Hard Times by Charles Dickens Research Paper Example

Hard Times by Charles Dickens Research Paper Example Hard Times by Charles Dickens Paper Hard Times by Charles Dickens Paper Essay Topic: Hard Times Woman On the Edge Of Time Brocklehurst finally meets his end after an outbreak of typhus fever, when an inquiry is made into its cause, and it is found that the site is unhealthy and that the quality and quantity of food given to the girls are substandard, among other things. After these facts become public knowledge, Mr. Brocklehurst is shunted into the background and becomes mere treasurer of the school, and a committee replaced his previous position. His stereotyped ideas towards poor people have now become outdated and are no longer accepted. The first time we see Thomas Gradgrind in the novel, he states that Facts alone are wanted in life and this gives us a fair idea of his character. He is an undoubting believer in utilitarianism at the beginning of Hard Times. In the opening chapters, he is speaking at a school, founded by him, which teaches Fact and no more. He describes himself as an eminently practical man, and this is so. Thomas Gradgrind not only teaches the ideals of the utilitarian lifestyle, but also believes in and follows them himself. This practicality, and the matter-of-fact way in which he interprets life is one of the most significant aspects of his character, and becomes very important in his relationship with his children. Dickens physical description of him comes in the very first chapter, when he is attending his school, and addressing its pupils. He is described as having a square wall of a forehead, eyes that found commodious cellarage in two dark caves and a wide, thin and hard set mouth. : Dickens is using the appearance of Gradgrind as the quintessence of his character by making everything about him average and not remarkable. Dickens goes on to describe the rest of his body in the same manner, describing his square coat, square legs, square shoulders. The repetition of the word square is Dickens way of stressing the boredom of his appearance. Dickens clearly does not want us to think that Gradgrind is an amiable or cheerful man. The fact that the description of Gradgrind is made through the eyes of children also influences the readers opinion of him. This is similar in ways to Bronti s description of Brocklehurst, as both men are portrayed as having nothing attractive or fanciful about their appearance, and both are described through the eyes of children. Thomas Gradgrind has a wife and five children, all of whom live at Stone Lodge, a suitably unremarkable house. Mrs. Gradgrind is described as a bundle of shawls as she is a quiet and detached character, who never says or does very much. Of Gradgrinds five children, only two become involved in the novel Thomas and Louisa, the two eldest. Both are raised on the utilitarian doctrine from an early age, but understand nothing of life and love. The first time we encounter them they are, to Gradgrinds extreme disappointment, visiting Slearys Circus which is in town to see what it was like, having experienced nothing similar in their lives. The first time we witness compassion in Gradgrind is when he discovers that Cecilia Sissy Jupe, a pupil at his school who lives with the circus, has been abandoned by her father. Gradgrind decides, much to his friend Mr. Bounderbys dismay, to take her in and raise her. This incident illustrates to us that while he is a man of Fact, Gradgrind is compassionate and does care for other people. Dickens also uses the occasion to show us the difference between Gradgrind and Mr. Bounderby, a much less benevolent man. Although Gradgrind does seemingly do a cruel thing in not allowing Sissy to return to the circus, and forcing her to make up her mind immediately, he is doing what he believes is best for the girl. Sissy, while not as successful in studies as Gradgrind hoped for, is liked by him, and described as an affectionate, earnest, good young woman. A small example of how Gradgrind changes as the novel progresses is the fact that at the beginning of the book, he tells Sissy that Sissy is not a name, dont call yourself Sissy. Call yourself Cecilia. However, by the end of the novel, he himself calls her Sissy, showing that his utilitarian belief has been slackened by the events of the novel, not least Louisas marriage to Mr. Bounderby. Another notable occurrence involving Sissy came earlier in the novel, when Sissy was attending Gradgrinds school. Gradgrind refers to her as girl number twenty, and asks for her to describe a horse. Sissy, although she works with horses every day of her life, hesitates to answer and Gradgrind declares that she is unable to define a horse. Bitzer, however, a model pupil of the utilitarian regime, describes a horse as a Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth and this is ironic because Bitzer, who has probably never seen a horse in his life, is praised for his description while Sissy, who knows much better than him what a horse is, is accused of being unable to describe one. This is Dickens small way of mocking the utilitarian method of teaching, and mocking Gradgrind for his belief in it. Bounderby does not propose to Louisa, but asks Gradgrind to do it for him. Even at this most important of times in Louisas life, he still considers it a question of tangible fact, quoting statistics of mixed age marriages, and reduces the considerable act of marriage to the mere question Shall I marry him? without any consideration of love. Louisa accepts Bounderbys proposal not for her own sake but for her brothers, him being the only person she truly cares for, although he is described by Dickens as The Whelp due to his heartless attitude towards everyone and everything, including his sister. One of the most redeeming arguments for the decency of Gradgrind is his lack of hypocrisy. Although we realise that his system of education is ultimately damaging to its pupils, Gradgrind subjects his children to that same system, saying in his opening speech in the school this is the principle on which I raise my own children. Even though the children who attend his school come from much less wealthy families to his own, he does not educate them any differently to his own children. If he were similar to Bounderby, who lives in the lap of luxury while accusing the Hands (working class people) of wishing to be fed on turtle soup and venison, with a gold spoon, then we could be more condemning of him. However, as it is, we realise that Gradgrind believes in utilitarianism, and does not subject children to his system for crueltys sake, but for their own. Here lies another difference between Gradgrind and Brocklehurst, as Brocklehurst is a hypocrite, who treats his family much better than the orphaned girls at his school. One failure of Gradgrinds System, which is not wholly understood until the third book of the novel, is the fading decency of Tom (Jnr. ). It is clear right from the beginning of the novel that Tom is the only person who Louisa really cares for. Although even from the beginning we realise that although Tom does not quite hold Louisa in the same high regards, he does care for her. However, as the novel progresses we see his character change. He manipulates Louisas relationship with his employer, Mr. Bounderby, for his own gain, and takes advantage of Louisas love for him by getting money off her. These newly developed character flaws are the result of the upbringing he suffered, during which he had no emotional outlet and no fun. Dickens calls him The Whelp and describes him as a hypocrite, incapable of governing himself and a monster. It is clear that Dickens does not wish us to like Tom, through the language used to describe him. He brags to Mr. Harthouse about the fact that he convinced Louisa to marry Bounderby, in order to make it much easier for him to work for Bounderby. He is altogether an unsavoury, greedy, manipulative character, but the worst was yet to come. When he hits cash-flow problems, and Louisa no longer has the money to support his gambling, he resorts to stealing money from the bank. However, worse even than that, he deliberately implicates an innocent man for his crime, a man who consequently dies. Toms fate is another way in which Dickens criticises the utilitarian upbringing of the children, as it is clear that Toms severe character flaws are a result of a lack of emotional outlet in his childhood. Another important point that can be made about Gradgrind is that during the course of the novel, his character changes. We discover that by the end of the novel, he no longer believes in the utilitarian system he held dear for so long. A number of factors influence this change of opinion and character, not the least important being his children, Tom and Louisa. Both were educated under their fathers system and he believed all was well, however, as the story progresses he comes to realise that neither is happy. Louisa, who married Bounderby for her brothers sake, only comes to realise her unhappiness when Mr. James Harthouse arrives. However the first to give her a clue that her education had been inadequate had been her mother on her deathbed, who said that there is something not an Ology at all that your father has missed, or forgotten. At this stage, Louisa does not understand what she means, but her affair with Mr. Harthouse helps her to understand. He gives her a small vision of what life could be like without Bounderby, through his secret courting of her. Gradgrind is finally enlightened of the unhappiness of Louisa when she comes to visit him and accuses him of robbing me [Louisa] of the immaterial part of my life, the spring and summer of my belief. Although she does not wholly blame him (I dont reproach you, what you have never nurtured in me, you have never nurtured in yourself), her outburst has a profound affect on Gradgrind, as in Louisas downfall he saw the pride of his heart and the triumph of his system, lying, an insensible heap, at his feet. This was the first time he had seen his system fail, and it started him thinking that there is more to life than fact. When Gradgrind finally discovers his sons deception and crime, a change comes over him. He spends a day in his room, considering how the two prides of his System had turned out so wrong, and comes out of the room a different man. He is described as a wiser man, and a better man, than in the days when in his life he wanted nothing but Facts. He even saves his son from the law, an act that involved a confrontation with Bitzer, a former pupil and success of the System. This final change is another of the main redeeming features of Gradgrind, as he learns from his mistakes, and we learn that his other children are not raised merely on Fact. I think that although his actions were indisputably cruel, he learns from these mistakes and in the end, turns out to be an amiable man. The change in Gradgrinds character is the main difference between himself and Mr. Brocklehurst. Although at no point in the novel does Dickens appear to agree with the utilitarian education taught by Gradgrind, and appears to agree with Sleary that the people must be entertained, he does seem to respect Gradgrinds belief in his system, and the fact that in the end, he seems remorseful for all the things he has done. In the final chapter we are told that Gradgrind ends up making his facts and figures subservient to Faith, Hope and Charity, and so we end up liking him more than we did earlier in the novel, when facts alone are wanted in life. Mr. Brocklehurst, on the other hand, does not change, and Bronti seems to despise him as much at the end as she did at the beginning. For these reasons, I think that Thomas Gradgrind is by far the more amiable of the two, and that he should be respected for his integrity, while Brocklehurst should be scorned for his hypocrisy.

A Main Class in Java Contains the Main Method

A Main Class in Java Contains the Main Method All Java programs must have an entry point, which is always the main() method. Whenever the program is called, it automatically executes the main() method first. The main() method can appear in any class that is part of an application, but if the application is a complex containing multiple files, it is common to create a separate class just for main().  The main class can have any name, although typically it will just be called Main. What Does the Main Method Do? The main() method is the key to making a Java program executable. Here is the basic syntax for a main() method: public class MyMainClass { public static void main(String[] args) { // do something here... }} Note that the main() method is defined within curly braces and is declared with three keywords: public, static and void : public: This method is public and therefore available to anyone.static: This method can be run without having to create an instance of the class MyClass.void: This method does not return anything.(String[] args): This method takes a String argument. Note that the argument args can be anything  - its common to use args but we could instead call it stringArray. Now lets add some code to the main() method so that it does something: public class MyMainClass { public static void main(String[] args) { System.out.println(Hello World!); }} This is the traditional Hello World! program, as simple as it gets. This main() method simply prints the words Hello World! In a real program, however, the main() method just starts the action and does not actually perform it. Generally, the main() method parses  any command line arguments, does some setup or checking, and then initializes one or more objects that continue the work of the program.   Separate Class or Not? As the entry point into a program, the main() method has an important place, but programmers do not all agree on what it should contain and to what degree it should be integrated with other functionality. Some argue that the main() method should appear where it intuitively belongs - somewhere at the top of your program.  For example, this design incorporates main() directly into the class that creates a server: However, some programmers point out that putting the main() method into its own class can help make the Java components you are creating reusable. For example, the design below creates a separate class for the main() method, thus allowing the class ServerFoo to be called by other programs or methods: Elements of the Main Method Wherever you place the main() method, it should contain certain elements since it is the entry point to your program. These might include a check for any preconditions for running your program. For example, if your program interacts with a database, the main() method might be the logical place to test basic database connectivity before moving on to other functionality. Or if authentication is required, you would probably put the login information in main(). Ultimately, the design and location of main() are completely subjective. Practice and experience will help you determine where best to put main(), depending on the requirements of your program.

Eassy 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eassy 1 - Essay Example Ultimately, each of the four determinants that will be discussed act in their own way to provide for the massive diversity of life that is and has been seen on planet earth. With regards to speciation, this is a unique evolutionary concept whereby new biological species arise as a function of split lineages phyletic evolution. As a function of this, the layperson can understand the principle which sees varying differences arise within populations of farm animals as well as key differences arising in certain breeds of dogs as a process of the split lineage model that has herein been described. Although such a model is useful, it places a level of emphasis on something of a closed system due to the fact that a split lineage must signify a type of event that separated two groups in the first place. Although this is of course a fundamental precept of evolutionary biology, it helps to adequately explain the great level of diversity that is currently exhibited within the natural world (Abbot et al 2013). Conversely, an environmental agent of selective pressures denotes the ways in which certain environmental factors act upon creatures to adapt them to the particular way of life that is necessitated within their environment. Evidence of this can of course be seen in the giraffes of the savannah as they were increasingly necessitated to have longer and longer necks as a function of reaching the flora at the top of the tree canopy. In this way, environmental agents of selective pressures can alternatively be read as a type of natural selection. Similarly, with regards to diversity of plants and animals, dispersion is something that ultimately cannot be ignored or disregarded due to the fact that the level of dispersal means that captive groups of species will develop in dissimilar ways to other captive groups of species. Evidence of this can of course be seen in the way that the American

Analytical Methods in Economics and Finance Assignment

Analytical Methods in Economics and Finance - Assignment Example this basis establishes similarity in life satisfaction among males and females. Consistency in other values such as standard deviation that was 1.67 for males and 1.71 for females, skewdness that was -1.31 for males and -1.27 for females, and range, minimum, and maximum values that were all similar for males and females supports the position that life satisfaction for both males and females assume the same trend. The following table summarizes descriptive statistics for life satisfaction based on gender (Weiers 2011, p. 58- 66). People with in income category 6 offered a higher mean life satisfaction score, 7.84, as compared to people in income category 1 whose mean score was 7.79. The mean and the mode for the two categories was however at score eight to suggest similarity in distribution. With a standard deviation of 1.59 for category 1 and 1.53 for category 2, together with difference in minimum satisfaction value, 0 for category 1 and 3 for category 3, the mean appears the best estimator to suggest that people in income category 6 have higher life satisfaction score than people in category 1 (Healey 2009, p. 85- 125). The high significance value of F, 0.79, relative to the test level of significance of 0.05, means that the null hypothesis is not rejected. This means that no significant relationship exists between life satisfaction, gender, and males and females are equivalently satisfied. The computed value is however higher and this means that the null hypothesis is not rejected. The regression coefficient is therefore zero and this shows that life satisfaction does not depend on gender and confirms the observation that the distribution of life satisfaction score, by gender is the same. The p-value is however greater and the null hypothesis is not rejected. This means that there is no significant relationship between money (income

History of Western Art Essay Example for Free

History of Western Art Essay It entered into the register in 1593 and was there for a period of 47 years. Venus is the goddess of love, while Adonis is a handsome mortal. The woman image (Venus) is seen, assisted by a small child, trying to restrain Adonis from setting off. The woman is naked while the man is in a hunter’s attire. Some hunting dogs are also seen by the man’s side. This painting shows only a small part of Adonis and Venus. The artist focused only on the two characters; Venus wanting Adonis’ embrace but Adonis is refusing and this is clear in the painting. It can also be seen that behind her, there are some flowers and a small thicket. In this painting the artist has tried to use the least poses or none at all. This makes it unique from most other paintings. Another ingredient of the uniqueness of this painting is that the artist has fairly restricted the gestures belonging to the two hovering figures. He has actually used calmness in such a situation that is so emotional. Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe (1863) This was first presented to the salon in 1863. There is minimum use of lines. A naked woman with two men seated together in an absurd manner. At the background is another image of a woman slightly bending and appears to be bathing and facing the two men and the woman. The background is also dark as compared to the foreground. In fact, the woman looks brighter than anything else. The naked woman has her clothes spread all over with some food stuff in a basket at the lower side end, while one of her legs is stretched towards one of the men’s own space. How these two men are seated suggests that they have no business to do with the woman and they seem to be communicating with each other. Being ignored, this woman chooses to just look at the viewer shamelessly. On the other hand, the two men are in attire which is actually decent and it probably was fashionable during this period. And contours here have not been used; the artist has utilized light and paint. It is evident that a viewer’s emotional response will be determined by the image of the naked woman and at the first glance, will be left wondering about the situation that these two men are in; nicely dressed men sitting next to a blatant woman who has not even a single piece of a covering on her body, in fact on an open. Grande Odalisque by Ingres Created in 1814, it fit into the romanticism of between 1750 and 1850. It was fist shown in salon in 1819. It again has an image of a naked woman lying in something like a sofa and also posed in an unhurried manner. She has a small head, looking at the viewer, and a stretched out arms and legs. She has only shown her back and small part of her breast in the ingress painting; it is polished smoothly on the surface and has simple contours drawn round in a rhythmic manner. The eventful material by the woman’s side complements the smooth body planes. The painter seems to be bringing out a relationship between colors and tone in a way that it is hard for one to forget. During this period, the concubines had a duty of merely satisfying sultan’s bodily pleasures. For this purpose, the artist has symbolically elongated the area around her pelvis. Furthermore, the way this woman has posed and her position in relation to her pelvis is an illustration of how deep and complex the emotions and the thoughts of the woman are. The romantic founders cast-off some common approaches and looked for freedom of expression through their art work. By doing this, they concentrated much on freedom in self-expression, mantic love, individualism, and adventure. Another dominant concept they used is the inspirational idea of dealing with pain, terror, power and darkness. This, of course, is not difficult for humans. Hence romantic artists have engaged a variety of styles and ways in their work even in neglecting the strict academia. This is displayed by Ingress in his Grande Odalisque work. From the above, it can be seen that the three images differ in some way. First, how the paintings are done differs from one another. For instance, while we are have wide use of lines and contours in Grande Odalisque, minimal of these features are employed in the Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe. another. The difference is that, the images were produced at different times and hence their themes are also different and each has a theme that is in line with the period it was created. Thirdly, we have different artists for the different images and as such since every artist has a different taste from another, definitely their work will be different. In as much as these differences exist, there are also similarities between these images. It is clear in all images that romance has been the major, or one of the major, themes and in every case the main character is a woman. Another major similarity is the nudeness of the women in every image. With all these, I still disagree that these nudes were consistent with the general trends of the period. This is because at some instances, the nudes behaved in a very awkward manner such as staying completely naked in public, and leaving the viewer questioning their moral standards. The difference is as a result of the fact that the artists have different ways of symbolizing events ant ideas and, as said earlier, they have different tastes. The similarity is as a result of the fact that each of the artists wants to divert from the tradition of the academic style and wants to embrace freedom. Every artist in these three images has shown the woman to be the major character and a suitable object of bringing out the real feeling of what each of them wants to communicate. Nudeness was actually such an enduring subject in western art because every one of the images tries to bring out a theme in the best way possible and every artist did not want to be left behind and subject of the nudes had to be considered by them. References Calley G. K. , (2000). Romanticism. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Free Essays - Animal Farm :: Animal Farm

ANIMAL FARM   About 80 per-cent of all the animals on Animal Farm completely followed the seven commandments.   The other 20 per-cent of the animals would rarely follow all the rules and they were often treated like a piece of dirt.   All the animals on Animal Farm were treated differently according to their social status, where in today’s society everyone should treat everyone equally.   The characters in Animal Farm had many diverse characteristics, some of the animals were powerful, stupid, and sneaky.   First of all, Napoleon is a huge Berkshire boar and he clearly is the most powerful of all the animals.   He was able to take complete leadership of the farm because he secretly trained the dogs to attack Snowball.   George Orwell writes, â€Å" ‘Never mind the milk, comrades!’ cried Napoleon, placing himself in front of the buckets.   ‘That will be attended to, the harvest is more important’ (817).   Napoleon is quite demanding none of the animal’s even question his authority because they know that he has more control than any other animal.   Throughout the novel Orwell has many quotes that describe Napoleon as a leader, â€Å" ‘long live Comrade Napoleon’ † (846).   All the animals on the farm (no matter what Napoleon did to them) would treat him as a powerful leader and whatever he said they would do.   Often Orwell stirs up controversy about the rebellion, â€Å" ‘forward in the name of the rebellion.à ‚   ‘Long live Animal farm!’ ‘Long live Comrade Napoleon!’ ‘Napoleon is always right.’ Those were his very last words, comrades’ † (849).   Squealer’s letting everyone know that no matter what happens to Animal Farm, just remember that Napoleon was an outstanding leader most of the time.   Napoleon was an outstanding leader and contributor to Animal Farm without his power the farm would have collapsed earlier.   Also, basically all the animals on Animal Farm were pretty dumb, they could not read or write.   After Old Major’s death, just three days after presenting his vision to the animals, Snowball and Napoleon quickly become the leaders in planning for the Rebellion because they were the only animals that were smart enough.   Besides from Napoleon and Snowball all the animals did many stupid things on the farm.   The characters in Animal Farm said a lot of stupid things throughout the whole story, â€Å" ‘He is dead, said Boxer sorrowfully.   ‘I had no intention of doing that.   I forgot that I was wearing iron shoes’ † (822).

Personal Computers vs Console

Personal Computers are much more advanced than any console available on the market today or any other day. In the PC world players reap many more benefits in online and offline gaming. These benefits keep growing in numbers as developers of the consoles continue to argue between themselves about who provides the better support or who offers more games at better quality. Actually, there is no contest as Ed Ricketts of Techradar. com states, †While Xbots and the Sony Defense Force argue among themselves, and Wii-ers throw even more ridiculous shapes pretending to play he tambourine or something, there is another group of gamers who quietly, and happily enjoy the best of the gaming platform yet. The PC†. Ed makes a strong point here. As Sony and Xbox developers argue, we PC gamers continue to offer outside support for games in Beta or even full-release games. Games that are no longer supported by the software developer due to outdated games or recently shut down companies, are still supported by the online gaming community through constant and tedious efforts. This is a showing of the true dedication to improve the experiences for everyone who enjoy PC aming. Personal Computers do not suffer from the hardware restrictions of a console, they can be easily fixed, upgraded, and maintained. Consoles are delicate and difficult to service. If there is hardware failure on a game console it has to be sent to the company for repairs. This can take weeks, or it can be serviced locally for a heavy fee. Although most PC's are used only for simple processes such as; Microsoft Office, a multitude of browsers and e-mail services, they are not restricted to the same limitations as consoles. Consoles can only use software provided by the developers, or require illegal emulators to run out sourced software. The advantages of a PC are not limited by anything but the continuous evolution of technology. When a new technology is released gamers in the PC world are the first to experience it, as companies such as Sony, Xbox(Microsoft), and Nintendo, struggle to keep up with modern technology. Consoles suffer from the inability to upgrade until the release of the next new console, which is still typically outdated technology. When the PS2 and the Xbox first came out their technology was already two years old! Aside from the PC supporting higher resolutions and soon-to-be exponential refresh rates, it can adapt to both newer and older games as it is reverse compatible always! Another statement by Ed Ricketts that is well founded was, †With the aforementioned higher resolutions and textures, chances are a new PC game already looks better than its console counterpart right now. Even if one cannot run a PC with all the visuals tweaked to the max, processor and graphic cards prices drop so quickly that it is hardly ank-breaking to refit a personal computer. â€Å"(2008) Ed has a valid point, we in the PC world can suffer from heavy expenses to upgrade a computer but, as technology is outdated almost every four months the prices drop quickly for new but slightly outdated hardware. These hardware updates will always take the PC beyond the limitations of any console. User interface is a very important aspect of ele ctronics. As such, a lot of time and research has been put into controller and keyboard designs. Computers use the same. QWERTY key layout that was first patented in 1868 (Liebowitz, Margolis 1996). Because of this, the keyboard that you find on your computer has had more than 140 years research and development to find a suitable style for users. This has resulted in an almost universal keyboard design and layout that is virtually identical across the market making it very seamless and almost unnoticeable when you switch from one Keyboard to another, regardless of what the brand on the computer is. On the other hand, the first gaming console introduced to the public was only released in 1978 (Kirby, 1982). Since then many gaming consoles have been developed and released to the public, each with its own take on how a controller should feel in the hand. With this, every console on the market with the exception of PlayStation 1, 2, and 3, have completely different controller design which makes switching from one console to another sometimes tedious. With time all consoles developed will eventually conform to a single design. There is no doubt to be a single interface device for all console games but until that time if one eeks the comfort of familiarity, the keyboard is a reliable source. As one looks back on the times and the changes that the country has endured, in regards to electronics, there has to be some thanks given to those who have made society’s lives easier. Obviously, life is simplified by the advances that have been made to PC’s and gaming consoles. Look back at the times and appreciate what the â€Å"nerds† have given to the world. Life will never be th e same and it will be forever advancing. PC VS. console gaming is by far a different world. Be it PC or console, there is lways going to be people who prefer one over the other. References Ricketts, E. (2008). TechRadar. Retrieved from http://www. techradar. com/news/gaming/12-reasons-pc-gaming-is-better- Liebowitz, S. , & Margolis, S. E. (1996). Typing errors. Reason, 28(2), 28. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Kirby C. Odyssey? (North America Philips — Magnavox): The Lost Opportunity. Black Book – Video Game Industry (December 1982) [e-book]. Bernstein Global Wealth Management; 1982:57-58. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 7, 2011.

Kudler Fine Food Essay

Kudler Fine Food is the fast growing fine food specialty business that was established in 1998, and at each of their stores the company first initially selected Microsoft Access as their AIS to track employees, customer, inventory, orders, and sales. Kudler’s products have perishable inventory that must be properly tracked. This brief will evaluate database tables from an accounting perspective. In addition, gives recommendations for improvement, pivot table, and entity relationship diagram will help the company have a better decision-making process. Assessment of the design elements of the data tables from an accounting perspective. Data Table analysis is vital to the success of the business, the data given in these tables is available for the end user to determine how much inventory is available and when it require to order more inventory. The purpose of the data tables will arranges the financial data into department, financial codes, items, and sums of total amount of transaction. Data table get the most out of the informational and visual presentation for the financial data. The user of the data can easily to identify the item belongs to certain department and how many items were received at the given cost for a certain period. In addition, the data allows in finding quantity and total amount on hand for an item and calculating average price of the item. Kudler Fine Foods data tables the company has now, organized per department and location by a general codes in a general ledger. For example the codes differentiated per department, product, and locations, in addition, the first two digits show the location (10) La Jolla, (11) Del Mar, (12) Encinitas, the second show the department (15) Bakery, (16) Meat & Seafood, (17) Produce, (18) Cheese & dairy, (19) Wine. Last, the two digits will show the product (20) imported cheeses, and in the ledger codes each location inventory will be broken down into different department. The inventory data table and general ledger use will not give enough information to the end user of the total cost remaining from the inventory list. The user that is preparing to order items will not know how much inventory is available to order (Wiley & Sons, 2004). An Entity relationship diagram will show the hierarchy of how data reviewed by the end users, and the information represented the entity relationship diagrams includes the company entities and relationship among them. Entity relationship diagrams have for symbols: the entities are represented by a diamonds to describe relationship, the entity is described by ovals, characteristics, and connecting lines illustrates relationships. The entity relationship diagram will demonstrate the hierarchy shapes presented by rectangles, ovals, diamonds, and connecting lines. As an example of (Code: 021520) location Del Mar department is (18) Cheese & dairy, and the product is imported cheeses. The code number will give the purchaser, inventory item, summary item, and the total amount available in the inventory of the item. The data table gives the company accurate information needed for the company to sell the item. The recommendation for improvements to the Kudler Fine Foods data tables, the pivot table is a two-dimensional statistical summary of database information. The database information can be improved by arranging the codes, and categorize the data by compiling the list of product inventory levels. This improvement will simplify the monitoring of items for a department that has different product to sell. Data sorting should allow visualizing of the data faster and finding the information management need to make effective decisions ((Wiley & Sons, 2004). In addition, the improvement of the data tables will give more information to the end users. The data table needs to give substantial information for the decision-making process from management. The improved data-base needs to have the cost and quantity available for effective decisions to be made by management. As an example Del Mar Kudler Fine Food location has $700 of inventory of cheeses available the code is 021520, however it is unknown on the exact quantity. The improvements of the data-base will include the quantity, cost of each unit, and the total available. Creating accurate information will help management know if the stock is low or high with accurate information makes effective decision-making for the company (Wiley & Sons, 2004). Conclusion Presently Kudler’s advised some improvement required to their nventory data table and Kudler’s should update the database with data tables that allow them easily to access and calculate optimal inventory levels for each store. The upgrade will provide quality of data and eliminate redundant information. Kudler Fine Foods values the level customer service that the company has strived to give a high level. Data tables will be monitored to elevate errors, improve accuracy for the company success in growth. Improvements of the data-base are essential for management to make effective decisions for effective customer satisfaction. Pivot tables will allow quick access to vital data.

Biography of Marian Anderson, American Singer

Biography of Marian Anderson, American Singer Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897–April 8, 1993) was an American singer known for her solo performances of lieder, opera, and American spirituals. Her vocal range was almost three octaves, from low D to high C, which allowed her to express a broad range of feelings and moods appropriate to the various songs in her repertoire. The first black artist to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, Anderson broke numerous color barriers over the course of her career. Fast Facts: Marian Anderson Known For: Anderson was an African-American singer and one of the most popular concert performers of the 20th century.Born: February 27, 1897 in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaParents: John Berkley Anderson and Annie Delilah RuckerDied: April 8, 1993 in Portland, OregonSpouse: Orpheus Fisher (m. 1943–1986) Early Life Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia on February 27, 1897. She demonstrated a talent for singing at a very young age. At 8 years old, she was paid 50 cents for a recital.  Marian’s mother was a member of a Methodist church, but the family was involved in music at Union Baptist Church, where her father was a member and an officer. At Union Baptist Church, young Marian sang first in the junior choir and later in the senior choir.  The congregation nicknamed her the â€Å"baby contralto,† though she sometimes sang soprano or tenor. She saved money from doing chores around the neighborhood to buy a violin and later a piano. She and her sisters taught themselves how to play. Marian’s father died in 1910, either of work injuries or a brain tumor.  The family moved in with Marian’s paternal grandparents. Marian’s mother did laundry to support the family and later worked as a cleaning woman in a department store.  After Marian graduated from grammar school, Anderson’s mother became seriously ill with the flu and Marian took some time off from school to raise money through her singing to help support the family. After high school, Marian was accepted into Yale University, but she did not have the funds to attend. In 1921, however, she received a music scholarship from the National Association of Negro Musicians.  She had been in Chicago in 1919 at the first meeting of the organization. The church members collected funds to hire Giuseppe Boghetti as a voice teacher for Anderson for a year; after that, he donated his services. Under his coaching, she performed at Witherspoon Hall in Philadelphia.  He remained her tutor and, later, her advisor, until his death. Early Music Career Anderson toured with Billy King, an African-American pianist who also served as her manager, at schools and churches. In 1924, Anderson made her first recordings with the Victor Talking Machine Company.  She gave a recital in New York’s Town Hall in 1924 to a mostly white audience and considered quitting her musical career when the reviews were poor.  But a desire to help support her mother brought her back to the stage. Boghetti urged Anderson to enter a national contest sponsored by the New York Philharmonic.  She placed first among 300 contestants, which led to a concert in 1925 at Lewisohn Stadium in New York City where she sang with the New York Philharmonic. The reviews this time were more enthusiastic. Anderson went to London in 1928. There, she made her European debut at Wigmore Hall on September 16, 1930. She also studied with teachers who helped her expand her musical capacities.  In 1930, Anderson performed in Chicago at a concert sponsored by the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, which had made her an honorary member.  After the concert, representatives from the Julius Rosewald Fund contacted her and offered her a scholarship to study in Germany. There, she studied with Michael Raucheisen and Kurt Johnen. Success in Europe In 1933 and 1934, Anderson toured Scandinavia, performing 30 concerts funded in part by the Rosenwald Fund.  She performed for the kings of Sweden and Denmark. She was enthusiastically received;  Jean Sibelius invited her to meet with him and dedicated â€Å"Solitude† to her. Coming off her success in Scandinavia, Anderson made her Paris debut in May 1934. She followed France with a tour in Europe, including England, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Soviet Union, and Latvia.  In 1935, she won the Prix de Chant in Paris. Return to America Sol Hurok, an American impresario, took over management of her career in 1935, and he was a more aggressive manager than her previous American manager had been.  Hurok organized a tour of the United States. Her first concert was a return to Town Hall in New York City.  She hid a broken foot and cast well, and critics raved about her performance.  Howard Taubman, a critic for The New York Times (and later a ghostwriter of her autobiography), wrote, â€Å"Let it be said from the outset, Marian Anderson has returned to her native land one of the great singers of our time.† Anderson was invited to sing at the White House by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936- she was the first black artist to perform there- and he invited her back to the White House to sing for a visit by King George and Queen Elizabeth. 1939 Lincoln Memorial Concert 1939 was the year of a highly publicized incident with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).  Sol Hurok attempted to engage the DAR’s Constitution Hall for an Easter Sunday concert in Washington, D.C., with Howard University sponsorship, which would have had an integrated audience.  The DAR refused the use of the building, citing their segregation policy.  Hurok went public with the snub, and thousands of DAR members resigned from the organization, including, quite publicly, Eleanor Roosevelt. Black leaders in Washington organized to protest the DAR’s action and to find a new place to hold the concert.  The Washington School Board also refused to host a concert with Anderson, and the protest expanded to include the School Board.  Leaders of Howard University and the NAACP, with the support of Eleanor Roosevelt, arranged with the Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes for a free outdoor concert on the National Mall.  Anderson accepted the offer. On April 9, 1939, Easter Sunday, 1939, Anderson performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. An interracial crowd of 75,000 heard her sing in person.  Millions of others heard her as well because the concert was broadcast on the radio.  She opened with â€Å"My Country ‘Tis of Thee.† The program also included â€Å"Ave Maria† by Schubert, â€Å"America,† â€Å"Gospel Train,† and â€Å"My Soul Is Anchored in the Lord.† Some see this incident and the concert as the opening of the civil rights movement.  Though she did not choose political activism, Anderson became a symbol of the struggle for civil rights. The War Years In 1941, Franz Rupp became Anderson’s pianist.  They toured together across the United States and South America and began recording with RCA.  Anderson had made several recordings for HMV in the late 1920s and 1930s, but this arrangement with RCA led to many more records.  As with her concerts, the recordings included German lieder and spirituals. In 1943, Anderson married Orpheus King Fisher, an architect. They had known each other in high school when she stayed at his family’s home after a benefit concert in Wilmington, Delaware; he had later married and had a son.  The couple moved to a farm in Connecticut, which they called Marianna Farms. King designed them a home with a music studio. Doctors discovered a cyst on Andersons esophagus in 1948, and she submitted to an operation to remove it. While the cyst threatened to damage her voice, the operation also endangered her voice.  For two months she was not allowed to speak and there were fears that she might have suffered permanent damage.  But she recovered and her voice was not affected by the procedure. Opera Debut Earlier in her career, Anderson had refused several invitations to perform in operas, noting that she did not have opera training.  In 1954, however, when she was invited to sing with the Metropolitan Opera in New York by Met manager Rudolf Bing, she accepted the role of Ulrica in Verdi’s A Masked Ball, debuting on January 7, 1955. This role was the first time in the Met’s history that a black singer- American or otherwise- had performed with the opera.  In her first performance, Anderson received a 10-minute ovation when she first appeared and ovations after each aria. The moment was considered momentous enough at the time to warrant a front-page New York Times story. Later Accomplishments In 1956, Anderson published her autobiography, My Lord, What a Morning. She worked with former New York Times critic Howard Taubman, who converted her tapes into the final book. Anderson continued to tour. She was part of presidential inaugurations for both Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. In 1963, she sang from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial again as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom- the occasion of the â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. Retirement Anderson retired from concert tours in 1965.  Her farewell tour included 50 American cities.  Her final concert was on Easter Sunday at Carnegie Hall. After her retirement, she lectured and sometimes narrated recordings, including the â€Å"Lincoln Portrait† by Aaron Copeland. Andersons husband died in 1986. She lived on her Connecticut farm until 1992, when her health began to fail. She moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with her nephew James DePreist, the music director of the Oregon Symphony. Death After a series of strokes, Anderson died of heart failure in Portland in 1993, at the age of 96.  Her ashes were interred in Philadelphia in her mother’s grave at Eden Cemetery. Legacy Anderson is widely considered one of the greatest American singers of the 20th century. In 1963, she was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom; she later received the Congressional Gold Medal and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. A documentary film about her 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance was added to the National Film Registry in 2001. Sources Anderson, Marian. My Lord, What a Morning: an Autobiography. University of Illinois Press, 2002.Keiler, Allan. Marian Anderson: a Singers Journey. University of Illinois Press, 2002.Vehanen, Kosti, and George J. Barnett. Marian Anderson, a Portrait. Greenwood Press, 1970.

Slave Poet Phillis Wheatley - An Analysis of Her Poems

Slave Poet Phillis Wheatley - An Analysis of Her Poems Critics have differed on the contribution of Phillis Wheatleys poetry to Americas literary tradition. Most critics agree that the fact that someone called slave  could write and publish poetry at that time and place is itself noteworthy in history. Some, including Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush, wrote their positive assessments of her poetry. Others, like Thomas Jefferson, dismissed her poetrys quality. Critics through the decades have also been split on the quality and importance of her poems. Restraint What can be said is that the poems of Phillis Wheatley display a classical quality and restrained emotion. Many deal with pietistic Christian sentiments. In many, Wheatley uses classical mythology and ancient history as allusions, including many references to the muses as inspiring her poetry. She speaks to the white establishment, not to fellow slaves nor, really, for them. Her references to her own situation of enslavement are restrained. Was Phillis Wheatleys restraint simply a matter of imitating the style of poets popular in that time? Or was it in large part because, in her enslaved condition, Phillis Wheatley could not express herself freely? Is there an undertone of critique of slavery as an institution beyond the simple reality that her own writing proved that enslaved Africans could be educated and could produce at least passable writings? Certainly, her situation was used by later abolitionists and Benjamin Rush in an anti-slavery essay written in her own lifetime to prove their case that education and training could prove useful, contrary to allegations of others. Published Poems In the published volume of her poems, there is that attestation of many prominent men that they are acquainted with her and her work. On the one hand, this emphasizes how unusual was her accomplishment, and how suspicious most people would be about its possibility. But at the same time, it emphasizes that she is known by these people an accomplishment in itself, which many of her readers could not share. Also in this volume, an engraving of Phillis Wheatley is included as a frontispiece. This emphasizes her color and, by her clothing, her servitude, and her refinement and comfort. But it also shows a slave and woman at her desk, emphasizing that she can read and write. She is caught in a pose of contemplation perhaps listening for her muses but this also shows that she can think an accomplishment which some of her contemporaries would find scandalous to contemplate. A Look at One Poem A few observations about one poem may demonstrate how to find a subtle critique of slavery in Phillis Wheatleys poetry. In just eight lines, Wheatley describes her attitude towards her condition of enslavement both coming from Africa to America, and the culture that considers her color so negatively. Following the poem (from Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, 1773), are some observations about its treatment of the theme of slavery: On being brought from Africa to America.TWAS mercy brought me from my Pagan land,Taught my benighted soul to understandThat theres a God, that theres a Saviour too:Once I redemption neither sought nor knew,Some view our sable race with scornful eye,Their colour is a diabolic die.Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,May be refind, and join th angelic train. Observations Wheatley begins by crediting her slavery as a positive because it has brought her to Christianity. While her Christian faith was surely genuine, it was also a safe subject for a slave poet. Expressing gratitude for her enslavement may be unexpected to most readers.The word benighted is an interesting one: it means overtaken by night or darkness or being in a state of moral or intellectual darkness. Thus, she makes her skin color and her original state of ignorance of Christian redemption parallel situations.She also uses the phrase mercy brought me and the title on being brought deftly down-playing the violence of the kidnapping of a child and the voyage on a slave ship, so as to not seem a dangerous critic of slavery, but at the same time crediting not the slave trade, but (divine) mercy with the act. This could be read as denying the power to those human beings who kidnapped her and subjected her to the voyage and to her subsequent sale and submission.She credits mercy with her vo yage but also with her education in Christianity. Both were actually at the hands of human beings. In turning both to God, she reminds her audience that there is a force more powerful than they are a force that has acted directly in her life. She cleverly distances her reader from those who view our sable race with scornful eye perhaps thus nudging the reader to a more critical view of slavery or at least a more positive view of those who are slaves.Sable as a self-description of her color is a very interesting choice of words. Sable is very valuable and desirable. This characterization contrasts sharply to the diabolic die of the next line.Diabolic die may also be a subtle reference to another side of the triangle trade which includes slaves. At about that same time, the Quaker leader John Woolman is boycotting dyes in order to protest slavery.In the second-to-last line, the word Christian is placed ambiguously. She may either be addressing her last sentence to Christians or she may be including Christians in those who may be refined and find salvation.She reminds her reader that Negroes may be saved (in the religious and Christian understanding of salvation).The implication of her last sentence is also this: the angel ic train will include both white and black. In the last sentence, she uses the verb remember implying that the reader is already with her and just needs the reminder to agree with her point.She uses the verb remember in the form of a direct command. While echoing Puritan preachers in using this style, Phillis Wheatley is also taking on the role of one who has the right to command: a teacher, a preacher, even perhaps a master or mistress. About Slavery in Wheatleys Poetry In looking at Wheatleys attitude towards slavery in her poetry, its also important to note that most of Phillis Wheatleys poems do not refer to her condition of servitude at all. Most are occasional pieces, written on the death of some notable or on some special occasion. Few refer directly and certainly not this directly to her personal story or status.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 24

International Business - Essay Example An international firm implements various strategies such as Geocentric, regiocentric and ethnocentric in addressing challenges faced by them in managing their diverse workforce. Many challenges are faced by MNCs in addressing global workforce management issues. These issues are found related to ethnocentrism, expatriation and poor knowledge transfer. MNCs are finding out ways to manage complex global structures in the context of international HRM and knowledge management. International human resource management (IHRM) wholly spotlights on controlling human resources in the global organizations. It is understood to be the process of performing HRM activities such as recruiting, compensating, organizational expansion, performance evaluation, employee motivation in the global context (Dowling, Festing and Engle Sr, 2008). IHRM is considered to be a complex procedure in many MNCs. The international operations of MNCs have many complexities which are often underestimated by the firms and hence it can be gathered that firms tend to overlook the relevance of IHRM. The failure of the business in global environment is a result of faulty human resource management practices. Increasing international competition among the organizations has led to the increasing importance of developing IHRM practices. There is a shortage of international managers which serves to be a problematic situation for the international firms (Quintanilla and Ferner, 2003). The MNCs fails to realise that the success and failure of the firm depends on how efficiently a firm applies its human resource management strategies. In order to achieve organizational goals, the MNCs need to fabricate integration among the human resource practices of its subsidiary firms located in different parts of the world (Tsai, 2001). The MNCs requires ensuring a considerable amount of flexibility in their IHRM

What is Finance and what is the benefit of choosing Finance as major Essay

What is Finance and what is the benefit of choosing Finance as major - Essay Example ognizant of the fact that with a working or professional knowledge in finance, I could not only manage my personal finances effectively but i could also use the skills in any other field that I decided to enter later in life. Finance involves the administration of financial affairs, as well as the overall control of fiscal institutions and investments; they also handle risk management as well as sourcing for funding and funds for capital markets. They also select and evaluate investment projects which require coordination of funds, and making cost benefit analysis for the parties supplying and investing capital. An understanding of financial concepts and practices along with knowledge of the instruments and participants in the financial markets is vital to sound financial decision making (Shang and Peter 280). As finance major, I am involved in the study of financial institutions and the analysis of the management practices of commercial banks, loans, credit and saving association insurance firms, pension funds, and any other institution that plays a direct role in the financial sector. In the modern financial market place, there is a great deal of competition and this requires numerous financial strateg ies and which means that my skills can be used in a variety of settings. One of the fields in which my course qualifies me to work is investment, it involves the analysis and selection of various securities emphasizing on stocks and bonds. As a finance graduate, I will be expected to analyze the roles of these instruments and how they affect differing financial institutions’ portfolios. This takes to account the fact that financial markets are representative of the market environment sin which financial institutions and investors will create financial assets or liabilities, in one learns to examine and analyze the nature of these instruments as well as the various market innovations and structural changes. When one majors in finance, they needs must have