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Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asian Mobile Phone Market

Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asian Mobile Phone Market Executive Summary Consumer behaviour attempts to understand the buyer’s decision making process, both individually and in group. Behaviour of the consumer is biased or subjective. Their decision-making process is influenced by numerous factors. Personal influencing factors are categorized into two: internal factors and external factors.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asian Mobile Phone Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This study explores the significance of consumer behaviour in developing and refining marketing strategies. It also examines internal and external influencing factors that impact on mobile phone purchasing in Asian market. In addition, it looks at some of the success and failure examples about understanding consumer behaviour in the mobile phone industry. The strategies used by these companies must conform to the changing market environment and changin g consumer needs/wants. Introduction Overview Consumer behaviour is the study of how when, why, and where people do or do not buy goods and services (Baker Hart, 1999, p. 46). It attempts to assess the influence on the consumers from external factors such as high salaries and income, growth of urban lifestyle among others (Sheth, Mittal Newman, 1999, p. 3). Consumers do purchase goods and services for a number of reasons and these may include reinforcing self concepts, maintaining a given lifestyle, becoming part of a particular group or gaining acceptance in a group they already belong, and or expressing cultural identity (Riquelme, 2001, p. 438). Behaviour of the consumer is biased or subjective (Blodgett et al., 2001, p. 90). Their decision-making process is influenced by numerous factors. Personal influencing factors are categorized into two: internal factors and external factors. Internal factors include consumer’s attitudes, personality, perceptions, personal-concepts , lifestyle, roles and emotions. On the other hand, external factors include things like household structures, group associations, subcultures, and cultural beliefs among others (Jaeger et al., 2003, p. 187; Baker Burnham, 2002, p. 352). Internal or psychological influences are personal thoughts and feelings. Internal influences depict the way consumers interact with the environment around them, recognise their personal feelings, assemble and evaluate information, make plans, and take action.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consumer internal influences are very vital in knowing why and how particular behaviours occur (Dahl Moreau, 2002, p. 47). On the other hand, external influence evolves from the formal and informal relationships that exist among people. External influences can also be referred to as socio-cultural influence (Dahl Moreau, 2002, p. 48). Consum er behaviour provides rich information about people who buy products and services (Hawkins, Best Coney, 1998, p. 10). Many companies often fail to understand the needs and want of the consumers when developing their marketing strategies and this has cost them very dearly. Therefore, evaluation and understanding of consumer behaviour must come first before creating marketing strategies and plans (Gruner Homburg, 2000, p. 6). The decision making process of the consumers consist of five stages. These stages help in understanding how consumer behaviour influences the decision they make when they are purchasing goods and services. These stages are: identification of the need, searching for the solution, evaluation of the alternatives, making of decision and finally evaluating the decision made. The last stage is where consumers do regret or commend on their purchases (Smith, 2003, p. 20). Purpose of the Report The purpose of this report is to explore the significance of consumer behavi our in developing and refining marketing strategies. The study examines internal and external influencing factors that impact on mobile phone purchasing in Asian market. In addition, the study looks at some of the success and failure examples regarding understanding of consumer behaviour in the mobile phone industry. Overall results of the study will help the Asian mobile phones companies to develop and adjust their marketing strategies. Consumer Behaviour and Mobile phone purchasing Attitude and Mobile phone purchasing At the present, there has been a massive shift from second generation to third generation mobile phones. This means the use of mobile phone has changed from mere calling to a variety of novel uses such as accessing internet, multimedia messaging among others. Liu (2002) conducted a study on factors that affect the brand decision in the mobile phone industry in India. She established that consumer attitude plays a significant role in purchasing decision. In her study she found out that choice for mobile phone is influenced by attitudes towards the brand and mobile phone network. Whereas service rates and regularity dominate consumer choices between mobile phone network providers, choice for mobile phone brand were affected by mobile phone technological features (Ling, 2004, p. 43; Meyer Johnson 1995, p. 78). Most consumers preferred to buy mobile phones from reputable brands such as Nokia, Samsung and Motorola. Mobile phone products from these companies are widely accepted in most of the Asian market and are considered to be the best (Ling, 2004, p. 44). Chinese mobile phones experienced a lot of negativity in some Asian markets despite of the fact that some Chinese brands like Techno are high quality mobile phones (Castells et al., 2007, p. 83).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asian Mobile Phone Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most mobile phone companies in the Asian market sold their products through local network service providers. Mobile phones sold through network service providers which are reputable for strong and reliable networks recorded the highest sales compared to those with negative reputation. Some of these network providers have customized mobile phones to an extent that they can only use their lines. This has had considerable impacts on the sales of reputable mobile phone brands since consumers’ attitude towards some of the network service providers varies (Ling, 2004). Reference Group and Mobile phone purchasing Previously mobile phones were being perceived by general consumers as expensive luxury commodities which could only be afforded by a few. However, mobile phones are increasingly becoming common, affordable and accessible even in the rural areas (McNeill, Sanders Civille, 2000, p. 163). According to a consumer behaviour research conducted by Srivastava (2005) in the Asian market , the purchasing decision of most of the consumers is influenced by reference groups. These include friends, family, work-mates, and peer groups among others. Hawkins Best Coney (1998) defines a reference group as a group used by individuals to express their purchasing behaviour in a specific circumstance. A reference group in this case consists of a group of individuals that a person has frequent contact with and those that he/she does not have direct contact or membership but considerably have influence on his/her purchasing behaviour (Blodgett et al., 2001, p. 90). The latter group may include celebrities, college students, and national leaders among others (McNeill, Sanders Civille, 2000, p. 164). Srivastava (2005) emphasizes that mobile phones have transformed from technological gadgets to social gadgets with communication being the main purpose of purchasing a mobile phone. Nevertheless, facilitating coordination between friends and families and strengthening social interact ion are the most significant elements of using cellular phones (Yoo Donthu, 2002, p. 390). According to McNeill, Sanders Civille (2000), owning a state of the art mobile phone is nowadays regarded as an achievement, not only money-wise but also socially in terms of integration within the society.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Certain groups have been identified through the use of mobile phones. For example, Nokia Company has been conducting a huge campaign for its Asha phone with the youths in mind. Most youths in Asia, Africa and the rest of the world have been identifying with the QWERTY movement and this is the reason why Nokia Company opted to introduce a cheaper phone with QWERTY characteristics. QWERTY phones are so much appealing to the youth and most youths want to identify with it. This is an example of how reference groups do influence consumers’ purchasing decisions (Bloggers Association of Kenya, 2012). Motivation/Emotion and Mobile phone purchasing Sheth, Mittal Newman (1999) defines motivation as unrelenting need that inspires and motivates consumers’ long term ambitions. Emotions on the other hand are provisional state that reflects the present changes in motivation. Motivation and emotions are budding forces that stir up and stimulate some behaviour in consumers. The two no rmally work together to influence consumers’ behaviour. Motivation compels consumers through buying process while emotions drive the motivation (Thrash Elliot, 2003, p. 873). According to a study conducted by Ling (2004), consumers normally have emotional attachment to there cellular phones than any other electronic gadgets. This is manifested in numerous ways. She found out in her study that most people tend to use emotional terms when describing their experience with their cellular phones. For example, some of the people she came across told her how they normally panic when their batteries run down or how they love using their mobile phones since they are not restricted to phone their friends whenever they are. In addition, mobile phones always act as a linkage between people who are already in some forms of relationships. Therefore, mobile phones create a sentiment of being near the loved ones. Being alone no longer means being on your own since friends and families can a lways stay in touch using the mobile phone. To some people mobile phones have become a part and parcel of them like an extension in their body and have made a habit of fumbling with their phone even when not on use (Liu, 2002, p. 49). Consumer relationship with the mobile phone is extended to the information contained and stored in the mobile phone itself. Immediately an individual acquires a mobile phone and inserts his/her SIM card the subsequent activities entail customizing phone features including ring tones, messaging service among others. In addition, mobile phones normally have a record of telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, personal notes, personal diary, videos, photos and many more items that are exceptional to an individual consumer. Therefore, mobile phones have become so valuable to the users that once they are lost they are difficult to replace (Thrash Elliot, 2003, p. 873). Some experts argue that individual’s emotional attachment to their mobile phones is a s a result of their relationships with others and that use of these phones is not a personal obsession. However, with the introduction of computer and video games on the mobile phones would make this an interesting debate. Many studies carried out on the use of mobile phones among the young people show that most of them prefer to play mobile phone games, even when they have PCs and games console (Vincent, 2005). As a result of this emotional attachment to mobile phones, mobile phone companies have been working indefatigably to improve the mobile phone to increase consumers’ emotional attachment to their mobile phones. Studies show that some consumers are willing to spend more than $600 for a single gadget as long as it has the features they want. At present, the very expensive I-phones and I-pads have dominated the mobile phone market and some consumers are willing to pay for them. These phones have extraordinary features that increase their emotional attachment to the consum ers. A number of the companies have also resorted to adding these features in cheaper mobile phone versions (Riquelme, 2001, p. 440). Successful and failure examples Over the past years, significant progress has been made regarding the development of new marketing strategies that conform to the consumers’ needs and wants. These developments have emphasized on reducing rates of product failure in the consumer market; however rate of product failure is still high and has not changed that. An example of this failure was experienced by AT T Company which introduced its first picture phones in 1964 Global Fair. The picture phone was launched in 1970 but slumped in 1974 due to lack of demand. A number of companies also attempted to launch different versions of picture phones in the 80s and early 90s and experienced the same fate (Floyd, 2001). Still, AT T re-launched the picture phones in the early 90s and experienced the same results. Despite of market failure, the company has b een adamant in re-launching this product in the market. Even with the present age of internet based mobile phones, picture phone’s time has not come. At the moment consumers are scrambling for smart phones, but they are still uninterested in picture phones. Therefore, new products that do not conform to the consumers’ needs and wants are bound to fail. Companies nowadays are starting to embrace tools of marketing research to establish consumer preference and need/wants (Floyd, 2001). Apple PLC is an example of a company that has been able to understand consumer behaviour in the mobile phone market. Its success is attributed to their market penetration strategy. The company is taking advantage of the computing revolution taking place at the moments by providing relatively cheaper and portable alternatives to laptops and desktops. In addition, the company has a tendency of introducing new features or quality devices which conforms to the current consumer needs and wants (Spark, 2009). The earlier smart phones that dictated the market were blackberries. They were viewed as top technological phones since they were able to combine normal phone features with PDA. Blackberries were replaced by I-phones. Apple I-phones are the greatest success story in the mobile phone history. Currently the company is introducing Android powered I-phones with the most powerful hardware and software (Spark, 2009). Conclusion In the past years, most marketers relied on daily contacts with the consumers to understand them. However, as companies and marketers expand, they normally lose contact with the consumers. This is the reason why most of these companies and marketers have resorted to consumer research since it is the only way they can learn more about consumer behaviour. Companies that actually understand how consumers respond to their products and services in the market are likely to gain competitive advantage over its rivals. Consumer behaviours are significantly in fluenced by cultural, social and psychosomatic elements. Therefore, companies must consider the needs and wants of the consumers first before developing any marketing strategy. The needs and wants of the consumers vary considerably depending on internal and external factors. As a result, companies must identify with how consumers transform marketing and other factors into buying response. When product managers are asked if a specific strategy will generate the desired outcome, they would generally say that it depends on: the product or service, targeted consumers, the message and the design of the strategy. All the above mentioned elements form the marketing mix. Conventionally, marketing mix include the 4Ps (Product, price, promotion and place) and are used to position product brands and to create value for these brands alongside the strategies used. In the case of our study, mobile phone companies in the Asian market can generate high volumes of sales if they set their priorities right. A number of literatures in our study have emphasized that individuals cannot be classified as a single entity since numerous internal and external factors influence their purchasing decision. Therefore, the mobile phone companies have to meet the needs and wants of the mobile phone consumers taking into account the consumers attitude, reference groups and motivational and emotional attachment to the product. The concept of reference groups has an enveloping effect on marketing studies. Reference groups have been used as a foundation for numerous marketing studies in different fields. But for our case he asserts that reference groups influence individuals in a number of ways including needs for social approval. Consumers apply both comparative and reflective assessment when purchasing a product. Although some consumers may decide to follow reference group(s) with caution, those who are more vulnerable to peer influence will always strive to satisfy the expectations of the refe rence groups by abiding by their norms. These norms normally function without verbal interactions or thinking. Companies apply their knowledge of motivation and emotions to formulate their marketing strategies. They can find ways of stimulating consumers’ emotions and motivating them to fill the need provoked by these emotions. Consumer attitude represent how the consumers perceive the products and services in the market. Companies must carry out marketing research to establish how there products and services are generally perceived in the market and make necessary adjustments. References Baker, G.A., Burnham, T.A. (2002). The market for genetically modified foods: consumer Characteristics and policy implications. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 4, 351-360. Baker, M., Hart, S. (1999). Product strategy and management. Eds. Prentice-Hall Europe, London. Blodgett, J.G., Lu, L.C., Rose, G.M., Vitell, S.J. (2001). Ethical Sensitivity to Stakeholder Intere sts: A Cross-Cultural Comparison. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 29 (2), 90-202. Bloggers Association of Kenya. (2012). Nokia Announced the Immediate Availability of Nokia Asha range phones. Web. Castells, M., Fernandez- Ardevol, M., Qui, J.L., Sey, A. (2007). Mobile Communication and Society: A Global Perspective. London: MIT Press. Dahl, D.W., Moreau, P. (2002). The influence and value of analogical thinking during new Product ideation. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(1), 47-60. Gruner, K.E., Homburg, C. (2000). Does customer interaction enhance new product Success? Journal of Business Research, 49, 1-14. Hawkins, D. I., Best, R. J., Coney, K. A. (1998). Consumer behaviour-building marketing strategy. Journal of Marketing Research. 3(7), 2-45. Jaeger, S.R., Rossiter, K.L., Wismer, W.V., Harker, F.R. (2003). Consumer-driven product development in the kiwi-fruit industry. Food Quality and Preference, 14(3), 187-198. Ling, R. (2004). The Mobile Connection. The Ce ll Phone’s Impact on Society. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann. Liu, C.M. (2002). The effects of promotional activities on brand decision in the cellular telephone industry. The Journal of Product Brand Management, 11(1), 42-51. Meyer, R., Johnson, E.J. (1995). Empirical generalizations in the modelling of consumer choice. Marketing Science, 14, 75-90. McNeill, K.L., Sanders, T.H., Civille, G.V. (2000). Using focus groups to develop a Quantitative consumer questionnaire for peanut butter. Journal of Sensory Studies, 15, 163-178. Riquelme, H. (2001).Do consumers know what they want? Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18(5), 437-448. Sheth, J.N., Mittal, B., Newman, B.I. (1999). Customer behaviour: consumer behaviour and beyond. Orlando: Dryden Press. Smith, D.C. (2003). The importance of challenges of being interested. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 31(3), 319-322. Spark, G. (2009). The Apple Success Story. Web. Srivastava, L. (2005). Mobile Phones and the evolutio n of social behaviour. Behaviour and Information Technology, 24(2), 111-129. Thrash, T.M., Elliot, A.J. (2003). Inspiration as a psychological construct. Journal of  Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 871-889. Vincent, J. (2005). Are People Affected by Their Attachment to Their Mobile Phone? In Nyiri, K. (Ed). A Sense of Place. Vienna: Passagen Verlag. Yoo, B., Donthu, N. (2002). Cultural Consequences Book. Journal of Marketing Research, 39(3), 385-388.

Operational part for Business plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operational part for Business plan - Case Study Example It is necessary that the operational business plan needs to consider the following aspects before considering the various ramifications of the product line and how it could genuinely benefit the manufacturers, sellers and buying consumers or users. The supply chain needs to consider the following steps in terms of ensuring not only complete customer satisfaction but also building of loyalty and wider growing acceptability, among the customers who make up the clientele base of this product/service to consumers. It is seen that in the case of loyalty cards, the range of products/services that could be benefited by loyalty cards would be high since booksellers, DVD stores, supermarkets, etc., and almost all consumer products shopping centres in malls, or local stores could benefit from the use of loyalty cards. Next, in terms of variety, it could cater to wider coverage in terms of a wide range of product lines as "Smart cards enhance the productivity of transactions and nourish increased purchasing." (Benefits of Smart Card-based Customer Loyalty Solutions. 2008). The variation with respect to loyalty cards would depend upon the demand generated for each variety of cards, depending upon customer preferences for them. . Again, the visibility aspect would also be need to be build since high visibility is a must in order to attract and retain customers to collect percentage points, or get discounts. The company must develop the ability to manage the results of the customers' perception, about the benefits achieved from continuous usage of loyalty cards and the virtues of holding and utilising this card must be extolled to the customers.V's Type HighLow 1st V Volume 2st V Variety 3rd V Variation 4th V Visibility (Operations Management Study Guide. 2008). Manufacturing the product or outsourcing it This is an important question from point of view of the marketing of loyalty cards since the use of this card would significantly reduce the profits margins between 5% to 20%, by most conservative estimates. However, it is estimated that there would be definitely be enhanced turnover, due to use of cards over a period of time that could yield higher profits due to induction of new customers through loyalty cards scheme. It has been found that this scheme is more attractive to new customer than to existing ones . Therefore, it is necessary to keep the manufacturing aspects of this card at the lowest in order that maximum profits are

How the Web Destroys the Quality of Students Research Paper

How the Web Destroys the Quality of Students - Research Paper Example The paper describes the educational hazards of the world wide web. The researcher David says that with the advent of the internet has led to a depleted quality of the research papers. The author claims that most of the information on the web is actually older than what it claims. This claim of the author is not absolutely correct. The Internet is amongst the fastest means of communication that is present today and the internet does have older information, but it also has the most recent repository of papers and journals stored in electronic databases such as EBSCO. The author claims that the information on the web is mostly written by people whose credibility is difficult to asses. This claim is partially correct. A lot of researchers makes use of wikis the information in which is not form a completely trusted source. Still, if taken from appropriate sources such as electronic databases, e-newspapers or magazines such as economists, the information is from a completely credible sourc e. The author also says that the use of search engines for retrieval of information leads to useful information being missed out. The scenario has completely changed from the time when this article was written. Today websites such as Google use algorithms that make use of a combination of a crawler, an indexer and a query processor which return the most related and reliable information on the first page (Sherman and Price, 2001). The author says that most of the information on the web is a mere summary and research papers based on these internet pages are nothing but a collection of summaries.

Construction Law resit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Construction Law resit - Essay Example The doctrine of the responsibility to care develops significantly in the case of Donoghue vs. Stevenson (Card, Murdoch & Murdoch, 2011 p. 12) The duty of care arises precisely when an individual or a group of people carries out an activity that may cause any reasonable harm to the other party. The harm from such activity may be physical, economic or mental injuries. The activities such as driving and dispensing of the medications that lead to substantial harm can be subjected to the duty of care as provided for in the Common Law (Anson, Beatson, Burrows, & Cartwright, 2010, p. 219). The legal obligation of care is the first element of negligence. The element describes the relationship between the claimant and the defendant. The defendant in all circumstances must take critical care to prevent any possible injury or harm to the plaintiff. The duty of care is established in two significant cases. These include where the defendant and the plaintiff are operating within a relationship in which the duty of care was precedent set. In the second instance, in case the relationship is outside the provisions, the duty of care is achieved through given principles developed by the law in the case. There are three chief principles delineated in the Caparo s. Dickman that precisely specify a clear tripartite test for the duty of care. The test entails three governing question that facilitate discerning of the legality of the claim by the plaintiff to the duty of care. First, the principles confirm whether the harm was reasonably foreseeable. The second principle evaluates whether there was any degree of closeness between the claimant and the concerned defendant. The third principle questions any fair play in the implantation of the duty of care and whether there is any precluding policy of the public concern (Anson et al 2010 p. 224) According to the principles, guiding

Patriarchy In Twilight Saga English Literature Essay

Patriarchy In Twilight Saga English Literature Essay Its easy to observe the expansive reach of the Twilight saga. For starters, it is a cash-cow. To date, the four book series has sold approximately 85 million copies (Grossman) and has claimed the top four spots on USA Todays year-end bestseller list for the years 2008 and 2009 (Minzesheimer and DeBarros, Sellers;Twilight Sweeps). Twilight saga merchandise though sold in multiple retail outlets single-handedly brought retailer Hot Topic back from the depths of economic gloom and doom in 2008 (Odell).  [1]  The film adaptation of Twilight grossed $380 million at the box office (more than 10 times what it cost to produce) before earning over $3 million in DVD sales on its first day of release (Armstrong) while New Moon performed even better earning more than $700 million worldwide before its DVD release in March 2010 (The Twilight Saga: New Moon). Beyond the economic impact, the series inspires Beatlemania-type fanaticism among its growing, primarily female, fan-base. Conduct a G oogle search for Twilight fansite, and youll get almost 1.2 million returns. Furthermore, a November 10, 2008 scheduled appearance in San Francisco by Robert Pattinson (the actor portraying Edward Cullen in the film adaptation of Twilight) was cancelled after he was swarmed by fans. The melee also resulted in a broken nose for one fan, while another lost consciousness (News from WENN). Pattinson made the following remarks about the impassioned Twilight fandom: People know my name, ambush me in public, try to figure out what hotel Im staying at, ask me to bite them and want to touch my hair. It feels surreal (Bell). These are but a few examples that demonstrate the massive impact the Twilight saga has on audiences. The widespread audience response might cause some to wonder just what it is about Twilight that appeals so much to fans. There are others, like myself, who have chosen to question the impact the Twilight narrative may have on readers specifically female readers perceptions of culture. While there are many aspects of the Twilight narrative being debated by fans and critics alike, themes of patriarchy and misogyny are of particular interest (Mann; Myers; McClimans and Wisnewski; Housel). The Twilight Saga is Just Entertainment, Right? Why Should We Care? Before we can enter into a proper analysis about the impact of patriarchal and misogynistic themes in Twilight, its first important to understand why wed want to analyze an artifact of popular culture at all. An older academic view situates popular texts like the Twilight saga as low art, or mass produced schlock meant to dupe unsophisticated audiences, like us, into passivity (Horkheimer and Adorno; Benjamin). Postmodern cultural studies scholars, however, see popular culture as an aspect of mass culture (Storey, Cultural Theory), or the values and ideas that members of a society form from common exposure to the same cultural activities, communications media, music and art, etc.  Thus, examining popular culture texts exposes how they are used assert social values upon others (Barthes). Female-targeted popular culture artifacts like the Twilight saga are sites that are especially worthy of examination since they place the female/feminine experience at the forefront of media criti que (McRobbie and McCabe; Modleski; Radway; Ang; Mellencamp). The central concern of feminist media analyses is to examine patriarchal ideology as it relates to power and agency in society (Baumgardner and Richards; Durham; Storey, An Introduction; van Zoonen). Analyzing texts through a feminist lens can serve as a means of exposing and critiquing patriarchy in popular media and, in the process, help to liberate audiences from traditional, stereotypical representations (Durham). It is also a way to understand the concept of gender as a social construction, and posits media texts as critical sites for the negotiation of gender roles. If we read the Twilight saga closely, we might conclude that it promotes what Cynthia Enloe calls a Culture of Imminent Danger, which she defines as a culture sustained by the classical patriarchal caveat that women are in the sort of danger from which only rational men can protect them (234). One way in which the Twilight saga reinforces a Culture of Imminent Danger is seen in the roles of the adult male and female characters in the series. For example, male characters are written into roles or occupations that reflect the role of protector. Charlie, Bellas father, is the police chief in Forks; Carlisle Cullen, Edwards father, is the most prominent doctor in town; and Billy Black, Jacobs father, is a Quileute tribe elder. Meanwhile, the female characters in Twilight, are symbolically annihilated that is they are largely trivialized and either symbolized as child-like adornments who need to be protected or they are dismissed to the protective confines of the home (Tuchman 8). The ro le of Bellas mother, Renee, is muted throughout the story we know only that she has decided to follow her new husband to spring training camp in Florida and that she is childlike and harebrained (Meyer, Twilight 4). Before Renee remarried, Bella saw herself as her mothers caretaker. Esme, Edwards mother is also superficially presented. As the matriarch of the Cullen clan, she is characterized only by her ability to love passionately and her strong mothering instincts (Meyer, Twilight 307, 368). Bella, too, has been seen by some as falling victim to symbolic annihilation. In the discussion topic Bella, is she a bad influence for teens? on the TwilightMoms.com fan site, for example, fans express concern that Bella is a weak character because she sees herself less beautiful than Edward, less intelligent, and clumsier than everyone else. Bella, because she is the weak and vulnerable one, is in constant need of care and protection she is dependent upon Edward for survival. Indeed, we see what happens to Bella when she is abandoned by the protective influence of Edward she becomes a lost moon (Meyer, New Moon, 201). Later, when Bella and Edward visit Renee in Eclipse, Renee remarks to Bella that her role in her relationship to Edward is that of a satellite, or something (Meyer, Eclipse, 68). A satellite can be understood as any object that moves around a larger object. The comparisons of Bella to a moon or other satellite are significant since they symbolically place Edward at the center and Bella in the periphery. This scenario illustrates Edwards role as the actor and Bellas role as the reactor in the Twilight saga. When Edward moves, so does Bella. When Edward leaves, Bella, too, checks out. Likewise, it implies that the orbiter is the least valuable one in the relationship. Take, for example, the Earths relationship to the Sun. The Earth as a support system for human life is important in its own right, but the Sun has far more importance. Without the Sun, the Earth is annihilated. Without Edward, Bella is annihilated. Because the symbolic annihilation of women in media fails to address the full range of womens real-life goals and potential, it plays an important role in establishing and normalizing ideology that helps those in power (read: men) stay in power. But, Bella exists in a world much different than ours. How much potential can we expect Bella to posses in a situation where she is forced to battle super-human forces? Meyer acknowledges this when responding to critics. She says: There are those who think Bella is a wuss. There are those who think my stories are misogynistic-the damsel in distress must be rescued by strong heroà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I am not anti-female, I am anti-human. I wrote this story from the perspective of a female human because that came most naturally, as you might imagine. But if the narrator had been a male human, it would not have changed the events. When a human being is totally surrounded by creatures with supernatural strength, speed, senses, and various other uncanny powers, he or she is not going to be able to hold his or her own. Sorry. Thats just the way it is. We cant all be slayers. Bella does pretty well I think, all things considered (Meyer, The Story). Im willing to buy Meyers explanation to an extent. But, just because the Twilight saga narrative is set against a backdrop of fantasy does not mean its capabilities for reinforcing the oppressive ideology that exists in our real-world go unrealized. For example, Bella only becomes strong by conforming to the masculine standard put forth by Edward (that is, by becoming a vampire). Of course, Edward cannot reverse himself to his human form, but when Bella changes for Edward, it legitimizes a longstanding cultural norm of women adjusting their desires to accommodate those of her male partner.  [2]  As with the satellite analogy, this aspect of the Twilight saga highlights Edwards superiority over Bella. Edward Is The Worlds Best Predator, Isnt He? Everything About Him Invites You In. When readers buy a romance novel, they are being sold more than just the book. The ideology of romance exemplified by lessons of gender subjectivities and sexual difference in a patriarchal structure embedded in the patriarchal and misogynistic themes present in romance genre is also being sold (Brown; Cooper). The romance narrative of the Twilight saga teaches us that if social order is to be successful and maintained, then the most notable compromises will have to be made by women. This lesson establishes, then, that if women wish for patriarchy to be neutralized in society they will have to be the ones to do it. We see this perspective manifested in the online comments of several readers comments that largely are critical of Bella for failing to overcome the patriarchal constraints present in the Twilight saga (see for example beka; Jost; North; Seltzer; or any of the myriad of fan posts on TwilightMoms, Twilight Lexicon, and other fansites). However, men and women exist togeth er in society and, as such, any fair reading of the Twilight saga would also be looking at Edwards responsibility in perpetuating oppressive ideas about gender roles in human society. Perhaps the most profound way that Edward Cullen reinscribes an oppressive patriarchal ideology is that he demonstrates the classic signs of a batterer. Many readers might disagree with my assessment by pointing out that Edward is motivated by his intense desire to protect Bella and he only has her best interests in mind. The framing of Edwards actions as being in Bellas best interests is precisely what makes them so dangerous. This viewpoint normalizes and legitimizes masculine power over females for the reader. As for how Edward demonstrates signs of a batterer, one need only refer to the criteria established by nationally known domestic violence trainer and consultant Lydia Walker. As part of her Getting a Firm Foundation training, Walker has developed a list of seventeen behaviors seen in people who abuse their partners. Walker warns that if the person has several (three or more) of these behaviors, a strong potential exists for physical violence the more signs a person has, the more likely the person is a batterer. Edward exhibits at least seven of these behaviors (in varying degrees) at different points in the Twilight saga.  [3]  These are: Jealousy Of course, the tension between Edward and Jacob is at the forefront of the story, but Edward expresses his displeasure in many of Bellas potential suitors, In Twilight, for example we are most acutely aware of his dislike for Mike Newton. Edward tells Bella that when Mike asked her to the school dance, he was surprised by the flare of resentment, almost fury that he felt (Meyer, Twilight 303). Edward is surprised by his feelings, remarking that jealousy is so much more powerful that I would have thought. And irrational! (304). Controlling behavior Walker defines controlling behavior as those actions that are attributed to a concern for a womans safety and well being. We see one example of Edwards controlling behavior in Twilight when he follows Bella and her friends to Port Angeles. Walker also warns that controlling behaviors are frequently manifested in the abusers lack of willingness to let a woman make personal decisions. We see Edwards controlling behavior reappear later in the same chapter when he tells Bella when she needs to eat (even when she insists that she isnt hungry), and again when Bella is recovering in the hospital in the last chapter Edward calls for the nurse to administer pain medication to Bella even though she is clear that she does not need them (Meyer, Twilight 477). In Eclipse, Edwards attempts to control Bella are particularly disturbing as he continuously attempts to prevent Bella from visiting Jacob. First, he disconnects the cables to her car battery. Later, he manipulates Al ice into participating in a kidnapping plot designed to keep Bella away from La Push. When he finally agrees to let her go, he does so only if he can take her there and pick her up himself. Perhaps the most appalling example, though, is in Breaking Dawn when Edward attempts to arrange for an abortion for Bella without any discussion from her or her permission. Quick involvement Most battered women dated or knew the abuser for less than six months (many for less than three months) before they were married, living together, or engaged. An abuser comes on like a whirlwind (Walker). Chapter one of Twilight tells the reader that Bella moves to Forks in January. It is not until March that Bella and Edward decide to become a couple (Twilight Chapter 10). By Prom in May, shes ready to give up her mortality for Edward (Twilight Epilogue). In fact, the entire story only spans two years. Unrealistic expectations Walker characterizes unrealistic expectations in terms of possessiveness and states that abusive people will expect their partner to meet all of their needs. At one point, Edward tells Bella that he is anxious à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to be away from [her], and that he gets distracted à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ worrying about [her] (Meyer Twilight 188-9). Edward is relentless in keeping Bella close to him, unrealistically worried that some great harm will come to her. Edward tells Bella: You are my life now (314). Blames others for feelings The abuser will tell the woman you make me mad, youre hurting me by not doing what I tell you, I cant help being angry' (Walker).  The abuser is, of course, responsible for what he thinks and feels, but will use his feelings to manipulate his partner. One example of Edward acting in this way can be found in the meadow scene in Twilight. Prior to this point, Edward has made his desire for Bella known, but it is not until they are in the meadow that he drops his mask to show Bella the true extent of the danger he poses to her. Hes frenzied as he explains all the ways in which he could easily destroy her, and then blames Bella when he feels he has lost control (Meyer, Twilight 263-5). Later, when Bella and Edward kiss before meeting the rest of the Cullens for a game of baseball, he forcefully pulls himself off of her when he loses control and proclaims: Damn it, Bella! à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Youll be the death of me, I swear you will (363). Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Walker warns women to look out for sudden mood changes in which one minute the abuser is really nice and the next minute hes exploding.   She explains that explosiveness and moodiness are typical of people who abuse their partners since these behaviors can intimidate and frighten the victim and are reflections of the abusers use of threats and manipulation to establish and maintain power and control. The entire first part of Twilight (certainly until Bella is rescued in Port Angeles by Edward in Chapters eight and nine) is focused on Edwards odd behavior towards Bella that vacillates between amusement and pure contempt. At one point, his behavior causes Bella to say to Edward, I cant keep up with you, and question him as to whether he has a multiple personality disorder (Meyer, Twilight 84, 82). Even after Edward makes his true feelings for Bella known and while he continues to keep his emotions in-check around Bella, hes prone to the occasional swing. Any force during a conflict This may involve a batterer holding a woman down, physically restraining her from leaving a room, or pushing/shoving her (Walker). In Chapter five of Twilight, Bella faints during a blood-typing exercise in her Biology class. Edward convinces the school secretary to excuse them from class so that he can escort her safely home. Bella relents, happy to get out of class, but is fully intent on seeing herself home. When Bella moves to the drivers seat of her truck, Edward physically restrains her by pulling the back of her jacket, telling her, Where do you think youre going? (Meyer, Twilight 103). Later, Bella is restrained again, this time by Edwards brother Emmett (under Edwards direction) as they rush to flee James after the baseball game. While trying to decide how to counter James inevitable attack, Edward decides to take Bella away from Forks. When she protests, Edward orders Emmett to secure her by her wrists and forcibly strap her into the harness of the Jeep they are using to escape (381). Of course, not everyone will see it this way. Some will see Edward as he is presented as the ideal, romantic, doting boyfriend and rationalize that his actions are justified because they were enacted with Bellas best interests in mind and because Edward, as a vampire, has physical and mental capabilities that Bella, as a mortal, does not possess. But, we cannot let Edward off the hook just because he is a vampire and not a living, breathing person. While personhood is certainly linked to humanity, Nicolas Michaud suggests that one does not necessarily need to be human to be a person: Personhood should be granted to those who demonstrate certain qualities such as consciousness and self motivated activity; those who demonstrate certain capabilities such a practical reason and affiliation should also not be denied the ability to flourish if they so choose (45). Edwards respect for the human soul, his choice to drink animal blood instead of human blood, and his attempt to assimilate in to Forks society demonstrate his desire to pass and be accepted as a person and not a vampire. Therefore, if Edward wants to enjoy the benefits of personhood in our society, we have to demand of him the same standards that we would expect from any other male in it regardless of any supernatural power he may possess. There are those that will argue that even though Edward exhibits these tendencies, he does not cross the line to become a full-fledged physical abuser. However, while physical violence is one method by which men control women and maintain their supremacy, patriarchy does not need to be enforced by using violence alone. In this case, Edwards actions create an environment where Bella cannot love Edward without loathing herself. He demonstrates that, despite the claim to the contrary, he is actually very far from perfect. Yet, Bella still sees herself as subordinate to him. She consistently reminds the reader and herself that she is not good enough for Edward. Because the Bella/Edward relationship is presented as fated and Edwards actions are justified as being for the benefit of Bellas safety, we permit Bella to respond in ways that would concern us if we saw it manifested in others close to us. We condone her continued disregard for her own personal safety. We allow her to isolate h erself from her family and friends. We accept her explanations for her repeated injuries. Bella literally gives up her life for love. Edwards controlling behavior coupled with Bellas justification of it creates a situation in which the females subordination becomes not only acceptable to readers, but rational as well. Can Romance Narratives be Anything But Oppressive? The abuse narrative present in the Twilight saga becomes especially problematic when viewed with an understanding of the romance genre. Romance as a genre is frequently characterized by the quest for an ideal heterosexual love relationship between a strong, dashingly handsome, young man and a beautiful, vulnerable, self-sacrificing young woman (Burnett and Beto). These qualities of romance stories are at the forefront of the Twilight saga. While these aspects of romance can be read as contributing to the perpetuation of patriarchal ideas about gender roles, romance can also be interpreted as the ultimate feminist genre. Catherine Asaro reminds us that the plots of most romance stories are centered on the desires of the heroine; her values are given priority and she always ends up getting what she wants. Bella spends four books telling us, the readers, that she wants to achieve immortality as a vampire and spend eternity with Edward while still being able to keep her best friend and Edwards rival suitor Jacob around. Breaking Dawn sees Bella fighting for her right to bear a child. She ultimately achieves all of this. Asaro also asserts that romance novels are unique in that they adhere to the female gaze. Laura Mulveys concept of the male gaze rests in the assumption that the audience is forced to view the action and characters of a filmic text through the perspective of a heterosexual man. Examples of its manifestation in filmic texts are seen in camera shots focusing on the curves of the female body, cleavage, or other sexualized positioning of women. In romance novels, however, the male form is the one under the heaviest scrutiny its features extolled upon in great detail. In fact, the female heroine is frequently described with just enough detail to humanize her, while leaving enough information out of the picture so that the reader might insert herself into it. In Twilight, Bella frequently compares Edward to the mythical Greek god Adonis. Her description of his facial features is specific. We see Edward, through her eyes as perfect and angular with high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and a straight nose and full lips. His hair, which is always messy, is an unusual, eye-catching shade of bronze while his eyes are topaz. Bella, on the other hand, is described to the reader far more simply she has long brown hair and brown eyes. Texts presented through the female gaze are significant in two distinct ways. For one, that the heroine is presented as an everywoman can be seen as empowering to female readers who are often only presented with representations of female characters that fade into the background unless they have qualities deemed important' (Asaro). Readers are able to recognize aspects of themselves in the narrative. Also, it legitimizes female sexuality and debunks the myth that women dont notice men in that way. Physical attractiveness is just as important for females as it is for males. Female sexuality is further legitimized in romance in that the heroine is rarely punished for engaging in sexual acts and can frequently be seen as the initiator of such acts. In Twilight, it is Bella who is eager to consummate the relationship she has with Edward and Edward who is resistant to give in without being married. Still, there is plenty in the saga to support the charges that the Twilight narrative is potentially harmful. Even though Edward never crosses the line into domestic violence, his behavior is still troublesome since the heavy consumption of romance narratives can, over time, influence readers interpretations of appropriate behavior for men and women in romantic relationships. In The Killing Screens, George Gerbner discusses his cultivation theory, which was developed to help explain the cumulative and overarching impact repeated media exposure has on the way we see the world in which we live. It emphasizes the effects of media consumption on the attitudes rather than the behavior of audiences. In short, heavy exposure is seen as cultivating attitudes which are more consistent with the world of media than with the everyday world. Gerbner argues that media cultivates attitudes and values which are already present in a culture, normalizing and reinforcing more dominant values, while mak ing other, more underlying ideas more salient. In a society such as ours where masculine ideology is already privileged; where we already have historical struggles with creating safe, egalitarian spaces for women; and where we already struggle with violence and intimidation, Gerbners theory tells us that extended consumption of the over-representation of patriarchy in the Twilight saga can normalize and legitimize acts of oppression that we might witness or experience in our own lives. When abuse is made to be fun and entertaining, we run the risk rationalizing and justifying it and fail to see the tragedy in it when we come across it in our real lives. Viewing the Twilight saga through this lens moves the conversation from the question of, What are romance narratives like those in Twilight doing to women? to What are women doing with them? Romance has been, perhaps, one of the most denigrated popular culture genres (Asaro; Wethington; Holmes). Common complaints include the lack of diversity and scope of romance narratives (typically seen as a result of the demands of powerful commercial forces and publishers looking to quickly churn out formulaic narratives that have previously proven to be profitable); and the genres consistent reliance on conservatively rigid messages about race, gender and male-female relationships; and the objectification of human bodies in explicit, almost pornographic, sexual representations (Wethington). Not everyone buys into these criticisms. Feminist media scholar Janice Radway was one of the first to take seriously the pleasure that women readers consistently seem to find in romance. According to her inf luential text Reading the Romance, women use romance as a way to set up a quiet space for themselves. They not only vicariously enjoy status positions and spaces of nurturing through the books that they do not enjoy in the real world, but romance stories also provide a fictional space in which readers can rehearse and make sense of their individual identity and role in society (Radway; Burnett and Beto). The role romance plays in preparing individuals how to behave in their public lives is even greater for young readers than what it may be for adults. Girls will use romances as an alternative to a romantic relationship when one has not yet presented itself. Romance novels act as safe spaces to gain insight on how to meet boys, what kinds of things they might say to them, and what dating is like. For them, romance novels act as beginners manual for adolescence (Cherland and Edelsky; Christian-Smith; Willinsky and Hunniford) Audiences appear to carry the lessons and desires cultivated through repeated exposure to romance narratives in their youth with them throughout their lives. For example, a generation ago, at the height of the coming-of-age teen romance flick, there emerged two archetypes for the ideal boyfriend Jake Ryan and Lloyd Dobler. Jake Ryan, of course, was the cool, super-popular, super-rich, Porsche-driving, way-too-hot-to-be-in-high-school hunk who caught the Plain Jane Samantha Bakers eye in the film Sixteen Candles. Lloyd Dobler, on the other hand, was an unpretentious, earnest, boombox-hoisting everyman who was thoroughly devoted to the super-smart Diane Court in the film Say Anything. Its been more than 25 years since Sixteen Candles was in theaters and 20 years since Say Anything was released, yet women coming of age in the 1980s still find themselves longing for their Jake or their Lloyd but, not finding him. (Stuever, Real Men; Steuver, What I Did). There is evidence that the same desire audiences have for a relationship with Jake and Lloyd also exists for Edward Cullen, regardless of the age of the audience member. For example, on the discussion forum for the TwilightTeens.com fansite, for example, one can find a multitude of discussion threads in which young fans deliberate questions like On a scale of 1 to 10, how lucky is Bella Swan [to be with Edward Cullen]?; Could you see yourself dating a guy like Edward?; or What do you like about Edward? Additionally, Emily Reynolds interviews and surveys with female adult readers of the Twilight saga revealed that it was Bella with whom readers most frequently identified and whose behaviors they most saw in themselves, making it easy for the reader to slip into Bellas shoes. This identification most frequently manifests itself in a desire to be romantically linked with Edward. According to one of Reynolds participants: I would leave my husband for someone like that (30). The difference, of course, is that seeking out a Jake Ryan or a Lloyd Dobler though destined to end in disappointment is not likely to meet with a violent end, though seeking out an Edward Cullen might. Is it all bad? It is not my goal to vilify the Twilight saga. It is okay to enjoy things that are entertaining and fun, but we should not dupe ourselves into believing that our entertainment media does not also assist in formulating our ideas about our culture. Popular media help shape a worldview in audiences that re-inscribes dominant positions of power and authority (Althusser; Gitlin; Hall), which in Eurocentric cultures like ours is white, patriarchal capitalism (Fiske qtd. in Meyers 7). Patriarchy is the primary oppressor of females in a society (Firestone; Greer; Millett). Since patriarchy does not necessarily operate as an explicit, perceivable reality (meaning, we dont always recognize it when we see it), we must review the aspects of our culture pop culture included that perpetuate patriarchal ideology and cause it to be normalized. What are, in fact, dangerous ideas that devalue the female in society are too frequently seen as legitimate choices in the Twilight saga choices made in th e name of true love or in the face of supernatural forces. When presented through these lenses, Bella and Edwards relationship is seen as romantic and desirable when in any other world it would be destructive. We have to remember that patriarchy, while notable for marginalizing females, does not operate free from feminine influence (Enloe). Social systems are not made solely of men; women are also contributing members. As such, a patriarchal society relies on the participation of all members men and women to endure. Therefore, as destructive as Edward is in the Twilight narrative, the real danger exists when we fail to confront patriarchy and oppression when we encounter it. It is advantageous that Twilight appeals to readers across several generations because it can be used as a framework for encouraging discourse between adults and youth about how female oppression occurs in society. Only future analysis will tell if these conversations are happening. Lets hope that they are.

The Charge Of The Light Brigade and Come up from the Fields Father Essa

The Charge Of The Light Brigade and Come up from the Fields Father are two war poems written in the mid 19th century. A Comparison Of Two War Poems ============================= 'The Charge Of The Light Brigade' and 'Come up from the Fields Father' are two war poems written in the mid 19th century. They both involve the portrayal of death for their country. Although they both tell us about death in two entirely different ways. In 1854, Mr Alfred Tennyson picked up 'The Times' newspaper and read a report written by W .H. Russell on the Crimean war. After reading the report, Alfred, wrote a very quick poem about the happenings. This poem was to become very famous and well known for centuries to come. In comparison, Walt Whitman, the author of 'Come up from the Fields Father' was a famous American author; he worked as a wound dresser in the American civil war, tending battle victims in primitive camp hospitals. Whitman writes his poem very imaginatively about the effects of war on a farming family. This gives the poems a very different feel and a change in style,...

Great expectations Essay

Explain how a key scene from the play â€Å"Blood Brothers† by Willy Russell, might be staged and explain the role of the chosen character in this part of the play This essay is about Blood Brothers by Willy Russell, I will be going to describe the play which includes setting, appearance, characterisation, the role of the characters and stage directions. I hope to achieve an understanding about the Musical and the purpose of the story. Willy Russell is well known as the writer of plays and films such as Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, Our Day Out, and the musical Blood Brothers. His work has attracted huge and appreciative audiences all over the world. Willy spent the whole of 1982 turning the small scale production of Blood Brothers into a full scale musical. The musical was first played at the Liverpool playhouse in 1983 and was a huge success. Set in a bleak Liverpool, the story centers on a single mother of many. Mrs. Johnston, who makes a decision that is to have far reaching consequences, when she finds out that the next child she is expecting, which will itself leave her on the verge of poverty, has a twin. Her decision will affect many lives, as she allows one twin to be raised by her childless employer Mrs. Lyons as her own Willy Russell uses a dark, dingy theme for Mickey’s estate, making life feel duller and boring for everyone. But, he contrasts it with a nicer theme for where Edward lives. I think this is to show the different lives the brothers lead and how close, lives could be the other way round for each of them. For Mickey’s soliloquy, I would have Mickey sat down on the step outside his battered front door. He will be annoyed with his head on his hands. I can imagine him with a toy car or a muddy stick messing about. He will read his soliloquy with a great boredom to his voice while Edward walks on to the stage. The backdrop will be a long row of houses with symmetrical doors, all battered and raw iron gates which are rusty. Also I can see Edward going up to Mickey and sitting in front of him, this is where he will introduce his first line. I picture both characters to look completely different in clothes wear. For instance I think Mickey would be wearing plain grey pants, a plain off coloured white t-shirt, and black shoes. Mickey needs to look plain and like he doesn’t wear expensive clothes. He needs to look filthy, especially since he has just came from the park. The audience should feel guilt as such because his mum can’t afford expensive clothes. On the other hand Edward needs to come across smart and well dressed. For instance he should wear black pants, a clean bright white shirt and a tie, although we don’t want Edward to come across snobby. I think the audience will sympathize and like both boys because they are bored, and are still very young. The role of the Brothers in the musical has a great sense of purpose for example the irony, e. g. they end up meeting and being friends, they call themselves â€Å"blood brothers† and they have a close â€Å"brotherly† relationship. Also to bring the play Humor although there is poverty and a baby being given away, to establish conflict and a plot. Also to make the audience curious about the story line. The character I am going to focus on is Mickey because he has a rougher background and more interesting story behind him. At the end of Mickey’s soliloquy the stage directions say, â€Å"Bored and Petulant, Mickey sits and shoots an imaginary Sammy. Edward, also aged â€Å"seven† appears. He is bright and forthcoming. † I would have Mickey looking bored, but I think he should be mocking Sammy with jealousy. The next set of stage directions are involving Edward with his sweets. Mickey asks for one and Edward allows him to take one. Mickey will be careful and suspicious because he has taken notice that Sammy is deceitful, and it’s rare you actually get given a sweet. Mickey will then examine the sweet before he actually puts it in his mouth. Towards the end of the scene, I will have directions of Mickey putting his arm around Edward, as they start to bond with each other. When Sammy enters the scene, Mickey will actually be a little scared of him although he is kind of an idol towards him. I will have Mickey trying to get the gun of Sammy, and when he fails he should join in the â€Å"fantasy shoot out† with Sammy. I think there are several most important lines in these scenes firstly, at the beginning when Mickey says, â€Å"Gis a Sweet, And Edward says â€Å"alright†. I think when Edward agrees to give Mickey a sweet this is the first sign of bonding between the two boys. I think this is the key line of the boys becoming such good friends later in the book. Also at the end of the scene when Mickey is standing up for Edward, when Sammy calls him. The whole book is about the irony that the brothers have bonded so well. I think the reasons for these are that they have become â€Å"best friends† when they first meet. The expressions used will make the audience understand the play more between the brothers. For instance, when Mickey reads his soliloquy, he will have a sound of jealousy to his voice; this is so the audience knows he is jealous of Sammy. There are parts in his soliloquy which should stand out with his voice; these are the last lines of each paragraph, â€Å"But I’m not I’m nearly eight†, â€Å"Even though I’m nearly eight†. These lines should be read with anger so we know he is annoyed that he is only seven. The last line of his soliloquy, â€Å"But I will by the time I’m eight†, should be read with delight so that he has not got long to wait now. The section where Mickey tells Edward â€Å"The â€Å"F† word† they should have there hand over there mouths, with laughter in there eyes because they find the word funny. On page 19, when Sammy enters, Mickey is going to look a little frightened, and when he gives Sammy the sweet he will role his eyes up as if he gets his own way. I don’t think there should be any props because; we want the audience to be fully focused on the brothers because it is a key scene in the story. Maybe Sammy can have a toy gun, Mickey can have a toy car, and Edward will have a bag of sweets. I will have dramatic, intense music as they declare themselves blood brothers and when they read the pledge because, this is the biggest, most ironic scene in the play. This scene in Blood Brothers is a very important part of the play. The boy’s first meet at the age of seven and bond extremely well, also they declare themselves â€Å"Blood Brothers† which is funny and ironic because they actually are, Blood Brothers. Also the two different characteristics they both possess play hugely. The scene shows that lives could have been completely differently for each other, for example, Mickey could have been called Edward, and the other way round. It also shows how society is, this links with the themes Willy Russell uses. Additionally this story line creates a massive comedy, with funny lines, being unaware of there factual relationship which they both have. Each boy represents society in contradictory ways; Mickey represents the working-class of society, while on the other hand Edward represents the upper-class. Towards the end of the scene it gets a little more serious, Mrs. Johnstone enters. Mickey tells his Mum that they are Brothers. Mrs. Johnstone is shocked until he mentions that they are â€Å"Blood Brother†. She can’t let anyone know what she has done because she has kind of sold her baby.

Greek Golden Age essays

Greek Golden Age essays This paper tells you about the Golden Age of Greece, which is from 500 to 350 BC. It tells about what Greeks did, who they worshipped, and other important things. The thing the Greeks are best known for, is their gods, and stories about them. The stories explained how things became. For instance, one story said that before the earth was made, there was a fight between a god, and a giant. The god killed the giant, and the parts of the giant became the earth. His teeth became the rocks, and his hair became the grass. His hands and feet became mountains, and his toes and fingers became trees. Some of the gods were Zeus, who was the ruler of all the gods, Hera was his wife, and Hermes was his messenger. Artemis was the goddess of the moon, and Apollo was the god of the sun. Poseidon was the god of the sea, Loki, the god of mischief, and, Dionysus, the god of wine. The Greeks, made sacrifices to the gods, so that the gods would honor them, and help them in times of trouble. They sacrificed animals, and other things that were special to them. The Greeks built temples, where they worshipped the gods. Each city had several temples, because each temple was used to worship one god. In each temple, there was a statue of a god that they worshipped. They had an extra big temple, and statue for the god that guarded their city. The Greeks had lots of heroes, who were like role models for their children. Hercules was the strongest man ever, and destroyed many monsters with his strength. Perseus had killed a monster called the Medusa. If someone looked at it, they would immediately turn to stone. Oddysseus beat the Trojans in the Trojan war, and on his way home, with his cunning, tricked, and killed many monsters. The Greeks are also known for their creativity, and knowledge in arts, such as making sculptures, music, and paintings. They made statues out of clay, gold, silver, and bronze. For instruments, they used harps and flutes. ...

Learn How to Conjugate Placer (to Place) in French

Learn How to Conjugate Placer (to Place) in French The French verb  placer means to put or to place. You can imagine how useful this word will be in your French conversations, so a lesson in conjugating the verb will certainly help. By the end, youll be able to use  placer  to say things such as she placed and we are placing. The Basic Conjugations of  Placer French verb conjugations are not always easy because there are many words to memorize and not all verbs follow the regular rules. Unfortunately, placer is a spelling change verb, so it does come with a catch, but its easy to remember if you understand it. For a verb like  placer,  in which the verb stem ends with a  c, there are times when it requires a  Ãƒ §. Youll find this most often in the imperfect past tense, though it can appear anywhere that an  a  or  o  come first on the infinitive ending. This change is necessary to retain the soft  c  sound. Without it, the vowels would make it sound like cat. Beyond that minor issue, you will find that  placer  uses the exact same endings as a  regular -er  verb, which is the most common conjugation pattern found in French. If you already know a few of those words, you can apply the same endings to this verb. Using the chart, you can study the most common indicative mood forms of placer. These include the present, future, and imperfect past tenses, which you will use most often. All you need to do is match the subject pronoun to the appropriate tense for your sentence. For example, I am placing is je place and we will place is nous placerons. Present Future Imperfect je place placerai plaais tu places placeras plaais il place placera plaait nous plaons placerons placions vous placez placerez placiez ils placent placeront plaaient The Present Participle of  Placer The spelling change is also required for placers present participle. Thats because it uses the -ant ending found in many regular verbs. The result is the word plaà §ant. Placer  in the Compound Past Tense Beyond the imperfect, you can also use the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  to indicate the past tense. To form it, you will need two elements: the present tense conjugate of  avoir  and the  past participle  placà ©.  When you put the two together, you get results such as  jai placà ©Ã‚  (I placed) and  nous avons placà ©Ã‚  (we placed). More Simple Conjugations of  Placer Placer  has many conjugations, though well finish this lesson with a few more of its simplest forms. Each has its own use and can be useful additions to your French vocabulary. The subjunctive can help you imply uncertainty to the act of placing. The conditional is useful for times when the action is dependent on something else. You will most likely only find the passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive in written French as these are literary tenses. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je place placerais plaai plaasse tu places placerais plaas plaasses il place placerait plaa plat nous placions placerions plames plaassions vous placiez placeriez plates plaassiez ils placent placeraient placrent plaassent The French imperative is used for direct commands and statements and this is the one time when its acceptable to skip the subject pronoun. Instead of tu place, you can say place. Imperative (tu) place (nous) plaons (vous) placez

Are the German Banks Riskier than the European Competitors Essay

Are the German Banks Riskier than the European Competitors - Essay Example As the essay highlights there are a number of reasons why the German banks should be so eager to implement risk anti-risk policies. After the unification of East and West Germany, the banks in the united nation needed to win the trust and the faith in the minds of the people, so that they had to undertake some relevant and careful anti-risk policy measures. The policy measures have continued ever since; even a few days back, the Chairman of Deutsche Bank, Joseph Ackerman, had reportedly said that there would be a worldwide availability of German bank shares in order to minimize the risk elements present in the business. According to the report findings since the mean or the average values are irrelevant to the study and rather the standard deviations are the ones that are needed for the same, so further description of the ratios have been omitted. The objective is to find out the relative risk quotient of the variables corresponding to the German and other European banks. The one that is found to display a higher standard deviation of returns is considered to be the riskier one. In order to ensure that the study involves the banks which operate in the market at present, only the active banks or the ones which have been merged with other banks have been taken into account. In order to carry on with the above specified empirical analysis, data has been collected on all banks located within the Euro region. In addition, data for the German banks have been categorized separately, so as to carry on the comparison with that of their European counterparts.

School Vouchers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

School Vouchers - Essay Example Due to the multifaceted effect of the said system it is important to consider the advantages of the system over the disadvantages (Walberg, and Wang 2-15). When it comes to the study of the issues regarding the voucher system for schools, there are the two sides. The side that affirm the importance of the used of the school vouchers and the side that questions the feasibility of the propositions and policies are vital to the study of the school voucher system (Kupermintz 2). The main objective of the study if to present the importance of the application of school voucher system. To be able to determine the importance of school voucher system, views on the different aspects are required. Based on the study of the different issues related to the system, there are different points that can be given attention. These points include the educational aspect itself, social aspect, and political aspect. It is important to give attention to these issues to be able to realize the vitality of the voucher system. The primary evidence of the importance and applicability of the school voucher is in relation to the a... Although there are different contradictions and criticism regarding the issue, it is important to consider that the main objective is to be able to provide access to education. The subsequent evidence in support of the school voucher system is the aim of the proponents of the establishment of the system to target the improvement in terms of educating the population. Generally the view of the group that opposes the system is the fact that optimization of the resources if not guaranteed and that the possible loss in terms of fund can be put to the improvement of the public schools which are considered to require more form the government to be able to improve. This can be considered to be affected by the school vouchers due to the fact that in most cases these privileges are also from the government and government officials. Although there is an important point being presented by the groups that question the feasibility of the school vouchers it is important to consider the different advantages that are related to the system. It can be considered as an optimistic action to be able to alleviate a larger portion of the population from illiteracy. It can be considered as a bold action to be able to pursue the advocacy for school voucher due to the fact that it is opt to be questioned by different groups. The advocacy for the continuance of the school voucher system is important for the people who have the capability to avail the requirements and the privileges of the provision system due to the fact that the people being helped can make the difference. When it comes to the different aspects that can be discerned by the groups and institutions in the society that are against the continuation of the provision of school