Provision of Customer Service within Intercontinental Hotels Group - Case Study Example In accordance with Hoffman et al. (2008) customer services excellence can be achieved in modern organizations by focusing on specific sectors, such as: ‘competence, credibility, security, communication, responsiveness, accessibility and understanding’ (Hoffman et al. 2008, p.418). On the other hand, McNeill (1993) notes that customer services excellence means that ‘the organization is able to identify and fulfill the customer’s unique expectations’ (McNeill 1993, p.87). It is explained that the above target offers to the organization a competitive advantage towards its rivals who are able to offer to their customer only a series of standardized services. In the study of Christopher (2005) another approach is used for explaining the service excellence is used; in accordance with the above researcher the achievement of service excellence is depended on the ability of the organization involved to create ‘a market-driven logistics strategy’ ( Christopher 2005, p.65). Trying to explain the context of customer service excellence, Gallan (2008) supported that the specific term is used for referring to ‘service that meets or exceeds provider and customer expectations’ (Gallan 2008, p.30). It is made clear that customer services excellence can significantly help the development of organizational performance; however, the potential requirements of the specific initiative would be made clear ensuring that the risks for the organization involved are minimized. (Hoffman et al. 2008, p.418).  

Knowledge of Human Cognitive Abilities and How it Can Help People to Coursework

Knowledge of Human Cognitive Abilities and How it Can Help People to Learn Computer Systems - Coursework Example And cognitive abilities are the processing skills of a brain to carry on a particular task. As Per (Michelone) â€Å"Cog ­ni ­tive abil ­i ­ties are the brain-based skills we need to carry out any task from the sim ­plest to the most com ­plex. They have more to do with the mech ­a ­nisms of how we learn, remem ­ber, problem-solve, and pay atten ­tion rather than with any actual knowl ­edge†. Generally speaking, cognitive abilities are the mechanism by which our brain operates to accomplish different tasks of our daily life. An in- depth study of cognitive skill greatly help a person to improve his learning capacity and task performing ability. Any learning or activity task can be segregated according to cognitive functioning and process can be made simpler and convenient accordingly. Everyone today knows that our world is operating extensively with the support of computers .And obviously, learning and performing computers tasks requires ample amount of c ognitive abilities and skills. So, if a person could enhance his cognitive abilities he can very well upgrade his level of understanding about the working system of computers. It not only essential for him to perceive thing systematically but also should be able to clearly differentiate every functions to make the learning process easy and less complicated. Learning computer is not a very easy task; it needs extensive use of memory, logic and cognitive skills. In computer learning there are different stages in which the learner pass through to achieve successful learning. Mainly the basics of computer learning may not require intense cognitive skills or capabilities. But as one cross the basic level and enters in to more complex learning session, the knowledge of cognitive skills becomes necessary and helpful. In advanced level of computer learning, like software development and data processing, high scale of information processing skills and decision making ability is required. Acc ording to (Singley,24) â€Å"When students are gives tasks beyond their skill level, the variability among students decreases. The better students are able to span the gap; the worst students are not†. Learning of programming and applying reasoning ability in the decision making process requires a great deal of memory, logic and brain processing. If a learner has knowledge about his cognitive abilities and have deeper understanding about the way in which brain operates, then he can learn things faster and easier. Decision making skill and problem solving skills are important in computer learning and if a learner understands his cognitive abilities he can gain much confidence in his learning process. Most Psychological theories consider that cognitive skills are multi faceted and are correlated with other abilities of an individual. It is usually seen that some people understand, grasp and solve things more quickly, while others require more time and energy. The understanding of personal cognitive ability is very essential for a person to develop his ability in learning process of computer systems. One should understand how the brain perceive things, process information and store information in short term and long term memory. The stability, diversity and growth of our personal mental processing and use and transformation of our external and internal information to think, learn and communicate are highly related. If we understand well the mental processing and brain mechanism then the learning of computer systems can be made simpler and less time consuming. It is very essential to understand the cognitive abiliti

Provision of Customer Service within Intercontinental Hotels Group Case Study

Provision of Customer Service within Intercontinental Hotels Group - Case Study Example In accordance with Hoffman et al. (2008) customer services excellence can be achieved in modern organizations by focusing on specific sectors, such as: ‘competence, credibility, security, communication, responsiveness, accessibility and understanding’ (Hoffman et al. 2008, p.418). On the other hand, McNeill (1993) notes that customer services excellence means that ‘the organization is able to identify and fulfill the customer’s unique expectations’ (McNeill 1993, p.87). It is explained that the above target offers to the organization a competitive advantage towards its rivals who are able to offer to their customer only a series of standardized services. In the study of Christopher (2005) another approach is used for explaining the service excellence is used; in accordance with the above researcher the achievement of service excellence is depended on the ability of the organization involved to create ‘a market-driven logistics strategy’ ( Christopher 2005, p.65). Trying to explain the context of customer service excellence, Gallan (2008) supported that the specific term is used for referring to ‘service that meets or exceeds provider and customer expectations’ (Gallan 2008, p.30). It is made clear that customer services excellence can significantly help the development of organizational performance; however, the potential requirements of the specific initiative would be made clear ensuring that the risks for the organization involved are minimized. (Hoffman et al. 2008, p.418).  

The Meaning of Life Essay Example for Free

The Meaning of Life Essay The meaning of life, defined by Victor E. Frankl, is the will to find your meaning in life. It is not the meaning of life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a persons life at a given moment. He believes that if you are approached with the question of what is the meaning of my life or in this case, life is meaningless, then you should reverse the question to that person asking the question. For example: What are you bringing to me? What are you as an individual contributing to this life? This forces the person in question to take a look at themselves and to ultimately be responsible. Frankl says that if you are a responsible member of society than the meaning of life transcends from yourself rather from your own psyche. He also says that if we for some reason cannot find meaning within ourselves it has to be from some outside source. This is referred to as service. And an example of this is love. Victor Frankl describes three ways in which we can discover the meaning of life; Creating work-doing a deed, experiencing something-someone, and by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering. There are several reasons why a person could be feeling that their life is meaningless or has no meaning. According to Victor Frankl these reasons could be existential frustration, existential vacuum, and the meaning of suffering. Frankl breaks down the meaning of existential frustration as so, it can be referred to as existence itself ? the specifically mode of being, the meaning of existence, and striving to find concrete meaning in personal existence, which is the will to meaning. Existence itself, in simpler terms is just existing and the human mode itself. The meaning of existence is the question in which we often ask ourselves; Why are we here? When we strive to find concrete meaning in personal existence, we are looking for the personal meaning for existence. Basically what Frankl is saying is that when we are dealing wit the existential frustration we are looking for given meaning that isnt there. (There is no meaning). On the other hand there is the existential vacuum, which is when you cannot find meaning in your life. Frankl says that the existential vacuum manifests itself mainly in the state of boredom. Its when you feel that you have no structure in your life, no one telling you what to do, your not learning anything, and basically your not doing anything with your life. Because of this youre going to become a conformist or a totalitarian, which is either doing what everyone else does or doing what people tell you to do. Youre not thinking for yourself. Youre also going to become bored. In the state of boredom the person can start to see life as meaningless, esp. the person questioning the meaning of their life. They start to question themselves and wonder what their purpose and meaning of their life is. This boredom can be a result of condition called Sunday Neurosis. Sunday Neurosis takes place when a person has worked hard all week long or for many days on end. (We know this as a result of tension; its what drives us and keeps us going. It promotes meaning and gives us goals. It is not the same as stress, because stress is an overabundance of tension. ) Then a day comes along when you have nothing planned, nothing going on and you dont know what to do with yourself. Therefore boredom results and when there is boredom there is no meaning. And when there is no meaning we fill that emptiness with negative things, like money, power, and pleasure, basically we get into trouble. The meaning of suffering is another reason why a person might be questioning the meaning of their life. Frankl says that one of the basic aspects of logotherapy that mans main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain, but to see the meaning of his life. This is why man is willing to suffer in order to find a meaning for his life. But he also says that suffering is not necessary to find meaning in life. Although suffering is inevitably unavoidable, and if it was it would be meaningful to remove it, because it wouldnt make much sense not to do so. Another aspect about suffering is that it stops being suffering the moment we find meaning in it. Now that possible reasons for why a person may be feeling that their life has no meaning has been addressed, here are some possible solutions that Frankl might suggest. Once the person has discovered why their life is meaningless they need to rediscover their meaning that they lost. They could ask themselves a question like, what was I born with and what is the greater meaning in that? Because it is believed that youre born with a meaning that every single person on this Earth is born with a meaning. Life doesnt owe you anything. Basically youre the responsible one for all the stuff you put out into the world during your life. Another thing that he might talk about is what the person does everyday. If they arent doing anything with their life he might suggest them getting involved with something to help create tension. Since tension drives us and pushes us to reach our goals, it helps give us meaning. Frankl also sees responsible-ness as the essence of human existence. He says that everyman has a specific, unique job in life that he is too fulfill an that no one else can do this or replace this one person in the same way. As each situation in life represents a challenge to man and presents a problem for him to solve, the question of the meaning of life may actually be reversed. Each man is questioned by life and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; he can only respond be being responsible. Frankl also says, Live as if were living already for the second time, and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you were about to act now! If it was me taking this person, sitting them down, after analyzing what could have caused this sense of unmeaning in their life, I would look at the options of how to find meaning. I agree with Frankl when he talks about meaning as tension and responsibility. I also agree with him when he discusses his views on how everyone is born with meaning and that everyone has a set occupation or vocation on life. I believe that everyone is unique in his or her own way. Therefore why should everyones lives be the same and have the same meaning. They dont. We are born with meaning and we have to find that meaning through our actions and our drive to live life and our interactions with the people and the things around us. Usually when I am presented with material in school I tend to form my opinion by looking at both sides if an issue, because there are usually two sides to every story. But by looking at Frankl and examining what he has to say about the meaning of life, suffering, love, frustration, boredom, tension, etc, I have rally gained a lot of knowledge that almost is common sense. If you sit and take the time to read the material through thoroughly you can see exactly where he is coming from. Hell take a difficult situation, such as suffering, and turn it completely around. As far as suffering goes I try to do the same thing, in a way. When Mark Felice died last October it crushed me. But I tried to look at the positive side and say well, his suffering is over and he was here to teach us how to live to be stronger and better people. Through our suffering, over the loss of his life, we ended his suffering. This is kind of what Frankl does, he turns things around and makes you view things from a different perspective. I like his way of thinking because its not always something that I would think of off the top of my head. Overall, I enjoyed the book although it was difficult at times to read, but I think I gained knowledge from it and see different ways to look at things now.