The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain - 2058 Words

Beginning in the 19th century, blacks were commonly portrayed in an impulsive, comical, and frivolous fashion in public entertainment known as minstrel shows. These shows reaffirmed the mainstream beliefs that Americans held, and as a result, the degradation and dehumanization of blacks became widespread. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is not exempt from the racism that became so heavily ingrained into the populous of the time. Although Twain wrote the novel after the civil war, the stereotypes of blacks rooted themselves deep in southern society. Twain, as a southerner himself, was unable to put his own prejudice aside while he wrote this racist trash (Wallace); as his novel progresses, it becomes more and more evident that he intended for Jim to be portrayed as a minstrel type character, whose actions are absurd and offensive, rather than a human. While he is initially given prominence and acts as a protagonist, Jim is slowly transformed into a mere sidekick. Twai n depicts him as thick headed and doltish in his actions. Jim willingly subjects himself to scorn and mockery and receives next to nothing in return for his unwavering loyalty. His white companions quickly domesticate Jim to be submissive and obedient. By the end of the novel, Jim’s character has been completely eroded and he is a shell of the character he could have been. While this truth may be self-evident to many, some believe otherwise. They cling onto the hope that Jim has a purpose otherShow MoreRelatedThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain830 Words   |  3 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is â€Å"A Great American Novel†, because of its complexity and richness. Twain writes dialogue that brings his characters to life. He creates characters with unique voice and helps the reader connect to the book. Anyone who reads it is forced to develop feelings for each character. Even though there is a great amount of controversy over the use of some choices, such as the â€Å"n word†, it makes the book more realistic. In the beginning of the novel Huck,Read MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1103 Words   |  5 PagesDmitri Van Duine Jr English Mr. Nelson November 27th The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Written by Mark Twain filled his stories with many examples of satire as to convey a message while also writing an interesting story. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn revolves around the adventures of a young boy called Huckleberry Finn, who is about thirteen years old. Tom Sawyer is Huck’s best friend and around the same age as Huck. He is onlyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesZambrano Mrs. Patmor AP Lit-Period 5 28 September 2016 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1835 Mark Twain embodies realism in almost every aspect of his writing not excluding The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which in he portrays such a lifelike setting that it almost gives you this sense of reality through the point of view of a young man that has an urge for freedom yet struggles to conform to society s norms due to his adolescence. Twain s ability to unmask the true identities of the charactersRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain931 Words   |  4 PagesWolski Mrs. Goska English 2H Period 3 22 October 2014 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mob mentality is the way an individual’s decisions become influenced by the often unprincipled actions of a crowd. Mark Twain penned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain grew up in America’s southern states during the early 1800’s, a time in which moral confusion erupted within the minds of humans. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn s protagonist is a young boy named Huck who freely travels alongRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1375 Words   |  6 Pagesmention the years spent growing and maturing physically. Teenagers are stuck in an inbetween state where they must learn who they want to become and what they want to be when they grow older. The same is true for Huckleberry Finn, from the book â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain. This is a book that was written in a time of great confusion over moral codes and standards. It was a world split in half by two different worlds of people; those who opposed, a nd those who promoted slavery.Read MoreMark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1575 Words   |  6 Pages Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Controversy Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is a highly recognizable figure in American literature. Born in Florida, Missouri Mark Twain and his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri where Twain discovered and fell in love with the mighty Mississippi River. The river and his life in Hannibal became his inspiration and guiding light in most of his writing. Although Twain loved the river and did a great deal of traveling, he eventuallyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2083 Words   |  9 PagesSatire in Huckleberry Finn In the novel â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain, we are told a story about a young boy and his slave companion’s journey down the Mississippi River and all of their encounters with other characters. Twain constructed a beautiful narrative on how young Huck Finn, the protagonist in the story, learns about the world and from other adult characters, how he is shaped into his own person. At the time this book was made however, this novel provided serious socialRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain810 Words   |  4 PagesBefore Mark Twain started to write two of his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark was known to use his characters to display his own thoughts and opinions. â€Å"This device allowed him to say just about anything he wanted, provided he could convincingly claim he was simply reporting what others had said.† (Twain, 1283). Mark Twain used this process to be a foundation of his lectures, by manipulating his popularly with his readers. During the storyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1005 Words   |  5 Pages In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain in the 19th century is about a young boy named Huck Finn and Jim, a runaway slave who go on an adventure. The two travel on a raft along the Mississippi river creating a bond and making memories. Mark Twain presents Huckleberry Finn as a dynamic character who at first views Jim as property and eventually considers Jim as a friend, showing a change in maturity. In the beginning of the book, Huck Finn clearly sees Jim as nothing more thanRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1335 Words   |  6 Pagesyear The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is placed in the top ten banned books in America. People find the novel to be oppressing and racially insensitive due to its frequent use of the n-word and the portrayal of blacks as a Sambo caricature. However, this goes against Mark Twain’s intent of bringing awareness to the racism in America. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is classified under the genre of satire and is narrated by a fictional character named Huckleberry Finn. The novel

The Amber Spyglass Chapter 26 The Abyss Free Essays

It was dark, with an enfolding blackness that pressed on Lyra’s eyes so heavily that she almost felt the weight of the thousands of tons of rock above them. The only light they had came from the luminous tail of the Lady Salmakia’s dragonfly, and even that was fading; for the poor insects had found no food in the world of the dead, and the Chevalier’s had died not long before. So while Tialys sat on Will’s shoulder, Lyra held the Lady’s dragonfly in her hands as the Lady soothed it and whispered to the trembling creature, feeding it first on crumbs of biscuit and then on her own blood. We will write a custom essay sample on The Amber Spyglass Chapter 26 The Abyss or any similar topic only for you Order Now If Lyra had seen her do that, she would have offered hers, since there was more of it; but it was all she could do to concentrate on placing her feet safely and avoiding the lowest parts of the rock above. No-Name the harpy had led them into a system of caves that would bring them, she said, to the nearest point in the world of the dead from which they could open a window to another world. Behind them came the endless column of ghosts. The tunnel was full of whispers, as the foremost encouraged those behind, as the brave urged on the fainthearted, as the old gave hope to the young. â€Å"Is it much farther, No-Name?† said Lyra quietly. â€Å"Because this poor dragonfly’s dying, and then his light’ll go out.† The harpy stopped and turned to say: â€Å"Just follow. If you can’t see, listen. If you can’t hear, feel.† Her eyes shone fierce in the gloom. Lyra nodded and said, â€Å"Yes, I will, but I’m not as strong as I used to be, and I’m not brave, not very anyway. Please don’t stop. I’ll follow you – we all will. Please keep going, No-Name.† The harpy turned back and moved on. The dragonfly shine was getting dimmer by the minute, and Lyra knew it would soon be completely gone. But as she stumbled forward, a voice spoke just beside her – a familiar voice. â€Å"Lyra – Lyra, child†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And she turned in delight. â€Å"Mr. Scoresby! Oh, I’m so glad to hear you! And it is you – I can see, just – oh, I wish I could touch you!† In the faint, faint light she made out the lean form and the sardonic smile of the Texan aeronaut, and her hand reached forward of its own accord, in vain. â€Å"Me too, honey. But listen to me – they’re working some trouble out there, and it’s aimed at you – don’t ask me how. Is this the boy with the knife?† Will had been looking at him, eager to see this old companion of Lyra’s; but now his eyes went right past Lee to look at the ghost beside him. Lyra saw at once who it was, and marveled at this grown-up vision of Will – the same jutting jaw, the same way of holding his head. Will was speechless, but his father said: â€Å"Listen – there’s no time to talk about this – just do exactly as I say. Take the knife now and find a place where a lock has been cut from Lyra’s hair.† His tone was urgent, and Will didn’t waste time asking why. Lyra, her eyes wide with alarm, held up the dragonfly with one hand and felt her hair with the other. â€Å"No,† said Will, â€Å"take your hand away – I can’t see.† And in the faint gleam, he could see it: just above her left temple, there was a little patch of hair that was shorter than the rest. â€Å"Who did that?† said Lyra. â€Å"And – â€Å" â€Å"Hush,† said Will, and asked his father’s ghost, â€Å"What must I do?† â€Å"Cut the short hair off right down to her scalp. Collect it carefully, every single hair. Don’t miss even one. Then open another world – any will do – and put the hair through into it, and then close it again. Do it now, at once.† The harpy was watching, the ghosts behind were crowding close. Lyra could see their faint faces in the dimness. Frightened and bewildered, she stood biting her lip while Will did as his father told him, his face close up to the knifepoint in the paling dragonfly light. He cut a little hollow space in the rock of another world, put all the tiny golden hairs into it, and replaced the rock before closing the window. And then the ground began to shake. From somewhere very deep came a growling, grinding noise, as if the whole center of the earth were turning on itself like a vast millwheel, and little fragments of stone began to fall from the roof of the tunnel. The ground lurched suddenly to one side. Will seized Lyra’s arm, and they clung together as the rock under their feet began to shift and slide, and loose pieces of stone came tumbling past, bruising their legs and feet – The two children, sheltering the Gallivespians, crouched down with their arms over their heads; and then in a horrible sliding movement they found themselves being borne away down to the left, and they held each other fiercely, too breathless and shaken even to cry out. Their ears were filled with the roar of thousands of tons of rock tumbling and rolling down with them. Finally their movement stopped, though all around them smaller rocks were still tumbling and bounding down a slope that hadn’t been there a minute before. Lyra was lying on Will’s left arm. With his right hand he felt for the knife; it was still there at his belt. â€Å"Tialys? Salmakia?† said Will shakily. â€Å"Both here, both alive,† said the Chevalier’s voice near his ear. The air was full of dust, and of the cordite smell of smashed rock. It was hard to breathe, and impossible to see: the dragonfly was dead. â€Å"Mr. Scoresby?† said Lyra. â€Å"We can’t see anything†¦ What happened?† â€Å"I’m here,† said Lee, close by. â€Å"I guess the bomb went off, and I guess it missed.† â€Å"Bomb?† said Lyra, frightened; but then she said, â€Å"Roger – are you there?† â€Å"Yeah,† came the little whisper. â€Å"Mr. Parry, he saved me. I was going to fall, and he caught hold.† â€Å"Look,† said the ghost of John Parry. â€Å"But hold still to the rock, and don’t move.† The dust was clearing, and from somewhere there was light: a strange faint golden glimmer, like a luminous misty rain falling all around them. It was enough to strike their hearts ablaze with fear, for it lit up what lay to their left, the place into which it was all falling – or flowing, like a river over the edge of a waterfall. It was a vast black emptiness, like a shaft into the deepest darkness. The golden light flowed into it and died. They could see the other side, but it was much farther away than Will could have thrown a stone. To their right, a slope of rough stones, loose and precariously balanced, rose high into the dusty gloom. The children and their companions were clinging to what was not even a ledge – just some lucky hand?C and footholds – on the edge of that abyss, and there was no way out except forward, along the slope, among the shattered rocks and the teetering boulders, which, it seemed, the slightest touch would send hurtling down below. And behind them, as the dust cleared, more and more of the ghosts were gazing in horror at the abyss. They were crouching on the slope, too frightened to move. Only the harpies were unafraid; they took to their wings and soared above, scanning backward and forward, flying back to reassure those still in the tunnel, flying ahead to search for the way out. Lyra checked: at least the alethiometer was safe. Suppressing her fear, she looked around, found Roger’s little face, and said: â€Å"Come on, then, we’re all still here, we en’t been hurt. And we can see now, at least. So just keep going, just keep on moving. We can’t go any other way than round the edge of this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She gestured at the abyss. â€Å"So we just got to keep going ahead. I swear Will and me’ll just keep on till we do. So don’t be scared, don’t give up, don’t lag behind. Tell the others. I can’t look back all the time because I got to watch where I’m going, so I got to trust you to come on steady after us, all right?† The little ghost nodded. And so, in a shocked silence, the column of the dead began their journey along the edge of the abyss. How long it took, neither Lyra nor Will could guess; how fearful and dangerous it was, they were never able to forget. The darkness below was so profound that it seemed to pull the eyesight down into it, and a ghastly dizziness swam over their minds when they looked. Whenever they could, they looked ahead of them fixedly, on this rock, that foothold, this projection, that loose slope of gravel, and kept their eyes from the gulf; but it pulled, it tempted, and they couldn’t help glancing into it, only to feel their balance tilting and their eyesight swimming and a dreadful nausea gripping their throats. From time to time the living ones looked back and saw the infinite line of the dead winding out of the crack they’d come through: mothers pressing their infants’ faces to their breasts, aged fathers clambering slowly, little children clutching the skirts of the person in front, young boys and girls of Roger’s age keeping staunch and careful, so many of them†¦ And all following Will and Lyra, so they still hoped, toward the open air. But some didn’t trust them. They crowded close behind, and both children felt cold hands on their hearts and their entrails, and they heard vicious whispers: â€Å"Where is the upper world? How much farther?† â€Å"We’re frightened here!† â€Å"We should never have come – at least back in the world of the dead we had a little light and a little company – this is far worse!† â€Å"You did a wrong thing when you came to our land! You should have stayed in your own world and waited to die before you came down to disturb us!† â€Å"By what right are you leading us? You are only children! Who gave you the authority?† Will wanted to turn and denounce them, but Lyra held his arm; they were unhappy and frightened, she said. Then the Lady Salmakia spoke, and her clear, calm voice carried a long way in the great emptiness. â€Å"Friends, be brave! Stay together and keep going! The way is hard, but Lyra can find it. Be patient and cheerful and we’ll lead you out, don’t fear!† Lyra felt herself strengthened by hearing this, and that was really the Lady’s intention. And so they toiled on, with painful effort. â€Å"Will,† said Lyra after some minutes, â€Å"can you hear that wind?† â€Å"Yes, I can,† said Will. â€Å"But I can’t feel it at all. And I tell you something about that hole down there. It’s the same kind of thing as when I cut a window. The same kind of edge. There’s something special about that kind of edge; once you’ve felt it you never forget it. And I can see it there, just where the rock falls away into the dark. But that big space down there, that’s not another world like all the others. It’s different. I don’t like it. I wish I could close it up.† â€Å"You haven’t closed every window you’ve made.† â€Å"No, because I couldn’t, some of them. But I know I should. Things go wrong if they’re left open. And one that big†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He gestured downward, not wanting to look. â€Å"It’s wrong. Something bad will happen.† While they were talking together, another conversation had been taking place a little way off: the Chevalier Tialys was talking quietly with the ghosts of Lee Scoresby and John Parry. â€Å"So what are you saying, John?† said Lee. â€Å"You’re saying we ought not to go out into the open air? Man, every single part of me is aching to join the rest of the living universe again!† â€Å"Yes, and so am I,† said Will’s father. â€Å"But I believe that if those of us who are used to fighting could manage to hold ourselves back, we might be able to throw ourselves into the battle on Asriel’s side. And if it came at the right moment, it might make all the difference.† â€Å"Ghosts?† said Tialys, trying to hold the skepticism from his voice, and failing. â€Å"How could you fight?† â€Å"We couldn’t hurt living creatures, that’s quite true. But Asriel’s army is going to contend with other kinds of being as well.† â€Å"Those Specters,† said Lee. â€Å"Just what I was thinking. They make for the daemon, don’t they? And our daemons are long gone. It’s worth a try, Lee.† â€Å"Well, I’m with you, my friend.† â€Å"And you, sir,† said John Parry’s ghost to the Chevalier: â€Å"I have spoken to the ghosts of your people. Will you live long enough to see the world again, before you die and come back as a ghost?† â€Å"It’s true, our lives are short compared to yours. I have a few days more to live,† said Tialys, â€Å"and the Lady Salmakia a little longer, perhaps. But thanks to what those children are doing, our exile as ghosts will not be permanent. I have been proud to help them.† They moved on. And that abominable fall yawned all the time, and one little slip, one footstep on a loose rock, one careless handhold, would send you down forever and ever, thought Lyra, so far down you’d die of starvation before you ever hit the bottom, and then your poor ghost would go on falling and falling into an infinite gulf, with no one to help, no hands to reach down and lift you out, forever conscious and forever falling†¦ Oh, that would be far worse than the gray, silent world they were leaving, wouldn’t it? A strange thing happened to her mind then. The thought of falling induced a kind of vertigo in Lyra, and she swayed. Will was ahead of her, just too far to reach, or she might have taken his hand; but at that moment she was more conscious of Roger, and a little flicker of vanity blazed up for a moment in her heart. There’d been an occasion once on Jordan College roof when just to frighten him, she’d defied her vertigo and walked along the edge of the stone gutter. She looked back to remind him of it now. She was Roger’s Lyra, full of grace and daring; she didn’t need to creep along like an insect. But the little boy’s whispering voice said, â€Å"Lyra, be careful – remember, you en’t dead like us – â€Å" And it seemed to happen so slowly, but there was nothing she could do: her weight shifted, the stones moved under her feet, and helplessly she began to slide. In the first moment it was annoying, and then it was comic: How silly! she thought. But as she utterly failed to hold on to anything, as the stones rolled and tumbled beneath her, as she slid down toward the edge, gathering speed, the horror of it slammed into her. She was going to fall. There was nothing to stop her. It was already too late. Her body convulsed with terror. She wasn’t aware of the ghosts who flung themselves down to try and catch her, only to find her hurtling through them like a stone through mist; she didn’t know that Will was yelling her name so loudly that the abyss resounded with it. Instead, her whole being was a vortex of roaring fear. Faster and faster she tumbled, down and down, and some ghosts couldn’t bear to watch; they hid their eyes and cried aloud. Will felt electric with fear. He watched in anguish as Lyra slid farther and farther, knowing he could do nothing, and knowing he had to watch. He couldn’t hear the desperate wail he was uttering any more than she could. Another two seconds – another second – she was at the edge, she couldn’t stop, she was there, she was falling – And out of the dark swooped that creature whose claws had raked her scalp not long before, No-Name the harpy, woman-faced, bird-winged, and those same claws closed tight around the girl’s wrist. Together they plunged on down, the extra weight almost too much for the harpy’s strong wings, but they beat and beat and beat, and her claws held firm, and slowly, heavily, slowly, heavily, the harpy carried the child up and up out of the gulf and brought her limp and fainting to Will’s reaching arms. He held her tight, pressing her to his chest, feeling the wild beat of her heart against his ribs. She wasn’t Lyra just then, and he wasn’t Will; she wasn’t a girl, and he wasn’t a boy. They were the only two human beings in that vast gulf of death. They clung together, and the ghosts clustered around, whispering comfort, blessing the harpy. Closest at hand were Will’s father and Lee Scoresby, and how they longed to hold her, too; and Tialys and Salmakia spoke to No-Name, praising her, calling her the savior of them all, generous one, blessing her kindness. As soon as Lyra could move, she reached out trembling for the harpy and put her arms around her neck, kissing and kissing her ravaged face. She couldn’t speak. All the words, all the confidence, all the vanity had been shaken out of her. They lay still for some minutes. Once the terror had begun to subside, they set off again, Will holding Lyra’s hand tightly in his good one. They crept forward, testing each spot before they put any weight on it, a process so slow and wearisome that they thought they might die of fatigue; but they couldn’t rest, they couldn’t stop. How could anyone rest, with that fearful gulf below them? And after another hour of toil, he said to her: â€Å"Look ahead. I think there’s a way out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was true: the slope was getting easier, and it was even possible to climb slightly, up and away from the edge. And ahead: wasn’t that a fold in the wall of the cliff? Could that really be a way out? Lyra looked into Will’s brilliant, strong eyes and smiled. They clambered on, up and farther up, with every step moving farther from the abyss. And as they climbed, they found the ground firmer, the handholds more secure, the footholds less liable to roll and twist their ankles. â€Å"We must have climbed a fair way now,† Will said. â€Å"I could try the knife and see what I find.† â€Å"Not yet,† said the harpy. â€Å"Farther to go yet. This is a bad place to open. Better place higher up.† They carried on quietly, hand, foot, weight, move, test, hand, foot†¦ Their fingers were raw, their knees and hips were trembling with the effort, their heads ached and rang with exhaustion. They climbed the last few feet up to the foot of the cliff, where a narrow defile led a little way into the shadow. Lyra watched with aching eyes as Will took the knife and began to search the air, touching, withdrawing, searching, touching again. â€Å"Ah,† he said. â€Å"You found an open space?† â€Å"I think so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Will,† said his father’s ghost, â€Å"stop a moment. Listen to me.† Will put down the knife and turned. In all the effort he hadn’t been able to think of his father, but it was good to know he was there. Suddenly he realized that they were going to part for the last time. â€Å"What will happen when you go outside?† Will said. â€Å"Will you just vanish?† â€Å"Not yet. Mr. Scoresby and I have an idea. Some of us will remain here for a little while, and we shall need you to let us into Lord Asriel’s world, because he might need our help. What’s more,† he went on somberly, looking at Lyra, â€Å"you’ll need to travel there yourselves, if you want to find your daemons again. Because that’s where they’ve gone.† â€Å"But Mr. Parry,† said Lyra, â€Å"how do you know our daemons have gone into my father’s world?† â€Å"I was a shaman when I was alive. I learned how to see things. Ask your alethiometer – it’ll confirm what I say. But remember this about daemons,† he said, and his voice was intense and emphatic. â€Å"The man you knew as Sir Charles Latrom had to return to his own world periodically; he could not live permanently in mine. The philosophers of the Guild of the Torre degli Angeli, who traveled between worlds for three hundred years or more, found the same thing to be true, and gradually their world weakened and decayed as a result. â€Å"And then there is what happened to me. I was a soldier; I was an officer in the Marines, and then I earned my living as an explorer; I was as fit and healthy as it’s possible for a human to be. Then I walked out of my own world by accident, and couldn’t find the way back. I did many things and learned a great deal in the world I found myself in, but ten years after I arrived there, I was mortally sick. â€Å"And this is the reason for all those things: your daemon can only live its full life in the world it was born in. Elsewhere it will eventually sicken and die. We can travel, if there are openings into other worlds, but we can only live in our own. Lord Asriel’s great enterprise will fail in the end for the same reason: we have to build the Republic of Heaven where we are, because for us there is no elsewhere. â€Å"Will, my boy, you and Lyra can go out now for a brief rest; you need that, and you deserve it; but then you must come back into the dark with me and Mr. Scoresby for one last journey.† Will and Lyra exchanged a look. Then he cut a window, and it was the sweetest thing they had ever seen. The night air filled their lungs, fresh and clean and cool; their eyes took in a canopy of dazzling stars, and the shine of water somewhere below, and here and there groves of great trees, as high as castles, dotting the wide savanna. Will enlarged the window as wide as he could, moving across the grass to left and right, making it big enough for six, seven, eight to walk through abreast, out of the land of the dead. The first ghosts trembled with hope, and their excitement passed back like a ripple over the long line behind them, young children and aged parents alike looking up and ahead with delight and wonder as the first stars they had seen for centuries shone through into their poor starved eyes. The first ghost to leave the world of the dead was Roger. He took a step forward, and turned to look back at Lyra, and laughed in surprise as he found himself turning into the night, the starlight, the air†¦ and then he was gone, leaving behind such a vivid little burst of happiness that Will was reminded of the bubbles in a glass of champagne. The other ghosts followed Roger, and Will and Lyra fell exhausted on the dew-laden grass, every nerve in their bodies blessing the sweetness of the good soil, the night air, the stars. How to cite The Amber Spyglass Chapter 26 The Abyss, Essay examples

Arranged Marriage

Question: Write an essay on the "Arranged marriage in the movie". Answer: Introduction The movie named Monsoon Wedding was directed by Mira Nair and it has been released in the year 2001. This movie was a blend of the Indias traditional and cultural ideas with the contemporary elements of foreign culture. The whole story of the movie mainly focuses on the two aspects and those are arranged marriages in India and the child abuse performed in any form. There are many other aspects which can be seen in the movie such as Indian customs and values, globalization, the influence of western culture in India, gender, nationalism, etc.The movie won the Golden Lion Award for the Best Film at Venice Film Festival and celebrated a huge success by becoming a great blockbuster hit in the United States (Beebe 75-78). Concept of Arrange Marriage The story line mainly revolves around the two characters introduced as HemantRai, the groom and AditiVerma, the bride from the starting till the end. But there are many other couples whose love stories can be seen surrounding that focal relationship.Both the characters belong to the Punjabi families who are categorized as upper middle class. Punjabi weddings in India are a demonstration of a great Indian culture which can apparently beseen in the movie.Marriage is a process in which two people generally a man and a womanenter into a mutual relationship and agrees to share a bond between them. It is a legal process and one of the most important and popular traditions in India. Earlier, there were many forms in which a marriage takes place but nowadays, two aspects of marriages are followed. One is the arranged marriage, which is essentially planned and fixed by the families and the other is the love marriage, in which the two persons chose each other and enters into a marriage.The kin d of marriage shown in the movie is an arranged marriage (Strier and Zidan 203-211). Marriage is the concept which has changed many lives, for some it has proven the best thing could ever happen while for others, it became a nightmare. Nearly 75 percent of people in India believes in and go for arrange marriages, the ratio of which is now decreasing. The success of an arranged marriage totally depends on how it is being handled by the two persons and their families. Some of the negative aspects of arranged marriages are as follows: Incompatibility- As it is shown at the start of the movie Monsoon Wedding that Aditi agreed to the marriage proposal that her parents have arranged for her, and she wanted to get settled. But soon she realized that it is not very comfortable to be with a person whom she did not know at all and the thought of being with a stranger for the rest of her life haunted her, and she became nervous about her marriage. Sometimes, the concept of arranged marriage does not prove to be successful for many persons as it lacks the compatibility between the two (Myers, Madathil and Tingle 183-190). The two individuals do not know each other at all; they are unaware of the likes and dislikes of each other, and therefore, sometimes it creates clashes and incompatibility which ultimately lead to divorce. Lack of love and trust- Generally, in arranged marriages, there develops a feeling of lack of trust as the two persons who are going to share the relationship does not know anything about each others past life and their relationships. It creates trust issues between both of them, which is not at all good for any relationship. When the compatibility and the thought process of two individuals who are bound to live together do not match, leaves a person with frustration and situations of conflict arises. If one person does not try to adjust and understand the other person, the love which should be the base of a marriage comes to an end. Lack of understanding- It obviously takes so much of time to understand a persons needs and desires, his/her likes and dislikes, his/her nature and behavior (McCannon 416-419). In arranged marriages, the two persons hardly get time to know each other, and they are forced to enter a mutual relationship which demands so much of a person. When a person does not know the other one, it creates the issues of lack of understanding which results in so much of negative experiences and worries. Feels much of an obligation- When a couplestarts living together and gets to know each other well, they sometimes do find so many differences in opinions and thoughts that there develops no feeling of love. In this situation, women feel more obligated to continue her relationship just for the sake of her parents respect, especially in India as India is a land of culture and traditions (Carter and Duncan). Another aspect of this movie shows about the issue of Child Abuse, which is a bitter truth to be accepted. It persists in many of the countries in various forms. In this movie, it has been seen that the brother-in-law of Lalit who is introduced as TejPuri in the movie, flirts with a young girl named Aliya. This is known as child sexual abuse, in which an adult tries to get a child for sexual pleasure (Johnson and Kumar 215-227). This is a psychiatric disorder which is also known as Pedophilia. In India, there are many laws formed and enacted against the child molestation. But this is really a serious and a critical issue. Child marriage is another form of child abuse in which kids below the age of 16 are forced to get married so that they can be harassed and molested ("Fathers, Child Abuse And Child Protection" 231-236). This affects the psychology of a child very badly. Hence, it should be treated and protected strictly to avoid such happenings.The main plot of this movie revolves a round the lives of a Punjabi family residing in Delhi who prepares for the wedding of their daughter with a boy who is a software engineer in Houston. Considering its main plot, the story is all about a traditional family and its cultures and on the other hand; it reveals the blend of traditional and contemporary culture between India and foreign countries (Sharpe 58-81). In the meanwhile, the film also shows the influence of western culture in India and the resistance of the Indians to globalization. There are some characters in the movie who has direct or indirect influence of foreign countries and cultures as it has been seen that the brides father is an international businessman, and the groom itself is an Indian, who works in a foreign country named, Houston (Caspermeyer 2498.1-2498). Conclusion Overall the film Monsoon Wedding demonstrates and expresses a great variety of emotions and highlights a real-time story of almost every Indian family. The movie surrounds itself within a family and the various relationships from all around the world who are gathered to celebrate and help in the preparations of an arranged marriage function. The movie excellently represents all the issues, relationships, traditions, cultures, values, and beliefs of India and manages to hold its audience until the end in a very subtle way and left a great appeal to the world. It very effectively represented the concept of arranged marriage prevalent in India and the areas of concern of a woman who is going through all such situations. It provided a deeper understanding of the emotions of all the members of a family and also challenged the assumptions of so many people about the modern Indian society and its cultures. Hence, the movie became successful in demonstrating the relevance of its story in an effective and appropriate way (Dubey, Nair and Shah). Bibliography Bajpai, A. "Across The High Seas: Abuse, Desertion, And Violence In Transnational Marriages In India".Violence Against Women19.10 (2013): 1246-1262. Web. Beebe, John. "At The Movies Monsoon Wedding . Directed By Mira Nair . Screenplay By Sabrina Dhawan .".The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal21.1 (2002): 75-78. Web. Carter, Julia and Simon Duncan. "Wedding Paradoxes: Individualized Conformity And The Perfect Day".The Sociological Review(2016): n. pag. Web. Caspermeyer, Joseph. "Kissing Cousins, Arranged Marriages, And Genetic Diversity".MolBiol Evol32.9 (2015): 2498.1-2498. Web. Dubey, Lillete, Mira Nair, and Naseeruddin Shah.Monsoon Wedding. s.l: Channel 4, 2008. Print. "Fathers, Child Abuse And Child Protection".Child Abuse Rev.21.4 (2012): 231-236. Web. Johnson, Richard and Margaret Kumar. "The Monsoon Wedding Phenomenon: Understanding Indian Students Studying In Australian Universities".Higher Education Research Development29.3 (2010): 215-227. Web. McCannon, Bryan C. "Stochastic Models Of Decision Making In Arranged Marriages, By Amitrajeet A Batabyal".Eastern Economic Journal34.3 (2008): 416-419. Web. Myers, Jane E., JayamalaMadathil, and Lynne R. Tingle. "Marriage Satisfaction And Wellness In India And The United States: A Preliminary Comparison Of Arranged Marriages And Marriages Of Choice".Journal of Counseling Development83.2 (2005): 183-190. Web. Narayanan, Shoma.Monsoon Wedding Fever. Print. NederveenPieterse, Jan. "Periodizing Globalization: Histories Of Globalization".New Global Studies6.2 (2012): n. pag. Web. Serpytyte, Agne. "Monsoon Wedding".The Asian Cinema Blog. N.p., 2014. Web. 31 May 2016. Sharpe, Jenny. "Gender, Nation, And Globalization In Monsoon Wedding And DilwaleDulhania Le Jayenge".Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism6.1 (2005): 58-81. Web. Strier, Roni and IlhamZidan. "Arranged Marriages: An Oppressed Emancipation?".Women's Studies International Forum40 (2013): 203-211. Web.

Mary Shellys Frankenstein - Movie Analysis Essays -

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein - Movie Analysis Differences and Similarities Differences and Similarities are used to emphasize certain aspects of things. This idea is commonly when a movie is made that is based on a book. The director of the movie may choose to keep details in his movie that adheres to the details in the book that the movie is based on. He may also choose to change some details from the book to what he perceives to be more fitting. In the case of Frankenstein the novel and the 1995 movie version of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, there were notable differences and similarities. The differences dealing with the education of the monster and the ending of the story, and similarity dealing with the turning point of the story help create a better understanding of this complex story. A notable difference between the book and the movie was the education of the Monster. They both focus around the Monster's time spent watching the De Lacey's. In the movie his time was devoted mostly to just watching the family and how they acted towards each other. He learned quite quickly how to speak and read and learned to understand the different emotions people possessed. The only justification of the Monster's rapid learning process is that in a movie not a great deal of time can be spent on this or else the movie would drag on. Although not a lot of time was spent on showing the development of the Monster's education in the movie, the book however went into great detail in describing its education. During his stay in the shack near the De Lacey's cottage the Monster came across four books that would enlighten him and show the reader the learning of the Monster step by step. The first book was Volney's Ruins of Empires. This book gave [the monster] an insight into the manners, government, and religions of the different nations of the earth.? (Shelly 147) It also gave insight of the origins of humanity. The second book that the Monster came across was a volume of Plutarch's Lives. This book ? taught [the Monster] high thoughts; [Plutarch] elevated [the Monster] above the wretched sphere of [his] own reflection, to admire and love the heroes of past ages.? (Shelly 156) The book also expanded the Monster's horizons to the political. The third book the Monster read was the Sorrows of Werter by Goethe. This enlightened him on the domestic world. The last book that the Monster read was Paradise Lost by Milton. This book introduced him to the cosmic world. Through this book he learned the most about himself and his creator. He was able to compare himself to the characters of Adam, Eve and Satan. With all of this newly acquired knowledge, the Monster was able to understand his surroundings and the interactions that took place in them. The development of the Mons ter's education is reflected better in the book because the reader grasps the step by step progress of the learning. In the movie, this process occurs very fast and it is hard to get a good understanding of what the Monster is truly feeling. A similarity that exists between the novel and movie is the Monster's actions after the De Lacey family shuns him. The Monster finally decides to show himself to the eldest De Lacey first. He believes that since the old man is blind, he will not be judged by his physical appearance. The Monster waited until everyone was out of the cabin except for the blind man. When he entered the cabin he asked the blind man if he could rest for a bit. They began talking and the Monster was especially happy because it was the first time in which the Monster was not being chased away. Things took a turn for the worse when the rest of the De Lacey family returned home and saw the Monster with the blind man. They immediately feared for his safety. The monster was struck violently with a stick by one of the family members. Just like that, the Monster was shunned again. He never saw the De Lacey family again because they moved out in fear of him. The

7 Stress Management Techniques for Nurses

7 Stress Management Techniques for Nurses Stress is an ever-present buzzword in pretty much every industry, but it takes on especially sharp significance for those in the medical and nursing professions. Daryn Eller at Scrubs Mag has compiled some strategies for nurses to help them manage stress without feeling overwhelmed. The consequences for losing the ability to manage stress are severe: burning out and leaving the industry, substance abuse, chronic illness, neglecting self care, or even  making fatal errors. Be proactive about advocating for yourself, beginning with these basic approaches:1. Take ControlStart by observing your daily routine objectively. What gives you energy, and what saps it? Can you structure your day or your approach to tasks to emphasize the ones that build you up, or at least balance them more effectively with the draining moments? Talk to your supervisor and your colleagues and see if you have a counterpart you might be able to trade with- this step helps rebuild your  sense of agency, which a lleviates that helpless, scrambling feeling.  2. Keep PerspectiveStress in the field of nursing is unavoidable- even if you try to stay detached, there are people’s lives at stake! So don’t bottle up your emotions at work- breathe and talk and even write through them. This strategy may even be more useful for your life outside of work; when you remember what the stakes at work are, interpersonal conflict or household issues seem lighter by comparison.  3. Lighten UpWhether you burst into song like Julie Andrews or make inappropriate jokes to alleviate the tension, it’s important to let levity in when you can. Learn from your mistakes, and then let them roll off your shoulders. Carrying around guilt or shame will not make your job easier.  4. Don’t be a Hero (when it comes to overtime)While the opportunity to double your usual wages might be appealing, it’s crucial to remember that nursing is exhausting physically and emotionally. There are le gal maximums for a reason. Don’t feel like you always have to be the one stepping up for extra shifts, and remember to compartmentalize and sign off at the end of the day or night.  5. Take BreaksMany nurses don’t take breaks- unless they’re smokers, which seems totally counterintuitive. Whether you treat yourself to a 15 minute non-smoking smoke break or just pause to close your eyes for a long slow breath between patient rooms, make sure you find moments to refresh yourself during the day. If you can manage even short workouts before or after work, even better.  6. Live in the MomentAmbition can take us to exciting places, and nostalgia is always a bittersweet mental journey. But during your daily life, make sure you know right when and where you are. Don’t be racing to the next thing or brooding on the last one- let go of past and future stress and work with what’s facing you right there in that moment.  7. Be Ready to Make ChangesIf you g et to a point where you have to constantly reach for these coping strategies and more, it may be a sign you’re in the wrong specialty, the wrong hospital, or the wrong doctor’s office. Be strategic about planning a move. Think about the kinds of places you’d really want to work, and don’t just restrict yourself to reading job postings or want ads. For other nurses, involving their families in their work- or even just bringing them to the hospital to get a sense of what their daily experience is- can help build a more supportive family dynamic.  The consistent thread in these tips is to know yourself, know what you need, and be empowered to advocate for yourself in large and small moments  when you feel like you’re overstressed. It will only help your work to have a revitalized version of you at work every day.

lexicographer - definition and examples

lexicographer - definition and examples Definition A lexicographer is a person who writes, compiles, and/or edits a dictionary. Lexicographer examine how words come into being and how they change in terms of pronunciation, spelling, usage, and meaning.The most influential lexicographer of the 18th century was Samuel Johnson, whose Dictionary of the English Language appeared in 1755. The most influential American lexicographer was Noah Webster, whose American Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1828. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: Ambrose Bierce on Lexicographers American Spelling and British Spelling Corpus LexicographyEtymologyAn Introduction to Noah WebsterLexicographicolatryLexicographyOxford English DictionaryReading the Dictionary: Ammon Sheas Lexicographical ExerciseSamuel Johnsons DictionaryWebsters ThirdWhich Websters Dictionary Is the Real Thing? Examples and Observations Lexicographer. A writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original and detailing the signification of words.(Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, 1755) Lumping and SplittingDictionaries are . . . based  on an oversimplification which posits that words have enumerable, listable meanings that are divisible into discrete units. Such constructs come in handy because dictionary users tend to work best with clear-cut  distinctions and categories that we like to classify into distinct, well-defined boxes.  One of the key questions the lexicographer  then faces is related to the distinction between lumping and splitting. The former term refers to the slightly different patterns of usage that are considered as a single meaning, while the latter happens when the lexicographer separates slightly different patterns of usage into distinct meanings. The burning question whether the lexicographer should apply a lumping or a splitting st rategy does not just apply to monolingual dictionaries, however. A related question for bilingual lexicographers is whether sense divisions should be based upon the source language or the target language.(Thierry Fontenelle, Bilingual Dictionaries.  The Oxford Handbook of Lexicography, ed. by  Philip Durkin. Oxford University Press, 2015) Homonymy and PolysemyA major problem for the  lexicographer is  provided by the distinction between homonymy and polysemy. We speak of homonymy when two lexemes share the same word-forms . . ..   We speak of polysemy when a single lexeme has two (or more)  distinguishable meanings. There is no generally agreed criterion for distinguishing between the two. EAR  organ of hearing and EAR  spike of corn may be treated as two distinct lexemes . . . and usually are in real dictionaries on the basis of distinct etymologies, although diachronic information should not  in principle be used to determine synchronic linguistic structure.  On the other hand, many speakers feel that an ear of corn  is called that because it resembles the ear on someones head, and implicitly treat EAR as a single polysemous lexeme. In the writing of any dictionary, a decision has to be taken as to how to distinguish between these two.(Laurie Bauer, Word. Morphology: An International Handbook on I nflection and Word-Formation, ed. by  Geert Booij et al. Walter de Gruyter, 2000) A Descriptive Approach to LanguageEven when they must make choices, lexicographers are attempting to provide a factual record of the language, not a statement about correctness of its usage. However, when people see one form highlighted in a dictionary, they interpret it as the one correct form and subsequently infer that any other form is incorrect. Furthermore, many who read and reference dictionaries take these decisions to be comprehensive and inalterable standards. In other words, even though lexicographers take a descriptive approach to language, their work is often read as prescriptive.(Susan Tamasi and Lamont Antieau, Language and Linguistic Diversity in the US: An Introduction. Routledge, 2015) A Proscriptive ApproachModern-day lexicography has produced convincing arguments in favour of a proscriptive approach (cf. Berenholtz 2003). Although it is possible to employ such an approach in printed dictionaries, it is an approach ideal for internet dictionaries. The proscriptive approach allows the lexicographer to present the user with a variety of options, e.g. different orthographic forms of a given word or different pronunciation possibilities. No single form is prescribed but the lexicographer indicates his or her preference by recommending one or more forms. By doing so the alternatives are not demonised but users get a clear indication of the form recommended by the expert.(Rufus H. Gouws, Dictionaries as Innovative Tools in a New Perspective on Standardisation. Lexicography at a Crossroads: Dictionaries and Encyclopedias Today, Lexicographical Tools Tomorrow, ed. by Henning Bergenholtz, Sandro Nielsen, and Sven Tarp. Peter Lang, 2009) Samuel Johnson on Lexicography and LanguageWhen we see men grow old and die at a certain time one after another, from century to century, we laugh at the elixir that promises to prolong life to a thousand years; and with equal justice may the lexicographer be derided, who being able to produce no example of a nation that has preserved their words and phrases from mutability, shall imagine that his dictionary can embalm his language, and secure it from corruption and decay . . .. The language most likely to continue long without alteration, would be that of a nation raised a little, and but a little, above barbarity, secluded from strangers, and totally employed in procuring the conveniences of life.(Samuel Johnson, Preface to A Dictionary of the English Language, 1755)

Oscar Pistorius; I Blame Myself for Taking Reevas Life Essay - 87

Oscar Pistorius; I Blame Myself for Taking Reevas Life - Essay Example Second, he has to deal with the prosecution and prison sentence of 25 years to life if he is found guilty of premeditated murder. And lastly, he has to deal with public scrutiny because the trial is publicized around the world. He did not only lose his girlfriend but also his privacy and possibly, earning the wrath of many people around the world. It is like, he against the world for accidentally killing his girlfriend. The news is credible not only because it used law terms such as cross-examination, premeditated, and that the defense, as well as the prosecution’s argument, are presented. In addition, the actual coverage of the trial was shown (but is not record anymore because it is already over) for the viewers to see and hear the actual proceeding of the trial. The news cannot be more credible than that. The news is about the annexation of Crimea, a province of Ukraine by Russia. In this news, it is about the seizure of the Crimea airbase by Russian troops. Putin alleged t hat many of Crimean residents are of Russian root and they are annexing it to protect its citizens. As a backgrounder, this happened after the ouster of former Ukraine President _who ordered the killings of demonstrators after they protested the President’s agreement with Russia. Ukrainians wanted their future with the European Union and not with Russia. At present, United States are threatening for more sanction against Russia with Putin just shrugging off the possibility of harsh sanctions. Putin’s troops, however, remain a threat to Ukraine. My thought here is that Russian President Vladimir Putin is clearly wrong because no matter how he argues it, invading another country’s province is wrong. He is behaving like Second World War Europe where countries will just invade any countries.

Party debate Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Party debate - Assignment Example ed States multiparty system would have been practiced, the government would have failed to make decisions in a timely manner because it would have failed to attain the majority votes required to pass legislation. Another benefit is that such a political system provides clarity to the voters in deciding which party to vote. This is because in two party systems the two opposing parties are either in favor or against a particular agenda and voters finds it easy to vote for the candidates of that party which is supporting their side of the agenda. For example, the two political parties of United States are either in favor of gay marriage or they oppose it. This allows the American citizens with the ease of selecting the candidate of the party that supports their viewpoints (Bibby, 2008). In my opinion it is better to have a two party system and such a system should continue in the United States because it provides the government with the power to make decisions in a timely manner which m ay be delayed in a multiparty system. Due to late decision making, the effectiveness and the value of the decision is lost and citizens of a particular nation end up experiencing

Annual parent meeting Essay Example for Free

Annual parent meeting Essay Each year, Title I programs are required to host a meeting for parents to explain what the Title I program is and how parents can become involved in the Title I program. (This is different from the Annual Review meeting, which is also a requirement). At this meeting, the following issues must be addressed: Explain their school’s participation in Title I (whether they are schoolwide or targeted) Explain the Title I requirements (schoolwide or targeted, whichever is applicable) Explain what participation in Title I programming means, including: o A description and explanation of the school’s curriculum; o Information on the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress; and Information on the proficiency levels students are expected to meet. Explain the district parental involvement policy, school parental involvement policy, and school-parent compact. Explain the right of parents to become involved in the school’s programs and ways to do so. Explain that parents have the right to request opportunities for regular meetings for o parents to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school must respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible. In order to keep parents informed, schools must invite all parents of children participating in Title I Part A programs and encourage them to attend. In a schoolwide program, this means ALL parents should be invited; in a targeted assistance program, just those parents with children participating in Title I should be invited. Schools must also offer a flexible number of additional parental involvement meetings, such as in the morning or evening so that as many parents as possible are able to attend. You must be able to document this meeting with minutes, agendas, sign-in sheets, etc. You may want to do more than the law requires for this meeting, especially if you often have problems with attendance. Below are a few things to keep in mind regarding the Annual Parent Meeting: This can be an introduction to the Title I program, a workshop, a welcome night, etc.; the format is up to you. Preferably, this meeting occurs at the beginning or in the fall of the school year. This meeting, whatever form it takes, must be documented with minutes. Is there two-way communication at this meeting, or is it the teacher/administrator giving information to parents about the program? Do you involve parents in the agenda? Do you try to get ideas from them on what this meeting should involve? Annual Title I Parent Meeting Requirements 8/2010 Page 1 Training Opportunities The Title I program should provide parents with opportunities to become partners with the school in promoting the education of the child at school and at home. This should include information about specific methods parents can use at home to complement their child’s education. The Annual Review Each year, schools must hold a meeting to review their entire Title I program. This meeting typically takes place in the spring of the school year. Therefore, if there are programmatic changes to be made, they can be implemented the subsequent school year. Questions to be considered include: â€Å"What worked well this year?† and â€Å"What changes would we like to make for next year?† Student Eligibility Targeted assistance Title I programs must inform parents that their child is eligible to receive Title I services. This notification must be sent home on an annual basis. Parents must be given the opportunity to decline services if they so choose. Below are a few things to keep in mind regarding informing parents of student eligibility: Documentation of parent notification for eligibility must be maintained. Be sure to retain copies of parent permission signatures, especially if parents decline services. Informing Parents of Student Progress Parents must be kept informed of their child’s progress. In targeted assistance programs, some type of progress report must be sent home to the parents to show their child’s progress with Title I services. This report may be sent home during conferences, with other report cards, or any other time a Title I teacher wishes. It is very helpful to send suggestions as to how parents can help their child with skills and areas in which the child may be struggling. Below are a few things to keep in mind regarding informing parents of student progress: The method used to notify parents must be documented. This notification must be disseminated at least twice a year, ideally more often. The notification must contain assessment results from at least three different assessments in the various areas the child receives Title I services. For instance, if a child receives services in reading and math, three reading and three math assessment results must be documented. Annual Title I Parent Meeting Requirements 8/2010

Can I See Your ID? :: essays research papers

Can I See Your ID? The introduction of young people to beverage alcohol varies considerably in different cultural settings. In many societies, the age at which the purchase and public consumption of beverage alcohol becomes legal is also the age at which other "adult" rights and responsibilities are bestowed. What is neither clear nor consistent is the age at which this should occur. Communities recognize the capacity for alcohol to be abused, particularly by young and inexperienced college students. The imposition of a legal drinking age limit is one aspect of a society's desire to reduce the potential for harms associated with inappropriate drinking patterns. Believe it or not, students who are under 21 do drink. Every weekend, students armed with fake IDs go out to intoxicate their worries away while at the same time attempting to avoid the dreaded Minor In Possession tickets and the Department of Public Safety. Tougher punishments and regulations seem to have little effect on the number o f people who are willing to risk legal ramifications for a drink. The government can help ease the fruitless struggle between students and University officials by lowering the lawful drinking age to 18. At the ripe age of 18, you must enlist to Selective Service. This, meaning that you must tell the government that you are a man now and that you can fight for the country you live in if needed. Seeing how I can go die for my country at the green age of 18; I feel that I should be able to have a drink when I want to. It may seem unfair to many observers to allow 18-20 year olds to marry, to have children, to own cars, homes and firearms and to be financially and socially independent, and yet to be legally prohibited from drinking a glass of wine in a restaurant, or even a glass of champagne at their own wedding. Current laws regarding underage drinking do not make sense. In 1984, Congress enacted the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which required states to enforce a drinking age of 21 or risk losing some federal highway funds (Engs). The act was originally established to prevent inexperienced drivers from crossing state lines to drink legally and driving back drunk to their home st ates (Engs). However, the genius behind the minimum age act does not apply to the University. Most students do not have cars on campus and those that do are often over 21.

Cultural Analysis of Saudi Arabia and New Zealand Essay

In terms of cultural dimensions, basically, culture elements are everywhere in our life no matter where are you from. Also, the uniqueness and differentiation of culture in diversified countries are influencing and fulfilling our large communication community—world, people involved in this harmonious place communicate, share ideas, cooperated and integrated every cultural diversity so as to make it better. â€Å"A culture is a society’s personality and our membership in a culture plays a big role in shaping our identities as individuals† (Solomon, Russell-Bennett. 010). The accumulation of shared meanings, languages, rituals, norms and customs, also a range of traditions among the world enriches the cultural diversity. The increasing communication of global events and businesses provides an opportunity for the people who from different regions to learn, understand, embrace and respect every distinct culture element, so that to enhance cultural adaptability in business communication, therefore ensuring cooperation succeed. The following parts would be demonstrating Saudi Arabia and New Zealand two different cultures in terms of four dimensions: Individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity. All this four dimensions could be explicitly displayed upon customs, language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and even aesthetics. * Individualism Individualism focuses on the degree the society reinforces individual or collective, achievement and interpersonal relationships. A High Individualism ranking indicates that individuality and individual rights are paramount within the society. –New Zealand. A Low Individualism ranking typifies societies of a more collectivist nature with close ties between individuals. These cultures reinforce extended families and collectives where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group—-Saudi Arabia (Hofstede, 2012). When it comes to Saudi Arabia culture, the apparent opinion is a really diversified culture that formed by a range of rules, regulations and principles. However, â€Å"As is seen in their naming conventions, Saudis are cognizant of their heritage, their clan, and their extended family, as well as their nuclear family. Also, they take their responsibilities to their family quite seriously. Families tend to be large and the extended family is quite close† (kwintessential, 2004). The emphases on the family and member group make it to be a high Collectivist culture, according to the Geert Hofstede Analysis for Saudi Arabia on individualism, which ranked at 38, compared to a world average ranking of 64 (see appendix2), it means that Saudi Arabia contribute to highly commitment on family and groups community. New Zealand, with a score of 79 ((see appendix1) on this dimension, is an individualistic culture. This translates into a loosely-knit society in which the expectation is that people look after themselves and their immediate families. In the business world, employees are expected to be self-reliant and display initiative. Also, within the exchange-based world of work, hiring and promotion decisions are based on merit or evidence of what one has done or can do. (Hofstede, 2012). Individualism is highly manifested in New Zealand culture, individually, as the wealth and social status are not crucial for them, personal achievement is more important for them, as they believe everyone has the same opportunity to compete. For a range of young people, even the direct family is also important to them, but independent character makes them to persuade individual opportunity to enhance capacity, not only dependent on family. * Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance Power Distance focuses on the degree of equality, or inequality, between people in the country’s society. A High Power Distance ranking indicates that inequalities of power and wealth have been allowed to grow within the society. These societies are more likely to follow a caste system that does not allow significant upward mobility of its citizens. —-Saudi Arabia. A Low Power Distance ranking indicates the society de-emphasizes the differences between citizen’s power and wealth. In these societies equality and opportunity for everyone is stressed—-New Zealand (Hofstede, 2012). Uncertainty Avoidance focuses on the level of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity within the society, such as unstructured situations. A High Uncertainty Avoidance ranking indicates the country has a low tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. This creates a rule-oriented society that institutes laws, rules, regulations, and controls in order to reduce the amount of uncertainty—-Saudi Arabia. A Low Uncertainty Avoidance ranking indicates the country has less concern about ambiguity and uncertainty and has more tolerance for a variety of opinions. This is reflected in a society that is less rule-oriented, more readily accepts change, and takes more and greater risks—-New Zealand. According to the Geert Hofstede analysis for Saudi Arabia, which showed Large Power Distance (PDI) (95) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) (80) (see appendix2), demonstrated that their Muslim faith plays a large role in the people’s lives. Large power distance and uncertainty avoidance are the predominant characteristics for this region. Such high result of power distance and uncertainty avoidance can be explained a range of aspects. First of all, in terms of the religion, plays a vital role in the everyday life, ranging from setting moral guidelines, arranging social hierarchies, and a way for salvation after death. Religion also plays a major role in the executive area of government, deeply integrated in the laws of the country. Even the five stated daily pray times could display the strict of religion rules. There are a large number of principles or rules, regulations for Saudis in their daily behaviours, in order to stick to the religion principles. For instance, during the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk and are only permitted to work six hours per day. Fasting includes no eating, drinking, cigarette smoking, or gum chewing. So many restrictions like forbidding alcohol, not pork eaten and even women are not allowed to drive indicate that Saudi Arabia is a so strongly based in Muslim religion, also such strict rules, laws, policies, and regulations are adopted and implemented is aiming at controlling everything in order to eliminate or avoid the unexpected. In terms of this two analysis, New Zealand scored 22 and 49 (see appendix1) respectively on Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. The low power distance shows that New Zealand even has hierarchy operating system, which the Queen is in the pinnacle of power distance, however, the shared ideas and opinions in different parties make it more democratic. In small power distance organizations, â€Å"Subordinates and superiors consider each other as or less equal even there is a difference in education level. The hierarchical system can always change depending on the circumstances. The hierarchies are flat with a decentralized organization and a small number of supervisors who are expected to be accessible for their subordinates† (International Business Cultures, 2010). Even in a family structure, or a small group activity, New Zealanders present a high integrated, direct and participative communication without any formal class structure. Although, there is another different Maori culture in New Zealand, which has own language, rituals, customs, etiquette, the power distance in terms of kiwi and Maori is till low. Maori and English are used throughout the country in various television and radio programs. As with other regions in the world where two cultures have been mixed, English has influenced Maori and Maori has influenced English. Not only the language is greatly impacted mutually, but also the politics and economic, culture. The Uncertainty Avoidance score is 49 (see appendix1), which is practical in different aspects. It shows New Zealanders believe both generalists and experts are needed. Emotions are not shown much in New Zealand; people are fairly relaxed and not adverse to taking risks. Consequently, there is a larger degree of acceptance for new ideas, innovative products and a willingness to try something new or different, whether it pertains to technology, business practices, or foodstuffs. (Hofstede, 2012). * Masculinity Masculinity focuses on the degree the society reinforces, or does not reinforce, the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, control, and power. A High Masculinity ranking indicates the country experiences a high degree of gender differentiation. In these cultures, males dominate a significant portion of the society and power structure, with females being controlled by male domination—Saudi Arabia. A Low Masculinity ranking indicates the country has a low level of differentiation and discrimination between genders. In these cultures, females are treated equally to males in all aspects of the society—-New Zealand (Hofstede, 2012). In Saudi Arabia, there is a range of restrictions and regulations for women, such as Women are expected to be very feminine, and obey male authority. They are expected to grow up, and become wives/mothers. Besides, It is unacceptable in most social circles for women to voice their opinions about many things or question their male guardian’s authority. Furthermore, the labor is assigned by gender; strict gender segregation is sanctioned by the state and society, for instance, â€Å"Women are employed in girls’ schools and the women’s sections of universities, social work and development programs for women, banks that cater to female clients, medicine and nursing for women, television and radio programming, and computer and library work†( Countries and Their Cultures, 2010). New Zealand has a low masculinity ranking, they understood their obligation to the people who worked to establish and maintain the society. In 1893, this British Commonwealth gave women the right to vote, which means Femininity has equal status in diversified organisations. In terms of a company structure, basically the Femininity authority means the organization cares more about employees and even corporate social responsibility rather than profits. Summary The cultural dimensions comparison between Saudi Arabia and New Zealand attempts to develop a tool to measure the different countries’ society structure and development model in terms of individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity. The comparison shows that Saudi Arabia religion element exert an enormous impact on not only social aspects, but also human rights in gender. Moreover, it present a short cut for international marketers to realize understanding a country cultural uniqueness is good for mutual cooperation, and is able to decrease the unpredictable mistake or conflicts possibility. Furthermore, the cultural dimensions analysis presents a snapshot of country structure and social ecology in terms of diversified customs, etiquette and values. The cultural elements is not only exerting impacts on dwelling’s behavior, but also influence countries’ development. Advertising recommendations Doing advertising for exporting lamb from Australia to Saudi Arabia is an inevitable but at risk assignment. Saudi Arabia as a crucial lamb exporting market for Australia, the burgeoning economy and long history of lamb consumption motivate Australia to adjust market strategy to looking for niche markets for lamb products. In terms of the Saudi Arabia population, which growing at the rate of 3. 8% per annum, the demand of importing lamb would increasing. It is an great opportunity for Australia to make huge progress on exporting lamb to Saudi Arabia if the advertisement could be thoroughly demonstrated in terms of the Saudi Arabia culture dimensions. The biggest problem facing Australia exporters of lamb is that religious beliefs require a revamp of the production process to accord with cultural preferences. First of all, the advertising content should comply with the local religious belief and display the qualification of product. Since Islam has a major impact on the preference for lamb in the market, they regarded a range of western countries such as Australia not qualified in normal slaughterhouse techniques. Therefore, it is such crucial to make sure the techniques in slaughterhouse could meet the stipulations. The equipment for slaughtering and also technique certification should be presented in the advertising to get the trust from Saudi Arabia. Secondly, a thorough understanding of Saudi Arabia religious beliefs and culture customs is particularly essential for developing an outstanding advertising in the market. For instance, the reason why Japanese company able to made such successful achievement in Saudi Arabia market is based on their qualified advertising. They did a range of researching on Islam custom and rituals, knowing that the comparison advertising is not welcomed by the local consumers, therefore, they never come up with the similar advertisements. In the contrary, a major tea company alienated Saudi customers after it aired a commercial that showed a Saudi host serving tea with his left hand to one of his guests. Moreover, the guest was shown wearing shoes while seated, which is considered disrespectful by traditional Saudis. Thirdly, advertising content should be simplified but concentrated. In order to establish a long term brand and image-building, advertising content should be able to get the trust from Saudi Arabia customers, as the religious word-of-mouth effects, the high quality lamb product would be accepted by consumers in a long term. In addition, cooperating with local large media agency to come up with effective advertising based on religious customs could be more easily access to target audience.

Resource Based View Essay

The mid-eighties witnessed the emergence of a growing body of work collectively labelled the resource and capability-based view of the firm (RBV). In reality, Resource Competence View (RCV) first adopted an â€Å"economic† orientation. Pioneer studies (Wernerfelt, 1984) , Barney, 1986, 1991, Dierickx and Cool, 1989, Peteraf, 1993) focused on the type of resources and competencies that could offer to its owner a sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, resources and competencies approach first appeared as a theory of competitive advantage or a theory of â€Å"performance of the firm† (Argyres & Zenger, 2007). It is only recently, in the last 20 years that organizations have started using the resource based view approach on strategy. Nowadays, they view it as the most important key development in international business research and strategic management, an approach that gives a coherent vision based on a firm’s capabilities to help determine the strategic reso urces necessary for the firm’s survival and growth within a particular market place. As Hitt et al (2001) stated, â€Å"the resource based model assumes that each organization is a collection of unique resources and capabilities that provides the basis for its strategy and that is the primary source of return.†. It suggests that in order for a firm to sustain competitive advantage, it must not only have resources and capabilities but also have a firm control over it and they must meet certain basic criteria such as being: valuable, rare, inimitable and non substitutable such that it is impossible to be copied or replicated (VRIN). Although a resource based view strategy sounds like the better way to go, others have wondered if this approach is at all necessary or bring any more insight than the traditional understandings into a successful strategy to survive and thrive into a competitive market, strategy that will allow the firm to have a good competitive advantage. In this review, we aim to elucidate the concepts behind the resource based view strategy and its use by managers. Furthermore, we aim to elaborate on its advantages but also disadvantages moving on to a critical analysis of this emerging approach to strategy and competitive advantage from the point of view of well known authors such as M. Porter (1980,1985) who believes that external factors mainly contribute to a firm’s competitive advantage and Jay Barney (1991)  who criticizes the narrow approach of a resource based view on competitive advantage, mainly the homogeneity it gives to firms resources. RESOURCE BASED VIEW : A CRITIQUE The RBV has emerged after the industrial work of Michael Porter and Rick Perry , who stated that companies must achieve a competitive advantage based on external factors. In fact, the RBV suggests that differences in profitability between firms in the same sector are much more important than inter sector profitability differences which was its founding idea. The resource-based view (RBV) has become one of the most influential and cited theories in the history of management theorizing. It aspires to explain the internal sources of a firm’s sustained competitive advantage (SCA). Its central proposition is that if a firm is to achieve a state of SCA, it must acquire and control valuable, rare, inimitable, and non substitutable (VRIN) resources and capabilities, plus have the organization (O) in a place that can absorb and apply them (Barney, 1991a, 1994, 2002). This proposition is shared by several related analyses: core competences (Hamel & Prahalad, 1994), dynamic capabilities (Helfat & Peteraf, 2003; Teece, Pisano, & Shuen, 1997), and the knowledge-based view (Grant, 1996b). Given its elegant simplicity and its immediate face validity, the RBV’s core message is appealing, easily grasped, and easily taught. 1 FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS OF THE RESOURCE BASED VIEW :Models based on resources and skills, Resource Based View and Competence Based View The resources and competences are expressed through certain knowledge (know-how , know-machine ,distribute knowledge) Resources are defines as assets owned or controlled permanently by the firm to develop and implement its strategy. There are six types: Financial Resources : CAF, debt ratio, volume TR ; Human Resources : number of employees, qualification, experience,intelligence ; Physical resources : production sites and their geographical location, land,stocks ; Organizational Resources : information systems, ISO standards,  procedures,coordination mechanisms ; Technological resources : know-how, patents ; Reputational Resources : brand, reputation ; The approach based on the resources considers that the company more than the industry, constitutes the relevant level of analysis to explain the performance (Barney, 1991; Rumelt, 1984; Wernerfelt, 1984). The organization is rehabilitated as an actor ; the firms are able to accumulate resources and competences which are transformed into advantage on the competitors if they are rare, creative of value, non-substitutable and difficult to imitate (Barney, 1991; Dierickx and Cool, 1989) see figure 1. 5 tests to assess the strategic value of competencies: Figure 1. Barney J.B. (1991), Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, Journal of Management, vol. 17, pp.99-120 The firm is not designed any more like a wallet of products or markets, but like a wallet of resources. It is not the customer requirements who determines the strategy, but the resources and competencies which the company possess : the competing advantage is to be sought in-house (See Table 1). Competencies indicate the organizational capacity to deploy the resources in the form of combination to achieve a goal, which implies the idea of a training by combining several resources. 2 A CRITIQUE OF THE RESOURCE BASED VIEW APPROACH The Resource based view approach has been subject to several critiques ,some of which suggest that it is a very limited model , very hard to apply and its variables cannot be clarified. All of these critiques could be faced with more explanations of the (RBV)’s variables,boundaries,and applicability. On the other hand, some critiques are threatening the (RBV) model, these critiques are concerned with the limitations of the defining two concepts of the (RBV) model which are : resources and value which entail some problems and affecting the explanations of a firm’s competitive advantage. These critiques could be categorized as follow : Studies argue that (VRIN) criteria is not essential to the understanding of SCA as (Kraaijenbrink et al) (2010) mention (Foss and Knudsin) (2003) arguing that it’s mainly uncertainty is one of the basics to achieve SCA , Furthermore, stating that other conditions simply additional . These comments suggest ‘ fundamental disagreement about the nature of markets , individuals , and resources and the roles these play in generating SCA (Kraaijenbrink et al, 2010). Individual’s, entrepreneurs, and manager’s judgement and models are not sufficiently recognized by the (RBV) to the critique which argues that the (RBV) limits the entrepreneurial and managerial skills. This critique outlines the importance of a firm’s environment whilst arguing that (RBV) is mostly focused inward and dismisses the external environment which is important for assessing the main strength and weaknesses of an organization , which essentially leads to achieving competitive advantage ; it also leads to the issue of value creation , and environmental assessment , internally and externally , are essential to value creation and strategic positioning. Connor (2002) argues that the (RBV) is limited to large firms (with significant market power) , furthermore, SME’s cannot be sometimes assessed by their resources when it comes to SCA resulting in their fallout of the (RBV) . Finally , adding that (RBV) applicability can , in most cases, relate to firms pursuing SCA. 1 PORTER’S FIVE FORCES (P5F) AND RBV On one hand, the RBV model supports the idea that a firm can sustain competitive advantage by having highly superior resources and these  resources are represented in the VRIN criteria . In other words, sustaining a competitive advantage depends on the ability to integrate a group of extreme resources to provide the firm with its leading position . According to Barney (1991,1994,2002) â€Å"RBV central proposition is that a firm is to achieve a state of SCA , it must acquire and control valuable, rare, inimitable,and non-substitutable (VRIN) resources and capabilities , plus have the organization (O) in place that can absorb and apply them† , which would lead the firm to earn a massive surplus. On the other hand, Micheal Porter believes that for a firm to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage it has to focus on its external environments, have a strategic positioning in its industry or intended industry and this strategic positioning is guided by five industry-level for ces namely; Entry barriers, Buyers bargaining power, Suppliers bargaining power, Threats of substitutes and Rivalry among existing industry. He specifies that finding a strategic fit within an industry gives a firm an edge over its rivals and can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. A company can outperform rivals only if it can establish a difference that it can preserve (Porter, 2000) and how can you establish this difference? By deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value e.g. Southwest Airlines, IKEA. However, It is clearly noticed that one of the big differences between both models (Resource based view and Porter’s five forces) is that they differ in the approach used. The RBV focus only on the firm’s resources but the P5F model is based on the industry itself. Another similarity between both views are the description of resources in the RBV that it’s inimitable matching the concept of threat of new entrants in P5F . Also the threat of substitute in the P5F model sounds similar to the attributive of resources that it is non-substitutable in the RBV. Both models put the concept of earning superior profits as an objective of any firm, similarly both agree that the way to achieve that surplus is by sustaining competitive advantage , but when it comes to how to sustain this competitive advantage they differ ; P5F SCA by gaining a high profit on the long-term , contrarily the RBV considers SCA by preventing rivals or competitors to acquire the same advantage . At some point, both RBV and P5F may look contradictory , in reality both complement each other when integrated . 2 JAY BARNEY AND RBV According to Barney,Mcwilliams & Turk (1989) it is stated that a sustained competitive advantage has been defined as to be an advantage obtained as a result of a firm’s strategy not being implemented by other firms as well but that cannot be replicated but point out the fact that it does not refer to â€Å"how long† that advantage is in fact sustained. Porter (1985) and Rumelt (1984) said that the basis for sustaining a competitive advantage in the market is to understand its sources. Porter mostly believes that focusing solely on external factors (opportunities, threats of new intrants,etc†¦) gives a firm better chances of reaching a sustained competitive advantage. For Barney (1991), the basis to sustaining a competitve advantage is by formulating a strategy that is based on internal strenghts but acquired through responding to external factors such that there is synergy between internal and external factors and thus heterogeinity and immobility to the firmâ€⠄¢s resources (Barney & Hoskisson, 1989). He argues that a firm simply cannot rely on the even distribution of its resources (same strategic capabilities, human and organizational capital (Barney,1991)) throughout the organization (focus that gives homogeinity and mobility of resources) to achieve a sustained competitive advantage as any other firm with the same resources can have the same competitive advantage in the market. Also, efficiency and effectiveness can be improved to the same extend and therefore the competitive advantage cannot be described as â€Å"sustained† (Barney,1991). However, it can be argued that an homogenous and mobile set of resources can also lead a sustained competitive advantage on a â€Å"first come, first served† basis where the firm that has access to distribution channels, develop good will customers and a positive reputation first gains a sustained competitive advantage as they would have established themselves before other firms had a chance to do so. Barney (1986) also highlights the concept of â€Å"Strategic Factor Market.† He explained that according to the strategy, strategic factor market in which the company must draw differ. For example, for an innovation strategy, the factor to consider may be the competence in research and development. He added that if the strategic factor market is not perfect, it will not be possible for a firm to extract superior economic performance. Barney is therefore concerned with allowing  the firm to distinguish themselves from others, and it sets up the theory of competitive advantage â€Å"sustainable†. This type of benefit resulting resources respecting the criterion called â€Å"VRIN† (resources must be: valuable, rare, difficult to imitate and imperfectly substitutable to provide the firm a sustainable competitive advantage). 3 ISSUES FOR PRACTICING MANAGERS IN ADOPTING THE RBV APPROACH Having looked at the critique of the RBV one can undoubtedly say that practicing managers may encounter some issues in adopting this approach. The RBV is a very complex approach. Thus to attain or maintain a competitive advantage managers must often and extensively simplify (Russo & Schoemake, 1989). Managers are often faced with the challenges of identifying, developing, protecting and deploying of firm’s resources and capabilities such that they can gain a sustainable competitive advantage over rivals. What are the criteria for identifying? Often times they ask what resources or capabilities do we have that rivals do not have or cannot immediately imitate and how can we achieve a sustainable competitive advantage with it. They run the risk of retaliation from rival firms which can render their competitive advantage static or useless as it is sometimes impossible for them to know the level or worth of their rivals resources or capabilities. What capabilities to develop, what resources to deploy are issues which can result to intra organizational conflicts among various departments in the firm. In adopting the RBV approach managers are likely to face a considerable uncertainty and ambiguity arising from shifts in buyers’ preference or taste, social values, economic and political trends, recent/ upcoming technologies, rivalry in the industry (competitive actions) etc†¦ (strategic management Journal Vol 14,1993). CONCLUSION REFERENCES Barney, J.B. 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, journal of management 17:99-120. Barney, J.B. McWilliams,A. , Turk,T. 1989. On the relevance of the concept of entry barriers in the theory of competitive strategy. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the strategic managemt society, San Francisco. Lieberman,M.B, & Montgomery, D.B. 1998. First mover advantages, Strategic management journal, 9:41-58. Porter,M. 1980. Competitive strategy. New York. Free Press. Porter, M. 1985. Competitive advantage. New York. Free Press. Porter,M. 2000. What is Strategy? Harvard Business Review. Rumelt,R. 1984. Towards a strategic theory of the firm. In R. Lamb (Ed.), Competitive strategic management: 556-570. Englewoods Cliffs, NJ : Prentice-Hall. Wernerfelt, B. 1984. A resource based view of the firm. Strategic management Journal. 5:171-180.

Project Portfolio Management

Project Portfolio Management The quality and success of projects depends on a management strategy that enables project selection to be prioritized and project development phases remain focused and aligned with project goals (Brown n.d p.1).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Project Portfolio Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To achieve that, the performance of each project development phase, tasks, and sub-tasks is continuously evaluated against established standards and benchmarks. If the project development team adheres to a set of proven project selection and implementation criteria, it is possible to develop a project which is aligned to an organization’s corporate strategy. Based on that, the project remains focused on value and managers ensure a balance between risks and project value. The project is always compliant to different standards and regulations, is always focused to achieve its priorities, and achieves the requir ed goals. It is important for project managers to ensure the project remains aligned to strategy, properly planned, executed according to project requirements, and provides measurable results to enable project teams to assess project compliance. It is important to integrate the core operating processes to be able to achieve optimal utilization of resources and to make valuable contributions. Valuable contributions to projects are based on specific and well defined project goals which operate on project portfolio management best practices (Brown n.d p.1). PPM goals It is important to clearly define project goals to ensure that the project under consideration benefits from effective planning. It is important to note that PPM managers use project goals to aligned projects to organizational strategy, create effective communication practices, balance risk across all projects, provide a disciplined approach to project selection, resource allocation, effective project governance, and prior itize project proposals.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To achieve that, project goals should be well defined to provide an effective project development guideline (Brown n.d p.1). The goals help PPM managers to efficiently allocate organizational resources and to ensure that projects with low value to the organization are removed from the list of prioritized projects. In addition, PPM enables managers to develop projects which remain focused to the organizational goals, mission, and vision statements. It is worth noting that an effective PPM enables managers to develop a list of projects undertaken by the organization. In addition, it provides a comprehensive understanding of the project scope, and ensures a project development methodology that factors risk and value. In addition, PPM goals enable project managers to achieve a healthy balance across all types of projects undertaken by the organization which have different schedules, risk profiles, costs, and complexities. The PPM managers ensure that PPM essentials are adhered to in the project development process, as discussed below. PPM essentials According to Brown (n.d p.2), a successful project adheres to project performance value assessment, effective work schedules, assessment of return on investments, capacity planning, opportunity identification, project management and planning strategies, and project prioritization. Prioritizing projects enables organizations to allocate different types of project resources effectively and to avoid financial losses. PPM managers should adhere to the best practices discussed below. Best practices The project portfolio management best practices to adhere to include customer orientation, strategy and project prioritization, effective allocation of scarce resources, use of cross functional teams, and appropriate response to the external environment.A dvertising We will write a custom report sample on Project Portfolio Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In conclusion, it is important to ensure successful project implementation based on techniques which enable project prioritization and alignment with organizational goals and objectives. Reference Brown, J C n.d, Project Portfolio Management: Metrics that Work Metrics that Work. Web.

A Girls Best Friend

My best friend is Mo. Shes cute, good looking and not talk too much with the person that she isnt known very well. When you see her first time you might think shes hard to get along with but actually if you understand she well you will know that it isnt like what you see. She has a good smile, big eyes and pretty long hair that will let people want to be friend with her when they see her. In addition, Mo is a responsible person. She always takes care of her Jobs well and finishes the work on time. Shes hard working and organized. She can manage the time very well and everything is in her schedule. Moreover, shes reliable sometime Ill talk to her some secrets and she can keep the secret very well and wont talk to others. I think she is a really nice friend. What is more, Mo is a really good friend for me. Shes the person who understands me well. Shes always beside me when Im upset, listen to me and help me every time when I need help. When I have problem she will give me some advices and help me to solve the problem.Even when I dont understand in the lesson she explained patiently for me to understand every time. I think Im really lucky that I have met Mo and Im very happy we are friend and I think we will be friend forever. To summarizes, I think Mo Is a nice person. She has good appearance, personality and Im very happy that I can be friend with Mo who Is cute, responsible and always help me In everything. Finally, I think friend Is really Important for me and I hope we can be friend forever. But It made my day.