Literary Villains: Iago and Krogstad Essay

In â€Å"Othello† and â€Å"A Doll House†, the two plays resulted in destruction of two families due to one’s jealousy and revenge. The antagonist in â€Å"Othello† is Iago who served as Othello ancient in the play was against him from the start. Iago had several motives for plotting against Othello, because they did not give him the rank of Lieutenant and he did not approve of the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. In â€Å"A Doll House†, Krogstad was an employee of Mr. Helmer and he knew that he was going to lose his job. These two characters had motives, which resulted in them to develop plots that were not similar, but they both had the same life-altering outcome and were successful. In the play, â€Å"Othello† Iago provided clues that he was going to destroy Othello. In Act I, Scene 1, Iago and Rodrigo (a gulled gentle man) were talking about the promotion of Michael Cassio (Othello’s Lieutenant) and he (Iago) should have been the one to receive the promotion. Iago states â€Å"One Michael Cassio, a Florentine (A fellow almost damned in a fair wife) that never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of a battle knows more than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric, wherein the togged consuls can propose as masterly as he†. He means that Cassio is not married and that he has no experience of leading troops into the battlefield, because Cassio has not gone into war. Iago is jealous that he was did not receive that promotion and he his disloyalty towards Othello. Othello were reference as him, Moor (black) and thick-lips according to the definition in the play it means â€Å"An Elizabethan epithet for blacks, including Moors†. Iago did not approve of Othello and Desdemona’s elopement. Iago informed Brabantino (Desdemona’s Father) of her daughter’s marriage to Othello, he states, â€Å"I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs†. Iago is also an instigator; he wanted to get Brabantino angry over his daughter’s marriage. In Act I, Scene II, Brabantino states â€Å"O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her! † Everyone was against Othello with the assistance from Iago. In â€Å"A Doll House† Nils Krogstad knew that his employment at the bank was ending and that Nora’s husband (Torvald Helmer) is now in charge of the bank. Nora took out a loan from Mr. Krogstad without Mr. Helmer (Nora’s husband) knowledge and he threatens that he will tell her husband about the loan. Mr. Krogstad is also aware that there are forged signatures on the loan documents. Nora tried to convince her husband not to fire Mr. Krogstad, but Mr. Helmer is appalled at his wife for taking Mr. Krogstad’s side. The conversation between Nora and Helmer resulted in him sending Mr. Krogstad’s notice immediately. Iago and Krogstad were successful in their plans. In â€Å"Othello†, Iago used numerous schemes to turn everyone against each other. The first one was to turn Othello against Cassio; the second was to make Othello believe that Desdemona and Cassio were having an affair and thirdly his plan for the death of Cassio with hopes of them killing each other. The outcome of Iago’s plan was the death of Rodrigo (who was set up to kill Cassio), Othello killing Desdemona, the death of Emilia (wife to Iago and Desdemona’s friend) and the death of Othello (suicide). In â€Å"A Doll House†, Ms. Linde (Nora’s friend and ex friend of Krogstad) convinced Krogstad that they should belong together and he no longer wanted to blackmail Nora. Ms. Linde was going to convince Krogstad to take his letter back, but she decided that it is best for Nora to be honest to her husband. Mr. Helmer read the letter and was furious. He stated that â€Å"Oh what an awful awakening! In all these eight years- she who was my pride and joy- a hypocrite, a liar- worse, worse- a criminal! † Mr. Helmer reconsiders when he reads the apology letter from Krogstad, but Nora declines. The two plays were similar in the plots to ruin lives, but they do not share the same outcome, because Krogstad apologized for threatening Nora but this revelation opened a door for Nora to end her marriage with Mr. Helmer.

A Modern America: Industrialized Immigrants Realizing The American Dream Essay

The â€Å"American Dream† is a phrase or concept that gets thrown around a lot here in America, and if ten different people were asked what it meant, you would probably get ten different answers. It is generally seen as the fact that anyone can get anything if one works hard enough. In his book the Epic of America which was written in 1931, James Truslow Adams defines the â€Å"American Dream† as: â€Å"that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.† I see the â€Å"American Dream† as one of the reasons why Americans should get on their knees every day and thank God for this country (along with baseball and apple pie). To me, the â€Å"American Dream† is the fact that anyone, no matter the social or financial stature, can obtain anything he wants if he gives the required effort. In â€Å"The Newsies†, the main characters are Francis Sullivan (a.k.a. Jack Kelly) and his unlikely friend David. Jack’s father is a convict and his mother is dead, but he tells others that they are out West looking for a ranch and are going to send for him when they find one. Although he knows that this is not true, he still dreams of catching a train out West to Santa Fe. Railroads are vital to the realization of Jack’s dream, as it is his transportation out West. Jack believes in the equal opportunity rights that make our nation great. David is a member of a struggling, but loving family and he has a valuable education. He is working as a Newsie while his Dad is out of work. David’s father had an accident at a factory and became useless to his employer, thus he was fired. The factories of the time provided virtually no opportunity for advancement due to the fact that everyone generally does the same thing over and over, which is why the factory was so quick to fire Mayer. Since he had no workers union to protect him, he was forced to live with only the income David and his younger brother Les could bring in. David’s mindset that you can achieve anything you work towards if you believe in and do it with passion directly correlates with the American dream. In the 1900’s, catchy headlines were essential to selling newspapers; especially headlines with words like maniac, corpse, love nest, or nude in the title. During this time when a trolley strike was in full effect, good headlines were hard to come by, so the newsies decided to improve the truth a little by exaggerating uninteresting headlines and making them seem like interesting stories. The newsies bought the â€Å"papes† that they sold and got to keep the profit from what they sold, so a 10-cent price increase was almost crippling. Because the was not a Newsies Workers Union, it was imperative for all of the newsies to come together if there was going to be an effective strike. The owner of â€Å"The World†, Mr. Pulitzer, exemplifies the corrupt businessmen of the time. He was a man that judged his quality of life by the size of his wallet. It came quite easy to him to up the paper price to the â€Å"distribution apparatus† 10 cents. He also uses his money and political power to influence those around him. He influences the mayor to stop the strike by baiting him with a conversation about the upcoming election with a few others as wealthy as himself. Pulitzer also tries to bribe Jack with everything he’s been dreaming of: money, freedom, and a trip out West. He knew that if he cut of the strike at the head, the rest would follow. In America during this time, both immigrants and children were treated poorly. This is demonstrated in the movie when the police violently stop the convention using their force. Children along with immigrants were often given poor working conditions. Also, a shot was seen of men being beaten because they would not join the trolley strike. Obviously at this time land and money were more valuable during this time of industrialization than human life. At the conclusion of the movie, Jack’s dream is realized, but not in the form of Santa Fe. All of his effort is rewarded when (with a little help from others) the prices are brought back down. He realized that just because you don’t have family doesn’t mean no one cares about you. Moreover, in the American â€Å"happily ever after† style, he falls in love with David’s sister Sarah (as if a kiss is any sign of true love, right Ms. K?). David’s dream of winning as the underdog is also realized, and all of his hard work is rewarded. Without suffering through these growing pains, America would not be what it is today. Jack and David’s dream that anyone can be anything if they work hard enough and believe in it has almost become a right as an American. Though greed is still evident and corrupt politicians are as prevalent as ever, it is not a trademark of our society anymore, and for that I am thankful. In conclusion, it was the immigrants that came to America so they could become something that gave the nation a big part of its character today. Their sacrifices have become our blessings.

In the eye of Law; a review of the European Single Market in Financial Essay

In the eye of Law; a review of the European Single Market in Financial Services - Essay Example Since the establishment of the European Union in 1957 – through the Treaty of Rome – the increase of the political, social and financial stability across the European Union has been related with the introduction of policies that are supported by all the member states – or at least from the most powerful ones; this is another aspect of the European Union. The achievement of benefits for all its members is based on policies decided by the Union’s representative bodies – like the European Commission and the Council of Europe; at the next level, the European Court of Justice1 has been established aiming to help to the resolution of conflicts that appear while applying the European Union regulations. One of the most important elements of the European Union is the Single Market which has the role of the platform on which financial activities are developed; the borders of the Single Market are defined by the borders of the member states – the fact t hat there are certain states that do not participate in the Euro-zone do not affect the field in which the activities of the Single Market are developed; Single market is a concept broader from the Euro-zone. All member states belong to the Single market zone but not also in the Euro-zone – the participation in which is depended on specific requirements. The single market has been extensively explored – in all its aspects; however, there are certain of its elements that should be more closely observed and analyzed – the Financial Services sector is such case. The legal history of the specific sector is set under examination in this paper. It is concluded that the development of this sector has been related with specific targets and requirements; the effectiveness of its rules could be higher – taking into consideration the importance of this sector for the further development of the European Union. The establishment of the European Union has been decided in the context of the need for increasing the

Opening Up Of a Day Care Center Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Opening Up Of a Day Care Center - Essay Example This paper illustrates that some businesses specify the ages of children they can handle. If both parents are working, who will take care of the children? Child care center is the valuable instrument for child’s development because they learn social skills and gain the appreciation for education at an early age. According to research, brains of children grow faster during the first five years of their life. These facts dramatize the need for a daycare center to answer the growing needs of parents and children. As the number of parents entering the workforce grows, the amount available and quality child care facilities in many parts of USA becomes inadequate. In particular, this daycare center is proposed to be a home-based business and will take care of 4 to 10 children who will come on a whole day basis and another 10 toddlers who will also come as drop-ins. A portion of our house will be remodeled for the daycare business. It will be a modest start of operation since my capi tal is limited. The center is open from 6:00 am. to 8:00 pm. for 365 days a year. This time coincides with business hours of employment. The operation will be whole year round, because of parent’s time requirement. Parents can drop their children before going to work, and then pick them up in the afternoon. The daycare center can also accept half day caring to accommodate the schedule of busy parents. Come-ons for children will be the children inspired decorations of the nursery, or maybe children’s toys or books. A contract will be issued that covers the guidelines of the school so parents will understand the responsibility of the school and its limitations. The picture in the paper is a sample of a daycare center that is proposed. Pricing guideline is $100-200 week per child, $30-40 per day for infant care, and $20, and $30 for a full day. Since this guideline was done in 1993, pricing will necessarily adjust for costs of inflation, say, 10%.

University of Cape Town MBA Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

University of Cape Town MBA Application - Essay Example This essay is aimed to provide an application paper to the Masters of Business Administration school in Cape Town. The researcher states that, first of all, one requires several types of preparation before entering a program of such demanding nature. This partly refers to the academic and skill-related preparation, which is required in order to facilitate the learning process that is involved in the Masters of Business Administration program. However, it also refers to the mental preparation and the background research that one needs to do before embarking on such an intense journey. The researcher endeavored to prepare himself in each of these aspects before entering the program. The researcher believes that his Mathematics refresher course at Kaplan has contributed to his academic and skill-related preparation, as has his Masters of Business Administration preparation course for universities. Apart from this, the researcher also consulted several professionals in this field for adv ice as well as mental preparation about what to expect from this program. This advice was especially useful coming from some of the UCT the Masters of Business Administration alumni whom he spoke too. Each of them had several tips and advice to share with the researcher, and they assured him of the rewarding experience that it was, mainly due to its challenging nature. After this thorough preparation in both mental and skill-related aspects, the researcher feels equipped to embark on this journey and look forward to the experience.

Subject Position and Discourse Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Subject Position and Discourse Analysis - Essay Example The Person Peter Smith is in seven situations all at the same time. Subject positioning is the constant shifting from one position to another because a person has many subject positions in one discourse. A person, in a small group gathering, could be the mother to a daughter, an Asian woman to a white man, a fat person to a slim one, a Florida resident to a Virginian and the like. Discourses are then constructed to fit the given situation or position a person is in. The defining in positive of one position will generate the "other" position automatically. The woman position means there is a man position. Fraser said that Hegemony is the "discursive face of power".(Bingham,1994) In a hospital situation, when a patient is being interviewed by the doctor, the doctor tries to get as much information regarding the medical history of the patient. The patient, not knowing a medical jargon, will try to explain, in a subject position of patient/doctor, her complete medical history. People will look at a pregnant woman and they will understand her body language and give her advices (Davies and Harre, 1990). The viewer crosses the threshold of the concrete work of art. ... (Hein,1998) In a storytelling situation, When a person speaks of his or her personal pains in a love relationship, the listener sympathizes with the speaker because they both feel the same situation. Van Langehove and Harre describes this as the giving of ACCOUNTS (accountive) of other people's behavior. PERFORMATIVE. This occurs when the student PERFORMS. This is evident in the social and communicative skills that a person makes in front of a real live audience. Prosody is an integral part of the reading process. Teachers aid the students, in the growing years, to gain the competency need for communication using verbal PERFORMANCE to be beneficial to both the reader and the listener.According to Miller, Steiner & Larson in 1996, the integrated language arts & reading program as well as the reading and writing lessons are authentic activities that can be incorporated into content areas such as science. (Bucher,2003) Performance positioning can also be greatly enhanced with the use of Prosody. This is language put to music. Prosody uses patterns of pitch, rhythm, and loudness that a person uses creates native sounding and emphatic speech. (Wennerstrom,2001) When a person does an activity together with the other person this is called performance positioning.Discourse analysis only discusses the details or micro of what message a person communicates. Whereas, subject positioning is more macro. It takes into consideration the economy, business and the entire environment when the communication was sent from the speaker to the listener.Subject positioning is better than discourse analysis because discourse analysis explains the effect of what has

Sustainability Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sustainability - Assignment Example Sustainable business practice is important to take hold in a business because it ensures that continuity of the business not only for today but also in the future. It ensures continuity of the business by ensuring that there will still be enough raw materials that will be used in the future operation of the business. Practicing sustainability by going green in the operation of a business also has positive impact on the business because this is an excellent corporate citizenship practice that would earn the goodwill and patronage of its customers. This makes the business more sustainable and profitable in the long run because it has a loyal customer base. Above all, practicing sustainability in the business helps the planet to heal from global warming wrought by climate change. Helping the environment heal is also beneficial for the business because it meant less destruction of its properties brought by calamities such as storm, flood and hurricane. Practicing sustainability in a business benefits

Report Develping Marketing plan for Cancer Society Essay

Report Develping Marketing plan for Cancer Society - Essay Example The programs and activities whereby this organization focuses is the key figure to bringing about the success of the goals and aims of this society in the hope of improving overall health status of New Zealand in the years to come. The aim of the programs set by the New Zealand Cancer Society is to proliferate and increase funding to further various programs aimed at the early detection of cancer as part of the preventive schemes set to minimize the occurrence or prevalence of cancer as well as to support cancer victim who are somehow affected by the enormous sky-high medication cost. It identifies areas with which to focus upon, but there is no concrete program plan designed to make each goal and aim possible. Although there is a concrete identification of the aims and goal on where the programs are headed as well as a clear cut definition at why this organization is created, there is a lacking well defined promotional activities and communication program that will convey the message across. A good integrated marketing communication plan consists not just of well defined plans and goals, but rather a well conceptualized and comprehensive plan employing various communications such as general advertising, direc t response as well as sales and public relation (the American association of Advertising Agencies). According to Duane Sprague, Integrated Marketing Communications is a comprehensive, consistent; goal oriented, focused and planned methodology to marketing and communication. This is in fact the newest trend in marketing communication today (Sprague, 2006). The program identified by the Daffodil Day and the Relay for Life Program also lacks the clarity in terms of a well defined plan. There should have been a through discussion of marketing and promotion strategies that will fuel the excitement and thus make the program interesting and colorful. There isn't even a mention of pre-activities promotional strategy that will serve to aware the masses of the upcoming event. There was a failure to elaborate how the selling of the daffodils will take place and what are the strategies to help promote in advance the advantage of (Sprague, 2006). The very core of a good IMC strategy is a mission marketing program that is more or less, similar to a, goal oriented marketing scheme. Since the overall primary goal would be to increase funds by tapping all available avenues, there should be a perfect campaign which consistently interweaves a big creative idea into every communications message. This big creative idea must be a viable means to position t he event, explain the key benefit, portray significance and advantage, and demonstrate the target and aim of the strategic plan. This 'big idea' should be presented and emphasized in such a way that this will hit like a lightening bolt community in general and the business community, thus making them realize the impact of their contribution as well as the impact of the program in general. Through the National Health Promotion Committee of New Zealand, health promotion, social behavioral research, cancer statistics, treatment, detection and

Analyze and evaluate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyze and evaluate - Essay Example Evidently, the two queries differ in the sense that one ought to be responded to by virtue of proving the existence of God while the second already holds the truth of God’s existence yet seeks resolution concerning how God’s qualities may or may not suit the act of deception. On this ground, it follows that the two proofs of God’s existence are necessarily different. To analyze how the synthesis of one proof is distinct from that of the other, in the process, one would be able to figure that besides God’s existence, the properties associated with the existing entity, being supreme and infinite in nature, must be utilized to affirm a congruous proposition that God cannot be a deceiver. According to Descartes’ ontological argument stating â€Å"The mere Idea of God, proves God’s existence† (Descartes’ First Proof, Med. III) -- God, being a concept, is sufficient proof in itself of His existence and this may be found to acquire str ong support from the unshakeable truth â€Å"I think therefore I am† (Med. II) for with this conclusion is the knowledge of the fact that the rational capacity of an individual attests to his being and the natural ability to rationalize as such is not without value or consequence so that what is conceived exists as well. Thus, the notion of God in the mind is all that it takes to establish the truth that God does exist though no material or concrete evidence is perceived. Descartes, however, further explicates â€Å" †¦ because I cannot conceive anything but God to whose essence existence necessarily pertains† (Descartes’ Argument in Med. V) and that â€Å"By the name God, I understand a substance infinite, [eternal, immutable], independent, all-knowing, all-powerful† (Med. III: 22 – 23). In addition, hence, Descartes acknowledged herein that the encompassing presence of God entails the presence of attributes preconceived or known prior in ref erence to God on the basis of which, he manages to validate that through God’s perfection, the idea of God’s infinity must have been something implanted by God himself (Med. III:38) for Descartes argues â€Å"I should not, however, have the idea of an infinite substance, seeing I am a finite being† (Med. III:23). Apparently, Descartes needed the two proofs of God’s existence to be able to substantiate a sound claim that it is not possible for God to deceive the philosopher despite his finite limits and weakness as a rational human being. Having realized that God is perfect occurs equivalent to having arrived at the thought that deception may only come from the absolute opposite of perfection which is imperfection (Med. III). Both proofs are of equal significance for in the event God could not be proven to exist, it is useless to find out the likelihood that he is a deceiver and similarly, it makes no sense to justify God’s existence alone for this would readily demand investigation of what he is made of in finer details. Rather than operating from different aspects, independent of each other, they function hand in hand to strengthen one another’s validity and worth. Secondly, does Descartes give a satisfactory account of human error, given a perfect and divine creator? Are Descartes’ arguments convincing, or does it still seem unnecessary and less than perfect that God created us with flaws? Descartes finds â€Å"error is virtually a moral failing, the willful exercise of my powers of believing in excess of my

The Dammed Human Race Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Dammed Human Race - Essay Example Hence, I disagree with Twain’s view because I believe that humans are superior to all animals because only men save money and food to prepare for the emergencies and only they have moral sense to use it for good and prevent wrong actions. Since, brutality and combativeness that form the basis of the criticism are seen in a few human beings’ behavior, humans cannot be graded as the lowest level animals. I believe that humans are the most superior animals firstly because the most distinguishing feature of humans is their prudence and their ability to preplan by accumulating money and food to prepare for the future use. Mark Twain argues that men save more money and food even if they have enough provisions because they are avaricious and greedy, while others are satisfied as long as their daily requirements are fulfilled. In one of his experiments, Twain gave wild and tame animals an opportunity to store vast amount of food but none of the animals stored food. He states th at these animals do not store food because they are not avaricious and miserly. However, animals do not store food like men because wild animals obtain food from the nature and tame animals are fed by humans. They do not need to store food. If animals cultivated their own food, they would have responded differently.

Goethe’s plotting Essay Example for Free

Goethe’s plotting Essay In the intellectual history of Europe, Johann Wolfgang yon Goethe is central to the development of Romantic thinking, which was contemporary in his day. Goethe attempted to see the world in a new light; he reconsiders old questions of good and evil, as well as questions about human nature. The story of Faust allows such considerations. Romantics strive for something beyond their reach, beyond anyone’s reach. Contentment is not their goal. One place that we see Faust’s striving is in his conversation on â€Å"unrest† with Wagner (699-702). Just as Wagner illustrates the normal academic who thinks that books hold all the answers he needs, Faust as a Romantic has come both to realize the limitations of what’s in books and to be unwilling to accept those limitations. Wagner thinks Faust should enjoy the reputation he has as a doctor among the peasants, but Faust knows the reputation is a sham. He and his father were in truth helpless against the ravages of the plague (although they obviously at least comforted the sick). Faust’s aspirations permit him to make a bargain with Mephistopheles, especially since a part of the bet involves Mephistopheles’ belief that Faust will eventually enjoy contentment. Rather than seeking knowledge, which had been a goal of the Faust of German and English tradition, Goethe’s Faust seeks experience and feeling. This also makes his quest apart of the Romantic tradition. The Romantic hero must approach life’s mysteries by active participation, not by reflection. When Faust and Mephistopheles see the witch for her medicine, what Faust wants is youth, so that he can experience what he may have missed while he was absorbed in his studies. And what he comes to want then is Margaret, the peasant maid who looks like a beauty to the revitalized man. The Romantic has spiritual goals, but they’re usually outside of conventional religions. We see this most directly in the scene between Gretchen and Faust. She wants him to be a Christian, but Faust’s spirituality cannot be contained by dogma. To follow this Romantic thread, think of Christianity as a revealed religion, embraced by the European and German society of the time. It made many late eighteenths and early nineteenth century people feel safe and secure. You can see how this picture of comfort might fall outside of the Romantic’s striving, since he seeks a mystery beyond the conventional. The Romantic hero must be willing to break free of bounds, no matter the consequences. Another key romantic characteristic is a faith in nature as a creative source, as both a source of comfort and energy. Faust expresses his enthusiasm early when he contrasts the value of experiencing nature with the deadness of books (685). What impresses him about Easter is the revitalizing force of spring rather than the story of Jesus (695-6). It is the exalted spirit of nature that he credits with allowing him to penetrate Gretchens heart, and that he credits with giving him the companion Mephistopheles 747-48 -48). Conclusion Besides a faith in nature, romantics idealize childhood and women, seeing in them a purity and honesty of emotions that are difficult to attain in the intellectual and adult worlds. This romanticism can be seen in Goethe’s plotting, as he has the church bell remind Faust of his childhood so that the character does not commit suicide early in the play. Also, the love affair with Gretchen leads to the dramas climax. References Faust Supplemented Study Guide: Retrieved from World Wide Web http://faculty. southwest. tn. edu/llipinski/ENGL2320T201/content/lesson18_handout. htm Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Faust, Publisher, Oxford University Press, 1998.

Marketing Management For The Service Industry Marketing Essay

Marketing Management For The Service Industry Marketing Essay Marketing analisys is a fundamental tool in constructing successful business. Understanding the market and where the firm is positioned helps to identify various factors that can influence company and its clients in order to figure out the feasibility of the product, distinguish project or possible evolution (Morgan, N., Pritchard, A. 2004). Therefore companies tend to adapt their approaches on business to the marketing environment. This report is the analysis of promotional strategy of the property described in the case study:  «Golden Arch Hotel: McDonalds Adventure in the Hotel Industry » from different perspectives. It discusses the examples of additional 3Ps of the Marketing Mix model, determines PEST and SWOT analysis, indicates the value that is created by this particular organization and evaluates the positioning concept of the firm. All discussed ideas are supported with examples from the case study, and some other theoretical information. Such are critically analysed and presented according to different methods of analyses. 2. Findings, Results and Analysis 2.1. Question 1 Explain the additional 3 Ps of the 7 Ps model and illustrate with examples from the case study. Analyze and explain how each one of those characteristics is important in the success of the Golden Arch Hotels. (written by Jae Woo Martin Jeong) Generally speaking, 7Ps marketing mix tools have become more and more important since the traditional marketing tools 4Ps were not enough to give a frame work for thinking of marketing and planning marketing strategy especially for service industries (Wilson and Gilligan 2005, p. 6). The additional 3Ps consisting of People, Process and Physical Evidence will be distinctively explained bellow with the examples from the case study and a simple graph of them will be shown on Appendix 1. People The first dimension of the expanded marketing mix is People. It indicates individuals who are directly and indirectly involved in providing customer satisfaction (Blythe 2009, p. 16). Golden Arch Hotel was running its hotels under the motivational job rotation principle according to the McDonalds restaurant philosophy, which aims to implement the consistent service standards for all the tasks. This was not only to bring customers satisfaction but also to produce synergy effect during the peak seasons by assigning employees to different positions and tasks (Michel 2005, p. 3~4). Process The second dimension is the Process, which is about how the product or service is delivered to clients to please them (Wilson and Gilligan 2005, p. 534). Golden Arch Hotel was giving high priority on cleanliness of the rooms by adopting McDonalds service standards (Michel 2005, p. 3), which is one of the most crucial factors for the guests satisfaction. Another distinguished process of Golden Arch Hotel was the hotels 24 hours operated McDonalds restaurant (Michel 2005, pp. 3). 24 hours food and beverage service was very unusual to find in Switzerland, however, it enabled both in-house and drive-through guests to get the meal at any time of the day. Physical Evidence The last dimension is Physical Evidence, which means the tangible proof of a service, such as: environmental surroundings of the products and services, ambient elements and everything that can be communicated how service has been delivered (Jeong, 2004). In the case of Golden Arch Hotel, it seemed to focus more on the guest rooms than any other hotel with facilities for guests comfort. Its efforts were proved by implementing in-room high-tech facilities such as electronic key, internet access and other computer facilities and investing large amount of money to accommodate oversized beds. Furthermore, it was also offering meeting rooms that could be flexibly transformed according to the numbers and the needs of the customers. In the case study about the Golden Arch Hotel, the important and undeniable role of additional 3Ps in the marketing mix tools are stated fairly clear through Golden Arch Hotels competitive advantages towards its competitors. That is because of the precise and reasonable use of marketing mix tools of the hotel management. 2.2. Question 3 The SWOT analysis is useful in creating a strategy that helps a business distinguish itself from its competitors. Why did the McDonalds decide to enter the hotel industry? What were the companys strengths that they hoped to transfer into this new venture? Were they able to do this? Why or why not? (Written by Diogo Pessoa e Costa) McDonalds Corporation decided to enter the hotel industry in the early 2000. This was part of a diversification strategy, which is proven way of generating new growth and to try to avoid complete market saturation. Another important reason was that the chairman of McDonalds Switzerland, Urs Hammer, came from an hotelier background and his knowledge and experience in the business was valued in taking over such a project. He firmly believed that the sharing of knowledge between the different restaurants would permit the emergence of new services or products. A SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in a project or a business venture. It involves identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve specific goals and objectives. McDonalds hoped to transfer several of their strengths into this new business. These strengths included the fact that they provided fast and friendly service. The hotel crew would therefore consist of a permanent employee pool that could implement the consistent service standards for every task in order to better serve the guests. High focus was given to the interior design and layout of the hotel as well as room cleanliness and comfort. The firm also used their decent relationship with their suppliers and local communities as a marketing strong point to restore their image after several discoveries of unsanitary practices in McDonalds restaurants. Several weaknesses were found into this new adventure. First of all, one of McDonalds biggest problems had to do with their positioning statement. A four-star hotel in Switzerland means luxury therefore it did not match McDonalds brand image at all. Also, most analysts were not very convinced that this expansion fit well with the corporations overall strategy. This was just a test and there was no real possibility of penetrating other important markets. By examining customer feedback, you can clearly identify the hotels main weaknesses. The only food available was McDonalds and since the hotel was relatively isolated, you had almost no possibility of eating somewhere else. Also, the staff did not prove to be so friendly and some guests felt the hotel was odd and did not like the atmosphere created by the design. Finally, the brand name Golden Arch was not chosen carefully since the two words do not translate well into the German language. By identifying the different opportunities, you realize that the hotel has a great potential for success but unfortunately, it is not being used to the best of its capacity. Since the Golden Arch was an airport hotel, it could negotiate contracts with airlines or surrounding large companies in order to retain market share for layovers. Due to its proximity with the Zà ¼rich Messe and the Autobahn, the hotel could put in place an efficient marketing strategy that would also attract Frequent Individual travelers coming from all around the world. The threats involving such a project come from the hard competition surrounding hotels in Zà ¼rich. McDonalds had to compete with well-established hotel chains such as Mà ¶venpick, Hilton, and the Accor Group. Several of this hotels had a fine dining, had larger meeting rooms, and were situated either closer to the airport or to major business centers. Within three years, the 7500 hotels rooms in Zà ¼rich were to be supplemented by around 3000 more rooms. The danger was that the market was reaching over-capacity and this would have negative consequences for the Golden Arch and the surrounding hotels, both in terms of occupancy and ADR. Another threat was the fact that the Swiss Human resources were drying out. Nobody wanted the do the simple and dirty jobs (except for foreigners) and it was almost impossible to find chefs or front office personnel. This conditions favored labor piracy. 2.3. Question 4 According to theory, what is value and how is it created by a hospitality organization? How does the Golden Arch Company attempt to create value for its customers? Did they succeed? Illustrate with examples from the case study. (Written by Malgorzata Szal) (references?) Hospitality companies strategies nowadays are continuously developing through new trends and fashions that are instituted by people globally. They try to create new and innovative marketing strategy to give their brand a significant meaning. In this industry, clients satisfaction is the most important objective, therefore companies invest in their benefits and values in order to keep their promises by delivering successfully. Due to this process, people are able to differentiate one brand from one another and as well decide which company offers the most for them. Every potential guest possesses different values, which are determined by factors such as culture, traditions, birthplace and family status. Hotels around the world try to attract and satisfy the biggest part of their market target by researching, understanding and analyzing their needs and consequently provide them with what they desire. Because of that, value is mostly created through packages, which means products are mixed and sold together with service provided. Usually they include accommodation, food and entertainment. Such combination increases significantly the value of the service products. Once we understand the fundamental laws of the physical and social world, we can analyze, plan and control them (Smart, 1992) Golden Arch Company before reaching standards of four stars hotels had analyzed all customers needs. As they decided to attract businessmen their design was focused on this type of guests. They provide many benefits to create value for their client which are presented in physical evidence part of Appendix 1. Bith hotels of Golden Arch company can be accessed easily. People traveling by car can use the underground parking or above ground parking and eat in their McDonalds restaurant, open 24 hours which is unusual in Switzerland. The hotels designers tried as well to improve guests satisfaction by creating a unique layout of the building and to give an impression of larger rooms by placing the bathroom behind a glass door, which unfortunately raised complaints and the doors had to be replaced. All the managers and employees were determined to succeed and they delivered. Their occupancy rate is not high but the hotel started to make profit from the first month of its operation. Unfortunately, the rate of returning guests is very low. People are not satisfied of the whole concept of a four star hotel run by McDonald Company. Daniel Deutscher, the owner of DEKA Treuhand was very surprised when he heard of this investment. It is hard to believe and imagine the McDonalds hotel to achieve four stars. There are standards that are hard to cover. Some guests complaints were about the service quality in the front desk saying it is very poor (Michel 2005, p. 7) and about the bad decoration of the lobby, bar or even the bedroom influencing the atmosphere (Michel 2005, p. 6) Golden Arch Company tried to combine its well known fast food brand image of McDonalds with four-star luxury hotel brand. According to the figures shown in exhibits in the case study, this idea has not been a success as forecasted. 2.4. Question 5 Explain the concept of Positioning and describe how The Golden Arch Hotel was positioned in this very competitive market. What market segments was the hotel hoping to reach? Did the company succeed? Why or why not? (Written by Kateryna Krupka) Positioning is defined as  «arranging for a product to occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place relative to competing products in the mind of consumers » (Kotler, P., Bowen, J.T. and Makens, J.C. 2010). According to the same authors, such has to be designed taking in consideration customer value differences, and therefore either increasing the benefits of the product, either decreasing some of its costs. As it is described in the case study, it was decided to position the Golden Arch Hotel as a 4-star property with luxury service and some business facilities. The hotel most probably attempted to reach the customers, coming from the airport for a night stay, as well as wealthy business people with a need of advanced comfort, coming for the meetings or conferences. However this appeared to be done unsuccessfully due to some factors, analysis of these is provided onwards. One of the most significant issues in regards to a hotel property is dining facilities. In discussed case McDonalds restaurant was the only place for the guests to eat, which might be enough for the people who are staying overnight, but seem to be not acceptable for the customers who stay longer. Furthermore, if the aimed customer was expected to stay some days entertainment facilities should have been provided, but this was not the case. Another important point is that Golden Arch had some of the additional facilities such as conference rooms and beds that modify their position, but did not fulfill some of the basic needs of its customers. One of these is need of food and drinks, as it was discussed before. The other one is safety need that was not fulfilled due to hotels location close to the large avenue and small amount of people around. However, according to one of the quests, the prices for the rooms were of high range. This also signifies that wealthy people were aimed to be attracted. Meanwhile guests were complaining about not getting immidiate service, having to ring the bell for the receptionist to come, as well as to ask for the possibility of having rooms sold at a better rate. Furthermore there was a situation decribed when the guests were clearly at the position of cheaper  «post 9pm walk-in » rate, and were not told that such posibility exists. Moreover these costomers were told to buy three rooms for five people at the full price. Clearly such suggestion did not satisfy their expectations. This attitude towards clients damages reputation of the property and affects its positioning in a negative way. Thus, it can be generalized, that all the details in the product have to coinside with the image drawn by positioning. Additionaly, inside the rooms there were many signes indicating that the hotel belongs to McDonalds company, however from outside this was not the case. According to the appendixes of the case ctudy, the logo of the hotel is different, and the name does not have  «McDonalds » in it, moreover, it is silently located by the side of the road. These should probably be done vice-versa, as the signs and logo might attract the guest to the property from outside and seem not to be needed inside of the rooms in such quantity. It it suggested that  «If the company promises greater value, it must then deliver greater value » (Kotler, P., Bowen, J.T. and Makens, J.C. 2010). Failure of compliance of this is probably the reason of unsuccessful positioning of the Golden Arch brand. The image, ambiance and service are seem to be transfered from the McDonalds restaurant insted of being developed specifically for the hotel. Nevertheless McDonalds brand statement is  «Everyday affordability » (MacDonald 2008) and the Golden Arch meant to be luxury, however these two types of brand do not normally attract the same market. Therefore some issues were not addressed properly, such as fulfilling basic needs of the guests, selling accommodation at a price that corresponds the level of its facilities and providing appropriate service. 3. Conclusions In a competitive marketing environment, located close to Zurich airport and A1 highway, Golden Arch hotels seemed to be successfully at implementing McDonalds service standard into their hotels, high-tech facilities and unique design features. These were enforcing the image of the property and helping to sell its services. However poor customer satisfaction as well as improper positioning led to destruction of the brand image in the minds of clients. After the analyses were done, it was recognised that there are some changes that should have been done by the company in order to improve such situation. Firstly the company should have re-evaluated its service standards before implementing to the luxury segment. Secondly, they should have implemented impactive service audit program. Furthermore they could have matched the design with the class of hotel and type of customers. Finally, the hotel should have either repositioned itself as a lower-class property, either added some facilities that match 4-star range, such as, for example, one more restaurant. 4. Appendixes Appendix 1 (Michel, S. 2005)

Key Facts About Madagascar Tourism Essay

Key Facts About Madagascar Tourism Essay Tourism can be a great development tool, stimulating economic growth, enhancing the economy, and contributing to poverty within almost all sectors of a society. In Madagascar, where poverty is common and where the poor put pressure on the natural resource base, tourism can generate positive externalities on the third party. First tourism creates places of economic growth in regions on the island that have no alternative sources of income and employment. Tourism helps to reduce poverty by diversifying income sources. Second, tourism, can help to preserve the environment, whether for ecotourism or for resort-based tourism, meaning that most of the products used are ecologically efficient. The current Madagascar tourism assets have great prospects however are not fully realized and developed. Tourism is complex and requires its own analysis, particularly as it is one of the largest in the world and rapidly consolidating into a few large players, moreover it becomes a sector of the econo my that annually increases its role in the total economic section so to say. More needs to be done to build a dynamic partnership between business and tourism, in recognition of the fact that a sound business plan for tourism, an effective environmental plan, and a framework for social appreciation are mutually reinforcing and that absence of one may put the others into question. This is why it is important to balance the sectors and all factors that could have an effect on the country and its tourism prospects. 1.Key Facts About MadagascarMacintosh HD:Users:IrinaMalysh:Desktop:ma-map.gif Madagascar is located in southern Africa on a separate island in the Indian Ocean, next to Mozambique. The Coast line of Madagascar is relatively huge 4,828 km. the climate of Madagascar is tropical along the coast, temperate inland and arid in South. Madagascar is worlds fourth largest island with a strategic location along Mozambique Channel.  [1]   Source: The CIA, World fact book Madagascar, mapMadagascar has a magnificent range of biodiversity, nature and cultural resources to support tourism. However, out of the 200,000 visitors the island per year, only about 60,000 come expressly for tourism, the res are traveling for different other reasons but which can include some tourism activity. Madagascar has the potential to welcome many more tourists if the sectors growth is well planned in a broad way focusing on economic aspects, infrastructure and environmental and social concerns, particularly for community participation. Also we would like to mention some key facts that are influencing Travel and Tourism in Madagascar: 1.GDP: Direct contribution The direct contribution of Travel Tourism to GDP was MGA1, 095.8bn (5.4% of total GDP) in 2011, and is forecast to rise by 13.9% in 2012, and to raise by 4.4% pa, from 2012-2022, to MGA1, 924.8bn in 2022 (in constant 2011 prices). Total Contribution-the total contribution of Travel Tourism to GDP was MGA3, 005.2bn (14.9% of GDP) in 2011, and is forecast to rise by 11.6% in 2012, and to rise by 4.3% pa to MGA5, 086.2bn in 2022 2.Employment: Direct Contribution-In 2011 Travel Tourism directly supported 197,500 jobs (4.3% of total employment). This is expected to rise by 13.6% in 2012 and rise by 2.8% pa to 297,000 jobs (4.8% of total employment) in 2022. Total Contribution-In 2011, the total contribution of Travel and Tourism to employment, including jobs supported by the industry, was 12.5% of total employment (577,000 jobs). This is expected to rise by 11.2% in 2012 to 642,000 jobs and rise by 2.7% pa to 835,000 jobs in 2022 (13.5% of total). 3.Visitor Exports: Visitor exports generated MGA1, 397.5bn (26.6% of total exports) in 2011. This is forecast to grow by 13.8% in 2012, and grow by 5.0% pa, from 2012-2022, to MGA2, 582.2bn in 2022 (24.7% of total). 4. Investment: Travel Tourism investment in 2011 was MGA590.4bn, or 15.5% of total investment. It should rise by 6.7% in 2012, and rise by 3.5% pa over the next ten years to MGA884.7bn in 2022 (14.9% of total).  [2]   Also, extremely important factor for country is its own World Ranking between other countries, which provides us with information considering whether the country is doing well or not. The details about Madagascars world ranking is showed below. 2. Madagascars Rankings Also, an extremely important factor for the country is its own World Ranking between other countries, which provides us with information considering whether the country is doing well or not. The details about Madagascars world ranking is showed below. Source: Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2012 MadagascarMacintosh HD:Users:IrinaMalysh:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-11-28 at 8.03.06 PM.png According to statistics, Madagascars travel tourism is playing an important role within its country. On one hand, its providing a total amount of more than 577,000 jobs annually, on the other hand, economical wise, its contributing to the 14.9% of the countrys GDP with US 0.5 billion in 2011. In the Travel and Tourism Ranking of 2011 of 181 countries, Madagascar is placed 120th at Direct Contribution to GDP and Total Contribution to GDP, 56th at Direct Contribution to Employment, 49th at Total Contribution to Employment, 98th at Capital Investment, 111th at Visitor Exports. All these numbers are estimated to be continuously moving upwards. Madagascar has moved to the 3rd growing country among all. Thus forecasting the long-term growth over the next ten years starting from 2012, Madagascar is predicted to move up from 120 to 87 out of 181 countries. In Madagascar, the International promotion is under the responsibility of the Maison du Tourisme. Yet, as a major potential exotic location for increasing foreign tourism, international tour operator has pointed out the fact that the government has not been distributing enough funds currently to promote the country. Worldwide countries that have successfully promoted and established a steady beneficial income from tourism, they normally combine efforts and findings from both public and private sectors. Kenya for example, ranking 75 in the survey of Travel and Tourisms Direct Contribution to GDP of 2011, with only two wildlife destinations is already willing to spend more than US $ 10 and 23 million respectively on tourism promotion. Madagascar, position at 120, was only providing US 150,000 for promotional budget annually. Tourist numbers cannot continue to grow at the pace of recent years for much longer, unless some of the constraints are removed. If Madagascar ever succeeds in removing the constraints and moving forward to expand its tourism sector, following up with supporting plans to new investments projects with an effective promotion and marketing campaign, the potential economic growth is almost unlimited. As related to this issue, a resolution to the current financial shortage of the Maison de Tourisme should be proposed. 3. Visitor Exports and Investment Visitor exports are a key component of the direct contribution of Travel Tourism. In 2011, Madagascar generated MGA1, 397.5bn in visitor exports. In 2012, this is expected to grow by 13.8%, and the country is expected to attract 232,000 international tourist arrivals. By 2022, international tourist arrivals are forecast to total 381,000, generating expenditure of MGA2, 582.2bn, an increase of 5.0% pa.  [3]  Macintosh HD:Users:IrinaMalysh:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-11-29 at 6.34.42 PM.png Source: Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2012 Madagascar Travel Tourism is expected to have attracted capital investment of MGA590.4bn in 2011. This is expected to rise by 6.7% in 2012, and rise by 3.5% pa over the next ten years to MGA884.7bn in 2022. Travel Tourisms share of total national investment will fall from 16.1% in 2012 to 14.9% in 2022.  [4]   Macintosh HD:Users:IrinaMalysh:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-11-29 at 6.34.51 PM.png Source: Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2012 Madagascar 4. The Size and Characteristics of the Tourism Sector Another important factor that influences the Travel and Tourism Industry is the size and characteristic of  Tourism Sector as such. In this section of the report we will look at certain questions like: how many tourist visited Madagascar, which country are they traveling from, how long do they stay, what time of the year they travel. Also as well as what are their socio-economic characteristics and how much are they spending while in Madagascar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Madagascar is affected by economical events constantly, which actually affects the inflow of tourists to the country. For instance, September 11, 2011, undoubtedly had an impact on Madagascar and may even have contributed to a spike in tourism as travelers sought safer destinations. Secondly, the political events in Madagascar itself were probably of far more important than September 11. The prolonged political stalemate resulted in visitation to the island plunging, hotels could not find supplies for businesses and were forced into bankruptcy or to sell assets to maintain their properties. There is no way in which such effects can be programmed with any degree of realism into projections of growth. 4.1 Tourist Arrivals In 2001, 170,208 foreign visitor arrivals were recorded, compared with 74,619 in 1995 and 52,923 in 1990, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Year 2002 was pretty much a disaster for tourism in Madagascar and up until now the country is still recovering from it. The relatively low number of foreign tourists were recorded as visiting national parks (54,440 in 2000) these tourists generally visit more than one park during their stay, hence there is a great doubt on the total figure of 160,071 tourists (2000). Possibly, some visitors may escape being recorded as they enter the national parks, but the numbers still seem low in relation to the claim of 160,071 total visitors. The visitor survey undertaken in 2000 indicates that 63% of tourist visitors state that tourism is the main purpose of their visit. This suggests that of the 160,071 arrivals in 2000, only 100, 845 were real tourists so to say. Moreover there are fake tourists, meaning that business travelers use tourist visas to have business in Madagascar. This suggests that the number of real tourists may have been somewhere between 68, 054 and 100, 845 in 2000. Undoubtedly, some visitors who are not tourists will behave as tourists for part of the time they are in Madagascar, i.e., they will use hotels and related services in major cities, and places. These people are called internal tourists, because they travel outside their usual living place.   4.2 Local transport They will probably make a couple trips to the parks, shops, restaurantetc. by using a method of transportation. They may also buy handicrafts and other souvenirs; clearly the souvenirs will vary occurring to the nation. Nevertheless, the distinction between a tourist and a non-resident visiting a country for other purposes must be maintained in order to plan effectively for the needs of tourists as well as give a clear estimate of the real visitors coming. The Government is aware of tourisms statistical problems and, with financing from the EU, has undertaken two sample surveys, the most recent in 2000, to help correct and supplement existing data going into economical terms equalize demand and supply to an equilibrium point. Visitor surveys are expensive to undertake and, though they provide valuable data on visitor characteristics, should not substitute for standard data collection at points of entry otherwise a chance exists that a survey can be not as efficient due to the fact that people can be surveyed more than once. The Government recognizes the need to improve the statistical base for tourism but is constrained by lack of financing hence they are short on the supply of either the needed machinery or working labor. There are significant opportunity costs attached to not knowing the size of a sector that has the potential to become a significant generator of jobs, foreign exchange and taxes, as well as stimulate production of go ods and services in other sectors, hence the government has no choice but to give something in return, i.e. the agricultural sector. A tradeoff between the two sectors will be present. These costs may persuade the Government to find the money and/or a donor to assist with the important task of improving the tourism database. Moreover this can be done through the tradeoff meaning that the government pulls funds out of agriculture or military or education, etc. and transfers them to the tourism sector. 4.3 Countries of Origin France dominates the market with 60 % of foreign visitors, broadly defined and not exclusively tourists. This however is because French love travelling within a country that shares the same language; hence Reunion was a perfect place. Language and a partial common heritage, added to the frequency of flights from Paris and Reunion, are the reasons for French predominance. Italians are the next largest contingent with 12%, followed by US (4.2%), Swiss (2.9%), Germans (2.8%) and British (2.2%). Given the quality and variety of assets in Madagascar, and the European appreciation for eco/cultural tourism, the small percentage share of these countries, other than France, simply indicates unrealized potential demand in those markets. 4.4 Seasonality of Arrivals. Peak months are consistently August and July, when about 21% of tourists arrive, 37 % of tourists arrive from September to December. The lowest month is February after which arrivals build up steadily to the peak months.   4.5 Average Length of Stay. The 2000 visitor survey suggests that the average length of stay for foreigners visiting relatives is 24 days, but for bona fide tourists it is 20 days. Tour operators confirm that tourists stay at least two weeks and sometimes up to three weeks clearly long term stays are beneficial for Madagascar. As noted below, the average combined length of hotel stay is 15 days. The data may be influenced by the large numbers of those visiting friends and relatives and by other non-residents, such as the scientists and potential businessman who are likely to be long-stay visitors. The exact length needs to be confirmed for planning purposes otherwise it becomes impossible to keep track of the individual tourists travelling in and out of the country. Ideally, the length of stay should be determined for at least two broad categories of visitors; eco-tourists and resort tourists, and by type of accommodation. The average length of stay in the National Parks is said to be 1 3 days depending on location, the quality of accommodation, and services for tourism. Clearly looking at the types of restaurants visited, the transportation methods, etc. can broaden the type of tourism and hence narrow it down even better. 4.6 Gender, Age and Income Levels of Tourists According to the survey, the majority of tourists traveling to Madagascar are men (64%). Nevertheless this statistic also suggests that not all visitors are legal tourists and, in this case, may be businessmen declaring themselves as tourists to overcome visa problems and other factors that could stop them. Over 60% of tourists are between 30 and 49 years old, but the median age is below 40. This once more underlines that there is high chance of them being businessman in their midlife looking for attractive offers and opportunities. Nearly three quarters of tourists are highly educated. Nearly two-thirds of visitors are professionals or heads of businesses/ enterprises hence coming to the country not only for leisure purposes. From observation, a significant number of tourists are backpackers. The term backpacker can include the adventure tourist, who is often quite well off, as well as the student hiking on a low budget. Madagascar welcomes a broad range of tourists, with backpackers at one extreme and those arriving through international tour operators at the other. For planning purposes, more needs to be known about the different requirements of each tourist and there approximate number and time of stay. 4.7 Tourist Expenditures The survey showed that, on average, tourists spent a little over FF 16,205 (roughly $2,000), including international travel costs on their visit to Madagascar. The survey also found that the average cost of the trip changed according to whether the tourist traveled as an individual, a pair, a group, or an organized tour. Tourists using tour operators paid FF 17,300 before departure for the combined package of air travel and accommodation in Madagascar and spent an additional FF 3,494 during the visit, for a total expenditure of FF 20,794. Those traveling alone spent FF 7,885 on their air ticket and FF 6784 while in Madagascar, for a total of FF 14,669. This statistic illustrates the weight of the airfare in the total package-well over 50%, which is high by international norms. Moreover this underlines that using tour operators is not always more beneficial. As in this example 6,000 FF could have been saved. The breakdown of expenditures in Madagascar by those who did not use a tour operator was as follows: 1. Accommodation and food 50.5% 2. Internal travel 24.1% 3. Excursions (Parks) 11.5% 4. Souvenirs 8.7% 5. Other 5.2% Tourists traveling with tour operators will have prepaid their holiday in their country of origin so that expenditure in Madagascar, as reported to a visitor survey, is incorrect, hence signifying that the survey brought more misunderstanding, moreover the money spent on the travel agency didnt go directly to Madagascar but firstly came to the HQ of the tour company and only part of the income was given to Madagascar.   The survey cannot take account of transfers made by the international tour operator for lodging and services used by tourists in Madagascar. It is often that a hotel located inside a country works with specific tour operators at specific given prices. 4.8 The State of Knowledge about Demand for Tourism As the above analysis shows, much of the data related to tourism is questionable and/or insufficient to help formulate policies for the sector and address the questions raised at the beginning of this section. Madagascar needs to improve its collection of data on visitor arrivals at key frontier points. This can be done as already stated, by creating a trade off between the economical sectors in the country and balance the needed funds. Because of the relatively few entry points, islands like Madagascar should have less difficulty in identifying tourists among other foreign visitors. At the same time, Madagascar has done well to conduct visitor surveys because that are revealing about the characteristics of tourists. The government is able to tell that a lot of tourists use the wrong visa for the purpose and hence a better control system has to be put in place. The next visitor survey that Madagascar undertakes could address some of the anomalies raised in this section. The Government should also examine the reports that the tourism industry itself (hotels, tour operators, ground transportation, airlines) provide for other purposes (taxes, licensing, etc.) to help improve its database. The industry itself would benefit from better databases and communication between the country and the tourist.  [5]   5. Negative Social Impacts of Tourism Around the world, many countries are facing not only positive aspects of tourism, but as well negative. In Madagascar this problem is related with increase in prostitution at its worst of child prostitution. The Ministry of Tourism of Madagascar realized that there is a high level risk of child prostitution, especially in Nosy Be and Diego. Moreover, there are rumors of linkages to the international pornography circles, which move this problem on the international level. Additionally, Madagascars government started a strong campaign against abuses which tourist does to the prostitutes. The campaign actually states that offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and send back home due to the international pact considering abuses. Furthermore, The Ministry of Tourism noted that actually extreme poverty drags people to send their children to earn money for the family in prostitution business. The World Tourism Organization recently published a Code of Ethics and all me mbers, including Madagascar are encouraged to adhere to its principles  [6]   6. Accommodation and Tourist Services The following sections analyze the supply side of the tourism sector, i.e. hotels and other tourist accommodation. Little information is available about tourism-related services, e.g., the numbers or operations of restaurants, scuba diving instructors, and other related services. This section, therefore, focuses on the supply of accommodation by category and by distribution throughout the island. Occupancy rates are also discussed. The objective is to determine whether the supply of accommodation is appropriate for the types of tourists who visit Madagascar and for the locations that are most visited. 6.1 Availability, Quality and Occupancy Rates of Tourist Accommodation In 1999, the country had 556 hotels with 7,207 rooms in 1999; some 111 were classified as meeting international standards and were rated with stars (mostly 3 star). Another 109 met local standards and were rated with palm trees (ravinala). The remaining 336 were unclassified, with many of these containing no more than 5 rooms, operated as a family business, including providing living quarters and meals for the family. By July 2001, the number of hotels had increased and reached 787 and the number of rooms was 8,248 (nor further detail on breakdown is available). The number of hotels increased by 42% between 1999 and July 2001 and the number of rooms by 36%, compared with an increase of 31% in hotels and 19% in rooms between 1996 and 1999. This big leap in accommodation was caused by the expectation of a large increase in tourism in 2001 because of Madagascars vantage point for viewing the total eclipse of the sun Hotels are the main types of accommodation used by tourists-over 90% spend about 15 days in a hotel according to the 2000 visitor survey. Some 25% of tourists spend on average 2 days camping and 21% of even bonafide tourists spend 3 days with family or friends. The 1998 survey had indicated that tourists spent only 4-5 days in hotels. It is inconceivable that the hotel stay would have increased so radically in just two years, so there is an inconsistency between the two surveys. Given the scarcity of appropriate camping or other alternatives to hotel accommodation, the 15-day combined stay for all hotels visited, seems more likely. 6.2 Quality of Accommodation A recent visitor survey of the national parks concluded that facilities in the interior of the parks are limited and sometimes non-existent. Furthermore, accommodation and restaurant services are inadequate and sometimes non-existent in areas surrounding the parks and in neighboring villages. The 2000 visitor survey points out an anomaly in that tourists spend most of their time in nature sites yet it is the towns that are served by more hotels-and by hotels that are generally better than the accommodation in the nature sites. The most significant characteristic of the hotels is that they are very small-the average size for the entire country in July 2001 is 10.5 rooms. Even Antananarivo, with its several business hotels, averages 13.6 rooms per hotel. Moreover, the average number of rooms per hotel has been declining since 1996, when the national average was 14.3 rooms per hotel. The substantial increase in hotel investments between 1999 and 2001 resulted in a decline in hotel size from 13.0 in 1999 to 10.5 rooms per hotel in 2001. The very small size of a hotel can indicate radically different hotel types-luxury or low end. Although Madagascar does have a very few luxury hotels the majority of the existing accommodation, even the newly built hotels, are designed for relatively low-income international tourists, which is not appropriate to demand. In the 2000 visitor survey, Tourists rated highly security and reception. The hotel rooms received average to good ratings, and were criticized mainly because of their lack of maintenance and modern fixtures and fittings. Cleanliness was similarly criticized. Food was rated more highly than all other categories. Tourists had some ambivalence about hotel tariffs with 32% rating them good, 26% very good and another 26% average. As noted in the quotation from a tour operators brochure, below, about hotels in Madagascar, in general the accommodation is not up to western standards. Group travel is a characteristic of tourism today and hotels outside Antananarivo cannot accommodate even the small groups of 16 people and less that travel to Madagascar. Tour operators are unwilling to distribute their group among a number of small hotels because of the lack of sufficient combined good accommodation and, to a lesser extent, because it raises their operational costs. All the ground operators interviewed in Madagascar stated that they compete with each other for rooms in the small number of hotels that meet acceptable standards. When there are no acceptable alternatives, tour operators change itineraries or even cancel groups for peak dates. Absence of quality accommodation in tourist destinations is a major constraint on the growth of the sector. 6.3 Occupancy Rates Hotel occupancy rates were 60% in 1999, 63% in 2000, and 66% in 2001. Thus the occupancy rate is increasing at a time when capacity is also growing, indicating fairly strong growth. An average figure means little in a country with such a large number of hotels, dispersed over many destinations and with a few business hotels in the main cities. From conversations with hotel owners and tour operators, it seems that the few good hotels are operating at or near peak capacity in the main tourist months. In other destinations, seasonality has been tempered by offering lower prices for hotel rooms, Inflexibility caused by climate in Madagascar makes any increase in tourism demand in the low season through pricing incentives less susceptible to success, though some parts of Madagascar are more affected than others by climate (see below). Because of the heavy weight of the airfare in the total tourist package (at least 50%), incentive pricing would also need to be practiced by airlines to have any effect on the total cost of the package and so on the current timing of tourist arrivals. This suggests that an increase in occupancy rates can only occur if tourists can be redistributed in the peak season to areas where occupancy rates are low. Tour operators, however, say that current destinations are selected because of their accessibility and the quality of accommodation. These operators also agree that the asset base is more diversified than the accommodation base and new areas would attract tourists if access and accommodation were available in new sites. The main areas where new accommodation is likely to be required in the near term is in the main ecotourism destinations, the prime beach resorts and in Antananarivo, where some of the bigger hotels have occupancy rates in the 70 + % range. Pressures on itineraries could also be alleviated if there were quality hotels along the roads to the major tourist destinations.  [7]  

Innocence in Daisy Miller Essay -- Henry James, Daisy Miller

James' manipulation of appearances in Daisy Miller as well as other character's notions of these appearances provides us with a novella of enigmatic and fascinating characters. Daisy, the most complicated of these ambiguities, is as mysterious as she is flirtatious. James gives her a carefully constructed enigmatic quality that leaves the reader wondering what her motivations were and who she truly was. He structures the novella in such a way as to stress the insights that the supporting characters provide into Daisy's character, weather accurate or erroneous. Despite their questionable reliability, they allow James to make commentary on both European and American cultures and social class. In Daisy Miller the protagonist, Daisy, rebels against convention and runs from any stereotype that could be applied to her. She seems determined to defy convention and to never be completely understood. Daisy's flat-out rejection of her time's ideas of feminine modesty and appropriateness paired with her portrayal as naive and innocent, create a character with contradictory, and thus evidently enigmatic, qualities. Daisy "flirts" with men upon every whim, repeating a cycle of infatuation with each just before she moves on to the next. Daisy, often surrounded by "half a dozen wonderful moustaches..." (80) often goes out alone in public with them, even late at night, which is considered in Europe, in her time and social class, to be highly unconventional and dangerous. Despite much shaming by local women, she pursues these men with unfailing determination and abandon. Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Costello both believe that Daisy is merely a flirt and are equally appalled by Daisy's escapades. Mrs. Costello noted that she believed th... ...lace in Europe, the only true European is Giovanelli. Giovanelli's name means "young-man" (123); a "type" (123), and his modest dialogue and flat characteristics defer attention from him back to where James wants it to lie- with Daisy. The author diverts focus to Daisy primarily by constructing the novel around her appearances and the other characters' lives around her mystery. Despite this focus, no one character seems to be able to grasp the true motives and nature of Ms. Daisy Miller. Her innocence is justified by James, despite commentary to the contrary by much of the supporting characters, through subtle symbolism and direct description. Using Daisy's character as a striking symbol of a misunderstood American, James makes an observation about American culture and social class. Works Cited James, Henry. Daisy Miller. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006.

Communication Essays -- Informative

Communication embodies the ability for one to convey a message through the use of verbals (words) and non-verbals (behaviours) in a process to compare, transmit and interpret messages. Garside and Kleiner (2007) portrays communication as sharing thoughts and feelings with other people. For this process to be effective the message should be transmitted with "maximum accuracy and minimum effort" (Garside and Kleiner 2007) with "mindfulness" (Burgoon, Bieger and Waldron 2002) from both parties. Mindfulness requires the sender and receiver to be alert to "the content, situation and sequence of verbal messages, as well as the paralinguistic cues, gestures, facial expression, body movements and cues produced by the physical environment that occupy verbal messages" (Burgoon, Burger and Waldron 2000). Not everyone is competent in transmitting information, this results in ineffective communication. Ineffective communication can be interpreted as neglecting mindfulness during an interaction, h indering the process of obtaining valuable information and ineffectively transmitting our thoughts and beliefs across. Interpersonal communication is "a distinctive, transactional form of human communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing relationships" (Beebe, Beebe and Redmond 2008). By studying interpersonal communicating skills, one can hope to gain an appreciation for the benefits of using effective communication skills on a daily basis. This reflective essay will analyse and deconstruct the effective and ineffective communication skills which were used in an interaction involving myself. In an effort to develop new skills, identify, deepen and improve on existing knowledge, an examination and reflection of ineffe... ...y interaction which hinders our ability to develop new relationships and build from existing ones. I believe the reflection of ineffective communication is essential in the process of developing a more effective style of communication which can be used to convey and interpret interpersonal messages. Through the studying and correct use of verbal and nonverbal messages, future interactions can be dealt with accordingly by applying the interpersonal skills learnt and practiced. Conversely, many situations we encounter on a daily basis might not be the same as one another because everybody is different, thus, it is beneficial to learn many skills to apply to different encounters. Ultimately, the goal of effective interpersonal communication is to acknowledge "Everyone wants to feel that they are important and that their message is valued" (Garside and Kleiner 1991).

scarlet letter :: essays research papers

Summer Reading: The Scarlet Letter In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne symbolism is prevalent, understanding symbolism is necessary for understanding Hawthorne’s novels. The rosebush is a symbol in the novel. It is rendered through the characters of Hester and Pearl in how they are perceived by the people. Hester Prynne has been convicted of being an adulteress. She is put on a scaffold as a form of public humiliation and told to wear a Scarlet A on her breast to identify herself with shame. Hester stands on the scaffold for three hours. As she stands, she looks around at the crowd of people. Inside she is shameful but to the onlookers she appears proud. The rosebush also from a distance looks majestic and alive but as one gets closer, its thorns are revealed. Hester, like the rosebush, is very pretty and majestic but as one gets closer the Scarlet A of an adulteress is revealed. In the wild, rosebushes use their thorns to keep predators away. Hester and Pearl are like rosebushes because they try to keep people at a distance from them. As Pearl grows up she becomes a very pretty, young girl as her mother is. She is also faced with the reality that she was born out of wedlock. Pearl develops a rude, annoying personality because she has never had anyone that has wanted to be close to her because of her predestined status in the community. Before she has even grown up she is known as an inferior member of society. Her personality is her protection, just as thorns on a rosebush protect the flowers. Hester uses her Scarlet A to keep Hester from having anyone close to her. Her past has kept her from wanting anyone to try and pry into her business. She would rather people stay away from her and her family to prevent any more gossip or talk about her. However, by the novel's end, Hester has become a proto-feminist mother figure to the women of the community. The sham e attached to her scarlet letter is long gone. Women recognize that her punishment stemmed in part from the town fathers' sexism, and they come to Hester seeking shelter from the sexist forces under which they themselves suffer. Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable, but not necessarily extraordinary, woman. A rosebush too, is portrayed as being strong yet beautiful plant.

Nazi policies towards women

The Weimar republic had given women freedom to do what they wanted , but Hitler believed other wise. Hitler believed in a master race, he wanted to build up a strong army and Aryan race- blonde hair and blue eyes a typical German stereotype. According to the graph 1st published in 1932 the amount of live births was 933,126 Hitler was taken aback by this information, this statistic was not helping his country to build into the strong and powerful nation he so desperately wanted it to be. So he decided to introduce special rules and rewards. He encouraged the women to give up work and focus mainly on having babies and leading a family life. He encouraged them with his famous saying â€Å"kinder keuche kirsch† which meant children, cook and church. These were the things Hitler believed should and would make up a stable and â€Å"strong† family,and,by increasing those aspects – the German women would have more children bring them up with strong believes and make them tough enough to establish the master race As far as rewards go Hitler made a reward scheme he introduced medals for mothers, those who had 4 children were awarded a bronze medal, women with 6 children were awarded a silver medal and women with 8 or more children were awarded with a prestigious gold medal. Hitler gave 20 marks to the fifth child in the family this prospect urged women to reach that target; this was just another example of Hitler's manifold of ulterior motives. E.g. the Hitler youth – where he got the children to come to extra curricular activities and then brainwashed them with his ambitions and Ideologies In 1936 the Nazis began a breeding experiment called lebensborn , this consisted of fit , healthy , single young Aryan women were encouraged to visit these lebensborn centres were they could meet with SS soldiers and in a bid to encourage couples to have more Aryan children. Any married couples who failed to produce children were encouraged to divorce and try again with another mate. He went even further as to set a anti abortion policy which stated that women had no other option but to keep them, he made it even harder when he shut down all abortion clinics and stopped all contraception from being produced. He did this because he wanted every child conceived to be born so they could help build up the mater race. Women were not encouraged to work but to mainly focus all there time and attention on nurturing their growing family. Job options were restricted and bleak, they were said to be â€Å"incapable of thinking without emotion†. To make this prospect even more attractive he gave newly married couples an interest free loan of 2000 marks as long as they pulled out of their jobs. This was to encourage more children to be made increasing his master race. The Nazis wanted women to have no interest in fashion and make up; it was even frowned upon if women wore trousers. They were expected to be sturdily built and have broad hips – ideal for child bearing The Nazis might have been a bit old fashioned with their views on women but they were not anti women infact Joseph goebbles once said â€Å"the mission of women is to be beautiful and to bring children into the world .This is not as un-modern as it sounds. The female bird preens herself for her mate and hatches eggs for him. In exchange, the male takes care of gathering food, and stands guard and ward off the enemy.† Hitler believed that women were key to the future of the German nation upon which they could build a volksgemainschaft. The volksgemainschaft was one of Hitler's most important ideas about the future of Germany. Because the Nazis still believed that Germany was still divided due to WW1 and that they could unite it by making the people feel as if they were part of a very important community .this motivated the German people to work together and build up the master race. During the war women got better food rations and better shelter, this was because the Germans couldn't risk losing women because this would stunt the growth of the vastly rising Aryan race. Despite the Nazis initially driving women out of work they were forced to reinstate their positions due to lack of man – they had gone to fight the war. To conclude Hitler made these policies to firstly Encourage more births and secondly To prevent the weakening of the master race. These policies may seem old fashioned now but the Germans held women in very high regard always making sure they had everything.

Feminist Perspective of the Film Twilight Essay

The film Twilight, a fantasy-romantic film has its director as Catherine Hardwicke who adapted it from Stephenie Meyer’s novel Twilight. The plot of the film revolves around the extra-ordinary relationship between a Vampire Edward and a young girl Bella Swan. The captivating conflict centers on the efforts of the family of Bella Swan and those of Edward Cullen to keep her away from the evil vampires. The film altogether highlights Hardwicke’s theatrical intellect and wit in bringing out scenes that explores serious aspects as well as the social constructions and themes the contemporary society still exhibits despite the gallant fight for equality and social enlightenment. The film raises serious flaws in portraying the women in a society that has spiritedly fought against the tenets of patriarchy by analyzing it from the feminist’s point of view (Chang 1). As the scenes in the film Twilight unfolds, the 17 years Bella Swan goes to live with Charlie, her father in small town, Forks after her mother elopes with another man. Exposed to new neighborhood and school, Bella has to make new friends where she is intrigued by Edward Cullen after he inexplicably stops a van that nearly run over her with his hand. Bella is intrigued when Cullen is adamant to explain how he saved her and is only against her befriending him. Bella later discovers Cullen is a vampire that only consumes blood from animals. Conflict in the film plot develops when other vampires know of Cullen and his family protectiveness over humans especially Bella who Edward is in love with. The antagonist, James schemes to hunt Bella where he lures her into a trap ultimately biting her. Lucky enough Edward and Cullen’s family rescues her, destroys James something that hurts Victoria his girlfriend, and the venom in Bella’s blood is sucked out by Edward something that prevents her from becoming a vampire. Victoria, James girlfriend secretly schemes her revenge for her lover as the film ends. Throughout the film Twilight, it is notable that the female characters especially Isabella â€Å"Bella† are developed by the director Hardwicke as naive, annoying, petulant, and above all there is that attitude anti-feminism. This is continuation of the social construction of women as naive and with immature tendencies traverses the ideals of modern society in this film thus being an embarrassment to women folk today. It is also annoying that Bella is prepared to just change from who she is to become a vampire just because she loves Edward. This is quite demeaning because it paints the bigger picture and a bad one for that matter that women would do anything for the men they love. It is petty that Bella cannot just like the person she is and continue being she is despite all the love she feels for Edward Cullen. This puts the issue of identity of women in question thus painting a negative picture that women want to identify not with their own kind but with who they love. Edward although loves Bella very much he is committed ensuring that Bella is pure no a vampire like himself. Critically analyzing the film in this perspective, Edward is a vampire who hates the activities other vampires involve in. The evil vampires feed on human flesh and blood, which Edward detests very much. He feeds on animal blood contrary to the likes of other vampires and together with his family protects humans. On the other hand, Bella is deeply moved by the kindness and the love of Edward that she freely wants to become a vampire. A vital question arises, is Bella guided by reason or her emotions? Is it necessary that she change into a vampire? Can she still exist in the form of human by her virtue and retain her relationship with Edward? This portrayal of women as people guided by emotions but not by reason is quite misleading and anti-feminist. Feminists from 1960s to today are fighting for the deconstruction of portrayal of women as simply people who need men to do everything for them; fight, provide, and defend them. Therefore, in the film Twilight, the portrayal of women is not is not in vogue with the contemporary feminist trends that advocates for women as independent people who can exist without the help of under the umbrella of men (Chang 1). It is contrary to popular feminists’ trend for women lives to be entirely controlled by men. The film depicts the character of Bella is a person dependent on men in her life. The life of Bella is essentially controlled by men and ultimately allows this to take place. The film depicts a patriarchal society that is against the marriage of older women to younger men and yet it encourages marriage between older men to teenage girls. Would the society depicted in the film would be comfortable if the relationship between Edward and Bella had been vice versa? Hardwicke perpetuates the ideals of the patriarchal society long forgotten. Edward even though is a vampire depicts more humane qualities by protecting Bella than of vampire and thus enhances the old societal traditions of older men marrying teenagers. Bella should not be in a relationship with a person who is worthy to be her great-grandfather. Edward is too old and there can never be anything good out of the marriage. Any marriage is definitely intended for company and procreation. It is beyond the contemporary societal values for Bella to be involved in a relationship which will culminate to marriage. It is also targeting and encouraging a society where the place of women denigrates them to stay at home as housewives and bear children on the denial that they cannot make decisions based on reason but guided by their own emotions (Jones 35). Bella is depicted as trying just to make a show of being annoyed when he overprotects her. On the other hand she behaves as a little girl who can barely help herself but only put herself in danger. Hardwicke portrays masculinity which dominates the film. Edward does not feel she is safe going to meet people because he is for one jealous, and has the power over her anyway and she feebly resists. Bella puts only feeble efforts of showing she is against his help and yet lets him to help her eventually because she loves him. Do women like to be innately protected as Bella exhibits? The entire relationship is symbolic where Bella has to cling on for protection. Not that I’m against the protection but it entirely paints a bigger picture that women require men for protection or else their survival is not guaranteed (Chang 1). According to Jones (63) the society today has high social consciousness and the modern woman is liberal and the film does not portray the ideal modern woman who is sophisticated and independent. The film in a way promotes conservative social ideologies, which are not well taken by the present society. The female characters although they play dominant role in the film they are presented as people with low self-esteem. The voice of reason forms the important aspects in the modern woman and emotions are not her weakens. The film however, depicts a thousand and one ways in which Edward manipulates and controls Bella emotionally and she blindly lets him have his way consequently enjoying his actions. It is ironical in the way Edward does not want Bella not to ride her car, guards her bedroom at night and does not want her to do anything all by herself. Instead of living her dreams, Bella gives up all his dreams for the man she loves. Further, the film encourages teenage motherhood in which the contemporary society is against the feminist simply because a teenager cannot make any independent decisions without being influenced. She completely changes her lifestyle; her friends, her body and moreover gives up humanity just for a man. Another female character is Victoria who as the film ends is possibly planning to avenge for the death of James because she loved him very much. There is not any reason beyond this scheme of revenge because even when she is successful in nothing will bring James back to life. In addition, the film explores on the theme of sexism revolving around fantasy, which is targeting the female audience. Chang (1) argues Bella’s obsession is Edward who is depicted as the fairest guy in the world. This film further permeates the stereotypes about women that they will fall for any guy who is cute without even digging about his background. And even if they do a research about the background, the physical looks will make them fall for them anyway. The film is prejudiced against women for it depicts them mistaking fantasy for reality and reliving in that state of fantasy and thus sexism, which is femininity indicating that women are weak and objects to be loved, which is a stereotype. Jacob is a realistic character who doubtlessly appeals to the viewers but they sympathize with him because he suffers from rejection by Bella who wants to be with supernatural Edward. This further seems to confirm the stereotype that women love fantasy rather than the reality. In conclusion, analyzing the film Twilight directed by Catherine Hardwicke from the perspective of feminists, she fails in correcting the stereotypes and prejudices depicted of women in a patriarchal society. The film further subordinates women in the society of men and indicates that they would love to live in life of fantasy instead of the realistic life. Catherine Hardwicke, a female director is criticized simply because she explores the feminine aspects in this movie negatively; instead of deconstructing the social constructs against the progress of the women folk in her film, she further perpetuates some of the stereotypes and prejudices against women in the contemporary society. Instead of promoting feminist concepts in this film and breaking down the constructions of the patriarchal society, Hardwicke ironically promotes anti-feminist concepts. Work cited Chang, Justin. Twilight. November 19, 2008. May 11, 2010. Jones, Amelia. The Feminism and visual culture reader. London: Routledge, 2003. Twilight. Dir. Catherine Hardwicke. Prod. Greg Mooradian, Mark Morgan and Wyck Godfrey. DVD. Summit Entertainment, 2008.

Literary Merit in Bram Stoker’s Dracula Essay

Although it is rather a subjective concept, â€Å"literary merit† essentially means the worth, quality, or excellence of a writing relative to other well-renowned literary masterpieces. In a Constitutional framework, the absence or presence of literary merit would determine the government’s limits to freedom of expression. To possess literary merit would mean that the work is not obscene. The landmark case of Miller vs. California enumerates key guidelines to ascertain the literary merit of a particular text, to wit: 1) Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest†¦ 2)   Whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law , and 3)   Whether the work, taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. (Miller vs. California, 37 L. Ed. 2nd 419, 431 (1973)) Fundamentally speaking, in any framework, to have literary merit is to have value. The popularity of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula has reached such endemic proportions that it has been claimed to be the most recognized book next to the Bible. A Victorian novel with the distinctive gothic appeal toward the macabre, Dracula has undeniably become a classic milestone in horror fiction. Establishing its literary merit however, is a different matter. A review from The Athenaeum, an influential periodical in Victorian England described the novel as â€Å"sensational.† The review further states: Dracula is highly sensational, but it is wanting in the constructive art as well as in the higher literary sense. It reads at times like a mere series of grotesquely incredible events; but there are better moments that show more power, though even these are never productive of the tremor such subjects evoke under the hand of a master. (The Athenaeum, 26 June 1897). Emphasis supplied. The unremitting succession of the bizarre, the gross and the fantastic, as explained in the review, would seem tantamount to a lack of refinement in the â€Å"higher literary sense.† This observation was supplemented by another review of the same sentiment: The plot is too complicated for reproduction, but it says no little for the author’s power that in spite of its absurdities the reader can follow the story with interest to the end. It is, however, an artistic mistake to fill a whole volume with horrors. A touch of the mysterious, the terrible, or the supernatural is infinitely more effective and credible. (Manchester Guardian, 15 June 1897). Emphasis supplied. As interpreted, instead of relying on the intelligence of the reader to grasp on their own the significance of subtle nuances and take in the various shifts and twists in the story as it evolves, Stoker instantly and unceasingly bombards the reader with an onslaught of palpable and shocking horrific scenes as if the reader is too untrustworthy and unsophisticated to deal with subtleties. If there seems to be little literary merit in the intellectual or scholarly sense, Dracula is still credited for its universal allure. The Pall Mall Gazette, in a commentary of Dracula states: †¦the story deals with the Vampire King, and it is horrid and creepy to the last degree. It is also excellent, and one of the best things in the supernatural line that we have been lucky enough to hit upon. (Pall Mall Gazette, 1 June 1897). Emphasis supplied. The universal allure of Dracula is probably in its resurrection of the vampire lore in a straightforward, practical and illustrative fashion. A vivid and uncomplicated quote from the novel confirms this:   â€Å"I shall cut off her head and fill her mouth with garlic, and I shall drive a stake through her body† (Stoker, 261). The novel’s refreshing simplicity is also evidenced in the following review:   Here, for the latest example, is Mr. Bram Stoker taking in hand the old-world legend of the Were-wolf or vampire, with all its weird and exciting associations of blood-sucking and human flesh devouring, and interweaving it with the threads of a long story with an earnestness, a directness, and a simple good faith which ought to go far to induce readers of fiction to surrender their imaginations into the novelist’s hands. (The Daily News, 27 May 1897). Emphasis supplied. While Bram Stoker’s Dracula is deficient in literary refinement, it nonetheless is considered to have literary merit by virtue of the fact that it captures man’s imagination. It certainly has value for having the extraordinary capacity to fascinate multitudes across time. Ultimately, its worth, quality or excellence is confirmed by its ceaseless popularity. Works Cited Books Miller, Elizabeth. Bram Stoker’s Dracula: A Documentary Volume. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. London: Penguin Books, 1994. Articles â€Å"Dracula.† The Athenaeum 26 June 1897: 235. â€Å"Dracula.† The Daily News 27 May 1897. â€Å"Dracula, by Bram Stoker.† Manchester Guardian 15 June 1897. â€Å"For Midnight Reading.† Pall Mall Gazette 1 June 1897. Jurisprudence Miller vs. California, 37 L. Ed. 2nd 419, 431 (1973).