Role of It in Travel and Tourism Industry

IT in travel ROLE OF IT IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY GROUP – BK Rajnikant Patel- 111 Dr. Sushant Patel- 112 Rachita Patnaik- 113 Yashasvi Patravali- 114 Navjot Singh- 115 Preview IT has touched every aspect of commerce and turned those industries into gold mines. Travel & tourism industry is also one of those which IT has not spared. And how it has brought about transformation and revolution will be seen in the due course of the presentation. Let me first introduce you to the travel and tourism industry at large, and the focus is particularly on the Indian travel and tourism industry as a subset of the global tourism market. India has been ranked 12th in Asia and 68th in the world as per the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011 by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Tourism in  India  is the largest service industry, with a contribution of 6. 23% to the  national GDP and 8. 78% of the total employment in India. The tourism industry in India generated foreign exchange of about US $ 136 billion in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US $ 275. 5 billion by 2018 at a 9. 4% annual growth rate. Maharashtra,  Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh  and Rajasthan  are the top 5 states to receive inbound tourists. A new growth sector in Indian tourism is Medical  Tourism. Medical tourism is essentially foreign tourist cum patients coming to India and seeking medical treatment. It is currently growing at around 30% per annum. It generated $ 9 Billion in 2010. The reason behind such a rapid growth in medical tourism is the fact that India offers hi tech medical treatments at a very cheap price. Giving you an example, if a bypass surgery here costs around Rs. 2 lac, exactly the same procedure with the same instruments and materials will cost you 30000 dollars in the U. S. , i. e. Rs. 15 lac. The tourism industry in India has also helped growth in other sectors as diverse as horticulture, handicrafts, agriculture and even construction. Coming to IT in tourism, when information technology is used in travel and tourism industry, it leads to the emergence of a whole new parameter called eTourism. eTourism reflects the digitisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality & catering industries. eTourism is the leading B2C application, i. e. business to customer application and it comprises of almost 40% of all B2C eCommerce. Gone are the days when you would wait for the customers to come to you. In this era of fierce competition, you have to reach to the customers before someone else does. 60% of all tourists use internet to get information on destinations. So here we realize how essential information and communication technology is in today’s travel and tourism industry. eAirlines Till a few years ago, the basic sources of information in the tourism sector were pamphlets, brochures, directories, guide books, etc. produced and published by different countries. The last few decades witnessed the application of computer and communication technologies in the field of tourism. Two distinct streams of information sources viz, (i) online and (ii) offline came into existence. Core results regarding ICT-related developments in the aviation industry: E-Ticketing: The elimination of traditional paper-based tickets is one of the core elements of the low-cost business model. Yet, e-ticketing is not limited to the so called â€Å"no-frills† airlines. The adoption of e-ticketing is increasingly pursued also by network carriers. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) intends to achieve a 100% penetration of e-ticketing among its members by the end of 2007. Customer self-service: Another measure for cost reduction and the acceleration of passenger flows at airports is to introduce customer self-service check-in solutions. This may be done on the spot by self-service kiosks or in the form of web based check-ins, which may even allow users to check-in from home or their office. Bar-coded boarding passes offer a natural link with e-ticketing and self-service check-in. Most recently, it has become possible not only to print boarding passes at the passenger’s home, but also to place bar codes on the passenger’s cell phone, thus making paper documents obsolete. RFID for luggage handling might replace classical baggage tags in the near future. It might simplify airline luggage management considerably, improve customer service in terms of reductions in mishandled luggage, and provide new security mechanisms. Computer Reservations System (CRS) A computer reservations system (or central reservation system) (CRS) is a computerized system used to store and retrieve information and conduct transactions related to air travel. Originally designed and operated by airlines, CRSes were later extended for the use of travel agencies. Major CRS operations that book and sell tickets for multiple airlines are known as global distribution systems (GDS). Airlines have divested most of their direct holdings to dedicated GDS companies, who make their systems accessible to consumers through Internet gateways. Modern GDSes typically allow users to book hotel rooms and rental cars as well as airline tickets. They also provide access to railway reservations in some markets although these are not always integrated with the main system. Global Distribution Systems (GDS) Major CRS operations that book and sell tickets for multiple airlines are known as global distribution systems (GDS). Modern GDSes typically allow users to book hotel rooms and rental cars as well as airline tickets. GDS distribute more than one CRS to users who are travel agents. GDS require massive investment because they are large computer system that link several airlines and travel principals into complex network of PCs, telecommunications and large mainframe system. Some leading GDS are Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo and WorldSpan are travel agents. eHospitality Hotels use ICTs in order to improve their operations, manage their inventory and maximise their profitability. Their systems facilitate both in-house management and distribution through electronic media. ‘Property management systems (PMSs)’ coordinate front office, sales, planning and operational functions by administrating reservations and managing the hotel inventory. Moreover, PMSs integrate the â€Å"back† and â€Å"front† of the house management and improve general administration functions such as accounting and finance; marketing research and planning; forecasting and yield management; payroll and personnel; and purchasing. Understandably, hotel chains gain more benefits from PMSs, as they can introduce a unified system for planning, budgeting and controlling and coordinating their properties centrally. Hotels also utilise ICTs and the Internet extensively for their distribution and marketing functions. Global presence is essential in order to enable both individual customers and the travel trade to access accurate information on availability and to provide easy, efficient, inexpensive and reliable ways of making and confirming reservations. Although Central Reservation Offices (CROs) introduced central reservations in the 1970s, it was not until the expansion of airline CRSs and the recent ICT developments that forced hotels to develop hotel CRSs in order to expand their distribution, improve efficiency, facilitate control, empower yield management, reduce labour costs and enable rapid response time to both customers and management requests. Following the development of hotel CRSs by most chains, the issue of interconnectivity with other CRSs and the Internet emerged. As a result, ‘switch companies,’ such as THISCO and WIZCOM, emerged to provide an interface between the various systems and enable a certain degree of transparency. This reduces both set-up and reservation costs, whilst facilitates reservations through several distribution channels. eTour Operators Leisure travellers often purchase â€Å"packages,† consisting of charter flights and accommodation, arranged by tour operators. Tour operators tend to pre-book these products and distribute them through brochures displayed in travel agencies. Hence, until recently in northern European countries, where tour operators dominate the leisure market, airline and hotel CRSs were rarely utilised for leisure travel. In the early 1980s, tour operators realised the benefits of ICTs in organising, promoting, distributing and coordinating their packages. Thomson’s Open-line Programme (TOP) was the first real-time computer-based central reservation office in 1976. It introduced direct communication with travel agencies in 1982, and announced that reservations for Thomson Holidays would only be accepted through TOP in 1986. This move was the critical point for altering the communication rocesses between tour operators and travel agencies. Gradually, all major tour operators developed or acquired databases and established electronic links with travel agencies, aiming to reduce their information handling costs and increase the speed of information transfer and retrieval. This improved their productivity and capacity management whil st enhancing their services to agencies and consumers. Tour operators also utilised their CRSs for market intelligence, in order to adjust their supply to demand fluctuations, as well as to monitor the booking progress and productivity of travel agencies. Tour operators have been reluctant to focus on ICTs through their strategic planning. Few realize the major transformation of the marketplace, while the majority regards ICTs exclusively as a facilitator of their current operations, and as a tool to reduce their costs. However, several tour operators in Germany, Scandinavia and the UK have moved towards electronic brochures and developed their online strategies. Successful operators report that up to 25% of their packages are booked directly by consumers online. This enables them to concentrate on niche markets. eTravel Agencies ICTs are irreplaceable tools for travel agencies as they provide information and reservation facilities and support the intermediation between consumers and principals. Travel agencies operate various reservation systems, which mainly enable them to check availability and make reservations for tourism products. Until recently GDSs have been critical for business travel agencies to access information and make reservations on scheduled airlines, hotel chains, car rentals and a variety of ancillary services. However, until recently travel agencies have been reluctant to take full advantage of the ICTs, mainly due to: a limited strategic scope; †¢ deficient ICTs expertise and understanding; †¢ low profit margins which prevents investments; and †¢ focus on human interaction with consumers. There are effectively 5 major groups- 1. Amadus IT group- vacation. com, opodo, travel tainmemt 2. Expedia group- expedia. com, hotels. com, anyway. com 3. Orbitz group- orbitz, cheaptick ets, hotel club 4. Priceline group- priceline. com, booking. com, active hotels 5. Sabre group- travelocity. com, world choice travel CASE STUDY 1: ICT-DEPLOYMENT AT THE LOW-COST CARRIER RYANAIR, IRELAND ABSTRACT The innovative use of information technology for online booking, e-ticketing and internal communications coupled with relentless improvements in cost containment, operating efficiencies, route system expansion and scheduling enables Ryanair to achieve increased passenger traffic and report the best customer service performance in its peer group class. CASE STUDY FACT SHEET Full name of the company: Ryanair Location (HQ/main branches): Dublin, Ireland, with operations in most of Europe Sector (main business activity): Low cost air travel Year of foundation: 1985 Number of employees: about 2,700 Turnover in last financial year: â‚ ¬1. 3 billion Primary customers: Business and Leisure Travelers Most significant geographic market: Europe Focus of case study: e-Ticketing Key words:e-Ticketing, online booking, web check-in, low cost airline OBJECTIVES Ryanair has achieved annual increases in passenger traffic each year since 1995. Projections are for 35 million passengers in 2006, increasing to an estimated 42 million in 2007. Ryanair’s objective is to double passenger volumes and revenue by 2012. It currently (July 2006) operates a fleet of 107 Boeing 737-800’s and will buy 142 more of these aircraft over the next 6 years. This study outlines the currently evolving e-business capabilities in place to address these growth areas and achieve the sought for doubling targets. ONLINE BOOKING Online booking via the internet commenced in earnest after the launch of the www. Ryanair. com website in 2000. Over 98% of the 27. 5 million passenger seats in 2005 were sold via the internet. This percentage figure is consistent year on year, and is expected to continue at this high level. The online booking system gives Ryanair the capability to introduce innovative practices to ensure that the individual customer has greater control over their fare costs. E-TICKETING CHECK’N’GO Officially launched in 2006, Ryanair’s e-Ticketing Check’N’Go service enables passengers to check-in online within three days prior to the proposed flight and up to 4 hours before take-off. Using a pre-printed e-boarding card from their home or office computers, passengers can avoid the airport check-in desk and go directly to the security gates with a maximum of one piece of hand baggage. Encouraging passengers to travel with less checked-in luggage also means faster queues for those who check-in at the airport desk. INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS As Ryanair expanded across Europe, in addition to their well known customer facing web pages, Ryanair has implemented a web-based internal communications system used by flight crews, maintenance staff and ground staff. For instance, a record is kept of the various components in each aircraft and a tickler schedule for their maintenance and/or replacement. The intranet system has also saved on tangible costs, including paper and printing costs. DYNAMIC PACKAGING AND OTHER ANCILLARY REVENUE SOURCES Ryanair drives more sales and increased revenue via the dynamic packaging of flights with discounted hotel rooms and bottom of the range car rentals. In addition after selecting their flights, all travelers are strongly encouraged via the online payment process to take out travel insurance. Another option provided via Ryanair’s homepage at present is to click through to another supplier’s web site such as activitybreaks. com to buy their products. CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED The adoption of e-ticketing and internal e-business systems has enabled this low cost carrier to keep operational running costs well in-check. For the financial year ended March 31, 2005 their share accounted for 16% of total revenues, compared to 15% for the previous year. Ryanair is consistently the European leader in LCC. In addition, due to the minimal in-house administration costs, Ryanair’s low-cost-flights business marketing model includes frequent â€Å"give-away† flights as well: 23% of its tickets were given away in 2005, and half of all flights are slated to be â€Å"free† within the next 4 years. CASE STUDY 2: E-TICKETING AT SN BRUSSELS AIRLINES, BELGIUM This case study highlights the benefits of e-ticketing. After IATA was commitment to discontinue the distribution and processing of paper tickets by December 2007. SN Brussels decided to focus on e-ticketing in order to cut operating costs and generate extra convenience to passengers. Apart from lower cost and increased operation efficiency, e- ticketing allowed the airline to strengthen its market position by a more intensive use of alliances and reduced dependency on intermediaries. BACKGROUND †¢SN Brussels Airlines is a full-service Belgian airline company founded in 2002 by a group of Belgian investors who acquired some assets of the ankrupt Sabena airline. †¢ SN Brussels Airlines is the only full service airline that operates from Brussels and is the market leader at Brussels Airport. †¢It operates around 285 flights per day to various destinations in USA, Africa & Europe and 3. 5 million passengers carried per year. †¢It has around 2000 employees in Belgium & abroad. OBJECTIVES †¢SN Brussels Airlines has dev eloped an interesting business concept of offering fully serviced flights, as offered traditionally by the established airlines, with the lowest possible fare to compete with the low cost carriers. The airline aims to attract both the demanding business travelers with tight schedules but expecting value for money and economy travelers who are sensitive to prices †¢This lead to high airline occupancy and the airline registered profit for 3 years despite unfavorable conditions. ICT INVESTMENTS †¢Expands its ICT use due to customer expectations which gives travelers more convenience and control from the booking stage to the in-flight service. It invested in passenger technologies like e-ticketing, online check in services to reduce the cost. ICT developments like e-ticketing and own website/booking engine enable the airline to strengthen its brand awareness, get direct access to its customers and, consequently, reduce the dependency on Central Reservation Systems (CRS) and Gl obal Distribution Systems (GDS). E-BUSINESS SERVICES †¢SN Brussels' internet site (www. flySN. com) is a major part of the company’s e-ticketing infrastructure it is user-friendly and allows for an easy search and compilation of travel offers. †¢It also provides self check-in possibilities, hotel bookings, insurance and rent-a-car services online. E-tickets are also available through call centre on all routes in the network and through GDS used by travel agents. BENEFITS †¢Online booking, proved to be an efficient channel for the distribution of e-tickets. In May 2002 only 38% tickets were sold online whereas in September 2006, 63% of own sales were conducted via its own booking engine. †¢The e-ticket uses a database to track the sale and use of tickets. All subsequent ticket transactions, including refunds, exchanges, check-in, void and settlement, involve this holding database this reduces chances of fraud and eliminates the problem of lost ticket. It al so reduced the cost of documentations. SN Brussels Airlines’ e-ticketing solution allows for seamless link up with external partners by forming alliances and developing the so-called â€Å"interlining† system that allows passengers to have one ticket for a complete travel itinerary with different travel segments from several airlines. Passengers have then only one set of tickets for a multi-operator trip and benefit from having their luggage checked right through to their destination LESSON LEARNED This case study illustrated the use of e-ticketing at SN Brussels Airlines. The e-ticketing system did not only enable the airline to reduce operation costs and increase efficiency, but also helped to achieve strategic advantages which have further strengthened its market position. In particular, the applied e-ticketing technology facilitates the creation of alliances with other airlines. This, in turn, allows for a more efficient utilization of transportation capacities and access to a larger number of customers. Furthermore, e- ticketing combined with the development of direct online sales channels reduces the dependency on intermediaries and decreases the payments to CRS/GDS. FUTURE OF E-TOURISM †¢The Internet and mobile communication devices are three most significant ePlatforms that will help change the future of tourism. †¢The Internet will allow more people to access high quality information quickly and with minimum inconvenience. It also gave the possibility to purchase travel products on-line. In addition, it generated great service expectations, as consumers anticipate to be served on a 24hours/365days basis and at their own convenience. †¢Not only does the internet help the traveler but also the tourism suppliers like online travel agents, airlines etc. The trend towards the use of mobile communication devices is mostly determined by the commodification of mobile phones in the past few years, coupled with an increasing need to be able to obtain information while ‘on the move’. For example, business travelers can receive information on arrivals and departures as well as check-in through their mobile phone for a number of airlines. †¢On-line Internet provision is not sufficiently developed for those areas conventional telephone can also be used, a traveler may call a call center to confirm their bookings or ask queries. Importance of GDS and CRS in Travel & Tourism Industry: Computer reservations systems (CRS) have become critical instruments in the marketing and distribution of travel and tourism products and services. New systems have recently been developed in Western Europe, while the Asian and Pacific regions are in the process of establishing their own systems. A central reservation system represents a computerized system used for both storing and distribution of information. We could be talking about a hotel, a hotel chain, a resort or any other type of lodging facilities. The CRS can also be used for checking up different details about flights or seat availability. People may tend to confuse CRS with GDS (Global Distribution System) because of their similar functionality. However, there is one important difference between these two applications. Central reservation systems are web applications exclusive for each company or hotel. On the other hand, a global distribution system is used by various travel agents for booking reasons, as they cannot access CRS. CRS contains important information such as hotel accommodations, activity bookings, flight schedules or even holiday packages. There is almost no need for a travel agent as you could simply arrange your reservations over the Internet. Most hotels and travel agencies have their own websites for presenting their rates and offers. Websites can also be used together with various CRM software in order to strengthen the existent client relationships. Reservations are processed within a centralized location that is also responsible with availability management. Rates retrieval and reservations are made as efficiently as possible. Hotels will benefit from better yield management and will also reduce other costs as web bookings will not be done anymore through third parties.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop Essay

1.Identify and describe Potbelly’s strategy in terms of product (present or new) and market (present or new). Potbelly’s strategy in terms of product is to offer all sandwiches at one price regardless of what comes on the sandwich. All of the meat is sliced fresh in the store, milkshakes are handmade, and cookies are freshly baked on site. The company hires nice people because they sell an experience, not just a sandwich. Potbelly is focused on selling good food, having a nice environment, and a friendly experience. The store does not necessarily have a marketing budget. The generate promotions based off of store openings or around local charities/programs. At one location they gave away a free sandwich to each person who gave a cash donation for a local organization. 2. How would you describe Potbelly’s positioning strategy? Potbelly has many different stores that range in many different sizes. Some stores are very small and based in airports, other stores are very large. Many stores have an outdoor patio area during warmer months. Potbelly selects mostly urban locations where there are not a lot of sandwich chains. The stores are homey and even provide real books for customers to read or borrow. The main market for Potbelly is young professionals under the age of 35. 3. What types of environmental opportunities and threats to you see in Potbelly’s external environment? How might they impact Potbelly’s current strategy? I personally feel that Potbelly has a great thing going for them. Compared to other sandwich chains they are not the same in any way. Locally, the main stores that come to my head are Subway, Jimmy Johns, and Hungry Hobo. These stores are all based on very fast service. You are more than welcome to sit down and eat, but nothing really keeps you there besides the food. Potbelly offers an experience with each meal. Some locations have live music that you can enjoy or books that you can sit and read. You are offered more than just a table to eat at when you are at Potbelly’s; you are offered a complete experience.

Life Span and Development and Personality

Life Span Development ad Personality Christina Schwartz PSY/300 17 March 2013 Richard Alpert Abstract I have selected a famous individual from the 20th and/or 21st century; Princess Diana. I conducted research concerning the background of Diana to determine what forces impacted her life from the viewpoint of developmental psychology. Diana Frances Spencer, better known as Princess Diana or Lady Di was born in 1961 in Norfolk; she was the younger daughter of Edmund Roche and Frances Rosche. In 1964 Diana’s parents divided and her mother remarried Peter Kydd.Diana’s education came from a private boarding school for girls in Norfolk. In 1977, after finishing her education Diana went to see her father to join him and her sister Sarah in attending an event knowing that wealthy upper class royalty were on the guest list. This would be the first encounter with Charles the Prince of Whales, but it wasn’t until a 1980 festivity after a polo match that she would run into P rince Charles again. Fast forward a little over a year to February 1981 when Prince Charles proposed, and Diana accepted; the engagement was officially announced on February 24th at a press conference.During that press conference the two were asked if they were in love, Diana responded with ‘of course’ and Charles with ‘whatever love is’ which much later in time would be reflected back on revealing a more accurate image of what the marriage truly entailed (Reynolds, 2011). Diana was born into wealth and royalty with her father Earl Spencer who was a personal aide to King George VI and to Queen Elizabeth II, and the godson of Queen Mary. (Lewis, 2013) After Diana’s parents divorced in 1964 her father gained guardianship of the children and her mother somewhat disconnected herself from their lives after running away with a wealthier man.Diana being born into royalty, and being subjected to a certain lifestyle, a certain expectation of future endeavors and relationships from infancy set the tone in her future and what was to come. Although Diana’s road to love, happiness, and a family would come, it had its difficult times, as a young child the absence of her mother was difficult to handle. Diana had feelings of abandonment and rejection after her mother left, but took comfort in caring for her youngest sibling; her brother Charles (Princess-Diana. om, 2013). Taking the motherly role for her younger brother came naturally, and with this would come the interest in being around and caring for younger children, along with having a family of her own some day. Although hereditary traits along with environmental factors influenced Diana’s persona there is a level of moral and cognitive psychological development that is intertwined with her experiences. Moral development has a biological emphasis, which focuses on characteristic goodness of individuals.In the midst of the engagement announcement and planning a wedding with Prince Charles Diana had her first of many negative experiences with the paparazzi. One of the first popular images that caused uproar in the royal family was taken by cleaver paparazzi while Diana was attending to a kindergarten class. He positioned Diana and two children strategically with the sun beaming down behind them while Diana was wearing a thin white skirt, which revealed a silhouette of her legs; from the moment the photo was published Diana learned she could not be so trusting of others and built a guard to the outside world.At first it may have been a subconscious defense mechanism, but it developed into something much more serious. B. F. Skinner who developed a personality theory stated, â€Å"Personality is acquired and maintained through the use of positive and negative reinforcers† (Credo, 2001). Although Diana was born into royalty she did not carry a high profile until the relationship with Prince Charles, the significance of her appearance in general, much less in the media never crossed her mind.This experience was a turning point in her life that leads us to believe she carried traits that associate with Skinner’s behavioral theory. Diana had to learn the hard way that not everyone in her forthcoming life would be her friend. The famous photo symbolizes Diana’s trust in others being taken advantage of as a negative reinforcement; she would never allow such a thing to happen to her again. Although the chaos of the photo eventually passed in hindsight the photo was just the precursor of what was to come.After marriage and children Diana became known for her charity work and her loving, charismatic personality. Social-cognitive theories emphasize interactions between a person and events according to (Credo, 2001). One might say social-cognitive personality theories contradict with Diana’s personality; one also might say this theory is what turned Diana into the iconic humanitarian she was. All individuals endure n egative experiences but we also learn from them through reinforcement and through revision of outcomes.Diana took her experiences good and bad and used it as motivation to do worthy things for other people. B. F. Skinner believed that positive behavior, which receives positive reinforcement, causes the individual to adjust displays of process and the same with negative actions and reinforcements. Diana faced some serious challenges in her lifetime being in the public eye and the wife of a Prince as well as the mother of two boys, William and Henry. With the media watching the families every move it was only a matter of time until the truth was leaked out.The truth, being that Diana was living in a world full of lies and betrayal. Through the years there had been speculation of Charles’ infidelity, with a life long friend Camilla. It wasn’t until Diana un-expectantly showed up at the country home in Highgrove and found the house a mess, with couch cushions on the floor, bath towels dirtied and so fourth; it was obvious what was taking place. Through this period Charles accused Diana of self-mutilation, being depressed, eating disorders, and even possible boarder line personality disorder, which was never confirmed.With the deterioration of the marriage full fledged it wasn’t long before Diana had her own lover outside of her marriage as well. During such a destructive time in Diana’s marriage, family, and life in general she still managed to continue and expand on her charity work. In 1987 Diana visited the first ward for AIDS sufferers in Britain (Reynolds, 2011). She expressed empathy and concern for the ill individuals as well as those within the Red Cross and other charities. The ability to do for others while her marriage and family are being torn apart in the public eye displays characteristics of a truly remarkable human being.The cognitive-social approach states â€Å"personality reflects a constant interplay between environ mental demands and the way the individual process information about the self and the world† (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). It seems as though Diana made a conscious decision to not let the media, or the position she held as the Princess of Whales to make or break her interest in charitable work and motherhood. Through the divorce of the couple Diana was forced to detach from more than 100 charities she associated with, but continued to work for the ones she could.She was able to take her negative experiences in her marriage, process them mentally, accept them emotionally and move forward with her son’s and a new life. The strength she portrayed in front of the world signifies behavioral characteristics of cognitive-social theories, even more so after her tragic death. Before, during, and after Diana’s death individuals still find her work notable and encouraging; it is not often this world has been touched by someone so heartfelt and caring, even through the trials a nd tribulations of her life.References 1. (Reynolds, 2011) http://www. oxforddnb. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/view/article/68348? docPos=1 2. (Lewis, 2013) http://womenshistory. about. com/od/diana/p/princess_diana. htm 3. (Princess-Diana. com, 2013) http://www. princess-diana. com/diana/childhood. htm 4. (Credo, 2001) http://www. credoreference. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/entry/worldsocs/personality_theories 5. (Kowalski & Westen, 2011) https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader. aspx

Gun safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gun safety - Essay Example Top scoring shooters who are likewise nationals of the USA can work their path to the top, and on the off chance that they meet the prerequisites of International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Shooting Sports Foundation (ISSF), and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), they could be selected for the US Shooting Team (USST). There are two essential sorts of compressed air firearm ammo; pellets and Bbs. Pellets weigh significantly short of what gun shots, which make the striking vitality considerably less. They are formed from delicate lead and most are hour-glass molded which provides for them expanded soundness in flight. They are intended for each compressed air firearm and arrive in a mixture of head shapes. Pellets may be shot in either smoothbore or rifled barrels, not at all like Bbs which ought to be discharged just through smoothbore barrels. Pellet quality is second in imperativeness just to the general nature of the compressed air firearm itself. In rivalry, the .177 gauge is viewed as standard. This is accurate in different sorts of rivalry, from the BB firearm through the Olympic-evaluation air rifles and guns. There are four fundamental sorts of pellets: woodcutter, utilized for paper target rivalry; pointed, intended for field use, generating more dynamic vitality for entrance; empty point, utilized for shape rivalry and field utilize; and round nose, acknowledged for any use requiring thump down force. The round BB is the most well known compressed air firearm ammo and is created out of either steel or lead. Firearm safety is essential for any holder or client of a BB weapon or pellet firearm. Adolescent shooters must be managed by an educated grown-up at whatever point utilizing the weapon. Grown-ups and kids ought to deliberately read and see all guidelines that accompany their compressed air firearm, and comprehend the correct safe

Groupthing theory research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Groupthing theory - Research Paper Example Therefore, Janis’ theory is often reconsidered and complemented by the modern researchers and scientists, who are focused on pros and cons of groupthink. Theory reflections in literature In accordance with Cottam, Dietz-Uhler, Mastors, and Preston (2004) it should be noted that groupthink does not belong to critical thinking based on a detailed discussion of the given problem or relevant issues. There is no process of group argumentation analysis and there is no proper analysis and evaluation of ideas validity testing. One of the main drawbacks of group thinking is the absence of an individual contribution to critical thinking. People think together and very often their ideas are mixed, some of the group members can feel frustrated, confused or even misconceive their initial ideas. Therefore, it is relevant to fight for individuality of thinking. This kind of thinking can be considered in case of solidarity of thinking among group thinkers (Cottam, Dietz-Uhler, Mastors, and Pr eston, 2004). Cohesiveness is the required condition for proper functioning of group thinking in an effective and efficient manner. It should be also noted that effective groupthink is based on two other conditions, such as ideal group structure and a favorable environment for groupthink. The group structure can be endangered in case of a lack of access to information or inability to reflect various opinions. In case there is a self-concentrated leader in the group, he can hardly establish favorable conditions for a sound development of ideas among other members. Groupthink occurs, when the members of the group are sure that their common decision is right and do not listen to any other ideas or consider them wrong (Ahlfinger & Esser, 2001). In the result of such a reservation of thinking, the members of the group become close-minded and they are not focused on their risky actions. Moreover, in case a group feels external pressure in order to reach conformity, they cannot confirm the unity and soundness of their thinking as well. Therefore, it is evident that groupthink is a challenging matter and a complex stage of decision-making process. In accordance with Ahlfinger & Esser (2001) Janis identified other important facts of groupthink. The first fact is that group members do not accept any alternatives; the second fact is that there are no clearly set goals of decision-making. They are not focused on potential risks of their decisions or cannot identify their preferred choice. A lack of information or inability to process information correctly or develop future contingency plans are also intimidating factors for a proper groupthink (Park 1990, Rogelberg, 1999). In case these facts are evident, there will be a poor outcome of decision-making process. These researchers underline that there are many other factors undermining effective groupthink, which should be studied properly (Shmidt, Zapalski, and Toole, 2005). In case a biased leader is present in the group, he may lead to imbalanced groupthink, because this leader will produce the main decisions and ideas. In accordance with another suggestion, a lack of conformity among group members will cause a poor decision making process. There are two main kinds of leaders, such as nonpromotional leaders and promotional leaders (Kim, 2001). In the former case, the leader did not exert much influence on the members of the group and did not foster his ideas. In the second case, the leader

New Zealand Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

New Zealand Politics - Essay Example 457). There can never be a given party dare to jeopardy proceeding to determining election ahead of utilising political marketing tolls with the intention of understanding the New Zealand citizens and have a competitive advantage (Lees-Marshment, 2009). The politicians utilize all pre-elections strategies available, they rebrand themselves; they exploit e-marketing services, conduct research on their opponents and do multiple direct campaigns. In the 2008 election campaigns, the political parties utilised most of these tools, which is no different in 2014. The political parties are relying on all their supporters to vote for them in the coming elections. The Electoral Act of 1993 provides for and governs the present electoral system in New Zealand. New Zealand is a monarchy under the constitution. The Head of State is her majesty Elizabeth II Queen of England for the modelling of the government is adopts British parliamentary system. This is state has a prime minister who heads the opposition and a resident governor general representative of the British monarch. The parliament is New Zealand’s House of Representatives. The prime ministers and the ministers of the crown make up the cabinet. Cabinet members are the members of parliament. New Zealand is a representative democracy and its members of parliament their election is in every three years in the general elections, which are free and fair. Democracy entails fair and periodic elections. The state’s next universal elections will be on 20th September 2014. All the citizens and permanent residents of at least eighteen years old ought to register as voters though not obligatory for them to vote. Nevertheless, the voter turnout in this state is quite high when com pared to other countries (Immigration, 2014). According to Hillman (2009, p.472), â€Å"People may refrain from voting because they think that the probability of their

Unit 2 Seminar public health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 2 Seminar public health - Essay Example The field entails bringing various resources, systems and techniques so as to maximize on the use of medical knowledge wealth, drug breakthroughs and technological advances available. Medical informatics services can be of help in various health settings, including hospital care, rehabilitation centers, primary care facilities and general practice (John, 2009). Health informants can be used to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of a given health facility. The commonest areas that require their services are the administrative, clinical and medical information (O’Carrol, 2010). For instance, there is a great emphasis for implementing a uniformed system of storing medical records electronically. Not only does it cut down health care cost, but also improves the general quality of care of clients. Furthermore, it also has an impact on billing, scheduling, sharing medical information and clinical research. Health communication and information provided by health informants have really been applied in the hospitals in a number of ways. Doctors generally take opportunity of the constantly expanding knowledge base which enables them to make decisions based on latest information. By health informants providing information on effectiveness of certain drugs, doctors eliminate some prescription mistakes they commit (O’Carrol,

Globally, what is the commercial and residential use and reliance on Research Paper

Globally, what is the commercial and residential use and reliance on oil - Research Paper Example Department of Energy, 2008). Distillate fuel oils which include diesel fuel and home heating oil have a wide range of applications. They are used as fuel in diesel engines, electrical power generation, railroad engines, and agricultural machinery. Distillate fuel oils make up about 23.5% of all oils used in the U.S. (U.S. Department of Energy, 2008). Kerosene-type jet fuel is used in aircraft engines powered by turbines and contributes to 9.2% of total oil and oil products used in the U.S. The manufacture of electrodes and chemical products involves the use of petroleum coke as a raw material. This oil product is produced as a residue from oil distillation process in oil refineries. Petroleum coke is also used to generate heat in steel industry ovens (U.S. Department of Energy, 2008). This accounts for 4.9% of oil used in the global market. Refining process also produces residual fuel oil which is a heavy fuel used in shipping, factories, and for the generation of electric power. Residual fuel oil accounts for 3.8% of all oil uses in all sectors of the global economy (Duggan-Haas et al, 2011). The heaviest residual in the oil refineries called bitumen is used in various constructions in works such as playgrounds, highways, sidewalks and roads. Petrochemicals used in the manufacture of synthetic goods are also manufactured using oil as the raw material. Moving parts of machines wear out due to friction. Oil lubricants such as grease are used in moving parts of engines, machines, and equipment (U.S. Department of Energy 2008). Most of domestic lighting and heating uses kerosene as fuel. Kerosene is one of the lightest products from the oil refinery process. Other products of oils refining process such as olefins, methane, and ethane among others are used in petrochemical manufacturing. They are used in domestic gas cookers and other gas tanks. Currently fossil fuels and natural gas contribute 87 percent of

My Familys experience with cities over the past three generations Essay

My Familys experience with cities over the past three generations - Essay Example Who could have blamed them Over the past sixty years, Santiago has seen numerous political rebellions and battles which finally lead to a nearly twenty year dictatorship. If my mother finally decided to move to the United States, it is, to my opinion only because of me and the opportunity she had for all of us. Wouldn't we have been there, she would have remained in Santiago. In this essay, I will present the ties my family and I have to our cities and explain on what they rely and their differences. I will try to show that even though we were all born and raised in the same place, our point of view at the same age - 20 - were totally different and the way that we have lived our lives there reflects it. We will see that the city is a My Grandmother, Liliana Domingo, was born in Santiago, Chile in 1942 and since than has been living all her life there. In 1962, at the age of 20, she was working at a local hospital as a nurse. That year marked the fourth anniversary of the president's Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez election. He was promoting foreign investments and free enterprise. The political developments were easily seen in Santiago and often noticed by my grandmother. She started nursing more and more foreigners who were visiting the country for business. It was this people who participated to the modernization of the city. She soon began to think that maybe one day Santiago will become an international city just like London, Paris or New York. These believes helped her in her everyday life which was not so easy. As both a working woman and mother she was busy 24 hours a day, barely finding some time to rest. She woke up very early in order to prepare the entire family, went to work, on her way back did the groceries and finally took care of dinner for all. In the meantime her Santiago was changing. The tramway nearly disappeared, leaving the empty space for buses and trolleybuses. She found it amazing as she never could take the tramway to go to work and spent an hour walking to the hospital. When the buses arrived, it took her only twenty minutes to go to work as the bus was passing just in front of her house leaving her just two blocks away from the hospital. Buses and Trolleys were principally of European origin. As she recalled treating European patients, she was proud in believing that she helped, in a certain way, create this new system of transportation. This is what Santiago was for her, a sort of haven. Though she spent most of her time working at the hospital or at home, she found it much more easier now because of all the new transportations available in the city. Her opinion was that this is the kind of means that a city has to put up in order to make people's life easier and more pleasant. Electricity, water and gas were now available to everybody. Schools, universities were spreading. It was alike a new city was being built just on top of the new one and an extraordinary quantity of opportunities at the same time. Santiago, in 1962, according to my grandmother was an example of modernity combined with a respect of a good and decent way of living; I believe even before my mother reached 20, that my

Case analise Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analise - Case Study Example However, the presence of a larger company developed to cater to the same market – You Bar – presented a challenge as the company was still in a stage of infancy (Shein, 2011). Another huge issue is the nature of the business which operates in the food sector rather than being a technological startup which comparatively attracts more investment. The company which caters to the organic market possesses a great potential for growth. The market segment catering to health conscious consumers of food is untapped and offering organic foods will help the company develop a hold. Hence, the company has a great potential for growth as consumer preferences have affirmed the need for having organic food products in the market, especially organic energy bars. The best possible way for Miller to achieve financing is to convince venture capitalists of the value of the company. Asking a bank for a loan without material assets will not be good option. However, Miller could use his persuasive presentation skills in order to convince venture capitalists to invest in the company. Additionally, Miller could have the startup entered into an accelerator that could give capital in return for a certain percentage of equity. In this way, the business could also get mentorship to enhance the business that could help the business grow. The valuation of Element Bars is indeed a difficult task due to the lack of any company owned equipment. The fact that the company uses ovens from a wedding baker and does not won its own equipment makes the calculation difficult (Shein, 2011). Also, the fact that the company is not a technological startup and an fact a business dealing in tangible food products necessitates the presence of a sizeable inventory or some equipments that are required during production. I would therefore estimate the net worth of all the production inputs and additional effort by the founders involved. As such its net worth should be

Strategic Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Management - Coursework Example Coca Cola itself has stated growth rates with the gradual diversification policy. According to its reports for the year 2013 and third quarter, the overall sales rose by a figure of 2 percent and this was largely attributed to the policies in context of diversification (Trefis, 2013). This in turn brought about a balance to the company’s standing and performance with regard to the previous quarter’s performance.. Diversification is a process when the given company changes its focus from one particular product or item to multiple items and services. This brings along various considerations, challenges and questions with regard to future trends, policies, and actions along with marketing patterns that are needed to be kept intact. This scrapbook looks into these dimensions in case of two globally recognized brands of beverages namely Pepsi Co and Coca Cola. Each has over period of time moved from single item to diversified product and service delivery. Coca Cola’s diversification plan and products delivery came about in the form of Coke Diet, Fanta, Sprite, Mineral water and various other side products that have given Coca Cola an impetus in the market in terms of sales (Volkman, 2014) Such a process of diversification brings along strategic management principles and actions with itself. These include the concept of layout, feasibility against the new product and the communication, promotion and marketing strategy against the given items that are aimed at for expansion. Coca Cola’s diversification plan and products delivery came about in the form of Coke Diet, Fanta, Sprite, Mineral water and various other side products that have given Coca Cola an impetus in the market in terms of sales (Volkman, 2014) The process of diversification opens with itself the new horizons of expanded market. The expanded market in turn leads to increased demand, expanded supply chain network and insuring the timely delivery of products and services.

Importance of English Essay Example for Free

Importance of English Essay By using language someone could make statements, convey facts and knowledge, explain or report something, and keep social relations among the language users. These indicate that by means of language, people can express their ideas, feeling, information etc through communication. Ladies and Gentlemen, As one of language in the world, English is considered and applied as international language. Since then, it is very popular and have been spoken and learnt by almost people in the world. There are some reasons why English is important and many people attempt to learn it. Some of them are: for finding job, traveling, interacting one each other, doing business, taking examination, doing research, writing in the foreign language, etc. Ladies and Gentlemen, In such developing country like Indonesia, English has a vital role in all aspects of life, particularly in science and technology. Furthermore, it can be used for developing relationships in the international forum, for reading English book (especially for students from primary school up to colleges/university), to tighten the relationship among nations in the world, etc. As students, we learn English are intended to obtain various knowledge, to comprehend and understand the textbooks learned in English, to gain knowledge and skills, and to be ready enter to the university, as one of the test requirements for students of senior High School (SMA), etc. Looking at the above important roles of English, that is why English is very important to understand and to master by every people throughout the world since before. My brothers and sisters! At the end of my speech, I will quote a wise expression This expression reminds us how importance of English for human life is. As global or universal language, English is not only enables us to communicate and interact with every people throughout the world, but also it could alter our life to be better. Furthermore, we also must be aware that the western countries play extra ordinary role in developing and keeping science and technology. Thus, if we want to be a skilful scientists, linguists, and be able to compete with the other countries in the world, we must understand, master and learn the language they use, namely English. Ladies and Gentlemen, Before ending this speech, let me conclude the essential points of my speech: 1. English is highly necessary to be learned and mastered by everyone, in order to be able to compete in the globalization era; 2. English is a key to open and master science and technology, because most of scientists write their experts and inventions in English. 3. As students of high school (SMA), we have to prepare ourselves by learning hard, particularly English as well as the other subjects at school; 4. By mastering English enables us to become survive and go anywhere throughout the world; Goethe (a Greek philosopher) has ever said: â€Å"Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do† Remember: Language indicates Nation. And Don’t Forget â€Å"English is a bridge for the future† Ladies and Gentlemen, I think it’s completely enough for me to this point. The wrong utterances are caused by limitation of my ability and the right one is merely from Allah SWT. So, I beg your pardon, finally I say.

Relationship Between Mind And Body

Relationship Between Mind And Body The relationship between the mind and body has been a preoccupation among philosophers since the Greek antiquity, with famous writers such as 5th Century philosopher Plato, and his student Aristotle. Ideas concerning the mind and body originate as far back as Platos and Aristotles time, whereby they questioned whether or not intelligence is connected with the body. In the 16th Century, Michel de Montaigne treated the same question again, and it was then continued in the 17th Century but by Renà © Descartes and Blaise Pascal. Their point of view is diverse and the conclusion that they reach upon at times is somewhat in a way satisfying to each other or plain rejects. Before embarking on the essay, a brief explanation on their works will be examined. Michel de Montaigne was one of the most influential yet sceptical writers of the 16th Century, especially with his Essais being a compilation of various short topics describing man and human nature. His essays had direct influence on other classical thinkers such as Renà © Descartes and Blaise Pascal. Blaise Pascal was not only an influential French philosopher, but he was also a French mathematician and physicist. His unfinished most famous work in philosophy, Pensà ©es, is a series of philosophical sections and essays, whereby Pascal identifies and explores the contradictions of human nature with regards to psychology and sociology. Pascal used his personal thoughts and opinions concerning human suffering and religious beliefs to write this philosophy towards the close of his life. French philosopher, but also a mathematician and scientist Renà © Descartes, had published two well known philosophical works in history called Discours de la Mà ©thode and Mà ©ditations Mà ©taphysiques. Descartes main goal was to present us with a series of thoughts that he took into consideration, in order to shed light on his views on God and the existence. Rà ©ne Descartes was, by nature a dualist. In fact, he created the notion of Cartesian dualism and was the first person to clearly classify the mind with consciousness and to differentiate this from the brain, which held intelligence. Cartesian dualism viewed that ones intelligence cannot be touched and is non-physical. He was the first to create the mind and body problem, an issue which tried to question how the mind and body can interact, especially if the mind is based solely on thought and the body is purely an addition. This was the basic breadth of the mind-body debate which began during the times of Plato and Aristotle and extended long past Descartess death. Aristotle believed mind was connected to the soul. The mind is the soulss object, which becomes active only when it thinks. The soul, which is also known as the intellect, does not work unless it is thinking. Therefore, it is unlikely that it would be mixed with the body. Aristotle was therefore a thinker who was more concerned with the metaphysical concepts. Platos thought was more based on concrete principles of the natural world. While Aristotle described the levels of reality, Plato focused on subjects such as how one could be of a righteous character, and therefore a better person within themselves. Cartesian dualism permits both these theories to work together in order to be recognised as one. Descartes, like Montaigne and Pascal to some extent, were philosophers who all had different ways of going about their works. Descartes used more indirect means of philosophising. Meanwhile, Pascal would have been purposely direct and informative, as a mathematician who drew on his knowledge of the sciences in order to develop his conclusions. On the other hand, Montaigne studied himself with subjects such as religion, philosophy, humanism as he believed this was crucial in order to describe human nature. These three Frenchmen contrasted with their views regarding the mind and the body. While Descartes thought that the mind was separate from the body, Montaigne along with Pascal definitely would have argued that the mind was part of the physical body. Obviously, there are good arguments for and against these two very different views, which will be explained. Montaigne preferred to make his opinions clear by providing facts in order to attempt to uncover the truth, providing the readers a chance to analyse his thoughts personally. His aim was to describe man and human nature by using memory as a description to address his topic. This is what he did to highlight his view on the mind and body. He argued that the development of the mind is connected to the body and expressed how he believed the imagination is the drive for the downfall of the body. His philosophy regarding these two substances is one of which explains his view that a healthy mind comes from the studies of other great writers. Lame que loge la philosophie doit, par sa santà ©, render sain encores le corps. (Montaigne: 208: 1969) He argues that anyone who is taught by the philosophy of past great writers will have the perfect body, as he believes thinking for oneself is truly unhealthy for the body and mind. Therefore, according to him there is only one type of education whic h should be used, based purely on thoughts of the past to achieve both a healthy body and mind. In order to transform a child to becoming a well formed healthy man, there should be a connection between the mind and body. Throughout De Linstitution des enfants Montaigne proves his opinions for training both body and mind and therefore the tutor is responsible for this training as ce nest pas assez de luy roidir lame; il luy faut ausi roidir les muscles. (Montaigne: 201: 1969) When training the body, two advantages appear. Firstly, the mind is able to relax and secondly the body is able to build itself for the prevention of illnesses. Therefore, the mind cannot work unless the body has been trained. Furthermore, tout lieu retirà © requiert un proumenoir. Mes pensees dorment, si je les assis. Mon esprit ne va pas seul, comme si les jambes lagitent. Ceux qui estudient sans livre, en sont tous là  . (Montaigne: 76: 1993) Even though he was distracted by his books, he persists that one cannot achieve the pleasure of reading unless our mind and body are exercised in the correct manner. There is a healthy regime of the mind no less than of the body, and in fact the two are inseparable. An inquiring mind will be just as active as a healthy body in the pursuit of its interests. (ONeill: 101:2001) According to Montaigne, it is common for one to believe that the mind operates in a different manner to the body. But, even the active life of the body is inseparable from intelligence which itself is not exercised simply by closing ones eyes. (ONeill: 101: 2001) Thus, one should not separate these two elements. We can understand that Montaigne fully believes in this connection. Descartes was able to make complex philosophical concepts simple by breaking them down into manageable pieces. This is what he tried to do with the mind and body problem in order to insist that they are two unique substances, with the mind being regarded as a non-physical element, without connecting to the body. He therefore believed that he could live without the mind. Secondly, that the mind and the body may be dissimilar but they do interact. Nevertheless, he understands that this relationship is not ideal in that doà ¹ il est entià ¨rement manifeste que, nonobstant la souveraine bontà © de Dieu, la nature de lhomme, en tant quil est composà © de lesprit et du corps, ne peut quelle ne soit quelquefois fautive et trompeuse. (Descartes: 89:1992) The mind and body are surely two separate things in some senses of the word, but Descartes could have seamlessly made these two entities dualist aspects that can and must be separated. This is because intelligence comes from a place which cannot be defined. One cannot control the human mind and simply confine it to the body, because intelligence is completely separate from ones physical capabilities. For example, if one were to be paralysed from the neck down, Descartes would argue that the mind would still be unharmed. Similarly, someone could be unconscious but their brainwaves could still be functioning well. Since he believed in the power of the mind and intelligence, he was a deep thinker. Descartes argues, quil y a une grande diffà ©rence entre lesprit et le corps, en ce que le corps, de sa nature, est toujours divisible, et que lesprit est entià ¨rement indivisibleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. je considà ¨re mon esprit, cest-à  -dire moi-mà ªme en tant que je suis seulement une chose qui pense, je ny puis distinguer aucunes parties, mais je me conà §ois comme une chose seule et entià ¨reà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.lesprit semble à ªtre uni à   tout le corps, toutefois un piedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ou quelque autre partie à ©tant sà ©parà ©e de mon corps, il est certain que pour cela il ny aura rien de retranchà © de mon esprit. (Descartes: 86: 1992) Descartes disputes that the mind and body are separable, and argues that the mind is different to the body and therefore one can exist without the use of the other. Furthermore, to clarify this argument, Descartes gives an explanation of the body. If man loses a limb or part of their body, they have not lost the mind. According to Descartes , the mind is the core element that makes him aware that he exists. His well known philosophical quotation je pense donc je suis (Descartes: 110: 2000) is connected to this theory of dualism as it forms the basis of it. According to him, we exist due to the fact that we think. He realises that he has a working mind, without being entirely sure that he has a body. The combination of mind and body presents Descartes views of a genuine human being (Cottingham: 7:1999). He realised that a problem could not simply be analysed on the common sense level. Moreover, his statement cest-a-dire lame par laquelle je suis ce que je suis, est entierement distincte du corps, (Descartes : 111 :2000) can assert that the soul is the fundamental self, in contrast to the Thomist thesis that a human being is essentially a composite of body and soul. (Moriarty : 142: 2003) It is possible for one to doubt everything from God to ones body, but it is not possible for one to deny the fact that there is a consciousness, which led him to this famous motto. He realised doubting t he truth would be the only manner in which he would find out what was essentially true regarding the mind and body. However, he managed to put this aside and found one true belief, cogito ergo sum. (Descartes: 110:2000. His belief in God is strong, as he believes God is all-powerful. This enables him to believe that anything he wishes to visualise is without a doubt possible. If he can prove Gods existence, then he will be able to confirm other truths in life. Since the mind and body can be considered clearly as separate, it means that it is possible for God to make it happen. Descartes is not exactly clear on the connection between mind and body, but we can deduce from his work that he did not think they were related. Even though this was the case, he still discusses at some length the nature of the union of the human mind with its body. (Wilson: 177: 1982) Most likely, Descartes would take a roundabout way at arriving at his conclusions. First, he would take an abstract concept, by using the mind and intelligence as a kind of springboard for talking about other subjects more liberally. Then, he would continue to use evidence to back up his theoretical reasoning, probably using more abstractions to support his theoretical concept. Finally, he would wrap up in summation by using some concrete examples of what he was talking about in abstract terms. He believed in what he thought made him who he was. Un autre est de penser; et je trouve ici que la pensà ©e est un attribut qui mappartient : elle seule ne peut à ªtre dà ©tachà ©e de moi. (Descartes : 2000 : 25) not so with Pascal, who could clearly distinguish between the thought processes and separate that out from himself. Pascal, who preferred making explanations about various aspects of reality difficult and layered it with complicated aspects of knowledge argued against the dualist, and easily made the reverse of the mind and body argument. According to him, doubt could only lead to more doubt. He believed that one could not explain ones existence through reasoning and that man is mostly guided by beliefs and feelings. Therefore, the only solution and help is faith. One can only gain certain knowledge through obedience to God. He also confirmed that one may not be able to use his mind due to a certain reason, but yet his body would be kept physically alive. Je puis bien concevoir un homme sans mains, pieds, tete, car ce nest que lexperience qui nous apprend que la tete est plus necessaire que les pieds. Mais je ne puis concevoir lhomme sans pensee. Ce serait une pierre ou une brute. (Pascal: 107:2000) Therefore, it would seem that the mind and body definitely would be connected. Pascal also believe d in the power of the mind, but his focus was more on the physical and the reality of the body. The body is a concrete substance, and empirical in the sense that its functions can be measured and regulated. In his implications, he will find religious yet ethnical views to explain the mind and body problem. For instance he quotes toute notre dignite consiste donc en la pensee. Cest de là   quil faut nous relever, et non de lespace et de la duree, que nous ne saurions remplir. Travaillons donc a bien penser. Voila le principe de la morale. (Pascal: 171: 2000) It is possible to note his stress on morality here as he wants to acknowledge the suffering of human existence that could be found from these two non-connecting substances. Pascal would have been much more of a mathematical thinker. He thought in a linear fashion, and his arguments were in relation to geometry theorems. First, Pascal would begin with one argument and then logically make sure the other arguments followed in a linear sequence. For example, he would take one statement which would be his main idea. Next, Pascal would most likely support this idea with relevant evidence and facts. He would clearly and succinctly make his case as for why the mind and the body were one and the same element. Pascal was primarily concerned with the differences between the intuitive mind and the mathematical mind. In some ways, this would have been the difference between Descartes, Pascal and Montaigne. The mind and the body are surely two separate things in some senses of the word, but Descartes could have seamlessly made these two entities dualist aspects that can and must be separated. Pascal and Montaigne would have no doubt argued in the contra, that the mind and body are ultimately one and the same. However, any philosopher would see that all three philosophers would have had equally valid arguments in trying to convince people of their view. Each philosopher had very valid points about their own positions that would lend relevance to each of their particular theories. Pascal saw himself as a defender of Christianity, whilst Descartes knew himself as purely a philosopher. Without question, Pascal did take into consideration Descartes belief on the mind and body, but he did not believe that Cartesian Dualism was between the soul and the body, but instead between the infinity of God and sin of men. Montaigne accepted that the mind and body were connected, but should be used in the correct manner in order to work efficiently. Yet, all three thinkers share opinions regarding the creation of human and with this we can discover how they both have certain views in common. They both consider human beings as having a body, mind and thought, and because of this, Pascal regard man as un Roseau pensant. (Pascal: 171: 2000) They also realise that the mind and consciousness can encompass the body. These philosophers were all thinkers who looked at the world from their own perspectives and tried to make sense of their worlds. They tried using reason in order to make deductions and educated guesses, making sure to try their hardest to come to logical conclusions. As we can see, the relationship between the mind and body as conceived by all three philosophers vary. Both Montaigne and Pascal believe in the connection of the mind and the body, but Descartes does not. Pascal was hugely influenced by Montaignes writings and this could be the reason why they shared more of the same thoughts. Descartes was also influenced by the works of Montaigne, but had more of an influence from Aristotle and Plato. Both Montaigne and Pascal were sceptics and therefore questioned and rejected ideas of their times, which resulted in doubt. But whilst Montaigne did not find this a problem, Pascal did as he was over whelmed with religious doubts. Alternatively, Montaigne and Descartes differed because Descartes strongly agreed with the dualist view that the mind and body are independent substances. But, all three philosophers argued in favour of Gods existence. For Montaigne, he argued religion and human values through sceptic philosophy and doubt, Descartes through doubt and Pascal through faith. Descartes chose to understand that the mind must be separate from the body and therefore, intelligence was a nonphysical entity. Pascal and Montaigne thought intelligence and the mind were part of the body and also the same. In that sense, all three men were classically trained philosophical thinkers who followed in the footsteps of their predecessors by rationally deducing logical and well-thought-out arguments. Each of these men should be revered for their great contributions to society. 2990 words

Eros And Civilization Analysis

Eros And Civilization Analysis In order to be able to fully understand this literary piece of work, it is important to first start by defining a few terms that will mostly be referred to in this piece of work; Eros refers to an instinct that works towards self-preservation, pleasure and procreation. When the three are considered in a group, they are what constitute Eros. Civilization is a state or condition of being highly developed and mostly refers to a society that has a very high level of organization culturally and socially. In terms of individuality, civilization refers to a certain level of material comfort which a person is used to and probably would not do without. Repression or suppression, which can be used interchangeably in this context, refers to a psychological mechanism in which people try to protect themselves from harmful or not-so appealing thoughts, by blocking them out of their conscious mind. Capitalism is a free market system in which there is private ownership of capital (means of productio n). Distribution of goods and services is based on a motivation to gain more profits than ones competitors. Instincts are strong freely occurring impulses that occur in the mind to warn somebody about something without necessarily reasoning about it. Sometimes also known as an inborn trait, it is the behavior pattern shaped by biological necessities (Herbert, p.16). Eros and civilization is a piece of literary work done by one Herbert Marcuse who was a German philosopher who lived in the 20th century. The literature revolves around a critique approach to Freuds sociological titled civilization and its discontents. Marcuse begins by giving an elaborate description of biology, which he argues is a fight against suppression of instincts, hence is a force that tries to bring out the best of intuition or the sixth sense as many call it. He continues to argue that capitalism, which is the economic lifestyle that has overtaken society, is up in arms trying all it can to prevent us from reaching the level of a non-repressive society. Herbert continues to say that the theory put forth by Freud that repression is a necessary condition if civilization is to survive in the current. On the contrary, Herbert thinks that Eros is more superficial, constructive and liberating (Herbert, p.16). What Herberts works aims at disapproving is the notion that human instincts and suppression/instincts/superego are always in conflict for survival. Freud argues that the superego is ever in a struggle to follow societys norms and rules at its own expense. In his view, Eros and civilization cannot co-exist, and their clash is what gives rise to a repressed humanity history. He continues to say that it is as a result of suppression of instincts is what has given rise to the modern level of civilization that we are living in today, without which civilization would not have been possible. He gives the example of the sexual instinct. Had it been that human beings give in to this instinct whenever it arises, without a second thought and without channeling that energy into progress, it is likely that there would be no civilization at all in the first place. Herbert comes in to argue that in as much the energy is channeled into progress, human beings do so at the expense of their Eros; pleas ure, procreation and self preservation, which should not be the case. According to Marcuse, progress is just another word for sacrifice of human happiness. He is of the opinion that conflict is not really between work and Eros, but between alienated labor and Eros. To give an example on this, he goes ahead to say that sex, for example, is a preserve of the capitalists, and for the laborers when they are not disturbing progress. He advocates for a socialist society that would not need the performance of the poor top progress, and hence a society that would not deliberately suppress the sexual drives of its inhabitants. Such a society would do away with alienated labor and in its place adopt non-alienated libidinal work. This would then give rise to a non-suppressive civilization. In his view, Herbert confidently infers that instincts are shaped by historical aspects like repression and that today, society suffers from increased suppression which is as a result of contemporary society (Herbert, p.24). The struggle for existence is a dynamic concept that should involve a rationality that subdues repressive reasoning. This way, when happiness and reason converge, they will be able to create their own hierarchy of doing things, their priorities and divisions of labor, without one being repressed to give way to the other. This is the performance principle that should administer things or events, but not people. This is so much in contrast to modern civilization which is nothing more than close coordination and arrangements that must carry recognized authority. Marcuse has established that todays hierarchical civilization does not come easy or with freedom per se, but it all the same comes so strongly because repression has become so effective that it has assumed the position of freedom. An attempt in the abolition of this order of things is seen as a terrorization of freedom, which in essence is nothing more than repression of gratification and pleasure. Freedom, in his perception is not only private, but does not exist in the absence or privacy. So the question arises, does civilization give rise to freedom, and how? If it does not, who is supposed to establish and enforce objective standards? After a closer analysis of other philosophers writings, Marcuse has settled for the idea that creation of a favorable human existence for all people is no longer confined to a selected few. It is now very possible to create happiness, but only if the human consciousness is not arrested and diverted elsewhere. People have the capacity to learn, understand and tell the difference between what can be termed as normal repression and excessive repression. This cannot be achieved overnight, but would, with time, give rise to a utopia society, marked with perfection, happiness and a balance between work and gratification (Herbert, p.27). Major themes raised by Herbert Marcuse In his theory of Eros and civilization, there are many life topics that this philosopher seeks to address. These themes include conflict, happiness, sexual desire/lust, gratification, and exploitation. In the theme of exploitation, we can see that repression is a force applied unconsciously by laborers, so that they can please their employers in the capitalist setting. The employers on the other hand know that their employees are working extra hard at the expense of their happiness, but they do nothing to liberate the employees from this torture. All the employers want is to maximize their profits from the labor of these poor fellows, while at the same time being able to enjoy the finer qualities of life. One of the things that they enjoy freely without having to repress their feeling is sex, as Marcuse says †¦sex is a preserve for the elite†¦ who in this case are non others than the exploitative employers. Life, looking at it from a larger perspective, also exploits the me mbers of society. This is because they put in so much effort into their work, with the hope of being able to enjoy rewarding benefits, but what happens? Life continues to tie them in a cycle of what is commonly referred to as the rat race; putting much effort with little or no rewards to enjoy. Isnt this exploitation (Herbert, p. 36). The theme of happiness comes out so strongly because it is the essence of the writing anyway. Herbert seems to strongly support the idea that happiness should be the essence of living, and anything that derives us of the opportunity to be happy should be done away with or modified to fit into the lifestyle in which we can derive happiness. Marcuse says that a utopia society is possible, a society where everyone is happy, satisfied with life and still enjoys the benefits of labor. He dreams of a society that will not require Eros does not posses a natural self-restraint, delay or detour from the normal course of life. The theme of gratification comes with happiness. Marcuse is of the idea that, when peoples desires are met and they have a sense of gratification, then the most likely thing that will follow is happiness. Gratification comes as a pre-requisite for happiness. When Eros and civilization co-exist at harmonious levels, what results is gratification. Conflict is depicted so clearly when Freud suggests that for there to be civilization, there must be some level repression. Civilization is viewed as progressive development and for progress to be realized, energies that seek gratification must be converted into energy and then directed towards progress. There is conflict of instincts, progress/development and happiness/gratification. This conflict as depicted by Freud is what forms the basis of Herberts critic theory of Eros and Civilization. There is also conflict of ideas in that while one philosopher feels that Eros and civilization cannot co-exist, the other one is of a totally different view and feels that Eros must be present if civilization is to be meaningful (Herbert, p.46). Sexual desire is theme that is sharply projected in Herberts work of Eros and civilization. To Marcuse, the ability to freely express and satisfy sexual desires equate to human liberation. This, he says, has become a preserve for the rich and the elite, while the poor and the less educated are left with nothing but alienated labor that forces them to suppress their desires, with a false hope of becoming civilized. He adopts the Marxist approach and advocates that human beings should adopt play, phantasm and art in order to be able to fully express their real needs and desires. Marcuse sees human beings as the vessels of abundance, with the full potential of gratification of energies and other faculties of existence. Non-repressive civilization is a concept that Marcuse is fond of referring to, having borrowed the idea from Marx, with a great emphasis on sexual liberation. Describe the internal logic of the piece of political philosophy you are reading. This piece of article has a great sense of logic in it, in that it brings out the complete essence of civilization. If civilization is described as the level of material comfort that an individual is able to enjoy and which he hopes to maintain, then it beat logic if man is able to create that wealth, but lacks the freedom or opportunity to enjoy the benefits that come with the wealth, then he might as well not have struggled so much to make that wealth. In as much as Freud argues that some repression is determined by society, Marcuse is of the feeling that some limitations that we impose on ourselves are not necessarily stimulated by an external repressive reality principle. Instincts, he says, are sometimes bound to obey the rules of nature because they happen to have inherent libidinal value. This he goes on to explain saying that there is a great possibility that the sexual instinct in nature has some characteristics that makes it impossible to achieve absolute gratification. Rep ression, if always allowed to dominate the human mind, would more likely than not become barriers to human freedom since they tend to protect that other nature from which pleasure, gratification and happiness originates. Eventually, human beings would not be able to rise to the level of self actualization; neither would they be able to differentiate gratification at the mere sense of the word and happiness as a result of gratification. If human beings concentrated on the pleasure principle, then they would be able to bring together their refusal s and selections, gauge which ones helps to alleviate conflict, pain and frustrations, then these antagonisms would be embedded with the rational mind of gratification ((Herbert, p.74). Pleasure principle is a concept based on psychoanalysis and was developed by Sigmund Freud and Marcuse applies it in his Eros and civilization theory to bring out the close relationship between the strength of Eros and the level of civilization that one can achieve depending on that strength. 6the principle of pleasure states that people are always on the look out for things, activities or events that bring them pleasure and not pain. They are always out to satisfy their biological and psychological needs. On the other hand, and contradictory to the pleasure principle is the reality principle, which tends to postpone gratification when necessary for attainment of a greater need at that moment. The id, which is the selfish nature in human beings, is ruled by the pleasure principle and starts operating when human beings are very young. As they grow older this nature is overtaken by the ego and superego, which teach man to suppress their immediate desires and emotions and to defer grati fication. This is how people learn to reason and to take account the reality principle, which even though seeks pleasure as well, does so in account of reality and hence postpones pleasure. Marcuse is of the idea that id should not be suppressed and should be let to rule, but in a balanced level. If the so much desired pleasure can be attained in the here and now and yet maintain the required level of civilization, then be it whatever the cost (Herbert, p.264). The reality principle on the other hand takes into account the advantage there is in postponing gratification for the sake of attaining a goal that is long lasting and which will provide security in the future. This is where the concept of repression comes in as depicted by Freud. The principle implies that is only desires and pleasures can be suppressed today and that energy directed towards growth and progress, then gratification will come at a later date, with all its benefits because with it will be happiness and satisfaction. To Marcuse, this is flawed thinking because repression of desires and emotions is an injustice to naturally occurring desires and wants. For example, he says, repressing the desire to have sex today in order to enjoy it at a later date when one is economically stable is doing an injustice to this natural biological drive that one is born with. Logically speaking, if these desires were not meant to be satisfied, why then do they exist in the first place? Why does their gratification have to be suppressed all in the name of civilization? In Marcuses words and opinion, it is very possible for these two factors to harmoniously co-exist (Herbert, p.67) Incorporate some historical context surrounding Herbert Marcuse. Herbert Marcuse was a German philosopher born in Berlin in the year 1898 and died in 1979. He was a critical thinker who in his lifetime wrote a lot of philosophical works among them being Eros and Civilization, One dimensional Man and The Aesthetic Dimension. In his early youthful years, he joined the German army and he later found his way into the soldiers council that participated in the Sparta cist uprising where he became a members. By the year 1922 he had completed his Ph.D. thesis at the University of Freiburg. He moved to Berlin after this and worked with a publishing house and while at it met and married Sophie Wertheim, who was a mathematician. In 1924 he and another writer by the name of Martin Heidegger, whom he referred to as his greatest teacher, wrote a book by the title Hegels Ontology and Theory of Historicity, which was later published in the year 1932. In 1933 after Marcuses academic career was blocked by the rise of the Third Reich, he joined the Frankfurt Institu te for Social research. In the same year he published his own review of Marxs Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. This was the first publication that helped him gain a social standing as a theorist of his generation. He did not step here because while still a member is the Institute, he created a model for critical social theory by creating a theory on capitalism. In this theory he described the relationships between philosophy, sociology and cultural criticism. He went ahead and provided a criticism and analysis of German fascism. His works were boosted by the fact that he closely worked with critical theorist while in Frankfurt Institute (Herbert, p.301). In an analysis and critique of Marxs woks, Marcuse argued that many of Marxs thoughts had become too rigid for life and that they needed a phenomenological view in order to become revived and to apply to the modern-day life. This is bearing in mind that Marx had neglected individuality in his writings, yet Herbert was for liberation of humanity from the philosophical ideologies that held him captive. Herbert views a world where society would transform from capitalism to socialism. His study and critique of Hegels Ontology and theory of Historicity also had some major contributions to the Hegel renaissance that took place in Europe around the same time. His was an emphasis on the theory of spirit and dialects, which greatly shaped the outcome of the Hegel. Herbert became quite an observer on anything and everything about society, from politics, to economics to social interactions. So ingrained was he in analyzing society that in 1941 he wrote his own book in English whose title was Re ason and Revolution. The book traced the genesis of Hegel, Marx and modern social theory. In 1934 he had become a social radical and he fled from the Institute of social research in which he was based then and went to the United States where he lived for the rest of his life ((Herbert, p.304). Marcuse served in the Office of Street services and in the government offices in the years between 1941 and 1950. It was his experience in this workforce that led him to write the book Eros and Civilization. In his view, the US government was motivated by a desire to overcome fascism. It was in this book that Herbert tried to synthesize Marx and Freuds ideologies and to bring out an outline of a non-repressive society. He argued that the suggested repressed conscious in human being is expressed through daydreams, works of art, philosophy and other works of cultural projection. In his works, Marcuse hoped to bring out the possible outlines of non-repressive civilization characterized by libidinal and non alienated labor, play, free and open sexuality and liberation of humanity into freedom and happiness. His desire and vision for a liberated society gave shape to many of his 1960s writings and this is what helped him to become a major political, social and intellectual influence durin g his lifetime and years after his death. It was during his tenure at Brandeis University in the year 1958 that Marcuse published a critical study of the Soviet Union (Soviet Marxism) and his view and opinions are what brought to an end the taboo that existed within the government circles of criticizing the USSR and Soviet communism. He distanced himself from those people who had a tendency of viewing Soviet communism as a bureaucratic system that was not capable of reforms and democracy. To him, the Union possessed the potential to become liberal and this indeed was seen in reality in 1980 when the union came under the rule of Gorbavech. In an attempt to theorize the potential decline of capitalism, Marcuse published yet another critical book known as One Dimensional Man in 1964. He argued that the industrial society had succeeded in creating false needs in which individuals would be so much ingrained to satisfy that they would forget about everything else that pertains their lives. Media, industrial management, advertising and contemporary modes of thinking all worked in perfect harmony in order to keep humanity from complaining, negativity and opposition. As a result, man became a one-dimensional creature while his very aptitude and ability for critical thinking withered away. This book was severely criticized by orthodox Marxists and other theorists. However, it remains a great influence in the New Left as it was in the forefront for a demand of revolutionary change that earned Marcuse the respect of new radicals ((Herbert, p.216). Conclusion Eros and Civilization has continued to be a great piece of philosophical criticism that arouses mixed feeling among other philosophers and theorists. Marcuse is today a renowned social, political and economic critic although his influence is slowly but surely waning. However, this fading of his influence can greatly be attributed to the fact that there are not many writings that have followed since the publication of Eros and Civilization to support his works. However, this does not mean that his works have no relevance to the contemporary society we live in today. Marcuse presents humanity with rich and unbeatable philosophical views on human beings and their relationship to society in terms of nature, social theory and radical politics. In addition, Marcuse had a vision of the existence of a liberal, repression-free society that allowed people to attain happiness without necessarily postponing gratification. Marcuse comes out very strongly as a sharp, keen and ever-present social a nalyst. In other writings, he brings out the relationship between technology, economy, and culture and everydays life and even predicts a rapid change. In as much as technology was not so advanced in those days, we in the twenty first century can witness what this philosopher predicated. Marcuse had a great desire to leave behind a legacy and this he achieved without much struggle. Eros and Civilization, if well studied and analyzed forms a basis on which society can become free from oppression and repression and people can learn to live a day at a time. Work cited Herbert M., Eros and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud, London, Routledge, 1987

Characterization in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goo

Characterization in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      The dialogue, action and motivation revolve about the characters in the story (Abrams 32-33). It is the purpose of this essay to demonstrate the types of characters present in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† whether static or dynamic, whether flat or round, and whether protrayed through showing or telling.    There are only three well-developed, or three dimensional characters, in this short story, and they are the protagonist, Goodman Brown, and his wife, Faith, and the fellow-traveller or the devil. Faith is, of course, less well developed than her husband; much of her development comes from inference rather than from action,dialogue and explicitly expressed motivation as in the case of Goodman Brown.    From the very outset of the tale, Goodman is a person of action: â€Å"YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN came forth at sunset, into the street of Salem village, but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife.† The reader sees him develop emotionally even as he walks away towards the woods:    So they parted; and the young man pursued his way, until, being about to turn the corner by the meeting-house, he looked back and saw the head of Faith still peeping after him, with a melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons.    "Poor little Faith!" thought he, for his heart smote him. "What a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand! She talks of dreams, too. Methought, as she spoke, there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done tonight. But, no, no! 'twould kill her to think it. Well; she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I'll cling to h... ...h these grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins, there were men of dissolute lives and women of spotted fame, wretches given over to all mean and filthy vice, and suspected even of horrid crimes.    In this essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† we have seen that the narrator’s use of the showing technique presents two dynamic characters, three round characters and a host of undeveloped, static characters.    WORKS CITED    Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† 1835. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~daniel/amlit/goodman/goodmantext.html    Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989.

A Holiday For Murder :: essays research papers

Part 1, Chapter 1. A man called Stephen gets off a train and he is set on doing something that he has planned to do for a long time. The man is from Africa because he said that he felt homesick. Was three days before Christmas. Uses words like DrabSaw a beautiful girl sitting on the train. She looked out of place. Part 1, Chapter 2.Pilar, the girl narrates. She was also set to do something. She saw a good looking man in the corridor. He walked in to talk to her. Gave what both people are thinking while they are talking to one another. They talked about how much they hated England. Pilar came from Spain. A war was on at the time. She told a story of when her driver was killed by a bomb: she did not seem to care! (P5)He told her about Africa and a story of when he was a kid. Part 1, Chapter 3. A bunch of people talking about their father. They talk of how much they hate him, and how they want to break their chains. Lydia had a garden with a number of scenes that she had made the garden to look like. One of the scenes was the Dead Sea. Butler had been at the house for forty years. Part 1, Chapter 4.Two, David and Hilda, talking about the man's mother and how she was humiliated by his father with his affairs that he boasted about. The mother was not able to devorce because of the times. Blames his father for his mothers' death. He had not seen his father since he started college because of a dispute between what he wanted to do and what his father wanted him to do. Part 1, Chapter 5. George Lee and his wife are talking about his father's great wealth. "A millionaire twice over, I believe." (George:P17)Made his money from mining South African Diamonds.Georges' sister died a year before the time of the book. Harry is the brother who went travelling the world, and often sent messages to wire him money. He usually got money from his father even though he had a huge fight with his father before he left because his father wanted him to do something with his life. Part 1, Chapter 6. The old man and Lydia talking about the two mysterious people that were supposed to show up the next day.

Huck Finn: Appearance Versus Reality

Many people in this world will believe in the first impression they get. The appearance people see will usually satisfy them without further investigating into the reality of a situation. The difference between appearance and reality can be quite different. This also applies to literature. There are many instances where an author will describes a character as kind, but is actually deceptive and mean. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are characters and situations that show how appearances can differ from reality.The three main instances are the Grangerford and Shepherdson feud, through the Duke and the Dauphin, and Miss Watson. The difference between appearance and reality is easily seen through the Grangerford and Shepherdson feud. They are two families who appear to be very classy. Huck believes them to be noble families. Huck shows that he believes this when he says, â€Å"There was another clan of aristocracy around there – five or six families â€⠀œ mostly by the name of Shepherdson. They was as high-toned and well born and rich and grand as the tribe of Grangerfords† (142).The two families show that this is not how they really are when they shoot at each other and try to kill one another. Col. Grangerford is also a man who is not who he appears to be. He is the head of the Grangerford family and in Huck’s eyes, is the perfect man. Huck says, â€Å"COL. Grangerford was a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family† (140). Huck sees a man who is kind and perfect. The reality is that Col. Grangerford allows for the continuing slaughter of two families over a feud they don’t even remember how it started. Col. Grangerford is actually the exact opposite of the person he appears to be.The Grangerford faTmily is overall not who they seem to be. They appear to be kind and thoughtful, yet they partake in the owning of slaves. Huck finds out that the Grangerford family owns many fa rms with over a hundred slaves. The Grangerford’s could not possibly be good people and treat hundreds of people with disdain. The Grangerford and Shepherdson families are perfect examples of people are not who are not who they appear to be. The Duke and the Dauphin are two men who fake their appearance for a living. As con-men, they rely on people to believe in their appearance.The episode of the Royal Nonesuch illustrates how the Duke and the Dauphin swindle people. They put up posters around the town stating that there would be a performance of the Royal Nonesuch for three nights. The tricksters’ plan was to charge the villagers to get in to the performance, and then the Dauphin would cut the performance extremely short. They achieved this and made a large sum of money. They also use their ability to fake their appearance to gain special treatment from people. This was seen when the Duke said, â€Å"I will reveal it to you, for I feel I may have confidence in you. By rights I am a duke† (163)!The Dauphin quickly followed the Duke’s lead and said, â€Å"You ain’t the only person that’s ben snaked down wrongfully out’n a high place/ Bilgewater (the duke), I am the late Dauphin† (164/165)! By claiming that they are people of high stature Huck and Jim believe that they should be treated like royalty. However, Huck was smart enough to be able to identify the men as fakes and see past their appearance. That prevented Huck from completely following the men as a servant. The Duke and the Dauphin also show that if we just accept people for whom they appear to be, we could get hurt. The episode with the inheritance claim is an example of this.The family believed the Duke and Dauphin to be the uncles of the Wilks nieces and therefore claim the six thousand dollars. People such as the Duke and the Dauphin use people’s compellation to believe in appearances to survive. Not everyone takes advantage of peopleà ¢â‚¬â„¢s awareness toward others; some, like Miss Watson, are actually better people than their appearance dictates. In the beginning of the book Huck talks about Miss Watson in a quick description. Huck said, â€Å"The Widow’s sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on, had just come to live with her, and took a set at me now with a spelling-book.She worked me middling hard for about an hour, and then the widow made her ease up† (3). Miss Watson appears tough and severe to Huck, employing harsher methods than necessary at times. From Huck’s point of view she does appear like a mean old women, but she most likely had her reasons for using the methods she did. Huck was most likely not the best student and his behavior skills were sub-par. It is easy to see how Miss Watson became frustrated with Huck’s struggle to be civilized. The underlying concept behind her strictness is that she cares for Huck.There has to be a reason for her to us e up so much energy to try and teach a boy without any previous knowledge. Huck does not realize that Miss Watson actually cared for him until his conscience starts bothering him about Jim. His conscience was theoretically incorrect because he was upset that he had taken Jim from Miss Watson, but he understood why Miss Watson acted the way she did in the beginning of the novel. Huck realized this when he said, â€Å"Why, she tried to learn you your book, she tried to learn you your manners, she tried to be good to you every way she knowed how.That’s what she done† (118). Miss Watson is an example of someone who is better in reality than who she appeared to be. The appearance of something whether it is an object or a person, is not always what is true. The true reality behind something or someone may be completely different than what seemed. Some people take advantage of people who commit to a first impression. Others are actually better people than what their appearanc e dictates. Looking into this topic, I realized that applying the concept used in understanding literature can also be used in life.The skill of being able to understand who a character is and why they do the things they do instead of just accepting how they appear can translate into real situations. We can do this by looking at situations through another’s point of view; or commonly said, putting yourself into another’s shoes. Gaining a deeper understanding of someone’s actions and beliefs can help us rise above the level of just tolerance. When we gain this understanding, we reach a level of acceptance. You can always have facts bolstered by imagination, but you can never imagine facts.