Monday, September 30, 2019

Twain’s problematic ending of Huck Finn

The adventures of Huckleberry Finn is known as one novel that has brought controversy from the time it was published in the year 1884 (Pearl par 1). It was banned in major public libraries many referring to it as â€Å"trash. † Currently, many regard it as a classical American novel though others still critic it in one area or the other. It is a novel from where â€Å"all modern literature† was derived and modern scholars and critics now treats it as great work of art in America (Pearl par. 1). Perhaps the greatest irony is that though it received great criticism, of all the MT’s novels, it is the one that sold most immediately when it was published. Hunk Finn, as it is commonly referred to, is set in the Mississippi river town of St. Petersburg, Missouri and the various locations along that river through Arkansas (SparkNotes, screen 21). The major conflict in the novel is portrayed as the main character (protagonist), Huck struggles with a society (antagonist) that is trying to civilize him. The conflict is also intensified as Hunk deals with Jim who is a black slave; since Hunk must decide whether to reject Jim and please the society or protect him and follow his conscience. This essay shows that Twain’s ending of the novel betrays the true subject of the work. The novel ends with the three boys Huck, Tom and Jim escaping from a shed where they had been surrounded by about fifteen farmers guarding Jim, the black slave (Twain 361). They make a hole in the wall to escape but as they does, Tom makes some noise and what follows is the shooting that leaves a bullet in Tom’s leg who portrays himself a hero. However, Huck and Jim are concerned about the condition of the leg and upon Jim’s suggestion; they go to look for a doctor. This only worsens things for Jim who is captured by the locals and is chained as they bring Tom home on a mattress accompanied by the doctor. By this time Huck has already run home having left the two boys alone. The locals have decided to hang Jim though no one does it as they are afraid of compensating the slave owner. They are therefore left with no other option than to treat Jim roughly until the time when the doctor comes and saves him by explaining that it is him who in fact saved Tom’s leg from deteriorating by nursing him (Twain 377). When Tom however learns that Jim was still in chains, he reveals to them that in fact Jim had already been set free thus was no longer a slave. This allows the reader to glimpse the character trait of Tom. Though he had known all along that Miss Wanton who had died two months earlier had set Jim free in her will, he did not say it because he felt that they needed to device a good plan to rescue Jim. If he had said it earlier, Jim could not have gone through the sufferings that he had experienced. Huck arrived and on enquiring from Tom what he would do if Jim was freed; he replied that he planned to repay Jim for all his troubles and sending him off as a hero. And he said, what he had planned in his head from the start, if we got Jim out all safe, was for us to run him down the river on the raft, and have adventures plumb to the mouth of the river, and then tell him about his being free, and take him back up home on a steamboat, in style, and pay him for his lost time, and write word ahead and get out all the niggers around, and have them waltz him into town with a torchlight procession and a brass-band, and then he would be a hero, and so would we (Twain 387). The Phelpses and Aunt Polly release Jim and feed him on hearing that he helped the doctor to nurse Tom. He is also given forty dollars as a payment for all his troubles (Twain 387). Tom and Huck are not through with their adventure and plan to go for another one to the Indian territories. Huck thinks that Pap had taken all the money but it is Jim who informs him that in fact the dead man he had seen in a floating house was Pap (a cruel and drunk father). It is clear that though the writer of the novel was initially heading to the right direction in his writing, he â€Å"looses focus† (it may have been intentionally) as he comes to end of the novel in the way he presents the relationship between Huck and Jim. All along, the two boys had been together passing through hardships and challenges during their adventure. They are seen doing different things together; for example have to hide the inheritance of the Silk sisters in a coffin away from the greedy â€Å"King† and â€Å"Duke. Huck even comes to a time when he had to decide whether to give the remaining Gherkin (food) from his provisions to Jim or take it himself (Paine Par. 20). Therefore every reader expects Huck’s emotional attachment with Jim to grow. However when Tom appears, a different picture is portrayed with Huck remaining quiet when, they endanger Jim’s life by not telling Phelpses that Jim had already been released by the former Slave master and instead decides to device a plan as part of their adventure. When Jim goes to get the doctor, Huck leaves and runs to his uncle’s place leaving his friend. So then I crept into a lumber-pile to get some sleep; and next time I waked up the sun was away up over my head! I shot out and went for the doctor's house, but they told me he'd gone away in the night some time or other, and warn't back yet. Well, thinks I, that looks powerful bad for Tom, and I'll dig out for the island right off. So away I shoved, and turned the corner, and nearly rammed my head into Uncle Silas's stomach! (Twain 367). The other problem arises because though the novel’s subject is directed to the theme of freedom, at the end Jim who is supposed to be free is not still free. This can be attributed to the mistake that Tom made though intentionally. Jim, who has been technically free for all that time they were in the adventure, is still bound in chains, first in the home of Phelpses before the escape and then by the locals who captured him when he went to bring the doctor who would treat Tom. It is ridiculous that Miss Wanton can not set Jim free when she is alive and has to wait till she dies and does it in her will. Old Miss Watson died two months ago, and she was ashamed she ever was going to sell him down the river, and said so; and she set him free in her will. â€Å"(Twain 383) In conclusion, it is clear that the work of Mark Twain was based on the theme of racism, slavery and freedom thus different readers can critic it using different views. The plot flows smoothly from the beginning but the problem arises in the ending as the reader is left wondering why there is no development in Huck’s character -who is the protagonist and who is supposed to develop in all areas as the plot develops.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Brief History of Computer Essay

?First programmable computer: The Z1 originally created by Germany’s Konrad Zuse in his parents living room in 1936 to 1938 is considered to be the first electrical binary programmable computer. The first digital computer: Short for Atanasoff-Berry Computer, the ABC started being developed by Professor John Vincent Atanasoff and graduate student Cliff Berry in 1937 and continued to be developed until 1942 at the Iowa State College (now Iowa State University). On October 19, 1973, US Federal Judge Earl R. Larson signed his decision that the ENIAC patent by Eckert and Mauchly was invalid and named Atanasoff the inventor of the electronic digital computer. The ENIAC was invented by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania and began construction in 1943 and was not completed until 1946. It occupied about 1,800 square feet and used about 18,000 vacuum tubes, weighing almost 50 tons. Although the Judge ruled that the ABC computer was the first digital computer many still consider the ENIAC to be the first digital computer. Because of the Judge ruling and because the case was never appealed like most we consider the ABC to be the first digital computer. However, because the ABC was never fully functional we consider the first functional digital computer to be the ENIAC. The first stored program computer: The early British computer known as the EDSAC is considered to be the first stored program electronic computer. The computer performed its first calculation on May 6, 1949 and was the computer that ran the first graphical computer game. The first personal computer: In 1975 Ed Roberts coined the term personal computer when he introduced the Altair 8800. Although the first personal computer is considered to be the Kenback-1, which was first introduced for $750 in 1971. The computer relied on a series of switches for inputting data and output data by turning on and off a series of lights. The Micral is considered to be the first commercial non-assembly computer. The computer used the Intel 8008 processor and sold for $1,750 in 1973. The first workstation: Although never sold the first workstation is considered to be the Xerox Alto, introduced in 1974. The computer was revolutionary for its time and included a fully functional computer, display, and mouse. The computer operated like many computers today utilizing windows, menus and icons as an interface to its operating system. The first laptop or portable computer: The first portable computer or laptop is considered to be the Osborne I, a portable computer developed by Adam Osborne that weighed 24 pounds, a 5-inch display, 64 KB of memory, two 5 1/4†³ floppy drives, and a modem.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Practice Study - 78303731 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Practice Study - 78303731 - Essay Example The Community Social Work Group is a part of the Community and Well-Being Directorate located in the South East of England. The organization mainly works with adults that are people above the age of eighteen with physical disability and with the old people. The team conducts Assessments of Need according to the terms of NHS and Community Care Act 1990 which involves administering of care packages and then reviewing and monitoring if those packages are delivered properly. The emphasis of the organization is to upgrade their packages in the long run which will benefit the service users to a greater extent. The organizational structure is as follows. It comprises of one Team Manager two Assistant Team Managers, two Senior Practitioners, ten Social Workers, four Assistant Care Managers and a Trainee Social Worker. The administrative support is provided throughout the team by four members of the staff and after the restructuring of the team, three reviewing officers have also become members of the team. The entire team works together to fulfil its mission, which is to provide support to those adults who are with special physical needs. Following this work, being a social worker I was able to establish full confidence in Mr. X that his identity and privacy will be protected and on the grounds of anonymity Mr. X was able to confide in me all his problems and could explain the various situations which he faced. As I started conversing with Mr. X, he told me that he was utterly frustrated and stressed out and needed some time for him to restore his self. I as a social worker had to keep this situations in mind while handling them, I had to be careful and arrange the treatment in such a way that the sentiments of Mr. X is not hurt and at the same his purpose is also completely fulfilled. The part of South East England where the community works is a highly populated area and thus provides the organization with different types of

Friday, September 27, 2019

Recycling & Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Recycling & Nature - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  recycling helps us to conserve the natural resources for future generation. Most of the natural resources are non-renewable in nature. For example, fossil fuel is a non-renewable energy source. If we reduce our fossil fuel energy consumption, we can conserve some energy for future generation. Recycling will help us in reducing our energy consumption.This study highlights that one of the major villains which cause environmental problems is plastic materials. The influence of plastic materials in our daily life is growing day by day. However, the major drawback of plastic materials is the fact that these materials will never undergo biodegradation. In other words, most of the plastic materials have the ability to resist the natural degradation process. Under such circumstances, it is unwise to produce more and more plastic materials. However, we can limit the plastic production with the help of recycling of the existing or used up plastic materials.à ‚  The importance of recycling is not only beneficial for the earth but also for businesses as they secure better relations with the consumers over the matter of saving the environment. In most of the industrial units, recycling process is undertaken not only as a method to increase profit, but also as an option to demonstrate corporate social responsibility. Big companies are the biggest producers of industrial waste and they have the moral and legal responsibility to recycle it without causing many damages to the living things.  

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Respect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Respect - Essay Example However, this is counterproductive since when they work in fear, employees will spend more time worrying about their job security and produce mediocre results. Americans feel pressured by their employers and hardly have time to spend with their families and friends, long working hours as well as stressful conditions are hazardous to their health (Waldman). Ironically, it has been scientifically proven that workers who take time off and whose bosses treat them in a friendly and respectful manner are likely to be highly motivated therefore more productive than insecure employees who expend too much time trying to keeping avoiding trouble. A vacation is the ideal time for employees develop innovative ideas by temporarily escaping monotony of the office routine and in the long-term, an employer can reap substantial benefits form letting their staff relaxes every now and then. Waldman explains the situation further by examining the issue of drug testing; he claims that employers who teste d their staff for drugs were often less productive than those who did not (Waldman). While drug tests may sometimes be necessary, they are often seen as a violation of one’s privacy and even when one has not used drugs being tested evidenced that their employer does not trust them. Consequently, the more poorly treated workers are, the less productive they become, primarily because they lose their intrinsic motivation and only work as a means of avoiding trouble or getting fired (Martins). Conversely, employees who are treated with respect are intrinsically motivated and they are driven by results since they do not feel threatened or insecure so they can give the job their full attention, in addition since they get enough time to relax they will be more innovative and productive. Personally, I agree that the respect showed to employees by their employers is directly proportional to their productivity and vice versa. After high school, I worked for a while as a cashier in a fa st food restaurant in my town, it did not take me long to realize that the floor supervisor was a brutal inconsiderate individual to whom the employees were only as good as the last satisfied customer. On my second day, I observed him yell at a busboy who had dropped a glass and he told him if he broke another one, he should not bother to clean it up because he would be fired, this was in full sight and view of the lunchtime crowd. For the rest of the day, the young man was jumpy and irritable and he missed several orders and I heard him speak rudely to a customer, fortunately, the supervisor did not hear about it since he would have probably fired him on the spot. I had assumed it was an isolated case but I later came to realize that harassing employees was the norm at the restaurant; the turnover rate was very high as someone quite almost every week. As the cashier, I soon discovered that one of the reasons productivity was low was that we were training a new employee every other week and as such, we had an inexperienced waiter on the floor that would naturally be slow on their feet. However, as soon as they had become skilled enough to take multiple orders and speed things up, someone would quit and once again, we would have a deficiency and another slot to fill. If the workers had

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

How does Being an Outsider Affect Ones Life Assignment

How does Being an Outsider Affect Ones Life - Assignment Example There is a deep sense of insecurity in the mother. She feels the child wants to be like the locals, who stand for authority and have the power to crush little people like her, anytime. She feels that the daughter is rejecting her, to gain acceptance in the new world, of which they are now a part. Immigrants may feel like outsiders, who have to gain acceptance to become a part of their new world. To gain acceptance they will have to give up their own individuality. This gives them a feeling of insecurity and helplessness. At times they may experience a feeling of despair about not having any control over their life and family. Immigrants give up everything to move to another country, so for them, there is a lot at stake. They have nothing to return to if things do not work out, in their new home. This can have a profound effect on their lives because they have to adapt and be successful. Immigrants have to cope with many problems of adaptation. They have to adapt to a new culture that is usually very different from their own. They may have to learn a new language and about how to behave in their new country. They have to learn new skills, to find employment. In The Jade Peony, Choy (1995) highlights the problems faced by immigrants who have very limited knowledge of English and a different accent. They are mocked or ignored by many people and this can be very humiliating for a person, who is trying to adapt to life in a strange land.In The Jade Peony, the teacher Miss Doyle is a very helpful person. She is dedicated to helping her students to learn the English language. She works hard to build their fluency in English while developing their confidence. She tries to teach them values that help to build character. Miss Doyle comes across as a kind person who cares for her students. This shows that there always people who respect the immigrants as human beings and are willing to help them to create a new life, in their new home. In the Canadian Experience, by Clark, we can see how difficult it is for immigrants to make a career in their new country.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Tourist typologies, motivation & decision making Essay

Tourist typologies, motivation & decision making - Essay Example Moreover, this particular industry provides a major source of employment for a large volume of labour force all over the world, further contributing towards the reduction of unemployment rate within the global sector. In the contemporary context, the industry has experienced noteworthy changes, which further depicted a major developmental aspect for the sector (Dann 2002). However, it will be crucial to mention that tourism is entirely dependent on the approaches of the people. Notably, people travel from one place to other with various purposes including education, leisure activities and business purposes among others. All these people are collectively termed as tourists. Specially mentioning, decisions of tourists to visit any particular country are directly influenced by certain key factors including hospitality, attractions and costs among others (Chon, Pizam and Yoel 2012; Pearce 2005). As earlier mentioned, there are various purposes owing to which people travel from one place to other. Contextually, based upon those purposes, nature, characteristics and behaviours, tourists are categorised into various forms. According to Cohen, there are four typologies of tourists that include Organised mass tourist, Individual mass tourist, Explorer and Drifter. While, as per the study of Plog, typologies of tourists include allocentric, mid-centric and psychocentric. These have been described in detail hereunder. These types of tourists are deemed to be least adventurous owing to the aspect that they prefer to remain in their comfort zone or environment. They are highly driven by what they are being supplied by the tourism industry. They consider various aspects such as location of the sites and environment while choosing their destinations to visit (Ryan, 2002). There sorts of tourists are quite organised in nature and their preference of choosing any particular destination directly

Monday, September 23, 2019

Ad Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ad Analysis - Essay Example that I have selected is an ad depicting the poster for a new fragrance in the market that is called ‘Fantasy Twist’ launched by the famous artist Britney Spears. The unique thing about this fragrance is that it states it is 2 fragrances in 1 meaning that the perfume offers two different scents in the same bottle. The ad also shows two images of Britney Spears – in order to create two different perceptions or uses of the perfume, making it appealing to a larger number of people. By this I mean that the ad shows Britney in two different forms – the photo on top is in silver indicating the use of the perfume by day and the photo at the bottom shows her in black, indicating the use of the perfume at night. At first glance, the perfume looks very interesting because it offers something new and not many perfumes have two fragrances in them. This advertisement displays the aspect of womanhood at its best, with a unique fragrance that at its first glance appeals to the minds of the public however looks ordinary after carefully examining and understanding the use of the product. It must however be understood that since the model in the ad is Britney Spears, an artist who emphasizes the notion of feminism, the fragrance and the ad will only appeal to women and not men, for the purpose of purchase. Nonetheless, her photo looks very seductive so as to attract male attention to view the ad, which is the general perception upon looking at the photo from a man’s point of view. I have selected this advertisement because it is about a product that most people use – perfumes. Moreover, products that are endorsed by celebrities or launched as a part of their fashion lines tend to sell more in the industry just because of the brand value. Even if the product may not be good, the public tends to buy it anyway because of the goodwill attached to the celebrity that appeals to the minds of the consumers. Thus, as opposed to an ordinary perfume produced by a company, I

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Will business save the planet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Will business save the planet - Essay Example In the recent decade, energy requirements have risen considerably (Economic Intelligence Unit). More important is the conservation of energy to secure the safety and energy sustainability of its future generation. This entails utilizing renewable energy sources that do not contribute to pollution (reasons for using renewable resources). Complete utilization of renewable energy sources, as opposed to non-renewable sources will ensure pollution emissions are reduced to minimum levels thereby conserving the ozone layer (HAVC System). One of the development objectives of China is to foster the growth of wind and solar companies (ACORE). Non-renewable energy is bound to get depleted in the near future. Investing in the non-renewable energy is an appropriate method to alleviate the risk of running out of non-renewable energy. Hence China has secured its place as the world leader in growing its green energy. Approximately a quarter of the world green energy is found in China. Between 2005 a nd 2010, wind turbines have been constructed at a fast rate in China (Economic Intelligence Unit). China has established itself as an â€Å"economic superpower† and is also striving to be the world leader in utilizing green energy. China is no doubt becoming the world’s leader in the exploitation of green energy sources. While, the USA, which is the current leader in green energy investment, is losing momentum in investing in green energy, China is making big strides in exploiting green energy. Hence China is bound to be ranked number one in tapping and exploiting green energy resources. These vibrant efforts made by China have caught the attention of investors like Bloomerg New Energy Finance and Germany among other investors, which contribute to China’s green energy capital (Silverstein 1). China’s efforts to strive to be a leader in utilizing green energy have been become apparent to international stakeholders who can assist China to achieve its energy goals. This assistance could be in the form of financial support or technological research on how to convert green energy to a usable form. In a bid to further its green energy agenda, China is getting rid of companies that utilize non-renewable energy resources. Between 2005 and 2010, China decommissioned power companies that were inefficient in terms of power consumption and this trend is also set to continue. China is also abolishing those companies that contribute to air pollutant emissions (â€Å"China’s action on climate change,† 1). Abolishing companies that utilize non-renewable energy sources is a sure way to minimize pollution emissions and attain total green energy dependence. Among the green energy conversion technologies that have gained the most recognition in terms of financing include solar power technologies with the top markets being China, Europe and the United States. However, the United States is losing its grip as the world leader in attracting i nvestments for green energy due to lack of governmental commitment in green energy efforts (Silverstein 1). This shows that China is committed to converting to green energy exploitation. This is shown by the enormous financial investments it is the direction towards green energy. Such is the commitment that will set at the top of the list of the world’s leaders in green energy investment. Other countries that have shown considerable efforts in investing in green energy include Italy, Brazil and India (Silverstein 1). The future of Green Energy in China In China’s 12th 5 year plan, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions was given priority, showing China’s change in attitude towards green ene

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Symbolism of the Novel Mice of Men Essay Example for Free

Symbolism of the Novel Mice of Men Essay In this short Novel Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck uses symbolism to demonstrate the hardships that people had to deal with during the Depression. Rabbits represent Lennie’s dreams and the impossibility of it being fulfilled. Rabbits are a fraught symbol: we know Lennie is excited about them because they’ll be furry and lovely to pet, but we also know that Lennie tends to hurt whatever he pets. Rabbits are simply Lennie’s hopes and dreams and the rabbits are revealing his every thought. When George first tells Lennie about their dream farm, it is Lennie’s trigger to tell him about the rabbits. When George thinks about the farm he thinks of freedom from working; not worrying about surviving and happiness because they wouldn’t have to worry about them starving because they would have all the things to plant and raise livestock. For Lennie, it is only about the soft things. Through evidence, the audience knows these rabbits will likely be added to Lennie’s telltale trail of small and dead animals, symbolizing Lennie’s inability to see patterns in his life and to recognize that failure is imminent. This doesn’t bode well for him and he knows it. Mice represent the false hope of a safe space for Lennie or as comfort. When Lennie was comfort he would pet something he thought that was soft, and he links them to his Aunt Carla. Mice also make it very clear that he suffers from hurting something he loves so dearly. In the title it gives a huge hint that this book has to do with mice and the first one we encounter is a dead one. And that gives us a huge indicator that Lennie doesn’t really care or worry about death, all he cares about is comfort. Remember at the ending he would be more comfortable dead by his own friend’s gentle hand than with a violet end form Curley. Also know that symbolism are not just about animals in this novel, the settings are a huge factor in symbolism too. Like the pool by the river is the place where this story began and where it also ended too. It is a safe place free from people and where Lennie and George can be their regular selves without getting judged. The dream farm is symbolic of Lennie and George’s friendship. It is the only thing that keeps them together and keeps them working for other people so that they would be free, even if times were hard they would push through it. It is, ultimately, their version of heaven, so that when Lennie kills a human being, their chances of going to heaven or their dream house is forever ruin. Steinbeck is a great writer beacues he incorporates symbolism in his books. He makes things symbolize beyond their literal meaning. Rabbits are represented as dreams, mice are the false hope that Lennie clings to and these are relatable to anyone now. These hardships during the Deprression can be carried over to now because of Steinbeck’s use of symbolism.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Research On Initial Public Offering And Underpricing Finance Essay

Research On Initial Public Offering And Underpricing Finance Essay Initial Public Offering (IPO) of firm is widely underpriced. IPO underpricing is presented as the percentage difference between the offer price and the closing price of the first-trading-day, usually in appearance of initial positive return when shares are newly issued. IPO underpricing is seen as selling shares at discount in the initial offering. The discount requires issuer to leave money on the table to compensate investors, which incur wealth loss for the issuer (Camp, Comer and How, 2006). Therefore, there are numerous theories established to explain the reason for this discount sale in IPO, which generally categorized into four branches: asymmetric information, institutional reasons, control considerations, and behavioral approaches (Ljungqvist, 2007). Among these theories, asymmetric information theory is the most studied direction in the past 40 years. Nevertheless, studies on the institutional and behavioral aspects are heating recently, especially when shedding lights on e merging IPO markets where lack of efficient institutional support and exist over-speculation behavior environment. Evidence of underpricing IPO underpricing phenomenon is firstly academic documented in 1970s (Stoll and Curley, 1970; Reilly, 1973; Logue, 1973; Ibbotson, 1975). Early findings (exclusively focused on US market) indicate that underpricing is influenced by particular periods (Ibboston and Jaffe, 1975) and particular industry, usually natural resource (oil and gas) industry (Ritter, 1984). However, these findings are challenged by Smith (1986) who claimed that underpricing occurs in the entire period of 1960s-1980s, rather than concentrates in particular periods, and underpricing level exists across all industries with average exceeds 15%. Recent study is more convincible with larger time period and sample observations. Loughran and Ritter (2004) document this underpricing discount has averaged around 19% in the US since the 1960s. Nevertheless, underpricing level (i.e. the average first-day return) tends to fluctuate, 21% in the 1960s, 12% in the 1970s, 16% in the 1980s, 15% in 1990-1998 and then exploded to more than 65% in the 1999-2000 internet bubble period, and falling back to 12% in 2001-2008 (reference). Table Empirical studies have extended the scope of research from the US to the whole world. Underpricing is internationally documented, and the level is extremely high in emerging markets. According to (reference)s research, China (1990-1996, 226, 388%); US (1960-1996, 13308, 15.8%); Japan (1970-1996, 975, 24%). Table. (Reference) provides wider research. France: 3-14%; Australia: 11-30%; Taiwan: 30-47%; Greece: 48-64%; Brazil: 74-78.5%; China: 127-950%. Table Due to its short history with strong government control characteristics, Chinese IPO market draws research interest. The average initial return of IPOs in China during 1999-2002 was 3.3 times the average emerging markets initial return (excluding China) and 6.9 times that of developed countries (Reference). Sample size Sample period Initial return (%) Mok and Hui (1998) 87 1990-1993 289.20% Datar and Mao (1998) 226 1990-1996 388.00% Su and Fleisher (1999) 308 1990-1995 948.59% Chen et al. (2000) 277 1992-1995 350.47% Liu and Li (2000) 781 1991-1999 139.40% Chi and Padgett (2002) 668 1996-2000 129.16% Su (2003) 587 1994- 1999 119.38% Chan et al. (2003) 570 1993-1998 175.40% Chan et al. (2003) 286 1999-2000 104.70% Wang (2005) 747 1994-1999 271.90% Kimbro (2005) 691 1995-2002 132.00% Li (2006) 314 1999-2001 134.62% Asymmetric information theory The cornerstone of this theory is that there is asymmetric information among parties (issuer, underwriter, and investor) in the IPO. Chambers and Dimson (2009) proved that the level of trust between investors, issuers, and underwriters plays a crucial role on the level of IPO underpricing over time in the UK. Asymmetric information leads to ex ante uncertainty among parties. Higher ex ante uncertainty results in higher underpricing. Ritter (1984) raised the changing risk composition hypothesis, which assumes that riskier IPOs will be underpriced by more than less-risky IPOs. Beatty and Ritter (1986) then extend Rock (1986)s asymmetric information model (winners curse) by introducing the ex ante uncertainty about an IPOs market clearing price. The ex ante uncertainty among investors over the value of firm determines the underpricing level of the IPO (Loughran and Ritter, 2004). The level of underpricing increases with the degree of ex ante uncertainty about the value of the firm (Beat ty and Ritter, 1986; Ljungqvist, 2007). Firms with more uncertainty about growth opportunities have higher levels of underpricing than other firms on average (Ritter, 1984; Beatty and Zajac, 1994; Welbourne and Cyr, 1999). Under the scope of asymmetric information theory, there are three models: winners curse, principal-agent and signaling. Winners curse assumes informed investors have better information. Principal-agent model argues underwriters gain better information. Signaling model emphasizes on the better information retained by issuers. Winners curse model is based on asymmetric information between informed and uninformed investors (Rock, 1986). This model assumes informed investors have better information about the new firms prospects than the issuer and its underwriters. Uninformed investors would only get unattractive IPO firms shares because informed investors have already picked up attractive firms share with better information. That is to say, uniformed investors would only expect negative return. Consequently, uniformed investors are willing to participate only if new-issue offer prices are low enough to compensate them for expected losses on less attractive issues (Rock, 1986; Ritter and Welch, 2002). Under this assumption, issuers or underwriters have to underprice their IPO shares, i.e. selling with discount, to attract these uninformed investors. Underpricing is seen as compensation to uninformed investors (Beatty and Ritter, 1986). Underwriters have the intention to underprice the IPO shares in order to keep the uninformed investors stay in the market to make offering successful. Underwriter could use underpricing to obtain full subscription in order to make the shares offering successfully. Moreover, Loughran and Ritter (2002) argue that winners curse is not the dominate explanation in IPO underpricing now. Winners curse problem and dynamic information acquisition were main explanations in 1980s in US IPO market. In 1990s US, analyst coverage and side payments to CEOs and venture capitalists (spinning hypothesis) are main reasons (ibid). Welch (1992) claims that underpricing is caused by the cascades effect in the IPO market. This Cascades effect is presented as the asymmetric information between informed and uninformed investors. Underpricing generates information momentum, which results in a higher market clearing price at the end of the lockup period (the time between share-offer day and listed day) when insiders (first buyers) typically start to sell some of their shares. These first buyers behavior would influence the following buyers perception on value of shares. Since there is selling pressure when IPO ends and the analyst coverage starts, the market price could still maintain at a high level in the first-trading-day, thus incur significant underpricing level (Bradley et al. 2003; Ofek and Richardson, 2003; Bradley, Jordan, Roten, and Yi, 2001; Brav and Gompers, 2003; Field and Hanka, 2001). Principal-agent model focuses on asymmetric information between underwriters and issuers (Baron and Holmstrom, 1980; Baron, 1982). Baron (1982) assumes that underwriter is better informed about demand conditions than the issuer, leading to a principal-agent problem. In this model, the function and role of underwriters are mainly studied. Underwriters want to underprice IPOs (Baron and Holmstrom, 1980; Baron, 1982; Loughran and Ritter, 2002/2004; Ljungqvist and Wilhelm, 2003). First of all, underwriter has to underprice in order to sell all shares, i.e. underwriters use underpricing to obtain full subscription in order to make IPO successfully. There are uninformed investors who have the money to invest in the market. Underwriters convince issuers into underpricing to prevent these uninformed investors from leaving the IPO market. Underpricing is to induce underwriters to put forth the correct level of effort (Baron, 1982). Underwriter has to balance this trade-off in the principal-ag ent problem. On one side, underpricing would incur wealth loss for the issuer and reduce commission revenue for underwriters, on the other side, Beatty and Ritter (1986) argue that as repeat players, underwriters have an incentive to ensure that new issues are underpriced by enough lest they lose underwriting commissions (especially for those uninformed investors) in the future. Empirical studies (Nanda and Yun, 1997; Dundar, 2000) claim that underwriters subsequently lose IPO market share if they either underprice or overprice too much. However, the principal-agent model is challenged by Muscarella and Vetsuypens (1989), who argue that underpricing phenomenon still exists in underwriter (investment bank) IPO itself in which there is no principal-agent problem. Second, underpricing could incur over-subsucription in an IPO, which gives underwriter the discretion to allocate IPO shares. Underwriters can decide to whom to allocate shares if there is excess demand. In this case, underwriters discretion acts like interest exchange with their clients. They want to retain the buy-side clients, thus to allocate underpriced IPOs to them. Recurrent institutional investors would get the IPO shares and enjoy a positive initial return (Loughran and Ritter, 2002). Underwriters have an incentive to underprice IPOs if they receive commission business in return for leaving money on the table. Underpricing could facilitate the loyalty between underwriter and its clients, which could in turn facilitate underwriters sale of subsequent IPOs and seasoned offerings. For example, in the late 1990s IPOs were allocated to investors largely on the basis of the past and future commission business on the other trades (Reuter, 2004). Third, spinning effect induces underwriter to underpricing. The spinning explanation describe issuers are willing to hire underwriters with a history of underpricing because issuers receive side-payments. Spinning may be used by the underwriter to acquire IPO deals and influence IPO pricing, but it can also be used as part of a long-term business strategy with a given issuer to attract future underwriter mandates. The side-payments of spinning makes issuers reluctant to change its original underwriter for subsequent offerings (Dundar, 2000; Krigman, Shaw and Womack, 2001; Burch, Nanda and Warther, 2005; Ljungqvist, Marston and Wilhelm, 2006/2009). Spinning effect was first documented by Siconolfi (1997) in a Wall Street Journal article. Specifically, underwriters set up personal brokerage accounts for venture capitalists and the executives of issuing firms in order to allocate hot IPOs to them (Siconolfi, 1997). The hot IPOs means shares those are underpriced and would gain a huge po sitive initial return aftermarket, which would increase the personal wealth of the managers of issuing firms (Loughran and Ritter, 2002). The use of hot IPOs to reward issuers created an incentive for issuers to seek out underwriters who willing to offer this hot IPO through underpricing, rather than to avoid such underwriters. Allocating hot IPOs to the issuers and their friends (through friends and family accounts) allowed underwriters to underprice even more, i.e. selling at a friendly price (larger discount) (Fulghieri and Spiegel, 1993; Loughran and Ritter, 2002; Ljungqvist and Wilhelm, 2003). Underwriters may be more inclined to give favorable allocations of shares to preferred investors (friends, family, executives, etc.) and unfavorable allocations to non-favored non-connected investors. The latter would require higher underpricing to participate in the IPO market. The outcome of this process is not due to ex ante uncertainty, but due to discretionary allocation of shares by underwriters. Furthermore, this discretion is not mitigated by strong institutional framework. During the late 1990s and early 2000, spinning was a widespread practice in the US, despite having one of the strongest investor protection rules at the same time (Liu and Ritter, 2009). Signaling model, first referred by Leland and Pyle in 1977, assumes the issuer itself best knows its prospects (possesses better information). Underpricing is a signal that the firm is good (Allen and Faulhaber, 1989; Grinblatt and Hwang, 1989; Welch, 1989). If the issuer possesses the best information about its true value, a high quality firm could use underpricing as a means to distinguish itself from low quality companies. These firms with the most favorable prospects find it optimal to signal their type by underpricing their initial issue of shares, and investors know that only the best firms can recoup the cost of this signal from subsequent issues. In short, a partial offering of shares is made initially, information is then revealed, and subsequently more shares will be sold. In contrast, low quality companies might tend to price fully (Bergstrom, Nilsson and Wahlberg, 2006). Hiring reputable underwriter with influential analysts would mitigate ex ante uncertainty, thus reduce the underpricing level. Empirical study shows the more market power of underwriter (with strong analyst team, influential and bullish, usually), the more underpricing extent (Hoberg, 2007). Hiring a prestigious underwriter (Booth and Smith, 1986; Carter and Manaster, 1990; Michaely and Shaw, 1994) or a reputable auditor (Titman and Trueman, 1986) is seen as a specific way to reduce the ex ante uncertainty. Carter and Manaster (1990) and Carter et al. (1998) argue that IPOs taken by prestigious underwriters benefit from superior certification. The choice of underwriter indicates the quality of this IPO implicitly, because the reputation of underwriter may provides certain guarantee on the value of the issuer, which in turn, mitigates the ex ante uncertainty, thus the underpricing level would be reduced. Nevertheless, empirical evidences show a mixed result. There is a negative relati on between underwriter prestige and underpricing level in the 1980s, but a positive relation in the 1990s (Beatty and Welch, 1996; Cooney, Singh, Carter, and Dark, 2001). Issuers want to hire reputable underwriters who have, not only because of this could reduce ex ante uncertainty, but also the influential and bullish analyst coverage provided by reputable underwriters (Dunbar, 2000; Clarke, Dunbar and Kahle, 2001; Krigman, Shaw and Womack, 2001). Analyst coverage is crucial on the discovery of true value of the firm, especially its impact on sequent shares offering. Ljungqvist, Jenkinson and Wilhelm (2003) prove that influential analyst could bring the businesses for underwriters (investment banks). Prestigious investment banks also tend to recruit analysts who making optimistic forecasts (Hong and Kubik, 2003). Although analyst coverage is expensive for underwriters (the largest US investment banks each spent close to $1 billion per year on equity research in 2000, for example) (Rynecki, 2002), these costs are covered partly by underwriting fee charging from issuers. Due to the information production cost, many firms would prefer later IPO. Firms d o IPO firstly could incur analyst coverage advantage (more information revelation) for other firms wanting for IPO in the same industry (i.e. free ride effect). In this case, underwriter compensate this information cost for the before Firms with underpricing to investors (Benveniste, Busaba, and Wilhelm, 2002; Benveniste et al., 2003). Moreover, issuers feel reluctant to change its underwriter for seasoned equity offering (SEO) if the underwriter did analyst coverage and the underprice effect is significant in the IPO. Cliff and Denis (2004) proved this with the example 1050 US IPO firms during 1993-2000. When initial offering shares, the issuer increases emphasis on the advertisement effect brought by analyst coverage from underwriter, rather than the level of underpricing itself. Empirical studies (Cliff and Denis, 2004; Dunbar, 2000; Clarke et al. 2007) illustrates that many US issuers accepted underpricing in 1990s since they focused more on choosing an underwriter with an influential analyst than on getting a high offer price. The underlying principal is that underpricing could attract investors attention to this firm. Issuers have the incentive to reduce underpricing, and model their optimal behavior. Firms could gain advertisement benefits from underpricing, which creates beneficial condition for sequent offering (Habib and Ljungqvist, 2001). A high quality firm is underpriced (sell shares at discount) at the initial offering in order to attract market attention through following analyst coverage, usually, massive and efficient analyst coverage would mitigate the asymmetric inf ormation among investors and present the high quality of the firm, finally, the more realization on the true value of the firm among investors could help the firm sell its sequent seasoned offering shares at a higher price (i.e. recoup the loss from the underpricing in the initial offering). This process is called partial adjustment phenomenon (Hanley, 1993). About one-third of all IPO issuers between 1977 and 1982 had reissued equity by 1986, the typical amount being at least three times the initial offering (Welch, 1989). Analyst coverage relates to the future predicted value of the issuer, thus it is important. Moreover, the development of internet and cable television extend the influence of analyst coverage on the share price. In this way, the share price aftermarket would increase, which further provides the opportunity for issuer to offer higher price for its seasoned offering. Behavior Finance Speculative bubble theory After the internet bubble collapse in the US in early 2000, the academic focus transferred to behavior finance. The asymmetric information theory is based on the efficient market hypothesis. The ex ante uncertainty leads to the difficulty on firm valuation for investors, therefore, issuer and underwriter would set higher underpricing level to attract investors. Underpricing is seen as deliberate selling strategy for an IPO, once listed in the secondary market, share price would return to its fair value. Asymmetric information theory predicts lower underpricing if information is distributed more homogeneously across investors (Michaely and Shaw, 1994). However, it is challenged by heterogeneous expectation hypothesis in the stock market (Miller, 1977), which argues this deliberated underpricing strategy of IPO (selling at discount) disrupts the market efficiency (Loughran et al., 1994). According to Miller (1977), there are two assumptions in the market: the heterogeneity expectation and restriction on short-selling. The optimistic investors buy and hold shares, whereas pessimistic investors can not participate in the trade since the short selling is restricted. Consequently, share price reflects the opinion from optimistic investors, and thus the share price is overvalued compared to its fair value. Aggarwal and Rivoli (1990) raised the speculative bubble theory to argue that IPO underpricing is caused by faddish behavior on behalf of investors. This theory reveals there is speculative environment in secondary market, which increases the market price of the first-trading-day, thus incurs severe underpricing phenomenon. The speculative bubble theory to Ibbotsons opinion that underpricing is cyclical, which could date back to 1970s. Ibbotson and Jaffe (1975) found the level of underpricing fluctuates between different time periods. One explanation for the fluctuation may be the fact that there are hot and cold IPO markets (Ibbotson et al., 2001). In a hot IPO market, the average level of underpricing is large and the amount of firms going public increases. Afterwards there is a high rate of firms going public, but the level of underpricing decreases. The following cold period starts with fewer firms going public and very low underpricing or even overpricing. There is strong empiri cal evidence for this recurrent pattern, but the existence of this pattern has not yet seen sufficiently explained theoretically (Ibbotson and Ritter, 1995). Aggarwal (2000) provides empirical evidence to prove there is positive relationship between underpricing level and market index. Faddish investor hypothesis claims that in the hot market, over-optimistic (irrational) investors overpriced the IPO. This means the high initial return of IPO is not caused by deliberate underpricing pre-IPO solely, but is overpriced by optimistic investors in the secondary market. On one side, large amount of irrational investor is the root of high initial return in IPO, because irrational investors determine the transaction price in the secondary market (Ljungqvist, Nanda and Singh, 2003). Ljungqvist and Nanda (2002) claim that personal investor is seen as irrational investor, whereas the issuer, underwriter and institutional investors are seen as rational investor. Ljungqvist and Wilhem (2003) proved that personal investors have over-optimistic expectation on stock return in the hot market and these personal investors are typical noisy traders in IPO market, who prefer to make investment decision in terms of past initial return of previous IPOs. Delong, et al. (1990) reveal the influence of noisy trader on the share price. These noisy traders in IPO market are typical positive market feedback traders. When recent initial returns are high in the IPO market, these investors would purchase new issues, thus these purchases increase the demand for following IPOs, thus raise the initial return for these following IPOs. On the other side, it is believed that inequality of demand and supply of IPO primary market causes or intensifies the speculative environment in the secondary market (Aggarwal, 2000). Inequality between demand and supply leads to speculative opportunity. The underlying reason for this inequality is that IPO mechanism is not market-oriented in some countries, which is controlled by government (China, for example) (Su, 2004). IPO supply in the primary market is not adequate because of the government control. When new issues are over-subscribed, the irrational investors (speculators), who are constrained in the primary market, would be released in the secondary market. Meanwhile, due to the restriction on short selling (in China, for instance), investors could only make money when price increases. Therefore, investors push up the price on the first-trading-day, which causes severe underprcing level. Legal framework theory Legal framework theory could explain the different underpricing level among different countries. Legal framework has significant impact on ex ante uncertainty in IPO market. Ex ante uncertainty caused by regulatory constrains, wealth redistribution, and market incompleteness, leads to the IPO underpricing phenomenon (Mauer and Senbet, 1992). Difference in legal frameworks of various countries explain the ex ante uncertainty degree and the decisions made by investors in the market (La Porta et al., 1997/1998/2002). Cross-country differences in the legal framework affect ownership structure (La Porta et al., 2002), ownership effectiveness (Heugens et al., 2009), capital structure (De Jong et al., 2008), asset structure (Claessens and Laeven, 2003), dividend policy (La Porta et al., 2000), corporate governance (La Porta et al., 2000; Mitton, 2002) and corporate valuation (La Porta et al., 2002). Legal frameworks deem to reduce uncertainty by creating a stable foundation in which subsequ ent human interactions can be grounded (North, 1994; Peng, 2009; Van Essen et al., 2009). First of all, legal framework affects issue firms value. Legal framework can influence the ex ante uncertainty about firm value in more or less the same way as ex ante firm-specific risk at the time of IPO. Firms operating in a legal environment with poor protection of intellectual property rights are unwilling to invest in intangible assets (Research and Development capability, or branding effect, for example), leading to lower firm growth and thus lower firm value. Second, legal framework affects investors decision. Stronger investor protection could reduce the investment risk (for example, lower asset volatility, lower systematic risk, lower stock volatility, higher risk-adjusted return as measured by the Sharpe and Treynor index) (Chung et al., 2007; Hail and Leuz, 2006; Chiou et al., 2010). In countries with weaker legal protection, investors will be more uncertain about realizing a return on their investment (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997). Lower levels of legal protection for investors will create more uncertainty with respect to post IPO strategies and managerial decisions that may negatively affect firm value (Claessens and Laeven, 2003). In a country with a weaker legal framework, managers or dominating shareholders have more opportunities to transfer profits or assets out of the firm at the expense of the minority shareholders. Weaker legal framework could provide opportunity for damaging firm value through transfer pricing, asset strippin g and investor dilution (Cheung et al., 2009; Berkman et al., 2009). This increased probability of ex post expropriation by management or dominating shareholders increases the ex ante uncertainty at the time of IPO (Johnson et al., 2000). The higher the expropriation risk, the more the offer needs to be underpriced to compensate for this ex ante uncertainty. There is conflicts between dominating shareholders and outside shareholders because outside shareholders require higher risk premiums (higher cost of capital) which caused by the weak legal framework (Himmelberg et al., 2004; Giannetti and Simonov, 2006; Albuquerue and Wang, 2008). Although it is argued that issuers can independently improve their level of minority investor protection by a listing on a foreign stock exchange with higher standards of investor protection (i.e. cross-listing), it is doubtful that they can fully compensate for the lack of an adequate legal framework at the country-level (Black, 2001; Reese and Weisb ach, 2002; Roosenboom and van Dijk, 2009). Third, Underpricing could avoid potential legal liability, which is another explanation theory provided by Tinic (1988). It is claimed that underpricing reduces both the probability of lawsuits if subsequently the firm does not do well in the aftermarket, because the investor is the direct recipient of the benefit from underpricing (Milgrom and Roberts, 1986; Tinic, 1988). Underwriters are unwilling to price these offerings at high level, in case that the market would concern about lawsuits and thus damage to its reputation if the shares eventually dropped in price aftermarket. The argument is based on that unsophisticated and uninformed investors were bidding up the price to unjustified levels, and the underwriters were unwilling to price the IPOs at the market price determined by these noise traders. Ownership control theory Ownership control theory is described as IPO is expected to bring in new shareholders, who would dilute the control power of original shareholders (managers), therefore, issuers have less motivation to bargain for higher offer price, and result in underpricing. Ljungqvist and Wilhelm (2003) explain this ownership fragmentation would incur underpricing through the realignment of incentives hypothesis. Logically, the issuer firms holding large proportion shares would have incentive to argue for higher offer price thus reduce the underpricing level (Barry, 1989; Habib and Ljungqvist, 2001; Bradley and Jordan, 2002; Ljungqvist and Wilhelm, 2003). Moreover, the excess demand for shares caused by underpricing enables managers to allocate small stakes of shares to many dispersed small investors. Therefore, original managers control power is strengthened since they would be the dominate shareholders. In other words, underpricing could give the managers power on control (Brennan and Franks, 1 997; Boulton et al., 2007). However, the ownership control theory is challenged. Other substitute mechanisms for retaining control such as takeover defenses, non-voting stocks and alike are more effective, because underpricing can not prevent outside investors from accumulating larger stakes of shares once trading begins in the aftermarket (Ljungqvist, 2007). Issue mechanism Fixed price Offer price = Predetermined price Bookbuilding Underwriter set the final offer price by consulting with investors Auction Offer price = lowest price which bid the final share Hybrid Bookbuilding + Fixed price; Auction + Fixed price Bookbuilding, by which underwriter has the discretion on share allocation, can induce investor to reveal their information through their indications of interest, which can reduce information asymmetry thus lower underpricing (Benveniste and Spindt, 1989; Benveniste and Wilhelm, 1990/1997; Sherman and Titman, 2002; Ritter and Welch, 2002; Gondat-Larralde and James, 2008). On one side, underwriters tend to allocate IPOs to investors who provide information about their demand (i.e. the price discovery process). Price discovery eliminates the winners curse problem, thus reduce underpricing level. On the other side, bookbuilding authorized underwriter the discretion on share allocation (so called rationing allocation). After collecting investors indications of interest, the underwriter allocates no (or only a few) shares to any investor who bid conservatively. This rationing share allocation could reduce the underpricing level. Koh and Walter (1989) found the likelihood of receiving an al location in this mechanism was negatively related to the degree of underpricing, and average initial returns fall substantially from 27% to 1% when adjusted for rationing allocation in Singapore case study. Levis (1990) and Keloharju (1993) claim Rationing share allocation mechanism could reduce the initial return in UK, and in Finland respectively. Aggarwal, Prabhala, and Puri (2002) also find that institutional investors earn greater returns on their IPO allocations than do retail investors largely in bookbuilding mechanism, because they are allocated more shares in those IPOs that are most likely to appreciate in price. However, imposing constraints on the underwriters allocation discretion can interfere with the efficiency of the bookbuilding. The quality of bookbuilding in many European and Asian countries is damaged by certain restriction on the use of bookbuilding, which leading to higher underpricing (Ljungqvist et al., 2003). Requiring that a certain fraction of the shares be allocated to retail investors, as is common in parts of Europe and Asia, reduces underwriters ability to target allocations at the most aggressive (institutional) bidders and so may force them to rely more on price than on allocations to reward truth-telling. Moreover, empirical study indicates that bookbuilding in countries outside the US only reduces the level of underpricing when used in combination with US investment banks (underwriter) and targeted at US investors. Although the functioning of the different issuing me

Thursday, September 19, 2019

God is the Key to Happiness :: Happiness Essays

Who do you think has the best life on the earth? People with a lot of money, or people who are famous? When I was ten years old, I used to think that people who have money, just like Bill Gates, have the best lives on the earth. But then when I got older, I thought that people who are famous and also have money are the ones with the best lives on this earth, Just like LeBron James. In the age of thirteen, I used to dream that I was going to have one of these lives in the future and I can become someone like LeBron James. But what should have been a wonderful dream was turned into a personal fear and disaster of losing a friend and classmate, Just after my teacher asked one of my classmates and my friends that what do you want from god to give you as a Christmas present, and my friend answered: nothing because he had everything that a young boy dreams to have: a big house, lot of money, sport cars and expensive toys. He was from a rich family and his parents did not care of what he was doing or where he was, they just gave him as much money as he wanted to do anything he wanted. He was someone really famous in our school and people wished to have a life like him. But this dream did not last so long after we found out that he is not in school for a week. Our teacher said as he was going to read the prayer in the morning: let?s pray for John as he is having some hard time in the hospital right now. Every single person in our class was shocked because of John. No body could believe that such an amazing life can turn to a disaster. John, the happiest person on the earth, who said that he does not need anything in his life got in trouble with a deadly disease which could cause death in few months, he got in trouble with blood cancer in his early life and doctors told his parents that he was not going to survive more than 2 months. I imagined the time that John told our teacher that he does not need anything and he is the happiest man on the earth which was kind of right by that time, just like Magic Johnson when he was talking to media about his life.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Chimpanzee Versus Humans: Similarities & Differences Essay -- essays r

Chimpanzee versus Humans: Similarities & Differences   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the first days of human thought into their beginnings, chimpanzees have played a vital role in showing who we were. The chimpanzee, one of the great apes, makes it home in the forests of Central and West Africa. Their long arms and legs adapt them for living in such regions as lowland jungles and mountainous regions. Humans are classified in the order Primates, and family Hominade. Within this family, human beings, our nearest living relatives, the African apes, are also placed. Though in some classification standards, apes are placed in the family Pongidae.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The defining characteristic of Hominids is their ability to walk bipedally, using two feet and walking upright. This form of movement lead to many adaptations within the Hominids skeleton. There are notable changes in the spinal cord, pelvis bone and legs. The chimpanzee does have the ability to walk upright and does, but it spends most of the time walking on four limbs. It uses it’s arms as it’s front legs and walks on it’s knuckles. Our brain capacity is about twice as large as that of the chimp. Humans have a brain capacity of 1300 to 1500 cc, while the chimps are about 600 - 800 cc. It is though by scientists that our brain size grew over time as were evolved into making complex tools and we became increasingly sophisticated. The human skull is slightly different from that of our primate ancest...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

My Position in Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs Essay

In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I would like to see myself in the fourth level. I must say I am already fulfilled when it comes to physiological, safety, and belongingness needs. As I grow old, I realize my needs and as I become mature I started to aim for satisfaction. I have a very supportive family and I could say that I have gained a lot of friends along my journey whom I can consider as part of my success. I am no longer a child to aim for belongingness nor too old to aim for self actualization, I am still on my quest for achievement and reputation. Even though, I have already finished my college education, I still have a lot of plans for my future. Just like what Marlow’s say about the â€Å"needs† of a person, esteem needs talks about the pride. I must say I am already in the stage where I am aiming for other’s recognition and respect. Since I have a strong belief that respect and reputation are gained not only through kindness, I am still planning for more not only to have them but also because those achievements are what I consider as real success in one’s life. In my two decades of existence, I have learned to value the achievements that I have gained and aim for more as I grow old. When a person desire for independence and competence, I must say that that is the time when he or she is already satisfied with his or her other needs. That is what I feel for myself right now. I have learned to mingle with different kinds of people for more knowledge, go to different places for adventure, and face adversaries to win every competition. I won a lot of friends but I have also encountered a lot of enemies on my way to what I called success. Maybe because I have been considered as competent and a dreamer, what I already have right now seem not enough for me to be satisfied. I think that is because I am still young to stop and be satisfied for what I have gained in my short journey of life. I also think that being a member of a family of achievers gives me an inspiration to dream more and go further than what I have already accomplished. The prominent people around me give me encouragement to make all my plans reachable. Apparently, my goal in life and my perspective of satisfaction rely heavily on my quest for independence, respect, and reputation. I have realized that I am already satisfied with other needs in life and those things that I want to do today reflect what I want to be in the future.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Second Foundation 13. Lady

Arcadia felt triumphant. How life had changed since Pelleas Anthor had stuck his silly face up against her window – and all because she had the vision and courage to do what needed to be done. Here she was on Kalgan. She had been to the great Central Theater – the largest in the Galaxy – and seen in person some of the singing stars who were famous even in the distant Foundation. She had shopped all on her own along the Flowered Path, fashion center of the gayest world in Space. And she had made her own selections because Homir just didn't know anything about it at all. The saleswomen raised no objections at all to long, shiny dresses with those vertical sweeps that made her look so tall – and Foundation money went a long, long way. Homir had given her a ten-credit bill and when she changed it to Kalganian â€Å"Kalganids,† it made a terribly thick sheaf. She had even had her hair redone – sort of half-short in back, with two glistening curls over each temple. And it was treated so that it looked goldier than ever; it just shone. But this, this was best of all. To be sure, the Palace of Lord Stettin wasn't as grand and lavish as the theaters, or as mysterious and historical as the old palace of the Mule – of which, so far they had only glimpsed the lonely towers in their air flight across the planet – but, imagine, a real Lord. She was rapt in the glory of it. And not only that. She was actually face to face with his Mistress. Arcadia capitalized the word in her mind, because she knew the role such women had played in history; knew their glamour and power. In fact, she had often thought of being an all-powerful and glittering creature, herself, but somehow mistresses weren't in fashion at the Foundation just then and besides, her father probably wouldn't let her, if it came to that. Of course, the Lady Callia didn't quite come up to Arcadia's notion of the part. For one thing, she was rather plump, and didn't look at all wicked and dangerous. just sort of faded and near-sighted. Her voice was high, too, instead of throaty, and- Callia said, â€Å"Would you like more tea, child?† â€Å"I'll have another cup, thank you, your grace,† – or was it your highness? Arcadia continued with a connoisseur's condescension, â€Å"Those are lovely pearls you are wearing, my lady.† (On the whole, â€Å"my lady† seemed best.) â€Å"Oh? Do you think so?† Callia seemed vaguely pleased. She removed them and let them swing milkily to and fro. â€Å"Would you like them? You can have them, if you like.† â€Å"Oh, my-You really mean-† She found them in her hand, then, repelling them mournfully, she said, â€Å"Father wouldn't like it.† â€Å"He wouldn't like the pearls? But they're quite nice pearls.† â€Å"He wouldn't like my taking them, I mean. You're not supposed to take expensive presents from other people, he says.† â€Å"You aren't? But†¦ I mean, this was a present to me from Poo†¦ from the First Citizen. Was that wrong, do you suppose?† Arcadia reddened. â€Å"I didn't mean-â€Å" But Callia had tired of the subject. She let the pearls slide to the ground and said, â€Å"You were going to tell me about the Foundation. Please do so right now.† And Arcadia was suddenly at a loss. What does one say about a world dull to tears. To her, the Foundation was a suburban town, a comfortable house, the annoying necessities of education, the uninteresting eternities of a quiet life. She said, uncertainly, â€Å"It's just like you view in the book-films, I suppose.† â€Å"Oh, do you view book-films? They give me such a headache when I try. But do you know I always love video stories about your Traders – such big, savage men. It's always so exciting. Is your friend, Mr. Munn, one of them? He doesn't seem nearly savage enough. Most of the Traders had beards and big bass voices, and were so domineering with women – don't you think so?† Arcadia smiled, glassily. â€Å"That's just part of history, my lady. I mean, when the Foundation was Young, the Traders were the pioneers pushing back the frontiers and bringing civilization to the rest of the Galaxy. We learned all about that in school. But that time has passed. We don't have Traders any more; just corporations and things.† â€Å"Really? What a shame. Then what does Mr. Munn do? I mean, if he's not a Trader.† â€Å"Uncle Homir's a librarian.† Callia put a hand to her lips and tittered. â€Å"You mean he takes care of book-films. Oh, my! It seems like such a silly thing for a grown man to do.† â€Å"He's a very good librarian, my lady. It is an occupation that is very highly regarded at the Foundation.† She put down the little, iridescent teacup upon the milky-metaled table surface. Her hostess was all concern. â€Å"But my dear child. I'm sure I didn't mean to offend you. He must be a very intelligent man. I could see it in his eyes as soon as I looked at him. They were so†¦ so intelligent. And he must be brave, too, to want to see the Mule's palace.† â€Å"Brave?† Arcadia's internal awareness twitched. This was what she was waiting for. Intrigue! Intrigue! With great indifference, she asked, staring idly at her thumbtip: â€Å"Why must one be brave to wish to see the Mule's palace?† â€Å"Didn't you know?† Her eyes were round, and her voice sank. â€Å"There's a curse on it. When he died, the Mule directed that no one ever enter it until the Empire of the Galaxy is established. Nobody on Kalgan would dare even to enter the grounds.† Arcadia absorbed that. â€Å"But that's superstition-â€Å" â€Å"Don't say that,† Callia was distressed. â€Å"Poochie always says that. He says it's useful to say it isn't though, in order to maintain his hold over the people. But I notice he's never gone in himself. And neither did Thallos, who was First Citizen before Poochie.† A thought struck her and she was all curiosity again: â€Å"But why does Mr. Munn want to see the Palace?† And it was here that Arcadia's careful plan could be put into action. She knew well from the books she had read that a ruler's mistress was the real power behind the throne, that she was the very well-spring of influence. Therefore, if Uncle Homir failed with Lord Stettin – and she was sure he would – she must retrieve that failure with Lady Callia. To be sure, Lady Callia was something of a puzzle. She didn't seem at all bright. But, well, all history proved- She said, â€Å"There's a reason, my lady – but will you keep it in confidence?† â€Å"Cross my heart,† said Callia, making the appropriate gesture on the soft, billowing whiteness of her breast. Arcadia's thoughts kept a sentence ahead of her words. â€Å"Uncle Homir is a great authority on the Mule, you know. He's written books and books about it, and he thinks that all of Galactic history has been changed since the Mule conquered the Foundation.† â€Å"Oh, my.† â€Å"He thinks the Seldon Plan-â€Å" Callia clapped her hands. â€Å"I know about the Seldon Plan. The videos about the Traders were always all about the Seldon Plan. It was supposed to arrange to have the Foundation win all the time. Science had something to do with it, though I could never quite see how. I always get so restless when I have to listen to explanations. But you go right ahead, my dear. It's different when you explain. You make everything seem so clear.† Arcadia continued, â€Å"Well, don't you see then that when the Foundation was defeated by the Mule, the Seldon Plan didn't work and it hasn't worked since. So who will form the Second Empire?† â€Å"The Second Empire?† â€Å"Yes, one must be formed some day, but how? That's the problem, you see. And there's the Second Foundation.† â€Å"The Second Foundation?† She was quite completely lost. ‘Yes, they're the planners of history that are following in the footsteps of Seldon. They stopped the Mule because he was premature, but now, they may be supporting Kalgan.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because Kalgan may now offer the best chance of being the nucleus for a new Empire.† Dimly, Lady Callia seemed to grasp that. â€Å"You mean Poochie is going to make a new Empire.† â€Å"We can't tell for sure. Uncle Homir thinks so, but hell have to see the Mule's records to find out.† â€Å"It's all very complicated,† said Lady Callia, doubtfully. Arcadia gave up. She had done her best. *** Lord Stettin was in a more-or-less savage humor. The session with the milksop from the Foundation had been quite unrewarding. It had been worse; it had been embarrassing. To be absolute ruler of twenty-seven worlds, master of the Galaxy's greatest military machine, owner of the universe's most vaulting ambition – and left to argue nonsense with an antiquarian. Damnation! He was to violate the customs of Kalgan, was he? To allow the Mule's palace to be ransacked so that a fool could write another book? The cause of science! The sacredness of knowledge! Great Galaxy! Were these catchwords to be thrown in his face in all seriousness? Besides – and his flesh prickled slightly – there was the matter of the curse. He didn't believe in it; no intelligent man could. But if he was going to defy it, it would have to be for a better reason than any the fool had advanced. â€Å"What do you want?† he snapped, and Lady Callia cringed visibly in the doorway. â€Å"Are you busy?† â€Å"Yes. I am busy.† â€Å"But there's nobody here, Poochie. Couldn't I even speak to you for a minute?† â€Å"Oh, Galaxy! What do you want? Now hurry.† Her words stumbled. â€Å"The little girl told me they were going into the Mule's palace. I thought we could go with her. It must be gorgeous inside.† â€Å"She told you that, did she? Well, she isn't and we aren't. Now go tend your own business. I've had about enough of you.† â€Å"But, Poochie, why not? Aren't you going to let them? The little girl said that you were going to make an Empire!† â€Å"I don't care what she said- What was that?† He strode to Callia, and caught her firmly above the elbow, so that his fingers sank deeply into the soft flesh, â€Å"What did she tell you?† â€Å"You're hurting me. I can't remember what she said, if you're going to look at me like that.† He released her, and she stood there for a moment, rubbing vainly at the red marks. She whimpered, â€Å"The little girl made me promise not to tell.† â€Å"That's too bad. Tell me! Now!† â€Å"Well, she said the Seldon Plan was changed and that there was another Foundation somewheres that was arranging to have you make an Empire. That's all. She said Mr. Munn was a very important scientist and that the Mule's palace would have proof of all that. That's every bit of what she said. Are you angry?† But Stettin did not answer. He left the room, hurriedly, with Callia's cowlike eyes staring mournfully after him. Two orders were sent out over the official seal of the First Citizen before the hour was up. One had the effect of sending five hundred ships of the line into space on what were officially to be termed as â€Å"war games.† The other had the effect of throwing a single man into confusion. Homir Munn ceased his preparations to leave when that second order reached him. It was, of course, official permission to enter the palace of the Mule. He read and reread it with anything but joy. But Arcadia was delighted. She knew what had happened. Or, at any rate, she thought she did.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Indian Horse Essay

Jerome?s, and finally ends when he is an adult unraveling the layers Of his Firstly, Sail's journey for the truth begins in his early childhood. Past. During this time, Saul faces many demons he does not know how to deal with, so he chooses to run away from them. By doing this, Saul is haunted by these demons for the rest of his journey. At a young age, he witnesses the impact residential school has on his mother: â€Å"It was as if she was under the influence of a potent medicine no shaman had the power to break† (Wages 9). As he sees his parents reject their reality, he also rejects his win reality.This hinders Sail's journey, as reality must be taken for what it is, not hidden away. His parents also drink as a way to escape: † â€Å"80th my parents had taken to the Sunshades drink, and we left the bush in pursuit of it† (Wages 12). This further distances them from Saul, to the point where they are not there to raise him. This is why Saul embarks on his journey alone, as he believes that there is no one else able to help him. Finally, the only beacon of light in Sail's childhood, his grandmother, dies in his arms: â€Å"Instead, she was gone. Frozen to death saving me, and was cast adrift on a strange new rive' (Wages 24).Sail's grandmother is very important to him, so upon her death, Saul loses hope that his reality can be handled. From this, Saul tries to escape reality rather than face it, but the consequence is that he is unable to progress from this time period. He chooses to bottle up all these traumatizing events within himself, but this sets off his tumble into darkness. Due to his troubled upbringing, Saul does not accept his life as an Indian, nor the person that he used to be. Thus, the central theme is introduced, that people's past must be confronted, not avoided, so that they can move on, and accept their former selves.Secondly, after Saul enrolls at SST. Groomer's, he suffers deep mental and physical abuse, which hinders hi s journey for the truth. His time at SST. Jerome is the most traumatizing period of his life, as Saul clearly states â€Å"SST. Groomer's took all the light from my world† (Wages 35). The harsh environment Of the school scars Saul emotionally: I saw kids die of tuberculosis, influenza, pneumonia and broken hearts at SST. Groomer's. Saw young boys and girls die standing on their own two feet. I saw runaways carried back, frozen solid as boards. I saw bodies hung from rafters on thin ropes.So I retreated. T hats how I survived. Alone. When the tears threatened to erupt from me at night I vowed they would never hear me cry. I ached in solitude. What I let them see was a quiet, withdrawn boy, void of feeling. (Wages 44) Saul pushes away this reality by this by cutting himself off from the rest of the world and forgetting his true self. By doing this, he is able to survive, but he is arced to deal with the truth much later in his life. This would push back Sail's journey, as it co ntributes to the demons that he faces and carries with him.Ignoring reality just makes it even more difficult to deal with it afterwards. However, Saul is also special, as he is gifted with the vision that allows him to excel at hockey. Thus, he uses the sport as a distraction: ‘When I hit the ice I left all of that behind me. Stepped onto the ice and Saul Indian Horse, the abandoned Ojibwa kid, clutched in the frozen arms of his dead grandmother, ceased to exist† (Wages 66). Hockey is Sail's shield, and it is the way that he escapes from reality, but it does not help him confront his past. Instead Saul runs away from his past.No matter what people do, their past will always catch up with them. Finally, Saul reveals that Father Liberties raped him: â€Å"He was my captor, the warder of my innocence. † (Wages 162). The reader does not know this until much later, and this is reflective of Saul. Since he chooses to oppress those memories so that he forgets, he also a llows Father Liberties to continue to rape him. Those who ail to understand the past are bound to repeat it. As Saul is not able to fully comprehend the reality of his time at SST. Groomer's, he chooses to bury it deeply within himself.However, by doing this, Saul suffers great consequences, and he is unable to progress in his journey searching for the truth. This develops the central theme that the past must be confronted, not escaped, to be able to move along with life. Finally, much later in his life, Sail's journey comes to an end, and he is able to accept himself. Initially, when he loses his protection that was hockey, Saul is forced to slowly and eloquently face his past: M/hen the racism of the crowds and players made me change, became enraged because they were taking away the only protection had.When that happened, I knew that the game could not offer me protection any longer. The truth of the abuse and the rape of my innocence were closer to the surface. † (Wages 160 ) Yet, this is not the end of his journey, as he is not ready to face his past. As Saul prolongs his journey, he also continues to suffer. He dodges the past by pursuing a nomadic life before taking to alcohol: â€Å"In alcohol I found an antidote to exile . Covered that being someone you are not is often easier than living with the person you are. I became drunk with that. Addicted.My new escape sustained me for awhile† (Wages 144). By doing this, he faces even more demons, forcing him to dig even deeper to find the truth. Finally, Saul come to the realization that he must visit SST. Groomer's, now closed, and God's Lake, the place of his upbringing: â€Å"I'd never walked the shore of the lake completely. But did so that day, and every step closer to our old family campsite transported me further back. The angst in my belly disappeared. My thoughts cleared. I walked in a peace could not recall having experienced before† (Wages 163).Saul must come to terms with himsel f, so that he is able get rid of all the demons that he carries. By doing this, he is able let go of the past, and progress into a new phase of his life, one in which he is not constantly trying to escape. This leap is very difficult for Saul, but by doing this, he was able to find the truth he was searching for, thus completing his journey. His journey, albeit long and difficult, is ultimately successful, as by miming to terms with his past, Saul is relieved of all the pain he has been holding onto, and is able to accept himself.This also finishes the development of the theme that the past must be confronted to be able to move along. It does not manner the journey that people take to come to terms with the past, but it is only necessary that in the end, they are able to accept the past for what it is. In conclusion, Sail's life can be seen as a journey. From his days as a young Indian to his early adulthood, Saul choose to oppress any collections of the harsh reality of his childho od, instead choosing to distract himself with hockey, work, and alcohol.

Dehumanization and Alienation Essay

For generations society has been separating and categorizing mankind into stereotypes. Everyone and anyone on earth has been placed within a prospective category. If not by race, then appearance, income, or by social standing. Although sometimes mankind takes these separations to an extreme, like trying to dispose of a thousands of people, just because of their religion and beliefs. These separations and categorizations can wreak havoc on the human mind. Some even hallucinating in order to cope with the stress of what everyday life has caused them. Feeling trapped in a label you can’t seem to shed no matter how hard you work to change can be infuriating, and that constant battle of back and forth within the mind can do dangerous things. Although Wiesel writes a memoir and Kafka writes an expressionist novella, both stories use symbols to further their themes of alienation and dehumanization. Night is a memoir by Elie Wiesel. Within his enthralling narrative he depicts his period spent within Auschwitz during World War two, and how he managed to endure and outlive the camps ill-treatment. He describes his first experience in Auschwitz, upon his entrance into the camp. â€Å"Men to the left! Women to the right! Eight words spoken quietly, indifferently, without emotion. Eight simple, short words†¦ I didn’t know that this was the moment in time and place where I would be leaving my mother and sister forever† (Wiesel, 29). As soon as you step foot in that appalling camp it is no longer of any St. Germain 1 importance that you have a family. The guards don’t concern themselves with the inseparability of you and your loved ones. All that is of any concern to them is that they dispose of the weak. They determine who is deemed fit to  live and will be of appropriate use to them. The S.S soldiers alienate the weak from the rest of the camp in order to uphold the highest level of functionality. After spending months in Auschwitz, Elie and his fellow prisoners are relocated. While on the train transporting them to their unknown location they are forced to fit 100 prisoners per car for days, without food or water. During a stop at a local train station the German citizens amuse themselves by throwing crumbs of bread onto the train and watching the prisoners fight for any scrap of bread they can obtain, for one scrap of bread ensures one more day of survival. Elie watches in horror as a man attacks his elderly father in order to steal his bread. Elie recalls the terrifying events â€Å"Meir, my little Meir! Don’t you recognize me†¦You’re killing your father†¦I have bread†¦for you too†¦The old man mumbled something, groaned, and died. Nobody cared. His son searched him, took the crust of bread, and began to devour it† (Wiesel, 101). Being in the camp dehumanizes you. Not just in the sense of stripping you of your basic rights, but also of your basic morals. Being dehumanized is more than your lack of human rights, it’s also about the numbing of your feelings and emotional connections. The only thing that separates humans from any other animal on earth is our ability to form emotional bonds with others and to allow our morals to come before our basic instinct of survival. Being in the situation where you kill your father without hesitation shows the true magnitude of the dehumanization within the camps. Still within the tightfisted hands of the S.S soldiers, Elie and the other prisoners are forced to run involuntary to a new hidden camp. Elies father has aged a great deal so the strenuous and demanding route to the new camp is more exertion than his body can handle. Once they made it safely to the camp St. Germain his father’s health began to diminish rapidly. It wasn’t long until his father drew in his last laborious breath and died in his sleep. Upon waking the next morning Elie was alarmed to find another inmate sleeping on his father’s bed. He soon discovered that his father had died the night before and was taken to the crematorium. By this time, he had already endured so  much that he says â€Å"I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep, but I was out of tears. And deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found something like; free at last†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wiesel, 112). Elie had already experienced so much turmoil within the confines of the camp, that he was unaffected by the death of his own father. He was relieved that he no longer had the responsibility of keeping his father and himself alive. Elie had once been appalled at the men who abandoned their loved ones in order to ensure their o wn survival. He had watched in horror as a man killed his elderly father for a crumb of bread, and vowed he would never become one of those appalling men. Yet when he thinks of his father’s undeserved death, he feels relief. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, a successful business man named Gregor awakens one morning and finds himself transformed into a giant roach bug. He responds to his change in appearance relatively calm, for his biggest concern is being late for his door to door salesmen job. While trying tirelessly to get out of bed Gregors mother knocks on the door to remind him of his tardiness to work. He assures her that he is okay and that he’ll be out soon. When Gregor fails to come into work his manager arrives at his home in order to find the explanation for Gregors absence. While demanding Gregor come out of the room, for he cannot miss a day of work he says â€Å"Your job is by no means rock solid†¦ frankly your recent work has been highly unsatisfactory† (Kafka, 7). The manager treats Gregor as though he is a means of making money and nothing more. Gregor is pushed around and mistreated by his manager each and every day, and that kind of emotional and mental abuse can only be endured for so long. Thus explaining Gregors hallucinations of becoming a giant roach, and isolating himself from the rest of  society. Being told you are nothing but another cog within the machine of life by your superior makes you believe that you contribute nothing to society. Therefore the manager threatening Gregor with his job is a symbol of the abuse Gregor was put through every day that made him feel like a useless vermin, that he then ha llucinates himself to be when he â€Å"turns† in to a roach. After Gregors family discovers that he has become a roach they lock him away in his room and refuse to acknowledge what has happened to him. His sister slowly begins to become more comfortable with his new appearance and decides to leave food out for him. Since Gregors sister Grete decided to take the position as the main care giver for Gregor, his mother never sees him. One day Gregors mother decides she wants to visit Gregor and help Grete move his furniture out of his room. While they are transporting and relocating Gregors furniture to another room, Gregor decides he doesn’t want a poster on his wall taken away. So he lays himself on top of the poster on the wall, with the hopes that Grete would realize he wants it to stay. When Grete enters the room with Gregors mother, the shock of seeing her son as a giant bug causes her to pass out. While the mother remained passed out in another room Gregors father comes home. He is outraged when Grete informs him that seeing Gregor caused the mothers troubling state. He immediately assumes Gregor tried to attack them and begins to attack Gregor as punishment. Kafka describes it saying â€Å"Gregor halted, petrified, any more running would be useless, for the father dead set on bombarding him†¦a weakly thrown apple grazed Gregors back sliding off harmlessly. Another one, however, promptly following it, actually clung right into his back. Gregor wanted to keep dragging himself along as though this startling and incredible pain would vanish with a change of location, yet he felt nailed to the spot†(Kafka,26). Gregors father attacking him with the apples and injuring him is a symbol of Gregors strained and problematic relationship with his father, it shows that Gregor never felt good or worthy enough. The apple actually causing injury to his back  represents the emotional turmoil Gregors father has put him through and the betrayal he feels as a result.  Since Gregor is no longer able to support the family and their lavish life style anymore, Gregors father decides to allow three men to rent out rooms within their home for extra money. The men are vile and self-righteous so upon hearing Grete playing the violin in her room, demand she come and play for them. Grete does as she is told and begins to play for the men. Gregor  is watching from his cracked door as Grete plays and is utterly captivated by it. It’s the first time Gregor remembers being happy in a long time. Although he is outraged when he looks around the room and sees the awful men sitting there looking as if they would like nothing more than to leave the room. Gregor wishes Grete would play for only him because he is the only one who truly appreciates her talents, Gregor states â€Å"He was determined to creep all the way over to the sister, tug at her skirt and suggest that she take violin and come into his room, for no one here would reward her playing as he intended to reward it. He wanted to keep her there, and never let her out, at least not in his lifetime† (Kafka, 34). Gregor enjoying Grete’s violin playing symbolizes what little hope he has left, and that he is still human. After all that Gregor has been through, and all that his family has out him through he still loves Grete and wants her to feel appreciated in the way that he never did. He wishes to hide her away from the cruel world that emotionally and mentally scarred him, and alienate themselves from the rest of society by staying together in Gregors room forever. Throughout both of the writers novels the theme of alienation and dehumanization are thoroughly represented. They depict the hardships and struggles of being wrongfully labeled, and how it affects your life. What may seem like a completely unnecessary and irrelevant sentence in the novel actually has a much great meaning than originally thought. Within those sentences are symbols that help to further the themes in the novel. Although Wiesel writes a memoir and Kafka writes an expressionist novella, both stories use symbols to further their themes of alienation and dehumanization. Work Cited Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006.Printed Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Columbis, Ohio: The McGraw – Hill Companies, 2000.Printed

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Differences Between the French and Spanish

Englishmen migrated to the New World because they wanted independence, political freedom, and economic opportunity. The Spanish came as conquerors; the resulting political system was entirely autocratic and solely devoted to the furthering of the motherland. Spain gave its colonies little self-rule. Instead, Spanish rulers dictated all the policies of its New World territories. The English and Spanish both wanted to explore and find new territories too politically and economically control. The Spanish colonies developed economically by using the Encomienda system.In this system, Spanish lords exploited and manipulated Native Americans and used them to do manual labor on the land. The Spanish looted large amounts of gold, silver, and other valuables from this new land. This tradition continued into the seventeenth century as Spanish ships would come annually to bring gold and other valuables back to Spain. The Spanish tax burden was very unevenly distributed: it fell more on the poor than the rich, heavily on the agricultural sector, and on Castile far more than Aragon or the Basque country.But the Spanish government's expenditure continued to climb: – in the first twelve years of Philip III's reign, he spent over 40 million ducats on the Low Countries' wars alone. To cover the shortfall, the Spanish government both borrowed money by being interested in bearing state bonds and assigned the revenues from future years to the bankers if they would pay the defense contracts for the present year. By 1607 the government had a debt of almost 23 million ducats and had assigned away all its revenue for four years ahead. By 1644 the crown's income was pledged to 1648; and by 1664 the crown owed more than 21 million ducats.The English Colonies had abundant natural resources. Their economy prospered in the fur trade, fishing, lumbering, farming and other industries that produced raw materials. This abundance of natural resources stimulated trade into the colonies as developed industries in Europe required raw materials to convert into refined goods. Combined with England's tradition of partial representation, the English Colonies had a large degree of self-government. In 1603, moderate Puritans in England hoped the new monarch, James I, would be sympathetic to their iews, since he had been raised in Calvinist Scotland. Although this did not prove to be the case, the Puritans still tried to work within the religious system while he was king. The colonies all had some form of a representative assembly that was voted in by popular support. While only white male landowners could vote, this still constituted some degree of democracy. In some colonies, even the governors were decided by popular vote. The English and Spanish colonies were established for completely different reasons. England colonizes North America.English colonies were first established by the Puritans who were seeking refuge, freedom of religion, and economic opportunity. The Englis h colonists enjoyed far more freedom. English had established dominance in North America. The Spaniards came to America's on accident in a futile attempt to find an alternate trade route to china, with a thriving community, complex architecture and cities of gold. Conquistadors, soldiers, and missionaries were the primary Spanish colonizers; farmers and traders came later. Colonies were governed by crown-appointed viceroys or governors. Settlers had to obey the king's laws and could make none of their own.