Communication Is The Easiest And Most Effective Form Of...

Within most workplaces, the easiest and most effective form of communication is to bring all employees involved together into the same room for a meeting. This idea was and still is a preferred method of communication. The idea of meetings stretches across all industries and cultures, and has the potential to be extremely effective. The trouble though, is that workplace meetings do not always live up to their potential and are not as effective as they could be. A manager’s ability to lead an efficient and effective meeting is a very important skill to have within the realm of communication. In order to try and find out what it takes to run an effective meeting, several sources written by academics will be summarized and examined. To begin†¦show more content†¦The study also found that focused communication lead to better team effectiveness, as did speaking up when goals were unclear. This article gives strong indication that preparation is extremely important, so the manager can come into the meeting knowing what it is that they want to talk about. It also shows that giving an introduction is very important as well, as the data clearly shows that effectiveness rises when people are given context and clarity to what they are trying to achieve. The clarity of the meeting’s goal is not the only aspect that makes meetings run smoothly, as will be shown with the next source. The second article that discusses the theory of meetings is titled Meetings: Necessary Evil or Effective Management Tool? By Pratt (2001). In this article, it looks at ways that managers can use meetings more effectively. Effective meetings are describes as to have the following factors, â€Å"important issues are discussed, time is not wasted, team members do not â€Å"turn off† and stop contributing, high-quality decisions are made, and power is not usurped by cliques† (p.244) .The paper is based off of the author’s idea that meetings are an essential tool for managers but that many managers don’t know how to use them properly, which leads to wasted time. Pratt gives several suggestions on how managers can improve their meeting skills. The first is to know why you want toShow MoreRelatedintro to business chapter 5 Essay895 Words   |  4 Pagesbarriers to effective communication? Which barriers are easiest to surmount? Why? 1. The six barriers of effective communication are, 1)Physical barriers 2)Language barriers 3)Body language barriers 4)Perceptual barriers 5)Organizational barriers 6)Cultural barriers. In my opinion I believe that the easiest barriers to surmount are the physical barrier. Often people act as if nothing is bothering them, and the can hide their physical discomforts. 2. Why is nonverbal communication so importantRead MoreTaking a Look at Non-Verbal Communication1147 Words   |  5 PagesNon-verbal communication are those type of communication in which the communication setting is generated by source i.e. speaker and is received by the receiver i.e. listener. The communication between these two people is done by the means of his or her environment conditions with which they can receive or translate the message contained in it. Basically it is the way of communicating with each other, sending and receiving the message in a variety of ways without the use of verbal codes i.e. wordsRead MoreHealth Care Communication Methods1075 Words   |  5 PagesHealth Care Communication Methods 1 Health Care Communication Methods Edilia Ramos HCS/320 Read MoreThe Role of Communication and Interpersonal Interaction in Health and Social-Care1186 Words   |  5 PagesThe role of communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social-care Introduction This assignment is centred on effective interpersonal interaction and good communication in health and social care which is achieved through the use of multiple communication methods and techniques and the analysis of how certain types of people think and communicate. P1 Explain the role of effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care Key Terms Formal- The useRead MoreHow Relationships Is Effective Communication?883 Words   |  4 PagesRelationships involve effective communication to keep going. Otherwise, the relationship slowly dies or is forgotten. Although, not just any sort of communication keeps a relationship from fading. It must be effectively done. Different components go into effective communication. First, the conversations must be initiated somehow through a channel or method of communicating. Next, the conversations should be transactional or each person is communicating with one another through speaking and listeningRead MoreWorld Police1072 Words   |  5 PagesEffective Communication in the Workplace Dominic Defalco BUS100 Intro To Business Grace Flannigan 11/8/2015 In the fast-paced world that we live in, communication has become a way of life, especially within the business environment. From a managers point of view, communication is the key to the success of many objectives and goals set by individuals and upper management. Unfortunately, management at every level is experiencing increased tension andRead MoreWhat Makes An Effective Leader?1084 Words   |  5 Pagesboth effective and ineffective ones; some had used their leaderships in negative lights such as Manuel Noriega, former Panamanian Dictator or positive ones such as that of Franklin D. Roosevelt. [The use of the pronoun ‘his’ to refer to the leaders is incorrect. Since you discuss a variety of leaders here, it must be used in the plural form.]Despite their differences, both leaders were very effective in their crafts. One may ask â€Å"What make an effective leader?† In my opinion, communication is theRead MoreInternational Business Communications : Unit 4- Neg otiations And Cross Cultural Approaches1136 Words   |  5 Pages International Business Communications (MGM316 -1603A -05) Instructor: Jason Sheedy Unit 4- Negotiations and Cross-Cultural Approaches Amanda Kranning July 22, 2016 From a relative perspective, effective communication proves imperative in aiding efficient business transactions. The different cultures and nations involved in the launch of the fast-food franchise should aim at understanding one another’s culture despite their differences between culture, language, and way of lifeRead MoreEssay on Management Communication Skills 1414 Words   |  6 Pagesshows strength. Excellent coaching abilities are necessary because that will be a large portion of the duties. Most managers are taught to focus on results more than methods. Communication and dialogue are the most effective methods to have in order to know what is going on in cross-cultural and diverse environments. Keeping a successful business depends on the quality of communication and understanding that exists between executives, managers, supervisors, other colleagues, and customers. StaffRead MoreSocial Media Has Altered The Basic Rules Of Communication Essay1591 Words   |  7 Pag escomputer-mediated technologies, allow individuals around the world to communicate by creating and sharing ideas, career interests, and information. It is used by everyone and anyone from a high school student to a government official. One of the easiest ways to obtain information is by going on any social media. Not everything that is posted on there is always true though. A disadvantage of social media is that anyone can upload something, which doesn’t have to be right, and many people will see

Summary Of Destiny Decided By Chance By Yabut - 1576 Words

Destiny Decided by Chance By Yabut, Alden An individual s destiny is controlled by many factors and events. The individual can have great hold over destiny, allowing the person a strong force in what happens in their life. On the others hand, there are also multiple factors that could affect a person s destiny. One such factor is significant event within a person’s life. Whether it is war, turmoil within a country, a loss of life, or a big move significant events have a strong sway if determining an individual s destiny. As the change a person’s mindset, emotions and how impartial an individual chooses to be. Elieazer Wiesel, The Man in the Foreground, and my personal life experiences portray the impact that significant events have in determining an individual’s destiny. In the literary memoir Night, Elie Wiesel describes how significant events play an important role in determining his own destiny. Elie Wiesel’s hunger for God is the force that moves him throughout life. It is the reason for his rising up in the morning and his last thought before he lays to rest. In the day Elie Wiesel is a student of the Talmud and at night he searches and prays for a person to Teach him Kabbalah, the traditional Jewish mysticism. One day his prayers are answered in the form of a man named Moishe the Beadle. Moishe is a homeless man. But, unlike the other less fortunate individuals, Moishe is held in high esteems by the townsfolk of Sighet, Elie and Moishe’s town of residence.

The leader plays a large part free essay sample

The leader plays a large part in setting the goals of the team this is why it is important for the leader to be able to motivate the team and the individuals and why making the work of the members achievable, enjoyably and fulfilling is important. A as leader it is in their interest to find out what motivates each and every member so that they can use it in order to inspire them to work to the best of their ability hence, increasing the chance of success. Its also important to find out what motivates the team as an entity itself so that goals can be modified to achieve set outcomes and satisfy every member of the team. A leader can gain commitment by being honest and frank regarding dealing with individuals in a fair, straightforward manner. This enable each individual the sense of achievement in proportion to their effort and so they are not reprimanded unfairly which decreases motivation and will to work or try. We will write a custom essay sample on The leader plays a large part or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Commitment can also be acquired by setting a high level furthermore, by leading by example. This allows others to be self-motivated to succeed as they will behave how the leader is behaving, if the leader was messing about and/or didn’t care about his work, why should the team members? The leader is the keystone in the arch, if they were not committed to succeed then the majority of the group if not all would have no motivation, will or need to complete the task. A leader’s disregard of the importance motivation could undermine the gaining of team or individual commitment to objectives. This is due to the fact that individuals work by motivation, if I didn’t have motivation to do A-Levels, why would I be doing them? This highlights the importance of motivation.

Which are the most common uses of the Internet now Essays

Which are the most common uses of the Internet nowadays? The Internet can be used to collect information from around the world. This information could relate to education, literature, computer, business and entertainment. People can connect with their friends on social networks. They can have a chat using sites like Facebook and share pictures with others. A major use of the Internet is for entertainment. You can watch every movie and TV series you desire and enjoy your favorite music whenever you want. Are there any negatives points in people using the Internet? The Internet can become a serious addiction especially to younger ages. Spending too much time on social networks and playing online games, make students to neglect their homework and loose concentration. Extended use of the Internet could lead to isolation and make its users apathetic, something that causes melancholy and depression. Information from the Internet cannot always be considered reliable because anyone can post a news story that hasn't been filtered beforehand. How has technology improved our lives? The impact of technology can be seen in every aspect of human life including education, health and communication. The Internet particularly gave the opportunity to the people to be connected with their families and friends. Companies also benefited, expanding their business to new markets and cut their costs. Information sources for research today are available to students through smartphones and tablets. On the other hand, we have been depended on technology is such degree that we cannot see its disadvantages like cybercrime and the use of robots instead of humans in many jobs.

A Queer Revolution Essays

A Queer Revolution Essays A Queer Revolution Essay A Queer Revolution Essay A Queer Revolution: Reconceptualizing the Debate Over Linguistic Reclamation Robin Brontsema University of Colorado at Boulder The debate over linguistic reclamation, the appropriation of a pejorative epithet by its target(s), is generally conceived of as a simple binary of support and opposition. I offer an alternative conceptualization that shows both the complex contrasts and commonalities within the debate. Specifically, I identify three perspectives: (1) that the term is inseparable from its pejoration and therefore its reclamation is opposed; (2) that it is separable from its pejoration and therefore its reclamation is supported; and (3) that it is inseparable from its pejoration and therefore its reclamation is supported. Additionally, by examining different goals within and across reclamations, I demonstrate the difficulty of assigning a fixed outcome of success or failure. Although the term queer serves as the primary case study, the terms black, nigger, cunt, and dyke supplement and expand the discussion from a specific study of queer to linguistic reclamation in general. 1. Introduction Hate speech intended to disable its target simultaneously enables its very resistance; its injurious power is the same fuel that feeds the fire of its counter-appropriation. Laying claim to the forbidden, the word as weapon is taken up and taken back by those it seeks to shackle- a self-emancipation that defies hegemonic linguistic ownership and the (ab)use of power. Linguistic reclamation, also known as linguistic resignification or reappropriation, refers to the appropriation of a pejorative epithet by its target(s). The linguist Melinda Yuen-Ching Chen offers the following definition: â€Å"The term ‘reclaiming’ refers to an array of theoretical and conventional interpretations of both linguistic and non-linguistic collective acts in which a derogatory sign or signifier is consciously employed by the ‘original’ target of the derogation, often in a positive or oppositional sense† (1998:130). At the heart of linguistic reclamation is the right of self-definition, of forging and naming one’s own existence. Because this self-definition is formed not in one’s own terms but those of another, because it necessarily depends upon the word’s pejoration for its revolutionary resignification, it is never without contestation or controversy. While the controversy over reclamation is generally reduced to a simple binary of support and opposition, I present an alternative conceptualization that accurately represents both the complex contrasts and commonalities within the debate. Additionally, by examining different goals within and across reclamations, I demonstrate the difficulty of assigning a fixed outcome of success or failure. Although queer is the primary case study, the terms black, nigger, cunt, and dyke supplement and expand the discussion from a specific study of queer to linguistic reclamation in general. Colorado Research in Linguistics. June 2004. Volume 17, Issue 1. Boulder: University of Colorado.  © 2004 by Robin Brontsema. 2Colorado Research in Linguistics, Volume 17 (2004) 2. Origins of Queer 2. 1. Non-sexual senses The Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (Simpson and Weiner 1989; henceforth OED) identifies queer’s origin as the Middle High German twer, signifying ‘cross’ or ‘oblique,’ and provides several definitions, including the following1: Adjective: 1a. Strange, odd, peculiar, eccentric, in appearance or character. Also, of questionable character, suspicious, dubious. 1b. Of a person (usually a man): homosexual. Hence, of things: pertaining to homosexuals or homosexuality. United States origin) Noun: A (usually male) homosexual. Also in combinations, as queer-bashing, the attacking of homosexuals; hence queer-basher. (Simpson and Weiner 1989: 1014) Queer’s original significations did not denote non-normative sexualities, but rather a general non-normativity separable from sexuality. Only later in its history would sexuality become the overriding denotation. Queer, then, initially could refer to str ange objects, places, experiences, persons, etc. ithout sexual connotations, as in the following literary examples taken from the OED: 1) â€Å"The emperor is in that quer case, that he is not able to bid battle† (Yonge’s Diary of 1621) 2) â€Å"I have heard of many queer Pranks among my Bedfordshire Neighbours† (Richardon’s Pamela of 1742) 3) â€Å"It was a queer fancy but he was a queer subject altogether† (Dicken’s Barnaby Rudge of 1840) (Simpson and Weiner 1989: 1014) 2. 2. Sexual senses Queer eventually did become associated almost exclusively with non-normative sexuality, an association which has persisted to the present. In contrast to its contemporary usage among queer theorists and self-identified queers (yet similar to its usage in the mass media), by the early 20th century, queer as sexually non-normative was restricted almost exclusively to male homosexual practices, as in the following example from the U. S. Children’s Bureau’s Practical Value of Scientific Study of Juvenile Delinquents of 1922: â€Å"A young man, easily ascertainable to be unusually fine in other characteristics, is probably ‘queer’ in sex tendency† (Simspon and Weiner 1989: 1014). As George Chauncey demonstrates in an examination of terms of self-reference of male homosexuals in New York prior to the Second World War, queer co-existed with fairy in the 1910s and 1920s to refer to â€Å"homosexuals† (1994: 15-16). Far from being synonyms, however, they carried extremely different in-group connotations. Differing from queers in their deviant gender status, fairies referred to effeminate, flamboyant males sexually involved with other men. Queers, in contrast, were more masculine men 1. For greater clarity, I have condensed the definitions and changed the original formatting. A Queer Revolution3 ho were sexually involved with other men and who generally shunned, even detested, the woman-like behavior of fairies. â€Å"The men who identified themselves as part of a distinct category of men primarily on the basis of their homosexual interest rather than their womanlike gender status usually called themselves queer† (Chauncey 1994: 16). Furthermore, the fairy-queer distinction was not based solely on gender, but on class as well: most queers were men from the middle class who potentially risked more in their professional lives were they to display the femininity typical of fairies (Chauncey 1994: 106). Because the effeminate fairies’ gender deviance was highly marked and visible, they served as the stereotypical representation of all homosexual men, although there were probably more masculine homosexuals passing as their heterosexual counterparts. Heterosexuals used queer and fairy interchangeably and without distinction, thereby homogenizing all men who engaged in sexual activity with other men, regardless of their degree of femininity/masculinity or self-identification (Chauncey 1994: 15). Homosexuals’ well-defined system of gender classification and the significant

Free Essays on Colonization And The Heart Of Darkness

In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness he tells the story of a young man who gets involved in the ivory trade for the money. Marlow, the main character, recounts his experiences to a group of men he is sailing with and tells of a man named Kurtz and of the native people to Africa. He gives many visual images of the Congo, relates the impacts of colonization on the colonizers and those of the colonized. The entire novel is dark and almost depressing in a way. Marlow describes the Congo around him and almost always it is dark and seemingly scary. The first image Marlow describes is that of the first place he lands in Africa. There are slaves there, making a railroad. He says, â€Å"a rocky cliff appeared, mounds of turned-up earth by the shore, houses on a hill, others with iron roods, amongst a waste of excavations, or hanging to the declivity†¦[I] found a path leading up the hill. It turned aside for the boulders, and also for an undersized railway-truck† (Conrad 23). The image of a cliff gives the image of a dry, desert life place, which is what I would imagine Africa to be. Later he describes the area going up the river. â€Å"The great wall of vegetation, an exuberant and entangled mass of trunks, branches, leaves, boughs, festoons, motionless in the moonlight, was like a rioting invasion of soundless life, a rolling wave of plants, piled up, crested, ready to topp le over the creek, to sweep every little man of us out of his little existence† (Conrad 49). This describes a lavish rainforest, something I would picture once a rainforest was mentioned. Initially, thinking of Africa, I wouldn’t imagine rainforests but lean more towards his first description, of a dry, desert-like area. Marlow gives quite the picture of this new place he’s traveling in, giving the ready a picture perfect idea of where he is. Marlow describes the colonizers as mean and power-hungry. He focuses mainly on one man by the name of Kurtz. For most of the ... Free Essays on Colonization And The Heart Of Darkness Free Essays on Colonization And The Heart Of Darkness In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness he tells the story of a young man who gets involved in the ivory trade for the money. Marlow, the main character, recounts his experiences to a group of men he is sailing with and tells of a man named Kurtz and of the native people to Africa. He gives many visual images of the Congo, relates the impacts of colonization on the colonizers and those of the colonized. The entire novel is dark and almost depressing in a way. Marlow describes the Congo around him and almost always it is dark and seemingly scary. The first image Marlow describes is that of the first place he lands in Africa. There are slaves there, making a railroad. He says, â€Å"a rocky cliff appeared, mounds of turned-up earth by the shore, houses on a hill, others with iron roods, amongst a waste of excavations, or hanging to the declivity†¦[I] found a path leading up the hill. It turned aside for the boulders, and also for an undersized railway-truck† (Conrad 23). The image of a cliff gives the image of a dry, desert life place, which is what I would imagine Africa to be. Later he describes the area going up the river. â€Å"The great wall of vegetation, an exuberant and entangled mass of trunks, branches, leaves, boughs, festoons, motionless in the moonlight, was like a rioting invasion of soundless life, a rolling wave of plants, piled up, crested, ready to topp le over the creek, to sweep every little man of us out of his little existence† (Conrad 49). This describes a lavish rainforest, something I would picture once a rainforest was mentioned. Initially, thinking of Africa, I wouldn’t imagine rainforests but lean more towards his first description, of a dry, desert-like area. Marlow gives quite the picture of this new place he’s traveling in, giving the ready a picture perfect idea of where he is. Marlow describes the colonizers as mean and power-hungry. He focuses mainly on one man by the name of Kurtz. For most of the ...

Critical appraisal of the growing dominance of Dell in the marketplace Research Proposal

Critical appraisal of the growing dominance of Dell in the marketplace - Research Proposal Example The importance of engineering principles will be extensively covered as well as legal and ethical issues associated with conducting business online. In section two, we will critically appraise the business models used by Dell, identifying their sources of competitive advantage. The technology used to facilitate their success will also be addressed. Dell is the largest merchant in selling all types of computer sizes and understand the customer well. It has a great website and the critical appraisal of the website is done for fetching the business model and knowing the sue experience. Besides buying products, Dell allows users to search for products, technical support, articles and solutions, read reviews/ content of the investor relations and corporate governance, recommendations /personalized services. It also provides its customers with online tutorials and order tracking. Users can interact with the technicians via chat services with technicians. Dell also provides intensive support services. Dell was an early and enthusiastic convert to the Internet, creating its first web site in 1994 and moving many of its business activities to the Internet ahead of its competitors. (Kraemer & Dedrick, 2001) The company witnessed that its direct model gave it a lead in selling online. Unlike indirect vendors such as Apple, IBM, HP and Compaq, Dell did not have to worry about channel conflict with resellers and distributors when it began selling online. It operates in business to consumer model (B2C). Describe Revenue Model Dell represents a new breed of retailers; changing the way business is conducted online with their business to consumer model (B2C.) It is a virtual reseller, one of the main new intermediaries (Sarkar et al, 1996.) They are an electronic-commerce only intermediary; business and customer relationship management (CRM) is conducted purely via their website. Describe Marketing Mode Dell's marketing is done through their site itself. They also resort various other forms of marketing like e-banners and web advertisement in social bookmarking websites. Analysis of Co. Web Site Usability Dell's homepage provides the user with an overview of their whole site, most importantly it speaks about all the products it sells, which is vitally important as (Nielsen, 2002) explains "The homepage is your company's face to the world." User friendliness Dell use standard blue hyperlinks, mouse over navigation, browse box, graphics and a search input box to help users interactively navigate the site, which is very user

What are the distinguishing features of projects Essay

What are the distinguishing features of projects - Essay Example Project management is management of creation, be it a new facility or improvement of the existing one, across the human need spectrum. It is a deliberate response of an individual or an organization to meet a requirement or need in planned manner. It has a planned start and planned finish dates with a set of resources deployed. The key to management of projects is like other management, managing the required inputs and resources optimally to add value. Project management is associated more with the developmental part of activities of organizations or societies rather than maintenance aspect.There is an interesting history of evolution of the discipline Project Management. "Project management was not used as an isolated concept before the Sputnik crisis of the Cold War. After this crisis, the United States Department of Defense needed to speed up the military project process and new tools (models) for achieving this goal were invented. In 1958 they invented the Program Evaluation and Review Technique or PERT, as part of the Polaris missile submarine program. At the same time, the DuPont corporation invented a similar model called CPM, critical path method. PERT was later extended with a work breakdown structure or WBS. The process flow and structure of the military undertakings quickly spread into many private enterprises"(www.bambooweb.com/articles)Till recently project management used to be referred to management of time, cost, quality, scope and resources associated with large size capital projects. But in the era of discontinuous change the essence of project managed has got integrated to routine working of the organizations in the form of improvement projects carried out by cross functional teams. This instrument is able to create higher level of energy and synergy among the team and challenging goals are achieved. What are the different types of projects There are various ways to classification of projects based on the output of the project, industry sector, geographical location etc but the classification of projects based on outcomes i.e. product of project management process is the commonly applied classification such as software project, building project, process improvement project etc. What are the keys to success in project management Project management is no longer limited to huge capital projects but it is becoming a way of life in organizations and priority goals are being achieved through improvement projects under various terminologies viz. six sigma breakthrough projects, cross functional teams around a project, Quality improvement projects etc. Looking carefully around the trends in organizations, following factors may be considered as key elements of successful project management: KM concepts in project management: A project can be broken down into many elements like sub projects, processes, activities, and performance of individuals, learning from both success and failure. Information/knowledge stored under different headings will go a long way in creating higher success rate. The Community of Practice concept deployed among the people engaged in project management will facilitate knowledge sharing and bonding leading to better performance with time. Focus on Thinking: Thinking is basically searching for something beyond existing and projects are having many facets, which need solution beyond existing ones. A culture of individual or shared thinking may result in beneficial result as compared to an approach where project management is synonymous with actions at breakneck speed. Leadership: Leadership has a more crucial role to play in project management than in routine jobs, as challenges are more formidable needing those extra energy levels from the team to make it extraordinary efforts. The essence of leadership i.e. influence on fellow human beings is needed. Thus the selection of project manager is crucial for the project success. Investment in planning: In the planning vs execution, planning aspect has to

Effects of Technology Essay Example for Free

Effects of Technology Essay The advent and development of computer technology through the past three decades may be the most important and revolutionary technology ever invented in history. It has completely changed the way people do things, from interpersonal communication to professional transactions. Computers have affected the cultures of families, friends, offices, academes and even states and countries. The effect of computer technology can be felt starting with the most basic social institution, the family. The personal computer has become a regular fixture in millions of homes around the world as much as the television or the couch. Some families even own more than one computer units. Of course, the statistics would be lower among less developed countries. Nevertheless, an effect of the prevalence of the personal computer is that it has become more and more affordable. For third world countries, the idea of catching up has also come to mean being competitive when it comes to computer literacy compared to developed countries. Parents use the computer to surf the Net, look for job-related information or anything that interests them like news or hobby sites. The children use the computer as aid in making assignments and research, playing video games or make friends they won’t ever see in person through the chat rooms. Outside the home, the influence of computers is felt much more. Offices cannot survive without computers as they are used for word processing, calculations, presentations, and other tasks. Internet technology, an offshoot of computers, has created a thriving electronic-based commerce which has made millionaires out of people whose capital has been their mere creative minds. Other activities that before were done without computers are now computer aided. Automated banking has made banking and bill payments possible even outside office hours. People can shop online using their credit cards without the hassle of crowds and miles of walking inside malls just to find the perfect shirt or gift. Government agencies keep voluminous records and provide computer-aided services making it possible to make transactions with the public even without the latter’s physical appearance. Like all technologies, the computer has its downsides, too. For instance, it has caused concern regarding the privacy of people as with the interconnectedness of networks in cyberspace it has become easy to look for information about anybody. Another is that computers, being machines, break down. Since people have grown dependent to this machine, a crash or malfunction of computers especially those doing tasks which a lot of people depend on (like ATMs when they go offline or very important data that suddenly become irretrievable with a crash) could result to a lot of frustration and anxiety. Computer technology has also created computer addicts and affected the health and social skills of some people who would rather sit in front of a monitor than interact with humans or play ball outside. Computer technology has become so prevalent and people and nations have become dependent to it so much so that in modern times it has become unimaginable to survive without computers. The future is going to be defined by how fast and how far computer technology is going to take humankind and to be computer-illiterate in this modern world is to be left behind in the past.

The Internet Movie Database :: The Internet Movie Database

â€Å"The Internet is a communications tool used the world over where people can come together to bitch about movies and share pornography with one another† (Smith, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back). Society uses the Internet as a way to shout out their opinions about any particular issue. The entertainment industry is commonly scrutinized by these online vocalists; thankfully for their sake, although sometimes it doesn’t seem like it, the Internet audience does provide positive feedback as well. Movies are commonly dissected online; viewers like to explain every little thing that they liked about a particular movie as well as tear a movie limb from limb. The Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com) is one of the most popular sites for such movie critiquing. The site has many features that satisfy the needs of most movie buffs, and because of this site, people can come together and share their opinions of movies as if they were Roger Ebert themselves. It is the complet e experience that one can have on the Internet Movie Database such as the involvement and the amount of information that can be explored (not just read) that make the Internet such a major part of many people’s lives. The Internet Movie Database is a website that allows the user to find a seemingly infinite amount of information. You can type in the name of your favorite actor or actress and find out everything that they have ever done in the movie industry, whether it be acting, producing, writing, special effects, or anything else that you can think of. The site also provides any information available for future projects. Beyond the world of movies, you even get information of the television shows that they may have been a part of and even what video games they may have provided a voice for. Many of the actors and actresses also have a small section that provides trivial information about their lives. These are all some pretty cool features; however, the best parts of this website are the movie rating system and the message boards. The rating system is based on a 1 – 10 scale, and it uses a weighted average. The ratings section also provides charts of ratings for different age groups, sex, and the combination thereof, along with US and non-US citizens, Top 1000 voters, and the staff of imdb.com. The message boards provide lots of commentary about any particular movie, the stars of the film, or any social issue that may be represented in it.

Older Than America Essay

1. Film Information: The title of film we watched this week is Older than America. The lead actors and actresses are Adam Beach, Tantoo Cardinal, Bradley Cooper Georgina Lightning, Bradley Cooper, and Tantoo Cardinal. movie was released Oct 12, 2010 by the IFC Films studio. The length of the film is about one hundred minutes. The film genre is trying to expose the history with horror atmosphere. The director of the film is Georgina Lightning . 2. Brief summary: A woman’s haunting visions reveal a Catholic priest’s sinister plot to silence Rain’s mother from speaking the truth about the atrocities that took place at her Native American boarding school. The story along with her daughter, Rain haunted by visions that led to her own mother’s forced institutionalization. The film mixes the true story of the US’s forced boarding of Native American children, subjecting them to a wide variety of abuses. The film is not that easy to follow up because it started with some suspension and wired dreams at the beginning. As the story goes along, more and more clues reveal. It is hard to believe what the boarding school did to Native American kids based on my perception to boarding school. The film has enough twists and turns to keep my attentions while watching it. 3. Identify the main problem(s) or issue(s) addressed in the film: The problem is mainly addressed in boarding school. They remove children from the influence of their families and culture and assimilate them into the dominant Canadian culture. Father Bartoli paralyzed Rain’s mother in order to hide the truth about atrocities in boarding school. The Native American kids were beaten, whipped, raped and killed in the school. Later on, Father Bartoli also tried to convince Auntie Apple to keep Rain in captivity in order to stop memorizing the truth from the past. Rain was somehow rescued from tying up her hands by a spiritual guy who is her classmate in boarding school. She intellectually escaped from the room when the cleaner opened the door. Rain and Jonny decided to discover the truth in the mysterious cellar. After Father Bartoli knew Rain had escaped, he decided to go to cellar to kill her. Finally, Rain collected all the clues and memorized all the things happened in boarding school. Father Batoli was tangled up with all the lost soul who were abused and died under his hands. He got punished. 4. Main characters review: The main characters are Jonny, Rain, Luke, and Father Batoli. Director and co-writer Lightning also plays Rain, the lead role in Older Than America. Rain lives with her police officer boyfriend Johnny (Adam Beach) in snowy, rural Minnesota. Adom Beach plays her boyfriend. Luke (Bradley Cooper) is a government geologist investigating reports of a recent earthquake on his own time; Steve Klamath (Glen Gould) has returned home to run for mayor on an anti-development platform, opposing the incumbent, developer Paul Gunderson (Chris Mulkey). I think the actors are good in these roles especially Johnny because I can feel his love to Rain. They play believable roles, but I was confused about those spiritual figures. They are not quite believable, though. Those children in the board school make me sympathetic. There is no â€Å"Hollywood stereotypes†. 5. Portrayal of authority: Father Bartoli is a typical guy who has authority in religious figures. He is a priest minister who controls all the regulations in boarding school. Auntie Apple (Tantoo Cardinal), who raised Rain, leans heavily upon local Catholic priest Father Bartoli (Steve Yoakum). The two of them shake their heads disapprovingly when Rain and Johnny do not immediately agree to having a Catholic marriage ceremony. The boarding school is a nightmare to Native American children. Priests tried to remove their identity and assimilated them into American culture. I dislike Father Bartoli. He did not only a lot of bad things to the Native American children but also silenced Rain and her mother to erase the past crimes. 6. Discuss the role of gender in the film: The major players are not predominantly of one sex. Johnny has the subordinate role. I think Women and men are not drawn as variations of stereotypes. Rain plays a kindergarten teacher. She is portrayed as a perceptual and strong Native American woman. She cares about her mother very much. The matriarchal female roles are not recognized in the film. Jonny is her husband. He loves Rain very much, too. He cares about everything regarding Rain including family. He behaved anxious and crazy when Rain is disappeared. 7. Discuss the role of class and nation: I did not see any characters do anything for living. Jonny works in police office and Rain works in kindergarten. They seem pretty knowledgeable about their work, and they valued for what they do. There is no very obvious class hierarchy in the film. They are all kind of middle class people in modern society. The film did not spend a lot of attention to portray the poor. 8. Discuss the identity of the Native/tribal/ethnic groups portrayed in the film: I did not really often hear the Native American characters mention something about their identity, but I can feel the sense of strong ethnic tie between real physical characters and those spiritual characters. The souls are the things make this film so special to us. Those souls imply some sort of spiritual culture to Native American. Although they are already died, they still got together and help their companions or ethic group to get through the obstacles. They are likely to be seen in Native Americans’ perspective. The relationship between them is really subtle but meaningful. The live characters try to expose the truth hidden in the boarding school whereas the spiritual characters keep helping them get through the crises. They somehow interact with each other and make the whole story looks reasonable. It is pretty interesting and makes audience want to watch it. The movie really empathizes with the identity issues although the ethnic characters are not actually from the portrayed ethnic group because basically the film tells the repulsive atrocities and assimilation behind the boarding school back 1900s. It wants to remind Native American audiences to recognize the history and do not lose the cultural identity no matter what. 9. How are social and familial relationships portrayed: Throughout the film, Native Americans always have a strong family tie and hold together. In the film, I can feel Rain really loves his mother. She takes care of her a lot even she has got some mental issues. She is also really respecting her mother because she comes to her mother and tells her mother every decision she is going to make. In modern days, she still inherits a lot of traditional Native American woman’s traits. Those spiritual figures also give us a strong background of ethnic sense. They have a connection with Rain to keep reminding her past, and they help her to find the clues of the truth and get her through crisis. Jonny is a good and reliable boyfriend, too. He also really loves Rain. He is sharing of confidences with her and giving care to her when Rain faced up difficulties. I am able to relate to the familial roles and experiences in the film because film makes it really touch my heart. 10. Language: There are few scenes that other language other than English spoken in the film. It is used effectively. The boy spoke Native American language when the teacher forced them to declare to be Americans in the classroom. He did not want to lose his own culture identity. The use of another language bears a lot value to the film. It exposed the atrocities in boarding school. You would be beaten to death even if you say an Indian word. It set off the inhuman behaviors they did to every Native American child in boarding school. It is ironic that person who actually behaves a savage wants to civilize Native Americans, they called â€Å"savage†. 11. Personal likes and dislikes: This movie really is not a view of life in boarding schools, per se. I don’t believe it was intended to be. It is a metaphor for the effects still felt today by nearly all Native Americans here in the U. S. The movie â€Å"is† a period place. All of the issues that the story touches base on are those that Natives all over Indian Country are dealing with today. It is not the direct reflection of one single reason why Natives today face the afflictions of poverty, alcoholism, abuse, unemployment, illiteracy, and loss of identity as a culture, but the culmination of many. Forced attendance into an institution specifically designed to strip away everything it means to be â€Å"Indian† just so happens to be the primary area of focus in this film. The sub-plots add depth to the characters as well as much needed comic relief. Even though this film is classified as a drama, it should be shown in every history class across the United States. 12. Research connection: The story of American Indian boarding schools needs to be told. In the past Indian children were taken from their parents, often forcibly, and put into highly- regimented schools designed to eradicate all signs of their â€Å"savagery. † Use of Indian languages in these schools was forbidden and harshly punished. This movie probably should have been a â€Å"period place† showing the experiences of an Indian child thrust into the soul-killing world of the boarding school. Perhaps it was feared this approach would limit the size of the audience. In any case we get a modern-day story, set in northern Minnesota, in which a boarding school is glimpsed only occasionally in brief flashbacks. Surrounding these flashbacks lie a plot cluttered with a bewildering number of elements: the arrogance of the Catholic Church, shock treatments, commercial development of sacred Indian lands, an election for mayor pitting a white man against a red man, gambling casinos, a love story, hallucinations and visions, family secrets leading to tensions.

Blanche Dubois and Tom Wingfield’s Struggle Between Fantasy and Reality

Blanche DuBois and Tom Wingfield’s Struggle Between Fantasy and Reality The two characters, Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Tom Wingfield of The Glass Menagerie, both share an intense struggle between fantasy and reality in their lives causing dependency upon alcohol. Blanch DuBois approaches as a high class Southern Belle who depends upon others to care for her, but in reality she thrives on her self-proclaimed royalty. Meanwhile, Tom Wingfield is a pessimistic character who deprives his life working at a shoe factory for his mother and sister while living in the shadows of his father. Both these characters also develop a dependency upon alcohol to overcome conflicts they are faced with. Blanche’s struggle occurs after losing all she had back home in Belle Reve except her trunk of clothes and props, but is exposed to the hash reality of the real world where she cannot cope and must depend on others. One example, such as Stanley Kowalski’s friend, Mitch, whom she instantly wants to marry to be saved from her current degrading lifestyle. â€Å"Ms. DuBois says that she is on vacation at the Kowalski’s, but in fact has lost the family mansion, Belle Reve, and her teaching position due to her sexual indiscretions, the last one with a 17-year-old boy while earning a reputation for sleeping with men indiscriminately, in the meantime pretending to be a Southern bell (Magill pars. 1-2). Blanche is so caught up in her fantasy world that she even had relations with the delivery boy, as well, so she may mask her age with youth and to have control of another. Tom finds himself struggling to fulfill his dreams of writing poetry. This is due to his working at the local shoe factory so he can support his family. â€Å"Mr. Wingfield is desperately unhappy in his warehouse job, and finds himself standing on the fire-escape to the apartment in his hopes of one day fleeing to pursue his dreams as his father did (Bloom pars. 15-16). Tom is always speaking of how he is held down from his hopes, goals, dreams, and ambitions stuck in the shoe factory making a lousy salary for his family, made up of a sick sister and delirious mother. Tom cannot accept the reality that surrounds him and is always contemplating about his dream life, which he is kept from achieving. Blanche, like Tom, abuses alcohol to escape her struggles between fantasy and reality. Blanche is noticeably an abuser of alcohol as she is found constantly sipping away at liquor to forget her past, which her conscience knows is guilty. Tom is said to be at â€Å"the movies,† meanwhile he is actually out at the bars all hours of the night. This is Tom’s way of temporarily escaping his home and forgetting his duties that trap and prevent him from accomplishing his goals in life. Neither character was in need of alcohol, but abused it to an intolerable level, where they consumed it when facing rough times or troubling memories that followed. Also, in both plays these two characters hid the fact that they ever even consumed liquor, while they were always drinking in complete denial. The two characters, Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Tom Wingfield of The Glass Menagerie, both share an intense struggle between fantasy and reality in their lives causing dependency upon alcohol. Blanche’s inability to cope with the real world alone makes her a weak character. She cannot live independently and has lost all that once made her life, back in Belle Reve, due to her confused relationship with a student of hers. Tom, on the contrary, has a strong character that is chipped away at over time due to the tormenting lifestyle he must live to support his family. After time this strong foundation of character diminishes as Tom wants to flee his stationary life back at home. 1. Magill Book Reviews 1990/03/15 2. Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations: The Glass Menagerie; 1988, p31-41, 11p 3. Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature; Letter D, pN. PAG, 1p 4. Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire. Harold Bloom – editor. Publisher: Chelsea House. Place of Publication: New York. 1988. 5. Tennessee Williams. The Glass Menagerie. Harold Bloom – editor. Publisher: Chelsea House. Place of Publication: New York. 1988.

Animal and Human Research Ethics Paper

Animal and Human Research Ethics Paper Free Online Research Papers In any aspect of life, the well being of oneself comes before any other considerations. With in mind, medicine has a very similar view. The health and prosperity of the human race comes before any other considerations. This brings about the grounds for the practice of nonhuman animal testing. With this, professional and ethical issues are raised and must be explored in order for a conclusive answer to be given. The statement that â€Å"animals have rights† is one that very few people will disagree with. There are those, however, who see animal cruelty as a form of entertainment. The ethical question then arises asks whether the â€Å"cruelty† against an animal can be benefited for humans or should humans benefit from themselves. It is evident that the human race is at the pinnacle of creation as they have achieved progressive heights that cannot be matched by any other species. Unfortunately, animal research has been a fundamental part of their continued progress. Since Aristotle, animals have been used utilized for the benefit of humans. The question of why this has occurred for some time is because they had no other alternative than direct human testing. Man has come a long way and must find seek other testing techniques that are advanced in order to eliminate this harmful practice. One possibility is from Professor Joordens in which he indicates that humans should test on humans who have the desired disease. This would bring about greater thought as experiments would encompass a greater meaning to them. Medical research done on humans is a delicate process. There are many skeptics who believe that human testing should be prohibited as human life is considered more valuable than the life of animals. From a biological standpoint, it is said that all life is stemmed from a common ancestor. What then is the difference between the experiments of a human and an animal as treating animals differently would make them subhuman – no rights, feeling of pleasure and pain. (You may want to rephrase this sentence) This subhuman difference causes negative effects as some drugs that are safe on animals may potentially not be safe on humans and vice versa. Thus, it is apparent that testing on animals is erratic which is why promotion of human testing should be carried out. Furthermore, animals have rights! Every day, laboratory animals are exploited and are enduring suffer for the benefit of testing and research. How is it that a person can be charged for neglecting and not feeding their pet while companies can torture and kill millions of animals every year and no consequence is donned upon them? Thus, animals are deprived of their dignity. When a human imposes its life on an animal, they have taken over that life have become its jury, judge and executioner. Animals have no say which is why human testing should be implemented. Humans voluntarily submit to an experiment with the acknowledgment that something potentially can go wrong. According to Professor Joordens’, his opinion piece says that human based exponents are much more accurate even though progress may slow down. It occurs as scientists will spend more time planning the experiment through as they are dealing with a human. The speed of progress is only relative as it is compared to the past. Over time, man will become accustomed to it and will find the true benefit of human rather than animal testing. Consequently, animal research is an immoral practice that must be reduced and abolished whenever possible. The cruelty performed among animals may be beneficial but it is certainly not ethical. The development to the extensive application of substitutes to animal experimentation will persistently gain momentum as people become more aware about the problem. However, for now, all one can do is try to reduce the number of animals harmed. Research Papers on Animal and Human Research Ethics PaperGenetic EngineeringStandardized TestingResearch Process Part OneInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Spring and AutumnCapital PunishmentArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Effects of Television Violence on ChildrenPETSTEL analysis of IndiaOpen Architechture a white paper

Running Quotes About Life

Running Quotes About Life Runners often take lessons they learn in running and apply them to their life, and vice versa. Get inspired with these thought-provoking running quotes: Dean Karnazes Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If youre not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if youre not demanding more from yourself- expanding and learning as you go- youre choosing a numb existence. Youre denying yourself an extraordinary trip. Jen Rhines Life (and running) is not all about time but about our experiences along the way. Joan Benoit Samuelson As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are. Meb Keflezighi, U.S. Olympic marathoner Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best. Kara Goucher Thats the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is. Marc Bloom In short, running can change your outlook on life and make a new person out of you. Nina Kuscik Running gives freedom. When you run you can determine your own tempo. You can choose your own course and think whatever you want. Nobody tells you what to do. Unknown Life is like a marathon. Its full of ups and down that take your breath away. Amby Burfoot Running has taught me, perhaps more than anything else, that theres no reason to fear starting lines...or other new beginnings. David Bedford Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge. Nancy Anderson So much in life seems inflexible and unchangeable, and part of the joy of running and especially racing is the realization that improvement and progress can be achieved. Michael Johnson Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter; long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best. Arthur Blank I run because its so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you cant. But then you find your inner strength, and realize youre capable of so much more than you thought. Oprah Winfrey Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it. Dean Karnazes Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived. George Sheehan Life is a positive-sum game. Everyone from the gold medalist to the last finisher can rejoice in a personal victory. Unknown The answer to the big questions in running is the same as the answer to the big questions in life: do the best with what youve got. George Sheehan The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life. Chris Lear, in Running with the Buffaloes In many ways, a race is analogous to life itself. Once it is over, it cannot be re-created. All that is left are impressions in the heart, and in the mind. Michael Sargent Running should be a lifelong activity. Approach it patiently and intelligently, and it will reward you for a long, long time. Jenny Hadfield Life can pull you down, but running always lifts you up. Unknown A marathon is like life with its ups and downs, but once you have done it, you feel that you can do anything. Nelson Mandela Running taught me valuable lessons. In cross-country competition, training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline. I applied this in everything I did. Amby Burfoot I have learned that there is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving. Lorraine Moller, Four-Time Olympic Marathoner For me, running is a lifestyle and an art. Im far more interested in the magic of it than the mechanics. Its that interest and exploration that make running fun for me. Its easy to become outcome-focused; for me the unfoldment of self is what is meaningful in running and outlasts any medals. Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run Running is like celebrating your soul. Theres so much it can teach us in life. Hal Higdon I run, therefore I am. And given the years improved fitness adds to our lives, if I did not run, maybe I would no longer be. Ron Daws, The Self-Made Olympian There is more to failing than picking yourself up out of the dust, brushing off the grime and trudging onward. For every defeat, there is a victory inside waiting to be let out if the runner can get past feeling sorry for himself. Max Popper in The Essential Runner When you have the running spirit, you look forward to life. I firmly believe that I wouldnt have lived as long or as happily as I have without running. Adam Goucher One of the first lessons running teaches us about success in athletics and in life is that there is no one else. No one else can do your workouts for you. You alone must do the drills... You cannot hire someone else to do your cross-training when you are battling injury, or pay someone to run a race and get you a new PR. You are truly your own hero in running. It is up to you to have the responsibility and self-discipline to get the job done.

Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Response paper - Essay Example Ultimately, it is the view of this student that the choice to diversify into the economy market is a positive one. Essentially, this decision is based upon the fact that unless a firm is continually growing and seeking to diversify its new markets, it risks becoming irrelevant and shrinking. Likewise, relying upon the cash cows that have provided the sustenance of this company into the foreseeable future is not a tenable business plan that can likely continue to promote further success. In terms of what the CEO might actually think of these arguments, it is likely that he will be hesitant to risk company profitability and productivity based upon a product that has not sufficiently been analyzed, tested, or room for market space determined. Nevertheless, he will likely be intrigued by the possibility of engaging this particular product line and production with relatively low startup costs and without a great deal of investment in machinery or

Nicene Creed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nicene Creed - Essay Example This shows that despite Christianity being viewed as a religion of many denominations, the concept behind Christology is one and the same. This is a very important aspect of Christianity as it ensures that Christology is defined in a similar manner by the various denominations that are under Christianity. The creed achieves this because it contains significant and fundamental statements that form the very basis of the existence of Christianity. The Nicene Creed is divided into 12 sections. Though there is a controversy in regards to the filioque clause, the creed is generally accepted by the major branches of Christendom. The implication of this is that how the major branches of Christendom define Christianity will be similar and as result the definition of Christianity cannot differ. The Nicene Creed therefore forms a basis for a uniform definition of Christology by various branches of the church. I believe in the Nicene Creed as it restates the very fundamental beliefs which are the pillars of Christianity in general. It is worth noting that the Eastern Church only disagrees with part of this creed and generally it is in agreement with most of the statements in the creed. Though the Creed caused a rift between the Eastern and Western church, it has since then held the Western church in unity. I am in agreement that the Nicene Creed may have changed the importance of the Christology of the Eastern Church. The Western Church is more prominent and maybe the Eastern would have equally enjoyed the same status had it not disagreed with part of the Nicene Creed. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the Nicene Creed still plays a crucial role in pointing out the pillars of Christianity and that is very important for both the Eastern and Western

Haier Group Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Haier Group Corporation - Essay Example This report provides answers to the four discussion questions of the case study. The content of the answers includes information about the company’s capabilities, strengths, and weakness, the value chain internal analysis and how the CEO can exploit the company’s resources to reach its goals. 1. The Haier Group Corporation is a Chinese based firm that was able to convert its medium size domestic manufacturing firm into a global giant during the past two decades. The company’s core product is home appliances in which they are 4th in the world, but the firm has not limited itself to single type product which has enabled Hair to have a diversified product offering of over 43 million products in 96 categories. The company has a superior logistics supply chain network that covers 160 countries around the world with over 50,000 sales outlets carrying their products. The size of the company and its established global network are two positive aspects of the operation which can be used by the firm to obtain a competitive advantage. The company diversification strategy and its global branding approach are two aspects that make their operation distinctive. The company is able to offer a wide array of products which makes doing business with Haier an attractive alternative for distributors and retailers worldwide. The business growth of this firm has been limited by a centralized approach. The company has openly favored expanding its manufacturing operations into developed nations in order to show that the firm cares about the community to establish an image of a local firm. Consumers tend to have greater loyalty for domestically produced products because they have a greater impact on the local economy in the form of revenues and job creation. Haier is a local producer in marketplaces such as the United States and Europe. A critical strategy that has allowed the company great acceptance in all the marketplaces they penetrate is the fact that their products are quality items at affordable prices.

Alcoholic beverage Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic beverage Essay The objectives of the study was to examine if consumption of alcohol affect students academic performance, to determine if consumption of alcohol promote flirting , to determine whether the consumption of alcohol lead to road accidents and also to determine whether television adverts of alcoholic beverages lead to increase consumption. The target population of the study included all students pursuing Bachelor of Science Psychology programme in the University of Cape Coast. A sample size of 79 was chosen for the study. The simple random sampling method was adopted in selecting the sample. Questionnaire was the main instrument used to seek answers to research questions. The collected data was analysed using frequency count and percentages. The findings show that, alcohol intake has adverse impact on students’ academic performance through absenteeism, indulgence in examination malpractices and limited study hours. Alcohol consumption make men confident and women accept proposals easily. Also drunk driving was a major cause of accident in Ghana since drunken drivers flout road traffic regulations. It was recommended that, the Motor Traffic Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service and the Driver Vehicle License Authority should intensify the campaign to curb drunk driving. Drivers found guilty of drunk driving should be banned from driving or have their license withdrawn for three months. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWords alone cannot convey our profound indebtedness to our dynamic supervisor, Professor Rowland A. E. Iheanacho for his fatherly tutelage, affability, time and the invaluable support he provided in the course of this work. To just say we appreciate these individuals will be an understatement: Ms. Mary Adomah Yeboah, Mr. Patrick Duncun Reynold (TOR), Mr. Osei Yaw Boa- Korang(Twifo Praso Rural Bank), Mr. Evans K. Acheampong, and Ms. Dorothy Gabben- Mensah (UCC), Mr. Stephen Doh-Fia (Lecturer Department of Educational Foundations). We are really grateful for every assistance you rendered to bring this work to fruition. 1 / 18 To our supportive parents,Mr. Ransford Oti Fenteng, Mr. Benjamin Asare and Ms, Rose Konamah, we say God bless you all for your prayers, care, encouragement, motivation, ideas, thoughtfulness, deeds of kindness and for every helping hand you offered in the spirit of love to make this piece a possibility. Lastly, kudos to all friends and all who contributed in diverse ways to make this work a masterpiece. DEDICATIONThis work is dedicated, with love, to our parents and siblings. PAGEREF _Toc356649042 \h 28Table 13: Do drunken pedestrians cause danger to themselves and other road users? PAGEREF _Toc356649043 \h 28Table 14: Do drunk drivers like speeding? PAGEREF _Toc356649044 \h 29Table 15: Drunken pedestrians do not flout road traffic regulation PAGEREF _Toc356649045 \h 29Table 16: Do drunken drivers drive recklessly? PAGEREF _Toc356649046 \h 30Table 17: Have you watched any alcoholic beverage advert on television before? PAGEREF _Toc356649047 \h 30Table 18: Do television adverts influence you to buy the product? PAGEREF _Toc356649048 \h 31 LIST OF FIGURES TOC \h \z \c Figure Figure 1: Gender PAGEREF _Toc356649237 \h 20Figure 2: Age range PAGEREF _Toc356649238 \h 21 CHAPTER ONEINTRODUCTIONBackground to the study (Bovee, 1992 p. 7) defines advertising as â€Å"a non-personal communication of information usually paid for and persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by an identified sponsor†. From this definition, one can see that advertisements are placed on purpose. This is a three-tier which comprises of introducing a product, generating new customers and attempting to stimulate and sustain consumer consumption (Bovee, 1992 p. 9). Since the invention of television, it can be classified as one of the most effective carriers of adverts due to its audio-visual qualities and captivating nature. Its effectiveness cannot be over emphasized CITATION Ebb07 \l 1033 (Ebbrecht, 2007). Recently, the adverts of alcoholic beverages on almost all television stations in Ghana have been regular, persuading viewers to purchase such drinks without any recourse. There seems to be no programme on television without a brand of alcohol being a sponsor. Programmes ranging from prime-time news to live shows are all full of these types of sponsors. The names of some drinks have become common in our various homes and every child who has the privilege of watching television can mention not less than two alcoholic beverages advertised. It is also interesting to note that, names of some alcoholic drinks even give an impression of its benefit to the consumer before they are even purchased. Example is, ‘wo ba ada anaa’ when literally translated means ‘is your child asleep’ makes people think when you drink that beverage you can be sexually active. In Ghana majority of people who take alcoholic beverage especially, the distilled or locally manufactured ones use it as an appetizer believing that, you can eat well when it is taken the moment food is ready, though there has not been any study confirming or rejecting this assertion. This phenomenon is locally referred to as ye bu didi thus; we drink to eat, when literally translated. Many people in the country are more concerned about the rise in the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and have attributed this phenomenon to the indiscriminate adverts of alcoholic drinks in the media, especially on all the television stations in the country. They have even speculated that, the increase in road accidents in the country is due to drunk driving. This speculation from the public was confirmed by the Ministry of Roads and Highways in June, 2009 when it issued a report on the increasing rate of road accidents in the country and pointed out drunk driving as one of the topmost causes of road accidents CITATION Myj09 \l 1033 (My joy online , 2009). This led to anti drunk driving campaign where passengers were advised not to board cars of drunken drivers and to report such drivers to the police. The MTTU branch of the Ghana police service, as one of the measures of curbing drunk driving, randomly check the breath of drivers to determine their level of alcohol intake with their equipment known as breath analyzer or drunkometer. Any driver whose level of alcohol intake exceeds certain limit is arrested for legal action. The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) CITATION Foo05 \l 1033 (Board, 2005) had also acted towards curbing this problem by directing all media houses in the country to stop the advertising of 3 / 18 all uncertified alcoholic products. Moreover, the FDB’s guidelines on alcoholic beverage adverts (FDB GL05/AD ALC/1-2005) stated that, â€Å"For every alcohol advert appearing on television, an anti-alcohol advert of equal length must be aired within half an hour of the advert promoting the alcoholic beverage†- but it seems this has been seriously violated over the years. The 2010 Budget Statement delivered in parliament by the Minister of Finance, imposed a 10% â€Å"Ad Valorem† tax on all alcoholic products in the country. In explaining this, the Minister made it clear that the imposition of this tax on alcoholic products was not for its financial benefits to the government but rather a step towards reducing the problem of alcoholism. Pastor (Dr. ) Mensah Otabil, the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (I.C. G. C. ) and the Chancellor of the Central University College is one of the persons to be alarmed at both the rate of alcoholic beverages advertisement in the media especially television and the rate of consumption. CITATION Sam03 \l 1033 (Awuku, 2003) Has argued that, â€Å"If the state can spend billions of Cedis on advertisement urging the youth to keep away from drugs such as cocaine and other prohibited drugs, why can we not use a fraction of such money to warn the youth against the consumption of alcohol? † The above instances mean that, people are dissatisfied about the rate of television advertisement of alcoholic beverages and expect the state to regulate it, thus more specifically to treat alcoholic beverages as it does to cigarette and cocaine so that it can reduce consumption. This means that some people also believe that the state has not done enough to curb the rise in alcoholism and that the problem should be put in the same perspective as any form of drug abuse in the country. This study assesses the effect of television advertisement of alcoholic beverages on consumer behaviour. Statement of the problem In contemporary times, television advertisement has been seen as the most effective mode of advertising because of its audio-visual qualities and captivating nature. Its effectiveness cannot be over emphasised (Ebbrecht, 2007 p. 3). A recent systematic review to assess the impact of alcohol advertising and media exposure on future adolescent alcohol use identified thirteen longitudinal studies that followed up a total of over 38,000 young people. Twelve of the thirteen studies concluded an impact of exposure on subsequent alcohol use, including initiation of drinking and heavier drinking amongst existing drinkers, with a dose response relationship in all studies that reported such exposure and analysis. For example, CITATION Ell05 \l 1033 (Ellickson, Collins, Hambarsoomains, amp; McCaffrey, 2005) examined the relationship between a range of advertisement exposures over the course of one year and subsequent drinking among US adolescents aged 12 to 13 years followed-up for at least two years, and assessed whether exposure to a prevention programme mitigated any such relationship. Forty eight percent of 1206 grade 7 non-drinkers consumed alcohol during the previous year at grade 9. The results of the longitudinal studies are consistent with the findings of econometric studies, in which, for example, a meta-analysis of 132 studies which provided 322 estimated advertising elasticities, found a positive impact of advertising on consumption (coefficient, 0. 029), when controlling for alcohol price and income. The recent increase in television advert of alcoholic beverages has led to the increase in the consumption of such products. In Ghana there is influx of adverts of alcoholic beverages on television. These indiscriminate adverts of alcoholic beverages on television have sparked public outcry over the years with some even attributing most of road accidents to such adverts as many people believe that these adverts lead to irresponsible drinking, like drunk driving. These fears of the public gained grounds when a report released by the Ministry of Roads and Highways in June, 2009 on the increasing number of road accidents in the country at the time confirmed drunk driving (alcohol abuse) as one of the topmost causes of road accidents CITATION Myj09 \l 1033 (My joy online , 2009). The situation has prompted the government to reduce the rate of consumption by imposing 10% ‘ad valorem’ tax on all alcoholic products in the 2010 budget statement presented by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning. 4 / 18. The proliferated television adverts of alcoholic beverages also sparked the FDB to place a ban on alcoholic beverage adverts on television in March, 2007. The Driver Vehicle License Authority (DVLA) has spelt out how drunk drivers should behave, by leaving your car at the point you got drunk and join a public transport home. Due to the aforementioned problems and interventions, it is significant for such a study to be conducted to find out the effect of television advertisement of alcoholic beverages on consumer behaviour. Objectives of the study General objectiveThe overall objective of the study was to assess the effect of television advertisement of alcoholic beverages on consumer behaviour. Specific objectivesTo determine whether alcoholic beverage adverts leads to increase consumption. To examine if consumption of alcoholic beverages affect students academic performance. To determine if the consumption of such drinks promote to flirting. To determine how consumption of alcoholic drinks leads to road accident. Research questionsThe study poses and attempts to answer the following questions: What effect does alcohol consumption have on students’ academic performance? Does alcoholic beverage consumption promote flirting? Does consumption alcoholic beverage lead to road accident? Does television adverts on alcoholic beverages lead to increase consumption? Significance of the study Since advertising is important to the promotion of goods and services in today’s competitive market, the implications of this study will help students to know the impact of alcoholic beverage consumption on their academic performance. The government in performing its role of formulating policies and enacting laws to regulate alcoholic beverages adverts in the country can use this document as a reference guide. Finally, the study will be useful to researchers who will in future undertake similar study as it will serve as a source of reference. Scope of the study The scope of the study covers the theoretical and the geographical dimensions of the study. This mainly covers the concepts of advertising, alcoholic beverages and consumer behaviour. The effect of television advertisement of alcoholic beverages could be viewed from many perspectives but for the purpose of this study, it will concentrate mainly on whether advertising leads to increase consumption and consumption affect students’ academic performance, promote flirting and causes road accidents. The geographical scope covers people in cape coast precisely University of Cape Coast students who are 18 years and above. Limitations The study is not devoid of challenges which might affect the result in one way or the other. There is the issue of time constraint since the period within which this research must be completed for submission was less than one academic year. Also, there were financial constraints because there was no financial assistance to aid in the study. This situation forced us to limit the geographical area of the study to only University of Cape Coast which forms a small part of the entire geographical area. Also the number of questionnaires to be used for the study was very few. Organisation of study This study has been organised in five chapters. Chapter one covers various areas of the introduction which include the background to the study, the statement of the research problem, the objectives of the study, research questions, the significance of the study as well as the scope and the organization of the study. Chapter two covers the review of related studies. Chapter three is the methodology used for the study which comprises of research design, population, sample and sampling techniques or methods, data collection methods and instruments, as well as data analysis. Chapter four covers the discussions of the findings and presentations with chapter five covering the summary, conclusions and recommendations of the study. CHAPTER TWOLITERATURE REVIEWIntroduction In this chapter, various literatures are reviewed to give an insight into the present study. This chapter will be written under the following sub-titles: concept of television advertising, television advertising and consumption of alcoholic beverages, alcohol and students academic performance, alcohol consumption and sexual risk 5 / 18 taking. Concept of Television Advertising Television advertising is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization or an individual, which conveys a message, typically to market a product or service. Advertising revenue provides a significant portion of the funding for most privately owned television networks. The vast majority of television advertisements today consist of brief advertising spots, ranging in length from a few seconds to several minutes. Advertisements of this sort have been used to promote a wide variety of goods, services and ideas since the dawn of television. (Health, 2009) asserted that, television engagement is mainly of the subconscious kind and it is effective at building strong brands, due to the low attention to television adverts, the emotional stimuli are more effective because the viewer does not notice and therefore counter-argues against them. (Unsal amp; Yuksel, 1984) state that advertised products generally are to find more favour in consumers’ eyes than unadvertised ones. (Galbraith, 1958) examined that advertising as manipulating the public by creating artificial needs and wants. He did much to popularize the understanding of economics and society. Aspects of advertising that received emphasis in other fields is persuasion (psychology) regulation (political science) gender, race and class (sociology, cultural studies, and culture (anthropology). (Williams, L. M, amp; H, 2003) focus on the institutionalization and professionalization of advertising that is its commercial functions and its persuasive force. As a social critic, he locates advertising in a social context. For him, advertising belongs to a particular historical moment. It is a part of modern capitalist society, and it distinguishes it from attention- grabbing devices in non-capitalist societies in other times and places. For Williams, advertising cannot be decoupled from the way it comes into being and the work it does in society. He drew attention to sponsorship of art in modern times. His definition said advert is the official art of capitalist society. (Diamond, July,1972) defined advertising as a form of communication intended to persuade its viewers, readers or listeners to take some action. It usually includes the name of a product or service and how that product or service could benefit the consumer, persuade potential customers to purchase or consume that particular brand. Commercial advertisers seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services through branding, which involves the repetition of an image or product name in an effort to associate related qualities with the brand in the mind of consumers. According to CITATION Dar09 \l 1033 (Darrin, 2009), television depends on advertising as a way of making profit and to cover up the cost of the shows being aired. Conversely, television has been and is now a good medium for letting advertisers reach a large audience to promote and raise awareness of their products. Despite the availability of other medium of advertising, television remains one of the most popular and cost effective avenues for reaching the advertisers goal. There are a lot of reasons behind every advert which include the following: to create awareness of the existence of a product, to persuade potential targets to buy the product, encourage the public to buy more of the product than previously, to convince the public that its product is superior to other products, create image and goodwill, building up confidence in a business, identifies a business with the goods and service it offer. Forms of Television Advertising There are various forms which can be effectively used in advertising. Mentioned below are the various forms of television advertising. Announcement: in this form, the announcer appears before the camera and conveys the message of the product or service of the advertiser. Examples include: announcements regarding the extended date of sale, gift scheme, concession rates. Slides: this is where only the visual image of the commercial is presented through slides or cards on television, which does not have motion and sound. This form is generally found in local and regional programmes. Here the pictures of the product being advertised appear at the bottom of the 6 / 18 television. Demonstration: this form of television advertising shows the skills through dramatised demonstration to emphasise how a particular product works. The demonstrator or announcer gives explanation on how the product is being used. Advertisements of products such as detergents and blood tonics widely use this form. Dramatized: it is the commonly used form of advertisement which is more persuasive and entertaining in nature. Advertisements of the importance of social issues like girl child education and immunization use this form of television advertising. Animated commercial: this form of television commercial involves cartoon technique. It is more time consuming and this makes it very expensive because the cost of an advert depends on its length. For instance the advertisements on family planning used this technique. Sponsorship: this is where a sponsor (a person who purchases a given amount of broadcast time or advertising space to tell you why you should buy his or her product. There are two types of means to get the sponsorer’s message across: direct and indirect. This form of television advertising is very common in Ghana because every programme being aired on our television station has more than one sponsor, the sponsors products are advertised once or twice during the show. Television advertising and Alcoholic Beverage Consumption. The potential underlying mechanisms for a direct link between alcohol advert portrayals and individual alcohol use are related to norm setting, habit formation and imitation. First, movies, soap operas and advertisements mostly portray substances in a positive way by using prototypes of the â€Å"ideal† person in an appealing context CITATION Eve98 \l 1033 (Everett, R. L, amp; J. L, 1998). Similar findings have been found elsewhere, such as CITATION McC08 \l 1033 (McCreano, Barnes, Borell, Kaiwai, amp; Gregory, 2008) who interviewed youth and found that alcohol advertising was often enjoyed. These advertisements established a climate or association that alcohol is cool, exciting and fun. CITATION McC08 \l 1033 (McCreano, Barnes, Borell, Kaiwai, amp; Gregory, 2008) concluded that alcohol advertising creates an environment which maintains unhealthy expectations, norms and behaviours around alcohol consumption. Secondly, when people associate a specific cue or event to a specific behavioural pattern, example, watching an advert where the intake of alcohol led to admired behaviour like bravery. In essence, the alcohol cues imbedded in this specific context might lead to direct responses thus craving and subsequent alcohol use, especially when this link becomes automatic. Also, alcohol cues in adverts and watching characters consuming alcohol on screen might lead to drinking through the mechanism of imitation. (Quigley amp; Collins, 1999) conducted a study which strongly supported the assumption that when people are in company of a drinker, the drinking pace of the other affects individual drinking rates. According to (Quigley amp; Collins, 1999) there are at least two reasons why this effect occurs: direct imitation and identification. There is a great deal of evidence from neuroscience and psychology showing that people automatically and unconsciously are wired to take over each others behaviour. When we observe someone perform a certain action, the pre–motor representation of that action is activated in our brains as we are about to perform that action ourselves. The presentation of alcohol in the media has received both scrutiny and criticism. As a result of this, researchers begun to explore the effect of such adverts on consumption. Correlation study indicates that media exposure is associated with the attitudes, perceptions and behavior of young people. A study conducted by (Turker, 1985), involving high school males indicated that viewers who watched a great deal of television had significantly higher levels of alcohol use per month than did viewers who watched comparatively less television. (McCreano, Barnes, Borell, Kaiwai, amp; Gregory, 2008) also conducted a study to find the link between television viewing and alcohol consumption. The study followed participants over several years. Respondents were queried about their television viewing habits at ages thirteen and fifteen and their alcohol consumption at age eighteen. They found that, the more television the female subjects watched overall at ages thirteen 7 / 18 and fifteen, the greater were their reported alcohol beverage consumption at age eighteen. For males there was no significant relationship between viewing at ages thirteen and fifteen and consumption at age eighteen. (Grube amp; Wallack, 1994) interviewed fifth and sixth grade students about their awareness of alcohol advertising and their perceptions, attitudes, and behavioural intentions regarding alcohol consumption. They reported that the more aware students were of alcohol advertisements, the more positive their beliefs about alcohol drinking. More positive beliefs about alcohol were associated with indications of likelihood to drink as an adult. Alcohol and students’ academic performance Cognitive and learning impairments from chronic heavy exposure to alcohol can arise from the neuro-toxic effects of ethanol on vulnerable hippocampus and limbic structures. Research findings from animal models and observational human studies have shown that persistent alcohol abuse can result in a decrease in the overall volume of the hippocampus, the area responsible for long term learning and memory. Cell volumes have been found to be consistently smaller in alcohol abusing adolescents and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the degree of hippocampal damage increases with the number of years of alcohol abuse. In one observational research study cited by CITATION Zei05 \l 1033 (Zeigler, C. C, Yoast, B. D, amp; McCaffree, 2005) 38 adolescent alcohol abusers were compared with 69 non alcohol users on neuropsychological tests. The former scored consistently less well in verbal IQ, spelling and reading tests compared to the latter CITATION Lov04 \l 1033 (Loveland- Cherry, 2005) reports that school attachment and receiving good grades have been associated with less adolescent alcohol use, while absenteeism and poor grades are associated with early initiation and increased levels of alcohol use. CITATION Per02 \l 1033 (Perkins, 2002) found that male students who drank more than 5 drinks, and female students that drank more than 4 drinks, in a session one or two times in a 2 week period were over three times more likely to report getting behind in school work compared with more moderate drinkers. When the drinking frequency increased to 3 times in a 2 week period, they were more than eight times more likely to report this problem. CITATION Ber87 \l 1033 (Berkowitz amp; Perkins, 1987) found that women students were as likely as men to experience impaired academic performance due to alcohol. Most reviews which looked at educational performance related to American college students and the majority evidence points to the fact that the association between academic performance and college drinking is inconclusive. A number of reviews have discussed the methodological limitations of studies that investigate the relationship between alcohol and academic performance. Much of the cited evidence for a relationship comes from cross sectional studies which cannot ascribe a causal link. However, there is emerging evidence from longitudinal studies which suggests that binge drinking may impair academic performance over time. Nevertheless, it is noted that most college students who drink go on to lead successful lives. Indeed CITATION Gil02 \l 1033 (Gill, 2002)  argues that alcohol may be a scapegoat for other factors that may limit poor academic performance. CITATION Roy11 \l 1033 (Royce, 2011) in United States argued that the amount of alcohol consumed by students correlate with their grade point average. Thus, there is a negative relationship between alcohol consumption and students academic performance, as the more alcoholic beverage taken by students, the lesser time available for studies or academic work. CITATION Wil03 \l 1033 (Williams, L. M, amp; H, 2003)  .

Neurosurgeon :: Medicine Medical Surgery Neurology Papers

Neurosurgeon Tumors located in the frontal lobe are quite common since this lobe is the largest in humans. These growths are categorized as primary, which means they originate in the brain (benign), or secondary, meaning they have a different origin and it spread to the brain (metastasized). Primary tumors tend to grow slower and cause less noticeable damage and behavioral changes. Secondary tumors, on the other hand, pose a bigger threat because they grow faster and tend to be malignant. Tumors can be operated, with low mortality, but it is usually the individual’s behavior, life, and family that have to change in order to adapt with these new conditions brought on by these growths. Neurosurgeon Neurosurgeons will first want to diagnose the individual complaining of certain complications. Most individuals will report having seizures and/or recurrent headaches, usually recurring in the same area. But, other symptoms could occur depending upon the location. For example, personality changes, being overactive, trouble paying attention, and a loose, disconnected feeling. When the complaint is registered, the neurosurgeon will most likely want to run a couple of tests to see if what the patient is experiencing is due to a tumor. To alleviate some of the symptoms in less threatening cases, the surgeon may prescribe some medicine. Steroids are usually given to reduce swelling and inflammation from growth. Anticonvulsants are given to help reduce or stop seizures caused by tumors. And, to help alleviate hydrocephalus, a shunt is inserted in order to drain fluids and to reduce that build up caused by the tumor. But of course these medications could have unwanted side effects. Steroids like dexamethasone could cause restlessness, anxiety, and/or depression; antipsychotic medicines usually are given to subdue those effects. If anticonvulsant drugs’ dose is too high or too low, it could exhibit aggression, insomnia, and/or psychosis. They could also have a bad reaction with chemotherapy and cause sleepiness, depression, confusion, speech and vision problems, and/or gait problems. This could be solved by either changing dosage or anticonvulsant. Modern imaging techniques have allowed neurosurgeons to better examine the brain and especially locate tumors. The neurosurgeon could start with some X rays and look for any abnormalities in the skull and for calcium deposits, but it could be a waste of time when a Computerized Tomography (CT) could be used. Equally, positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have emerged to provide more detailed and valuable

Beowulf Good vs. Evil

Reading the poem ‘Beowulf’, many ideas, related to the forces of good fighting those of evil, are present within its structure and within its events. The main character in this story is Beowulf who stands for all that is good in a epic battle against Grendel, the monster, who represents evil, death, and pure darkness. â€Å"They called him Grendel, a demon grim / Haunting the fen-lands, holding the moors / Ranging the wastes, where the wretched Wight / Made his lair with the monster kin† (61-64).In a way, the reader can understand that the poem is simply the reflection of an idea that is old as man himself: God and the devil, one against the other. The poet attempts to explain an idea regarding the powers of good and evil within each one of us, the two powers are not only opposite to one another, but also in an endless fight between them. Beowulf is the one who is able to do good and to perform what is of good nature and to help others without thinking of himself. The poem highlights the idea that evil can cleanse the world of evil.Gendel, on the other hand, along with his mother, and the dragon are those desiring to cause harm (and effectively causing that harm) to people. Beowulf was the only one who decided to save those people who were in need, he went to save the people in other lands and to fight a monster that was causing them the suffering and that was capable of destroying any human being in a few seconds. He chose to risk his life in the face of that monster for the good of the others; this is why we find certain reference to him, such as the Prince of goodness; â€Å"the peerless hero, the honored prince† (89).He was the chosen one to save and protect the world from evil. Beowulf declares himself as the good fighter when he informs King Hrothgar that he wants to kill Grendel. Beowulf says â€Å"With hand-grip only I'll grapple with Grendel / Foe against foe I'll fight to the death / And the one who is taken must trust to G od's grace / If death shall call me, he'll carry away† (342-345). Here, Beowulf declares that he will slay the evil creature and that he is not afraid of death because he is fighting for a good cause against a dark enemy.Grendel, as a symbol of evil, attempts to destroy all people and all things around him. Grendel moves in the dark, in a way to show that he is the dark messenger of evil, before to go to the land of Heorot looking for the warriors. When he finds them, he seizes thirty of the men during their sleep, and then kills them all. The next night, Grendall tries to do the same again; the poem explains how he was determined to commit more crimes because one for him was never enough and because one act of evil is far less than what he desired.He kills everyone simply because he enjoys taking the life of someone, and this is another indication to that fact that the fight was not only between two sides, but between moral and immoral, good and bad, and between darkness and light. Grendel’s main purpose was to enter the land and to eliminate everything that represented the joy and happiness that were one of the qualities of that land’s people. Gendel’s home is portrayed to represent hell, in many ways, and he is described to be the offspring of slime in which he lived in always.Then, After he becomes the king of Geatland, he demonstrates his great skills and agility for a good cause when he pledges to slay the fire dragon. Beowulf, as the story goes, pledged to kill the dragon, which has caused a trouble and misery to many of the king’s people. The selfless actions put forward by Beowulf prove many aspects of the hero’s characteristics in what concerns goodness and love of justice.Another case is evident in the following action of Beowulf: â€Å"The she-wolf bore / The ring-prince down through the watery depths / To her den at the bottom; nor could Beowulf draw / His blade for battle, though brave his mood† (10 01-1004). The side of Goodness is also portrayed by the ability of the hero to eleminate the evil and cleanse the land of Heorot. Not only that, but by destroying both Grendel and his mother, Beowulf has purified the hall of Hrothgar of all evils. The fight is between good and evil because it is stated by Beowulf when he announced that he would rid Heorot of evil.Beowulf says, â€Å"That I may alone with my loyal earls / With this hardy company, cleanse Hart Hall / I have heard that the demon in proud disdain / Spurns all weapons; and I too scorn / May Hygelac's heart have joy of the deed / To bear my sword, or sheltering shield / Or yellow buckler, to battle the fiend† (355-341). The great skill of the good hero must be able to purify the land of the evils left by Grendel. Before Grendall was killed, we find that his previous evil actions and killings allowed hatred hate to triumph.Another evil quality that the good hero should be aware of is pride; in the poem, we find the king Hrothgar warning Beowulf of such a quality: He gives him advices that will make goodness remain with him: â€Å"I wish you wealth to your heart's content / In your days of glory be good to my sons! / Here each hero is true to other / Gentle of spirit, loyal to lord / Friendly thanes and a folk united† (784-788). Other indications concerning the side representing good can be found in different parts of the poem. The poem ‘Beowulf’ clearly describes many elements related to the values that society treasured and believed in.The first value was the courage and bravery that are declared by the same person who claims to have them; this is clear in the statement of Beowulf himself when he said: â€Å"I count it true that I had more courage, more strength in swimming than any other man† (508-509). Then comes altruism when Beowulf decides to fight the monster without his sword just to be able to save the others: â€Å"With hand-grip only I'll grapple with foe against foe I'll fight to the death, and the one who is taken must trust to God's grace† (342-344).In this last statement, we can find another value which is the strength of the belief in fate in the culture of that society. Another value was that honor comes as result of someone's actions and good doing during his life, while in Christianity, for example, honor and glory can only be received in the life after death. In another element that can be contested according to today’s values is that Beowulf represented a warrior culture which stated that it was better to get revenge than to grieve those who died: â€Å"Sorrow not, brave one!Better for man to avenge a friend than much to mourn: All men must die; let him who may Win glory ere death† (896-899). One of the most important factors that are clear is the great value that was placed in kinship. Those who are considered related through family were of a certain importance and closeness that if one of them was kil led, it should become a duty for his relatives to vindicate his death and punish the perpetrator. Other values of Beowulf’s society are loyalty, honesty, justice, and generosity.Even though Beowulf and Achilles had many common heroic qualities such as courage and strength, there were many differences between them. To understand the differences we must take a closer look at the motivations of each of them; Achilles was a great warrior that sought glory and fame through revenge, social status and through the pursuit of power, while Beowulf sought glory through a different path; his main concern was to save and protect his people and his soldiers. Achilles was capable of anything to reach his goals, while Beowulf followed his higher values in all cases; those values were loyalty, pride and courtesy.The evil character presented by the story is the typical one that possesses tremendous powers and that has the most horrendous of looks. It is the one that can be found in many ancien t stories (and in some cases, many fairytales) that aim at giving a clear image of evil and of its deeds and of its objectives, which are mostly to cause harm and pain to everyone around him. The evil character, in this story, has no further goals to obtain through the killing and the terror caused, because those means are the same as the ends.While the good character, Beowulf, is pure and courageous. He is willing to do anything to prevent any more harm and to stop the evil forces that are working in the world around him. He chooses to kill the monster, not because of the joy of killing, but to save the people and the city. And he does not choose to do so because he wants to be considered a hero, but because he is really a hero who does not expect anything in return for his actions. The confrontation, as portrayed throughout the poem, is the one that is mentioned in different stories (in some cases, religious stories).Evil, no matter how powerful and no matter how fearless, will ha ve to face the powers of good and only the chosen one, who has all the required physical and mental tools, will be able to stop and defeat the powers of evil and to purify the world and will bring justice, love and happiness. In his attempt to give us a clear idea of the various factors related to the fight between good and evil, the poet manages to describe the whole story in a way that can be used in any time and for any culture; because this specific fight is always valid.The dreams and aspirations of people are the same as they have never changed, and most probably, they will never change: To be able to have a peaceful life, to be able to offer good life to their children, and to be able to have justice and equality. Beowulf is simply the hero that everyone wishes to have in order to realize those dreams and aspirations. Reference Beowulf. Translated by Charles Kennedy. Retrieved July 7, 2006 from the world wide web: http://www. wise. k12. va. us/dlp/English/beowolf. htm