Obtuse Meaning in the Godfather free essay sample

In Roland Barthes’ essay, â€Å"The Third Meaning,† he posits two levels of meaning in a film or photographic image: the first is the simple or informational level which simply tells you everything you can learn from the setting, the costumes, the characters, their relations and so forth; and the second is the symbolic level, which shows you the connotations inside an image. The example he gives is a still from a film by Eisenstein Ivan the Terrible. In the picture, two courtiers are raining down gold over the young Czar’s head. Barthes finds in the image not only the two obvious levels of meaning but also a third level of meaning, which he calls obtuse. It goes beyond the information of the scene and the communication of the scene into something complex and difficult to determine. Barthes calls this the obtuse meaning as opposed to the obvious meanings, which are simple or symbolic. We will write a custom essay sample on Obtuse Meaning in the Godfather or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"OBTUSUS means that which is blunted rounded in form. Are not the traits which I indicated (the make-up, the whiteness, the wig) just like the blunting of a meaning too clear, too violent? Do they not give the obvious signified a kind of difficultly prehensible roundness? † The Third Meaning, Research Notes on some Eisenstein Stills, R. Barthes In his second attempt to make clear his analysis, Barthes returns to the idea of the obvious meaning and uses example from another Eisenstein film, The Battleship Potemkin. In those images we see an old woman with a closed, upturned fist, which signifies her determination to participate in the revolution. Then he shows another image from the same film of two women with their hands over their mouths stifling a sob. What Barthes says is that this doesn’t distract from but accentuates the symbolic meaning, but then he shows another image of the old woman seeming to express something else, an obtuse meaning, something difficult to define, something that eludes obvious analysis. He says that this obtuse meaning has something to do with disguise and lack of intentionality. Things seem to be expressed even beyond what the person intends by their gestures. He even compares the two stills of the same old woman, the one where the image obviously signifies grief, the other here something more complex is communicated: â€Å"I quickly convinced myself that, although perfect, it was neither the facial expression nor the gestural figuration of grief (the closed eyelids, the taut mouth, the hand clasped on the breast): all that belongs to the full signification, to the obvious meaning of the image, to Eisensteinian realism and decorativism. I felt that the penetrating trait- disturbing like a guest who obstinately sits on saying nothing when one has no use for him- must be situated somewhere in the region of the forehead: the coif, the headscarf holding in the air, had something to do with it. (R. Barthes) In the next image, the obtuse meaning vanishes leaving only the communication of grief. I would like to look at some examples of The Third Meaning in the work of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone and Al Pacino as his successor in â€Å"The Godfather†. From the beginning Brando is shrouded in darkness, we see him from behind and before him is a supplicant who comes to ask for a favor. The obvious meaning is the information in the scene the father’s outrage at his daughter’s violation, his hesitancy in approaching the Godfather and so forth. The symbolic meaning is in the fact that the supplicant is the lower or lesser party and the Godfather is the king, they are symbolically separated. There is a third meaning almost immediately in the film indicated by the way Brando is seen gesturing in response to the supplicant’s request. Which makes us immediately wonder why he is so reluctant. We learn later in the movie, that Brando’s entire role as the Godfather fills him with deeply ambivalent, deeply ambiguous and complicated feelings. He would like to be a true American, to do legitimate business, instead he is the head of a Sicilian crime family, forced to wait for respect from people who secretly don’t give it to him, who think him no more than a glorified thug. His gestures in the scene, his slight wave of the hand, his proud demeanor, his pain that after a long life he is still regarded as no more than a common criminal -all of these ambiguities are communicated elusively. They are present in Brando’s response to the situations in which he finds himself. The supplicant has come on the day of Don Corleone’s daughter’s wedding asking him to act like a dog. Instead of throwing him out, he puts the man through a deliberate charade of making him say the right words to respect him. In all the time we cannot but feel that there is something going on in Brando’s consciousness as the Don, which is deeply troubling to him. So we watch the movie from then on, with these three levels of meaning already defined, the simple or informational level in the story, the symbolic level with the supplicant kissing the Don’s hand, and the third meaning or obtuse meaning being what is elusive in Brando’s performance that we can’t yet put a finger on. The film then cuts to the wedding, which all takes place at levels one and two, but we as an audience now know that there are depths to this film and to Brando’s performance that we are going to look out for. Another example of the third meaning happens after Brando has been shot by the rival gang, and he’s informed for the first time about who killed the men who did it. When he’s told that it’s Michael, a look of great pain surfaces on his face, and we understand that he wants to protect his youngest son from the life of crime which has consumed all the other members of his family. The scene is enormously powerful, because Brando has been shot and because we know that Michael has made the fateful decision to be the one who carries out his revenge on behalf of his father. While we think this is a perfectly normal reaction of a son to want to avenge his father’s attempted murder, we are plunged into the same complexities as at the beginning of the film, which is: can Michael stay out of the criminal world and live a normal American life and marry Kay? The third meaning doesn’t inform or symbolize it discloses; it reveals what is going on inside the character, almost in spite of the character’s intentionality. The emotional power of the Godfather, lies in the fact that underlying currents are at play that are deeper than the informational or symbolic levels at which so much of the reality seems to occur. This ambiguity is very clearly brought out in the scenes in Sicily when Michael (Al Pacino) begins to experience what his future life holds for him as a gangster on the run. He’s in Sicily in the Corleone village protected by local peasants, far from the reality he’s known in New York. He meets a beautiful girl and experiences a â€Å"coup de foudre†, they fall in love just by looking at each other, almost immediately Michael has to explain himself to the girl’s father which he does convincingly and instinctively by telling the father in no uncertain terms, that he wants to marry the daughter even before he had spoken to her/ marriages were arranged by men in this patriarchal structure. Michael’s declaration of intent satisfies the father, surprises Michael’s companions and perhaps Michael himself and he endears himself to the family. All of this emotional drama takes place at the informational and symbolic level, the meanings are obvious, Michael is going to marry somebody who symbolizes innocence and purity. We see that in their pre-nuptial encounters and at the wedding, but something very interesting happens during their first sexual intimacies. Michael, in spite of himself is in awe of the girl’s beauty, sensuality and voluptuousness, we feel that Michael treasures his new bride and is straining in himself for the same purity of behavior as she is showing. We also know that Michael has a girlfriend back in New York, we’ve seen him with Kay Christmas shopping, we’ve seen Kay being invited in the family portrait at his sister’s wedding. So the questions that crosses our minds are, is Michael being unfaithful, or is he following some innocent, idyllic romance that is doomed? All of Al Pacino’s gestures at this point of the film are close to the third meaning, is he disguising something about himself, some bad corrupt side to himself, can he really ever be as pure as the girl? In Pacino’s expressions, all of this ambiguity comes out. Finally in the film the third meaning is expressed most convincingly in Brando’s death, we see him playing with a little boy in the garden, trying to be like any other grand-father, a kindly benign old man, and then he clutches his heart and has a heart attack. In the moments leading up to his death, his gestures are all of disguise, in fact he’s a corrupt criminal but in the scene he’s playing a gentle loving grand fatherly figure, straining for redemption by acting normally. Brando’s performance like Pacino’s goes way beyond the symbolic and informational levels into a level of disguise that presents the character in all its complexity. To conclude in the words of Barthes, the third meaning structures a film differently, without subverting the story. The level of the third meaning, that the filmic finally emerges: â€Å" The filmic is that in the film which cannot be described, the representation which cannot be represented. The filmic begins only where language and metalanguage end. – The third meaning theoretically locatable but not describable – can now be seen as the passage from language to signifiance and the founding act of the filmic itself.

The Battle of Ayn Jalut, 1260 - Mongols vs. Mamluks

The Battle of Ayn Jalut, 1260 - Mongols vs. Mamluks At times in Asian history, circumstances have conspired to bring seemingly unlikely combatants into conflict with one another. One example is the Battle of Talas River (751 A.D.), which pitted the armies of Tang China against the Abbasid Arabs in what is now Kyrgyzstan. Another is the Battle of Ayn Jalut, where in 1260 the seemingly unstoppable Mongol hordes ran up against the Mamluk warrior-slave army of Egypt. In This Corner: The Mongol Empire In 1206, the young Mongol leader Temujin was declared the ruler of all the Mongols; he took the name Genghis Khan (or Chinguz Khan). By the time he died in 1227, Genghis Khan controlled Central Asia from the Pacific coast of Siberia to the Caspian Sea in the west. After Genghis Khans death, his descendants divided the Empire into four separate khanates: the Mongolian homeland, ruled by Tolui Khan; the Empire of the Great Khan (later Yuan China), ruled by Ogedei Khan; the Ilkhanate Khanate of Central Asia and Persia, ruled by Chagatai Khan; and the Khanate of the Golden Horde, which would later include not just Russia but also Hungary and Poland. Each Khan sought to expand his own portion of the empire through further conquests. After all, a prophecy predicted that Genghis Khan and his offspring would one day rule all the people of the felt tents. Of course, they sometimes exceeded this mandate - nobody in Hungary or Poland actually lived a nomadic herding lifestyle. Nominally, at least, the other khans all answered to the Great Khan. In 1251, Ogedei died and his nephew Mongke, Genghiss grandson, became the Great Khan. Mongke Khan appointed his brother Hulagu to head the southwestern horde, the Ilkhanate. He charged Hulagu with the task of conquering the remaining Islamic empires of the Middle East and North Africa. In the Other Corner: The Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt While the Mongols were busy with their ever-expanding empire, the Islamic world was fighting off Christian Crusaders from Europe. The great Muslim general Saladin (Salah al-Din) conquered Egypt in 1169, founding the Ayyubid Dynasty. His descendants used increasing numbers of Mamluk soldiers in their internecine struggles for power. The Mamluks were an elite corps of warrior-slaves, mostly from Turkic or Kurdish Central Asia, but also including some Christians from the Caucasus region of south-eastern Europe. Captured and sold as young boys, they were carefully groomed for life as military men. Being a Mamluk became such an honor that some free-born Egyptians reportedly sold their sons into slavery so that they too could become Mamluks. In the tumultuous times surrounding the Seventh Crusade (which led to the capture of King Louis IX of France by the Egyptians), the Mamluks steadily gained power over their civilian rulers. In 1250, the widow of Ayyubid sultan as-Salih Ayyub married a Mamluk, Emir Aybak, who then became sultan. This was the beginning of the Bahri Mamluk Dynasty, which ruled Egypt until 1517. By 1260, when the Mongols began to threaten Egypt, the Bahri Dynasty was on its third Mamluk sultan, Saif ad-Din Qutuz. Ironically, Qutuz was Turkic (probably a Turkmen), and had become a Mamluk after he was captured and sold into slavery by the Ilkhanate Mongols. Prelude to the Show-down Hulagus campaign to subdue the Islamic lands began with an assault on the infamous Assassins or Hashshashin of Persia. A splinter group of the Ismaili Shia sect, the Hashshashin were based out of a cliff-side fortress called the Alamut, or Eagles Nest. On December 15, 1256, the Mongols captured Alamut and destroyed the power of the Hashshashin. Next, Hulagu Khan and the Ilkhanate army launched their assault on the Islamic heartlands proper with a siege on Baghdad, lasting from January 29 to February 10, 1258. At that time, Baghdad was the capital of the Abbasid caliphate (the same dynasty that had battled the Chinese at Talas River in 751), and the center of the Muslim world. The caliph relied on his belief that the other Islamic powers would come to his aid rather than see Baghdad destroyed. Unfortunately for him, that did not happen. When the city fell, the Mongols sacked and destroyed it, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of civilians and burning down the Grand Library of Baghdad. The victors rolled the caliph inside a rug and trampled him to death with their horses. Baghdad, the flower of Islam, was wrecked. This was the fate of any city that resisted the Mongols, according to Genghis Khans own battle plans. In 1260, the Mongols turned their attention to Syria. After only a seven-day siege, Aleppo fell, and some of the population was massacred. Having seen the destruction of Baghdad and Aleppo, Damascus surrendered to the Mongols without a fight. The center of the Islamic world now drifted south to Cairo. Interestingly enough, during this time the Crusaders controlled several small coastal principalities in the Holy Land. The Mongols approached them, offering an alliance against the Muslims. The Crusaders erstwhile enemies, the Mamluks, also sent emissaries to the Christians offering an alliance against the Mongols. Discerning that the Mongols were a more immediate threat, the Crusader states opted to remain nominally neutral, but agreed to allow the Mamluk armies to pass unhindered through Christian-occupied lands. Hulagu Khan Throws Down the Gauntlet In 1260, Hulagu sent two envoys to Cairo with a threatening letter for the Mamluk sultan. It said, in part: To Qutuz the Mamluk, who fled to escape our swords. You should think of what happened to other countries and submit to us. You have heard how we have conquered a vast empire and have purified the earth of the disorders that tainted it. We have conquered vast areas, massacring all the people. Whither can you flee? What road will you use to escape us? Our horses are swift, our arrows sharp, our swords like thunderbolts, our hearts as hard as the mountains, our soldiers as numerous as the sand. In response, Qutuz had the two ambassadors sliced in half, and set their heads up on the gates of Cairo for all to see. He likely knew that this was the gravest possible insult to the Mongols, who practiced an early form of diplomatic immunity. Fate Intervenes Even as the Mongol emissaries were delivering Hulagus message to Qutuz, Hulagu himself received word that his brother Mongke, the Great Khan, had died. This untimely death set off a succession struggle within the Mongolian royal family. Hulagu had no interest in the Great Khanship himself, but he wanted to see his younger brother  Kublai  installed as the next Great Khan. However, the leader of the Mongol homeland, Toluis son Arik-Boke, called for a quick council (kuriltai) and had himself named Great Khan. As civil strife broke out between the claimants, Hulagu took the bulk of his army north to Azerbaijan, ready to join in the succession fight if necessary. The Mongolian leader left just 20,000 troops under the command of one of his generals, Ketbuqa, to hold the line in Syria and Palestine. Sensing that this was an opportunity not to be lost, Qutuz immediately gathered an army of roughly equal size and marched for Palestine, intent on crushing the Mongol threat. The Battle of Ayn Jalut On September 3, 1260, the two armies met at the  oasis  of Ayn Jalut (meaning The Eye of Goliath or Goliaths Well), in the Jezreel Valley of Palestine. The Mongols had the advantages of self-confidence and hardier horses, but the Mamluks knew the terrain better and had larger (thus faster) steeds. The Mamluks also deployed an early form of firearm, a sort of hand-held cannon, which frightened the Mongol horses. (This tactic cannot have surprised the Mongol riders themselves too greatly, however, since the Chinese had been using  gunpowder weapons  against them for centuries.) Qutuz used a classic Mongol tactic against Ketbuqas troops, and they fell for it. The Mamluks sent out a small portion of their force, which then feigned retreat, drawing the Mongols into an ambush. From the hills, Mamluk warriors poured down on three sides, pinning the Mongols in a withering cross-fire. The Mongols fought back throughout the morning hours, but finally the survivors began to retreat in disorder. Ketbuqa refused to flee in disgrace, and fought on until his horse either stumbled or was shot out from under him. The Mamluks captured the Mongol commander, who warned that they could kill him if they liked, but Be not deceived by this event for one moment, for when the news of my death reaches Hulagu Khan, the ocean of his wrath will boil over, and from Azerbaijan to the gates of Egypt will quake with the hooves of Mongol horses. Qutuz then ordered Ketbuqa beheaded. Sultan Qutuz himself did not survive to return to Cairo in triumph. On the way home, he was assassinated by a group of conspirators led by one of his generals, Baybars. Aftermath of the Battle of Ayn Jalut The Mamluks suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Ayn Jalut, but nearly the entire Mongol contingent was destroyed. This battle was a severe blow to the confidence and reputation of the hordes, which had never suffered such a defeat. Suddenly, they did not seem invincible. Despite the loss, however, the Mongols did not simply fold their tents and go home. Hulagu returned to Syria in 1262, intent on avenging Ketbuqa. However, Berke Khan of the Golden Horde had converted to Islam, and formed an alliance against his uncle Hulagu. He attacked Hulagus forces, promising revenge for the sacking of Baghdad. Although this war among the khanates drew off much of Hulagus strength, he continued to attack the Mamluks, as did his successors. The Ilkhanate Mongols drove towards Cairo in 1281, 1299, 1300, 1303 and 1312. Their only victory was in 1300, but it proved short-lived. Between each attack, the adversaries engaged in espionage, psychological warfare and alliance-building against one another. Finally, in 1323, as the fractious Mongol Empire began to disintegrate, the Khan of the Ilkhanids sued for a peace agreement with the Mamluks. A Turning-Point in History Why were the Mongols never able to defeat the Mamluks, after mowing through most of the known world? Scholars have suggested a number of answers to this puzzle. It may be simply that the internal strife among different branches of the Mongolian Empire prevented them from ever throwing enough riders against the Egyptians. Possibly, the greater professionalism and more advanced weapons of the Mamluks gave them an edge. (However, the Mongols had defeated other well-organized forces, such as the Song Chinese.) The most likely explanation may be that the environment of the Middle East defeated the Mongols. In order to have fresh horses to ride throughout a day-long battle, and also to have horse milk, meat and blood for sustenance, each Mongol fighter had a string of at least six or eight small horses. Multiplied by even the 20,000 troops that Hulagu left behind as a rear guard before Ayn Jalut, that is well over 100,000 horses. Syria and Palestine are famously parched. In order to provide water and fodder for so many horses, the Mongols had to press attacks only in the fall or spring, when the rains brought new grass for their animals to graze on. Even at that, they must have used a lot of energy and time finding grass and water for their ponies. With the bounty of the Nile at their disposal, and much shorter supply-lines, the Mamluks would have been able to bring grain and hay to supplement the sparse pastures of the Holy Land. In the end, it may have been grass, or the lack thereof, combined with internal Mongolian dissension, that saved the last remaining Islamic power from the Mongol hordes. Sources Reuven Amitai-Preiss.  Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260-1281, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995). Charles J. Halperin. The Kipchack Connection: The Ilkhans, the Mamluks and Ayn Jalut,  Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 63, No. 2 (2000), 229-245. John Joseph Saunders.  The History of the Mongol Conquests, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001). Kenneth M. Setton, Robert Lee Wolff, et al.  A History of the Crusades: The Later Crusades, 1189-1311, (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005). John Masson Smith, Jr. Ayn Jalut: Mamluk Success or Mongol Failure?,  Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Dec., 1984), 307-345.

Case Study Of Reebok and Adidas Samples

The industry related t the production of the athletic shoes initiated in the year 1895. The establishment of the brand Reebok was seen in the year 1958. Reebok started manufacturing running shoes with spikes invoiced in the sole of the shoes. Being the initiator of the spiked shoes the brand gained popularity and the rate of global acceptance of the brand was very high. With the high acceptance rate of the products that were being manufactured by Reebok, the global scenario of the brand in the perspective of sales and brand popularity was at its peak. With the introduction of Nike in the field of athletic shoe manufacturer the sales and the popularity of Reebok was facing a downfall in the global market. This report will discuss about the objective and importance of the case study. This report will also discuss about the details of the case study that are relevant in nature. This report will further provide the analysis of the case study. This report will also discuss about the theor etical implications of the marketing strategies of the project that is being initiated. This project will also discuss about the key issues of the brand Reebok that has been the main reason for the downfall of the brand. This report will also provide recommendations to the brand to sustain the market. Despite of the downfall that it has been facing in the market. Te emergence of the athletic shoe manufacturing brands started in the year of 1980s. The four brands with high aspiration entered the market for achieving the silverware by manufacturing the sports shoes. The legacy of manufacturing athletic shoes started in the year 1895, when Joseph William Foster decided to manufacture athletic shoes and invoiced spikes into the shoes in order to help the runners to gain grip during running. The spikes were totally hand-made. In the year 1958 the two grandsons of Joseph William Foster established the brand Reebok. After the emergence of Reebok, during 1995, when Reebok was going through the downfall, Nike started emerging as the leading athletic shoe brand manufacturer. Adidas saw themselves emerging in the year 1954, after the Second World War. They gained popularity as they supplied cleats to the German International team during the world cup victory. Despite of the fact that the life cycle of Reebok initiated at 1958, Paul Fireman initiated the modern version of Reebok in the year 1979, when he first came across the shoes in an international trade show. After being introduced to the shoes, he started negotiating for taking the right to sell the brand in the North America. In the year 1979, Paul Fireman established the company with the name of Reebok in the Northern America. In the year 1982, Reebok started manufacturing aerobic shoes that helped women who practiced aerobic. With the drastic growth rate in the acceptance of the brand in the year 1995, Reebok made a sale of $3 billion since the last decade. In the early years of 1990, the trend of aerobics was decreasing in a rapid rate, which causes a decline in sales for Reebok as it was mainly focused on the sales of the aerobic shoes that were targeted for the female clients of the brands. Reebok wanted to expand its business in other sector of sports but Nike was already predo minant in the field where Reebok was trying to set up their business. In the year 1995, Nike surpassed the sales of Reebok by $1.33 billion.   The main hindrance that stood in front of Reebok the lack of are the lack of relation between the Foot Locker and their brand. This communication gap was made full use by the Nike athletic shoes production house. Previously, when Nike was not completely established and was just emerging as a brand in the field of manufacturing athletic shoes, Reebok got the chance to start the business with the Foot Locker but due to the lack of time to produce custom footwear for the Foot lockers the business never progressed to a fruitful end. Nike in other hand had agreed to meet the requirements of the Foot Lockers and manufactured custom athletic shoes for the Foot Lockers. Considering the weak market bases Eli Lily, the trainer in the Reebok thought that there must have been some software issues that has led to the lack of sales of the brand. Reebok a long with Lee and Wrangler processed the advancement of the SAP version. This advancement took longer time than the expected deadline of the project. In the mid 2003, Reebok gained their sales and made a great business. The reason of this increase in their sales was the conflict between Nike and the Foot lockers. In 2005, Adidas took the initiative to buy Reebok.   Adidas was fighting to sustain the competition in Europe as Nike proved to be the killer of the entire competition. To face the fierce competition provided by Nike     Adidas decided to buy Reebok and use Reebok in the department of training and fitness. After failing to sign Jordan as the basketball ambassador and again losing the chance of signing the wonder kid of basket ball Lebron James, Adidas decided to invest in signing multiple stars as their rookie in the field f basketball (Mantovani and Galvà £o, 2017). Adidas soon realized that launching the predator soccer shoes in Europe will help them conquer the ma rket as emotion re related to the predator shoes were used by the likes of David Bekham and many other soccer stars. Gradually Adidas started outshining Nike in the mid range sport shoes. Despite the fact that Adidas combined with Reebok was giving a tough competition to Nike but Nike was still crowned as the brand that is labeled to be selling the highest number of pairs of athletic shoes. In the mid 2000s, Reebok was one of the reasons that brought Adidas the success.   Out of the net turnover of $12 billion in Europe, Reebok had its share prominent with $1.9 billion. Reebok restocking the old stock of athletic shoes that were in trend   that got the brand promoted to the highly ranked tier standing second just behind the likes of the Skechers (Tae-Gyu, K.I.M. and Wi-Young, 2015). The CEO of Adidas was much pleased with the growth of the brand under their legacy. This growth in the brand of Reebok forced Nike to collaborate with the brand named Converse and invest a lot of rev enue to buy the brand in order to compete with Adidas in the field of training and fitness field. In the year 2009, Reebok manufactured toning shoes that claimed that wearing them itself is enough to get rid of specific muscular problems and no other mean of treatment will be required. This model of the shoe was targeted mainly for the women. But the science and technology used in the making of the shoes was not well matched with the claims that were made by the brand. Reebok had to settle a lawsuit and pay $25 million to the U.S Federal trade Commission in order to repay the unsatisfied clients. Despite these acts Reebok has still been doing well in the market of athletic shoes and is collaborated with the SAP ERP to sustain the competition with Nike. This case study initially deals with the emergence of the athletic shoe brand Reebok. The brand seems to emerge in a very fast rate, as they were the initial manufacturers of athletic shoes with spikes invoiced in the shoes that will help the athletes to gain a proper grip during running in the track (Romeo, 2016). The business of Reebok was flourishing in a very fast rate as it started manufacturing products that were aimed at a particular scope of the athletics field as well as the products for the general athletic fields. With the increase in popularity of the field of athletics that the brand was gaining, according to the report the brand was not willing to make further modifications in the making of their products. This stable and never changing technology in the brand motive brought in stagnation in the market for the style of shoes that Reebok manufactured. Due to lack of time, Reebok could not manufacture customized products for the Foot Lockers. The gradual profit terms were decreasing in annual basis as the in between 1997 to 1999 the net sales dropped by $3.6 billion again in between 1999 to 2000, the sales decreased by $2.9 billion. This decrease in the net sales of the brand Reebok resulted in growth of the brand Nike as an elite athletic shoe brand. Nike took the advantage of collaborating with the Foot lockers for the supply of their athletic shoes (Jain, 2017). This causes the flash marketing for the Nike as they were collaborated with the Foot lockers in order to increase the sales growth. This growth in the sales of the athletic shoe with the Feet Lockers took Nike to an elite level. This phenomenon was the main reason behind the decline in the growth of Reebok (Fatma, 2018). Another aspect that resulted in the down fall of Reebok is that the downfall in the interest of the aerobics, as Reebok mainly focused on the field of aerobics under which they targeted the women participants of the field (Kempf and Franklin, 2016). Due to the lessening o f the interest in the field of aerobics, the sales of athletic shoe decreases which in turn affected sales of the brand annually (Erus, 2016).   Adidas being another athletic shoe manufacturing brand that has been   emerging as one of the biggest brands after Nike in Europe. To get into the competition of being the biggest manufacturer of athletic shoes, they decided to collaborate with Reebok and spent a huge revenue to buy the brand (Lee and Kahle, 2016). After buying the brand for few years Reebok was not yielding the expected outcome in number of sales, but during the conflict of Nike with the Foot Lockers Reebok again gained the acceptance in the market by restocking the old foot wears and was just ranked behind Skechers in terms of yearly turnover of the training and fitness aspect of athletics. In 2010, a web served store was constructed where the shoes of Reebok was sold as the official product where discount on very less amount was provided (Erhard, Werner and Michael, 2014). This increase in the emergence of the turn over by Adidas that had already collaborated with Reebok forced Nike to collaborate with Converse and spend a huge revenue. Despite all this competition, Nike remained the brand with the highest turnover (Cho and Kim, 2016). The SAP version that was used initially by Reebok was also upgraded to a much updated version of SAP which was possible with the help of LEE and Wrangler as the modification was suggested by the Reebok, Lee and Wrangler (Duncan, 2016).   Ã‚   The main issues in the management of Reebok that led to the downfall of the brand are that the brand after getting a proper start to the marketing aspect of the brand due to the innovative ideas that were incorporated in the products that were manufactured by the company and did not intend to evolve their manufacturing infrastructure (Chatwin, 2017). The main motive of the company was to manufacture the most in numbers and to reduce the cost of production. This aspect of the increasing the production as well as lowering the production cost leads to the factor of not being able to customize the shoes manufactured by them. This led to the decline of the brand (Dolgin, 2017). Another   reason of the company for not being able to flourish is the reason that they did not pair up with the   Foot Lockers despite the fact that the Foot Lockers wanted to collaborate with the brand but due to lack of time for customizing shoes for them the Foot lockers and Reebok did not went   on to cra ck the deal (Burns, Carberry and Schwartz, 2015). Nike was later seen to collaborate with Foot Lockers and reach the highest standards of the business their field leaving behind Reebok as their competitor.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The only recommendation that can be provided to the brand is that they must not provide misleading marketing policies as they did for the toning shoes which will lead to the decrease in good will of the brand and the brand loyalty decreases and this in turn positively affects the growth of their competitors (Nigg et al. 2015) . The company must seek to improve their technologies and the modification and customizations must be made in order to stay updated with the regular trend. The company has already collaborated with Adidas hence must act with the technology that the Adidas uses in order to gain the dominance in the global market and reach the peak of the market. The software systems that the brand is using must be updated to its highest order. This updated version will provide the increase in the efficiency of the marketing strategy of the brand leading to the success in marketing of the products   that will be launched by Reebok.   On following these recommendations the bran d can regain its glory days. From the above discussion it can be concluded that the emergence of Reebok was an obvious choice as it was the first brand to launch athletic shoes with spikes in order to found better grip on the track. Despite of getting   a massive launch Reebok failed to maintain the dominance in the field of athletic shoe brands as Nike took over Reebok as a brand due to the availability   of customized shoes. Reebok did not intend on growing as fast as it needed to and did not focus on modifying the shoes as per the requirement of the clients. This factor of not being capable enough to cope up with the pace created Nike the space to conquer the market. The downfall of Reebok embarked the superiority of Nike, which later led to Reebok being sold to Adidas for te betterment of the company. Buckeridge, E., LeVangie, M.C., Stetter, B., Nigg, S.R. and Nigg, B.M., 2015. An on-ice measurement approach to analyse the biomechanics of ice hockey skating.  PloS one,  10(5), p.e0127324. Burns, R., Carberry, S. and Schwartz, S.E., 2015, April. Classifying Salient Textual Entities in the Headlines and Captions of Grouped Bar Charts. In  FLAIRS Conference  (pp. 217-220). Chatwin, C. R. (2017). Rapid prototyping, tooling and time compression. Cho, S. and Kim, Y., 2016. Empirical Rationalization of Prior Substantiation Doctrine: Federal Traded Commission v. Reebok & Sketchers.  Loy. Consumer L. Rev.,  29, p.55. Dolgin, E., 2017. Outside the lab: Side jobs for scientists.  Nature,  549(7671), pp.297-299. Duncan, C., 2016. Purchase of Safety Shoes on an Annual Contract with two (2) options to renew for various Gwinnett County. Erhard, Werner, and Michael C. Jensen.  Putting integrity into finance: A purely positive approach. No. w19986. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2014. Erus, O., 2016. The Benefit of Targeting Trending Niche Marketing Segments and Re-positioning of a Company: Choosing the winning marketing strategies for Reebok. Fatma, S., 2018. Brand Revitalization: Reconnecting Emotionally. In  Driving Customer Appeal Through the Use of Emotional Branding  (pp. 262-272). IGI Global. Jain, S., 2017.  Feasibility study for launch of mission athletecare in India. NIFT-Mumbai. Kempf, M. and Franklin, P., 2016. adidas and Reebok: What Expatriate Managers Need to Manage M&As Across Cultures.  Intercultural Management: A Case-Based Approach to Achieving Complementarity and Synergy, p.148. Lee, C. and Kahle, L., 2016. The linguistics of social media: Communication of emotions and values in sport.  Sport Marketing Quarterly,  25(4), p.201. Mantovani, D. and Galvà £o, F.H.S., 2017. Brand priming effect on consumers’ financial risk taking behavior.  Revista de Administraà §Ãƒ £o,  52(1), pp.15-25. Romeo, M., 2016. Standing in the Octagon: The Ultimate Fighting Championship's Battle to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York State.  Ariz. St. U. Sports & Ent. LJ,  6, p.109. Sapra, G.K., 2015.  Measures to improvise the key categories in order to establish reebok as a fitness brand in India. NIFT. Tae-Gyu, K.I.M. and Wi-Young, S.O., 2015. Effect of functional rehabilitation exercise on chronic ankle instability in elite athletes.  South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation,  37(2), pp.47-60.

Obesity in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Obesity in UK - Essay Example (Obesity Focused (2001) According to the obesity society, an estimated 200 million adults and 18 million under the age of five were obese in 1995. It also estimates that over 300 million individuals are currently obese in the world (WHO, 2004). In the United Kingdom, about 46% of men and 32% of women are overweight (with a BMI of 25-30) while an amazing 17% of men and 21% of women are obese. It also reports that, in the developing world alone, currently more than 115 million individuals are obese. Obesity is majorly attributed to poor eating habits, unchecked lifestyles, insufficient sleep, smoking, use of medication, pregnancy, family history, among other factors. Its health risks cannot be undermined as it causes a wide range of diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancers. Other risks include mechanical disabilities like varicose veins, metabolic disorders like Gall stones, and even decreased life expectancy. It is also likely to cause a number of psychological and social problems within an individual. For example, an obese person may suffer from low self esteem since people normally perceive obesity as unattractiveness. The hospitality industry is a diverse global industry with a wide range of service industries. These include the hotel industry, the food service industry, and tourism. Obesity is mainly blamed on the overall lifestyle of an individual. The hospitality industry mainly is concerned with the improving the living standard of individuals. Therefore, it is prudent to claim that the hospitality industry, through mainly the food, hotel and the beverages industry, may be a contributing factor to obesity in an individual. According to Marlene B. of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, obesity is majorly associated with unhealthy eating and low levels of physical activity. "She claims that the increase in obesity in the United Kingdom can be blamed to the numbers of "quick service restaurants" which have sprung up in the urban centers and which cook foods which have high saturated fat and high sugar content. She also notes that the youth are the ones who are majorly affected by this trend as the restaurants mostly carter for the youth. (Obesity focus, 2004) Research by Yale University professor Kelly Brownell showed that fast food did contribute significantly to the amount of calorie taken in a day thereby increasing the risk for obesity. The food industry's major shift to provision of high energy-dense foods that are high in fat and sugars but low in vitamins and minerals can also be blamed for the increased cases of obesity. This has led to energy imbalance as the calories consumed are not used hence they accumulate as fat. The industry is also blamed for not providing sufficient information about the contents of foods they provide to the public. A group of obesity activists in the United Kingdom is claiming that the menu should be labeled with information that would help individuals control their choices of food, thereby enabling them to limit or avoid those foods that would increase the chances of them being obese. This they propose, is to be done by making it mandatory for restaurants to include in their menus a data showing the ca lorie count of respective foods. They claim that this would enlighten consumers as they order meals. Most people in the society do not understand effects of the foods

Introductory Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introductory Ethics - Essay Example Kant cites another example of refusing to help others in pursuit of their projects. This maxim according to Kant easily passes the contradiction in conception test but fails to pass the final test of contradiction in will. According to this maxim it is our duty to help people sometimes but only to a certain extent, not in each and every given situation. Kant further cites the example of a perfect duty in keeping the promises you have made to others but actually have little intention of actually keeping the promise. There is a self-contradiction maxim in this intention of making a promise to achieve some kind of desired purpose, but with no intention of keeping it. The contradiction is in the fact that this maxim cannot become a Universal law, because it would then imply that one has to lie every time, in order to achieve the desired result. A.2. In the "murderer at the door" maxim Kant imagines a number of coincidences that may occur when you reply honestly to the murderer's questions. He states that when the person at the door is answering the questions of the murderer, whether the victim is at home, it is likely that the victim may have secretly left the house and thus will not get in the way of the murderer and as a result the murder might not take place at all.

Plato and Mill on the relationship between individual and society Essay Example for Free

Plato and Mill on the relationship between individual and society Essay Plato was born around 428-7 BC, he lived for the most part of his life in Athens, and had much to say about Athenian democracy. Mill was born much later in London in 1806, but although over two thousand years of political philosophy divide the two, much of the same issues and concerns arise in both their work though often with very different outlooks. Despite their differing opinions Plato and Mill are both antithetical, or in other words believe that the tyranny of the majority is to be feared. Plato believes that individuals are selfish and pursue their own self-interests at the expense of the rest of the population, and follow their own moral path. The philosopher individual is epitomised by the Gadfly. The gadfly is referred to by Plato in the Apology, to describe Socrates relationship with the Athenian political scene. Socrates believed he irritated for the purpose of leading people closer to the truth to sting people and whip them into a fury, all in the service of truth. The gadfly describes a person who upsets the status quo by posing lots of questions. Plato states that while the gadfly is easy to swat, the cost to society of silencing an individual simply because of his irritancy could be extremely high. This seems to contradict some of what he has to say on his republic, as he stifles the lower class citizens in the Kallipolis, counting their opinions as obsolete in comparison to the philosophers. The gadfly is also mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Jeremiah also relating to political influence Egypt is a very fair heifer; the gadfly cometh, it cometh from the North. Plato believes that Democracy fosters the wrong kind of individual, hence the Kallipolis, which is the inverse of Democracy, designed to bring about the right way of living. In Platos view, an individual is fulfilled by the contribution that he or she makes to the overall functioning of the community, and the Kallipolis is designed to make this possible for everyone. Platos state also respects the individuality of its members and treats them equally. In Platos republic, the state limits the freedom of its individuals, but only to ensure that all the members receive the same amount of freedom. In effect, Plato believes that the repression of individual freedom results in equal freedom for the society as a whole. This is contrasted to Mill, whose view is that, excluding children, the individual is sovereign over himself, his body and his mind. Interference in an individuals beliefs or actions is wrong. Unless it is known that one is inflicting harm upon another, interference is not justified. Mill has three liberties that are the hallmark of a free society- the first is the freedom of thoughts and sentiment on all subjects, including freedom of expression and publication. The second liberty is the freedom of taste; the fact that others may disapprove of an individuals actions or beliefs, is not justified by Mill as the basis of interference, for example homosexuality. The third and final liberty necessary for a free society is the freedom of individuals to unite as long as the resulting union does not lead to others being harmed as a result. Mill forbids coercion and deception within the union, as he believes it is unjustified to have a direct negative impact on the utility of others (this does not involve doing something which someone else does not agree with). Mill encourages individualism and self-development or human flourishing as he believes that it will only benefit society, as the individuals will be able to contribute more if they reach their full potential and are allowed to develop their own ideals and opinions. Mill has concerns over the limits of which power can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual. Safeguards are necessary to ensure that the majority does not suppress the minority. Mankind would be no more justified in silencing one person, than that one person; if he had the power would be justified in silencing mankind. Plato believes that false opinions could be dangerous to society, whereas Mill would say they were necessary in order to help obtain the truth, something that we as humans so desperately strive to obtain. Plato believes that satisfying our desires is something scarcely worth caring about, whereas Mill would encourage us to do so as long as it brings utility rather than harm. Free discussion in Mills opinion will only aid us in getting closer to the truth, as who is to decide what is true if there is no proof? A combination of views, questions and opinions are better than one view or opinion that is decided to be true, and not questioned. There are always people who will disagree with something that others agree with, so who is right? Plato believes that in order to have a productive and harmonious society, conditioning or training is necessary to ensure that the members actual desires coincide as far as possible with their real desires, thus reducing conflict. Mill would argue that this is in a sense brainwashing the individuals to believe that they are happy and that they are fulfilling desires, when in fact they are only fulfilling what the Philosopher Kings have told them they desire. Plato believes in critical freedom, which the Kallipolis is intended to provide to its members as much as their nature permits, Mill however believes in actual freedom in which all is permitted but harm (The Harm Principle). Mills rejection of social contracts is accompanied with the acceptance of certain rules of conduct in our dealing with others in return for the protection we receive from society. For example, we are bound to observe and respect the rights of others and according to him As soon as any part of a persons conduct affects prejudicially the interests of others, society has jurisdiction over it. Otherwise Mill states that foolish actions do not deserve penalties, and that mature individuals should be left to develop and coagulate their own views and act on their own impulses. All society can do is help educate its members as to what is moral and immoral before they reach the state of maturity and therefore the freedom they have a right to. Platos similes are used to demonstrate the negative aspects of democracy and Athenian politicians. The simile of the cave is used to show how politicians will conceal the truth from the people (represented by the prisoners). The people are ignorant and do not possess the knowledge that they deserve. The prisoners are bound and only have a view of the wall in front of them, there is a fire behind them, between them and the wall is nothing. All that the prisoners can see are shadows of themselves, and of the objects behind them. The prisoners naively believe that the shadows are real as they have nothing else upon which to base their knowledge. One of the prisoners manages to escape from the cave, and in the light of the sun sees the real world for the first time. He realises that all this time he was deceived by shadows. This man, if according to Plato is in possession of the capacity for knowledge and wisdom will feel it is his duty to go back to the cave, release his fellow prisoners and enlighten them. The other prisoners are hard to persuade however, as his exposure to the sunlight renders him unable to see the shadows as clearly as before, and so the prisoners just think that he is less intelligent than when he was trapped. Plato justifies the Philosopher Kings lying to the people in order to protect them. Plato argues the necessity of a structured organised society separate from the outside world in which every individual reaches their maximum potential and has a fundamental part to play in contributing all they can to their community as a whole. Education is available to all members of the Kallipolis regardless of gender. Mill states in his introductory chapter to On Liberty that the struggle between liberty and authority is the most conspicuous feature. Mill developed a principle to counteract what he calls the interference of collective opinion on an individuals independence, this principle was called the Liberty principle. Mill and Plato have different styles of communicating their points, Mill expresses his ideas in the form of discursive arguments, Plato however expresses his ideas in the form of dialogue, something which Mill praises Plato for regardless of their conflicting conclusions. Platos Kallipolis, or utopia is designed as a hierarchical state consisting of three different classes, the Producers, the Auxiliaries, and the Guardians. These three different classes will have very different experiences of life, and which one they will lead depends on their capacity for knowledge. The three classes experience different upbringings, and receive different levels of education. Plato contradicts himself, he says that all people in the Kallipolis should be friends and equals yet he also unashamedly states that the Producers will not be able to choose how they wish to live their lives, and that their opinions are the least worthy. The Producers are in effect not free, but rather slaves to their senior ranking class, the Guardians. The Producers are thought to be the least intelligent mass of the population, and they are therefore expected to trust and believe their rulers. This is justified by Plato because it is better for them to be under the control of divine wisdom something that the minority of the population possess, and what makes those that do worthy to rule over all others. Platos belief is that if these less intelligent people are allowed to think freely, then they will make the wrong choices, and an individual is only worth what they contribute to their community as a whole. This means that personal desires are not as important as the overall functioning of the community, which is immaculately ruled by the Philosopher Kings who have the ability to learn and retain the knowledge leaded to rule and guide the citizens of the Kallipolis. Mills views contradict these of Platos; his liberalist view is that the individual is important in creating the desired environment within the state and is worthy of reaching their full potential in all areas. Mill considers freedoms of opinion and of actions necessary, and his Harm Principle was made to help protect other individuals from being hurt. Mill believes that individuals have a fundamental right to discover and develop their knowledge to their maximum capacity with the absence of a priori constraints. Platos view on the freedom of individual development of knowledge is that it is the despotism of custom. Mill prioritises the freedom of thought and expression; he believes that unless we push an argument to its absolute limit, then we cannot claim to fully understand it. Mill says that we must listen to everyone, even those that offend us, or those who we believe to be irrelevant. Mills justification for this is that if one person speaks out against an otherwise unanimous society about a certain topic, and they are right, then they could enlighten the mass to the truth. If they speak out and are found to be wrong, then they have simply helped the mass come closer to the truth by falsely opposing it. Platos analogy of the Beast shows how politicians will keep society happy in the short term, while not regarding what is best for them in the long term. It works on the basis of keeping the people satisfied rather than truly doing what is best for them (according to Plato). The keeper of the Beast manipulates it with what is wants at the time by giving it treats, with no regards for its health. It is made clear however that the Beast is manipulating the keeper too, by getting what it currently desires out of him. For this reason Plato says that freedom to do what one wants when ignoring the absolute truth, or the long term real effects of certain action or decision can be damaging to the inward domain of consciousness. Similarly, his analogy of the Ship of State depicts his attitude on Athenian democracy. The captain of the ship is stronger than any of the crew, but he lacks the skill of working on and handling the boat. The crew argue over who should be in control, and beg the captain to allow them to take control of the ship. Those who succeed turn the voyage into a drunken pleasure cruise. The true navigator or star-gazer is overlooked by his fellow men although he is the only one skilled enough to actually guide the ship, he possesses the art of navigation, and seamanship. He is unable to gain the control needed to steer the ship to safety. The captain represents Athenian citizens responsive only to the rhetoric of the crew, the crew represent the politicians, they are manipulative and are not concerned with the truth, but rather power. Plato says that eventually the crew will ask the navigator for help, sacrificing their freedom and control for their safety and social benefit. The navigator is capable of using his knowledge of astronomy (knowledge of Being) to help guide the ship and those on it through a world of constantly changing and sometimes-dangerous weather conditions (the world of Becoming). The crew must surrender to the navigator, as he possesses not opinions or beliefs, but facts. The crew have to recognise his superior knowledge and therefore his authority, although they would fail to do so if it did not ultimately benefit them. Mill would argue that this analogy is incomplete, for the crew are able to be taught the skill of navigation themselves and do not need to rely solely on the star-gazer, wouldnt a crew of capable navigators be better than just one? Mill would argue that it is vital for the well being of the state to be able to argue against the truth. He argues the positive value of blasphemy as it challenges assumptions that are established as being right or wrong. We can criticise Mill for assuming that all individuals are capable of being rational and having rational thoughts and discussions. Equally, Plato fails to recognise the need for questioning and testing and assumes that people will accept sacrificing their freedom because he tells them too. If the tyranny of the majority is to be feared then why would Plato put the minority in power, and deprive the majority of control over their lives and the lives of their children? Mill and Plato hold the same or similar views on the issue of gender. Plato says that all citizens of the Republic, male or female will have access to equal education, as gender is obsolete when knowledge is the main focus, although a woman could never become a Philosopher Ruler. In 1869 Mill wrote The Subjection of Women, in which he encouraged and supported equal rights for both genders. Mill encouraged the equal rights for women on the basis of utility. He argued that we could not criticise women for being less skilled than men if we did not give them equal opportunity to try. He also said that society could not be at its best when half the population could contribute nothing to society outside of the home. Plato had a number of conditions that he says will help maximise the usefulness of all members of society, the stories which children are told must be authorised, and there is the censorship of music and the restriction of meat and fish unless it is roasted. Children are to be removed from their parents and are not to know who their parents are and visa versa. They are to call all males old enough father and all females mother, the purpose of this was to minimise private possessive emotions therefore reinforcing their focus on their relationship with their community. Deformed children and children of inferior breeding will be put away in some mysterious unknown place as they ought to be. The works of Homer and Hesiod, two of the earliest Greek poets are banned, as they encourage their readers to fear death, and depict the heavens as being filled with the inextinguishable laughter of the blessed Gods. Plato on the other hand banned loud laughter. Mill would argue that this repression is an infringement of basic human rights, and the suppression of individual development and human flourishing will do nothing but hinder the development and progression of mankind. How can society benefit if most individuals are at a disadvantage as to developing their own unique skills? Plato classifies people in three groups, as gold, the best members of society fit to be guardians, as silver members fit to be soldiers, and the common herd of brass and iron, fit only to be the producers. This is what Plato describes as the one royal lie used to deceive both the rulers, and the rest of the city, if he can justify lying about Gods creation of the three differing classes of people then why is he justified in choosing which one they belong to? Breeding is organised with the strongest members of society used simply to keep the population constant and as best bred as they can be. The strongest of sires are allowed to have the most children and the weaker ones less. The fundamental difference between Mill and Plato is that while Plato wished to radically change the structure of society in order to condition and force the people to behave and think in a certain way, Mill would leave the people to develop naturally, yet offer them all the education and teaching needed to steer them away from negative things and intervene only when one is inflicting harm upon another. Mills two main criticisms of Platos republic are that the proper function of the state is to regulate behaviour, not to encourage one or anothers set of belief or values. The second is that tolerance should be restricted to cases where it does not undermine the moral foundations of the community. He would argue that social bigotry should be restrained for the sake of encouraging freedom of thought and expression. Mill endorses Grotes admiration of Athenian tolerance, as tolerance is a necessity and encourages genius as a society may have persons of talentbut genius in such a soil is fatally stunted in its growth. Plato on the other hand criticises Athenian tolerance on the basis that the maintenance of public emotions requires repression by both law and by non-legal sanctions. He held the belief that Athenian tolerance undermines civic spirit required for the furtherance of the tolerant society itself. Aristotle, a student of Platos born in 384BC stated that it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. It is interesting that somebody taught by Plato would recognise the need for the self-development of opinion, something that Mill believes to be essential for a progressive society. Mill states that his father taught him to value Plato and his contributions to philosophy, and he says that he does just that. He called himself a pioneer when he began his translations of Platos work. Perhaps this was because he believed that the time that separated the two philosophers had made way for changes albeit dramatic, to Platos ideas that would concur with the modern world. Mill criticised Plato for trying to show that virtue is in the individuals interest, but also for attempting to give justification that virtue should be preferred at all. Neither Plato nor Mills work is flawless, so criticisms can be made on their errors and self-contradictions, yet both of these men helped advance philosophy immensely, and provided the basis of much discussion and debate. For Mill, freedom is necessary and desirable by both the individual and society. For Plato however freedom is not of fundamental concern; it is far more important to live according to the eternal and immutable truths. Herein lays the biggest contrast in the works of these two influential philosophers as regards the relationship between the individual and society.

Free Awakening Essays: Impressions :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Impressions of The Awakening I liked "The Story of an Hour" much better than I liked "The Awakening" for a few reasons. First of all, "The Awakening" was entirely too long to say what it had to say. I do not really understand the point of having Edna spend all of that time away from Robert. At first, I thought it was to prove how much she missed him, but then she started fooling around with the other guy. To me, this does not indicate that she missed him very much at all. So what was the point of that whole boring part of the story? It made me want Robert to hurry up and come back so we could get on with it (which I guess Edna was thinking the whole time). Then when he does come back, they admit their love for one another, but they still are not together. I guess the ending just kind of pissed me off. I don't get the point in her "waking up" and being free to do whatever she feels, but she still cannot be with Robert. Another thing I did not like was the constant references to waking up and awakenings. I think that when a story is really good, you need to think about it, whereas this story just comes right out and tells you where the turning point is. It was obvious to me by that point when she learns to swim that this will be a turning point in her life, so I don't like the fact that Chopin practically spells it out for us.I do like the fact that, Chopin, living in the times that she did, had the courage to make such a stink! I liked the part where Edna is lying in the hammock, and her husband is yelling at her to come inside to go to bed while she stubbornly refuses.However, Chopin ruins it for me by telling us that Edna makes a conscious decision never to obey her husband against her will again. I think the portrayals of Edna's two friends serve to contrast what she is(or society believes that she should be) with what she will become. Adele is the mother-type who sacrifices all for her children and her husband, and she even assumes a motherly role in the life of Edna, giving advice and trying to protect her friend all the time.

Alternative Communication System Essay

Pascal was an outstanding genius who studied geometry as a child. At the age of sixteen he stated and proved Pascal’s Theorem, a fact relating any six points on any conic section. The Theorem is sometimes called the â€Å"Cat’s Cradle† or the â€Å"Mystic Hexagram.† Pascal followed up this result by showing that each of Apollonius’ famous theorems about conic sections was a corollary of the Mystic Hexagram; along with Gà ©rard Desargues (1591-1661), he was a key pioneer of projective geometry. He also made important early contributions to calculus; indeed it was his writings that inspired Leibniz. Returning to geometry late in life, Pascal advanced the theory of the cycloid. In addition to his work in geometry and calculus, he founded probability theory, and made contributions to axiomatic theory. His name is associated with the Pascal’s Triangle of combinatorics and Pascal’s Wager in theology. Like most of the greatest mathematicians, Pascal was interested in physics and mechanics, studying fluids, explaining vacuum, and inventing the syringe and hydraulic press. At the age of eighteen he designed and built the world’s first automatic adding machine. (Although he continued to refine this invention, it was never a commercial success.) He suffered poor health throughout his life, abandoned mathematics for religion at about age 23, wrote the philosophical treatise Pensà ©es (â€Å"We arrive at truth, not by reason only, but also by the heart†), and died at an early age. Many think that had he devoted more years to mathematics, Pascal would have been one of the greatest mathematicians ever.

Is It Time to Revive Nuclear Power? Essay

1. Many professors, scientists, researchers, and even governments, have been debating over the issue on the use of nuclear power as a main energy source. In Taking Sides, two authors who are highly narrow-minded state their debates on this critical issue. Allison MacFarlane, author of â€Å"Nuclear Power: Panacea for Future Energy Needs?†, believes that nuclear power should be revived. She argues that nuclear power will provide sufficient energy, while at the same time reducing carbon dioxide emissions. On the other hand, professor Kristin Shrader-Frechette, author of â€Å"Five Myths About Nuclear Energy†, argues that nuclear power is too expensive and unsafe for the environment, when there are renewable energy sources that are better for the environment and economy. I agree with Shrader-Frechette because she proves the five myths about nuclear energy wrong using extremely valid arguments, which exist to prove that nuclear power is not the best option for an energy sou rce in our society. Background 2. In â€Å"Small Recactors Make a Bid to Revive Nuclear Power†, the Obama Administration and the Energy Department are working on making America the leader in advanced nuclear technology and manufacturing (Biello 2012). They are considering switching the large reactors, which are currently the predominant technology, to small reactors, which will save money. These reactors would contain enough power to power more than 200,000 U.S. homes for a year (Biello 2012). This strategy will cause less nuclear waste and will increase safety issues as well. In another article, â€Å"Time to revive, not kill, the nuclear age†, it is stated that a world without nuclear power would be less secure. Neither fossil fuels nor renewable resources will be able to replace the 14 percent of global electricity generated by nuclear reactors (Financial Times 2011). This article sides with MacFarlane by saying the Chernobyl accident was bad, but since then things have improved. The majority of the existing reactors were built a long time ago, and the ones that were recently built, have many more safety features, such as passive cooling systems to prevent overheating, which will greatly reduce safety risks. It is agreed that there is much more research needed, but reviving nuclear power is necessary in order for energy security. Argument For Nuclear Power 3. Allison MacFarlane argues that nuclear power is necessary and that it is nowhere near as bad as everyone thinks, and that it is actually very efficient. She believes that nuclear reactors do not emit carbon dioxide, and that this is a major advancement in technology. She states that there are two pathways for handling the spent nuclear fuel generated by power reactors: the open cycle and closed cycle. The costs associated with the construction of new nuclear reactors may be the main reason for the inhibiting of the global expansion of nuclear power. She says that although nuclear power can be our main source of power, and very efficient, it will take many years before a considerable number of new plants are licensed and built. 4. Allison MacFarlane argues that nuclear reactors do not emit carbon dioxide to produce electricity because their fuel is uranium-based. Nuclear power saved about 13 percent of annual emissions of Carbon dioxide, meaning that by 2050 emissions could be reduced by 15-25 percent. Since the Chernobyl accident in 1986, the overall global safety record has been good, even though there have been some problems. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty guarantees that countries that do not have nuclear weapons are allowed nuclear energy technology, which is a great form of security for these countries. The open and closed cycles have been effective so far in containing the nuclear waste, and hopefully will continue in the future. 5. Although nuclear power does not emit carbon dioxide directly, nuclear power is not emission free. Carbon dioxide is emitted during nuclear power production, during the mining, milling, and fuel fabrication processes. No countries have opened a high-level nuclear waste disposal facility, so all of the nuclear waste is currently sitting in storage facilities. If nuclear power expands, these high-level wastes will increase. A catastrophic nuclear accident could result in compensation costs of hundreds of billions of dollars, and currently 236 of the 436 operating reactors are not even covered by liability conventions. Nuclear power is very expensive compared to other power sources, which is the biggest issue standing in the way of reviving nuclear power. Argument Against Nuclear Power 6. Kristin Shrader-Frechette argues that nuclear power is clearly not the best option as a power source for many reasons. She busts the five myths about nuclear power believed by many people. She gives valid reasons to support her position opposing nuclear power. She talks about how nuclear power is unclean, expensive, unnecessary to address climate change, unsafe, and how it will increase the proliferation of weapons. 7. This whole argument, in my opinion, is strengths, minus a few minor points. Although MacFarlane states that nuclear reactors do not emit carbon dioxide, Shrader-Frechette argues that the nuclear fuel cycle has eight other stages that do release greenhouse gases. Nuclear power generates at least 33 grams of carbon-equivalent emissions for each kilowatt-hour of electricity produced. Nuclear wastes are stored at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, which poses severe problems for the future. As high-level radioactive wastes increase, the availability of storage space decreases, and exposure rises. Exposure to nuclear waste can likely cause fatal cancer, which risks are very high for. 8. The weaknesses of Shrader-Frechette’s argument are very scarce in my opinion. She discusses the emissions of carbon dioxide, stating that they are much higher than most people think, but MacFarlane stated that they are working on reducing them, and it will take many years before anything is set in stone. Per kilowatt-hour, Shrader-Frechette states that atomic energy produces only one-seventh the greenhouse emissions of coal. She believes nuclear power is not clean, however this statistic is in favor of reviving nuclear power by stating an opposing fact. Weighing the Arguments 9. I agree with Kristin Shrader-Frechette in just about every aspect. She gives amazing facts and statistics to support her argument against the revival of nuclear power. The five myths supporting nuclear power are all false. Nuclear power is not clean due to the greenhouse gas emissions during the nuclear fuel cycle. The government is providing way too much money to fund nuclear power, when there are cheaper, safer energy sources to fund. Also, nuclear energy will definitely increase the use and proliferation of weapons around the world, which I believe will lead to more war. Conclusion 10. I sided with Kristin Shrader-Frechette because of her brilliant proof of her argument, which proved the five myths about nuclear energy wrong. Allison MacFarlane argued that nuclear power should be revived because carbon dioxide emissions are reduced, safety has improved since the last major incident, and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty provides more security for nuclear power. Shrader-Frechette argued that there are more carbon dioxide emissions from the nuclear fuel cycle, the government is spending too much money funding nuclear power when they should be funding wind or solar power since they are cheaper and safer, and the use and proliferation of weapons will increase. Both authors have sound arguments; however I feel that Shrader-Frechette’s is more valid and will make the economy and environment better in the end. Bibliography Biello, D. (2012). Small reactors make a bid to revive nuclear power. Scientific American, Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=small-reactors-bid-to-revive-nuclear-power. Financial Times. (2011). Time to revive, not kill, the nuclear age. Financial Times, Retrieved from http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f0321fb4-6e9a-11e0-a13b-00144feabdc0.html. MacFarlane, A. (2012). Nuclear power: A panacea for future energy needs?. In T. A. Easton & T. College (Eds.), Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Science, Technology, and Society (pp. 82-88). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Shrader-Frechette, K. (2012). Five myths about nuclear energy. In T. A. Easton & T. College (Eds.), Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Science, Technology, and Society (pp. 89-94). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder essays

Generalized Anxiety Disorder essays Comparison of Generalized Anxiety Disorder A good way to understand a personality disorder is to compare it to the norm. It allows a person to contrast the differences in the disorder to the average by showing you both sides of the personality. Rather than solely focusing on the disorder, discussing the norm helps people to understand what aspects of the disorder are abnormal and what aspects are found in standard personalities. The personality disorder that I am going to compare to the standard in this paper is Generalized Anxiety disorder. To do this I am going to recount an experience that I have had, and then interpret how a person suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder might deal with the same experience. Generalized anxiety disorder has a number of specific traits. The main trait is excessive anxiety and worry. This type of anxiety and worry should be occurring more days than not for it to be considered this type of disorder. Some of the other characteristics include restlessness, being easily fatigued, difficulty in concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and disturbed sleep. When most of these symptoms are evident it is fairly clear that that individual most likely suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Several weeks ago, I was asked to go on a trip with one of my really good friends from Cincinnati. She had asked me to fly down to Tampa with her to spend the day at the beach and then to attend this party that she had been invited to. It was very short notice and the flight to Florida was departing at nine thirty the following morning. It was also going to be a very short trip and we would be leaving Tampa at ten oclock on the same day that we arrived. It was a very exciting opportunity and I wasnt going to pass on this spontaneous way to spend a Saturday. Besides having to pack I also had to find some way to get down to Cincinnati, which was about an hour and a half away, that...

Venipuncture Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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